pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
SPIRAL at GANIL: Latest Results and Plans for the Future

International audienceThe first accelerated exotic beam of the SPIRAL (Production System of Radioactive Ion and Acceleration On-Line) facility at GANIL at Caen has been delivered for experiments in September 2001. After working for almost 5 years, 32 experiments were performed in the facility using exotic isotopes of helium, oxygen, neon, argon and krypton. The intensities of the radioactive beams increased since the first beam was delivered. Nominal intensity values are achieved for most of noble gas beams. Developments of new beams as well as the increasing of present intensities for a number of isotopes are being undertaken. In particular, in this contribution it is presented the first results obtained for the production of light alkali beams. Other developments are also envisaged in the close future
The hadronic contribution to $(g-2)_\mu$

The evaluation of the hadronic contribution to the muon magnetic anomaly $a_\mu$  is reviewed, including a new estimate using precise results on the $\pi^+\pi^- $ spectral function from the KLOE Collaboration. It is found that the KLOE data confirm to some extent the previous $e^+e^-$ annihilation data in this channel, and accentuate the disagreement with the isospin-breaking-corrected spectral function from $\tau^-\to\pi^+\pi^0\nu_\tau$ decays. Correcting for the empirical difference in the mass of the charged and the neutral $\rho$ locally improves, but does not resolve this discrepancy. A preliminary reevaluation (including the KLOE data) of the $e^+e-^$-based Standard Model prediction of $a_\mu$  results in a deviation of 2.7 standard deviations from the BNL measurement
Contextual cueing of visual search is associated with greater subjective experience of the search display configuration

Visual search is facilitated when display configurations are repeated over time, showing that memory of spatio-configural context can cue the location of the target. The present study investigates whether memory of the search target in relation to the configuration of distractors alters subjective experience of the visual search target and/or the subjective experience of the display configuration. Observers performed a masked localization task for targets embedded in repeated vs. non-repeated (baseline) arrays of distractors items. After the localization response, observers reported their subjective experience of either the target or the display configuration. Bayesian analysis revealed that repeated displays resulted in a stronger visual experience of both targets and display configurations. However, subsequent analysis showed that repeated search displays increased the correlation between the experience of the display configuration and localization accuracy, but there was no such effect on experience of the target stimulus. We suggest that memory of visual context enhances the representation of the current visual search display. This representation improves visual search and at the same time increases observers’ subjective experience of the display configuration
Objective Probability and the Mind-Body Relation

Objective probability in quantum mechanics is often thought to involve a stochastic process whereby an actual future is selected from a range of possibilities. Everett’s seminal idea is that all possible definite futures on the pointer basis exist as components of a macroscopic linear superposition. I demonstrate that these two conceptions of what is involved in quantum processes are linked via two alternative interpretations of the mind-body relation. This leads to a fission, rather than divergence, interpretation of Everettian theory and to a novel explanation of why a principle of indifference does not apply to self-location uncertainty for a post-measurement, pre-observation subject, just as Sebens and Carroll claim. Their Epistemic Separability Principle is shown to arise out of this explanation and the derivation of the Born rule for Everettian theory is thereby put on a firmer footing
Self-managing cloud-native applications : design, implementation and experience

Running applications in the cloud efficiently requires much more than deploying software in virtual machines. Cloud applications have to be continuously managed: (1) to adjust their resources to the incoming load and (2) to face transient failures replicating and restarting components to provide resiliency on unreliable infrastructure. Continuous management monitors application and infrastructural metrics to provide automated and responsive reactions to failures (health management) and changing environmental conditions (auto-scaling) minimizing human intervention.
In the current practice, management functionalities are provided as infrastructural or third party services. In both cases they are external to the application deployment. We claim that this approach has intrinsic limits, namely that separating management functionalities from the application prevents them from naturally scaling with the application and requires additional management code and human intervention. Moreover, using infrastructure provider services for management functionalities results in vendor lock-in effectively preventing cloud applications to adapt and run on the most effective cloud for the job.
In this paper we discuss the main characteristics of cloud native applications, propose a novel architecture that enables scalable and resilient self-managing applications in the cloud, and relate on our experience in porting a legacy application to the cloud applying cloud-native principles
Accuracy of KinectOne to quantify kinematics of the upper body

Motion analysis systems deliver quantitative information, e.g. on the progress of rehabilitation programs aimed at improving range of motion. Markerless systems are of interest for clinical application because they are low-cost and easy to use. The first generation of the Kinect™ sensor showed promising results in validity assessment compared to an established marker-based system. However, no literature is available on the validity of the new 'Kinect™ for Xbox one' (KinectOne) in tracking upper body motion. Consequently, this study was conducted to analyze the accuracy and reliability of the KinectOne in tracking upper body motion. Twenty subjects performed shoulder abduction in frontal and scapula plane, flexion, external rotation and horizontal flexion in two conditions (sitting and standing). Arm and trunk motion were analyzed using the KinectOne and compared to a marker-based system. Comparisons were made using Bland Altman statistics and Coefficient of Multiple Correlation. On average, differences between systems of 3.9±4.0° and 0.1±3.8° were found for arm and trunk motion, respectively. Correlation was higher for the arm than for the trunk motion. Based on the observed bias, the accuracy of the KinectOne was found to be adequate to measure arm motion in a clinical setting. Although trunk motion showed a very low absolute bias between the two systems, the KinectOne was not able to track small changes over time. Before the KinectOne can find clinical application, further research is required analyzing whether validity can be improved using a customized tracking algorithm or other sensor placement, and to analyze test-retest reliability
New insights on protective treatments for marble by FIB-SEM

In this study, we investigated by FIB-SEM the microstructure of protective coatings formed by two inorganic treatments (namely, ammonium oxalate and ammonium phosphate solutions), with the aim of identifying the factors limiting the protective efficacy of the coatings and outlining possible improvement strategies. In the case of the oxalate treatment, the resulting layer of whewellite was found to contain vertical channels, which can allow water to reach the marble surface and trigger dissolution. Possible prevention of the formation of these channels by addition of a calcium source to the oxalate solution was attempted, but even micromolar additions led to rapid precipitation in the solution. In the case of the phosphate treatment, the resulting hydroxyapatite and octacalcium phosphate coating was found to be cracked and porous. To prevent cracks and pores, diminishing the ammonium phosphate concentration and adding ethanol to the solution were found to be effective strategies, as cracks were prevented and pores were reduced almost to zero. The resulting protective efficacy of the coating was found to be significantly improved, although still not perfect
Scapular development from the neonatal period to skeletal maturity: A preliminary study

An understanding of the basic growth rates and patterns of development for each element of the human skeleton is important for a thorough understanding and interpretation of data in all areas of skeletal research. Yet surprisingly little is known about the detailed ontogenetic development of many bones, including the scapula. With the intention of describing the changes that accompany postnatal ontogeny in the scapula and algorithms to predict sub-adult age at death, this communication examines the development of the scapula through nine measurements (3 from the glenoidal area, 4 from the body and 2 related to the spinous process) by polynomial regression. Data were collected from 31 of the individuals that comprise the Scheuer Collection, which is housed at the University of Dundee (Scotland).Four of the derived mathematical curves (scapular length, infra- and suprascapular height and spine length) displayed linear growth, whilst three (maximum length of the glenoid mass, acromial width and scapular width) were best expressed by a second-degree polynomial and two (maximum and middle diameter of the glenoidal surface) by a third-degree polynomial. All single measurements proved useful in the prediction of age at death, although derived indices proved to be of limited value. In particular, scapular width, suprascapular height and acromial width showed reliable levels of age prediction until late adolescent years. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/oa.89
Development of electrochemical biosensors based on sol-gel enzyme encapsulation and protective polymer membranes

Abstract  Protective polymer coatings have been used to enhance the retention of enzymes in sol-gel films as immobilisation phases in electrochemical biosensors. Carbon film electrodes were electrochemically modified with poly(neutral red) (PNR). These electrodes were coated with oxysilane sol-gels incorporating glucose oxidase and an outer coating of carboxylated PVC (CPVC) or polyurethane (PU), with and without Aliquat-336 or isopropyl myristate (IPM) plasticizer, was applied. The biosensors were characterised electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry and amperometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Impedance spectra showed that the electrode surface is most active when the sol-gel–GOx layer is not covered with a membrane. However, membranes without plasticizer extend the lifetime of the biosensor to more than 2 months when PU is used as an outer membrane. The linear range of the biosensors was found to be 0.05–0.50 mM of glucose and the biosensor with PU outer membrane exhibited higher sensitivity (ca.117 nA mM-1) in the region of linear response than that with CPVC. The biosensors were applied to glucose measurement in natural samples of commercial orange juice.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00216-007-1756-
Estimating the modal parameters from multiple measurement setups using a joint state space model

Computing the modal parameters of structural systems often requires processing data from multiple non-simultaneously recorded setups of sensors. These setups share some sensors in common, the so-called reference sensors, which are fixed for all measurements, while the other sensors change their position from one setup to the next. One possibility is to process the setups separately resulting in different modal parameter estimates for each setup. Then, the reference sensors are used to merge or glue the different parts of the mode shapes to obtain global mode shapes, while the natural frequencies and damping ratios are usually averaged. In this paper we present a new state space model that processes all setups at once. The result is that the global mode shapes are obtained automatically, and only a value for the natural frequency and damping ratio of each mode is estimated. We also investigate the estimation of this model using maximum likelihood and the Expectation Maximization algorithm, and apply this technique to simulated and measured data corresponding to different structures
Gravitomagnetism in Metric Theories: Analysis of Earth Satellites
  Results, and its Coupling with Spin

Employing the PPN formalism the gravitomagnetic field in different metric
theories is considered in the analysis of the LAGEOS results. It will be shown
that there are several models that predict exactly the same effect that general
relativity comprises. In other words, these Earth satellites results can be
taken as experimental evidence that the orbital angular momentum of a body does
indeed generate space--time geometry, notwithstanding they do not endow general
relativity with an outstanding status among metric theories. Additionally the
coupling spin--gravitomagnetic field is analyzed with the introduction of the
Rabi transitions that this field produces on a quantum system with spin 1/2.
Afterwards, a continuous measurement of the energy of this system is
introduced, and the consequences upon the corresponding probabilities of the
involved gravitomagnetic field will be obtained. Finally, it will be proved
that these proposals allows us, not only to confront against future experiments
the usual assumption of the coupling spin--gravotimagnetism, but also to
measure some PPN parameters and to obtain functional dependences among them.Comment: 10 page
Extended scaling behavior of the spatially-anisotropic classical XY
  model in the crossover from three to two dimensions

The bivariate high-temperature expansion of the spin-spin
correlation-function of the three-dimensional classical XY (planar rotator)
model, with spatially-anisotropic nearest-neighbor couplings, is extended from
the 10th through the 21st order. The computation is carried out for the
simple-cubic lattice, in the absence of magnetic field, in the case in which
the coupling strength along the z-axis of the lattice is different from those
along the x- and the y-axes. It is then possible to determine accurately the
critical temperature as function of the parameter R which characterizes the
coupling anisotropy and to check numerically the universality, with respect to
R, of the critical exponents of the three-dimensional anisotropic system. The
analysis of our data also shows that the main predictions of the generalized
scaling theory for the crossover from the three-dimensional to the
two-dimensional critical behavior are compatible with the series
extrapolations
Gravitational Effects on the Neutrino Oscillation

The propagation of neutrinos in a gravitational field is studied. A method of
calculating a covariant quantum-mechanical phase in a curved space-time is
presented. The result is used to calculate gravitational effects on the
neutrino oscillation in the presence of a gravitational field. We restrict our
discussion to the case of the Schwartzschild metric. Specifically, the cases of
the radial propagation and the non-radial propagation are considered. A
possible application to gravitational lensing of neutrinos is also suggested
Learning effects of an international group competition project

This study investigates the effects of collaboration and competition on students’ learning performance in a course of business statistics. The collaboration involved a simultaneously organised group competition project with analysis of real-life business problems among students. Students from the following schools participated: JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Finland, Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain, and Sabanci University in Turkey. The results support earlier literature on positive impacts of group collaboration on learning performance but deny any negative impacts of competition. It is also found out that learning performance may be influenced to a certain degree by cultural differences in perceptions towards collaboration and competition. Overall the international competition and the touch to real-life business problems stimulate students’ engagement and result in enhanced learning towards becoming ‘intelligent consumers of business statistics’
Theoretical and experimental investigation of Raman modes, ferroelectric and dielectric properties of relaxor Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3

We use a combination of first-principles density functional theoretical analysis and experimental characterization to understand the lattice dynamics, dielectric and ferroelectric properties of lead-free relaxor ferroelectric Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT) system. Vibrational spectrum determined through our calculations agrees well with the observed Raman spectrum, and allows assignment of symmetry labels to modes. The calculated Born effective charges reveal (a) two distinct types of Ti ions at the B-site with anomalous dynamical charges differing by up 1.6e, and (b) Na and Bi ions at the A-site exhibit disparate dynamical charges of about 1 and 5.5e, respectively. Thus, there exist hetero-polar activity at both A and B-sites in NBT, and disorder associated with these hetero-polar ions is responsible for its relaxor behaviour. Large dielectric response of NBT arises primarily from phonons, and specifically the modes involving Bi-O (109 cm-1) and Ti-O (246, 276 cm-1) vibrations, respectively
Informal care and labour force participation among middle-aged women in Spain

Informal care is today the form of support most commonly used in Spain by those who need help in order to carry out basic daily activities. The potential labour opportunity costs incurred by Spanish informal carers have not as yet been quantified. In this paper we use the Spanish subsample of the European Community Household Panel (19942001) to estimate an econometric model which we exploit to examine the effects of various types of informal care on labour market outcomes. Our results reveal the existence of non-negligible costs in terms of foregone employment for carers who live with the dependent person and/or provide more than 28 h of care/week. We also find that providing care for more than a year has negative effects on employment. Nonetheless, there seems to be no contemporaneous employment effects associated to either starting or ending an episode of care
Determination of the thermal parameters of high-power batteries by local heat

A new approach to the determination of the thermal parameters of high-power batteries is introduced here. Application of local heat flux measurement with a gradient heat flux sensor (GHFS) allows determination of the cell thermal parameters in di_erent surface points of the cell. The suggested methodology is not cell destructive as it does not require deep discharge of the cell or application of any charge/discharge cycles during measurements of the thermal parameters of the cell. The complete procedure is demonstrated on a high-power Li-ion pouch cell, and it is verified on a sample with well-known thermal parameters. A comparison of the experimental results with conventional thermal characterization methods shows an acceptably low error. The dependence of the cell thermal parameters on state of charge (SoC) and measurement points on the surface was studied by the proposed measurement approach.Post-print / final draf
CLARA: a multifunctional virtual agent for conference support and touristic information

In this paper we present a multifunctional conversational agent which combines natural language search capabilities for two different domain applica-tions: a conference information system and local tourist guide. The paper de-scribes the corpora, architecture, algorithm and the mobile application created to interact with the users. Finally, some results obtained when using the proposed system in the context of an international scientific conference held in Singapore in September 2014 with more than 1200 assistants are provided
A controlled migration genetic algorithm operator for hardware-in-the-loop experimentation

In this paper, we describe the development of an extended migration operator, which combats the negative effects of noise on the effective search capabilities of genetic algorithms. The research is motivated by the need to minimize the num-ber of evaluations during hardware-in-the-loop experimentation, which can carry a significant cost penalty in terms of time or financial expense. The authors build on previous research, where convergence for search methods such as Simulated Annealing and Variable Neighbourhood search was accelerated by the implementation of an adaptive decision support operator. This methodology was found to be effective in searching noisy data surfaces. Providing that noise is not too significant, Genetic Al-gorithms can prove even more effective guiding experimentation. It will be shown that with the introduction of a Controlled Migration operator into the GA heuristic, data, which repre-sents a significant signal-to-noise ratio, can be searched with significant beneficial effects on the efficiency of hardware-in-the-loop experimentation, without a priori parameter tuning. The method is tested on an engine-in-the-loop experimental example, and shown to bring significant performance benefits
Propagation of chaos for rank-based interacting diffusions and long time behaviour of a scalar quasilinear parabolic equation

International audienceWe study a quasilinear parabolic Cauchy problem with a cumulative distribution function on the real line as an initial condition. We call 'probabilistic solution' a weak solution which remains a cumulative distribution function at all times. We prove the uniqueness of such a solution and we deduce the existence from a propagation of chaos result on a system of scalar diffusion processes, the interactions of which only depend on their ranking. We then investigate the long time behaviour of the solution. Using a probabilistic argument and under weak assumptions, we show that the flow of the Wasserstein distance between two solutions is contractive. Under more stringent conditions ensuring the regularity of the probabilistic solutions, we finally derive an explicit formula for the time derivative of the flow and we deduce the convergence of solutions to equilibrium
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variability of fluindione in octogenarians.

International audienceIn the PREPA observational study, we investigated the factors influencing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variability in the responses to fluindione, an oral anticoagulant drug, in a general population of octogenarian inpatients.Measurements of fluindione concentrations and international normalized ratio (INR ) were obtained for 131 inpatients in whom fluindione treatment was initiated. Treatment was adjusted according to routine clinical practice. The data were analyzed using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling, and the parameters were estimated using MONOLI X 3.2. The pharmacokinetics (PK) of fluindione was monocompartmental, whereas the evolution of INR was modeled in accordance with a turnover model (inhibition of vitamin K recycling). Interindividual variability (II V) was very large. Clearance decreased with age and with prior administration of cordarone. Patients who had undergone surgery before the study had lower IC50 values, leading to an increased sensitivity to fluindione. Pharmacokinetic exposure is substantially increased in elderly patients, warranting a lower dose of fluindione