RA In Order Research Articles

Empirical Analysis of Autonomous Vehicle's LiDAR Detection Performance Degradation for Actual Road Driving in Rain and Fog.

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is widely used in autonomous vehicles to obtain precise 3D information about surrounding road environments. However, under bad weather conditions, such as rain, snow, and fog, LiDAR-detection performance is reduced. This effect has hardly been verified in actual road environments. In this study, tests were conducted with different precipitation levels (10, 20, 30, and 40 mm/h) and fog visibilities (50, 100, and 150 m) on actual roads. Square test objects (60 × 60 cm2) made of retroreflective film, aluminum, steel, black sheet, and plastic, commonly used in Korean road traffic signs, were investigated. Number of point clouds (NPC) and intensity (reflection value of points) were selected as LiDAR performance indicators. These indicators decreased with deteriorating weather in order of light rain (10-20 mm/h), weak fog (<150 m), intense rain (30-40 mm/h), and thick fog (≤50 m). Retroreflective film preserved at least 74% of the NPC under clear conditions with intense rain (30-40 mm/h) and thick fog (<50 m). Aluminum and steel showed non-observation for distances of 20-30 m under these conditions. ANOVA and post hoc tests suggested that these performance reductions were statistically significant. Such empirical tests should clarify the LiDAR performance degradation.

Study of Radium Behavior in Contact With Calcium-Silicate-Hydrates

Abstract Radium-226 is an important radionuclide with respect to the long-term safety of repositories for low and intermediate-level radioactive wastes, as well as deep geological repositories for high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. To evaluate its mobility in the engineered barrier system of a repository, the sorption of radium on calcium-silicate-hydrates (CSH), which form the major hydration phases in cementitious materials, was studied. Radium sorption to CSH was found to be very fast, leading to steady-state between solid and liquid phase after less than four days. The dependency of the equilibrium distribution ratios on radium concentration, the calcium to silicon ratio in CSH, liquid to solid ratio, and temperature was investigated, and estimates of apparent activation energy, reaction enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy of the sorption process were derived. Radium sorption on CSH can be described by linear isotherms with Rd values mostly in the order of 104 L/kg. Radium sorption was found to be an exothermic and spontaneous reaction probably governed by chemical reaction rather than diffusion. As expected, the presence of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) at low concentrations led only to a small decrease in radium sorption, due to the strong competition of dissolved calcium for EDTA complexation. A comparison of the sorption behavior of various alkaline earth elements used as chemical analogs for radium confirmed the significant difference in the Rd values with sorption on CSH decreasing in the order Ra &amp;gt; Ba &amp;gt; Sr.

The potential role of community pharmacy staff in reducing patient delay in consulting with symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: a qualitative study

BackgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis which can cause joint damage and reduced quality of life. Early treatment of RA within 3 months of symptom onset is associated with improved clinical outcomes. However, this window of opportunity is often missed. One important contributing factor is patients with symptoms of RA delaying consulting their general practitioner (GP). Previous research indicates that patients with inflammatory arthritis are likely to visit pharmacies for advice before consulting their GP. Therefore, pharmacists are well positioned to identify patients with symptoms of early inflammatory arthritis and signpost them appropriately. This research examines community pharmacy staff’s knowledge, perceptions, and approaches to management of patients presenting with symptoms of RA in order to identify training needs and other opportunities for intervention to enhance the role of pharmacy staff in the pathway to care.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 community pharmacy staff in the West Midlands (UK), during a 12-month period (2017–2018). The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis facilitated by NVivo 12.ResultsThere was considerable variation in knowledge and perceptions of RA and the need for early treatment amongst pharmacists and other pharmacy staff. The potential role of pharmacists and other pharmacy staff in reducing delay in help-seeking was also discussed. Four themes emerged from thematic analysis: (1) Variations in perceptions and knowledge about RA. (2) The role of the pharmacy in increasing public awareness about RA. (3) The role of the pharmacy staff in facilitating access to the GP. (4) Practical considerations for pharmacy-based interventions.ConclusionVariability in knowledge and perceptions of RA amongst pharmacists, and amongst other pharmacy staff will affect effective signposting of suspected RA cases. This study identifies opportunities for enhanced training of community pharmacists and other pharmacy staff in relation to inflammatory arthritis as well as other pharmacy-based interventions, such as public awareness campaigns about RA and other musculoskeletal conditions. Together with existing referral services and other pharmacy-based initiatives this could result in enhanced signposting to GP consultation or other appropriate NHS services for inflammatory symptoms and reduced treatment delay.

Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) in a Warm-Temperate Forested Watershed—A Possibility of Ultraviolet Absorbance as an Indicator of DOM

We investigated changes in the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from rain to stream water in a forested watershed at Yamashiro Experimental Forest (YMS) in southern Kyoto prefecture. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and specific UV absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA254) in rainwater increased in the order of bulk rain, throughfall, stemflow, and O layer leachate because of the DOM supply from tree tissue and O layer. Decreases in DOC concentration and SUVA254 with soil depth were not observed in the soil-percolating water. This finding may have been caused by the low free oxide content of the soil and the collection of soil water with a tension-free lysimeter. The DOC concentration was very low in both seepage and stream waters; seasonal variation with a high concentration in summer was observed in the stream water. An increase in K+ concentration in summer was also observed in the stream water; thus, we presumed that DOC seasonal variation was caused by the DOM supply with the accumulated decomposition of litter in the streambed. The significant correlation between DOC concentration and absorbance at 254 nm (UV254) was observed for all sample types of observation target in the watershed; the ratio of DOC concentration to UV254 was different, while the correlation coefficient between DOC concentration and UV254 value differed among sample types in the watershed. We concluded that UV254 which can be measured by simply and easily is a good indicator for estimating DOC concentration in liquid samples in forested watersheds.

Technology of Obtaining and Mechanical Processing of Resistant Powder Coatings of Ni-Mo-Al System

The results of a technological process development for obtaining a wear-resistant powder coating of Ni-Mo-Al system, applied by cold gas-flame spraying to the surface of a critical unit of compressor equipment in the oil and gas industry, within the framework of repair production are presented. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the features of the structure and distribution of alloying elements in the coating are determined. The authors rationalized mechanical processing of the surface layer in order to obtain minimum roughness of the working area of the compressor cylinder. It is shown that the sprayed coating of Ni-Mo-Al system has a satisfactory adhesion strength in the range of 30-50 MPa, microhardness of 200-210 HV, which provides an increased running-in rate of piston rings of 6-10 mm3/Nm when operating the compressor in the temperature range of 350 - 400 °C. The parameters of finishing machining process of the finished coating are worked out, which makes it possible to ensure the minimum possible roughness of the coating of Ni-Mo-Al system in the range of 0.08-0.15 Ra in order to reduce wear of the working surface and extend service life.

Progressive Rain Removal via a Recurrent Convolutional Network for Real Rain Videos

Rain removal in videos is a problem that has attracted tremendous interest of researchers within the field of deep learning. Although deep-learning-based rain removal methods outperform large number of conventional vision methods, some technical issues that need to be resolved remain. In this article, we propose a new deep learning method for video rain removal based on recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture. Pseudo groundtruth was generated from real rainy video sequence by temporal filtering for supervised learning. Instead of focusing on various shapes of rain streaks similar to conventional methods, in this article, we focused on the changing behaviors of rain streaks. To accomplish this, images of progressive rain streaks were generated from the real rain videos and are sequentially fed to the network in a decreasing rain order. Multiple images with different amounts of rain streaks were used as RNN inputs to more efficiently identify rain streaks and then remove them. Experimental results demonstrate that our method is suitable for a wide range of rainy images. Moreover, experiments performed on both real-world and synthetic images demonstrate that our proposed method can achieve competitive results in comparison with the benchmarked and conventional approaches for rain streak removal from images.

Duration of treatment with bisphosphonates at the time of osteonecrosis of the jaw onset in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Review

IntroductionRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a frequent and co-morbid condition. One of the main complications is induced osteoporosis. Treatments related to this complication significantly modify oral and implant management. Affected patients represent a population at intermediate risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). The objective was to search the literature for durations of treatment with bisphosphonates at the time of ONJ occurrence in patients with RA in order to obtain an average duration. Materials and methodsA bibliographic search in the PubMed/Medline database was carried out using the following equation “(osteonecrosis and jaw) and rheumatoid arthritis” with no time limitation. The primary study endpoint was the duration of treatment with bisphosphonates (BP) at the time of ONJ onset in patients with RA. ResultsTwelve articles accounting for 50 patients were included. Patients had had a median of 46.8 months of treatment with BP before ONJ occurred. Mean, minimum and maximum treatment times were 48.68, 6 and 120 months, respectively. The standard deviation was 27.77 months. DiscussionThe median treatment duration in our cohort of patients with RA was less than that reported for osteoporosis. We therefore, recommend that practitioners take additional precautions regarding oral surgery or implant procedures, particularly in patients with RA who have been treated with BP for more than 4 years.

Spatial distribution of perchlorate, iodide and thiocyanate in the aquatic environment of Tianjin, China: Environmental source analysis

Although China is the largest producer of fireworks (perchlorate-containing products) in the world, the pathways through which perchlorate enters the environment have not been characterized completely in this country. In this study, perchlorate, iodide and thiocyanate were measured in 101 water samples, including waste water, surface water, sea water and paired samples of rain water and surface runoff collected in Tianjin, China. The concentrations of the target anions were generally on the order of rain>surface water≈waste water treatment plant (WWTP) influent>WWTP effluent. High concentrations of perchlorate, iodide and thiocyanate were detected in rain samples, ranging from 0.35 to 27.3 (median: 4.05), 0.51 to 8.33 (2.92), and 1.31 to 107 (5.62) ngmL−1, respectively. Furthermore, the concentrations of the target anions in rain samples were significantly (r=0.596–0.750, p<0.01) positively correlated with the concentrations obtained in the paired surface runoff samples. The anions tested showed a clear spatial distribution, and higher concentrations were observed in the upper reaches of rivers, sea waters near the coast, and rain-surface runoff pairs sampled in urban areas. Our results revealed that precipitation may act as an important source of perchlorate, iodide and thiocyanate in surface water. Moreover, iodide concentrations in the Haihe River and Dagu Drainage Canal showed a good correlation with an ideal marker (acesulfame) of domestic waste water, indicating that input from domestic waste water was an important source of iodide in the surface waters of Tianjin.

Leaching of uranium, radium and thorium from vertisol soil by ground water

Shallow land burial is routinely used for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste. Natural processes causing leaching of radionuclides can lead to contamination of surrounding ground water and soil by the radionuclides. The comparative leachability of radionuclides U(nat), 226Ra, 228Ra and Th(nat) from the soil of a radioactive waste disposal site, by ground water was evaluated. The probability of leaching was obtained in the following order Ra (≈77%) > U (≈40%) > Th (≈20%). Observed ratios (OR) were calculated to correlate leachability of radionuclides to that of major cations Ca2+ and Mg2+. The leaching of the radionuclides was seen to be dependent on Ca2+ and SO42− leached from the soil. This study provides sitespecific leachability of radionuclides, that can be used as indicator of the tendency for migration or retention in soil. It can play an important role during an unforeseen accident like breach of containment at the waste disposal site leading to contamination of soil and ground water and causing hazard to public via drinking water route.

Factors predicting the response to low-dose methotrexate therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a better response in male patients

Methotrexate (MTX) is the most commonly used disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) throughout the world. In Japan, MTX is recommended by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare to be given as the second or third DMARD and at a dosage of no more than 8 mg/week. We analyzed the efficacy of MTX in Japanese patients with RA in order to determine whether it is comparable to that in Western countries, where 15–20 mg/week of MTX is used, as well as to elucidate the factors associated with the favorable response to MTX. Around 8 mg/week of MTX was effective in half of the RA patients in the current study, and male sex was the only factor associated with a good response to MTX from a multivariate regression model analysis. Some of the patients who had a poor response to MTX showed an improvement with the addition of bucillamine or prednisolone. For the remaining patients, an increase in the MTX dosage to more than 8 mg/week or the use of biologics such as the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α monoclonal antibody may be required.

Measurement of Slant Visual Range in Laser Radar Operation Considering the Spread of Transmitted Laser Beam Caused by Small Particles in the Atmosphere.

In bad weather conditions, e.g. rainy, foggy, and snowy conditions, exact slant visual ranges should be obtained for safe landings at airports. However, no equipment for achieving this has been installed in airports yet. In this study, the laser radar system is refined for estimating the slant visual range. It is found that the empirical data in bad weather conditions do not correspond to predictions with the current laser radar equation. Therefore, a new laser radar equation, which considers the divergence of the transmitting laser beam, is proposed. The slopes of this equation correspond well to the empirical data in various weather conditions. The visibilities estimated by this equation also correspond with those obtained by the slant transmittance system. Also, the extent of the divergence is examined by means of classifying the empirical data by weather conditions. As a result, it is found that the divergence of the transmitted laser beam increases in the order of rain, fog, misty rain, and snow.

慢性関節リウマチ各ｓｔａｇｅ別における各種骨マーカーの変化とｐＱＣＴによる骨病変進展度評価 健常者ならびにステロイド使用ＳＬＥ例を対照として

Generalized bone loss is recognized as a major event in RA. Both biochemical parameters of bone metabolism and the bone mineral density were investigated in remission, non-steroid treated patients with RA in order to assess bone turnover and bone loss in remission phase RA.We studied 31 patients of remission RA with good response to DMARDs and compared with remission SLE and normal young adults. Urinary NTx, pyridinoline (PYR), deoxypyridinoline (DPYR) and TRAP, as parameters of bone resorption and serum bone related alkaline phosphatase (ALP III), osteocalcine and ICP (S) were measured in RA, SLE and healthy subjects. Total bone density (TBD), trabecular density (TD) and cortex density (CD) were also evaluated using XCT960 pQCT.ALP III, osteocalcine and ICP (S) levels were significantly lower in RA compared with 6 healthy subjects, but there was no significant difference between SLE and healthy subjects.PYR levels were elevated in stage III and IV of RA but were similar between SLE and healthy subjects. TBD including TD and CD was significantly reduced in RA patients compared with the control group. Decreasing ratio of TBD in RA patients was correlated with advancement of RA. However, TBD value in stage IV RA patients were seemingly increased as compression fracture of lumber spine in osteoporosis.These results suggest that bone metabolism may be uncouple in remission phase RA. Bone formation appeared to be reduced, whereas resorption is increased.

大気中の微小粒子による送信ビームの広がりを考慮したレーザレーダによる斜め視程測定法

In bad weather conditions e. g. rainy, foggy and snowy conditions, exact slant visual ranges should be obtained for safe landings at airports. However no equipment for achieving this has been installed in airports yet.In this study, the laser radar system is developed for estimating the slant visual range. It is found that the practical data in bad weather conditions do not correspond to the predictions of the current laser radar equation. Therefore, the new laser radar equation, which considered the divergence of transmitting laser beam, is proposed. The slopes of this equation correspond well to the practical data in various weather conditions. The visibilities estimated by this equation also coincide with those obtained by the slant transmittance system. And the extent of the divergence is examined by means of classifying the practical data by weather conditions. As a result, it is found that the divergence of the transmitted laser beam increases in the order of rain, fog, misty rain, and snow.

RFLP study of the DR4‐DQw3 haplotype in rheumatoid arthntis

The aim of our investigations was to characterize, using serological and RFLP techniques, the DR4-DQw3 haplotype in RA in order to determine wether a DQw3 subtype was preferentially associated with DR4.

Retinoic acid treatment of fibroblasts causes a rapid decrease in [ 3H]inositol uptake

NIH 3T3 fibroblasts treated with all- trans-retinoic acid (RA) showed a dramatic decrease in the uptake of [ 3H]inositol compared to solvent-treated controls. The onset of RA-induced inhibition of [ 3H]inositol uptake was rapid with a 10–15 % decrease occurring after 2–3 h of RA exposure and 60–70% reduction after 16 h of RA treatment. A progressive dose-dependent decrease in inositol uptake was found as the concentration of RA increased from 10 −8 to 10 −5 M and the effect was fully reversible within 48 h after RA removal. The V max and K t for the controls were 10 nmol/2.5 × 10 6 cells/2 h and 51 μ M; and for RA-treated cells the values were 4 nmol/2.5 × 10 6 cells/2 h and 52 μ M. The decreased [ 3H]inositol uptake was not due to a change in the affinity ( K t ) of the transporter for the inositol but to a decrease in the V max. The maximal effect on inositol uptake was dependent on RA treatment of the cells after they reached saturation density or if made quiescent by serum starvation. RA was the most active of the different retinoids examined in the order RA > 13- cis-RA = retinyl acetate>all- trans-retinol>5,6-dihydroxyretinoic acid methyl ester> N-4-hydroxyphenyl retinamide. In contrast to this effect on inositol, the uptake of fucose, mannose, galactose, and glucose was either not affected or enhanced (for mannose and fucose) by RA treatment. RA inhibition of inositol uptake was also observed in 3T3-Swiss and Balb/3T3 cells but not in two virally transformed 3T3 cell lines. Phlorizin, amiloride, and monensin inhibited inositol uptake by 66, 74, and 58%, respectively, and this inhibition was additive when the cells were treated with RA as well as these inhibitors. A decreased incorporation of [ 3H]inositol into polyphosphoinositides was also observed in RA-treated cells but not to the same extent as for [ 3H]inositol uptake. In conclusion, RA treatment of 3T3 fibroblasts decreases the uptake of [ 3H]inositol by up to 70% within 8 to 10 h at near physiological concentrations in a reversible and specific manner.

Observaciones sobre la pretendida evolución ε &gt; α y la flexión de los sustantivos en -εύς en el dialecto eleo

With one exception (the well attested change er > ar ), all the commonly invoked examples of the context determined phonetic change e > a in Elean may be discarded. There is no necessity to postulate a process re > ra in order to account for the Elean forms λατρα[ιομeν...], κατιαραυσeιe, μαστρααι and κατιαραιων. These are shown to be interpreted as instances of a complex development taking place in the inflexion of -eύς nouns and in the Elean denominatives in -eιω (Attic -eύω): as a result of two different vowel-shortening processes (Osthoff's Law, shortening in hiatus), Elean ǟ ( *ē ) shifted to a . This vowel regularly merged with e ; but this change was checked after an immediately preceding r or next to an e -vowel, where a was turned to a .

The New Order of the Latter Rain

AbstractThe movement that was known as the New Order of the Latter Rain is one of the few elements of the twentieth century Pentecostal revival for which Canada, for better or worse, must accept primary responsibility. Not only did the movement begin in Canada, but in Western Canada specifically. Therefore, a consideration and review of its nature and effects is particularly relevant on this occasion of the convening of the Pentecostal World Conference on Canada's west coast. In this paper we will first review some of the historical backgrounds of the movement, and then we will make an attempt to understand it and evaluate its influence upon the thinking and practices of Pentecostal Christians. In the matter of terminology, the expressions "New Order," and "Latter Rain," as well as "New Order of the Latter Rain" were variously applied by the movement to itself in its formative years. Today's writers from within the movement's ranks now use terms such as "the move," or "the Move of the Spirit," or "the move of 1948." In this paper we will use the older terms.