PSS5 RESTOR® VERSUS ACRILISA® : ND-YAG LASER INCIDENCE RATE COMPARISON 18 MONTHS AFTER SURGERY

Digitalitzat per Artypla

Rock and stiff-Soil site amplification: Dependency on VS30 and Kappa (κ0)

A ground‐motion prediction equation (GMPE) specific to rock and stiff‐soil sites is derived using seismic motion recorded on high VS30 sites in Japan. This GMPE applies to events with 4.5≤Mw≤6.9 and VS30 ranging from 500 to 1500  m/s (stiff‐soil to rock sites). The empirical site coefficients obtained and the comparison with the simulated site functions show that seismic motion on rock and stiff‐soil sites does not depend only on VS30, but also on the high‐frequency attenuation site properties (κ0). The effects of the site‐specific κ0 on site amplification are analyzed using stochastic simulations, with the need to take into account both of these parameters for rock‐site adjustments. Adding the site‐specific κ0 into the GMPEs thus appears to be essential in future work. The rock‐site stochastic ground‐motion simulations show that the site‐specific κ0 controls the frequency corresponding to the maximum response spectral acceleration (famp1). This observation is used to link the peak of the response spectral shape to κ0 in this specific Japanese dataset and then to add the effects of high‐frequency attenuation into the previous GMPE from the peak ground acceleration and up to periods of 0.2 s. The inclusion of κ0 allows the observed bias to be corrected for the intraevent residuals and thus reduces sigma. However, this κ0 determination is limited to a minimum number of rock‐site records with Mw≥4.5 and to distances of less than 50 km

Elucidating the Influence of the Activation Energy on Reaction Rates by Simulations Based on a Simple Particle Model

An application for visualizing the dynamic properties of an equimolar binary mixture of isotropic reactive particles is presented. By introducing a user selectable choice for the activation energy, the application is useful to demonstrate qualitatively that the reaction rate depends on the above choice and on temperature. The application is based on a 2D realistic dynamic model where atoms move because of their thermal energies and the trajectories are determined by solving numerically Newton’s laws according to a Molecular Dynamics (MD) scheme. Collisions are monitored as time progresses, and every time the collision energy is larger than the selected activation energy, a reactive event occurs. By examining the time evolution of the configurations, it is possible to observe that the number of reactive collisions is always smaller than the total number of collisions. However, the number of reactive events increases on raising the temperature and/or by decreasing the activation energy. The above observations, as well as more quantitative analyses of the simulation data, are useful in elucidating the connections existing among particle kinetic energy, temperature, and activation energy of the reaction. The application can be used at different levels of detail and in different instruction levels. Qualitative visual observations of the progress of the reaction are suitable at all levels of instruction. Systematic investigations on the effect of changes of temperature and activation energy, suitable for senior high school and college courses and useful to gain insight into kinetic models and Arrhenius’ law, are also reported

Together, yet still not equal? Sex integration in equestrian sport

Sex segregation is a core organising principle of most modern sports and is a key element in the marginalisation and subordination of girls and women in sport and beyond. In this article I explore the only Olympic-level sport which is not organised around sex segregation – equestrian sport – in order to consider the implications of sex integration for female participants. I draw on a study conducted on elite riders that found that although sex integration in equestrian sport does not lead to female participants being excluded from high-level competition, men continue to perform disproportionately well. This suggests that although sex integration may be an important step towards breaking down gender hierarchies in sport, without accompanying wider changes in gender norms and expectations, sex integration alone will not be enough to achieve greater gender equality in equestrian sport

Mapping Non-Destructive Testing Data on the 3D Geometry of Objects with Complex Shapes

Abstract This paper presents an approach for measuring the geometry of objects with complex shapes with a 3D camera and, at the same time, collecting surface and subsurface information that is then mapped onto the geometry in good spatial alignment. Subsurface information can be captured with infrared thermography or ultrasonic probes. The approach can thus allow non-destructive testing procedures to be used for detecting, locating and measuring the size, shape and depth of undersurface defects of an object and to map these defects, and potentially other information such as reflectance or color, onto the geometric model of the object. Motivation In a long-term monitoring context, the inspection of objects with complex geometries using non-destructive techniques such as thermal infrared imaging or phased array ultrasound sensing implies that the undersurface structure of the object to be observed is in good registration with the 3D object geometry. This paper presents an approach for measuring the geometry of objects with complex shapes using a handheld 3D scanner and for collecting subsurface information, in this case thermal images or ultrasonic recording, in registration with the captured object geometry. An important step leading to accurate registration of thermal and geometric data is the calibration of the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the pinhole camera model used to model the infrared camera. Intrinsic parameters describe "internal" properties of the camera such as focal length, principal point, radial/tangential distortion, etc. Extrinsic parameters describe the position and orientation (i.e. the pose) of the pinhole in a global reference frame (often called the "world" reference frame). Once calibration is complete, the "storage" of thermal data in the 3D map can be achieved with the help of a motion tracking system. The paper is organized as follows. The experimental setup and the various instruments used for the experiments are described in Section 2. Second, the model that was adopted for describing image formation by the thermal infrared camera is described briefly in Section 3. Then, the procedure for calibrating the pinhole modelling the infrared camera is described in detail and validation experiments are presented and discussed in Section 4. Section 5 explains the procedure that is adopted for acquiring and registering 3D and thermal data. Experimental results are presented. Section 6 presents an extension of the thermal mapping approach to the case of phased array ultrasound data. Finally, conclusion and perspectives of future work are given in Section 7. Experimental setup and description of the instruments The motion tracking system provides accurate estimates of the pose of the object and of the camera case in the world reference frame through frame transformation matrices TVB and TVC respectively. Transform TPH-B between the reference frame of the pinhole, OPH, and the reference frame of the calibration target, OB, is estimated according to the procedure described in Section 4. Transform TC-PH between the reference frame of the camera case (OC) and the reference of the pinhole (OPH) is computed from the other transforms. There is no need to estimate the frame transformation between the handheld scanner and the motion tracking system or the transform between the scanner and the object/scene since this is taken care of automatically by the scanner which positions itself with respect to the markers installed on the object/scene. The thermal camera used for the experiments is a Jenoptik IR-TCM 384 with the specifications listed i

Selection of suitable reference genes for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in human meningiomas and arachnoidea

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>At first 32 housekeeping genes were analyzed in six randomly chosen meningiomas, brain and dura mater using geNorm, NormFinder, Bestkeeper-1 software and the comparative ΔCt method. Reference genes were ranked according to an integration tool for analyzing reference genes expression based on those four algorithms. Eight highest ranked reference genes (CASC3, EIF2B1, IPO8, MRPL19, PGK1, POP4, PPIA, and RPL37A) plus GAPDH and ACTB were then analyzed in 35 meningiomas, arachnoidea, dura mater and normal brain. NormFinder and Bestkeeper-1 identified RPL37A as the most stable expressed gene in meningiomas and their normal control tissue. NormFinder also determined the best combination of genes: RPL37A and EIF2B1. Commonly used reference genes GAPDH and ACTB were considered least stable genes. The critical influence of reference genes on qPCR data analysis is shown for VEGFA transcription patterns.</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In meningiomas quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is most frequently used for accurate determination of gene expression using various reference genes. Although meningiomas are a heterogeneous group of tissue, no data have been reported to validate reference genes for meningiomas and their control tissues.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>RPL37A is the optimal single reference gene for normalization of gene expression in meningiomas and their control tissues, although the use of the combination of RPL37A and EIF2B1 would provide more stable results.</p

Understanding Action and Adventure Sports Participation-An Ecological Dynamics Perspective.

Previous research has considered action and adventure sports using a variety of associated terms and definitions which has led to confusing discourse and contradictory research findings. Traditional narratives have typically considered participation exclusively as the pastime of young people with abnormal characteristics or personalities having unhealthy and pathological tendencies to take risks because of the need for thrill, excitement or an adrenaline 'rush'. Conversely, recent research has linked even the most extreme forms of action and adventure sports to positive physical and psychological health and well-being outcomes. Here, we argue that traditional frameworks have led to definitions, which, as currently used by researchers, ignore key elements constituting the essential merit of these sports. In this paper, we suggest that this lack of conceptual clarity in understanding cognitions, perception and action in action and adventure sports requires a comprehensive explanatory framework, ecological dynamics which considers person-environment interactions from a multidisciplinary perspective. Action and adventure sports can be fundamentally conceptualized as activities which flourish through creative exploration of novel movement experiences, continuously expanding and evolving beyond predetermined environmental, physical, psychological or sociocultural boundaries. The outcome is the emergence of a rich variety of participation styles and philosophical differences within and across activities. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (a) to point out some limitations of existing research on action and adventure sports; (b) based on key ideas from emerging research and an ecological dynamics approach, to propose a holistic multidisciplinary model for defining and understanding action and adventure sports that may better guide future research and practical implications

Derivation of consistent hard rock (1000<Vs<3000 m/s) GMPEs from surface and down-hole recordings: Analysis of KiK-net data

A key component in seismic hazard assessment is the estimation of ground motion for hard rock sites, either for applications to installations built on this site category, or as an input motion for site response computation. Empirical ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) are the traditional basis for estimating ground motion while VS30 is the basis to account for site conditions. As current GMPEs are poorly constrained for VS30 larger than 1000 m/s, the presently used approach for estimating hazard on hard rock sites consists of “host-to-target” adjustment techniques based on VS30 and κ0 values. The present study investigates alternative methods on the basis of a KiK-net dataset corresponding to stiff and rocky sites with 500 < VS30 < 1350 m/s. The existence of sensor pairs (one at the surface and one in depth) and the availability of P- and S-wave velocity profiles allow deriving two “virtual” datasets associated to outcropping hard rock sites with VS in the range [1000, 3000] m/s with two independent corrections: 1/down-hole recordings modified from within motion to outcropping motion with a depth correction factor, 2/surface recordings deconvolved from their specific site response derived through 1D simulation. GMPEs with simple functional forms are then developed, including a VS30 site term. They lead to consistent and robust hard-rock motion estimates, which prove to be significantly lower than host-to-target adjustment predictions. The difference can reach a factor up to 3–4 beyond 5 Hz for very hard-rock, but decreases for decreasing frequency until vanishing below 2 Hz