Search results for "Models"

Cold fusion of heavy ions paving the way to superheavy elements

2001

Abstract Significant progress has been made approaching superheavy elements. A shell-stabilized region near hassium has been discovered. Element 112 has been synthesized. Recently evidence for the creation of elements 114, 116, and 118 has been reported. The way to these superheavy nuclei was paved by the cold fusion of heavy ions. In this paper experimental methods for heavy-element research, which is essentially physics with single atoms, are presented together with recent experimental results. The observed nuclear properties are discussed in the framework of theoretical models. New instrumental developments including accelerators and radioactive beams are be addressed.

Transient analysis of "2 inch Direct Vessel Injection line break" in SPES-2 facility by using TRACE code

2015

In the past few decades a lot of theoretical and experimental researches have been done to understand the physical phenomena characterizing nuclear accidents. In particular, after the Three Miles Island accident, several reactors have been designed to handle successfully LOCA events. This paper presents a comparison between experimental and numerical results obtained for the “2 inch Direct Vessel Injection line break” in SPES-2. This facility is an integral test facility built in Piacenza at the SIET laboratories and simulating the primary circuit, the relevant parts of the secondary circuits and the passive safety systems typical of the AP600 nuclear power plant. The numerical analysis her…

Development of a nutritional HACCP plan.

2002

Predicting and mapping human risk of exposure to

2019

Background Tick-borne diseases have become increasingly common in recent decades and present a health problem in many parts of Europe. Control and prevention of these diseases require a better understanding of vector distribution. Aim Our aim was to create a model able to predict the distribution of Ixodes ricinus nymphs in southern Scandinavia and to assess how this relates to risk of human exposure. Methods We measured the presence of I. ricinus tick nymphs at 159 stratified random lowland forest and meadow sites in Denmark, Norway and Sweden by dragging 400 m transects from August to September 2016, representing a total distance of 63.6 km. Using climate and remote sensing environmental …

Profilin 1 negatively regulates osteoclast migration in postnatal skeletal growth, remodeling, and homeostasis in mice

2019

ABSTRACT Profilin 1 (Pfn1), a regulator of actin polymerization, controls cell movement in a context‐dependent manner. Pfn1 supports the locomotion of most adherent cells by assisting actin‐filament elongation, as has been shown in skeletal progenitor cells in our previous study. However, because Pfn1 has also been known to inhibit migration of certain cells, including T cells, by suppressing branched‐end elongation of actin filaments, we hypothesized that its roles in osteoclasts may be different from that of osteoblasts. By investigating the osteoclasts in culture, we first verified that Pfn1‐knockdown (KD) enhances bone resorption in preosteoclastic RAW264.7 cells, despite having a compa…

HUMAN CAPITAL IN GROWTH REGRESSIONS: HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE DOES DATA QUALITY MAKE?.

2000

We construct a revised version of the Barro and Lee (1996) data set for a sample of OECD countries using previously unexploited sources and following a heuristic approach to obtain plausible time profiles for attainment levels by removing sharp breaks in the data that seem to reflect changes in classification criteria. It is then shown that these revised data perform much better than the Barro and Lee (1996) or Nehru et al (1995) series in a number of growth specifications. We interpret these results as an indication that poor data quality may be behind counterintuitive findings in the recent literature on the (lack of) relationship between educational investment and growth. Using our prefe…

Estimation of errors in mechanical efficiency

1990

Errors in measurements of mechanical work, net energy expenditure and mechanical efficiency (ME) were calculated, when subjects performed isolated eccentric or concentric muscle actions and combinations of these actions [stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) exercises] with a special sledge apparatus. The relative error of mechanical work was 6.1%. When estimating the error of energy metabolism from oxygen consumption the error would be about 4% (McArdle et al. 1981). The maximum error of ME was the sum of these two values (10.1%). Obviously the error of ME was less than 5%, because 30 muscle actions were averaged and, in addition, the errors of mechanical work and energy expenditure were not in t…

Life-Space Mobility in Parkinson's Disease: Associations with Motor and Non-Motor Symptoms.

2019

Background To describe life-space mobility and explore associations of motor and non-motor symptoms with life-space mobility in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods About 164 community-dwelling persons with PD (mean age 71.6 years, 64.6% men) received a postal survey and a subsequent home visit. Motor assessments included perceived walking difficulties (Walk-12G), mobility (Timed Up and Go test), motor symptoms (UPDRS-III), and freezing of gait (item 3, FOG-Qsa). Non-motor symptoms included depressive symptoms (GDS-15), pain, fatigue (NHP-EN), and global cognition (MoCA). Life-space mobility was assessed with the life-space assessment (LSA). Calculations included composite score (r…

Assessment of Toxic Effects of Ochratoxin A in Human Embryonic Stem Cells

2019

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by different Aspergillus and Penicillium species, and it is considered a common contaminant in food and animal feed worldwide. On the other hand, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have been suggested as a valuable model for evaluating drug embryotoxicity. In this study, we have evaluated potentially toxic effects of OTA in hESCs. By using in vitro culture techniques, specific cellular markers, and molecular biology procedures, we found that OTA produces mild cytotoxic effects in hESCs by inhibiting cell attachment, survival, and proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, we suggest that hESCs provide a valuable human and cellular model for to…

Effect of carbendazim and physicochemical factors on the growth and ochratoxin A production of Aspergillus carbonarius isolated from grapes.

2007

Carbendazim is a systemic fungicide that is commonly used on several crops (tobacco, fruit, vegetables, cereals, etc.). This fungicide is used to control fungal infections in vineyards. It is indicated against Botrytis cinerea, Uncinula necator, Plasmopara viticola and other fungi and can be used either alone or coupled with other fungicides. However, there is a lack of in-depth studies to evaluate its effectiveness against growth of Aspergillus carbonarius isolated from grapes and OTA production. A medium based on red grape juice was used in this study. Preliminary studies were performed at 0.98 a(w) and 25 degrees C using carbendazim concentrations over a wide range (1-2000 ng/ml medium) …