Dual-PEEC Modeling of a Two-Port TEM Cell for VHF Applications

Two-port TEM cells with rectangular cross section are commonly used to produce plane electromagnetic waves with high electric field. The non-uniform structure makes the use of numerical methods extremely useful in the design phase in order to achieve a very good behavior of the TEM cell over a wide frequency range of operation. In this paper an extended version of PEEC is used to study a real device and results are compared with experimental ones

Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

The neural mechanisms subserving the processing of abstract concepts remain largely debated. Even within the embodiment theoretical framework, most authors suggest that abstract concepts are coded in a linguistic propositional format, although they do not completely deny the role of sensorimotor and emotional experiences in coding it. To our knowledge, only one recent proposal puts forward that the processing of concrete and abstract concepts relies on the same mechanisms, with the only difference being in the complexity of the underlying experiences. In this paper, we performed a meta-analysis using the Activation Likelihood Estimates (ALE) method on 33 functional neuroimaging studies that considered activations related to abstract and concrete concepts. The results suggest that (1) concrete and abstract concepts share the recruitment of the temporo-fronto-parietal circuits normally involved in the interactions with the physical world, (2) processing concrete concepts recruits fronto-parietal areas better than abstract concepts, and (3) abstract concepts recruit Broca’s region more strongly than concrete ones. Based on anatomical and physiological evidence, Broca’s region is not only a linguistic region mainly devoted to speech production, but it is endowed with complex motor representations of different biological effectors. Hence, we propose that the stronger recruitment of this region for abstract concepts is expression of the complex sensorimotor experiences underlying it, rather than evidence of a purely linguistic format of its processing

High-Dose Inactivated Influenza Vaccine is Associated with Cost Savings and Better Outcomes Compared to Standard-Dose Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in Canadian Seniors

Seasonal influenza infects approximately 10-20% of Canadians each year, causing an estimated 12,200 hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths annually, mostly occurring in adults ≥65 years old (seniors). A 32,000-participant, randomized controlled clinical trial (FIM12; Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01427309) showed that high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV-HD) is superior to standard-dose vaccine (SD) in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza illness in seniors. In this study, we performed a cost-utility analysis (CUA) of IIV-HD versus SD in FIM12 participants from a Canadian perspective. Healthcare resource utilization data collected in FIM12 included: medications, non-routine/urgent care and emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Unit costs were applied using standard Canadian cost sources to estimate the mean direct medical and societal costs associated with each vaccine (2014 CAD). Clinical illness data from the trial were mapped to quality-of-life data from the literature to estimate differences in effectiveness between vaccines. Time horizon was one influenza season, however, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) lost due to death during the study were captured over a lifetime. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) was also performed. Average per-participant medical costs were $47 lower and societal costs$60 lower in the IIV-HD arm. Hospitalizations contributed 91% of the total cost and were less frequent in the IIV-HD arm. IIV-HD provided a gain in QALYs and, due to cost savings, dominated SD in the CUA. The PSA indicated that IIV-HD is 89% likely to be cost saving. In Canada, IIV-HD is expected to be a less costly and more effective alternative to SD, driven by a reduction in hospitalizations

Modelling piezoelectric energy harvesters by a finite integration technique formulation for electromechanical coupled problems

A detailed analysis and optimization of piezoelectric devices, which nowadays are of widespread use in electronic applications, requires numerical analysis. Numerical models based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) have already been proposed in literature. The Finite Integration Technique (FIT) provides stable and consistent discretization schemes for coupled multiphysics problems. A FIT formulation with unstructured meshes, for 2-D/3-D coupled electromechanical static or dynamic problems, is presented. Piezoelectric bimorph cantilevers, with a realistic multilayered geometry, can be analyzed. Comparisons with FEM show the validity and the accuracy of the method

A diffusion model approach to analyzing performance on the flanker task: the role of the DLPFC

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) are involved in conflict detection and conflict resolution, respectively. Here, we investigate how lifelong bilingualism induces neuroplasticity to these structures by employing a novel analysis of behavioural performance. We correlated grey matter volume (GMV) in seniors reported by Abutalebi et al. (2015) with behavioral Flanker task performance fitted using the diffusion model (Ratcliff, 1978). As predicted, we observed significant correlations between GMV in the DLPFC and Flanker performance. However, for monolinguals the non-decision time parameter was significantly correlated with GMV in the left DLPFC, whereas for bilinguals the correlation was significant in the right DLPFC. We also found a significant correlation between age and GMV in left DLPFC and the non-decision time parameter for the conflict effect for monolinguals only. We submit that this is due to cumulative demands on cognitive control over a lifetime of bilingual language processin

Tephrochronology in faulted Middle Pleistocene tephra layer in the Val d’Agri area (Southern Italy)

The High Agri River Valley is a Quaternary Basin located along the hinge of the Southern Apennines fold-andthrust belt. The inner margin of the orogen has been affected by intense transtensional and normal faulting, which accompanied vigorous volcanism during the Quaternary. Marker tephra layers are distributed across the whole of Southern Italy and provide a powerful tool to constrain both the size of eruptions and the regional activity of extensional faults controlling basin evolution. Paleoseismological trenching within the Monti della Maddalena range, that borders the Agri River Valley to the south-west, has exposed a faulted stratigraphic sequence and recovered a 10 cm thick tephra layer involved in deformation. This is the first tephra horizon recognized in the high Agri Valley, which, based on the stratigraphic study of the trench, lies in a primary position. 40Ar/39Ar dating constrain its age to 266 ka and provide an important marker for the Middle Pleistocene tephrochronology of the region. Together with dating, geochemical analysis suggests a possible volcanic source in the Campanian region

Propriedades físico-hídricas e índice de qualidade dos solos no distrito de irrigação tabuleiros litorâneos do Piauí.

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi diagnosticar as propriedades físico-hídricas como granulometria, densidade do solo, água disponível às culturas, índice de degradação física dos solos, bem como os teores de matéria orgânica do Distrito de Irrigação Tabuleiros Litorâneos do Piauí, em Parnaíba, PI..