417 research outputs found
Anaphylaxis and vitamin D: associations and perspectives [Анафилаксия и витамин D: ассоциации и перспективы]
No full textWorldwide there is a tendency of increasing acute systemic allergic reactions, especially those associated with food allergies. Numerous studies have revealed a relationship between the prevalence of anaphylaxis in the population and the geographical location (latitude) of the patient. This fact produced the hypothesis of an association between the anaphylaxis frequency reduction due to the higher contents of vitamin D. At the moment the role of vitamin D has not been fully studied in the development of allergic diseases. The effectiveness of additional vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis and bronchial asthma remains debatable. The article analyzes the data of possible association between vitamin D and anaphylaxis. © 2020 National Academy of Pediatric Science and Innovation. All rights reserved
On some research guidelines initiated by articles of Academician I.N. Kovalenko
No full textНаведено огляд деяких напрямків досліджень, які були ініційовані І.М. Коваленком та знайшли відображення у сумісних роботах з автором даної статті. До них відносяться: метод «штучних» моментів регенерації, асимптотична нечутливість, метод Монте-Карло та методи зменшення дисперсії оцінок, принцип монотонних відмов.A review of some research guidelines which were initiated by I.N. Kovalenko and used in joint articles with the author is given. These are: method of «artificial» regeneration moments, asymptotic insensitivity, Monte Carlo method and variance reduction methods, principle of monotone failures
Russian-Language Version of the Moral Identity Questionnaire
No full textMoral identity, according to theoretical concepts, plays an important role in motivating moral behaviour. At the same time, empirical studies of moral identity are hampered by the lack of appropriate instruments. The purpose of this work is to develop a Russian-language inventory based on the Moral Identity Questionnaire (MIQ) by J. Black and W. Reynolds, which includes two scales: Moral Self and Moral Integrity. The Moral Integrity Scale measures the desire for consistency between one's moral impulses and actions, while the Moral Self Scale measures how strong one's identification with moral values is. In the study on a sample of 322 students (79% female, mean age M = 21,05; SD = 6,55) good internal consistency of the scales was shown (Cronbach's α coefficients were 0.77 and 0.80). The results of the confirmatory factor analysis confirm the structure of the questionnaire, composed of two factors relevant to the scales. The results of the validity analysis showed that indicators of moral identity are directly related to moral foundations, agreeability, indicators of empathy, as well as identified, internal and introjected motivation for moral actions. Also, the expected negative correlations of indicators of moral identity with moral disengagement, traits of the dark triad, egoism, propensity to academic dishonesty and amotivation of moral actions were revealed. No gender differences were found on the scales of moral identity, while a weak direct relationship of all scales with age was revealed. Thus, as a result of the study, a Russian-language moral identity questionnaire was developed, which can be useful in further research on the role of identity in motivating moral behaviour.</p
Counting sequences, Gray codes and lexicodes
No full textA counting sequence of length n is a list of all 2^n binary n-tuples (binary codewords of length n). The number of bit positions where two codewords differ is called the Hamming distance of these two codewords. The average Hamming distance of a counting sequence of length n is defined as the average Hamming distance between the 2^n pairs of successive codewords, including the pair of the last and the first codeword. A counting sequence of length n which has average Hamming distance equal to n-1/2 is called a maximum counting sequence. The number of bit changes in bit position i, in a counting sequence of length n is called the transition count of bit position i. If a counting sequence of length n has the property that the difference between any two bit positions is at most 2, the sequence is called balanced. We introduce a construction for balanced maximum counting sequences for every codeword length n>0, n not equal 4, which implies a proof of a longstanding conjecture of Robinson and Cohn in [IEEE Trans. Computers, vol. C-30, pp. 17-23, 1981]. A counting sequence of length n which has the property that any two successive codewords in the list have the same Hamming distance is called uniform. We introduce a heuristic construction how to construct uniform sequences. This construction occasionally produces balanced sequences, and so gives a partial answer to another conjecture of Robinson and Cohn dealing with the existence of balanced uniform counting sequences [IEEE Trans. Computers, vol. C-30, pp. 17-23, 1981]. A cyclic Gray code of length n is a uniform sequence of length n with Hamming distance exactly one between any two successive codewords. We introduce a construction of Gray codes satisfying the property that either all transition counts are equal to the same power of two, or are all equal to two consecutive powers of two, which proves the conjecture of Wagner and West in [Congressus Numerantium, vol. 80, pp. 217-223, 1991]. Furthermore, we also introduce a construction of Gray codes of length n>0, n not equal 3, inducing the complete graph K_n, thus providing the complete answer for an open problem suggested by Wilmer and Ernst in [Discrete Mathematics, vol. 257, pp. 585-598, 2002]. Moreover, we derive the separability function of the reflected N-ary Gray codes. We also introduce a simple method for the construction of cyclic N-ary Gray codes, and for the construction of constant weight N-ary Gray codes. The separability functions of these codes are derived as well. In the remaining part of the thesis we present a greedy algorithm for the construction of a large class of linear q-ary lexicodes which generalizes the algorithms in several other papers. By applying this method, one can produce linear lexicodes which cannot be constructed by previous algorithms. Especially, we discuss some interesting properties of self-orthogonal ternary lexicodes.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Coset construction of a D-brane gauge field
No full textAbstractD-branes have a world-volume U(1) gauge field A whose field strength F=dA gives rise to a Born–Infeld term in the D-brane action. Supersymmetry and kappa symmetry transformations of A are traditionally inferred by the requirement that the Born–Infeld term is consistent with both supersymmetry and kappa symmetry of the D-brane action. In this paper, we show that integrability of the assigned supersymmetry transformations leads to an extension of the standard supersymmetry algebra that includes a fermionic central charge. We construct a superspace one-form on an enlarged superspace related by a coset construction to this centrally extended algebra whose supersymmetry and kappa symmetry transformations are derived, rather than inferred. It is shown that under pullback, these transformations are of the form expected for the D-brane U(1) gauge field. We relate these results to manifestly supersymmetric approaches to construction of D-brane actions
Extended nodal analysis
No full textThis paper presents an extension to the popular nodal and modified nodal formulation methods that allows elements whose characteristic functions include controlling variables, in addition to voltages and currents, other variables, such as charge, flux, and other physical parameters, to be included in the circuit equation formulation in a straightforward manner. Stamps, similar to nodal and modified nodal circuit element stamps, are developed to include these elements in the circuit matrix equation without the need of deriving equivalent circuit models consisting of interconnections of elements characterized only by currents and voltages, as in the current practice. The method is applied to derive circuit stamps of memristive, memcapacitive, meminductive, and other complex device models. The method reduces the size of the overall circuit matrix and allows easy model evaluation and linearization during the circuit iterative solution process. © 2011 IEEE.Biolek D, 2009, 2009 EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON CIRCUIT THEORY AND DESIGN, VOLS 1 AND 2, P249, DOI 10.1109-ECCTD.2009.5274934; Biolek D, 2011, ANALOG INTEGR CIRC S, V66, P129, DOI 10.1007-s10470-010-9505-5; Biolek D, 2010, ELECTRON LETT, V46, P520, DOI 10.1049-el.2010.0358; Biolek D, 2010, ELECTRON LETT, V46, P1428, DOI 10.1049-el.2010.2309; Biolek D, 2010, PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2010 IEEE ASIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE ON CIRCUIT AND SYSTEM (APCCAS), P800, DOI 10.1109-APCCAS.2010.5774993; CHUA LO, 1971, IEEE T CIRCUITS SYST, VCT18, P507, DOI 10.1109-TCT.1971.1083337; CHUA LO, 1976, P IEEE, V64, P209, DOI 10.1109-PROC.1976.10092; Desoer Charies A., 1969, BASIC CIRCUIT THEORY; Di Ventra M, 2009, P IEEE, V97, P1717, DOI 10.1109-JPROC.2009.2021077; Gear CW, 1971, NUMERICAL INITIAL VA; HACHTEL GD, 1971, IEEE T CIRCUITS SYST, VCT18, P101, DOI 10.1109-TCT.1971.1083223; HAJJ I, 1985, COMPUTATIONAL METHOD; HO CW, 1975, IEEE T CIRCUITS SYST, VCA22, P504; Joglekar YN, 2009, EUR J PHYS, V30, P661, DOI 10.1088-0143-0807-30-4-001; Kavehei O, 2010, P ROY SOC A-MATH PHY, V466, P2175, DOI 10.1098-rspa.2009.0553; Lambert J.D., 1991, NUMERICAL METHODS OR; Najm F. N., 2010, CIRCUIT SIMULATION; Pillage L., 1995, ELECT CIRCUIT SYSTEM; Rak A, 2010, IEEE T COMPUT AID D, V29, P632, DOI 10.1109-TCAD.2010.2042900; Shin S, 2010, IEEE T COMPUT AID D, V29, P590, DOI 10.1109-TCAD.2010.2042891; Strukov DB, 2008, NATURE, V453, P80, DOI 10.1038-nature06932; VLACH J, 1994, METHODS CIRCUIT ANAL0
Israelitische Festpredigten und Casualreden
No full texthrsg. von J. Maier, I. N. Mannheimer, G. SalomonAus der Sammlung des Leo Baeck Institute, digitalisiert in Kooperation mit dem Center for Jewish History, NYA note in the first "Heft" claims the writings of I.N. Mannheimer will appear in later volumes. Although I.N. Mannheimer's name appears on the title page, the table of contents does not list him as an author of any of the essays. [Notice of Center for Jewish History, NY
Computer Tomography: Image reconstruction in the presence of noise
No full textIn this research, a stochastic model for attenuation in Computer Tomography is developed. This model gives rise to the idea of using path dependent variance of the measurements (instead of constant variance) to improve image reconstruction. The distribution of the measurements in this model is determined and a difference with the current literature is found, which leads to a refinement of the noise or measurement errors in the model. To use the information about the variance of the measurements in the image reconstruction, a numerical model is considered in which a discretization is made of the tomographic image that has to be reconstructed, i.e., the unknown attenuation coefficients. Incorporating weights to reflect the relation between the area that is traversed by an X-ray beam and the entire area of a pixel in the grid results in a linear system of equations. Because the measurements are not exact, noise is added to this linear system of equations, which leads to a perturbed problem. A transformation of the measurements is needed to obtain the desired linear system of equations. The Delta Method is used for this purpose. Another method used for the transformation of stochastic models, variance stabilization, is briefly considered. The log-likelihood of the unknown attenuation coefficients is determined under different assumptions for the mean and variance of the measurements. A connection is made between the log-likelihood and the (weighted) Least-Squares Estimation, leading to different ideas for the adjustment of the current reconstruction algorithm. Several new reconstruction algorithms are developed to improve the image reconstruction by using the path dependent variance of the noise. Most of these new algorithms result in a better reconstruction than the current algorithm, but a problem is found when the convergence of the iterative algorithms is considered. In addition to the relative error, the log-likelihood function and the weighted sum of squared errors are used to investigate the convergence of the iterative reconstruction algorithms. Relaxation is incorporated into the iterative reconstruction algorithm to improve the convergence. A slightly better convergence is obtained, but progress could be made if a convergent iterative algorithm is found.Applied mathematicsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Development of an IoT sensor for legionella prevention
No full textLegionella is a serious thread to public health. For a lot of facilities, obligated water safety plans need to be executed to minimise the chances of a legionellosis outbreak. Unfortunately, these water safety plans are not always executed properly. With the stoppage sensor of Octo Facility Management, there is an opportunity to create a difference in public health, by making it more convenient to execute these water safety plans. Tap points within these facilities need to be weekly flushed for at least two minutes to make sure there is no stagnant water in the water pipe system. The sensor registers if a tap point is used, eliminating the tap points that already have been refreshed during the week. This method can save a lot of water, time and money, and also creates a much better overview of actual risks of legionella contamination in buildings. Subject to this graduation project was to improve the technical performance and usibility of the sensor. The new generation sensor is improved in usability, by creating a vision for the installation process and general use of the product. Guiding the user with a step-by-step guide through the installation process, the user is able to install the sensor without the help of Octo. The sensor itself is designed in a way that it is easy to install and easy to understand by colour coded clamps.With the use of a reference sensor the sensor output can be validated to meet the legionella prevention regulations. New use of data can also initiate the discussion in how the regulations can be interpreted differently.Integrated Product Desig
Microbial tightness of O-ring seals. Case study: duodenoscopes: Evaluation of the sealing efficiency against bacteria of the distal O-ring seal of the Olympus TJF-Q180V duodenoscope
No full textSealing constructions are frequently used in reusable instruments to prevent the loss of fluids or gasses in a construction by obstructing flow through the glands in the interface of two or more separate parts, and may be applied to seal patients' body fluids. Patient material contains various types of microorganisms, and with the increase of infections associated with multi-drug resistant bacteria, information about tightness of seals with regards to microorganisms becomes increasingly more important. The bacterial tightness of airtight (at 240 mbar) reproductions of the O-ring sealing construction in the distal tip of Olympus TJF-Q180V duodenoscopes were evaluated. During test runs of this systematic investigation, all product and usage variables expected to influence microbial leakage were closely controlled. The results showed that airtight O-ring seals can leak bacteria, even in static conditions, and moreover, rotation of the axle was found to be a significant bateria leakage promoting factor. With regards to prevention of infections, medical designers, manufacturers and safety controllers should have knowledge of this insight. More systematic research in this manner, for exampe using ISO 3601-2 complying sizes, would provide valuable information.Mechanical, Maritime and Materials EngineeringBiomechanical EngineeringMedical Instruments & Medical Safet
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