568 research outputs found
Trivariate Burr-III copula with applications to income data
In this work, Bivariate Burr-III copula is extended to the trivariate case. This copula seems to be very general and analytically manageable and it provides an alternative to the commonly employed elliptical copulas (such as the Gaussian or the Stutent's t ones) since they have, roughly, the same number of parameters. Several applications to income and wine data are described in the paper. They show that the Trivariate Burr-III copula is, in general, able to capture the dependence structure implicit in observed trivariate data. Moreover, they show that the third-order interaction parameter results, in some cases, significant at 1\% 1 % significance level while, in other cases, it can be removed from the fitted model. The ability of the Trivariate Burr-III copula in representing the dependence structure implicit in the considered data is compared with the ones of other well known copulas: the Clayton copula, the t copula, and the Skew-t copula. It results that the Trivariate Burr-III copula provides a good fitting and turns out to be the best performer in fitting the considered wine data but, on income data, the best performers are the t and Skew-t copulas. The over-performance of the last two copulas on income data is probably due to their ability in representing right-tail dependence (a kind of dependence that is not taken into account by the Trivariate Burr-III copula)
A Quaternary Solution Model for White Micas Based on Natural Coexisting Phengite-Paragonite Pairs
A thermodynamic model for the quaternary white mica solid solution with end-members muscovite-Mg-celadonite-paragonite-Fe-celadonite (Ms-MgCel-Pg-FeCel) is presented. The interaction energies for the MgCel-Pg join, the FeCel-Pg join and the ternary interactions were obtained from natural coexisting phengite-paragonite pairs. Phengite-paragonite pairs were selected based on the criteria that their chemical compositions may be represented as a linear combination of the model end-member compositions and that the respective formation conditions (350-650°C, 4-21 kbar) are accurately known. Previously published excess free energy expressions were used for the Ms-Pg, Ms-MgCel and Ms-FeCel binaries. The suggested mixing model was tested by calculating multicomponent equilibrium phase diagrams. This proved to be particularly well suited to reproduce compositional variations of white micas from amphibolite-facies metapelite
Phase Relations and Chemical Composition of Phengite and Paragonite in Pelitic Schists During Decompression: a Case Study from the Monte Rosa Nappe and Camughera-Moncucco Unit, Western Alps
The metamorphic evolution of metapelites from the eastern part of the Monte Rosa nappe and the Camughera-Moncucco unit, both situated in the upper Penninic units SW of the Simplon line, were investigated using microstructural relationships and equilibrium phase diagrams. The units under consideration experienced pre-Alpine amphibolite-facies conditions and underwent a complex metamorphic evolution during the Alpine orogeny. Peak pressures during an early Alpine high-pressure stage of 12·5-16 kbar were similar in the Monte Rosa nappe and Camughera-Moncucco unit. A pronounced thermal gradient is indicated during decompression leading to an amphibolite-facies overprint, as the decompression paths went through the chlorite, biotite and plagioclase stability fields in most of the Monte Rosa nappe, through the staurolite field in the easternmost Monte Rosa nappe and in the Camughera-Moncucco unit, and through the sillimanite field in the easternmost Camughera-Moncucco unit. In high-Al metapelites the initial formation of staurolite is related to continuous paragonite breakdown and associated formation of biotite. In the course of this reaction phengite becomes successively sodium enriched. In low-Al metapelites, in contrast, the initial staurolite formation occurs via the continuous breakdown of sodium-rich phengite. In both low- and high-Al metapelites the largest volume of staurolite is formed during the continuous breakdown of sodium-rich phengite below P-T conditions of about 9·5 kbar at 600-650°C. During this reaction phengite becomes successively potassium enriched as sodium from phengite is used to form the albite component in plagioclase. For ‘normal' pelitic chemistries, phengite becomes Na enriched during decompression through the breakdown of paragonite along a near-isothermal decompression path. The Na content in phengite reaches its maximum when paragonite is entirely consumed. During further decompression the paragonite component in phengite decreases again because Na is preferentially incorporated into the albite component of plagioclas
Mineralogical and geochemical characterisation of open-air tailing and waste-rock dumps from the Libiola Fe-Cu sulphide mine (Eastern Liguria, Italy)
Active acid mine drainage (AMD) processes at
the Libiola Fe-Cu sulphides mine are mainly triggered by
water–rock interaction occurring within open-air tailing
and waste-rock dumps. These processes are mainly controlled
by exposure to weathering agents, the grain size of
the dumped materials, and by the quantity of sulphides, the
sulphide types, and their mode of occurrence. Due to these
factors, several paragenetic stages of evolution have been
recognised at different depths at different sites and within
the same site. The dump samples were investigated with
mineralogical (reflected- and transmitted-light optical
microscopy, XRPD, and SEM-EDS) and geochemical
(ICP-AES, Leco) techniques. The AMD evaluation of the
tailing and waste-rock samples was performed by calculating
the Maximum Potential Acidity, the Acid Neutralising
Capacity, (and the Net Acid Producing Potential. The
results allowed us to demonstrate that the open-air tailings
had already superseded their AMD apex and are now
practically inert material composed mainly of stable goethite
± lepidocrocite ± hematite assemblages. On the contrary,
the sulphide-rich waste rocks still have a strong
potential to produce long term AMD, causing the acidification
of circulating waters and the release of several
hazardous elements
Evidence for fine tuning of fermionic modes in lattice gluodynamics
We consider properties of zero and near-zero fermionic modes in lattice
gluodynamics. The modes are known to be sensitive to the topology of the
underlying gluonic fields in the quantum vacuum state of the gluodynamics. We
find evidence that these modes are fine tuned, that is exhibit sensitivity to
both physical (one can say, hadronic) scale and to the ultraviolet cutoff.
Namely, the density of the states is in physical units while the localization
volume of the modes tends to zero in physical units with the lattice spacing
tending to zero. We discuss briefly possible theoretical implications and also
include some general, review-type remarks.Comment: 7 pages, 7 eps figures, uses JETP Letters style (included);
substantial stylistic changes, discussions added, conclusions unchanged.
Supplementary materials and computer animations are available at
http://lattice.itep.ru/overla
Finger Burns Caused By Concentrated Hydrofluoric Acid, Treated With Intra-arterial Calcium Gluconate Infusion: Case Report [queimadura Digital Por ácido Fluorídrico Concentrado Tratada Com Infusão Intra-arterial De Gluconato De Cálcio: Relato De Caso]
Context: Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is widely used in industry and at home. Severe lesions can occur after contact with highly concentrated solutions, leading to tissue necrosis and bone destruction. Specific treatment is based on neutralization of fluoride ions with calcium or magnesium solutions. Case report: A 41-year-old male was seen at the emergency department 35 minutes after skin contact with 70% HF, showing whitened swollen lesions on the middle and fourth fingers of his right hand with severe pain starting immediately after contact. 2.5% calcium gluconate ointment was applied. Twenty-four hours later, the patient was still in severe pain and the lesions had worsened. Considering the high concentration of the solution, early start of severe pain, lesion characteristics and impossibility of administering calcium gluconate subcutaneously because of the lesion location, the radial artery was catheterized and 2% calcium gluconate was administered via infusion pump for 36 hours, until the pain subsided. No adverse effects were seen during the procedure. Ten days later, the lesions were stable, without bone abnormalities on X-rays. Six months later, a complete recovery was seen. Conclusions: Intra-arterial calcium gluconate might be considered for finger burns caused by concentrated HF. Complete recovery of wounded fingers can be achieved with this technique even if started 24 hours after the exposure. However, controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness and safety of this intervention.1276379381Anderson, W.J., Anderson, J.R., Hydrofluoric acid burns of the hand: Mechanism of injury and treatment (1988) J Hand Surg Am, 13 (1), pp. 52-57Sheridan, R.L., Ryan, C.M., Quinby Jr., W.C., Blair, J., Tompkins, R.G., Burke, J.F., Emergency management of major hydrofluoric acid exposures (1995) Burns, 21 (1), pp. 62-64Lin, T.M., Tsai, C.C., Lin, S.D., Lai, C.S., Continuous intra-arterial infusion therapy in hydrofluoric acid burns (2000) J Occup Environ Med, 42 (9), pp. 892-897Roblin, I., Urban, M., Flicoteau, D., Martin, C., Pradeau, D., Topical treatment of experimental hydrofluoric acid skin burns by 2.5% calcium gluconate (2006) J Burn Care Res, 27 (6), pp. 889-894Vance, M.V., Curry, S.C., Kunkel, D.B., Ryan, P.J., Ruggeri, S.B., Digital hydrofluoric acid burns: Treatment with intraarterial calcium infusion (1986) Ann Emerg Med, 15 (8), pp. 890-896Graudins, A., Burns, M.J., Aaron, C.K., Regional intravenous infusion of calcium gluconate for hydrofluoric acid burns of the upper extremity (1997) Ann Emerg Med, 30 (5), pp. 604-60
The HERMES Dual-Radiator Ring Imaging Cerenkov Detector
The construction and use of a dual radiator Ring Imaging Cerenkov(RICH)
detector is described. This instrument was developed for the HERMES experiment
at DESY which emphasizes measurements of semi-inclusive deep-inelastic
scattering. It provides particle identification for pions, kaons, and protons
in the momentum range from 2 to 15 GeV, which is essential to these studies.
The instrument uses two radiators, C4F10, a heavy fluorocarbon gas, and a wall
of silica aerogel tiles. The use of aerogel in a RICH detector has only
recently become possible with the development of clear, large homogeneous and
hydrophobic aerogel. A lightweight mirror was constructed using a newly
perfected technique to make resin-coated carbon-fiber surfaces of optical
quality. The photon detector consists of 1934 photomultiplier tubes for each
detector half, held in a soft steel matrix to provide shielding against the
residual field of the main spectrometer magnet.Comment: 25 pages, 23 figure
Volumetric Capnography For The Evaluation Of Chronic Airways Diseases
Background: Obstructive lung diseases of different etiologies present with progressive peripheral airway involvement. The peripheral airways, known as the silent lung zone, are not adequately evaluated with conventional function tests. The principle of gas washout has been used to detect pulmonary ventilation inhomogeneity and to estimate the location of the underlying disease process. Volumetric capnography (VC) analyzes the pattern of CO2elimination as a function of expired volume.Objective: To measure normalized phase 3 slopes with VC in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCB) and in bronchitic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in order to compare the slopes obtained for the groups.Methods: NCB and severe COPD were enrolled sequentially from an outpatient clinic (Hospital of the State University of Campinas). A control group was established for the NCB group, paired by sex and age. All subjects performed spirometry, VC, and the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Two comparisons were made: NCB group versus its control group, and NCB group versus COPD group. The project was approved by the ethical committee of the institution. Statistical tests used were Wilcoxon or Student’s t-test; P,0.05 was considered to be a statistically significant difference.Results: Concerning the NCB group (N=20) versus the control group (N=20), significant differences were found in body mass index and in several functional variables (spirometric, VC, 6MWT) with worse results observed in the NCB group. In the comparison between the COPD group (N=20) versus the NCB group, although patients with COPD had worse spirometric and 6MWT values, the capnographic variables mean phase 2 slope (Slp2), mean phase 3 slope normalized by the mean expiratory volume, or mean phase 3 slope normalized by the end-tidal CO2concentration were similar.Conclusion: These findings may indicate that the gas elimination curves are not sensitive enough to monitor the severity of structural abnormalities. 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Supporting Users in Cloud Plan Selection
Cloud computing is a key technology for outsourcing data and applications to external providers. The current cloud market offers a multitude of solutions (plans) differing from one another in terms of their characteristics. In this context, the selection of the right plan for outsourcing is of paramount importance for users wishing to move their data/applications to the cloud. The scientific community has then developed different models and tools for capturing users\u2019 requirements and evaluating candidate plans to determine the extent to which each of them satisfies such requirements. In this chapter, we illustrate some of the existing solutions proposed for cloud plan selection and for supporting users in the specification of their (crisp and/or fuzzy) needs
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