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Large Range (large + range)
Selected AbstractsRecovering Structure from r -Sampled ObjectsCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 5 2009O. Aichholzer For a surface in 3-space that is represented by a set S of sample points, we construct a coarse approximating polytope P that uses a subset of S as its vertices and preserves the topology of . In contrast to surface reconstruction we do not use all the sample points, but we try to use as few points as possible. Such a polytope P is useful as a ,seed polytope' for starting an incremental refinement procedure to generate better and better approximations of based on interpolating subdivision surfaces or e.g. Bézier patches. Our algorithm starts from an r -sample S of . Based on S, a set of surface covering balls with maximal radii is calculated such that the topology is retained. From the weighted ,-shape of a proper subset of these highly overlapping surface balls we get the desired polytope. As there is a rather large range for the possible radii for the surface balls, the method can be used to construct triangular surfaces from point clouds in a scalable manner. We also briefly sketch how to combine parts of our algorithm with existing medial axis algorithms for balls, in order to compute stable medial axis approximations with scalable level of detail. [source] Prognostic impact of psychoactive substances use during hospitalization for intentional drug overdoseACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2005M. Tournier Objective:, To assess whether current use of psychoactive substance(s) is a prognostic factor during hospitalization for intentional drug overdose (IDO). Method:, Current intoxication with psychoactive substance(s) [cannabis, opiate, buprenorphine, amphetamine/ecstasy, cocaine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)] was identified using toxicological urinalysis in 671 patients with IDO. An IDO was a priori defined as serious if associated with one of the following events: death, hospitalization in intensive care unit longer than 48 h, respiratory support, use of vasopressive drugs, cardiac massage or dialysis. Results:, Subjects positive for toxicological assays were twice as likely to present with serious IDO (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.3,2.8, P = 0.001), independently from a large range of confounding factors. The risk of serious IDO was especially marked in subjects using LSD, buprenorphine or opiates. Conclusion:, Systematic investigation of substance use could be important to adapt medical management of subjects with IDO in general hospital, but also in primary care and psychiatric settings. [source] High within-individual variation in total mercury concentration in seabird feathersENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 11 2008Alexander L. Bond Abstract To our knowledge, no rigorous assessment of the variation in mercury concentrations within individual seabirds has been made using multiple body feathers. We analyzed five feathers from individual Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea Pontoppidan), common terns (Sterna hirundo L.), and Leach's storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa Veillot) and found levels of within-individual variability higher than population or time-series variation. Using a randomization procedure, we found a large range of possible mercury concentrations if only one feather per individual had been sampled. Researchers should report within-individual variability in future studies. [source] Time domain characteristics of hoof-ground interaction at the onset of stance phaseEQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue 7 2006J. F. BURN Summary Reasons for performing study: Little is known about the interaction of the hoof with the ground at the onset of stance phase although is it widely believed that high power collisions are involved in the aetiopathology of several conditions causing lameness. Objectives: To answer 3 questions regarding the fundamental nature of hoof-ground collision: (1) is the collision process deterministic for ground surfaces that present a consistent mechanical interface (2) do collision forces act on the hoof in a small or large range of directions and (3) Is the hoof decelerated to near-zero velocity by the initial deceleration peak following ground contact? Methods: Hoof acceleration during the onset of stance phase was recorded using biaxial accelerometry for horses trotting on a tarmac surface and on a sand surface. Characteristics of the collision process were identified both from vector plots and time series representations of hoof acceleration, velocity and displacement. Results: The response of the hoof to collision with smooth tarmac was predominantly deterministic and consistent with the response of a spring-damper system following shock excitation. The response to collision with sand was predominantly random. The deceleration peak following ground contact did not decelerate the hoof to near-zero velocity on tarmac but appeared to on sand. On both surfaces, collision forces acted on the hoof in a wide range of directions. Conclusions: The study suggests the presence of stiff, visco-elastic structures within the foot that may act as shock absorbers isolating the limb from large collision forces. Potential relevance: The study indicates objectives for future in vivo and in vitro research into the shock absorbing mechanism within the equine foot; and the effects of shoe type and track surface properties on the collision forces experienced during locomotion. Studies of this nature should help to establish a link between musculoskeletal injury, hoof function and hoof-ground interaction if, indeed, one exists. [source] Versatility of Laser Pyrolysis Applied to the Synthesis of TiO2 Nanoparticles , Application to UV AttenuationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2008Bruno Pignon Abstract TiO2 nanoparticles show interesting catalytic and optical properties and are therefore highly demanded for several applications. In this paper, we show that pure and N-doped TiO2 powders with an average diameter as low as 8 nm can be synthesized by laser pyrolysis, with the use of an aerosol of TTIP (titanium tetraisopropoxide) as the main precursor sensitized by C2H4. We demonstrate the possibility to control the anatase/rutile phase ratio over a large range, which was not achieved before, by tuning the experimental parameters. N-doped particles have also been produced for the first time by this method by using a one-step process through addition of NH3. First results illustrating the consequences in terms of UV absorption properties are also presented and correlated with the structural evolution and the presence of a doping element.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008) [source] Rapid categorization of achromatic natural scenes: how robust at very low contrasts?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 7 2005Marc J.-M. Abstract The human visual system is remarkably good at categorizing objects even in challenging visual conditions. Here we specifically assessed the robustness of the visual system in the face of large contrast variations in a high-level categorization task using natural images. Human subjects performed a go/no-go animal/nonanimal categorization task with briefly flashed grey level images. Performance was analysed for a large range of contrast conditions randomly presented to the subjects and varying from normal to 3% of initial contrast. Accuracy was very robust and subjects were performing well above chance level (, 70% correct) with only 10,12% of initial contrast. Accuracy decreased with contrast reduction but reached chance level only in the most extreme condition (3% of initial contrast). Conversely, the maximal increase in mean reaction time was ,,60 ms (at 8% of initial contrast); it then remained stable with further contrast reductions. Associated ERPs recorded on correct target and distractor trials showed a clear differential effect whose amplitude and peak latency were correlated respectively with task accuracy and mean reaction times. These data show the strong robustness of the visual system in object categorization at very low contrast. They suggest that magnocellular information could play a role in ventral stream visual functions such as object recognition. Performance may rely on early object representations which lack the details provided subsequently by the parvocellular system but contain enough information to reach decision in the categorization task. [source] A Practical Method for Selective Cleavage of a tert -Butoxycarbamoyl N -Protective Group from N,N -Diprotected ,-Amino Acid Derivatives Using Montmorillonite K-10,EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 30 2007J. Nicolás Hernández Abstract A new, practical, and mild procedure for the selective cleavage of a tert -butoxycarbonyl group (Boc) in N -Boc- N -acyl-diprotected amines is described. When applied to ,-amino acids, complete integrity of the stereochemistry was observed. The use of N,N -di-Boc-,-amino-,- and ,-hydroxy esters provided both ,- and ,-lactones in very good yields. The method is based on the use of Montmorillonite K-10 either in CH2Cl2 at room temperature or in toluene at 65 °C and is compatible with the presence of a large range of functional and other protecting groups in the substrates. In most cases virtually pure samples are obtained after filtration and removal of solvents. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007) [source] Towards an operationalization of the fundamental dimensions of agency and communion: Trait content ratings in five countries considering valence and frequency of word occurrenceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2008Andrea E. Abele Despite many convergences in theorizing and research on the two fundamental dimensions of social judgment the operationalizations differ considerably across studies and possible confounds (valence, frequency of word occurrence) are not always controlled. The present study was meant as a first step towards a more standardized operationalization by providing trait words which are clearly distinct in content (agency and communion) but comparable in valence and frequency of word occurrence in written language across different countries. We created a pool of 304 trait adjectives and reduced this pool in several pretests to a list of 69 trait words. These were clearly different in content and covered a large range of valence. In the main study N,=,548 participants from five countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland and USA) rated the 69 trait words on agency, communion and valence. The results were quite consistent across countries. The trait adjectives' agency ratings and communion ratings were negatively correlated; valence was correlated with communal content, but not with agentic content; word frequency was barely related to the content ratings. Cluster analyses suggest four clusters of trait words. Based on these findings we propose sets of agentic and communal trait words which do not differ in valence and word frequency. These item-sets can serve as a first step towards a standardized operationalization of the two fundamental content dimensions across languages. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] ON THE EVOLUTION OF HARMING AND RECOGNITION IN FINITE PANMICTIC AND INFINITE STRUCTURED POPULATIONSEVOLUTION, Issue 11 2009Laurent Lehmann Natural selection may favor two very different types of social behaviors that have costs in vital rates (fecundity and/or survival) to the actor: helping behaviors, which increase the vital rates of recipients, and harming behaviors, which reduce the vital rates of recipients. Although social evolutionary theory has mainly dealt with helping behaviors, competition for limited resources creates ecological conditions in which an actor may benefit from expressing behaviors that reduce the vital rates of neighbors. This may occur if the reduction in vital rates decreases the intensity of competition experienced by the actor or that experienced by its offspring. Here, we explore the joint evolution of neutral recognition markers and marker-based costly conditional harming whereby actors express harming, conditional on actor and recipient bearing different conspicuous markers. We do so for two complementary demographic scenarios: finite panmictic and infinite structured populations. We find that marker-based conditional harming can evolve under a large range of recombination rates and group sizes under both finite panmictic and infinite structured populations. A direct comparison with results for the evolution of marker-based conditional helping reveals that, if everything else is equal, marker-based conditional harming is often more likely to evolve than marker-based conditional helping. [source] Combustion of a substitution fuel made of cardboard and polyethylene: influence of the mix characteristics,modelingFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 7 2008S. Salvador Abstract The model proposed in this paper describes the combustion of a porous medium subjected to a radiative heat flux at its surface. There is no forced convection of air through the medium; hence this situation corresponds to the one encountered at the surface of fuel elements such as pellets, bricks or ballots, inside a furnace or kiln. Ash is not removed from the surface. No assumption is made a priori in terms of the limiting phenomena. The medium is composed of cardboard and polyethylene (PE). Based on previous experimental work (Fuel 2004; 83:451,462), the material is assumed to be a macroscopically homogeneous porous medium. Local thermal equilibrium is also assumed. Most of the parameters required for the modeling were determined from specific experiments. Good predictions of the sample mass evolution and of the temperature levels inside the sample body were obtained for a large range of densities and PE content. A devolatilization front of about 20,mm first propagates inside the medium. The volatile matter flux is advected to the surface, which leads to the formation of the flame above the surface. Then a second char oxidation front propagates, starting from the surface. The front thickness is approximately 25,mm under the experimental conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Impact of a Conditional Cash Transfer Programme on Consumption in Colombia,FISCAL STUDIES, Issue 4 2006Orazio Attanasio Abstract This paper studies the impact of a conditional cash transfer programme in Colombia on the total consumption of very poor households and on its components. Our evaluation methodology involves comparing household expenditures in areas in which the programme was not implemented (control) and those in which it was (treated). We use a quasi-experimental approach, as the Familias en Acción programme was not randomly assigned across localities, for political reasons. We condition on a large range of household- and municipality-level characteristics, and also control for pre-programme differences in the outcomes of interest using a differences-indifferences methodology. We find that the programme has been effective at greatly increasing total consumption and its main component, food consumption, in both rural and urban areas. The programme has also contributed to improvements in the quality of food consumed, in particular of items rich in proteins (milk, meat and eggs) and of cereals. Furthermore, the programme has created redistributive effects in favour of children through expenditure on education and children's clothing, while it has not significantly affected consumption of adult goods such as alcohol and tobacco or adults'clothing. [source] Genetic diversity of the hyperparasite Sphaerellopsis filum on Melampsora willow rustsFOREST PATHOLOGY, Issue 5 2004M. Liesebach Summary The non-specific rust hyperparasite Sphaerellopsis filum occurs naturally on Melampsora rusts of many species of the genus Salix as well as on a large range of other rust genera worldwide. To study the genetic diversity of the hyperparasitic fungus 77 S. filum isolates collected from rusts on willow clones from plantations, clone collections and natural habitats of different sites were investigated using polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer regions including 5.8S rDNA and sequence analysis. Additionally, strains from Melampsora poplar rusts (4) and strains of Puccinia abrupta from Parthenium hysterophorus (5) and of P. obscura from Bellis perennis (1) were used for comparisons. Results of genetic analysis demonstrated distinct variation within the S. filum isolates. Two main groups with more than 32% difference between their nucleotide sequences were distinguished, indicating two taxa within S. filum. Within the first main group three profiles (I, II, III) were detected. The differences between these profiles were about 12%. The variation within each profile was very low (less than 2%). The second main group comprised two profiles (IV, V), which differed in 12 to 16% of their nucleotide positions. The isolates of group IV possessed a higher variation (up to 5%) within the group than those of the first main group (I, II, III). Group V was only represented by a single isolate. Neither interrelations between the S. filum profiles and the Melampsora genotypes nor a spatial distribution could be detected. It is remarkable that the six strains of S. filum from Puccinia rusts belong to one subgroup. Résumé Sphaerellopsis filum est un hyperparasite non spécifique des rouilles qui se rencontre naturellement sur les Melampsora affectant le genre Salix ainsi que sur une large gamme d'autres genres de rouille dans le monde entier. Pour caractériser la diversité de ce champignon hyperparasite, 77 isolats de S. filum, récoltés à partir de lésions de rouille sur des clones de plantation, des collections de clones et dans des sites naturels, ont étéétudiés par analyse PCR-RFLP des régions ITS de l'ADNr, incluant le 5.8S rDNA, et par analyse de séquences. Des souches provenant de Melampsora des peupliers (4), de Puccinia abrupta sur Parthenium hysterophorus (5) et de P. obscura sur Bellis perennis (1) ont également été utilisées pour comparaison. L'analyse génétique démontre une variation entre isolats de S. filum. Deux groupes principaux, avec plus de 32% de différence dans leur séquence nucléotidique, se distinguent, indiquant l'existence de deux taxons au sein de S. filum. A l'intérieur du premier groupe, trois profils (I, II, III) sont mis en évidence, avec une différence d'environ 12% entre profils mais très peu de variation (moins de 2%) à l'intérieur d'un profil. Le deuxième groupe comprend deux profils (IV, V) qui différent de 12 à 16% pour leur séquence nucléotidique. Les isolats du groupe IV présentent une variation intra-groupe plus importante (jusqu'à 5%) que ceux des groupes I, II et III. Le groupe V n'est représenté que par un isolat. Aucune relation n'a pu être établié entre les profils de S. filum et les génotypes de Melampsora ou la distribution spatiale. Il est à noter que les six isolats de S. filum provenant de rouilles àPuccinia appartiennent à un seul sous-groupe. Zusammenfassung Der Hyperparasit Sphaerellopsis filum kommt natürlich auf Melampsora -Rostpilzen bei Salicaceae und auf zahlreichen anderen Rostgattungen weltweit vor. Um die genetische Vielfalt dieses hyperparasitischen Pilzes zu untersuchen, wurden 77 S. filum -Proben, die von Weidenrosten in Plantagen, Klonsammlungen und von verschiedenen natürlichen Standorten stammen, isoliert. Die 5.8S-ITS-Abschnitte der rDNA wurden mit Hilfe der PCR-RFLP untersucht und Sequenzen analysiert. Zum Vergleich wurden vier Isolate von Pappelrosten sowie fünf Isolate von Puccinia abrupta von Parthenium hysterophorus und ein Isolat von Puccinia obscura von Bellis perennis herangezogen. Die Ergebnisse der genetischen Untersuchungen zeigten eine deutliche Variation zwischen den S. filum -Isolaten. Zwei Gruppen mit über 32% Unterschied in der Nukleotid-Sequenz ließen sich unterscheiden. Dies deutet auf zwei taxonomische Einheiten von Sphaerellopsis hin. Die erste Gruppe ließ sich in drei Untergruppen (I, II, III) einteilen, deren 5.8S-ITS-Profile im Mittel 12% Unterschied aufwiesen. Die Variation innerhalb dieser drei Profile war sehr gering (,2%). Die zweite Gruppe umfasste zwei Profile (IV, V), die sich an 12 bis 16% Positionen ihrer Nukleotid-Abfolge unterschieden. Die Variation innerhalb von Profil IV war höher (bis 5%) als die der Untergruppen I - III, Profil V war nur durch ein Isolat vertreten. Eine Beziehung des S. filum -Genotyps zum Melampsora -Genotyp der Weide oder der Pappel ließ sich bei dem untersuchten Material nicht nachweisen, ebenso konnte keine geographische Differenzierung gefunden werden. Auffällig ist, dass alle sechs Puccinia -Isolate einer Untergruppe angehörten. [source] The Nordic ,Cultural Industries': A Cross-National Assessment of the Place of the Cultural Industries in Denmark, Finland, Norway and SwedenGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2003Dominic Power ABSTRACT In this paper an attempt is made to measure the cultural industries in a cross-national context. The paper starts with a discussion of the definition and delineation of the term the ,cultural industries'. It is argued that a large range of goods and services may be considered to be cultural industry products and that it is important to place the production and exchange of such products in the context of an industrial systems approach. Following this the concept is operationalised using data on employment and firm activity from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Results are presented which suggest that overall growth in both employment and firm numbers has been especially strong in the cultural industries. However, interesting differences between the countries emerged from the data. Thus regional dimensions are then examined resulting in the finding that in all four countries cultural industries have a strong attraction to urban areas but an even stronger propensity to agglomerate. It is suggested that the spatial dynamics observed may be key to the development of the industries' competencies and success. In summary the paper presents results of extensive data analysis that show the cultural industries' important contribution to Scandinavian economies and labour markets. [source] Carbon storage and fluxes in ponderosa pine forests at different developmental stagesGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2001B.E. Law Abstract We compared carbon storage and fluxes in young and old ponderosa pine stands in Oregon, including plant and soil storage, net primary productivity, respiration fluxes, eddy flux estimates of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and Biome-BGC simulations of fluxes. The young forest (Y site) was previously an old-growth ponderosa pine forest that had been clearcut in 1978, and the old forest (O site), which has never been logged, consists of two primary age classes (50 and 250 years old). Total ecosystem carbon content (vegetation, detritus and soil) of the O forest was about twice that of the Y site (21 vs. 10 kg C m,2 ground), and significantly more of the total is stored in living vegetation at the O site (61% vs. 15%). Ecosystem respiration (Re) was higher at the O site (1014 vs. 835 g C m,2 year,1), and it was largely from soils at both sites (77% of Re). The biological data show that above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP), NPP and net ecosystem production (NEP) were greater at the O site than the Y site. Monte Carlo estimates of NEP show that the young site is a source of CO2 to the atmosphere, and is significantly lower than NEP(O) by c. 100 g C m,2 year,1. Eddy covariance measurements also show that the O site was a stronger sink for CO2 than the Y site. Across a 15-km swath in the region, ANPP ranged from 76 g C m,2 year,1 at the Y site to 236 g C m,2 year,1 (overall mean 158 ± 14 g C m,2 year,1). The lowest ANPP values were for the youngest and oldest stands, but there was a large range of ANPP for mature stands. Carbon, water and nitrogen cycle simulations with the Biome-BGC model suggest that disturbance type and frequency, time since disturbance, age-dependent changes in below-ground allocation, and increasing atmospheric concentration of CO2 all exert significant control on the net ecosystem exchange of carbon at the two sites. Model estimates of major carbon flux components agree with budget-based observations to within ±,20%, with larger differences for NEP and for several storage terms. Simulations showed the period of regrowth required to replace carbon lost during and after a stand-replacing fire (O) or a clearcut (Y) to be between 50 and 100 years. In both cases, simulations showed a shift from net carbon source to net sink (on an annual basis) 10,20 years after disturbance. These results suggest that the net ecosystem production of young stands may be low because heterotrophic respiration, particularly from soils, is higher than the NPP of the regrowth. The amount of carbon stored in long-term pools (biomass and soils) in addition to short-term fluxes has important implications for management of forests in the Pacific North-west for carbon sequestration. [source] Cover Picture: Spectroscopic and Photophysical Properties of a Highly Derivatized C60 Fullerol (Adv. Funct.ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 1 2006Mater. Abstract The photo-oxidative stress in aqueous milieus can readily be generated in the presence of newly synthesized highly derivatized fullerenes (fullerols) reported in the Full Paper by Vileno and co-workers on p.,120. Their basic structural and photophysical properties were characterized using a range of methods, including X-ray photoelectron and IR spectroscopies, and electron spin resonance. Moreover, a significant drop of the local stiffness of a living cell was monitored using atomic force microscopy. This cell softening was attributed to the early effects of the photo-oxidative stress. Hydroxylated C60 molecules, also called fullerols, are a class of water-soluble fullerenes. Here we report the synthesis in acidic conditions of a highly derivatized fullerol (up to 36 carbons per C60 are oxidized). Spectroscopic investigations (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared absorption) highlight the coexistence of both acidic and basic forms for the hydroxyl addends of derivatized C60. pH titrimetry reveals that, at millimolar concentrations, only ten protons per fullerol molecule are labile. Such a low value, as compared to 36 hydroxyl groups, is explained by the formation of clusters. A UV-vis absorption study performed over a large range of concentrations also points to the aggregation phenomenon. Moreover, this study shows that the clusters of fullerols appear at relatively low (micromolar) concentrations. An electron spin resonance (ESR) study, based on the attack of singlet oxygen (1,g) on 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol (TMP-OH), has proved the potential of hydroxylated C60 for performing efficient generation of singlet oxygen in aqueous solution. ESR measurements, which allow detection and quantification of 1,g, have also revealed the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The yield of generation of 1,g and ROS is strongly correlated to the concentration of fullerol, thus also pointing to the aggregation of fullerol molecules. Exposing glioblastoma cells to oxidative stress in the presence of hydroxylated C60 and visible light has also been performed. Atomic force microscopy is used to monitor the relevant diminishment of the Young's modulus values for cells exposed to the oxidative stress. These results point to a possible application field of fullerols for performing bio-oxidations. [source] Biomimetic Surfaces for High-Performance OpticsADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 46 2009Yunfeng Li High-performance antireflective and antifogging surfaces are fabricated on planar silica substrates and planconvex lenses. Such surfaces dramatically suppress reflection over a large range of wavelengths and a large field of view. Additionally, the ARS surfaces exhibit high-quality superhydrophilic properties. For antireflective and antifogging applications, the ARS surfaces exhibit more high-quality mechanical stability and better durability than multilayered films. [source] Infiltration into effluent irrigation-induced repellent soils and the dependence of repellency on ambient relative humidityHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 17 2007R. Wallach Abstract As a result of water scarcity and as a means of wastewater disposal, reuse of treated sewage effluent in irrigated agriculture is practiced worldwide. Among the detrimental aspects of wastewater re-use in agriculture is the possibility that soils will be rendered water repellent. The current study focuses on time dependent variation of infiltration rate in effluent-induced repellent soils, and time dependent variation in water repellency at different levels of ambient relative humidity (RH). The shape of the cumulative infiltration curve of water was found to depend on the repellency degree (concave for wettable and slightly repellent soils, convex for severely repellent soil). Compared with infiltration rates in the wettable and slightly repellent soils, infiltration rates in the severely repellent soil were very low at the beginning and then increased. When the liquid-vapor surface tension was reduced by means of ethanol addition to the infiltrating solution, the cumulative infiltration curve of the severely repellent soil also became concave. Repellency degree (as measured by WDPT) was found to be essentially constant over a large range of ambient RH values (<10 , ,81%), and to increase sharply at values above 90%. The relative increase in water drop penetration time (WDPT) at high RH was greatest for the least repellent soil (10-fold increase in WDPT), and least for the most repellent soil (2-fold increase in WDPT). At RH > 90%, the time to reach equilibrium with respect to WDPT and soil moisture content was similar. In contrast, at values of ambient RH ranging from < 10 to 81%, WDPT was invariant over the course of reaching equilibrium with respect to moisture content. However, after reaching moisture content equilibrium, WDPT declined with increasing time. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Long-term trend analysis for precipitation in Asian Pacific FRIEND river basinsHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 18 2005Z. X. Xu Abstract In order to analyse the long-term trend of precipitation in the Asian Pacific FRIEND region, records from 30 river basins to represent the large range of climatic and hydrological characteristics in the study area are selected. The long-term trend in precipitation time series and its association with the southern oscillation index (SOI) series are investigated. Application of the nonparametric Mann,Kendall test for 30 precipitation time series has shown that only four of these 30 time series have a long-term trend at the 5% level of significance. Nevertheless, most of the records tend to decrease over the last several decades. The dataset is further divided geographically into northern, middle, and southern zones, with 20°N and 20°S latitude as the dividing lines. The middle zone has the greatest variation and the southern zone the least variation over the past century. Also, the southern zone has greater variation during the past 30 years. The association between precipitation and SOI is investigated by dividing the precipitation records of each station into El Niño, La Niña, and neutral periods. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test showed that differences in precipitation for the three classes were most marked in the southern zone of the study area. The frequencies of below- and above-average precipitation for El Niño, La Niña, and neutral periods are estimated for the 30 precipitation time series as well. The results show that the frequencies of precipitation under each set of conditions, with lower precipitation generally associated with El Niño periods in the southern zone. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Recent Changes in the Regulation of Financial Markets and Reporting in Canada,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2007Carla Carnaghan ABSTRACT The regulation of financial reporting and financial markets has undergone significant change in both the United States and Canada since 2000. In Canada, the regulatory regime is particularly complex and politically controversial, with much speculation about possible future directions. This paper's purpose is to explain the current regulatory environment as it stands in mid-2006 to assist those who teach or conduct research in this domain. On the basis of a review of existing regulations and related studies, this paper first provides an explanation of the major jurisdictional issues that affect financial reporting and regulation in Canada, including identifying the roles of the key players. Second, it identifies specific reporting changes that might be of particular relevance to prospective capital market researchers. Where relevant, comparisons are made with regulatory provisions in the United States, because the majority of capital markets research concerns U.S. securities exchanges regulation, and the Canadian regulations themselves often refer to U.S. regulations as a point of comparison. We find that the lack of a single national securities regulator in Canada and overlaps in federal and provincial jurisdiction and among regulatory bodies mean there is a large range of players involved in financial markets regulation. Ongoing efforts to improve integration include the new passport system, improved harmonization of securities regulation, and consideration of mergers between some of the involved organizations. Other changes have led to a greater emphasis in Canada on the regulation of continuous disclosure and corporate governance than was previously the case. Changes in specific reporting regulations and guidelines since 2002 have generally increased the amount of disclosure. [source] Solving limit analysis problems: an interior-point methodINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 11 2005F. Pastor Abstract This paper exposes an interior-point method used to solve convex programming problems raised by limit analysis in mechanics. First we explain the main features of this method, describing in particular its typical iteration. Secondly, we show and study the results of its application to a concrete limit analysis problem, for a large range of sizes, and we compare them for validation with existing results and with those of linearized versions of the problem. As one of the objectives of the work, another classical problem is analysed for a Gurson material, to which linearization or conic programming does not apply. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] An adaptive stabilization strategy for enhanced strain methods in non-linear elasticityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 11 2010Alex Ten Eyck Abstract This paper proposes and analyzes an adaptive stabilization strategy for enhanced strain (ES) methods applied to quasistatic non-linear elasticity problems. The approach is formulated for any type of enhancements or material models, and it is distinguished by the fact that the stabilization term is solution dependent. The stabilization strategy is first constructed for general linearized elasticity problems, and then extended to the non-linear elastic regime via an incremental variational principle. A heuristic choice of the stabilization parameters is proposed, which in the numerical examples proved to provide stable approximations for a large range of deformations, different problems and material models. We also provide explicit lower bounds for the stabilization parameters that guarantee that the method will be stable. These are not advocated, since they are generally larger than the ones based on heuristics, and hence prone to deteriorate the locking-free behavior of ES methods. Numerical examples with two different non-linear elastic models in thin geometries and incompressible situations show that the method remains stable and locking free over a large range of deformations. Finally, the method is strongly based on earlier developments for discontinuous Galerkin methods, and hence throughout the paper we offer a perspective about the similarities between the two. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Optimal solid shell element for large deformable composite structures with piezoelectric layers and active vibration controlINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 15 2005X. G. Tan Abstract In this paper, we present an optimal low-order accurate piezoelectric solid-shell element formulation to model active composite shell structures that can undergo large deformation and large overall motion. This element has only displacement and electric degrees of freedom (dofs), with no rotational dofs, and an optimal number of enhancing assumed strain (EAS) parameters to pass the patch tests (both membrane and out-of-plane bending). The combination of the present optimal piezoelectric solid-shell element and the optimal solid-shell element previously developed allows for efficient and accurate analyses of large deformable composite multilayer shell structures with piezoelectric layers. To make the 3-D analysis of active composite shells containing discrete piezoelectric sensors and actuators even more efficient, the composite solid-shell element is further developed here. Based on the mixed Fraeijs de Veubeke,Hu,Washizu (FHW) variational principle, the in-plane and out-of-plane bending behaviours are improved via a new and efficient enhancement of the strain tensor. Shear-locking and curvature thickness locking are resolved effectively by using the assumed natural strain (ANS) method. We also present an optimal-control design for vibration suppression of a large deformable structure based on the general finite element approach. The linear-quadratic regulator control scheme with output feedback is used as a control law on the basis of the state space model of the system. Numerical examples involving static analyses and dynamic analyses of active shell structures having a large range of element aspect ratios are presented. Active vibration control of a composite multilayer shell with distributed piezoelectric sensors and actuators is performed to test the present element and the control design procedure. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dynamic reduction of a CH4/air chemical mechanism appropriate for investigating vortex,flame interactionsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL KINETICS, Issue 4 2007Shaheen R. Tonse This paper describes two methods, piecewise reusable implementation of solution mapping (PRISM) and dynamic steady-state approximation (DYSSA), in which chemistry is reduced dynamically to reduce the computational burden in combustion simulations. Each method utilizes the large range in species timescales to reduce the dimensionality to the number of species with slow timescales. The methods are applied within a framework that uses hypercubes to partition multidimensional chemical composition space, where each chemical species concentration, plus temperature, is represented by an axis in space. The dimensionality of the problem is reduced uniquely in each hypercube, but the dimensionality of chemical composition space is not reduced. The dimensionality reduction is dynamic and is different for different hypercubes, thereby escaping the restrictions of global methods in which reductions must be valid for all chemical mixtures. PRISM constructs polynomial equations in each hypercube, replacing the chemical kinetic ordinary differential equation (ODE) system with a set of quadratic polynomials with terms related to the number of species with slow timescales. Earlier versions of PRISM were applied to smaller chemical mechanisms and used all chemical species concentrations as terms. DYSSA is a dynamic treatment of the steady-state approximation and uses the fast,slow timescale separation to determine the set of steady-state species in each hypercube. A reduced number of chemical kinetic ODEs are integrated rather than the original full set. PRISM and DYSSA are evaluated for simulations of a pair of counterrotating vortices interacting with a premixed CH4/air laminar flame. DYSSA is sufficiently accurate for use in combustion simulations, and when relative errors are less than 1.0%, speedups on the order of 3 are observed. PRISM does not perform as well as DYSSA with respect to accuracy and efficiency. Although the polynomial evaluation that replaces the ODE solver is sufficiently fast, polynomials are not reused sufficiently to enable their construction cost to be recovered. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 39: 204,220, 2007 [source] Stereoblock Polypropylene as a Prototype Example of Elasticity via a Flip-Flop Reorientation of Crystals in a Compliant Matrix,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 6 2007F. Auriemma Elastomeric polypropylene characterized by chains with an isotactic and atactic stereoblock structure shows elastic behavior in a large range of deformations notwithstanding the high degree of crystallinity, because of the occurrence of flip-flop reversible reorientation of crystals of the , form that occur during stretching and the successive release of tension, as shown schematically in the figure. [source] A very promising new glucolipidic surfactant: LipowheatTMINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 6 2005A. Djedour Synopsis LipowheatTM is an entirely biodegradable 100% natural active ingredient, extracted from non-transgenic wheat. Thanks to its very interesting properties, it can integrate the composition of most cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. The aim of this work was first to realize a large range of stable simple or multiple emulsions, in order to determine and evaluate the ability of a new glucolipidic surfactant LipowheatTM to form and stabilize emulsions. The rheological properties of these emulsions were tested during a 30-day storage period at three different storage conditions (cold, room temperature and at 40°C). In addition to dynamic and static rheological tests, droplet size distribution of the cream was also determined. Furthermore, a stable simple emulsion was selected to realize percutaneous absorption and evaluate the properties of LipowheatTM. Résumé Ce travail a pour objectif de mettre à jour et d'évaluer les propriètés émulsionnantes d'un nouveau tensioactif de nature glucolipidique, connu jusqu'alors pour ses propriétés actives en cosmétologie: le LipowheatTM. Cette étude comporte plusieurs parties distinctes: 1) Formulation d'émulsions simples L/H et/ou H/L et multiples H/L/H stabilisèes par du LipowheatTM, avec des huiles variant par leur origine (naturelle ou synthétique) ainsi que par leur polarité. 2) Caractérisation rhéologique, granulométrique, et conductimétrique de ces émulsions après les avoir soumises pendant 30 jours à des conditions de vieillissement accéléré (conservation à température ambiante, à +4°C et +40°C) et ce, afin d'en retenir les plus stables pour la suite de l'étude. 3) Enfin, dans une dernière phase, les propriètés de ces crèmes dans le domaine de la libération dermopharmaceutique seront évaluées lors d'études in vitro. [source] Measurement matters for modelling US import prices,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2009Charles P. Thomas Abstract We focus on capturing the increasingly important role that emerging economies play in determining US import prices. Emerging-market producers differ from others in two respects: (1) their cost structure is well below that of developed-market producers, and (2) their wide profit margins induce pricing policies that seek to exhaust production capacity. We argue that these features have dampened the short-run responses of import prices to changes in the value of the dollar but that they have not altered the associated long-run response. To capture these considerations, we develop a new method to measure foreign prices and adopt a formulation that differentiates between short- and long-run responses. Our econometric work asks two questions: First, can one replicate the literature's dispersion of pass-through estimates? Second, is there any evidence of a change in the dynamic response of import prices to changes in the exchange value of the dollar? To address the first question, we estimate the parameters of our models using several alternative measures of US and foreign prices, dynamic specifications, and sample periods. We find that these alternative inputs translate into a large range of parameter estimates, a finding that helps to rationalizing the existing dispersion of estimates. To address the second question, we compute the implied dynamic adjustment of import prices to a change in the value of the dollar using parameters estimated from two samples: 1974,2000 and 1974,2005. The long-run response of import prices is similar regardless of which sample is used,roughly one-half of the change in the exchange rate is passed through to import prices. However, the short,run response is quite sensitive to the sample period. Specifically, the short-run response based on data through 2005 is smaller than the short-run response based on data through 2000. We argue that one force behind the change in dynamics of the import-price process is the greater presence of producers from emerging economies and that their effect on import prices can be captured with their measure of foreign prices. Published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Highly Chemo- and Regioselective Reduction of Aromatic Nitro Compounds Catalyzed by Recyclable Copper(II) as well as Cobalt(II) PhthalocyaninesADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 11-12 2010Upendra Sharma Abstract Copper/cobalt phthalocyanines were established for the first time as catalysts for the very efficient chemo- and regioselective reduction of aromatic nitro compounds to generate the corresponding amines. The selective reduction of nitro compounds was observed in the presence of a large range of functional groups such as aldehyde, keto, acid, amide, ester, halogen, lactone, nitrile and heterocyclic functional groups. Furthermore, the present method was found to be highly regioselective towards the reduction of aromatic dinitro compounds in a short time with high yields. In most of the cases the conversion and selectivity were >99% as monitored by GC-MS. The reduction mechanism was elucidated by UV-vis and electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. [source] Theoretical study of hydrogen-bonded complexes of benzene with hydrides of astrochemical interestINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2008M. Nait Achour Abstract Post Hartree,Fock and DFT calculations have been performed for studying the possibility for a benzene support to be linked to various hydrides through a quasi Bz···HA bond. Interaction energy of compounds, including CH bonds (CH4, CH3F, CH2O, CHN, CHNO), NH bonds (NH3, NH2F, NHC, NHCO, NH3O), and OH bonds (OH2, OHF, NCOH), were evaluated, taking basis set superposition error (BSSE) and zero point vibrational energy (ZPVE) corrections into account. Numerical convergence of results with respect to the ingredients included at different steps of theory (basis set, DFT functionals, correlation treatments, geometry optimization) was tested mainly on the example of the water adduct and, for comparison, the Bz···H3O+ system containing a cation instead of a neutral molecule. A rather large range of adsorption energies is obtained, from about 1 kcal/mol for methane to more than 6 kcal/mol for cyanic acid, according to the acidic character of the adsorbed species in each family of Bz···HA bonds. Some consequences for astrophysical problems involving PAHs in the interstellar medium are pointed out. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008 [source] pKa optimized catalysis in serine proteinases, an ab initio study on the catalaytic HisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 11 2007Péter Hudáky Abstract First principle models of catalytic apparatus of enzymes can be used for studying stability as well as the atomic details of a catalytic mechanism. For example, the catalytic triad of chymotrypsin was recently investigated by using an ab initio geometry optimized (Hudáky and Perczel, Proteins: Struct Funct Genet, 2006, 62, 749) self-stabilizing molecule ensemble without the presence of the complete enzyme and substrate. Several parameters of the above catalytic reaction turned out to be the same within the model and the in vitro enzymatic reaction. Among the numerous parameters of the catalytic process geometrical changes of the catalytic histidine was investigated here and the variation of its pKa value was determined. A relatively large range, 3.5 unit, was determined as the variation of pKa as function of the conformational subspace available in serine proteases. Comparing PDB structures of the free and the complex enzymes it was shown, that histidine, after accepting the proton from the OH group of the catalytic serine, undergoes a minor conformational change accompanied by a 2.5 unit decrease in pKa. We conclude that the changes of pKa during catalysis are predominantly determined by the geometrical arrangement of the histidine moiety and this change serves as a significant driving force in the catalytic process. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007 [source] A scalable advanced RF IC design-oriented MOSFET model,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2008Matthias Bucher Abstract This article presents a validation of the EKV3 MOSFET compact model dedicated to the design of analogue/RF ICs using advanced CMOS technology. The EKV3 model is compared with DC, CV and RF measurements up to 20 GHz of a 110 nm CMOS technology. The scaling behaviour over a large range of channel lengths and bias conditions is presented. Long-channel devices show significant non-quasi static effects while in short-channel devices the parasitics modelling is critical. This is illustrated with Y-parameters and ft vs. ID in NMOS and PMOS devices, showing good overall RF modelling abilities of the EKV3 MOSFET model. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2008. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||