713 research outputs found
Decentralised Clinical Guidelines Modelling with Lightweight Coordination Calculus
No full textBackground:Clinical protocols and guidelines have been considered as a major means to ensure that cost-effective services are provided at the point of care. Recently, the computerisation of clinical guidelines has attracted extensive research interest. Many languages and frameworks have been developed. Thus far, however, an enactment mechanism to facilitate decentralised guideline execution has been a largely neglected line of research. It is our contention that decentralisation is essential to maintain a high-performance system in pervasive health care scenarios. In this paper, we propose the use of Lightweight Coordination Calculus (LCC) as a feasible solution. LCC is a light-weight and executable process calculus that has been used successfully in multi-agent systems, peer-to-peer (p2p) computer networks, etc. In light of an envisaged pervasive health care scenario, LCC, which represents clinical protocols and guidelines as message-based interaction models, allows information exchange among software agents distributed across different departments and/or hospitals. Results: We outlined the syntax and semantics of LCC; proposed a list of refined criteria against which the appropriateness of candidate clinical guideline modelling languages are evaluated; and presented two LCC interaction models of real life clinical guidelines. Conclusions: We demonstrated that LCC is particularly useful in modelling clinical guidelines. It specifies the exact partition of a workflow of events or tasks that should be observed by multiple "players" as well as the interactions among these "players". LCC presents the strength of both process calculi and Horn clauses pair of which can provide a close resemblance of logic programming and the flexibility of practical implementation
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Inclusive jet cross section at radical s = 1. 8 TeV
No full textThe inclusive jet cross section at {radical}s = 1.8 TeV has been measured at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. This measurement spans approximately 7 orders of magnitude in cross section and contains jets ranging from 30 GeV to over 400 GeV in transverse energy (E{sub t}). Comparisons have been made to QCD at both order {alpha}{sub s}{sup 2} and {alpha}{sub s}{sup 3}. 5 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs
The search for knowledge : from desire to defence : hypothesis for the introduction of a Peirceisch interpretation of the genetic principle of the process of knowing as a fundamental orientation for a future gnoseology
No full textThe aim of the thesis is to defend the hypothesis that an anti-
Aristotelian interpretation of the genesis of the process of knowing
provides an interesting and fruitful means to understand the human never-ending search for knowledge and to answer doubts concerning the reliability
of human knowledge of external reality. Such statement requires an
explanation
Carbon stocks and environmental driver data for blue carbon ecosystems along the Pacific coast of North America [Dataset]
No full textThis data release contains carbon stocks data and down-core profiles of bulk density and organic matter or carbon content for 1284 sediment cores from blue carbon ecosystems along the Pacific coast of North America compiled from 69 data sources. Ecosystem types are tideflats, seagrass meadows, emergent marsh, mangroves, and tidal swamps. In addition to carbon data, the data release includes metadata on each of the 69 data sources, the geographic positions and standardized tidal elevation (z*) of sediment cores, and core-level environmental data such as ecoregion, Köppen-Geiger climate zone, sediment grain size data, and vegetation type. These data form the basis for the publication: Janousek et al. (2025), “Blue carbon stocks along the Pacific coast of North America are mainly driven by local rather than regional factors”Major funding for development of the Northeast Pacific Blue Carbon Database and this paper was provided by the NERRS Science Collaborative (Grants NA14NOS4190145 and NA19NOS4190058), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Grant NA19NOS4780176), and the Pew Charitable Trusts. A. Gray was supported in part by USDA NIFA Hatch Project CA-R-ENS-5120-H and USDA Multi-State Project W4188. M. Hessing-Lewis and C. Prentice were supported by the Tula Foundation and the Hakai InstituteWith the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)Peer reviewe
Tax Morale, Leviathan and the Political Process: A Theoretical Approach
No full textIt is proposed that a more accurate predicition of tax evasion activity than in the standard portfolio-choice model can be derived even for risk-neutral individuals if psychological costs are considered. Contrary to earlier models integrating psychological costs they are systematically derived by assuming a relationship between cognitive dissonance, taxpayer satisfaction with public policy and taxes evaded. It is shown that this approach to modelling tax evasion can bridge a gap to the literature from economic psychology on the same topic by accounting for several influences that traditionally play a role there, but are neglected in the portfolio-choice model.
Morfologia, propriedades termicas e mecanicas de filmes de proteina isolada de soja / dodecilsulfato de sodio / policaprolactona-triol
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências Físicas e Matemáticas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química.Neste trabalho, filmes de proteína isolada de soja (SPI)-dodecilsulfato de sódio (SDS)-policaprolactona-triol (PCL-T) foram preparados por evaporação em solvente comum a partir de soluções contendo diferentes concentrações de SDS e PCL-T. As propriedades físico-químicas dos filmes resultantes foram estudadas por métodos térmicos de análise (temperatura de transição vítrea - Tg - e degradação térmica) e ensaios mecânicos (Módulo de Young, Alongamento (L) e Tensão (T) na ruptura), também foi avaliada a quantidade de umidade e a morfologia. Os resultados foram interpretados com base nas interações intermoleculares (eletrostáticas, dipolo-dipolo e hidrofóbicas) entre os componentes do filme, considerando-se também as mudanças na estrutura da SPI conforme sugeriram as medidas de fluorescência. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, a degradação térmica dos filmes de SPI ocorre em uma única etapa que tem início em 292 ºC e atinge a máxima velocidade de degradação em 331 ºC. Quando SDS ou SDS/PCL-T são adicionados ao sistema, a estabilidade térmica do mesmo decresce, sendo que a temperatura inicial de degradação é 29 ºC menor para os filmes de SPI/SDS - 67/37, e 42 ºC menor para os filmes de SPI/SDS/PCL-T - 39/22/39 em comparação ao valor tipicamente observado para filmes de SPI. A variação da energia de ativação (E) em função da fração de perda de massa (a), assim como dos valores médios de E comportam-se de maneira similar. A energia de ativação decresce de 160 kJ mol-1 (filmes de SPI) para 128 kJ mol-1 (filmes de SPI/SDS; 67/37) (32 kJ mol-1 inferior) e para 123 kJ mol-1 (filmes de SPI/SDS/PCL-T ; 39/22/39) (37 kJ mol-1 inferior). Os espectros FTIR dos produtos gasosos liberados durante a degradação térmica de filmes submetidos à temperatura correspondente de máxima velocidade de degradação (TMAX) revelaram bandas de absorção características de CO2(g), CO(g), NH3(g), C=O, C-H, C=C e CH2, sugerindo que o mecanismo da reação de degradação compreende primeiramente a quebra de ligações mais fracas como C-N, C(O)-NH, C(O)-NH2 e -NH2, as quais estão presentes em diversas funções químicas encontradas na SPI. O efeito da presença de SDS e SDS/PCL-T sobre as propriedades mecânicas e morfológicas dos filmes mostrou-se estritamente dependente da umidade presente nos mesmos. As modificações mais importantes foram observadas para filmes de SPI/SDS/PCL-T acondicionados em umidade relativa de 75% cuja concentração de PCL-T é superior ou igual a 18%. Nestes casos, um decréscimo significante no módulo de Young de 1424 MPa (filmes de SPI) para aproximadamente 50 MPa foi observado, em paralelo à diminuição na Tg (de 150°C para to 135°C) e ao aumento de L (de 2% para 90%). O efeito plastificante da PCL-T pôde também ser evidenciado quando as amostras foram expostas à umidade relativa de 54% ou inferior. Neste caso, porém, as modificações foram menos acentuadas (Tg ~ 150°C, módulo de Young ~ 650 MPa, L ~ 5 %). As micrografias referentes à seção transversal dos filmes revelaram a formação de uma matriz porosa
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