AMBER closure and differential phases: accuracy and calibration with a Beam Commutation

The first astrophysical results of the VLTI focal instrument AMBER have shown the importance of the differential and closure phase measures, which are supposed to be much less sensitive to atmospheric and instrumental biases than the absolute visibility. However there are artifacts limiting the accuracy of these measures which can be substantially overcome by a specific calibration technique called Beam Commutation. This paper reports the observed accuracies on AMBER/VLTI phases in different modes, discusses some of the instrumental biases and shows the accuracy gain provided by Beam Commutation on the Differential Phase as well as on the Closure Phase.Comment: This paper will be published in the proceeding of SPIE ``astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation: Optical and Infrared Interferometry'

ALPHA-FIT TEST BATTERY NORMS FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FROM 5 TO 18 YEARS OF AGE OBTAINED BY A LINEAR INTERPOLATION OF EXISTING EUROPEAN PHYSICAL FITNESS REFERENCES

Physical fitness has been shown to be a major health factor in both children and adolescents. One of the most widely applied physical fitness test batteries in Europe is the Alpha-fit. However, there is a reference gap between some of the ages. The aim of this study was to propose interpolated physical fitness percentile scores in children and adolescents for the main tests in the Alpha-fit test battery, which can be temporarily applied until this gap is filled in by experimental research. The recently available existing European normative values for children and adolescents were linearly interpolated in order to propose percentile scores to close the gap from 9.9 to 12.9 years of age in relation to the following tests: handgrip strength, standing long jump, and 4x10m shuttle run test (SRT). Similarly, other international references were combined with regard to the 20m SRT in order, thereby, to produce a full set of norms with the appropriate interpolations. The interpolated percentile scores obtained can be applied to assess the results from the Alpha-fit test battery of children and adolescents from 5 to 18 years of age. The combined percentile curves for handgrip strength, standing long jump, 4x10m SRT, and 20m SRT showed linearity, which sharpens between the ages of 9 and 13, and is probably connected with puberty. The proposed combined and interpolated reference values can be applied in order to evaluate European children and adolescents of all ages until the missing values are established by experimental research.  Article visualizations: Note: Please click on the image for acceessing the video presentation at the 13th European & 29th World FIEP Congress in Istanbul, Turkey or access the link STK SPORT: https://www.stk-sport.co.uk. 

Surface Manufacturing of Materials by High Energy Fluxes

This chapter aims to summarize the topics related to the application of a surface treatment by high energy fluxes (i.e., electron and laser beams) for developing of new multifunctional materials, as well as to modify their surface properties. These technologies have a large number of applications in the field of automotive and aircraft industries for manufacturing of railways, space crafts, different tools, and components. Based on the performed literature review, some examples of the use of laser and electron beams for surface manufacturing (i.e., surface alloying, cladding, and hardening) are presented. The present overview describes the relationship between electron beam and laser beam technologies, microstructure, and the obtained functional properties of the materials. The benefits of the considered techniques are extensively discussed

The effect of elbow position on the handgrip strength test in children: validity and reliability of TKK 5101 and DynX dynamometers

Purpose: One of the most widely applied methods to assess upper-body strength in children and adolescents is the handgrip strength test. While in adolescents it has been determined which elbow position, and which type of dynamometer are most appropriate for achieving the maximal grip strength, in children is still not clear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether elbow position and the type of dynamometer affect the handgrip strength in children. Material: Grip strength was measured by TKK and DynX dynamometers, and their validity and reliability were also analysed. A total of 60 children, 6 to 11 years old, participated in this study, and performed the handgrip strength test with their elbow extended and flexed at 90 degrees. Results: While using the TKK dynamometer, grip strength was significantly higher when the test was performed with elbow extended, in contrast to those obtained with elbow flexed (14.58 +/- 3.04 kg vs 12.97 +/- 2.99 kg, p<0.001 for right, and 14.25 +/- 3.05 kg vs 12.61 +/- 2.99 kg, p<0.001 for left hand). Likewise, when using the DynX dynamometer, the difference between the two elbow positions was smaller but still significant (13.84 +/- 3.22 kg vs 13.35 +/- 3.01 kg, p=0.035 for right, and 13.35 +/- 2.95 kg vs 12.77 +/- 2.96 kg, p=0.003 for left hand). Conclusions: Both dynamometers provided sufficient results in terms of their reliability and the TKK dynamometer showed to be more valid. Performing the handgrip strength test with elbow extended appears to be the most appropriate position in order to obtain maximal results in children

Cerebral Aspergilloma in Patient with Diabetes – A Case Report with Short Literature Review

BACKGROUND: In the recent years, the incidence of fungal brain abscess has been rising as a result of the increased use of corticosteroid therapy, broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy, and immunosuppressive agents. Aspergillosis of the central nervous system (CNS) is reported in 10%–20% of the patients having invasive fungal disease. Commonly, the disease is observed in immunocompromised or immunosuppressed patients; also, patients who suffered traumatic head injury are reported as well to develop the infection due to due cranial defect accompanied by dural tearing. Symptoms are non-specific neurologic manifestations. CASE PRESENTATION: We presented a case of a 68-year-old man who had diabetes mellitus type II. He was admitted to in neurosurgery clinic due reported head trauma. Initially, he complained of a headache, dizziness, slurred speech, nausea, and pain in the right ear with tinnitus and pain in his right upper teeth – continuous for a month. The patient was conscious, adequate, Glasgow Coma Scale – 15 points, with left-sided hemiparesis, general symptomatic syndrome. An emergent computed tomography scan was performed, which showed tumorous formation in patient’s right temporal lobe that had mass effect and compression of the right lateral ventricle. The patient was discussed on a emergent clinical counsel and it was decided that he was shown for surgical treatment. An informed consent was signed by the patient and his relatives. After the surgery intervention – the histological result of the biopsy was aspergilloma of the brain and the microbiological result was Aspergillus fumigatus. CONCLUSION: The prognosis for CNS aspergillosis is poor, but the early diagnosis and effective medical and surgical treatments may reduce morbidity and mortality. &nbsp

COMPETITIVE BOUT MODEL AS A TOOL FOR ESTIMATION OF FEMALE KARATEKA SPECIFIC ENDURANCE

The aim of this study was to establish the functional state of female karate practitioners during a Shotokan kumite competition by measuring changes in their lactate concentration and also by designing a training exercise model, that matches the workload during competitions. Seven female karate practitioners, between the ages of 18 and 30, took part in this research, which was conducted in two stages: 1) in competitive conditions during the National Shotokan Karate Championship, where capillary blood lactate concentration was measured both after the warm-up and after each bout; 2) in training conditions, where again the blood lactate concentration was determined post warm-up and after performance of the karate kumite model, which consisted of a series of techniques designed to simulate competitive kumite, and in addition to this the heart rate was recorded continuously using a heart-rate telemetry system. According to the results from the maximal aerobic test, the training level of the female karatekas tested was comparable to that of internationally ranked competitors from other countries. The lactate concentrations measured during the competition were a more reliable predictor of the competitive ranking in comparison to VO2max. The designed karate kumite training model simulated well the level of competitive load based on a comparison of the measured lactate concentrations and those determined during the competition. In all the women tested, the heart rate measured after the simulated kumite was close to the maximal values (about 180 bpm), and thus did not adequately reflect the work intensity. In conclusion, since lactate concentration accurately reflects competitive output, and correlates with the exercise intensity during a designed training model, it could be used for evaluation of the physical load and specific endurance, particularly of female karate practitioners.  Article visualizations

Two loop effective kaehler potential of (non-)renormalizable supersymmetric models

We perform a supergraph computation of the effective Kaehler potential at one and two loops for general four dimensional N=1 supersymmetric theories described by arbitrary Kaehler potential, superpotential and gauge kinetic function. We only insist on gauge invariance of the Kaehler potential and the superpotential as we heavily rely on its consequences in the quantum theory. However, we do not require gauge invariance for the gauge kinetic functions, so that our results can also be applied to anomalous theories that involve the Green-Schwarz mechanism. We illustrate our two loop results by considering a few simple models: the (non-)renormalizable Wess-Zumino model and Super Quantum Electrodynamics.Comment: 1+26 pages, LaTeX, 6 figures; a missing diagram added and typos correcte

Equivariant pretheories and invariants of torsors

In the present paper we introduce and study the notion of an equivariant pretheory: basic examples include equivariant Chow groups, equivariant K-theory and equivariant algebraic cobordism. To extend this set of examples we define an equivariant (co)homology theory with coefficients in a Rost cycle module and provide a version of Merkurjev's (equivariant K-theory) spectral sequence for such a theory. As an application we generalize the theorem of Karpenko-Merkurjev on G-torsors and rational cycles; to every G-torsor E and a G-equivariant pretheory we associate a graded ring which serves as an invariant of E. In the case of Chow groups this ring encodes the information concerning the motivic J-invariant of E and in the case of Grothendieck's K_0 -- indexes of the respective Tits algebras.Comment: 23 pages; this is an essentially extended version of the previous preprint: the construction of an equivariant cycle (co)homology and the spectral sequence (generalizing the long exact localization sequence) are adde