id
stringlengths 5
17
| title
stringlengths 2
2.56k
⌀ | abstract
stringlengths 3
29.9k
| type
stringclasses 4
values |
|---|---|---|---|
W2019886336 | Parks as business opportunities and development strategies | Purpose – The aim of this study is to identify factors that users find important in their use of the neighborhood park (to evaluate design of the neighborhood park from the view point of users) and to consider the impact of well designed neighborhood parks on business strategy compared to the traditional view.Design/methodology/approach – The population of this study was drawn from park users and neighborhood residents. Park visitors were conveniently sampled through an intercept survey method form. Taman Sri Nibong Park is one of the biggest neighborhood parks in Pulau Pinang. A total of 173 questionnaires were returned. The data were analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics.Findings – By knowing the needs and preferences of visitors and neighborhood residents, the present study concludes that more efforts should be made to include certain qualities in designing neighborhood areas to attract more visitors and investors. Related to the effectiveness of design on park users' perceptions and prefe... | publication |
986626 | Technology platform for telecom carriers to identify and predict mobile user behaviour by means of analytics and deep learning | Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are facing ever growing pressure from digital players such as Facebook, Google and Whatsapp who are eroding their ability to sell services beyond basic connectivity. CSPs are still operating based on traditional commercial models based on high level segmentation, generic marketing campaigns and lack of user knowledge. Revenues per customer have already declined by between 13-36% across the world and will further decrease if they don’t transform their existing business models into fully digital, automated and intelligent e-commerce machines that can serve their users like the other digital players. MNOs must look for additional sources of income and adapt their business models to remain competitive in their ecosystem flooded with competitors, most recently from over the top services. They need to shift their business activity towards a more customer focus rather than data pushing. Fortunately, carriers are sitting on a veritable gold mine. With large subscriber bases, the industry generates rich data on customer activity as a by-product of its daily business. Monetizing this underutilized asset could generate billions in revenue and render operators more competitive. DMAP is an enabling technology that transforms the telecom carriers’ product distribution by enabling them to hyper-personalize offers to users in real-time based on customers behaviour. The technology turns massive, unexploited data generated by users when ac cessing the internet over the carriers’ network into commercial exploitative data. The platform allows carriers to generate new revenue through greater “subscriber intelligence”. The telecommunications industry is expected to invest €6.4 billion in AI that automates revenue generation and sales. DMAP is a unique solution well position to exploit this large addressable market. | project/european |
W2249551158 | An improved risk assessment considering spinning reserve of power system with wind farm integration | The massive integration of wind power brings more challenges to the safe operation of power system. In this paper, risk assessment methods of power system with wind power integration are studied by using DSR (dynamic security region) and risk assessment theory. The basic construction method of DSR boundary is introduced. The risk index calculation and comprehensive analysis method of wind power integration system are proposed based on DSR, which can give quantitative indicators of the system day-ahead scheduling plan and present the serious fault elements as well as vulnerable nodes of the system. A way to calculate the up and down spinning reserve capacity added to generator bus is discussed. Test results on the New England 10-genrator 39-bus system is presented and proves the effectiveness of this approach. | publication |
W1922191503 | Anomalous lattice vibrations of monolayer MoS<sub>2</sub> probed by ultraviolet Raman scattering | We present a comprehensive Raman scattering study of monolayer MoS2 with increasing laser excitation energies ranging from the near-infrared to the deep-ultraviolet. The Raman scattering intensities from the second-order phonon modes are revealed to be enhanced anomalously by only the ultraviolet excitation wavelength 354 nm. We demonstrate theoretically that such resonant behavior arises from a strong optical absorption that forms near the Γ point and ½ΓK of the band structure and an inter-valley resonant electronic scattering by the M-point phonons. These results advance our understanding of the double resonance Raman scattering process in low-dimensional semiconducting nanomaterials and provide a foundation for the technological development of monolayer MoS2 in the ultraviolet frequency range. | publication |
979467 | Smart ceramic hollow fibers for energy efficient gas and vapour sorption | The aim of this project is to develop a novel ceramic hollow fiber adsorption system for high throughput, energy efficient separation and purification of gases/ vapours. Current adsorption technologies are grossly energy inefficient due to waste heat generation and long regeneration times. Therefore, it is important to develop new energy efficient, smart functional materials in order to meet society’s future energy demands. Functional hollow fibers with smart characteristics (such as self-regulated heating and regeneration of the adsorbent bed) have the potential to meet these challenges, and compact systems could be formed that also exhibit low pressure drop, no adsorbent bed settling and channelling, and have a low thermal mass for rapid regeneration of the adsorbent layer. The novel hollow fiber will consist of a thin film zeolite inner layer for adsorption of target species, while the outer layer is formed from a perovskite-type Lanthanum doped BaTiO3 ceramic with positive temperature coefficient of resistance (PTCR) characteristics. The PTCR layer provides inherent temperature control, imparting self-regulating and self-limited Ohmic (Joule) heating with thermal energy directed onto the inner adsorbent layer in order to regenerate the system for the next process cycle. This is a highly multidisciplinary project encompassing the formation of electro-ceramic hollow fibers from wet spinning techniques, zeolite deposition chemistry, and industrial engineering. The MSC-IF researcher will work within the Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Research (EMPA) in the High Performance Ceramics Group, where he will develop expertise in ceramic processing and extrusion. A prototype ceramic hollow fiber, gas purification system will be developed and benchmarked against conventional packed-bed technology, during a secondment phase to NanoPurification Solutions Ltd (UK), a manufacturer of industrial gas separation technology. | project/european |
2717686 | Novel calculation and analysis method, planning and application platform that personalizes the mathematical definition of spinal alignment and shape (gap simulator) | THE MOTIVATION & CHALLENGES
More than 1 out of 3 patients (>33%) have mechanical complications after spine surgery despite various efforts of calculation and planning. Approximately 50% of patients who experience a mechanical complication require a second intervention for a revision surgery, which negatively affects the patient’s well-being and causes increased cost and issues regarding insurance payments. Despite revision surgeries, ideal sagittal alignment still cannot be obtained in some patients. Therefore, to eliminate these negative outcomes due to the currently used population-based analysis methods there is a need for personalised analysis and surgical planning.
THE IDEA: GAP SIMULATOR
GAP Simulator is a novel sagittal spinal shape and alignment analysis method and application platform. GAP Simulator is used for preventive medicine applications and for the diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders utilised in the fields of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Neurosurgery, Physiotherapy, and in related fields. The GAP analysis and planning system, uses relative angular values to denote deviations from the calculated ideal, and is the first revolutionary system developed for prevention of mechanical complications by personalised preoperative planning. GAP analysis quantifies the spatial orientation of the pelvis, magnitude and distribution of the lumbar lordosis and global spinopelvic alignment via pelvic incidence-adjusted radiographic parameters.
OUR MARKET: Spine Surgical Planning and Spinal Implants Market.
The global spinal surgery devices market was valued at €10.46billion in 2018, and is estimated to be valued at €14.35 million in 2024, witnessing a CAGR of 5.30%. GAP Simulator is expected to grab up to 0.957% of this market 5 years post commercialisation. | project/european |
W121743440 | Efficient induction of probabilistic word classes with LDA | Word classes automatically induced from distributional evidence have proved useful many NLP tasks including Named Entity Recognition, parsing and sentence retrieval. The Brown hard clustering algorithm is commonly used in this scenario. Here we propose to use Latent Dirichlet Allocation in order to induce soft, probabilistic word classes. We compare our approach against Brown in terms of efficiency. We also compare the usefulness of the induced Brown and LDA word classes for the semi-supervised learning of three NLP tasks: fine-grained Named Entity Recognition, Morphological Analysis and semantic Relation Classification. We show that using LDA for word class induction scales better with the number of classes than the Brown algorithm and the resulting classes outperform Brown on the three tasks. | publication |
W2023375891 | Understanding guide dog team interactions | The visually impaired have been a longstanding and well-recognized user group addressed in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Recently, the study of sighted dog owners and their pets has gained interest in HCI. Despite this, there is a noticeable gap in the field with regards to research on visually impaired owners and their dogs (guide dog teams). This paper presents a study that explores the interactions of guide dog teams revealing a rich, holistic understanding of their everyday lives and needs, across both work and leisure activities. Our findings inform and inspire future research and practices suggesting three opportunity areas: supporting working guide dog teams, enhancing play-interaction through accessible dog toys utilizing sensor technologies, and speculative and exploratory opportunities. This work contributes to the growing research on designing for human-canine teams and motivates future research with guide dog teams. | publication |
217775 | Antbiotic – progressing tb drug candidates to clinical proof of concept | Tuberculosis (TB) today rivals HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of death from infectious diseases. The number of TB patients has never been higher and the growing proportion of drug-resistant TB is threatening control strategies both in the developing and developed world, Eastern Europe being a particularly worrying point in case. The anTBiotic consortium aims to fuel the long-term TB clinical pipeline while immediately offering new options to clinicians when confronted with multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB. More specifically, the proposed studies aim to:
a) Establish the proof of concept of anti-TB efficacy in humans of a pioneering, first-in-class, low-dose GSK oxaborole clinical drug candidate;
b) Identify a combination of β-lactam antibiotics suitable for the treatment of MDR TB orally or as a once daily intravenous or intramuscular application and
c) Incorporate the best β-lactam combination into an explorative salvage regimen for untreatable patients with extensively drug-resistant TB
The anti-TB activity in humans will be established in a two-week EBA clinical studies that combine established (CFU, TTP) and new clinical markers (biomarkers, PET/CT). These datasets will help ascertain anti-TB efficacy in humans and generate confidence on their validity in longer-term drug combination trials. A variety of modelling approaches to predict optimal dosing will be used. Finally, we intend to use at least one of these novel anti-TB entities as part of a pioneering, non-controlled clinical trial in highly drug resistant subjects in Europe and South Africa. This final clinical intervention will hopefully be of immediate benefit to drug-resistant patients in the EU and elsewhere in addition to generating a strong precedent for further adoption worldwide. | project/european |
W3040917338 | Vibration Analysis of Offshore Oil and Gas Platform Mechanical Equipment | Ding, N., 2020. Vibration analysis of offshore oil and gas platform mechanical equipment. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 633–637. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Based on the case of a shallow-water drilling platform, this article focuses on the vibration principle and vibration-control strategy for oil and gas platforms. Through the analysis of ANSYS and field-measured data, this research obtained several causes for violent vibrations of platforms and puts forward countermeasures to prevent platform accidents from vibration. Drilling platforms belong to offshore operation, which have great theoretical risks. In the work of substations, railways, and mines on land, the design of the operation sheet and dispatching instruction are strictly evaluated, and there should be similar attention to dispatching work of drilling platform. | publication |
175988 | Exploiting glycosylation of colorectal cancer for the development of improved diagnostics and therapeutics | Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major worldwide cancer burden with about 1.4 million cases in 2012 and an annual mortality of approximately 700,000. Early detection is crucial as treatment is most efficient in early stages where population based screenings could substantially reduce incidence and mortality.
Current screening techniques are invasive or lack sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms leading to the formation of different antigens suggested as CRC biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets are poorly understood, especially with regard to carbohydrate-based molecules, such as glycans. Enhancing our understanding of the structure-function relationship of glycosylation in CRC could lead to the discovery of improved diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and pave the way for nov-el therapeutic targets.
Building on an established network of analysts with many years of experience in (glyco)proteomics and biomarker research, in collaboration with colleagues in the field of glycobiology and glyco-immunology, GlyCoCan will develop new methods, and use current state of the art methods, to investigate the role of glycosylation in many different aspects of CRC.
The GlyCoCan multi-disciplinary network will principally be a training programme with a substantial industrial focus on technology transfer and teaching of internationally adopted biopharma regulations (GMP, ISO9001, ICH guidelines). The underlying specific research objectives will be addressed within individual ESR projects, giving rise to a generation of ESRs whose main focus is investigating and tackling the challenges of the role of glycosylation within CRC and other diseases.
The network will address the currently unmet need for glycosylation researchers with an inter-disciplinary perspective to fully exploit the immense potential of the young scientific field of glyco-oncology and to set them on a path to successful and productive careers in academic and industrial collaborations. | project/european |
interreg_3518 | Strengthening Key aErospace technologY for smart transport monitoring systEms | On 28 May 2019, the Council at the end of its 3694th meeting adopted conclusions on the future of European space policy. Recognising the role of space as an enabler for social and economic benefits and its importance in shaping a number of sectoral policies, the Council calls for greater coordination between the EU and member states in addressing the challenges posed by the transformation of the space sector. The Council underlines that space offers new opportunities to enhance competitiveness, innovation, entrepreneurship, skills and capacity building in all Member States and at regional level, with particular regard to small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups and their inclusion in the existing value chains, and so it highlights the importance to strengthen cross-border international cooperation. The SkEye project aims precisely to follow this recommendations and foster collaboration among R&D (highly specialised universities and research centers), industries, SMEs and policy makers in order to exploit the existing technologies and maximise the innovation potential of future aerospace technologies for transport monitoring and spatial planning in the Cooperation area. This will be done by facilitating knowledge transfer and market uptake of aerospace technologies for transport monitoring and land planning (from environmental control and security to road monitoring. Moreover, SkEye project will favour the endorsement EU regulations on the use of space technologies (more precisely, data and technologies derived by Copernicus and Galileo systems) from EU to IPA Countries. SkEye project will also focus on business creation, by favouring the creation on start ups to complete the supply chain at cross-border level with innovative pilots/products. | project/regional |
W4288742027 | Achiote TOTAL | O ensaio se compõe de imagens da preparação e desenhos do dia do desfile do bloco de carnaval Achiote TOTAL, que aconteceu dia 23 de fevereiro de 2019 nas ruas de Medellín, Colômbia. Nesta cidade o Carnaval de rua foi proibido em 1916 e não voltou a ser celebrado como antes. Tomamos suas ruas de vermelho partindo da ideia de vingança passional/política, depois de juntar-nos por semanas seguidas criando parafernálias e disfarces coletvamente. Achiote (em espanhol Urucum) TOTAL foi um carnaval pequeno e único que tingiu parte do centro da cidade, reuniu pessoas, ocupou as ruas e causou ruído por onde passou. | publication |
Q4767384 | ROMEO SAILING S.R.L. | LA ROMEO SAILING SRL, E' UN'IMPRESA CHE SVOLGE LA PROPRIA ATTIVITA' NEL SETTORE NAUTICO E PRECISAMENTE E' UN NEGOZIO PER LA VENDITA AL DETTAGLIO DI ACCESSORI E PEZZI DI RICAMBIO DI OGNI GENERE NECESSARI AL DIPORTO NAUTICO. VENGONO VENDUTI INOLTRE ANCHE MOTORI MARINI FUORIBORDO NONCHE' GOMMONI, TENDER E PICCOLE IMBARCAZIONI. IL PUNTO VENDITA E' SITUATO ALL'INTERNO DEL PORTO DI MARINA DEGLI AREGAI E SI RIVOLGE PRINCIPALMENTE AI DIPORTISTI SENZA TRALASCIARE PERO' DI FORNIRE ANCHE ALCUNI OPERATORI DEL SETTORE (ELETTRICISTI, MECCANICI, DEALER, ECC.). PER POTER SODDISFARE LA PROPRIA CLIENTELA LA ROMEO SAILING SI E' DOTATA UN AMPIO MAGAZZINO CON CIRCA 150.000 ' DI MERCE PRESENTE E SI E' SEMPRE AUTOFINANZIATA. | project/regional |
W2564097881 | How We Think about Economics | If there is a favorite sentence that encapsulates Vernon Smith’s contribution to how I think about economics, it is the first one in the second footnote of his Nobel lecture: “Doing experimental economics has changed the way I think about economics” (reprinted in Smith, 2003; p. 465). He elaborates further: There are many reasons for this, but one of the most prominent is that designing and conducting experiments forces you to think through the process rules and procedures of an institution. Few, like Einstein, can perform detailed and imaginative mental experiments. Most of us need the challenge of real experiments to discipline our thinking. | publication |
W2771301961 | Systematic model for estimation of future inadvertent human intrusion into deep rad-waste repository by domestic groundwater well drilling | Abstract Future human intrusion into a geological repository for spent nuclear fuels and radioactive waste is a safety case that inherently involves a high uncertainty, especially in areas with a high population density. The uncertainty associated with inadvertent human intrusion needs to account for the complexity of various conceivable circumstances with the long-term evolution of society or technology. In this study, a new dynamic Monte Carlo model is developed to properly incorporate the potential future human intrusion frequency, which has never been performed in past studies. The developed model for inadvertent deep groundwater well drilling into a repository focuses on the assessment of the quantitative effects of factors mitigating or enhancing future human intrusion risk. Assuming the current groundwater well depth distribution in the Gyeongsangnam-do region of the Republic of Korea, the future human intrusion frequency is estimated to be 5.89 × 10 - 4 1 / yr for a repository with a depth of 500 m and a hypothetical area of 5.27 × 10 - 1 km 2 . The model predicts that the frequency may reach up to 2.18 × 10 - 3 1 / yr as the depth of a groundwater well increases in the future, as expected from the data trending performed in this study. A sensitivity analysis shows that a proper design can suppress the frequency, which increases positively with the repository area and negatively with the depth of the repository. However, mitigation by a repository design tends to be weakened as the well depth distribution increases. Since the average well depth increases with time, the mitigation effects achieved by reducing the area or increasing the depth of a repository may not be effective against the current expectation. In this case, the most reliable approach for minimizing future human intrusion risk will be a reduction in the radiotoxicity concentration of the waste. | publication |
US 2022/0023117 W | A SENSOR ASSEMBLY FOR SENSING THE TURBIDITY OF A CLEANING MEDIUM IN A CLEANING APPLIANCE | The present disclosure relates to a sensor assembly (100) for sensing the turbidity of a cleaning medium in a cleaning appliance (190), comprising: a printed circuit board (122) having a substantially planar top surface and a substantially planar bottom surface; a light emitter (112) operably mounted to said printed circuit board (122), configured to emit an electromagnetic signal in a first direction substantially perpendicular to and away from said planar top surface; a light receiver (114) operably mounted to said printed circuit board (122) spaced apart from said light emitter (112) along said substantially planar top surface, configured to receive said electromagnetic signal from a second direction substantially perpendicular to and towards said planar top surface of said printed circuit board (122); and a light guide (150), operably coupleable between said light emitter (112) and said light receiver (114), defining a signal path (116) extending from said light emitter (112) to said light receiver (114) utilising: a first light guide portion (152), configured to reflectingly redirect said electromagnetic signal in a third direction non-parallel to said first direction and in a fourth direction non-parallel to said third direction at a first light guide exit point (160), and a second light guide portion (162), spaced apart from said first light guide portion (152) in a direction parallel to said planar top surface by a predetermined gap, configured to receive said electromagnetic signal exiting said first light guide exit point (160) and reflectingly redirect said electromagnetic signal in a fifth direction non-parallel to said fourth direction and in a sixth direction coaxial with said second direction. | patent |
219879 | Artificial life today anthropological and sociological analysis of life engineering | We are witnessing profound changes in our societies via biosciences and bio-technologization. Biotechnologies, synthetic biology, and new genetics in general represent key areas of life sciences, characterised by rapid technological and scientific development. The biotechnologies as key areas of contemporary cultural and social transformations are influenced by specific technological rationality and power that is inscribed in the very foundations of modern society. The power is biopower/biopolitics, which names, creates, and controls life. The project addresses contemporary challenges in the field of biopolitical life engineering, specifically in case of PGD (preimplantantion genetic diagnosis) technology. There is a lack of reflection on the broader social and cultural context and on the ramifications of synthetic life engineering, PGD in the Czech Republic from the anthropological and sociological points of view. These issues remain unanalysed, contributing to a lack of understanding of the specific concerns of synthetic life and life sciences in the Eastern European and post-socialist context. This proposed project will analyse social context of technology PGD in the Czech Republic in comparison with Germany. This project is guided by the main questions: How is the field of life engineering, particularly PGD technology, culturally and socially structured in the Czech Republic in comparison with Germany? What kinds and forms of agency are involved there? Are there any specific concerns in public debates relating to life engineering in comparisons of Eastern and Western Europe? The main aim of this research, which will be conducted on case studies of two European countries, is to analyse and interpret through sociological and anthropological perspective the ways in which current forms of biopower and ideas of artificial life have been influencing the social field of life engineering, especially PGD technology. | project/european |
221808 | Next generation renewable energy portfolio asset management based on predictive analytics | Isotrol, as a specialist on ICT solutions for renewable energies, has identified a business opportunity of develop and take to market a new generation of portfolio asset manager based on analysing on the large amount of technical and economic data available.
The consolidation of the renewable energies sector and the change of centre of gravity from technical towards financial and asset managers as the main players in the sector. These actors handle hundreds or thousands of energy generation facilities from a large diversity for sizes and technologies (Wind, Photovoltaics, Biomass, Hydro) that has purchased from promoters. The existing tools in the market are based on informational systems or scorecards for the main parameters of the facilities, but, in general, have not been able to take advantage of the complete digitization of the processes and the new techniques of BigData, predictive analytics and systems capable of learning that are capable of provide detailed insights of the portfolio for: a) detecting non-optimal production. b) selling energy strategy and c) O&M cost reductions. The solution is focused as a services (SaaS) for the management of the portfolio, providing specific information about these three areas. On-premise installation for some customers are also foreseen. This data driven predictive analytics over the detailed information of a renewable portfolio is expected to increase the revenue for asset manager in a 10%.
Renewable energies is a key sector for EU economy that already employs over 1 million people and accounted for EUR 144 billion in 2014. The Renewable Energy Directive has the aim of making the EU world number one in renewables. European Commission has set the objective of 27% share of renewable energy for 2030. Growing rates for large (‘utility-scale’) renewable facilities are very consistent in main accessible markets (USA 51% in PV and 11% in wind; Europe, 12% and 5%, Latam 280% and 38%). | project/european |
US 8502498 W | NIPPLE DECORATION DEVICE | A nipple decoration device particularly for attachment to a female breast has an integral spring bias which provides a compressive force on two support arms. At the end of each support arm is an arcuate pad which is in contact with the nipple. The nipple decoration device is held in place by the bias force of the integral spring transmitted to the arcuate pads by the support arms. | patent |
US 2006/0023293 W | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS PERTAINING TO PNA SYNTHONS AND OLIGOMERS COMPRISING A UNIVERSAL BASE | This invention is related to compositions and methods pertaining to PNA synthons, PNA oligomers and/or PNA/DNA Chimeras comprising a universal base. | patent |
W136921850 | Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis | NTRODUCTION: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is defined as granulomatous mastits without any other attributable cause. The condition is diagnosed very rarely. As the diagnosis is a lengthy differential diagnosis of exclusion there is considerable uncertainty about incidence.
CASE REPORT: We present a case of a 37-year-old woman with an abnormal mammography exam. She observed a lump in the right breast about a year and a half ago that grew a lot. Mammography showed a focal assimetric in the upper lateral region of the right breast. Ultrasonography revealed a very suspicious lump in the region of the palpable mass, measuring 3, 5 cm. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast revealed dense breasts with marked enhancement. The T2-weighted images showed an area of decreased attenuation, 4, 2 cm in diameter with spiculated borders, in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast. Four days later, a core needle biopsy of the breast mass was performed. Pathological examination of the specimen revealed granulomatous mastitis plus usual ductal hyperplasia. One day before the surgical lumpectomy, she presented with multiple lumps (at least 3) palpable in the same breast. The pathological finding was the same of the core needle biopsy. The treatment with glucocorticoids was started and 2 months later she presented with severe breast pain, no other abnormalities. We introduced endoxifen gel at that time and reduced de corticosteroids dose. One year later, she came to us concerned about local recurrence of a small lump. Again, we introduced oral prednisone and keep a short follow up.
DISCUSSION: Like the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, the diagnosis of granlomatous mastitis requires exclusion of other causes of granulomatous disorders. Granulomatous mastitis may represent a localized autoimmune or hypersensitive response, but no evidence of imunne dysfunction or vasculitis was found in our patient. The clinical response of our patient to a prolonged course of low-dose prednisone was reasonable. The recurrence after one year is of undetermined prognosis, and more studies evaluating the dose, duration, medication and recurrence should be done. | publication |
W2168499689 | Software for Annotating Videos—A Resource to Facilitate Active Learning in the Digital Age | In many areas of study—especially health professions, visual demonstration of concepts, processes and procedures form an important strategy for teaching and learning. Video recordings can be invaluable in capturing visual components. Annotations add another all-important dimension to the learning value of the video. Our Annotated Video Software is an innovative e-learning tool in support of experiential and self-directed learning. Annotations are independent of the video and the separation of annotation and video provides a robust learning environment that supports content. The tool is user-friendly and instructors can add annotations, without the need for intervention by programmers. Annotations can consist of notes of explanation, complementary videos, links to additional information and questions to engage critical thinking. Students’ answers to questions may also be collected and collated. Upon submission of answers feedback can be displayed, thus transforming evaluation into an immediate learning opportunity. We have already created educational resources for health professionals. Next steps include dissemination of the software to educators, provision of software access by mobile devices and better strategies to incorporate the annotated videos into existing learning management systems. | publication |
W2909343404 | New sulfonamides containing organometallic-acylhydrazones: synthesis, characterisation and biological evaluation as inhibitors of human carbonic anhydrases | A series of organometallic acylhydrazones was prepared, incorporating Re(CO)3, Mn(CO)3 and ferrocenyl moieties, which were subsequently reacted with amino-sulfonamides in order to obtain carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitors possessing organometallic moieties in their molecules. The new derivatives were investigated as inhibitors of four human (h) CA isoforms with pharmaceutical applications, such as the cytosolic hCA I, II and VII and the mitochondrial hCA VA. An interesting inhibitory profile against these isoforms was obtained, with some of these metal complexes acting as subnanomolar or low nanomolar inhibitors. They were also thoroughly characterised from the chemical point of view, making them of interest for further developments in the field of metal complexes of sulfonamides with CA inhibitory action. | publication |
176703 | European standardised process approach to cognitive evaluation in older people | During this fellowship at Dublin City University (Ireland), the researcher will enhance, significantly, the clinical utility of existing traditionally used cognitive tests, particularly as it relates to the early detection and accurate diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Cognitive difficulties represent the hallmark of many neurodegenerative conditions and, in relation to dementia, cognitive evaluation represents one major pillar of current methods of detection and diagnosis. There are, however, many difficulties with existing cognitive tests and this project has been designed to address this issue. The need for and the potential benefits of early and accurate detection of MCI and dementia is well-recognised. Early and accurate detection is, however, complex and, at present, is subject to high diagnostic error rates. With the expected advent of new effective drug treatments for different neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease), early and accurate diagnosis will be even more vital into the future. Using the principles of what is known as the Qualitative Process Approach (QPA), the goal of this project is to identify and develop a battery of cognitive tests, both in traditional paper-and-pencil form and, when clinically appropriate, in a computerised version, with the aim of enabling a wide range of clinicians improve early and accurate diagnosis. This fellowship will play a crucial role in the career of Dr. Unai Diaz Orueta by providing him with international research experience and making him a reference expert in international neuropsychological research. Patients, families and society will benefit for earlier detection, earlier intervention, and reduced healthcare costs, as the improvement in the accuracy of the diagnosis of neurodegenerative conditions will subsequently impact in planning appropriate early interventions and saving millions of Euros associated to both formal and informal care of older people with dementia. | project/european |
W2298643377 | Spatiotemporal variation among demersal ichthyofauna in a subtropical estuary bordering World Heritage-listed and marine protected areas: implications for resource management | Benthic trawl surveys were performed to quantify the spatiotemporal distributions of teleosts and key abiotic associations throughout an ecologically important estuary within Brazil’s Atlantic Forest biosphere. Approximately 52000 fish (51% juveniles) representing 75 species were sampled, with residents accounting for 36 and 61% of total species and individuals respectively. Five artisanally important species comprised 77 and 81% of individuals and biomass respectively. Cathorops spixii was most abundant (>40% of total), whereas Stellifer rastrifer, Aspistor luniscutis, Sphoeroides greeleyi and S. testudineus collectively contributed towards 37 and 34% of individuals and biomass respectively. The abundance of A. luniscutis, C. spixii and S. rastrifer was negatively associated with salinity, whereas the presence of the latter two species was also positively associated with temperature, and S. greeleyi and S. testudineus (mostly adults) were more abundant in deeper areas. These relationships seemed to be affected by species-specific reproductive (S. rastrifer, C. spixii and A. luniscutis), habitat (S. greeleyi and S. testudineus) and prey preferences (juvenile C. spixii and A. luniscutis). Protection for these various species may be achieved via immediate fishing effort regulations, but more research is required to manage other anthropogenic effects. Such work should be a priority to ultimately preserve what is one of the most important South American biodiversity areas. | publication |
225749 | The spatial dynamics of room acoustics | The SONORA project aims to increase the general understanding of how complex sound scenes are impacted by the spatial dynamics of room acoustics. This knowledge is crucial in the design of signal processing algorithms for audio acquisition and reproduction problems in real-life situations, where moving sound sources and observers interact with room acoustics in a complicated manner.
A major part of the project will be devoted to the development of novel room acoustics models and to the unification of existing models. The room acoustics models developed in this project will be data-driven models with a physically motivated structure, and are expected to fill the existing gap between geometric and wave-based models. This will be achieved by formulating existing and novel models in a dictionary-based mathematical framework and introducing a new concept coined as the equivalent boundary model, aimed at relaxing the prior knowledge required on the physical room boundary.
A second part of the project will focus on the development of a protocol for measuring spatiotemporal sound fields. This protocol will be rooted in a novel sound field sampling theory which exploits the spatial sparsity of sound sources by invoking the compressed sensing paradigm.
Thirdly, novel signal processing algorithms capable of handling spatiotemporal sound fields will be designed. By employing recent advances in large-scale optimization and multidimensional scaling, fast and matrix-free algorithms will be obtained that do not require prior knowledge of the sound scene geometry.
The SONORA research results are anticipated to have a notable impact in various audio acquisition and reproduction problems, including acoustic signal enhancement, audio analysis, room inference, virtual acoustics, and spatial audio reproduction. These problems have many applications in speech, audio, and hearing technology, hence a significant benefit for industry and for technology end users is expected in the long run. | project/european |
W2998965269 | La autonomía privada en el contrato leasing | ABSTRACT
The objective of the present investigation was to determine how to achieve the application and primacy of the private autonomy of the parties in the leasing contract without ignoring the will, freedom and equality of the tenant. For the verification of the hypothesis, a sample constituted by 10 experts in financial leasing contract analysis divided into: 06 users and 04 financial entities was considered. As well as the statistical reports of the financial leasing contracts of the ASBAC, 2016-2017, and the regulations that regulate it. In order to obtain the information, the techniques of documentary analysis, the signing and the survey were used, with their respective data collection instruments. This information was organized and presented in tables and frequency figures. Likewise, the inductive-deductive, analysis-synthesis and hermeneutic methods were used to discuss the information obtained from the elements of the sample. The results allowed to conclude that the application and primacy of the Principle of Private Autonomy of the tenant, in the financial leasing contract within the framework of constitutionally regulated contractual freedom, is achieved by granting personal decision to the tenant in the free pact of the minimum insurance conditions that covers the goods subject of financial leasing, since Legislative Decree 299 is distorted, coerces the contractual freedom and imposes the financial obligation on the business need. | publication |
W2090354712 | Estimation of orbit change and emittance growth due to random misalignment in long linacs | In linear accelerators, the transverse beam orbit is induced by tilts of accelerating cavities (deviation of accelerating field direction from designed beam direction) and transverse offset of quadrupole magnets. Estimating induced orbit and emittance growth due to such random errors is important for evaluation of performance of linacs, especially where stable and low emittance beam is required, such as linear colliders. Usually, such estimations are performed using tracking simulations, including the Monte Carlo method, which tends to take a long time. Here, a much faster and simpler method of quantitative estimation of beam orbit and emittance growth is reported. This method is valid for very long linacs with many components, where statistical treatment of errors is justified. It is shown that the results from the method agree well with tracking simulations for the ILC (International Linear Collider) main linac. | publication |
W1991662037 | Monitoring the effect of a control pulse on a conical intersection by time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy | We have previously shown how femtosecond angle- and energy-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy can be used to monitor quantum wavepacket bifurcation at an avoided crossing or conical intersection and also how a symmetry-allowed conical intersection can be effectively morphed into an avoided crossing by photo-induced symmetry breaking. The latter result suggests that varying the parameters of a laser to modify a conical intersection might control the rate of passage of wavepackets through such regions, providing a gating process for different chemical products. In this paper, we show with full quantum mechanical calculations that such optical control of conical intersections can actually be monitored in real time with femtosecond angle- and energy-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. In turn, this suggests that one can optimally control the gating process at a conical intersection by monitoring the photoelectron velocity map images, which should provide far more efficient and rapid optimal control than measuring the ratio of products. To demonstrate the sensitivity of time-resolved photoelectron spectra for detecting the consequences of such optical control, as well as for monitoring how the wavepacket bifurcation is affected by the control, we report results for quantum wavepackets going through the region of the symmetry-allowed conical intersection between the first two (2)A' states of NO(2) that is transformed to an avoided crossing. Geometry- and energy-dependent photoionization matrix elements are explicitly incorporated in these studies. Time-resolved photoelectron angular distributions and photoelectron images are seen to systematically reflect the effects of the control pulse. | publication |
W2123191603 | Walking the Natural-History Trail | Abstract: Natural-history studies represent the observational stage of the scientific method, and the single greatest discovery in biological sciences, evolution by natural selection, was based largely on a vast amount of natural-history information collected by Charles Darwin. I briefly review natural-history observations that I have made during my career that led to discoveries in life-history theory, placentation in New World Mabuya that rivals that of eutherian mammals, social behavior in the North American clade of five-lined skinks, and the relationship of ecological traits of lizards globally to their evolutionary history (phylogeny). Gifted collaborators provided the intellectual interplay that led to these discoveries, and they certainly deserve as much credit as I do. I briefly comment on what I consider to be frontiers in herpetology that involve combining phylogenetic hypotheses with natural-history data. In a final comment, I encourage those among us who are able to spend extended time period... | publication |
W1970187701 | Symptom Validity Testing in Medically Unexplained Pain: A Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1 Case Series | This study examines validity findings in a particular behavioral pain disorder. We examined two types of validity scores in 73 participants with a primary diagnosis of the controversial Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I (CRPS-1). All participants were incentivized by a disability-seeking context. Failure rates on performance validity tests ranged from 23% (Test of Memory Malingering) to 50% (Reliable Digit Span). Positive findings on symptom validity tests (MMPI-2 or MMPI-2-RF) ranged from 15% to 50% of subsamples. At least 75% of the sample failed one performance validity indicator and over half showed at least one positive symptom validity score. This initial study suggests that CRPS-1 could serve as a good patient model for studying the role of simulation in pain-related disability. | publication |
W1509084509 | Toxic Leukoencephalopathy after Heroin Abuse without Heroin Vapor Inhalation | Toxic leukoencephalopathy has been associated with illicit heroin vapor inhalation. Despite the nonspecific and variable clinical presentation of these patients, they show typical radiologic findings. Previous studies evaluated typical radiologic findings with symmetric infratentorial hyperintense signal changes and similar alteration in the posterior limb of the internal capsule, the splenium of corpus callosum, the medial lemniscus and the lateral brainstem. In context with the reviewed literature, a series of another three cases with toxic leukoencephalopathy after heroin abuse other than vapor inhalation is presented.All three patients underwent magnet resonance imaging (MRI) including additional diffusion- weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient maps. Clinical and laboratory findings were recorded.MRI of all three patients revealed similar symmetric supratentorial hyperintense signal changes involving the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes. The cortex was spared and the subcortical U fibers were partially involved. Further, the brainstem and the cerebellar white matter were not affected.Toxic leukoencephalopathy without involvement of the cerebellum and brainstem is a rare complication of heroin abuse. The pattern of heroin-induced toxic leukoencephalopathy on MRI might not only be related to an unknown adulterant, but also to the mode of drug administration. | publication |
W2367966452 | Research Progress of Soil Organic Carbon Transfer to Soil Inorganic Carbonates in Forest and Grassland Soil in Northwest Arid Areas | The soil carbon in arid regions is an important component of the global carbon pool.Northwest arid area includes larger proportion soil inorganic carbon.Through the SOC-CO2-SIC micro-carbon cycle,the soil organic carbon can transfer to the soil inorganic carbon.To study the migration and transformation process and estimate the transfer amount can expose part of the missing carbon sink.This paper described the mechanism of the transfer and introduced several methods to calculate the amount of carbon transfer.We contrasted to these methods,and expounded the biogeochemical ways of stable isotope techniques.Problems existed in the research were discussed.It was found the few research was carried out in the area.Many uncertainties existed in the process of calculating the amount of carbon transfer and the distinction from CO2 of soil.Most results were only from estimation.It was suggested that the study of impact factor of the SOC transfer to the SIC should be strengthened to reduce the test errors. | publication |
W2786536757 | Why are More Sovereigns Issuing in Euros? Choosing between USD and EUR-Denominated Bonds | This paper presents and discusses the arguments offered by several sovereigns that have joined a trend starting in 2013 whereby sovereign and corporate issuers, especially in Latin America, have gradually replaced a portion of the funding raised in U.S. dollars with euros. The trend seems to respond to the divergent monetary policies followed by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and the European Central Bank. The selected country cases state strategic and tactical arguments for increasing their issuance in euros. The strategic reasons relate to internal currency benchmarks and their rationale. In some cases, such substitution is supported by the argument that further diversification in the investor base was needed. This argument was reinforced by the relatively tight conditions in the U.S. dollar market. Tactical arguments refer to the need to open the market to the private sector and raise funding in euros, or the need to access new investors as a preliminary step to attract them to the domestic market. Several countries also admit that the optical effect of lower coupons was a relevant consideration. This paper highlights that it is important that sovereigns avoid making decisions by comparing nominal coupons in both currencies. More important, a formal debt management strategy, including a target for the currency composition, should guide debt managers. Without a strategy, the debt manager cannot tell how the issuance in a particular currency affects the exposure of the debt portfolio to foreign currency risk and helps or not in achieving the debt management objectives. | publication |
W2069196833 | Evaluating Anisotropic Properties in the Porcine Temporomandibular Joint Disc Using Nanoindentation | The objective of this study was to determine the viscoelastic properties present within the intermediate zone of the porcine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc using nanoindentation. A 50-microm conospherical indenter tip using a displacement-controlled ramp function with a 600 nm/s loading and unloading rate, a 3000-nm peak displacement with a holding period of 30 s was used to indent the samples. Experimental load-relaxation tests were performed on the TMJ disc to determine the response in three different directions; the mediolateral, anteroposterior, and articular surface directions. The experimental data were analyzed using a generalized Maxwell model to obtain values for short- and long-time relaxation modulus and of material time constants. The short time relaxation modulus E ( I ) values were 180.92, 64.99, and 487.77 kPa for testing done on the articular surface, mediolateral, and anteroposterior directions, respectively. Corresponding values for the long-time relaxation modulus E (infinity) were 45.9, 14.97, and 133.5 kPa. The method confirmed anisotropy present within the central intermediate zone of the porcine TMJ disc due to the directional orientation of the collagen fibers. | publication |
215371 | The unique “nanny” sensor and app that cares and engages growers through the hydroponic process | Business Opportunity:. Hydroponics is a closed-loop food production system in a controlled environment and grows without soil, also known as soilless growing. It is a sustainable solution for meeting growing demand of food consumption, reduces water waste (+70%) and contamination, increases crop production and enhances the community environmental-care feelings. Despite advantages, the process must be professionally controlled to avoid constant losses ending of users’ disappointment.
Easyponic endeavours to scale-up a cost-effective, easy-to-use ICT based product that provides a solution to control the whole hydroponic process without having a professional knowledge of the methodology. Easyponic is based on a compacted hardware the “Nanny” that cares about the crops and automates the monitoring process by sending the user all the information and actions that should be taken though a mobile application, which engages the users through its gaming features.
Easyponic targets Non-professional growers (B2C) & Small-medium greenhouse farmers (B2B) providing both with a cost-effective solution that engage the user and controls the process through the value of information, preventing alarms and training.
Easyponic has gone through processes of “design thinking” and “customer discovery & validation” - with more than 95k€ already invested - at the national level (TRL6). Our successful demonstration results position us to continue to advance during the next phases in the validation process under the SME Phases 1 and 2, going from TRL6 to TRL9.
Easyponic aims to get 44,5 M€ of incomes by 2021 targeting EU, US and Indian Markets | project/european |
173347 | Photonic integrated comb source: an economic feasibility study | Optical telecommunication networks are being put under huge strain by the rise in mobile video, video-on-demand and other bandwidth intensive services. New disruptive innovations are needed to avoid the impending 'capacity crunch' that that has the potential to affect the growth of the Internet with knock-on adverse effects for the European and global economy and society.
Optical Frequency Comb Sources represent one such disruptive innovation. Optical Frequency Combs allow new modulation techniques to be used that increase the data carrying capacity and spectral efficiency of these networks.
The benefits of Optical Frequency Combs are well known, but to date no-one has figured out a cost-efficient means to employ them in network equipment. Pilot Photonics Ltd., an Irish SME has licensed a suite of intellectual property around Optical Frequency Combs that has the potential to disrupt the market and displace the single mode lasers that have been used in long haul optical transport equipment for two decades.
The intellectual property offers two capabilities: The cost-effective generation of a suitable optical comb, and the cost-efficient demultiplexing of that optical comb for modulation. Both techniques are suitable for photonic integration and can be fabricated using foundry compatible processes, enhancing their viability greatly. The comb generation technique is currently being marketed in bench-top form factor, while integrated prototypes have been produced. The demultiplexing concept has been proven in both bench-top experiments and in photonic integrated circuits. The innovation is in their combination to create value beyond the sum of the parts.
The PICOMB project will examine the economic feasibility of this disruptive innovation, through detailed interaction with potential customers and partners. The outputs will be a detailed market survey, desired customer specifications, and cost model which will be combined into a comprehensive business plan. | project/european |
FR 2012052856 W | AGRICULTURAL FACILITY FOR CULTIVATING PLANTS OR BREEDING PRODUCTION ANIMALS USING A GREENHOUSE THAT CAN STORE AND RELEASE HEAT ENERGY FROM THE SUN | The plant cultivation facility is characterised in particular in that it uses: a greenhouse (1) comprising a light-transparent roof (3) mounted on a load-bearing framework formed by roof bows (10) implanted in the ground and stringers (11) connecting the roof bows to one another; earth tubes (4) installed in the ground under the internal space of the greenhouse (1), said earth tubes being in a heat exchange relationship with the internal space of the greenhouse; optionally a heat-storage capacitor (5) distributed around the earth tubes (4) and in a heat exchange relationship therewith; and at least one circulation means (6) allowing air to flow between the greenhouse (1) and the earth tubes. | patent |
W1590864387 | Atmospheric rivers do not explain UK summer extreme rainfall | Extreme rainfall events continue to be one of the largest natural hazards in the UK. In winter, heavy precipitation and floods have been linked with intense moisture transport events associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs), yet no large-scale atmospheric precursors have been linked to summer flooding in the UK. This study investigates the link between ARs and extreme rainfall from two perspectives: (1) Given an extreme rainfall event, is there an associated AR? (2) Given an AR, is there an associated extreme rainfall event? We identify extreme rainfall events using the UK Met Office daily rain gauge data set and link these to ARs using two different horizontal resolution atmospheric data sets (ERA-Interim and Twentieth Century Reanalysis). The results show that less than 35% of winter ARs and less than 15% of summer ARs are associated with an extreme rainfall event. Consistent with previous studies, at least 50% of extreme winter rainfall events are associated with an AR. However, less than 20% of the identified summer extreme rainfall events are associated with an AR. The dependence of the water vapor transport intensity threshold used to define an AR on the years included in the study, and on the length of the season, is also examined. Including a longer period (1900–2012) compared to previous studies (1979–2005) reduces the water vapor transport intensity threshold used to define an AR. | publication |
W2081473139 | Protein Logic: A Statistical Mechanical Study of Signal Integration at the Single-Molecule Level | Information processing and decision making is based upon logic operations, which in cellular networks has been well characterized at the level of transcription. In recent years however, both experimentalists and theorists have begun to appreciate that cellular decision making can also be performed at the level of a single protein, giving rise to the notion of protein logic. Here we systematically explore protein logic using a well known statistical mechanical model. As an example system, we focus on receptors which bind either one or two ligands, and their associated dimers. Notably, we find that a single heterodimer can realize any of the 16 possible logic gates, including the XOR gate, by variation of biochemical parameters. We then introduce the novel idea that a set of receptors with fixed parameters can encode functionally unique logic gates simply by forming different dimeric combinations. An exhaustive search reveals that the simplest set of receptors (two single-ligand receptors and one double-ligand receptor) can realize several different groups of three unique gates, a result for which the parametric analysis of single receptors and dimers provides a clear interpretation. Both results underscore the surprising functional freedom readily available to cells at the single-protein level. | publication |
W2082077371 | The Association of Hospital Characteristics and Quality Improvement Activities in Inpatient Medical Services | Quality of U.S. health care has been the focus of increasing attention, with deficiencies in patient care well recognized and documented. However, relatively little is known about the extent to which hospitals engage in quality improvement activities (QIAs) or factors influencing extent of QIAs.To identify 1) the extent of QIAs in Veterans Administration (VA) inpatient medical services; and 2) factors associated with widespread adoption of QIAs, in particular use of hospitalists, non-physician providers, and extent of goal alignment between the inpatient service and senior managers on commitment to quality.Cross-sectional, descriptive study of QIAs using a survey administered to Chiefs of Medicine (COM) at all 124 VA acute care hospitals. We conducted hierarchical regression, regressing QIA use on facility contextual variables, followed by use of hospitalists, non-physician providers, and goal alignment/quality commitment.Outcome measures pertained to use of a set of 27 QIAs and to three dimensions--infrastructure, prevention, and information gathering--that were identified by factor analysis among the 27 QIAs overall.Survey response rate was 90 % (111/124). Goal alignment/quality commitment was associated with more widespread use of all four QIA categories [infrastructure (b = 0.42; p < 0.001); prevention (b = 0.24; p < 0.001); information gathering (b = 0.28; p = <0.001); and overall QIA (b = 0.31; p < 0.001)], as was greater use of hospitalists [infrastructure (b = 0.55; p = 0.03); prevention (b = 0.61; p < 0.001); information gathering (b = 0.75; p = 0.01); and overall QIAs (b = 0.61; p < 0.001)]; higher occupancy rate was associated with greater infrastructure QIAs (b = 1.05, p = 0.02). Non-physician provider use, hospital size, university affiliation, and geographic region were not associated with QIAs.As hospitals respond to changes in healthcare (e.g., pay for performance, accountable care organizations), this study suggests that practices such as use of hospitalists and leadership focus on goal alignment/quality commitment may lead to greater implementation of QIAs. | publication |
TW 102129029 A | Fibrous sheet | This fibrous sheet (1A) includes a heat-shrink fibrous layer (1d) comprising heat-shrinkable fibers and has embossed parts (2). The fibrous sheet (1A) has multiple hemispherical high protrusions (32), multiple hemispherical low protrusions (33), and multiple hemispherical medium protrusions (31). The medium protrusions (31) have been disposed apart from each other along the X direction and disposed in multiple rows apart from each other along the Y direction. The high protrusions (32) have been disposed apart from each other along the X direction and disposed in multiple rows apart from each other along the Y direction. Each high protrusion (32) is surrounded by four medium protrusions (31). The low protrusions (33) each have been disposed between every two medium protrusions (31) which are adjacent to each other in the X direction and between every two high protrusions (32) which are adjacent to each other in the Y direction. | patent |
W2066748522 | A Spectral Slit Approach to Doubletalk Detection | A new class of doubletalk detector based on exploiting a spectral slit is proposed. This is achieved by spectrally deleting a frequency band in the far-end signal such that when the near-end signal is present, only the near-end spectral information is present. The proposed method relies solely on the detection of speech activity period in the slit area, and significantly, it requires no estimation of the echo path. Evaluation in typical acoustic echo setups shows that the proposed method outperforms other conventional doubletalk detectors in terms of probability of miss detection even under poor echo-to-noise ratio (ENR), low echo-to-far-end ratio (EFR) conditions, and echo path change. | publication |
W2002762512 | Investigations on Directed Infrared Countermeasures Risks to Fighter Aircraft Pilots | Directed Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) are used to protect aircrafts against missiles with infrared (IR) guidance. They are employed by military and civilian aircrafts, drawing away the guidance system of a missile as it attempts to lock onto the IR signature of the turbines. Unfortunately, the protection provided by these devices generates risks and challenges that must be overcome. In this paper, investigations on DIRCM risks to fighter aircraft pilots are carried out. Different kinds of lasers employed in actual DIRCMs are analyzed and the results show that, depending on their frequency (wavelength), damages can occur up to a distance of 4.8 km. The transmittance through the canopy of an F-5 fighter aircraft is evaluated and its effects on the IR propagation are predicted by the use of software called Counter-Measurements in PYTHON (CMePy). Results show that, even when there are interfaces between the pilot and the source of radiation, damages can occur, showing the importance of this investigation to the right understanding of this subject and future mitigations. | publication |
US 201917047900 A | Inhibition of fungal growth by manganese depletion | The present invention provides a method of controlling growth of unwanted microorganisms by limiting their access to manganese. More specifically, the present invention provides a method of inhibiting or delaying growth of yeast and mold by reducing the manganese concentration in a product which is preferably a food product. The invention also provides manganese scavengers and uses thereof to inhibit or delay fungal growth. | patent |
W92784938 | Etudes des mécanismes cellulaires impliqués dans la signalisation calcique lors de l'exposition à des contaminants environnementaux : les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques (HAPs) | Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), constitute a major family of widely-distributed environmental contaminants known to promote various deleterious effects towards human health, including the development of cancers and cardiovascular pathologies. Most of these effects have been linked to the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor primarily located in the cytosol. In addition, PAHs have been shown to elicit an early and transient increase in intracellular calcium concentration, that is required for up-regulation of AhR-mediated induction of PAHs target genes and PAHs toxicity. However, the origin of PAHs-related calcium signal still yet unknown. Our results show that AhR is not involved in the calcium signal triggered by PAHs in our models. In addition, we demonstrated the prototypical PAH B(a)P can bind to s2ADR and to consequently activate a G protein/AC/cAMP/Epac-1/IP3 pathway, which in turn resulted into [Ca2+]i increase, required for B(a)P-mediated induction of the AhR gene target CYP1B1. Such data are therefore consistent with a previously-unsuspected implication of the s2ADR system in deleterious effects of environmental PAHs. | publication |
W2518490120 | What is loop multiplication anyhow? | In the beginning we are taught that multiplication of pointed loops is just the first followed by the second. Later we learn that the cobar construction on the chains of the base is a model for the chains on the loop space, that is, this cobar construction is chain equivalent to the chains on the loop space. The cobar construction is a certain tensor algebra and has a natural multiplication of tensors. This multiplication of tensors models the multiplication induced by the multiplication of loops. But, because of the simplicity of the definition of loop multiplication, this modeling is not obvious. We interpret loop multiplication so that this modeling becomes a clear consequence of the naturality of Eilenberg–Moore methods applied to multiple or iterated pullbacks. In contrast, we observe that, if we require that it be invariant under homological equivalence of differential coalgebras, there is no natural modeling of the comultiplication in the loop space. But, in rational homotopy theory, results of Milnor–Moore and Quillen show that there is a natural modeling of the Hopf algebra structure of the loop space. | publication |
W2964092955 | NOISE AND SEASONAL EFFECTS ON THE DYNAMICS OF PLANT–HERBIVORE MODELS WITH MONOTONIC PLANT GROWTH FUNCTIONS | We formulate general plant–herbivore interaction models with monotone plant growth functions (rates). We study the impact of monotone plant growth functions in general plant–herbivore models on their dynamics. Our study shows that all monotone plant growth models generate a unique interior equilibrium and they are uniform persistent under certain range of parameters values. However, if the attacking rate of herbivore is too small or the quantity of plant is not enough, then herbivore goes extinct. Moreover, these models lead to noise sensitive bursting which can be identified as a dynamical mechanism for almost periodic outbreaks of the herbivore infestation. Montone and non-monotone plant growth models are contrasted with respect to bistability and crises of chaotic attractors. | publication |
171087 | Tools and actions for impact assessment and policy makers information | TAIPI, Tools and Actions for Impact Assessment and Policy makers Information, is a CSA proposal to the “Policy environment for FET Flagships” topic of the call H2020-FETFLAG-2014. TAIPI addresses the scope of the this topic by undertaking actions related to: (i) Assessing the impacts of FET Flagship initiatives, including through metrics and indicators; (ii) Collection of information need for policy making, e.g. through consultation actions and surveys. The general objective of TAIPI is to support and strengthen the FET Flagship Initiative and the two selected Flagships. Specific objectives of TAIPI are: (i) To develop assessment methodologies along with the required toolkits which will be applied respectively to HBP and Graphene Flagships, (ii) To carry out the impact assessment of both Flagships and the Flagship policy by applying the specifically developed methodology and tools, (iii) To collect and provide information for policy makers and funding organizations participating to Flagships initiative, (iv) To transfer to the Flagships these developed toolkits, and to enable them to use these tools after the end of the CSA, thus ensuring the sustainability of the project activities. TAIPI is composed of 5 work packages: WP1 Management, WP2 Development of methodology, WP3 Impact assessment, WP4 Support to policy makers, WP5 Dissemination. TAIPI will assess the impacts of HBP and Graphene, enhance the flow of information from the Flagships towards policy makers, relevant stakeholders and wider public, improve the understanding of the impacts of the Flagships on science, technology, economy and society and contribute to create a stable and structured environment for the benefit of the FET Flagships. The environment created by TAIPI will thus benefit to the Flagships, allowing them to concentrate on the fields where they bring the highest added value to their stakeholders while they rely on up-to-date tools, developed by TAIPI, to monitor in real time their impacts. | project/european |
3738388 | Attesting neanderthal dwelling space use: effects of human occupations in the middle palaeolithic record of fumane cave | The debate over Neanderthal subsistence patterns and behavioural aspects is source of many discussions and scieThe debate over Neanderthal subsistence patterns and behavioural aspects is source of many discussions and scientific contributions. Research over the last ten years has produced new data on mobility, economic strategies and life-aspects of Neanderthals, that have changed and enriched the comprehension of the material record of these ancestors. The project entitled “Attesting Neanderthal Dwelling Space Use: effects of human occupations in the Middle Palaeolithic record of Fumane cave” (ANDSU) will address the identification of changes in Neanderthal subsistence patterns across the analysis of the late mousterian sequence of Fumane cave (44-47.6 ka cal BP) (Verona, Italy). ANDSU will overcome the traditional limits of scientific research through specific objectives: identify Neanderthal spatial patterns, site function, temporality (or not) of activity areas and hearths and lengths and number of occupation(s)/event(s). An integrated multidisciplinary research methodology that has never been proposed until today, will be useful to address the aforementioned objectives and enhance the state-of the-art. Based on bone refits, Spatial Archaeology, multivariate Statistic techniques and 3D modeling reconstruction the project emerge for its combined high-innovative methodologies. The experimentation of 3D scan of bones will provide an important step for the attempt to automatically, or semi-automatically refit of faunal assemblages. , would radically transform zooarchaeological research methods. On the base of these premises, ANDSU focuses on the crucial need to extend our knowledge about Middle Palaeolithic record and to understand the range of Neanderthal variability. Also, it is expected to open up new perspectives to know the life-ways of Fumane inhabitants and to understand their cultural relationships, compared with Neanderthal groups of other European regions. | project/european |
W2955600950 | Quantification models of overpressuring in Paleogene source rocks of the Raoyang Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China | Abstract Much progress in studies on the quantifications of overpressuring has been made during the past decades, and various quantitative models for the overpressure have been built based on overpressure transfer, tectonic extrusion, disequilibrium compaction, hydrocarbon generation, and other processes. In the Raoyang Depression of the Bohai Bay Basin in China, overpressure is mainly generated due to disequilibrium compaction and hydrocarbon generation. However, the overpressure-generation mechanism varies significantly in the overpressured formations and sags. The overpressure genesis in the Dongying Formation (Ed) occurs by disequilibrium compaction, but the overpressure mechanism in the first member (Es1) and third member (Es3) of the Shahejie Formation is a combination of disequilibrium compaction and hydrocarbon generation. The overpressure is caused by the difference in hydrocarbon generation before and after hydrocarbon expulsion. On the basis of the law of volume conservation, three quantitative models have been established for the under-compacted interval, the hydrocarbon-generation-to-expulsion interval, and the post-hydrocarbon-expulsion interval. The contribution of hydrocarbon generation differs in four sags developed in the Raoyang Depression due to differences in the hydrocarbon-generation capacity. Calculations based on these quantitative models indicated that the contributions of hydrocarbon generation to overpressure at the bottom of the Es1 and Es3 members in the Maxi Sag are 54.3% and 39.1%, respectively. The excessive pressure in the lower strata was stronger than that in the upper strata due to the fact that the contribution ratio of hydrocarbon generation to overpressure in the Es1 member is lower than that in the Es3 member, unlike in the case when the pressure in the upper strata is stronger than that in the lower strata. Therefore, it indicated that hydrocarbon generation plays an important role in the overpressure-generation mechanism. | publication |
W2055983070 | A Comparative Study of the Removal of Smear Layer by Two Endodontic Irrigants and Nd:YAG Laser: A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study | The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 17% EDTA, 5% maleic acid, and Nd:YAG laser on smear layer removal by SEM. Eighty single-rooted teeth were divided into three groups of 25 according to the final procedure for smear layer removal: irrigation by 17% EDTA or 5% maleic acid or Nd:YAG laser irradiation. The other five teeth was used as control. Roots were sectioned into buccal and lingual parts, and smear layer presence was recorded in the coronal, middle, and apical thirds under SEM. Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, Friedman, and Wilcoxon tests. There was no significant difference between smear layer removal of 17% EDTA and 5% maleic acid. Nd:YAG laser showed the least effect significantly. The coronal part of samples was significantly cleaner than the middle, and the middle was cleaner than the apical section. 17% EDTA and 5% maleic acid were more effective in smear layer removal compared to Nd:YAG laser. | publication |
620178 | U-Space for uam | Aiming to bridge the gap between development and deployment, this VLD project will tackle issues of operational concepts, regulation, and standards, while building confidence in a safe and orderly integration of UAM in every days air traffic. It will do this with a consortium of forward-looking cities and ANSPs, national regulators and EASA, a well experienced UTM provider, as well as eVTOL manufacturers, research centers, and technology providers. A series of well defined, iterative and multi-national demonstrations, both with drones and UAM vehicles will be conducted. They will cover different use cases, including mixed operations, to allow the project to derive critical enablers for a wide set of UAM service applications that can be applied all over Europe.
Uspace4UAM will build on the CORUS project results and on operational and business experience already gathered in operational drone service implementations in Europe. it will study safety cases and their impact on system requirements, and look at how regulation and standardisation can be set up to support innovators to build a sustainable business case while operating safely in a multi-modal transport network. This project is set to deliver results that are of real interest to “early movers”, enabling them to bring a real market impact in the next few years. In order to prove that this will be achieved, and that indeed the project has laid a bridge between development and deployment, the project is set to deliver a number of commercial contracts for the provision of fully automated drone services, and present solutions to identified gaps towards fully autonomous Urban Air Taxi services. | project/european |
888533 | Exposing nature’s view of ligand recognition in ionotropic glutamate receptors | Molecular biology strives for the prediction of function, based on the genetic code. Within neuroscience, this is reflected in the intense study of the molecular basis for ligand recognition by neurotransmitter receptors. Consequently, structural and functional studies have rendered a profoundly high-resolution view of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), the archetypal excitatory receptor in the brain. But even this view is obsolete: we don’t know why some receptors recognize glutamate yet others recognize other ligands; and we have been unable to functionally test the underlying chemical interactions. In other words, our view differs substantially from nature’s own view of ligand recognition. I plan to lead a workgroup attacking this problem on three fronts. First, bioinformatic identification and electrophysiological characterization of a broad and representative sample of iGluRs from across the spectrum of life will unveil the diversity of ligand recognition in iGluRs. Second, phylogenetic analyses combined with functional experiments will reveal the molecular changes that nature employed in arriving at existing means of ligand recognition in iGluRs. Finally, chemical-scale mutagenesis will be employed to overcome previous technical limitations and dissect the precise chemical interactions that determine the specific recognition of certain ligands. With my experience in combining phylogenetics and functional experiments and in the use of chemical-scale mutagenesis, the objectives are within reach. Together, they form a unique approach that will expose nature’s own view of ligand recognition in iGluRs, revealing the molecular blueprint for protein function in the nervous system. | project/european |
GB 2642323 A | Improvements in and relating to priming and regulating devices for pumps of the screw, centrifugal and valveless type | 219,844. Seaborne, A. B. Oct. 23, 1923. Starting, facilitating; controlling.-A priming device for centrifugal and valveless pumps keeps water flowing through the pumps and only passes air in small controlled quantities. A tank a is connected above the pump c and between the pump inlet b and suction pipe d. Within the tank is an ejector device e of the type described in Specifications 202,595 and 206,878, and a float f controlling the valve g in the pipe h communicating between the reservoir i and the suction pipe d at the point where it enters the tank a. In normal operation all liquid passes through the tank a before entering the pump. If there is a break in the supply, the float f falls and opens the valve g. Liquid enters the tank a from the reservoir i and passes through the pump with entrained air from the suction pipe d until the break in supply is remedied and the float f rises to close the valve g. The reservoir i may have an independent supply or may be supplied from the pump discharge pipe k. | patent |
ES 92909770 T | ANCLA MARINA MEJORADA. | UN ANCLA MARINA (1) TIENE UNA UÑA (2) CON UNA CAÑA (3) UNIDA A LA UÑA QUE COMPRENDE UN PUNTO DE FIJACION DE LINEA DE ANCLA (10). UN CONJUNTO DE PLACA TRASERA (4) DEBAJO DE LA UÑA (2) ESTA INCLINADA EN ANGULO OBTUSO (ALFA) HACIA LA UÑA (2) Y SIRVE PARA PREVER UN MOMENTO DE GIRO ALREDEDOR DEL PUNTO DE FIJACION (109 QUE SE OPONE A LOS MOMENTOS DE GIRO PRODUCIDOS POR EFECTO DE FRICCION SOBRE LA UÑA Y LA CAÑA Y POR RESISTENCIA DE BORDES DURANTE EL ENTIERRO DEL ANCLA PARA PROPORCIONAR UNA POTENCIA DE SUJECION MEJORADA AL ANCLA MIENTRAS EL SUELO SE ABRE PASO (5) ENTRE EL CONJUNTO TRASERO (4) Y LA UÑA (2) PERMITE EL ESCAPE DE ARENA Y FANGO BLANDO QUE PASA SOBRE LA UÑA. LOS BORDES PERIFERICOS (4A) DEL CONJUNTO TRASERO (4) ESTAN PERFILADOS PARA HACER QUE EL ANCLA RUEDA HACIA UNA POSICION DE ENTIERRO. UNA PARTE DE PUNTA GIRADA HACIA ARRIBA (9) EN LA PARTE FRONTAL DE LA UÑA FORTALECE LA OPERACION EFECTIVA DEL ANCLA EN SUELOS DE ARCILLA MIENTRAS QUE TAMBIEN FACILITA EL AGARRE EN ROCA DEL ANCLA. | patent |
W4396633559 | Scientific Production on Cultural Exchange: an analysis of the literature | El intercambio cultural es un tipo de producto conocido en el mercado turístico, sin embargo, existe una gran variación en las prácticas, así como en las formas en que el sujeto es tratado como objeto de estudio, asumiendo diversas nomenclaturas y significados polisémicos. En ese sentido, este trabajo está dedicado a comprender cómo se aborda el tema en la producción científica internacional, a través de una investigación bibliográfica a partir de un listado de términos que hacen referencia al tema bajo diversos enfoques: Intercultural exchange, Cultural exchange, Study abroad, Work and Travel, Academic mobility, Exchange tourism, Youth tourism. Se buscaron producciones científicas hasta mayo de 2021 que trajeran como parte del título alguno de estos términos asociados al turismo (presentes en las palabras clave de los trabajos). Para el análisis y visualización de los resultados se utilizaron las aplicaciones VOSViewer y el sitio web Wordclouds. Los resultados mostraron que, en el ámbito científico, los términos que más se han producido son Study Abroad, Cultural Exchange, y Academic Mobility, con cierta preponderancia de los temas educativos y de formación profesional, de forma independiente. Los resultados también mostraron que la producción científica en este campo de estudio comenzó a crecer exponencialmente a partir de la década de 2000, siendo Estados Unidos el principal país productor de publicaciones. | publication |
W1991217254 | Magnetic Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposites for Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman Spectroscopic Determination and Degradation of Toxic Anilines and Phenols | Mesoporous M-TiO2 NCs, functionalized by PATP, can capture toxic anilines and phenols by azo coupling. Loading these nanodevices with Ag NPs offers the possibility for a sensitive quantitative determination of target compounds by SERRS spectroscopy, which allows multiplex detection because of the specific vibrational fingerprints. Sensitivity and selectivity can be further enhanced by concentrating the hybrid particles by an external magnet and compound-specific binding (anilines versus phenols). The bound toxic compounds can be degraded by TiO2-assisted photocatalysis after removal of the loaded hybrid particles from the sample solution with an external magnet. The degradation process can be enhanced in the presence of plasmonic Ag nanostructures. | publication |
219209 | Macrocyclic receptors for selective anion extraction | Developing selective receptor molecules for biologically relevant anions will enable major technological advances for rapid sensing, and extraction and removal of toxic components from waste waters. However, selective binding in water with synthetic receptors is difficult to achieve since water effectively competes with receptor-anion interactions. MAREXT aims to offer pioneering solutions for the selective binding of targeted anions in water by novel calixpyrrole assemblies: micelles with hydrophilic polyethylene glycol tails for the selective recognition of anti-inflammatory drugs with carboxylate groups. The project focuses on advanced synthesis of the calixpyrrole receptors, preparation and characterization of the micellar assemblies, and extraction of target anions from water. MAREXT combines the expertise of the experienced researcher and Prof. Ballester’s group promoting multidisciplinarity and knowledge transfer in fields of colloids and molecular recognition. The fellowship provides training for the candidate in advanced synthesis, chromatography and DOSY NMR, and transferable skills such as research project management, grant writing and scientific communication. The results of the high-impact project will improve the capacity of the candidate to achieve her next career stage and improve the competitiveness of Europe in extraction technologies. | project/european |
W3198047398 | Histological Characteristics of Adult Yak Epididymis in Different Breeding Seasons | To compare the histological changes of the adult yak’s epididymis in different breeding seasons,six adult yak testis in breeding season and nine adult yak testis in breeding interval were collected for structure investigation by HE staining,Masson’s and Gomori ’s histochemistry methods,and IPP (Image-Pro Plus)statistics method was used to quantitative statistics.The re-sults showed that comparing with the adult yak in the breeding interval,the epididymis ducts of adult yak in the breeding season were covered with the columnar ciliated epithelium.The collagen and reticular fiber in cauda epididymis were obviously more abundant than caput and corpus epi-didymitis.And the thickness of columnar epithelium cells in caput and corpus epididymitis,the length of the cilia in caput,and also the internal and external lumen diameter of caput and corpus epididymitis were all significantly increased in the breeding season (P 0.05).In conclusion, the research showed that the distribution of collagen and reticular fiber in adult yak’s epididymis interstitial were similar,and they were more rich in cauda epididymis,which might relate to the capacity and the sperm transport;The changes of the epithelial thickness,the length of cilia,the internal and external lumen diameter were close related to the different breeding seasons,and it might be a common phenomenon in plateau mammals that the enlargement and reduction of the epididymal duct in different breeding seasons. | publication |
W2969622131 | Enhancing the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Foreign Direct Investment Regime in Vietnam: an Analysis from Integration Perspective | Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an important role in the economic growth of Vietnam, contributing to nearly 22 per cent of the GDP. To attract FDI the government has committed to promoting investment climate and ensuring FDI protection under various international arrangements. FDI inflows into the manufacturing and processing sectors have seen a strong increase after Vietnam’s successful accession to the WTO. However, FDI also contributes to various environmental problems and challenges in Vietnam. From 2008 to 2017, most serious environmental disputes related to manufacturing activities were caused by FDI enterprises. The sanctions against FDI enterprises, however, may jeopardise the state’s responsibilities under investment protection treaties. One of the few realistic approaches to strengthening the environmental management of FDI is to promote the participation of the public in the environmental risk assessment and amend the investment treaties to regulate the issue of environment management. This study will adopt an integrative approach by integrating the rules and principles of environmental management into the FDI regime of Vietnam. | publication |
Q4253886 | LIQUIDITÄTSHILFE FÜR KLEINSTUNTERNEHMEN, DIE VON DER COVID-KRISE BETROFFEN SIND | UNTERSTÜTZUNG DER LIQUIDITÄT VON KLEINST- UND KLEINUNTERNEHMEN IM EINZELHANDELS-, LIEFER- UND DIENSTLEISTUNGSSEKTOR, DEREN TÄTIGKEIT INFOLGE DES ERLASSES DES PREMIERMINISTERS VOM 11. MÄRZ 2020 AUSGESETZT WURDE | project/regional |
W2155644212 | The Impact of Advertising on the Profitability of Public &Private Sector Commercial Banks | The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of advertising on the profitability of commercial banks over the period of 2008- 2012, in the presence of control variables: Credit risk, Operating Efficiency, total advances to total deposits, total loans to total assets and Size(total assets) ratio. Bank’s profitability is measured in terms of return on equity (ROE) .The data has been obtained from the publications of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and commercial banks. The regression results confirm the positive and significant effects of advertising expenditure on ROE for private sector banks than public sector banks. Keywords: ROE, ROA, Advertising, Credit Risk, Operating Efficiency, Bank Deposits & Advances JEL- Classification : G-21 | publication |
W2038698788 | Uncaging Calcium in Neurons | Changes in intracellular free calcium concentration (Δ[Ca 2+ ] i ) driving physiological events such as neurotransmitter release or Ca 2+ -dependent currents can be monitored using Ca 2+ -sensitive fluorescent dyes. Although these dyes can correlate Δ[Ca 2+ ] i with a physiological event, they cannot directly test for causality between changes in [Ca 2+ ] i and that event. Photolabile Ca 2+ chelators are Ca 2+ -binding molecules that can alter and, to a certain extent, control [Ca 2+ ] i in an inducible manner and with temporal and spatial resolution that surpasses microinjection or ionophore application. Here we discuss the properties of caged Ca 2+ compounds as well as some practical considerations for their use in neuronal cells, where they have proven particularly effective. | publication |
221820 | Siade saas: spatial decision support system for transportation planning | The demand for passenger transport will grow 51% by 2050, triggering a market growth to €100.6 billion by 2019. Smart Mobility enabled by Smart Public transport is key for cities’ economy and development. Worldwide transport operators are implementing AFCs (Automated Fare Collection) for a better urban transportation experience, generating Big Data, but lacking passenger destination information. However, turning these data into knowledge is challenged by the difficulty to accurately describe transport network states and computational burden coming from processing Big Spatial Data to derive metrics of capacity utilization, punctuality, passenger volumes at stops, or travel patterns of different user groups. SIADE SaaS is a spatial decision support system for bus transportation planning and other transportation systems where user destination is unknown. It delivers the most complete and accurate OD matrix in the transport industry using GIS and AFCs data. Our current SW has already attracted the attention of several Transport Operators in 7 countries. We are making a strategic transition from offering consultancy services to software product commercialization on global scale, using a user driven improvement of SIADE based on an incremental methodology. The evaluation of the transportation network and the potential information provided by SIADE SaaS is multidimensional: social equity, service quality, network structure and environmental impact. It helps transit agencies plan per the actual demand, enabling economic and sustainable operations, while providing the population a service more adapted to its needs. For Terrain Technologies, innovation is a key point for growth. The company devotes an average of at least 50% of its resources to RD activities in an annual basis Our consolidated business plan predicts: up to 78 licenses will be sold in the period 2019-2023, resulting in accumulated revenues of over €7.8 million while also creating 25 new positions. | project/european |
W2354586764 | On the Assessment of Anhui Forestry Input-output Ratio Based on the Super-ratio Model DEA | In order to promote the construction of ecological forestry,Anhui Province has sharply increased its input on forestry from the year 1998.This article has assessed and analyzed its forestry input-output ratio with the assessment model DEA.The result suggests that the ratio is generally high from the year 1998 to 2002,but from the year 2003,the number of invalid years in the view of DEA has obviously increased,most of which the scale outputs are decreasing by degrees.In the background of the practical forestry development,it can be found that the reasons for such a low ratio are the unsteady input,the improper input output-structure and the sufficient technological input. | publication |
W2384194372 | Monetary Policies,Asset Collateralability,Cash Flow and Corporate Investment:Evidence from Chinese Listed Company of Manufacturing Industry | By using quarterly data of the Chinese manufacturing listed companies from 2003 to 2011,following the calculation method of Berger et al.(1996) and AlmeidaCampello(2007) to estimate firm-specific asset collateralability and considering the monetary policy,the paper investigates the between the asset collateralability and cash flow on corporate investment from the combination of different investment opportunities and cash flow.It can be found that:(1) there is a substitution relationship between asset collateralability and cash flow on corporate investment when the corporations face high investment opportunities and plentiful cash flow,While,there is a complementary relationship between asset collateralability and cash flow on corporate investment when the corporations face high investment opportunities but insufficient cash flow;(2) tightening of ? monetary policy can improve the complementary relationship between asset collateralability and cash flow on corporate investment when corporations face high investment opportunities but insufficient cash flow.Our results are conducive to profound understanding of monetary policy and asset collateralability on investment and financing activities of micro enterprise,and make macro economic policy more scientific and reasonable, in order to improve the effect of macroscopic readjustment and control policies,and promote China's macro economic stable growth. | publication |
W1866119528 | Reconstruction using ‘triangular approximation’ of bone grafts for orbital blowout fractures | There are many orbital wall reconstruction materials that can be used in surgery for orbital blowout fractures. We consider autogenous bone grafts to have the best overall characteristics among these materials and use thinned, inner cortical tables of the ilium. A bone bender is normally used to shape the inner iliac table to match the orbital shape. Since orbital walls curve three-dimensionally, processing of bone grafts is not easy and often requires much time and effort. We applied a triangular approximation method to the processing of bone grafts. Triangular approximation is a concept used in computer graphics for polygon processing. In this method, the shape of an object is represented as combinations of polygons, mainly triangles. In this study, the inner iliac table was used as a bone graft, and cuts or scores were made to create triangular sections. These triangular sections were designed three-dimensionally so that the shape of the resulting graft approximated to the three-dimensional orbital shape. This method was used in 12 patients with orbital blowout fractures, which included orbital floor fractures, medial wall fractures, and combined inferior and medial wall fractures. In all patients, bone grafts conformed to the orbital shape and good results were obtained. This simple method uses a reasonable and easy-to-understand approach and is useful in the treatment of bone defects in orbital blowout fractures when using a hard graft material. | publication |
W1991431841 | In vitro and ex vivo evaluation of an intestinal permeation enhancing self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) | The objective of this study was to develop a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) that enhances drug absorption through intestinal membranes and to evaluate the mechanism of improvement. The developed formulation was optimized in order to reduce the droplet size and characterized in several environments. Furthermore, a pseudo-ternary phase diagram was mapped in order to identify the o/w microemulsion region. The formulation contains 30 % (m/m) Cremophor EL, 30 % (m/m) Capmul MCM, 10 % (m/m) propylene glycol and 30 % (m/m) Captex 355. Permeation studies were carried out in vitro on Caco-2 cell monolayers and ex vivo on rat intestine in Ussing-type chambers using model compounds rhodamine-123 (Rho-123) and fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran 4 (FD4). The selected formulation improved in a concentration of 0.5 % (m/v) absorption of FD4 1.85-fold in vitro and 1.65-fold ex vivo via tight junction opening. Furthermore, the system had the ability to inhibit P-glycoprotein and improved the permeation of Rho-123 1.49 fold in vitro and 1.64 fold ex vivo. Stability studies were carried out to assure that the SMEDDS was stable during transport studies and in several media and buffers. According to these results, the developed formulation showed great promise in terms of improving the bioavailability of low-permeability drugs—often the rate-limiting step for oral drug delivery systems. | publication |
US 201716318347 A | Electrical apparatus and electrical apparatus system | An electrical apparatus includes a circuit structure, a case provided with a bottom panel and a case peripheral wall, and a cover provided with a cover panel and a cover peripheral wall. At least a part of an inner surface of the cover peripheral wall and an outer surface of the case peripheral wall face one another, thereby forming a housing space and housing the circuit structure within the housing space. A groove is formed in at least one of (i) the entire periphery of the outer surface of the case peripheral wall or (ii) the entire periphery of the inner surface of the cover peripheral wall. This configuration provides a structure that suppresses infiltration of liquid to the inside of the case, and suppresses adhesion of liquid to the circuit structure. | patent |
W4281874992 | Reply on RC1 | <strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> This paper aims to analyze the risk of municipal urban water shortage in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) through the results of the Index of Water Shortage Risk (IRDH). The theoretical-methodological assumptions are based on Walle and Birkmann (2015); Almeida, Welle and Birkman (2016); Medeiros (2018); Oliveira (2018); Macedo et al. (2020 e 2021). In this context, the IRDH was structured in a systemic perspective, where the territories of water shortage risk were identified through environmental, social and economic, and state planning indicators, using 19 variables as instruments of analysis. The research was conducted qualitatively and quantitatively, evaluating and analyzing the risk of water shortage in RN and the 153 cities that compose the system of supply managed by the Company of Waters and Sewers of Rio Grande do Norte (CAERN), a state concessionaire (representing 92 % of the 167 cities of the State), in its seven regions of water supply. The result of the IRDH of Rio Grande do Norte proved the relationship between the indicators in the water shortage problem in the State, classifying 49 % of the analyzed cities in the classes of “high” and “very high” risk, which places them in a situation of higher attention regarding the potential damages derived from the water shortage, 40.5 % of them being “medium” and 10 % “low” risks, with no occurrences of “very low” risk examples. In absolute values, 1 city was classified as “very high”; 74 were classified as “high”; 62 as “medium”; and 16 were considered of “low” risk of water shortage. With the goal of reducing/mitigating the results of the IRDH in the State, a transposition of watersheds, integration of supply systems, hydrogeologic research, among others, were proposed. | publication |
W1999405248 | Transitive inference reasoning is impaired by focal lesions in parietal cortex rather than rostrolateral prefrontal cortex | Transitive inference reasoning involves the examination and comparison of a given number of relational pairs in order to understand overall group hierarchy (e.g., A>B, B>C, C>D; therefore is A>D?). A number of imaging studies have demonstrated the role of the parietal cortex for resolving transitive inferences. Some studies also identify the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex as being critical for “relational integration” processes supporting transitive reasoning. To clarify this issue, we carried out a transitive inference study involving neurological patients with focal lesions to the rostrolateral prefrontal ( n =5) or parietal cortices ( n =7), as well as normal controls ( n =6). The patients and controls were statistically matched on age, education, pre-injury IQ, general memory, working memory, and performance/full IQ, though the rostrolateral patients did score significantly higher than the normal controls on verbal IQ. Results indicate that patients with focal lesions to the parietal cortex were impaired in the task relative to both the patients with focal lesions to rostrolateral prefrontal cortex and the control group, and there was no difference in task performance between the rostrolateral prefrontal and the control groups. This result continued to hold after controlling for verbal IQ as a covariate. These findings point to a critical role for the parietal cortex, rather than the rostrolateral prefrontal, in transitive inference. Since the groups performed similarly on a working memory task, working memory cannot fully account for the result, suggesting a specific role of parietal cortex in transitive inference. ► Transitive inference reasoning involves the examination of relational pairs (e.g. A>B; B>C; C>D). ► The parietal cortex (PLC) is important for resolving transitive inferences. ► Other studies implicate frontal cortex (BA 10) for resolving transitive inferences. ► This patient study implicates the PLC rather than BA 10 for this task. ► This result is not fully explained by working memory deficits in PLC patients. | publication |
W2495364902 | Assessment of Spectral and Temporal Resolution in Cochlear Implant Users Using Psychoacoustic Discrimination and Speech Cue Categorization | This study was conducted to measure auditory perception by cochlear implant users in the spectral and temporal domains, using tests of either categorization (using speech-based cues) or discrimination (using conventional psychoacoustic tests). The authors hypothesized that traditional nonlinguistic tests assessing spectral and temporal auditory resolution would correspond to speech-based measures assessing specific aspects of phonetic categorization assumed to depend on spectral and temporal auditory resolution. The authors further hypothesized that speech-based categorization performance would ultimately be a superior predictor of speech recognition performance, because of the fundamental nature of speech recognition as categorization.Nineteen cochlear implant listeners and 10 listeners with normal hearing participated in a suite of tasks that included spectral ripple discrimination, temporal modulation detection, and syllable categorization, which was split into a spectral cue-based task (targeting the /ba/-/da/ contrast) and a timing cue-based task (targeting the /b/-/p/ and /d/-/t/ contrasts). Speech sounds were manipulated to contain specific spectral or temporal modulations (formant transitions or voice onset time, respectively) that could be categorized. Categorization responses were quantified using logistic regression to assess perceptual sensitivity to acoustic phonetic cues. Word recognition testing was also conducted for cochlear implant listeners.Cochlear implant users were generally less successful at utilizing both spectral and temporal cues for categorization compared with listeners with normal hearing. For the cochlear implant listener group, spectral ripple discrimination was significantly correlated with the categorization of formant transitions; both were correlated with better word recognition. Temporal modulation detection using 100- and 10-Hz-modulated noise was not correlated either with the cochlear implant subjects' categorization of voice onset time or with word recognition. Word recognition was correlated more closely with categorization of the controlled speech cues than with performance on the psychophysical discrimination tasks.When evaluating people with cochlear implants, controlled speech-based stimuli are feasible to use in tests of auditory cue categorization, to complement traditional measures of auditory discrimination. Stimuli based on specific speech cues correspond to counterpart nonlinguistic measures of discrimination, but potentially show better correspondence with speech perception more generally. The ubiquity of the spectral (formant transition) and temporal (voice onset time) stimulus dimensions across languages highlights the potential to use this testing approach even in cases where English is not the native language. | publication |
EP 2017073129 W | A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR COLLECTING AND HANDLING DUST IN A PAPER-MAKING ENVIRONMENT | The invention relates to a system (1) and a method for collecting and handling dust in a paper-making environment. The system (1) comprises a source of underpressure (2) and an elongated collector (4) that extends along a longitudinal axis and which elongated collector (4) is connected to the source of underpressure (2) through at least one suction duct (7) such that underpressure can be generated inside the elongated collector (4). The elongated collector (4) has an inlet (5) through which dust-laden air can enter the elongated collector (4) and an exit opening (6) leading to the suction duct (7) through which exit opening (6) dust-laden air can be evacuated from the elongated collector (4). A source of water (8) is connected by at least one water supply duct (10) to the elongated collector (4) such that water from the source of water (8) can be introduced into the elongated collector so that dust in the dust-laden air can be exposed to and mix with the water introduced into the elongated collector (4). A flow meter (12) is functionally connected to the system (1) to measure at least one of a flow of water from the source of water (8) to the elongated collector (4) or a flow of water exiting from the elongated collector (4) through the exit opening (6) of the elongated collector (4) and arranged to send a signal indicating a numerical value for a flow of water that reaches or leaves the elongated collector (4) such that this value can be compared to a predetermined minimum value. The system is used to carry out the inventive method. | patent |
W2381217310 | Spatial-temporal variation of vegetation phenology and their relationships with vegetation degradation in a Qinghai Lake watershed | This paper presents a threshold method to examine the vegetation phenology in a Qinghai Lake watershed based on a time-series analysis of a MODIS EVI dataset from 2000 to 2014using 16-day intervals.The spatio-temporal variation of vegetation phenology and the relationship with vegetation degradation were also analyzed.The results showed that the beginning of the vegetation growing season(BGS)occurred from mid-April to mid-June and the end of growing season(EGS)from mid-August to mid-October;growing season(GS)was between 100 to 150days.The BGS spatial pattern was embodied by a transition from southeast to northwest;vertical zonation in the mountainous region showed a contrary trend in EGS and GS.Spatio-temporal variation of vegetation phenology at the whole watershed level showed spatial heterogeneity under climate change,but mean BGS trends were not pronounced during the study period.EGS was advanced approximately 6.4days and GS prolonged by 8.9days.Vegetation phenology was also affected by vegetation degradation.BGS tended to be later when vegetation flourished and advanced when vegetation was degraded.The relationship between annual EGS date and vegetation degradation was relatively complex.EGS and vegetation degradation were significantly negatively correlated indicating EGS was earlier where the vegetation was in good condition. | publication |
W1990633953 | Temporal judgments of immediate and delayed consequences of self-initiated movements. | This study was designed to examine the impact of a delay between a self-initiated movement and a subsequent auditory event on temporal judgements of movement or sound onset. Participants watched a red dot move in a clockwise direction around a circle displayed on a computer screen and reported when they had pressed the spacebar or heard a tone. In other conditions, the movement and tone both occurred. Specifically, the tone followed the button press either immediately or after delays of 100, 250, or 400 ms. On some trial blocks, participants were asked to judge the time of the button press and on other blocks the time of the tone. When the tone occurred alone, participants' judgements were accurate. When the movement occurred alone participants exhibited an anticipatory bias. Although a delayed tone had a modest impact on judgements movement initiation, button press judgements were anticipatory in all tone delay conditions. Thusly temporal judgements associated with event binding are affected more by voluntary action than the auditory consequences of that action. | publication |
EP 2018073729 W | MACHINING HEAD FOR THE MECHANICAL, IN PARTICULAR CUTTING, MACHINING OF A WORKPIECE | The invention relates to a machining head (1) for the mechanical, in particular cutting, machining, in particular for the actuation, of a workpiece (2), comprising: - a housing (4), - a housing-side coupling region (8) for coupling a machining tool (5) to be coupled to the machining head (1), wherein the housing-side coupling region (8) comprises at least one coupling interface (9) for directly coupling a machining tool (5) to be coupled to the machining head (1). | patent |
W1163326834 | Combining microscopy with mesoscopy using optical and optoacoustic label-free modes | Biology requires observations at multiple geometrical scales, a feature that is not typically offered by a single imaging modality. We developed a hybrid optical system that not only provides different contrast modes but also offers imaging at different geometrical scales, achieving uniquely broad resolution and a 1000-fold volume sampling increase compared to volumes scanned by optical microscopy. The system combines optoacoustic mesoscopy, optoacoustic microscopy and two-photon microscopy, the latter integrating second and third harmonic generation modes. Label-free imaging of a mouse ear and zebrafish larva ex-vivo demonstrates the contrast and scale complementarity provided by the hybrid system. We showcase the superior anatomical orientation offered by the label-free capacity and hybrid operation, over fluorescence microscopy, and the dynamic selection between field of view and resolution achieved, leading to new possibilities in biological visualization. | publication |
170348 | Efficient grid connected buildings: a distributed control framework for managing flexible loads | The renewable energy penetration targets set by EU and US necessitate a radical change in the way we operate the electric power grid. Conventional power grid was designed around dispatchable central power plants at a transmission level providing services down to industrial, commercial and residential end-users at a distribution level. Increased penetration of the intermittent and uncertain renewable energy sources effectively implies additional load and generation flexibility is required at multiple time-scales to ensure safe and stable operation of the electric grid. Since conventional generation is increasingly displaced by renewables, this additional flexibility can no longer be sourced solely from conventional plants.
According to the International Energy Agency, buildings are responsible for about 40% of the global energy consumption, and about 50% of the energy used in a building is accounted for by the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Thus, improving operational efficiency of HVAC systems will results in large savings in the energy consumption. Moreover, buildings present a unique opportunity as flexible loads that can be controlled to provide ancillary services to the electric power grid, and thus enable high penetration of renewables. High thermal capacity of large commercial buildings allow real-time control of their HVAC systems to regulate electricity demand as required for grid stability, without effecting the quality of service in the building significantly.
In this project, our objective is to develop (1) novel scalable optimal control algorithms that reduce building peak load and energy consumption, (2) a distributed control framework for coordinating multiple buildings as flexible energy resources for ancillary services, and (3) tools for assessing the performance of this framework from economic, environmental and sustainability perspectives. | project/european |
W2170210473 | The ovarian cycle of the fish Leptobotia elongata Bleeker, endemic to China. | Histological analysis of Leptobotia elongata Bleeker ovaries revealed five stages in oocyte development (oogonia, previtellogenic oocytes, vitelline vacuolated oocytes, vitellogenic oocytes and mature oocytes) based on nucleoli, follicle cells and vitellogenesis. Five time-dependent stages in ovarian maturation were characterized based on the appearance and the color of the ovaries and the gonadosomatic index (GSI). Lipid, protein and glycoprotein content varied with the development of the oocytes. Females captured during periods of ovarian ripening had the highest GSI values, their length ranged from 327 to 375 mm, and their body weight between 326 to 483 g. The seasonal variation of GSI indicated that the spawning season of L. elongate was from May to July. This study will underpin future work on the population dynamics of L. elongata which, in turn, is required for the management of the commercial resource. | publication |
W2005558320 | The Effect of Storage Time of Chopped Oil Palm Fruit Bunches on the Palm Oil Quality | Abstract The bulkiness of the fresh fruit bunches (FFB) cause ineffectiveness of heat distribution into the inner layers of the fruits and simultaneously led to poor palm oil quality. Thus, this research was conducted to determine the effect of storage time of chopped FFB on the palm oil quality and stripping efficiency. The FFB was chopped using a fabricated chopper blade and stored for 30 min to 120 min. The results showed that the FFA, moisture content, DOBI and carotene content were ranged 1.19% -2.21 ± 0.394%, 0.175 - 0.411 ± 0.097%, 2.74 - 0.85 ± 0.746 and 430.402 - 326.081 ± 0.768 ppm respectively. The chopped FFB also had better stripping efficiency compared to unchopped FFB. | publication |
W2094528612 | Inter-State Variation in Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine Coverage Among Adolescent Girls in the 50 US States, 2007 | Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination could substantially reduce the burden of cervical cancer by preventing HPV infection. This study uses the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) to estimate HPV vaccine coverage prevalence for US girls aged 12-17, the target group for vaccination. NSCH is a population-based telephone survey of households with children younger than 18 years. The proportion of girls aged 12-17 whose parent or guardian reported receipt of a clinician recommendation for HPV vaccination, one or more does of HPV vaccine, or a complete three-dose HPV vaccine series were estimated. Multivariable models estimated adjusted associations and marginal predicted vaccine coverage prevalence for each of the 50 US states and according to race/ethnicity, household income, insurance status, parental education, and whether the girl had a 'medical home'. The NSCH sample included 17,264 girls aged 12-17. Overall 18.2 % (SE 0.8 %) of girls reportedly received at least one HPV vaccine dose and 3.6 % (SE 0.4 %) completed the series; 31 % received clinician recommendation for HPV vaccine. Girls who received a clinician recommendation to vaccinate were 23 (95 % CI 18-29) times as likely to be vaccinated as those not counseled. There was substantial interstate variation in vaccine coverage that was largely explained by variability in clinician counseling. For 2007, there was substantial variation in HPV vaccine coverage among US girls 12-17 years that was largely explained by variability in clinician counseling. Strategies aimed at increasing clinicians' counseling for HPV vaccination could substantially reduce disparities in HPV vaccine coverage. | publication |
W2097552854 | Jonathan Draws the Long Bow | wolves and grisly bears prowl about his room at night, but he sleeps so sound he's obliged to be thrown out of the window every morning to wake him. Mother missed him when he was a baby, and found him at last seated on a hornet's nest, playing at bo-peep with a couple of rattlesnakes. As an infant, 'Zekiel was a wonder, I guess; he had razors and bayonets for toys, walked in top-boots when he was three days old, sucked hot coals, and used to rub his gums with a nutmeggrater; they weaned him the very day he was born, and fed him on pap made of flint-stones and lignumvitae soaked in prussic acid. His appetite, for a boy, was awful; he once eat a buffalo and three parts of a horse and then asked if tea wasn't ready. When Nash travels by rail, he gets out to walk a trifle of forty or fifty miles, and waits an hour till the train overtakes him. The engine comes up, panting and blowing, and often says with a forced laugh, Bust my biler, 'Zekiel, but of all mortal critters, you're the biggest; I recon your father was a flash of lightning, and your mother an airthquake. Darn me if you aint an ornament to creation. 1 | publication |
US 0201040 W | LOW GROWTH POWER TRANSMISSION BELT | A power transmission belt (10), and more particularly a toothed power transmission belt, comprising a longitudinally extending tensile member (18) composed of one or more carbon fiber cords, wherein the belt exhibits belt growth of not more than 0.1 % based on its original length after 48 hours under High Temperature Belt Growth Analysis performed at 100 DEG C, and a method for producing such belts exhibiting reduced belt growth. | patent |
W1974459653 | Preparation and Characterization of Magnetically Responsive Bacterial Polyester Based Nanospheres for Cancer Therapy | Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are natural, thermoplastic polyesters and due to their biocompatible and biodegradable properties they are good alternatives for the production of scaffolds for engineered tissues or nanoparticles for drug delivery. As a member of polyhydroxyalkanoate family, polyhydroxybutyrates (PHB) have been widely used as a biomaterial for in vitro and in vivo studies since their mechanical properties are very similar to conventional plastics. By using multi-emulsion technique, iron oxide particles were coated with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) polymer synthesized from Alcaligenes eutrophus bacteria and the magnetic carrier system was prepared accordingly. The bare nanoparticles and magnetic nanoparticles were morphologically, structurally and magnetically characterized by using Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Atomic force microscope (AFM); Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR), and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) techniques, respectively. Particle size of PHB nanoparticles was determined by Zeta Sizer. It was found that the smallest particles were in the range of 239.43 +/- 5.25 nm in diameter. Concanavalin-A (Con-A) was used for targeting the cancer cells while etoposide was used as drug. Con-A and etoposide were loaded onto the particles. Release studies of etoposide were evaluated and the system was optimized for the further in vivo applications. Finally different formulation magnetic PHB nanoparticles cytotoxicity were evaluated in cell culture studies and used HeLa cell line (cervical cancer cells) as a cancer cells and L929 cells (mouse fibroblast cells) as a non-cancer cell line. | publication |
W1992350839 | Flocculation ofBacillus amyloliquefaciens HDisintegrates with Cationized Starch and Aminated Hydroxyethylcellulose | The ability of cationized hydroxyethylated starch (CHES) and aminated hydroxyethylcellulose (DEAE-HEC) to flocculate cell disintegrate of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H (BamHI) was investigated. The efficiency of flocculation was compared to that of synthetic polymer polyethyleneimine (PEI) and natural polysaccharide chitosan. The influence of salt concentration and biomass concentration on flocculation efficiency was investigated. It was found that the efficiency of flocculation with CHES and DEAE-HEC was similar to that of PEI but better compared to chitosan. Recovery of total soluble proteins at higher than 0.3% concentration of flocculant decreased by more than 18.8% and 42.3% compared to PEI and chitosan, respectively. The yield of BamHI restriction endonuclease activity with all flocculants was similar except for chitosan where 13.1% lower yield was obtained. Meanwhile, efficiency of flocculation with CHES and DEAE-HEC depends drastically on the salt concentration, that is, flocculation diminishes if ... | publication |
W2037385914 | Precious metal enrichment in the Platreef, Bushveld Complex, South Africa: evidence from homogenized magmatic sulfide melt inclusions | Magmatic sulfide deposits are the most significant source of platinum-group elements (PGE) in the world. Key to understanding their genesis is determining the processes and timing of sulfide saturation, metal enrichment and crustal contamination. In this study, we have identified droplets of magmatic sulfide from the Platreef, South Africa, where droplets of sulfide have been trapped in the earliest crystallising phase, chromite. Due to their early entrapment at high temperatures, metal concentrations and ratios that they display are indicative of a very early-stage sulfide liquid in the system, as they will have cooled and fractionated within an essentially closed system, unlike interstitial blebs that crystallise in an open system as the magma cools. Analysis of these droplets in an opaque mineral like chromite by LA-ICP-MS is problematic as some of the fractionated inclusion is necessarily lost during cutting and polishing to initially identify the inclusion. This particularly affects the ability to representatively sample the most fractionated phases such as gold and platinum minerals. Here, using a novel technique whereby the inclusions are homogenized and quickly quenched, so that any cutting, polishing and subsequent LA-ICP-MS analysis samples a truly representative portion of the droplet. This has been used to show that early sulfide liquids in the Platreef were highly PGE-rich and had Pt/Pd ratios of close to unity that supports genetic models invoking sulfide saturation and metal enrichment prior to intrusion, with pre-enriched sulfides entrained within the Platreef magma. | publication |
W2957430439 | Encircling granulosa cells protects against di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate-induced apoptosis in rat oocytes cultured <i>in vitro</i> | Summary The present study investigated if the presence of encircling granulosa cells protected against di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)-induced oxidative stress in rat oocytes cultured in vitro . Denuded oocytes and cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) were treated with or without various doses of DEHP (0.0, 25.0, 50.0, 100, 200, 400 and 800 μM) in vitro . Morphological apoptotic changes, levels of oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential, and expression levels of apoptotic markers (Bcl2, Bax, cytochrome c ) were analyzed. Our results showed that DEHP induced morphological apoptotic changes in a dose-dependent manner in denuded oocytes cultured in vitro . The effective dose of DEHP (400 µg) significantly ( P >0.05) increased oxidative stress by elevating ROS levels and the mitochondrial membrane potential with higher mRNA expression and protein levels of apoptotic markers (Bax, cytochrome c ). Encircling granulosa cells protected oocytes from DEHP-induced morphological changes, increased oxidative stress and ROS levels, as well as increased expression of apoptotic markers. Taken together our data suggested that encircling granulosa cells protected oocytes against DEHP-induced apoptosis and that the presence of granulosa cells could act positively towards the survival of oocytes under in vitro culture conditions and may be helpful during assisted reproductive technique programmes. | publication |
W280215210 | Extracellular matrix networks in bone remodeling | Bones are constantly remodeled throughout life to maintain robust structure and function. Dysfunctional remodeling can result in pathological conditions such as osteoporosis (bone loss) or osteosclerosis (bone gain). Bone contains 100 s of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and the ECM of the various bone tissue compartments plays essential roles directing the remodeling of bone through the coupled activity of osteoclasts (which resorb bone) and osteoblasts (which produce new bone). One important role for the ECM is to serve as a scaffold upon which mineral is deposited. This scaffold is primarily type I collagen, but other ECM components are involved in binding of mineral components. In addition to providing a mineral scaffolding role, the ECM components provide structural flexibility for a tissue that would otherwise be overly rigid. Although primarily secreted by osteoblast-lineage cells, the ECM regulates cells of both the osteoblast-lineage (such as progenitors, mature osteoblasts, and osteocytes) and osteoclast-lineage (including precursors and mature osteoclasts), and it also influences the cross-talk that occurs between these two oppositional cells. ECM influences the differentiation process of mesenchymal stem cells to become osteoblasts by both direct cell-ECM interactions as well as by modulating growth factor activity. Similarly, the ECM can influence the development of osteoclasts from undifferentiated macrophage precursor cells, and influence osteoclast function through direct osteoclast cell binding to matrix components. This comprehensive review will focus on how networks of ECM proteins function to regulate osteoclast- and osteoblast-mediated bone remodeling. The clinical significance of these networks on normal bone and as they relate to pathologies of bone mass and geometry will be considered. A better understanding of the dynamic role of ECM networks in regulating tissue function and cell behavior is essential for the development of new treatment approaches for bone loss. | publication |
W2266576565 | Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Anal Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus Infection Among HIV-Infected Women in France in the Combination Antiretroviral Therapy Era | Little is known about the type-specific prevalence of anal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and risk factors for anal high-risk (HR) HPV infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women.A cross-sectional study of anal and cervical HPV infection was nested within a gynecological cohort of HIV-infected women. Specimens were tested for type-specific DNA using a polymerase chain reaction-based assay.The study population consisted of 311 women with a median age of 45.3 years, of whom 42.8% originated from sub-Saharan Africa and 96.8% were receiving combination antiretroviral therapy. The median CD4(+)cell count was 612/μL, and the HIV load was <50 copies/mL in 84.1%. HR-HPV types were detected in the anal canal in 148 women (47.6%) and in the cervix in 82 (26.4%). HPV-16 was the most prevalent type in both the anal canal (13.2% of women) and the cervix (5.1%). In multivariable analysis, factors associated with prevalent anal HR-HPV infection were CD4(+)count <350/μL (odds ratio, 2.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-6.5), concurrent cervical lesions (2.6; 1.0-4.3), and cervical HR-HPV infection (1.8; 1.0-3.2).The high prevalence of HR-HPV types, including HPV-16, in the anal canal of HIV-positive women is concerning. Anal cancer screening should be considered for HIV-positive women as part of their routine care. | publication |
W292857952 | Adapting Modeling & Simulation for Network Enabled Operations | Abstract : If there is a particular theme central to the body of literature produced by the CCRP Publication Series, it involves the challenges of complexity and the nature of an appropriate response to this complexity. This book continues our treatment of the subject of complexity and its implications for military organizations. Network Enabled Capability, first introduced to a wide audience with the CCRP publication of Network Centric Warfare in 1999, is, as the author points out, the embodiment of the military s transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. The struggles to understand, accept, and develop a network enabled approach to military operations mirror similar developments in the adoption of the Internet that have given birth to a variety of new business and organizational models. The relatively rapid rise of online book stores and more recently eBooks came to many as a surprise. The traditional brick-and-mortar bookstore is an endangered species that must adapt to these new realities or be relegated to a niche market. Hard copy books may soon follow. The increasing complexity of military missions from disaster relief through stabilization and peace support to warfighting has, in the CCRP literature, been referred to as Complex Endeavors. In Complex Endeavors it is not only the environment that is complex; it is also us, no longer a single organization, but a heterogeneous collective. Regrettably, this development, decades in the making, seems to continue to catch some by surprise. Many seem to think that business as usual is still an option. Many recognize that change is needed but do not understand how to change and do not accept the changes proposed by others. The rising calls for action are not advocating simply more expertise but a new kind of expertise; not more competencies but rather more agility. Nowhere is this more true than in the critical area of Command and Control. | publication |
Q7283175 | AACC Clinical Lab Expo dal 28.07.-30.07.2015 ad Atlan ta | Partecipazione allo stand della comunità Berlin-Brandenburger all'AACC Clinical Lab Expo dal 28.07.-30.07.2015 ad Atlanta/USA | project/regional |
W4316035929 | Práticas profissionais no primeiro encontro dos pais com recém-nascido na unidade neonatal [Professional practices in the first meeting between parents and newborns in the neonatal unit] [Prácticas profesionales en el primer encuentro entre padres y recién nacido en la unidad neonatal] | Objetivo: analisar as práticas profissionais no primeiro encontro dos pais com recém-nascido na unidade neonatal. Método: estudo quantitativo, descritivo e transversal, desenvolvido com 69 profissionais de saúde da unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal de um Hospital Universitário no Rio de Janeiro, após aprovação pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa. Os dados foram coletados no período de março a julho de 2021, por meio de questionário online, e analisados mediante estatística descritiva simples, percentual e média. Resultados: as práticas profissionais foram adequadas quanto possibilitar aos pais: o toque materno/paterno (91,3%); o livre acesso à unidade neonatal (86,9%); e a realização de cuidados com o bebê (81,1%). Conclusão: a maioria das práticas profissionais está alinhada às recomendações do Método Canguru. Contudo, as fragilidades relativas ao acolhimento evidenciam lacunas na abordagem da temática na formação profissional e em atividades de educação continuada.ABSTRACTObjective: to examine the professional practices in the first meeting between parents and newborn in the neonatal unit. Method: in this quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted with 69 health personnel from the neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, after approval by the research ethics committee, data were collected from March to July 2021 by online survey and analyzed using simple percentage and average descriptive statistics. Results: the professional practices were appropriate in that they allowed parents: maternal/paternal touch (91.3%); free access to the neonatal unit (86.9%); and to provide care for the baby (81.1%). Conclusion: the professional practices were mostly in line with the recommendations of the Kangaroo Method. However, weaknesses in receptiveness highlighted gaps in how the subject was approached in training activities and continued professional development.RESUMENObjetivo: analizar las prácticas profesionales en el primer encuentro entre padres y recién nacido en la unidad neonatal. Método: estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo y transversal, desarrollado con 69 profesionales de la salud de la unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales de un Hospital Universitario de Rio de Janeiro, previa aprobación del Comité de Ética en Investigación. Los datos fueron recolectados de marzo a julio de 2021, a través de una encuesta en línea, y analizados mediante estadística descriptiva simple, porcentaje y promedio. Resultados: las prácticas profesionales fueron adecuadas en cuanto a posibilitar a los padres: el toque materno/paterno (91,3%); el libre acceso a la unidad neonatal (86,9%); y la prestación de cuidados al bebé (81,1%). Conclusión: la mayoría de las prácticas profesionales está acorde con las recomendaciones del Método Canguro. Sin embargo, las debilidades relacionadas con la acogida evidencian lagunas acerca del enfoque del tema en la formación profesional y en actividades de educación continua. | publication |
Q2032322 | S.H.S.I.U.M. — SYSTÈME DE MATÉRIEL HUMAIN-MACHINE INTÉGRÉ | CRÉATION D’UN SYSTÈME INTÉGRÉ DE MATÉRIEL/LOGICIEL HUMAIN-MACHINE POUR L’OPTIMISATION NUMÉRIQUE ET VIRTUELLE DE LA PRODUCTION INDUSTRIELLE, LA SIMULATION VIRTUELLE ET À DISTANCE DE LA PRODUCTION ET LA GESTION VIRTUELLE ET À DISTANCE DES ACTIVITÉS DE MAINTENANCE. | project/regional |
W1560809028 | Robust FOPI and FOPID controller design for FFOPDT plants in embedded control applications using frequency-domain analysis | In this paper, we address the problem of fractional-order PID (FOPID) controller design for a fractional first-order plus dead time (FFOPDT) plant, the characteristics of which are studied. All the equations involved in the computation of control system robustness criteria in the frequency domain are derived, and an algorithm based on the Newton-Raphson method is proposed to obtain the solutions thereof. The performance criteria are considered as the basis for optimizing the parameters of the FOPID controller. The initial gains of the controller are obtained using well established conventional PID tuning rules. For optimization a simple parameter sweep method is used, as well as the Nelder-Mead simplex search method. An illustrative example of the controller design procedure is provided. The results are partially carried over to a FOPID controller prototype. The results of this work can be applied to embedded control and are useful in solving automatic controller tuning problems. | publication |
884781 | Air induced friction reducing ship coating | The overall goal of AIRCOAT is to make European waterborne transport more energy efficient and less polluting by developing a disruptive hull coating that reduces the frictional resistance of ships.
The AIRCOAT project will enhance a passive air lubrication technology that utilises the biomimetic Salvinia effect. This effect enables trapping air through combination of a hydrophobic micro-structured surface with hydrophilic pins. The project will technologically implement this effect on a self-adhesive foil system. Applying a ship with such an AIRCOAT foil will produce a thin permanent air layer, which reduces the overall frictional resistance while acting as a physical barrier between water and hull surface.
Besides substantially reducing main engine fuel oil consumption and hence exhaust gas emission, the air barrier further inhibits the attachment of fouling, the release of biocide substances (of underlying coatings) to the water and mitigates the radiation of ship noise. As a refit technology, it is immediately applicable to the whole fleet, is independent of the fuel type and can be combined with other efficiency improving technologies. Consequently, the technology creates both an economical and an environmental benefit.
The interdisciplinary AIRCOAT consortium will develop small-scale prototypes to optimise the surface characteristics of this new technology supported by experimental and numerical methods. AIRCOAT will further produce large-scale pilots to demonstrate the efficiency and industrial feasibility in operational environments (laboratory, research ships and container ship). Finally, the project will perform a full-scale validation process to boost the technology towards market readiness.
The AIRCOAT project will demonstrate the high potential of this game-changing technology to revolutionise the maritime coating sector and to become a ground-breaking future energy efficiency and emission reduction technology. | project/european |
646339 | Exclusions of environmental vibrations affected by railway operations using metamaterials | With the rapid development of high speed rail system, ground vibration mitigation solutions are desperately needed. As a novel vibration mitigation method, metamaterial can theoretically yield excellent performance in shielding dynamic waves in broad frequency bands. However, the application of metamaterials in railway-induced vibration mitigation is a very recent and ongoing topic. Therefore, the XeRo project aims to establish new and practical contribution towards a better understanding of the mitigation effects by metamaterials for railway-induced environmental vibrations. The experienced researcher (ER) will: 1) investigate the dominant frequencies of railway environment based on a 3D coupled train-track-soil interaction model; 2) design and develop the metamaterial based on the locally resonant mechanism; 3) characterize and optimize the metamaterial with respect to viscoelastic multi-layered soils; and 4) demonstrate the mitigation effect of the metamaterial on railway environmental vibration.
Implemented at the University of Porto, and supervised by Prof Rui Calcada, the XeRo project will allow the ER to diversify her individual competence by developing skills in railway dynamics, academic dissemination and networking; student supervision; and research management and leadership. The XeRo project will also strongly benefit the ER’s inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary expertise and strengthen her international network considering a secondment will be carried out at the University of Birmingham.
A two-way transfer of knowledge is guaranteed since the XeRo project combines the ER’s expertise in metamaterial design and railway vibration evaluation and the host’s expertise in the numerical modelling and dynamic analysis of train-induced ground vibrations. Therefore, the XeRo project will contribute to Europe’s knowledge-based society, policy makers and rail industries by providing invaluable knowledge on the novel vibration mitigation solution in railways. | project/european |
W1492476111 | International student transition: Focusing on researching international pedagogy for educational sustainability | The internationalisation of higher education has brought new dimensions of inquiry into cross-cultural aspects of pedagogy and practice. From the student learning perspective, a smooth transition into new and foreign learning environments is believed to determine academic success. However, the international academic transition period can be challenging for many students. Problems have been reported in the areas of poor decoding of English language and critical thinking skills; failure to participate in collaborative learning modes (e.g. group discussions); and difficulties communicating effectively in social settings. Refuting arguments have been provided by those seeking to break down ill-formed correlations between cultural anomalies and cognitive deficit. This paper takes the premise that sustainable forms of pedagogy in international contexts hinge on researching the language, culture and discourse intersection in academic learning communities during student transition. It will examine international students’ cross-cultural learning experiences as attributed to internal and external factors. The paper discusses international students’ interpretations of those intercultural communicative subtleties that are manifest in academic discourse and that may be overlooked by the academic community. The paper concludes by providing some implications for sustaining teaching and learning in international contexts. | publication |
Q98025 | Implementazione di un processo tecnologico innovativo al fine di ampliare l'offerta dell'azienda "MAL-PAK". | Questo progetto riguarda l'implementazione di una nuova tecnologia di stampa industriale che utilizza inchiostri ecologici rispettosi dell'acqua. Il richiedente implementerà il nuovo processo e amplierà l'offerta del prodotto. Il livello di innovazione del progetto è stato definito come un'innovazione a livello nazionale. Il richiedente dispone dell'infrastruttura appropriata per realizzare il progetto — la sala di produzione è adattata per attuare l'oggetto del progetto, ossia l'acquisto di una macchina da stampa flessografica cilindrica con cilindro centrale. Uno degli aspetti più importanti della tecnologia da implementare è quello di eliminare la necessità di solventi nel processo di stampa a favore delle vernici ad acqua. Il risultato del progetto sarà un'estensione del ciclo di vita del prodotto — imballaggio con stampe. Grazie all'implementazione della nuova tecnologia, il richiedente sarà in grado di introdurre vernici concettuali nel processo tecnologico, la cui struttura e il cui metodo di utilizzo sono stati sviluppati in collaborazione con CHESPA. La nuova tecnologia sarà utilizzata nella stampa flessografica di pellicole PE e polipropilene PP. | project/regional |