Search results for "Function"
showing 10 items of 14432 documents
Symptom variability and control in COPD: Advantages of dual bronchodilation therapy
2017
Abstract Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by usually progressive development of airflow obstruction that is not fully reversible. While most patients will experience symptoms throughout the day or in the morning upon awakening, many patients do not experience their symptoms as constant but report variability in symptoms during the course of the day or over time. Symptom variability adversely affects patients' health status and increases the risk of COPD exacerbations. Methods We examined data from the literature on symptom variability and control in patients with COPD, with focus on the use of inhaled bronchodilator therapy wi…
Incorporation of Li dopant into Cu2ZnSnSe4 photovoltaic absorber: hybrid-functional calculations
2015
We have studied the formation of Li extrinsic defects in CuZnSnSe by first-principles hybrid functional calculations. Li atoms in the Cu site (Li) and Li atoms in the Se site (Li) are the most and the least stable point defect, respectively. The formation energies of two Li interstitial defects with different numbers of nearest neighbors are the same. These interstitial point defects act as a donor but do not create gap states. Formation of the acceptor point defects (Li and Li) is less likely in p-type CuZnSnSe compared with n-type CuZnSnSe. In contrast to Li which does not create gap states, the formation of Li creates two charge transition levels in the middle of the bandgap which might …
Acquatina Lagoon: a model ecosystem to study community patterns
2013
Acquatina is a small lagoon ecosystem (0.45 km2) located on the Adriatic coast only 5 km north of Lecce (Italy). The lagoon has a freshwater input in the northern part and a connection with the sea at the south edge, being characterised by a latitudinal gradient of salinity and an internal patchiness of habitats. Here, we have used the lagoons as a model to study the influence of these sources of variation on the spatial distribution of macrobenthis and fish fauna, using both taxonomic and on taxonomic descriptors. Results showed a non random distribution of both species and functional traits of macroinvertebrate and fish fauna within the lagoon, despite the relatively small surface area. S…
Aequorin-expressing yeast emits light under electric control
2011
In this study, we show the use of direct external electrical stimulation of a jellyfish luminescent calcium-activated protein, aequorin, expressed in a transgenic yeast strain. Yeast cultures were electrically stimulated through two electrodes coupled to a standard power generator. Even low (1.5. V) electric pulses triggered a rapid light peak and serial light pulses were obtained after electric pulses were applied periodically, suggesting that the system is re-enacted after a short refraction time. These results open up a new scenario, in the very interphase between synthetic biology and cybernetics, in which complex cellular behavior might be subjected to electrical control.
A new sample of large angular size radio galaxies
2004
We present in this paper a detailed study of a new sample of large angular size FR I and FR II radio galaxies and compare the properties of the two classes. As expected, a pure morphology based distinction of FR Is and FR IIs corresponds to a break in total radio power. The radio cores in FR Is are also weaker than in FR IIs, although there is not a well defined break power. We find that asymmetry in the structure of the sample members must be the consequence of anisotropies in the medium where the lobes expand, with orientation playing a minor role. Moreover, literature data and our observations at kiloparsec scales suggest that the large differences between the structures of FR I and FR I…
Reply to comment on “A MRCI PS and CASSCF study of the ground state MgO dissociation energy”
1993
To compute the dissociation energy of MgO, the relationship among the size of the active space in CASSCF wavefunctions, the computed De and the continuity of ∂E/∂r is studied. Basis set influence is also considered. Finally, it is concluded that the dissociation energy of MgO referred to ground state atoms is 2.32±0.1 eV.
Subgroups of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder without Intellectual Disability: A Longitudinal Examination of Executive and Socio-Adaptive Behav…
2021
Within the autistic spectrum, there is remarkable variability in the etiology, presentation, and treatment response. This prospective study was designed to identify, through cluster analysis, subgroups of individuals with ASD without intellectual disability (ID) based on the severity of the core symptoms in childhood. The secondary aim was to explore whether these subgroups and a group with typical development (TD) differ in cognitive, adaptive, and social aspects measured in adolescence. The sample at baseline was comprised of 52 children with ASD without ID and 37 children with TD, aged 7–11. Among the ASD group, three clusters were identified. Cluster 1 (40%), ‘high severity’, presented …
DO FLEXIBLE AND TENACIOUS GOAL PURSUIT ALLEVIATE THE INFLUENCES OF FUNCTIONAL DECLINE TO ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION?
2018
Assimilative and accommodative coping strategies have hardly been studied in relation to activity participation when facing functional decline. We investigated whether tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA) influence the association between physical or cognitive performance, and physical activity or participation in other hobbies. Participants were 78-93-year-old community-dwelling people (n=187). TGP and FGA were self-evaluated with distinct scales (ranges 5–25). Physical performance was assessed with Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB; 0–12) and cognitive performance with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; 0–30). Physical activity (0–5) and participation i…
Converting Retirement Benefit into a Life Care Annuity with Graded Benefits: How Costly Would it Actually Be?
2016
This paper deals with life care annuities, i.e. bundled products comprising a life annuity and long-term care insurance. It aims to assess the cost of converting retirement benefit into a life care annuity with graded benefits using a pre-existing public pay-as-you-go pension scheme. With this objective in mind, we present an actuarial method based on array calculus for valuing this type of life care annuity. The health dynamics of the annuitant rely on a reversible illness-death multistate framework. The paper contains a numerical example in which mortality and disability assumptions are based on data from the USA and Australia, although this should be viewed simply as an illustration. In …
Portfolio performance evaluation with loss aversion
2011
In this paper we consider a loss-averse investor equipped with a specific, but still quite general, utility function motivated by behavioral finance. We show that, under certain concrete assumptions concerning the form of this utility, one can derive closed-form solutions for the investor's portfolio performance measure. We investigate the effects of loss aversion and demonstrate its important role in performance measurement. The framework presented in this paper also provides a sound theoretical foundation for all known performance measures based on partial moments of the distribution.