Uncertainty analysis for material measurements using the Vector Network Analyzer

partially_open4sìThis paper presents the characterization measurements and related uncertainty evaluation of a non-magnetic material using the Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) at microwave frequencies. The permittivity of the material under test is computed from the scattering parameters (S-parameters). The aim of the work is to highlight the different uncertainty contributions affecting the permittivity.openShoaib, N.; Sellone, M.; Brunetti, L.; Oberto, L.Shoaib, N.; Sellone, Marco; Brunetti, Luciano; Oberto, Luc

Alexander von Humboldt y los artistas británicos: el gusto oriental

Humboldtian landscape is the best result of a close relationship between artists and scientists in the context of the Enlightenment. Many artists inspired Humboldt to develop his concept of landscape as the best way of representing Nature, but some British artists in particular were a strong reference for him. Thomas Daniell and William Hodges had travelled to Asia creating a particular imagery, which inspired the desire to travel and the feeling of the exotic taste in Humboldt. Around Humboldt, mainly two types of artists have been studied: on the one hand, painter travellers who received direct instructions from Humboldt after his experience in America, and on the other, artists who started their trips by themselves after reading his works. However, this paper is focused on the links between Humboldt and these British painters of the Orient, whom he met on a European tour with Georg Forster, before making his trip to America.El paisaje teorizado por Humboldt es el resultado de una estrecha relación entre artistas y científicos, en el contexto de la Ilustración. Muchos artistas inspiraron a Humboldt a desarrollar su concepto del paisaje como la mejor forma de representar la naturaleza pero particularmente, algunos artistas británicos supusieron una fuerte referencia para él. Principalmente, alrededor de Humboldt se han estudiado dos tipos de artistas: por una parte, los pintores viajeros que recibieron instrucciones directas de Humboldt tras su experiencia en América y por otra, los artistas que iniciaron sus viajes por iniciativa propia tras haber leído los sus trabajos. Sin embargo, este texto se centra en las relaciones entre Humboldt y los pintores británicos de Oriente, a quienes él conoció en su viaje europeo junto a Georg Forster, antes de realizar su viaje americano

Automated Classification of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stellar Spectra using Artificial Neural Networks

Automated techniques have been developed to automate the process of classification of objects or their analysis. The large datasets provided by upcoming spectroscopic surveys with dedicated telescopes urges scientists to use these automated techniques for analysis of such large datasets which are now available to the community. Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is one of such surveys releasing massive datasets. We use Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) for automatic classification of about 5000 SDSS spectra into 158 spectral type of a reference library ranging from O type to M type stars.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures To appear in Astrophys. Space Sci., 200

The role of disease management programs in the health behavior of chronically ill patients

__Abstract__ Objective: Investigate the effects of disease management program (DMP) implementation on physical activity, smoking, and physical quality of life among chronically ill patients. Methods: This study used a mixed-methods approach involving qualitative (35 interviews with project managers) and quantitative (survey of patients from 18 DMPs) data collection. Questionnaire response rates were 51% (2010; 2619/5108) at T0 and 47% (2011; 2191/4693) at T1. Results: Physical activity and the percentage of smokers improved significantly over time, whereas physical quality of life declined. After adjusting for patients' physical quality of life at T0, age, educational level, marital status, and gender, physical activity at T0 (p< 0.01), changes in physical activity (p< 0.001), and percentage of smokers at T0 (p< 0.05) predicted physical quality of life at T1. Project managers reported that DMPs improved patient-professional interaction. The ability to set more concrete targets improved patients' health behaviors. Conclusions: DMPs appear to improve physical activity among chronically ill patients over time. Furthermore, (changes in) health behavior are important for the physical quality of life of chronically ill patients. Practice implications: Redesigning care systems and implementing DMPs based on the chronic care model may improve health behavior among chronically ill patients

Does Foreign Direct Investment Stimulate New Firm Creation? In Search of Spillovers through Industrial and Geographical Linkages

This paper examines the spillover effects of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) on the entrepreneurial activities of new firm creation through both industrial and geographical linkages. Using a dataset of 44,434 newly created small firms in 234 regions of South Korea in 2000–2004, this study finds that while the spillover impacts of FDI in the low-tech industry are positive and significant across almost all four possible combinations of the intra-/inter-regional and intra-/inter-sectoral channels, the impacts in the high-tech industry are largely intra-sectoral within the host region and across neighboring regions. Moreover, all statistically significant spillover effects follow an inverted ‘U’-shaped curvilinear trend