Some Coniophoraceae (Basidiomycetes, Boletales) from the Ethiopian highlands : Coniophora bimacrospora, sp. Nov. and a note on the phylogenetic relationships of Serpula similis and Gyrodontium.

in Cryptogamie. Mycologie (2004), 25(3), 261-275

Some Considerations on Political Reasoning Among Young French-speaking Belgians: Who Are Ready to Vote at 16?

Conference (2010, March 24)

The question of lowering the voting age to 16 has long been debated in university circles. In the last Austrian elections, young people aged 16 and older were invited to vote, even if young people ... [more ▼]

The question of lowering the voting age to 16 has long been debated in university circles. In the last Austrian elections, young people aged 16 and older were invited to vote, even if young people themselves are divided over this issue, even hostile to the idea. Nevertheless, isn’t such a question, which is rarely discussed by the larger public and touches on several dimensions of a person’s life, an ideal topic for a debate, where the confrontation of ideas may change opinions and reveal – or even modify – young people’s global attitudes towards political interest and participation? A sample of one hundred 15- to 21-year-old youth in French-speaking Belgium was selected to discuss the possibility of lowering the voting age to 16, as well as political interest and political participation, during one day with four experts. The same questionnaire was filled in in the beginning and at the end of the day. These first results are presented here. They show little evolution during the discussion, in a sample already largely against the idea of lowering the voting age. However, these are the consequences for political socialisation we would like to discuss with this research project based on political reasoning. [less ▲]

Some effects of limestone fillers as a partial substitute for cement in mortar composition

in Banthia, N. (Ed.) Third International Conference on construction materials: performance, innovations and structural implications (2005)

Limestone filler is a raw material that is already used in several applications like paints, bricks, bituminous mixes, … Moreover, and particularly in Belgium, classical additions like fly ashes and blast ... [more ▼]

Limestone filler is a raw material that is already used in several applications like paints, bricks, bituminous mixes, … Moreover, and particularly in Belgium, classical additions like fly ashes and blast furnace slags become rare. There is a need for new additions that could have a positive effect on the properties of the fresh and hardened cementitous composites. Substitution of limestone filler in Portland cement and blast furnace slag cement has been realized between 15 and 30% in mass. In addition to the characterization of the powder itself – specific mass, specific surface and laser granulometry – the problem of the water demand has been analysed: it seems that it remains constant with the substitution rate. Electric conductivity has also been performed in order to study the evolution of the “dormant” period. Tests on hardened mortars concerned the mechanical properties, the evolution of the porosity and the durability. The K factor indicates a higher value and the porosity seems to be better in the case of blast furnace slags cements, partially due to a very low diameter of the slags particles. Oxygen permeability doesn’t seem to be influenced by the filler while capillary absorption increases with substitution rate. Finally, chloride penetration, sulphate resistance and carbonation rate show quite interesting behaviours, leading to the conclusion that this material needs again more investigations in order to define optimum application conditions in cementitous matrixes [less ▲]

Some effects of shocks in H II regions

in Astronomy and Astrophysics (1977), 58

Some possible effects of strong shocks traveling through an H II region are investigated using a theoretical model of an H II region around an O6 star in a uniform medium. The diffuse radiation field ... [more ▼]

Some possible effects of strong shocks traveling through an H II region are investigated using a theoretical model of an H II region around an O6 star in a uniform medium. The diffuse radiation field produced by H, He, and He(+) is taken into account along with collisional ionization. An expansion velocity of 200 km/s is introduced in the central parts of the model nebula to produce a shocked shell, and the subsequent hydrodynamic evolution of the nebula is followed. The results show that a modest increase in shell density can trigger recombination processes in the outer regions of the nebula. [less ▲]

Some examples of the influence of hydrodynamical constraints on the phytoplanktonic biomass distribution in the Southern Ocean

in Gallardo, V. A.; Ferretti, O.; Moyano, H. I. (Eds.) Oceanografia in Antartide - Oceanografìa en Antártica (1992)

Examples from the Ross Sea, the Weddell Sea and the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean confirm that the distribution of primary producers is strongly influenced by hydrodynamical phenomena. Because ... [more ▼]

Examples from the Ross Sea, the Weddell Sea and the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean confirm that the distribution of primary producers is strongly influenced by hydrodynamical phenomena. Because phytoplankton is the base of the food web, accurate knowledge of mechanisms controlling the primary productivity is essential to the understanding of the Antarctic ecosystem. [less ▲]

Some factors influencing the intestinal digestibility of ruminal undegraded nitrogen estimated with the nylon bag procedure.

in Annales de Zootechnie (1994), 43(3), 215

Some formulas for the standard error of the weighted likelihood estimator of ability with small psychometric tests

Conference (2012, October 26)

The weighted likelihood estimator of ability (WLE, [3]) was introduced as an asymptotically unbiased estimator of ability in item response theory (IRT) models. Moreover, its standard error was shown to be ... [more ▼]

The weighted likelihood estimator of ability (WLE, [3]) was introduced as an asymptotically unbiased estimator of ability in item response theory (IRT) models. Moreover, its standard error was shown to be asymptotically equal to that of the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator [2]. Although this asymptotic framework is most often encountered in psychometric and educational studies, there are several practical applications for which an "exact" formula for the standard error would be useful. For instance, such a formula would certainly be convenient at the early steps of a computerized adaptive test (CAT), whenever only a few items are administered. The purpose of this paper is to derive two possible formulas for the standard error of the WLE, by starting from the objective function to be optimized and deriving the standard error in a similar approach of the ML framework (see e.g., [1]). The two potential formulas are then compared through both, a small simulation study and a practical analysis with realistic, yet arti cial data. It is concluded that one of the formulas must be preferred to the other, both for mathematical consistency and on the basis of the simulated results. References [1] Baker, F. B., & Kim, S.-H. (2004). Item Response Theory: Parameter Estimation Techniques (2nd edition). New York: Marcel Dekker. [2] Lord, F. M. (1980) Applications of Item Response Theory to Practical Testing Problems. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. [3] Warm, T.A. (1989). Weighted likelihood estimation of ability in item response models. Psychometrika, 54, 427-450. [less ▲]

Some genetic and biochemical aspects of myoclonus

in Neurophysiologie Clinique = Clinical Neurophysiology (2006), 36(5-6, Sep-Dec), 271-279

Can a gene defect be responsible for the occurrence in an individual, at a particular age, of such a muscle twitch followed by relaxation called: "myoclonus" and defined as sudden, brief, shock-like ... [more ▼]

Can a gene defect be responsible for the occurrence in an individual, at a particular age, of such a muscle twitch followed by relaxation called: "myoclonus" and defined as sudden, brief, shock-like movements? Genetic defects could indeed determine a subsequent cascade of molecular events (caused by abnormal encoded proteins) that would produce new aberrant cellular relationships in a particular area of the CNS leading to re-builded "myoclonogenic" neuronal networks. This can be illustrated reviewing some inherited neurological entities that are characterized by a predominant myoclonic picture and among which a clear gene defect has been identified. In the second part of this chapter, we will also propose a new point of view on how some structural genes could, under certain conditions, when altered, produced idiopathic generalized epilepsy with myoclonic jerks, taking juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) and the myoclonin (EFHC-1) gene as examples. (c) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. [less ▲]

Some influences of sediments in aerated lagoons and waste stabilization ponds

in Water Science & Technology (2000), 42(10), 237-246

Respirometric tests have been undertaken on sediments in aerated lagoons and waste stabilization ponds to quantify their oxygen demand and to determine the main factors governing the process. Factors such ... [more ▼]

Respirometric tests have been undertaken on sediments in aerated lagoons and waste stabilization ponds to quantify their oxygen demand and to determine the main factors governing the process. Factors such as seasonal variations, temperature, substrate, sediment layer thickness, density of macro-invertebrates and suspended sediments were investigated. The results showed that temperature and substrate concentration are the main factors that influence sediment oxygen demand; followed by spatial heterogeneity and resuspension of sediments, whereas the density of macro-invertebrates could have an effect in summer (hot season). Sediment layer thickness had no effect. A model of sediment oxygen demand is developed for the two main factors (temperature and substrate) with an r2 of 0.98. [less ▲]

Some issues related to unstructured mesh generation

in Proceedings of Current and New Trends in Scientific Computing, CMM-DIM 2009 (2009, October)