Search results for "Mite"
showing 10 items of 795 documents
Feasibility of using more polishable aggregates in dense-graded asphalt surface mixture: Case study of dolomite
2022
This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using more dolomite aggregates in asphalt surface mixtures that are typically used by West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH). The laboratory test results indicated that increasing dolomite content in asphalt surface mixtures resulted in a faster deterioration rate at the early polishing stage. In addition, asphalt surface mixtures containing more than 50% dolomite coarse aggregates would significantly reduce roadway safety. The field test results validated that dolomite shall not exceed 50% of coarse aggregate in asphalt surface mixture if the projected traffic volume is greater than 3.0 million equivalent single axle loads (ESALs).
230Th/U-dating of a late Holocene low uranium speleothem from Cuba
2010
We present 22 U-series ages for a stalagmite from north-western Cuba based on multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) and thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS). Our results reveal that the stalagmite continuously grew within the last ~1400a. Low uranium content of the sample and thus, extremely low 230Th concentrations limit the precision and accuracy of 230Th/U-dating by TIMS. Samples measured by MC-ICPMS show a high variability of 232Th content along the growth axis with some sections significantly affected by initial 230Th from a detrital phase. An a-priori bulk earth ratio for (238U/232Th) cannot be used to accurately account for this initial 230Th.…
Accurate estimation of retinal vessel width using bagged decision trees and an extended multiresolution Hermite model.
2012
We present an algorithm estimating the width of retinal vessels in fundus camera images. The algorithm uses a novel parametric surface model of the cross-sectional intensities of vessels, and ensembles of bagged decision trees to estimate the local width from the parameters of the best-fit surface. We report comparative tests with REVIEW, currently the public database of reference for retinal width estimation, containing 16 images with 193 annotated vessel segments and 5066 profile points annotated manually by three independent experts. Comparative tests are reported also with our own set of 378 vessel widths selected sparsely in 38 images from the Tayside Scotland diabetic retinopathy scre…
Thermal stability of transition alumina nanocrystals with different microstructures
2018
Abstract The preparation of well-crystallized boehmite nanoparticles with different morphologies, encompassing from aciculae or rods of 320, 150 and 70 nm of length to platelets of 50 nm in diameter, allowed a comparative study of their respective thermal evolutions as alumina precursors. Static thermal treatments of boehmite nanocrystals at 600, 1000 and 1200 °C and a dynamic, in situ synchrotron study between 100 and 1000 °C revealed that original boehmite microstructures, i.e. size and shape of the nanoparticles, were kept not only in γ-Al 2 O 3 but also in transitional aluminas up to 1000 °C. Specifically, at that temperature, acicular samples presented θ-Al 2 O 3 structure, while in pl…
Limiting Auditor Liability? - Experimental Evidence on Risk and Ambiguity Attitudes under Real Losses
2009
This paper is motivated by the current debate on limiting auditor liability. In a laboratory experiment, the effect of limited versus unlimited liability on behavior under risk and ambiguity is investigated for risks involving small probabilities. The amount of liability is manipulated in such a way that subjects can pay with their show-up fee under limited liability, but they can suffer out-of-pocket losses under unlimited liability. Findings are that both risk aversion and ambiguity aversion are higher under unlimited liability than under limited liability, and these two constructs are correlated under unlimited liability. These findings provide new empirical evidence for the intuition th…
Limiting Liability? — Risk and Ambiguity Attitudes Under Real Losses
2013
Using a laboratory experiment in which the unlimited liability treatment involves real out-of-pocket losses, we investigate and compare the behavioral effects of auditors’ limited and unlimited liability on behavior under risk and ambiguity. We find that aversion to both risk and ambiguity are higher under unlimited liability than under limited liability, and that these two constructs are correlated under unlimited liability. Our findings explain why some auditors might be hindered in performing their duties properly under unlimited liability. Further, our findings emphasize the importance of appropriately modeling risk and ambiguity attitudes in economic models on liability.
Dialettica al limite
2018
L'appello di Th W. Adorno a forme non antagonistiche di coesistenza del diverso, intese come modelli di razionalità in cui il non identico non cada sotto il bando della logica identitaria, costituisce un nodo fortemente problematico che investe in modo radicale il senso, nonché la sopravvivenza stessa, della dialettica, almeno così come essa viene concepita dal filosofo francofortese. Raccogliere i suggerimenti di Adorno in direzione del pensare in costellazioni, o anche in direzione di una dialettica che deve riappropriarsi della sua originaria radice linguistica per farsi esperienza comunicativa del differenziato, significa infatti dover seguire una strada che, però, se fosse percorsa fin…
The “chimney forest” of the deep Montenegrin margin, south-eastern Adriatic Sea
2015
A spectacular field of columnar carbonates has been discovered on the Montenegrin margin in the southern Adriatic Sea at a depth of about 450 m. The site exposes many columnar carbonates protruding from the substrate or abated on the bottom. Such carbonates attain maximum visible lengths of ca. 60 cm with diameters up to 20 cm; display an annular growth, and are either hollow or plugged by indurated sediment. Petrographic and geochemical analyses document the pervasive presence of dolomite, and delta C-13 values as low as -30%(0) VPDB. These 'chimneys' are therefore interpreted as former conduits related to hydrocarbon expulsion in this sector of the Adriatic basin. However, available data …
Early experiences from one of the first treatment programs for chronic hepatitis B in sub-Saharan Africa
2017
Treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is virtually absent in sub-Saharan Africa. Here we present early experiences from a pilot program for treatment of CHB in Ethiopia. Adults (≥18 years) with CHB were included in a cohort study at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, from February 2015. The baseline assessment included liver function tests, viral markers and transient elastography (Fibroscan 402, Echosense, France). Logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of fibrosis. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) was initiated based on the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) criteria, with some modifications. The initial 300 patients …
Treatment of chronic hepatitis B in sub-Saharan Africa: 1-year results of a pilot program in Ethiopia
2018
Background The World Health Organization has set an ambitious goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is virtually unavailable. Herein, we present the 1-year results of a pilot CHB treatment program in Ethiopia. Methods At a public hospital in Addis Ababa, CHB patients were treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate based on simplified eligibility criteria. Baseline assessment included liver function tests, viral markers, and transient elastography (Fibroscan). Changes in laboratory markers were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Adherence to therapy was measured by …