Regular Repetition Research Articles

Risk assessment

PurposeThis short poem seeks to encapsulate a cynical view of the value of risk assessment.Design/methodology/approachThe poem was written at the time of the collapse of the banks, despite their elaborate risk assessments. It juxtaposes modern belief in risk assessment with other historical and fallible means of prediction. The poem is a triolet, a medieval French form comprising one eight‐line stanza with a regular rhyming scheme and repetition of lines. It is concise, with nursery rhyme simplicity, and a refrain that sinks into the conscious.FindingsThe images of runes, the tarot, and astrology counterbalance the scientific language and basis of risk assessment and the hard‐nosed, factual business of insurance.Research limitations/implicationsThe poem reminds us that the greatest risk is the one that is impossible to foresee.Originality/valueThe poem is unique in its use of a medieval French form to examine a modern phenomenon.

Development of an Evidence‐based Guideline for Supervisor Training in Promoting Mental Health: Literature Review

To review published studies to assess the effects of supervisor training on the mental health of subordinate workers, and thereby develop an evidence-based guideline for supervisor training in promoting workers' mental health. Seven studies that assessed the effect of supervisor training, whose outcomes included psychological stress responses of (subordinate) employees, were retrieved for assessment from PubMed, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, the Web of Science, and Ichushi-Web. An additional five studies were also reviewed for discussion on the content and types of training. Providing supervisors with necessary skills and information on mental health, including relevant occupational stressors, has a favorable effect on workers' mental health, at least in the short term. The subject populations had a background of requiring mental health measures. The effect of the training varied depending on the participation rate of supervisors, suggesting that the overall effect on an organization may be limited without a certain extent of participation by supervisors. There is no evidence of a long-term (over 1 yr) effect of supervisor training, and the effect of education on the supervisors' knowledge and behavior tends to be lost after 6 mo. The current evidence indicates that the following items should be taken into consideration for the development of a guideline for supervisor training: identification of high-priority populations requiring education, development of a strategy to improve the participation rate in education, inclusion of occupational stressors as well as basic information in workplace mental health teaching materials, and regular repetition of the program.

Accidents at work related to violence – Analysis of Finnish national accident statistics database

The current trends, prevalence and information retrieval possibilities for accidents at work in Finland, related to violence, are analysed using data from the national occupational accident statistics database. The analysis includes years 2003 and 2006. The data were gathered using accident description analysis. Descriptive statistics and comparisons with employee distributions were used in the data analysis. Information retrieval possibilities were analysed in terms of precision and recall. The results indicate that the number of accidents at work related to violence, especially those involving women, has increased in Finland. Increased reporting and changes in the labour market and working life are likely to explain at least part of this increase. The coverage of the Finnish occupational accident statistics database appears to have improved along with the implementation of European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW) methodology. However, information about violence-related accidents at work is difficult to obtain with the current accident classification codes in use. It is recommended that more precise codes for violence-related accidents at work are included in the Finnish implementation of ESAW methodology. Reliable estimation of the violence-related accident trends will require regular repetition of similar analyses. Reliable information is necessary to determine the effectiveness of preventative actions.

Towards the Systematization of Stanza Forms in the Russian Folk Song

In both byliny and literary poetry texts are organized such that each succeeding line adds something new to the exposition, which proceeds without interruption from the beginning to the end (ABCDE ). In literary verse the division of a poetic text into stanzas does not alter this principle. Folk songs, in which stanzas are formed by the regular repetition of lines or by the regular inclusion of a refrain, traditionally differ, because these features do not supplement the information being conveyed in the text. Such repetitions are explained by the melody of a song, which is more developed and longer than the accompanying verbal material. This demonstrates the non-linguistic nature of stanza forms, which were in their formation long ago connected with choreography and the music created by it. Just as a stanza in poetry represents a group of lines, so the melody of a song is an articulation of several musical sections, which may be related to each other by similarity (АА), contrast (АВ), or a combination of both (such as АВАВ or ААВВ). The end of a song's stanza is perceived together with the end of the melody and the following stanza is perceived from the outset as a repetition of this melody. However, the melody alone, without the text, does not permit a more detailed judgement about the internal structure of the stanza in a given song. Thus Rudneva [1994] demonstrated that several kinds of poetic stanza can be sung to a melody with the same sequence of musical sections; the reverse correlation seldom occurs. On the contrary, the text of a well recorded song permits the stanza structures to be classified with maximum accuracy. In reality, the number of lines in a stanza simultaneously represents the number of musical sections in its melody. In this case, the line represents a single rhythmic principle which determines both the melody and the words of a given song; over and above this, it also contains a specific verbal pattern for combining poetic lines into stanzas. As a measure of the overall musical-poetic rhythm, the line is more accessible and intelligible than the melody. It is no accident that stanza forms are classified by line in literary as well as in musicological studies. Although some argue for song stanza forms to be studied as a coordination of word and melody, and although musicologists have accumulated some experience

Pattern formation by local amplification and lateral inhibition: Examples from biology and geology

Pattern formation by local amplification and lateral inhibition is a common process in nature, responsible for regular repetition in many biological and geological systems. This conceptual framework provides a high-level understanding of self-organization, but also guides the search for the fundamental, local interactions in any given system. Several examples of pattern formation by lateral inhibition in sociology, biology and geology illustrate the general principles. In particular, we used this research methodology consciously for addressing the problem of rimstone (travertine terrace) formation. The statistical identification of spacing patterns is illustrated by an analysis of a pockmark field in the North Sea.

Evolution of rhythm as an indicator of mate quality

Regular rhythmic repetition is a basic element of music in all human cultures and appears in numerous animal courtship signals. We propose that rhythm can function in courtship displays as an indicator of underlying mate quality. We constructed a model to explore whether regularly repeating patterns can serve as amplifiers of the performer's underlying neural quality. Our co-evolutionary simulation comprises male “songs” and female preferences, represented by bit strings. Males produce songs by copying their inborn template with some noise, depending on their quality. The females in turn assess male quality by comparing the male song to their own template. Our model shows that rhythmic songs enable greater discrimination with regard to quality than non-rhythmic songs under a variety of circumstances, thereby implying that rhythmic signals may evolve as useful mate quality indicators.

Advertisement Calls of Three Species of Arthroleptis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Malawi

Descriptions of the advertisement call are provided for three species of arthroleptid frogs from Malawi. The call of Arthroleptis reichei consists of the irregular repetition of one single whistling note with a frequency range of 1,600-4,000 Hz and a dominant frequency of 3,400-3,500 Hz. Although pulses are not clearly recognizable, notes show an evident subunit structure. The call of A. stenodactylus consists of the regular repetition of one single unpulsed whistling note with a frequency range from 2,700-4,900 and a dominant frequency of 3,200-3,400 Hz. The call of A. xenodactyloides consists of the regular and virtually endless repetition of one single clearly pulsed note with a frequency range of 4,900-7,500 and a dominant frequency of 6,300-6,500 Hz. On the basis of the available published data, two different call patterns are preliminarily recognizable in south and eastern African species belonging to Arthroleptis: (1) the repetition of one single unpulsed whistling-like note at low-medium (1,600-4,900 Hz) frequencies; and (2) the repetition of single pulsed cricket-like note at medium-high (4,600-7,500 Hz) frequencies.

Estimation and mapping of wintertime increase in water ice content of the Martian surface soil based on seasonal Thermal Emission Spectrometer thermal inertia variations

Results of the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) thermal inertia seasonal variations analysis show significant increase of the thermal inertia during autumn‐winter periods in the middle latitudes. This observed increase occurred with regular repetition during each of the three Mars years of the TES observations. Two climatic factors (atmospheric dust loading and water ice (frost) formation in the soil) might lead to the real and/or apparent seasonal increase in thermal inertia. We compare maps of summertime and wintertime thermal inertia at similarly low atmospheric dust opacity within the latitude belt ±50°, outside of the seasonal CO2 ice cover. On the basis of the results of such comparison we developed a new method for estimating and mapping the wintertime increase of the water ice within the surface soil layer corresponding to the daily thermal skin depth of 2–10 cm. We use both the nomograms of relation between the thermal inertia for dry and icy soil compiled for different water ice content and an analytical approach. Comparison of the mapped wintertime TES thermal inertia values with computed values of the parameter for icy soil at different ice amounts shows that the wintertime thermal inertia values in the latitude ranges 40°–50°N and 40°–50°S are consistent with the presence of the water ice amount in the soil from 4 up to 17 vol % (locally), whereas at lower latitudes the ice amount is mainly less than 1 vol %. Mapping results show that the zone with a soil water ice amount of >3 vol % is much more in the northern hemisphere than in the southern one.

Do patient surveys work? The influence of a national survey programme on local quality-improvement initiatives

Objectives:To assess current attitudes towards the national patient survey programme in England, establish the extent to which survey results are used and identify barriers and incentives for using them.Design:Qualitative interviews...

Interlayer water molecules in vanadium pentoxide hydrate. IX. Anisotropic translational diffusion leading to anisotropic ac conductivity

The anisotropy of the dynamic properties of interlayer water molecules along the a and b axes of vanadium pentoxide hydrate, orthorhombic V2O5.nH2O, was studied using quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) in relation to the anisotropy of the ac conductivity. The QENS spectra were analyzed using a stretched exponential function and a Lorentzian function. Both methods showed that the double-layer water molecules along the b axis are more mobile than those along the a axis. The difference in mobility between the two axes is more pronounced using a Lorentzian function analysis. These facts suggest that the diffusion coefficient of water molecules along the b axis is larger than that along the a axis, which is closely related to the ac conductivity originating from proton hopping. The anisotropy of the dynamic motion of water molecules can be attributed to the shorter b-axis length (b=3.60 A), with respect to the longer and less regular repetition of the atomic arrangements along the a axis (42.34 A).

Subcutaneous Panniculitis Lymphoma: Erythema Nodosum–Like

We report the case of a patient who presented with painful nodular subcutaneous lesions on the lower limbs and episodes of high temperature (> 39.5°C). Histologic examination and immunohistochemical study of a biopsy specimen from a nodular lesion were consistent with the diagnosis of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Diagnosis is made particularly difficult, especially in the early stages, by nonspecific clinical features shared by many types of panniculitis. Therefore, it seems advisable to consider the possibility of this type of lymphoma in all cases of panniculitis and to perform careful and continuous follow-up of all cases in which a clear diagnosis is not formulated at the outset, with regular repetition of skin biopsies at appropriate intervals.

ERPs and deviance detection: Visual mismatch negativity to repeated visual stimuli

Previous studies showed a visual analogue of the mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potential (ERP), which is elicited by violating some sensory regularity. Separating physical change from violating a regularity, here we show that the visual MMN (vMMN) is elicited by regularity violations that do not involve physical stimulus change. Adult participants were presented with a series of red–black and green–black checkerboard patterns delivered regularly in an RRGGRRGG … order. Infrequently ( p = 0.1) this regularity was broken by repeating a stimulus one additional time (e.g. RRGGRRR). ERPs elicited by irregular stimulus repetitions were negatively displaced compared to those elicited both by regular repetition and regular change in two latency ranges: 100–140 ms and 220–260 ms. Whereas the first of these two negative ERP differences appears to be sensitive to stimulus repetition per se, the second difference can be identified as a vMMN response to violating the sequential regularity. Thus, similarly to its auditory counterpart, vMMN reflects deviance-(regularity-violation) rather than change-detection processes.

Repeating earthquake activities associated with the Philippine Sea plate subduction in the Kanto district, central Japan: A new plate configuration revealed by interplate aseismic slips

We detect repeating earthquakes associated with the Philippine Sea plate subduction to reveal the plate configuration. In the Kanto district, we find 140 repeating earthquake groups with 428 events by waveform similarity analysis. Most repeating earthquakes in the eastern part of the Kanto district occur with a regular time interval. They have thrust-type focal mechanisms and are distributed near the upper surface of the Philippine Sea plate. These observations indicate that the repeating earthquakes there occur as a repetition of ruptures on the isolated patches distributed on the plate boundary owing to the concentration of stress caused by aseismic slips in the surrounding areas. This shows that the distributions of repeating earthquakes suggest the aseismic slips in the surrounding areas of small patches. We determine spatial distributions of repeating earthquakes in the eastern part of the Kanto district and find that they correspond to the upper boundary of the Philippine Sea plate, that is, the upper boundary of the oceanic crust layer of the Philippine Sea plate. The plate geometry around Choshi is newly constrained by repeating earthquake data and a rather flat geometry in the eastern part of the Kanto district is revealed. The obtained geometry suggests uplift of the Philippine Sea plate due to the collision with the Pacific plate beneath Choshi. Repeating earthquakes in the western part of the Kanto district have extremely shorter recurrence times, and their focal mechanisms are not of the thrust types. These repeating earthquakes are classified as “burst type” activity and likely to occur on the preexistent fault planes which are distributed around the “collision zone” between the Philippine Sea plate and the inland plate. The variation among the repeating earthquake activities in the Kanto district indicates that regular repetition of repeating earthquakes is possible only on the plate boundary with a smooth and simple geometry.

Characteristics of negative corona discharge using CWT with and without airflow

The Trichel pulse (TP) corona generated in the negative corona discharge has a regular interval and repetition of similar waveforms in nonuniform electric field in a needle-plane gap. An electron avalanche causes the TP. Its repetition is determined by accumulation of negative ions near a needle tip. The electric field intensity near a needle tip is weakened by the negative ions accumulated near the tip. Hence, it is required to clarify the influence of accumulated negative ions on the electric field intensity. We propose to use the continuous wavelet transformation (CWT) technique to study the dependence on both voltage and airflow, and the characteristics of the TP. In this study, the waveform of the TP is measured with a velocity of airflow from 0 to 7 m/s. From the experimental results, it is shown that the region of accumulated negative ions exists within 1 mm from the tip of needle electrode. Therefore, to understand the effect of accumulated negative ions near a needle tip, the authors investigated the influence of accumulated negative ions with and without airflow blown within 1 mm from the tip of the needle electrode using CWT. The repetition rate decreases with decreasing the applied voltage, and with increasing the velocity of airflow in front of the needle tip. The wavelet coefficients with airflow are larger than without airflow at 100 and 250 MHz; but 10 MHz, and the pulse interval for the wavelet spectrum between peaks with airflow is wider than without airflow. The characteristics of the TP waveform are well explained with both the wavelet coefficient and the averaged wavelet spectrum peak interval

Cathodoluminescence of Late Triassic terebratulid brachiopods: implications for growth patterns

Upper Triassic terebratulid brachiopod Rhaetina shows differential preservation of shell structure under cathodoluminescent (CL) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), indicating intra- and interspecific differences in brachiopod growth patterns.In longitudinal sections, the CL lines appear firstly in inner, ontogenetically older parts of the shell and their outlines are parallel with the internal valve surface in posterior parts of the shell. In anterior parts of the shell, CL lines run diagonally towards the external valve surface and terminate in external growth lines. The shell structure of external growth lines indicates that major growth lines (associated with gradual reorientation of calcitic crystals due to reflection of the mantle edge) and disturbance lines (associated with abrupt mantle regression) are present at the terminations of CL lines. These data indicate that CL lines correspond to zones recording slowing/cessation of the growth rate. Under SEM, shell layers that are luminescent can be locally recognized as amalgamated or altered relicts of the secondary fibres. The origin of luminescence in these areas can be related to (1) the increased Mn-bearing diagenetic fluid flow favoured by higher porosity of altered secondary fibres, or can be caused by (2) temporal changes in the redox state controlling the solubility of Mn2+ and Fe2+ during the mantle anaerobiosis. Similarly, amalgamated/altered shell structure could either point to (1) the primary modification of shell secretory regime during the slowing/cessation in growth rate, or could be (2) the product of diagenetic processes responsible for post-depositional alteration of a shell structure, due to the primary shell heterogeneity/porosity in areas of growth discontinuities. Although presented data do not convincingly solve this uncertainty, the important point is that CL lines of studied brachiopods reflect changes in the growth rate and can be used in the investigation of growth dynamics in brachiopods, complementary to external growth lines and isotope or trace element analysis. In order to verify the modification of shell structure and understand the origin of associated luminescence during the change in growth rate unbiased by diagenetic overprint, it is necessary to examine modern brachiopods.The distribution pattern of CL lines that correlates with growth rate fluctuations potentially reflects a short-term environmental instability on the time scale of an individual life span. The data show correlation between CL line pattern and different bathymetric settings. Regular repetition of CL lines is preserved in Rhaetina gregaria, Rhaetina hybensis and Rhaetina pyriformis that occur in relatively uniform depositional settings below a normal storm wave base. In contrast, irregular pattern of CL lines is typical of R. gregaria from highly variable deposit associations derived from very shallow, subtidal settings above a normal storm wave base. In the case of R. gregaria, this difference reflects intraspecific variations in growth dynamics among bathymetric settings, indicating environmental control on their growth rates. Rhaetina gregaria is mostly the only one brachiopod species present in benthic assemblages from very shallow, marginal marine environments in the Western Tethys. The implication is that R. gregaria, in contrast to most other brachiopods, could live in physically stressed habitats characterized by higher environmental instability/unpredictability.

Structural and hydrogeological characterisation of the excavation-disturbed zone in the Opalinus Clay (Mont Terri Project, Switzerland)

The fracture network in the excavation-disturbed zone (EDZ) of an argillaceous formation, the Opalinus Clay in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory in Switzerland, is characterised by applying structural and hydrogeological techniques. Unloading fractures are studied by mapping side walls of newly excavated niches and by analysing resin-injected overcores taken from the EDZ. The result is a structural data set of fracture orientations, frequencies, and extent of the EDZ. Pneumatic and hydrogeological tests are carried out in short boreholes crossing the EDZ to derive hydraulic parameters such as permeability and transmissivity distributions of the fracture network. Hydraulic transmissivities are orders of magnitude higher when compared to those of undisturbed rock, and are in the order between 1E−8 and 1E−7 m 2/s. Regular repetition of these hydrotests resulted in decreasing transmissivities in the range of two orders of magnitude over a time period of about 2 years. These observations indicate a hydraulic self-sealing of the initially highly transmissive fracture network with ongoing saturation of the EDZ. The dynamic evolution of EDZ fractures can be derived by interpreting pore water pressure measurements during gallery excavation. Finally, all structural and hydrogeological information is synthesised in a conceptual model of the EDZ in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory.

Non‐Helical Chain Conformations of Isotactic Polymers in the Crystalline State

AbstractSummary: The vast majority of head‐to‐tail stereoregular crystallizable polymers with an isotactic structure generally assume a helical symmetry in the crystalline state, compatible with the regular repetition along the chain axis of isomorphous isoclined units. There are at least two cases, in which an isotactic polymer chain does not adopt a helical conformation in the crystalline state. One is the crystalline alternating copolymer ethylene‐cis‐butene‐2, (E2B) adopting a (T3G+T3G−)n conformation in the crystalline state, and the second case is isotactic polystyrene (i‐PS) in crystalline gels. In this contribution, the case of E2B and i‐PS is discussed in detail. In the first case, the theoretical provision that an isotactic polymer may show a chain conformation in the crystal state is verified, which corresponds to a regular succession of enantiomorphous, anticlined structural units, instead of a helical repetition of isomorphous isoclined structural units. A new conformational model is presented for the second case, i‐PS chains in the crystalline gels, which could account for all the experimental data concerning this system collected so far in the literature. The limit ordered conformational model of i‐PS chains in crystalline gels proposed is built up of regular helical blocks of chains of opposite handedness alternating along the chain and explains the 0.51 nm meridional reflection in the x‐ray diffraction patterns of stretched i‐PS gels. For the most ordered conformation, it includes 16 monomeric units in a period of 3.06 nm.Minimum energy conformations for i‐PS chains including (TG)n helical stems of opposite chirality (R, L indicate the right‐ and the left‐handed helical portions, respectively) A: The right‐handed spiral sequence (G−T)n is followed by a left handed one, (TG+)m. B: The left‐handed helical sequence (TG+) is followed by a right‐handed one trough the junction (TT′). C: Possible conformational model for i‐PS chains, corresponding to the sequence of dihedral angles …(G−T)3n(TG+)3j(TT′)(G−T)3m… These types of junctions shown in A and B must alternate along the chain.imageMinimum energy conformations for i‐PS chains including (TG)n helical stems of opposite chirality (R, L indicate the right‐ and the left‐handed helical portions, respectively) A: The right‐handed spiral sequence (G−T)n is followed by a left handed one, (TG+)m. B: The left‐handed helical sequence (TG+) is followed by a right‐handed one trough the junction (TT′). C: Possible conformational model for i‐PS chains, corresponding to the sequence of dihedral angles …(G−T)3n(TG+)3j(TT′)(G−T)3m… These types of junctions shown in A and B must alternate along the chain.

Thematic stratiotai in Byzantine society: A contribution to a new assessment of the subject

Thematic stratiotai in Byzantine society: A contribution to a new assessment of the subject

Cogealing divinity: time, worship and kinship in South Indian Hinduism

Daily worship in Hindu temples is characterized by regular repetition. This article juxtaposes iconography and mythology; field data on worship in a Murukan temple in Kalugumalai, South India; and analytic concepts from western and Indian metaphysics, to examine what Gell termed the ‘ritual manipulation of time’. In Hindu cosmology, the materialization of divinity – a prerequisite for worship – is inseparably linked not only to the emergence of time but also to the devolution of divinity into gendered forms. Because gender differences play a central role in iconography, mythology and worship, Hinduism provides a rich cultural resource for debating the morality and practice of human kinship, sexuality and procreation. Not only are there significant homologies between human and divine kinship behaviour, but human marriage patterns in South India display the same blend of repetitive yet changing oscillation as do daily and annual temple liturgies.

Homogenization of masonry walls with a computational oriented procedure. Rigid or elastic block?

The idea behind this paper is to present a numerical procedure for the analysis of masonry walls, based on the application of an asymptotic homogenization method. In this paper, a masonry wall, obtained by the regular repetition of blocks between which mortar is laid, is modelled as a periodic body in the two plane directions. The local problem is formulated for a base cell tied to the geometry of the body and in a position to generate it entirely through some law of its internal composition. Two homogenized models are formulated: the first envisages that both phases, block and mortar, behave in linear elastic fashion; the other envisages that the mortar behaves in linear elastic fashion, while the block is infinitely stiff. The two models are described theoretically and the construction of the model according to the characteristic module is numerically defined. In the case where the infinitely stiff (rigid) block is assumed, not only is the formulation of the model made extremely simple, but any numerical problems tied to great differences in the numerical values characterizing the constitutive modules of the two phases are overcome. In this regard, the domain of applicability of this model is sought both by comparing the homogenized constitutive functions, while varying the ratios of the elastic coefficients of the mortar and the block, with the rigid solution, and by analysing the structural behaviour that derives from the application, or not, of the rigid model, this being done for two sample problems. It should be underlined that the rigid-block model furnishes qualitatively sound structural answers even for very low ratios between the elastic moduli of the two phases composing the wall, and furnishes answers that are quantitatively sound as well for ratios of the order of 30:1, a realistic ratio in the case of ancient walls. The results obtained can be extended to heterogeneous materials in general, that is, to many of the innovatory materials, the composites, where the constituent phases have stiffness characteristics that are rather different and the condition of regularity of alternation of the phases is adequately plausible.