Automated extraction of knowledge for model-based diagnostics

The concept of accessing computer aided design (CAD) design databases and extracting a process model automatically is investigated as a possible source for the generation of knowledge bases for model-based reasoning systems. The resulting system, referred to as automated knowledge generation (AKG), uses an object-oriented programming structure and constraint techniques as well as internal database of component descriptions to generate a frame-based structure that describes the model. The procedure has been designed to be general enough to be easily coupled to CAD systems that feature a database capable of providing label and connectivity data from the drawn system. The AKG system is capable of defining knowledge bases in formats required by various model-based reasoning tools

Effects of Tropical Climate and Language Format on Imagery Ability Among French-Creole Bilinguals

International audienc

Expansion into an herbivorous niche by a customary carnivore:Black-tailed godwits feeding on rhizomes of Zostera at a newly established wintering site

In expanding populations, individuals may increasingly be forced to use sites of relatively low quality. This process, named the “buffer effect,” was previously described for the Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa islandica) in its use of nonbreeding sites in Great Britain and of breeding areas in Iceland. On the basis of diet analyses from droppings and stable isotopes, we describe a new case for the expanding French wintering population of the Black-tailed Godwit, an expansion accompanied by a drastic change in feeding strategy. In the 1990s, Black-tailed Godwits started using intertidal mudflats at Ile de Ré, where they eat the rhizomes of seagrass (Zostera noltii) rather than the customary shellfish (Macoma balthica) eaten at both the preferred (initial) site (Aiguillon Bay) and the area occupied last (Yves to Marennes-Oléron bays). Individually color-marked godwits appeared faithful to both diet type and site, suggesting a cost of a change of strategy. This represents a first case of rhizome-feeding in shorebirds, and it exemplifies a case of carnivorous birds occupying a new site shifting to herbivory.

Videogestützte Analyse des Kopfballspiels und seiner Folgen im Übergangsbereich Profi-/ Amateurfußball in Deutschland

Kopfverletzungen im Fußball sind aufgrund befürchteter gravierender Konsequenzen im Verlauf der letzten zwei Jahrzehnte - trotz ihrer im Vergleich zu anderen Verletzungen geringeren Frequenz - in den Fokus der Öffentlichkeit gerückt. Speziell das Kopfballspiel als integraler Teil der Sportart wird zunehmend im Hinblick auf mögliche Kurz- und Langzeitfolgen kontrovers diskutiert. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden erstmals adäquate epidemiologische Daten zum Kopfballspiel in ausreichender Stückzahl mithilfe der Videoanalyse von 669 Spielen der Saison 2016/17 der 3. Liga und Regionalliga Bayern gesammelt. Außerdem wurden kopfverletzungsträchtige Situationen (Critical Incidents) nach in der Literatur vordefinierten und verwendeten Kriterien begutachtet. Als Erfassungsinstrument der Analyse dienten dabei standardisierte, bereits validierte Fragebögen. Diese beinhielten diverse Items, um die einzelnen Situationen zeitlich, räumlich und situativ umfassend zu beschreiben. In über 1000 Stunden regulärer Spielzeit wurden so 87.105 Kopfbälle und 572 kopfverletzungsträchtige Situationen ausgewertet. Für die 3. Liga ergaben sich damit Mittelwerte von 141,7 Kopfbällen pro Spiel und 6,4 Kopfbällen pro Spieler und Spiel. In der Regionalliga Bayern fielen mit 115,8 Kopfbällen pro Spiel und 5,3 Kopfbällen pro Spieler und Spiel diese geringer aus. Insgesamt führten vor allem defensive Spieler - und hier insbesondere Verteidiger - Kopfbälle aus. Überwiegend im Mittelfeld wurde dabei der Kopfball aus dem freien Spiel heraus zum Passen oder Klären von Situationen benutzt, wovon wiederum 52,3% (3. Liga) bzw. 44,7% (Regionalliga Bayern) sich im Rahmen einer Zweikampfsituation ereigneten. Die Analyse der kopfverletzungsträchtigen Situationen führte zu inhomogeneren Ergebnissen bei deutlich geringeren Fallzahlen. In der 3. Liga konnten Häufigkeiten von etwa 0,9 kopfverletzungsträchtigen Situationen pro Spiel und in der Regionalliga von 0,8 kopfverletzungsträchtigen Situationen pro Spiel festgestellt werden. Als Risikofaktoren mit hoher Effektstärke konnten vor allem das Vorliegen eines Foulspiels, Zweikampfs, eine Beteiligung mehrerer Spieler, hohe Ellenbogenpositionen sowie der Abschuss des Kopfes durch den Ball bestimmt werden. Zukünftige Forschungen zum Thema Kopfballspiel und möglicher Folgen sollten sich an den im Rahmen dieser Studie gewonnenen Erkenntnissen, welche erstmals den realen Spielbetrieb zweier Spielklassen über eine Saison hinweg abbilden, orientieren. Auch können durch die Studienerkenntnisse, gerade im Hinblick auf verletzungsgefährliche Situationen, Präventionsstrategien abgeleitet werden. Pädagogische Maßnahmen sowie theoretische und praktische Trainingsschulungen können neben der Aufklärung aller Beteiligten zu einer Reduktion von schweren Kopfverletzungen im Sport, insbesondere im Fußball, führen

Numerical Simulations to Evaluate and Compare the Performances of Existing and Novel Degrader Materials for Proton Therapy

The performance of the energy degrader in terms of beam properties directly impacts the design and cost of cyclotron-based proton therapy centers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performances of different existing and novel degrader materials. The quantitative estimate is based on detailed GEANT4 simulations that analyze the beam-matter interaction and provide a determination of the beam emittance increase and transmission. Comparisons between existing (aluminum, graphite, beryllium) and novel (boron carbide and diamond) degrader materials are provided and evaluated against semi-analytical models of multiple Coulomb scattering. The results showing a potential in emittance reduction for novel materials are presented and discussed in detail.Comment: Submitted for IPAC 2018 "light peer review

Functional Properties of Dendritic Gap Junctions in Cerebellar Golgi Cells.

The strength and variability of electrical synaptic connections between GABAergic interneurons are key determinants of spike synchrony within neuronal networks. However, little is known about how electrical coupling strength is determined due to the inaccessibility of gap junctions on the dendritic tree. We investigated the properties of gap junctions in cerebellar interneurons by combining paired somato-somatic and somato-dendritic recordings, anatomical reconstructions, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, and modeling. By fitting detailed compartmental models of Golgi cells to their somato-dendritic voltage responses, we determined their passive electrical properties and the mean gap junction conductance (0.9 nS). Connexin36 immunofluorescence and freeze-fracture replica immunogold labeling revealed a large variability in gap junction size and that only 18% of the 340 channels are open in each plaque. Our results establish that the number of gap junctions per connection is the main determinant of both the strength and variability in electrical coupling between Golgi cells

Banco de medida de amplificadores de potencia MMIC para aplicaciones con señales pulsadas

The power amplifiers continue to be one of the most important devices on the modern communication systems. To determine optimal output impedance it is obliged to invest on a very expensive set-up. This article shows how to measure very low input and output impedance of MMIC pulsed power amplifier, without an expensive loadpull setup

Geochemical characterization of groundwater and saltwater intrusion processes along the Luy River, Binh Thuan, Vietnam

With an average annual rainfall of 800-1150 mm/year, the Binh Thuan province is one of the driest places in Vietnam. The quantity and quality of groundwater play a significant role in the agriculture, aquaculture development and daily life of the local communities. In 2012, the national centre for water resources (Nawapi, 2012) delineated the seawater intrusion extent in Binh Thuan based on the total dissolved solids (TDS) content of water samples taken from shallow boreholes. The threshold of 3g/L and 1.5g/L were exceeded in the estuaries of the Luy, Long Song and Ca Ty rivers. In recent years, the prolonged droughts combined with the sea level rise and the over-extraction of groundwater during the dry season increased dramatically the seawater intrusion process especially in the estuaries of the province. The geochemistry of groundwater in the Luy River catchment was studied to investigate the contamination of the aquifers and identify the processes taking place. From 1991 to 2015, 98 water samples had been taken from the wells in the area in both dry and rainy seasons. 71% of the water samples were fresh while 21% and 5% were lightly saline and moderately saline respectively. In summer 2020, 110 new water samples from both shallow and deep wells were collected in the Luy river catchment in wells from 3m to 40m. The TDS values are ranging from 105 to 23080 mg/L and can be classified into 4 groups: freshwater (48%), slightly saline (40%), moderately saline (8%) and very saline (4%). The samples show that the seawater intrusion expands not only horizontally at shallow depth along the river but also deeper down the aquifer in most of the study area, what is also confirmed by geophysical data. Freshwater samples were mostly collected at a depth lower than 10m. The chemical composition of water samples was analyzed showing evidence of seawater intrusion, but also the occurrence of freshening processes within the study area. Together with the presence of saltwater at larger depths, this points towards a situation more complex than previously thought. Saltwater intrusions are likely not only related to interaction with the river estuary, but also to the presence of fossil saltwater in the aquifer, and to groundwater pumping and irrigation practices