A new method of measuring alcohol clusters in polyimide membrane: combination of inverse gas chromatography with equilibrium swelling

A new method of measuring the mean size of solvent clusters in swollen polymer membrane is presented in this paper. This method is based on a combination of inverse gas chromatography (IGC) and equilibrium swelling. The mechanism is that weight fraction activity coefficient of solvent in swollen polymer is influenced by its clusters size. The mean clusters size of solvent in swollen polymer can be calculated as the quotient of the weight fraction activity coefficient of clustering system dividing the weigh fraction activity coefficient of non-clustering system. In this experiment, the weigh fraction activity coefficient of non-clustering system was measured with IGC. Methanol, ethanol and polyimide systems were tested with the new method at three temperatures, 20, 40, and 60degreesC. The mean clusters size of methanol in polyimide was five, four, and three at each temperature condition, respectively. Ethanol did not form clusters (the mean clusters size was one). In contrast to the inherent narrow temperature range in DSC, XRD, and FTIR methods, the temperature range in IGC and equilibrium swelling is broad. Compared with DSC. XRD. and FTIR, this new method can detect the clusters of solvent-polymer system at higher temperature.

地震力对高架桥梁上轨道车辆的动态分析与安全性研究

The stability and derailment behavior analysis of railway vehicle system has been discussed by many papers in the past. In stability, give first place to consider hunting behavior of vehicle, therefore most of papers was only consider lateral and yaw motion, but vertical motion is the important factor in derailment behavior, and it will be quite effect in stability. We will probe the running stability and derailment behavior of railway vehicle moving on the viaduct in this paper. In this paper, we use Nadal’s formula to get the derailment quotient. In this paper, the railway vehicle is considered to be three subsystems, carbody, bogie and wheelset. There are secondary suspension systems between carbody and bogies, and primary suspension systems connecting bogies and wheelsets. A vehicle with vertical, lateral, roll, and yaw directions motion is considered to derive the mathematical equations. A vehicle with three-dimensional model has 16 degrees of freedom is used to develop the equations of train motion. In this study, results show that the track shift force and derailment factor increase with an increase of ground acceleration. But for the track shift force and derailment factor, the effects of track irregularities and train speed are very small. Key words: earthquake, railway vehicle, viaduct, derailment factor.

Egzystencjalna teoria umysłu. Konstrukcja narzędzia pomiarowego

Wydział Nauk Społecznych: Instytut Psychologii

Revoluções no fotojornalismo

Tese apresentada à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Doutor em Ciências da Informação, especialidade em Jornalismo

The effect of differences in methodology among some recent applications of shearing quotients.

A shearing quotient (SQ) is a way of quantitatively representing the Phase I shearing edges on a molar tooth. Ordinary or phylogenetic least squares regression is fit to data on log molar length (independent variable) and log sum of measured shearing crests (dependent variable). The derived linear equation is used to generate an 'expected' shearing crest length from molar length of included individuals or taxa. Following conversion of all variables to real space, the expected value is subtracted from the observed value for each individual or taxon. The result is then divided by the expected value and multiplied by 100. SQs have long been the metric of choice for assessing dietary adaptations in fossil primates. Not all studies using SQ have used the same tooth position or crests, nor have all computed regression equations using the same approach. Here we focus on re-analyzing the data of one recent study to investigate the magnitude of effects of variation in 1) shearing crest inclusion, and 2) details of the regression setup. We assess the significance of these effects by the degree to which they improve or degrade the association between computed SQs and diet categories. Though altering regression parameters for SQ calculation has a visible effect on plots, numerous iterations of statistical analyses vary surprisingly little in the success of the resulting variables for assigning taxa to dietary preference. This is promising for the comparability of patterns (if not casewise values) in SQ between studies. We suggest that differences in apparent dietary fidelity of recent studies are attributable principally to tooth position examined.

Synchrony between sensory and cognitive networks is associated with subclinical variation in autistic traits

© 2015 Young, Smith, Coutlee and Huettel.Individuals with autistic spectrum disorders exhibit distinct personality traits linked to attentional, social, and affective functions, and those traits are expressed with varying levels of severity in the neurotypical and subclinical population. Variation in autistic traits has been linked to reduced functional and structural connectivity (i.e., underconnectivity, or reduced synchrony) with neural networks modulated by attentional, social, and affective functions. Yet, it remains unclear whether reduced synchrony between these neural networks contributes to autistic traits. To investigate this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to record brain activation while neurotypical participants who varied in their subclinical scores on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) viewed alternating blocks of social and nonsocial stimuli (i.e., images of faces and of landscape scenes). We used independent component analysis (ICA) combined with a spatiotemporal regression to quantify synchrony between neural networks. Our results indicated that decreased synchrony between the executive control network (ECN) and a face-scene network (FSN) predicted higher scores on the AQ. This relationship was not explained by individual differences in head motion, preferences for faces, or personality variables related to social cognition. Our findings build on clinical reports by demonstrating that reduced synchrony between distinct neural networks contributes to a range of subclinical autistic traits.

Dietary inference from upper and lower molar morphology in platyrrhine primates.

The correlation between diet and dental topography is of importance to paleontologists seeking to diagnose ecological adaptations in extinct taxa. Although the subject is well represented in the literature, few studies directly compare methods or evaluate dietary signals conveyed by both upper and lower molars. Here, we address this gap in our knowledge by comparing the efficacy of three measures of functional morphology for classifying an ecologically diverse sample of thirteen medium- to large-bodied platyrrhines by diet category (e.g., folivore, frugivore, hard object feeder). We used Shearing Quotient (SQ), an index derived from linear measurements of molar cutting edges and two indices of crown surface topography, Occlusal Relief (OR) and Relief Index (RFI). Using SQ, OR, and RFI, individuals were then classified by dietary category using Discriminate Function Analysis. Both upper and lower molar variables produce high classification rates in assigning individuals to diet categories, but lower molars are consistently more successful. SQs yield the highest classification rates. RFI and OR generally perform above chance. Upper molar RFI has a success rate below the level of chance. Adding molar length enhances the discriminatory power for all variables. We conclude that upper molar SQs are useful for dietary reconstruction, especially when combined with body size information. Additionally, we find that among our sample of platyrrhines, SQ remains the strongest predictor of diet, while RFI is less useful at signaling dietary differences in absence of body size information. The study demonstrates new ways for inferring the diets of extinct platyrrhine primates when both upper and lower molars are available, or, for taxa known only from upper molars. The techniques are useful in reconstructing diet in stem representatives of anthropoid clade, who share key aspects of molar morphology with extant platyrrhines.

Interaction Effects of Light, Temperature and Nutrient Limitations (N, P and Si) on Growth, Stoichiometry and Photosynthetic Parameters of the Cold-Water Diatom Chaetoceros wighamii

Light (20-450 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1), temperature (3-11°C) and inorganic nutrient composition (nutrient replete and N, P and Si limitation) were manipulated to study their combined influence on growth, stoichiometry (C:N:P:Chl a) and primary production of the cold water diatom Chaetoceros wighamii. During exponential growth, the maximum growth rate (~0.8 d^-1) was observed at high temperture and light; at 3°C the growth rate was ~30% lower under similar light conditions. The interaction effect of light and temperature were clearly visible from growth and cellular stoichiometry. The average C:N:P molar ratio was 80:13:1 during exponential growth, but the range, due to different light acclimation, was widest at the lowest temperature, reaching very low C:P (~50) and N:P ratios (~8) at low light and temperature. The C:Chl a ratio had also a wider range at the lowest temperature during exponential growth, ranging 16-48 (weight ratio) at 3°C compared with 17-33 at 11°C. During exponential growth, there was no clear trend in the Chl a normalized, initial slope (α*) of the photosynthesis-irradiance (PE) curve, but the maximum photosynthetic production (P_m) was highest for cultures acclimated to the highest light and temperature. During the stationary growth phase, the stoichiometric relationship depended on the limiting nutrient, but with generally increasing C:N:P ratio. The average photosynthetic quotient (PQ) during exponential growth was 1.26 but decreased to <1 under nutrient and light limitation, probably due to photorespiration. The results clearly demonstrate that there are interaction effects between light, temperature and nutrient limitation, and the data suggests greater variability of key parameters at low temperature. Understanding these dynamics will be important for improving models of aquatic primary production and biogeochemical cycles in a warming climate.

K1 of Chevalley groups are nilpotent

Abstract Let F be a reduced irreducible root system and R be a commutative ring. Further, let G(F,R) be a Chevalley group of type F over R and E(F,R) be its elementary subgroup. We prove that if the rank of F is at least 2 and the Bass-Serre dimension of R is finite, then the quotient G(F,R)/E(F,R) is nilpotent by abelian. In particular, when G(F,R) is simply connected the quotient K1(F,R)=G(F,R)/E(F,R) is nilpotent. This result was previously established by Bak for the series A1 and by Hazrat for C1 and D1. As in the above papers we use the localisation-completion method of Bak, with some technical simplifications.

Psychological problems in children with hemiplegia: a European multicentre survey

Objective: To describe the prevalence and determinants of psychological problems in European children with hemiplegia. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Home visits in nine European regions by research associates who administered standard questionnaires to parents. Patients: 279 children with hemiplegia aged 8–12 years were recruited from population-based case registers. Outcome measure: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire comprising emotion, conduct, hyperactivity, peer problems and prosocial domains. An “impact score” (IS) measures the social and psychological impact of the child’s difficulties. Results: Children with hemiplegia had higher mean scores on the total difficulties score (TDS) compared with a normative sample (p<0.001). 48% and 57% of children, respectively, had borderline–abnormal TDS and IS. Significant, independent associations were observed between intellectual impairment and an increased risk for hyperactivity (odds ratio; OR 8.4, 95% CI 3.4 to 20.8), peer problems (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.7 to 5.5), psychological and social impact (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.6 to 5.6) when children with an intellectual quotient (IQ) <50 were compared with those with an IQ >70. Boys had an increased risk for conduct (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2 to 3.7) and hyperactivity disorders (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4 to 4.6). Poor self-esteem was associated with an increased risk for peer problems (OR 5.8, 95% CI 2.5 to 13.4) and poor prosocial skills (OR 7.5, 95% CI 2.4 to 23.2) compared with those with high self-esteem. Other determinants of psychological adjustment were impaired communication, severe pain and living with a single parent. Conclusions: Many of the psychological problems identified are amenable to treatment. Special attention should be given to those at highest risk of developing psychological difficulties.

SK1 of graded division algebras

The reduced Whitehead group $\SK$ of a graded division algebra graded by a torsion-free abelian group is studied. It is observed that the computations here are much more straightforward than in the non-graded setting. Bridges to the ungraded case are then established by the following two theorems: It is proved that $\SK$ of a tame valued division algebra over a henselian field coincides with $\SK$ of its associated graded division algebra. Furthermore, it is shown that $\SK$ of a graded division algebra is isomorphic to $\SK$ of its quotient division algebra. The first theorem gives the established formulas for the reduced Whitehead group of certain valued division algebras in a unified manner, whereas the latter theorem covers the stability of reduced Whitehead groups, and also describes $\SK$ for generic abelian crossed products.

Free and projective Banach lattices

We define and prove the existence of free Banach lattices in the category of Banach lattices and contractive lattice homomorphisms, and establish some of their fundamental properties. We give much more detailed results about their structure in the case when there are only a finite number of generators, and give several Banach lattice characterizations of the number of generators being, respectively, one, finite or countable. We define a Banach lattice P to be projective if, whenever X is a Banach lattice, J is a closed ideal in X, Q : X → X/J is the quotient map, T: P → X/J is a linear lattice homomorphism and ε > 0, there exists a linear lattice homomorphism : P → X such thatT = Q º and ∥∥ ≤ (1 + ε)∥T∥. We establish the connection between projective Banach lattices and free Banach lattices, describe several families of Banach lattices that are projective and prove that some are not.

Quotients, exactness, and nuclearity in the operator system category

We continue our study of tensor products in the operator system category. We define operator system quotients and exactness in this setting and refine the notion of nuclearity by studying operator systems that preserve various pairs of tensor products. One of our main goals is to relate these refinements of nuclearity to the Kirchberg conjecture. In particular, we prove that the Kirchberg conjecture is equivalent to the statement that every operator system that is (min,er)-nuclear is also (el,c)-nuclear. We show that operator system quotients are not always equal to the corresponding operator space quotients and then study exactness of various operator system tensor products for the operator system quotient. We prove that an operator system is exact for the min tensor product if and only if it is (min,el)-nuclear. We give many characterizations of operator systems that are (min,er)-nuclear, (el,c)-nuclear, (min,el)-nuclear and (el,max)-nuclear. These characterizations involve operator system analogues of various properties from the theory of C*-algebras and operator spaces, including the WEP and LLP.

Neuro developmental status at 1 year predicts neuropsychiatric outcome at 14-15 years of age in very preterm infants

Background: Neurodevelopmental and behavioural problems have been repeatedly reported in very preterm. survivors, often showing themselves later in childhood as poor school performance. Early identification of problems would mean that appropriate remedial therapy can be implemented. We have previously shown that neurodevelopmental status at 1 year was predictive of outcome at 8 years in a cohort of preterm. infants. The aim of this paper was to see if neurodevelopmental outcome in adolescence could be predicted by assessment by 1 year in the same cohort of pretem infants. Study design: Prospective cohort study. Subjects: 150 adolescents, born before 33 weeks gestation. Outcome measures: Neurological examination, developmental quotient, vision and hearing by 1 year. At 14-15 years, neurological examination, school performance questionnaire, Schonnell test of reading age, a premorbid adjustment score, Rutter behavioural score and for those born from 1981, cognitive tests (WISC-R). Results: A highly significant relationship existed between neurological status by 1 year and the need for extra educational provision, overall neurodevelopmental status, cognitive function in those that had their IQs measured and premorbid adjustment score of prepsychotic symptoms in adolescence. However, status at 1 year was not predictive of adolescent reading age or behavioural score. Conclusions: Neurodevelopmental assessment at 1 year ispredictive of school performance and outcome in the adolescent period. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Are systemizing and autistic traits related to talent and interest in mathematics and engineering? Testing some of the central claims of the empathizing-systemizing theory.

In two experiments, we tested some of the central claims of the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory. Experiment 1 showed that the systemizing quotient (SQ) was unrelated to performance on a mathematics test, although it was correlated with statistics-related attitudes, self-efficacy, and anxiety. In Experiment 2, systemizing skills, and gender differences in these skills, were more strongly related to spatial thinking styles than to SQ. In fact, when we partialled the effect of spatial thinking styles, SQ was no longer related to systemizing skills. Additionally, there was no relationship between the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the SQ, or skills and interest in mathematics and mechanical reasoning. We discuss the implications of our findings for the E-S theory, and for understanding the autistic cognitive profile.