STUDY OBJECTIVE The aim was to assess the value of bar coding, together with developed microcomputer programs, as a tool to speed up mailing and handling of return responses of a survey where over 4000 adolescents received a mailed questionnaire. DESIGN Bar codes were used for displaying the identification number of a questionnaire, as well as each response alternative and number of the quest...

A horizontal grey bar that drifts horizontally across a surround of black and white vertical stripes appears to stop and start as it crosses each stripe. A dark bar appears to slow down on a black stripe, where its edges have low contrast, and to accelerate on a white stripe, where its edges have high contrast. A light-grey bar appears to slow down on a white stripe and to accelerate on a black...

The geometry of the LMC bar is studied using the de-reddened mean magnitudes of the red clump stars (I0 ) from the OGLE II catalogue. The value of I0 is found to vary in the east-west direction such that both the east and the west ends of the bar are closer to us with respect to the center of the bar. The maximum observed variation has a statistical significance of more than 7.6 σ with respect ...

Addition of 1.0 equiv of Ph3SiH to [Cp*(PMe3)Rh(Me)(CH2Cl2)]+BAr'4- (1) resulted in release of methane and quantitative formation of [Cp*(PMe3)Rh(SiPh3)(CH2Cl2)]+BAr'4- (2). Subsequent addition of 1.0 equiv of MeCN to 2 caused immediate displacement of dichloromethane to form the eta1-nitrile adduct [Cp*(PMe3)Rh(SiPh3)(NCMe)]+BAr'4- (3). Upon standing at room-temperature overnight, complex 3 co...

Two-dimensional (2D) bar codes were designed to carry significantly more data with higher information density and robustness than its 1D counterpart. Thanks to the popular combination of cameras and mobile phones, it will naturally bring great commercial value to use the camera phone for 2D bar code reading. This paper addresses the problem of specific 2D bar code design for mobile phones and i...

BAR domains are highly conserved protein domains participating in a diversity of cellular processes that involve membrane remodeling. The mechanisms underlying such remodeling are debated. For the relatively well-studied case of amphiphysin N-BAR domain, one suggested mechanism involves scaffolding, i.e., binding of a negatively charged membrane to the protein's positively charged curved surfac...

Like the majority of spiral galaxies, the Milky Way contains a central non-axisymmetric bar component. Our position in the Galactic plane renders it rather hard to see, but also allows us to make measurements of the bar that are completely unobtainable for any other system. This paper reviews the evidence for a bar that can be gleaned from the many extensive surveys of both gas and stars in the...

Let S = {l1, l2, l3, . . . , ln} be a set of n vertical line segments in the plane. Though not essential, to simplify proofs we assume that no two li’s are on the same vertical line. A convex polygon weakly intersects S if it contains a point of each line segment on its boundary or interior. In this paper, we propose an O(n log n) algorithm for the problem of finding a minimum area convex polyg...

Even if drugs are accurately dispensed, it is difficult to ensure their safety in the absence of an error-free medication system when or after drugs are given to patients. In particular, most powders are white and are impossible to distinguish based on appearance after they are placed in powder packages. In this study, we newly developed a system in which prescription order information is bar-c...

In two-dimensional Euclidean space, we examine behaviour of an arc when it crosses a vertical line. There are three types when an arc enters into a line, which are: “Left-In”, “Right-In” and “Oscillating-In”. Also, there are three types when an arc goes out from a line, which are: “Left-Out”, “Right-Out” and “Oscillating-Out”. If an arc is a special polygonal arc, there are only two types for e...