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The Biomedical Imaging and Therapy facility of the Canadian Light Source comprises two beamlines, which together cover a wide X-ray energy range from 13 keV up to 140 keV. The beamlines were designed with a focus on synchrotron applications in preclinical imaging and veterinary science as well as microbeam radiation therapy. While these remain a major part of the activities of both beamlines, a number of recent upgrades have enhanced the versatility and performance of the beamlines, particularly for high-resolution microtomography experiments. As a result, the user community has been quickly expanding to include researchers in advanced materials, batteries, fuel cells, agriculture, and environmental studies. This article summarizes the beam properties, describes the endstations together with the detector pool, and presents several application cases of the various X-ray imaging techniques available to users.

The mastery of skills by field tennis players is very important. To master the skills, novice players must practice a lot. In the training process, the right training method is needed so that beginner players can master mastery of field tennis skills such as drive strokes. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of training methods with hand-eye coordination in improving field tennis drive skills. This study used an experimental method with a 2x3 factorial research design. This study used a purposive sampling technique, so the number of subjects obtained was 60. The research instrument used the Dyer tennis test to determine the skill of field tennis drive shots. Analysis of research data Data analysis in this study used a prerequisite test with Sig> α0.05 and hypothesis testing using the two-way ANOVA test. The results showed that the sig value was 0.004

Validation of culture results based on direct gram stain plays a vital role in differentiating pathogens' cause of infection or colonization in pneumonia cases. Our study aims to evaluate the validation of diagnostic microbiology based on gram stain and culture compared to chest radiography in critically ill patients with suspected pneumonia. This was a single-center retrospective data analysis in the Intensive Care Unit at Secondary Care Hospital in Central Java. The quality of sputum was determined by using a Modification Criteria of Bartlett and a Semi-Quantitative Score. The results of sputum culture with neutrophils count > 10 and bacterial count > 2 per field in Gram stain were considered the presumptive pathogen. Seventy sputum specimens were collected; however, only 58 were selected for further analysis in this study. In sputum specimens with Bartlett score +2 and Semi-Quantitave score 3 or 4, the chest x-ray results of all patients had positive infiltrates (100%). Diagnostics accuracy of the results of clinical microbiologist examination with chest X-ray had a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 60.71 %, accuracy of 65.5%, a positive predictive value of 61.36%, a negative predictive value of 78.6%. It was concluded that validation of diagnostic microbiology based on gram stain and culture had susceptible and adequately specific results to differentiate between presumptive pathogens from colonization in pneumonia cases.

Assessing the effects of the energy transition and liberalization of energy markets on resource adequacy is an increasingly important and demanding task. The rising complexity of energy systems requires adequate methods for energy system modeling leading to increased computational requirements. Furthermore, with complexity, uncertainty increases likewise calling for probabilistic assessments and scenario analyses. To adequately and efficiently address these various requirements, new methods from the field of data science are needed to accelerate current modeling approaches. With our systematic literature review, we want to close the gap between the three disciplines (1) resource adequacy assessments, (2) artificial intelligence (AI), and (3) design of experiments. For this, we conduct a large-scale systematic review of selected fields of application and methods and make a synthesis that relates the different disciplines to each other. Among other findings, we identify metamodeling of complex probabilistic resource adequacy assessment models using AI methods and applications of AI-based methods for forecasts of storage dispatch and (non-)availabilities as promising fields of application that have not yet been sufficiently covered. Eventually, we define a new methodological pipeline for adequately and efficiently addressing the present and upcoming challenges in the assessment of resource adequacy accounting for modeling the complexity and uncertainties of future developments.

Explosive power athletes are a significant requirement in javelin throwing. Increasing the explosive power of the arm requires proper training, including using rehaencalina exercises. This study aimed to determine the modification of rehaencalina exercises to improve the ability to throw javelins. This research uses the Experiment method, which uses a two-group pretest-posttest design. The sample in this study was 18 javelin throw athletes from Makassar State University. The research instrument used a javelin-throwing ability test. Data analysis was processed using descriptive test statistics, normality test, homogeneity test, and Anakova test. The results found a comparison of the effects of the two treatment groups on the variable javelin throwing ability, resulting in an average javelin throwing ability between exercises showing an increase in javelin throwing ability seen from the average increase in test results. The average javelin throwing ability for both groups showed that group 1 of the Rehaencalina-Rehaencalina-Torso (R-R-T) exercise resulted in a better improvement in javelin throwing ability than group 2 of the Rehanecalina-Bench Press-Torso (R-B-T) exercise. This study concludes that arm power explosiveness modification exercises with Rehaencalina exercises can improve javelin throwing ability. The results of this study can be a foothold to pay attention to the physical component in improving sports skills.

This study aims to see whether there is a positive relationship between kinesthetic intelligence and PJOK learning outcomes; to see whether there is a positive relationship between learning motivation and PJOK learning outcomes; and whether both (kinesthetic intelligence and learning motivation) jointly have a positive relationship with PJOK learning outcomes of UPT SMAN6 Sinjai students. This research is an ex post facto research that is correlational. Data collection was carried out on the research sample, namely students in class XI UPT SMAN6 Sinjai using a non-test instrument in the form of a questionnaire in the form of a Likert scale to determine the level of kinesthetic intelligence and students' learning motivation. Where the instrument used is an instrument that has a known level of validity and reliability. Meanwhile, for students' PJOK learning outcomes, the researchers looked directly at the reports of learning outcomes for one semester. The results of the research and analysis show that the kinesthetic intelligence of students in class XI UPT SMAN6 Sinjai is in the high category, the learning motivation of students in class XI UPT SMAN 6 Sinjai is in the high category, the PJOK learning outcomes of students in class XI UPT SMAN6 Sinjai are in the high category. in the very high category, there is a positive relationship between Kinesthetic Intelligence and PJOK Learning Outcomes of Class XI Students of UPT SMAN6 Sinjai. There is a positive relationship between Learning Motivation and PJOK Learning Outcomes of Class XI Students of UPT SMAN6 Sinjai. , There is a positive relationship between Kinesthetic Intelligence and Learning Motivation together with PJOK Learning Outcomes of Class XI Students of UPT SMAN6 Sinjai.

A gravid middle-aged woman viewed on ultrasound demonstrated a viable anencephalic fetus at 25 weeks gestational age. The absence of the bilateral cerebral hemisphere, cranial vault, anhydramnios, abdominal ascites, and phaco-rhizomelia was discovered. We discuss evidencebased quadra –amelia in a non-consanguineous (negroid) couple of a 25-week prenatal scan. Apart from amelia on all four limbs, the fetus had abdominal ascites with other dysmorphic features. Tetramelia is known to be caused by mutation of the WNTB gene; in close relative intermarriages. A diagnosis of ascites, amelia, anencephaly/acrania, and anhydramnios was made, and the prognosis was documented in this report.

Abstract Background Most studies agree that the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown had a negative impact on mental health. On the other hand, international studies have shown that psychiatric emergency departments (pED) experienced a decrease in presentations and admissions. Methods Retrospective chart review of all pED presentations and admissions during the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Germany (Covid-19 period: 3/2/20 to 05/24/20) in a psychiatric hospital in Berlin compared to 1 year earlier (pre-Covid-19 period). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed. Results We observed no statistical significant changes in overall pED presentations and overall hospital admissions during the Covid-19 period compared to the pre-Covid-19 period (813 vs. 894, − 9.1%, p = 0.064 and (363 vs. 437, − 16.9%, p = 0.080 respectively). In the subgroup analysis, less patients with depressive disorders (p = 0.035) and with personality disorders (p = 0.002) presented to the pED, a larger number of presentations with schizophrenia was observed (p = 0.020). In the Covid-19 period, less patients with substance use disorder and paranoid schizophrenia were admitted to the hospital via the pED than in the pre-Covid-19 period (p = 0.035 and p = 0.006, respectively). Bed capacity was reduced in the Covid-19 period by − 32.8% (p

OBJECTIVES:. This narrative review article seeks to highlight the effects of citrate on physiology during massive transfusion of the bleeding patient. DATA SOURCES:. A limited library of curated articles was created using search terms including “citrate intoxication,” “citrate massive transfusion,” “citrate pharmacokinetics,” “hypocalcemia of trauma,” “citrate phosphate dextrose,” and “hypocalcemia in massive transfusion.” Review articles, as well as prospective and retrospective studies were selected based on their relevance for inclusion in this review. STUDY SELECTION:. Given the limited number of relevant studies, studies were reviewed and included if they were written in English. This is not a systematic review nor a meta-analysis. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS:. As this is not a meta-analysis, new statistical analyses were not performed. Relevant data were summarized in the body of the text. CONCLUSIONS:. The physiologic effects of citrate independent of hypocalcemia are poorly understood. While a healthy individual can rapidly clear the citrate in a unit of blood (either through the citric acid cycle or direct excretion in urine), the physiology of hemorrhagic shock can lead to decreased clearance and prolonged circulation of citrate. The so-called “Diamond of Death” of bleeding—coagulopathy, acidemia, hypothermia, and hypocalcemia—has a dynamic interaction with citrate that can lead to a death spiral. Hypothermia and acidemia both decrease citrate clearance while circulating citrate decreases thrombin generation and platelet function, leading to ionized hypocalcemia, coagulopathy, and need for further transfusion resulting in a new citrate load. Whole blood transfusion typically requires lower volumes of transfused product than component therapy alone, resulting in a lower citrate burden. Efforts should be made to limit the amount of citrate infused into a patient in hemorrhagic shock while simultaneously addressing the induced hypocalcemia.

Bahan ajar digital ilmu gizi olahraga merupakan bahan ajar melalui smartphone yang digunakan untuk membantu mahasiswa belajar materi ilmu gizi olahraga dalam perkuliahan yang menggunakan hybrid learning model. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kebutuhan mahasiswa akan bahan ajar digital dalam mata kuliah ilmu gizi olahraga. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan metode deskriptif. Subyek penelitian adalah mahasiswa yang memprogram mata kuliah ilmu gizi olahraga. Instrumen penelitian menggunakan kuisioner penilaian kebutuhan bahan ajar. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan metode perkuliahan sudah sangat sesuai dengan kondisi dan situasi terkini. Penggunaan media pembelajaran menunjang proses perkuliahan serta membantu pemahaman materi ilmu gizi olahraga mahasiswa. Agar proses belajar lebih efektif, mahasiswa sangat perlu bahan ajar digital ilmu gizi olahraga yang berupa e-modul untuk menunjang perkuliahan yang menggunakan hybrid learning model.

A characteristic study on the phenol formaldehyde (PF) composite is carried out based on the micro level bio waste particles such as wood sawdust (WSD) and coir pith (CP). Composite is characterized by mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact at different percentages of particles (0-50% by weight) to find out the optimum percentage of particle loading to get the maximum properties. The WSD/CP/PF hybrid composite is also prepared by two different methods i.e., one: one (1:1) ratio and rule of mixture. The first method (1:1) is used to find out the optimum level of hybrid particles loading to get the maximum properties. But, the second method is followed to find out the weight percentages of particles influencing the properties of resulting composite. The results show that the mechanical properties of WSD/PF are higher than CP/PF composite in the entire particle loading. The optimum particle loading to get the maximum properties is 40 wt.% in CP/PF composite, whereas for WSD/PF composite are at 30 wt.%. The hybrid composite (1:1) also gives the maximum properties at 30 wt.%. Moreover, the hybrid composite (20WSD/10CP) prepared by rule of mixture showed the highest mechanical properties compared to the other particle loading. It is identified that the WSD particles are most influencing the properties of PF composites than the CP particles. Fractographic study was performed using scanning electron microscope to examine the failure mechanism of the composite specimens.

It is very difficult to handle composite material using cutting edge process. The surface defects, fibre – matrix delamination, fibre pullouts and bulk material removal are some of the common effects while machining composite material. To reduce such machining effects, an advanced machining processes are suggested for difficult to cut composite materials. In this research, a hybrid natural fibre composite material is developed inhouse to study the performance of machinability through abrasive water jet cutting process. The natural composite material is developed with two filler materials such as palm and coconut shell powder. During machining the water jet pressure, nozzle traverse speed and standoff distance are varied to predict the optimal process condition. Further the unit production cost for two different combination of material is optimized using a natural evolutionary based genetic algorithm. It was found that the unit production cost for 10 wt% filler reinforce natural fibre composite yields maximum production cost compared to 7.5 wt% filler material reinforcement for nearby machining process parameters. The variation in production cost is due to the influence of mechanical cum metallurgical quality, distribution and densification of filler material reinforced. The level of experiments is also validated using regression analysis.

Measuring the nutritional needs of rock climbing athletes can help athletes, coaches, and managers determine the portion of food and portion of the athlete's training. The purpose of this study is to determine the energy requirements and nutritional needs of FPTI rock climbing athletes in Buleleng Regency as recommendations for feeding. This research is a cross-sectional study that seeks to reveal quantitative variables and qualitative comments involving 12 rock climbing athletes. Data collection procedures by measurement of the nutritional needs of rock climbing athletes are carried out by providing an explanation of nutritional needs and measurement procedures, measuring BMI, calculating BMR and SDA, interviews for non-sports and sports physical activities, calculating total energy needs, determining food portions, and discussing the needs and eating of athletes per day. The calculation results show that the athlete's BMI is in the ideal category. The average energy requirement of athletes per day is 4568.45 calories. The average carbohydrate requirement for rock climbing athletes is 2741.07 calories or 685.27 grams. Energy needs that can be met by fat are 1142.11 calories or 126.9 grams. The energy requirement that can be supplied by protein is 685.27 calories or 171.32 grams. Rock climbing athletes require a diet with a rather low intake of protein and carbohydrates to keep body weight low. Adolescent rock climbing athletes must be careful in managing energy consumption which has an impact on growth and achievement.

This work is focused on development of hybrid composites with better toughness and hardness by including natural filler reinforcements. The changes in the behavior of the composite due to filler inclusion were evaluated through acoustic emission technique to reveal the mechanism behind the improvement in properties. The hybrid composite was developed with Hemp/Kevlar fibers in (60:40) ratio by weight as reinforcement. To improve the shock resistance, bio-fillers palm and coconut shell mixture in (1:1) ratio was added to the matrix at different wt.% of resin. Characterization of the material was carried out after the flexural, impact and hardness tests.

Abstract Most commonly caused by trauma, basal skull fractures present with a range of clinical signs. These include periorbital ecchymosis, as seen in this case, as well as rhinorrhea, otorrhoea and post‐mastoid ecchymosis. Suspected cases must be managed with appropriate imaging and medical or surgical treatment as indicated.

The machining of lightweight composite materials is a challenging process in the field of materials and manufacturing. The composites have materials with distinct phases of hard fibre and soft matrix, inducing the cutting tool edge to face varying cutting pressure. In this paper, alumina based ceramic cutting tools in different combinations [(i) Al2O3 + Ti [C,N] and (ii) Al2O3 + SiCw] are used to machine a glass fibre rod at different process conditions. From the experimentation, the performance of the tool is observed to measure the flank wear at individual process conditions. The tool wear found to be rapid and failure occurred with increase in cutting velocity. On other hand, it was found that the tool life decreases with increase cutting velocity and the performance of cutting tools is similar in both cases. Wear morphology was found to be smooth and regular on machining fibre material. A modified Adam – Gene algorithm (AGA) was used with a constraint, to find the optimal machining process condition. It is found that the Al2O3 + Ti [C,N] cutting tool has a better tool life with minimal production cost for an optimal process condition of 250 m/min and 0.1 mm/rev. Economically, the Al2O3 + Ti [C,N] cutting tool has lower production cost, however, Al2O3 + SiCw cutting tool has better performance.

This work focused on a new developed and experimentally tested non-linear control approach to control a double tube heat exchanger's output cold water temperature. The control approach uses an inverse artificial neural network (ANNi) and an integral control law. The ANNi objective is to obtain the cold water flow considering as a reference the desidered output cold water temperature. The ANNi was built from a feedforward ANN with four inputs (input cold water temperature, input hot water temperature, cold water flow, hot water flow), a hidden layer with a neuron, and two outputs (output cold water and output hot water temperature). The integral control law is implemented to reduce the error between the setpoint and the ANNi estimate. As a result, the output cold water temperature regulation is achieved through a simple controller that does not need a complex ANN model and does not depend on the process parameters' exact value. The proposed control scheme (Inverse Artificial Neural Network with Integral Control (ICANNi)) showed good reference tracking, obtaining a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.2025, standard deviation (SD) of 0.0410, establishment time of 23 s, and overshoots less than 2.7 °C. In addition, the ICANNi control has a settling time that is 1.91 times faster than the PID control and 1.5 times faster than the ANNi control.

Parameterizing high-complexity thermal models is a common challenge in bioreactor engineering. This paper rapports the mathematical modeling of thermal interactions in a photobioreactor. Energy balances, physical measurements, and mathematical relations from the literature were used. Two experiments (Tests 1 and 2) were done for model parameterization and to validate their mathematical estimation. The difficulty or impossibility of generating thermophysical properties data led to use the Kalman filter for parameter estimation. A mean absolute percentage error from 0.024 to 0.136% was obtained for parametrized models regarding estimates vs. measured values. A significative correlation was obtained for all paired measured vs. estimated values in Test 1 (r = 0.931, p

The methodology of analysing the biomass burning events recorded in the database of the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network in the framework of the Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure is presented. The period of 2008–2017 was chosen to analyse all of the events stored in the database under the Forest Fire category for a total of 14 stations available. The data provided ranged from complete datasets (particle backscatter, extinction and linear depolarization ratio profiles) to single profiles (particle backscatter coefficient profile). Smoke layers geometry was evaluated and the mean optical properties within each layer were computed. The back-trajectory technique was used to double-check the source of all pollution layers. The biomass burning layers were identified by taking into account the presence of the fires along the back trajectory. The biomass burning events are analysed by the means of the intensive parameters. The analysis was structured in three directions: (I) common biomass burning source (fire) recorded by at least two stations, (II) long-range transport from North America, and (III) analysis over four geographical regions (south-eastern Europe, north-eastern Europe, central Europe, and south-western Europe). Based on back-trajectory calculations and fire locations, the lidar measurements can be labelled either as measurements of a “single fire” or “mixed fires” (case I), measurements of North American fires, or measurements of mixed North American and local fires (case II). The histogram of the fire locations reveals the smoke sources for each region. For each region, statistics on intensive parameters are performed. The source origin of the intensive parameters is categorized based on the continental origin of the air mass (European, African, Asian, North American, or a combination of them). The methodology presented here is meant to provide a perspective to explore a large number of lidar data and deliver novel approaches to analyse the intensive parameters based on the assigned biomass burning sources. A thorough consideration of all potential fire sources reveals that most of the time the lidar measurements characterize the smoke from a mixture of fires. A comprehensive discussion of all the results (based on the intensive parameters and the source locations) will be given in a companion paper submitted to the ACP EARLINET special issue.

In this paper, we aim at developing a model for option pricing to reduce the risks associated with Ethiopian sesame price fluctuations. The White Humera Gondar Sesame Grade 3 (WHGS3) price, which is recorded from 5 November 2010 to 30 March 2018 at Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) market, is used to analyze the price fluctuation. The nature of log-returns of the price is asymmetric (positively skewed) and exhibits high kurtosis. We used jump diffusion models for modeling and option pricing of sesame price. The method of maximum likelihood is applied to estimate the parameters of the models. We used the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) to test the goodness of fitting for the two models to the data. This test indicates that the models fit the data well. The techniques of analytical and Monte Carlo simulation are used to find the call option pricing of WHGS3 sesame price. From the results, we concluded that Double Exponential Jump Diffusion (DEJD) model is more efficient than Merton’s model for modeling and option pricing of this sesame price.

This study aims to analyze the predictions of the default probability in the non-financial sector of the Indonesia Stock Exchange and the mutual influence between financial ratios. The KMV–Merton method was used for the calculations. The study was conducted on the example of data from 18 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The scientific materials and documentation were analyzed with the help of the EViews. The authors made the followingconclusions: Return on Equity (ROE) has no effect on the probability of default; Current Ratio (CR) has no effect on the probability of default; Debt to Equity Ratio (DER) has a positive effect on the probability of default; Total Assets Turnover (TAT) has a negative effect on the probability of default.

The present study portrays the development of lightweight epoxy laminates filled with boron carbide (B4C) and lead (Pb) particles through a novel layered molding and curing route. Six different laminates of single and tri-layers were prepared with varying compositions and were subjected to thermal, radiation shielding, and dielectric studies. Radiation shielding test were done using a narrow beam setup with six different sources such as Cobalt-57 (Co57-122 keV), Barium-133 (Ba133-356 keV), Sodium-22 (Na22-511 and 1275 keV), Cesium-137 (Cs137-662 keV), Manganese-54 (Mn54-840 keV), and Cobalt-60 (Co60-1170 and 1330 keV). The dielectric studies were done to understand the dielectric constant, dielectric loss factor, and AC conductivity at different temperature and frequency ranges. From the characterizations, it was found that the thermal stability of the single-layered sample increased with respect to the addition of B4C and Pb particles, which may be due to the thermally stable nature of the particles. The radiation shielding study of the samples witnessed the superior characteristics and radiation shielding ability of sample D (40% Pb) and sample E with Pb cladding at incident gamma radiation energy of 662 keV. The dielectric constant of the samples increased significantly at higher temperatures and the dielectric loss factor increased with an increase in temperature and decreased with an increase in frequency. The AC conductivity of the samples increased with respect to an increase in temperature and frequency.

In this paper, the nickel-based superalloy SU718 is developed through the Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), an additive manufacturing process. Further, the material has been focused to study the effect of heat treatment and abrasive particle erosion. Two different heat treatment (HT) cycles are planed with ageing and annealing to enrich the metallurgical quality of the DMLS processed SU718 alloy. The heat treatment is performed with two different combinations of temperatures for annealing/solutionizing followed by ageing to improve the metallurgical properties. The influence of heat treatment on additively manufactured IN718 is imparting variations in the hardness, microstructure, and erosion resistance. Vickers hardness for as built, HT 1, and HT 2 of DMLS alloy is 264.15, 385.55, and 352.43 Hv; which has been increased for 45% for HT 1 and 33% for HT 2 from the as built DMLS alloy. After solutionizing, the grains are refined within the track boundary and the majority of the grains are homogenized. The air jet erosion test arrangement is used to conduct the study at a velocity of 250 m/s and impact angle of 90° at room temperature. The hardness of the treated samples has taken vital role to resist the erosion. The rate of erosion is higher for bare DMLS alloy whereas HT 1 has low erosion rate when compared with HT 2 and bare DMLS alloy. The erosion morphology of the samples was carried out by SEM images, and erosion mechanism is discussed. The ploughing and microcutting were found in all the impact angles, whereas erodent impingement is found in the bare DMLS alloy in additional. The good erosion resistance is observed for HT 1 DMLS alloy in all the impact angles.

In this work we study the applicability of the steady state Kalman filter in order to predict new cases and deaths of Covid-19. We use the actual observations of new cases and deaths. First, we deal with short term prediction, namely daily prediction. We propose the use of the golden steady state Kalman Filter, which is designed to have parameters related to the golden section. It was found that the proposed golden steady state Kalman Filter has a satisfactory behavior compared with the classical mean or average filter. Secondly, we deal with long term prediction, for example average prediction per quarantine period (14 days). We propose to process blocks of measurements of time window corresponding for example to the quarantine period in order to predict the average of cases and deaths using steady state Kalman Filter. It was found that the proposed golden steady state Kalman Filter produces more reliable predictions than the classical mean or average filter does. The use of steady state Kalman Filter for cases and deaths prediction of Covid-19 can be effective for resources and prevention measures planning.

The study aims to determine the Effect of growth opportunity, corporate tax, and profitability on the value of firm through the capital structure as an intervening variable at manufacturing companies in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The sample consists of 32 manufacturing sector companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange within 2013–2017. The study results show that growth opportunity and corporate tax have a positive effect on the structure of capital, in contrast to profitability, which affects negatively. Meanwhile, capital structure and profitability have a positive Effect on firm value. On the other hand, growth opportunity and corporate tax have no bearing on company value. Yet, capital structure does not mediate between growth opportunity and corporate tax to the value of firm. Nevertheless capital structure mediates the Effect of profitability on the value of firm.

On 15–16 October 2017, ex-hurricane Ophelia passed to the west of the British Isles, bringing dust from the Sahara and smoke from Portuguese forest fires that was observable to the naked eye and reported in the UK's national press. We report here detailed observations of this event using the UK operational lidar and sun-photometer network, established for the early detection of aviation hazards, including volcanic ash. We also use ECMWF ERA5 wind field data and MODIS imagery to examine the aerosol transport. The observations, taken continuously over a period of 30 h, show a complex picture, dominated by several different aerosol layers at different times and clearly correlated with the passage of different air masses associated with the intense cyclonic system. A similar evolution was observed at several sites, with a time delay between them explained by their different location with respect to the storm and associated meteorological features. The event commenced with a shallow dust layer at 1–2 km in altitude and culminated in a deep and complex structure that lasted ∼12 h at each site over the UK, correlated with the storm's warm sector. For most of the time, the aerosol detected was dominated by mineral dust mixtures, as highlighted by depolarisation measurements, but an intense biomass burning aerosol (BBA) layer was observed towards the end of the event, lasting around 3 h at each site. The aerosol optical depth at 355 nm (AOD355) during the whole event ranged from 0.2 to 2.9, with the larger AOD correlated to the intense BBA layer. Such a large AOD is unprecedented in the UK according to AERONET records for the last 20 years. The Raman lidars permitted the measurement of the aerosol extinction coefficient at 355 nm, the particle linear depolarisation ratio (PLDR), and the lidar ratio (LR) and made the separation of the dust (depolarising) aerosol from other aerosol types possible. A specific extinction has also been computed to provide an estimate of the atmospheric concentration of both aerosol types separately, which peaked at 420±200 µg m−3 for the dust and 558±232 µg m−3 for the biomass burning aerosols. Back trajectories computed using the Numerical Atmospheric-dispersion Modelling Environment (NAME) were used to identify the sources and strengthen the conclusions drawn from the observations. The UK network represents a significant expansion of the observing capability in northern Europe, with instruments evenly distributed across Great Britain, from Camborne in Cornwall to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, and this study represents the first attempt to demonstrate its capability and validate the methods in use. Its ultimate purpose will be the detection and quantification of volcanic plumes, but the present study clearly demonstrates the advanced capabilities of the network.

Background The hemostatic properties of tranexamic acid (TXA) are well described, but the immunological effects of TXA administration after traumatic injury have not been thoroughly examined. We hypothesized TXA would reduce monocyte activation in bleeding trauma patients with severe injury.Methods This was a single center, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing placebo to a 2 g or 4 g intravenous TXA bolus dose in trauma patients with severe injury. Fifty patients were randomized into each study group. The primary outcome was a reduction in monocyte activation as measured by human leukocyte antigen-DR isotype (HLA-DR) expression on monocytes 72 h after TXA administration. Secondary outcomes included kinetic assessment of immune and hemostatic phenotypes within the 72 h window post-TXA administration.Results The trial occurred between March 2016 and September 2017, when data collection ended. 149 patients were analyzed (placebo, n = 50; 2 g TXA, n = 49; 4 g TXA, n = 50). The fold change in HLA-DR expression on monocytes [reported as median (Q1–Q3)] from pre-TXA to 72 h post-TXA was similar between placebo [0.61 (0.51–0.82)], 2 g TXA [0.57 (0.47–0.75)], and 4 g TXA [0.57 (0.44–0.89)] study groups (p = 0.82). Neutrophil CD62L expression was reduced in the 4 g TXA group [fold change: 0.73 (0.63–0.97)] compared to the placebo group [0.97 (0.78–1.10)] at 24 h post-TXA (p = 0.034). The fold decrease in plasma IL-6 was significantly less in the 4 g TXA group [1.36 (0.87–2.42)] compared to the placebo group [0.46 (0.19–1.69)] at 72 h post-TXA (p = 0.028). There were no differences in frequencies of myeloid or lymphoid populations or in classical complement activation at any of the study time points.Conclusion In trauma patients with severe injury, 4 g intravenous bolus dosing of TXA has minimal immunomodulatory effects with respect to leukocyte phenotypes and circulating cytokine levels.Clinical Trial Registrationwww.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02535949.

Layers of aerosol at heights between 2 and 11 km were observed with Raman lidars in the UK between 23 and 31 May 2016. A network of these lidars, supported by ceilometer observations, is used to map the extent of the aerosol and its optical properties. Space-borne lidar profiles show that the aerosol originated from forest fires over western Canada around 17 May, and indeed the aerosol properties – weak volume depolarisation (

The pharmacokinetic aspects of tulathromycin(2.5 mg/kg) administered alone and in combination with flunixin meglumine (2.2 mg/kg) after a single subcutaneous (SC) administration, werestudied in clinically healthy goats. The animals were divided into two groups: the 1st group was given tulathromycin alone and the 2nd group was given tulathromycin concurrently with flunixin meglumine. Serum concentrations of tulathromycin were determined using microbiological assay method. Tulathromycin was rapidly absorbed with a half-life of absorption (t(0.5)ab) of 0.54 h and the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) was 3.7ug/ml was attained after 0.98 h (Tmax). Flunixin significantly altered the pharmacokinetics of tulathromycin by increasing its absorption and delay its elimination from body where t0.5(ab)were 0.54 and0.34 h and the elimination half-lives (t0.5(el)) were 1.35 and 1.8 h, for alone and combination groups, respectively. Significant decreases (39.8%) in the area under the curve (AUC) and (22.6%) in the elimination rate constant (Kel) from the central compartment were found following coadministration with flunixin compared with administration of tulathromycin alone. It was concluded that the combination of tulathromycin and flunixin negatively altered the kinetics of tulathromycin.

The pharmacokinetic aspects of tulathromycin (2.5 mg/kg b.w.) were studied following intravenous administration alone and in combination with flunixin meglumine (2.2 mg/kg b.w) in apparently healthy goats. Tulathromycin concentrations in serum were determined by microbiological assay technique using Bacillus subtiles (ATCC 66343) as test organism. The half-lives of distribution and elimination (t0.5(a)and to.5(p)) were 0.071, 0.046 and 6.43, and 5.05 h. following intravenous injection of tulathromycin alone and in combination with flunixin, respectively. Volume of distribution at steady state (Vdss) was 0.249 and 0.96l/kg., mean residence time (MRT) was 6.27 and 5.99 h and total body clearance (ClB) was 0.046 and 0.17 l/kg/hr., respectively. It was concluded that flunixin significantly altered the pharmacokinetics of tulathromycin by increase its distribution and accelerate its elimination from body. Therefore care should be taken during use of tulathromycin in goats concurrently with flunixin.

Asthma often remains uncontrolled, despite the fact that the pharmacological treatment has undergone large changes. We studied changes in the treatment of asthma over a 20-year period and identified factors associated with the regular use of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment. Changes in the use of medication were determined in 4617 randomly selected subjects, while changes in adults with persistent asthma were analysed in 369 participants. The study compares data from three surveys in 24 centres in 11 countries. The use of ICSs increased from 1.7% to 5.9% in the general population and the regular use of ICSs increased from 19% to 34% among persistent asthmatic subjects. The proportion of asthmatic subjects reporting asthma attacks in the last 12 months decreased, while the proportion that had seen a doctor in the last 12 months remained unchanged (42%). Subjects with asthma who had experienced attacks or had seen a doctor were more likely to use ICSs on a regular basis. Although ICS use has increased, only one-third of subjects with persistent asthma take ICSs on a regular basis. Less than half had seen a doctor during the last year. This indicates that underuse of ICSs and lack of regular healthcare contacts remains a problem in the management of asthma.

This paper introduces the recent European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) quality-assurance efforts at instrument level. Within two dedicated campaigns and five single-site intercomparison activities, 21 EARLINET systems from 18 EARLINET stations were intercompared between 2009 and 2013. A comprehensive strategy for campaign setup and data evaluation has been established. Eleven systems from nine EARLINET stations participated in the EARLINET Lidar Intercomparison 2009 (EARLI09). In this campaign, three reference systems were qualified which served as traveling standards thereafter. EARLINET systems from nine other stations have been compared against these reference systems since 2009. We present and discuss comparisons at signal and at product level from all campaigns for more than 100 individual measurement channels at the wavelengths of 355, 387, 532, and 607 nm. It is shown that in most cases, a very good agreement of the compared systems with the respective reference is obtained. Mean signal deviations in predefined height ranges are typically below ±2 %. Particle backscatter and extinction coefficients agree within ±2 × 10−4 km−1 sr−1 and ± 0.01 km−1, respectively, in most cases. For systems or channels that showed larger discrepancies, an in-depth analysis of deficiencies was performed and technical solutions and upgrades were proposed and realized. The intercomparisons have reinforced confidence in the EARLINET data quality and allowed us to draw conclusions on necessary system improvements for some instruments and to identify major challenges that need to be tackled in the future.

This work presents the simulation results of an active fault tolerant control system on a distillation column. The aim of the control system is to maintain the binary distillation process (ethanol-water) in continuous operation even if both sensors or actuator fault occurs. To develop the active fault tolerant control system, it was designed a fault detection and diagnosis system by using a full-order high-gain observer to estimate the temperatures and concentrations on the distillation column; the estimation of the temperatures and concentrations was made by using only one measured temperature. Also, there were employed three adaptive observers, one is used to estimate the vapor pressure, the other two observers are used to estimate a parameter in each actuator, in that way is estimated the size, instant and magnitude of the fault. The active fault tolerant system is based on the compensation of the fault based on the information given by the fault detection and diagnosis system. The fault tolerant in sensor is based in the reconfiguration of the faulty sensor. The main contribution of this work is that proposed scheme is able to detect and diagnosis, multiple and simultaneous failures in sensors and at least in one actuator. The simulation test shows that the control law allows that the liquid molar concentrations required in distillates, follow the reference properly, even in presence of faults.

Diurnal and seasonal variations of gaseous sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and methane sulfonic acid (MSA) were measured in NE Atlantic air at the Mace Head atmospheric research station during the years 2010 and 2011. The measurements utilized selected-ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry (SI/CIMS) with a detection limit for both compounds of 4.3 × 104 cm−3 at 5 min signal integration. The H2SO4 and MSA gas-phase concentrations were analyzed in conjunction with the condensational sink for both compounds derived from 3 nm to 10 μm (aerodynamic diameter) aerosol size distributions. Accommodation coefficients of 1.0 for H2SO4 and 0.12 for MSA were assumed, leading to estimated atmospheric lifetimes on the order of 7 and 25 min, respectively. With the SI/CIMS instrument in OH measurement mode alternating between OH signal and background (non-OH) signal, evidence was obtained for the presence of one or more unknown oxidants of SO2 in addition to OH. Depending on the nature of the oxidant(s), its ambient concentration may be enhanced in the CIMS inlet system by additional production. The apparent unknown SO2 oxidant was additionally confirmed by direct measurements of SO2 in conjunction with calculated H2SO4 concentrations. The calculated H2SO4 concentrations were consistently lower than the measured concentrations by a factor of 4.7 ± 2.4 when considering the oxidation of SO2 by OH as the only source of H2SO4. Both the OH and the background signal were also observed to increase significantly during daytime aerosol nucleation events, independent of the ozone photolysis frequency, J(O1D), and were followed by peaks in both H2SO4 and MSA concentrations. This suggests a strong relation between the unknown oxidant(s), OH chemistry, and the atmospheric photolysis and photooxidation of biogenic iodine compounds. As to the identity of the atmospheric SO2 oxidant(s), we have been able to exclude ClO, BrO, IO, and OIO as possible candidates based on {ab initio} calculations. Never\-theless, IO could contribute significantly to the observed CIMS background signal. A detailed analysis of this CIMS background signal in context with recently published kinetic data currently suggests that Criegee intermediates (CIs) produced from ozonolysis of alkenes play no significant role for SO2 oxidation in the marine atmosphere at Mace Head. On the other hand, SO2 oxidation by small CIs such as CH2OO produced photolytically or possibly in the photochemical degradation of methane is consistent with our observations. In addition, H2SO4 formation from dimethyl sulfide oxidation via SO3 as an intermediate instead of SO2 also appears to be a viable explanation. Both pathways need to be further explored.

The eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in April–May 2010 represents a "natural experiment" to study the impact of volcanic emissions on a continental scale. For the first time, quantitative data about the presence, altitude, and layering of the volcanic cloud, in conjunction with optical information, are available for most parts of Europe derived from the observations by the European Aerosol Research Lidar NETwork (EARLINET). Based on multi-wavelength Raman lidar systems, EARLINET is the only instrument worldwide that is able to provide dense time series of high-quality optical data to be used for aerosol typing and for the retrieval of particle microphysical properties as a function of altitude. In this work we show the four-dimensional (4-D) distribution of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic cloud in the troposphere over Europe as observed by EARLINET during the entire volcanic event (15 April–26 May 2010). All optical properties directly measured (backscatter, extinction, and particle linear depolarization ratio) are stored in the EARLINET database available at http://www.earlinet.org. A specific relational database providing the volcanic mask over Europe, realized ad hoc for this specific event, has been developed and is available on request at http://www.earlinet.org. During the first days after the eruption, volcanic particles were detected over Central Europe within a wide range of altitudes, from the upper troposphere down to the local planetary boundary layer (PBL). After 19 April 2010, volcanic particles were detected over southern and south-eastern Europe. During the first half of May (5–15 May), material emitted by the Eyjafjallajökull volcano was detected over Spain and Portugal and then over the Mediterranean and the Balkans. The last observations of the event were recorded until 25 May in Central Europe and in the Eastern Mediterranean area. The 4-D distribution of volcanic aerosol layering and optical properties on European scale reported here provides an unprecedented data set for evaluating satellite data and aerosol dispersion models for this kind of volcanic events.

This study focuses on the aerosol hygroscopic properties as determined from ground-based measurements and Mie theory. Usually, aerosol ground-based measurements are taken in dry conditions in order to have a consistency within networks. The dependence of the various aerosol optical characteristics (e.g. aerosol absorption, scattering, backscattering or extinction coefficients) on relative humidity has therefore to be established in order to determine their values in the atmosphere, where relative humidity can reach high values. We calculated mean monthly diurnal values of the aerosol hygroscopic growth factor at 90% relative humidity GF(90) based on measurements performed at the atmospheric research station in Ispra (Italy) with a Hygroscopicity Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer over eight months in 2008 and 2009. Particle hygroscopicity increases with particle dry diameter ranging from 35 to 165 nm for all seasons. We observed a clear seasonal variation in GF(90) for particles larger than 75 nm, and a diurnal cycle in spring and winter for all sizes. For 165 nm particles, GF(90) averages 1.32 ± 0.06. The effect of the particle hygroscopic growth on the aerosol optical properties (scattering, extinction, absorption and backscatter coefficients, asymmetry parameter and backscatter faction) was computed using the Mie theory, based on data obtained from a series of instruments running at our station. We found median enhancement factors (defined as ratios between the values of optical variables at 90% and 0% relative humidity) equal to 1.1, 2.1, 1.7, and 1.8, for the aerosol absorption, scattering, backscattering, and extinction coefficients, respectively. All except the absorption enhancement factors show a strong correlation with the hygroscopic growth factor. The enhancement factors observed at our site are among the lowest observed across the world for the aerosol scattering coefficient, and among the highest for the aerosol backscatter fraction.

This article presents a new eyelid localization algorithm based on a parabolic curve fitting. To deal with eyelashes, low contrast or false detection due to iris texture, we propose a two steps algorithm. First, possible edge candidates are selected by applying edge detection on a restricted area inside the iris. Then, a gradient maximization is applied along every parabola, on a larger area, to refine parameters and select the best one. Experiments have been conducted on a database of 151 iris that have been manually segmented. The performance evaluation is carried out by comparing the segmented images obtained by the proposed method with the manual segmentation. The results are satisfactory in more than 90% of the cases.