1,005 research outputs found

    Drag reduction utilizing a wall-attached ferrofluid film in turbulent channel flow

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    This study explores the application of a wall-attached ferrofluid film to decrease skin friction drag in turbulent channel flow. We conduct experiments using water as a working fluid in a turbulent channel flow setup, where one wall is coated with a ferrofluid layer held in place by external permanent magnets. Depending on the flow conditions, the interface between the two fluids is observed to form unstable travelling waves. While ferrofluid coating has been previously employed in laminar and moderately turbulent flows to reduce drag by creating a slip condition at the fluid interface, its effectiveness in fully developed turbulent conditions, particularly when the interface exhibits instability, remains uncertain. Our primary objective is to assess the effectiveness of ferrofluid coating in reducing turbulent drag with particular focus on scenarios when the ferrofluid layer forms unstable waves. To achieve this, we measure flow velocity using two-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry (2D-PTV), and the interface contour between the fluids is determined using an interface tracking algorithm. Our results reveal the significant potential of ferrofluid coating for drag reduction, even in scenarios where the interface between the surrounding fluid and ferrofluid exhibits instability. In particular, waves with an amplitude significantly smaller than a viscous length scale positively contribute to drag reduction, while larger waves are detrimental, because of induced turbulent fluctuations. However, for the latter case, slip out-competes the extra turbulence so that drag is still reduced

    soulspace: Integrated youth mental health care in Berlin, Germany—An introduction to the program and a description of its users

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    Aim A substantial gap between young people's need for mental health care services and their actual access to such services led worldwide organizations (e.g., the WHO) to recommend the implementation of early intervention programs and youth mental health services. Some countries around the world have established structures to meet this recommendation. In this paper, we describe soulspace as the first integrated youth mental health service for young people aged between 15 and 35 years in Berlin, Germany. Methods We introduce soulspace as easily accessible mental health care for young people, and we characterize soulspace along the lines of the internationally established eight key principles of integrated youth mental health services (Killackey, et al., 2020, World Economic Forum). Soulspace is a cooperation between clinical outpatient units of psychiatric clinics for adolescents and young adults as well as a community-based counselling service. It provides initial contact, counselling, diagnostics, and treatment. Results Our analyses of the pathways to soulspace and the characteristics of the soulspace users suggest that the low threshold is a facilitator to help finding for young people in comparison to more conventional early intervention models. That is, having transferred the early intervention center in a youth-facing counselling service as was done in soulspace seems to have reduced the threshold to seek help for families and for young people in need for support. Conclusions In summary, with soulspace, an easily accessible mental health care service was established that integrates counselling and specialized psychiatric treatment if needed

    Non-antigen-specific Immunoadsorption Is a Risk Factor for Severe Postoperative Infections in ABO-Incompatible Kidney Transplant Recipients

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    ABO-incompatible (ABOi) living kidney transplantation (KTx) is an established procedure to address the demand for kidney transplants with outcomes comparable to ABO-compatible KTx. Desensitization involves the use of immunoadsorption (IA) to eliminate preformed antibodies against the allograft. This monocentric retrospective study compares single-use antigen-selective Glycosorb® ABO columns to reusable non-antigen-specific Immunosorba® immunoglobulin adsorption columns regarding postoperative infectious complications and outcome. It includes all 138 ABOi KTx performed at Freiburg Transplant Center from 2004–2020. We compare 81 patients desensitized using antigen-specific columns (sIA) to 57 patients who received IA using non-antigen-specific columns (nsIA). We describe distribution of infections, mortality and allograft survival in both groups and use Cox proportional hazards regression to test for the association of IA type with severe infections. Desensitization with nsIA tripled the risk of severe postoperative infections (adjusted HR 3.08, 95% CI: 1.3–8.1) compared to sIA. nsIA was associated with significantly more recurring (21.4% vs. 6.2%) and severe infections (28.6% vs. 8.6%), mostly in the form of urosepsis. A significantly higher proportion of patients with sIA suffered from allograft rejection (29.6% vs. 14.0%). However, allograft survival was comparable. nsIA is associated with a two-fold risk of developing a severe postoperative infection after ABOi KTx

    Mitochondrial physiology

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    As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

    Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

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    Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

    Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

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    One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

    Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

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    This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

    Mitochondrial physiology

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    As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

    Search for stop and higgsino production using diphoton Higgs boson decays

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    Results are presented of a search for a "natural" supersymmetry scenario with gauge mediated symmetry breaking. It is assumed that only the supersymmetric partners of the top-quark (stop) and the Higgs boson (higgsino) are accessible. Events are examined in which there are two photons forming a Higgs boson candidate, and at least two b-quark jets. In 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, recorded in the CMS experiment, no evidence of a signal is found and lower limits at the 95% confidence level are set, excluding the stop mass below 360 to 410 GeV, depending on the higgsino mass
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