scholarly journals Earth-based observations of impact phenomena

1996 ◽  
Vol 156 ◽  
pp. 81-109
Author(s):  
Philip D. Nicholson

Earth-based observations at near- and mid-infrared wavelengths were obtained for at least 15 of the SL9 impacts, ranging from the spectacular G, K and L events to the barely-detected N and V impacts. Although there were a few exceptions, most of the IR lightcurves fit a common pattern of one or two relatively faint precursor flashes, followed several minutes later by the main infrared event as the explosively-ejected plume crashed down onto the jovian atmosphere. Correlations with the impact times recorded by the Galileo spacecraft and plumes imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope lead to an interpretation of the twin precursors in terms of (i) the entry of the bolide into the upper atmosphere, and (ii) the re-appearance of the rising fireball above Jupiter's limb. Positive correlations are observed between the peak IR flux observed during the splashback phase and both pre-impact size estimates for the individual SL9 fragments and the scale of the resulting ejecta deposits. None of the fragments observed to have moved off the main train of the comet by May 1994 produced a significant impact signature. Earth-based fireball temperature estimates are on the order of 750 K, 30-60 sec after impact. For the larger impacts, the unexpectedly protracted fireball emission at 2.3 μm remains unexplained. A wide range of temperatures has been inferred for the splashback phase, where shocks are expected to have heated the re-entering plume material at least briefly to several thousand K, and further modelling is required to reconcile these data.

Author(s):  
Rainer Kurz ◽  
Sebouh Ohanian ◽  
Matt Lubomirsky

This paper discusses issues that influence the decision on the arrangement of compressors and the type of equipment in gas pipeline compressor stations. Different concepts such as multiple small units versus single large units are considered, both regarding their impact on the individual station and the overall pipeline. The necessity of standby units is discussed. Various concepts for drivers (gas turbine, gas motor and electric motor) and compressors (centrifugal and reciprocating) are analyzed. The importance of considering all possible operating conditions is stressed. With the wide range of possible operating conditions for the pipeline in mind, the discussion will be brought into the general context of operational flexibility, availability, reliability, installation issues, remote control, and operability of gas turbine driven centrifugal compressors compared to other solutions such as electric motor driven compressors or gas engine driven reciprocating compressors. The impact of different concepts on emissions and fuel cost is discussed. Among the assumptions in this paper are the performance characteristics of the compressor. It will be outlined how these performance characteristics influence the conclusions.


Author(s):  
M. Dergach

The article reveals the peculiarities of playback theater as a psychodramatic technique, analyzes the current practice of using playback theater in the system of socialization and re-socialization. The author found that socialization, as a necessary process for interaction with the outside world, is manifested in the assimilation and appropriation of social experience for the purpose of productive functioning in it and to construct an image of the common and own world (as a part of the common), which allows a person to live a life while preserving individuality. and creatively influence the world. Within this provision, playback theater should be regarded as a technology of the paratheater system of dramatherapy, which is relevant at any stage of the socialization of the individual or as a means in the mechanisms of socialization. Playback theater contributes to the development of tolerance for social differences, the acceptance of another with all its features, values. Thanks to him, we learn to listen to understand others, because in the performance the main thing is the story of the viewer, the realization of which is impossible in reality without careful perception. The author has found that playback theater as a paratheater system of drama is a rather interesting and important means of socialization and re-socialization of the personality, it can be used in any group of people to solve problems of a wide range. The article describes in detail the content of the playback theater application, namely: social integration of individual subgroups into society; social and psychological adaptation of personality; social-psychological and therapeutic support for people who are in emotional and psychological state; creation of a more favorable social and psychological climate for the team; social and psychological support in complex events; development of personal qualities of children in educational institutions; social and psychological support of people in recreational activities; playback theater as a means of creating space for social networking. Prospects for further research on the topic of the article are to study the attitude of the audience to the performances of the playback theater, the search for the means of expression of the actors, the impact of playback on the children's audience.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 69-78
Author(s):  
Edward L. Emmanuel

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. The causative agent is a spirochete of the genus Leptospira. In humans, it causes a wide range of symptoms, however, asymptomatic presentation is not uncommon. Without proper treatment, leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, and respiratory distress. Death may occur in some patients. The aim of the study is to identify the factors contributing to the occurrence of leptospirosis, and the impact on public health in Saint Lucia 2008-2019. The study design is a mixed – method, comprising quantitative and qualitative data. A stratified sampling design using probability proportionate to size sampling at the settlement level was used. Secondary data on the incidence of leptospirosis were obtained from the Ministry of Health, and rainfall data were obtained from the Meteorology Office. Analysis of the data reveals several factors contributing to the occurrence of leptospirosis in Saint Lucia: poor garbage disposal; a large rodent population with easy access to garbage; and a lack of knowledge of leptospirosis. The impact on public health is manifested in the mortality and morbidity of individuals primarily men, and the health, social, and economic impact on the country. Reducing the impact of leptospirosis on the individual and country necessitates an island wide multi - sectoral control and prevention educational programme; an evaluation of the collection, storage, and disposal of household garbage; and the enforcement of legislation governing the proper collection, storage and disposal of garbage.


1996 ◽  
Vol 156 ◽  
pp. 269-292
Author(s):  
Robert A. West

The dark clouds that were easily seen in small telescopes after the comet impacts were caused by small particles which were deposited in Jupiter's stratosphere. Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and from ground-based instruments at visible and infrared wavelengths indicate that the mean radius of the particles is in the range 0.1 to 0.3 μm, and the total volume of particles is approximately the same as that for a 1-km diameter sphere. In the dark core regions of freshly-formed impacts, the particles are distributed over a large vertical extent, between about 1 mb and 200 mb or deeper. The diffuse outlying haze is confined to the high-altitude end of the range. Such a distribution probably reflects different methods of emplacement of the debris as a function of distance from the impact. The color of the particles, and their volatility as required to make waves visible, suggest an organic material as the main constituent. These relatively volatile materials are thought to have condensed onto more refractory grains after the plume material cooled, some 30 minutes or more after impact. The most refractory materials expected to condense from an evolving fireball are Al2O3, magnesium and iron silicates, and soot, depending on the C/O ratio. A silicate spectral feature was observed, confirming that cometary material was incorporated into the grains, although silicate grains make up only 10-20% of the particle volume. After one year in Jupiter's stratosphere, the particles have spread some 20° in latitude and a significant number have sedimented into the troposphere where they are no longer visible.


Author(s):  
Karolis Karolis

The problem dealt with in the paper is the impact of manager's emotional intelligence (EI) on the economic, social, and ecological sides of the organisational activity and the qualitative criteria of the evaluation of the organisational performance from the viewpoint of sustainable development (SD) of the organisation. The aim of the paper is to justify the interrelationship of the EI of the manager of an organization and the performance of the organization in terms of its sustainable development. Methodology: to evaluate EI, the methodology proposed by J. N. Hall (2005) was adopted as a basis, by means of which the EI of the respondents – the heads of eight organisations that provided a wide range of services (logistics, ICT, etc.) – has been measured. To evaluate the effectiveness of the organisational performance, the indicators of effectiveness proposed by R. S. Kaplan and D. P. Norton (1992, 2001) and supplemented by the author – a balanced scorecard (BS) – has been applied. It was established that, in the evaluation of any organisation, the existing BS of economic indicators should be supplemented by social-cultural and environmental instruments. The EI of managers was found to be closely related both to the individual indicators of the organisational performance and with the integrated BS.


Author(s):  
Michael Doherty ◽  
Johannes Bijlsma ◽  
Nigel Arden ◽  
David J. Hunter ◽  
Nicola Dalbeth

This introductory chapter to the section on management of osteoarthritis (OA) emphasizes the need for a full assessment of the patient, not just in terms of joint symptoms and examination findings but a full holistic assessment of the person, including the impact of OA on their life, their illness perceptions of OA, and the presence of comorbidities. An individualized package of care can then be developed. Patients should be fully informed about OA and fully involved in all management decisions. Apart from education, which is an ongoing not one-off process, other core treatments to be considered in every person with OA are exercise (both strengthening and aerobic) and strategies to reduce adverse mechanical factors, including weight loss if overweight or obese. Topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the safest analgesic drug to try first for peripheral joint OA. Other treatments can be selected as required from a wide range of drug and non-pharmacological options, to address the needs of the individual. The patient requires regular follow-up for reassessment and re-adjustment of management as required. Currently there are sparse data on predictors of response to treatment, limiting a stratified medicine approach. Caveats to the research evidence for OA and its transition to clinical practice are discussed, and one way of improving this (reporting overall treatment effect and the proportion attributable to placebo in clinical trials) is presented. Optimizing contextual effects, which are an integral part of any treatment and which may explain the majority of improvement that a patient experiences for their OA, is emphasized as a key aspect of care.


Author(s):  
Tore Hofstad ◽  
James A. Hampton ◽  
Bjørn Hofmann

Health professionals tend to perceive some diseases as more typical than others. If disease typicalities have implications for health professionals or health policy makers’ handling of different diseases, then it is of great social, epistemic, and ethical interest. Accordingly, it is important to find out what makes health professionals rank diseases as more or less typical. This study investigates the impact of various factors on how typical various diseases are perceived to be by health professionals. In particular, we study the influence of broad disease categories, such as somatic versus psychological/behavioral conditions, and a wide range of more specific disease characteristics, as well as the health professional’s own background. We find that professional background strongly impacted disease typicality. All professionals (MD, RN, physiotherapists and psychologists) considered somatic conditions to be more typical than psychological/behavioral. As expected, psychologists also found psychological/behavioral conditions to be more typical than did other groups. Professions of respondents could be well predicted from their individual typicality judgments, with the exception of physiotherapists and nurses who had very similar judgment profiles. We also demonstrate how various disease characteristics impact typicality for the different professionals. Typicality showed moderate to strong positive correlations with condition severity and mortality, and only non-severe conditions were rated as atypical. Hence, studying how different disease characteristics and occupational background influences health professionals’ perception of disease typicality is the first and important step toward a more general study of how typicality influences disease handling.


Entropy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Masser ◽  
Abdellah Khodja ◽  
Mathias Scheunert ◽  
Karsten Schwalbe ◽  
Andreas Fischer ◽  
...  

The Stirling engine is one of the most promising devices for the recovery of waste heat. Its power output can be optimized by several means, in particular by an optimized piston motion. Here, we investigate its potential performance improvements in the presence of dissipative processes. In order to ensure the possibility of a technical implementation and the simplicity of the optimization, we restrict the possible piston movements to a parametrized class of smooth piston motions. In this theoretical study the engine model is based on endoreversible thermodynamics, which allows us to incorporate non-equilibrium heat and mass transfer as well as the friction of the piston motion. The regenerator of the Stirling engine is modeled as ideal. An investigation of the impact of the individual loss mechanisms on the resulting optimized motion is carried out for a wide range of parameter values. We find that an optimization within our restricted piston motion class leads to a power gain of about 50% on average.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey A. Maksimov ◽  
Svetlana A. Shalnova ◽  
Yulia A. Balanova ◽  
Vladimir A. Kutsenko ◽  
Svetlana E. Evstifeeva ◽  
...  

Objectives: Our study evaluated the impact of a wide range of characteristics of large administrative regions on the individual level of cigarette smoking in the Russian adult population.Methods: The pool of participants included 20,303 individuals aged 25–64 years. We applied 64 characteristics of the 12 Russian regions under study for 2010–2014. Using principal component analysis, we deduced five evidence-based composite indices of the regions. We applied the generalized estimating equation to determine associations between the regional indices and the individual level of smoking.Results: The increased Industrial index in the region is associated with the probability of smoking (odds ratio = 1.15; 95% confidence interval = 1.06–1.24). The other indices show associations with smoking only in separate gender and educational groups. Surprisingly, it was found that the Economic index has no associations with the probability of smoking.Conclusion: We evaluated the key associations of the territorial indices with the individual probability of smoking, as well as the mutual influence between the territorial indices and individual factors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 293
Author(s):  
Cristina Membrive Jiménez ◽  
Cristina Pérez Ramírez ◽  
Almudena Sánchez Martín ◽  
Sayleth Vieira Maroun ◽  
Salvador Antonio Arias Santiago ◽  
...  

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin pathology of autoimmune origin and unknown etiology. There are various therapies for treating it, including a wide range of biopharmaceuticals indicated in moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Depending on their therapeutic target, they are classified as tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (anti-TNF) or cytokine inhibitors (interleukin-12, 23, and 17 antagonists). Although they have proved effective and safe, in clinical practice, many patients show a short- and long-term suboptimal response and even varying degrees of toxicity. This variability in response may be influenced by genetic factors, such as polymorphisms in the genes involved in the pathological environment, metabolism or mechanism of action of the drug that could affect the effectiveness and toxicity of biological therapies. This review assesses pharmacogenetic studies of the impact of genetic factors on response to biopharmaceuticals and toxicity in patients diagnosed with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The results suggest that polymorphisms detected in the HLA genes, in genes that encode cytokines (TNF, IL genes, TNFAIP3), transporters (PDE3A-SLCO1C1, SLC12A8), receptors (TNFRSF1B, CD84, FCGR2A and FCGR3A, IL17RA, IL23R, TLR genes, PGLYRP4) and associated proteins (TNFAIP3, LY96, TIRAP, FBXL19), as well as other genes implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis (CDKAL1, CARD14, PTTG1, MAP3K1, ZNF816A, GBP6, CTNNA2, HTR2A, CTLA4, TAP1) can be used in the future as predictive markers of treatment response and/or toxicity with biological therapies in patients diagnosed with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, tailoring treatment to the individual patient.


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