Estimating Phase Velocity and Attenuation of Guided Waves in Acoustic Logging Data

Phase velocity and attenuation of guided waves have been estimated from multireceiver, full waveform, acoustic logging data using the extended Prony's method. Since a formation affects velocity and attenuation, estimating these quantities is important in evaluating the formation properties. The estimation is performed using an array processing technique which requires two steps: (1) the traces for all receivers are transformed into the frequency domain, and (2) for each frequency the extended Prony's method is used to determine the presence of a guided wave propagating past the array of receivers. The guided wave properties estimated by the Prony's method include amplitude, attenuation, and phase change which is related to phase velocity. An important assumption in this array processing technique is that the formation, borehole fluid, and tool are homogeneous along the receiving array. For synthetic data, the phase velocities and attenuation of the tube wave and two modes of the pseudo-Rayleigh wave are accurately estimated over many frequencies, with the exception that the low amplitude of the second mode causes its attenuation estimate to be somewhat less accurate. For laboratory data, very good estimates of the phase velocities of the tube wave and three modes of the pseudo-Rayleigh wave are obtained. Since the materials used in the laboratory experiment had very large quality factors, the attenuation could not be estimated. For field data, the dispersion of the tube wave and the velocity of the pseudo-Rayleigh wave at its cutoff are very close to those predicted by another, independent method. Accurate attenuation estimates could not be made because the data are noisy and consist of only eight traces.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Full Waveform Acoustic Logging Consortiu

The gatekeeper: individual differences are key in the chain from perception to behaviour

A basic assumption in mainstream social cognition is that the path from perception to behaviour is often automatic and direct, as supported for example by several experimental studies showing that priming can lead directly to a congruent behaviour without any need of conscious awareness of the process. However, we argue that the priming of a goal or an object activates individual differences in automatic evaluations at the associative level that in turn are the key predictors of action (gatekeeper model). A study (n = 90) on the American stereotype is presented to support the model. The results show that individual differences of the American stereotype as assessed with the IAT predicts a relevant action (essay evaluation) but only under condition of priming. Broader implications for predictive validity of implicit measures are also discussed

Comparison of residual salivary fluoride retention using amine fluoride toothpastes in caries-free and caries-prone children.

This was to compare the salivary fluoride levels following tooth brushing with amine fluoride toothpastes containing three different concentrations of F (250 ppm F, 500 ppm F and 1250 ppm F) and to evaluate the effect of rinsing with water on the oral fluoride levels up to 90 min.A double blind randomised six-arm crossover study was conducted with 32 child participants. Patients were divided into two groups depending on their caries experience with caries-free group (n = 17, mean age = 72.9 months) and caries-prone group (n = 15, mean age = 69.6 months, mean dmfs = 12.3). Each participant brushed their teeth with a smear of dentifrice containing (250 ppm, 500 ppm and 1250 ppm F toothpastes) for 60 s. After spitting out the dentifrice/saliva slurry, participants either rinsed with water or did not rinse at all. Samples of whole mixed unstimulated saliva were collected at 0 (baseline), 1, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 mins post-brushing/rinsing.After completing the study on residual fluoride concentration it was found that caries was not a significant variable (p = 0.567) while every other variable was (all p values 1000 ppm F concentration in children with an increased caries risk in addition to spitting excess toothpaste with no rinsing following brushing

A Simulator Program for Evaluating and Improving the Nottingham Muse Architecture.

This paper describes the modelling and simulation of the Nottingham MUSE (MUltiple Stream Evaluator) machine. MUSE is a data flow machine capable of supporting structured parallel computation. The simulator described in this paper was designed to enable alterations, improvements and additions to be made to the prototype MUSE architecture. The stages through which the model has progressed, and the implementation details of this model as a program, are discussed. The validation experiments are explained, and future plans for alterations and modifications to the basic model are suggested

Perceptions of Texas Secondary Business Teachers of Their Undergraduate Training in Business Specialization Competencies

Occupational and Adult Educatio

Diet, functional performance and muscle quality of independent-living men and women aged 65-75 years

Age-related sarcopenia is a syndrome characterised by progressive decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength (von Haehling, Morley, & Anker, 2010). The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People recommends the measurement of muscle mass and function as means of diagnosing sarcopenia (Cruz-Jentoft et al., 2010) since sole focus on measurement of muscle mass may be of limited value. The age-associated loss of muscle strength (Dynapenia) cannot be only explained by reductions in muscle size since reductions in strength are more rapid than reductions in muscle (Clark & Manini, 2012). Cawthon et al. (2014) developed cut points for appendicular lean mass (ALM) that would identify individuals with clinically significant weakness taking into account both ALM and strength. Since sarcopenia is a multifaceted syndrome with potentially modifiable factors such as dietary intakes, the aim of this pilot study was to explore the interrelationships between dietary intakes, ALM, and strength. Twenty-five healthy older adults including both female (n=15, age: 68.8 ± 2.9 years) and male (n =10, age 69.5 ± 2.5 years) participants completed a 7-day diet diary before having their handgrip strength and body composition (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) measured. Males with ALM<19.75 kg and females with ALM<15.02 kg were defined as having low lean muscle mass, whilst cut points of <30 kg and <20 kg (Campbell & Vallis, 2014) were used to identify males and females with low strength. Participants received guidance on recording food and drink by household measures. Energy expenditure was calculated using the World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization equation (Frankenfield, Roth-Yousey, & Compher, 2005) for resting energy expenditure and an activity factor of 1.5. Forty percent (40%) of the females displayed low muscle strength while their male counterparts were all above the 30 kg cut point. ALM was 25.6±3.7 and 15.9±1.7 kg for males and females respectively. Twenty-seven percent (27%) of the females were below the cut point for low lean mass whilst males were all above the equivalent cut point. Energy intake (EI) was 1753±366 kcal for males and 1376±270 kcal for females corresponding to an EI deficit of 27.8±21.7 % and 27.7±6 % for males and females respectively. EI was significantly (P<0.05) lower than recommended EI. Protein intake was 0.97±0.3 g·kg·d-1 for the males and 0.95±0.2 g·kg·d-1 for the females representing 18.8±3.1 and 17.8±2.4 % of EI for males and females respectively. Our findings suggest that females in early retirement years are at greater risk of sarcopenia and dynapenia than their male counterparts. Inadequate energy intake and protein consumption which was below current research led recommendations of 20 % suggest that females may benefit from dietary interventions that would address energy and protein deficits. References Campbell, T. M., & Vallis, L. A. (2014). Predicting fat-free mass index and sarcopenia in assisted-living older adults. Age (Dordr), 36(4), 9674. doi: 10.1007/s11357-014-9674-8 Cawthon, P. M., Peters, K. W., Shardell, M. D., McLean, R. R., Dam, T.-T. L., Kenny, A. M., . . . Guralnik, J. M. (2014). Cutpoints for low appendicular lean mass that identify older adults with clinically significant weakness. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 69(5), 567-575. Clark, B. C., & Manini, T. M. (2012). What is dynapenia? Nutrition, 28(5), 495-503. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2011.12.002 Cruz-Jentoft, A. J., Baeyens, J. P., Bauer, J. M., Boirie, Y., Cederholm, T., Landi, F., . . . European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older, P. (2010). Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis: Report of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Age Ageing, 39(4), 412-423. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afq034 Frankenfield, D., Roth-Yousey, L., & Compher, C. (2005). Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc, 105(5), 775-789. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2005.02.005 Morley, J. E. (2008). Sarcopenia: diagnosis and treatment. J Nutr Health Aging, 12(7), 452-456. von Haehling, S., Morley, J. E., & Anker, S. D. (2010). An overview of sarcopenia: facts and numbers on prevalence and clinical impact. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle, 1(2), 129-133. doi: 10.1007/s13539-010-0014-

Mouth rinsing with a sweet solution increases energy expenditure and decreases appetite during 60 minutes of self-regulated walking exercise

Carbohydrate mouth rinsing can improve endurance exercise performance and is most ergogenic when exercise is completed in the fasted state. This strategy may also be beneficial to increase exercise capacity and the energy deficit achieved during moderate intensity exercise relevant to weight control when performed after an overnight fast. Eighteen healthy men (mean(SD); age 23(4)years, body mass index 23.1(2.4)kg.m-2 ) completed a familiarisation trial and three experimental trials. After an overnight fast, participants performed 60-minutes of treadmill walking at a speed that equated to a rating of perceived exertion of 13 (“fairly hard”). Participants manually adjusted the treadmill speed to maintain this exertion. Mouth rinses for the experimental trials contained either a 6.4% maltodextrin solution with sweetener (CHO), a taste-matched placebo (PLA) or water (WAT). Appetite ratings were collected using visual analogue scales and exercise energy expenditure and substrate oxidation were calculated from online gas analysis. Increased walking distance during CHO and PLA induced greater energy expenditure compared with WAT (mean difference (90% CI); 79(60)kJ; P=0.035; d=0.24 and 90(63)kJ; P=0.024; d=0.27, respectively). Appetite area under the curve was lower in CHO and PLA than WAT (8(6)mm; P=0.042; d=0.43 and 6(8)mm; P=0.201; d=0.32, respectively). Carbohydrate oxidation was higher in CHO than PLA and WAT (7.3(6.7)g; P=0.078; d=0.47 and 10.1(6.5)g; P=0.015; d=0.81, respectively). This study provides novel evidence that mouth rinsing with a sweetened solution may promote a greater energy deficit during moderate exertion walking exercise by increasing energy expenditure and decreasing appetite. A placebo effect may have contributed to these benefits

Intestinal Preparation Techniques for Histological Analysis in the Mouse

The murine intestinal tract represents a difficult organ system to study due to its long convoluted tubular structure, narrow diameter, and delicate mucosa which undergoes rapid changes after sampling prior to fixation. These features do not make for easy histological analysis as rapid fixation in situ, or after simple removal without careful dissection, results in poor postfixation tissue handling and limited options for high quality histological sections. Collecting meaningful quantitative data by analysis of this tissue is further complicated by the anatomical changes in structure along its length. This article describes two methods of intestinal sampling at necropsy that allow systematic histological analysis of the entire intestinal tract, either through examination of cross sections (circumferences) by the gut bundling technique or longitudinal sections by the adapted Swiss roll technique, together with basic methods for data collection