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This study challenges the conventional perception of waste as a discarded object devoid of use and aims to redefine its nature by dissociating it from the boundaries of value. To achieve this, the term sslgi (sweeping) is proposed to shift the focus of waste management from relegation to obsolescence to active disposition that retains latent value. This conceptual shift redefines "reuse" in design as the activation of the inherent value in objects. This research also explores the creation of novel materials, exemplified by the extraterrestrial material StarCrete, which is composed of dust, soil, and minimal organic additives, along with designers' use of new materials derived from limestone dust and material-driven speculative design that experiments with synthetic (plastic) and natural substances. These cases illuminate the inherent [re]usability of material entities that are ready for activation in multiple interconnected contexts. From this perspective, we can re-view the role of the designer as [re]assembling existing materials and negotiating various influencing factors. Ultimately, this research demonstrates that transcending the binary perceptions of value and worthlessness allows designers to approach [re]use beyond the confines of the production-consumption-disposal paradigms, thereby decoupling objects from the deterministic use values imposed on them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precisely estimating and controlling the friction of a stone on ice is one of the abilities that is essential for good curling players. We propose here a new, simple, and player-friendly method for measuring friction using only stopwatches. As for friction control, it is known that friction must be modified by sweeping using brushes. It is widely performed not only to extend the stopping range of the stone but also to control the curls, although there is little scientific evidence to support the curl-controlling effects. We conducted a measurement to examine the effects, and we propose a potential method for assisting players to try similar kinds of quantitative studies themselves. The results we obtained suggest positive effects of the left–right asymmetric sweeping with 95% reliability for sweeping on the opposite half-side to assist curling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shorebirds are iconic examples of food resource partitioning through use of contrasted morphological structures to acquire food. Differences in beak lengths and shapes allow species catching their food at various sediment depths. Contrasted leg lengths allow species foraging at distinct water depths. Despite these morphological differences, shorebirds use a small number of stereotyped behaviors for food acquisition. We classify these behaviors by analyzing video sequences of ca. two dozen species of Western Palearctic shorebirds, during migration or wintering. We suggest disassembling food acquisition in three successive stages: foraging, feeding, and swallowing. The foraging stage regroups the locomotion behaviors associated to food detection, and the behaviors used during food capture. The feeding stage encompasses the handling behaviors used to kill or stun the prey and to extract its edible parts, and the behaviors used to transport the prey from the distal part of the beak to the bird’s pharynx. In the swallowing stage, the edible parts of the prey enter the pharynx. We show that three of these behaviors (locomotion, capture and transport) are made up of stereotypical, mutually exclusive components, and can be considered as performances. Each of our study species use one or maximum two components of these three performances. Overall, our study provides insights on interspecific variation in shorebird food acquisition behaviors that we put in a phylogenetic perspective. We confirm the long-standing hypothesis that pecking is the plesiomorphic behavior of food capture, and we show that those locomotion and transport behaviors associated with pecking differ from those associated with derived capture behaviors, leading to a syndrome of food acquisition behaviors in shorebirds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of high molecular weight from chimney soot can cause cancer among chimney sweepers. These sweepers may also be exposed to high concentrations of nanosized particles, which can cause significant inflammatory responses due to their relatively greater surface area per mass. In this study, the authors aimed to assess the exposure profiles of airborne personal exposure to gaseous and particulate PAHs, and real-time samples of the particle number concentrations (PNCs), particle sizes, and lung-deposited surface areas (LDSAs), for chimney sweepers in Norway. Additionally, the authors aimed to assess the task-based exposure concentrations of PNCs, sizes, and LDSAs while working on different tasks. The results are based on personal samples of particulate PAHs (n = 68), gaseous PAHs (n = 28), and real-time nanoparticles (n = 8) collected from 17 chimney sweepers. Samples were collected during a "typical work week" of chimney sweeping and fire safety inspections, then during a "massive soot" week, where larger sweeping missions took place. Significantly higher PAH concentrations were measured during the "massive soot" week compared to the "typical work week," however, the time-weighted average (TWA) (8-hr) of all gaseous and particulate PAHs ranged from 0.52 to 4.47 µg/m3 and 0.49 to 2.50 µg/m3, respectively, well below the Norwegian occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 40 µg/m3. The PNCs were high during certain activities, such as emptying the vacuum cleaner. Additionally, during 2 days of sweeping in a waste sorting facility, the TWAs of the PNCs were 3.6 × 104 and 7.1 × 104 particles/cm3 on the first and second days, respectively, which were near and above the proposed nano reference limit TWA value of 4.0 × 104 particles/cm3 proposed by the International Workshop on Nano Reference Values. The corresponding TWAs of the LDSAs were 49.5 and 54.5 µm2/cm3, respectively. The chimney sweepers seemed aware of the potential health risks associated with exposure, and suitable personal protective equipment was used. However, the PNCs reported for the activities show that when the activities change or increase, the PNCs' TWAs can become unacceptably high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic in the environment poses an increasing challenge. Microplastics, which include tire wear, enter the aquatic environment via different pathways, and increasing vehicle traffic leads to increased tire wear. This paper describes an approach for how inner-city tire wear hotspots can systematically be identified by sampling road-deposited sediments (RDS) by sweeping. Within the investigations herein described, six inner-city monitoring sites were sampled. The total masses of solids as well as the amount of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) representing Tire and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) were determined. It was shown that the sites differ significantly from each other with regard to SBR parts. The amount of SBR in the curve was on average eight times higher than in the slope, and in the area of the traffic lights, it was on average three times higher than in the slope. The RDS mass results also differ but with a factor of 2 for the curve and of 1.5 for the traffic light. The investigations and the corresponding results in this paper are unique, and the monitoring approach can be used in the future to derive and optimize sustainable measures in order to reduce the discharge of TRWP into the environment by road runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Online Journal of Recreation & Sports is the property of Online Journal of Recreation & Sports and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Arthropods are often ignored or under-sampled in biodiversity and conservation assessments because of their large diversity, small size and lack of taxonomic guides. Rapid biodiversity assessment programmes have been established to assess these groups accurately. A COBRA (Conservation Oriented Biodiversity Rapid Assessment) protocol consists of an intense sampling of a habitat using the optimal combination of sampling methods. We set a basis for future protocols of measuring spider biodiversity in exotic pastures in New Zealand. Overall, 28 spider species were collected. There was variation in species discovery for each collection method, i.e. pitfall traps (86.6% of total species found), ground hand collection (95.4%), suction sampling (85.7%), and sweeping (25%). The various collection methods were complementary in species that were found. Of the four sampling methods used pitfall traps and ground hand collection were far more efficient at collecting spider species in pastures per sample. These findings are relevant for the future development of these protocols and ultimately, these tools will be used for assessing and monitoring biodiversity on farms and the impacts of farming methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lightning arc attachments during swept strokes are key information in the lightning protection design of fast-moving aircraft, wind turbines, rockets, etc. However, numerical modeling has not achieved success to predict the movement of lightning sweeping arcs due to the limited understanding of the complex multi-physics convolution in the arc fluid at present. This work builds a dynamic magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) arc model based on the setup in the laboratory simulation of the lightning continuing current and couples the electric–magnetic–thermal–force processes to get insights into the lightning arc dynamics. The MHD theory and Newton’s second law of motion are also incorporated to describe the movement of arc segments in the conditions of aerodynamic flows with different intensities. Results show that, at the center region of the arc, the electromagnetic force, thermal buoyancy, and aerodynamic force are competitive, and all are determiners in predicting the arc displacement. In contrast, at the root region of the arc, the electromagnetic force dominates the arc movement with a flow speed under 10 m/s, while aerodynamic force takes the dominant role when the flow speed exceeds 50 m/s. The arc sweeping distance expands from 0.02 to 1.01 m as the aerodynamic flow increases from 5 to 200 m/s. Meanwhile, when increasing the pitch angle of the arc-connected surface, the arc root becomes more attached to the surface and the sweeping distance is predicted to get reduced. The conclusions offer references to construct a numerical model and predict the complex arc movement during lightning sweeping strokes.

This study was conducted on the association of terrestrial insect herbivore communities with flora and plant communities in the riparian zone of an urban river in Daejeon, Korea. The survey was conducted in May, August, and October on three sites that are composed typical habitat diversity in the river. As a result of the analysis, the highest matching rate of insect herbivore host plant and flora of the site was site 1 with 93%. In addition, the dominant and subdominant species of the terrestrial insect herbivores showed a very close association with the dominant plant species that make up the plant community. As a result of analysis of similarity among the sites, the most heterogeneous group of terrestrial insect herbivore communities were in May, which presumed to be affected by changes in biomass of host plants before and after the rainy season. The results of this study can be used as data necessary for the conservation of biodiversity in riparian zone in the future.

Abstract Background Remnant interface fluid following Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) is associated with postoperative detachments. The aim of this study was to assess outcomes of intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) guided meticulous peripheral corneal sweeping for removal of interface fluid during ultra-thin (UT) DSAEK. Methods This retrospective study included all eyes underwent iOCT guided UT-DSAEK from October 2016 to February 2018 at the Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria. Peripheral meticulous corneal sweeping was performed to remove excess fluid. Central graft thickness (CGT) was measured prior to surgery, after graft bubbling and after corneal sweeping. Remnant interface fluid rates were compared between eyes that underwent rebubbling and those that did not. Results Overall, 28 eyes of 28 patients with a mean age of 73.9 ± 10.0 years were included. An iOCT guided meticulous peripheral sweeping was performed in 89.3% (n = 25) of the cases. Following 84% (n = 21) of the peripheral sweeping performed, remnant fluid was no longer identified. Following peripheral sweeping the interface fluid height was reduced from 17.31 ± 15.96 μm to 3.46 ± 9.52 μm (p

Purpose This is to provide essential data for training necessary for sweeping through the analysis of muscle activity generated at this time and how much sweeping and what trajectory moves the stone when the movement of the stone is controlled through sweeping. Methods To check and record the distance between the stones by checking the stop position of the stone made by sweeping each section, the length (progress distance) and width (progress direction) were recorded using a reference table and a record preparation table. With the EMG attached, a total of 60 sweeps were made 20 times each from the beginning of the section to the end of the section. Sweeping subjects were asked to sweep as much as possible under the same conditions in all three sections. Results As a result of the study, the muscle mobilization patterns of the 1st and 2nd sections of the stone with the faster speed and the 3rd section with the stone's slower speed appeared differently. It was confirmed that the sweeping motion of curling is a motion that is used evenly among the muscles of the upper extremity, and it can be verified that it is a suitable item for the development of upper body muscles. Also, the right deltoid's muscle activity rate during push and the right triceps brachii during pull was high. Conclusion Each section of the stone's sweeping effect is an exercise that has many variables, such as changes in atmospheric temperature and humidity, changes in ice temperature, temperature-size-number of pebbles, and the edge state-resilience of stones, etc. It is judged that experience can cope with these variables and requires training.

The quarry in Stará Ves near Bílovec is considered a significant geotouric attraction. The dominant feature is the front northern wall representing one of the best outcrops of the fold-thrust tectonics of the Jeseník culm. Until 1983, shale and Moravian offal were mined in the quarry, then the quarry was restored, abandoned, and left to natural succession. Inventory of vertebrates from 2009-2011 revealed 46 specially protected species. Arachnological research from 2013-2015 revealed the occurrence of 69 species of spiders, including seven taxonomically important xerothermophilic species. Botanical research was carried out at the site twenty years ago, systematic entomological research has not been carried yet. We performed an inventory of invertebrates focused primarily on butterflies, using sweeping and netting, supplemented by individual sampling and observation of other species. We also performed a botanical inventory, supplemented by an estimate of tree and bush cover to evaluate host offer and form of habitats present in the quarry. We revealed 144 species of higher plants, of which six belong to the Czech red list, and 121 species of animals, of which 102 species of insects, and 52 species of butterflies. Nineteen species of animals fell into the categories of endangerment according to the Czech red list, legal categories, or are part of some of the European directive annexes. Most of these species depend on the conservation of early succession xerothermic habitats. Their ecology is discussed in relation to possible management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of industrial technology, heat transfer at the microscale has attracted more and more attention. In this work, 200 μm platinum wire and 150 μm nickel-chromium wire were used as experimental objects, which the power was provided by DC power with the range of 15.6 W to 56.2 W. Distilled water was used as the experimental liquid. Various bubbles on the micro wire were observed and the heat mechanism was analyzed. A variety of bubble attachment phenomena were captured on the 200 μm platinum wire, including the adhesion during bubble detachment, the rotation of small attached bubbles on the surface of large bubble, multiple bubbles circling at the top of the same bubble, and different attached bubble departure phenomena. Marangoni force in the vertical direction triggered the formation of bubble attachment. In addition, the effects of surface tension, adhesion force and buoyancy force on the circling of the bubble were also considered. The analysis of the bubble sweeping on the 150 μm nickel-chromium wire was analyzed. The results showed that the static bubble would interact with the sweeping bubbles on the other side, thereby changing the heat transfer mechanism, which was not discussed in detail before. The bubble jet flow generated by thermocapillary convection on the vertical direction of the bubble surface was the main influencing factor, which would change the microlayer encountered in front of the bubble. The effects of bubble diameter and liquid subcooling on the sweeping velocity were also studied. The results showed that the larger the bubble diameter was, the lower the sweeping velocity would be achieved while the liquid subcooling temperature had less impact on the velocity of sweeping bubble. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banyak faktor yang mempengaruhi rendahnya angka bayi dan balita yang berstatus imunisasi lengkap, antara lain sikap dan pengetahuan orang tua. Melalui penelitian ini diharapkan karakteristik orang tua dan karakteristik anak dapar teridentifikasi, selain itu pengaruh pengetahuan dan sikap orang tua tentang imunisasi terhadap motivasi untuk melengkapi imunisasi lanjutan pada anak usia 1824 bulan di Kecamatan Pujer juga dapat diketahui. Metode yang digunakan adalah analisis jalur dengan rancangan penelitian cross sectional. Populasi penelitian ini adalah orang tua yang memiliki anak baduta. Sampel yang digunakan sebanyak 81 orang dengan teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan simple random sampling. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pengaruh pengetahuan dan sikap orang tua terhadap motivasi dalam melengkapi imunisasi anak baduta adalah sebesar 76,6%, sedangkan 23,4% lainnya dijelaskan oleh faktor lain. Pengetahuan dan sikap orang tua secara langsung berpengaruh signifikan terhadap motivasi, pengetahuan orang tua secara langsung tidak berpengaruh signifikan terhadap kelengkapan imunisasi lanjutan anak baduta, namun sikap dan motivasi orang tua berpengaruh signifikan. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini, petugas kesehatan diharapkan bisa lebih aktif memberikan sosialisasi dan konseling serta mempunyai jadwal sweeping bagi sasaran-sasaran yang belum lengkap status imunisasinya.

Purpose: Identifying and localizing the invisible and nonpalpable pulmonary nodules are among the main challenges surgeons face during open and thoracoscopic surgeries. This in vitro study explores the feasibility of utilizing a simple and safe electrical bioimpedance probe in locating the pulmonary nodules by sweeping the surface of the lung tissue. Methods: A probe was designed with four spherical electrodes that were used for recording the bioimpedance spectrum of the lung tissue in a frequency range of 50 kHz to 5 MHz. In each of the 10 resected surgical specimens, the bioimpedance of normal lung tissue as well as the tumoral lung tissue were recorded and compared with each other. Results: By drawing the Nyquist curves, it was determined that the amplitude of the electrical impedance measured by moving the probe from the healthy point to the region of the pulmonary nodule decreases and the frequency characteristics of the bioimpedance spectrum increases. Conclusion: This method could be potentially beneficial in the localization of invisible and even nonpalpable in-depth pulmonary nodules in thoracic surgeries.

Background: Remnant interface fluid following Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) is associated with postoperative detachments. The aim of this study was to assess outcomes of intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) guided meticulous peripheral corneal sweeping for removal of interface fluid during ultra-thin (UT) DSAEK.Methods: This retrospective study included all eyes underwent iOCT guided UT-DSAEK from October 2016 to February 2018 at the Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria. Peripheral meticulous corneal sweeping was performed to remove excess fluid. Central graft thickness (CGT) was measured prior to surgery, after graft bubbling and after corneal sweeping. Remnant interface fluid rates were compared between eyes that underwent rebubbling and those that did not.Results: Overall, 28 eyes of 28 patients with a mean age of 73.9 ± 10.0 years were included. An iOCT guided meticulous peripheral sweeping was performed in 89.3% (n = 25) of the cases. Following 84% (n = 21) of the peripheral sweeping performed, remnant fluid was no longer identified. Following peripheral sweeping the interface fluid height was reduced from 17.31 ± 15.96 μm to 3.46 ± 9.52 μm (p < 0.001) and CGT was reduced by 7% (p < 0.001). Rebubbling was performed in 17.9% (n = 5) of the cases. The rebubbling group had a greater proportion of patients that had remnant fluid identified with iOCT at the end of surgery despite meticulous peripheral sweeping (60.0% versus 4.4%, p = 0.01).Conclusion: The iOCT identified subclinical remnant fluid in nearly 90% of UT-DSAEK cases. An iOCT guided peripheral corneal sweeping led to resolution of interface fluid in a majority of cases. Eyes with persistent remnant fluid despite peripheral corneal sweeping are more likely to require subsequent rebubbling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecologists are increasingly familiar with Bayesian statistical modeling and its associated Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methodology to infer about or to discover interesting effects in data. The complexity of ecological data often suggests implementation of (statistical) models with a commensurately rich structure of effects, including crossed or nested (i.e., hierarchical or multi‐level) structures of fixed and/or random effects. Yet, our experience suggests that most ecologists are not familiar with subtle but important problems that often arise with such models and with their implementation in popular software. Of foremost consideration for us is the notion of effect identifiability, which generally concerns how well data, models, or implementation approaches inform about, i.e., identify, quantities of interest. In this paper, we focus on implementation pitfalls that potentially misinform subsequent inference, despite otherwise informative data and models. We illustrate the aforementioned issues using random effects regressions on synthetic data. We show how to diagnose identifiability issues and how to remediate these issues with model reparameterization and computational and/or coding practices in popular software, with a focus on JAGS, OpenBUGS, and Stan. We also show how these solutions can be extended to more complex models involving multiple groups of nested, crossed, additive, or multiplicative effects, for models involving random and/or fixed effects. Finally, we provide example code (JAGS/OpenBUGS and Stan) that practitioners can modify and use for their own applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleosides and related compounds have vital physiological and pharmacological activities. In this study, on-line preconcentration using electrokinetic supercharging (EKS)-sweeping method was proposed to enhance the efficiency of the capillary electrophoresis separation of the nucleosides and related compounds. The separation conditions, including the pH of the borate buffer (terminating electrolyte), the concentration and pH of the phosphate buffer (leading electrolyte), the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the electrokinetic injection (EKI) time, were investigated in detail. The optimum EKS-sweeping conditions were as follows: 40 mM sodium phosphate buffer at pH 2.0 containing 50 mM SDS as the BGE, 120 mM sodium phosphate buffer at pH 2.0 as the leading electrolyte, 30 mM borate buffer at pH 12.0 as the terminating electrolyte, and EKI of the sample at −10 kV for 30 s. The separation was performed by micellar electrokinetic chromatography at −5 kV. Under these conditions, the sensitivity values of five analytes were enhanced from 26 to 109-fold compared to a standard capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) procedure. The intra- and inter-day repeatability values (as the relative standard deviation) were less than 1.1% and 5.2% for the migration time and lower than 4.4% and 4.8% for the peak areas. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied for the determination of nucleosides and related compounds in Chinese cordyceps samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation and departure of bubbles are closely related to the boiling heat transfer efficiency. To investigate the bubble boiling characteristics on a heated micro-wire, platinum wires with diameter of 0.1 and 0.2 mm were used as the experimental material. The bubble dynamics over a horizontal heated wire and an inclined heated wire were investigated by a high-speed camera and an electronic microscope. The influences of heat flux and subcooled condition on the bubble departure diameter and the departure frequency were analyzed. The results showed that three kinds of bubble motion track were observed over the heated micro-wires under subcooled condition, including jet flow, sweeping, and rotation. The multi-jet flow phenomenon could be seen over the bubble on the heated 0.2 mm wire under the conditions of heat flux of 1.7 × 105 W m−2 and mainstream temperature of 36 °C. As the diameter increased, the bubbles grown on the lower side of the heated wire would gradually rotate over the wire. There were three phenomena observed on the 0.1 mm wire when two bubbles collided under conditions of 2.9 × 105 W m−2 heat flux and 34 °C mainstream temperature. For an inclined micro-wire with the inclined angle of 25°, the movement of the bubble would only move along the wire to the tip and eventually break away. When the mainstream temperature was 40 °C, the bubbles departure diameter and the frequency increased with the increase in heat flux. When the heat flux was 3.0 × 105 W m−2, the bubble departure diameter and frequency increased with the increase in temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An on-line cyclodextrin assisted sweeping-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD assisted sweeping-MEKC) was developed for the simultaneous separation and concentration of four neutral analytes (erianin, dendrophenol, naringenin and scoparone) in Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (D. officinale). The D. officinale was directly determined by this on-line stacking method after simple extraction and dilution. The optimized background solution (BGS) was 50 mM phosphoric acid (PA) containing 100 mM SDS and 30% (v/v) methanol. The best separation and concentration performance of analytes dissolved in 90 mM CD and 100 mM PA was achieved in a short analysis time when injected at 50 mbar for 100 s. Compared with conventional sweeping-MEKC and MEKC method, significant improvement in enrichment efficiency was achieved by using this proposed method. A series of validation studies of the present method was performed under the optimal conditions. Good linearities were obtained with the correlation coefficients in the range of 0.994–0.999, the detection limits were ranged from 13 to 40 ng/mL. Sensitivity enhancement factors (SEFs) were in the range of 28.5–46.8 compared with traditional injection (injection time 3 s). Therefore, the proposed method was successfully applied for the separation and concentration of neutral analytes in real samples. Image 1 • An on-line CD assisted sweeping-MEKC method is developed for separation and concentration of neutral analytes. • Satisfactory resolution and enrichment efficiency are achieved in a short analysis time. • Compared with conventional sweeping-MEKC and MEKC method, the proposed method shows higher enrichment efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a method for calculating the envelope of the swept surface of a solid along a path in three-dimensional space. The generator of the swept surface is a trivariate tensorproduct B`ezier solid and the path is a non-uniform rational B-spline curve. The boundary surface of the solid is the combination of parametric surfaces and an implicit surface where the determinant of the Jacobian of the defining function is zero. We define methods to calculate the envelope for each type of boundary surface, defining characteristic curves on the envelope and connecting them with triangle strips. The envelope of the swept solid is then calculated by taking the union of the envelopes of the family of boundary surfaces, defined by the surface of the solid in motion along the path.

Background: The optimal approach at treating infected biliary stents at the time of cholangitis remains unknown. This study aims to compare the efficacy of stent exchange versus stent sweeping/stent-in-stent approaches at treating cholangitis.Methods: The study was a retrospective cohort study. Patients with biliary stents and cholangitis were included. Outcomes were rate of recurrent cholangitis and time to recurrent cholangitis in those whose stents were left in place (stent sweeping and stent-in-stent) compared to those whose stents were removed (stent exchange). Primary analysis included patients with metal biliary stents only. Secondary analysis included those with metal and plastic biliary stents.Results: A total of 182 patients (age 64 ± 12;89 F) with a metal biliary stent(s) at index cholangitis were included. Of these, 40 (22%) had stents removed, i.e., stent exchange. The remaining 142 (78%) did not have stent removal (97 with stent-in-stent and 45 with stent sweeping). Recurrent cholangitis occurred in 22.5% and 42.3% in the stent removal and non-removal groups, respectively (p = 0.02). Stent removal remained a negative predictor of recurrent cholangitis after controlling for age, sex, history of diabetes, and chemotherapy (OR 0.39, p = 0.03). Median time from index cholangitis to recurrent cholangitis was shorter for patients whose stents were not removed compared to those whose stents were removed (182 vs 450 days, p = 0.011). On Cox regression model, stent removal remained a negative predictor of recurrent cholangitis after controlling for age, sex, history of diabetes, and chemotherapy (HR 0.41, p = 0.01). The findings persisted in the secondary analysis including both metal and plastic biliary stents (303 patients).Conclusion: Biliary stent removal with stent exchange at the time of cholangitis appears to be more effective at preventing recurrent cholangitis than leaving an infected stent in the biliary system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Identifying and localizing the invisible and nonpalpable pulmonary nodules are among the main challenges surgeons face during open and thoracoscopic surgeries. This in vitro study explores the feasibility of utilizing a simple and safe electrical bioimpedance probe in locating the pulmonary nodules by sweeping the surface of the lung tissue. Methods: A probe was designed with four spherical electrodes that were used for recording the bioimpedance spectrum of the lung tissue in a frequency range of 50 kHz to 5 MHz. In each of the 10 resected surgical specimens, the bioimpedance of normal lung tissue as well as the tumoral lung tissue were recorded and compared with each other. Results: By drawing the Nyquist curves, it was determined that the amplitude of the electrical impedance measured by moving the probe from the healthy point to the region of the pulmonary nodule decreases and the frequency characteristics of the bioimpedance spectrum increases. Conclusion: This method could be potentially beneficial in the localization of invisible and even nonpalpable in-depth pulmonary nodules in thoracic surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we provide results for the search number of the Cartesian product of graphs. We consider graphs on opposing ends of the spectrum: paths and cliques. Our main result determines the pathwidth of the product of cliques and provides a lower bound for the search number of the product of cliques. A consequence of this result is a bound for the search number of the product of arbitrary graphs G and H based on their respective clique numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sport of curling is played on an ice surface with raised ice pebbles and uses curling rocks made of granite. The effect of sweeping is thought to straighten the rock’s projected curved path and increase the distance travelled. Recent anecdotes suggest that sweeping from the center of the running surface with the direction of rotation and curl is thought to increase the amount of curl, whereas sweeping against and opposite the curl is thought to decrease the amount of curl. The purpose of this study is to observe the topography of the ice surface while comparing scratch measurements from different broom materials. Nine conditions were replicated: nipped pebble, rock traversing the ice, and seven broom conditions. Replicas of the ice were created with vinyl polysiloxane and observed with an optical microscope. Roughness profiles of the replicas were measured, and broom materials were compared using data from an optical profiler.

Road-deposited sediments (RDS) on an expressway, residual RDS collected after sweeping, and RDS removed by means of sweeping were analyzed to evaluate the degree to which sweeping removed various non-point source contaminants. The total RDS load was 393.1 ± 80.3 kg/km and the RDS, residual RDS, and swept RDS were all highly polluted with organics, nutrients, and metals. Among the metals studied, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Ca, and Fe were significantly enriched, and most of the contaminants were associated with particles within the size range from 63 μm to 2 mm. Sweeping reduced RDS and its associated contaminants by 33.3-49.1% on average. We also measured the biological oxygen demand (BOD) of RDS in the present work, representing to our knowledge the first time that this has been done; we found that RDS contains a significant amount of biodegradable organics and that the reduction of BOD by sweeping was higher than that of other contaminants. Significant correlations were found between the contaminants measured, indicating that the organics and the metals originated from both exhaust and non-exhaust particles. Meanwhile, the concentrations of Cu and Ni were higher in 63 μm-2 mm particles than in smaller particles, suggesting that some metals in RDS likely exist intrinsically in particles, rather than only as adsorbates on particle surfaces. Overall, the results in this study showed that sweeping to collect RDS can be a good alternative for reduction of contaminants in runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solving time-harmonic wave propagation problems by iterative methods is a difficult task, and over the last two decades an important research effort has gone into developing preconditioners for the simplest representative of such wave propagation problems, the Helmholtz equation. A specific class of these new preconditioners is considered here. They were developed by researchers with various backgrounds using formulations and notations that are very different, and all are among the most promising preconditioners for the Helmholtz equation. The goal of the present article is to show that this class of preconditioners is based on a common mathematical principle, and that they can all be formulated in the context of domain decomposition methods known as optimized Schwarz methods. This common formulation allows us to explain in detail how and why all these methods work. The domain decomposition formulation also allows us to avoid technicalities in the implementation description we give of these recent methods. The equivalence of these methods with optimized Schwarz methods translates at the discrete level into equivalence with approximate block LU decomposition preconditioners, and in each case we give the algebraic version, including a detailed description of the approximations used. While we choose to use the Helmholtz equation for which these methods were developed, our notation is completely general and the algorithms we give are written for an arbitrary second-order elliptic operator. The algebraic versions are even more general, assuming only a connectivity pattern in the discretization matrix. All the new methods studied here are based on sequential decomposition of the problem in space into a sequence of subproblems, and they have in their optimal form the property to lead to nilpotent iterations, like an exact block LU factorization. Using our domain decomposition formulation, we finally present an algorithm for two-dimensional decompositions, i.e., decompositions that contain cross points, which is still nilpotent in its optimal form. Its approximation is currently an active area of research, and it would have been difficult to discover such an algorithm without the domain decomposition framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The entrapment of fluid inside a groove is an important topic of research from past few decades. In many engineering applications, it is seen that the droplet is displaced under the action of gravitational force on one of the wetted grooved wall of a rectangular three-dimensional channel. It is reported in literature that the entrapment of droplet fluid inside groove is undesirable in various applications. Thus, the present study deals with the method of sweeping out the entrapped fluid inside the groove by the displacement of a large size three-dimensional immiscible droplet under gravity. To analyze this problem, a three-dimensional lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used and Shan–Chen (S-C) model has been implemented to incorporate multiphase-multicomponent flow. The present problem deals with the single grooved wetted wall of a rectangular three-dimensional channel. The wettability of the groove surface is considered as uniform hydrophobic in two different cases, whereas the wettability of the three-dimensional channel wall outside of the groove is considered as uniform hydrophilic. The analysis shows that the sweeping of entrapped fluid out of the groove largely depends on the capillary number and groove dimensions. It is also observed that sweeping of entrapped fluid takes place only for uniform hydrophobic surface of the groove with contact angle equal to 118°. In case of hydrophobic surface with contact angle equal to 90°, the large size droplet completely trapped inside the groove and does not able to sweep out the previously entrapped fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an automatic method for identifying thin-sheet regions (regions with large lateral dimensions relative to the thickness) for complex thin-walled components, with a view to using this information to guide the hexahedral (hex) meshing process. This fully automated method has been implemented in a commercial CAD system (Siemens NX) and is based on the interrogation and manipulation of face pairs, which are sets of opposing faces bounding potential thin-sheet regions. Careful consideration is given to the mapping, merging and intersection of face pairs to generate topologies suitable for sweep meshing the thin-sheet regions, and for treating the junctions between adjacent thin-sheet regions. It is proposed that hex meshes be applied to thin-sheet regions by quad meshing one of the faces bounding the thin-sheet region and sweeping it through the thickness to create hex elements. Decisions on the generation and positioning of the cutting surfaces required to isolate thin-sheet regions are made by considering the likely impact on the quality of the resulting mesh. The method delivers a substantial step towards automatic hex meshing for complex thin-walled geometries. A significant reduction of the degrees of freedom (DOF) can be achieved by applying anisotropic hex elements to the identified thin-sheet regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid, simple, and effective method has been developed for the determination of seven triazine herbicides (terbutryn, prometryn, ametryn, prometon, propazine, atrazine, simazine) by coupling off-line hollow fiber liquid liquid liquid microextraction (HF-LLLME) with on-line sweeping micellar electrokinetic chromatography (sweeping-MEKC). In HF-LLLME, seven target triazines in hydrophobic form were extracted from the sample solution into decane impregnated in the pores of the hollow fiber, and then back-extracted into 1 mol L −1 H 3 PO 4 inside the hollow fiber lumen. Then, the pH of acceptor phase was adjusted with 1 μL 1 mol L −1 NaOH for subsequent sweeping-MEKC analysis. In the sweeping-MEKC process, seven triazines were separated in about 16 min with a background electrolyte (BGE) consisting of 92 mmol L −1 phosphate, 40 mmol L −1 SDS and 15% (v/v) 1-propanol (pH = 2.6). The hydrodynamic injection was performed at 50 mbar for 250 s. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection were in the range of 0.07–0.69 µg L −1 with enrichment factors of 3100–10000-fold for target triazines, with a dynamic linear range of 0.3/2–100 µg L −1 . The developed method exhibited excellent clean-up capability as well as high enrichment factors and was successfully applied to the analysis of target triazines in environmental water, honey and tomato samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to enrich the studies on the arthropodological diversity of two regions of the Algerian Septentrional Est Sahara, Ouargla and Oued Souf. The inventory of arthropods was carried out by the sweep net method in six phoenicultural gardens in the study areas. We have applied three times 10 bites of the sweeping net on 5 m² of surface, once a month between September 2014 and August 2015. The total wealth is 120 species distributed between 2 classes, 14 orders and 71 families. The class Insecta is the most represented (AR (%) = 92.86 to 99.71%) in which the order Orthoptera dominates in Ouargla (AR(%) = 35.7% to 23.1%). %) while tte one of Heteroptera dominates in Oued Souf (AR (%) = 39.23%). The Shannon-Weaver Diversity Index values range from 3.48 to 5.32 bits in both study regions. The use of the similarity quotient shows that the neareststations (situated in the same region) are more identical than those with almost identical maintenance conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new version of dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, namely, cyclodextrin‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, with subsequent sweeping micellar electrokinetic chromatography has been developed for the preconcentration and sensitive detection of carbamazepine and clobazam. α‐Cyclodextrin and chloroform were used as the dispersive agent and extraction solvent, respectively. After the extraction, carbamazepine and clobazam were analyzed using micellar electrokinetic chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The detection sensitivity was further enhanced using the sweeping technique. Under optimal extraction and stacking conditions, the calibration curves of carbamazepine and clobazam were linear over a concentration range of 2.0–200.0 ng/mL. The method detection limits at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 were 0.6 and 0.5 ng/mL with sensitivity enhancement factors of 3575 and 4675 for carbamazepine and clobazam, respectively. This developed method demonstrated high sensitivity enhancement factors and was successfully applied to the determination of carbamazepine and clobazam in human urine samples. The precision and accuracy for urine samples were less than 4.2 and 6.9%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nanomolar concentration detection for EAAs labelled with FITC by sweeping NMEKC-LIF. • New solutions for the optimization of FITC-labelled EAAs derivatization conditions including DMSO as FITC solvent. • Enhancement of analyte signals through the sweeping using neutral micelles. • Electrophoretic quantification of free essential amino acids in supplements containing spirulina. A rapid and effective method of nonionic micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection and sweeping as an online preconcentration method was developed for the simultaneous determination of free essential amino acids in supplement formulations. The analytes were derivatized using fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer I dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide. Optimal separation conditions were achieved using an uncoated fused silica capillary (40.0 cm effective length, 50.2 cm total length, 50 µm internal diameter), 20 mM Na 2 B 4 O 7 , (pH 9.3), 50 mM Brij-35, and 15% (v v-1) methanol as running buffer. Complete separation of all analytes was achieved within 15 min. The optimized method exhibited good linearity (r2 > 0.997), acceptable precision (1.3 – 12.4%), and accuracy (88 – 112%) in concentration range 20 – 1000 ng mL−1. The limit of detection was 6 ng mL−1. The method successfully determined the quantity of free essential amino acids in a dietary supplement containing spirulina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to produce an inventory of the parasitoid Hymenoptera for the Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, using the vegetation sweep method. Between September 2009 the October 2010, 6,489 exemplars were collected, belonging to eight superfamilies and 24 families. Eulophidae, Braconidae, Platygastridae, Pteromalidae and Encyrtidae were the families with the highest relative abundance, being responsible for 18.6%, 18.5%, 15.8%, 10.3%, and 9.8% the total number of collected, respectively. Nineteen families combined contributed less than 4% of the sample. The greatest diversity occurred at sample points located on the base of the Chapadão da Canastra, influenced, probably, by the phytophysiognomic gradient in this region. A similarity analysis this study with other surveys of parasitoid wasps in the Cerrado, besides a preliminary table of Pimplinae (Ichneumonidae) genus is presented. Composição de Famílias de Vespas Parasitoides no Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais, Brasil Resumo. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a composição faunística de Hymenoptera parasitoide do Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, utilizando o método de varredura de vegetação. Foram coletadas no período de setembro de 2009 a outubro de 2010, um total de 6.489 exemplares, pertencentes a oito superfamílias e 24 famílias. Eulophidae, Braconidae, Platygastridae, Pteromalidae, Encyrtidae foram às famílias com a maior abundância relativa, sendo responsáveis por 18,6%, 18,5%, 15,8%, 10,3% e 9,8% do número total coletado, respectivamente. Dezenove famílias combinadas tiveram abundancia menor que 4%. As maiores diversidades foram observadas nos pontos localizados na base do chapadão da Canastra, influenciadas, provavelmente, pelo gradiente fitofisionômico desta região. Uma análise de similaridade entre este estudo com outros inventários de vespas parasitoides no Cerrado, além de uma tabela preliminar de gêneros de Pimplinae (Ichneumonidae) é apresentada.