Technical Achievement Research Articles

Zwischen Emotionalität und Rationalität: die Hellespont-Brücken 480 v. Chr.

In 480 BC, the Persian Great King Xerxes ordered the construction of ship bridges across the Hellespont to enable his army to cross from Asia to Europe. A storm destroyed the first construction, so Xerxes had the sea insulted and flogged. The campaign ended with a victory for the Greeks. Both Aeschylus’ drama « The Persians » and Herodotus’ « Histories » contain references to the perception of the technical achievement of the 1,2 km long bridge construction. The article deals with the different perceptions, the emotional as well as rational assessments of such a technical intervention in nature.

The role of eu public diplomacy in affecting international security in the context of the development of the outer space traffic management

ObjectivesThe purpose of this article is to identify the role of international diplomacy in shaping the outer Space Traffic Management.MethodsThe theoretical research methods were used in this paper – analysis, synthesis, abstraction and generalization.ResultsThe article presents the potential possibility of not only gaining the public awareness in the area of space traffic management problems thanks to the international mandate of institutions such as the European Union (EU) or NATO, but also its attempt to indicate the role of European institutions in shaping international security in the context of the development of space traffic management at the global level.ConclusionsTaking into consideration all potential space threats and military and non- military issues of building international security we can find straight links of complexity with the outer space environment and multilateral diplomacy. It sems to be the most efficient tool to build resilience in the environment of international institutions of strategic status to establish space situational awareness of key importance for future global defence and deterrence. Taking a huge intensity of space traffic management, especially with the example of the tensed conflict in Ukraine since 24th February 2022 we are witnessing the new era of space technological resolutions. The awareness should also concern the possibility of technical achievement, as the example done by Chinese or Russians that can destroy satellites in orbit in case of the possible conflict scenario in the space.

Independent control of molecular weight, concentration, and stiffness of hyaluronic acid hydrogels

Hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels have been used for a multitude of applications, perhaps most notably for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, owing to the versatility of the polymer and its tunable nature. Various groups have investigated the impact of hydrogel parameters (e.g. molecular weight, concentration, stiffness, etc) in vitro and in vivo to achieve desired material performance characteristics. A limitation in the literature to date has been that altering one hydrogel parameter (a ‘manipulated variable’) to achieve a given hydrogel characteristic (a ‘controlled variable’) changes two variables at a time (e.g. altering molecular weight and/or concentration to investigate cell response to stiffness). Therefore, if cell responses differ, it may be possible that more than one variable caused the changes in observed responses. In the current study, we leveraged thiol-ene click chemistry with a crosslinker to develop a method that minimizes material performance changes and permitted multiple material properties to be independently held constant to evaluate a single variable at a time. Independent control was accomplished by tuning the concentration of crosslinker to achieve an effectively constant stiffness for different HA hydrogel molecular weights and polymer concentrations. Specific formulations were thereby identified that enabled the molecular weight (76–1550 kDa), concentration (2%–10%), or stiffness (∼1–350 kPa) to be varied while the other two were held constant, a key technical achievement. The response of rat mesenchymal stem cells to varying molecular weight, concentration, and stiffness demonstrated consistent upregulation of osteocalcin gene expression. The methodology presented to achieve independent control of hydrogel parameters may potentially be adopted by others for alternative hydrogel polymers, cell types, or cell culture medium compositions to minimize confounding variables in experimental hydrogel designs.

Teamwork in Pediatric Resuscitation: Training Medical Students on High-Fidelity Simulation

BackgroundSimulation training and teamwork for medical students are essential to improve performance in pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation.PurposeTo evaluate if a specific approach to teamwork improves technical and nontechnical performance.MethodsWe performed quasiexperimental, prospective, pre- and postinterventional, and nonrandomized research with 65 students in the fourth year of their medicine course. This was a case–control study in which teams used a customized TeamSTEPPS protocol (n=34) or not (n=31) for cardiopulmonary arrest training in children using high-fidelity simulation. All participants answered a sociodemographic and satisfaction questionnaire and underwent theory and practice pre- and posttesting. The survey data were collected in 2019 and analyzed using χ2, Mann–Whitney, κ, and Wilcoxon tests. p<0.05 was considered significant.ResultsIntervention and control groups achieved better scores in theory posttesting (p<0.001 and p=0.049), but there was no difference between them in pre- (p=0.291) and posttesting (p=0.397). In the checklist of the practice test, all groups obtained their best outcomes in posttesting and the intervention group achieved higher scores (p<0.001). All groups increased the number of teamwork events and reduced the time span to perform resuscitation first steps (p<0.001) in posttesting.ConclusionThe use of teamwork training based on a customized TeamSTEPPS protocol improved performance in team behavior and group technical achievement. The evaluation of the students about the training was positive.

Motivation of Achievement as a Medium Variable in the Correlation among Technical Skill, Work Environment and Educational Staff Members Service Quality at Faculty of Teacher Training and Education Lambung Mangkurat University Banjarmasin

The importance of education personnel's service quality through instilling good technical skills in the faculty is crucial. It effects individual performance and total organizational performance and eventually has an impact on increasing service quality. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the direct and indirect correlation among technical skills, work environment, achievement motivation, and educational staff members service quality. This study employed a quantitative method with facto exposure. The participants in this study were 128 educational staff members from the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education from eleven sub-sections. Proportional random sampling was utilized as the sample method. With 98 participants, the number of samples was determined using the Slovin formula. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of technical skills (16 items), work environment (24 items), achievement motivation (32 items), and service quality (24 items). This research instrument was tested for the level of validity and reliability using the product moment correlation test person. The research data were analyzed using path analysis to see direct and indirect correlations between variables, by first conducting normality and linearity tests. The results showed that there was a direct and indirect correlation between technical skills, work environment and achievement motivation on service quality.

Call for nominations for the National Chemical Technician Award

The American Chemical Society’s Committee on Technician Affairs welcomes nominations for the National Chemical Technician Award, which honors excellence and professionalism among chemistry technicians, operators, analysts, and other applied chemical technology professionals. Winners receive $1,000 and a plaque. The award is presented at a luncheon at the ACS Spring 2023 meeting in Indianapolis, and travel expenses are provided for the winner. Nominees must have been employed in the field for a minimum of 5 years but do not need to be an ACS member. Nominations are judged on technical achievement, leadership, mentoring, communications/publications, awards, community activities, and contributions to quality, safety, and other initiatives. The sponsors for this award are the Dow Chemical Company and 2009 ACS president Tom Lane. Nomination forms are to be completed online at cenm.ag/technicianaward and should include at least one recommendation letter from someone familiar with the candidate’s work. The nomination deadline is Sept. 30.

VGTC Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award

The 2022 IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award goes to Kiyoshi Kiyokawa of the Nara Institute of Science and Technology, in recognition of his pioneering research contributions in the development of advanced head mounted display systems, vision augmentation and assistive interfaces, immersive modeling, collaborative virtual and augmented reality, seamless transitional interfaces, and multimodal interfaces.

Cinnabar use in Anyang of bronze age China: Study with micro-raman spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence

Anyang was the last capital of the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1600–1050 BCE) of China. Archaeological excavations at Anyang since 1928 has yielded inscriptions and artifacts that authenticated the Shang history and enriched our understanding of their material culture and technical achievement. Here, we have performed micro-Raman spectral analysis of artifacts recovered from royal tombs unearthed last century at Yinxu, Anyang, including a block of colored clay impressed with motif from perished woodcrafts, a stone knife, a set of small bullet-shape bronze containers, and a pottery color-container. In addition, we used micro-Raman and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to analyze the soil sample collected from the tomb M103 excavated at Wangyukou village, Anyang in 2009. The results showed that all red coloration on artifacts and coffin soils was due to cinnabar, suggesting a wide use of cinnabar in Shang society. We also showed that micro-Raman and XRF analysis can be carried out directly on soils adsorbed on Q-tip, providing a convenient means for future on-site soil sampling and spectral analysis of cinnabar in grave area. Based on literature information we estimated that the amount of cinnabar used in Shang society would make the scale of its production on par with other major industries, such as bones, jades, and bronzes.

Techno-economic analysis of the DNO operated distribution system for active and reactive power support using modified particle swarm optimisation

The distribution network operator (DNO) needs to allocate DG and DSTATCOM capabilities efficiently to satisfy growing load demand. The optimal allocation of single and multiple DG and DSTATCOM units under various operational limitations is obtained by utilising a novel and modified PSO technique based on butterfly sensitivity and nectar probability parameters. The butterfly-based PSO (BFPSO) is implemented in balanced IEEE 33 and unbalanced 25 bus radial distribution systems using single- and multi-objective functions formulated for different cases. The simulation results demonstrated that the BFPSO algorithm is robust, rapidly converges, and produced superior results when compared to the original PSO technique. Constant power and battery charge load models are considered for the techno-economic analysis. Active and reactive power losses are hugely decreased with the voltage profile enhancement, advancement in the VSI graph, and raised a net profit of DNO, demonstrating the proposed approach’s effectiveness for DS’s excellent technical and economic achievement.

Hollywood's Culture of Scientific and Technical Achievement

This article offers a brief historical analysis of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards to show how changing notions of achievement in this arena helped shape the American movie business. This examination reveals the shifts and settlements in what the film industry, and its related technological apparatus, was imagined to be. Especially notable is the way these awards acknowledged specialized technology companies as core contributors to the ordinary operations of the film business, a factor that became even more important in the poststudio era.

The Effect of Special Resistance Training Using A Power Device on Achievement of 50- Meters Breaststroke Advanced Swimmers

The study aimed to expound the following: - The differences between the experimental and control groups in a achievement of 50-meters breaststroke advanced swimmers in the posttest. To verify the research objectives, the researcher assumed the following: - Significant differences exist between the experimental and control groups in a achievement in 50-meters breaststroke advanced swimmers in favor for the experimental group. The researcher used the experimental method suitable to the nature of the current research. The research was performed on a deliberately selected sample representing by (14) advanced swimmers of the Iraqi national team. The swimmers were divided randomly into two groups; an experimental group consisting of (6) swimmers and a control group consisting of (8) swimmers. The researcher used the experimental design which is called random equal groups design with pretest and posttests. The researcher reached the following conclusions: In comparing the pretest and posttest for the experimental and control groups it was found that the experimental group, achieved a better development than the control group that used the method prepared by the trainer in the investigated physical capabilities and characteristics, technical performance and achievement,The accurate use of the employed power device accompanied with the (sp-1) and (sp-3) training method exercises played an effective role in the superiority of the experimental group over the control group. The researcher recommended the following: - Using resistance training on a power device during the special preparation period after basic strength training during the general preparation period, and developing a strong base for swimmers.

SEBASTIAN FAULKS’ HUMAN TRACES:A JOURNEY INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE HUMAN PSYCHE

Sebastian Faulk’s novel, Human Traces (2006), embarks on a new trend in contemporary English fiction. Through its representations of two main protagonists, pioneers in the field of psychology between the 1870s and 1918, Faulks traces the formative years of the development of the young discipline of psychiatry. Even though Faulks works in the realist traditions of Charles Dickens and George Eliot, yet he delves into such major questions as the role of unconscious motivations in human individual behaviour, the causes of mental illness, and the very attempt to understand the nature of the human being. The time frame of the novel expands from the portrayal of the struggles and relationships of a handful of individuals, to encompass the entire sweep of human evolution. Thus, Faulks in Human Traces introduces a radically new dimension in the development of the novel. This paper offers an attempt at evaluating the innovative thematic and technical achievement of a major work of modern fiction.

Performance evaluation of wireless local area network with congested fading channels

The IEEE 802.11ay wireless communication standard consents gadgets to link in the spectrum of millimeter wave (mm-Wave) 60 Giga Hertz band through 100 Gbps bandwidth. The development of promising high bandwidth in communication networks is a must as QoS, throughput and error rates of bandwidth-intensive applications like merged reality (MR), artificial intelligence (AI) related apps or wireless communication boggling exceed the extent of the chronic 802.11 standard established in 2012. Thus, the IEEE 802.11ay task group committee has newly amended recent physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) blueprints to guarantee a technical achievement especially in link delay on multipath fading channels (MPFC). However, due to the congestion of super bandwidth intensive apps such as IoT and big data, we propose to diversify a propagation delay to practical extension. This article then focuses on a real-world situation and how the IEEE 802.11ay design is affected by the performance of mm-Wave propagation. In specific, we randomize the unstable MPFC link capacity by taking the divergence of congested network parameters into account. The efficiency of congested MPFC-based wireless network is simulated and confirmed by advancements described in the standard.

Back to Air in Disarray?: Disparity in Practices and Interpretations on ADIZs Disrupting the Safety of Civil Aviation

The interconnectivity of civil aviation has been long praised with the success of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in harmonizing navigation standards and procedures, along with the utilization of Flight Information Regions (FIRs). However, continuing geopolitical tensions with different implementations of Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZs) have belittled the technical achievement. Among different State practices, some ADIZs have expanded beyond territorial airspace and even overlapped with other FIRs, requiring overflying air- craft to submit flight plans and abide by procedures separate or in addition to air traffic control obligations. The purpose of this Article is to review the ongoing political tensions that are common in issues with ADIZs beyond territorial airspace and to explore different legal schemes put forth by States. While there is no prevailing rule of law that defines the scope and procedure of ADIZs, this Article further revisits the due regard principle under international law and State practices beyond territorial airspace. Due to its reciprocal characteristic, this principle does not solely advocate for the coastal State to arbitrarily put limitations on the freedom of flight beyond its territorial airspace. Rather, the established FIRs have already given considerable certainty and accountability to the overflown State, where the principle also directs both the overflying and overflown States to actively engage in communication and practices involving liaisons. This principle envisions regional confidence-building measures on aerial communication and the technical leadership of ICAO to support these States in reducing the relational gap and facilitating civil–military cooperation.

Development of an experimental apparatus to observe ultrafast phenomena by tender X-ray absorption spectroscopy at PAL-XFEL.

Understanding the ultrafast dynamics of molecules is of fundamental importance. Time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy (TR-XAS) is a powerful spectroscopic technique for unveiling the time-dependent structural and electronic information of molecules that has been widely applied in various fields. Herein, the design and technical achievement of a newly developed experimental apparatus for TR-XAS measurements in the tender X-ray range with X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory XFEL (PAL-XFEL) are described. Femtosecond TR-XAS measurements were conducted at the Ru L3-edge of well known photosensitizer tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride ([Ru(bpy)3]2+) in water. The results indicate ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer from the Ru center to the ligand, which demonstrates that the newly designed setup is applicable for monitoring ultrafast reactions in the femtosecond domain.

Гражданско-правовое регулирование зависимого принудительного лицензирования на примере сферы здравоохранения

In modern conditions, the legal mechanisms of compulsory licensing are of particular relevance as an important tool for the development of domestic technologies. These institutions are designed to encourage owners of intellectual property to use it more effectively in the public and national interests. The relevance, features and problems of compulsory licensing on the claims of the right holders of dependent objects of patent protection are considered. For brevity of terminology, this type of compulsory licensing is proposed to be called “dependent compulsory licensing”. Special attention is paid to the controversial legal requirement that the plaintiff prove the importance of a technical achievement and the materiality of the economic advantages of its dependent result of intellectual activity. Based on the results of a comparative analysis, it was concluded that there is more stringent regulation in Russian civil law compared to international obligations assumed by the Russian Federation, in particular, under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights dated July 24, 2017. This tightening may impede further improvement and efficiency in the use of objects of patent protection. The conclusion is substantiated that the legal tools and conceptual apparatus used in pt 2 of Article 1362 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation require detailed study and clarification in order to create legal conditions for the distribution of dependent compulsory licensing in practice, in particular, in the healthcare sector.

Power Equipment Defects Prediction Based on the Joint Solution of Classification and Regression Problems Using Machine Learning Methods

Our paper proposes a method for constructing a system for predicting defects and failures of power equipment and the time of their occurrence based on the joint solution of regression and classification problems using machine learning methods. A distinctive feature of this method is the use of the equipment’s technical condition index as an informative parameter. The results of calculating and visualizing the technical condition index in relation to the electro-hydraulic automatic control system of hydropower turbine when predicting the defect “clogging of drainage channels” showed that its determination both for an equipment and for a group of its functional units allows one to quickly and with the required accuracy assess the arising technological disturbances in the operation of power equipment. In order to predict the behavior of the technical condition index of the automatic control system of the turbine, the optimal tuning of the LSTM model of the recurrent neural network was developed and carried out. The result of the application of the model was the forecast of the technical condition index achievement and the limiting characteristic according to the current time data on its values. The developed model accurately predicted the behavior of the technical condition index at time intervals of 3 and 10 h, which made it possible to draw a conclusion about its applicability for early identification of the investigated defect in the automatic control system of the turbine. Thus, we can conclude that the joint solution of regression and classification problems using an information parameter in the form of a technical condition index allows one to develop systems for predicting defects, one significant advantage of which is the ability to early determine the development of degradation phenomena in power equipment.

Award Program - Winter 2021

We highlight opportunities for recognition for outstanding technical achievement in electrochemistry and solid state science and technology, as well as for exceptional service to the Society through ECS Society Awards, Division Awards, Section Awards, and Student Awards.

RBFOX1 is regulated by the adenosine 2a receptor and is ubiquitinated in tau tangles in Alzheimer’s disease

We recently discovered that common variants in RBFOX1 correlated with β-amyloid load in preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) as determined by β-amyloid PET imaging. We found RBFOX1, which is usually cytoplasmic and nuclear in neurons, is mislocalized in human AD brain to tau tangles and neuropil threads in dystrophic neurites. Little is known about the molecular consequences of this mislocalization, but the link RBFOX1 provides between β-amyloid accumulation and tau pathology is intriguing, so we conducted a series of experiments to determine the molecular regulation of RBFOX1 in axons.We optimized and thoroughly validated a proximity ligation assay (PLA) for use in post-mortem human tissue to enable us to interrogate post-translational protein modifications in situ in diseased brain. Deeply characterized brain tissue was obtained from patients with Alzheimer's disease and elderly, neurological controls through the Vanderbilt Brain and Biospecimen Bank and PLA was used to evaluate the presence and distribution of ubiquitinated RBFOX1. Experiments were also performed in neuronal and non-neuronal cell models to characterize the regulation of RBFOX1 ubiquitination by the adenosine 2a receptor (A2AR).Ubiquitination of RBFOX1 in AD brain is markedly increased (over three-fold, p < 0.01, compared to control by two-tailed t-test), particularly in axons, tangles and neuropil threads. The A2AR is also enriched in axons in AD, and colocalizes with tau pathology. In cell cultures, A2AR agonist CGS21680 (100 nM) treatment resulted in marked increase in RBFOX1 ubiquitination compared to controls (p < 0.001, n=4 experimental replicates). Finally, we present evidence that RBFOX1 is involved in promoting autophagy, which may be impaired by ubiquitination.RBFOX1 is ubiquitinated in tangles and neuropil threads and this, in part, appears to be regulated by A2AR signaling. RBFOX1 may have a role in axonal proteostasis, thus clarifying its molecular regulation may help us understand this emerging genetic AD risk factor and potentially identify new pharmacological targets. Optimization of the PLA for use in aged human brain tissue is a broadly applicable technical achievement which expands the range of molecular relationships which can be sensitively and precisely quantitated in situ in human neuropathological material.NIA 1K76AG060001, R01-AG059716, P20-AG068082, NSF 1706155.

Investigation of Acoustic Influencing Parameters to Increase the Human Performance Potential in Simultaneous Driving and Working Operation of Armoured Vehicles

Humanitarian and physiological restrictions prevent the optimal execution and use of the corresponding technical achievement in various situations. For example, working simultaneously while driving in vehicle under vibration, noise, confinement and heat often leads to dizziness, nausea and finally even vomiting-all symptoms which significantly limit human performance. This phenomenon is one of the oldest protective reaction of the human organism and has been deeply investigated e.g. under the name simulator sickness or motion sickness. Unfortunately, new mobility concepts as autonomous driving vehicle always include the vision of parallel working activities while driving. For working crew members in military land vehicles, the situation is even worse due to the restricted outside view and body motion of protected all-terrain vehicle. In earlier projects the dependency of mechanical vibration and motion sickness was investigated. This paper now explains the determination of acoustic properties and threshold values for vehicle that enable ergonomic working at mobile workplaces without negatively influencing the human performance. The purpose of this first phase of the project was to create and validate an experimental setup, in which a sound exposure of test person with frequencies up to the infrasound range could be realized with help of an appropriate acoustic equipment. Psychological tests have been performed in parallel, so the cognitive performance of the test person was evaluated during exposition with sound. Based on field tests statistically found threshold values for a maximum exposure with low-frequency noise in vehicles with parallel working activities will be derived.