Are Americans' musical preferences more omnivores today?

Although we found a general trend favouring the omnivorousness thesis, as soon as we adjusted it to a set of structural factors and consumers’ tastes it was clear that this was caused by elitist inclusive omnivores who had increased the scope of their tastes. In general, younger cohorts were becoming less omnivorous, nevertheless, they were also becoming more educated and had greater to higher levels of inc ome, making the youth more omnivorous. As expected, upscale consumers set limits on their popular taste: musical genres, whose audiences had educational levels below the mean profile were less preferred by upscale respondents. In spite of this, as time passed, some popular brows gained social status.Symbolic consumer research, musical tastes, omnivorousness, correspondence analysis of matched matrices

Single dose pharmacodynamics of amphotericin B against Aspergillus species in an in vitro pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model

Conventional MIC testing of amphotericin B results in narrow MIC ranges challenging the detection of resistant strains. In order to discern amphotericin B pharmacodynamics, the in vitro activity of amphotericin B was studied against Aspergillus isolates with the same MIC with a new in vitro pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model that simulates amphotericin B human plasma levels. Clinical isolates of A. fumigatus, A. terreus and A flavus with the same CLSI modal MICs of 1 mg/l were exposed to amphotericin B concentrations following the plasma concentration-time profile after single bolus administration with Cmax 0.6, 1.2, 2.4 and 4.8 mg/L. Fungal growth was monitored up to 72h based on galactomannan production. Complete growth inhibition was observed only against A. fumigatus with amphotericin B Cmax ≥2.4 mg/L. At lower Cmaxs 0.6 and 1.2 mg/L, a significant growth delay of 34h and 52h was observed, respectively (pA flavus>A. terreus in the in vitro PK/PD model possibly reflecting the different concentration- and time-dependent inhibitory/killing activities amphotericin B exerting against these species

Cohérence spatiale des mouvements sismiques et structure géométrique du proche sous-sol: un exemple à Argostoli, Grèce

International audienceThe spatial variation of the earthquake ground motion over short distances can significantly affect the dynamic response of large and extended engineered structures, particularly when they are located at sites with lateral heterogeneity. In current practices, it is taken into account in terms of coherency, as a function of frequency and distance, established on an essentially empirical basis, making it difficult to extrapolate at different sites. Hence, in order to improve our understanding of the physical significance of coherency and its relationship to the geometrical and mechanical characteristics of the ground structure, a very dense network was installed in seismically active region of Argostoli-Koutavos (Cephalonia, Greece). Consisting of 21 velocimeters deployed on four concentric circles of radii 5, 15, 40 and 80 m around a central station in a small valley (~50 m thickness, width 1.5 km), the array recorded several hundred events in the period from September 2011 to April 2012. A subset of 46 events having a homogeneous distribution in terms of epicentral distance (0-200 km), back-azimuth (0-360 °) and magnitude (2 to 5) has been selected for a systematic analysis of the coherency of all station pairs observed on 'the most energetic phase' containing the S-wave. The results indicate a lack of a clear dependence of the average coherency on the magnitude, back-azimuth or site-to-source distance of the event, and on the length of chosen signal window provided that it contains the same S-phase energy. The most striking result concerns the influence of the site geometry; the coherency is systematically higher for the pairs aligned parallel to the axis of the valley (2D), and lower for those aligned in the perpendicular direction. This result is consistent with the formation of the wavefield in the valley, dominated by surface waves propagating from one edge to the other. The observed coherency estimates are, however, weakly represented by the existing parametric models.La variabilité spatiale des mouvements sismiques sur de courtes distances peut affecter significativement la réponse dynamique des structures de génie civil de grande taille, en particulier quand elles sont fondées sur des sites latéralement hétérogènes. Elle est souvent prise en compte au travers de fonctions empiriques – peu calibrées et peu extrapolables d'un site à l'autre-décrivant la perte de cohérenceen fonction de la fréquence et la distance. Dans le but d'améliorer la compréhension de la structure de la cohérence et son lien avec les caractéristiques géométriques et mécaniques du sous-sol, un réseau sismologique très dense a été installé dans la région sismiquement très active d'Argostoli-Koutavos (Céphalonie, Grèce). Constitué de 21 vélocimètres déployés sur 4 cercles concentriques de rayons 5, 15, 40 et 80 m autour d'une station centrale au sein d'une vallée de petite taille (épaisseur ~50 m, largeur 1.5 km), ce réseau a enregistré plusieurs centaines d'événements sur la période septembre 2011-avril 2012. Un sous ensemble de 46 événements présentant une distribution homogène en termes de distance épicentrale (0-200 km), back-azimut (0-360°) et magnitude (2 à 5) a été sélectionné pour une analyse systématique de la cohérence observée sur la phase forte comprenant l'onde S de toutes les paires de stations. Les résultats indiquent une absence de dépendance claire de la cohérence moyenne en fonction de la magnitude, du back-azimut de la source, et de la distance hypocentrale, ainsi qu'une grande robustesse vis-à-vis de la fenêtre de signal choisie, pour peu qu'elle contienne la phase S énergétique. Le résultat le plus marquant concerne le contrôle par la géométrie du site : la cohérence est systématiquement plus forte pour les paires alignées parallèlement à l'axe de la vallée (2D), et minimale pour celles alignées selon la direction perpendiculaire. Ce résultat est cohérent avec la constitution du champ d'ondes dans la vallée dominé par des ondes de surface se propageant d'un bord à l'autre de la vallée. Les cohérences observées ne sont par ailleurs que très partiellement expliquées par les modèles existants

Electromagnetic heating for industrial kilning of malt: a feasibility study

Industrial malting operations use ~800kWh/t of energy to produce the heat required to kiln malt. Electromagnetic heating technologies are suggested as a way to potentially improve the energy efficiency of the kilning processing. In this work, the potential for using electromagnetic heating to dry malt to commercially acceptable moisture levels, whilst preserving the activity of enzymes critical for downstream brewing processes is investigated. The 2450 MHz bulk dielectric properties of malt at moisture contents consistent with those occurring at different points in the kilning process are evaluated; 12% is shown to be a critical moisture level below which drying becomes more energy intensive. Calculated penetration depths of electromagnetic energy in malt at radio frequency are 100 fold higher than at microwave frequencies, showing a significant advantage for commercial scale batch processing. The moisture contents and alpha and beta amylase activity of malt subjected to RF heating at different temperatures, treatment times and RF energy inputs in the intermediate and bound water drying regions were determined. It is shown for the first time that whilst significantly reduced process times are attainable, significant energy efficiency improvements compared to conventional kilning can only be achieved at higher product temperatures and thus at the expense of enzyme survival. It is suggested that RF heating may be feasible where higher bulk temperatures are not critical for downstream use of the material or when used in hybrid systems

Como ser un turista oscuro: Análisis del comportamiento del turista a través de una serie documental

Over the past few decades, dark tourism has become increasingly popular. The level of participation of the dark tourist within a dark site underlies the variety of experiences that can be produced, depending on the type of audience engagement. This study attempts to design the discourse of a performance-based typology of dark tourism, built on the rep-resentations of tourists’ participation within the Netflix documentary series Dark Tourist. As screen tourism can influence behavior patterns, a typology of spectator, spect-actor, and actor roles is presentedEn las últimas décadas, el turismo oscuro se ha vuelto cada vez más popular. El nivel de participación del turista dentro de un sitio oscuro subyace en la variedad de experiencias que se pueden producir, según el tipo de participación de la audiencia. Este estudio intenta dise-ñar el discurso de una tipología performativa del turismo oscuro, construida a partir de las representaciones de la participación de los turistas dentro de la serie documental de Netflix, Dark Tourist. Dado que el turismo de pantalla puede influir en los patrones de comporta-miento, se presenta una tipología de roles de espectador, actor-espectador y actor

The effect of flood protection works on the flood risk of the Mandra Attiki area

Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο--Μεταπτυχιακή Εργασία. Διεπιστημονικό-Διατμηματικό Πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών (Δ.Π.Μ.Σ.) “Επιστήμη και Τεχνολογία Υλικών

Becoming A Second Home: The Role Of A Host Destination In The ISM Experience. Case Study: Girona.

International student mobility is considered among young travelers an opportunity to acquire a one-of-a-kind experience, making the host destination the perfect scenario where such experiences can take place. Since travelling is strongly associated with students’ mobility, and it is well documented that this concept is related to shaping travelers’ perceptions of self through experiences with other people and places, this case study explores the role of a host destination in the international students’ mobility experience. Thirty-three in-depth semi-structured interviews were performed to international students from different nationalities who have finished a tourism master’s degree program at the University of Girona, Spain. This investigation reveals the ability for a host destination to create emotional attachment and to become another home when it comes to represent evolution; enlightenment; and belongingness