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In this work, a new method to determine and correct the linear drift for any crystalline orientation in a single-column-resolved high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HR-STEM) image, which is based on angle measurements in the Fourier space, is presented. This proposal supposes a generalization and the improvement of a previous work that needs the presence of two symmetrical planes in the crystalline orientation to be applicable. Now, a mathematical derivation of the drift effect on two families of asymmetric planes in the reciprocal space is inferred. However, though it was not possible to find an analytical solution for all conditions, a simple formula was derived to calculate the drift effect that is exact for three specific rotation angles. Taking this into account, an iterative algorithm based on successive rotation/drift correction steps is devised to remove drift distortions in HR-STEM images. The procedure has been evaluated using a simulated micrograph of a monoclinic material in an orientation where all the reciprocal lattice vectors are different. The algorithm only needs four iterations to resolve a 15° drift angle in the image.
This paper summarizes the first tool that is able to predict Ground Level Enhancements (GLE). It makes real-time predictions of the occurrence of GLE events from the analysis of soft X-ray and differential proton flux measured by the GOES satellite network. Before the development of this tool, space weather systems have been warning users about evolving GLE events by processing neutron measurements recorded on ground level. This tool, called HESPERIA UMASEP-500, can predict GLE events before the detection by any neutron monitor (NM) station. The prediction performance measured for the period from 1986 to 2016 is presented for two consecutive periods, because of their notable difference in performance. For the 2000-2016 period, this prediction tool obtained a probability of detection (POD) of 53.8% (7 of 13 GLE events), a false alarm ratio (FAR) of 30.0%, and average warning times (AWT) of 8 min and 15 min with respect to the first NM station’s alert and the GLE Alert Plus warning, respectively. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under agreement No 637324.
In Paraguay the main cause of Traumatic Brain Injury are the accidents in ground transportation. According to data from the Basic Health Indicators 2013 of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, the regions with the highest rate of accidents in ground transportation are located in the rural zone of the country. Linguistic or communication disorder, attention and memory are the first functions that must be rehabilitated. Is essential to improve the patient's language skills to intervene the other cognitive functions. The objective of this study is to determine if free augmentative communication systems have the characteristics necessary for the cognitive rehabilitation of the language to provide a low cost solution for Traumatic Brain Injury patients in rural areas of the country.
METHODS:
A list of seven characteristics that contributed to verbal comprehension and expression, reading and writing, logical-verbal reasoning and numeration and calculation were compiled and compared to the Gazespeaker, which is a free augmentative communication system.
RESULTS:
The Gazespeaker meets the seven characteristics required for language rehabilitation.
CONCLUSIONS:
For patients with Traumatic Brain Injury are required low cost tools and ease-to-use like the Gazespeaker. It is a good augmentative communication system which satisfies all the characteristics required for a good language rehabilitation. In addition, this free software allows the use of an eye tracking device that can be applied to patients with Traumatic Brain Injury and severe motor deficit.
This work arises from the need to investigate the role of motivational variables in homework involvement and academic achievement of elementary school students. The aims of this study are twofold: identifying the different combinations of student academic goals and analyzing the differences in homework involvement and academic achievement. The sample was composed of 535 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school students, between the ages of 9 and 13 years old. Findings showed three groups with different motivational profiles: a group of students with high multiple goals, another group with a learning goal orientation and a third group defined by a low multiple goals profile. Focusing on the differences between groups, it was observed that the amount of time doing homework was not associated with any motivational profile. Nevertheless, the differences were statistically significant between the motivational groups in the amount of homework (F(2, 530) = 42.59; p < .001; ηp2 = .138), in the management of time spent on homework (F(2, 530) = 33.08; p < .001; ηp2 = .111), and in academic achievement (F(2, 530) = 33.99; p < .001; ηp2 = .114). The effect size was large for the amount of homework performed and was also relatively large in the case of management of time and academic achievement.
Following a pretest-posttest design with no control group, this paper evaluates
the efficacy of an intervention program. Consisting of twelve sessions, the
program endeavored to increase knowledge and use of self-regulated learning
strategies, as well as study time, in 277 first-year students in the Spanish
secondary education system. The intervention’s efficacy was assessed
in terms of three variables: knowledge of self-regulated learning strategies,
use of self-regulated learning strategies, and study time. The results of
post-intervention data analysis indicate that statistically significant changes
occurred in students’ knowledge of self-regulated learning strategies
and weekly study time, but not in their use of self-regulated learning
strategies. When the sample was stratified into three groups (high, moderate,
and low) according to baseline scores on the dependent variables, our findings
show that students in the lower group profited most from the intervention on all
three variables. This suggests that participation in the program is especially
useful for at-risk students (i.e. those with little knowledge and use of
effective learning strategies).
Mentoring and coaching practices are helping businesses grow by supporting the development of their human capital. Family businesses have a unique atmosphere and distinctive features that make it especially important to discover whether mentoring and coaching affect their performance. We have used a resource-based vision and knowledge-based vision to analyse this relationship using structural equation methodology in a sample of 630 companies. The results show that there is a direct relationship between mentoring and coaching and the performance of family businesses.
Procrastination is a common behavior, mainly in school settings. Only a few studies have analyzed the associations of academic procrastination with students' personal and family variables. In the present work, we analyzed the impact of socio-personal variables (e.g., parents' education, number of siblings, school grade level, and underachievement) on students' academic procrastination profiles. Two independent samples of 580 and 809 seventh to ninth graders, students attending the last three years of Portuguese Compulsory Education, have been taken. The findings, similar in both studies, reveal that procrastination decreases when the parents' education is higher, but it increases along with the number of siblings, the grade level, and the underachievement. The results are discussed in view of the findings of previous research. The implications for educational practice are also analyzed.
In this paper, the relations between academic goals and various indicators that define the quality of the learning process are analyzed. The purpose was to determine to what extent high, moderate, or low levels of academic goals were positively or negatively related to effort regulation, the value assigned to academic tasks, meta-cognitive self-regulation, self-efficacy, beliefs about learning control, and management of time and study environment. The investigation was carried out with a sample of 632 university students (70% female and 30% male) and mean age of 21.22 (SD=2.2).The results show that learning goals, or task orientation, are positively related to all the indictors of learning quality considered herein. Although for other kinds of goals—work-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals—significant relations were not found with all the indicators, there was a similar tendency of significant results in all cases; the higher the levels of these goals, the lower the levels of the indicators of learning quality.
The cytopathogenicity of 22 Legionella pneumophila isolates from 17 hospitals was determined by assessing the dose of bacteria necessary to produce 50% cytopathic effect (CPED50) in U937 human-derived macrophages. All isolates were able to infect and grow in macrophage-like cells (range log10 CPED50: 2·67–6·73 c.f.u./ml). Five groups were established and related to the serogroup, the number of PFGE patterns coexisting in the same hospital water distribution system, and the possible reporting of hospital-acquired Legionnaires' disease cases. L. pneumophila serogroup 1 isolates had the highest cytopathogenicity (P=0·003). Moreover, a trend to more cytopathogenic groups (groups 1–3) in hospitals with more than one PFGE pattern of L. pneumophila in the water distribution system (60% vs. 17%) and in hospitals reporting cases of hospital-acquired Legionnaires' disease (36·3% vs. 16·6%) was observed. We conclude that the cytopathogenicty of environmental L. pneumophila should be taken into account in evaluating the risk of a contaminated water reservoir in a hospital and hospital acquisition of Legionnaires' disease.
Fuel Cells are highly promising energy conversion systems for the new energy scenario. Particularly, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) have been extensively studied during the last few years as a result of the increasing interest in the development of more efficient, and environmentally friendly ways of energy generation, as well as a consequence of their fuel flexibility. This work shows some strategies to improve the efficiency of SOFCs through the use of new anode materials, a novel method of microstructural optimisation by means of polymeric templates, using composites or cermets-based materials or applying a new concept in SOFC, e.g. the Symmetrical SOFC (SFC).
To determine whether environmental cultures for Legionella increase the index of suspicion for legionnaires' disease (LD).
Design:
Five-year prospective study.
Setting:
Twenty hospitals in Catalonia, Spain.
Methods:
From 1994 to 1996, the potable water systems of 20 hospitals in Catalonia were tested for Legionella, Cases of hospital-acquired LD and availability of an “in-house” Legionella test in the previous 4 years were assessed. After the hospitals were informed of the results of their water cultures, a prospective 5-year-study was conducted focusing on the detection of new cases of nosocomial legionellosis and the availability and use of Legionella testing.
Results:
Before environmental cultures were started, only one hospital had conducted active surveillance of hospital-acquired pneumonia and used Legionella tests including Legionella urinary antigen in all pneumonia cases. Only one other hospital had used the latter test at all. In six hospitals, Legionella tests had been completely unavailable. Cases of nosocomial LD had been diagnosed in the previous 4 years in only two hospitals. During prospective surveillance, 12 hospitals (60%) used Legionella urinary antigen testing in house and 11 (55%) found cases of nosocomial legionellosis, representing 64.7% (11 of 17) of those with positive water cultures. Hospitals with negative water cultures did not find nosocomial LD.
Conclusions:
The environmental study increased the index of suspicion for nosocomial LD. The number of cases of nosocomial LD increased significantly during the prospective follow-up period, and most hospitals began using the Legionella urinary antigen test in their laboratories.
Inhalation of contaminated aerosols is considered the most common route of Legionella transmission. The aim of this study was to determine whether contact with water contaminated by Legionella was related to oropharyngeal colonization in immunosuppressed patients. Eighty-five oropharyngeal swabs (April 1996 to June 1996) were seeded on selective and nonselective buffered charcoal-yeast extract media. Legionella was not isolated.
To investigate the presence and clonal distribution of Legionella species in the water supply of 20 hospitals in Catalonia, Spain.
Setting:
20 hospitals in Catalonia, an area of 32,000 km2, located in northeast Spain.
Methods:
Environmental cultures of 186 points of potable water supply and 10 cooling towers were performed for the presence of Legionella species. Following filtration and acid treatment, the samples were seeded in selective MWY (modified Wadowsky Yee)-buffered charcoal yeast extract-a agar. All isolates obtained were characterized microbiologically and genotyped by Sfil pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
Results:
73 of 196 water samples, representing 17 of the 20 hospitals included in the study, were positive for Legionella pneumophila (serogroups 1, 2-14, or both). The degree of contamination ranged from 200 to 74,250 colony-forming units/L. Twenty-five chromosomal DNA subtypes were detected by PFGE. A single DNA subtype was identified in 10 hospitals, 2 DNA subtypes were observed in 6 hospitals, and 1 hospital exhibited 3 different DNA subtypes. Each hospital had its own Legionella DNA subtype, which was not shared with any other hospitals.
Conclusions:
Legionella was present in the water of most of the hospitals studied; each such hospital had a unique, dominant chromosomal DNA subtype. The verification of several genomic DNA restriction profiles in such a small geographic area demonstrates the great genetic diversity of Legionella in the aquatic environment.
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