1,961 research outputs found
Do UK based weight management programmes cause weight loss maintenance in adults? A systematic review
No full textThe aim of this dissertation was to examine whether UK based weight management programmes promote weight loss maintenance (follow up of 12 months to assess effectiveness of intervention in weight loss) in adults through the process of a systematic review. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described obesity as a "global epidemic". Weight management comprises two phases; weight loss and weight loss maintenance. The latter phase is the true goal for obesity and the most difficult element of weight management to achieve. However much less is know about this as compared with the weight loss phase. There is little purpose in committing time and money to reducing obesity if the weight is regained. This is counter-productive and weight loss maintenance is essential to combat the obesity epidemic. Searches were made for relevant information from a variety of scientific online databases and journals,. Seven articles met the inclusion criteria and were analysed in the review. All studies incorporated a multi-component (diet, exercise, behaviur modification) intervention approach. All control and internvetion groups reported weight loss at 12 months when compared with baseline. All groups recieved an intervention. One study reported a significant difference (P<0.05) between groups. Four studies reported on at least one component (diet, physical activity, behaviour modification) however there was not enough information to conclude whether they complied with national guidelines (NICE CG43 and SIGN 115). High attrition rates and loss to follow up are problematic for each study except one. Analysis on an intention to treat basis was common however this is problematic and there are alternative methods which may be more suitable for dealing with missing data
Space charge behavior in multi-layer oil-paper insulation under different DC voltages and temperatures
No full textOil-paper as a reliable insulation system is widely used in power transformers and cables. The dielectric properties of oil-paper insulation play an important role in the reliable operation of power equipment. However, the formation and dynamics of space charge can affect the performance of insulation material. In this paper, space charge in oil-paper insulation system has been investigated using the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) technique. A series of measurements were carried out when the insulation system was subjected to different applied voltages at different temperatures. Charge behavior in the insulation system has been analyzed and the influence of temperature on charge dynamics was discussed. The test results show that homocharge injection takes place under all the test conditions, the applied dc voltage mainly effect the amount of space charge, while the temperature has greater influence on the distribution and mobility of space charge inside oil-paper sample
Surveying silk fibre degradation by crystallinity determination: a study on the Tang-Dynasty silk treasure from Famen Temple, China
No full textWhen Chinese archaeologists opened an unknown vault under the collapsed pagoda of Famen Temple near Xian (Shaanxi Province, NW China) in 1987, they found a vast amount of valuable silk textiles. The degraded textiles were part of a treasure comprising hundreds of artifacts deposited by Tang dynasty (ad 618–907) emperors as a gift to the temple. Run as a bilateral German-Chinese project, the Roemisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz established a textile conservation laboratory in Shaanxi´s provincial capital Xian in 2001, joining numerous other laboratories that have existed there since the early 1990s.This preliminary study represents part of an ongoing investigation programme that accompanies the conservation work. The Tang dynasty silk is generally in a very poor state of preservation as a result of its long burial period. Large sections have only survived as an amorphous brown mass of fibre debris. Some parts are better preserved, however, offering the unique opportunity to study the whole range of degradation stages on ancient silks.This preliminary scientific investigation focuses on the determination of the silk fibres’ crystallinity and its relation to the ageing process. As we know from modern material, silk is mainly crystalline, albeit in a somewhat amorphous state. The methods of investigation used were X-ray diffraction (XRD) using synchrotron radiation, which is a new way to determine crystallinity of ancient silk fibres; and polarized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for the determination of crystallite orientation. Both methods were specifically devised to gain information on small single fibres
The use of a multi-set-up, reduced-scale accelerated trafficking simulator for evaluating roadway systems and products
No full textThis paper describes the use of an accelerated trafficking device, the one-third scale model mobile load simulator (MMLS3), for evaluating roadway systems and products. While the majority of accelerated load testers have focused on investigating rutting behaviours and moisture damage susceptibility of bituminous materials, this paper sheds light on broader applications using the MMLS3, including accelerated tests on field sections, scaled pavement structures, roadway reflective markings, roadway slip-resistant plates, in addition to performance evaluation tests on hot-mix asphalt mixtures. Results of experiments for the various applications indicate that the MMLS3, when equipped with ancillary instrumentation and devices, is a valuable tool for investigating the structural responses of a roadway system and for evaluating the effectiveness and durability of roadway pavement products. This study shows that the results of accelerated trafficking tests using the MMLS3 are comparable with field full-scale accelerated tests due to the nature of similitude in the MMLS3 design. Using the MMLS3 for accelerated traffic testing for practical and research purposes in the area of pavement engineering is a reliable and economical alternative to full-scale accelerated testing, given the savings in the required time and resources. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.Aktan F, 2004, TRANSPORT RES REC, P38; Al-Qadi L., 2007, TRB 2007 ANN M; Anderson D., 1984, 4 CYCLE PAVEMENT RES, V1; [Anonymous], 2007, ANN BOOK ASTM STAND; [Anonymous], 2007, ANN BOOK ASTM STAND; Barksdale R. D., 1989, 315 NCHRP TRANSP BOA; Bhattacharjee S., 2005, THESIS WORCESTER POL; Chehab G.R., 2007, FHWAPA2007009050110; Cooley Jr L. A., 2000, EC016 TRB NAT RES CO; Donnell ET, 2009, TRANSP RES RECORD, P76, DOI 10.3141-2107-08; Epps A. L., 2003, J TRANSPORTATION ENG, V129, P451, DOI 10.1061-(ASCE)0733-947X(2003)129:4(451); Epps A. L., 2001, 21341 TEX A M U TEX; Hufenus R, 2006, GEOTEXT GEOMEMBRANES, V24, P21, DOI 10.1016-j.geotexmem.2005.06.002; Hugo F. H., 2006, NCHRP SYNTHESIS HIGH; Kim S-M., 1995, 29141F U TEX CTR TRA; Lee S., 2003, THESIS N CAROLINA ST; Metcalf J. B., 1996, NCHRP SYNTHESIS HIGH; MLS Test Systems, 2003, MMLS3 OP MAN; Palacios C, 2008, PAVEMENT CRACKING: MECHANISMS, MODELING, DETECTION, TESTING AND CASE HISTORIES, P721; Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT, 1995, PENNS DEP TRANSP PUB; Perkins S. S., 1999, FHWAMT990018138 US D; Smit A., 2004, P 2 INT APT C US SEA; Smit A., 1999, FHWATX00018142 U TEX; Smit A., 2003, TRB 82 ANN M; Tang X., 2008, GEOTECHNICAL SPECIAL, P1049; Tang X., 2008, GEOTECHNICAL SPECIAL, P1089; Xiaochao Tang, 2008, INT J PAVEMENT ENG, V9, P413, DOI 10.1080-102984308022798270
Z(c)(3900) as a (D)over-barD* molecule from the pole counting rule
No full textA comprehensive study on the nature of the Zc(3900) resonant structure is carried out in this work. By constructing the pertinent effective Lagrangians and considering the important final-state-interaction effects, we first give a unified description to all the relevant experimental data available, including the J/psi pi and pi invariant mass distributions from the e(+)e(-) -> J/psi pi process, the h(c)pi distribution from e(+)e(-) -> h(c)pi pi, and also the D (D) over bar* spectrum in the e(+)e(-) -> D (D) over bar*pi process. After fitting the unknown parameters to the previous data, we search the pole in the complex energy plane and find only one pole in the nearby energy region in different Riemann sheets. Therefore, we conclude that Z(c)(3900) is of D (D) over bar* molecular nature, according to the pole counting rule method [Nucl. Phys. A543, 632 (1992); Phys. Rev. D 35, 1633 (1987)]. We emphasize that the conclusion based upon the pole counting method is not trivial, since both the D (D) over bar* contact interactions and the explicit Z(c) exchanges are introduced in our analyses andNational Nature Science Foundations of China (NSFC) [10925522, 11021092, 11575052, 11105038]; Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province [A2015205205]; inoGerman Collaborative Research Center "Symmetries and the Emergence of Structure in QCD" [CRC 110]; DFG; NSFCSCI(E)ARTICLE119
An Efficient Deflation Method applied on 2-D and 3-D Bubbly Flow Problems
No full textSimulating bubbly flows is a very popular topic in CFD. These bubbly flows are governed by the Navier-Stokes equations. In many popular operator splitting formulations for these equations, solving the linear system coming from the discontinuous Poisson equation takes the most computational time, despite of its elliptic nature. ICCG is widely used for this purpose, but for complex bubbly flows this method shows slow convergence. As alternative for ICCG, we apply a deflated variant of ICCG which is called DICCG. This new method incorporates the eigenmodes corresponding to the components which caused the slow convergence of ICCG. Some implementation issues of DICCG are discussed in this paper and some considerations about the singularity are made. Moreover, coarse linear systems have to be solved within DICCG. We discuss methods to do this efficiently which results in two approaches DICCG1 and DICCG2. In exact arithmetics, we prove that these variants lead to the same convergence results. Thereafter we show with numerical experiments that both DICCG approaches are very efficient. Compared to ICCG, DICCG decreases significantly the number of iterations and the computational time as well, which are required for solving Poisson equation in applications of 2-D and 3-D bubbly flows.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Macropelopia (Macropelopia) pergrandis Tang et Niitsuma 2020, sp. nov.
No full textMacropelopia (Macropelopia) pergrandis Tang et Niitsuma sp. nov. (Figure 1) Type material. Holotype: M (EJNU), CHINA: Yunnan Prov., Anning City, Shuishenqiao Scenic Area, alt. 1850 m, 26.v.2018. Paratypes: 1P, CHINA: Yunnan Prov., Dehong Pref., Lianghe City, Qimu Town, alt. 1300 m, 27.x.2016; 2 Pe, Yunnan Prov., Honghe Pref., Pingbian County, Daweishan NNR, alt. 2100 m, 5.vi.2017; 4P, 2 Pe, Yunnan Prov., Nujiang Pref., Fugong City, Pihe Town, Fugong Lake, alt. 4000 m, 15.x.2017; 2P, 3 Pe, Yunnan Prov., Dali City, pond in campus of Dali University, alt. 2150 m, 20.v.2018; 2M (teneral), 3P, 4 Pe, Yunnan Prov., Dali City, Yangbi County, Shimeiguan Scenic Area, alt. 1730 m, 21.v.2018; 2 Pe, Yunnan Prov., Baoshan City, Longyang Dist., Mangkuan Ethnic Town, Gaoligongshan NNR, Baihualing Station, alt. 1550 m, 22.v.2018; 2 Pe, Yunnan Prov., Diqing Pref., Xianggelila City, Zange Town, stream, alt. 3066 m, 19.vi.2018, X. Wen; 1P, Tibet Autonomous Region, Nyingchi Pref., Medog County, Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, Zhamog-Medog Road, between mileposts 62K and 80K, alt. 2345 m, 5.viii.2015; 3 Pe, Sichuan Prov., Ya’an City, Bifengxia Scenic Area, alt. 1010 m, 21.vii.2018, W. Han & T. G. Gou. Etymology. From the Latin pergrandis, very large, referring to the very large plastron plate in the pupal thoracic horn. Description. Male (n = 3). Total length 4.8–7.0, 5.7 mm. Coloration. Head dark brown. Thorax mostly brown with dark anepisternum, preepisternum and postnotum; scutal vittae indistinct. Abdomen entirely pale brown. Wing (Figure1A) with darkened cross-veins, and light infuscate markings on membrane. Legs mostly brown, and somewhat darker on apices of tibiae. Head. Temporals 36–40, 38, multiserial. AR 1.6–1.8, 1.7. Clypeus with 18–20, 19 setae. Lengths (µm) of palpomeres1–5: 70–87, 77; 100–126, 109; 175–200, 190; 210–276, 249; 335–411, 382. Pm 4 /Pm 3 1.2–1.4, 1.3; Pm 5 /Pm 4 1.5–1.6, 1.5. Thorax. Aps 18–24, 21, laterally; Ac 78–84 (2), biserial; Dc 42–45, 43, multiserial; H 16–35, 27; Su 2; Pa 48–55, 51, multiserial; As II 7–8, 7; Pes 10–16, 12; Scts 51–68, 60; Pns 11–14, 12, biserial. ScuT 15 (2) µm high. Wing. Length 3.8–4.3 (2) mm. Squama with 61–64 (2) setae. VR 0.90–0.93 (2). Legs. Ti I spur 100–123, 111 µm long with 19–20, 20 side teeth. Ti I comb consisting of 11–15, 13 small bristles. Ti II spurs 90–101, 97 and 60–74, 66 µm long with 16–18, 17 and 13–14, 14 side teeth, respectively; inner spur 1.4–1.5, 1.5 times as long as outer spur. Ti III spurs 90–101, 94 and 60–74, 66 µm long with 16–18, 17 and 12–14, 13 side teeth, respectively; inner spur 1.4–1.5, 1.4 times as long as outer spur. Ti III comb consisting of 11–12, 11 bristles. Lengths and proportions of leg segments as in Table 1. Hypopygium (Figure 1B). T IX with 20–22, 21 posterior setae. Gonocoxite somewhat cylindrical, 300–329, 316 µm long, 2.3–2.7, 2.5 times as long as broad at middle, basally with setiferous swelling. Gonostylus 135–145, 140 µm long, gently curved inwards, with narrowed apical half. HR 2.2–2.3, 2.3. Pupa (n = 10). Body length 8.5–10.1, 9.1 (9) mm. Coloration. Exuviae light brown. Abdomen (Figure 1C) with distinct pigmentation pattern; T II–VII brown except with large pale areas around basal tubercles of D 1 -setae; scar and apophyses dark brown. Cephalothorax. Thoracic horn (Figure 1D) flattened, 850–1075, 923 (9) µm long, 2.1–2.4, 2.3 (8) times as long as its broadest width; plastron plate 1.2–1.7, 1.4 (8) times as long as broad, bean-shaped, with strongly concave basal margin; PpL/ThL 0.53–0.72, 0.64 (9); internal supporting rods extending through respiratory atrium, fused with plastron plate at several points. Abdomen. T I with elongated dark scar. Shagreen extensive on all tergites, mainly consisting of serial rows of 2–4 spinules, but posteriorly replaced by larger spines. Intersegments II/III–VIII/IX with shagreen consisting of blunted spinules. D 1 -seta (Figure 1E) stout, spiniform, arising from large tubercle on T II–VI, and from small tubercle on T VII; positioned 0.70–0.85, 0.77 (9) from anterior segment margin on T IV, 0.71–0.81, 0.75 (9) on T V, 0.60–0.77, 0.69 (9) on T VI, 0.57–0.67, 0.60 (9) on T VII. D 2, 3 -setae short and simple; D 3 -seta at most 1.5 times as long as D 1 -seta on T III–V. A VII (Figure 1F) with 6 LS-setae, VIII with 5 LS-setae; LS 1 -seta located 0.22–0.30, 0.26 (9) from anterior segment margin on A VII, 0.26–0.37, 0.32 (9) on A VIII. Anal lobe 1125–1300, 1217 (8) µm long, 2.3–2.6, 2.5 (8) times as long as broad with lateral fringe of about 100 setae; anterior and posterior macrosetae located 0.04–0.08, 0.07 (9) and 0.10–0.14, 0.11 (9), respectively, from anterior lobe margin; male genital sac 0.33–0.37, 0.35 (4) times as long as lobe. Female and larva. Unknown. Remarks. The adult male and pupa were associated using pharate males collected from Dali City, Yunnan Prov., May 21, 2018 by the first author. These males have a relatively low antennal ratio (less than 2.0), a foretibial comb with many tiny bristles (more than 10), a pale brown abdomen, and a hypopygium with setiferous tergite IX and gonostyli gently curved inwards and narrowed in the apical half. The species belongs to the nebulosa group defined by the pupa with 6 LS-setae on segment VII. So far, the following five described species of this group has been known from the Holarctic region: M. (M.) nebulosa (Meigen), M. (M.) decedens (Walker), M. (M.) fehlmanni (Kieffer), M. (M.) paranebulosa Fittkau and M. (M.) rossaroi Lencioni et Marziali. The males, as well as the larvae, of these species are very similar to each other. Therefore, the pupal morphology is important to separate species and the ratio PpL/ThL has been regarded as a discriminator by the recent authors (Lencioni & Marziali 2005, Michalova et al. 2014). For the comparison, major pupal characters of these species are summarized in Table 2. The pupa is similar to that of M. (M.) paranebulosa in having a thoracic horn with a plastron plate strongly concaved along the basal margin, large basal tubercles of D 1 -seta on the abdominal tergite IV, and short and simple D 3 -setae. In the former, however, the plastron plate is bean-shaped, longer than wide and the PpL/ThL is 0.53–0.72, whereas in the latter, the plastron plate is kidney-shaped, wider than long, and the PpL/ThL is lower although it differs among authors perhaps because of the geographical variation: 0.21–0.29 and 0.14–0.22 in the Russian population according to Makarchenko & Petrova (1988) and Michailova et al. (2014), respectively, and 0.30–0.49 in the Japanese population according to Niitsuma et al. (2004). Further, the pupa has an elongated dark scar on the tergite I, which is unique within the species group. The male of M. (M.) decedens has wings bearing a dark marking only on the cross-vein r-m (Roback 1971), and those of M. (M.) fehlmanni and M. (M.) rossaroi possess gonostyli strongly tapered in distal half (see Fittkau 1962, fig. 23 for the former; Lencioni & Marziali 2005, fig. 1 for the latter). The male of the present new species most resembles those of M. (M.) nebulosa and M. (M.) paranebulosa in the wing markings and the gonostylus somewhat parallel-sided and broadened in basal half to two thirds with an attenuated tip, but may be separable by the lower antennal ratio of 1.6–1.8. The males of M. (M.) nebulosa and M. (M.) paranebulosa tend to possess a higher antennal ratio, 2 or more: 2.0– 2.3 in M. (M.) nebulosa according to Fittkau (1962) and 2.2–2.6 in M. (M.) paranebulosa according to Niitsuma et al. (2004). Kownacki et al. (1976) reported the pupa of an unnamed species, presumed subspecies of M. nebulosa, from Afghanistan, and Hazra & Chaudhuri (2000) redescribed Macropelopia nebulosa from India based on the all life stages. However, these species differ from European M. (M.) nebulosa (Meigen) mainly in the pupal morphology: in the former two species, the thoracic horn has a plastron plate concaved along the basal margin, the basal tubercle of D 1 -seta is relatively large on the tergite IV, and the D 3 -seta is short and simple (Kownacki et al. 1976, figs 23, 24; Hazra & Chaudhuri 2000, fig 4A, D), whereas in the latter, the basal margin of plastron plate is more or less straight, the basal tubercle of D 1 -seta is smaller, and the D 3 -seta is long and hooked distally (Fittkau 1962, figs. 39, 52). These Afghan and Indian species are also similar to the present new species in the plastron plate of thoracic horn, which is bean-shaped, longer than wide. Additionally, in these pupae, the basal tubercle of D 1 -seta is large on the tergite IV, and the D 3 -seta is simple, neither hooked apically and nor exceptionally longer than the D 1 -seta. However, the current pupa of the new species is distinct from both the pupae in the strongly concaved basal margin of the plastron plate, the high PpL/ThL of 0.53–0.72, and the pigmented scar on the tergite I. According to Kownacki et al. (1976) and Hazra & Chaudhuri (2000), both the pupae have plastron plates slightly concaved along the basal margin, the tergite I has no scar, and the PpL/ThL is 0.44 in the Afghan pupa (Michailova et al. 2014) and 0.33–0.40 in the Indian pupa (Hazra & Chaudhuri 2000). The Afghan and Indian species may be conspecific because of the similarities of the pupal morphology although the male and larva of the former are unknown. The present new species has been collected from mountainous areas (1000–4000 m a.s.l.) in Oriental China (Yunnan, Sichuan and Hubei Provinces, and Tibet Autonomous Region). Although several larvae belonging to this genus could be also captured with many pupae of the present species in slowly flowing small streams and ponds, we could not associate the larvae with the pupae of the present species.Published as part of Tang, Hongqu & Niitsuma, Hiromi, 2020, Revision of the Chinese Macropelopia (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae) with description of a new species, pp. 207-218 in Zootaxa 4834 (2) on pages 208-212, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4834.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/440300
Evidence-based policy on dietary calcium and vitamin D
No full textCopyright © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.Peer reviewe
Numerical study of dynamic phase transitions in 2-D with a relaxed scheme
No full texthttp://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000189123800083&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Mathematics, AppliedPhysics, MathematicalCPCI-S(ISTP)
Effect of channel bed sediment on the transport behaviour of superparamagnetic silica encapsulated DNA microparticles in open channel injection experiments
No full textRecently, superparamagnetic silica encapsulated DNA microparticles (SiDNAFe) were designed and in various experiments used as a hydrological tracer. We investigated the effect of bed characteristics on the transport behaviour and especially the mass loss of SiDNAFe in open channel injection experiments. Hereto, a series of laboratory injection experiments were conducted with four channel bed conditions (no sediment, fine river sediment, coarse sand, and goethite-coated coarse sand) and two water qualities (tap water and Meuse water). Breakthrough curves (BTCs) were analysed and modelled. Mass loss of SiDNAFe was accounted for as a first-order decay process included in a 1-D advection and dispersion model with transient storage (OTIS). SiDNAFe BTCs could be adequately described by advection and dispersion with or without a first-order decay process. SiDNAFe mass recoveries exhibited a wide range, varying from 50% to 120% from sediment-free conditions to coarse (coated) sediment. In 6 out of 8 cases, SiDNAFe mass recovery was complete. Retention of SiDNAFe was 1–2 orders of magnitude greater than gravitational settling rates, as determined in Tang et al. (Hydrological Processes, e14801, 2023). We reason this was due to grain-scale hyporheic flows and coupled water-sediment-particle interactions. The dispersive behaviour of SiDNAFe generally mimicked that of NaCl tracer. We concluded that SiDNAFe can be used in tracing experiments. However, water quality and sediment characteristics may affect the fate of SiDNAFe in river environments. SiDNAFe is a promising tool for particulate multi-tracing in large rivers.Water Resource
- …
