A computer-aided stand for testing the power of modern light sources

W artykule omówiony został sposób pomiaru mocy nowoczesnych źródeł światła takich jak świetlówki kompaktowe i lampy oparte na diodach LED. Odbiorniki zasilane prądem przemiennym (sinusoidalnie zmiennym) pobierają z sieci moc pozorną. Składa się na nią moc czynna i bierna. Nowoczesne źródła światła pobierają z sieci energetycznej prąd o przebiegu znacznie odbiegającym od przebiegu napięcia sieci. Niemożliwy jest zatem dokładny pomiar mocy w sposób tradycyjny. Zaprezentowany w artykule sposób pomiaru wykorzystuje technikę komputerową co pozwala na dokładny pomiar mocy odbiornika przy dowolnych przebiegach napięcia i prądu odbiornika.The article discusses the method of measuring the power of modern light sources such as compact fluorescent lamps and lamps based on LED diodes. Receivers supplied with alternating current (sinusoidially variable) draw apparent power from the network. It consists of active and passive power. Modern light sources draw electricity from the grid with a course significantly different from the network voltage. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately measure power in a traditional way. The method of measurement presented in the article uses computer technology which allows for accurate measurement of the receiver's power at any voltage and current course of the receiver

A computer-aided stand for testing the power of modern light sources

W artykule omówiony został sposób pomiaru mocy nowoczesnych źródeł światła takich jak świetlówki kompaktowe i lampy oparte na diodach LED. Odbiorniki zasilane prądem przemiennym (sinusoidalnie zmiennym) pobierają z sieci moc pozorną. Składa się na nią moc czynna i bierna. Nowoczesne źródła światła pobierają z sieci energetycznej prąd o przebiegu znacznie odbiegającym od przebiegu napięcia sieci. Niemożliwy jest zatem dokładny pomiar mocy w sposób tradycyjny. Zaprezentowany w artykule sposób pomiaru wykorzystuje technikę komputerową co pozwala na dokładny pomiar mocy odbiornika przy dowolnych przebiegach napięcia i prądu odbiornika.The article discusses the method of measuring the power of modern light sources such as compact fluorescent lamps and lamps based on LED diodes. Receivers supplied with alternating current (sinusoidially variable) draw apparent power from the network. It consists of active and passive power. Modern light sources draw electricity from the grid with a course significantly different from the network voltage. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately measure power in a traditional way. The method of measurement presented in the article uses computer technology which allows for accurate measurement of the receiver's power at any voltage and current course of the receiver

Effect of six-week intervention program on postural stability measures and muscle coactivation in senior-aged women

Zbigniew Borysiuk, Mariusz Konieczny, Krzysztof Kręcisz, Paweł Pakosz, Bożena Królikowska Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Opole University of Technology, Opole, Poland Objective: The objective involved the analysis of the efficiency of the Program of Movement Recreation of Elderly People (PMREP) exercise program expressed in terms of the stabilography measures and coactivation of muscles in women in the age group of 60–70 years. The assumption that was assumed stems from theoretical implications that the adequate postural stability is manifested in the decrease of the body sways measured by means of a force plate.Materials and methods: The study involved a group of 60 females, all members of the active seniors’ association. The subjects were in the age range from 60 to 70 years. The subjects were divided into 2 groups of equal size: control and experimental. Subjects in both groups participated in the rehabilitation exercises: experimental (n=16, PMREP – twice a week/60 minutes), control (n=27, PMREP – only once a week/60 minutes).Results: The study demonstrated that the completion of a 6-week PMREP program resulted in a decrease in the variability and velocity as well as indicators representing center of pressure displacement measured in the feet for the exercises performed with closed eyes with subjects standing on a high foam pad located on a force plate (P=0.001). No significant changes in coactivation of the calf muscles were recorded in the subjects.Conclusion: The study concludes that a PMREP rehabilitation plan with an adequate program and frequency leads to an improvement of the vestibular system coupled with proprioception understood as an integrated process of sensor activation in the body. However, in regard to the coactivation of the muscles involved in maintaining postural stability, no significant differences have been observed. Keywords: stabilography, EMG signal, sensory integration, agin

Molecular mechanism of SbmA, a promiscuous transporter exploited by antimicrobial peptides

Antibiotic metabolites and antimicrobial peptides mediate competition between bacterial species. Many of them hijack inner and outer membrane proteins to enter cells. Sensitivity of enteric bacteria to multiple peptide antibiotics is controlled by the single inner membrane protein SbmA. To establish the molecular mechanism of peptide transport by SbmA and related BacA, we determined their cryo–electron microscopy structures at 3.2 and 6 Å local resolution, respectively. The structures show a previously unknown fold, defining a new class of secondary transporters named SbmA-like peptide transporters. The core domain includes conserved glutamates, which provide a pathway for proton translocation, powering transport. The structures show an outward-open conformation with a large cavity that can accommodate diverse substrates. We propose a molecular mechanism for antibacterial peptide uptake paving the way for creation of narrow-targeted therapeutics

What is the melody of that voice?: probing unbiased recognition accuracy with the montreal affective voices

The present study aimed to clarify how listeners decode emotions from human nonverbal vocalizations, exploring unbiased recognition accuracy of vocal emotions selected from the Montreal Affective Voices (MAV) (Belin et al. in Trends Cognit Sci 8:129–135, 2008. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2004.01.008). The MAV battery includes 90 nonverbal vocalizations expressing anger, disgust, fear, pain, sadness, surprise, happiness, sensual pleasure, as well as neutral expressions, uttered by female and male actors. Using a forcedchoice recognition task, 156 native speakers of Portuguese were asked to identify the emotion category underlying each MAV sound, and additionally to rate the valence, arousal and dominance of these sounds. The analysis focused on unbiased hit rates (Hu Score; Wagner in J Nonverbal Behav 17(1):3–28, 1993. doi:10.1007/BF00987006), as well as on the dimensional ratings for each discrete emotion. Further, we examined the relationship between categorical and dimensional ratings, as well as the effects of speaker’s and listener’s sex on these two types of assessment. Surprise vocalizations were associated with the poorest accuracy, whereas happy vocalizations were the most accurately recognized, contrary to previous studies. Happiness was associated with the highest valence and dominance ratings, whereas fear elicited the highest arousal ratings. Recognition accuracy and dimensional ratings of vocal expressions were dependent both on speaker’s sex and listener’s sex. Further, discrete vocal emotions were not consistently predicted by dimensional ratings. Using a large sample size, the present study provides, for the first time, unbiased recognition accuracy rates for a widely used battery of nonverbal vocalizations. The results demonstrated a dynamic interplay between listener’s and speaker’s variables (e.g., sex) in the recognition of emotion from nonverbal vocalizations. Further, they support the use of both categorical and dimensional accounts of emotion when probing how emotional meaning is decoded from nonverbal vocal cues.This work was supported by Grants IF/00334/2012, and PTDC/MHN-PCN/3606/2012 funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) and Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) through the European programs Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (QREN), and Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE), awarded to A.P.P., and by a Doctoral Grant (SFRH/BD/52400/2013) funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal), awarded to M.V.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio