A comprehensive search for Long and Short Periodic Features from an Extremely Active Cycle of FRB 20240114A
Dengke Zhou, Pei Wang, Jianhua Fang
et al.
Possible periodic features in fast radio bursts (FRBs) may provide insights into their astrophysical origins. Using extensive observations from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), we conduct a multi-timescale periodicity search for the exceptionally active repeater FRB~20240114A. Our analysis is based on different datasets for different timescales: for short-timescale periodicity in Time of Arrivals (TOAs), we use 57 observations from January to August 2024; for long-timescale periodicity, we employ an extended TOA dataset comprising 111 observations spanning from January 2024 to October 2025; and for burst time series analysis, we utilize individual burst data from the 57 FAST observations. We identify three candidate short-timescale periodic signals (0.673~s, 0.635~s, and 0.536~s) with significances of $3.2σ$--$6σ$, each detected in two independent observations. On longer timescales, we detect a significant $143.40\pm7.19$-day periodicity with $5.2σ$ significance, establishing FRB~20240114A as a periodic repeater. In burst time series, we find quasi-periodic oscillations in the few hundred Hz range ($3.4σ$ and $3.7σ$) and periodic burst trains with periods of several to tens of milliseconds ($3σ$--$3.9σ$), though these periodic features appear transient and short-lived. The detection of periodic signals at these different time scales indicates that FRB 20240114A exhibits intriguing periodic self-similar characteristics. Despite the comprehensive dataset, no definitive periodicity linked to the source's rotation is confirmed, placing stringent constraints on the intrinsic source properties and the modulation mechanisms. All data are available via the Science Data Bank.
Will the Construction of Smart Cities Increase the Urban-Rural Income Gap? An Analysis Based on the Perspective of Economic Agglomeration
Zhi Zhang
As smart city development deepens, its impact on the urban-rural income gap has become a key concern for both the government and society. This article uses panel data from Chinese prefecture-level cities between 2010 and 2022, treating the pilot smart city policy as a quasi-natural experiment, and applying a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) method to empirically examine how smart city construction affects the urban-rural income gap. It also analyzes the role of economic agglomeration in this process. The research indicates that smart city development has significantly increased the incomes of urban and rural residents and has positively contributed to sharing development benefits between these areas. Mechanism analysis shows that economic agglomeration plays an important mediating and threshold role—smart cities indirectly influence the urban-rural income distribution by fostering economic agglomeration, with this effect showing nonlinear characteristics at different levels of agglomeration. Based on these findings, the article proposes policy recommendations aimed at optimizing economic agglomeration models and advancing urban-rural integrated development, offering theoretical insights and practical strategies for narrowing the income gap and promoting common prosperity.
History of scholarship and learning. The humanities, Social Sciences
Competitiveness of Poland in the export of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) during EU membership
Joanna Wyszkowska-Kuna
The aim of this article is to assess the competitiveness and specialisation of Polish knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) export during the years 2004–2022. The product mapping method is used, which is based on the values of two indicators, i.e.: the normalised revealed comparative advantage index (NRCA) and the trade balance index (TBI). The study contributes to the academic literature by: (1) identifying the leading exported KIBS as well as KIBS with the potential to gain comparative advantage in Polish exports; (2) examining export competitiveness and specialisation in very narrow KIBS categories for the entire period of Poland's participation in European Single Market; (3) comparing the competitiveness and export specialisation of the KIBS sector in Poland in the EU and non-EU markets. The empirical results demonstrate that some of the KIBS industries in Poland have improved their competitiveness during the period of EU membership, but rather in exports outside the EU than to the EU. This may be due to strong competition in EU market and the fact that distance does not play a significant role in trade in services, especially in case of KIBS delivered online (e.g. computer services). Poland has developed a regional specialisation in the export of accountancy services, which is proved by the highest values of both indicators for this category, compared to other KIBS categories in Poland and compared to other EU countries. On the other hand, computer services appeared to be the leading exported product from the KIBS sector, but only outside the EU. Unfortunately, despite the upward trends, the importance of the leading exported KIBS in Polish exports is still small, especially in EU market. Therefore, it is necessary to take further actions aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of the KIBS sector in Poland, and the support for investments in human capital, digital transformation and R&D is crucial.
Political science, Social Sciences
Turks in the <i>Teleri</i>? Interpreting Earrings, Stripes, and Veils in Carpaccio’s Narrative Cycles
Clare Wilde
The first monographic exhibition dedicated to Vittore Carpaccio (ca. 1460–1525) in the US, and the first outside of Italy, was hosted at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, from 20 Nov 2022 to 23 February 2023 (from where it went to Venice). Building on the research of art historians and experts on Venice and the larger Mediterranean region in the early modern period, this paper examines Carpaccio’s depiction of various “Turks” in some of the large narrative painting cycles (<i>teleri</i>) commissioned by the devotional confraternities (<i>scuole</i>) in Renaissance Venice. While Carpaccio’s and the larger Venetian familiarity with Islam, including Turks, has been studied, this paper compares various female figures in the St. Stephen cycle with those in his St. George cycle, situating them in the larger historical context of the commissioning <i>scuole</i> (Scuola di Santo Stefano and Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, respectively). While attempting to uncover the significance, if not the identities, of a few individuals who stand out from the crowd, this paper urges caution when attempting to discern social history from a painting, much as we take literary texts (particularly those written well before our own times) with a grain of salt.
Religions. Mythology. Rationalism
An economic evaluation of vaccination in children against meningococcal infection in Moscow
S. V. Svetlichnaya, L. N. Mazankova, L. D. Popovich
et al.
Meningococcal infection (MI) is one of the most serious and life-threatening with an average mortality rate of 15 %. Infection accounts for the largest number of deaths of all infectious diseases among children under 17 years of age. Aim. Using simulation mathematical modeling to evaluate the potential epidemiological and economic benefits of vaccination against MI for children under the age of 1 year in Moscow with a Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y and W-135) Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine. Methods. The assessment of potential indicators of morbidity and mortality of children under the age of 1 year after vaccination in a hypothetic cohort was carried out, considering a period of the stable post-vaccination immunity. Data were compared with the indicators of the MI incidence in Moscow. Monetary equivalents of economic benefits are calculated, considering the cost of vaccination, direct and indirect costs. Results. It is possible to reduce the number of MI cases by 73 %, mortality by an average on 85 % after vaccination, in the horizon of 5 years of maintaining immunity tension, Vaccination of children under one year old can reduce the number of disability cases that occur after severe forms of infection. As a result, the economic impact from the mentioned disease can be reduced by 75 %. Conclusion. The resulting economic benefits in the future may significantly exceed the cost of vaccination. It seems expedient to accelerate the introduction of vaccination of children's contingents against MI.
Medical technology, Pharmacy and materia medica
Critical Factors Affecting Water and Nitrogen Losses from Sloping Farmland during the Snowmelt Process
Qiang Zhao, Jifeng Zhang, Jingwei Wu
et al.
Water and nitrogen losses from farmland during the snowmelt process play a vital role in water and nitrogen management in cold regions. To explore the mechanisms and factors contributing to water and nitrogen loss from different sloping farmlands during the snowmelt period, field experiments were conducted under two slope treatments (8° and 15°), two soil water content (SWC) treatments, and two snow water equivalent (SWE) (5 mm and 10 mm) treatments in a seasonal freezing agricultural watershed of Northeast China. The results showed that during the snowmelt process, SWE was the most important factor affecting water and nitrogen production through the surface and total runoff of the sloping farmland, followed by the slope. The water and nitrogen yield in the high snow (HS) treatments ranged from 1.76 to 8.15 and 1.65 to 12.62 times higher than those in the low snow (LS) treatments. The generation of nitrogen was advanced compared with that of water induced by the preferential production of nitrogen. A higher slope promoted this preferential production function of nitrogen. Enhanced infiltration combined with the preferential yield of nitrogen resulted in a greatly decreased yield of water and nitrogen in the gentle slope and LS (GS_LS) treatments. These findings are valuable for accurately describing the water and nitrogen cycling in seasonally freezing sloping farmland.
Function Field Analogue of Shimura's Conjecture on Period Symbols
W. Dale Brownawell, Chieh-Yu Chang, Matthew A. Papanikolas
et al.
In this paper we introduce the notion of Shimura's period symbols over function fields in positive characteristic and establish their fundamental properties. We further formulate and prove a function field analogue of Shimura's conjecture on the algebraic independence of period symbols. Our results enable us to verify the algebraic independence of the coordinates of any nonzero period vector of an abelian t-module with complex multiplication whose CM type is non-degenerate and defined over an algebraic function field. This is an extension of Yu's work on Hilbert-Blumenthal t-modules.
Techno-economic feasibility analyses of grid- connected solar photovoltaic power plants for small scale industries of Punjab, Pakistan
Monib Ahmad, Abraiz Khattak, Abdul Kashif Janjua
et al.
The globally soaring energy prices and electricity shortfall are major hurdles in the economic development of Pakistan. To cope with periodic power outages, small and medium enterprise (SME) business owners have to fall back on alternate power sources such as backup generators and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), which further increase the per kWh cost of electricity, power quality issues, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. On the contrary, grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are not only economical and sustainable but support the national power grid to mitigate environmental emissions. This study aims to investigate and compare the techno-economic viability of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plants for the manufacturing SME sector in four different districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Based on the technical, financial, and environmental indicators, a detailed techno-economic, sensitivity, and GHG emission analysis is conducted using RETScreen Expert software. The research findings clearly show that the proposed solar PV projects for all four locations are technically, financially, and environmentally viable, however, Sargodha as compared to other sites is the most feasible location with the highest capacity factor of 17.8 %, highest internal rate of return 14.9 %, lowest payback period 7.7 years, and least levelized cost of electricity 8.5 ¢/kWh. For validation, the simulation results are compared with performance metrics from PV plants erected in various parts of the world. Applying the same research approach to the whole industrial sector of Punjab recommends adding 13,469 MW of PV capacity to satisfy the industry’s 20446.21 GWh annual energy consumption and to cut emissions by 90,17,581 t CO2 per year. This research work presents guidelines for researchers to evaluate the feasibility of suitable PV technologies for the SME sector thereby helping investors to have a holistic view of potential investment zones.
Period collapse in characteristic quasi-polynomials of hyperplane arrangements
Akihiro Higashitani, Tan Nhat Tran, Masahiko Yoshinaga
Given an integral hyperplane arrangement, Kamiya-Takemura-Terao (2008 & 2011) introduced the notion of characteristic quasi-polynomial, which enumerates the cardinality of the complement of the arrangement modulo a positive integer. The most popular candidate for period of the characteristic quasi-polynomials is the lcm period. In this paper, we initiate a study of period collapse in characteristic quasi-polynomials stemming from the concept of period collapse in the theory of Ehrhart quasi-polynomials. We say that period collapse occurs in a characteristic quasi-polynomial when the minimum period is strictly less than the lcm period. Our first main result is that in the non-central case, with regard to period collapse anything is possible: period collapse occurs in any dimension $\ge 1$, occurs for any value of the lcm period $\ge 2$, and the minimum period when it is not the lcm period can be any proper divisor of the lcm period. Our second main result states that in the central case, however, no period collapse is possible in any dimension, that is, the lcm period is always the minimum period.
The periodic complexity function of the Thue-Morse word, the Rudin-Shapiro word, and the period-doubling word
Narad Rampersad
We revisit the periodic complexity function $h_{\bf w}(n)$ introduced by Mignosi and Restivo. This function gives the average of the first $n$ local periods of a recurrent infinite word ${\bf w}$. We give a different method than that of Mignosi and Restivo for computing the asymptotics of the periodic complexity function of the Thue-Morse word and show how to apply the method to other automatic sequences, like the Rudin-Shapiro word and the period-doubling word.
Revisiting British Investment in Latin America: The River Plate Trust Group, 1879–1963
Norma Silvana Lanciotti
The article analyses the performance and profitability of the firms controlled by the River Plate Trust Group in Argentina and Uruguay from 1879 to 1960 to challenges the notion that British investments in the Southern Cone involved greater default or insolvency risks because of nationalism, expropriations, and over-taxation. Also known as Morris or Morrison group, River Plate Trust became the most important British business group in the region during the First Global Period, as it controlled a number of public utilities, mortgage and financial firms. Our case shows that the decline of British investment in mortgage and financial activities did not mark the end of this business cycle after WWI; rather, it signalled a change in the direction of capital flows. Capital outflows from host economies to Great Britain—via dividends—continued over the interwar period, with only a brief interruption between 1931 and 1934. The business cycle of British firms entered a new phase, characterized by stagnant British investments and increasing capital returns from Argentina and Uruguay to Great Britain.
Moreover, British public utility firms continued to invest in the River Plate until the 1940s, because profits from the region supported the distribution of high dividends to shareholders.
Characteristics of pulmonary microvascular structure in postnatal yaks
Ruidong Wan, Ziqi Zhao, Min Zhao
et al.
Abstract Yaks are typical plateau-adapted animals, however the microvascular changes and characteristics in their lungs after birth are still unclear. Pulmonary microvasculature characteristics and changes across age groups were analysed using morphological observation and molecular biology detection in yaks aged 1, 30 and 180 days old in addition to adults. Results: Our experiments demonstrated that yaks have fully developed pulmonary alveolar at birth but that interalveolar thickness increased with age. Immunofluorescence observations showed that microvessel density within the interalveolar septum in the yak gradually increased with age. In addition, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that the blood–air barrier of 1-day old and 30-days old yaks was significantly thicker than that observed at 180-days old and in adults (P < 0.05), which was caused by the thinning of the membrane of alveolar epithelial cells. Furthermore, Vegfa and Epas1 expression levels in 30-day old yaks were the highest in comparison to the other age groups (P < 0.05), whilst levels in adult yaks were the lowest (P < 0.05). The gradual increase in lung microvessel density can effectively satisfy the oxygen requirements of ageing yaks. In addition, these results suggest that the key period of yak lung development is from 30 to 180 days.
Possible periodic activity in the repeating FRB 121102
K. M. Rajwade, M. B. Mickaliger, B. W. Stappers
et al.
The discovery that at least some Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) repeat has ruled out cataclysmic events as the progenitors of these particular bursts. FRB~121102 is the most well-studied repeating FRB but despite extensive monitoring of the source, no underlying pattern in the repetition has previously been identified. Here, we present the results from a radio monitoring campaign of FRB~121102 using the 76-m Lovell telescope. Using the pulses detected in the Lovell data along with pulses from the literature, we report a detection of periodic behaviour of the source over the span of five years of data. We predict that the source is currently `off' and that it should turn `on' for the approximate MJD range $59002-59089$ (2020-06-02 to 2020-08-28). This result, along with the recent detection of periodicity from another repeating FRB, highlights the need for long-term monitoring of repeating FRBs at a high cadence. Using simulations, we show that one needs at least 100 hours of telescope time to follow-up repeating FRBs at a cadence of 0.5--3 days to detect periodicities in the range of 10--150 days. If the period is real, it shows that repeating FRBs can have a large range in their activity periods that might be difficult to reconcile with neutron star precession models.
Genetic Markers of Adaptation of <named-content content-type="genus-species">Plasmodium falciparum</named-content> to Transmission by American Vectors Identified in the Genomes of Parasites from Haiti and South America
Massimiliano S. Tagliamonte, Charles A. Yowell, Maha A. Elbadry
et al.
ABSTRACT The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, was introduced into Hispaniola and other regions of the Americas through the slave trade spanning the 16th through the 19th centuries. During this period, more than 12 million Africans were brought across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and other regions of the Americas. Since malaria is holoendemic in West Africa, a substantial percentage of these individuals carried the parasite. St. Domingue on Hispaniola, now modern-day Haiti, was a major port of disembarkation, and malaria is still actively transmitted there. We undertook a detailed study of the phylogenetics of the Haitian parasites and those from Colombia and Peru utilizing whole-genome sequencing. Principal-component and phylogenetic analyses, based upon single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in protein coding regions, indicate that, despite the potential for millions of introductions from Africa, the Haitian parasites share an ancestral relationship within a well-supported monophyletic clade with parasites from South America, while belonging to a distinct lineage. This result, in stark contrast to the historical record of parasite introductions, is best explained by a severe population bottleneck experienced by the parasites introduced into the Americas. Here, evidence is presented for targeted selection of rare African alleles in genes which are expressed in the mosquito stages of the parasite’s life cycle. These genetic markers support the hypothesis that the severe population bottleneck was caused by the required adaptation of the parasite to transmission by new definitive hosts among the Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) spp. found in the Caribbean and South America. IMPORTANCE Historical data suggest that millions of P. falciparum parasite lineages were introduced into the Americas during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which would suggest a paraphyletic origin of the extant isolates in the Western Hemisphere. Our analyses of whole-genome variants show that the American parasites belong to a well-supported monophyletic clade. We hypothesize that the required adaptation to American vectors created a severe bottleneck, reducing the effective introduction to a few lineages. In support of this hypothesis, we discovered genes expressed in the mosquito stages of the life cycle that have alleles with multiple, high-frequency or fixed, nonsynonymous mutations in the American populations which are rarely found in African isolates. These alleles appear to be in gene products critical for transmission through the anopheline vector. Thus, these results may inform efforts to develop novel transmission-blocking vaccines by identifying parasite proteins functionally interacting with the vector that are important for successful transmission. Further, to the best of our knowledge, these are the first whole-genome data available from Haitian P. falciparum isolates. Defining the genome of these parasites provides genetic markers useful for mapping parasite populations and monitoring parasite movements/introductions.
Does investing in intellectual capital improve productivity? Panel evidence from commercial banks in India
Godfred Kesse Oppong, J.K. Pattanayak
In this current knowledge-based economy, firms' productivity and competitive advantage are no longer based on physical and financial assets but on intangible assets. This has compelled knowledge-intensive firms to look for a more reliable source for higher productivity and competitive advantage by focusing on their intellectual capital, which cannot be easily imitated. As banks are classified as knowledge intensive, this study examines investment in intellectual capital by banks and examines how it has improved bank productivity measured in terms of asset turnover (ATO) and employee productivity (EP). Using a panel of 73 commercial banks in India for a 12-year period (2006–2017), the study found that some components of intellectual capital improves productivity, and others do not.
Subduction, collision and plumes in the epoch of the Late Paleozoic magmatism of the Magnitogorsk zone (the Southern Urals)
D. N. Salikhov, V. V. Kholodnov, V. N. Puchkov
et al.
Subject. A systematization of Late-Paleozoic magmatic formations of the Magnitogorsk zone of the Southern Urals in the process of an accretion of the Magnitogorsk paleoarc to the margin of the East European continent (EEC) with formation in Famenian and Carboniferous active continent margin of South-Uralian accretionary-collisional belt was given in the work. Materials and methods. A generalization of published and manuscript materials characterizing magmatism and ore-mineralization of Magnitogorsk zone for the Devonian-Carboniferous-Permian time carried out, additional investigations of chemical composition of rocks (XRF, ISP-MS) characterizing process of accretion, subduction and plume activity, microelement distribution in them was made, the composition of rock-forming and accessory minerals (EPMA) was studied. Results. It is found that the South-Uralian accretionary-collisional belt was beginning to form in the late phase of the development of the Magnitogorsk island arc in the process its collision with EEC margin with formation in the Frasnian and Carboniferous of active continental margin. The products of Late-island-arc volcanism are represented by the porphyrite formation and in the eastern frame of the arc - by subalkaline monzonite-shoshonite-latite volcanic-intrusive association with intermediate characteristics between the subductional and interplate formations. Synchronously with them, in the backarc setting, picrite and meymechite volcanics − derivatives of a mantle plume are formed. In process of substitution of tectonic-magmatic regime from island-arc to margin-continental intraplate-type mantle series were forming. During this period, hot asthenospheric diapirs (plumes) were rising to the bottom of new-formed (accreted) margin-continental lithosphere. Along with the magmatic associations of intraplate type and rock series of intermediate geochemical type, this geodynamic situation in the Southern Urals is characterized by a presence of great volumes of mantle-crust granitoids of gabbro-tonalite-granodiorite-granite type, that were formed with a manifold manifestation of anatexis in a time interval of 365-290 Ma. Conclusion. On the whole the originality of Magnitogorsk zone geological history in the Devonian and Carboniferous, peculiarities of magmatic complexes formed here due to various geodynamic settings, are making this zone an extraordinary interesting and important object to study of processes of plume-lithosheric and mantle-crust interaction.
Engineering geology. Rock mechanics. Soil mechanics. Underground construction
A Focused Review of Smartphone Diet-Tracking Apps: Usability, Functionality, Coherence With Behavior Change Theory, and Comparative Validity of Nutrient Intake and Energy Estimates
Ferrara, Giannina, Kim, Jenna, Lin, Shuhao
et al.
BackgroundSmartphone diet-tracking apps may help individuals lose weight, manage chronic conditions, and understand dietary patterns; however, the usabilities and functionalities of these apps have not been well studied.
ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to review the usability of current iPhone operating system (iOS) and Android diet-tracking apps, the degree to which app features align with behavior change constructs, and to assess variations between apps in nutrient coding.
MethodsThe top 7 diet-tracking apps were identified from the iOS iTunes and Android Play online stores, downloaded and used over a 2-week period. Each app was independently scored by researchers using the System Usability Scale (SUS), and features were compared with the domains in an integrated behavior change theory framework: the Theoretical Domains Framework. An estimated 3-day food diary was completed using each app, and food items were entered into the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Composition Databases to evaluate their differences in nutrient data against the USDA reference.
ResultsOf the apps that were reviewed, LifeSum had the highest average SUS score of 89.2, whereas MyDietCoach had the lowest SUS score of 46.7. Some variations in features were noted between Android and iOS versions of the same apps, mainly for MyDietCoach, which affected the SUS score. App features varied considerably, yet all of the apps had features consistent with Beliefs about Capabilities and thus have the potential to promote self-efficacy by helping individuals track their diet and progress toward goals. None of the apps allowed for tracking of emotional factors that may be associated with diet patterns. The presence of behavior change domain features tended to be weakly correlated with greater usability, with R2 ranging from 0 to .396. The exception to this was features related to the Reinforcement domain, which were correlated with less usability. Comparing the apps with the USDA reference for a 3-day diet, the average differences were 1.4% for calories, 1.0% for carbohydrates, 10.4% for protein, and −6.5% for fat.
ConclusionsAlmost all reviewed diet-tracking apps scored well with respect to usability, used a variety of behavior change constructs, and accurately coded calories and carbohydrates, allowing them to play a potential role in dietary intervention studies.
Information technology, Public aspects of medicine
Features of seasonal dynamics of sheep Haemonchosis in the territory of Zaporizhzhya region
V. Melnychuk
The article presents the results of studies on the indicators of invasiveness of domestic sheep Ovis aries (Linnaeus, 1758), the causative agent of Haemonchus contortus (Rudolphi 1803; Cobb 1898) and its characteristics depending on the season in the climatic and geographical conditions of the Zaporizhzhya region. The research was conducted during 2015–2019 on the basis of laboratories of the departments of parasitology and ichthyopathology of the Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies Lviv and Parasitology and Veterinary-Sanitary Examination of the Poltava State Agrarian Academy. Helminths were isolated by the results of complete helminthological sections of the digestive organs of the dead or slaughtered sheep, and the indicators of the extent and intensity of the invasion were established. Specific identification of the identified nematodes was performed taking into account the morphological features of mature males and females. It is proved that H. contortus is a fairly widespread species of nematodes in the population of domestic sheep in the territory of the studied region. The magnitude of the invasion of animals reached 66.36 %, the intensity of the invasion – 25.56 ± 1.51 samples/animal (for fluctuations from 1 to 79 sp./an.). It is noted that the causative agent of Haemonchosis is registered during the year. At the same time, the degree of sheep infection depends on the season of the year and is characterized by certain patterns in the extent and intensity of H. contortus invasion of sheep. The peak of the animals with the nematodes was detected in the autumn-winter period of the year, EI ranged from 73.23 to 78.57 %. The decline in invasion magnitude was observed in spring (52.63 %) and summer (59.68 %). Seasonal fluctuations in the infestation rates had some differences and were characterized by maximum values in the summer and autumn seasons ranging from 27.49 ± 2.52 to 37.35 ± 2.36 samples/animal. During the winter, the intensity of H. contortus infestation in sheep gradually decreased (13.73 ± 2.12 sp/an) and gained minimum values in the spring of the year (10.85 ± 1.78 sp./an). The conducted researches illuminate the current epizootic condition of sheep haemorrhage in the territory of Zaporizhzhya region, expand and supplement the already existing data that will allow to increase the effectiveness of the use of therapeutic and preventive measures in this invasion.
Comparison of three vision therapy approaches for convergence insufficiency
Maryam Aletaha, Farideh Daneshvar, Mahnaz Mosallaei
et al.
Purpose: We compared the effectiveness of three active vision therapy approaches for convergence insufficiency (CI).
Methods: This randomized clinical trial included patients meeting the eligibility criteria and with symptomatic CI, who were allocated into three groups. In the home-based vision orthoptic therapy (HBVOT) group, patients performed the pencil push-up procedure 15 min/day for 5 days/week. In the office-based vision orthoptic therapy (OBVOT) group, patients underwent 60-min orthoptic therapy using a major amblyoscope twice weekly with additional home orthoptic therapy. In the augmented office-based vision orthoptic therapy (AOBVOT) group, patients performed orthoptic exercises using 3-diopter over-minus lenses and a base-out prism in addition to major amblyoscope therapy, and additional home reinforcement was prescribed during the same time period.
Results: All 84 subjects (mean age, 26.8 ± 8.3 years) showed a statistically significant improvement in near exophoria, positive fusional vergence (PFV) at near, near point of convergence (NPC), stereoacuity, and Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS) scores at follow-up. Exophoria decreased by 64%, 68%, and 85% in the HBVOT, OBVOT, and AOBVOT groups, respectively (P = 0.2). PFV increased by 68%, 100%, and 100% in the HBVOT, OBVOT, and AOBVOT groups, respectively (P < 0.001). NPC decreased (improved) by 86%, 89%, and 96% in the HBVOT, OBVOT, and AOBVOT groups, respectively (P = 0.4). The CISS scores decreased by 75%, 96%, and 100% in the HBVOT, OBVOT, and AOBVOT groups, respectively (P = 0.003).
Conclusion: Our results showed that in adults with CI, the augmented office-based orthoptic treatment was relatively more effective than the other treatments.
Vibration Noise Modeling for Measurement While Drilling System Based on FOGs
Chunxi Zhang, Lu Wang, Shuang Gao
et al.
Aiming to improve survey accuracy of Measurement While Drilling (MWD) based on Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs) in the long period, the external aiding sources are fused into the inertial navigation by the Kalman filter (KF) method. The KF method needs to model the inertial sensors’ noise as the system noise model. The system noise is modeled as white Gaussian noise conventionally. However, because of the vibration while drilling, the noise in gyros isn’t white Gaussian noise any more. Moreover, an incorrect noise model will degrade the accuracy of KF. This paper developed a new approach for noise modeling on the basis of dynamic Allan variance (DAVAR). In contrast to conventional white noise models, the new noise model contains both the white noise and the color noise. With this new noise model, the KF for the MWD was designed. Finally, two vibration experiments have been performed. Experimental results showed that the proposed vibration noise modeling approach significantly improved the estimated accuracies of the inertial sensor drifts. Compared the navigation results based on different noise model, with the DAVAR noise model, the position error and the toolface angle error are reduced more than 90%. The velocity error is reduced more than 65%. The azimuth error is reduced more than 50%.