4,294 research outputs found
Harmonizing Software Standards with a Semantic Model
The application of standards in the software development process supports interoperability between systems. Maintenance of standards must be guaranteed on the organisational and technical level. The use of semantic technologies can contribute to the standard maintenance process by providing a harmonizing bridge between standards of different knowledge domains and languages and by providing a single point of administration for standard domain concepts. This paper describes a case study of the creation of a semantic layer between software standards for water management systems in The Netherland
Exploring stakeholders' perspectives on the quality of services provided through community pharmacies
Introduction - It is important to understand the factors impacting the quality of services provided through community pharmacies. Exploring how key stakeholders perceive good quality in these services is a logical first step. This could also inform the development of quality measures, such as quality indicators (QIs).
Aim - To identify key stakeholders' perspectives on the quality of services provided through community pharmacies in Norway, specifically by exploring their experiences and perceptions about what constitutes good service quality.
Methods - A convenient sampling approach was used to recruit participants for five semi-structured focus groups from Facebook, pharmacy chains, and patient organizations. The interviews with twenty-six participants were conducted via Microsoft Teams. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and an inductive thematic analysis with a reflexive approach was used.
Results - Four main themes emerged from the analysis; 1) sufficient and substantively suitable information to cover individual needs, 2) communication skills and relationships with the pharmacy professionals, 3) customer satisfaction with knowledgeable employees and conveniently located pharmacies, and 4) factors that affect the pharmacy working environment.
Conclusion - This study has identified areas that pharmacy professionals and customers regard as essential to define good quality of community pharmacy services. Effective communication skills, appropriate provision of information, customer satisfaction, and working environment are all essential factors when developing quality metrics for community pharmacies
Inhibition of soluble adenylyl cyclase (SAC) causes a robust increase in glycolysis in cultured astrocytes
A Micromegas-based low-background x-ray detector coupled to a slumped-glass telescope for axion research
We report on the design, construction and operation of a low background x-ray
detection line composed of a shielded Micromegas (micromesh gaseous structure)
detector of the microbulk technique. The detector is made from radiopure
materials and is placed at the focal point of a ~5 cm diameter, 1.3 m
focal-length, cone-approximation Wolter I x-ray telescope (XRT) comprised of
thermally-formed (or "slumped") glass substrates deposited with multilayer
coatings. The system has been conceived as a technological pathfinder for the
future International Axion Observatory (IAXO), as it combines two of the
techniques (optic and detector) proposed in the conceptual design of the
project. It is innovative for two reasons: it is the first time an x-ray optic
has been designed and fabricated specifically for axion research, and the first
time a Micromegas detector has been operated with an x-ray optic. The line has
been installed at one end of the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) magnet and
is currently looking for solar axions. The combination of the XRT and
Micromegas detector provides the best signal-to-noise ratio obtained so far by
any detection system of the CAST experiment with a background rate of
5.410counts per hour in the energy region-of-interest and
signal spot area.Comment: 21 pages, 16 figure
Low Background Micromegas in CAST
Solar axions could be converted into x-rays inside the strong magnetic field
of an axion helioscope, triggering the detection of this elusive particle. Low
background x-ray detectors are an essential component for the sensitivity of
these searches. We report on the latest developments of the Micromegas
detectors for the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST), including technological
pathfinder activities for the future International Axion Observatory (IAXO).
The use of low background techniques and the application of discrimination
algorithms based on the high granularity of the readout have led to background
levels below 10 counts/keV/cm/s, more than a factor 100 lower than
the first generation of Micromegas detectors. The best levels achieved at the
Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) are as low as 10
counts/keV/cm/s, showing good prospects for the application of this
technology in IAXO. The current background model, based on underground and
surface measurements, is presented, as well as the strategies to further reduce
the background level. Finally, we will describe the R&D paths to achieve
sub-keV energy thresholds, which could broaden the physics case of axion
helioscopes.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Large TPC Conference 2014, Pari
Emergence of Order in Textured Patterns
A characterization of textured patterns, referred to as the disorder function
\bar\delta(\beta), is used to study properties of patterns generated in the
Swift-Hohenberg equation (SHE). It is shown to be an intensive,
configuration-independent measure. The evolution of random initial states under
the SHE exhibits two stages of relaxation. The initial phase, where local
striped domains emerge from a noisy background, is quantified by a power law
decay \bar\delta(\beta) \sim t^{-{1/2} \beta}. Beyond a sharp transition a
slower power law decay of \bar\delta(\beta), which corresponds to the
coarsening of striped domains, is observed. The transition between the phases
advances as the system is driven further from the onset of patterns, and
suitable scaling of time and \bar\delta(\beta) leads to the collapse of
distinct curves. The decay of during the initial phase
remains unchanged when nonvariational terms are added to the underlying
equations, suggesting the possibility of observing it in experimental systems.
In contrast, the rate of relaxation during domain coarsening increases with the
coefficient of the nonvariational term.Comment: 9 Pages, 8 Postscript Figures, 3 gif Figure
Demonstrations of maternal effects of Atlantic cod: combining the use of unique mesocosm and novel molecular techniques - a new EU-project
One of the effects of fishing is a reduction in average age and size in exploited fish stocks,
leading to an increasing proportion of recruit spawners in the stock. Current management practice assumes equal viability of offspring from first time spawners and from repeat
spawners, despite the fact that that first time spawners often produce smaller eggs than older
spawners. The aim of this EU-project is to follow offspring from families of first time
spawning and older cod, reared under identical and semi-natural conditions in marine
enclosures (mesocosms). The parental origin of the larvae is identified using microsatellite
DNA methodology. The advantage of this approach, compared to traditional laboratory
rearing, is that rearing conditions are close to natural conditions, and all larvae are reared in the same environment. This eliminates the tank-to-tank variability often observed in
traditional rearing experiments. The fish are reared from hatching, through the larval and
juvenile stages, until sexual maturity. Growth rates, survival and nutritional condition will be measured using methods such as RNA/DNA ratio and otolith micro increment analysis. The
results will be related to parental origin and quality measures of the eggs. It is intended to
incorporate the results into management models for improvement of fishery management strategies. In this paper we will focus on a description of the projec
Singular solutions of fully nonlinear elliptic equations and applications
We study the properties of solutions of fully nonlinear, positively
homogeneous elliptic equations near boundary points of Lipschitz domains at
which the solution may be singular. We show that these equations have two
positive solutions in each cone of , and the solutions are unique
in an appropriate sense. We introduce a new method for analyzing the behavior
of solutions near certain Lipschitz boundary points, which permits us to
classify isolated boundary singularities of solutions which are bounded from
either above or below. We also obtain a sharp Phragm\'en-Lindel\"of result as
well as a principle of positive singularities in certain Lipschitz domains.Comment: 41 pages, 2 figure
Effect of Cyclooxygenase(COX)-1 and COX-2 inhibition on furosemide-induced renal responses and isoform immunolocalization in the healthy cat kidney
BACKGROUND: The role of cyclooxygenase(COX)-1 and COX-2 in the saluretic and renin-angiotensin responses to loop diuretics in the cat is unknown. We propose in vivo characterisation of isoform roles in a furosemide model by administering non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with differing selectivity profiles: robenacoxib (COX-2 selective) and ketoprofen (COX-1 selective). RESULTS: In this four period crossover study, we compared the effect of four treatments: placebo, robenacoxib once or twice daily and ketoprofen once daily concomitantly with furosemide in seven healthy cats. For each period, urine and blood samples were collected at baseline and within 48 h of treatment starting. Plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma and urinary aldosterone concentrations, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and 24 h urinary volumes, electrolytes and eicosanoids (PGE(2), 6-keto-PGF1(α,) TxB(2)), renal injury biomarker excretions [N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and Gamma-Glutamyltransferase] were measured. Urine volume (24 h) and urinary sodium, chloride and calcium excretions increased from baseline with all treatments. Plasma creatinine increased with all treatments except placebo, whereas GFR was significantly decreased from baseline only with ketoprofen. PRA increased significantly with placebo and once daily robenacoxib and the increase was significantly higher with placebo compared to ketoprofen (10.5â±â4.4 vs 4.9â±â5.0 ng ml(â1) h(â1)). Urinary aldosterone excretion increased with all treatments but this increase was inhibited by 75 % with ketoprofen and 65 % with once daily robenacoxib compared to placebo. Urinary PGE(2) excretion decreased with all treatments and excretion was significantly lower with ketoprofen compared to placebo. Urinary TxB(2) excretion was significantly increased from baseline only with placebo. NAG increased from baseline with all treatments. Immunohistochemistry on post-mortem renal specimens, obtained from a different group of cats that died naturally of non-renal causes, suggested constitutive COX-1 and COX-2 co-localization in many renal structures including the macula densa (MD). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that both COX-1 and COX-2 could generate the signal from the MD to the renin secreting cells in cats exposed to furosemide. Co-localization of COX isoenzymes in MD cells supports the functional data reported here. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0598-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users
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