Techniques In Other Areas Research Articles

Modeling the intention and usage of medicine vending machine: Using partial least squares-structural equation modelling and necessary condition analysis.

This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the intention to use and actual usage of medicine vending machines (MVMs) in China and to close the existing literature gap by examining the relationship between perceived convenience (PC), perceived trust, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence, on the intention to use MVM in a comprehensive manner. The impact of facilitating conditions on MVM adoption was also examined. Finally, customer age was tested as a moderator. This was a cross-sectional study that used data collected through a self-administered questionnaire. A combination of partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA) technique was used to analyze and discuss the 308 valid questionnaires, test the hypotheses, and conduct an in-depth analysis. The results showed that PC, perceived trust, and performance expectancy were significantly related to the intention to use MVM. Effort expectancy was a non-significant predictor of intention to use MVM. Social influence was a significant negative predictor of the intention to use MVM. More importantly, performance expectancy was found to be a necessary factor for MVM intention, providing new marketing ideas for MVM owners. Age had a significant moderating effect on the facilitating conditions and intention to use vending machines. The relatively young population is more conscious of the facilitating conditions. The findings of this study are of considerable importance as a guide for the main user group of vending machines. The combined analysis and discussion of PLS-SEM and NCA provide a sound theoretical basis for the practical implications of this study. In the future, we will attempt to use this technique in other areas of study. In terms of theoretical implications, this study provides technical references for future research.

On the application of Two-Photon Absorption for Laser Fault Injection attacks

Laser Fault Injection (LFI) is considered to be the most powerful semiinvasive fault injection method for implementation attacks on security devices. In this work we discuss for the first time the application of the nonlinear Two-Photon Absorption (TPA) effect for the purpose of LFI. Though TPA is an established technique in other areas, e.g. fluorescence microscopy, so far it did not receive any attention in the field of physical attack methods on integrated circuits. We show that TPA has several superior properties over the regular linear LFI method. The TPA effect allows to work on non-thinned devices without increasing the induced energy and hence the stress on the device. In contrast to regular LFI, the nonlinearity of the TPA effect leads to increased precision due to the steeper descent in intensity and also a vertically restricted photoelectric effect. By practical experiments, we demonstrate the general applicability of the method for a specific device and that unlike a regular LFI setup, TPA-LFI is capable to inject faults without triggering a latch-up effect. In addition we discuss the possible implications of TPA-LFI on various sensor-based countermeasures.

Climate change adaptation strategies through traditional farming practices. The case of Matengo pits in Mbinga District, Tanzania

In most of the developing countries, agricultural activities have been practiced under traditional approaches. Majority of the farmers use indigenous knowledge in their farming activities for varying reasons. This study focused on Matengo pits as a traditional climate change adaptation strategy. The main objectives of this paper is to (1) identify the existing traditional agricultural practices, (2) ascertain the trend of climate change (1980- 2021) and (3) evaluate the usefulness of Matengo pits in adapting to climate change. To achieve the research objectives, mixed research approach under descriptive design was used. A total of 133 heads of households were involved in this study. Primary data were collected through questionnaires, structured interviews, focus group discussions and direct observation. Secondary data were collected from published and unpublished documents. The study further used climate data from Tanzania Meteorological Agency on temperature and rainfall variations for the past 41 years (1980-2021). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used to analyze the quantitative data. Simple linear trend analysis was used to establish and test for rainfall and temperature trends. Findings from this study revealed that Matengo pits were among the traditional farming techniques employed in Mbinga district. It was realised that, the area experiences variation in temperatures and rainfall. Results for both minimum and maximum temperature indicate significant increasing trends (P= 0.0032, R2=0.0016; P=0.0101, R2=0.0575). Inversely, archival data from TMA show the decreasing trends of rainfall (P= 0.-04206, R2=0.0007). The findings revealed that the use of Matengo pits contribute positively towards moisture retention, seed germination and amount of yields. The study recommends for adoption of Matengo pits technique in other areas for a sustainable crop production in this era of climate change and variability.

The promise of machine learning in predicting treatment outcomes in psychiatry.

For many years, psychiatrists have tried to understand factors involved in response to medications or psychotherapies, in order to personalize their treatment choices. There is now a broad and growing interest in the idea that we can develop models to personalize treatment decisions using new statistical approaches from the field of machine learning and applying them to larger volumes of data. In this pursuit, there has been a paradigm shift away from experimental studies to confirm or refute specific hypotheses towards a focus on the overall explanatory power of a predictive model when tested on new, unseen datasets. In this paper, we review key studies using machine learning to predict treatment outcomes in psychiatry, ranging from medications and psychotherapies to digital interventions and neurobiological treatments. Next, we focus on some new sources of data that are being used for the development of predictive models based on machine learning, such as electronic health records, smartphone and social media data, and on the potential utility of data from genetics, electrophysiology, neuroimaging and cognitive testing. Finally, we discuss how far the field has come towards implementing prediction tools in real-world clinical practice. Relatively few retrospective studies to-date include appropriate external validation procedures, and there are even fewer prospective studies testing the clinical feasibility and effectiveness of predictive models. Applications of machine learning in psychiatry face some of the same ethical challenges posed by these techniques in other areas of medicine or computer science, which we discuss here. In short, machine learning is a nascent but important approach to improve the effectiveness of mental health care, and several prospective clinical studies suggest that it may be working already.

Early Outcome of Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery- A hospital based study

Background: coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) is expensive, uses disposable appliances and patients require more perioperative intensive care, long stay in hospital and often have a lengthy recovery time. These complications, together with the growing trend towards less invasive techniques in other areas of surgery, have encouraged cardiac surgeons to see if minimally invasive cardiac surgery can become a reality with improved outcomes and costs.
 Methods: This is a prospective nonrandomized comparative clinical study done at the Department of Cardiac Surgery in National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Sher-E- Bangla Nagar, Dhaka from July 2006 to June 2008 among routine CABG patients. Purposive sampling was done with 26 patients in group A selected for MIDCAB and 24 patients in Group B selected for conventional CABG surgery. Patients were followed up for three months. Postoperative outcomes were assessed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MIDCAB in relation to conventional CABG.
 Results: Mean age were 54.19 vs 53.87 in group A and Group B. 92.3% vs 87.5% were male respectively. Mean duration of operation, per operative blood loss transfusion and arrythmia were lower in MIDCAB group (p<0.05) number of grafts were also statistically significant (p< 0.001). Regarding post-operative outcome ventilation time in hours ICU stay post-operative hospital stay in days, postoperative MI and stroke rate were lower in favor of group A MIDCAB patients (p<0.001). Three months postoperatively six-meter walking distance is also statistically significant in favor of Group A MIDCAB (p<0.01) patients. However, pain score in early post-operative period was higher in group A significantly but it decreased significantly in late post-operative period which is also highly statistically different (p<0.001). However, mortality and quality of life at three months were similar in both groups.
 Conclusion: No difference in mortality rates detected between MIDCAB and CCABG group. But there was evidence that MIDCAB is associated with less perioperative and early postoperative morbidity and improved quality of life. The MIDCAB surgery is an effective procedure of complete revascularization in ischemic heart diseases like CCABG. The procedure is associated with shorter operating time, shorter ICU stay time, shorter hospital stays and better quality of life than for CCABG.
 Cardiovasc. j. 2021; 13(2): 135-143

Combining fiber optic DTS, cross-hole ERT and time-lapse induction logging to characterize and monitor a coastal aquifer

The characterization of saline water intrusion (SWI) and its hydrodynamics is a key issue to understand submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and manage groundwater resources in coastal areas. To test and compare different methods of characterization and monitoring, a new experimental site has been constructed in a coastal alluvial aquifer north of Barcelona city (Catalonia, Spain). The site is located between 30 and 90 m from the seashore and comprises 16 shallow piezometers organized in nests of three with depths ranging between 15 and 25 m and 4 solitary piezometers. The objective of this paper is to combine different recently developed monitoring techniques to evaluate temporal variations in the aquifer hydrodynamics of the site at different spatial scales before and after the dry season of 2015. At the site scale, fibre optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS), for the first time applied to study SWI, and cross-hole electrical resistivity tomography (CHERT) has been applied. At the meter/borehole scale, electrical conductivity of the formation has been applied not only in a repeated manner (“time lapse”), but also for the first time at relatively high frequency (1 sample every 10 min). CHERT has provided a better characterization of the seawater intrusion than electrical conductivity data obtained from piezometers. The combination of techniques has allowed improving the understanding of the system by: 1) characterizing the extent and shape of SWI; 2) differentiating two different dynamics in the aquifer; and 3) identifying preferential flow paths over different time and spatial intervals. Future challenges and the application of these techniques in other areas are also discussed.

Fishery bycatch is among the most important threats to the European population of Greater ScaupAythya marila

SummaryFor Greater ScaupAythya marila, classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the European Red List of Birds, the south-western Baltic Sea is one of the most important wintering sites in Europe. In this area, a large concentration of gillnet fishery temporally overlaps periods of the most abundant occurrence of foraging diving birds. The aim of the article is to show how bycatch can impact the population of a diving duck. To assess this, we calculate the Potential Biological Removal (PBR) for the studied Greater Scaup population and we model the population change according to age-structured matrix models. Summing all the available recent figures on Greater Scaup bycatch in north-west Europe yields an estimated mean annual total of 3,991 individuals (2% of the flyway population). For a baseline stable population, an age-structured matrix model indicates that at this bycatch level the Greater Scaup population that winters in north-west Europe will decrease by 36% over the next 30 years, qualifying the status of the population as ‘Vulnerable’ according to IUCN criteria. As this population also experiences decline prior to bycatch, this decrease will be 57%, which qualifies the status as ‘Endangered’. PBR as an indicator of population vitality does not work in our case because the PBR-informed allowable bycatch values have a significantly negative impact on the population. Our results indicate unambiguously that fishery bycatch is among the most important threats responsible for the Greater Scaup’s decline. While recent data suggest that some improvement has taken place in the species’ status over the last 10 years, measures to protect Greater Scaup from bycatch are required. The solution should involve the prohibition of gillnet fishing in selected key sites and the use of mitigation techniques in other areas.

Separating physical impacts from natural variability using piggybacking technique

Abstract. In a chaotic system, like moist convection, it is difficult to separate the impact of a physical process from effects of natural variability. This is because modifying even a small element of the system physics typically leads to a different system evolution and it is difficult to tell whether the difference comes from the physical impact or it merely represents a different flow realization. This paper discusses a relatively simple and computationally efficient modelling methodology that allows separation of the two. The methodology is referred to as the piggybacking approach. The idea is to use two sets of thermodynamic variables (the temperature, water vapor, and all aerosol, cloud, and precipitation variables) in a single cloud simulation. The two sets differ in a specific element of the physics, such as aerosol properties, microphysics parameterization, large-scale forcing, environmental profiles, etc. One thermodynamic set is coupled to the dynamics and drives the simulated flow, and the other set piggybacks the flow, that is, thermodynamic variables are carried by the flow but they do not affect it. By switching the two sets (i.e. the set driving the simulation becomes the piggybacking one, and vice versa), the impact on the cloud dynamics can be evaluated. This paper provides details of the method and reviews results of its application to such problems as the postulated deep convection invigoration in polluted environments, the impact of changes in environmental profiles (e.g., due to climate change) on convective dynamics, and the role of cloud-layer heterogeneities for shallow convective cloud field evolution. Prospects for applying piggybacking technique to other areas of atmospheric simulation (e.g., weather prediction or geoengineering) are also mentioned.

Stochastic Spikes and Strong Noise Limits of Stochastic Differential Equations

Motivated by studies of indirect measurements in quantum mechanics, we investigate stochastic differential equations with a fixed point subject to an additional infinitesimal repulsive perturbation. We conjecture, and prove for an important class, that the solutions exhibit a universal behavior when time is rescaled appropriately: by fine-tuning of the time scale with the infinitesimal repulsive perturbation, the trajectories converge in a precise sense to spiky trajectories that can be reconstructed from an auxiliary time-homogeneous Poisson process. Our results are based on two main tools. The first is a time change followed by an application of Skorokhod's lemma. We prove an effective approximate version of this lemma of independent interest. The second is an analysis of first passage times, which shows a deep interplay between scale functions and invariant measures. We conclude with some speculations of possible applications of the same techniques in other areas.

Preliminary assessment on flood mitigation potential via managed aquifer recharge in the Brenta megafan (Italy)

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) design and operation must incorporate the expected long-term performance from a water quantity perspective to sustainably mitigate hydrologic impacts of groundwater overexploitation. Gravity driven infiltration ditches are one of many MAR schemes that could augment the available water resources. In the present study, an infiltration system (IS) consisting of 8 ditches was monitored to determine its hydrologic performance over time and its possible export to similar areas of the Brenta Megafan (Northern Italy). The IS displayed an almost constant capacity to infiltrate the diverted water with a total amount of 0.8 Mm3/ha/y. The good results suggest to promote this technique in other areas that suffer from groundwater resources depletion

Managed aquifer recharge via infiltration ditches in short rotation afforested areas

AbstractManaged aquifer recharge design and operation must incorporate the expected long‐term performance from a water quantity perspective to sustainably mitigate hydrologic impacts of groundwater overexploitation. Gravity‐driven infiltration ditches in forested areas are one of many managed aquifer recharge schemes that could augment the available water resources. Research on the longevity of these structures is sparse, leading to concerns about their long‐term capability to sustain elevated infiltration capacity. In the present study, an infiltration system consisting of a regular grid of eight ditches divided into four sequential plots within a short rotation forested area [area of infiltration (AFI)] was monitored from its inception to determine its hydrologic performance over time and its possible export to similar areas of the Brenta megafan (Northern Italy). During the monitored period, the AFI was not significantly affected by clogging because the suspended solids carried by the Brenta River water diversion were extremely low. The main source of clogging was the fallen foliage during the autumn, easily managed via ordinary maintenance. The AFI displayed an almost constant performance to infiltrate the diverted water over the first 3 years of operation, with a total amount of infiltrated water of approximately 0.8 Mm3 ha−1 year−1. The best tracer to reconstruct the downward water movement through this highly permeable vadose zone was temperature, while the groundwater table fluctuation could not be confidently used to infer the effective infiltration, because of its large seasonal variability. The good results suggest promoting this technique in other areas of the Brenta megafan that suffer from groundwater resources depletion. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The use of mass spectrometry to analyze dried blood spots.

Dried blood spots (DBS) typically consist in the deposition of small volumes of capillary blood onto dedicated paper cards. Comparatively to whole blood or plasma samples, their benefits rely in the fact that sample collection is easier and that logistic aspects related to sample storage and shipment can be relatively limited, respectively, without the need of a refrigerator or dry ice. Originally, this approach has been developed in the sixties to support the analysis of phenylalanine for the detection of phenylketonuria in newborns using bacterial inhibition test. In the nineties tandem mass spectrometry was established as the detection technique for phenylalanine and tyrosine. DBS became rapidly recognized for their clinical value: they were widely implemented in pediatric settings with mass spectrometric detection, and were closely associated to the debut of newborn screening (NBS) programs, as a part of public health policies. Since then, sample collection on paper cards has been explored with various analytical techniques in other areas more or less successfully regarding large-scale applications. Moreover, in the last 5 years a regain of interest for DBS was observed and originated from the bioanalytical community to support drug development (e.g., PK studies) or therapeutic drug monitoring mainly. Those recent applications were essentially driven by improved sensitivity of triple quadrupole mass spectrometers. This review presents an overall view of all instrumental and methodological developments for DBS analysis with mass spectrometric detection, with and without separation techniques. A general introduction to DBS will describe their advantages and historical aspects of their emergence. A second section will focus on blood collection, with a strong emphasis on specific parameters that can impact quantitative analysis, including chromatographic effects, hematocrit effects, blood effects, and analyte stability. A third part of the review is dedicated to sample preparation and will consider off-line and on-line extractions; in particular, instrumental designs that have been developed so far for DBS extraction will be detailed. Flow injection analysis and applications will be discussed in section IV. The application of surface analysis mass spectrometry (DESI, paper spray, DART, APTDCI, MALDI, LDTD-APCI, and ICP) to DBS is described in section V, while applications based on separation techniques (e.g., liquid or gas chromatography) are presented in section VI. To conclude this review, the current status of DBS analysis is summarized, and future perspectives are provided.

Uses of Multivariate Analytical Techniques in Online and Blended Business Education

Seeking to assess the analytical rigor of empirical research in management education, this article reviews the use of multivariate statistical techniques in 85 studies of online and blended management education over the past decade and compares them with prescriptions offered by both the organization studies and educational research communities. Although there is variation in the degree to which the techniques have been appropriately used, they appear to have been adopted more quickly than is typically the case in organizational studies research. Recommendations that emerge from the review include greater consideration of moderating effects, particularly those that have been considered historically to be “control” variables, and reduced dependence on exploratory factor analysis techniques for data reduction except when examining conceptual frameworks composed of constructs borrowed from disparate fields. It is the authors’ hope that this review motivates further consideration of appropriate uses of these techniques in other areas of management education research.

Participatory Approaches to Modelling for Improved Learning and Decision‐making in Natural Resource Governance: an Editorial

P ARTICIPATORY PROCESSES PLAY AN INCREASINGLY SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN NATURAL RESOURCE GOVERNANCE (Rauschmayer et al., 2009; Dietz and Stern, 2008; Stoll-Kleemann and Welp, 2006). Given such typical challenges as high levels of uncertainty about resources and their use, deep conflicts among stakeholders or serious deficits in rule implementation, the development of innovative ways of including stakeholders in managing resources such as fish stocks, forests or river basins continues to be an important field of research. Closer attention has been paid in the past decade in Europe and across the world to ways of opening up the field of modelling to stakeholder involvement (Hare et al., 2003; Ritzema et al., 2010; and Webler et al.). For a long time, this field had been considered an exclusive domain of ‘experts’ in formal representations of natural resources and their utilization. The increased attention to the potential that combining modelling techniques with participatory procedures may hold for improving or guiding natural resource governance needs to be seen against the background of the growing importance of models as tools for informing policies on the management of natural resources. In several areas of natural resource management, such as fisheries management or water quality management, the trend in the past decades has been to base management decisions to a greater extent on analytical attempts to model sequential, functional or even causal relationships between human interventions and natural responses. Moreover, in the modelling research community there is currently a trend towards producing ever more large and complex computer-based models. These highly complex models should not be seen as products of overambitious computer programmers. They are typically a response to demands from policy-makers and stakeholders to carry out more integrated assessments and to better account for uncertainties (Jakeman and Letcher, 2003; Refsgaard et al., 2005; Motos and Wilson, 2006). The continuing proliferation of what has been called ‘models for policy’ (Webler et al., pointing out the contrast with ‘models for science’) has stimulated a wider discussion of what could be appropriate ways to use such models in the governance process. One question central to this discussion is the possible role that stakeholders can play in model-supported resource governance. Against this backdrop, we organized an international expert workshop on ‘Participatory Modelling in Natural Resource Governance’ which took place in June 2009 in Haigerloch, Germany. The workshop was carried out within the FP7 research project JAKFISH (short for Judgement And Knowledge in Fisheries Including StakeHolders, 2008–2011; Pastoors et al., 2010). Its main objective was to collect experiences with using participatory modelling techniques in other areas of natural resource management and to build on them in the project’s attempt to develop and test such techniques in the field of fisheries (Dreyer and Renn, 2009). The papers in this special issue of Environmental Policy and Governance are drawn from this workshop.

Modeling in branding: a critical ethnography approach

PurposeThis paper aims to shed light on the potential of ethnography to provide a dialectical approach to modeling the process of branding as its focus widens from managerial to social.Design/methodology/approachA critical approach to ethnography is adopted and implemented in light of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's ethnographic modeling technique of “participant objectification”.FindingsThe paper demonstrates from the customer standpoint, of a case of a grocery retailer, the ability of critical ethnography to dialectically model the branding process as an organic cultural whole, which envelops an intricate set of different, yet interdependent, social and managerial systems, functioning in a coherent and complementary manner.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical evidence is limited to the area of grocery retailing. Thus, widening the application of the technique in other areas would be desirable.Practical implicationsThe dialectical nature of the critical approach to modeling yields a rich multi‐faceted view of the branding process that could help remedy the problem of detachment from complex reality, which has often been a criticism of traditional approaches to modeling in marketing.Originality/valueThe suggested dialectical approach to modeling expands the potential use of ethnography within the critical orientation to theory building in marketing generally, and branding in particular through elaborating the process of cultural construction from textual via participant observation to dialectical via participant objectification.

Harvesting of rainwater and brooklets water to increase mountain agricultural productivity: A case study from a dry valley of southwestern China

Abstract In semi‐arid valleys of southwestern China, seasonal shortage of water is the major contributing factor to low and unstable crop yield. Harvesting of both rainwater and brooklets water in the semi‐arid valleys of Ningnan county of Sichuan Province has brought about considerable economic and environmental change. Brooklet water is collected throughout the year but mainly during the rainy season in a series of ponds while rainwater is harvested in underground tanks constructed on road side or land boundaries with only a small opening above ground to save limited cropland. Increased water availability has promoted cultivation of sugarcane, tobacco, and mulberry, and increased per unit area yield of food crops. Sericulture, sugarcane and tobacco have become three important sources of farmers’ income. The water harvesting has contributed considerably to increased rural income, poverty reduction, reduced soil erosion and improvement in overall environment. Government has played a key role in planning and implementation of water harvesting programmes. Financial support of government and clear ownership of water harvesting facilities are critical for the success of the programme. Application of similar water harvesting techniques in other areas with similar biophysical conditions would contribute to enhancing the rural economy and alleviating poverty.

Press-in piling: a construction solution for cut ; cover tunnels

Pile driving is potentially the greatest source of ground vibrations and noise generated from piling machines used during construction of a cut and cover tunnel. Design codes place limits on the ground vibrations and noise created by these piling activities. These limits are intended to prevent disturbance to humans and damage (both cosmetic and structural) to nearby buildings. Conventional designs and construction methods are easily applicable to areas that have no environmental restraints. However in an urban environment, the number of restrictions can turn a simple project into one that is virtually impossible. Conventional pile driving has all but disappeared from urban construction arenas, not because of limitations in performance, but because of the emissions of deafening noise and earth shattering vibrations, both of which would not be accepted by even the most tolerant community. Drilled shafts, slurry walls and other cast-in-place foundation or retaining wall systems alleviate some of these problems but add additional problems of their own with large bulky machines and reliance on dusty concrete plants and urban trucking grief. The Press-in Method using Silent Piler has been used to install vast majority of hot-rolled steel sheet piles throughout Japan to form temporary and permanent retaining wall system for cut and cover tunnels but they are still virtually unknown worldwide. This piling method allows construction to proceed at sites where conventional vibratory techniques would cause excessive settlement and in cities where noise regulations limit the use of pile hammers. Initially, the system was designed for sheet piling operation but subsequently technological advancements has allowed the Silent Piler to press-in various piles in different shapes and materials, such as U, Z, H, tubular steel sheet piles and concrete sheet piles. Obvious advantages can be seen as there is no perceived vibration and the noise levels are often quieter than ambient traffic levels. Through its ability to self-move over installed pile heads without crane support and followed by a pile pitching crane that clamps on reaction piles (the GRB System), it enables sheet piling works to be carried out easily on slopes, above water and narrow access areas. This system has advantages over conventional piling techniques in other areas too. For example, the Silent Piler can lay piles accurately around curves and corners as sharp as 90 degrees and, because of its low centre of gravity, the machine can infiltrate restricted spaces like under bridges or between railway tracks -situations under which major disruption would be necessary using established practice. For pressing-in a pile into hard and difficult sub soils, Giken has developed a simultaneous auguring procedure that loosens the rock sufficiently for the Press-in Method to work. Another development incorporates a water jetting that lubricates the movement of piles in the ground. Savvy readers will have noticed that the Silent Piler uses piles that have been installed to anchor the machine to provide reaction for the hydraulic pressure. They will ask themselves the classic chicken and egg question: which comes first? The solution is that when the first pile is ready to be installed, the Silent Piler must be anchored to the ground by sufficient weight to stop it from rising. This counter weight is often provided by the stack of piles waiting to be installed. (A). Reprinted with permission from Elsevier. For the covering abstract see ITRD E124500.

Production of radioactive particles for use in environmental studies

This paper presents an aerosol generation technique developed to produce dry aerosol particles of various sizes from aqueous solutions of salt. The technique was tested with sodium chloride, lithium carbonate and uranyl acetate at various aqueous concentrations which produced particles in the size range of 0.13–1.37 μm Mass Median Diameter (MMD). The generated aerosols were acceptably monodisperse with a geometric standard deviation of 1.4–2. Both MMD and Mass Median Aerodynamic Diameter (MMAD) increased significantly ( p<0.001) with increased concentration of the salt in solution. The technique can also be used to generate aerosols of different chemical species. The results obtained indicate that the system is convenient for use with various aerosol-forming materials, with a stable particle size distribution being maintained for a long period of steady operation. The technique was successfully applied in wind tunnel studies to simulate the release of submicron radioactive particles and their interception by crops, grass and tree canopies. The relevance and application of the technique in other areas of environmental assessment studies is discussed.

Applications of focused ion beam machining to the characterization of carbide, nitride and oxide films

Focused ion beam (FIB) systems have become a useful tool in the failure analysis and modification of microelectronic devices having Si and GaAs structures. The potential of this technique in other areas, e.g. optical and wear-resistant coatings, has not been extensively explored. In this presentation, we report on the application of FIB-based techniques to the investigation of non-semiconductor materials. These materials include: multilayer optical oxide/nitride films, and hard carbide coatings on tool steels. We have found that procedures which are commonly applied for semiconductor materials will produce artifacts but can be applied with some modification to these oxide, carbide, and nitride films, as well as multiphase steel substrates.

Removal of a Protruded Thoracic Disc Using Microsurgical Endoscopy

The first clinical implementation of a microsurgical endoscopic technique for removal of thoracic disc herniation is described. To decompress the spinal cord with a ventral approach, combining microsurgical and endoscopic techniques, while reducing the "approach-related trauma." A detailed description of the preoperative preparation as well as the surgical technique is given. Advantages and disadvantages of the microsurgical endoscopic technique are discussed and compared with other surgical procedures described in the literature. A herniated disc at T6-T7 was removed and the spinal cord was decompressed. The patient recovered completely and was discharged at the seventh postoperative day. He returned to work 4 weeks later. The microsurgical endoscopic technique allows spinal cord decompression with a substantial reduction in surgical trauma. It may shorten bed confinement and allow early return to active life. Application of this technique in other areas is being studied.