69 research outputs found
Zamke za nositelje naboja u stupnjevanim InGaAS fotodiodama s velikim sadržajem indija
Carrier traps in In0.82Ga0.18As, introduced during manufacturing of photodiodes by vapour phase epitaxy (VPE), have been studied by electrical measurements. Two groups of localized energy levels associated with traps were found in photodiodes annealed at higher temperature after fabrication: the first, at Ec- 0.14 eV, and the second located deeper, close to the middle of the energy gap. Electrically activated dislocations by association with some impurities are responsible for the occurrence of the deeper levels.Električnim mjerenjima istražena su svojstva zamki za nositelje naboja koje nastaju pri izradi fotodioda iz In0.82Ga0.18As metodom epitaksijalnog rasta iz parne faze (VPE). U fotodiodama, koje su naknadno napuštane nakon izrade na povišenoj temperaturi, zapažene su dvije skupine lokaliziranih nivoa zamki: jedan plići na Ec − 0, 14 eV i druge dublje nešto ispod sredine zabranjenog energijskog pojasa. Ustanovljeno je da su električki aktivirane dislokacije primjesama odgovorne za pojavu dubljih nivoa
Zamke za nositelje naboja u stupnjevanim InGaAS fotodiodama s velikim sadržajem indija
Carrier traps in In0.82Ga0.18As, introduced during manufacturing of photodiodes by vapour phase epitaxy (VPE), have been studied by electrical measurements. Two groups of localized energy levels associated with traps were found in photodiodes annealed at higher temperature after fabrication: the first, at Ec- 0.14 eV, and the second located deeper, close to the middle of the energy gap. Electrically activated dislocations by association with some impurities are responsible for the occurrence of the deeper levels.Električnim mjerenjima istražena su svojstva zamki za nositelje naboja koje nastaju pri izradi fotodioda iz In0.82Ga0.18As metodom epitaksijalnog rasta iz parne faze (VPE). U fotodiodama, koje su naknadno napuštane nakon izrade na povišenoj temperaturi, zapažene su dvije skupine lokaliziranih nivoa zamki: jedan plići na Ec − 0, 14 eV i druge dublje nešto ispod sredine zabranjenog energijskog pojasa. Ustanovljeno je da su električki aktivirane dislokacije primjesama odgovorne za pojavu dubljih nivoa
Environmental Factors Affecting the Reproductive Efficiency of Italian Simmental Young Bulls
The objectives of the study aimed to evaluate the effect of weather conditions and scrotal circumference (SC) on standard semen characteristics of Italian Simmental young bulls (n = 577), all raised in the same performance station and sampled by the artificial vagina (AV) method. Considering the increasing SC, the results showed a significant increase in quantitative semen parameters (p < 0.05 and p < 0.0001, for sperm concentration and total number of spermatozoa, respectively); for every extra centimeter of SC, 17.5 × 106 spermatozoa/mL and 0.102 × 109 of total spermatozoa were produced. The age of the animal at semen collection (395 and 465 days) had similar positive effects. The effect of the average temperature humidity index (THI limits ≤ 40 and ≥70) in the previous 60, 30, and 10 days before the semen collection was also considered. Sixty days before the semen collection, the increasing THI increased both primary (p < 0.0001) and secondary (p < 0.0001) abnormalities while the percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa decreased (p < 0.0001). Thirty and ten days before collection, the same effect on morphological traits was maintained, but total and progressive motility was also influenced (p < 0.01) with an unexpected increasing pattern. Thus, environmental conditions can influence semen quality during the entire spermatogenesis and results can guide future research on this breed
In vitro and ex vivo effect of hyaluronic acid on erythrocyte flow properties
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hyaluronic acid (HA) is present in many tissues; its presence in serum may be related to certain inflammatory conditions, tissue damage, sepsis, liver malfunction and some malignancies. In the present work, our goal was to investigate the significance of hyaluronic acid effect on erythrocyte flow properties. Therefore we performed <it>in vitro </it>experiments incubating red blood cells (RBCs) with several HA concentrations. Afterwards, in order to corroborate the pathophysiological significance of the results obtained, we replicated the <it>in vitro </it>experiment with <it>ex vivo </it>RBCs from diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, a serum HA-increasing pathology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Erythrocyte deformability (by filtration through nucleopore membranes) and erythrocyte aggregability (EA) were tested on blood from healthy donors additioned with purified HA. EA was measured by transmitted light and analyzed with a mathematical model yielding two parameters, the aggregation rate and the size of the aggregates. Conformational changes of cytoskeleton proteins were estimated by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR).</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>In vitro</it>, erythrocytes treated with HA showed increased rigidity index (RI) and reduced aggregability, situation strongly related to the rigidization of the membrane cytoskeleton triggered by HA, as shown by EPR results. Also, a significant correlation (r: 0.77, p < 0.00001) was found between RI and serum HA in RA patients.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results lead us to postulate the hypothesis that HA interacts with the erythrocyte surface leading to modifications in erythrocyte rheological and flow properties, both <it>ex vivo </it>and <it>in vitro</it>.</p
Domain Specific Languages for Managing Feature Models: Advances and Challenges
International audienceManaging multiple and complex feature models is a tedious and error-prone activity in software product line engineering. Despite many advances in formal methods and analysis techniques, the supporting tools and APIs are not easily usable together, nor unified. In this paper, we report on the development and evolution of the Familiar Domain-Specific Language (DSL). Its toolset is dedicated to the large scale management of feature models through a good support for separating concerns, composing feature models and scripting manipulations. We overview various applications of Familiar and discuss both advantages and identified drawbacks. We then devise salient challenges to improve such DSL support in the near future
An Empirical Study of Bots in Software Development -- Characteristics and Challenges from a Practitioner's Perspective
Software engineering bots - automated tools that handle tedious tasks - are
increasingly used by industrial and open source projects to improve developer
productivity. Current research in this area is held back by a lack of consensus
of what software engineering bots (DevBots) actually are, what characteristics
distinguish them from other tools, and what benefits and challenges are
associated with DevBot usage. In this paper we report on a mixed-method
empirical study of DevBot usage in industrial practice. We report on findings
from interviewing 21 and surveying a total of 111 developers. We identify three
different personas among DevBot users (focusing on autonomy, chat interfaces,
and "smartness"), each with different definitions of what a DevBot is, why
developers use them, and what they struggle with. We conclude that future
DevBot research should situate their work within our framework, to clearly
identify what type of bot the work targets, and what advantages practitioners
can expect. Further, we find that there currently is a lack of general purpose
"smart" bots that go beyond simple automation tools or chat interfaces. This is
problematic, as we have seen that such bots, if available, can have a
transformative effect on the projects that use them.Comment: To be published at the ACM Joint European Software Engineering
Conference and Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering
(ESEC/FSE
Biogeographic distributions of neotropical trees reflect their directly measured drought tolerances
High levels of species diversity hamper current understanding of how tropical forests may respond to environmental change. In the tropics, water availability is a leading driver of the diversity and distribution of tree species, suggesting that many tropical taxa may be physiologically incapable of tolerating dry conditions, and that their distributions along moisture gradients can be used to predict their drought tolerance. While this hypothesis has been explored at local and regional scales, large continental-scale tests are lacking. We investigate whether the relationship between drought-induced mortality and distributions holds continentally by relating experimental and observational data of drought-induced mortality across the Neotropics to the large-scale bioclimatic distributions of 115 tree genera. Across the different experiments, genera affiliated to wetter climatic regimes show higher drought-induced mortality than dry-affiliated ones, even after controlling for phylogenetic relationships. This pattern is stronger for adult trees than for saplings or seedlings, suggesting that the environmental filters exerted by drought impact adult tree survival most strongly. Overall, our analysis of experimental, observational, and bioclimatic data across neotropical forests suggests that increasing moisture-stress is indeed likely to drive significant changes in floristic composition
A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)
Meeting abstrac
Association of kidney disease measures with risk of renal function worsening in patients with type 1 diabetes
Background: Albuminuria has been classically considered a marker of kidney damage progression in diabetic patients and it is routinely assessed to monitor kidney function. However, the role of a mild GFR reduction on the development of stage 653 CKD has been less explored in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of kidney disease measures, namely albuminuria and reduced GFR, on the development of stage 653 CKD in a large cohort of patients affected by T1DM. Methods: A total of 4284 patients affected by T1DM followed-up at 76 diabetes centers participating to the Italian Association of Clinical Diabetologists (Associazione Medici Diabetologi, AMD) initiative constitutes the study population. Urinary albumin excretion (ACR) and estimated GFR (eGFR) were retrieved and analyzed. The incidence of stage 653 CKD (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or eGFR reduction > 30% from baseline was evaluated. Results: The mean estimated GFR was 98 \ub1 17 mL/min/1.73m2 and the proportion of patients with albuminuria was 15.3% (n = 654) at baseline. About 8% (n = 337) of patients developed one of the two renal endpoints during the 4-year follow-up period. Age, albuminuria (micro or macro) and baseline eGFR < 90 ml/min/m2 were independent risk factors for stage 653 CKD and renal function worsening. When compared to patients with eGFR > 90 ml/min/1.73m2 and normoalbuminuria, those with albuminuria at baseline had a 1.69 greater risk of reaching stage 3 CKD, while patients with mild eGFR reduction (i.e. eGFR between 90 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) show a 3.81 greater risk that rose to 8.24 for those patients with albuminuria and mild eGFR reduction at baseline. Conclusions: Albuminuria and eGFR reduction represent independent risk factors for incident stage 653 CKD in T1DM patients. The simultaneous occurrence of reduced eGFR and albuminuria have a synergistic effect on renal function worsening
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