The installation of recharge wells and subsurface flow barriers are among several strategies proposed to control seawater intrusion on coastal groundwater systems. In this study, we performed laboratory-scale experiments and numerical simulations to determine the effects of the location and application of recharge wells, and of the location and penetration depth of flow barriers, on controlling se

In the construction of subsurface dams in coastal aquifers, investigations of the movement and removal of residual saltwater in the storage area are not usually carried out because of difficulties in monitoring. Experimental and numerical studies were thus performed to understand the saltwater dynamics due to the installation of cut-off walls. Experimental results for cut-off walls with opening on

Hydrological assessment of the effect of water utilization on a lake water budget isindispensable for proper water management. A model to estimate lake water level was developed for Lake Ikeda, Japan, and was applied to investigate the lake water budget and to examine the effect of agricultural water management on the lake water level. The calculated lake water levels agreed well with the measured

The effective use of modern control theory requires suitable mathematical models of the objects to be controlled and of the disturbances. Paper machines have been controlled digitally for a long time. Digital control of basis weight and moisture content is in fact one of the few examples where a digital computer and sensors form a standard package. In spite of this there are still significant gaps

OBJECTIVES: The predictive ability of the STarT Back Tool (SBT) has not yet been examined among acute/subacute back and/or neck pain in a primary care setting in respect to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work ability outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the SBT's predictive validity for HRQoL and work ability outcomes at long-term follow-up in a population with acute/subacut

We use tunneling spectroscopy to study the evolution of few-electron spin states in parallel InAs nanowire double quantum dots (QDs) as a function of level detuning and applied magnetic field. Compared to the much more studied serial configuration, parallel coupling of the QDs to source and drain greatly expands the probing range of excited-state transport. Owing to a strong confinement, we can he

Purpose: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) or astrocytoma grade IV is the most common type of primary brain tumor in adults. In the present study, we investigate the role of the complement system in the glioblastoma situation in an experimental model, since we have previously been able to show a blockade of this system in the glioblastoma setting. Technique and results: A GFP-positive glioblastoma cel

Probiotics are increasingly gaining popularity in vast food applications due to their recognized health benefits to the host. However, their passage through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not smooth and a significant number of physiological barriers (e.g. low pH, bile salts, enzymes, peristaltic movements, etc.) may considerably affect their viability. The entrapment of probiotics in protectiv

In the early 1950s China adopted a Stalinist development strategy and transferred a vast amount of farm surplus into investment in state-owned heavy industry. This created a typical dual economy with heavy industry on one side and agriculture, with its huge surplus of labor, on the other, and in between a vacuum: a lack of the development of light industry. Around 1980, the state increased the pri

The family of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) consisting of NK cells, lymphoid tissue inducer cells and the 'helper'-like ILC subsets ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3 have been shown to have important roles in protection against microbes, regulation of inflammatory diseases and involved in allergic reactions. ILC1s produce IFN-γ upon stimulation with IL-12 and IL-18, ILC2s produce IL-5 and IL-13 responding to IL-

We develop the concept of evolving risk to demonstrate that the optimal policy choice between price and quantity instruments may change over time. Drawing from system innovation, evolutionary concepts and modern financial and transaction cost economics, we analyze dynamic cost and welfare impacts of instrument choice under uncertainty. In early market deployment of niche technologies, economic and

Aims: Falls are common in the elderly population, and fall-related injuries are a major health issue. We investigated the ability of simple physical tests to predict incident falls. Methods: The Swedish Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study includes 3014 population-based men aged 69–81 years at the start of the study. These men performed five different physical tests at baseline: right-hand g

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder usually affecting females. It is associated with intellectual and multiple disabilities leading to a high level of dependency in all aspects of daily living including participation in physical activities. This study explored facilitators and barriers to “uptime” (non-sedentary) activities in Danish girls and women with RTT as perceived by p

The ability to focus on a task while disregarding irrelevant information is an example of selective attention. The perceptual-load hypothesis argues that the occurrence of early or late selection mechanisms is determined by task-relevant perceptual load. Additionally, evidence shows that pupil size serves as proxy of locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) activity, a system associated with cogniti

The problem of planning a trajectory for robots starting in an initial state and reaching a final state in a desired interval of time is tackled. We propose an approach based on model predictive control to solve the problem of point-to-point trajectory generation for a given final time. We discuss various choices of models, objective functions, and constraints for generating trajectories to transf

HypothesisDoxorubicin hydrochloride (DX) is one of the most powerful anticancer agents though its clinical use is impaired by severe undesired side effects. DX encapsulation in nanocarrier systems has been introduced as a mean to reduce its toxicity. Micelles of the nonionic triblock copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) (PEO-PPO-PEO), are very promising carrier