System for generating timing and control signals

A system capable of generating every possible data frame subperiod and delayed subperiod of a data frame of length of M clock pulse intervals (CPIs) comprised of parallel modulo-m sub i counters is presented. Each m sub i is a prime power divisor of M and a cascade of alpha sub i identical modulo-p sub i counters. The modulo-p sub i counters are feedback shift registers which cycle through p sub i distinct states. Every possible nontrivial data frame subperiod and delayed subperiod is derived and a specific CPI in the data frame is detected. The number of clock pulses required to bring every modulo-p sub i counter to a respective designated state or count is determined by the Chinese remainder theorem. This corresponds to the solution of simultaneous congruences over relatively prime moduli

Are Albumin Levels a Good Predictor of Mortality in Elderly Patients with Neck of Femur Fractures?

Background Neck of femur (NOF) fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in elderly people with multiple co-morbidities; making management of this patient subgroup challenging. Predictors of an increase in morbidity and mortality would therefore provide a useful framework for the assessment and management of this demographic. Within the current literature, hypoalbuminaemia (<35g/dl) has been highlighted as being a good biochemical predictor of short-term mortality (<12 months). Our aims were to assess whether there was an association between low albumin levels and short-term mortality and whether the severity adversely affects outcomes. Materials and Methods Patients admitted to our large district hospital between January 2011 and December 2012 who had sustained a NOF fracture, were over 65 years old and had a pre-operative albumin level were included. The study concluded in July 2014. Demographic and pre-operative function and albumin data was collated retrospectively. Correlation with mortality was made. Results 471 patients had usable data. Mean pre-operative albumin level was 29.5g/dl (SD 6.22g/dl) in patients who died and 32.8g/dl (SD 6.43g/dl) in patients who survived during the study period. Pre-operative albumin level was significantly associated with survival (hazard ratio0.957: 95% CI (0.937, 0.978); p<0.001) A reduction of 1g/dl in pre-operative albumin is associated with an increased hazard of death of 4.3%. Conclusions Early identification of patients with hypoalbuminaemia on admission with a venous blood sample and timely input from orthogeriatrians could optimise these patients pre- and post-operatively. This may enable rates of morbidity and mortality to fall. Hypoalbuminaemia may be a reasonable predictor of shorter-term mortality in this patient subgroup. However, this may reflect existing co-morbidities rather than an isolated cause. This study supports a correlation between hypoalbuminaemia and poorer outcome for patients with NOF fractures

Curcumin and Turmeric Modulate the Tumor-Promoting Effects of Iron In Vitro.

Free or loosely chelated iron has tumor-promoting properties in vitro. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the food spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), is a potent antioxidant that binds iron. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether curcuminoids prevent tumor-promoting effects of iron in T51B cells, a non-neoplastic rat liver epithelial cell line. Purified curcuminoids (curcumin) or a standardized turmeric extract similarly reduced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity associated with iron overload (I

An Investigation Into Using Magnetically Attached Piezoelectric Elements for Vibration Control

A novel vibration control method utilizing magnetically mounted piezoelectric elements is described. Piezoelectric elements are bonded to permanent magnets, termed here as control mounts, which are attached to the surface of a steel beam through their magnetic attraction. The magnetic-piezoelectric control mounts are an alternative to traditional epoxy attachment methods for piezoelectric elements which allows for easy in-the-field reconfiguration. In model and laboratory measurements, the beam is driven through base excitation and the resonant shunt technique is utilized to demonstrate the attenuation characteristics of two magnetic-piezoelectric control mounts. The coupled system is discretized using a Galerkin finite element model that incorporates the tangential and vertical contact stiffnesses of the beam-magnet interface. The vibration reduction provided by the control mounts using a single magnet are compared to those designed with a magnetic array that alternates the magnetic dipoles along the length of the mount. Even though each design uses the same magnet thickness, the alternating magnetic configuration\u27s interfacial contact stiffness is over 1.5 and 4 times larger in the tangential and vertical directions, respectively, than that of the single magnet, resulting in increased vibration reduction. Measured and simulated results show that the magnetic-piezoelectric control mounts reduced the beam\u27s tip velocity by as much as 3.0 dB and 3.1 dB, respectively. The design tradeoffs that occur when replacing the traditional epoxy layer with a magnet are also presented along with some methods that could improve the vibration reduction performance of the control mounts. This analysis shows that the control mounts attenuate significant vibration despite having an imperfect bond with the beam, thus providing a viable and adaptable alternative to traditional piezoelectric attachment methods

Automatic building information model query generation

Energy efficient building design and construction calls for extensive collaboration between different subfields of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) community. Performing building design and construction engineering raises challenges on data integration and software interoperability. Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) data hub to host and integrate building models is a promising solution to address those challenges, which can ease building design information management. However, the partial model query mechanism of current BIM data hub collaboration model has several limitations, which prevents designers and engineers to take advantage of BIM. To address this problem, we propose a general and effective approach to generate query code based on a Model View Definition (MVD). This approach is demonstrated through a software prototype called QueryGenerator. By demonstrating a case study using multi-zone air flow analysis, we show how our approach and tool can help domain experts to use BIM to drive building design with less labour and lower overhead cost.published_or_final_versio

Fine-Tuning Nonhomogeneous Regression for Probabilistic Precipitation Forecasts: Unanimous Predictions, Heavy Tails, and Link Functions

Raw ensemble forecasts of precipitation amounts and their forecast uncertainty have large errors, especially in mountainous regions where the modeled topography in the numerical weather prediction model and real topography differ most. Therefore, statistical postprocessing is typically applied to obtain automatically corrected weather forecasts. This study applies the nonhomogenous regression framework as a state-of-the-art ensemble postprocessing technique to predict a full forecast distribution and improves its forecast performance with three statistical refinements. First of all, a novel split-type approach effectively accounts for unanimous zero precipitation predictions of the global ensemble model of the ECMWF. Additionally, the statistical model uses a censored logistic distribution to deal with the heavy tails of precipitation amounts. Finally, it is investigated which are the most suitable link functions for the optimization of regression coefficients for the scale parameter. These three refinements are tested for 10 stations in a small area of the European Alps for lead times from +24 to +144 h and accumulation periods of 24 and 6 h. Together, they improve probabilistic forecasts for precipitation amounts as well as the probability of precipitation events over the default postprocessing method. The improvements are largest for the shorter accumulation periods and shorter lead times, where the information of unanimous ensemble predictions is more important. </jats:p

'It's a Form of Freedom': The experiences of people with disabilities within equestrian sport

This paper explores the embodied, gendered experiences of disabled horse‐riders. Drawing on data from five in‐depth interviews with paradressage riders, the ways in which their involvement in elite disability sport impacts upon their sense of identity and confidence are explored, as well as the considerable health and social benefits that this involvement brings. Social models of disability are employed and the shortcomings of such models, when applied to disability sport, are highlighted. The data presented here demonstrates the necessity of seeing disability sport as an embodied experience and acknowledging the importance of impairment to the experiences of disabled athletes. Living within an impaired body is also a gendered experience and the implications of this when applied to elite disability sport are considered

Managing at the Speed of Light: Improving Mission-Support Performance

The House and Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittees requested this study to help DOE's three major mission-support organizations improve their operations to better meet the current and future needs of the department. The passage of the Recovery Act only increased the importance of having DOE's mission-support offices working in the most effective, efficient, and timely manner as possible. While following rules and regulations is essential, the foremost task of the mission-support offices is to support the department's mission, i.e., the programs that DOE is implementing, whether in Washington D.C. or in the field. As a result, the Panel offered specific recommendations to strengthen the mission-focus and improve the management of each of the following support functions based on five "management mandates":- Strategic Vision- Leadership- Mission and Customer Service Orientation- Tactical Implementation- Agility/AdaptabilityKey FindingsThe Panel made several recommendations in each of the functional areas examined and some overarching recommendations for the corporate management of the mission-support offices that they believed would result in significant improvements to DOE's mission-support operations. The Panel believed that adopting these recommendations will not only make DOE a better functioning organization, but that most of them are essential if DOE is to put its very large allocation of Recovery Act funding to its intended uses as quickly as possible