401 research outputs found
Les Lapita : nomades du Pacifique
International audienceQui Ă©taient les Lapita, ce peuple qui, il y a plus de 3 000 ans, a colonisĂ© nombre des Ăźles du Pacifique, pour certaines alors inconnues ? Qui Ă©taient ces hommes, comment ont-ils naviguĂ© et peuplĂ© ces Ăźles vierges ? Qui Ă©taient ces hommes, comment ont-ils naviguĂ© et peuplĂ© ? Par quelles voies maritimes sont-ils venus depuis lâAsie du Sud-Est ? Les Lapita sont-ils les ancĂȘtres de tous les OcĂ©aniens actuels ? Qui Ă©taient ces hommes, comment ont-ils naviguĂ© et peuple ? Que signifient les fameux motifs qui caractĂ©risent leurs poteries et qui dessinent le fil rouge permettant de retracer leur Ă©popĂ©e ? Un mouvement de peuplement stupĂ©fiant par son ampleur gĂ©ographique, prĂšs de 4 500 kilomĂštres parcourus dâouest en est, et par sa courte durĂ©e, moins de 700 ans.Premier travail de synthĂšse en français consacrĂ© aux Lapita, cet ouvrage dĂ©peint cette grande aventure maritime et fait le point sur les plus rĂ©centes dĂ©couvertes de lâarchĂ©ologie. Les sites, les motifs cĂ©ramiques et les diffĂ©rentes hypothĂšses sur lâhistoire des Lapita sont prĂ©sentĂ©s de maniĂšre simple et didactique. Les nouvelles interprĂ©tations des dĂ©cors des poteries permettent dâĂ©clairer la pĂ©riode sous un jour nouveau. Les Ă©tudes de linguistique historique et dâethnologie, mais aussi les nouvelles mĂ©thodes de biogĂ©nĂ©tique viennent en complĂ©ment de lâarchĂ©ologie pour mettre en lumiĂšre la vie sociale et culturelle des Lapita : la parentĂ©, lâorganisation sociale, lâenvironnement naturel, la navigation et mĂȘme les croyances sont autant de domaines permettant de proposer une esquisse de ces ancĂȘtres des peuples ocĂ©aniens. Rendant compte de tous les aspects de la recherche actuelle sous une forme claire et accessible, cet ouvrage sâadresse autant aux spĂ©cialistes quâaux Ă©tudiants et aux amateurs intĂ©ressĂ©s par cette pĂ©riode cruciale de la prĂ©histoire ocĂ©anienne
Ultrasensitive Displacement Noise Measurement of Carbon Nanotube Mechanical Resonators
Mechanical resonators based on a single carbon nanotube are exceptional
sensors of mass and force. The force sensitivity in these ultra-light
resonators is often limited by the noise in the detection of the vibrations.
Here, we report on an ultra-sensitive scheme based on a RLC resonator and a
low-temperature amplifier to detect nanotube vibrations. We also show a new
fabrication process of electromechanical nanotube resonators to reduce the
separation between the suspended nanotube and the gate electrode down to ~nm. These advances in detection and fabrication allow us to reach
displacement sensitivity. Thermal
vibrations cooled cryogenically at 300~mK are detected with a signal-to-noise
ratio as high as 17~dB. We demonstrate
force sensitivity, which is the best force sensitivity achieved thus far with a
mechanical resonator. Our work is an important step towards imaging individual
nuclear spins and studying the coupling between mechanical vibrations and
electrons in different quantum electron transport regimes.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Establishing Mutually Trusted Channels for Remote Sensing Devices with Trusted Execution Environments
Variability and short-term determinants of walking capacity in patients with intermittent claudication
OBJECTIVE: Global positioning system (GPS) recordings can provide valid information on walking capacity in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC) during community-based outdoor walking. This study used GPS to determine the variability of the free-living walking distance between two stops (WDBS), induced by lower-limb pain, which may exist within a single stroll in PAD patients with IC and the potential associated parameters obtained from GPS analysis.METHODS: This cross-sectional study of 57 PAD patients with IC was conducted in a university hospital. The intervention was a 1-hour free-living walking in a flat public park with GPS recording at 0.5 Hz. GPS-computed parameters for each patient were WDBS, previous stop duration (PSD), cumulated time from the beginning of the stroll, and average walking speed for each walking bout. The coefficient of variation of each parameter was calculated for patients with the number of walking bouts (N(WB)) >or=5 during their stroll. A multivariate analysis was performed to correlate WDBS with the other parameters. RESULTS: Mean (SD) maximal individual WDBS was 1905 (1189) vs 550 (621) meters for patients with N(WB) <5 vs N(WB) >or= 5, respectively (P < .001). In the 36 patients with N(WB) >or= 5, the coefficient of variation for individual WDBS was 43%. Only PSD and cumulated time were statistically associated with WDBS in 16 and 5 patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A wide short-term variability of WDBS exists and likely contributes to the difficulties experienced by patients with IC to estimate their maximal walking distance at leisurely pace. Incomplete recovery from a preceding walk, as estimated through PSD, seems to dominantly account for the WDBS in patients with IC
Simulator-based assessment of ankle arterial systolic blood pressure measurement skills
OBJECTIVE: Learning basic vascular examination is a complex process. Very few studies have focused on the ability to measure the arterial systolic blood pressure at the ankle (ASBPa). The aim of this study was to objectively assess the effects of a 1-h practical educational intervention on the ability to measure ASBPa among medical students.
METHODS: A total of 27 medical students were prospectively recruited. Two evaluation sessions of ASBPa measurement skills were conducted, before (T1) and after a 1-h practical lesson (T2). To assess the learning effect associated to the simulator-based evaluation, a control group composed by nonmedical students, not involved in the practical lesson, was also tested. Objective assessments of ASBPa measurements were performed by an instrumented leg prototype.
RESULTS: There was a nonsignificant decreasing trend measurement time after practical lesson. The average pressure determination error (ÎP) was significantly reduced: ÎPT1: 10.5 ± 13.8 mmHg vs. ÎPT2: 5.7 ± 6.0 mmHg (P = 0.002). The mean deflation rate (DR) of the cuff was significantly decreased: DRT1: 12.9 ± 9.2 mmHg/s vs. DRT2: 8.7 ± 4.6 mmHg/s (P = 0.001). The control group did not show significant changes.
CONCLUSION: A 1-h practical learning could improve some parameters of the ASBPa measurement among medical students, but was not sufficient to allow the measured technical factors to reach established guidelines
The Barriers of the Assistive Robotics MarketâWhat Inhibits Health Innovation?
Demographic changes are putting the healthcare industry under pressure. However, while other industries have been able to automate their operation through robotic and autonomous systems, the healthcare sector is still reluctant to change. What makes robotic innovation in healthcare so difficult? Despite offering more efficient, and consumer-friendly care, the assistive robotics market has lacked penetration. To answer this question, we have broken down the development process, taking a market transformation perspective. By interviewing assistive robotics companies at different business stages from France and the UK, this paper identifies new insight into the main barriers of the assistive robotics market that are inhibiting the sector. Their impact is analysed during the different stages of the development, exploring how these barriers affect the planning, conceptualisation and adoption of these solutions. This research presents a foundation for understanding innovation barriers that high-tech ventures face in the healthcare industry, and the need for public policy measures to support these technology-based firms.</jats:p
Exploring the applicability of the socially assistive robot Stevie in a day center for people with dementia*
Scandal - A Facility For Elastic Neutron Scattering Studies in the 50-130 MeV Range
A facility for detection of scattered neutrons in the energy interval 50â130 MeV, SCANDAL (SCAttered Nucleon Detection AssembLy), is part of the standard detection system at the 20-180 MeV neutron beam facility of the The Svedberg Laboratory, Uppsala. It has primarily been used for studies of elastic neutron scattering, but it has been employed for (n,p) and (n,d) reaction experiments as well. Results of recent experiments are presented to illustrate the performance of the spectrometer. Recently, the facility has been upgraded to perform also (n,Xn') experiments. For this purpose, a new converter, CLODIA, has been developed and installed. Preliminary results of the commissioning of CLODIA will be presented
Quantum Monte Carlo study of the CO interaction with a dimer model surface for Cr(110)
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