1,512 research outputs found
Effect of high oxygen pressure annealing on superconducting Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4 thin films by pulsed laser deposition from Cu-enriched targets
We show that the quality of Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4 films grown by pulsed laser
deposition can be enhanced by using a non-stoichiometric target with extra
copper added to suppress the formation of a parasitic (Nd, Ce)2O3 phase. The
properties of these films are less dependent on the exact annealing procedure
after deposition as compared to films grown from a stoichiometric target. Film
growth can be followed by a 1 bar oxygen annealing, after an initial vacuum
annealing, while retaining the superconducting properties and quality. This
enables the integration of electron-doped cuprates with their hole-doped
counterparts on a single chip, to create, for example, superconducting
pn-junctions.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article
accepted for publication in Superconductor Science and Technology. The
publisher is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of
the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is
available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0953-2048/27/4/04401
Iron bioavailability of sweet potato and moringa leaves in comparision with leafy green vegetables commonly consumed in Ghana
Introduction: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a significant public health problem in Northern Ghana especially amongst women and children. Leafy green vegetables are major contributors to iron intake in this part of the world; poor iron bioavailability from these food sources may be part of the reason for the high prevalence of IDA. Evidence suggests that sweet potato and Moringa leaves might be better sources of bioavailable iron, compared with other leafy green vegetables, as both have high levels of iron, and also beta−carotene − a dietary factor that has been suggested to improve iron bioavailability.
Aims/Hypothesis: Our research aims were to evaluate iron bioavailability of sweet potato and Moringa leaves in comparison with other leafy green vegetables commonly consumed in Ghana. We hypothesized that iron uptake from sweet potato and Moringa leaves would be higher compared with the other tested vegetables.
Methods: We used the Caco−2 cell/in vitro digestion system; Caco−2 cell ferritin formation was used as a surrogate marker of iron bioavailability. In addition, we also measured levels of other nutrients and dietary factors known to affect iron bioavailability: beta−carotene, iron, calcium, zinc, ascorbate, phytates and polyphenols.
Results: Iron bioavailability from all tested vegetables was poor despite relatively high absolute levels of iron in the leaf samples (14.5 − 24.6 mg/100 grams dry weight); there was no statistically significant difference in iron uptake between any of the tested varieties or the control sample with no added iron. Levels of phytates and polyphenols, known inhibitors of iron uptake, were high and probably accounted for the low iron bioavailability of tested leaves. As expected, beta−carotene levels were highest in the sweet potato and Moringa leaves (ranging from 47−98 micrograms retinol activity equivalent)/gram freeze dried leaf) − approximately 100% more compared with the other leafy green vegetables, with the exception of the purple leafed sweet potato variety tested that had approximately the same amount of beta−carotene as the commonly consumed vegetables.
Conclusion: In our in vitro model neither sweet potato nor Moringa leaves demonstrated good iron bioavailability suggesting that increased consumption of these vegetables would not lead to improved iron status. However, both leaves were good sources of beta−carotene, and further testing in vivo to evaluate whether they could impact on vitamin A status may be warranted
Proximity-to-goal as a constraint on patterns of behaviour in attacker-defender dyads in team games
Abstract The aim of this study was to determine whether spatiotemporal interactions between footballers and the ball in 1 vs. 1 sub-phases are influenced by their proximity to the goal area. Twelve participants (age 15.3 +/- 0.5 years) performed as attackers and defenders in 1 vs. 1 dyads across three field positions: (a) attacking the goal, (b) in midfield, and (c) advancing away from the goal area. In each position, the dribbler was required to move beyond an immediate defender with the ball towards the opposition goal. Interactions of attacker-defender dyads were filmed with player and ball displacement trajectories digitized using manual tracking software. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine differences in mean defender-to-ball distance after this value had stabilized. Maximum attacker-to-ball distance was also compared as a function of proximity-to-goal. Significant differences were observed for defender-to-ball distance between locations (a) and (c) at the moment when the defender-to-ball distance had stabilized (a: 1.69 +/- 0.64 m; c: 1.15 +/- 0.59 m; P < 0.05). Findings indicate that proximity-to-goal influenced the performance of players, particularly when attacking or advancing away from goal areas, providing implications for training design in football. In this study, the task constraints of football revealed subtly different player interactions than observed in previous studies of dyadic systems in basketball and rugby union
Are You Seeing What I'm Seeing? An Eye-Tracking Evaluation of Dynamic Scenes
Based on the data from the 2006/7 multimedia exhibition, RePossessed, during which over 400 members of the public watched scenes from Hitchcock's Vertigo, this paper describes the basis of an approach to the use of eye-tracking techniques, visualisations, and metrics to measure the influence of directorial techniques on film viewers' experience. Used as part of a repertoire of tools, the visualisation and quantitative evaluation of eye movement data can provide an intuitive and accessible approach to the evaluation of moving image based media and allow the conventions, assumptions and intuitive practices of film-making to be examined
Implementing the Five-A Model of technical refinement: Key roles of the sport psychologist
There is increasing evidence for the significant contribution provided by sport psychologists within applied coaching environments. However, this rarely considers their skills/knowledge being applied when refining athletes’ already learned and well-established motor skills. Therefore, this paper focuses on how a sport psychologist might assist a coach and athlete to implement long-term permanent and pressure proof refinements. It highlights key contributions at each stage of the Five-A Model—designed to deliver these important outcomes—providing both psychomotor and psychosocial input to the support delivery. By employing these recommendations, sport psychologists can make multiple positive contributions to completion of this challenging task
Delivery of high energy Er:YAG pulsed laser light at 2.94ím through a silica hollow core photonic crystal fibre
Anisotropic generalization of Stinchcombe's solution for conductivity of random resistor network on a Bethe lattice
Our study is based on the work of Stinchcombe [1974 \emph{J. Phys. C}
\textbf{7} 179] and is devoted to the calculations of average conductivity of
random resistor networks placed on an anisotropic Bethe lattice. The structure
of the Bethe lattice is assumed to represent the normal directions of the
regular lattice. We calculate the anisotropic conductivity as an expansion in
powers of inverse coordination number of the Bethe lattice. The expansion terms
retained deliver an accurate approximation of the conductivity at resistor
concentrations above the percolation threshold. We make a comparison of our
analytical results with those of Bernasconi [1974 \emph{Phys. Rev. B}
\textbf{9} 4575] for the regular lattice.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure
Elastic moduli of sea ice and lake ice calculated from in-situ and laboratory experiments
The effective elastic modulus of ice is an important physical parameter for the calculation of ice stresses in different situations when ice deformations are small. In the present paper the review of methods used for the calculation of the elastic modulus of ice is performed, new tests
for the calculation of the elastic modulus are described, and their results are discussed. Field experiments with floating vibrating ice beams with fixed ends were performed in March and November 2019 on sea ice of the Van Mijen Fjord and fresh-water ice of a lake near Longyearbyen. Laboratory experiments with vibrating cantilever beams were performed in the cold laboratory of UNIS in November 2019. The results are compared with the values of the effective elastic modulus obtained in quasi-static tests with floating cantilever beams, and with in-situ dynamic tests where the effective elastic modulus was measured by the speed of sound waves
Pricing reverse mortgages in Spain
[EN] In Spain, as in other European countries, the continuous ageing of the population creates a need for long-term care services and their financing. However, in Spain the development of this kind of services is still embryonic. The aim of this article is to obtain a calculation method for reverse mortgages in Spain based on the fit and projection of dynamic tables for Spanish mortality, using the Lee and Carter model. Mortality and life expectancy for the next 20 years are predicted using the fitted model, and confidence intervals are obtained from the prediction errors of parameters for the mortality index of the model. The last part of the article illustrates an application of the results to calculate the reverse mortgage model promoted by the Spanish Instituto de Crédito Oficial (Spanish State Financial Agency), for which the authors have developed a computer application.The authors are indebted to Jose Garrido, whose suggestions improved the original
manuscript, and to the anonymous referee for his/her valuable comments. This work was partially
supported by grants from the MEyC (Ministerio de Educacio´n y Ciencia, Spain), projects MTM2010-
14961 and MTM2008-05152.Debón Aucejo, AM.; Montes, F.; Sala, R. (2013). Pricing reverse mortgages in Spain. European Actuarial Journal. 3:23-43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13385-013-0071-yS23433Blay-Berrueta D (2007) Sistemas de cofinaciaciación de la dependencia: seguro privado frente a hipoteca inversa. Cuadernos de la Fundación, Fundación Mapfre Estudios, Madrid.Booth H (2006) Demographic forecasting: 1980 to 2005 in review. Int J Forecast 22(3):547–582Booth H, Hyndman R, Tickle L, de Jong P (2006) Lee–Carter mortality forecasting: a multi-country comparison of variants and extensions. Demogr Res 15(9):289–310Booth H, Maindonald J, Smith L (2002) Applying Lee–Carter under conditions of variable mortality decline. Popul Stud 56(3):325–336Booth H, Tickle L (2003) The future aged: new projections of Australia’s ederly population. Popul Stud 22(4):38–44Brouhns N, Denuit M, Keilegom IV (2005) Bootstrapping Poisson log-bilinear model for mortality forecasting. 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