Development of adolescent reading comprehension in language 1 and language 2: A longitudinal analysis of constituent components.

This study investigated the relationship between reading comprehension development of 389 adolescents in their dominant language (Language 1 [L1], Dutch) and a foreign language (Language 2 [L2], English). In each consecutive year from Grades 8 through 10, a number of measurements were taken. Students' reading comprehension, their linguistic knowledge (vocabulary and grammar knowledge) and processing efficiency (speed of word recognition and sentence comprehension) in both languages, and their metacognitive knowledge about reading were assessed. The relative strengths of the effects of these components of reading were analyzed to distinguish among 3 hypotheses about the relationship between L1 and L2 reading comprehension: the transfer hypothesis, the threshold hypothesis, and the processing efficiency hypothesis. The transfer hypothesis predicts a strong relationship between L1 and L2 reading comprehension and a strong effect of metacognitive knowledge on L2 reading comprehension, whereas the threshold and processing efficiency hypotheses predict a more important role of language-specific knowledge and processing skills. Results support the transfer hypothesis, although language-specific knowledge and fluency also contribute to L2 reading performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

BIR and BIGR Upgrade Variants for Enlarging Their Interior Cavities

Computational results are presented for the neutron characteristics of BIR and BIGR fast pulse reactors, specifically, cylindrical systems with a core consisting of an alloy of 90% or 36% enrichment uranium with 10 mass% molybdenum or a composite uranium–graphite material. The purpose of the calculations is to determine the possibility of increasing the size of the interior cavities in reactors without appreciably degrading the time parameters of the pulses.Reactor models with a metal core, which are best for further consideration, are systems with a disk core which have a cavity with a diameter up to 30 cm along the axis and a thickness-limited iron reflector. For reactors with uranium–graphite core, it is best to develop a new pulse reactor with an axial cavity which has a larger volume and is more accessible for sample placement than BIGR.An important problem of the calculations was to determine screen variants for a cavity which would prevent fuel overheating and at the same time be free of autocatalysis manifestations.     

Reibungsversuche mit Krypton bei niedrigen Drücken

Tests of a linear Equation on the Evaluation of Krypton Friction Experiments at low Pressures and Connections to Viscosity Effects The coefficient of viskosity is nearly constant in the region with STP conditions and is independent of the pressure. This coefficient decreases with lowering the pressure until the region of molecular flow is reached. There we have free molecular‐ or vacuum viscosity. Experiments with the friction of gas have to take in the gas between surfaces which are movabel and parallel. Reactions of the gas with the moving surface cannot be neglected. We made our lab‐examinations of gas friction effects between two rotating cylinders. Generally there is a linear equation of the reciprocal values of viscosities and pressures. Our experiments show a region, where this linear relation is valid. This region has a low limit with coming to molecular flow and an upper limit if the gas is warmed up by friction at higher pressures.     

Eye tracking — A new interface for visual exploration

Eye-tracking technology offers a natural and immediate way of communicating human intentions to a computer. Eye movements reflect interests and may be analysed to drive computer functionality in games, image and video search, and other visual tasks. This paper examines current eye tracking technologies and their applications. Experiments are described that show that target images can be identified more rapidly by eye tracking than using a mouse interface. Further results show that an eye-tracking technology provides an efficient interface for locating images in a large database. Finally the paper speculates about how the technology may enter the mass market as costs decrease.     

Min-Max MPC based on a computationally efficient upper bound of the worst case cost

Min-Max MPC (MMMPC) controllers [P.J. Campo, M. Morari, Robust model predictive control, in: Proc. American Control Conference, June 10–12, 1987, pp. 1021–1026] suffer from a great computational burden which limits their applicability in the industry. Sometimes upper bounds of the worst possible case of a performance index have been used to reduce the computational burden. This paper proposes a computationally efficient MMMPC control strategy in which the worst case cost is approximated by an upper bound based on a diagonalization scheme. The upper bound can be computed with O(n³) operations and using only simple matrix operations. This implies that the algorithm can be coded easily even in non-mathematical oriented programming languages such as those found in industrial embedded control hardware. A simulation example is given in the paper.     

Methods and results of tests of a large model of the TUK-84 container

Tests of a prototype model of TUK-84 and the corresponding experimental procedures used at the test center of the All-Russia Research Institute of Technical Physics are described. The results are presented, and it is shown that the prototype withstood the tests. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 100, No. 6, pp. 441–445, June, 2006.     

The myopic intraocular lens in a phakic eye. Initial experience

The very first experiences with implantation of 3 phakic anterior chamber lenses for high myopia correction are presented. After average 4 month follow up good stability and transparation of concave lenses type ZB5M were observed with accurately achieved correction postoperatively.     

A new ZVS-PWM unity power factor rectifier with reduced conductionlosses

This paper introduces a new single-phase high power factor rectifier, which features regulation by conventional PWM, soft commutation and instantaneous average line current control. Furthermore, thanks to the use of a single converter, instead of the conventional configuration composed of a four-diode front-end rectifier followed by a boost converter, a significant reduction in the conduction losses is achieved. A prototype rated at 1.6 kW, operating at 70 kHz, with an input AC voltage of 220 Vrms and an output voltage of 400 V_DC has been implemented in the laboratory. An efficiency of 97.8 % at 1.6 kW has been measured. Analysis, design, and the control circuitry are also presented in the paper     

Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia and difficult to control asthma

We report a case of typical chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP), in a female of 27 years-old suffering bronchial asthma light. Although the initial answer to the treatment with steroids was satisfactory, the patient develop difficult to control asthma (DCA). DCA is a clinical situation which requires careful investigation of several potential factors which can be solved. We suggest a protocol of treatment for patients affected with DCA.