PaCeQuant: A Tool for High-Throughput Quantification of Pavement Cell Shape Characteristics.

PubMed

Möller, Birgit; Poeschl, Yvonne; Plötner, Romina; Bürstenbinder, Katharina

2017-11-01

Pavement cells (PCs) are the most frequently occurring cell type in the leaf epidermis and play important roles in leaf growth and function. In many plant species, PCs form highly complex jigsaw-puzzle-shaped cells with interlocking lobes. Understanding of their development is of high interest for plant science research because of their importance for leaf growth and hence for plant fitness and crop yield. Studies of PC development, however, are limited, because robust methods are lacking that enable automatic segmentation and quantification of PC shape parameters suitable to reflect their cellular complexity. Here, we present our new ImageJ-based tool, PaCeQuant, which provides a fully automatic image analysis workflow for PC shape quantification. PaCeQuant automatically detects cell boundaries of PCs from confocal input images and enables manual correction of automatic segmentation results or direct import of manually segmented cells. PaCeQuant simultaneously extracts 27 shape features that include global, contour-based, skeleton-based, and PC-specific object descriptors. In addition, we included a method for classification and analysis of lobes at two-cell junctions and three-cell junctions, respectively. We provide an R script for graphical visualization and statistical analysis. We validated PaCeQuant by extensive comparative analysis to manual segmentation and existing quantification tools and demonstrated its usability to analyze PC shape characteristics during development and between different genotypes. PaCeQuant thus provides a platform for robust, efficient, and reproducible quantitative analysis of PC shape characteristics that can easily be applied to study PC development in large data sets. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

QuantWorm: a comprehensive software package for Caenorhabditis elegans phenotypic assays.

PubMed

Jung, Sang-Kyu; Aleman-Meza, Boanerges; Riepe, Celeste; Zhong, Weiwei

2014-01-01

Phenotypic assays are crucial in genetics; however, traditional methods that rely on human observation are unsuitable for quantitative, large-scale experiments. Furthermore, there is an increasing need for comprehensive analyses of multiple phenotypes to provide multidimensional information. Here we developed an automated, high-throughput computer imaging system for quantifying multiple Caenorhabditis elegans phenotypes. Our imaging system is composed of a microscope equipped with a digital camera and a motorized stage connected to a computer running the QuantWorm software package. Currently, the software package contains one data acquisition module and four image analysis programs: WormLifespan, WormLocomotion, WormLength, and WormEgg. The data acquisition module collects images and videos. The WormLifespan software counts the number of moving worms by using two time-lapse images; the WormLocomotion software computes the velocity of moving worms; the WormLength software measures worm body size; and the WormEgg software counts the number of eggs. To evaluate the performance of our software, we compared the results of our software with manual measurements. We then demonstrated the application of the QuantWorm software in a drug assay and a genetic assay. Overall, the QuantWorm software provided accurate measurements at a high speed. Software source code, executable programs, and sample images are available at www.quantworm.org. Our software package has several advantages over current imaging systems for C. elegans. It is an all-in-one package for quantifying multiple phenotypes. The QuantWorm software is written in Java and its source code is freely available, so it does not require use of commercial software or libraries. It can be run on multiple platforms and easily customized to cope with new methods and requirements.

[Quant efficiency of the detection as a quality parameter of the visualization equipment].

PubMed

Morgun, O N; Nemchenko, K E; Rogov, Iu V

2003-01-01

The critical parameter of notion "quant efficiency of detection" is defined in the paper. Different methods of specifying the detection quant efficiency (DQE) are under discussion. Thus, techniques of DQE determination for a whole unit and means of DQE finding at terminal space frequency are addressed. The notion of DQE at zero frequency is in the focus of attention. Finally, difficulties occurring in determining the above parameter as well as its disadvantages (as a parameter characterizing the quality of X-ray irradiation visualizing systems) are also discussed.

Mesial Temporal Sclerosis: Accuracy of NeuroQuant versus Neuroradiologist.

PubMed

Azab, M; Carone, M; Ying, S H; Yousem, D M

2015-08-01

We sought to compare the accuracy of a volumetric fully automated computer assessment of hippocampal volume asymmetry versus neuroradiologists' interpretations of the temporal lobes for mesial temporal sclerosis. Detecting mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) is important for the evaluation of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy as it often guides surgical intervention. One feature of MTS is hippocampal volume loss. Electronic medical record and researcher reports of scans of patients with proved mesial temporal sclerosis were compared with volumetric assessment with an FDA-approved software package, NeuroQuant, for detection of mesial temporal sclerosis in 63 patients. The degree of volumetric asymmetry was analyzed to determine the neuroradiologists' threshold for detecting right-left asymmetry in temporal lobe volumes. Thirty-six patients had left-lateralized MTS, 25 had right-lateralized MTS, and 2 had bilateral MTS. The estimated accuracy of the neuroradiologist was 72.6% with a κ statistic of 0.512 (95% CI, 0.315-0.710) [moderate agreement, P < 3 × 10(-6)]), whereas the estimated accuracy of NeuroQuant was 79.4% with a κ statistic of 0.588 (95% CI, 0.388-0.787) [moderate agreement, P < 2 × 10(-6)]). This discrepancy in accuracy was not statistically significant. When at least a 5%-10% volume discrepancy between temporal lobes was present, the neuroradiologists detected it 75%-80% of the time. As a stand-alone fully automated software program that can process temporal lobe volume in 5-10 minutes, NeuroQuant compares favorably with trained neuroradiologists in predicting the side of mesial temporal sclerosis. Neuroradiologists can often detect even small temporal lobe volumetric changes visually. © 2015 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

PaCeQuant: A Tool for High-Throughput Quantification of Pavement Cell Shape Characteristics1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Poeschl, Yvonne; Plötner, Romina

2017-01-01

Pavement cells (PCs) are the most frequently occurring cell type in the leaf epidermis and play important roles in leaf growth and function. In many plant species, PCs form highly complex jigsaw-puzzle-shaped cells with interlocking lobes. Understanding of their development is of high interest for plant science research because of their importance for leaf growth and hence for plant fitness and crop yield. Studies of PC development, however, are limited, because robust methods are lacking that enable automatic segmentation and quantification of PC shape parameters suitable to reflect their cellular complexity. Here, we present our new ImageJ-based tool, PaCeQuant, which provides a fully automatic image analysis workflow for PC shape quantification. PaCeQuant automatically detects cell boundaries of PCs from confocal input images and enables manual correction of automatic segmentation results or direct import of manually segmented cells. PaCeQuant simultaneously extracts 27 shape features that include global, contour-based, skeleton-based, and PC-specific object descriptors. In addition, we included a method for classification and analysis of lobes at two-cell junctions and three-cell junctions, respectively. We provide an R script for graphical visualization and statistical analysis. We validated PaCeQuant by extensive comparative analysis to manual segmentation and existing quantification tools and demonstrated its usability to analyze PC shape characteristics during development and between different genotypes. PaCeQuant thus provides a platform for robust, efficient, and reproducible quantitative analysis of PC shape characteristics that can easily be applied to study PC development in large data sets. PMID:28931626

Human genomic DNA quantitation system, H-Quant: development and validation for use in forensic casework.

PubMed

Shewale, Jaiprakash G; Schneida, Elaine; Wilson, Jonathan; Walker, Jerilyn A; Batzer, Mark A; Sinha, Sudhir K

2007-03-01

The human DNA quantification (H-Quant) system, developed for use in human identification, enables quantitation of human genomic DNA in biological samples. The assay is based on real-time amplification of AluYb8 insertions in hominoid primates. The relatively high copy number of subfamily-specific Alu repeats in the human genome enables quantification of very small amounts of human DNA. The oligonucleotide primers present in H-Quant are specific for human DNA and closely related great apes. During the real-time PCR, the SYBR Green I dye binds to the DNA that is synthesized by the human-specific AluYb8 oligonucleotide primers. The fluorescence of the bound SYBR Green I dye is measured at the end of each PCR cycle. The cycle at which the fluorescence crosses the chosen threshold correlates to the quantity of amplifiable DNA in that sample. The minimal sensitivity of the H-Quant system is 7.6 pg/microL of human DNA. The amplicon generated in the H-Quant assay is 216 bp, which is within the same range of the common amplifiable short tandem repeat (STR) amplicons. This size amplicon enables quantitation of amplifiable DNA as opposed to a quantitation of degraded or nonamplifiable DNA of smaller sizes. Development and validation studies were performed on the 7500 real-time PCR system following the Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories.

[Comparison of two methods for rapid determination of C-reactive protein with the Tina-quant].

PubMed

Oremek, G M; Luksaite, R; Bretschneider, I

2008-03-01

C-reactive protein (CRP) as an acute phase protein is an important diagnostic marker for the presence and course of human processes. Out of the acute phase proteins it is one of those the concentrations increase most rapidly with its sensitivity being superior to other markers of inflammation, such as leukocytosis, erythrocytic sedimentation rate, and fever. This study compared two-point-of-care assays with the standard laboratory method Tina-quant CRP processed on a Hitachi 917: the immunofiltration assay NycoCard CRP Whole Blood and the turbidimetric immunoassay Micros CRP. Both methods are carried in the presence of a patient, by using capillary or venous blood. Seventy-eight blood samples were analyzed first in the standard laboratory routine and then by both rapid test assays. The precision of both assays was determined from the confidence interval. The results were statistically analyzed by arithmetic standard deviation mean method, variation coefficient, Spearman correlation index, Wilcoxon and Bland-Altman tests, and Passing-Bablock regression. NycoCard CRP Whole Blood showed a correlation coefficient of R = 0.9838; the precision had a coefficient of variation of CV = 1.8759% while As compared with Tina-quant CRP had R = 0.9934 and CV = 0.9160%. Both assays indicated the same results as Tina-quant CRP. Both Tina-quant CRP and NycoCard CRP Whole Blood give the best fit for the rapid determination of CRP.

PSEA-Quant: a protein set enrichment analysis on label-free and label-based protein quantification data.

PubMed

Lavallée-Adam, Mathieu; Rauniyar, Navin; McClatchy, Daniel B; Yates, John R

2014-12-05

The majority of large-scale proteomics quantification methods yield long lists of quantified proteins that are often difficult to interpret and poorly reproduced. Computational approaches are required to analyze such intricate quantitative proteomics data sets. We propose a statistical approach to computationally identify protein sets (e.g., Gene Ontology (GO) terms) that are significantly enriched with abundant proteins with reproducible quantification measurements across a set of replicates. To this end, we developed PSEA-Quant, a protein set enrichment analysis algorithm for label-free and label-based protein quantification data sets. It offers an alternative approach to classic GO analyses, models protein annotation biases, and allows the analysis of samples originating from a single condition, unlike analogous approaches such as GSEA and PSEA. We demonstrate that PSEA-Quant produces results complementary to GO analyses. We also show that PSEA-Quant provides valuable information about the biological processes involved in cystic fibrosis using label-free protein quantification of a cell line expressing a CFTR mutant. Finally, PSEA-Quant highlights the differences in the mechanisms taking place in the human, rat, and mouse brain frontal cortices based on tandem mass tag quantification. Our approach, which is available online, will thus improve the analysis of proteomics quantification data sets by providing meaningful biological insights.

PSEA-Quant: A Protein Set Enrichment Analysis on Label-Free and Label-Based Protein Quantification Data

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The majority of large-scale proteomics quantification methods yield long lists of quantified proteins that are often difficult to interpret and poorly reproduced. Computational approaches are required to analyze such intricate quantitative proteomics data sets. We propose a statistical approach to computationally identify protein sets (e.g., Gene Ontology (GO) terms) that are significantly enriched with abundant proteins with reproducible quantification measurements across a set of replicates. To this end, we developed PSEA-Quant, a protein set enrichment analysis algorithm for label-free and label-based protein quantification data sets. It offers an alternative approach to classic GO analyses, models protein annotation biases, and allows the analysis of samples originating from a single condition, unlike analogous approaches such as GSEA and PSEA. We demonstrate that PSEA-Quant produces results complementary to GO analyses. We also show that PSEA-Quant provides valuable information about the biological processes involved in cystic fibrosis using label-free protein quantification of a cell line expressing a CFTR mutant. Finally, PSEA-Quant highlights the differences in the mechanisms taking place in the human, rat, and mouse brain frontal cortices based on tandem mass tag quantification. Our approach, which is available online, will thus improve the analysis of proteomics quantification data sets by providing meaningful biological insights. PMID:25177766

quantGenius: implementation of a decision support system for qPCR-based gene quantification.

PubMed

Baebler, Špela; Svalina, Miha; Petek, Marko; Stare, Katja; Rotter, Ana; Pompe-Novak, Maruša; Gruden, Kristina

2017-05-25

Quantitative molecular biology remains a challenge for researchers due to inconsistent approaches for control of errors in the final results. Due to several factors that can influence the final result, quantitative analysis and interpretation of qPCR data are still not trivial. Together with the development of high-throughput qPCR platforms, there is a need for a tool allowing for robust, reliable and fast nucleic acid quantification. We have developed "quantGenius" ( http://quantgenius.nib.si ), an open-access web application for a reliable qPCR-based quantification of nucleic acids. The quantGenius workflow interactively guides the user through data import, quality control (QC) and calculation steps. The input is machine- and chemistry-independent. Quantification is performed using the standard curve approach, with normalization to one or several reference genes. The special feature of the application is the implementation of user-guided QC-based decision support system, based on qPCR standards, that takes into account pipetting errors, assay amplification efficiencies, limits of detection and quantification of the assays as well as the control of PCR inhibition in individual samples. The intermediate calculations and final results are exportable in a data matrix suitable for further statistical analysis or visualization. We additionally compare the most important features of quantGenius with similar advanced software tools and illustrate the importance of proper QC system in the analysis of qPCR data in two use cases. To our knowledge, quantGenius is the only qPCR data analysis tool that integrates QC-based decision support and will help scientists to obtain reliable results which are the basis for biologically meaningful data interpretation.

Man Versus Machine Part 2: Comparison of Radiologists' Interpretations and NeuroQuant Measures of Brain Asymmetry and Progressive Atrophy in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Ross, David E; Ochs, Alfred L; DeSmit, Megan E; Seabaugh, Jan M; Havranek, Michael D

2015-01-01

This study is an expanded version of an earlier study, which compared NeuroQuant measures of MRI brain volume with the radiologist's traditional approach in outpatients with mild or moderate traumatic brain injury. NeuroQuant volumetric analyses were compared with the radiologists' interpretations. NeuroQuant found significantly higher rates of atrophy (50.0%), abnormal asymmetry (83.3%), and progressive atrophy (70.0%) than the radiologists (12.5%, 0% and 0%, respectively). Overall, NeuroQuant was more sensitive for detecting at least one sign of atrophy, abnormal asymmetry, or progressive atrophy (95.8%) than the traditional radiologist's approach (12.5%).

Macular pigment levels do not influence C-Quant retinal straylight estimates in young Caucasians.

PubMed

Beirne, Raymond O

2014-03-01

Individuals with higher than normal levels of macular pigment optical density (MPOD) are less affected by disability glare, when using glare source lights with a strong short-wavelength component. The aim of this study was to investigate whether estimates of retinal straylight from the Oculus Cataract Quantifier (C-Quant), which corresponds to disability glare, are associated with estimates of macular pigment levels in young Caucasian eyes. Thirty-seven Caucasian individuals (aged 19 to 40 years) with good visual acuity, free from ocular disease and with clear ocular media participated. Macular pigment optical density was measured at 0.5 degrees eccentricity from the foveal centre using a heterochromatic flicker photometry-based densitometer instrument from MacularMetrics. Retinal straylight was estimated using the C-Quant, a commercially available device, which uses a psychophysical compensation comparison method. Mean MPOD was 0.39 ± 0.18 log units (range zero to 0.80) and was not significantly related to age (r = -0.07, p = 0.66). Mean straylight parameter (s) was 1.01 ± 0.09 log units (range 0.86 to 1.21) and was not significantly related to age (r = -0.03, p = 0.86). Although there was a small tendency for straylight measurements to be reduced in individuals with higher levels of MPOD, there was no statistically significant relationship between retinal straylight and MPOD (r = -0.17, p = 0.30). Ocular straylight, estimated by the Oculus C-Quant, is little influenced by macular pigment optical density. As the C-Quant uses balanced (white) lights, it is suggested that the previous findings on the effect of macular pigment critically depend on the use of blue-dominant glare sources. © 2013 The Author. Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2013 Optometrists Association Australia.

Laboratory evaluation of the Liat HIV Quant (IQuum) whole-blood and plasma HIV-1 viral load assays for point-of-care testing in South Africa.

PubMed

Scott, Lesley; Gous, Natasha; Carmona, Sergio; Stevens, Wendy

2015-05-01

Point-of-care (POC) HIV viral load (VL) testing offers the potential to reduce turnaround times for antiretroviral therapy monitoring, offer near-patient acute HIV diagnosis in adults, extend existing centralized VL services, screen women in labor, and prompt pediatrics to early treatment. The Liat HIV Quant plasma and whole-blood assays, prerelease version, were evaluated in South Africa. The precision, accuracy, linearity, and agreement of the Liat HIV Quant whole-blood and plasma assays were compared to those of reference technologies (Roche CAP CTMv2.0 and Abbott RealTime HIV-1) on an HIV verification plasma panel (n = 42) and HIV clinical specimens (n = 163). HIV Quant plasma assay showed good performance, with a 2.7% similarity coefficient of variation (CV) compared to the Abbott assay and a 1.8% similarity CV compared to the Roche test on the verification panel, and 100% specificity. HIV Quant plasma had substantial agreement (pc [concordance correlation] = 0.96) with Roche on clinical specimens and increased variability (pc = 0.73) in the range of <3.0 log copies/ml range with the HIV Quant whole-blood assay. HIV Quant plasma assay had good linearity (2.0 to 5.0 log copies/ml; R(2) = 0.99). Clinical sensitivity at a viral load of 1,000 copies/ml of the HIV Quant plasma and whole-blood assays compared to that of the Roche assay (n = 94) was 100% (confidence interval [CI], 95.3% to 100%). The specificity of HIV Quant plasma was 88.2% (CI, 63.6% to 98.5%), and that for whole blood was 41.2% (CI, 18.4% to 67.1%). No virological failure (downward misclassification) was missed. Liat HIV Quant plasma assay can be interchanged with existing VL technology in South Africa. Liat HIV Quant whole-blood assay would be advantageous for POC early infant diagnosis at birth and adult adherence monitoring and needs to be evaluated further in this clinical context. LIAT cartridges currently require cold storage, but the technology is user-friendly and robust. Clinical cost and

Laboratory Evaluation of the Liat HIV Quant (IQuum) Whole-Blood and Plasma HIV-1 Viral Load Assays for Point-of-Care Testing in South Africa

PubMed Central

Gous, Natasha; Carmona, Sergio; Stevens, Wendy

2015-01-01

Point-of-care (POC) HIV viral load (VL) testing offers the potential to reduce turnaround times for antiretroviral therapy monitoring, offer near-patient acute HIV diagnosis in adults, extend existing centralized VL services, screen women in labor, and prompt pediatrics to early treatment. The Liat HIV Quant plasma and whole-blood assays, prerelease version, were evaluated in South Africa. The precision, accuracy, linearity, and agreement of the Liat HIV Quant whole-blood and plasma assays were compared to those of reference technologies (Roche CAP CTMv2.0 and Abbott RealTime HIV-1) on an HIV verification plasma panel (n = 42) and HIV clinical specimens (n = 163). HIV Quant plasma assay showed good performance, with a 2.7% similarity coefficient of variation (CV) compared to the Abbott assay and a 1.8% similarity CV compared to the Roche test on the verification panel, and 100% specificity. HIV Quant plasma had substantial agreement (pc [concordance correlation] = 0.96) with Roche on clinical specimens and increased variability (pc = 0.73) in the range of <3.0 log copies/ml range with the HIV Quant whole-blood assay. HIV Quant plasma assay had good linearity (2.0 to 5.0 log copies/ml; R2 = 0.99). Clinical sensitivity at a viral load of 1,000 copies/ml of the HIV Quant plasma and whole-blood assays compared to that of the Roche assay (n = 94) was 100% (confidence interval [CI], 95.3% to 100%). The specificity of HIV Quant plasma was 88.2% (CI, 63.6% to 98.5%), and that for whole blood was 41.2% (CI, 18.4% to 67.1%). No virological failure (downward misclassification) was missed. Liat HIV Quant plasma assay can be interchanged with existing VL technology in South Africa. Liat HIV Quant whole-blood assay would be advantageous for POC early infant diagnosis at birth and adult adherence monitoring and needs to be evaluated further in this clinical context. LIAT cartridges currently require cold storage, but the technology is user-friendly and robust. Clinical cost and

QuantFusion: Novel Unified Methodology for Enhanced Coverage and Precision in Quantifying Global Proteomic Changes in Whole Tissues.

PubMed

Gunawardena, Harsha P; O'Brien, Jonathon; Wrobel, John A; Xie, Ling; Davies, Sherri R; Li, Shunqiang; Ellis, Matthew J; Qaqish, Bahjat F; Chen, Xian

2016-02-01

Single quantitative platforms such as label-based or label-free quantitation (LFQ) present compromises in accuracy, precision, protein sequence coverage, and speed of quantifiable proteomic measurements. To maximize the quantitative precision and the number of quantifiable proteins or the quantifiable coverage of tissue proteomes, we have developed a unified approach, termed QuantFusion, that combines the quantitative ratios of all peptides measured by both LFQ and label-based methodologies. Here, we demonstrate the use of QuantFusion in determining the proteins differentially expressed in a pair of patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDXs) representing two major breast cancer (BC) subtypes, basal and luminal. Label-based in-spectra quantitative peptides derived from amino acid-coded tagging (AACT, also known as SILAC) of a non-malignant mammary cell line were uniformly added to each xenograft with a constant predefined ratio, from which Ratio-of-Ratio estimates were obtained for the label-free peptides paired with AACT peptides in each PDX tumor. A mixed model statistical analysis was used to determine global differential protein expression by combining complementary quantifiable peptide ratios measured by LFQ and Ratio-of-Ratios, respectively. With minimum number of replicates required for obtaining the statistically significant ratios, QuantFusion uses the distinct mechanisms to "rescue" the missing data inherent to both LFQ and label-based quantitation. Combined quantifiable peptide data from both quantitative schemes increased the overall number of peptide level measurements and protein level estimates. In our analysis of the PDX tumor proteomes, QuantFusion increased the number of distinct peptide ratios by 65%, representing differentially expressed proteins between the BC subtypes. This quantifiable coverage improvement, in turn, not only increased the number of measurable protein fold-changes by 8% but also increased the average precision of quantitative

NecroQuant: quantitative assessment of radiological necrosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Darryl H.; Mohamed, Passant; Varghese, Bino A.; Cen, Steven Y.; Duddalwar, Vinay

2017-11-01

Clinicians can now objectively quantify tumor necrosis by Hounsfield units and enhancement characteristics from multiphase contrast enhanced CT imaging. NecroQuant has been designed to work as part of a radiomics pipelines. The software is a departure from the conventional qualitative assessment of tumor necrosis, as it provides the user (radiologists and researchers) a simple interface to precisely and interactively define and measure necrosis in contrast-enhanced CT images. Although, the software is tested here on renal masses, it can be re-configured to assess tumor necrosis across variety of tumors from different body sites, providing a generalized, open, portable, and extensible quantitative analysis platform that is widely applicable across cancer types to quantify tumor necrosis.

Measurement of acute toxicity to Mysidopsis bahia using DaphniaQuant{reg_sign} instrument and protocol

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blankemeyer, J.T.; Nguyen, T.; Burks, S.L.

1994-12-31

DaphniaQuant{reg_sign} uses a fluorescent dye to permeate the cells of aquatic organisms. The technique has been used on frog embryos, fish embryos, and bovine erythrocytes. Two wavelengths of light are used to excite the fluorescent dye, Di-4-ANEPPS. The blue excitation wavelength measures the cell membrane potential while the yellow excitation wavelength measures the amount of dye loaded into the organisms. The authors applied the technique to the shrimp, Mysidopsis bahia, used in marine toxicity testing. The authors used from 1 to 10 shrimp, loaded into a 3 ml spectrofluorometry plastic cuvette. The fluorescent dye, Di-4-ANEPPS, was mixed with the 3more » ml of ASW in the cuvette at a final Di-4ANEPPS concentration of 10{sub {minus}6} M. After a thirty minute incubation, the fluorescence of Di-4-ANEPPS was measured in the DaphniaQuant{reg_sign} instrument. A similar protocol was used to test various concentrations of standard assay chemicals and effluents. The test chemical was mixed with ASW and Di-4-ANEPPS and incubated with the shrimp for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, the fluorescence was measured and compared to the fluorescence of the control shrimp. The authors found that the fluorescence from a single shrimp was detectable and gave similar toxicity data as did the replicates using 10 shrimp. They conclude that the DaphniaQuant{reg_sign} assay can be successfully adapted to marine organisms, particularly Mysidopsis bahia.« less

TLM-Quant: an open-source pipeline for visualization and quantification of gene expression heterogeneity in growing microbial cells.

PubMed

Piersma, Sjouke; Denham, Emma L; Drulhe, Samuel; Tonk, Rudi H J; Schwikowski, Benno; van Dijl, Jan Maarten

2013-01-01

Gene expression heterogeneity is a key driver for microbial adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions, cell differentiation and the evolution of species. This phenomenon has therefore enormous implications, not only for life in general, but also for biotechnological applications where unwanted subpopulations of non-producing cells can emerge in large-scale fermentations. Only time-lapse fluorescence microscopy allows real-time measurements of gene expression heterogeneity. A major limitation in the analysis of time-lapse microscopy data is the lack of fast, cost-effective, open, simple and adaptable protocols. Here we describe TLM-Quant, a semi-automatic pipeline for the analysis of time-lapse fluorescence microscopy data that enables the user to visualize and quantify gene expression heterogeneity. Importantly, our pipeline builds on the open-source packages ImageJ and R. To validate TLM-Quant, we selected three possible scenarios, namely homogeneous expression, highly 'noisy' heterogeneous expression, and bistable heterogeneous expression in the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. This bacterium is both a paradigm for systems-level studies on gene expression and a highly appreciated biotechnological 'cell factory'. We conclude that the temporal resolution of such analyses with TLM-Quant is only limited by the numbers of recorded images.

Clinical usefulness of the mDIXON Quant the method for estimation of the salivary gland fat fraction: comparison with MR spectroscopy.

PubMed

Kise, Yoshitaka; Chikui, Toru; Yamashita, Yasuo; Kobayashi, Koji; Yoshiura, Kazunori

2017-08-01

To estimate the fat fraction (FF) in the salivary glands (SGs) by the mDIXON method and the 1 H-MR spectroscopy (MRS) method, and to compare the results. 16 healthy volunteers were enrolled. mDIXON Quant and MRS (point-resolved spectroscopy: PRESS) with a single TE were employed to measure the FF in the parotid gland (PG) and submandibular gland (SMG). Multiple TEs were applied in 10 volunteers to correct for T 2 decay. In addition, we assumed that the 1.3 ppm peak accounted for 60% of the total fat peak and estimated the FF (MRS all) as a gold standard. On mDIXON Quant images, volumes of interest were set on the bilateral SGs and we obtained the FF (mDIXON) of each volume of interest. There was a strong correlation between the results of the mDIXON Quant method and the MRS (single TE) method (R 2 = 0.960, slope = 0.900). Using PRESS with multiple TEs, there was also a strong correlation between FF (mDIXON) and FF (MRS all) (R 2 = 0.963, slope = 1.18). FF (MRS all) was 24.9±12.7% in the PG and 4.5±3.0% in the SMG, while FF (mDIXON) was 29.4±16.2% in the PG and 6.4±4.7% in the SMG. There were no significant differences between the two methods, but the Bland-Altman plot showed that FF (mDIXON) was slightly larger than FF (MRS all) for small FF areas. The mDIXON Quant method could be clinically useful for evaluating the FF of SGs, but the absolute values need careful interpretation. Advance in knowledge: This study suggested the potential clinical usefulness of the mDIXON Quant method for the SGs.

Internal validation of two new retrotransposons-based kits (InnoQuant® HY and InnoTyper® 21) at a forensic lab.

PubMed

Martins, Cátia; Ferreira, Paulo Miguel; Carvalho, Raquel; Costa, Sandra Cristina; Farinha, Carlos; Azevedo, Luísa; Amorim, António; Oliveira, Manuela

2018-02-01

Obtaining a genetic profile from pieces of evidence collected at a crime scene is the primary objective of forensic laboratories. New procedures, methods, kits, software or equipment must be carefully evaluated and validated before its implementation. The constant development of new methodologies for DNA testing leads to a steady process of validation, which consists of demonstrating that the technology is robust, reproducible, and reliable throughout a defined range of conditions. The present work aims to internally validate two new retrotransposon-based kits (InnoQuant ® HY and InnoTyper ® 21), under the working conditions of the Laboratório de Polícia Científica da Polícia Judiciária (LPC-PJ). For the internal validation of InnoQuant ® HY and InnoTyper ® 21 sensitivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and mixture tests and a concordance study between these new kits and those currently in use at LPC-PJ (Quantifiler ® Duo and GlobalFiler™) were performed. The results obtained for sensitivity, repeatability, and reproducibility tests demonstrated that both InnoQuant ® HY and InnoTyper ® 21 are robust, reproducible, and reliable. The results of the concordance studies demonstrate that InnoQuant ® HY produced quantification results in nearly 29% more than Quantifiler ® Duo (indicating that this new kit is more effective in challenging samples), while the differences observed between InnoTyper ® 21 and GlobalFiler™ are not significant. Therefore, the utility of InnoTyper ® 21 has been proven, especially by the successful amplification of a greater number of complete genetic profiles (27 vs. 21). The results herein presented allowed the internal validation of both InnoQuant ® HY and InnoTyper ® 21, and their implementation in the LPC-PJ laboratory routine for the treatment of challenging samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Figureheads, ghost-writers and pseudonymous quant bloggers: the recent evolution of authorship in science publishing.

PubMed

Charlton, Bruce G

2008-10-01

Traditionally, science has been published only under the proper names and postal addresses of the scientists who did the work. This is no longer the case, and over recent decades science authorship has fundamentally changed its character. At one extreme, prestigious scientists writing from high status institutions are used as mere figureheads to publish research that has been performed, analyzed and 'ghost-written' by commercial organizations. At the other extreme 'quant bloggers' are publishing real science with their personal identity shielded by pseudonyms and writing from internet addresses that give no indication of their location or professional affiliation. Yet the paradox is that while named high status scientists from famous institutions are operating with suspect integrity (e.g. covertly acting as figureheads) and minimal accountability (i.e. failing to respond to substantive criticism); pseudonymous bloggers - of mostly unknown identity, unknown education or training, and unknown address - are publishing interesting work and interacting with their critics on the internet. And at the same time as 'official' and professional science is increasingly timid careerist and dull; the self-organized, amateur realm of science blogs displays curiosity, scientific motivation, accountability, responsibility - and often considerable flair and skill. Quant bloggers and other internet scientists are, however, usually dependent on professional scientists to generate databases. But professional science has become highly constrained by non-scientific influences: increasingly sluggish, rigid, bureaucratic, managerial, and enmeshed with issues of pseudo-ethics, political correctness, public relations, politics and marketing. So it seems that professional science needs the quant bloggers. One possible scenario is that professional scientists may in future continue to be paid to do the plodding business of generating raw data (dull work that no one would do unless they were

The New Aptima HCV Quant Dx Real-time TMA Assay Accurately Quantifies Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1-6 RNA.

PubMed

Chevaliez, Stéphane; Dubernet, Fabienne; Dauvillier, Claude; Hézode, Christophe; Pawlotsky, Jean-Michel

2017-06-01

Sensitive and accurate hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA detection and quantification is essential for the management of chronic hepatitis C therapy. Currently available platforms and assays are usually batched and require at least 5hours of work to complete the analyses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of the newly developed Aptima HCV Quant Dx assay that eliminates the need for batch processing and automates all aspects of nucleic acid testing in a single step, to accurately detect and quantify HCV RNA in a large series of patients infected with different HCV genotypes. The limit of detection was estimated to be 2.3 IU/mL. The specificity of the assay was 98.6% (95% confidence interval: 96.1%-99.5%). Intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation ranged from 0.09% to 5.61%, and 1.05% to 3.65%, respectively. The study of serum specimens from patients infected with HCV genotypes 1 to 6 showed a satisfactory relationship between HCV RNA levels measured by the Aptima HCV Quant Dx assay, and both real-time PCR comparators (Abbott RealTime HCV and Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HCV Test, version 2.0, assays). the new Aptima HCV Quant Dx assay is rapid, sensitive, reasonably specific and reproducible and accurately quantifies HCV RNA in serum samples from patients with chronic HCV infection, including patients on antiviral treatment. The Aptima HCV Quant Dx assay can thus be confidently used to detect and quantify HCV RNA in both clinical trials with new anti-HCV drugs and clinical practice in Europe and the US. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

TLM-Quant: An Open-Source Pipeline for Visualization and Quantification of Gene Expression Heterogeneity in Growing Microbial Cells

PubMed Central

Piersma, Sjouke; Denham, Emma L.; Drulhe, Samuel; Tonk, Rudi H. J.; Schwikowski, Benno; van Dijl, Jan Maarten

2013-01-01

Gene expression heterogeneity is a key driver for microbial adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions, cell differentiation and the evolution of species. This phenomenon has therefore enormous implications, not only for life in general, but also for biotechnological applications where unwanted subpopulations of non-producing cells can emerge in large-scale fermentations. Only time-lapse fluorescence microscopy allows real-time measurements of gene expression heterogeneity. A major limitation in the analysis of time-lapse microscopy data is the lack of fast, cost-effective, open, simple and adaptable protocols. Here we describe TLM-Quant, a semi-automatic pipeline for the analysis of time-lapse fluorescence microscopy data that enables the user to visualize and quantify gene expression heterogeneity. Importantly, our pipeline builds on the open-source packages ImageJ and R. To validate TLM-Quant, we selected three possible scenarios, namely homogeneous expression, highly ‘noisy’ heterogeneous expression, and bistable heterogeneous expression in the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. This bacterium is both a paradigm for systems-level studies on gene expression and a highly appreciated biotechnological ‘cell factory’. We conclude that the temporal resolution of such analyses with TLM-Quant is only limited by the numbers of recorded images. PMID:23874729

Clinical evaluation of cobas core anti-dsDNA EIA quant.

PubMed

González, Concepción; Guevara, Paloma; García-Berrocal, Belén; Alejandro Navajo, José; Manuel González-Buitrago, José

2004-01-01

The measurement of antibodies to double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) is a useful tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with connective tissue diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of the present study was to compare a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the measurement of anti-dsDNA antibodies, which uses purified double-stranded plasmid DNA as the antigen (anti-dsDNA EIA Quant; Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany), with an established ELISA. The clinical usefulness of this new ELISA was also assessed. We measured anti-dsDNA antibodies in 398 serum samples that were divided into four groups: 1). routine samples sent to our laboratory for an antinuclear antibody (ANA) test (n=229), 2). samples from blood donors (n=74), 3). samples from patients with SLE (n=48), and 4) samples from patients with other autoimmune diseases (n=47). The methods used were the Cobas Core Anti-dsDNA EIA Quant (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) and the Anti-dsDNA test (Gull Diagnostics, Bois d'Arcy, France). We obtained a kappa index and Spearman correlation coefficient in the comparative study, and sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios in the clinical study. The results obtained show a good agreement between the two methods in both the qualitative results (kappa=0.91) and the quantitative data (r=0.854). The best accuracy, predictive values, likelihood ratios, and correlation with active disease were obtained with the Roche anti-dsDNA assay. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The New Aptima HBV Quant Real-Time TMA Assay Accurately Quantifies Hepatitis B Virus DNA from Genotypes A to F

PubMed Central

Dauvillier, Claude; Dubernet, Fabienne; Poveda, Jean-Dominique; Laperche, Syria; Hézode, Christophe; Pawlotsky, Jean-Michel

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Sensitive and accurate hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA detection and quantification are essential to diagnose HBV infection, establish the prognosis of HBV-related liver disease, and guide the decision to treat and monitor the virological response to antiviral treatment and the emergence of resistance. Currently available HBV DNA platforms and assays are generally designed for batching multiple specimens within an individual run and require at least one full day of work to complete the analyses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of the newly developed, fully automated, one-step Aptima HBV Quant assay to accurately detect and quantify HBV DNA in a large series of patients infected with different HBV genotypes. The limit of detection of the assay was estimated to be 4.5 IU/ml. The specificity of the assay was 100%. Intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation ranged from 0.29% to 5.07% and 4.90% to 6.85%, respectively. HBV DNA levels from patients infected with HBV genotypes A to F measured with the Aptima HBV Quant assay strongly correlated with those measured by two commercial real-time PCR comparators (Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HBV test, version 2.0, and Abbott RealTime HBV test). In conclusion, the Aptima HBV Quant assay is sensitive, specific, and reproducible and accurately quantifies HBV DNA in plasma samples from patients with chronic HBV infections of all genotypes, including patients on antiviral treatment with nucleoside or nucleotide analogues. The Aptima HBV Quant assay can thus confidently be used to detect and quantify HBV DNA in both clinical trials with new anti-HBV drugs and clinical practice. PMID:28202793

Detection of hepatic and pancreatic fat infiltration in type II diabetes mellitus patients with IDEAL-Quant using 3.0T MR: comparison with single-voxel proton spectroscopy.

PubMed

Ma, Jing; Song, Zhiqiang; Yan, Fuhua

2014-01-01

Type II diabetes mellitus usually related to visceral and other organ (ectopic) fat. The purpose of this study was to detect hepatic and pancreatic fat infiltration in type II diabetes mellitus patients using 3.0T magnetic resonance (MR) and to compare the performance of iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation (IDEAL-Quant) with single-voxel proton spectroscopy (H(1)-MRS). The study protocol was approved by our Institutional Review Board. Written informed consent was obtained from each subject in this study. We prospectively performed IDEAL-Quant and single-voxel proton spectroscopy with an echo time of 35 ms on 24 type II diabetes patients and 10 healthy volunteers. The hepatic proton density fat fraction (HPDFF) and pancreatic proton density fat fraction (PPDFF) were calculated, compared, and analyzed by t-tests and Spearman's correlation. The HPDFF and PPDFF measured with IDEAL-Quant were significantly different between the healthy volunteers and type II diabetes patients (th = 9.377, P = 0.000; tp = 2.813, P = 0.008). The HPDFF and PPDFF measured with MRS were also significantly different between the healthy volunteers and type II diabetes patients (th = 5.342, P = 0.000; tp = 2.63, P = 0.013). The HPDFF and PPDFF measured by the two methods were in good agreement (rh = 0.854, P = 0.000; rp = 0.774, P = 0.000). The HPDFF and PPDFF were not significantly correlated with each other (rMRS = 0.203, p = 0.248; rIDEAL-Quant = 0.301, P = 0.084). The PPDFF measured with IDEAL-Quant was associated with body mass index (r = 0.377, P = 0.028). IDEAL-Quant is a nice method for hepatic and pancreatic fat detection, and it can be applied in clinical practice.

The New Aptima HBV Quant Real-Time TMA Assay Accurately Quantifies Hepatitis B Virus DNA from Genotypes A to F.

PubMed

Chevaliez, Stéphane; Dauvillier, Claude; Dubernet, Fabienne; Poveda, Jean-Dominique; Laperche, Syria; Hézode, Christophe; Pawlotsky, Jean-Michel

2017-04-01

Sensitive and accurate hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA detection and quantification are essential to diagnose HBV infection, establish the prognosis of HBV-related liver disease, and guide the decision to treat and monitor the virological response to antiviral treatment and the emergence of resistance. Currently available HBV DNA platforms and assays are generally designed for batching multiple specimens within an individual run and require at least one full day of work to complete the analyses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of the newly developed, fully automated, one-step Aptima HBV Quant assay to accurately detect and quantify HBV DNA in a large series of patients infected with different HBV genotypes. The limit of detection of the assay was estimated to be 4.5 IU/ml. The specificity of the assay was 100%. Intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation ranged from 0.29% to 5.07% and 4.90% to 6.85%, respectively. HBV DNA levels from patients infected with HBV genotypes A to F measured with the Aptima HBV Quant assay strongly correlated with those measured by two commercial real-time PCR comparators (Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HBV test, version 2.0, and Abbott RealTi m e HBV test). In conclusion, the Aptima HBV Quant assay is sensitive, specific, and reproducible and accurately quantifies HBV DNA in plasma samples from patients with chronic HBV infections of all genotypes, including patients on antiviral treatment with nucleoside or nucleotide analogues. The Aptima HBV Quant assay can thus confidently be used to detect and quantify HBV DNA in both clinical trials with new anti-HBV drugs and clinical practice. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

EQUAL-quant: an international external quality assessment scheme for real-time PCR.

PubMed

Ramsden, Simon C; Daly, Sarah; Geilenkeuser, Wolf-Jochen; Duncan, Graeme; Hermitte, Fabienne; Marubini, Ettore; Neumaier, Michael; Orlando, Claudio; Palicka, Vladimir; Paradiso, Angelo; Pazzagli, Mario; Pizzamiglio, Sara; Verderio, Paolo

2006-08-01

Quantitative gene expression analysis by real-time PCR is important in several diagnostic areas, such as the detection of minimum residual disease in leukemia and the prognostic assessment of cancer patients. To address quality assurance in this technically challenging area, the European Union (EU) has funded the EQUAL project to develop methodologic external quality assessment (EQA) relevant to diagnostic and research laboratories among the EU member states. We report here the results of the EQUAL-quant program, which assesses standards in the use of TaqMan probes, one of the most widely used assays in the implementation of real-time PCR. The EQUAL-quant reagent set was developed to assess the technical execution of a standard TaqMan assay, including RNA extraction, reverse transcription, and real-time PCR quantification of target DNA copy number. The multidisciplinary EQA scheme included 137 participating laboratories from 29 countries. We demonstrated significant differences in performance among laboratories, with 20% of laboratories reporting at least one result lacking in precision and/or accuracy according to the statistical procedures described. No differences in performance were observed for the >10 different testing platforms used by the study participants. This EQA scheme demonstrated both the requirement and demand for external assessment of technical standards in real-time PCR. The reagent design and the statistical tools developed within this project will provide a benchmark for defining acceptable working standards in this emerging technology.

More than "Papelitos:" A QuantCrit Counterstory to Critique Latina/o Degree Value and Occupational Prestige

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pérez Huber, Lindsay; Vélez, Verónica N.; Solórzano, Daniel

2018-01-01

Concerned with how numbers are misused and distorted in research and public discourse at the expense of People of Color, this article attempts to answer the following: "How do we use numbers to tell the stories of Communities of Color?" We offer a QuantCrit counterstory to share our journey of (re)imagining quantitative methods to center…

[Value of mDIXON-Quant sequence, diffusion-weighted imaging in quantitatively diagnosing the sacroiliitis stages].

PubMed

An, Y Y; Li, H X; Zhan, Y; Lei, X W

2017-10-10

Objective: To evaluate the value of mDIXON-Quant sequence, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in quantitative diagnosing of the sacroiliitis stages in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: Based on the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Activity Index (BASDAI) and laboratory parameters, a total of 51 patients were diagnosed with AS. They were divided into two groups as early active group ( n =20) and chronic active group ( n =31), and at the same time, 25 healthy people from Tianjin were included as control group. The regular MRI sequences and mDIXON-Quant sequence, DWI were obtained. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fat-signal fraction (FF) value of bone marrow with edema of the sacroiliac joints in early active group and chronic active group and of subchondral bone marrow of sacroiliac joint in control group all were measured by ADC maps and FF maps. Mean (FF, ADC) values were compared between groups. Results: The ADC value of the early active group, chronic active group and the control group is (1.07±0.20)×10(-3)mm(2)/s, (1.00±0.22)×10(-3)mm(2)/s, (0.25±0.07)×10(-3)mm(2)/s, respectively, and the differences of ADC value between early active group and control group, chronic active group and control group were significant ( P <0.01), but the difference of the ADC value between early active group and chronic active group was not significant ( P =0.394). That is to say, the ADC value can't distinguish the early active group and chronic active group. The differences of FF value between groups was significant ( P <0.01), and the FF value of bone marrow with edema in chronic active group were higher than that in early active group. Conclusions: The mDIXON-Quant sequence can quantitatively diagnose early active group and chronic active group, and the diagnostic value is better than DWI. Thus, it can provide guidance for clinical treatment and prognosis.

Study of light scattering using C-Quant® in patients with Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy: A pilot study.

PubMed

Castaño-Martín, B; Gros-Otero, J; Martínez, J; Teus, M

2017-11-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the light scattering in patients with Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy without clinically significant corneal oedema, and evaluate its relationship with endothelial cell count, corneal thickness, and corneal biomechanical parameters. The values of light scattering were measured by C-Quant ® (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Germany) in 32 eyes of 17 patients diagnosed with Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy without clinically significant corneal oedema. Corneal biomechanical properties were determined using ORA (ocular response) and Corvis ST ® (tonometry). A light scattering value outside the normal range was observed in 93.8% of eyes studied. No statistically significant association (P>.05) was found between the values of the measured light scattering by C-Quant ® and endothelial count, pachymetry, or corneal biomechanical properties. In this study, changes were found in the values of light scattering values of patients with corneal Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy. This change does not appear to correlate significantly with disease severity. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Development of the custom polymeric materials specific for aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A for application with the ToxiQuant T1 sensor tool.

PubMed

Piletska, Elena; Karim, Kal; Coker, Raymond; Piletsky, Sergey

2010-04-16

Two polymers were computationally designed with affinity to two of the most abundant mycotoxins aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) for application in the ToxiQuant T1 System. The principle of quantification of AFB1 and OTA using the ToxiQuant T1 instrument comprised of a fluorimetric analysis of mycotoxins adsorbed on the polymer upon exposure to UV light. High affinity of the developed resins allowed the adsorption of both toxins as discrete bands on the top of the cartridge with detection limit as low as 1ng quantity of mycotoxins. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quant. PCR and bDNA - the search for the truth continues as high viral load are linked to high beta 2 microglobulin levels.

PubMed

1998-01-01

Controversy exists over whether numbers obtained from Quant. PCR & bDNA tests actually represent the HIV virus; however, a researcher is collecting evidence to determine whether both tests have the same prognostic value as the beta 2 microglobulin tests. There is enough evidence to show that beta 2 microglobulin levels correlate directly with high viral loads. The researcher speculates that Quant. PCR or bDNA measures the combined effects of both HIV and HHV-6A infection in destroying cells. To help resolve this and other issues, volunteers with Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and active HHV-6A infection are being sought. Volunteers will be asked to use Norvir after which its effectiveness against HHV-6A infection will be determined. CFIDS patients will show a viral load for HIV even though they do not have the virus; the research speculates that if the PCR test for HIV is non-detectable in HHV-6A related cases, it will prove that Quant PCR is not measuring HHV-6A titers in persons with AIDS. Other diagnostic tests are available to patients. Five of these tests are briefly summarized and responses to patient questions regarding viral load issues and therapy are included.

Visualization of LC-MS/MS proteomics data in MaxQuant.

PubMed

Tyanova, Stefka; Temu, Tikira; Carlson, Arthur; Sinitcyn, Pavel; Mann, Matthias; Cox, Juergen

2015-04-01

Modern software platforms enable the analysis of shotgun proteomics data in an automated fashion resulting in high quality identification and quantification results. Additional understanding of the underlying data can be gained with the help of advanced visualization tools that allow for easy navigation through large LC-MS/MS datasets potentially consisting of terabytes of raw data. The updated MaxQuant version has a map navigation component that steers the users through mass and retention time-dependent mass spectrometric signals. It can be used to monitor a peptide feature used in label-free quantification over many LC-MS runs and visualize it with advanced 3D graphic models. An expert annotation system aids the interpretation of the MS/MS spectra used for the identification of these peptide features. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay Using Plasma and Dried Blood Spots

PubMed Central

Sahoo, Malaya K.; Varghese, Vici; White, Elizabeth; Winslow, Meg; Katzenstein, David A.; Shafer, Robert W.

2016-01-01

HIV-1 RNA quantitation in plasma, or virus load testing, is the primary method by which the response to antiretroviral therapy is monitored. Here we describe evaluation of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Aptima) performed on the automated Panther system. The clinical performance of Aptima was compared to that of the Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HIV-1 Test v2.0 (CAP/CTM) using 162 EDTA plasma samples collected from patients undergoing HIV-1 monitoring. Overall agreement was 84.0% (136/162), with a kappa statistic of 0.723 (standard error, 0.047; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.630 to 0.815), indicating substantial agreement. Using the 86 clinical samples quantifiable by both methods, Passing-Bablok regression revealed a regression line of Y = (1.069 × X) − 0.346 (95% CI of the slope [1.003 to 1.139] and intercept [−0.666 to −0.074]), and Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated a mean difference (Aptima-CAP/CTM) of −0.075 log10 copies/ml (95% limits of agreement of −0.624 to 0.475), consistent with negative bias. Comparison of Aptima results for paired dried blood spot (DBS) and plasma specimens archived from participants in the Peninsula AIDS Research Cohort Study (PARC) demonstrated an overall agreement of 94.7% (90/95) when 1,000 copies/ml was used as the threshold. In conclusion, the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay provides a suitable alternative for HIV-1 monitoring in plasma and DBS. PMID:27535684

Evaluation of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay Using Plasma and Dried Blood Spots.

PubMed

Sahoo, Malaya K; Varghese, Vici; White, Elizabeth; Winslow, Meg; Katzenstein, David A; Shafer, Robert W; Pinsky, Benjamin A

2016-10-01

HIV-1 RNA quantitation in plasma, or virus load testing, is the primary method by which the response to antiretroviral therapy is monitored. Here we describe evaluation of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Aptima) performed on the automated Panther system. The clinical performance of Aptima was compared to that of the Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HIV-1 Test v2.0 (CAP/CTM) using 162 EDTA plasma samples collected from patients undergoing HIV-1 monitoring. Overall agreement was 84.0% (136/162), with a kappa statistic of 0.723 (standard error, 0.047; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.630 to 0.815), indicating substantial agreement. Using the 86 clinical samples quantifiable by both methods, Passing-Bablok regression revealed a regression line of Y = (1.069 × X) - 0.346 (95% CI of the slope [1.003 to 1.139] and intercept [-0.666 to -0.074]), and Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated a mean difference (Aptima-CAP/CTM) of -0.075 log10 copies/ml (95% limits of agreement of -0.624 to 0.475), consistent with negative bias. Comparison of Aptima results for paired dried blood spot (DBS) and plasma specimens archived from participants in the Peninsula AIDS Research Cohort Study (PARC) demonstrated an overall agreement of 94.7% (90/95) when 1,000 copies/ml was used as the threshold. In conclusion, the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay provides a suitable alternative for HIV-1 monitoring in plasma and DBS. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

[Comparison between the LightCycler CMV Quant Kit (Roche Diagnostics) with a standardized in-house Taqman assay for cytomegalovirus blood viral load quantification].

PubMed

Alain, S; Lachaise, V; Hantz, S; Denis, F

2010-04-01

The broad use of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viral load quantification in blood to follow immunosuppressed patients need standardized assays. Choice of whole blood allows follow-up for several viruses and simplifies pretreatment and storage of samples. We therefore evaluated the LightCycler CMV Quant Kit (Roche Diagnostics) assay on whole blood after a manual extraction (High Pure viral nucleic acid kit, Roche Diagnostics), using as a reference an in-house Taqman assay (LC1UL83) which has been validated in various clinical situations. A panel obtained by serial dilutions of a virion stock in CMV whole blood, a commercial plasma quality control (VQC, Argène, France) crude or diluted in whole blood, infected cells extracts and 46 clinical samples from transplanted patients were tested simultaneously by both techniques. For plasma quality controls, both PCR assays are correlated VQC (R(2)=0.93). On whole blood or infected cells dilutions, correlation shows an overestimation by the LC1UL83 assay (mean 1.2 log copies/ml) over 3 log though R(2)=0.94. Results with CMV Quant Kit are closer to expected values. Results on clinical samples are close to quality controls with a lower variation of quantification (0.76 log copies/ml). CMV Quant Kit performs well when compared with a clinically validated PCR. Quality control results showed discrepancies between plasma and whole blood, demonstrating the need for whole blood standardized panels to compare the methods. This underlines the need to follow a patient with the same technique during his follow-up. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Hemoglobin A1c from Dried Blood Spot Samples with the Tina-quant® II Immunoturbidimetric Method

PubMed Central

Jones, Trevor G.; Warber, Kimbrough D.; Roberts, Billy D.

2010-01-01

Background Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) has been endorsed as a tool for the diagnosis of diabetes. This test requires instrumentation that may not be available in underdeveloped areas. Dried blood spot (DBS) samples collected by finger stick procedures offer a mechanism to transport samples to laboratories that do measure HbA1c. Methods Whole blood (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) was applied to Ahlstrom 226 filter paper. These DBS samples were compared to whole blood samples using the Roche Tina-quant® II immunoturbidometric assay. Hemoglobin A1c stability on DBS was assessed at three temperatures—4, 25, and 40°C—for up to 9 days. A 44-day study was also done for DBS at 20–25°C. Results The Tina-quant® II DBS method showed excellent agreement with whole blood HbA1c results (r2 = 0.99) with a slight positive mean bias of 0.08 ± 0.04% HbA1c (95% confidence interval). The variation in HbA1c on DBS samples subjected to different temperatures and times did not exceed 5.6%. Conclusions Dried blood spot samples represent an alternative to whole blood for HbA1c by measurement when transporting whole blood is not feasible. PMID:20307383

Andromeda: a peptide search engine integrated into the MaxQuant environment.

PubMed

Cox, Jürgen; Neuhauser, Nadin; Michalski, Annette; Scheltema, Richard A; Olsen, Jesper V; Mann, Matthias

2011-04-01

A key step in mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics is the identification of peptides in sequence databases by their fragmentation spectra. Here we describe Andromeda, a novel peptide search engine using a probabilistic scoring model. On proteome data, Andromeda performs as well as Mascot, a widely used commercial search engine, as judged by sensitivity and specificity analysis based on target decoy searches. Furthermore, it can handle data with arbitrarily high fragment mass accuracy, is able to assign and score complex patterns of post-translational modifications, such as highly phosphorylated peptides, and accommodates extremely large databases. The algorithms of Andromeda are provided. Andromeda can function independently or as an integrated search engine of the widely used MaxQuant computational proteomics platform and both are freely available at www.maxquant.org. The combination enables analysis of large data sets in a simple analysis workflow on a desktop computer. For searching individual spectra Andromeda is also accessible via a web server. We demonstrate the flexibility of the system by implementing the capability to identify cofragmented peptides, significantly improving the total number of identified peptides.

[Estimation of efficacy of the ozone-quant therapy in prophylaxis and treatment of the purulent-necrotic complications of pancreatic pseudocysts].

PubMed

Hazdiuk, P V

2009-01-01

There were analyzed the tactics and the results of 132 patients complex surgical treatment , suffering pancreatic gland pseudocysts (PGP). The original method of the ozone-quant therapy (OQTH), using biophysical factors, such as the ozonized solution of sodium chloride and low-intensity laser irradiation, was applied for prophylaxis and treatment of PGP purulent-necrotic complications (PNC). The data obtained, witness about efficacy of the proposed OQTH method in prophylaxis and treatment of PGP PNC.

Comparison of three multiplex cytokine analysis systems: Luminex, SearchLight and FAST Quant.

PubMed

Lash, Gendie E; Scaife, Paula J; Innes, Barbara A; Otun, Harry A; Robson, Steven C; Searle, Roger F; Bulmer, Judith N

2006-02-20

Multiplex cytokine analysis technologies have become readily available in the last five years. Two main formats exist: multiplex sandwich ELISA and bead based assays. While these have each been compared to individual ELISAs, there has been no direct comparison between the two formats. We report here the comparison of two multiplex sandwich ELISA procedures (FAST Quant and SearchLight) and a bead based assay (UpState Luminex). All three kits differed from each other for different analytes and there was no clear pattern of one system giving systematically different results than another for any analyte studied. We suggest that each system has merits and several factors including range of analytes available, prospect of development of new analytes, dynamic range of the assay, sensitivity of the assay, cost of equipment, cost of consumables, ease of use and ease of data analysis need to be considered when choosing a system for use. We also suggest that results obtained from different systems cannot be combined.

Early evaluation of radiation-induced parotid damage in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma by T2 mapping and mDIXON Quant imaging: initial findings.

PubMed

Zhou, Nan; Chu, Chen; Dou, Xin; Chen, Weibo; He, Jian; Yan, Jing; Zhou, Zhengyang; Yang, Xiaofeng

2018-02-08

Radiation-induced parotid damage is a common complication in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with radiotherapy to head and neck region, which severely reduce the life quality of those patients. The aim of this study was to early evaluate the changes of irradiated parotid glands with T2 mapping and mDIXON Quant imaging. Forty-one patients with NPC underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging for nasopharynx and neck, and T2 mapping and mDIXON Quant imaging for bilateral parotid glands within 2 weeks before radiotherapy (pre-RT), 5 weeks after the beginning of radiotherapy (mid-RT), and 4 weeks after radiotherapy (post-RT). Parotid volume, T2 values, fat fraction (FF) values, and mean radiation dose were recorded and analyzed. From pre-RT to mid-RT, parotid volume decreased (atrophy rate, 27.0 ± 11.5%), while parotid T2 and FF values increased (change rate, 6.0 ± 6.2% for T2 value and 9.1 ± 9.9% for FF value) significantly. From mid-RT to post-RT, parotid T2 value continuously increased (change rate, 4.6 ± 7.7%), but parotid FF value decreased (change rate, - 9.9 ± 18.2%) significantly. Change rate of parotid T2 value significantly correlated with parotid atrophy rate from pre-RT to post-RT (r = 0.313, P = 0.027). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that parotid T2 value (standardized coefficient [SC] = - 0.259, P = 0.001) and FF value (SC = - 0.320, P = 0.014) negatively correlated with parotid volume, while parotid T2 value positively correlated with MR scan time point (SC = 0.476, P = 0.001) significantly. Parotid T2 and FF values showed excellent reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.935-0.992). T2 mapping and mDIXON Quant imaging is useful for noninvasive evaluation of radiation-induced parotid damage.

Reproducibility of straylight measurement by C-Quant for assessment of retinal straylight using the compensation comparison method.

PubMed

Guber, Ivo; Bachmann, Lucas M; Guber, Josef; Bochmann, Frank; Lange, Alex P; Thiel, Michael A

2011-09-01

Straylight gives the appearance of a veil of light thrown over a person's retinal image when there is a strong light source present. We examined the reproducibility of the measurements by C-Quant, and assessed its correlation to characteristics of the eye and subjects' age. Five repeated straylight measurements were taken using the dominant eye of 45 healthy subjects (age 21-59) with a BCVA of 20/20: 14 emmetropic, 16 myopic, eight hyperopic and seven with astigmatism. We assessed the extent of reproducibility of straylight measures using the intraclass correlation coefficient. The mean straylight value of all measurements was 1.01 (SD 0.23, median 0.97, interquartile range 0.85-1.1). Per 10 years of age, straylight increased in average by 0.10 (95%CI 0.04 to 0.16, p < 0.01]. We found no independent association of refraction (range -5.25 dpt to +2 dpt) on straylight values (0.001; 95%CI -0.022 to 0.024, p = 0.92). Compared to emmetropic subjects, myopia reduced straylight (-.011; -0.024 to 0.02, p = 0.11), whereas higher straylight values (0.09; -0.01 to 0.20, p = 0.09) were observed in subjects with blue irises as compared to dark-colored irises when correcting for age. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of repeated measurements was 0.83 (95%CI 0.76 to 0.90). Our study showed that straylight measurements with the C-Quant had a high reproducibility, i.e. a lack of large intra-observer variability, making it appropriate to be applied in long-term follow-up studies assessing the long-term effect of surgical procedures on the quality of vision.

Principles of quasi-equivalence and Euclidean geometry govern the assembly of cubic and dodecahedral cores of pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes.

PubMed

Izard, T; Aevarsson, A; Allen, M D; Westphal, A H; Perham, R N; de Kok, A; Hol, W G

1999-02-16

The pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (Mr of 5-10 million) is assembled around a structural core formed of multiple copies of dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase (E2p), which exhibits the shape of either a cube or a dodecahedron, depending on the source. The crystal structures of the 60-meric dihydrolipoyl acyltransferase cores of Bacillus stearothermophilus and Enterococcus faecalis pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes were determined and revealed a remarkably hollow dodecahedron with an outer diameter of approximately 237 A, 12 large openings of approximately 52 A diameter across the fivefold axes, and an inner cavity with a diameter of approximately 118 A. Comparison of cubic and dodecahedral E2p assemblies shows that combining the principles of quasi-equivalence formulated by Caspar and Klug [Caspar, D. L. & Klug, A. (1962) Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 27, 1-4] with strict Euclidean geometric considerations results in predictions of the major features of the E2p dodecahedron matching the observed features almost exactly.

GeneXpert HIV-1 quant assay, a new tool for scale up of viral load monitoring in the success of ART programme in India.

PubMed

Kulkarni, Smita; Jadhav, Sushama; Khopkar, Priyanka; Sane, Suvarna; Londhe, Rajkumar; Chimanpure, Vaishali; Dhilpe, Veronica; Ghate, Manisha; Yelagate, Rajendra; Panchal, Narayan; Rahane, Girish; Kadam, Dilip; Gaikwad, Nitin; Rewari, Bharat; Gangakhedkar, Raman

2017-07-21

Recent WHO guidelines identify virologic monitoring for diagnosing and confirming ART failure. In view of this, validation and scale up of point of care viral load technologies is essential in resource limited settings. A systematic validation of the GeneXpert® HIV-1 Quant assay (a point-of-care technology) in view of scaling up HIV-1 viral load in India to monitor the success of national ART programme was carried out. Two hundred nineteen plasma specimens falling in nine viral load ranges (<40 to >5 L copies/ml) were tested by the Abbott m2000rt Real Time and GeneXpert HIV-1 Quant assays. Additionally, 20 seronegative; 16 stored specimens and 10 spiked controls were also tested. Statistical analysis was done using Stata/IC and sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and %misclassification rates were calculated as per DHSs/AISs, WHO, NACO cut-offs for virological failure. The GeneXpert assay compared well with the Abbott assay with a higher sensitivity (97%), specificity (97-100%) and concordance (91.32%). The correlation between two assays (r = 0.886) was statistically significant (p < 0.01), the linear regression showed a moderate fit (R 2  = 0.784) and differences were within limits of agreement. Reproducibility showed an average variation of 4.15 and 3.52% while Lower limit of detection (LLD) and Upper limit of detection (ULD) were 42 and 1,740,000 copies/ml respectively. The misclassification rates for three viral load cut offs were not statistically different (p = 0.736). All seronegative samples were negative and viral loads of the stored samples showed a good fit (R 2  = 0.896 to 0.982). The viral load results of GeneXpert HIV-1 Quant assay compared well with Abbott HIV-1 m2000 Real Time PCR; suggesting its use as a Point of care assay for viral load estimation in resource limited settings. Its ease of performance and rapidity will aid in timely diagnosis of ART failures, integrated HIV-TB management and will facilitate the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target.

Performance evaluation of the Roche Tina-quant Cystatin C assay and reference interval for cystatin C in healthy blood donors.

PubMed

Erlandsen, Erland J; Randers, Else

2010-07-01

To evaluate the performance of the Roche Diagnostics Tina-quant Cystatin C particle enhanced immuno turbidimetric assay for the measurement of plasma and serum cystatin C, and to establish reference intervals for cystatin C in healthy blood donors. The cystatin C measurements were performed on the Roche Modular Analytics P automated clinical chemistry analyzer. The cystatin C assay was linear in the measuring range 0.40-7.00 mg/L. Within-run CVs < or = 2.0%, between-run CVs < or = 4.2%, and total CVs < or = 5.5% in plasma pools and in commercial cystatin C control materials (range 1.0-4.7 mg/L). Recovery was 99.4-109.3%. No interference was detected from haemoglobin < 0.9 mmol/L, bilirubin < 330 micromol/L and Intralipid < 20 g/L. Measurement of cystatin C in Li-heparin plasma did not differ significantly from cystatin C measured in serum. Forty patient samples run on the Modular Analytics P (y) were compared to the Siemens Cystatin C assay on the BN II (x): y = 0.817x + 0.270, Sy.x = 0.168 (Deming regression). The non-parametric reference interval for cystatin C was calculated to be 0.41-0.91 mg/L in females (n = 86), and 0.43-0.94 mg/L in males (n = 76). The Mann-Whitney U test showed a significant difference between the two genders (p = 0.015), but the difference was without clinical relevance. A common reference interval for both genders (n = 162) was calculated to be 0.41-0.92 mg/L. The performance of the Tina-quant Cystatin C assay was acceptable for clinical use.

Matrix effect and cross-reactivity of select amphetamine-type substances, designer analogues, and putrefactive amines using the Bio-Quant direct ELISA presumptive assays for amphetamine and methamphetamine.

PubMed

Apollonio, Luigino G; Whittall, Ian R; Pianca, Dennis J; Kyd, Jennelle M; Maher, William A

2007-05-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Bio-Quant Direct ELISA assays for amphetamine and methamphetamine in the routine presumptive screening of biological fluids. Standard concentration curves of the target analytes were assayed to assess sensitivity, and known concentrations of common amphetamine-type substances (ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phentermine), designer analogues (MDA, MDMA, MDEA, MBDB, PMA, 4-MTA, 2CB), and putrefactive amines (phenylethylamine, putrescine, tryptamine, tyramine) were analyzed to determine cross-reactivity. Results of the standard curve studies show the capacity of both Direct ELISA kits to confidently detect down to 3 ng/mL interday (PBS matrix; CVs 6.3-15.5%). Cross-reactivity relative to that of 50 ng/mL preparations of the target compounds demonstrated that the Direct ELISA kit for amphetamine also detected MDA (282%), PMA (265%), 4-MTA (280%), and phentermine (61%), and the Direct ELISA for methamphetamine also assayed positive for MDMA (73%), MDEA (18%), pseudoephedrine (19%), MBDB (8%), and ephedrine (9%). Matrix studies demonstrated that both ELISA kits could be applied to screening of blood, urine, and saliva to a concentration of 6 ng/mL or lower. In conclusion, the Bio-Quant Direct ELISA kits for amphetamine and methamphetamine are fast and accurate and have demonstrated themselves to be useful tools in routine toxicological testing.

Corrigendum to "CSigma graphs: A new approach for plasma characterization in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy" [J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 149 (2014) 90-102

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aragón, C.; Aguilera, J. A.

2015-07-01

The authors regret that Tables 2 and 5 provided in the concerned paper contain erroneous values for the line cross section σl. The correct data are listed in the following tables. Also, the σl values in Tables 4 and 6 are calculated for T=14,000 K and Ne=2.5×1017 cm-3, instead of the T, Ne values indicated in the table footnotes. These corrections do not change the results presented in the manuscript J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 149 (2014) 90-102.

ComplexQuant: high-throughput computational pipeline for the global quantitative analysis of endogenous soluble protein complexes using high resolution protein HPLC and precision label-free LC/MS/MS.

PubMed

Wan, Cuihong; Liu, Jian; Fong, Vincent; Lugowski, Andrew; Stoilova, Snejana; Bethune-Waddell, Dylan; Borgeson, Blake; Havugimana, Pierre C; Marcotte, Edward M; Emili, Andrew

2013-04-09

The experimental isolation and characterization of stable multi-protein complexes are essential to understanding the molecular systems biology of a cell. To this end, we have developed a high-throughput proteomic platform for the systematic identification of native protein complexes based on extensive fractionation of soluble protein extracts by multi-bed ion exchange high performance liquid chromatography (IEX-HPLC) combined with exhaustive label-free LC/MS/MS shotgun profiling. To support these studies, we have built a companion data analysis software pipeline, termed ComplexQuant. Proteins present in the hundreds of fractions typically collected per experiment are first identified by exhaustively interrogating MS/MS spectra using multiple database search engines within an integrative probabilistic framework, while accounting for possible post-translation modifications. Protein abundance is then measured across the fractions based on normalized total spectral counts and precursor ion intensities using a dedicated tool, PepQuant. This analysis allows co-complex membership to be inferred based on the similarity of extracted protein co-elution profiles. Each computational step has been optimized for processing large-scale biochemical fractionation datasets, and the reliability of the integrated pipeline has been benchmarked extensively. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: From protein structures to clinical applications. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Find Pairs: The Module for Protein Quantification of the PeakQuant Software Suite

PubMed Central

Eisenacher, Martin; Kohl, Michael; Wiese, Sebastian; Hebeler, Romano; Meyer, Helmut E.

2012-01-01

Abstract Accurate quantification of proteins is one of the major tasks in current proteomics research. To address this issue, a wide range of stable isotope labeling techniques have been developed, allowing one to quantitatively study thousands of proteins by means of mass spectrometry. In this article, the FindPairs module of the PeakQuant software suite is detailed. It facilitates the automatic determination of protein abundance ratios based on the automated analysis of stable isotope-coded mass spectrometric data. Furthermore, it implements statistical methods to determine outliers due to biological as well as technical variance of proteome data obtained in replicate experiments. This provides an important means to evaluate the significance in obtained protein expression data. For demonstrating the high applicability of FindPairs, we focused on the quantitative analysis of proteome data acquired in 14N/15N labeling experiments. We further provide a comprehensive overview of the features of the FindPairs software, and compare these with existing quantification packages. The software presented here supports a wide range of proteomics applications, allowing one to quantitatively assess data derived from different stable isotope labeling approaches, such as 14N/15N labeling, SILAC, and iTRAQ. The software is publicly available at http://www.medizinisches-proteom-center.de/software and free for academic use. PMID:22909347

Evoked Potentials and Memory/Cognition Tests Validate Brain Atrophy as Measured by 3T MRI (NeuroQuant) in Cognitively Impaired Patients.

PubMed

Braverman, Eric R; Blum, Kenneth; Hussman, Karl L; Han, David; Dushaj, Kristina; Li, Mona; Marin, Gabriela; Badgaiyan, Rajendra D; Smayda, Richard; Gold, Mark S

2015-01-01

To our knowledge, this is the largest study evaluating relationships between 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and P300 and memory/cognitive tests in the literature. The 3T MRI using NeuroQuant has an increased resolution 15 times that of 1.5T MRI. Utilizing NeuroQuant 3T MRI as a diagnostic tool in primary care, subjects (N=169; 19-90 years) displayed increased areas of anatomical atrophy: 34.62% hippocampal atrophy (N=54), 57.14% central atrophy (N=88), and 44.52% temporal atrophy (N=69). A majority of these patients exhibited overlap in measured areas of atrophy and were cognitively impaired. These results positively correlated with decreased P300 values and WMS-III (WMS-III) scores differentially across various brain loci. Delayed latency (p=0.0740) was marginally associated with temporal atrophy; reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in frontal lobes correlated with aging, delayed P300 latency, and decreased visual and working memory (p=0.0115). Aging and delayed P300 latency correlated with lower FA. The correlation between working memory and reduced FA in frontal lobes is marginally significant (p=0.0787). In the centrum semiovale (CS), reduced FA correlated with visual memory (p=0.0622). Lower demyelination correlated with higher P300 amplitude (p=0.0002). Compared to males, females have higher demyelination (p=0.0064). Along these lines, the higher the P300 amplitude, the lower the bilateral atrophy (p=0.0165). Hippocampal atrophy correlated with increased auditory memory and gender, especially in males (p=0.0087). In considering temporal lobe atrophy correlations: delayed P300 latency and high temporal atrophy (p=0.0740); high auditory memory and low temporal atrophy (p=0.0417); and high working memory and low temporal atrophy (p=0.0166). Central atrophy correlated with aging and immediate memory (p=0.0294): the higher the immediate memory, the lower the central atrophy. Generally, the validation of brain atrophy by P300 and WMS-III could lead to cost

Evoked Potentials and Memory/Cognition Tests Validate Brain Atrophy as Measured by 3T MRI (NeuroQuant) in Cognitively Impaired Patients

PubMed Central

Braverman, Eric R.; Blum, Kenneth; Hussman, Karl L.; Han, David; Dushaj, Kristina; Li, Mona; Marin, Gabriela; Badgaiyan, Rajendra D.; Smayda, Richard; Gold, Mark S.

2015-01-01

To our knowledge, this is the largest study evaluating relationships between 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and P300 and memory/cognitive tests in the literature. The 3T MRI using NeuroQuant has an increased resolution 15 times that of 1.5T MRI. Utilizing NeuroQuant 3T MRI as a diagnostic tool in primary care, subjects (N=169; 19–90 years) displayed increased areas of anatomical atrophy: 34.62% hippocampal atrophy (N=54), 57.14% central atrophy (N=88), and 44.52% temporal atrophy (N=69). A majority of these patients exhibited overlap in measured areas of atrophy and were cognitively impaired. These results positively correlated with decreased P300 values and WMS-III (WMS-III) scores differentially across various brain loci. Delayed latency (p=0.0740) was marginally associated with temporal atrophy; reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in frontal lobes correlated with aging, delayed P300 latency, and decreased visual and working memory (p=0.0115). Aging and delayed P300 latency correlated with lower FA. The correlation between working memory and reduced FA in frontal lobes is marginally significant (p=0.0787). In the centrum semiovale (CS), reduced FA correlated with visual memory (p=0.0622). Lower demyelination correlated with higher P300 amplitude (p=0.0002). Compared to males, females have higher demyelination (p=0.0064). Along these lines, the higher the P300 amplitude, the lower the bilateral atrophy (p=0.0165). Hippocampal atrophy correlated with increased auditory memory and gender, especially in males (p=0.0087). In considering temporal lobe atrophy correlations: delayed P300 latency and high temporal atrophy (p=0.0740); high auditory memory and low temporal atrophy (p=0.0417); and high working memory and low temporal atrophy (p=0.0166). Central atrophy correlated with aging and immediate memory (p=0.0294): the higher the immediate memory, the lower the central atrophy. Generally, the validation of brain atrophy by P300 and WMS-III could lead to cost

High correlations between MRI brain volume measurements based on NeuroQuant® and FreeSurfer.

PubMed

Ross, David E; Ochs, Alfred L; Tate, David F; Tokac, Umit; Seabaugh, John; Abildskov, Tracy J; Bigler, Erin D

2018-05-30

NeuroQuant ® (NQ) and FreeSurfer (FS) are commonly used computer-automated programs for measuring MRI brain volume. Previously they were reported to have high intermethod reliabilities but often large intermethod effect size differences. We hypothesized that linear transformations could be used to reduce the large effect sizes. This study was an extension of our previously reported study. We performed NQ and FS brain volume measurements on 60 subjects (including normal controls, patients with traumatic brain injury, and patients with Alzheimer's disease). We used two statistical approaches in parallel to develop methods for transforming FS volumes into NQ volumes: traditional linear regression, and Bayesian linear regression. For both methods, we used regression analyses to develop linear transformations of the FS volumes to make them more similar to the NQ volumes. The FS-to-NQ transformations based on traditional linear regression resulted in effect sizes which were small to moderate. The transformations based on Bayesian linear regression resulted in all effect sizes being trivially small. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing a method for transforming FS to NQ data so as to achieve high reliability and low effect size differences. Machine learning methods like Bayesian regression may be more useful than traditional methods. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel method to detect microRNAs using chip-based QuantStudio 3D digital PCR.

PubMed

Conte, Davide; Verri, Carla; Borzi, Cristina; Suatoni, Paola; Pastorino, Ugo; Sozzi, Gabriella; Fortunato, Orazio

2015-10-23

Research efforts for the management of cancer, in particular for lung cancer, are directed to identify new strategies for its early detection. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new promising class of circulating biomarkers for cancer detection, but lack of consensus on data normalization methods has affected the diagnostic potential of circulating miRNAs. There is a growing interest in techniques that allow an absolute quantification of miRNAs which could be useful for early diagnosis. Recently, digital PCR, mainly based on droplets generation, emerged as an affordable technology for precise and absolute quantification of nucleic acids. In this work, we described a new interesting approach for profiling circulating miRNAs in plasma samples using a chip-based platform, the QuantStudio 3D digital PCR. The proposed method was validated using synthethic oligonucleotide at serial dilutions in plasma samples of lung cancer patients and in lung tissues and cell lines. Given its reproducibility and reliability, our approach could be potentially applied for the identification and quantification of miRNAs in other biological samples such as circulating exosomes or protein complexes. As chip-digital PCR becomes more established, it would be a robust tool for quantitative assessment of miRNA copy number for diagnosis of lung cancer and other diseases.

Genetics Home Reference: ethylmalonic encephalopathy

MedlinePlus

... Tiranti V, Zeviani M. Altered sulfide (H(2)S) metabolism in ethylmalonic encephalopathy. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2013 Jan 1;5(1):a011437. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a011437. Review. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central More from Genetics Home Reference ...

Psychophysics, reliability, and norm values for temporal contrast sensitivity implemented on the two alternative forced choice C-Quant device.

PubMed

van den Berg, Thomas J T P; Franssen, Luuk; Kruijt, Bastiaan; Coppens, Joris E

2011-08-01

The current paper describes the design and population testing of a flicker sensitivity assessment technique corresponding to the psychophysical approach for straylight measurement. The purpose is twofold: to check the subjects' capability to perform the straylight test and as a test for retinal integrity for other purposes. The test was implemented in the Oculus C-Quant straylight meter, using homemade software (MATLAB). The geometry of the visual field lay-out was identical, as was the subjects' 2AFC task. A comparable reliability criterion ("unc") was developed. Outcome measure was logTCS (temporal contrast sensitivity). The population test was performed in science fair settings on about 400 subjects. Moreover, 2 subjects underwent extensive tests to check whether optical defects, mimicked with trial lenses and scatter filters, affected the TCS outcome. Repeated measures standard deviation was 0.11 log units for the reference population. Normal values for logTCS were around 2 (threshold 1%) with some dependence on age (range 6 to 85 years). The test outcome did not change upon a tenfold (optical) deterioration in visual acuity or straylight. The test has adequate precision for checking a subject's capability to perform straylight assessment. The unc reliability criterion ensures sufficient precision, also for assessment of retinal sensitivity loss.

EDITORIAL: Adaptive and active materials: Selected papers from the ASME 2010 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 10) (Philadelphia, PA, USA, 28 September-1 October 2010) Adaptive and active materials: Selected papers from the ASME 2010 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 10) (Philadelphia, PA, USA, 28 September-1 October 2010)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brei, Diann

2011-09-01

The third annual meeting of the AMSE/AIAA Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems Conference (SMASIS) took place in the heart of historic Philadelphia's cultural district, and included a pioneer banquet in the National Constitutional Center. The applications emphasis of the 2010 conference was reflected in keynote talks by Dr Alan Taub, vice president of General Motors global research and development, 'Smart materials in the automotive industry'; Dr Charles R Farrar, engineering institute leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory, 'Future directions for structural health monitoring of civil engineering infrastructure'; and Professor Christopher S Lynch of the University of California Los Angeles, 'Ferroelectric materials and their applications'. The SMASIS conference was divided into six technical symposia each of which included basic research, applied technological design and development, and industrial and governmental integrated system and application demonstrations. The six symposia were: SYMP 1 Multifunctional Materials; SYMP 2 Active Materials, Mechanics and Behavior; SYMP 3 Modeling, Simulation and Control; SYMP 4 Enabling Technologies and Integrated System Design; SYMP 5 Structural Health Monitoring/NDE; and SYMP 6 Bio-inspired Smart Materials and Structures. In addition, the conference introduced a new student and young professional development symposium. Authors of papers in the materials areas (symposia 1, 2 and 6) were invited to write a full journal article on their presentation topic for publication in this special issue of Smart Materials and Structures. This set of papers demonstrates the exceptional quality and originality of the conference presentations. We are appreciative of their efforts in producing this collection of highly relevant articles on smart materials.

77 FR 39573 - Additional Designations, Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-03

..., Ali Houssein (a.k.a. HARB, Ali Hussein), Calle 10A No. 11-63, Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia; Calle 13... to the Kingpin Act: SALEH, Ali Mohamad, c/o ALMACEN BATUL; c/o COMERCIAL ESTILO Y MODA; DOB 1 Jan 1974; Cedula No. 1124006380 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNTK]. The listing appears as follows: SALEH, Ali...

The Influence of Foreign Scripts on the Acquisition of a Second Language Phonological Contrast

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathieu, Lionel

2016-01-01

Recent studies in the acquisition of a second language (L2) phonology have revealed that orthography can influence the way in which L2 learners come to establish target-like lexical representations (Escudero et al., 2008, 2014; Escudero and Wanrooij, 2010; Showalter, 2012; Showalter and Hayes-Harb, 2013). Most of these studies, however, involve…

Adaptive and active materials: selected papers from the ASME 2013 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 13) (Snowbird, UT, USA, 16-18 September 2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Nancy; Naguib, Hani; Turner, Travis; Anderson, Iain; Bassiri-Gharb, Nazanin; Daqaq, Mohammed; Baba Sundaresan, Vishnu; Sarles, Andy

2014-10-01

The sixth annual meeting of the ASME Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems Conference (SMASIS) was held in the beautiful mountain encircled Snowbird Resort and Conference Center in Little Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the conference's objective to provide an up-to-date overview of research trends in the entire field of smart materials systems in a friendly casual forum conducive to the exchange of ideas and latest results. As each year we strive to grow and offer new experiences, this year we included special focused topic tracks on nanoscale multiferroic materials and origami engineering. The cross-disciplinary emphasis was reflected in keynote speeches by Professor Kaushik Bhattacharya (California Institute of Technology) on 'Cyclic Deformation and the Interplay between Phase Transformation and Plasticity in Shape Memory Alloys', by Professor Alison Flatau (University of Maryland at College Park) on 'Structural Magnetostrictive Alloys: The Other Smart Material', and by Dr Leslie Momoda (Director of the Sensors and Materials Laboratories, HRL Laboratories, LLC, Malibu, CA) on 'Architecturing New Functional Materials: An Industrial Perspective'. SMASIS 2013 was divided into seven symposia which span basic research, applied technological design and development, and industrial and governmental integrated system and application demonstrations. SYMP 1. Development and Characterization of Multifunctional Materials. SYMP 2. Mechanics and Behavior of Active Materials. SYMP 3. Modeling, Simulation and Control of Adaptive Systems. SYMP 4. Integrated System Design and Implementation. SYMP 5. Structural Health Monitoring. SYMP 6. Bioinspired Smart Materials and Systems. SYMP 7. Energy Harvesting. Authors of selected papers in the materials areas (symposia 1, 2, and 6) as well as energy harvesting (symposium 7) were invited to write a full journal article on their presentation topic for publication in this special issue of Smart

Advanced Visual and Instruction Systems for Maintenance Support (AVIS-MS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

Hayashi , "Augmentable Reality: Situated Communication through Physical and Digital Spaces," Proc. 2nd Int’l Symp. Wearable Computers, IEEE CS Press...H. Ohno , "An Optical See-through Display for Mutual Occlusion of Real and Virtual Environments," Proc. Int’l Symp. Augmented Reality 2000 (ISARO0

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of working memory in Huntington's disease: cross-sectional data from the IMAGE-HD study.

PubMed

Georgiou-Karistianis, Nellie; Stout, Julie C; Domínguez D, Juan F; Carron, Sarah P; Ando, Ayaka; Churchyard, Andrew; Chua, Phyllis; Bohanna, India; Dymowski, Alicia R; Poudel, Govinda; Egan, Gary F

2014-05-01

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate spatial working memory (WM) in an N-BACK task (0, 1, and 2-BACK) in premanifest Huntington's disease (pre-HD, n = 35), early symptomatic Huntington's disease (symp-HD, n = 23), and control (n = 32) individuals. Overall, both WM conditions (1-BACK and 2-BACK) activated a large network of regions throughout the brain, common to all groups. However, voxel-wise and time-course analyses revealed significant functional group differences, despite no significant behavioral performance differences. During 1-BACK, voxel-wise blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal activity was significantly reduced in a number of regions from the WM network (inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, caudate, putamen, and cerebellum) in pre-HD and symp-HD groups, compared with controls; however, time-course analysis of the BOLD response in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) showed increased activation in symp-HD, compared with pre-HD and controls. The pattern of reduced voxel-wise BOLD activity in pre-HD and symp-HD, relative to controls, became more pervasive during 2-BACK affecting the same structures as in 1-BACK, but also incorporated further WM regions (anterior cingulate gyrus, parietal lobe and thalamus). The DLPFC BOLD time-course for 2-BACK showed a reversed pattern to that observed in 1-BACK, with a significantly diminished signal in symp-HD, relative to pre-HD and controls. Our findings provide support for functional brain reorganisation in cortical and subcortical regions in both pre-HD and symp-HD, which are modulated by task difficulty. Moreover, the lack of a robust striatal BOLD signal in pre-HD may represent a very early signature of change observed up to 15 years prior to clinical diagnosis. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluation of Hologic Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay on the Panther System on HIV Subtypes

PubMed Central

Hack, Holly R.; Nair, Sangeetha V.; Worlock, Andrew; Malia, Jennifer A.; Peel, Sheila A.; Jagodzinski, Linda L.

2016-01-01

Quantitation of the HIV-1 viral load in plasma is the current standard of care for clinical monitoring of HIV-infected individuals undergoing antiretroviral therapy. This study evaluated the analytical and clinical performances of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Hologic, San Diego, CA) for monitoring viral load by using 277 well-characterized subtype samples, including 171 cultured virus isolates and 106 plasma samples from 35 countries, representing all major HIV subtypes, recombinants, and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) currently in circulation worldwide. Linearity of the Aptima assay was tested on each of 6 major HIV-1 subtypes (A, B, C, D, CRF01_AE, and CRF02_AG) and demonstrated an R2 value of ≥0.996. The performance of the Aptima assay was also compared to those of the Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 v.2 (CAP/CTM) and Abbott m2000 RealTime HIV-1 (RealTime) assays on all subtype samples. The Aptima assay values averaged 0.21 log higher than the CAP/CTM values and 0.30 log higher than the RealTime values, and the values were >0.4 log higher than CAP/CTM values for subtypes F and G and than RealTime values for subtypes C, F, and G and CRF02_AG. Two samples demonstrated results with >1-log differences from RealTime results. When the data were adjusted by the average difference, 94.9% and 87.0% of Aptima results fell within 0.5 log of the CAP/CTM and RealTime results, respectively. The linearity and accuracy of the Aptima assay in correctly quantitating all major HIV-1 subtypes, coupled with the completely automated format and high throughput of the Panther system, make this system well suited for reliable measurement of viral load in the clinical laboratory. PMID:27510829

Adaptive and active materials: selected papers from the ASME 2012 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 12) (Stone Mountain, GA, USA, 19-21 September 2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seelecke, Stefan; Erturk, Alper; Ounaies, Zoubeida; Naguib, Hani; Huber, John; Turner, Travis; Anderson, Iain; Philen, Michael; Baba Sundaresan, Vishnu

2013-09-01

The fifth annual meeting of the ASME/AIAA Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems Conference (SMASIS) was held in beautiful Stone Mountain near Atlanta, GA. It is the conference's objective to provide an up-to-date overview of research trends in the entire field of smart materials systems. This was reflected in keynote speeches by Professor Eduard Arzt (Institute of New Materials and Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany) on 'Micro-patterned artificial 'Gecko' surfaces: a path to switchable adhesive function', by Professor Ray H Baughman (The Alan G MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute, University of Texas at Dallas) on 'The diverse and growing family of carbon nanotube and related artificial muscles', and by Professor Richard James (University of Minnesota) on 'The direct conversion of heat to electricity using multiferroic materials with phase transformations'. SMASIS 2012 was divided into eight symposia which span basic research, applied technological design and development, and industrial and governmental integrated system and application demonstrations. • SYMP 1. Development and characterization of multifunctional materials. • SYMP 2. Mechanics and behavior of active materials. • SYMP 3. Modeling, simulation and control of adaptive systems. • SYMP 4. Integrated system design and implementation. • SYMP 5. Structural health monitoring/NDE. • SYMP 6. Bio-inspired materials and systems. • SYMP 7. Energy harvesting. • SYMP 8. Structural and materials logic. This year we were particularly excited to introduce a new symposium on energy harvesting, which has quickly matured from a special track in previous years to an independent symposium for the first time. The subject cuts across fields by studying different materials, ranging from piezoelectrics to electroactive polymers, as well as by emphasizing different energy sources from wind to waves and ambient vibrations. Modeling, experimental studies, and technology applications all

[Multisite validation of CDT measurement by the %CDT TIA and the Tina Quant %CDT kits].

PubMed

Boehrer, J L; Cano, Y; Capolaghi, B; Desch, G; Dosbaa, I; Estepa, L; Hennache, B; Schellenberg, F

2007-01-01

The measurement of CDT (Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin) is an essential biological tool in the diagnosis and follow-up of alcohol abuse. It is also employed as a marker of abstinence for the restitution of driving licences. However, the precision of measurement, and the between laboratory homogeneity of the results are still discussed. The ion exchange followed by immunodetermination of CDT is available in two products, the Tina Quant %CDT (Roche, Mannheim, Germany) and the %CDT TIA (Bio-Rad, Hercules, United States). This multicentre study was undertaken: 1) to evaluate the analytical characteristics of these kits and the homogeneity of the results from one laboratory to another, independently of the method used, 2) to validate the differences between the proposed normal values of both kits, 3) to study the possibility of using commercial control sera as external quality control. Four analytical systems were included in the study (Roche Modular/Hitachi 717, Beckman Coulter Immage and LX20, Dade Behring BNII). Determinations were carried out on pools of sera, commercial control sera, kit controls, and 30 serums of patients. These latter were also analyzed in capillary electrophoresis in order to establish correlations between the techniques. The calibrations were stable over one 2 weeks period. The repeatability of measurements spread out from 3,1% to 24,7%, for a mean value lower than 10%. The commercial control sera provided reliable results, with values adapted to a routine quality control use. The results of the Bio-Rad applications were lower by approximately 20% than those of the Roche application, which justifies the difference of the normal values (2,6% versus 3%), and an identical classification of the patients in at least 27 of the 30 samples. We conclude that the analytical quality of the compared techniques, even if it could be improved, is sufficient to guarantee a good reliability of the results. An external quality control could be proposed by

FIRST Quantum-(1980)-Computing DISCOVERY in Siegel-Rosen-Feynman-...A.-I. Neural-Networks: Artificial(ANN)/Biological(BNN) and Siegel FIRST Semantic-Web and Siegel FIRST ``Page''-``Brin'' ``PageRank'' PRE-Google Search-Engines!!!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosen, Charles; Siegel, Edward Carl-Ludwig; Feynman, Richard; Wunderman, Irwin; Smith, Adolph; Marinov, Vesco; Goldman, Jacob; Brine, Sergey; Poge, Larry; Schmidt, Erich; Young, Frederic; Goates-Bulmer, William-Steven; Lewis-Tsurakov-Altshuler, Thomas-Valerie-Genot; Ibm/Exxon Collaboration; Google/Uw Collaboration; Microsoft/Amazon Collaboration; Oracle/Sun Collaboration; Ostp/Dod/Dia/Nsa/W.-F./Boa/Ubs/Ub Collaboration

2013-03-01

Belew[Finding Out About, Cambridge(2000)] and separately full-decade pre-Page/Brin/Google FIRST Siegel-Rosen(Machine-Intelligence/Atherton)-Feynman-Smith-Marinov(Guzik Enterprises/Exxon-Enterprises/A.-I./Santa Clara)-Wunderman(H.-P.) [IBM Conf. on Computers and Mathematics, Stanford(1986); APS Mtgs.(1980s): Palo Alto/Santa Clara/San Francisco/...(1980s) MRS Spring-Mtgs.(1980s): Palo Alto/San Jose/San Francisco/...(1980-1992) FIRST quantum-computing via Bose-Einstein quantum-statistics(BEQS) Bose-Einstein CONDENSATION (BEC) in artificial-intelligence(A-I) artificial neural-networks(A-N-N) and biological neural-networks(B-N-N) and Siegel[J. Noncrystalline-Solids 40, 453(1980); Symp. on Fractals..., MRS Fall-Mtg., Boston(1989)-5-papers; Symp. on Scaling..., (1990); Symp. on Transport in Geometric-Constraint (1990)

Mechanisms of Cell Injury with Hepatotoxic Chemicals

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-05-01

McLean (1982), Dis- sociation of cell death from covalent binding of paracetamol by flavones in a hepatocyte system, Biochem. Pharmacol., 31:3745-3749...MacDonald, and R. D. HarbJson (1977), Effect of N-acetylcysteine on hepatic covalent binding of paracetamol (acetaminophen), Lancet, 1:657-658...Williams (1977), Paracetamol -induced hepatic necrosis in the mouse-relationship between covalent binding, hepatic glutathione depletion, and the

Evaluation of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay for HIV-1 RNA Quantitation in Different Biological Specimen Types

PubMed Central

Yek, Christina; Massanella, Marta; Peling, Tashi; Lednovich, Kristen; Nair, Sangeetha V.; Worlock, Andrew; Vargas, Milenka; Gianella, Sara; Ellis, Ronald J.; Strain, Matthew C.; Busch, Michael P.; Nugent, C. Thomas

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The search for a cure for HIV infection has highlighted the need for increasingly sensitive and precise assays to measure viral burden in various tissues and body fluids. We describe the application of a standardized assay for HIV-1 RNA in multiple specimen types. The fully automated Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Aptima assay) is FDA cleared for blood plasma HIV-1 RNA quantitation. In this study, the Aptima assay was applied for the quantitation of HIV RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs; n = 72), seminal plasma (n = 20), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF; n = 36), dried blood spots (DBS; n = 104), and dried plasma spots (DPS; n = 104). The Aptima assay was equivalent to or better than commercial assays or validated in-house assays for the quantitation of HIV RNA in CSF and seminal plasma. For PBMC specimens, the sensitivity of the Aptima assay in the detection of HIV RNA decayed as background uninfected PBMC counts increased; proteinase K treatment demonstrated some benefit in restoring signal at higher levels of background PBMCs. Finally, the Aptima assay yielded 100% detection rates of DBS in participants with plasma HIV RNA levels of ≥35 copies/ml and 100% detection rates of DPS in participants with plasma HIV RNA levels of ≥394 copies/ml. The Aptima assay can be applied to a variety of specimens from HIV-infected subjects to measure HIV RNA for studies of viral persistence and cure strategies. It can also detect HIV in dried blood and plasma specimens, which may be of benefit in resource-limited settings. PMID:28592548

Evaluation of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay for HIV-1 RNA Quantitation in Different Biological Specimen Types.

PubMed

Yek, Christina; Massanella, Marta; Peling, Tashi; Lednovich, Kristen; Nair, Sangeetha V; Worlock, Andrew; Vargas, Milenka; Gianella, Sara; Ellis, Ronald J; Strain, Matthew C; Busch, Michael P; Nugent, C Thomas; Richman, Douglas D

2017-08-01

The search for a cure for HIV infection has highlighted the need for increasingly sensitive and precise assays to measure viral burden in various tissues and body fluids. We describe the application of a standardized assay for HIV-1 RNA in multiple specimen types. The fully automated Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Aptima assay) is FDA cleared for blood plasma HIV-1 RNA quantitation. In this study, the Aptima assay was applied for the quantitation of HIV RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs; n = 72), seminal plasma ( n = 20), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF; n = 36), dried blood spots (DBS; n = 104), and dried plasma spots (DPS; n = 104). The Aptima assay was equivalent to or better than commercial assays or validated in-house assays for the quantitation of HIV RNA in CSF and seminal plasma. For PBMC specimens, the sensitivity of the Aptima assay in the detection of HIV RNA decayed as background uninfected PBMC counts increased; proteinase K treatment demonstrated some benefit in restoring signal at higher levels of background PBMCs. Finally, the Aptima assay yielded 100% detection rates of DBS in participants with plasma HIV RNA levels of ≥35 copies/ml and 100% detection rates of DPS in participants with plasma HIV RNA levels of ≥394 copies/ml. The Aptima assay can be applied to a variety of specimens from HIV-infected subjects to measure HIV RNA for studies of viral persistence and cure strategies. It can also detect HIV in dried blood and plasma specimens, which may be of benefit in resource-limited settings.

Evaluation of Hologic Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay on the Panther System on HIV Subtypes.

PubMed

Manak, Mark M; Hack, Holly R; Nair, Sangeetha V; Worlock, Andrew; Malia, Jennifer A; Peel, Sheila A; Jagodzinski, Linda L

2016-10-01

Quantitation of the HIV-1 viral load in plasma is the current standard of care for clinical monitoring of HIV-infected individuals undergoing antiretroviral therapy. This study evaluated the analytical and clinical performances of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Hologic, San Diego, CA) for monitoring viral load by using 277 well-characterized subtype samples, including 171 cultured virus isolates and 106 plasma samples from 35 countries, representing all major HIV subtypes, recombinants, and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) currently in circulation worldwide. Linearity of the Aptima assay was tested on each of 6 major HIV-1 subtypes (A, B, C, D, CRF01_AE, and CRF02_AG) and demonstrated an R(2) value of ≥0.996. The performance of the Aptima assay was also compared to those of the Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 v.2 (CAP/CTM) and Abbott m2000 RealTime HIV-1 (RealTime) assays on all subtype samples. The Aptima assay values averaged 0.21 log higher than the CAP/CTM values and 0.30 log higher than the RealTime values, and the values were >0.4 log higher than CAP/CTM values for subtypes F and G and than RealTime values for subtypes C, F, and G and CRF02_AG. Two samples demonstrated results with >1-log differences from RealTime results. When the data were adjusted by the average difference, 94.9% and 87.0% of Aptima results fell within 0.5 log of the CAP/CTM and RealTime results, respectively. The linearity and accuracy of the Aptima assay in correctly quantitating all major HIV-1 subtypes, coupled with the completely automated format and high throughput of the Panther system, make this system well suited for reliable measurement of viral load in the clinical laboratory. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Optimal Mass Transport for Statistical Estimation, Image Analysis, Information Geometry, and Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-10

Metric Uncertainty for Spectral Estimation based on Nevanlinna-Pick Interpolation, (with J. Karlsson) Intern. Symp. on the Math . Theory of Networks and...Systems, Melbourne 2012. 22. Geometric tools for the estimation of structured covariances, (with L. Ning, X. Jiang) Intern. Symposium on the Math . Theory...estimation and the reversibility of stochastic processes, (with Y. Chen, J. Karlsson) Proc. Int. Symp. on Math . Theory of Networks and Syst., July

Comparison of automated volumetry of the hippocampus using NeuroQuant® and visual assessment of the medial temporal lobe in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Persson, Karin; Barca, Maria Lage; Cavallin, Lena; Brækhus, Anne; Knapskog, Anne-Brita; Selbæk, Geir; Engedal, Knut

2017-01-01

Background Different clinically feasible methods for evaluation of medial temporal lobe atrophy exists and are useful in diagnostic work-up of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Purpose To compare the diagnostic properties of two clinically available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based methods-an automated volumetric software, NeuroQuant® (NQ) (evaluation of hippocampus volume) and the Scheltens scale (visual evaluation of medial temporal lobe atrophy [MTA])-in patients with AD dementia, and subjective and mild cognitive impairment (non-dementia). Material and Methods MRIs from 56 patients (31 AD, 25 non-dementia) were assessed with both methods. Correlations between the methods were calculated and receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses that yield area under the curve (AUC) statistics were conducted. Results High correlations were found between the two MRI assessments for the total hippocampal volume measured with NQ and mean MTA score (-0.753, P < 0.001), for the right (-0.767, P < 0.001), and for the left (-0.675, P < 0.001) sides. The NQ total measure yielded somewhat higher AUC (0.88, "good") compared to the MTA mean measure (0.80, "good") in the comparison of patients with AD and non-dementia, but the accuracy was in favor of the MTA scale. Conclusion The two methods correlated highly and both methods reached equally "good" power.

The Shock and Vibration Digest, Volume 18, Number 3

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-01

Linear Distributed Parameter Des., Proc. Intl. Symp., 11th ONR Naval Struc. Systems by Shifted Legendre Polynomial Func- Mech. Symp., Tucson, AZ, pp...University, Atlanta, Georgia nonlinear problems with elementary algebra . It J. Sound Vib., 102 (2), pp 247-257 (Sept 22, uses i = -1, the Pascal’s...eigenvalues specified. The optimal avoid failure due to resonance under the action control problem of a linear distributed parameter 0School of Mechanical

Targeting Midbodies in Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells as a Therapeutic Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-01

functional spindle assembly. Nat. Cell Biol. 13, 1406–1414. Ori-McKenney, K.M., Jan, L.Y., and Jan, Y.-N. (2012). Golgi outposts shape dendrite morphology...1899. Yadav, S., and Linstedt, A.D. (2011). Golgi positioning. Cold Spring Harb. Perspect . Biol. 3, 3. Zhang, H., Squirrell, J.M., and White, J.G. (2008...implications for recy- cling endosome function . This new liaison has additional impli- cations for a variety of biological processes including cilia

The Fruits of Adversity: Technical Refinements of the Turkish Composite Bow during the Crusading Era

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

armoured than any other contemporary foe faced by Muslim armies in the Middle East. Archeological evidence shows that an evolution took place from the...driven by the extended exposure of the Muslim warrior to the heavily armoured Western-soldier who employed the powerful crossbow as their primary missile...Fakhr-i Mudabbir’s Adab al Harb (Early Thirteenth Century)’, The Islamic Quarterly XVIIi (1974), pp. 76-99. Nicolle, David C., Arms and Armour of the

Corrigendum to "Global frequency and intensity analysis of the ν10 /ν7 /ν4 /ν12 band system of 12C2H4 at 10 μm using the D2 h top data system" [J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 182 (2016) 158-171

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alkadrou, A.; Bourgeois, M.-T.; Rotger, M.; Boudon, V.; Vander Auwera, J.

2017-03-01

This corrigendum provides a new version of one of the 3 supplementary data files associated with the article A. Alkadrou et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 182 (2016) 158-171, namely the HITRAN-formatted linelist generated as described in section 5 of the article. Indeed, the Ka and Kc labels of the upper levels of a number of transitions belonging to the ν10, ν7 and ν4 bands listed in this supplementary data file were found to be incorrect. The linelist provided with this corrigendum corrects these erroneous assignments, and provides Ka and Kc labels for all the upper levels.

Analytical characteristics and comparative evaluation of Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay with Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 test v2.0.

PubMed

Hatzakis, Angelos; Papachristou, Helen; Nair, Sangeetha J; Fortunko, Jacqueline; Foote, Tracy; Kim, HeeCheol; Peling, Tashi L; Worlock, Andrew J

2016-10-21

Quantitation of HIV-RNA is critically important for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, monitoring and assessment of infectivity in HIV-1 infection. The objective of this study was to assess performance characteristics of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Aptima), a new transcription mediated amplification (TMA), fully integrated and automated assay from Hologic Inc., San Diego, CA, USA. The analytical sensitivity, analytical specificity, precision and detection of HIV-1 subtypes were tested based on commercially available international standards or panels. A selected group of 244 anti-HIV-1 (+) plasma samples was used for comparison with Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HIV- 1 test v2.0 (Roche CAP/CTM), (Roche Molecular Systems, Pleasanton, CA). The 50 and 95 % limit of detection were estimated at 4.9 (95 % CI 3.9-5.7) and 17.6 (15.2-21.2) IU/mL respectively. The specificity was found 99.83 (99.06-99.97) %. The standard deviations and coefficient of variations for panels with 50 and 100 copies/mL (1.7 and 2 log copies/mL) were 0.14 log copies/mL (8.67 %CV) and 0.18 log copies/mL (9.91 %CV) respectively. The detection rate for Aptima and Roche assays was 220/244 (90.2 %) and 217/244 (88.9 %) respectively. The Aptima assay is a sensitive, specific, precise and accurate test for measuring HIV-1 viral loads and for the detection of HIV-1 infections.

Analytical and clinical performance of the Hologic Aptima HCV Quant Dx Assay for the quantification of HCV RNA in plasma samples.

PubMed

Schønning, Kristian; Pedersen, Martin Schou; Johansen, Kim; Landt, Bodil; Nielsen, Lone Gilmor; Weis, Nina; Westh, Henrik

2017-10-01

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can be effectively treated with directly acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. Measurement of HCV RNA is used to evaluate patient compliance and virological response during and after treatment. To compare the analytical performance of the Aptima HCV Quant Dx Assay (Aptima) and the COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HCV Test v2.0 (CAPCTMv2) for the quantification of HCV RNA in plasma samples, and compare the clinical utility of the two tests in patients undergoing treatment with DAA therapy. Analytical performance was evaluated on two sets of plasma samples: 125 genotyped samples and 172 samples referred for quantification of HCV RNA. Furthermore, performance was evaluated using dilutions series of four samples containing HCV genotype 1a, 2b, 3a, and 4a, respectively. Clinical utility was evaluated on 118 plasma samples obtained from 13 patients undergoing treatment with DAAs. Deming regression of results from 187 plasma samples with HCV RNA >2 Log IU/mL indicated that the Aptima assay quantified higher than the CAPCTMv2 test for HCV RNA >4.9 Log IU/mL. The linearity of the Aptima assay was excellent across dilution series of four HCV genotypes (slope of the regression line: 1.00-1.02). The Aptima assay detected significantly more replicates below targeted 2 Log IU/mL than the CAPCTMv2 test, and yielded clearly interpretable results when used to analyze samples from patients treated with DAAs. The analytical performance of the Aptima assay makes it well suited for monitoring patients with chronic HCV infection undergoing antiviral treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Shear viscosities of photons in strongly coupled plasmas

DOE PAGES

Yang, Di-Lun; Müller, Berndt

2016-07-18

We investigate the shear viscosity of thermalized photons in the quark gluon plasma (QGP) at weak coupling and N=4 super Yang–Mills plasma (SYMP) at both strong and weak couplings. We find that the shear viscosity due to the photon–parton scattering up to the leading order of electromagnetic coupling is suppressed when the coupling of the QGP/SYMP is increased, which stems from the blue-shift of the thermal-photon spectrum at strong coupling. In addition, the shear viscosity rapidly increases near the deconfinement transition in a phenomenological model analogous to the QGP.

Translational MRI volumetry with NeuroQuant: Effects of version and normative data on relationships with memory performance in healthy older adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment

PubMed Central

Stelmokas, Julija; Yassay, Lance; Giordani, Bruno; Dodge, Hiroko H.; Dinov, Ivo D.; Bhaumik, Arijit; Sathian, K.; Hampstead, Benjamin M.

2018-01-01

NeuroQuant (NQ) is a fully-automated program that overcomes several existing limitations in the clinical translation of MRI-derived volumetry. The current study characterized differences between the original (NQ1) and an updated NQ version (NQ2) by (i) replicating previously identified relationships between neuropsychological test performance and medial temporal lobe volumes, (ii) evaluating the level of agreement between NQ versions, and (iii) determining if the addition of NQ2 age-/sex-based z-scores hold greater clinical utility for prediction of memory impairment than standard percent of intracranial volume (%ICV) values. Sixty-seven healthy older adults and 65 MCI patients underwent structural MRI and completed cognitive testing, including the Immediate and Delayed Memory indices from the RBANS. Results generally replicated previous relationships between key medial temporal lobe regions and memory test performance, though comparison of NQ regions revealed statistically different values that were biased toward one version or the other depending on the region. NQ2 hippocampal z-scores explained additional variance in memory performance relative to %ICV values. Findings indicate that NQ1/2 medial temporal lobe volumes, especially age- and sex-based z-scores, hold clinical value, though caution is warranted when directly comparing volumes across NQ versions. PMID:29060939

Translational MRI Volumetry with NeuroQuant: Effects of Version and Normative Data on Relationships with Memory Performance in Healthy Older Adults and Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Stelmokas, Julija; Yassay, Lance; Giordani, Bruno; Dodge, Hiroko H; Dinov, Ivo D; Bhaumik, Arijit; Sathian, K; Hampstead, Benjamin M

2017-01-01

NeuroQuant (NQ) is a fully-automated program that overcomes several existing limitations in the clinical translation of MRI-derived volumetry. The current study characterized differences between the original (NQ1) and an updated NQ version (NQ2) by 1) replicating previously identified relationships between neuropsychological test performance and medial temporal lobe volumes, 2) evaluating the level of agreement between NQ versions, and 3) determining if the addition of NQ2 age-/sex-based z-scores hold greater clinical utility for prediction of memory impairment than standard percent of intracranial volume (% ICV) values. Sixty-seven healthy older adults and 65 mild cognitive impairment patients underwent structural MRI and completed cognitive testing, including the Immediate and Delayed Memory indices from the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. Results generally replicated previous relationships between key medial temporal lobe regions and memory test performance, though comparison of NQ regions revealed statistically different values that were biased toward one version or the other depending on the region. NQ2 hippocampal z-scores explained additional variance in memory performance relative to % ICV values. Findings indicate that NQ1/2 medial temporal lobe volumes, especially age- and sex-based z-scores, hold clinical value, though caution is warranted when directly comparing volumes across NQ versions.

Phenotypic and functional characterization of herpes simplex virus glycoprotein B epitope-specific effector and memory CD8+ T cells from symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals with ocular herpes.

PubMed

Khan, Arif A; Srivastava, Ruchi; Spencer, Doran; Garg, Sumit; Fremgen, Daniel; Vahed, Hawa; Lopes, Patricia P; Pham, Thanh T; Hewett, Charlie; Kuang, Jasmine; Ong, Nicolas; Huang, Lei; Scarfone, Vanessa M; Nesburn, Anthony B; Wechsler, Steven L; BenMohamed, Lbachir

2015-04-01

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein B (gB)-specific CD8(+) T cells protect mice from herpes infection and disease. However, whether and which HSV-1 gB-specific CD8(+) T cells play a key role in the "natural" protection seen in HSV-1-seropositive healthy asymptomatic (ASYMP) individuals (who have never had clinical herpes disease) remain to be determined. In this study, we have dissected the phenotypes and the functions of HSV-1 gB-specific CD8(+) T cells from HLA-A*02:01 positive, HSV-1 seropositive ASYMP and symptomatic (SYMP) individuals (with a history of numerous episodes of recurrent ocular herpes disease). We found the following. (i) Healthy ASYMP individuals maintained a significantly higher proportion of differentiated HSV-1 gB-specific effector memory CD8(+) T cells (TEM cells) (CD45RA(low) CCR7(low) CD44(high) CD62L(low)). In contrast, SYMP patients had frequent less-differentiated central memory CD8(+) T cells (TCM cells) (CD45RA(low) CCR7(high) CD44(low) CD62L(high)). (ii) ASYMP individuals had significantly higher proportions of multifunctional effector CD8(+) T cells which responded mainly to gB342-350 and gB561-569 "ASYMP" epitopes, and simultaneously produced IFN-γ, CD107(a/b), granzyme B, and perforin. In contrast, effector CD8(+) T cells from SYMP individuals were mostly monofunctional and were directed mainly against nonoverlapping gB17-25 and gB183-191 "SYMP" epitopes. (iii) Immunization of an HLA-A*02:01 transgenic mouse model of ocular herpes with "ASYMP" CD8(+) TEM cell epitopes, but not with "SYMP" CD8(+) TCM cell epitopes, induced a strong CD8(+) T cell-dependent protective immunity against ocular herpes infection and disease. Our findings provide insights into the role of HSV-specific CD8(+) TEM cells in protection against herpes and should be considered in the development of an effective vaccine. A significantly higher proportion of differentiated and multifunctional HSV-1 gB-specific effector memory CD8(+) T cells (TEM cells

EDITORIAL: Adaptive and active materials: Selected papers from the ASME 2011 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 11) (Scottsdale, AZ, USA, 18-21 September 2011) Adaptive and active materials: Selected papers from the ASME 2011 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS 11) (Scottsdale, AZ, USA, 18-21 September 2011)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brei, Diann

2012-09-01

ultimate goal was to provide a friendly, casual southwestern forum for the exchange of the 'hottest' ideas and latest results. Our sincere appreciation goes to all the presenters for choosing to share their very best work at this conference. SMASIS is divided into seven symposia which span basic research, applied technological design and development, and industrial and governmental integrated system and application demonstrations: SYMP 1 Multifunctional Materials; SYMP 2 Active Materials, Mechanics and Behavior; SYMP 3 Modeling, Simulation and Control; SYMP 4 Enabling Technologies and Integrated System Design; SYMP 5 Structural Health Monitoring/NDE; SYMP 6 Bio-inspired Smart Materials and Structures; and SYMP 7 Guest Symposium on Sustainability. In addition, the conference introduced a new student and young professional development symposium. Authors of papers in the materials area (symposia 1, 2 and 6) were invited to write a full journal article on their presentation topic for publication in this Special Issue of Smart Materials and Structures. This collection of papers demonstrates the exceptional quality and originality of the conference presentations. We appreciate their efforts in producing this collection of highly relevant articles on smart materials.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chambers, W.F.; Doyle, J.H.

QUANT is a special schedule for electron microprobes which are automated with Tracor Northern electronics. QUANT is called from the SANDIA TASK-78 control program and provides simultaneous data acquisition and data reduction capabilities using either a first principles atomic number, absorption, fluorescence (ZAF) technique or a matrix correction (Bence--Albee) technique. During operation, QUANT controls the execution of three auxiliary programs - BA78, ZAF78, and SETUP.

Majorana-Fermions, Their-Own Antiparticles, Following Non-Abelian Anyon/Semion Quantum-Statistics : Solid-State MEETS Particle Physics Neutrinos: Spin-Orbit-Coupled Superconductors and/or Superfluids to Neutrinos; Insulator-Heisenberg-Antiferromagnet MnF2 Majorana-Siegel-Birgenau-Keimer - Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majorana-Fermi-Segre, E.-L.; Antonoff-Overhauser-Salam, Marvin-Albert-Abdus; Siegel, Edward Carl-Ludwig

2013-03-01

Majorana-fermions, being their own antiparticles, following non-Abelian anyon/semion quantum-statistics: in Zhang et.al.-...-Detwiler et.al.-...``Worlds-in-Collision'': solid-state/condensed-matter - physics spin-orbit - coupled topological-excitations in superconductors and/or superfluids -to- particle-physics neutrinos: ``When `Worlds' Collide'', analysis via Siegel[Schrodinger Centenary Symp., Imperial College, London (1987); in The Copenhagen-Interpretation Fifty-Years After the Como-Lecture, Symp. Fdns. Mod.-Phys., Joensu(1987); Symp. on Fractals, MRS Fall-Mtg., Boston(1989)-5-papers!!!] ``complex quantum-statistics in fractal-dimensions'', which explains hidden-dark-matter(HDM) IN Siegel ``Sephirot'' scenario for The Creation, uses Takagi[Prog.Theo.Phys. Suppl.88,1(86)]-Ooguri[PR D33,357(85)] - Picard-Lefschetz-Arnol'd-Vassil'ev[``Principia Read After 300 Years'', Not.AMS(1989); quantum-theory caveats comment-letters(1990); Applied Picard-Lefschetz Theory, AMS(2006)] - theorem quantum-statistics, which via Euler- formula becomes which via de Moivre- -formula further becomes which on unit-circle is only real for only, i.e, for, versus complex with imaginary-damping denominator for, i.e, for, such that Fermi-Dirac quantum-statistics for

Comparative evaluation of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay and COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 v2.0 assay using the Roche High Pure System for the quantification of HIV-1 RNA in plasma.

PubMed

Schalasta, Gunnar; Börner, Anna; Speicher, Andrea; Enders, Martin

2016-03-01

Quantification of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA in plasma has become the standard of care in the management of HIV-infected patients. There are several commercially available assays that have been implemented for the detection of HIV-1 RNA in plasma. Here, the new Hologic Aptima® HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Aptima HIV) was compared to the Roche COBAS® TaqMan® HIV-1 Test v2.0 for use with the High Pure System (HPS/CTM). The performance characteristics of the assays were assessed using commercially available HIV reference panels, dilution of the WHO 3rd International HIV-1 RNA International Standard (WHO-IS) and plasma from clinical specimens. Assay performance was determined by linear regression, Deming correlation analysis and Bland-Altman analysis. Testing of HIV-1 reference panels revealed excellent agreement. The 61 clinical specimens quantified in both assays were linearly associated and strongly correlated. The Aptima HIV assay offers performance comparable to that of the HPS/CTM assay and, as it is run on a fully automated platform, a significantly improved workflow.

Comparative performance of the new Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay with three commercial PCR-based HIV-1 RNA quantitation assays.

PubMed

Hopkins, Mark; Hau, Sarah; Tiernan, Caroline; Papadimitropoulos, Athanasios; Chawla, Anu; Beloukas, Apostolos; Geretti, Anna Maria

2015-08-01

Quantitative measurement of HIV-1 RNA levels in plasma ('viral load') plays a central role in clinical management. The choice of assay platform can influence results and treatment decisions. To compare the analytical performance of the new TMA-based Hologic Aptima(®) HIV-1 Quant Dx assay with that of three PCR-based assays: Abbott RealTime HIV-1, Qiagen Artus(®) HI Virus-1 QS-RGQ, and Roche CAP/CTM HIV-1 Test v2. Assay performance was evaluated using Acrometrix HIV-1 RNA Standard panels; the 3rd WHO HIV-1 RNA International Standard (12-500 copies/ml; 6 dilutions; 9 replicates); and plasma samples from 191 HIV-positive patients. Aptima showed high (>0.99) precision, accuracy and concordance with the Acrometrix Standards across a wide dynamic range (2.0-6.7 log10copies/ml). Variance caused up to 2.1 (Aptima), 1.7 (RealTime), 7.5 (Artus), and 1.9 (CAP/CTM) fold changes in the International Standard quantifications at 50-500 copies/ml. HIV-1 RNA detection rates in plasma samples were 141/191 (74%), 119/191 (62%), 108/191 (57%), and 145/191 (76%) for Aptima, RealTime, Artus and CAP/CTM, respectively. For categorising samples either side of 50 copies/ml, Aptima had excellent agreement with RealTime (kappa 0.92; 95% CI 0.87-0.98); lowest agreement was with Artus (kappa 0.79; 95%CI 0.70-0.88). Aptima quantifications were mean 0.12 and 0.06 log10copies/ml higher compared with RealTime and CAP/CTM, respectively, and 0.05 log10copies/ml lower compared with Artus. Limits of agreement were narrowest when comparing Aptima to RealTime. The new Aptima HIV assay is sensitive, precise, and accurate. HIV assays exhibit discordance at low HIV-1 RNA copy numbers. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural brain abnormalities in patients with inflammatory illness acquired following exposure to water-damaged buildings: a volumetric MRI study using NeuroQuant®.

PubMed

Shoemaker, Ritchie C; House, Dennis; Ryan, James C

2014-01-01

Executive cognitive and neurologic abnormalities are commonly seen in patients with a chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) acquired following exposure to the interior environment of water-damaged buildings (WDB), but a clear delineation of the physiologic or structural basis for these abnormalities has not been defined. Symptoms of affected patients routinely include headache, difficulty with recent memory, concentration, word finding, numbness, tingling, metallic taste and vertigo. Additionally, persistent proteomic abnormalities in inflammatory parameters that can alter permeability of the blood-brain barrier, such as C4a, TGFB1, MMP9 and VEGF, are notably present in cases of CIRS-WDB compared to controls, suggesting a consequent inflammatory injury to the central nervous system. Findings of gliotic areas in MRI scans in over 45% of CIRS-WDB cases compared to 5% of controls, as well as elevated lactate and depressed ratios of glutamate to glutamine, are regularly seen in MR spectroscopy of cases. This study used the volumetric software program NeuroQuant® (NQ) to determine specific brain structure volumes in consecutive patients (N=17) seen in a medical clinic specializing in inflammatory illness. Each of these patients presented for evaluation of an illness thought to be associated with exposure to WDB, and received an MRI that was evaluated by NQ. When compared to those of a medical control group (N=18), statistically significant differences in brain structure proportions were seen for patients in both hemispheres of two of the eleven brain regions analyzed; atrophy of the caudate nucleus and enlargement of the pallidum. In addition, the left amygdala and right forebrain were also enlarged. These volumetric abnormalities, in conjunction with concurrent abnormalities in inflammatory markers, suggest a model for structural brain injury in "mold illness" based on increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier due to chronic, systemic inflammation

Automated brain volumetrics in multiple sclerosis: a step closer to clinical application

PubMed Central

Beadnall, H N; Hatton, S N; Bader, G; Tomic, D; Silva, D G

2016-01-01

Background Whole brain volume (WBV) estimates in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) correlate more robustly with clinical disability than traditional, lesion-based metrics. Numerous algorithms to measure WBV have been developed over the past two decades. We compare Structural Image Evaluation using Normalisation of Atrophy-Cross-sectional (SIENAX) to NeuroQuant and MSmetrix, for assessment of cross-sectional WBV in patients with MS. Methods MRIs from 61 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 2 patients with clinically isolated syndrome were analysed. WBV measurements were calculated using SIENAX, NeuroQuant and MSmetrix. Statistical agreement between the methods was evaluated using linear regression and Bland-Altman plots. Precision and accuracy of WBV measurement was calculated for (1) NeuroQuant versus SIENAX and (2) MSmetrix versus SIENAX. Results Precision (Pearson's r) of WBV estimation for NeuroQuant and MSmetrix versus SIENAX was 0.983 and 0.992, respectively. Accuracy (Cb) was 0.871 and 0.994, respectively. NeuroQuant and MSmetrix showed a 5.5% and 1.0% volume difference compared with SIENAX, respectively, that was consistent across low and high values. Conclusions In the analysed population, NeuroQuant and MSmetrix both quantified cross-sectional WBV with comparable statistical agreement to SIENAX, a well-validated cross-sectional tool that has been used extensively in MS clinical studies. PMID:27071647

Multicentre physiological reference intervals for serum concentrations of immunoglobulins A, G and M, complement C3c and C4 measured with Tina-Quant reagents systems.

PubMed

Fuentes-Arderiu, Xavier; Alonso-Gregorio, Eduardo; Alvarez-Funes, Virtudes; Ambrós-Marigómez, Carmen; Coca-Fábregas, Lluís; Cruz-Placer, Marta; Díaz-Fernández, Julián; Pinel-Julián, María Pilar; Gutiérrez-Cecchini, Beatriz; Herrero-Bernal, Pilar; Sempere-Alcocer, Marcos; García-Caballero, Francisca; Del Mar Larrea-Ortiz-Quintana, María; La-Torre-Marcellán, Pedro; Del Señor López-Vélez, María; Mar-Medina, Carmen; Martín-Oncina, Javier; Rodríguez-Hernández, María Victoria; Romero-Sotomayor, María Victoria; Serrano-López, Cándido; Sicilia-Enríquez-de-Salamanca, Adolfo; Velasco-Romero, Ana María; Juvé-Cuxart, Santiago

2007-01-01

Clinical laboratories seeking accreditation for compliance with ISO 15189:2003 need to demonstrate that the physiological reference intervals communicated to all users of the laboratory service are appropriate for the patient population served and for the measurement systems used. In the case of immunological quantities, few articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals. A total of 21 clinical laboratories in different regions of Spain collaborated in identifying reference individuals and determining adult reference intervals for some immunological quantities measured using RD/Hitachi Modular Analytics analysers and Tina-Quant reagent systems. These immunological quantities are the mass concentrations of immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M, complement C3c and complement C4 in serum. All the logistic work was carried out in co-operation with the supplier of the reagents and analysers (Roche Diagnostics España, S.L., Sant Cugat del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain). From the set of reference values obtained by each laboratory, multicentre reference limits were estimated non-parametrically. The reference intervals estimated in this study for concentrations of serum components under consideration are: complement C3c, 0.62-1.64 g/L for women and men; complement C4, 0.14-0.72 g/L for women and men; immunoglobulin A, 0.89-4.80 g/L for women and men; immunoglobulin G, 6.5-14.3 g/L for women and men; and immunoglobulin M, 0.48-3.38 g/L for women and 0.41-2.46 g/L for men.

Dating the Barremian-Aptian shallow platform deposits at the eastern part of the Kopet Dagh sedimentary basin, NE Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chenarani, Atefeh; Hosseini, Seyedabolfazl; Vahidi Nia, Mohammad

2016-04-01

The Kopet Dagh sedimentary basin covers the northeastern part of Iran, most parts of Turkmenistan and north of Afghanistan which contains several giant gas fields. The extension of this basin in the Iranian part is around 55km2(Afshar Harb, 1994). The Kopet Dagh basin is marked by having very thick sedimentary rocks and lack of volcanic activity. During the Lower Cretaceous, the Tirgan Formation was deposited in a shallow platform setting and lithologically includes in thick-bedded orbitolinid limestones. This study focuses on the biostratigraphy and age determination of these shallow-water deposits using benthic foraminifera and calcareous green algae. In the studied outcrop, the Tirgan Formation has a thickness of 180 m and includes in limestone beds with some marly intervals. It is overlain by the Sarcheshmeh Formation and rests on the Shurijeh Formation. Both contacts are believed to be transitional and lack of discontinuity. A total of 56 thin-sections were used in this study. This study led to determine 28 genera and 14 species of benthic foraminifera along with 13 genera and 5 species of calcareous green algae. Based on the obtained biostratigraphy data, a late Barremian-early Aptian age is suggested for these deposits. We also defined the precise boundary between the Barremian and Aptian which is reported for the first time from this area. Keywords: Barremian-Aptian, Shallow platform, Kopet Dagh, Iran. Reference: Afshar Harb, A., 1994. Geology of Iran: Geology of the Kopet Dagh. Geological survey of Iran, Report No. 11, 275 pp.

Light emitting diodes as a monitor to study P-type doping of GaN-based heterostructures grown by MOVPE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schineller, B.; Guttzeit, A.; Vertommen, F.; Schön, O.; Heuken, M.; Heime, K.; Beccard, R.

1998-06-01

The group-III nitrides are an interesting material system for applications in the blue spectral region and for high-power and high-temperature devices. P-type doping in the metalorganic vapour-phase growth process, however, suffers from the material's high-background donor concentration. Hydrogen passivation furthermore decreases the number of activated acceptors [N.M. Johnson, W. Götz, J. Neugebauer, C.G. van de Walle, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 395 (1996) 723; A. Bosin, V. Fiorentini, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 395 (1996) 503] [1, 2]. Thermal treatment was found to increase the amount of activated acceptors [S.J. Pearton, S. Bendi, K.S. Jones, V. Krishnamoorthy, R.G. Wilson, F. Ren, R.F. Karlicek, R.A. Stall, Appl. Phys. Lett. 69 (1996) 1879; Y. Li, Y. Lu, H. Shen, M. Wraback, C.Y. Hwang, M. Schurman, W. Mayo, T. Salagaj, R.A. Stall, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 395 (1996) 369] [3, 4]. We have investigated the influences of thermal treatment process steps on the electrical and optical properties of Mg-doped single layers and used the results to fabricate AlGaN/GaN heterostructure LED layers. A simple test structure was employed to assess the electro-optical properties of the LED structures.

Automated brain volumetrics in multiple sclerosis: a step closer to clinical application.

PubMed

Wang, C; Beadnall, H N; Hatton, S N; Bader, G; Tomic, D; Silva, D G; Barnett, M H

2016-07-01

Whole brain volume (WBV) estimates in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) correlate more robustly with clinical disability than traditional, lesion-based metrics. Numerous algorithms to measure WBV have been developed over the past two decades. We compare Structural Image Evaluation using Normalisation of Atrophy-Cross-sectional (SIENAX) to NeuroQuant and MSmetrix, for assessment of cross-sectional WBV in patients with MS. MRIs from 61 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 2 patients with clinically isolated syndrome were analysed. WBV measurements were calculated using SIENAX, NeuroQuant and MSmetrix. Statistical agreement between the methods was evaluated using linear regression and Bland-Altman plots. Precision and accuracy of WBV measurement was calculated for (1) NeuroQuant versus SIENAX and (2) MSmetrix versus SIENAX. Precision (Pearson's r) of WBV estimation for NeuroQuant and MSmetrix versus SIENAX was 0.983 and 0.992, respectively. Accuracy (Cb) was 0.871 and 0.994, respectively. NeuroQuant and MSmetrix showed a 5.5% and 1.0% volume difference compared with SIENAX, respectively, that was consistent across low and high values. In the analysed population, NeuroQuant and MSmetrix both quantified cross-sectional WBV with comparable statistical agreement to SIENAX, a well-validated cross-sectional tool that has been used extensively in MS clinical studies. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Generalized Design Procedure for Short, Efficient Adiabatic Mode Converters

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-20

Electron. Lett. 28, 1610–1611 (1992). 3. K. Kawano, M. Kohtoku, M. Wada, H. Okamoto, Y. Itaya, and M. Na- ganuma, IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quant . Electron. 2, 348...Burkhard, IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quant . Electron. 3, 1372–1383 (1997). Fig. 5. (a) Power in the fundamental mode as a function of propagation distance for 1...points). 5. I. Moerman, P. P. Van Daele, and P. M. Demeester, IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quant . Electron. 3, 1308–1320 (1997). 6. P. V. Studenkov, M. R. Gokhale

Cyquant cell proliferation assay as a fluorescence-based method for in vitro screening of antimalarial activity.

PubMed

Sriwilaijaroen, Nongluk; Kelly, Jane Xu; Riscoe, Michael; Wilairat, Prapon

2004-12-01

The appearance of drug resistant parasites and the absence of an effective vaccine have resulted in the need for new effective antimalarial drugs. Consequently, a convenient method for in vitro screening of large numbers of antimalarial drug candidates has become apparent. The CyQUANT cell proliferation assay is a highly sensitive fluorescence-based method for quantitation of cell number by measuring the strong fluorescence produced when green GR dye binds to nucleic acids. We have applied the CyQUANT assay method to evaluate the growth of Plasmodium falciparum D6 strain in culture. The GR-nucleic acid fluorescence linearly correlated with percent parasitemia at both 0.75 or 1 percent hematocrit with the same correlation coefficient of r2 = 0.99. The sensitivity of P. falciparum D6 strain to chloroquine and to 3,6-bis-omega-diethylaminoamyloxyxanthone, a novel antimalarial, determined by the CyQUANT assay were comparable to those obtained by the traditional [3H]-ethanolamine assay: IC50 value of chloroquine was 54 nM and 51 nM by the CyQUANT and [3H]-ethanolamine assay, respectively; IC50 value for 3,6-bis-omega-diethylaminoamyloxyxanthone was 254 nM and 223 nM by the CyQUANT and [3H]-ethanolamine assay, respectively. This procedure requires no radioisotope, uses simple equipment, and is an easy and convenient procedure, with no washing and harvesting steps. Moreover, all procedures can be set up continuously and thus, the CyQUANT assay is suitable in automatic high through-put drug screening of antimalarial drugs.

Quantification of hepatitis B surface antigen with the novel DiaSorin LIAISON XL Murex HBsAg Quant: correlation with the ARCHITECT quantitative assays.

PubMed

Burdino, Elisa; Ruggiero, Tina; Proietti, Alex; Milia, Maria Grazia; Olivero, Antonella; Caviglia, Gian Paolo; Marietti, Milena; Rizzetto, Mario; Smedile, Antonina; Ghisetti, Valeria

2014-08-01

Recent technologic innovations allow for quantitative assessment of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels in serum; this has been used to monitor the course of chronic HBV hepatitis (CHB) and predict treatment response. LIAISON-XL Murex HBsAg Quant assay (DiaSorin, Saluggia, I) is the newest immunoassay CE approved to quantify HBsAg. To compare LIAISON-XL performances with ARCHITECT-QT HBsAg (Abbott Diagnostics, IL, USA), as reference test. Sequential serum samples (n=152) from 14 HBe-negative patients with CHB, the majority of them infected by HBV genotype D undergoing antiviral treatment, were retrospectively tested with both assays. The 2nd WHO Standard 00/588 for HBsAg was used as reference. LIAISON-XL and ARCHITECT-QT correlated by r=0.95, p<0.0001; by Bland-Altman analysis agreement of mean difference was 0.21 ± 0.15 log 10 IU/mL, 95% CI: -0.07 to 0.5). Performance of LIAISON-XL against the 2nd WHO Standard was r=0.998, p<0.0001 (95% CI: 0.993-0.999) with results nearer to the expected WHO values compared to ARCHITECT-QT. Median baseline HBsAg level was similar with the two methods before antiviral treatment, throughout fluctuations of HBsAg level in treatment non-responders and during the decrease of HBsAg titer in treatment responders. Correlation between HBsAg levels and HBV DNA was statistically significant for both the two immunoassays (LIAISON-XL: r=0.4988, 95% CI: 0.3452-0.6264, p<0.0001; ARCHITECT-QT: r=0.480, 95% CI: 0.3233-0.6111, p<0.0001). Correlation between HBsAg measurement with LIAISON-XL and ARCHITECT-QT was high. LIAISON-XL accurately quantified HBsAg in clinical samples at baseline or during antiviral therapy; it can be applied for HBsAg quantification in clinical practice and decision making in CHB. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A comparison of QuantStudio™ 3D Digital PCR and ARMS-PCR for measuring plasma EGFR T790M mutations of NSCLC patients.

PubMed

Feng, Qin; Gai, Fei; Sang, Yaxiong; Zhang, Jie; Wang, Ping; Wang, Yue; Liu, Bing; Lin, Dongmei; Yu, Yang; Fang, Jian

2018-01-01

The AURA3 clinical trial has shown that advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR T790M mutations in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) could benefit from osimertinib. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of QuantStudio™ 3D Digital PCR System platform for the detection of plasma EGFR T790M mutations in NSCLC patients, and compare the performances of 3D Digital PCR and ARMS-PCR. A total of 119 Chinese patients were enrolled in this study. Mutant allele frequency of plasma EGFR T790M was detected by 3D Digital PCR, then 25 selected samples were verified by ARMS-PCR and four of them were verified by next generation sequencing (NGS). In total, 52.94% (69/119) had EGFR T790M mutations detected by 3D Digital PCR. In 69 positive samples, the median mutant allele frequency (AF) was 1.09% and three cases presented low concentration (AF <0.1%). Limited by the amount of plasma DNA, 17 samples (AF <2.5%) and eight samples (T790M-) were selected for verification by ARMS-PCR. Four of those samples were verified by NGS as a third verification method. Among the selected 17 positive cases, ten samples presented mutant allele frequency <0.5%, and seven samples presented intermediate mutant allele frequency (0.5% AF 2.5%). However, only three samples (3/17) were identified as positive by ARMS-PCR, namely, P6 (AF =1.09%), P7 (AF =2.09%), and P8 (AF =2.21%). It is worth mentioning that sample P9 (AF =2.05%, analyzed by 3D Digital PCR) was identified as T790M- by ARMS-PCR. Four samples were identified as T790M+ by both NGS and 3D Digital PCR, and typically three samples (3/4) presented at a low ratio (AF <0.5%). Our study demonstrated that 3D Digital PCR is a novel method with high sensitivity and specificity to detect EGFR T790M mutation in plasma.

Corrigendum to "Measurement and computations for temperature dependences of self-broadened carbon dioxide transitions in the 30012←00001 and 30013←00001 bands" [J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf., 111 (9) (2010) 1065-1079

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Predoi-Cross, Adriana; Liu, W.; Murphy, Reba; Povey, Chad; Gamache, R.; Laraia, A.; McKellar, A. R. W.; Hurtmans, Daniel; Devi, V. M.

2015-10-01

The group of authors would like to make the following clarification: the retrievals of self-broadened temperature dependence coefficients were performed by the authors both using the multispectrum fit program from Ref. [14] and using the multispectrum fit program of D. Chris Benner [Benner DC, Rinsland CP, Devi VM, Smith MAH, Atkins D. A multispectrum nonlinear least-squares fitting technique. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 1995;53:705-21.). To retrieve the room temperature self-broadening parameters, the authors have used the values in Ref. [4]. For reasons of consistency with the results published for air-broadening and air-shift temperature dependence coefficients in A. Predoi-Cross, A.R.W. McKellar, D. Chris Benner, V. Malathy Devi, R.R. Gamache, C.E. Miller, R.A. Toth, L.R. Brown, Temperature dependences for air-broadened Lorentz half width and pressure-shift coefficients in the 30013←00001 and 30012←00001 bands of CO2near 1600 μm, Canadian Journal of Physics, 87 (5) (2009) 517-535, Tables 2 and 3, and Figures 2 and 4 contain only the values retrieved using the multispectrum fit program of D. Chris Benner. We would like to thank D. Chris Benner for allowing us to use his fitting software.

Quantum Search and Beyond

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-02

an N-atom system. II. Calculation of the eigenstates Terry Rudolph, Itay Yavin and Helen Freedhoff, quant-ph/0206067 Phys. Rev. A. 69, 013815 (2004...Calculation of the eigenstates Terry Rudolph, Itay Yavin and Helen Freedhoff, quant-ph/0206067 Phys. Rev. A. 69, 013815 (2004). 13. Quantum searching a

Fuzzyics =CATEGORYICS =PRAGMATYICS (``Son of ``TRIZ''')/CATEGORY-SEMANTICS Cognition (fcp/csc) of Plato-Aristotle ``SQUARE-of-OPPOSITION''(SoO): Linguistics: Antonyms VS ``SYNONYMS'' VS Analogy/ Metaphor: Coarsest-Possible Topology: Shocks/High-Pressures Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegel, Edward Plato Aristotle Archimedes Carl-Ludwig; Young, Frederic; Lewis, Thomas

2013-06-01

Siegel[MRS Fall-Mtgs,:Symp.Fractals(89)-5-papers!!!;Symp.Scaling(90)] FCP/CSC {aka SPD}(Tic-Tac-Toe-Matrix/Tabular List-Format) ``COMMON-FUNCTIONING-PRINCIPLE'' DI/TRI-CHOTOMY GENERIC ``INEVITABILITY_-WEB'' PURPOSEFUL PARSIMONY-of-DI/TRI-CHOTOMY STRATEGY REdiscovery of SoO automatically/optimality is in NON-list-format/matrix: DIMENSIONALITY-DOMINATION -INEVIT-ABILITY ROOT-CAUSE(RC) ULTIMATE-ORIGIN(UO): (level-0.-logic) DIMENSIONALITY (level-0. logic): [dst = ODD-Z] <->{Dst=FRACTAL-UNcertainty FLUCTUATIONS} <->(dst = EVEN-Z): CAUSES: (level- I.-logic): EXTENT/SCALE/RADIUS: (relative)-[LOCALITY] <-> (relative)-(...GLOBALITY...) & (level-II.-logic): POWER-SPECTRUM{noise ≅generalized-susceptibility}: [``l''/ω0-White] <->(...-``l''/ω 1 . 000 . . . - HYPERBOLICITY...) & (level-III.-logic) CRITICAL-EXPONENT:n =0 <->n = 1.000... ; BUT ALL 3 ALSO CAUSED BY ANOTHER INdependent RCUO (level-IV.-logic):

Efficacy of Cyto-Chex blood preservative for delayed manual CD4 testing using Dynal T4 Quant CD4 test among HIV-infected persons in Zambia.

PubMed

Truett, April A; Letizia, Andrew; Malyangu, Evans; Sinyangwe, Frank; Morales, Brandi N; Crum, Nancy F; Crowe, Suzanne M

2006-02-01

Manual CD4 tests such as Dynal T4 Quant (Dynabeads, Dynal Biotech, Oslo, Norway) are less expensive alternatives to flow cytometry in resource-limited countries. Whereas blood preservatives have proven useful for stabilizing blood samples to allow delayed CD4 testing by flow cytometry, they have not been verified for manual tests. A method for preservation of blood prior to manual CD4 testing is needed for long-distance transport or sample batching. Blood from HIV-positive Zambian military beneficiaries was mixed (1:1) with Cyto-Chex (Streck Laboratories, La Vista, NE) blood preservative, and the blood was stored at refrigerated, ambient, and incubator (37 degrees C) temperatures prior to Dynabeads CD4 testing at 0, 3, 6, and 9 days after collection. Baseline flow cytometry and Dynabeads testing without preservative were performed for comparison. Twenty-seven patient samples were analyzed. Dynabeads vs. flow cytometry had a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.84. There was excellent correlation (r = 0.96) between baseline Dynabeads testing and Cyto-Chex-preserved samples. Refrigerated samples showed strong correlation with baseline Dynabeads (r = 0.93-0.95) on days 3, 6, and 9 without decline in CD4 count (P = 0.73). Samples stored at ambient temperature yielded inferior results (r = 0.76-0.81), with a significant decline in CD4 count by day 3 (P < 0.001). The incubator arm had especially poor correlation (r = 0.30-0.49). Addition of Cyto-Chex to peripheral blood (1:1) adequately preserves refrigerated blood samples for up to 9 days for subsequent testing with Dynabeads CD4 test. Cyto-Chex, however, cannot be recommended for delayed Dynabeads CD4 testing with storage at 37 degrees C or ambient temperatures in tropical areas similar to the site of this study.

Performance evaluation of the Aptima® HCV Quant Dx assay for hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA detection and quantification in comparison to the Abbott RealTime HCV assay.

PubMed

Garbuglia, Anna Rosa; Bibbò, Angela; Sciamanna, Roberta; Pisciotta, Marina; Capobianchi, Maria Rosaria

2017-07-01

The Aptima HCV Quant Dx assay (Aptima) is a real-time transcription-mediated amplification assay CE-approved for the diagnosis and monitoring of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Aptima's analytical performance was compared to the Abbott RealTime HCV assay (RealTime) in a clinical routine setting. Overall 295 clinical plasma samples (117 prospective/fresh; 178 retrospective/frozen) from HCV-infected patients were tested in Aptima and RealTime to determine concordance on qualitative and quantitative results. Linearity and precision at low viral loads (VLs; 0.8-3.3LogIU/mL) was tested using dilutions of the 5th WHO standard, in 10 and 20 replicates in the two assays, respectively. The ability to measure different HCV genotypes and accuracy were analyzed using the Seracare EQA panel. Inter-assay agreement for qualitative results (prospective samples) was 88% (kappa=0.78). For the 127 samples with quantitative results in both assays, Aptima yielded on average slightly higher values (by 0.24LogIU/mL; Bland-Altman method) than RealTime. Concordance between assay results was excellent (R=0.98). At low VLs (0.8-3.3LogIU/mL), Aptima demonstrated good linearity and precision, similar to RealTime. Aptima detected and accurately quantified all main HCV genotypes. Aptima demonstrated excellent precision, linearity, and accuracy in all genotypes tested. Good concordance was observed between Aptima and RealTime assays in clinical samples. The performance of the Aptima assay, on the fully automated Panther platform, makes it an excellent candidate for the detection and monitoring of HCV RNA in plasma and serum samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative Validation of Five Quantitative Rapid Test Kits for the Analysis of Salt Iodine Content: Laboratory Performance, User- and Field-Friendliness

PubMed Central

Rohner, Fabian; Kangambèga, Marcelline O.; Khan, Noor; Kargougou, Robert; Garnier, Denis; Sanou, Ibrahima; Ouaro, Bertine D.; Petry, Nicolai; Wirth, James P.; Jooste, Pieter

2015-01-01

Background Iodine deficiency has important health and development consequences and the introduction of iodized salt as national programs has been a great public health success in the past decades. To render national salt iodization programs sustainable and ensure adequate iodization levels, simple methods to quantitatively assess whether salt is adequately iodized are required. Several methods claim to be simple and reliable, and are available on the market or are in development. Objective This work has validated the currently available quantitative rapid test kits (quantRTK) in a comparative manner for both their laboratory performance and ease of use in field settings. Methods Laboratory performance parameters (linearity, detection and quantification limit, intra- and inter-assay imprecision) were conducted on 5 quantRTK. We assessed inter-operator imprecision using salt of different quality along with the comparison of 59 salt samples from across the globe; measurements were made both in a laboratory and a field setting by technicians and non-technicians. Results from the quantRTK were compared against iodometric titration for validity. An ‘ease-of-use’ rating system was developed to identify the most suitable quantRTK for a given task. Results Most of the devices showed acceptable laboratory performance, but for some of the devices, use by non-technicians revealed poorer performance when working in a routine manner. Of the quantRTK tested, the iCheck® and I-Reader® showed most consistent performance and ease of use, and a newly developed paper-based method (saltPAD) holds promise if further developed. Conclusions User- and field-friendly devices are now available and the most appropriate quantRTK can be selected depending on the number of samples and the budget available. PMID:26401655

Progressive brain atrophy in patients with chronic neuropsychiatric symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Ross, David E; Ochs, Alfred L; Seabaugh, Jan M; Demark, Michael F; Shrader, Carole R; Marwitz, Jennifer H; Havranek, Michael D

2012-01-01

NeuroQuant® is a recently developed, FDA-approved software program for measuring brain MRI volume in clinical settings. The aims of this study were as follows: (1) to examine the test-retest reliability of NeuroQuant®; (2) to test the hypothesis that patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) would have abnormally rapid progressive brain atrophy; and (3) to test the hypothesis that progressive brain atrophy in patients with mild TBI would be associated with vocational outcome. Sixteen patients with mild TBI were compared to 20 normal controls. Vocational outcome was assessed with the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) and Disability Rating Scale (DRS). NeuroQuant® showed high test-re-test reliability. Patients had abnormally rapid progressive atrophy in several brain regions and the rate of atrophy was associated with inability to return to work. NeuroQuant®, is a reliable and valid method for assessing the anatomic effects of TBI. Progression of atrophy may continue for years after injury, even in patients with mild TBI.

Electromagnetically Tunable Fields

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

constitutive material properties (electrical permittivity, magnetic permeability, and electrical conductivity) of electromagnetically tunable fluids ( ETFs ... trade -offs and operational perspectives of a dielectric coated spherical inverted-F antenna," accepted for IEEE/URSI Int. Symp. Antennas and Propag

A comparison of QuantStudio™ 3D Digital PCR and ARMS-PCR for measuring plasma EGFR T790M mutations of NSCLC patients

PubMed Central

Sang, Yaxiong; Zhang, Jie; Wang, Ping; Wang, Yue; Liu, Bing; Lin, Dongmei; Yu, Yang; Fang, Jian

2018-01-01

Background The AURA3 clinical trial has shown that advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR T790M mutations in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) could benefit from osimertinib. Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of QuantStudio™ 3D Digital PCR System platform for the detection of plasma EGFR T790M mutations in NSCLC patients, and compare the performances of 3D Digital PCR and ARMS-PCR. Patients and methods A total of 119 Chinese patients were enrolled in this study. Mutant allele frequency of plasma EGFR T790M was detected by 3D Digital PCR, then 25 selected samples were verified by ARMS-PCR and four of them were verified by next generation sequencing (NGS). Results In total, 52.94% (69/119) had EGFR T790M mutations detected by 3D Digital PCR. In 69 positive samples, the median mutant allele frequency (AF) was 1.09% and three cases presented low concentration (AF <0.1%). Limited by the amount of plasma DNA, 17 samples (AF <2.5%) and eight samples (T790M-) were selected for verification by ARMS-PCR. Four of those samples were verified by NGS as a third verification method. Among the selected 17 positive cases, ten samples presented mutant allele frequency <0.5%, and seven samples presented intermediate mutant allele frequency (0.5% AF 2.5%). However, only three samples (3/17) were identified as positive by ARMS-PCR, namely, P6 (AF =1.09%), P7 (AF =2.09%), and P8 (AF =2.21%). It is worth mentioning that sample P9 (AF =2.05%, analyzed by 3D Digital PCR) was identified as T790M- by ARMS-PCR. Four samples were identified as T790M+ by both NGS and 3D Digital PCR, and typically three samples (3/4) presented at a low ratio (AF <0.5%). Conclusion Our study demonstrated that 3D Digital PCR is a novel method with high sensitivity and specificity to detect EGFR T790M mutation in plasma. PMID:29403309

The mzqLibrary – An open source Java library supporting the HUPO‐PSI quantitative proteomics standard

PubMed Central

Zhang, Huaizhong; Fan, Jun; Perkins, Simon; Pisconti, Addolorata; Simpson, Deborah M.; Bessant, Conrad; Hubbard, Simon; Jones, Andrew R.

2015-01-01

The mzQuantML standard has been developed by the Proteomics Standards Initiative for capturing, archiving and exchanging quantitative proteomic data, derived from mass spectrometry. It is a rich XML‐based format, capable of representing data about two‐dimensional features from LC‐MS data, and peptides, proteins or groups of proteins that have been quantified from multiple samples. In this article we report the development of an open source Java‐based library of routines for mzQuantML, called the mzqLibrary, and associated software for visualising data called the mzqViewer. The mzqLibrary contains routines for mapping (peptide) identifications on quantified features, inference of protein (group)‐level quantification values from peptide‐level values, normalisation and basic statistics for differential expression. These routines can be accessed via the command line, via a Java programming interface access or a basic graphical user interface. The mzqLibrary also contains several file format converters, including import converters (to mzQuantML) from OpenMS, Progenesis LC‐MS and MaxQuant, and exporters (from mzQuantML) to other standards or useful formats (mzTab, HTML, csv). The mzqViewer contains in‐built routines for viewing the tables of data (about features, peptides or proteins), and connects to the R statistical library for more advanced plotting options. The mzqLibrary and mzqViewer packages are available from https://code.google.com/p/mzq‐lib/. PMID:26037908

The mzqLibrary--An open source Java library supporting the HUPO-PSI quantitative proteomics standard.

PubMed

Qi, Da; Zhang, Huaizhong; Fan, Jun; Perkins, Simon; Pisconti, Addolorata; Simpson, Deborah M; Bessant, Conrad; Hubbard, Simon; Jones, Andrew R

2015-09-01

The mzQuantML standard has been developed by the Proteomics Standards Initiative for capturing, archiving and exchanging quantitative proteomic data, derived from mass spectrometry. It is a rich XML-based format, capable of representing data about two-dimensional features from LC-MS data, and peptides, proteins or groups of proteins that have been quantified from multiple samples. In this article we report the development of an open source Java-based library of routines for mzQuantML, called the mzqLibrary, and associated software for visualising data called the mzqViewer. The mzqLibrary contains routines for mapping (peptide) identifications on quantified features, inference of protein (group)-level quantification values from peptide-level values, normalisation and basic statistics for differential expression. These routines can be accessed via the command line, via a Java programming interface access or a basic graphical user interface. The mzqLibrary also contains several file format converters, including import converters (to mzQuantML) from OpenMS, Progenesis LC-MS and MaxQuant, and exporters (from mzQuantML) to other standards or useful formats (mzTab, HTML, csv). The mzqViewer contains in-built routines for viewing the tables of data (about features, peptides or proteins), and connects to the R statistical library for more advanced plotting options. The mzqLibrary and mzqViewer packages are available from https://code.google.com/p/mzq-lib/. © 2015 The Authors. PROTEOMICS Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of Performance Characteristics of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay for Detection and Quantitation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in Plasma and Cervicovaginal Lavage Samples

PubMed Central

Kurpewski, Jaclynn R.; Cu-Uvin, Susan; Caliendo, Angela M.

2016-01-01

Quantification of HIV-1 RNA has become the standard of care in the clinical management of HIV-1-infected individuals. The objective of this study was to evaluate performance characteristics and relative workflow of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay in comparison with the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay using plasma and cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) specimens. Assay performance was evaluated by using an AcroMetrix HIV-1 panel, AcroMetrix positive controls, Qnostics and SeraCare HIV-1 evaluation panels, 208 clinical plasma samples, and 205 matched CVL specimens on the Panther and m2000 platforms. The Aptima assay demonstrated good linearity over the quantification range tested (2 to 5 log10 copies/ml), and there was strong linear correlation between the assays (R2 = 0.99), with a comparable coefficient of variance of <5.5%. For the plasma samples, Deming regression analyses and Bland-Altman plots showed excellent agreement between the assays, with an interassay concordance of 91.35% (kappa = 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65 to 0.85), and on average, the viral loads determined by the Aptima assay were 0.21 log10 copies/ml higher than those determined by the RealTime assay. The assays differed in their sensitivity for quantifying HIV-1 RNA loads in CVL samples, with the Aptima and RealTime assays detecting 30% and 20%, respectively. Aptima had fewer invalid results, and on average, the viral loads in CVL samples quantified by the Aptima assay were 0.072 log10 copies/ml higher than those of the RealTime assay. Our results demonstrate that the Aptima assay is sensitive and accurate in quantifying viral loads in both plasma and CVL specimens and that the fully automated Panther system has all the necessary features suitable for clinical laboratories demanding high-throughput sample processing. PMID:26842702

Functional Electrical Therapy Systems: Neuroprostheses for Life-Like Reach and Grasp

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-10-25

communication channel by means of an infrared link. Keywords – Neuroprosthesis, therapy, reaching, grasping I. INTRODUCTION Functional electrical...present technology and the next generation. Proc 2nd Int Symp IFESS, Burnaby, pp 139-140, 1997. [7] Ocadiz G, Mayagoitia RE. Programmable eight channel

Intraocular straylight screening in medical testing centres for driver licence holders in Spain

PubMed Central

Michael, Ralph; Barraquer, Rafael I.; Rodríguez, Judith; Tuñi i Picado, Josep; Jubal, Joan Serra; González Luque, Juan Carlos; van den Berg, Tom

2010-01-01

Purpose To test the performance of the C-quant straylight meter during the daily routine work in medical testing centres for driver license applicants and driver license holders in Spain. Methods Altogether 914 subjects, of which 376 younger than 35 years, 428 between 35 and 60 years and 110 over 60 years were measured with the C-quant in three medical testing centres (Barcelona, Zaragoza and Palma de Mallorca) in 2006. Technicians were instructed once and the measurements were done during the daily routine work. We recorded: age, BCVA, self-reported subjective blinding at night; and from the C-quant: straylight parameter (log s), measurement quality parameters (ESD, Q) and test duration. Results Total C-quant test duration increases slightly with age from a mean of 7 min (< 35 years) to a mean of 9 min (> 60). At first attempt, 82 % of all subjects produced reliable results (ESD < 0.12). The straylight parameter for this group was independent of ESD and ESD was independent of total test duration. The known age dependence of the straylight parameter and the weak correlation with BCVA was confirmed. The distribution of subjective blinding at night was very different between test centres. Subjects with “very strong” subjective blinding had significantly higher straylight values than subjects with “no” subjective blinding. Subjects avoiding night driving had significant higher straylight values than subjects driving at night. Conclusion The C-quant measure is reasonable fast. Good subject instruction is important to get first attempt reliable results. Self-reported subjective blinding results depend strongly on the interviewer.

Evaluation of the Aptima HBV Quant assay vs. the COBAS TaqMan HBV test using the high pure system for the quantitation of HBV DNA in plasma and serum samples.

PubMed

Schalasta, Gunnar; Börner, Anna; Speicher, Andrea; Enders, Martin

2018-03-28

Proper management of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection requires monitoring of plasma or serum HBV DNA levels using a highly sensitive nucleic acid amplification test. Because commercially available assays differ in performance, we compared herein the performance of the Hologic Aptima HBV Quant assay (Aptima) to that of the Roche Cobas TaqMan HBV test for use with the high pure system (HPS/CTM). Assay performance was assessed using HBV reference panels as well as plasma and serum samples from chronically HBV-infected patients. Method correlation, analytical sensitivity, precision/reproducibility, linearity, bias and influence of genotype were evaluated. Data analysis was performed using linear regression, Deming correlation analysis and Bland-Altman analysis. Agreement between the assays for the two reference panels was good, with a difference in assay values vs. target <0.5 log. Qualitative assay results for 159 clinical samples showed good concordance (88.1%; κ=0.75; 95% confidence interval: 0.651-0.845). For the 106 samples quantitated by both assays, viral load results were highly correlated (R=0.92) and differed on average by 0.09 log, with 95.3% of the samples being within the 95% limit of agreement of the assays. Linearity for viral loads 1-7 log was excellent for both assays (R2>0.98). The two assays had similar bias and precision across the different genotypes tested at low viral loads (25-1000 IU/mL). Aptima has a performance comparable with that of HPS/CTM, making it suitable for use for HBV infection monitoring. Aptima runs on a fully automated platform (the Panther system) and therefore offers a significantly improved workflow compared with HPS/CTM.

Multi-modal neuroimaging in premanifest and early Huntington's disease: 18 month longitudinal data from the IMAGE-HD study.

PubMed

Domínguez D, Juan F; Egan, Gary F; Gray, Marcus A; Poudel, Govinda R; Churchyard, Andrew; Chua, Phyllis; Stout, Julie C; Georgiou-Karistianis, Nellie

2013-01-01

IMAGE-HD is an Australian based multi-modal longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study in premanifest and early symptomatic Huntington's disease (pre-HD and symp-HD, respectively). In this investigation we sought to determine the sensitivity of imaging methods to detect macrostructural (volume) and microstructural (diffusivity) longitudinal change in HD. We used a 3T MRI scanner to acquire T1 and diffusion weighted images at baseline and 18 months in 31 pre-HD, 31 symp-HD and 29 controls. Volume was measured across the whole brain, and volume and diffusion measures were ascertained for caudate and putamen. We observed a range of significant volumetric and, for the first time, diffusion changes over 18 months in both pre-HD and symp-HD, relative to controls, detectable at the brain-wide level (volume change in grey and white matter) and in caudate and putamen (volume and diffusivity change). Importantly, longitudinal volume change in the caudate was the only measure that discriminated between groups across all stages of disease: far from diagnosis (>15 years), close to diagnosis (<15 years) and after diagnosis. Of the two diffusion metrics (mean diffusivity, MD; fractional anisotropy, FA), only longitudinal FA change was sensitive to group differences, but only after diagnosis. These findings further confirm caudate atrophy as one of the most sensitive and early biomarkers of neurodegeneration in HD. They also highlight that different tissue properties have varying schedules in their ability to discriminate between groups along disease progression and may therefore inform biomarker selection for future therapeutic interventions.

Mapping loci that control tuber and foliar symptoms caused by PVY in Autotetraploid Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD) is a tuber deformity associated with infection by the tuber necrotic strain of Potato virus Y (PVYNTN). PTNRD negatively impacts tuber quality and marketability and poses a serious threat to seed and commercial potato production worldwide. PVYNTN symp...

Expanding the scope of a single pathogen survey to solve the mystery of the ailing red raspberries

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Washington state produces almost 60% of the processed raspberries ($79 M value) in the U.S. Production is severely limited by Raspberry Bushy Dwarf Virus (RBDV) and the soilborne pathogens Phytophthora rubi and Pratylenchus penetrans. However, in 2012, growers began noticing plants with unusual symp...

Active Touch Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-04-01

Marvin Minsky . -36- 1. Broit, M. The Utilization of" an "Artificial Skin" sensor for the Identification of Solid Objects. Proc. 9th lnL Symp. on...Dertouzos, Ed Hardebeck, Henry Minsky , Margaret Minsky , Lisa Schostakovich, Laurel Simmons, Latanya Sweeney. Patrick Winston and most importantly

SymPS: BRDF Symmetry Guided Photometric Stereo for Shape and Light Source Estimation.

PubMed

Lu, Feng; Chen, Xiaowu; Sato, Imari; Sato, Yoichi

2018-01-01

We propose uncalibrated photometric stereo methods that address the problem due to unknown isotropic reflectance. At the core of our methods is the notion of "constrained half-vector symmetry" for general isotropic BRDFs. We show that such symmetry can be observed in various real-world materials, and it leads to new techniques for shape and light source estimation. Based on the 1D and 2D representations of the symmetry, we propose two methods for surface normal estimation; one focuses on accurate elevation angle recovery for surface normals when the light sources only cover the visible hemisphere, and the other for comprehensive surface normal optimization in the case that the light sources are also non-uniformly distributed. The proposed robust light source estimation method also plays an essential role to let our methods work in an uncalibrated manner with good accuracy. Quantitative evaluations are conducted with both synthetic and real-world scenes, which produce the state-of-the-art accuracy for all of the non-Lambertian materials in MERL database and the real-world datasets.

Teachable, high-content analytics for live-cell, phase contrast movies.

PubMed

Alworth, Samuel V; Watanabe, Hirotada; Lee, James S J

2010-09-01

CL-Quant is a new solution platform for broad, high-content, live-cell image analysis. Powered by novel machine learning technologies and teach-by-example interfaces, CL-Quant provides a platform for the rapid development and application of scalable, high-performance, and fully automated analytics for a broad range of live-cell microscopy imaging applications, including label-free phase contrast imaging. The authors used CL-Quant to teach off-the-shelf universal analytics, called standard recipes, for cell proliferation, wound healing, cell counting, and cell motility assays using phase contrast movies collected on the BioStation CT and BioStation IM platforms. Similar to application modules, standard recipes are intended to work robustly across a wide range of imaging conditions without requiring customization by the end user. The authors validated the performance of the standard recipes by comparing their performance with truth created manually, or by custom analytics optimized for each individual movie (and therefore yielding the best possible result for the image), and validated by independent review. The validation data show that the standard recipes' performance is comparable with the validated truth with low variation. The data validate that the CL-Quant standard recipes can provide robust results without customization for live-cell assays in broad cell types and laboratory settings.

Gauss Modular-Arithmetic Congruence = Signal X Noise PRODUCT: Clock-model Archimedes HYPERBOLICITY Centrality INEVITABILITY: Definition: Complexity= UTTER-SIMPLICITY: Natural-Philosophy UNITY SIMPLICITY Redux!!!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kummer, E. E.; Siegel, Edward Carl-Ludwig

2011-03-01

Clock-model Archimedes [http://linkage.rockeller.edu/ wli/moved.8.04/ 1fnoise/ index. ru.html] HYPERBOLICITY inevitability throughout physics/pure-maths: Newton-law F=ma, Heisenberg and classical uncertainty-principle=Parseval/Plancherel-theorems causes FUZZYICS definition: (so miscalled) "complexity" = UTTER-SIMPLICITY!!! Watkins[www.secamlocal.ex.ac.uk/people/staff/mrwatkin/]-Hubbard[World According to Wavelets (96)-p.14!]-Franklin[1795]-Fourier[1795;1822]-Brillouin[1922] dual/inverse-space(k,w) analysis key to Fourier-unification in Archimedes hyperbolicity inevitability progress up Siegel cognition hierarchy-of-thinking (HoT): data-info.-know.-understand.-meaning-...-unity-simplicity = FUZZYICS!!! Frohlich-Mossbauer-Goldanskii-del Guidice [Nucl.Phys.B:251,375(85);275,185 (86)]-Young [arXiv-0705.4678y2, (5/31/07] theory of health/life=aqueous-electret/ ferroelectric protoplasm BEC = Archimedes-Siegel [Schrodinger Cent.Symp.(87); Symp.Fractals, MRS Fall Mtg.(89)-5-pprs] 1/w-"noise" Zipf-law power-spectrum hyperbolicity INEVITABILITY= Chi; Dirac delta-function limit w=0 concentration= BEC = Chi-Quong.

Analytical performance of the Hologic Aptima HBV Quant Assay and the COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HBV test v2.0 for the quantification of HBV DNA in plasma samples.

PubMed

Schønning, Kristian; Johansen, Kim; Nielsen, Lone Gilmor; Weis, Nina; Westh, Henrik

2018-07-01

Quantification of HBV DNA is used for initiating and monitoring antiviral treatment. Analytical test performance consequently impacts treatment decisions. To compare the analytical performance of the Aptima HBV Quant Assay (Aptima) and the COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HBV Test v2.0 (CAPCTMv2) for the quantification of HBV DNA in plasma samples. The performance of the two tests was compared on 129 prospective plasma samples, and on 63 archived plasma samples of which 53 were genotyped. Linearity of the two assays was assessed on dilutions series of three clinical samples (Genotype B, C, and D). Bland-Altman analysis of 120 clinical samples, which quantified in both tests, showed an average quantification bias (Aptima - CAPCTMv2) of -0.19 Log IU/mL (SD: 0.33 Log IU/mL). A single sample quantified more than three standard deviations higher in Aptima than in CAPCTMv2. Only minor differences were observed between genotype A (N = 4; average difference -0.01 Log IU/mL), B (N = 8; -0.13 Log IU/mL), C (N = 8; -0.31 Log IU/mL), D (N = 25; -0.22 Log IU/mL), and E (N = 7; -0.03 Log IU/mL). Deming regression showed that the two tests were excellently correlated (slope of the regression line 1.03; 95% CI: 0.998-1.068). Linearity of the tests was evaluated on dilution series and showed an excellent correlation of the two tests. Both tests were precise with %CV less than 3% for HBV DNA ≥3 Log IU/mL. The Aptima and CAPCTMv2 tests are highly correlated, and both tests are useful for monitoring patients chronically infected with HBV. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the Optical, Electronic, and Structural Properties of Fiber Optic Glasses

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-01

H. Kawarada, and A. Hiraki , Proc. of MRS: Symp. in Diamond, Boron Nitride, Silicon Carbide and Related Wide Bandgap Semiconductors, eds. J.F. Glass...vacancy emission. This ,5Y. Yokota, H. Kawarada, and A. Hiraki , in Diamond, Boron Ni- observation is in accord with the interpretation of the tride

Evaluation of Performance Characteristics of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay for Detection and Quantitation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in Plasma and Cervicovaginal Lavage Samples.

PubMed

Sam, Soya S; Kurpewski, Jaclynn R; Cu-Uvin, Susan; Caliendo, Angela M

2016-04-01

Quantification of HIV-1 RNA has become the standard of care in the clinical management of HIV-1-infected individuals. The objective of this study was to evaluate performance characteristics and relative workflow of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay in comparison with the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay using plasma and cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) specimens. Assay performance was evaluated by using an AcroMetrix HIV-1 panel, AcroMetrix positive controls, Qnostics and SeraCare HIV-1 evaluation panels, 208 clinical plasma samples, and 205 matched CVL specimens on the Panther and m2000 platforms. The Aptima assay demonstrated good linearity over the quantification range tested (2 to 5 log10copies/ml), and there was strong linear correlation between the assays (R(2)= 0.99), with a comparable coefficient of variance of <5.5%. For the plasma samples, Deming regression analyses and Bland-Altman plots showed excellent agreement between the assays, with an interassay concordance of 91.35% (kappa = 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65 to 0.85), and on average, the viral loads determined by the Aptima assay were 0.21 log10copies/ml higher than those determined by the RealTime assay. The assays differed in their sensitivity for quantifying HIV-1 RNA loads in CVL samples, with the Aptima and RealTime assays detecting 30% and 20%, respectively. Aptima had fewer invalid results, and on average, the viral loads in CVL samples quantified by the Aptima assay were 0.072 log10copies/ml higher than those of the RealTime assay. Our results demonstrate that the Aptima assay is sensitive and accurate in quantifying viral loads in both plasma and CVL specimens and that the fully automated Panther system has all the necessary features suitable for clinical laboratories demanding high-throughput sample processing. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Modification of Electron Cyclotron Maser Operation by Application of an External Signal.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-31

start-up phase jitter in the presence of this external priming signal can be estimated by using the method of David [30]. A lumped circuit representation...27. K.E. Kreischer, R.J. Temkin, H.R. Fetterman , and W.I. Mulligan, IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech. MTT-32, 481 (1984). 28. I.G. Zarnitsyna and G.S...Nusinovich, Radiophys. Quant. Electron. 17, 1418 (1974). 29. G.S. Nusinovich, Radiophys. Quant. Electron. 19, 1301 (1976). 30. E.E. David Jr., Proc

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chung, S.; Lin, C.C.

The absorption coefficients for the free-free transitions in collisions between slow electrons and neutral oxygen atoms have been calculated for wavelengths in the range of 1 to 30 [mu]m and temperatures between 5000 and 50 000 K. The wave functions of the unbound electron are the solutions of a one-electron Schroedinger-like continuum equation that includes the Coulomb, exchange, and polarization interactions with the oxygen atom. The polarization potential is determined by a first-principles calculation based on the method of polarized orbitals. Our absorption coefficients are in good agreement with those of John and Williams [J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 17,more » 169 (1977)], but are much smaller than the experimental data of Taylor and Caledonia [J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 9, 681 (1969)] and of Kung and Chang [J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 16, 579 (1976)].« less

Evaluation of four commercial quantitative real-time PCR kits with inhibited and degraded samples.

PubMed

Holmes, Amy S; Houston, Rachel; Elwick, Kyleen; Gangitano, David; Hughes-Stamm, Sheree

2018-05-01

DNA quantification is a vital step in forensic DNA analysis to determine the optimal input amount for DNA typing. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay that can predict DNA degradation or inhibitors present in the sample prior to DNA amplification could aid forensic laboratories in creating a more streamlined and efficient workflow. This study compares the results from four commercial qPCR kits: (1) Investigator® Quantiplex® Pro Kit, (2) Quantifiler® Trio DNA Quantification Kit, (3) PowerQuant® System, and (4) InnoQuant® HY with high molecular weight DNA, low template samples, degraded samples, and DNA spiked with various inhibitors.The results of this study indicate that all kits were comparable in accurately predicting quantities of high quality DNA down to the sub-picogram level. However, the InnoQuant(R) HY kit showed the highest precision across the DNA concentration range tested in this study. In addition, all kits performed similarly with low concentrations of forensically relevant PCR inhibitors. However, in general, the Investigator® Quantiplex® Pro Kit was the most tolerant kit to inhibitors and provided the most accurate quantification results with higher concentrations of inhibitors (except with salt). PowerQuant® and InnoQuant® HY were the most sensitive to inhibitors, but they did indicate significant levels of PCR inhibition. When quantifying degraded samples, each kit provided different degradation indices (DI), with Investigator® Quantiplex® Pro indicating the largest DI and Quantifiler® Trio indicating the smallest DI. When the qPCR kits were paired with their respective STR kit to genotype highly degraded samples, the Investigator® 24plex QS and GlobalFiler® kits generated more complete profiles when the small target concentrations were used for calculating input amount.

GaAs Monolithic Microwave Subsystem Technology Base

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

To provide a captive source of reliable, high-quality GaAs substrates, a new crystal growth and substrate preparation facility which utilizes a high...Symp. GaAs and Related Compounds, Inst. Phys. Conf. Ser. 24, 6. 20. Wood, Woodcock and Harris (1978) GaAs and Related Compounds, Inst. Phys. Conf

Cross-Validation of AFOQT Form S for Cyberspace Operations - Cyberspace Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-20

50.8 61.5 66.0 69.1 82.5 VERB 60.3 26.1 .36*** 45.6 56.7 61.1 65.8 76.4 QUANT 65.7 24.9 .29*** 55.2 63.3 65.5 67.7 81.0 Notes. *** p < .001...Grade Quintile Note. Percentile scoring on y-axis. 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0 100.0 PILOT NAVTECH ACAD VERB QUANT AVE

The Nereus Hybrid Underwater Robotic Vehicle for Global Ocean Science Operations to 11,000m Depth

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

B. Butler. Field trials of the Theseus AUV. Proc. Int. Symp. on Unmanned Untethered Submersible Technology, page 615, 1995. [9] R. M. Eustice, L. L...pages 4257–4264, Apr. 2007. [10] J. Ferguson, A. Pope, B. Butler, and R. Verrall. Theseus AUV-two record breaking missions. Sea Technology, 40(2):65

SuperComputers for Space Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-07-13

also ADM001791, Potentially Disruptive Technologies and Their Impact in Space Programs Held in Marseille, France on 4-6 July 2005. , The original...Performance Embedded Computing will allow Ambitious Space Science Investigation", Proc. First Symp. on Potentially Disruptive Technologies and Their Impact in Space Programs, 2005. ➦ SOMMAIRE/SUMMARY ➦ Data Processing

RBANS Memory Indices Are Related to Medial Temporal Lobe Volumetrics in Healthy Older Adults and Those with Mild Cognitive Impairment

PubMed Central

England, Heather B.; Gillis, M. Meredith; Hampstead, Benjamin M.

2014-01-01

The current study (i) determined whether NeuroQuant® volumetrics are reflective of differences in medial temporal lobe (MTL) volumes between healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and (ii) examined the relationship between RBANS indices and MTL volumes. Forty-three healthy older adults and 57 MCI patients completed the RBANS and underwent structural MRI. Hippocampal and inferior lateral ventricle (ILV) volumes were obtained using NeuroQuant®. Results revealed significantly smaller hippocampal and larger ILV volumes in MCI patients. MTL volumes were significantly related to the RBANS Immediate and Delayed Memory and Language indices but not the Attention or Visuoconstruction indices; findings that demonstrate anatomical specificity. Following discriminant function analysis, we calculated a cutpoint that may prove clinically useful for integrating MTL volumes into the diagnosis of MCI. These findings demonstrate the potential clinical utility of NeuroQuant® and are the first to document the relationship between RBANS indices and MTL volumes. PMID:24709384

Safety Characteristics of Non-Lithium Battery Systems. Revision 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-01

2» 1978, p. 81. 29. Ryan, D. M., Advanced Thermal Batteries , DTIC No. AD-A085193, Defense Logistics Agency, Alexandria, VA, 1980. 31. Erbacher, J...K., Hussey, C. L., and King, L. A., Proc. Power Sources Symp. 28, 1979, p. 84, 32. Ryan, D. M., Advanced Thermal Batteries , DTIC No. AD-A125581

Low Temperature, Chloroaluminate Thermal Cells.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

Thermal Batteries ", AFWAL-TR-81-2044, Aeropropulsion Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, June 1981. 5. J. C. Nardi, J. K. Erbacher, C. L. Hussey, and L...R. L. Vaughn, L. A. King, Proc. of the 29th Power Sources Symp, The Electrochemical Society, Princeton, NJ, June 1980. 4. D. M. Ryan, " Advanced

Microscopic Optical Characterization of ZnO Bulk Crystals, Free Standing III-Nitride Substrates and III-V Structures for Non-Linear Optics

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-01

concentration (M.R. Phillips, M.Wagner, O.Gelhausen, V.Coleman, J.B. Brady, C. Jagadish, E. Malguth, A. Hoffmann, E.M. Goldys , J.J. Rusell; E.MRS...Malguth, A. Hoffmann, E.M. Goldys , J.J. Rusell; E.MRS Fall meeting, Symp. F, (Warsaw, Poland, 2004)); it suggests that the shift towards the red of

Comparison of the Hologic Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay to the Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test v2.0 for the quantification of HIV-1 RNA in plasma samples.

PubMed

Schønning, Kristian; Johansen, Kim; Landt, Bodil; Benfield, Thomas; Westh, Henrik

2017-07-01

HIV-RNA is the most important parameter for monitoring antiviral treatment in individuals infected with HIV-1. Knowledge of the performance of different tests for the quantification of HIV-1 RNA is therefore important for clinical care. To compare the analytical performance of the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay (Aptima) and the COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test v2.0 (CAPCTMv2) for the quantification of HIV-1 RNA in plasma samples. The performance of the two tests was compared on 216 clinical plasma samples, on dilutions series in seven replicates of five clinical samples of known subtype and on ten replicates of the Acrometrix High and Low Positive Control. Bland-Altman analysis of 130 samples that quantified in both tests did not show indications of gross mis-quantification of either test. A tendency of the Aptima assay to quantify higher at high viral load compared to the CAPCTMv2 was observed in Bland-Altman analysis, by Deming regression (Slope 1.13) and in dilution series of clinical samples. Precision evaluated using the Acrometrix Positive Controls was similar for the High Control (CV: 1.2% vs. 1.3%; Aptima assay vs. CAPCTMv2 test, respectively), but differed for the Low control (CV: 17.9% vs. 7.1%; Aptima assay vs. CAPCTMv2 test, respectively). However, this did not impact clinical categorization of clinical samples at neither the 50 cp/mL nor 200 cp/mL level. The Aptima assay and the CAPCTMv2 test are highly correlated and are useful for monitoring HIV-infected individuals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interest of the attenuation coefficient in multiparametric high frequency ultrasound investigation of whole blood coagulation process.

PubMed

Callé, Rachel; Plag, Camille; Patat, Frédéric; Ossant, Frédéric

2009-01-01

Previous studies [R. Libgot, F. Ossant, Y. Gruel, P. Lermusiaux, and F. Patat, Proc.-IEEE Utrason. Symp. 4, 2259-2262 (2005); R. Libgot-Calle, F. Ossant, Y. Gruel, P. Lermusiaux, and F. Patat, Ultrasound Med. Biol. 34, 252-264 (2008); F. Ossant, R. Libgot, P. Coupe, P. Lermusiaux, and F. Patat, Proc.-IEEE Ultrason. Symp. 2, 846-849 (2004)] showed the potential of an in vitro high frequency ultrasound (beyond 20 MHz) device to describe the blood clotting process. The parameters were simultaneously estimated in double transmission (DT) with the calculation of the velocity of longitudinal waves and in backscattering (BS) modes with the estimation of the integrated BS coefficient and the effective scatterer size. The aim of the present study was to show how the integrated attenuation coefficient (IAC) assessed in DT mode could provide additional information on this process, especially regarding the fibrin polymerization which is an important part of the coagulation process. A characteristic time t(a) of the variations in IAC that could be linked to fibrin formation was identified.

DichotomY IdentitY: Euler-Bernoulli Numbers, Sets-Multisets, FD-BE Quantum-Statistics, 1 /f0 - 1 /f1 Power-Spectra, Ellipse-Hyperbola Conic-Sections, Local-Global Extent: ``Category-Semantics''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rota, G.-C.; Siegel, Edward Carl-Ludwig

2011-03-01

Seminal Apostol[Math.Mag.81,3,178(08);Am.Math.Month.115,9,795(08)]-Rota[Intro.Prob. Thy.(95)-p.50-55] DichotomY equivalence-class: set-theory: sets V multisets; closed V open; to Abromowitz-Stegun[Hdbk.Math.Fns.(64)]-ch.23,p.803!]: numbers/polynomials generating-functions: Euler V Bernoulli; to Siegel[Schrodinger Cent.Symp.(87); Symp.Fractals, MRS Fall Mtg.,(1989)-5-papers!] power-spectrum: 1/ f {0}-White V 1/ f {1}-Zipf/Pink (Archimedes) HYPERBOLICITY INEVITABILITY; to analytic-geometry Conic-Sections: Ellipse V (via Parabola) V Hyperbola; to Extent/Scale/Radius: Locality V Globality, Root-Causes/Ultimate-Origins: Dimensionality: odd-Z V (via fractal) V even-Z, to Symmetries/(Noether's-theorem connected)/Conservation-Laws Dichotomy: restored/conservation/convergence=0- V broken/non-conservation/divergence=/=0: with asymptotic-limit antipodes morphisms/ crossovers: Eureka!!!; "FUZZYICS"=''CATEGORYICS''!!! Connection to Kummer(1850) Bernoulli-numbers proof of FLT is via Siegel(CCNY;1964) < (1994)[AMS Joint Mtg. (2002)-Abs.973-60-124] short succinct physics proof: FLT = Least-Action Principle!!!

Analysis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia using the pp65 antigenemia assay, the amplicor CMV test, and a semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction test after allogeneic marrow transplantation.

PubMed

Ksouri, H; Eljed, H; Greco, A; Lakhal, A; Torjman, L; Abdelkefi, A; Ben Othmen, T; Ladeb, S; Slim, A; Zouari, B; Abdeladhim, A; Ben Hassen, A

2007-03-01

A pp65 antigenemia assay for polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) (CINAkit Rapid Antigenemia), and a qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for plasma 'PCR-P qual' (Amplicor cytomegalovirus [CMV] test) were performed for 126 samples (blood and plasma) obtained from 18 bone marrow transplant patients, over a 9-month surveillance period. Among those samples, 92 were assayed with a semi-quantitative PCR test for PMNLs 'PCR-L quant.' The number of samples with a positive CMV test for antigenemia and PCR-P qual assays was 20.63% and 12.7%, respectively, whereas the PCR-L quant assay was positive in 48 of the 92 samples assayed (52.17%). The rates of concordance of the results of PCR-P qual and antigenemia, PCR-P qual and PCR-L quant, antigenemia and PCR-L quant were 92%, 65.2% and 66.8%, respectively. The analysis of the results for the 92 specimens tested by all 3 methods showed a rate of concordance of 63% among all methods. Good agreement (kappa=0.72) was found only between pp65 Ag and PCR-P qual assays. Clinical disease correlates with an antigenemia high viral load. Three patients had CMV disease despite preemptive therapy, and all of them had graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). PMNLs-based assays are more efficient in monitoring CMV reactivation, but for high-risk patients with GVHD, more sensitive assays (real-time PCR) must be done.

Advances on Propulsion Technology for High-Speed Aircraft. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

2m.nH 17p VJ +V, The thermal efficiency of either compressor or ram-based engines can be approached as a Brayton cycle and hence its efficiency is...Cambridge, 1964. I II [14] G. Birkhoff. Helmholtz and Taylor instability. Proc. Symp. App. Math. Soc. v. 13, p. 55-76, 1962. [15] K.M. Case. Hydrodynamic

Long Life MEM Switch Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-23

Dussopt et al. on the two-level switched-capacitors [2], Peroulis et al. on the extended analog varactor [3], B- Kassem at el. on an extended range analog...Katehi, ”Highly reliable analog MEMS varactors,” 2004 IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Dig., vol. 2, pp. 869-872, June 2004. [4] M. Bakri- Kassem , R. R

The Effects of Inadequate Component Inspection on Facility Repair Projects

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

inspection costs). These cases will also be analyzed 5 10 , 0 -1 to see if they support the validity of the framework and show that it is useful in...to improve the decisions surrounding site 0 18 -~ % - investigation procedures [3][4][ 5 ]. This thesis will attempt to look at these same decisions...Estimated Quant (SY) Actual Quant (SY) Bridge Class 1 Class 2 TOAL Class 1 Class 2 TTAL 58A 5 79 84 0 720 720 S 65A 9 164 173 0 130 130 15N/S 4 54 58 0 8 8

RBANS memory indices are related to medial temporal lobe volumetrics in healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

England, Heather B; Gillis, M Meredith; Hampstead, Benjamin M

2014-06-01

The current study (i) determined whether NeuroQuant(®) volumetrics are reflective of differences in medial temporal lobe (MTL) volumes between healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and (ii) examined the relationship between RBANS indices and MTL volumes. Forty-three healthy older adults and 57 MCI patients completed the RBANS and underwent structural MRI. Hippocampal and inferior lateral ventricle (ILV) volumes were obtained using NeuroQuant(®). Results revealed significantly smaller hippocampal and larger ILV volumes in MCI patients. MTL volumes were significantly related to the RBANS Immediate and Delayed Memory and Language indices but not the Attention or Visuoconstruction indices; findings that demonstrate anatomical specificity. Following discriminant function analysis, we calculated a cutpoint that may prove clinically useful for integrating MTL volumes into the diagnosis of MCI. These findings demonstrate the potential clinical utility of NeuroQuant(®) and are the first to document the relationship between RBANS indices and MTL volumes. Published by Oxford University Press 2014. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Effect of the traditional Chinese medicines Chan Su, Lu-Shen-Wan, Dan Shen, and Asian ginseng on serum digoxin measurement by Tina-quant (Roche) and Synchron LX system (Beckman) digoxin immunoassays.

PubMed

Chow, Leonard; Johnson, Myrtle; Wells, Alice; Dasgupta, Amitava

2003-01-01

Chan Su, Lu-Shen-Wan, Dan Shen, and Asian ginseng are traditionally used to treat a number of conditions, including cardiovascular disease. All of these traditional Chinese medicines exhibit cardioactive properties. Digoxin is a cardioactive drug with a narrow therapeutic range (0.8-1.9 ng/mL). A patient taking digoxin may also take these Chinese medicines for their cardiotonic effects. Moreover, the active components of these medicines that are responsible for cardiotonic effects bear structural similarities to digoxin. Therefore, we studied the potential interference of these Chinese medicines with two digoxin immunoassays--the Tina-quant (Roche Diagnostics) and the Beckman (Synchron LX system)--and compared the values with the fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA; Abbott Laboratories). When very small amounts (2-5 microL) of aqueous extract of Chan Su or Lu-Shen-Wan were added to drug-free serum, we observed high digoxin-like immunoreactivity with the FPIA. In contrast, when ethyl acetate extract of Dan Shen or microliter amounts of ginseng extract were added to drug-free serum, we observed modest digoxin-like immunoreactivity with the FPIA, but no apparent digoxin activity with the Roche and Beckman digoxin immunoassays. When aliquots of a digoxin pool prepared from patients receiving digoxin were supplemented with these Chinese medicines, we observed the most significant interference with the FPIA. The presence of endogenous digoxin-like immunoreactive substances can have additive effects with these Chinese medicines and falsely increase apparent digoxin levels by the FPIA. On the other hand, the Roche and Beckman assays were free from interference from DLIS but showed significant interference from Chan Su and Lu-Shen-Wan. We conclude that the FPIA showed the most significant interference from all four of the Chinese medicines we studied. However, the Roche and Beckman assays showed no interference from two (Dan Shen and Asian ginseng) of the four

Human Asymptomatic Epitopes Identified from the Herpes Simplex Virus Tegument Protein VP13/14 (UL47) Preferentially Recall Polyfunctional Effector Memory CD44high CD62Llow CD8+ TEM Cells and Protect Humanized HLA-A*02:01 Transgenic Mice against Ocular Herpesvirus Infection.

PubMed

Srivastava, Ruchi; Khan, Arif A; Garg, Sumit; Syed, Sabrina A; Furness, Julie N; Vahed, Hawa; Pham, Tiffany; Yu, Howard T; Nesburn, Anthony B; BenMohamed, Lbachir

2017-01-15

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection is widespread among humans. The HSV-1 virion protein 13/14 (VP13/14), also known as UL47, is a tegument antigen targeted by CD8 + T cells from HSV-seropositive individuals. However, whether VP13/14-specific CD8 + T cells play a role in the natural protection seen in asymptomatic (ASYMP) individuals (individuals who have never had a clinical herpetic disease) has not been elucidated. Using predictive computer-assisted algorithms, we identified 10 potential HLA-A*02:01-restricted CD8 + T-cell epitopes from the 693-amino-acid sequence of the VP13/14 protein. Three out of 10 epitopes exhibited a high to moderate affinity of binding to soluble HLA-A*02:01 molecules. The phenotype and function of CD8 + T cells specific for each epitope were compared in HLA-A*02:01-positive ASYMP individuals and symptomatic (SYMP) individuals (individuals who have frequent clinical herpetic diseases) using determination of a combination of tetramer frequency and the levels of granzyme B, granzyme K, perforin, gamma interferon, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-2 production and CD107 a/b cytotoxic degranulation. High frequencies of multifunctional CD8 + T cells directed against three epitopes, VP13/14 from amino acids 286 to 294 (VP13/14 286-294 ), VP13/14 from amino acids 504 to 512 (VP13/14 504-512 ), and VP13/14 from amino acids 544 to 552 (VP13/14 544-552 ), were detected in ASYMP individuals, while only low frequencies were detected in SYMP individuals. The three epitopes also predominantly recalled more CD45RA low CD44 high CCR7 low CD62L low CD8 + effector memory T cells (T EM cells) in ASYMP individuals than SYMP individuals. Moreover, immunization of HLA-A*02:01 transgenic mice with the three CD8 + T EM -cell epitopes from ASYMP individuals induced robust and polyfunctional HSV-specific CD8 + T EM cells associated with strong protective immunity against ocular herpesvirus infection and disease. Our findings outline the phenotypic

New Architectures, Algorithms And Designs That Lead To Implemented Machine Reasoning Over Knowledge In Epistemic And Deontic Formats, In The Service Of Advanced Wargaming

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

information. For example, to say “If Asimov is right, then his three laws hold,” we could write r (As1 As2 As3) where As stands for Asimov’s law. The...Robots Via Mechanized Deontic Logic,” tech. report Machine Ethics: papers from the AAAI Fall Symp.; FS–05–06, 2005b. 3. I. Asimov , I, Robot, Spectra, 2004

Fabrication of Novel Types of Colloidosome Microcapsules for Drug Delivery Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

UNCLASSIFIED Defense Technical Information Center Compilation Part Notice ADP019733 TITLE: Fabrication of Novel Types of Colloidosome Microcapsules ...UNCLASSIFIED Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 845 © 2005 Materials Research Society AA5.18 Fabrication of Novel Types of Colloidosome Microcapsules for Drug...Novel colloidosome microcapsules with aqueous gel cores and shells of different polymeric colloid particles have been prepared and characterized. Our

Characteristics of Mild Dengue Virus Infection in Thai Children

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

disease burden assessments, transmissionmodeling, and determination of vaccine impact. INTRODUCTION Dengue virus (DENV) causes more human morbidity and...or symp- tom combination associated with dengue severity , although our analysis was limited by the small number of contacts with severe disease ...sur- veillance method in defining illness for purposes such as disease burden assessments, transmission modeling, and determination of vaccine impact

Toward Improved Maintenance Training Programs: The Potentials for Training and Aiding the Technician.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

conditional, fault-isolation approach of the con- Data Base Requirements tent expert, photographs of normal and abnormal symp- The content-expert may...59 THE AUTOMATED INTERGRATION OF TRAINING AND AIDING INFORMATION FOR THE OPERATOR/TECHNICIAN Dr. Douglas Towne...Subsystem approach devel- until this Third Biennial Conference oped by the Air Force in the 1960’s for us to call a meeting devoted to integrate Human

Biodegradable Microfluidic Scaffolds for Vascular Tissue Engineering

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

Engineering DISTRIBUTION: Approved for public release, distribution unlimited This paper is part of the following report: TITLE: Materials Research...Society Symposium Proceedings. Volume 845, 2005. Nanoscale Materials Science in Biology and Medicine, Held in Boston, MA on 28 November-2 December 2004...Symp. Proc. Vol. 845 © 2005 Materials Research Society AA1.6 Biodegradable Microfluidic Scaffolds for Vascular Tissue Engineering C. J. Bettinger" 3

High Resolution X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging with Acoustic Tissue-Selective Contrast Enhancement

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-01

Ultrasonics Symp 1319 (1999). 17. Sarvazyan, A. P. Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging: A New Ultrasonic Technology of Medical Diagnostics. Ultrasound in...samples using acoustically modulated X-ray phase contrast imaging. 15. SUBJECT TERMS x-ray, ultrasound, phase contrast, imaging, elastography 16...x-rays, phase contrast imaging is based on phase changes as x-rays traverse a body resulting in wave interference that result in intensity changes in

Structure and Properties of Energetic Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-02

basic research is needed. First, a quantitative study of friction effects on propellants with varying particle sizes can be conducted. Second, using...Army position, policy, or decision, unless so designated by other documentation. Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 296. t 1993 Materials Research Society...further observations and analysis. INTRODUCTION Recently, a study group sponsored by the Army Research Office developed and published an overall basic

Recent Naval Postgraduate School Publications

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-30

Disciplines, Dallas, TX, Mar., 1986. Suchan( JBusinesspeople’s resistance to the plain language movement The Assoc. for Business Communication West...Suchan, J; Scott, C. Plain talk across the bargaining table: unclear contract language and its effect on corporate culture Business Horizons, vol. 29...Database Symp., Tokyo, Japan, Aug., 1986. Berzins, V The design of software interfaces in spec International Conference on Computer Languages , Miami

Asymptomatic HLA-A*02:01–Restricted Epitopes from Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein B Preferentially Recall Polyfunctional CD8+ T Cells from Seropositive Asymptomatic Individuals and Protect HLA Transgenic Mice against Ocular Herpes

PubMed Central

Dervillez, Xavier; Qureshi, Huma; Chentoufi, Aziz A.; Khan, Arif A.; Kritzer, Elizabeth; Yu, David C.; Diaz, Oscar R.; Gottimukkala, Chetan; Kalantari, Mina; Villacres, Maria C.; Scarfone, Vanessa M.; McKinney, Denise M.; Sidney, John; Sette, Alessandro; Nesburn, Anthony B.; Wechsler, Steven L.; BenMohamed, Lbachir

2014-01-01

Evidence from C57BL/6 mice suggests that CD8+ T cells, specific to the immunodominant HSV-1 glycoprotein B (gB) H-2b–restricted epitope (gB498–505), protect against ocular herpes infection and disease. However, the possible role of CD8+ T cells, specific to HLA-restricted gB epitopes, in protective immunity seen in HSV-1–seropositive asymptomatic (ASYMP) healthy individuals (who have never had clinical herpes) remains to be determined. In this study, we used multiple prediction algorithms to identify 10 potential HLA-A*02:01–restricted CD8+ T cell epitopes from the HSV-1 gB amino acid sequence. Six of these epitopes exhibited high-affinity binding to HLA-A*02:01 molecules. In 10 sequentially studied HLA-A*02:01–positive, HSV-1–seropositive ASYMP individuals, the most frequent, robust, and polyfunctional CD8+ T cell responses, as assessed by a combination of tetramer, IFN-γ-ELISPOT, CFSE proliferation, CD107a/b cytotoxic degranulation, and multiplex cytokine assays, were directed mainly against epitopes gB342–350 and gB561–569. In contrast, in 10 HLA-A*02:01–positive, HSV-1–seropositive symptomatic (SYMP) individuals (with a history of numerous episodes of recurrent clinical herpes disease) frequent, but less robust, CD8+ T cell responses were directed mainly against nonoverlapping epitopes (gB183–191 and gB441–449). ASYMP individuals had a significantly higher proportion of HSV-gB–specific CD8+ T cells expressing CD107a/b degranulation marker and producing effector cytokines IL-2, IFN-γ, and TNF-α than did SYMP individuals. Moreover, immunization of a novel herpes-susceptible HLA-A*02:01 transgenic mouse model with ASYMP epitopes, but not with SYMP epitopes, induced strong CD8+ T cell–dependent protective immunity against ocular herpes infection and disease. These findings should guide the development of a safe and effective T cell–based herpes vaccine. PMID:24101547

Predictive Utility of Marketed Volumetric Software Tools in Subjects at Risk for Alzheimer's: Do Regions Outside the Hippocampus Matter?

PubMed Central

Tanpitukpongse, Teerath P.; Mazurowski, Maciej A.; Ikhena, John; Petrella, Jeffrey R.

2016-01-01

Background and Purpose To assess prognostic efficacy of individual versus combined regional volumetrics in two commercially-available brain volumetric software packages for predicting conversion of patients with mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. Materials and Methods Data was obtained through the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. 192 subjects (mean age 74.8 years, 39% female) diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment at baseline were studied. All had T1WI MRI sequences at baseline and 3-year clinical follow-up. Analysis was performed with NeuroQuant® and Neuroreader™. Receiver operating characteristic curves assessing the prognostic efficacy of each software package were generated using a univariable approach employing individual regional brain volumes, as well as two multivariable approaches (multiple regression and random forest), combining multiple volumes. Results On univariable analysis of 11 NeuroQuant® and 11 Neuroreader™ regional volumes, hippocampal volume had the highest area under the curve for both software packages (0.69 NeuroQuant®, 0.68 Neuroreader™), and was not significantly different (p > 0.05) between packages. Multivariable analysis did not increase the area under the curve for either package (0.63 logistic regression, 0.60 random forest NeuroQuant®; 0.65 logistic regression, 0.62 random forest Neuroreader™). Conclusion Of the multiple regional volume measures available in FDA-cleared brain volumetric software packages, hippocampal volume remains the best single predictor of conversion of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease at 3-year follow-up. Combining volumetrics did not add additional prognostic efficacy. Therefore, future prognostic studies in MCI, combining such tools with demographic and other biomarker measures, are justified in using hippocampal volume as the only volumetric biomarker. PMID:28057634

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oshima, M.; Port, S.C.; Ray, G.

Forty-two patients (pts) with 1VD(greater than or equal to 70% stenosis and no prior infarction) undergoing PTCA provide a model to study the efficacy with which non-invasive tests can a) detect stress induced ischemia and b) reflect the reduction in stress induced ischemia expected from arteriographically successful PTCA. The diseased coronary was the right in 12, the circumflex in 3 and the LAD in 27 pts. Pre- and post- PTCA paired data were available from treadmill (ETT), planar thallium (Qual-T1), 7 pinhole tomography and 1st pass radionuclide angiograms (RNA) in 29, 26, 31 and 25 pts. After tomographic images weremore » digitized and analyzed by a computer, the intensity (=area/range, a numerical index of the severity of a defect) served as a quantitative T1 (Quant-T1). Criteria for ischemia were: significant ST change on ETT, unequivocal stress defects on Qual-T1, Quant-T1 intensity greater than or equal to 2.0, and exercise ejection fraction (Ex EF) greater than or equal to 0.55 or a new wall motion abnormality on Ex RNA. Ex EF was .61 +- .13 pre- and .63 +- .10 post-PTCA (p=NS). Quant-T1 intensity was 9.5 +- 7.1 pre- and 4.0 +- 5.5 post-PTCA (p=.0003). T1 testing was the most sensitive for detecting ischemia pre-PTCA. However, given an ischemic response pre-PTCA, the RNA showed the greatest trend toward normalization post-PTCA. If one test must be chosen Quant-T1 seems most appropriate in the evaluation of pre- and post- PTCA pts with 1VD.« less

UNiquant, a program for quantitative proteomics analysis using stable isotope labeling.

PubMed

Huang, Xin; Tolmachev, Aleksey V; Shen, Yulei; Liu, Miao; Huang, Lin; Zhang, Zhixin; Anderson, Gordon A; Smith, Richard D; Chan, Wing C; Hinrichs, Steven H; Fu, Kai; Ding, Shi-Jian

2011-03-04

Stable isotope labeling (SIL) methods coupled with nanoscale liquid chromatography and high resolution tandem mass spectrometry are increasingly useful for elucidation of the proteome-wide differences between multiple biological samples. Development of more effective programs for the sensitive identification of peptide pairs and accurate measurement of the relative peptide/protein abundance are essential for quantitative proteomic analysis. We developed and evaluated the performance of a new program, termed UNiquant, for analyzing quantitative proteomics data using stable isotope labeling. UNiquant was compared with two other programs, MaxQuant and Mascot Distiller, using SILAC-labeled complex proteome mixtures having either known or unknown heavy/light ratios. For the SILAC-labeled Jeko-1 cell proteome digests with known heavy/light ratios (H/L = 1:1, 1:5, and 1:10), UNiquant quantified a similar number of peptide pairs as MaxQuant for the H/L = 1:1 and 1:5 mixtures. In addition, UNiquant quantified significantly more peptides than MaxQuant and Mascot Distiller in the H/L = 1:10 mixtures. UNiquant accurately measured relative peptide/protein abundance without the need for postmeasurement normalization of peptide ratios, which is required by the other programs.

UNiquant, a Program for Quantitative Proteomics Analysis Using Stable Isotope Labeling

PubMed Central

Huang, Xin; Tolmachev, Aleksey V.; Shen, Yulei; Liu, Miao; Huang, Lin; Zhang, Zhixin; Anderson, Gordon A.; Smith, Richard D.; Chan, Wing C.; Hinrichs, Steven H.; Fu, Kai; Ding, Shi-Jian

2011-01-01

Stable isotope labeling (SIL) methods coupled with nanoscale liquid chromatography and high resolution tandem mass spectrometry are increasingly useful for elucidation of the proteome-wide differences between multiple biological samples. Development of more effective programs for the sensitive identification of peptide pairs and accurate measurement of the relative peptide/protein abundance are essential for quantitative proteomic analysis. We developed and evaluated the performance of a new program, termed UNiquant, for analyzing quantitative proteomics data using stable isotope labeling. UNiquant was compared with two other programs, MaxQuant and Mascot Distiller, using SILAC-labeled complex proteome mixtures having either known or unknown heavy/light ratios. For the SILAC-labeled Jeko-1 cell proteome digests with known heavy/light ratios (H/L = 1:1, 1:5, and 1:10), UNiquant quantified a similar number of peptide pairs as MaxQuant for the H/L = 1:1 and 1:5 mixtures. In addition, UNiquant quantified significantly more peptides than MaxQuant and Mascot Distiller in the H/L = 1:10 mixtures. UNiquant accurately measured relative peptide/protein abundance without the need for post-measurement normalization of peptide ratios, which is required by the other programs. PMID:21158445

Enhanced Life Prediction Technology for Engine Rotor Life Extension (ERLE)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

related a0 to dislocation pileups and mode II shear cracks, and found satisfactory agreement with small-crack data from titanium aluminides . Tanaka...Symp. Gamma Titanium Aluminides , TMS, 1999, pp. 517-525. [11] K. Tanaka, Y. Nakai, and M. Yamashita, “Fatigue Growth Threshold of Small Cracks...between his formulation and a variety of experimental data. While titanium was not included in the Tanaka comparisons, Brown and Taylor [12] have

A Procedural Guide on Sick Building Syndrome.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-01

membrane irrition. Sodium dodecyl sulfate , an ingredient in many carpet shampoos has also been associated with mucous membrane irritation in certain offices...American Industrial Hygiene Conference, 20 May 1986 13. Kreiss, K, and M.G. Gonzales, et al, "Respiratory Irritation Due to Carpet Shampoo ," Chronic...Carpet Shampoo ," Proc. Fifth Inter. Symp. Medichem, San Francisco, p. 347 (1977) 12 15. Threshold Limit Values and Biological Exposure Indices for 1985

Coordination and Control for Multi-Quadrotor UAV Missions

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

space equation uses a set of matrices to set up a series of first-order differential equations of the vehicle states. Some flexibility exists in...challenges with autonomous micro aerial vehicles.” Int. Symp. On Robotics Research, 2011 [11] M. Turpin , N. Michael, & V. Kumar, (2012). “Trajectory design...Mathematics and Engineer- ingAnalysis, TechnicalDocumentMEA-LR-085. Boeing Information and Support Services, The Boeing Company, Seattle ( 1997 ) [23] O

Phytoplankton-Environmental Interactions in Reservoirs. Volume I. Papers Presented at Workshop, 10-12 April 1979, Monterey, California.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

Antarctic waters. Symp. Antarctic Oceanography. Santiago , Chile . Eppley, R.W. 1972. Temperature and phytoplankton growth in the sea. Fish. Bull. 70:1063...photorespiration is largely dependent on the partial pressure of car- bon dioxide and oxygen concentrations . When CO2 limits photosynthesis and oxygen...hardness and alkalinity concentrations (> 200 mg/i as CaCO 3). As CO2 is removed from the alkalinity _ystem, pH increases and most alkalinity is

Magnetron Sputtered Pulsed Laser Deposition Scale Up

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-08-14

2:721-726 34 S. J. P. Laube and E. F. Stark, “ Artificial Intellegence in Process Control of Pulsed Laser Deposition”, Proceedings of...The model would be based on mathematical simulation of real process data, neural-networks, or other artificial intelligence methods based on in situ...Laube and E. F. Stark, Proc. Symp. Artificial Intel. Real Time Control, Valencia, Spain, 3-5 Oct. ,1994, p.159-163. International Federation of

A Parallel Neuromorphic Text Recognition System and Its Implementation on a Heterogeneous High-Performance Computing Cluster

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

M. Ahmadi, and M. Shridhar, “ Handwritten Numeral Recognition with Multiple Features and Multistage Classifiers,” Proc. IEEE Int’l Symp. Circuits...ARTICLE (Post Print) 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) SEP 2011 – SEP 2013 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE A PARALLEL NEUROMORPHIC TEXT RECOGNITION SYSTEM AND ITS...research in computational intelligence has entered a new era. In this paper, we present an HPC-based context-aware intelligent text recognition

Research Investigation Directed Toward Extending the Useful Range of the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-31

spectrometer ions photoionic emission threshold low temperature processing low energy ion beam silicon oxidation sputtering of silicon dioxide germanium...Osgood, "Optically-Induced, Room- Temperature Oxidation of Gallium Arsenide," Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 75(1987):251-255. P. D. Brewer and R. M. Osgood... oxide films (40-70 A) at room temperature which are suitable for MOSFET devices, has been extensively studied experimentally and theoretically. The

Surface Composition Influence on Internal Gas Flow at Large Knudsen Numbers

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-07-09

situated in an ultra high vacuum system . The system is supplied with means of gas phase, surface CP585, Rarefied Gas Dynamics: 22nd International...control and gas flow measuring system . The experimental procedure consists in a few stages. The first stage includes surface preparation process at...solid body system , Proceedings 20-th Int. Symp. Rarefied Gas Dynamics, Peking University Press, Beijing, China, 1997, pp. 387-391. 3. Lord, R.G

Measurement of Deep Levels at InGaAs(P)/InP Heterojunctions

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-01

by write Eq. (10) to obtain (for shallow or deep donor traps): VD(O) = VDK + q/K f. N, (x*)(x* -x)dx* -qAx/ o, - + J N,(x)dx J-* +_N,, F(x)dx KFc . N...8217T, P. Andre, 1. N. Patillon, J. L. Gentler, E. P. Menu , D. Moroni, and G. Case 2: Bias sweep frequency large (e,, <Wf~ccw) M. Martin, Int. Symp. GaAs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Webb-Robertson, Bobbie-Jo M.; Matzke, Melissa M.; Datta, Susmita

As the capability of mass spectrometry-based proteomics has matured, tens of thousands of peptides can be measured simultaneously, which has the benefit of offering a systems view of protein expression. However, a major challenge is that with an increase in throughput, protein quantification estimation from the native measured peptides has become a computational task. A limitation to existing computationally-driven protein quantification methods is that most ignore protein variation, such as alternate splicing of the RNA transcript and post-translational modifications or other possible proteoforms, which will affect a significant fraction of the proteome. The consequence of this assumption is that statisticalmore » inference at the protein level, and consequently downstream analyses, such as network and pathway modeling, have only limited power for biomarker discovery. Here, we describe a Bayesian model (BP-Quant) that uses statistically derived peptides signatures to identify peptides that are outside the dominant pattern, or the existence of multiple over-expressed patterns to improve relative protein abundance estimates. It is a research-driven approach that utilizes the objectives of the experiment, defined in the context of a standard statistical hypothesis, to identify a set of peptides exhibiting similar statistical behavior relating to a protein. This approach infers that changes in relative protein abundance can be used as a surrogate for changes in function, without necessarily taking into account the effect of differential post-translational modifications, processing, or splicing in altering protein function. We verify the approach using a dilution study from mouse plasma samples and demonstrate that BP-Quant achieves similar accuracy as the current state-of-the-art methods at proteoform identification with significantly better specificity. BP-Quant is available as a MatLab ® and R packages at https://github.com/PNNL-Comp-Mass-Spec/BP-Quant.« less

Predictive Utility of Marketed Volumetric Software Tools in Subjects at Risk for Alzheimer Disease: Do Regions Outside the Hippocampus Matter?

PubMed

Tanpitukpongse, T P; Mazurowski, M A; Ikhena, J; Petrella, J R

2017-03-01

Alzheimer disease is a prevalent neurodegenerative disease. Computer assessment of brain atrophy patterns can help predict conversion to Alzheimer disease. Our aim was to assess the prognostic efficacy of individual-versus-combined regional volumetrics in 2 commercially available brain volumetric software packages for predicting conversion of patients with mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer disease. Data were obtained through the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. One hundred ninety-two subjects (mean age, 74.8 years; 39% female) diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment at baseline were studied. All had T1-weighted MR imaging sequences at baseline and 3-year clinical follow-up. Analysis was performed with NeuroQuant and Neuroreader. Receiver operating characteristic curves assessing the prognostic efficacy of each software package were generated by using a univariable approach using individual regional brain volumes and 2 multivariable approaches (multiple regression and random forest), combining multiple volumes. On univariable analysis of 11 NeuroQuant and 11 Neuroreader regional volumes, hippocampal volume had the highest area under the curve for both software packages (0.69, NeuroQuant; 0.68, Neuroreader) and was not significantly different ( P > .05) between packages. Multivariable analysis did not increase the area under the curve for either package (0.63, logistic regression; 0.60, random forest NeuroQuant; 0.65, logistic regression; 0.62, random forest Neuroreader). Of the multiple regional volume measures available in FDA-cleared brain volumetric software packages, hippocampal volume remains the best single predictor of conversion of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer disease at 3-year follow-up. Combining volumetrics did not add additional prognostic efficacy. Therefore, future prognostic studies in mild cognitive impairment, combining such tools with demographic and other biomarker measures, are justified in using hippocampal volume as

A framework for intelligent data acquisition and real-time database searching for shotgun proteomics.

PubMed

Graumann, Johannes; Scheltema, Richard A; Zhang, Yong; Cox, Jürgen; Mann, Matthias

2012-03-01

In the analysis of complex peptide mixtures by MS-based proteomics, many more peptides elute at any given time than can be identified and quantified by the mass spectrometer. This makes it desirable to optimally allocate peptide sequencing and narrow mass range quantification events. In computer science, intelligent agents are frequently used to make autonomous decisions in complex environments. Here we develop and describe a framework for intelligent data acquisition and real-time database searching and showcase selected examples. The intelligent agent is implemented in the MaxQuant computational proteomics environment, termed MaxQuant Real-Time. It analyzes data as it is acquired on the mass spectrometer, constructs isotope patterns and SILAC pair information as well as controls MS and tandem MS events based on real-time and prior MS data or external knowledge. Re-implementing a top10 method in the intelligent agent yields similar performance to the data dependent methods running on the mass spectrometer itself. We demonstrate the capabilities of MaxQuant Real-Time by creating a real-time search engine capable of identifying peptides "on-the-fly" within 30 ms, well within the time constraints of a shotgun fragmentation "topN" method. The agent can focus sequencing events onto peptides of specific interest, such as those originating from a specific gene ontology (GO) term, or peptides that are likely modified versions of already identified peptides. Finally, we demonstrate enhanced quantification of SILAC pairs whose ratios were poorly defined in survey spectra. MaxQuant Real-Time is flexible and can be applied to a large number of scenarios that would benefit from intelligent, directed data acquisition. Our framework should be especially useful for new instrument types, such as the quadrupole-Orbitrap, that are currently becoming available.

A Framework for Intelligent Data Acquisition and Real-Time Database Searching for Shotgun Proteomics*

PubMed Central

Graumann, Johannes; Scheltema, Richard A.; Zhang, Yong; Cox, Jürgen; Mann, Matthias

2012-01-01

In the analysis of complex peptide mixtures by MS-based proteomics, many more peptides elute at any given time than can be identified and quantified by the mass spectrometer. This makes it desirable to optimally allocate peptide sequencing and narrow mass range quantification events. In computer science, intelligent agents are frequently used to make autonomous decisions in complex environments. Here we develop and describe a framework for intelligent data acquisition and real-time database searching and showcase selected examples. The intelligent agent is implemented in the MaxQuant computational proteomics environment, termed MaxQuant Real-Time. It analyzes data as it is acquired on the mass spectrometer, constructs isotope patterns and SILAC pair information as well as controls MS and tandem MS events based on real-time and prior MS data or external knowledge. Re-implementing a top10 method in the intelligent agent yields similar performance to the data dependent methods running on the mass spectrometer itself. We demonstrate the capabilities of MaxQuant Real-Time by creating a real-time search engine capable of identifying peptides “on-the-fly” within 30 ms, well within the time constraints of a shotgun fragmentation “topN” method. The agent can focus sequencing events onto peptides of specific interest, such as those originating from a specific gene ontology (GO) term, or peptides that are likely modified versions of already identified peptides. Finally, we demonstrate enhanced quantification of SILAC pairs whose ratios were poorly defined in survey spectra. MaxQuant Real-Time is flexible and can be applied to a large number of scenarios that would benefit from intelligent, directed data acquisition. Our framework should be especially useful for new instrument types, such as the quadrupole-Orbitrap, that are currently becoming available. PMID:22171319

Video bioinformatics analysis of human embryonic stem cell colony growth.

PubMed

Lin, Sabrina; Fonteno, Shawn; Satish, Shruthi; Bhanu, Bir; Talbot, Prue

2010-05-20

Because video data are complex and are comprised of many images, mining information from video material is difficult to do without the aid of computer software. Video bioinformatics is a powerful quantitative approach for extracting spatio-temporal data from video images using computer software to perform dating mining and analysis. In this article, we introduce a video bioinformatics method for quantifying the growth of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) by analyzing time-lapse videos collected in a Nikon BioStation CT incubator equipped with a camera for video imaging. In our experiments, hESC colonies that were attached to Matrigel were filmed for 48 hours in the BioStation CT. To determine the rate of growth of these colonies, recipes were developed using CL-Quant software which enables users to extract various types of data from video images. To accurately evaluate colony growth, three recipes were created. The first segmented the image into the colony and background, the second enhanced the image to define colonies throughout the video sequence accurately, and the third measured the number of pixels in the colony over time. The three recipes were run in sequence on video data collected in a BioStation CT to analyze the rate of growth of individual hESC colonies over 48 hours. To verify the truthfulness of the CL-Quant recipes, the same data were analyzed manually using Adobe Photoshop software. When the data obtained using the CL-Quant recipes and Photoshop were compared, results were virtually identical, indicating the CL-Quant recipes were truthful. The method described here could be applied to any video data to measure growth rates of hESC or other cells that grow in colonies. In addition, other video bioinformatics recipes can be developed in the future for other cell processes such as migration, apoptosis, and cell adhesion.

Evaluation of the Aptima(®) HIV-1 Quant Dx assay for HIV-1 RNA viral load detection and quantitation in plasma of HIV-1-infected individuals: A comparison with Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay.

PubMed

Amendola, Alessandra; Pisciotta, Maria; Aleo, Loredana; Ferraioli, Valeria; Angeletti, Claudio; Capobianchi, Maria Rosaria

2016-09-01

The Hologic Aptima(®) HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Aptima HIV) is a real-time transcription-mediated amplification method CE-approved for use in diagnosis and monitoring of HIV-1 infection. The analytical performance of this new assay was compared to the FDA-approved Abbott RealTime HIV-1 (RealTime). The evaluation was performed using 220 clinical plasma samples, the WHO 3rd HIV-1 International Standard, and the QCMD HIV-1 RNA EQA. Concordance on qualitative results, correlation between quantitative results, accuracy, and reproducibility of viral load data were analyzed. The ability to measure HIV-1 subtypes was assessed on the second WHO International Reference Preparation Panel for HIV-1 Subtypes. With clinical samples, inter-assay agreement for qualitative results was high (91.8%) with Cohen's kappa statistic equal to 0.836. For samples with quantitative results in both assays (n = 93), Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was 0.980 (P < 0.0001) and mean differences of measurement, conducted according to Bland-Altman method, was low (0.115 log10  copies/ml). The Aptima HIV quantified the WHO 3rd HIV-1 International Standard diluted from 2000 to 31 cp/ml (5,700-88 IU/ml) at expected values with excellent linearity (R(2)  > 0.970) and showed higher sensitivity compared to RealTime being able to detect HIV-1 RNA in 10 out of 10 replicates containing down to 7 cp/ml (20 IU/ml). Reproducibility was very high, even at low HIV-1 RNA values. The Aptima HIV was able to detect and accurately quantify all the main HIV-1 subtypes in both reference panels and clinical samples. Besides excellent performance, Aptima HIV shows full automation, ease of use, and improved workflow compared to RealTime. J. Med. Virol. 88:1535-1544, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Type-Preserving Compiler Infrastructure

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

understand this code. This is, in essence , the object encoding we use to compile Java. Before embarking on the formal translation, wemust explore onemore...call. This solution works quite well. We used Jasmin , a JVML assembler (Meyer and Down- 102 CHAPTER 7. FUNCTIONAL JAVA BYTECODE ing 1997), to generate a...European Symp. on Program. 135–149. Flanagan, Cormac, Amr Sabry, Bruce F. Duba, and Matthias Felleisen. 1993, June. “The Essence of Compiling with

Recent Naval Postgraduate School Publications.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

477 p. Haney, R L; et al.; eds. Ocean models for climate research: A workshop Sponsored by the U.S. Committee for the Global Atmos. Hes. Program. Nat... climate variability Oceanus, vol. 21, no. 4, p. 33-39, (1978). Williams, R T A review of theoretical models of atmospheric frontogenesis Chapman Conf...structure in large-scale optimization models Symp. 9 n Computer-Assisted Analysis and Model Simpification, Boulder, Colo., Mar. 24, 1980. Brown, G G

High Efficiency Large-Angle Pancharatnam Phase Deflector Based on Dual Twist Design

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-16

previous approaches have been reported, with an even wider range of potential applications8-13. Figure 1a shows the schematics of a thin- film beam...using a liquid crystal device. SID Symp. Dig. Tech. Papers 45, 739–742 (2014). 10. Gao, K., Cheng, H. H., Bhowmik, A. K. & Bos, P. J. Thin- film ...efficient thin- film polarizing beamsplitters for broadband light. Proc. SPIE 6682, 668211 (2007). Acknowledgements We express thanks for financial

Species Profiles. Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic). SURF CLAM

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-10-01

formation Respiration of marine organisms. and regeneration. Pages 243-282 Proc. First Biomed .. Sci. Symp., In K. M. Wilbur and C. M. 1975, Augusta...Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4. 23 pp. iv ACK(NOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful -for the review by Steve Murawskl, National Marine Fisheries Service...presented below for the follawing were refined by National Marine Fish- areas: (1) southern New England, erie’s Service investigators beginning (2) New

Noninvasive Subharmonic Pressure Estimation for Monitoring Breast Cancer Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

F Forsberg. In vivo subharmonic pressure estimation of portal hypertension in canines. Proc IEEE US Symp, pp. 778-781, 2010. S. Paul, K. Sarkar...Symposium, San Diego, CA, USA. • In vivo subharmonic pressure estimation of portal hypertension in canines. November 21–23, 2010 63rd Annual Meeting...9. Less JR, et al., Interstitial hypertension in human breast and colorectal tumors. Cancer Res, 1992. 52(22): p. 6371-4. 28 10. Taghian AG, et

Identifying Key Events in AOPs for Embryonic Disruption using Computational Toxicology (European Teratology Society - AOP symp.)

EPA Science Inventory

Addressing safety aspects of drugs and environmental chemicals relies extensively on animal testing; however, the quantity of chemicals needing assessment and challenges of species extrapolation require alternative approaches to traditional animal studies. Newer in vitro and in s...

Phenotypic and Functional Characterization of Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein B Epitope-Specific Effector and Memory CD8+ T Cells from Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Individuals with Ocular Herpes

PubMed Central

Khan, Arif A.; Srivastava, Ruchi; Spencer, Doran; Garg, Sumit; Fremgen, Daniel; Vahed, Hawa; Lopes, Patricia P.; Pham, Thanh T.; Hewett, Charlie; Kuang, Jasmine; Ong, Nicolas; Huang, Lei; Scarfone, Vanessa M.; Nesburn, Anthony B.

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein B (gB)-specific CD8+ T cells protect mice from herpes infection and disease. However, whether and which HSV-1 gB-specific CD8+ T cells play a key role in the “natural” protection seen in HSV-1-seropositive healthy asymptomatic (ASYMP) individuals (who have never had clinical herpes disease) remain to be determined. In this study, we have dissected the phenotypes and the functions of HSV-1 gB-specific CD8+ T cells from HLA-A*02:01 positive, HSV-1 seropositive ASYMP and symptomatic (SYMP) individuals (with a history of numerous episodes of recurrent ocular herpes disease). We found the following. (i) Healthy ASYMP individuals maintained a significantly higher proportion of differentiated HSV-1 gB-specific effector memory CD8+ T cells (TEM cells) (CD45RAlow CCR7low CD44high CD62Llow). In contrast, SYMP patients had frequent less-differentiated central memory CD8+ T cells (TCM cells) (CD45RAlow CCR7high CD44low CD62Lhigh). (ii) ASYMP individuals had significantly higher proportions of multifunctional effector CD8+ T cells which responded mainly to gB342–350 and gB561–569 “ASYMP” epitopes, and simultaneously produced IFN-γ, CD107a/b, granzyme B, and perforin. In contrast, effector CD8+ T cells from SYMP individuals were mostly monofunctional and were directed mainly against nonoverlapping gB17–25 and gB183–191 “SYMP” epitopes. (iii) Immunization of an HLA-A*02:01 transgenic mouse model of ocular herpes with “ASYMP” CD8+ TEM cell epitopes, but not with “SYMP” CD8+ TCM cell epitopes, induced a strong CD8+ T cell-dependent protective immunity against ocular herpes infection and disease. Our findings provide insights into the role of HSV-specific CD8+ TEM cells in protection against herpes and should be considered in the development of an effective vaccine. IMPORTANCE A significantly higher proportion of differentiated and multifunctional HSV-1 gB-specific effector memory CD8+ T cells (TEM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Junkel, G. C.; Gunderson, M. A.; Hooper, C. F.

Recently, there has been growing experimental evidence for redshifts in line spectra from highly ionized, high-Z radiators immersed in hot, dense plasmas [O. Renner , J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 58, 851 (1997); C. F. Hooper , in Strongly Coupled Coulomb Systems (Plenum, New York, 1998); N. C. Woolsey , J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 65, 573 (2000); A. Saemann , Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4843 (1999)]. A full Coulomb, multielectron formalism of line broadening due to perturbation by plasma electrons will be presented. A red line shift and asymmetries arise naturally from employing a full Coulomb expression for themore » perturber-radiator interaction, rather than applying the dipole approximation. This formalism can now be applied to arbitrary multielectron radiating ions.« less

The Shock and Vibration Digest. Volume 15, Number 6

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

Numer . Methods Engrg., 14. pp 1813-1850 (1979). 90. Dinis, L.M.S., Martins, R.A.F., and Owen, D.R.J., "Material and Geometrically Nonlinear Analysis ... Numerical Results," J. Appl. Mech., Trans. ASME, 47, pp 133-138 (1980). 145. Sathyamoorthy, M. and Prasad, M.E., Mul- tiple-Mode Nonlinear Analysis of...Andersen, CM., "Two-Stage Rayleigh-Ritz Technique for Non- linear Analysis of Structures," Proc. 2nd Intl. Symp. Innovative Numer . Anal. Appl. Engrg

Immunogenicity of One Dose of Vero Cell Culture-Derived Japanese Encephalitis (JE) Vaccine in Adults Previously Vaccinated with Mouse Brain-Derived JE Vaccine

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-06

redness, pain, and swelling) and five systemic symp- toms ( fever , headache, rash, vomiting or diarrhea, and muscle aches) on each of the 4 days following...counts between the two cohorts defined by previous JE vaccine status. b Other vaccines received included influenza (n = 5 subjects), typhoid (n = 2...subjects), typhoid (n = 3), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and typhoid (n = 2), anthrax and typhoid (n = 1), and hepatitis A and hepatitis B (n = 1). d For dose

Corrosion Control through a Better Understanding of the Metallic Substrate/Organic Coating/Interface.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

Gerhard Brauer, and Henry Leidheiser, Jr., Nuclear Instruments and Methods 199, 353-57 (1982). "Cobalt and Nickel Cations as Corrosion Inhibitors for...2, 583-603 (1983). "Characterization of Solid Surfaces by Wet Chemical Methods ," F. M. Fowkes, ACS Symp. Ser. 199, 69-88 (1982). "New Concepts of...from these nucleation sites. A second method being used to understand better the initial stages of the corrosion process is based on the change in

Modeling Nonlinear Elastic-plastic Behavior of RDX Single Crystals During Indentation

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

single crystals has also been probed using shock experiments (6, 12) and molecular dynamics simulations (12–14). RDX undergoes a polymorphic phase...Patterson, J.; Dreger, Z.; Gupta, Y. Shock-wave Induced Phase Transition in RDX Single Crystals. J. Phys. Chem. B 2007, 111, 10897–10904. 17. Bedrov, D...and Volume Compression of β - HMX and RDX . In Proc. Int. Symp. High Dynamic Pressures; Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique: Paris, 1978; pp 3–8. 24

Piezoelectric and Electrostrictive Materials for Transducer Applications.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-01

No. 8, 9, 1986. 18. Y. Sun, L.E. Cross. "Investigations of Electrostriction Effects in Glass by Uniaxial Stress Compressometer." 19. Wuyi Pan, E...15. Y. Sun, L.E. Cross. "Investigations of Electrostrictive Effects in Glass by Uniaxial Stress Compressometer." A 16. M.J. Haun, T.R. Halemane, R.E...Points," Ind. Symp. Appl. Ferroelectrics (1986). 60. Y. Sun, L.E. Cross. "Investigations of Electrostrictive Effects in Glass by Uniaxial Stress

A Lower Bound for the Norm of the Solution of a Nonlinear Volterra Equation in One-Dimensional Viscoelasticity.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-12-09

34, Symp. on Non-well-posed Problems and Logarithmic Convexity (Lecture Notes on Math. #316), pp. 31-5h, Springer, 1973. 3. Greenberg , J.M., MacCamy, R.C...34Continuous Data Dependence for an Abstract Volterra Integro- Differential Equation in Hilbert Space with Applications to Viscoelasticity", Annali Scuola... Hilbert Space", to appear in the J. Applicable Analysis. 8. Slemrod, M., "Instability of Steady Shearing Flows in a Nonlinear Viscoelastic Fluid", Arch

Wide Band-Gap Semiconductors. 1991 Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

attention of many research groups bccause the instrumental simplicity and high growth rate (1,2). One of the basic problems with this technique, other than...solution with group 1a element as a dopant under controlled Zn vapor pressure. p-n junction diodes are also prepared by the Ga diffusion from Zn solution...stoichiometric composition catl be controlled by the application of the vapor pressure. Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 242. 1992 Materials Research Society 180

Application of a Design Space Exploration Tool to Enhance Interleaver Generation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-24

2], originally dedicated to channel coding, are being currently reused in a large set of the whole digital communication systems (e.g. equalization... originally target interface synthesis, is shown to be also suited to the interleaver design space exploration. Our design flow can take as input...slice turbo codes,” in Proc. 3rd Int. Symp. Turbo Codes, Related Topics, Brest , 2003, pp. 343–346. [11] IEEE 802.15.3a, WPAN High Rate Alternative [12

Spinorial Geometry and Branes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sloane, Peter

2007-09-01

We adapt the spinorial geometry method introduced in [J. Gillard, U. Gran and G. Papadopoulos, "The spinorial geometry of supersymmetric backgrounds," Class. Quant. Grav. 22 (2005) 1033 [ arXiv:hep-th/0410155

Does mean mean MEAN!? Digits For A Very Long Time Giving Us The Finger!: 1881 Statistics Log-Law was: Quanta=Digits!: BEC; Zipf 1/f-Law; Information-Thy; Random-#s = Euler V Bernoulli; Q-Computing = Arithmetic; P=/=NP SANS Complexity: Euclid 3-Mille

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegel, Edward

2008-03-01

Classic statistics digits Newcomb[Am.J.Math.4,39,1881]-Weyl[Goett.Nachr.1912]-Benford[Proc.Am.Phil.Soc.78,4,51,1938]("NeWBe")probability ON-AVERAGE/MEAN log-law: =log[1+1/d]=log[(d+1)/d][google:``Benford's-Law'';"FUZZYICS": Siegel[AMS Nat.-Mtg.:2002&2008)]; Raimi[Sci.Am.221,109,1969]; Hill[Proc.AMS,123,3,887,1996]=log-base=units=SCALE-INVARIANCE!. Algebraic-inverse d=1/[ê(w)-1]: BOSONS(1924)=DIGITS(<1881): Energy-levels:ground=(d=0),first-(d=1)-excited ,... No fractions; only digit-integer-differences=quanta! Quo vadis digit =oo vs. <<Symp.1987] ê(w)-term expansion: d˜1/[[1+w+...]-1]=1/ŵ(1.000...)Zipf-law Pareto power-law decay algebraicity, Siegel[Symp.Fractals,MRS Fall-Mtg.,1989-5!] ``FUZZYICS'' explains INEVITABILITY via Lawvere-Goguen-Siegel-Baez ``CATEGORICAL-SEMANTICS'' HYBRID:CATEGORY-THEORY+COGNITIVE-SEMANTICS! Averages dominate physics: expectations,ensemble, time,ANY/ALL experiments!: What if any don't follow digits log-law? Must they always?; Do YOURS?; ALWAYS?; No fluctuations from it allowed?; Never?; Ever?; Never Ever? Ponder long/hard digits' log-law's MEANING for physics/ sciences! Could statistics' ``mean'' REALLY MEANS ``MEAN!''? "Does `mean' mean ``MEAN''!?": ``quantum-computing'' is/was always alive/well in/since 1881: in <1 + 1 = 2>,... simple-arithmetic!

Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy of Hydrogen in the 784-852 NM Region and Corresponding Line Shape Implementation Into HITRAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Yan; Wang, Jin; Cheng, Cunfeng; Liu, An-Wen; Hu, Shui-Ming; Wcislo, Piotr; Kochanov, Roman V.; Gordon, Iouli E.; Rothman, Laurence S.

2016-06-01

The hydrogen molecule as the most abundant neutral molecule in the universe is an important object of studies in different areas of science, especially astrophysics. The precision spectroscopy of the hydrogen molecule is particularly useful to verify the quantum electrodynamics theory (QED) in a molecular system. The electric quadrupole transitions of the second overtone of H_2 have been recorded with a high precision cavity ring-down spectrometer. A total of eight lines including the extremely weak S3(5) line in the 784-852 nm range have been observed. The line positions have been determined to an accuracy of 3 × 10-4 cm-1 and the line intensities were determined with a relative accuracy of about 1%. The deviations between the experimental and theoretical frequencies are less than 5 × 10-4 cm-1, which is much smaller than the claimed theoretical uncertainty of 0.0025cm-1. The data from this experiment along with other high-quality H_2 spectra have also been analyzed by the Hartmann-Tran profile as a test case for incorporating parametrization of this profile in the HITRAN database. It was incorporated in the new relational structure of the HITRAN database (www.hitran.org) and into the HITRAN Application Programming Interface (HAPI) for the case of H_2 spectra. Tan Y, Wang J, Cheng C-F, Zhao X-Q, Liu A-W, Hu S-M, J Mol Spectrosc 2014;300:60-4; Tran H, Ngo NH, Hartmann J-M, J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 2013;129:199-203; Wcislo P, Gordon IE, Tran H, Tan Y, Hu S-M, Campargue A, et al., Accepted J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf HighRus Special Issue, 2015 Rothman LS, Gordon IE, Babikov Y, Barbe A, Chris Benner D, Bernath PF, et al., J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 2013;130:4-50; Kochanov RV, Gordon IE, Rothman LS, Wcislo P, Hill C, Wilzewski JS, Submitted to J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf HighRus Special Issue, 2015.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marques da Silva, A; Narciso, L

Purpose: Commercial workstations usually have their own software to calculate dynamic renal functions. However, usually they have low flexibility and subjectivity on delimiting kidney and background areas. The aim of this paper is to present a public domain software, called RenalQuant, capable to semi-automatically draw regions of interest on dynamic renal scintigraphies, extracting data and generating renal function quantification parameters. Methods: The software was developed in Java and written as an ImageJ-based plugin. The preprocessing and segmentation steps include the user’s selection of one time frame with higher activity in kidney’s region, compared with background, and low activity in themore » liver. Next, the chosen time frame is smoothed using a Gaussian low pass spatial filter (σ = 3) for noise reduction and better delimitation of kidneys. The maximum entropy thresholding method is used for segmentation. A background area is automatically placed below each kidney, and the user confirms if these regions are correctly segmented and positioned. Quantitative data are extracted and each renogram and relative renal function (RRF) value is calculated and displayed. Results: RenalQuant plugin was validated using retrospective 20 patients’ 99mTc-DTPA exams, and compared with results produced by commercial workstation software, referred as reference. The renograms intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated and false-negative and false-positive RRF values were analyzed. The results showed that ICC values between RenalQuant plugin and reference software for both kidneys’ renograms were higher than 0.75, showing excellent reliability. Conclusion: Our results indicated RenalQuant plugin can be trustingly used to generate renograms, using DICOM dynamic renal scintigraphy exams as input. It is user friendly and user’s interaction occurs at a minimum level. Further studies have to investigate how to increase RRF accuracy and explore how

Engaging Community Stakeholders to Evaluate the Design, Usability, and Acceptability of a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Social Media Resource Center

PubMed Central

Chaney, Beth; Chaney, Don; Paige, Samantha; Payne-Purvis, Caroline; Tennant, Bethany; Walsh-Childers, Kim; Sriram, PS; Alber, Julia

2015-01-01

Background Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often report inadequate access to comprehensive patient education resources. Objective The purpose of this study was to incorporate community-engagement principles within a mixed-method research design to evaluate the usability and acceptability of a self-tailored social media resource center for medically underserved patients with COPD. Methods A multiphase sequential design (qual → QUANT → quant + QUAL) was incorporated into the current study, whereby a small-scale qualitative (qual) study informed the design of a social media website prototype that was tested with patients during a computer-based usability study (QUANT). To identify usability violations and determine whether or not patients found the website prototype acceptable for use, each patient was asked to complete an 18-item website usability and acceptability questionnaire, as well as a retrospective, in-depth, semistructured interview (quant + QUAL). Results The majority of medically underserved patients with COPD (n=8, mean 56 years, SD 7) found the social media website prototype to be easy to navigate and relevant to their self-management information needs. Mean responses on the 18-item website usability and acceptability questionnaire were very high on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) (mean 4.72, SD 0.33). However, the majority of patients identified several usability violations related to the prototype’s information design, interactive capabilities, and navigational structure. Specifically, 6 out of 8 (75%) patients struggled to create a log-in account to access the prototype, and 7 out of 8 patients (88%) experienced difficulty posting and replying to comments on an interactive discussion forum. Conclusions Patient perceptions of most social media website prototype features (eg, clickable picture-based screenshots of videos, comment tools) were largely positive. Mixed-method stakeholder feedback was

Quantifying acoustic doppler current profiler discharge uncertainty: A Monte Carlo based tool for moving-boat measurements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mueller, David S.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a method using Monte Carlo simulations for assessing uncertainty of moving-boat acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) discharge measurements using a software tool known as QUant, which was developed for this purpose. Analysis was performed on 10 data sets from four Water Survey of Canada gauging stations in order to evaluate the relative contribution of a range of error sources to the total estimated uncertainty. The factors that differed among data sets included the fraction of unmeasured discharge relative to the total discharge, flow nonuniformity, and operator decisions about instrument programming and measurement cross section. As anticipated, it was found that the estimated uncertainty is dominated by uncertainty of the discharge in the unmeasured areas, highlighting the importance of appropriate selection of the site, the instrument, and the user inputs required to estimate the unmeasured discharge. The main contributor to uncertainty was invalid data, but spatial inhomogeneity in water velocity and bottom-track velocity also contributed, as did variation in the edge velocity, uncertainty in the edge distances, edge coefficients, and the top and bottom extrapolation methods. To a lesser extent, spatial inhomogeneity in the bottom depth also contributed to the total uncertainty, as did uncertainty in the ADCP draft at shallow sites. The estimated uncertainties from QUant can be used to assess the adequacy of standard operating procedures. They also provide quantitative feedback to the ADCP operators about the quality of their measurements, indicating which parameters are contributing most to uncertainty, and perhaps even highlighting ways in which uncertainty can be reduced. Additionally, QUant can be used to account for self-dependent error sources such as heading errors, which are a function of heading. The results demonstrate the importance of a Monte Carlo method tool such as QUant for quantifying random and bias errors when

Prediction of autosomal STR typing success in ancient and Second World War bone samples.

PubMed

Zupanič Pajnič, Irena; Zupanc, Tomaž; Balažic, Jože; Geršak, Živa Miriam; Stojković, Oliver; Skadrić, Ivan; Črešnar, Matija

2017-03-01

Human-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) has been developed for forensic use in the last 10 years and is the preferred DNA quantification technique since it is very accurate, sensitive, objective, time-effective and automatable. The amount of information that can be gleaned from a single quantification reaction using commercially available quantification kits has increased from the quantity of nuclear DNA to the amount of male DNA, presence of inhibitors and, most recently, to the degree of DNA degradation. In skeletal remains samples from disaster victims, missing persons and war conflict victims, the DNA is usually degraded. Therefore the new commercial qPCR kits able to assess the degree of degradation are potentially able to predict the success of downstream short tandem repeat (STR) typing. The goal of this study was to verify the quantification step using the PowerQuant kit with regard to its suitability as a screening method for autosomal STR typing success on ancient and Second World War (WWII) skeletal remains. We analysed 60 skeletons excavated from five archaeological sites and four WWII mass graves from Slovenia. The bones were cleaned, surface contamination was removed and the bones ground to a powder. Genomic DNA was obtained from 0.5g of bone powder after total demineralization. The DNA was purified using a Biorobot EZ1 device. Following PowerQuant quantification, DNA samples were subjected to autosomal STR amplification using the NGM kit. Up to 2.51ng DNA/g of powder were extracted. No inhibition was detected in any of bones analysed. 82% of the WWII bones gave full profiles while 73% of the ancient bones gave profiles not suitable for interpretation. Four bone extracts yielded no detectable amplification or zero quantification results and no profiles were obtained from any of them. Full or useful partial profiles were produced only from bone extracts where short autosomal (Auto) and long degradation (Deg) PowerQuant targets were detected. It is

Use of Symmetrical Number Systems in Electronic Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

National Aerospace and Electronics Conf., pp. 78–84, 2000. [76] C. J. Tarran, “Operational HF DF systems employing real time superresolution process- ing... superresolution algorithms for radio direction finding,” IEEE Trans. Aerosp. Electron. Syst., vol. AES-22, pp. 432–442, Apr. 1986. [78] A. Ferreol and M...S Int. Microwave Symp. Dig., vol. 3, pp. 885–888, 1999. [82] H. L. Levitt, E. M. Alexander, A. Y. Tse, and A. E. Spezio, “ Superresolution precision

Construction of even and odd combinations of Morse-like coherent states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Récamier, José; Jáuregui, Rocio

2003-06-01

In this work we construct approximate coherent states for the Morse potential using a method inspired by the f-oscillator formalism (Man'ko et al 1996 Proc. 4th Wigner Symp. ed M Natig, Atakishiyev, T H Seligman and K B Wolf (Singapore: World Scientific) p 421). We make even and odd combinations of these states and evaluate the temporal evolution of the position operator and its dispersion as a function of time when the states evolve under a nonlinear Morse Hamiltonian.

Concordance of U.S. Army Psychology Conference Proceedings from 1958 through 1988

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

HYPNOSIS AND MILITARY STRESS 68 100 ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN VIETNAM 68 104 COUNSELING ROLE OF PSYCH IN ARMY MEDICAL SERVICE CORPS 68 116 COMPUTER...HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ASSESS LOW BACK PAIN WITH THE MMPI 78 088 HYPNOSIS IN ARMY AVIATION: A CASE STUDY 78 098 PSYCH SYMP & SYNDRMS FUNCTION OF...MEDICAL SETTINGS 872 145 MEDICAL STATISTICS 85F 163 MEMORY 83 032 MHCS 58 MHCS 59 MHCS 600 MHCS 600 MHCS 601 MHCS 601 MHCS 602 MHCS 61 MHCS 61 MHCS 61

Effect of environmental factors on pavement deterioration : Final report, Volume II of II

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1988-11-01

A computerized model for the determination of pavement deterioration responsibilities due to load and non-load related factors was developed. The model is based on predicted pavement performance and the relationship of pavement performance to a quant...

Effect of environmental factors on pavement deterioration : Final report, Volume I of II.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1988-11-01

A computerized model for the determination of pavement deterioration responsibilities due to load and non-load related factors was developed. The model is based on predicted pavement performance and the relationship of pavement performance to a quant...

Performance of the New Aptima HCV Quant Dx Assay in Comparison to the Cobas TaqMan HCV2 Test for Use with the High Pure System in Detection and Quantification of Hepatitis C Virus RNA in Plasma or Serum.

PubMed

Schalasta, Gunnar; Speicher, Andrea; Börner, Anna; Enders, Martin

2016-04-01

Quantitating the level of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA is the standard of care for monitoring HCV-infected patients during treatment. The performances of commercially available assays differ for precision, limit of detection, and limit of quantitation (LOQ). Here, we compare the performance of the Hologic Aptima HCV Quant Dx assay (Aptima) to that of the Roche Cobas TaqMan HCV test, version 2.0, using the High Pure system (HPS/CTM), considered a reference assay since it has been used in trials defining clinical decision points in patient care. The assays' performance characteristics were assessed using HCV RNA reference panels and plasma/serum from chronically HCV-infected patients. The agreement between the assays for the 3 reference panels was good, with a difference in quantitation values of <0.5 log. High concordance was demonstrated between the assays for 245 clinical samples (kappa = 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.720 to 0.881); however, Aptima detected and/or quantitated 20 samples that HPS/CTM did not detect, while Aptima did not detect 1 sample that was quantitated by HPS/CTM. For the 165 samples quantitated by both assays, the values were highly correlated (R= 0.98;P< 0.0001). The linearity of quantitation from concentrations of 1.4 to 6 log was excellent for both assays for all HCV genotypes (GT) tested (GT 1a, 1b, 2b, and 3a) (R(2)> 0.99). The assays had similar levels of total and intra-assay variability across all genotypes at concentrations from 1,000 to 25 IU/ml. Aptima had a greater analytical sensitivity, quantitating more than 50% of replicates at 25-IU/ml target. Aptima showed performance characteristics comparable to those of HPS/CTM and increased sensitivity, making it suitable for use as a clinical diagnostic tool on the fully automated Panther platform. Copyright © 2016 Schalasta et al.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ushizima, Daniela M.; Bianchi, Andrea G. C.; DeBianchi, Christina

We introduce a computational analysis workflow to access properties of solid objects using nondestructive imaging techniques that rely on X-ray imaging. The goal is to process and quantify structures from material science sample cross sections. The algorithms can differentiate the porous media (high density material) from the void (background, low density media) using a Boolean classifier, so that we can extract features, such as volume, surface area, granularity spectrum, porosity, among others. Our workflow, Quant-CT, leverages several algorithms from ImageJ, such as statistical region merging and 3D object counter. It also includes schemes for bilateral filtering that use a 3Dmore » kernel, for parallel processing of sub-stacks, and for handling over-segmentation using histogram similarities. The Quant-CT supports fast user interaction, providing the ability for the user to train the algorithm via subsamples to feed its core algorithms with automated parameterization. Quant-CT plugin is currently available for testing by personnel at the Advanced Light Source and Earth Sciences Divisions and Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC), LBNL, as part of their research on porous materials. The goal is to understand the processes in fluid-rock systems for the geologic sequestration of CO2, and to develop technology for the safe storage of CO2 in deep subsurface rock formations. We describe our implementation, and demonstrate our plugin on porous material images. This paper targets end-users, with relevant information for developers to extend its current capabilities.« less

A Watershed-based spatially-explicit demonstration of an Integrated Environmental Modeling Framework for Ecosystem Services in the Coal River Basin (WV, USA)

EPA Science Inventory

We demonstrate a spatially-explicit regional assessment of current condition of aquatic ecoservices in the Coal River Basin (CRB), with limited sensitivity analysis for the atmospheric contaminant mercury. The integrated modeling framework (IMF) forecasts water quality and quant...

Chemicals from the Practice of Healthcare: Challenges and Unknowns Posed by Residues in the Environment

EPA Science Inventory

Medications have unique signatures - real and metaphorical fingerprints, footprints, and shadows. Signatures imparted by manufacturers use distinctive combinations of shapes, colors, and imprints. These serve as rough first tests to aid in visually identifying the types and quant...

The significance for epidemiological studies anti-measles antibody detection examined by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT).

PubMed

Siennicka, Joanna; Częścik, Agnieszka; Trzcińska, Agnieszka

2014-01-01

The paper discusses the role of anti-measles antibodies for protection and significance for epidemiological studies determination of antibodies by different serological methods. The comparison of anti-measles virus antibodies levels measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT) was described. It was found that the 200 mIU/ml of anti-measles activity measured by PRNT (level protection against symp- tomatic disease) is equivalent of 636 mIU/ml measured by EIA (Enzygnost®Anti-Measles Virus/IgG, Simens).

Numerical Function Generators Using LUT Cascades

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

either algebraically (for example, sinðxÞ) or as a table of input/ output values. The user defines the numerical function by using the syntax of Scilab ...defined function in Scilab or specify it directly. Note that, by changing the parser of our system, any format can be used for the design entry. First...Methods for Multiple-Valued Input Address Generators,” Proc. 36th IEEE Int’l Symp. Multiple-Valued Logic (ISMVL ’06), May 2006. [29] Scilab 3.0, INRIA-ENPC

Unclassified Publications of Lincoln Laboratory, Volume 10.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-31

Plasma-Deposited Si 3N4 Turner, G.W. J. Electrochem. Soc., .’ - as an Oxidation Mask in the Connors, M.K. Vol. 131, No. 5, May Fabrication of GaAs 1984...Time Interval Counter 25-27 May 1982, to Obtain Phase pp. 4-1 - 4-4 6115 Complex Reflectivity and Goldner, R.B. SPIE, Vol. 401, Thin Film Refractive...Doublers with Series Courtney, W.E. Millimeter Wave Connected Varactor Diodes Mahoney, L.J. Monolithic Circuits "- - McClelland, R.W. Symp., Digest of

Micromechanisms of Monotonic and Cyclic Subcritical Crack Growth in Advanced High Melting Point Low-Ductility Intermetallics

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

Advanced Structural Ceramics, MRS Symp. Proc., P. F. Becher et al . (eds.), MRS, Pittsburgh, PA (1986). 11) M. J. Reece, F. Guiu and M. F. R. Sammur...composites under study, listed in Table 2.1, were fabricated by phase blending -80 mesh y-TiAI (Ti-55 at.% Al , with small additions of Nb, Ta, C and 0...on phase transformations in the alloy system. In the case of the binary Nb- Al system, the peritectic reaction at 2060’C (Fig. 3.1), involving the

A Glow Discharge Ion Source with Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometric Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-10

Hall, D . Mikrochim. Acta 1987, 1, 275. 26. Harrison, W.W.; Bentz , B.L. Prog. Analyt. Spectrosc. 1988, L19 53. 27. Harrison, W.W.; Barshick, C.M...Innovation, and Applications. ACS Symp. Series; Buchanan, M.V., Ed.; American Chemical Society: Washington, 1987; 359, p 1. 3. Wilkins, C.L.; Chowdhury, A.K...J.L. In Gas Phase Ion CheMistry; Bowers, M.T., Ed.; Academic: New York, 1984; Vol. 3, p 41. 6. Dunbar, R.C. In Gas Phase Ion Chemistry; Bowvers, M.T

Line Lists for LiF and LiCl in the X^{1}Σ^{+} State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bittner, Dror M.; Bernath, Peter F.

2017-06-01

Alkali-containing molecules are expected to be present in the atmospheres of exoplanets such as rocky super-Earths as well as in cool dwarf stars. Line lists for LiF and LiCl in their X^{1}Σ^{+} ground states have been calculated using LeRoy's LEVEL program. The potential energy functions, including the effects of the breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, are obtained by direct fitting the experimental infrared vibration-rotation and microwave pure rotation data with extended Morse oscillator potentials using LeRoy's dPotFit program. The transition dipole matrix elements and line intensities were obtained with LEVEL using a dipole moment function from a high level ab initio calculation. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 372, 20130087 (2014) Astrophys. J. 519, 793 (1999) J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 186, 167 (2017) J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 186, 179 (2017)

Mass spectrometry data from label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of harmless and pathogenic strains of infectious microalgae, Prototheca spp.

PubMed

Murugaiyan, Jayaseelan; Eravci, Murat; Weise, Christoph; Roesler, Uwe

2017-06-01

Here, we provide the dataset associated with our research article 'label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of harmless and pathogenic strains of infectious microalgae, Prototheca spp.' (Murugaiyan et al., 2017) [1]. This dataset describes liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based protein identification and quantification of a non-infectious strain, Prototheca zopfii genotype 1 and two strains associated with severe and mild infections, respectively, P. zopfii genotype 2 and Prototheca blaschkeae . Protein identification and label-free quantification was carried out by analysing MS raw data using the MaxQuant-Andromeda software suit. The expressional level differences of the identified proteins among the strains were computed using Perseus software and the results were presented in [1]. This DiB provides the MaxQuant output file and raw data deposited in the PRIDE repository with the dataset identifier PXD005305.

Photoluminescent (PL) or electroluminescent (EL) quantum dots for display, lighting, and photomedicine (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Yajie

2017-02-01

Quantum dots (QDs) have gone through a long journey before finding their ways into the display field. This talk will briefly touch on the history before trying to answer several key questions related to QDs applications in display: What are QDs? How are they made? What properties do they have and Why? How can these properties be used to improve color and efficiency of display, in either photoluminescence (PL) or electroluminescence (EL) mode? And what are the remaining challenges for QDs wide adoption in display industry? Lastly, some most recent progresses in our UCF lab at both PL and EL fronts will be highlighted. For PL, a cadmium-free perovskite-polymer composite films with exceptionally narrow emission green peaks (FWHM 20 nm) and good water and thermal stability will be reported. Together with red quantum dots or PFS/KSF phosphors as down-converters for blue LEDs, a white-light source with 95% Rec. 2020 color gamut was demonstrated [1]. For EL, red quantum dot light emitting devices (QLEDs) with record luminance of 165,000 Cd/m2 has been obtained at a current density of 1000 mA/cm2 with a low driving voltage of 5.8 V and CIE coordinates of (0.69, 0.31). [2] The potential of using these QLEDs for light sources for integrated sensing platform [3] or high efficiency, high color quality hybrid white OLED [4] will be discussed. [1] Y. N. Wang, J. He, H. Chen, J. S. Chen, R. D. Zhu, P. Ma, A. Towers, Y. Lin, A. J. Gesquiere, S. T. Wu, Y. J. Dong. Ultrastable, Highly Luminescent Organic-Inorganic Perovskite - Polymer Composite Films, Advanced Materials, accepted, (2016). [2] Y. J. Dong, J.M. Caruge, Z. Q. Zhou, C. Hamilton, Z. Popovic, J. Ho, M. Stevenson, G. Liu, V. Bulovic, M. Bawendi, P. T. Kazlas, S. Coe-Sullivan, and J. Steckel Ultra-bright, Highly Efficient, Low Roll-off Inverted Quantum-Dot Light Emitting Devices (QLEDs). SID Symp. Dig. Tech. Pap. 46, 270-273 (2015). [3] J. He, H. Chen, S. T. Wu, and Y. J. Dong, Integrated Sensing Platform Based on Quantum

Prospecting for Cellulolytic Activity in Insect Digestive Fluids

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Efficient cellulolytic enzymes are needed to degrade recalcitrant plant biomass during ethanol purification and make lignocellulosic biofuels a cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels. Despite the large number of insect species that feed on lignocellulosic material, limited availability of quant...

Tools of the trade -- and how to use them

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2017-07-01

The role of physicists in finance is changing, as quantitative trading opens an exciting alternative to traditional financial modelling, and data science lures would-be 'quants' away. But the void is being steadily filled by a new type of analyst.

Optical Limiting Materials Based on Gold Nanoparticles

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-30

of the electromagnetic spectrum. 2. Functionalization of the surface of the gold nanoparticles with selected organic and inorganic materials, with...F. A Review of Optical Limiting Mechanisms and Devices Using Organics, Fullerenes , Semiconductors and Other Materials. Prog. Quant. Electr. 1993

HITRAN2016 Database Part II: Overview of the Spectroscopic Parameters of the Trace Gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Yan; Gordon, Iouli E.; Rothman, Laurence S.; Kochanov, Roman V.; Hill, Christian

2017-06-01

The 2016 edition of HITRAN database is available now. This new edition of the database takes advantage of the new structure and can be accessed through HITRANonline (www.hitran.org). The line-by-line lists for almost all of the trace atmospheric species were updated in comparison with the previous edition HITRAN2012. These extended update covers not only updating few transitions of the certain molecules, but also complete replacements of the whole line lists, and as well as introduction of new spectroscopic parameters for non-Voigt line shape. The new line lists for NH_3, HNO_3, OCS, HCN, CH_3Cl, C_2H_2, C_2H_6, PH_3, C_2H_4, CH_3CN, CF_4, C_4H_2, and SO_3 feature substantial expansion of the spectral and dynamic ranges in addition of the improved accuracy of the parameters for already existing lines. A semi-empirical procedure was developed to update the air-broadening and self-broadening coefficients of N_2O, SO_2, NH_3, CH_3Cl, H_2S, and HO_2. We draw particular attention to flaws in the commonly used expression n_{air}=0.79n_{N_2}+0.21n_{O_2} to determine the air-broadening temperature dependence exponent in the power law from those for nitrogen and oxygen broadening. A more meaningful approach will be presented. The semi-empirical line width, pressure shifts and temperature-dependence exponents of CO, NH_3, HF, HCl, OCS, C_2H_2, SO_2 perturbed by H_2, He, and CO_2 have been added to the database based on the algorithm described in Wilzewski et al.. The new spectroscopic parameters for HT profile were implemented into the database for hydrogen molecule. The HITRAN database is supported by the NASA AURA program grant NNX14AI55G and NASA PDART grant NNX16AG51G. I. E. Gordon, L. S. Rothman, et al., J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 2017; submitted. Hill C, et al., J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 2013;130:51-61. Wilzewski JS,et al., J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 2016;168:193-206. Wcislo P, et al., J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 2016;177:75-91.

Associations between socio-demographic characteristics and chemical concentrations contributing to cumulative exposures in the United States

EPA Science Inventory

Association rule mining (ARM) has been widely used to identify associations between various entities in many fields. Although some studies have utilized it to analyze the relationship between chemicals and human health effects, fewer have used this technique to identify and quant...

Strategies to meet the challenges of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Quantifying and predicting soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural systems have been research goals for numerous institutions, especially since the turn of the millennium. Cost, time, and politics are variables that have limited the rapid development of robust quant...

Carbon and Conservation: Cropping systems and greenhouse gases

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Quantifying and predicting soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural systems have been research goals for numerous institutions, especially since the turn of the millennium. Cost, time, and politics are variables that have limited the rapid development of robust quant...

Essentiality, Toxicity and Uncertainty in the Risk Assessment of Manganese

EPA Science Inventory

Risk assessments of manganese by inhalation or oral routes of exposure typically acknowledge the duality of manganese as an essential element at low doses and a toxic metal at high doses. Previously, however, risk assessors were unable to describe manganese pharmacokinetics quant...

Multi-pathway exposure modelling of chemicals in cosmetics with application to shampoo

EPA Science Inventory

We present a novel multi-pathway, mass balance based, fate and exposure model compatible with life cycle and high-throughput screening assessments of chemicals in cosmetic products. The exposures through product use as well as post-use emissions and environmental media were quant...

Analysis of Forgery Attack on One-Time Proxy Signature and the Improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tian-Yin; Wei, Zong-Li

2016-02-01

In a recent paper, Yang et al. (Quant. Inf. Process. 13(9), 2007-2016, 2014) analyzed the security of one-time proxy signature scheme Wang and Wei (Quant. Inf. Process. 11(2), 455-463, 2012) and pointed out that it cannot satisfy the security requirements of unforgeability and undeniability because an eavesdropper Eve can forge a valid proxy signature on a message chosen by herself. However, we find that the so-called proxy message-signature pair forged by Eve is issued by the proxy signer in fact, and anybody can obtain it as a requester, which means that the forgery attack is not considered as a successful attack. Therefore, the conclusion that this scheme cannot satisfy the security requirements of proxy signature against forging and denying is not appropriate in this sense. Finally, we study the reason for the misunderstanding and clarify the security requirements for proxy signatures.

Evaluation of the RealTime HIV-1, Xpert HIV-1, and Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assays in Comparison to the NucliSens EasyQ HIV-1 v2.0 Assay for Quantification of HIV-1 Viral Load.

PubMed

Mor, Orna; Gozlan, Yael; Wax, Marina; Mileguir, Fernando; Rakovsky, Avia; Noy, Bina; Mendelson, Ella; Levy, Itzchak

2015-11-01

HIV-1 RNA monitoring, both before and during antiretroviral therapy, is an integral part of HIV management worldwide. Measurements of HIV-1 viral loads are expected to assess the copy numbers of all common HIV-1 subtypes accurately and to be equally sensitive at different viral loads. In this study, we compared for the first time the performance of the NucliSens v2.0, RealTime HIV-1, Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx, and Xpert HIV-1 viral load assays. Plasma samples (n = 404) were selected on the basis of their NucliSens v2.0 viral load results and HIV-1 subtypes. Concordance, linear regression, and Bland-Altman plots were assessed, and mixed-model analysis was utilized to compare the analytical performance of the assays for different HIV-1 subtypes and for low and high HIV-1 copy numbers. Overall, high concordance (>83.89%), high correlation values (Pearson r values of >0.89), and good agreement were observed among all assays, although the Xpert and Aptima assays, which provided the most similar outputs (estimated mean viral loads of 2.67 log copies/ml [95% confidence interval [CI], 2.50 to 2.84 log copies/ml] and 2.68 log copies/ml [95% CI, 2.49 to 2.86 log copies/ml], respectively), correlated best with the RealTime assay (89.8% concordance, with Pearson r values of 0.97 to 0.98). These three assays exhibited greater precision than the NucliSens v2.0 assay. All assays were equally sensitive for subtype B and AG/G samples and for samples with viral loads of 1.60 to 3.00 log copies/ml. The NucliSens v2.0 assay underestimated A1 samples and those with viral loads of >3.00 log copies/ml. The RealTime assay tended to underquantify subtype C (compared to the Xpert and Aptima assays) and subtype A1 samples. The Xpert and Aptima assays were equally efficient for detection of all subtypes and viral loads, which renders these new assays most suitable for clinical HIV laboratories. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Quants at the Gate: The Unique Education of Actuaries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halfond, Jay A.; Horwitz, Lois K.

2012-01-01

An academic discipline and a profession eventually converge through the relationship, division of labor and trust between universities and professional associations--and their mutual respect for the authority and the respective roles of one another. Sometimes, professional associations evaluate academic programs or even provide an examination at…

Re'class'ification of 'quant'ified classical simulated annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Toshiyuki

2009-12-01

We discuss a classical reinterpretation of quantum-mechanics-based analysis of classical Markov chains with detailed balance, that is based on the quantum-classical correspondence. The classical reinterpretation is then used to demonstrate that it successfully reproduces a sufficient condition for cooling schedule in classical simulated annealing, which has the inverse-logarithmic scaling.

QuantCrit: Rectifying Quantitative Methods through Critical Race Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Nichole M.; López, Nancy; Vélez, Verónica N.

2018-01-01

Critical race theory (CRT) in education centers, examines, and seeks to transform the relationship that undergirds race, racism, and power. CRT scholars have applied a critical race framework to advance research methodologies, namely qualitative interventions. Informed by this work, and 15 years later, this article reconsiders the possibilities of…

Spontaneous parametric down conversion with a depleted pump as an analogue for black hole evaporation/particle production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsing, P. M.; Fanto, M. L.

2016-05-01

In this work we argue that black hole evaporation/particle production has a very close analogy to the laboratory process of spontaneous parametric down conversion, when the pump is allowed to deplete. We present an analytical formulation of the recent one-shot decoupling model that was numerically analyzed in Bradler and Adami Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 101301 (2016) [arXiv:1505.0284]. We compute the resulting "Page Information" curves, which describe the rate at which information escapes form the black hole as it evaporates, for the reduced density matrices for the evaporating black hole internal degrees of freedom, and emitted Hawking radiation pairs entangled across the horizon. The present work reviews and attempts to elucidate the trilinear Hamiltonian models for black hole evaporation/particle production recently investigated by the authors in Class. Quant. Grav 32, 075010 (2015) [arXiv:1408.4491] and Class. Quant. Grav 33, 015005 (2016) [arXiv:1507.00429].

'A device for being able to book P&L': the organizational embedding of the Gaussian copula.

PubMed

MacKenzie, Donald; Spears, Taylor

2014-06-01

This article, the second of two articles on the Gaussian copula family of models, discusses the attitude of 'quants' (modellers) to these models, showing that contrary to some accounts, those quants were not 'model dopes' who uncritically accepted the outputs of the models. Although sometimes highly critical of Gaussian copulas - even 'othering' them as not really being models --they nevertheless nearly all kept using them, an outcome we explain with reference to the embedding of these models in inter- and intra-organizational processes: communication, risk control and especially the setting of bonuses. The article also examines the role of Gaussian copula models in the 2007-2008 global crisis and in a 2005 episode known as 'the correlation crisis'. We end with the speculation that all widely used derivatives models (and indeed the evaluation culture in which they are embedded) help generate inter-organizational co-ordination, and all that is special in this respect about the Gaussian copula is that its status as 'other' makes this role evident.

Log-periodic crashes revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsushita, Raul; da Silva, Sergio; Figueiredo, Annibal; Gleria, Iram

2006-05-01

We revisit the finding that crashes can be deterministic and governed by log-periodic formulas [D. Sornette, A. Johansen, Significance of log-periodic precursors to financial crashes, Quant. Finance 1 (2001) 452-471; D. Sornette, W.X. Zhou, The US 2000-2002 market descent: how much longer and deeper?, Quant. Finance 2 (2002) 468-481]. One- and two-harmonic equations are usually employed to fit daily data during bubble episodes. But a three-harmonics has been shown to fit anti-bubbles [A. Johansen, D. Sornette, Financial “anti-bubbles”: log-periodicity in gold and Nikkei collapses, Int. J. Mod. Phys. C 10 (1999) 563-575]. Here we show that the three-harmonic formula can work for bubble episodes as well as anti-bubbles. This is illustrated with daily data from the Brazilian real-US dollar exchange rate. And we also show that the three-harmonics can fit an intraday data set from that foreign exchange rate.

Broadband Geoelectrical Signatures of Water and Ethanol Solutions in Ottawa Sand

EPA Science Inventory

Ethanol is fast becoming the most widely used and distributed biofuel since its introduction as a fuel oxygenate to replace MTBE in gasoline and the rise in use of “Flex Fuel” vehicles. Distilleries create and store vast quantities of ethanol, which is then shipped in large quant...

Predicting modes of toxic action from chemical structure

EPA Science Inventory

Like many of the papers in the ET&C top 100 list, the development of the fathead minnow database and the assignment of modes of action to the 617 chemicals therein was the result of a comprehensive research effort by a multidisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in quant...

76 FR 20082 - Koenigsegg Automotive AB; Morgan Motor Company Limited; Receipt of Applications for Renewals of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-11

... Volume Manufacturers In 2000, NHTSA upgraded the requirements for air bags in passenger cars and light... formed in 1999 to produce high-performance sports cars, which are not intended for daily commuting... cites the ``Quant concept car'' \\12\\ as one project. \\12\\ In footnote 1 in its petition, Koenigsegg...

Spectroscopic Studies of Melanin.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-01-01

operation of the laser optics; Mr. Thomas Haw; Dr. James Gallas; Ms. Christine L. Noah- Cooper for stimulating and useful conversations; and Lottie B...168B. 14. Kozikowski SD, Wolfram LJ, Alfano RR. Fluorescence spectroscopy of eumelanins. IEEE J Quant Electron 1984;OE20:1379-1382. 15. Slawinski J

Regulation of Glucose Transport in Quiescent, Lactating, and Neoplastic Mammary Epithelia.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-10-01

synthesis also occurs in cells after addition of serum, peptide growth factors, and agents which increase intracellular cAMP concentration( Hiraki , et al...expression, DNA ploidy and proliferation index in breast cancer. Anal. Quant. Cytol. Histol. 14:433-445. Hiraki , Y., I. M. McMorrow and M. J

Joint Services Electronic Program

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

Mitzi and A. Kapitulnik and J. S. Harris., Jr., "Optical Anisotropy of Bi2 Sr 2 CaCu2O8 ," Phys. Rev. B, 41, 10, April 1990. 14. P. Cheng and J. S...Pt Films on GaAs", Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 181, 253 (1990). 28. Z.-X. Shen, P. A. P. Lindberg, B. 0. Wells, D. B. Mitzi , I. Lindau, W. E. Spicer and...Z.-X. Shen, P. A. P. Lindberg, D. S. Dessau, I. Lindau, D. B. Mitzi , I. Bozovic and A. Kapitulnik, "Photoelectron energy-loss study of the

Mathematical and Statistical Software Index.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-08-01

geometric) mean HMEAN - harmonic mean MEDIAN - median MODE - mode QUANT - quantiles OGIVE - distribution curve IQRNG - interpercentile range RANGE ... range mutliphase pivoting algorithm cross-classification multiple discriminant analysis cross-tabul ation mul tipl e-objecti ve model curve fitting...Statistics). .. .. .... ...... ..... ...... ..... .. 21 *RANGEX (Correct Correlations for Curtailment of Range ). .. .. .... ...... ... 21 *RUMMAGE II (Analysis

Chinese Placement Procedures at U.S. Postsecondary Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Miaochun

2017-01-01

This quant-QUAL sequential explanatory mixed methods study describes a framework for evaluating the communicative competence (Canale & Swain, 1980; Canale, 1983) of non-beginner students of Chinese for placement purposes at U.S. four-year postsecondary institutions. A pragmatic lens was used to collect and analyze data that generated a…

Impact of Personality on Academic Performance of MBA Students: Qualitative versus Quantitative Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittingham, Keith L.

2006-01-01

The traditional core Masters in Business Administration (MBA) curriculum consists of a broad range of courses that can be considered as a whole, or divided into qualitative and quantitative courses. Regression models were developed with "QualGPA" and "QuantGPA" as response variables, and gender, pre-MBA academic indicators, and…

Relativity, Quantum Physics and Philosophy in the Upper Secondary Curriculum: Challenges, Opportunities and Proposed Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henriksen, Ellen K.; Bungum, Berit; Angell, Carl; Tellefsen, Catherine W.; Frågåt, Thomas; Bøe, Maria Vetleseter

2014-01-01

In this article, we discuss how quantum physics and relativity can be taught in upper secondary school, in ways that promote conceptual understanding and philosophical reflections. We present the ReleQuant project, in which web-based teaching modules have been developed. The modules address competence aims in the Norwegian national curriculum for…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slater, Paul B.

Paralleling our recent computationally intensive (quasi-Monte Carlo) work for the case N=4 (e-print quant-ph/0308037), we undertake the task for N=6 of computing to high numerical accuracy, the formulas of Sommers and Zyczkowski (e-print quant-ph/0304041) for the (N{sup 2}-1)-dimensional volume and (N{sup 2}-2)-dimensional hyperarea of the (separable and nonseparable) NxN density matrices, based on the Bures (minimal monotone) metric--and also their analogous formulas (e-print quant-ph/0302197) for the (nonmonotone) flat Hilbert-Schmidt metric. With the same seven 10{sup 9} well-distributed ('low-discrepancy') sample points, we estimate the unknown volumes and hyperareas based on five additional (monotone) metrics of interest, including the Kubo-Mori and Wigner-Yanase.more » Further, we estimate all of these seven volume and seven hyperarea (unknown) quantities when restricted to the separable density matrices. The ratios of separable volumes (hyperareas) to separable plus nonseparable volumes (hyperareas) yield estimates of the separability probabilities of generically rank-6 (rank-5) density matrices. The (rank-6) separability probabilities obtained based on the 35-dimensional volumes appear to be--independently of the metric (each of the seven inducing Haar measure) employed--twice as large as those (rank-5 ones) based on the 34-dimensional hyperareas. (An additional estimate--33.9982--of the ratio of the rank-6 Hilbert-Schmidt separability probability to the rank-4 one is quite clearly close to integral too.) The doubling relationship also appears to hold for the N=4 case for the Hilbert-Schmidt metric, but not the others. We fit simple exact formulas to our estimates of the Hilbert-Schmidt separable volumes and hyperareas in both the N=4 and N=6 cases.« less

a Rigorous Comparison of Theoretical and Measured Carbon Dioxide Line Intensities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Hongming; Fleisher, Adam J.; Gameson, Lyn; Zak, Emil J.; Polyansky, Oleg; Tennyson, Jonathan; Hodges, Joseph T.

2017-06-01

The ability to calculate molecular line intensities from first principles plays an increasingly important role in populating line-by-line spectroscopic databases because of its generality and extensibility to various isotopologues, spectral ranges and temperature conditions. Such calculations require a spectroscopically determined potential energy surface, and an accurate dipole moment surface that can be either fully ab initio or an effective quantity based on fits to measurements Following our recent work where we used high-precision measurements of intensities in the (30013 →00001) band of ^{12}C^{16}O_2 to bound the uncertainty of calculated line lists, here we carry out high-precision, frequency-stabilized cavity ring-down spectroscopy measurements in the R-branch of the ^{12}C^{16}O_2 (20012 →00001) band from J = 16 to 52. Gas samples consisted of 50 μmol mol^{-1} or 100 μmol mol^{-1} of nitrogen-broadened carbon dioxide with gravimetrically determined SI-traceable molar composition. We demonstrate relative measurement precision (Type A) at the 0.15 % level and estimate systematic (Type B) uncertainty contributions in % of: isotopic abundance 0.01; sample density, 0.016; cavity free spectral rang,e 0.03; line shape, 0.05; line interferences, 0.05; and carbon dioxide molar fraction, 0.06. Combined in quadrature, these components yield a relative standard uncertainty in measured line intensity less than 0.2 % for most observed transitions. These intensities differ by more than 2 % from those measured by Fourier transform spectroscopy and archived in HITRAN 2012 but differ by less than 0.5 % with the calculations of Zak et al. E. Zak et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 177, (2016) 31. Huang et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 130, (2013) 134. Tashkun et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 152, (2015) 45.

Guidelines for reporting quantitative mass spectrometry based experiments in proteomics.

PubMed

Martínez-Bartolomé, Salvador; Deutsch, Eric W; Binz, Pierre-Alain; Jones, Andrew R; Eisenacher, Martin; Mayer, Gerhard; Campos, Alex; Canals, Francesc; Bech-Serra, Joan-Josep; Carrascal, Montserrat; Gay, Marina; Paradela, Alberto; Navajas, Rosana; Marcilla, Miguel; Hernáez, María Luisa; Gutiérrez-Blázquez, María Dolores; Velarde, Luis Felipe Clemente; Aloria, Kerman; Beaskoetxea, Jabier; Medina-Aunon, J Alberto; Albar, Juan P

2013-12-16

Mass spectrometry is already a well-established protein identification tool and recent methodological and technological developments have also made possible the extraction of quantitative data of protein abundance in large-scale studies. Several strategies for absolute and relative quantitative proteomics and the statistical assessment of quantifications are possible, each having specific measurements and therefore, different data analysis workflows. The guidelines for Mass Spectrometry Quantification allow the description of a wide range of quantitative approaches, including labeled and label-free techniques and also targeted approaches such as Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM). The HUPO Proteomics Standards Initiative (HUPO-PSI) has invested considerable efforts to improve the standardization of proteomics data handling, representation and sharing through the development of data standards, reporting guidelines, controlled vocabularies and tooling. In this manuscript, we describe a key output from the HUPO-PSI-namely the MIAPE Quant guidelines, which have developed in parallel with the corresponding data exchange format mzQuantML [1]. The MIAPE Quant guidelines describe the HUPO-PSI proposal concerning the minimum information to be reported when a quantitative data set, derived from mass spectrometry (MS), is submitted to a database or as supplementary information to a journal. The guidelines have been developed with input from a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the proteomics field to represent a true consensus view of the most important data types and metadata, required for a quantitative experiment to be analyzed critically or a data analysis pipeline to be reproduced. It is anticipated that they will influence or be directly adopted as part of journal guidelines for publication and by public proteomics databases and thus may have an impact on proteomics laboratories across the world. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Standardization and

Influence of macular pigment optical density spatial distribution on intraocular scatter.

PubMed

Putnam, Christopher M; Bland, Pauline J; Bassi, Carl J

This study evaluated the summed measures of macular pigment optical density (MPOD) spatial distribution and their effects on intraocular scatter using a commercially available device (C-Quant, Oculus, USA). A customized heterochromatic flicker photometer (cHFP) device was used to measure MPOD spatial distribution across the central 16° using a 1° stimulus. MPOD was calculated as a discrete measure and summed measures across the central 1°, 3.3°, 10° and 16° diameters. Intraocular scatter was determined as a mean of 5 trials in which reliability and repeatability measures were met using the C-Quant. MPOD spatial distribution maps were constructed and the effects of both discrete and summed values on intraocular scatter were examined. Spatial mapping identified mean values for discrete MPOD [0.32 (s.d.=0.08)], MPOD summed across central 1° [0.37 (s.d.=0.11)], MPOD summed across central 3.3° [0.85 (s.d.=0.20)], MPOD summed across central 10° [1.60 (s.d.=0.35)] and MPOD summed across central 16° [1.78 (s.d.=0.39)]. Mean intraocular scatter was 0.83 (s.d.=0.16) log units. While there were consistent trends for an inverse relationship between MPOD and scatter, these relationships were not statistically significant. Correlations between the highest and lowest quartiles of MPOD within the central 1° were near significance. While there was an overall trend of decreased intraocular forward scatter with increased MPOD consistent with selective short wavelength visible light attenuation, neither discrete nor summed values of MPOD significantly influence intraocular scatter as measured by the C-Quant device. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Proton Density Fat Fraction Measurements at 1.5- and 3-T Hepatic MR Imaging: Same-Day Agreement among Readers and across Two Imager Manufacturers.

PubMed

Serai, Suraj D; Dillman, Jonathan R; Trout, Andrew T

2017-07-01

Purpose To determine the agreement of proton density fat fraction (PDFF) measurements obtained with hepatic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging among readers, imager manufacturers, and field strengths. Materials and Methods This HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the institutional review board. After providing informed consent, 24 adult volunteers underwent imaging with one 1.5-T MR unit (Ingenia; Philips Healthcare, Best, the Netherlands) and two different 3.0-T units (750 W [GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wis] and Ingenia) on the same day to estimate hepatic PDFF. A single-breath-hold multipoint Dixon-based acquisition was performed with commercially available pulse sequences provided by the MR imager manufacturers (mDIXON Quant [Philips Healthcare], IDEAL IQ [GE Healthcare]). Five readers placed one large region of interest, inclusive of as much liver parenchyma as possible in the right lobe while avoiding large vessels, on imager-generated parametric maps to measure hepatic PDFF. Two-way single-measure intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess interreader agreement and agreement across the three imaging platforms. Results Excellent interreader agreement for hepatic PDFF measurements was obtained with mDIXON Quant and the Philips 1.5-T unit (ICC, 0.995; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.991, 0.998), mDIXON Quant and the Philips 3.0-T unit (ICC, 0.992; 95% CI: 0.986, 0.996), and IDEAL IQ and the GE 3.0-T unit (ICC, 0.966; 95% CI: 0.939, 0.984). Individual reader ICCs for hepatic PDFF measurements across all three imager manufacturer-field strength combinations also showed excellent interimager agreement, ranging from 0.914 to 0.954. Conclusion Estimation of PDFF with hepatic MR imaging by using multipoint Dixon techniques is highly reproducible across readers, field strengths, and imaging platforms. © RSNA, 2017.

Vita activa in biotechnology: what we do with fungi and what fungi do with us.

PubMed

Weinhold, Martin; Mast-Gerlach, Edeltraud; Meyer, Vera

2017-01-01

Filamentous fungi are fascinating microorganisms. One of the reasons why it is so worthwhile to take a closer look at them is their capacity to produce secondary metabolites. Some of these substances have the potential to be of great use for mankind, such as it was the case with penicillin and its discovery in 1928. Almost a century later, the situation in healthcare could possibly turn back to the state before the development of the first antibiotics. Due to an overuse of antibiotics we are facing a surge of multiresistant bacteria that are not inhibited by any of the currently known drugs. That was part of the background why a European research project was launched in October 2013, titled "Quantitative Biology for Fungal Secondary Metabolite Producers", or "QuantFung". Fifteen young scientists embarked on a new phase in their career, moving to new work environments within Europe and dedicating their work lives intensively to the quest for useful secondary metabolites. After 4 years, the QuantFung project concluded in October this year. In this commentary, we aim to convey what it means to work in this field of fungal biotechnology and how important it is to improve the efficiency of the research therein. We introduce five out of the fifteen fellows at length and let them have their say about the adventure of science, euphoric moments, prospects and doubts. We also raise questions about the current state of research in academia, something the QuantFung fellows experienced first-hand. Being a scientist often goes beyond earning money to make one's living. This is why we also reflect on aspects of the meaning of work in our western society, where production for profit's sake is a main driver. For that we refer to one of the most distinguished thinkers of the twentieth century, to Hannah Arendt.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Daniela Ushizima, Wes Bethel

Quant-CT is currently a plugin to ImageJ, designed as a Java-class that provides control mechanism for the user to choose volumes of interest within porous material, followed by the selection of image subsamples for automated tuning of parameters for filters and classifiers, and finally measurement of material geometry, porosity, and visualization. Denoising is mandatory before any image interpretation, and we implemented a new 3D java code that performs bilateral filtering of data. Segmentation of the dense material is essential before any quantifications about geological sample structure, and we invented new schemes to deal with over segmentation when using statistical regionmore » merging algorithm to pull out grains that compose imaged material. It make uses of ImageJ API and other standard and thirty-party APIs. Quant-CT conception started in 2011 under Scidac-e sponsor, and details of the first prototype were documented in publications below. While it is used right now for microtomography images, it can potentially be used by anybody with 3D image data obtained by experiment or produced by simulation.« less

Shear viscosity to entropy density ratios and implications for (im)perfect fluidity in Fermionic and Bosonic superfluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyack, Rufus; Guo, Hao; Levin, K.

2015-03-01

Recent experiments on both unitary Fermi gases and high temperature superconductors (arxiv:1410.4835 [cond-mat.quant-gas], arxiv:1409.5820 [cond-mat.str-el].) have led to renewed interest in near perfect fluidity in condensed matter systems. This is quantified by studying the ratio of shear viscosity to entropy density. In this talk we present calculations of this ratio in homogeneous bosonic and fermionic superfluids, with the latter ranging from BCS to BEC. While the shear viscosity exhibits a power law (for bosons) or exponential suppression (for fermions), a similar dependence is found for the respective entropy densities. As a result, strict BCS and (true) bosonic superfluids have an analogous viscosity to entropy density ratio, behaving linearly with temperature times the (T-dependent) dissipation rate; this is characteristic of imperfect fluidity in weakly coupled fluids. This is contrasted with the behavior of fermions at unitarity which we argue is a consequence of additional terms in the entropy density thereby leading to more perfect fluidity. (arXiv:1407.7572v1 [cond-mat.quant-gas])

Spectroscopic diagnostics of tungsten-doped CH plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klapisch, M.; Colombant, D.; Lehecka, T.

1998-11-01

Spectra of CH with different concentrations of W dopant and laser intensities ( 2.5-10 x10^12 W/cm^2 ) were obtained at NRL with the Nike Laser. They were recorded in the 100-500 eV range with an XUV grating spectrometer. The hydrodynamic simulations are performed with the 1D code FAST1D(J. H. Gardner et al., Phys. Plasmas, 5, May (1998).) where non LTE effects are introduced by Busquet's model( M. Busquet, Phys. Fluids B, 5, 4191 (1993); M. Klapisch, A. Bar-Shalom, J. Oreg and D. Colombant, Phys. Plasmas, 5, May (1998).). They are then post-processed with TRANSPEC( O. Peyrusse, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 51, 281 (1994)), a time dependent collisional radiative code with radiation coupling. The necessary atomic data are obtained from the HULLAC code( M. Klapisch and A. Bar-Shalom, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 58, 687 (1997).). The post processing and diagnostics were performed on carbon lines and the results are compared with the experimental data.

Operational Assessment of Tools for Accelerating Leader Development (ALD): Volume 2, Appendices

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

Qual Qualitative Quant Quantitative RC Reserve Component R&D Research and Development re: reference reqts requirements ROTC Reserve Officer...part in the Accelerating Leader Development program, please complete the Pretest , Training, and Posttest . Of course, you may complete the longer...ARI Research Note 2009-09 Operational Assessment of Tools for Accelerating Leader Development (ALD): Volume II, Appendices Bruce

The kinetic equations for rotating and gravitating spheroidal body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krot, A.

2003-04-01

th Symp."AeroSense", Orlando, Florida,USA, 5-9 April,vol. 3710, pp.1242-1259,1999. [3] L.D.Landau and E.M.Lifshitz, Classical Theory of Fields, Addison-Wesley, 1951. [4] S.Weinberg, Gravitation and Cosmology, John Wiley and Sons: New York, 1972. [5] C.W.Misner, K.S.Thorne,and J.A.Wheeler, Gravitation, W.H.Freeman and Co., San Francisco, 1973. [6] A.M.Krot, Proc. SPIE 14th Symp. "AeroSense",Orlando, Florida, USA, 24-29 April,vol.4038,pp.1318-1329,2000. [7] A.M.Krot, Proc. SPIE 15th Symp. "AeroSense",Orlando, Florida, USA, 16-20 April,vol.4394,pp.1217-1282,2001. [8] A.M.Krot, Proc. 53rd Intern. Astronautical Congress, The World Space Congress-2002, Houston, Texas, USA, 10-19 October,Preprint IAC-02-J.p.1,pp.1-11,2002.

Breast cancer instructs dendritic cells to prime interleukin 13–secreting CD4+ T cells that facilitate tumor development

PubMed Central

Aspord, Caroline; Pedroza-Gonzalez, Alexander; Gallegos, Mike; Tindle, Sasha; Burton, Elizabeth C.; Su, Dan; Marches, Florentina; Banchereau, Jacques; Palucka, A. Karolina

2007-01-01

We previously reported (Bell, D., P. Chomarat, D. Broyles, G. Netto, G.M. Harb, S. Lebecque, J. Valladeau, J. Davoust, K.A. Palucka, and J. Banchereau. 1999. J. Exp. Med. 190: 1417–1426) that breast cancer tumors are infiltrated with mature dendritic cells (DCs), which cluster with CD4+ T cells. We now show that CD4+ T cells infiltrating breast cancer tumors secrete type 1 (interferon γ) as well as high levels of type 2 (interleukin [IL] 4 and IL-13) cytokines. Immunofluorescence staining of tissue sections revealed intense IL-13 staining on breast cancer cells. The expression of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 in breast cancer cells suggests that IL-13 actually delivers signals to cancer cells. To determine the link between breast cancer, DCs, and CD4+ T cells, we implanted human breast cancer cell lines in nonobese diabetic/LtSz-scid/scid β2 microglobulin–deficient mice engrafted with human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells and autologous T cells. There, CD4+ T cells promote early tumor development. This is dependent on DCs and can be partially prevented by administration of IL-13 antagonists. Thus, breast cancer targets DCs to facilitate its development. PMID:17438063

Comparison of PIXE and XRF analysis of airborne particulate matter samples collected on Teflon and quartz fibre filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiari, M.; Yubero, E.; Calzolai, G.; Lucarelli, F.; Crespo, J.; Galindo, N.; Nicolás, J. F.; Giannoni, M.; Nava, S.

2018-02-01

Within the framework of research projects focusing on the sampling and analysis of airborne particulate matter, Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) techniques are routinely used in many laboratories throughout the world to determine the elemental concentration of the particulate matter samples. In this work an inter-laboratory comparison of the results obtained from analysing several samples (collected on both Teflon and quartz fibre filters) using both techniques is presented. The samples were analysed by PIXE (in Florence, at the 3 MV Tandetron accelerator of INFN-LABEC laboratory) and by XRF (in Elche, using the ARL Quant'X EDXRF spectrometer with specific conditions optimized for specific groups of elements). The results from the two sets of measurements are in good agreement for all the analysed samples, thus validating the use of the ARL Quant'X EDXRF spectrometer and the selected measurement protocol for the analysis of aerosol samples. Moreover, thanks to the comparison of PIXE and XRF results on Teflon and quartz fibre filters, possible self-absorption effects due to the penetration of the aerosol particles inside the quartz fibre-filters were quantified.

Exact and efficient simulation of concordant computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cable, Hugo; Browne, Daniel E.

2015-11-01

Concordant computation is a circuit-based model of quantum computation for mixed states, that assumes that all correlations within the register are discord-free (i.e. the correlations are essentially classical) at every step of the computation. The question of whether concordant computation always admits efficient simulation by a classical computer was first considered by Eastin in arXiv:quant-ph/1006.4402v1, where an answer in the affirmative was given for circuits consisting only of one- and two-qubit gates. Building on this work, we develop the theory of classical simulation of concordant computation. We present a new framework for understanding such computations, argue that a larger class of concordant computations admit efficient simulation, and provide alternative proofs for the main results of arXiv:quant-ph/1006.4402v1 with an emphasis on the exactness of simulation which is crucial for this model. We include detailed analysis of the arithmetic complexity for solving equations in the simulation, as well as extensions to larger gates and qudits. We explore the limitations of our approach, and discuss the challenges faced in developing efficient classical simulation algorithms for all concordant computations.

Gold emissivities for hydrocode applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowen, C.; Wagon, F.; Galmiche, D.; Loiseau, P.; Dattolo, E.; Babonneau, D.

2004-10-01

The Radiom model [M. Busquet, Phys Fluids B 5, 4191 (1993)] is designed to provide a radiative-hydrodynamic code with non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) data efficiently by using LTE tables. Comparison with benchmark data [M. Klapisch and A. Bar-Shalom, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 58, 687 (1997)] has shown Radiom to be inaccurate far from LTE and for heavy ions. In particular, the emissivity was found to be strongly underestimated. A recent algorithm, Gondor [C. Bowen and P. Kaiser, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 81, 85 (2003)], was introduced to improve the gold non-LTE ionization and corresponding opacity. It relies on fitting the collisional ionization rate to reproduce benchmark data given by the Averroès superconfiguration code [O. Peyrusse, J. Phys. B 33, 4303 (2000)]. Gondor is extended here to gold emissivity calculations, with two simple modifications of the two-level atom line source function used by Radiom: (a) a larger collisional excitation rate and (b) the addition of a Planckian source term, fitted to spectrally integrated Averroès emissivity data. This approach improves the agreement between experiments and hydrodynamic simulations.

Quantitative Metabolome Analysis Based on Chromatographic Peak Reconstruction in Chemical Isotope Labeling Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Huan, Tao; Li, Liang

2015-07-21

Generating precise and accurate quantitative information on metabolomic changes in comparative samples is important for metabolomics research where technical variations in the metabolomic data should be minimized in order to reveal biological changes. We report a method and software program, IsoMS-Quant, for extracting quantitative information from a metabolomic data set generated by chemical isotope labeling (CIL) liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Unlike previous work of relying on mass spectral peak ratio of the highest intensity peak pair to measure relative quantity difference of a differentially labeled metabolite, this new program reconstructs the chromatographic peaks of the light- and heavy-labeled metabolite pair and then calculates the ratio of their peak areas to represent the relative concentration difference in two comparative samples. Using chromatographic peaks to perform relative quantification is shown to be more precise and accurate. IsoMS-Quant is integrated with IsoMS for picking peak pairs and Zero-fill for retrieving missing peak pairs in the initial peak pairs table generated by IsoMS to form a complete tool for processing CIL LC-MS data. This program can be freely downloaded from the www.MyCompoundID.org web site for noncommercial use.

Validating urinary measurement of beta-2-microglobulin with a Roche reagent kit designed for serum measurements.

PubMed

Chan, Pak Cheung R; Kulasingam, Vathany; Lem-Ragosnig, Bonny

2012-11-01

To validate the use of a Roche serum beta-2-microglobulin (B2MG) kit for urinary B2MG measurements, and to establish reference limits for urinary B2MG/creatinine ratio from healthy individuals. The Roche B2MG Tina-Quant serum kit was used to measure urinary B2MG immunoturbidimetrically. Using human urine as a diluent, the B2MG method was linear from 73-2156 μg/L. The imprecision on a commercially available urine QC was 4.4% at a concentration of 380 μg/L. Limit of quantification at <20% CV was 40 μg/L. Method comparison with Immulite 2000 (Siemens) yielded slope=1.180 (95% CI 1.14-1.22), intercept=11.5 (95% CI -3.6-26.6), SEE=27.6 and r=0.99 (n=26) by the Deming regression analysis. The upper reference limit of B2MG/creatinine ratio determined from 195 healthy adults was 29 μg/mmol (97.5th centile). The serum B2MG Tina Quant reagent kit is acceptable to measure urinary B2MG. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Attributions of blame and responsibility in sexual harassment: reexamining a psychological model.

PubMed

Klein, Kristen M; Apple, Kevin J; Kahn, Arnold S

2011-04-01

Kelley's (Nebr Symp Motiv 15:192-238, 1967) attribution theory can inform sexual harassment research by identifying how observers use consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness information in determining whether a target or perpetrator is responsible for a sexual harassment situation. In this study, Kelley's theory is applied to a scenario in which a male perpetrator sexually harasses a female target in a university setting. Results from 314 predominantly female college students indicate that consistency and consensus information significantly affect participants' judgments of blame and responsibility for the situation. The authors discuss the importance of the reference groups used to derive consensus and distinctiveness information, and reintroduce Kelley's attribution theory as a means of understanding observers' perceptions of sexual harassment.

Analytical characteristics and comparative evaluation of Aptima HCV quant Dx assay with the Abbott RealTime HCV assay and Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HCV quantitative test v2.0.

PubMed

Worlock, A; Blair, D; Hunsicker, M; Le-Nguyen, T; Motta, C; Nguyen, C; Papachristou, E; Pham, J; Williams, A; Vi, M; Vinluan, B; Hatzakis, A

2017-04-04

The Aptima HCV Quant Dx assay (Aptima assay) is a fully automated quantitative assay on the Panther® system. This assay is intended for confirmation of diagnosis and monitoring of HCV RNA in plasma and serum specimens. The purpose of the testing described in this paper was to evaluate the performance of the Aptima assay. The analytical sensitivity, analytical specificity, precision, and linearity of the Aptima assay were assessed. The performance of the Aptima assay was compared to two commercially available HCV assays; the Abbott RealTime HCV assay (Abbott assay, Abbott Labs Illinois, USA) and the Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS Taqman HCV Quantitative Test v2.0 (Roche Assay, Roche Molecular Systems, Pleasanton CA, USA). The 95% Lower Limit of Detection (LoD) of the assay was determined from dilutions of the 2nd HCV WHO International Standard (NIBSC 96/798 genotype 1) and HCV positive clinical specimens in HCV negative human plasma and serum. Probit analysis was performed to generate the 95% predicted detection limits. The Lower Limit of Quantitation (LLoQ) was established for each genotype by diluting clinical specimens and the 2nd HCV WHO International Standard (NIBSC 96/798 genotype 1) in HCV negative human plasma and serum. Specificity was determined using 200 fresh and 536 frozen HCV RNA negative clinical specimens including 370 plasma specimens and 366 serum specimens. Linearity for genotypes 1 to 6 was established by diluting armored RNA or HCV positive clinical specimens in HCV negative serum or plasma from 8.08 log IU/mL to below 1 log IU/mL. Precision was tested using a 10 member panel made by diluting HCV positive clinical specimens or spiking armored RNA into HCV negative plasma and serum. A method comparison was conducted against the Abbott assay using 1058 clinical specimens and against the Roche assay using 608 clinical specimens from HCV infected patients. In addition, agreement between the Roche assay and the Aptima assay using specimens with low

Air Force Officer Qualifying Test Form T: Initial Item-, Test-, Factor-, and Composite-Level Analyses

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

five lower-order factors representing verbal, math , spatial, perceptual speed, and aviation knowledge, and a hierarchical general factor showed the...Academic Aptitude Verbal Quant. Verbal Analogies 25 X X X Arithmetic Reasoning 25 X X Word Knowledge 25 X X X Math Knowledge 25 X X...Reasoning (AR) uses word problems to assess the ability to understand arithmetic relations. Math Knowledge (MK) assesses the ability to use

Dependency of cardiac rubidium-82 imaging quantitative measures on age, gender, vascular territory, and software in a cardiovascular normal population.

PubMed

Sunderland, John J; Pan, Xiao-Bo; Declerck, Jerome; Menda, Yusuf

2015-02-01

Recent technological improvements to PET imaging equipment combined with the availability of software optimized to calculate regional myocardial blood flow (MBF) and myocardial flow reserve (MFR) create a paradigm shifting opportunity to provide new clinically relevant quantitative information to cardiologists. However, clinical interpretation of the MBF and MFR is entirely dependent upon knowledge of MBF and MFR values in normal populations and subpopulations. This work reports Rb-82-based MBF and MFR measurements for a series of 49 verified cardiovascularly normal subjects as a preliminary baseline for future clinical studies. Forty-nine subjects (24F/25M, ages 41-69) with low probability for coronary artery disease and with normal exercise stress test were included. These subjects underwent rest/dipyridamole stress Rb-82 myocardial perfusion imaging using standard clinical techniques (40 mCi injection, 6-minute acquisition) using a Siemens Biograph 40 PET/CT scanner with high count rate detector option. List mode data was rehistogrammed into 26 dynamic frames (12 × 5 seconds, 6 × 10 seconds, 4 × 20 seconds, 4 × 40 seconds). Cardiac images were processed, and MBF and MFR calculated using Siemens syngo MBF, PMOD, and FlowQuant software using a single compartment Rb-82 model. Global myocardial blood flow under pharmacological stress for the 24 females as measured by PMOD, syngo MBF, and FlowQuant were 3.10 ± 0.72, 2.80 ± 0.66, and 2.60 ± 0.63 mL·minute(-1)·g(-1), and for the 25 males was 2.60 ± 0.84, 2.33 ± 0.75, 2.15 ± 0.62 mL·minute(-1)·g(-1), respectively. Rest flows for PMOD, syngo MBF, and FlowQuant averaged 1.32 ± 0.42, 1.20 ± 0.33, and 1.06 ± 0.38 mL·minute(-1)·g(-1) for the female subjects, and 1.12 ± 0.29, 0.90 ± 0.26, and 0.85 ± 0.24 mL·minute(-1)·g(-1) for the males. Myocardial flow reserves for PMOD, syngo MBF, and FlowQuant for the female normals were calculated to be 2.50 ± 0.80, 2.53 ± 0.67, 2.71 ± 0.90, and 2.50 ± 1.19, 2

Compiling Planning into Quantum Optimization Problems: A Comparative Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-07

and Sipser, M. 2000. Quantum computation by adiabatic evolution. arXiv:quant- ph/0001106. Fikes, R. E., and Nilsson, N. J. 1972. STRIPS: A new...become available: quantum annealing. Quantum annealing is one of the most accessible quantum algorithms for a computer sci- ence audience not versed...in quantum computing because of its close ties to classical optimization algorithms such as simulated annealing. While large-scale universal quantum

Machine on Trial

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

executed a concerted effort to employ reliability standards and testing from the design phase through fielding. Reliability programs remain standard...performed flight test engineer duties on several developmental flight test programs and served as Chief Engineer for a flight test squadron. Major...Quant is an acquisition professional with over 250 flight test hours in various aircraft, including the F-16, Airborne Laser, and HH-60. She holds a

STIC: Photonic Quantum Computation through Cavity Assisted Interaction

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-28

PRA ; available as quant-ph/06060791. Report for the grant “Photonic Quantum Computation through Cavity Assisted Interaction” from DTO Luming Duan...cavity •B. Wang, L.-M. Duan, PRA 72 (in press, 2005) Single-photon source Photonic Quantum Computation through Cavity-Assisted Interaction H. Jeff Kimble...interaction [Duan, Wang, Kimble, PRA 05] • “Investigate more efficient methods for combating noise in photonic quantum computation ” • Partial progress

International Aerospace and Ground Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity (ICOLSE) (10th) and the Congres International Aeronautiq (17th) Held in Paris (France) on 10-13 June 1985

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-13

reelles de foudroiement et comparer ensuite les reponses obtenues ä celles issues de la simulation au sol, qui laisse subsister un doute quant a sa...but not be limited to, the follow- ing I tens: a) Management control b) Lightning zone identification c) Lightning coirpo.ient identification d...critical roles in functions such as stores management and fly-by-wire systems. Therefore, a great concern arises for preventing upset of these

Secret-key-assisted private classical communication capacity over quantum channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Min-Hsiu; Luo, Zhicheng; Brun, Todd

2008-10-01

We prove a regularized formula for the secret-key-assisted capacity region of a quantum channel for transmitting private classical information. This result parallels the work of Devetak (e-print arXiv:quant-ph/0512015) on entanglement-assisted quantum communication capacity . This formula provides a family protocol, the private father protocol, under the resource inequality framework that includes private classical communication without secret-key assistance as a child protocol.

Polypodium sp. (Coelenterata) infection of paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) eggs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Suppes, V. Charles; Meyer, Fred P.

1975-01-01

Parasitism of fish by coelenterates is rare and the first North American infection was reported in sturgeon (Hoffman et al., 1974, J Parasitol 60: 548-550). In the USSR parasitism of sturgeon (Acipenser sp.) eggs by the coelenterate Polypodium hydriforme Ussov 1885 has long been reported and investigated [Raikova, 1959, in Parasites of Freshwater Fish and the Biological Basis for their Control. Bull State Sci Res Inst Lake and River Fish. XLIX. Eng. transl. No. TT61-31056, O. T. S., U. S. Dep. Commerce, Washington, D. C., 1962, 235 p.: Raikova, 1973, (Proc Second Internat Symp on Cnidaria), Seto Marine Biological Laboratory 20: 165-173]. This report represents the first known infection of Polypodium in the paddlefish (Polyodon spathula).

The high resolution spectrum of 15NH3 in the far-infrared: Rotation-inversion transitions in the ground, v2=1, 2 and v4=1 states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fusina, Luciano; Di Lonardo, Gianfranco; Canè, Elisabetta; Predoi-Cross, Adriana; Rozario, Hoimonti; Herman, Michel

2017-12-01

The high resolution spectrum of 15NH3 has been recorded at unapodized resolution of 0.00096 cm-1 in the region 60-600 cm-1 using the Bruker IFS 125 Fourier transform spectrometer located at the far-infrared beam-line, Canadian Light Source. We report on the observation and analysis of the rotation-inversion spectrum in the ground, v2=1, 2 and v4=1 states. All the rotation-inversion transitions in the ground state together with the pure inversion transitions present in the literature were fitted simultaneously on the basis of a rotation-inversion Hamiltonian which includes distortion constants up to the 12th power in the angular momentum and the Δk=±3 and Δk=±6 interaction terms. A set of effective parameters was also obtained for the v2=1 state adopting the same theoretical model. For the v2=2 and v4=1 states only a list of observed transitions is reported. The wavenumbers of all the assigned transitions were compared with their theoretically predicted values [S.N. Yurchenko, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf., 2015, 152, 28]. The present results noticeably improve the wavenumber line list in the HITRAN data base [L. S. Rothman et al. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf.,2013, 130, 4].

Shack-Hartmann-based objective straylight assessment of the human eye in an increased scattering angle range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, Stefan; Schikowski, Patrick; Lerm, Elena; Kaeding, André; Haueisen, Jens; Baumgarten, Daniel

2016-07-01

Objective measurement of straylight in the human eye with a Shack-Hartmann (SH) wavefront aberrometer is limited in imaging angle. We propose a measurement principle and a point spread function (PSF) reconstruction algorithm to overcome this limitation. In our optical setup, a variable stop replaces the stop conventionally used to suppress reflections and scatter in SH aberrometers. We record images with 21 diameters of the stop. From each SH image, the average intensity of the pupil is computed and normalized. The intensities represent integral values of the PSF. We reconstruct the PSF, which is the derivative of the intensities with respect to the visual angle. A modified Stiles Holladay approximation is fitted to the reconstructed PSF, resulting in a straylight parameter. A proof-of-principle study was carried out on eight healthy young volunteers. Scatter filters were positioned in front of the volunteers' eyes to simulate straylight. The straylight parameter was compared to the C-Quant measurements and the filter values. The PSF parameter shows strong correlation with the density of the filters and a linear relation to the C-Quant straylight parameter. Our measurement and reconstruction techniques allow for objective straylight analysis of visual angles up to 4 deg.

Analysis of HbA1c on an automated multicapillary zone electrophoresis system.

PubMed

Rollborn, Niclas; Åkerfeldt, Torbjörn; Nordin, Gunnar; Xu, Xiao Yan; Mandic-Havelka, Aleksandra; Hansson, Lars-Olof; Larsson, Anders

2017-02-01

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a frequently requested laboratory test and there is thus a need for high throughput instruments for this assay. We evaluated a new automated multicapillary zone electrophoresis instrument (Capillarys 3 Tera, Sebia, Lisses, France) for analysis of HbA1c in venous samples. Routine requested HbA1c samples were analyzed immunologically on a Roche c6000 instrument (n = 142) and then with the Capillarys 3 Tera instrument. The Capillarys 3 Tera instrument performed approximately 70 HbA1c tests/hour. There was a strong linear correlation between Capillarys 3 Tera and Roche Tina-Quant HbA1c Gen 3 assay (y = 1.003x - 0.3246 R 2  = .996). The total CV for the 12 capillaries varied between 0.8 and 2.2% and there was a good agreement between duplicate samples (R 2  = .997). In conclusion, the Capillarys 3 Tera instrument has a high assay capacity for HbA1c. It has a good precision and agreement with the Roche Tina-Quant HbA1c method and is well suited for high volume testing of HbA1c.

Relativity, quantum physics and philosophy in the upper secondary curriculum: challenges, opportunities and proposed approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriksen, Ellen K.; Bungum, Berit; Angell, Carl; Tellefsen, Cathrine W.; Frågåt, Thomas; Vetleseter Bøe, Maria

2014-11-01

In this article, we discuss how quantum physics and relativity can be taught in upper secondary school, in ways that promote conceptual understanding and philosophical reflections. We present the ReleQuant project, in which web-based teaching modules have been developed. The modules address competence aims in the Norwegian national curriculum for physics (final year of upper secondary education), which is unique in that it includes general relativity, entangled photons and the epistemological consequences of modern physics. These topics, with their high demands on students’ understanding of abstract and counter-intuitive concepts and principles, are challenging for teachers to teach and for students to learn. However, they also provide opportunities to present modern physics in innovative ways that students may find motivating and relevant both in terms of modern technological applications and in terms of contributions to students’ intellectual development. Beginning with these challenges and opportunities, we briefly present previous research and theoretical perspectives with relevance to student learning and motivation in modern physics. Based on this, we outline the ReleQuant teaching approach, where students use written and oral language and a collaborative exploration of animations and simulations as part of their learning process. Finally, we present some of the first experiences from classroom tests of the quantum physics modules.

Interference of hawthorn on serum digoxin measurements by immunoassays and pharmacodynamic interaction with digoxin.

PubMed

Dasgupta, Amitava; Kidd, Laura; Poindexter, Brian J; Bick, Roger J

2010-08-01

Hawthorn is an herb indicated for treating cardiac illness. Because a patient taking digoxin may also take hawthorn, we investigated potential interference of hawthorn in serum digoxin measurements using immunoassays as well as pharmacodynamic interaction between hawthorn and digoxin. Hawthorn contains alkaloids that are structurally similar to digoxin and may interfere with serum digoxin measurement using immunoassays. In addition, hawthorn has cardioactive properties similar to digoxin. To study potential pharmacodynamic interaction between hawthorn and digoxin. The effects of hawthorn extract on serum digoxin measurements using Digoxin III (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois) and the Tina-Quant digoxin assay (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, Indiana) were investigated using 2 different brands of extract. To study the pharmacodynamic interaction between hawthorn and digoxin, we used an isolated adult rat cardiomyocyte system, measuring calcium transients by real-time fluorescence spectrophotometry. Hawthorn interfered only with the Digoxin III immunoassay but had no effect on the Tina-Quant assay. Both hawthorn extracts increased intracellular calcium levels, but the lack of additive response with digoxin suggests both may bind to the same site of Na, K adenosine triphosphatase. Because of interference of hawthorn with a digoxin immunoassay and pharmacodynamic interaction with digoxin, a patient receiving digoxin should avoid hawthorn.

Hepatic SILAC proteomic data from PANDER transgenic model.

PubMed

Athanason, Mark G; Stevens, Stanley M; Burkhardt, Brant R

2016-12-01

This article contains raw and processed data related to research published in "Quantitative Proteomic Profiling Reveals Hepatic Lipogenesis and Liver X Receptor Activation in the PANDER Transgenic Model" (M.G. Athanason, W.A. Ratliff, D. Chaput, C.B. MarElia, M.N. Kuehl, S.M., Jr. Stevens, B.R. Burkhardt (2016)) [1], and was generated by "spike-in" SILAC-based proteomic analysis of livers obtained from the PANcreatic-Derived factor (PANDER) transgenic mouse (PANTG) under various metabolic conditions [1]. The mass spectrometry output of the PANTG and wild-type B6SJLF mice liver tissue and resulting proteome search from MaxQuant 1.2.2.5 employing the Andromeda search algorithm against the UniprotKB reference database for Mus musculus has been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium (http://www.proteomexchange.org) via the PRIDE partner repository with dataset identifiers PRIDE: PXD004171 and doi:10.6019/PXD004171. Protein ratio values representing PANTG/wild-type obtained by MaxQuant analysis were input into the Perseus processing suite to determine statistical significance using the Significance A outlier test (p<0.05). Differentially expressed proteins using this approach were input into Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to determined altered pathways and upstream regulators that were altered in PANTG mice.

Error and Symmetry Analysis of Misner's Algorithm for Spherical Harmonic Decomposition on a Cubic Grid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fiske, David R.

2004-01-01

In an earlier paper, Misner (2004, Class. Quant. Grav., 21, S243) presented a novel algorithm for computing the spherical harmonic components of data represented on a cubic grid. I extend Misner s original analysis by making detailed error estimates of the numerical errors accrued by the algorithm, by using symmetry arguments to suggest a more efficient implementation scheme, and by explaining how the algorithm can be applied efficiently on data with explicit reflection symmetries.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cabello, Adan

We introduce two two-player quantum pseudotelepathy games based on two recently proposed all-versus-nothing (AVN) proofs of Bell's theorem [A. Cabello, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 210401 (2005); Phys. Rev. A 72, 050101(R) (2005)]. These games prove that Broadbent and Methot's claim that these AVN proofs do not rule out local-hidden-variable theories in which it is possible to exchange unlimited information inside the same light cone (quant-ph/0511047) is incorrect.

Economic and Environmental Considerations for Incremental Cost Analysis in Mitigation Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-01

and the following efficiency concepts any number of economics texts will do. See for example, P.R.G. Layard and A.A. Walters, Microeconomic Theory...contained in most advanced microeconomic theory texts. See for example, Henderson and Quant’s Microeconomic Theory, 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1980...1986). Economic Valuation Techniques for the Environment. A Cast Study Workbook . Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore. 148p. The case studies

Terbium to Quantum Dot FRET Bioconjugates for Clinical Diagnostics: Influence of Human Plasma on Optical and Assembly Properties

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-12

Periasamy, A. Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) microscopy imaging of live cell protein localization. J . Cell. Biol. 2003, 5, 629-633. 4...tissues. Physiol. Rev. 2010, 90, 1103-1163. 10. Woehler, A.; Wlodarczyk, J .; Neher, E. Signal/noise analysis of FRET-based sensors. Biophys. J . 2010...99, 2344-2354. 11. Selvin, P.R. Lanthanide-based resonance energy transfer. IEEE J . Sel. Top. Quant. Electron. 1996, 2, 1077-1087. 12. Van der Meer

Human Factors Implications and Issues in Network Enabled Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-28

même par des soldats individuels. L’armée de mer, quant à elle, évolue dans un environnement de complexité moyenne comparativement aux forces...approach found in most of the derivatives of NCW because the FORCEnet paper states that in the design of this new approach to warfare and other...defects mentality, risk aversion, poorly designed war fighting experiments, and widespread contentment with current performance, expectations for NCW will

Escape from Tumor Cell Dormancy

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

equipped with a Photometrics Quant EM S12SC camera and BD CARV II spinning disc confocal (Biovision Technologies). Images were acquired using MetaMorph ...Herein, these issues are addressed using a novel organotypic bioreactor in which tumor cells can be followed for weeks to months, the process of...probe this critical question. We proposed to use a novel ex vivo liver bioreactor to study this question. We adapted this liver bioreactor to the

Rare-Earth Ion-Host Lattice Interactions: 15. Analysis of the Spectra of Nd3+ in Gd3Sc2Ga3O12.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-01

Luminescence of Cr3+ Ions in Gadolinium Gallium and Gadolinium Scandium Gallium Garnet CT’stals, Soy. J. Quant. Electron. 12 (1982), 1124. 6M. Dutoit, J. C...Shcherbakov, Absolute Quantum Efficiency of the Luminescence of Cr3+ Ions in Gadolinium Gallium and Gadolinium Scandium Gallium Garnet Crystals, Soy. J...HDL Project: 324332 19. KEY WORDS (Continue on reverse side it necessary end Identify by block number) Rare earth Mixed garnet Spectra Laser Judd-Ofelt

Two-player quantum pseudotelepathy based on recent all-versus-nothing violations of local realism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabello, Adán

2006-02-01

We introduce two two-player quantum pseudotelepathy games based on two recently proposed all-versus-nothing (AVN) proofs of Bell’s theorem [A. Cabello, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 210401 (2005); Phys. Rev. A 72, 050101(R) (2005)]. These games prove that Broadbent and Méthot’s claim that these AVN proofs do not rule out local-hidden-variable theories in which it is possible to exchange unlimited information inside the same light cone (quant-ph/0511047) is incorrect.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Methyl isocyanate in Orion (Cernicharo+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cernicharo, J.; Kisiel, Z.; Tercero, B.; Kolesnikova, L.; Medvedev, I. R.; Lopez, A.; Fortman, S.; Winnewisser, M.; de Lucia, F. C.; Alonso, J. L.; Guillemin, J.-C.

2016-02-01

Final results of the analysis of the laboratory rotational spectrum of CH3NCO for use in astrophysical applications. 300K line list for the reported CH3NCO rotational transitions in the standard of the SPCAT program (including intensities and lower state energies). This line list is also given in Table A.6 in the standard format of the JPL catalog (Pickett et al., 1998, J. Quant. Spectr. Rad. Transf., 60, 883). (1 data file).

Laser Probe Vaporization/Oxidation Testing of High Temperature Composites

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-11

Smith and H.S. Liszt, J. Quant. Spectosc. Rad. Trans., 12, 505 (1972). 5. A. Czernichowski and W. Zyrnicki, Acta Physica Polonica , A32, 865 (1970). 6. 0...Lagerqvist, and I. Renhorn, Physica Scripta, 14, 298 (1976). 2. G. Herzberg, Molecular Spectra and Molecular Structure. I. Spectra of Diatomic Molecules...Sheehan, General Atomics (2) H. Cappelen, K. Johansen, and K. Motzfeldt, Acta Chim. Scand. A35 247 (1981) (3) C. Wagner, J.Appl.Phys. 29 1295 (1958) (4

Construction Productivity Advancement Research (CPAR) Program: Improved Materials and Processes for Sealing and Resealing Joints in Portland Cement Concrete Pavements - Field Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-10-01

sealant was determined by noting the type and number of defects each sealant incurred. Figure 4 provides a sample evaluation sheet used dur- ing the field...was conducted by visually inspect- ing the mater~al for defects . If any defects were noted, the type of defect was described and the quant~ty of that... defect was measured. The quantity of the defect was dividted by the total quantity of sealant and the result reported as percent defect . Adhesion and

Gaseous Electronics Conference (35th) Held at Dallas, Texas, 19-22 October 1982.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-31

Hz LTE arcs con- taining mrury and metal halide additives such as Nal and Sc13 . , Using a well defined cylindrical arc vessel and a known mercury ...termination of the high pressure mercury arc will be presented. 1 F.E. Irons, J.Quant.Spect.Radiat.Transfer 22,1,(1979). 41IBLANK I- CA-3 Time Dependent...High pressure mercury lamps were. operated on a perioically pulsed supply voltage. From optically thin mercury line emission the variation of the axial

Construction of In-house Databases in a Corporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senoo, Tetsuo

As computer technology, communication technology and others have progressed, many corporations are likely to locate constructing and utilizing their own databases at the center of the information activities, and aim at developing their information activities newly. This paper considers how information management in a corporation is affected under changing management and technology environments, and clarifies and generalizes what in-house databases should be constructed and utilized from the viewpoints of requirements to be furnished, types and forms of information to be dealt, indexing, use type and frequency, evaluation method and so on. The author outlines an information system of Matsushita called MATIS (Matsushita Technical Information System) as an actual example, and describes the present status and some points to be reminded in constructing and utilizing databases of REP, BOOK and SYMP.

Low-Temperature Collisional Broadening in the Far-Infrared Centrifugal Distortion Spectrum of CH_4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boudon, Vincent; Vander Auwera, Jean; Manceron, Laurent; Kwabia Tchana, F.; Gabard, Tony; Amyay, Badr; Faye, Mbaye

2015-06-01

Previously, we could record on the AILES Beamline at the SOLEIL Synchrotron facility the first resolved centrifugal distorsion spectrum of methane (CH_4) in the THz region, which led to a precise determination of line intensities Later, we could measure collisional self- and N_2-broadening coefficients at room temperature. This time, we reinvestigated this topic by measuring these broadening coefficients at low temperature (between 120~K and 160~K) for J=5 to 12, thanks to a cryogenic multipass cell. We used a 93~m total optical path length. Five pure methane pressures (from 10 to 100 mbar) and four CH_4/N_2 mixtures (20~% of methane with a total pressure from 100 to 800 mbar) were used. These measurements allow us to obtain data for physical conditions approaching those of Titan's atmosphere and to estimate temperature exponents. V. Boudon, O. Pirali, P. Roy, J.-B. Brubach, L. Manceron and J. Vander Auwera, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiate. Transfer, 111, 1117--1129 (2010). M. Sanzharov, J. Vander Auwera, O. Pirali, P. Roy, J.-B. Brubach, L. Manceron, T. Gabard and V. Boudon, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiate. Transfer, 113, 1874--1886 (2012). F. Kwabia Tchana, F. Willaert, X. Landshere, J.-M. Flaud, L. Lago, M. Chapuis, C. Herbeaux, P. Roy and L. Manceron, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 84, 093101 (2013).

Data file of a deep proteome analysis of the prefrontal cortex in aged mice with progranulin deficiency or neuronal overexpression of progranulin.

PubMed

Heidler, Juliana; Hardt, Stefanie; Wittig, Ilka; Tegeder, Irmgard

2016-12-01

Progranulin deficiency is associated with neurodegeneration in humans and in mice. The mechanisms likely involve progranulin-promoted removal of protein waste via autophagy. We performed a deep proteomic screen of the pre-frontal cortex in aged (13-15 months) female progranulin-deficient mice (GRN -/- ) and mice with inducible neuron-specific overexpression of progranulin (SLICK-GRN-OE) versus the respective control mice. Proteins were extracted and analyzed per liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) on a Thermo Scientific™ Q Exactive Plus equipped with an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography unit and a Nanospray Flex Ion-Source. Full Scan MS-data were acquired using Xcalibur and raw files were analyzed using the proteomics software Max Quant. The mouse reference proteome set from uniprot (June 2015) was used to identify peptides and proteins. The DiB data file is a reduced MaxQuant output and includes peptide and protein identification, accession numbers, protein and gene names, sequence coverage and label free quantification (LFQ) values of each sample. Differences in protein expression in genotypes are presented in "Progranulin overexpression in sensory neurons attenuates neuropathic pain in mice: Role of autophagy" (C. Altmann, S. Hardt, C. Fischer, J. Heidler, H.Y. Lim, A. Haussler, B. Albuquerque, B. Zimmer, C. Moser, C. Behrends, F. Koentgen, I. Wittig, M.H. Schmidt, A.M. Clement, T. Deller, I. Tegeder, 2016) [1].

High order aberration and straylight evaluation after cataract surgery with implantation of an aspheric, aberration correcting monofocal intraocular lens

PubMed Central

Kretz, Florian T A; Tandogan, Tamer; Khoramnia, Ramin; Auffarth, Gerd U

2015-01-01

AIM To evaluate the quality of vision in respect to high order aberrations and straylight perception after implantation of an aspheric, aberration correcting, monofocal intraocular lens (IOL). METHODS Twenty-one patients (34 eyes) aged 50 to 83y underwent cataract surgery with implantation of an aspheric, aberration correcting IOL (Tecnis ZCB00, Abbott Medical Optics). Three months after surgery they were examined for uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), contrast sensitivity (CS) under photopic and mesopic conditions with and without glare source, ocular high order aberrations (HOA, Zywave II) and retinal straylight (C-Quant). RESULTS Postoperatively, patients achieved a postoperative CDVA of 0.0 logMAR or better in 97.1% of eyes. Mean values of high order abberations were +0.02±0.27 (primary coma components) and -0.04±0.16 (spherical aberration term). Straylight values of the C-Quant were 1.35±0.44 log which is within normal range of age matched phakic patients. The CS measurements under mesopic and photopic conditions in combination with and without glare did not show any statistical significance in the patient group observed (P≥0.28). CONCLUSION The implantation of an aspherical aberration correcting monofocal IOL after cataract surgery resulted in very low residual higher order aberration (HOA) and normal straylight. PMID:26309872

Rubidium Recycling in a High Intensity Short Duration Pulsed Alkali Laser

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

16. C. Ottinger, R. Scheps, G. W. York, and A. Gallagher, Physical Review A 11:1815, 1975. 17. Nathan D. Zameroski, Wolfgang Rudolph, Gordon D...Lijnse, P. J. Th. Zeegers, and C. Th. J. Alkemade, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 13:1033, 1973. 21. E. S. Hrysyshyn and L. Krause . Can. J...Phys 48:2761, 1970. 22. J. A. Bellisio, P. Davidovits, and P. J. Kindlmann. J. Chem. Phys. 48:2376, 1968. 23. R. A. Phaneuf and L. Krause . Can J

United States Air Force Summer Faculty Research Program. Management Report. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-01

Weapons Laboratory 64 Realization of Sublayer Relative Dr. Lane Clark Shielding Order in Electromagnetic Topology 65 Diode Laser Probe of Vibrational Dr...34Tunable Diode Laser Measurements of Air-Broadened Linewidths in the v6 Band of H202," AppI. Opt. 25, 1844 (1986). 18. M. A. H. Smith, G. A. Harvey, G...Varghese and R. K. Hanson, "Tunable Diode Laser Measurements of Spectral Parameters of HCN at Room Temperature," J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 31

Commercial Approval Plan for Synthetic Jet Fuel from Hydrotreated Fats and Oils

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-18

driven by their experience, some of it very negative, with the other more well known organic oil derived fuel, BioDiesel. BioDiesel is methyl ester of...the fatty acid ( FAME ) that comes from the triglycerides that compose the organic oil. The HRJ SPKs are deoxygenated materials that are processed in...SwRI Cu PE506 * Semi-Quant Survey ICP/MS * Organic Elements C:H D5291 * N D4629 * S D5453 * Acid Number D3242 * Carbonyls, alcohols, esters , phenols

Scaffold: Quantum Programming Language

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-24

Europe, 2012. [8] B. Eastin and S . T. Flammia , “Q-circuit tutorial,” arXiv:quant-ph/0406003v2. [9] A. I. Faruque et al., “Scaffold: Quantum Programming...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Scaffold: Quantum Programming Language 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR( S ) 5d...PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME( S ) AND ADDRESS(ES) Princeton University,Department of Computer

Time Dependent Pulse Amplification in a Three Level Gas.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-12-01

02912 I Accession For NTIS GRA&I DTIC TA January 1, 1980 - December 31, 1980 Utuiaouneed D • "" ~justiflteatl Jietributlio/ A’vailabilit- #odes...U. Huebner, and G. Schinn, Gain in CW Laser Pumped FIR Laser Gases, IEEE J. Quant. Electon., Vol. QE-16, p. 392, 1980 . 13. G. D. Willenberg, U...Huebner, and J. Heppner, Far-Infrared CW Lasing in NH3 , Optics Comm., Vol, 33, p. 193, 1980 . 14. J. Heppner and U. Huebner, Gain saturation of CW Laser

Breast Cancer in African American Women: Molecular Analysis of Differences in Incidence and Outcomes

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-10-01

supporting proteins derived from serum used in the culture me- bone cell growth than collagen dip coated PHBV and dium. In the absence of natural ...medium suspension. Earlier, Concentration (mM) Medium Stock solution we had done a 10:1 dilution with trypan blue dye , the dye that allows us to...cancer model has to the tube. Vortex. traditionally used CyQUANT because of its simplicity, but 6. Using a repeater, add 200 pL of your dye mixture to

NON-Shor Factorization Via BEQS BEC: Watkins Number-Theory ``Pure''-Mathematics U With Statistical-Physics; Benford Log-Law Inversion to ONLY BEQS digit d=0 BEC!!!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyons, M.; Siegel, Edward Carl-Ludwig

2011-03-01

Weiss-Page-Holthaus[Physica A,341,586(04); http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0403295] number-FACTORIZATION VIA BEQS BEC VS.(?) Shor-algorithm, strongly-supporting Watkins' [www.secamlocal.ex.ac.uk/people/staff/mrwatkin/] Intersection of number-theory "pure"-maths WITH (Statistical)-Physics, as Siegel[AMS Joint.Mtg.(02)-Abs.973-60-124] Benford logarithmic-law algebraic-INVERSION to ONLY BEQS with d=0 digit P (d = 0) > = oogapFULBEC ! ! ! SiegelRiemann - hypothesisproofviaRayleigh [ Phil . Trans . CLXI (1870) ] - Polya [ Math . Ann . (21) ] - [ Random - WalksElectric - Nets . , MAA (81) ] - nderson [ PRL (58) ] - localization - Siegel [ Symp . Fractals , MRSFallMtg . (89) - 5 - papers ! ! ! ] FUZZYICS = CATEGORYICS : [ LOCALITY ]- MORPHISM / CROSSOVER / AUTMATHCAT / DIM - CAT / ANTONYM- > (GLOBALITY) FUNCTOR / SYNONYM / concomitancetonoise = / Fluct . - Dissip . theorem / FUNCTOR / SYNONYM / equivalence / proportionalityto = > generalized - susceptibilitypower - spectrum [ FLAT / FUNCTIONLESS / WHITE ]- MORPHISM / CROSSOVER / AUTMATHCAT / DIM - CAT / ANTONYM- > HYPERBOLICITY/ZIPF-law INEVITABILITY) intersection with ONLY BEQS BEC).

Synchronously Pumped Optical Parametric Oscillator with Intracavity Difference Frequency Mixing

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-06-29

Phys. B, vol. 63, no. 5, pp. 437-441, 1996. [11] T. Töpfer, K. P. Petrov, Y. Mine, L. E. Myers, and R. W. Wallace , "Room- temperature midinfrared...generation in diazo-dye-substitured polymer channel waveguides," IEEE J. of Quant. Electron., vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 349-357, 1997. [56] A. Szilagyi ...periodically poled lithium- niobate," Opt. Lett, vol. 23, no. 9, pp. 664-666, 1998. [119] W. R. Bosenberg, J. I. Alexander, L. E. Myers, and R. W. Wallace

Technical Report: Benchmarking for Quasispecies Abundance Inference with Confidence Intervals from Metagenomic Sequence Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McLoughlin, K.

2016-01-22

The software application “MetaQuant” was developed by our group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). It is designed to profile microbial populations in a sample using data from whole-genome shotgun (WGS) metagenomic DNA sequencing. Several other metagenomic profiling applications have been described in the literature. We ran a series of benchmark tests to compare the performance of MetaQuant against that of a few existing profiling tools, using real and simulated sequence datasets. This report describes our benchmarking procedure and results.

The Overall Reaction Concept in Premixed, Laminar, Steady-State Flames. I. Stoichiometries.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-10-01

determining global kinetics parameters from the experimental flammability limits and stoichiometric flame speed at atmospheric conditions. A single...single Eq. (23). 15 The heat of react ion Q call be computed from Eq. (14) , sinrce the cot ha I pi es are known quant i t I eS.112 Q may alIso be...flame region : 03 + M+ 0 + 0 + M 3 +- 2 0 + 0 + 0 + 0. 3 + 2 2 in the post flame region the radical recombination reaction 0 + 0 + M 0 + 02. becomes

Development of Gravidynamical Equations for a Weakly Gravitating Body in the Vicinity of Absolute Zero Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krot, Alexander M.

2002-01-01

(contraction) of the spheroidal body is weak and viscosity is absent, we regard the motion of the continuous medium to be non-turbulent. modeled by means of an ideal liquid. It is determined the connection of this equation with an equation of motion of a particle in a noninertial frame of reference. A gravimagnetic field is introduced in this paper. It is obtained the scalar and vector potentials as well as the Lagrange function of a particle moving in a gravitational and gravimagnetic fields. It is derived the equations of hyperbolic type for the gravitational field of a weakly gravitating spheroidal body under observable values of velocities of particles composing it. 1. A.M.Krot, Achievements in Modern Radioelectronics, special issue "Cosmic Radiophysics", no.8, pp.66- 2. A.M.Krot, Proc. SPIE 13th Symp."AeroSense", Orlando, Florida, April 5-9,1999, vol.3710,pp.1248-1259. 3. L.D.Landau and E.M.Lifshitz, Classical Theory of Fields, Addison-Wesley, 1951. 4. S.Weinberg, Gravitation and Cosmology, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1972. 5. C.W.Misner, K.S.Thorne, and J.A.Wheeler, Gravitation, W.H.Freeman and Co., San Francisco, 1973. 6. A.M.Krot, Proc. SPIE 14th Symp."AeroSense",Orlando,Florida,April 24-28,2000,vol.4038,pp.1318-1329. 7. A.M.Krot, Proc. SPIE 15th Symp."AeroSense",Orlando,Florida,April 16-20,2001,vol.4394,pp.1271-1282.

A Pilot Proteogenomic Study with Data Integration Identifies MCT1 and GLUT1 as Prognostic Markers in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

PubMed

Stewart, Paul A; Parapatics, Katja; Welsh, Eric A; Müller, André C; Cao, Haoyun; Fang, Bin; Koomen, John M; Eschrich, Steven A; Bennett, Keiryn L; Haura, Eric B

2015-01-01

We performed a pilot proteogenomic study to compare lung adenocarcinoma to lung squamous cell carcinoma using quantitative proteomics (6-plex TMT) combined with a customized Affymetrix GeneChip. Using MaxQuant software, we identified 51,001 unique peptides that mapped to 7,241 unique proteins and from these identified 6,373 genes with matching protein expression for further analysis. We found a minor correlation between gene expression and protein expression; both datasets were able to independently recapitulate known differences between the adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma subtypes. We found 565 proteins and 629 genes to be differentially expressed between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, with 113 of these consistently differentially expressed at both the gene and protein levels. We then compared our results to published adenocarcinoma versus squamous cell carcinoma proteomic data that we also processed with MaxQuant. We selected two proteins consistently overexpressed in squamous cell carcinoma in all studies, MCT1 (SLC16A1) and GLUT1 (SLC2A1), for further investigation. We found differential expression of these same proteins at the gene level in our study as well as in other public gene expression datasets. These findings combined with survival analysis of public datasets suggest that MCT1 and GLUT1 may be potential prognostic markers in adenocarcinoma and druggable targets in squamous cell carcinoma. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002622.

Comparison of Computed Condon Loci with Franck-Condon Factors in Deslandres Tables of Molecular Band Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hefferlin, R.; Clark, B.; Tatum, J.

2012-06-01

The literature often shows a Condon parabola not quite tracking the Franck-Condon factors for the strongest bands in the Deslandres table for a diatomic molecular band system; often the parabola appears to have been hand-drawn. We have calculated Condon loci, assuming originally that the lower and upper electronic potentials are simple harmonic potentials, and assuming now that they are Morse potentials. In the harmonic case the Condon loci are parabolas. These calculations are for small vibrational quantum numbers, where the Morse loci also begin as parabolas. We will present these loci for representative molecular band systems and discuss the extent to which the loci track the strongest Franck-Condon factors. In the event that neither does, calculations for arbitrary potentials are available. The importance of this study is that we have previously calculated the latera recta and the symmetry-axis angles of the harmonic oscillator parabolas in Deslandres tables appropriate to molecules in several isoelectronic sequences. We have found that the angle increases along the sequence until the species one proton-shift away from “rare-gas” molecules, such as LiNe, is reached. This phenomenon is a suggestion that diatomic molecules are periodic with respect to each of their two atoms. G. Herzberg, Molecular Spectra and Molecular Structure, 1950, pg. 197 D. J. Flynn, R. J. Spindler; S. Fifer; M. Kelly, J. Quant. Spectr. Radiat. Transfer 4, 271-282, (1964) R. W. Nicholls, J. Quant. Spectr. Radiat. Transfer 28, 481-492, (1982).

Myocardial blood flow quantification by Rb-82 cardiac PET/CT: A detailed reproducibility study between two semi-automatic analysis programs.

PubMed

Dunet, Vincent; Klein, Ran; Allenbach, Gilles; Renaud, Jennifer; deKemp, Robert A; Prior, John O

2016-06-01

Several analysis software packages for myocardial blood flow (MBF) quantification from cardiac PET studies exist, but they have not been compared using concordance analysis, which can characterize precision and bias separately. Reproducible measurements are needed for quantification to fully develop its clinical potential. Fifty-one patients underwent dynamic Rb-82 PET at rest and during adenosine stress. Data were processed with PMOD and FlowQuant (Lortie model). MBF and myocardial flow reserve (MFR) polar maps were quantified and analyzed using a 17-segment model. Comparisons used Pearson's correlation ρ (measuring precision), Bland and Altman limit-of-agreement and Lin's concordance correlation ρc = ρ·C b (C b measuring systematic bias). Lin's concordance and Pearson's correlation values were very similar, suggesting no systematic bias between software packages with an excellent precision ρ for MBF (ρ = 0.97, ρc = 0.96, C b = 0.99) and good precision for MFR (ρ = 0.83, ρc = 0.76, C b = 0.92). On a per-segment basis, no mean bias was observed on Bland-Altman plots, although PMOD provided slightly higher values than FlowQuant at higher MBF and MFR values (P < .0001). Concordance between software packages was excellent for MBF and MFR, despite higher values by PMOD at higher MBF values. Both software packages can be used interchangeably for quantification in daily practice of Rb-82 cardiac PET.

Low-temperature high-resolution absorption spectrum of 14NH3 in the ν1+ν3 band region (1.51 μm)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Földes, T.; Golebiowski, D.; Herman, M.; Softley, T. P.; Di Lonardo, G.; Fusina, L.

2014-09-01

Jet-cooled spectra of 14NH3 and 15NH3 in natural abundance were recorded using cavity ring-down (CRDS, 6584-6670 cm-1) and cavity enhanced absorption (CEAS, 6530-6700 cm-1) spectroscopy. Line broadening effects in the CRDS spectrum allowed lines with J″-values between 0 and 3 to be identified. Intensity ratios in 14NH3 between the jet-cooled CRDS and literature room-temperature data from Sung et al. (J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 113 (2012), 1066) further assisted the line assignments. Ground state combination differences were extensively used to support the assignments, providing reliable values for J, K and inversion symmetry of the ground state vibrational levels. CEAS data helped in this respect for the lowest J lines, some of which are saturated in the CRDS spectrum. Further information on a/s doublets arose from the observed spectral structures. Thirty-two transitions of 14NH3 were assigned in this way and a limited but significant number (19) of changes in the assignments results, compared to Sung et al. or to Cacciani et al. (J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 113 (2012), 1084). Sixteen known and 25 new low-J transitions were identified for 15NH3 in the CRDS spectrum but the much scarcer literature information did not allow for any more refined assignment. The present line position measurements improve on literature values published for 15NH3 and on some line positions for 14NH3.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Franson, J.D.

We previously suggested that photon exchange interactions could be used to produce nonlinear effects at the two-photon level, and similar effects have been experimentally observed by Resch et al. (e-print quant-ph/0306198). Here we note that photon exchange interactions are not useful for quantum information processing because they require the presence of substantial photon loss. This dependence on loss is somewhat analogous to the postselection required in the linear optics approach to quantum computing suggested by Knill, Laflamme, and Milburn [Nature (London) 409, 46 (2001)].

Comment on "Hydrogen Balmer beta: The separation between line peaks for plasma electron density diagnostics and self-absorption test"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gautam, Ghaneshwar; Surmick, David M.; Parigger, Christian G.

2015-07-01

In this letter, we present a brief comment regarding the recently published paper by Ivković et al., J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 2015;154:1-8. Reference is made to previous experimental results to indicate that self absorption must have occurred; however, when carefully considering error propagation, both widths and peak-separation predict electron densities within the error margins. Yet the diagnosis method and the presented details on the use of the hydrogen beta peak separation are viewed as a welcomed contribution in studies of laser-induced plasma.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cabello, Adan

We introduce an extended version of a previous all-versus-nothing proof of impossibility of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen's local elements of reality for two photons entangled both in polarization and path degrees of freedom (A. Cabello, quant-ph/0507259), which leads to a Bell's inequality where the classical bound is 8 and the quantum prediction is 16. A simple estimation of the detection efficiency required to close the detection loophole using this extended version gives {eta}>0.69. This efficiency is lower than that required for previous proposals.

Cold Cathode Electron Beam Controlled CO2 Laser Performance.

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-10-01

Siegman (ref. 7), the cavity parameters are g, - 3/2, g2 3/4 so that 0he cavity will be confocal when the mirror separation is 2.5 m. The laser output was...E. Siegman , Laser Focus 7, 42, 1971. 8. W. F. Krupke and W. R. Sooy, IEEE Journal Quant. Elec. QE-5, 575, 1969. 9. 0. R. Wood, et al., Appl. Phys...U t AD/A-000 413 COLD CATHODE ELECTRON BEAM CONTROLLED C02 LASER PERFORMANCE Leslie L. McKee, 1II, et al Air Force Weapons Laboratory Kirtland Air

Electromagnetic Scattering by a Morphologically Complex Object: Fundamental Concepts and Common Misconceptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mischenko, Michael I.; Travis, Larry D.; Cairns, Brian; Tishkovets, Victor P.; Dlugach, Janna M.; Rosenbush, Vera K.; Kiselev, Nikolai N.

2011-01-01

Following Keller(Proc Symp Appl Math 1962;13:227:46), we classify all theoretical treatments of electromagnetic scattering by a morphologically complex object into first- principle (or "honest" in Keller s terminology) and phenomenological (or "dishonest") categories. This helps us identify, analyze, and dispel several profound misconceptions widespread in the discipline of electromagnetic scattering by solitary particles and discrete random media. Our goal is not to call for a complete renunciation of phenomenological approaches but rather to encourage a critical and careful evaluation of their actual origin, virtues, and limitations. In other words, we do not intend to deter creative thinking in terms of phenomenological short-cuts, but we do want to raise awareness when we stray (often for practical reasons) from the fundamentals. The main results and conclusions are illustrated by numerically-exact data based on direct numerical solutions of the macroscopic Maxwell equations.

Steady-State Operation in Tore Supra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoang, G. T.; Tore Supra, Equipe

1999-11-01

The Tore Supra superconducting tokamak is devoted to steady-state operation. The CIEL (French acronym for internal component and limiter) project( LIPA, M., et al., Proc. of the 17th IEEE/NPSS Symp. on Fus. Engineering, San Diego, USA, 1997.) consists of a complete upgrade of the inner chamber of Tore Supra, planned to be installed during the year 2000. This project will allow physics scenarios with up to 24 MW of radio frequency heating and current drive (typically 8 - 10 MW of ICRF, 10 - 12 MW of LHCD and 2 MW of ECRF) in stationary plasmas up to 1000 s, with active particle control. This paper presents an overview of the experiments planned to explore the properties, such as the confinement and MHD stability, of various heating and current drive scenarios for long duration discharges. The expected performance for the CIEL phase is also reported.

Objective straylight assessment of the human eye with a novel device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, Stefan; Schikowski, Patrick; Lerm, Elena; Kaeding, André; Klemm, Matthias; Haueisen, Jens; Baumgarten, Daniel

2016-03-01

Forward scattered light from the anterior segment of the human eye can be measured by Shack-Hartmann (SH) wavefront aberrometers with limited visual angle. We propose a novel Point Spread Function (PSF) reconstruction algorithm based on SH measurements with a novel measurement devise to overcome these limitations. In our optical setup, we use a Digital Mirror Device as variable field stop, which is conventionally a pinhole suppressing scatter and reflections. Images with 21 different stop diameters were captured and from each image the average subaperture image intensity and the average intensity of the pupil were computed. The 21 intensities represent integral values of the PSF which is consequently reconstructed by derivation with respect to the visual angle. A generalized form of the Stiles-Holladay-approximation is fitted to the PSF resulting in a stray light parameter Log(IS). Additionaly the transmission loss of eye is computed. For the proof of principle, a study on 13 healthy young volunteers was carried out. Scatter filters were positioned in front of the volunteer's eye during C-Quant and scatter measurements to generate straylight emulating scatter in the lens. The straylight parameter is compared to the C-Quant measurement parameter Log(ISC) and scatter density of the filters SDF with a partial correlation. Log(IS) shows significant correlation with the SDF and Log(ISC). The correlation is more prominent between Log(IS) combined with the transmission loss and the SDF and Log(ISC). Our novel measurement and reconstruction technique allow for objective stray light analysis of visual angles up to 4 degrees.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walton, Mark A.

Quantum mechanics in phase space (or deformation quantization) appears to fail as an autonomous quantum method when infinite potential walls are present. The stationary physical Wigner functions do not satisfy the normal eigen equations, the *-eigen equations, unless an ad hoc boundary potential is added [N.C. Dias, J.N. Prata, J. Math. Phys. 43 (2002) 4602 (quant-ph/0012140)]. Alternatively, they satisfy a different, higher-order, '*-eigen-* equation', locally, i.e. away from the walls [S. Kryukov, M.A. Walton, Ann. Phys. 317 (2005) 474 (quant-ph/0412007)]. Here we show that this substitute equation can be written in a very simple form, even in the presence ofmore » an additional, arbitrary, but regular potential. The more general applicability of the *-eigen-* equation is then demonstrated. First, using an idea from [D.B. Fairlie, C.A. Manogue, J. Phys. A 24 (1991) 3807], we extend it to a dynamical equation describing time evolution. We then show that also for general contact interactions, the *-eigen-* equation is satisfied locally. Specifically, we treat the most general possible (Robin) boundary conditions at an infinite wall, general one-dimensional point interactions, and a finite potential jump. Finally, we examine a smooth potential, that has simple but different expressions for x positive and negative. We find that the *-eigen-* equation is again satisfied locally. It seems, therefore, that the *-eigen-* equation is generally relevant to the matching of Wigner functions; it can be solved piece-wise and its solutions then matched.« less

Additional Measurements and Analyses of H217O and H218O

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, John; Yu, Shanshan; Walters, Adam; Daly, Adam M.

2015-06-01

Historically the analysis of the spectrum of water has been a balance between the quality of the data set and the applicability of the Hamiltonian to a highly non-rigid molecule. Recently, a number of different non-rigid analysis approaches have successfully been applied to 16O water resulting in a self-consistent set of transitions and energy levels to high J which allowed the spectrum to be modeled to experimental precision. The data set for 17O and 18O water was previously reviewed and many of the problematic measurements identified, but Hamiltonian modeling of the remaining data resulted in significantly poorer quality fits than that for the 16O parent. As a result, we have made additional microwave measurements and modeled the existing 17O and 18O data sets with an Euler series model. This effort has illuminated a number of additional problematic measurements in the previous data sets and has resulted in analyses of 17O and 18O water that are of similar quality to the 16O analysis. We report the new lines, the analyses and make recommendations on the quality of the experimental data sets. SS. Yu, J.C. Pearson, B.J. Drouin et al. J. Mol. Spectrosc. 279,~16-25 (2012) J. Tennyson, P.F. Bernath, L.R. Brown et al. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Rad. Trans. 117, 29-58 (2013) J. Tennyson, P.F. Bernath, L.R. Brown et al. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Rad. Trans. 110, 573-596 (2009) H.M. Pickett, J.C. Pearson, C.E. Miller J. Mol. Spectrosc. 233, 174-179 (2005)

Calibration of Wide-Field Deconvolution Microscopy for Quantitative Fluorescence Imaging

PubMed Central

Lee, Ji-Sook; Wee, Tse-Luen (Erika); Brown, Claire M.

2014-01-01

Deconvolution enhances contrast in fluorescence microscopy images, especially in low-contrast, high-background wide-field microscope images, improving characterization of features within the sample. Deconvolution can also be combined with other imaging modalities, such as confocal microscopy, and most software programs seek to improve resolution as well as contrast. Quantitative image analyses require instrument calibration and with deconvolution, necessitate that this process itself preserves the relative quantitative relationships between fluorescence intensities. To ensure that the quantitative nature of the data remains unaltered, deconvolution algorithms need to be tested thoroughly. This study investigated whether the deconvolution algorithms in AutoQuant X3 preserve relative quantitative intensity data. InSpeck Green calibration microspheres were prepared for imaging, z-stacks were collected using a wide-field microscope, and the images were deconvolved using the iterative deconvolution algorithms with default settings. Afterwards, the mean intensities and volumes of microspheres in the original and the deconvolved images were measured. Deconvolved data sets showed higher average microsphere intensities and smaller volumes than the original wide-field data sets. In original and deconvolved data sets, intensity means showed linear relationships with the relative microsphere intensities given by the manufacturer. Importantly, upon normalization, the trend lines were found to have similar slopes. In original and deconvolved images, the volumes of the microspheres were quite uniform for all relative microsphere intensities. We were able to show that AutoQuant X3 deconvolution software data are quantitative. In general, the protocol presented can be used to calibrate any fluorescence microscope or image processing and analysis procedure. PMID:24688321

Comparing Two Processing Pipelines to Measure Subcortical and Cortical Volumes in Patients with and without Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Reid, Matthew W; Hannemann, Nathan P; York, Gerald E; Ritter, John L; Kini, Jonathan A; Lewis, Jeffrey D; Sherman, Paul M; Velez, Carmen S; Drennon, Ann Marie; Bolzenius, Jacob D; Tate, David F

2017-07-01

To compare volumetric results from NeuroQuant® and FreeSurfer in a service member setting. Since the advent of medical imaging, quantification of brain anatomy has been a major research and clinical effort. Rapid advancement of methods to automate quantification and to deploy this information into clinical practice has surfaced in recent years. NeuroQuant® is one such tool that has recently been used in clinical settings. Accurate volumetric data are useful in many clinical indications; therefore, it is important to assess the intermethod reliability and concurrent validity of similar volume quantifying tools. Volumetric data from 148 U.S. service members across three different experimental groups participating in a study of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) were examined. Groups included mTBI (n = 71), posttraumatic stress disorder (n = 22), or a noncranial orthopedic injury (n = 55). Correlation coefficients and nonparametric group mean comparisons were used to assess reliability and concurrent validity, respectively. Comparison of these methods across our entire sample demonstrates generally fair to excellent reliability as evidenced by large intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC = .4 to .99), but little concurrent validity as evidenced by significantly different Mann-Whitney U comparisons for 26 of 30 brain structures measured. While reliability between the two segmenting tools is fair to excellent, volumetric outcomes are statistically different between the two methods. As suggested by both developers, structure segmentation should be visually verified prior to clinical use and rigor should be used when interpreting results generated by either method. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Neuroimaging.

Broadening and collisional interference of lines in the IR spectra of ammonia. Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherkasov, M. R.

2016-06-01

The general theory of relaxation spectral shape parameters in the impact approximation (M. R. Cherkasov, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 141, 73 (2014)) is adapted to the case of line broadening of infrared spectra of ammonia. Specific features of line broadening of parallel and perpendicular bands are discussed. It is shown that in both cases the spectrum consists of independently broadened singlets and doublets; however, the components of doublets can be affected by collisional interference. The paper is the first part of a cycle of studies devoted to the problems of spectral line broadening of ammonia.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Juhui; School of Computatioal Sciences, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul 130-722; Lee, Soojoon

Extending the eavesdropping strategy devised by Zhang, Li, and Guo [Zhang, Li, and Guo, Phys. Rev. A 63, 036301 (2001)], we show that the multiparty quantum communication protocol based on entanglement swapping, which was proposed by Cabello (e-print quant-ph/0009025), is not secure. We modify the protocol so that entanglement swapping can secure multiparty quantum communication, such as multiparty quantum key distribution and quantum secret sharing of classical information, and show that the modified protocol is secure against the Zhang-Li-Guo strategy for eavesdropping as well as the basic intercept-resend attack.0.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hayashi, A.; Hashimoto, T.; Horibe, M.

The quantum color coding scheme proposed by Korff and Kempe [e-print quant-ph/0405086] is easily extended so that the color coding quantum system is allowed to be entangled with an extra auxiliary quantum system. It is shown that in the extended scheme we need only {approx}2{radical}(N) quantum colors to order N objects in large N limit, whereas {approx}N/e quantum colors are required in the original nonextended version. The maximum success probability has asymptotics expressed by the Tracy-Widom distribution of the largest eigenvalue of a random Gaussian unitary ensemble (GUE) matrix.

Dissipation, dephasing and quantum Darwinism in qubit systems with random unitary interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balaneskovic, Nenad; Mendler, Marc

2016-09-01

We investigate the influence of dissipation and decoherence on quantum Darwinism by generalizing Zurek's original qubit model of decoherence and the establishment of pointer states [W.H. Zurek, Nat. Phys. 5, 181 (2009); see also arXiv: quant-ph/0707.2832v1, pp. 14-19.]. Our model allows for repeated multiple qubit-qubit couplings between system and environment which are described by randomly applied two-qubit quantum operations inducing entanglement, dissipation and dephasing. The resulting stationary qubit states of system and environment are investigated. They exhibit the intricate influence of entanglement generation, dissipation and dephasing on this characteristic quantum phenomenon.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Y.; Sun, C.P.

We study the propagation of a probe light in an ensemble of {lambda}-type atoms, utilizing the dynamic symmetry as recently discovered when the atoms are coupled to a classical control field and a quantum probe field [Sun et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 147903 (2003)]. Under two-photon resonance, we calculate the group velocity of the probe light with collective atomic excitations. Our result gives the dependence of the group velocity on the common one-photon detuning, and can be compared with the recent experiment of E. E. Mikhailov, Y. V. Rostovtsev, and G. R. Welch, e-print quant-ph/0309173.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Budker, D.; Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720; Rochester, S.M.

Recent work on {lambda} resonances in alkali-metal vapors (E. Mikhailov, I. Novikova, Yu. V. Rostovtsev, and G. R. Welch, e-print quant-ph/0309171, and references therein) investigated a type of electromagnetically induced absorption resonance that occurs in three-level systems under specific conditions normally associated with electromagnetically induced transparency. In this note, we show that these resonances have a direct analog in nonlinear magneto-optics, and support this conclusion with a calculation for a J=1{yields}J{sup '}=0 system interacting with a single, nearly circularly polarized light field in the presence of a weak longitudinal magnetic field.

Racial Equity in Selection in Air Force Officer Training School and Undergraduate Flying Training

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-05-01

8217- _____________________OTS Steles W3UN Ne- I 6031L a.go& isease of -A N "SN N 32iell(E 23.5 7 5.1 35 4 -9 North Central(NM 37 272 14 10.2 51 0 100.0 othS,32...23.2 Quant. M 58.0 54.1 56.3 45.9 33.5 37.8- " SD 26.5 25.7 26.2 24.1 21.6 23.°2 Bio . Inv. Ma 39.6 - 39.6 36.8 - 36.8 SD 7.9 - 7.9 12.1 - 12.1 Off. Qual

The Thermodynamics of Thorium-Oxygen and Uranium-Oxygen Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-02-19

mass effusion 1600-2200 AGT(6) 2.17 x 10-6 147.1 42.2 " " 1920-2220 Ivanov(l0) 4.08 147.8 42.0 " " 2200-2800 Ohse(8) 3.14 141.2 39.4 mass spect . 1890...iverage deviation of Tout 2.4 cal/mole K. The uncertainty in the entropy of tbis proce:is will be reflected in the computation of ASo f U02(g). ’,ing...Selectionees Donees 1,pectroscopique Relatives Aux Molecules Diatomique Pergamon Press, 1970. 11. T. Wentink, Jr., R. J. Spindler, Jr., 3. Quant. Spect

Structures spatiales localisées dans un oscillateur paramétrique optique (OPO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coulibaly, S.; Durniak, C.; Taki, M.

2004-11-01

La prise en compte du caractère non uniforme du pompage optique dans l'étude linéaire et faiblement non linéaire d'un OPO dégénéré (DOPO) a permis de mettre en évidence la discrétisation du seuil et l'existence de structures spatiales localisées de type Hermite-Gauss. L'évolution spatio-temporelle du signal en sortie est quant à elle gouvernée par l'équation de Ginzburg-Landau réelle dont les coefficients dépendent des variables d'espace.

Collaboration within the JIMP (Joint, Interagency, Multinational, Public) Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-01

t •N eg ot iat ion •P lan nin g an d de cis ion -m ak...Fa ct or s •R isk •U nc er ta in ty • T im e pr es su re •N ati on al cu ltu re Pr oc es s o f C oll ab or at ion Fa cto rs In flu en cin g Co lla...l’établissement de rapports, la négociation, la planification et la prise de décision. Les discussions ont aussi offert des perspectives importantes quant

Les recommandations thérapeutiques relatives aux effets secondaires extrapyramidaux associés à l’utilisation d’antipsychotiques de deuxième génération chez les enfants et les adolescents

PubMed Central

Pringsheim, Tamara; Doja, Asif; Belanger, Stacey; Patten, Scott

2012-01-01

HISTORIQUE ET OBJECTIF : L’utilisation d’antipsychotiques augmente chez les enfants. Le présent article visait à orienter les cliniciens quant à la prise en charge clinique des effets secondaires extrapyramidaux des antipsychotiques de deuxième génération. MÉTHODOLOGIE : Les publications, les entrevues avec des informateurs clés et des échanges avec les membres d’un groupe de discussion et les partenaires ont permis de déterminer les principaux secteurs cliniques d’orientation et les préférences quant à la structure des présentes recommandations. Les membres responsables des lignes directrices ont reçu le projet de recommandations, ont évalué l’information recueillie grâce à une analyse bibliographique systématique et ont utilisé un processus de groupe nominal pour parvenir à un consensus quant aux recommandations thérapeutiques. Les lignes directrices contiennent une description des anomalies neurologiques souvent observées avec l’utilisation d’antipsychotiques ainsi que les recommandations sur le moyen d’examiner et de quantifier ces anomalies. Une démarche séquentielle sur la prise en charge des anomalies neurologiques est présentée. RÉSULTATS : On peut observer plusieurs types de symptômes extrapyramidaux attribuables à l’utilisation d’antipsychotiques chez les enfants, y compris la dystonie aiguë, l’akathisie, le parkinsonisme et la dyskinésie tardive, toutes induites par les neuroleptiques, de même que la dystonie tardive, l’akathisie tardive et les dyskinésies de sevrage. La forte majorité des données probantes sur le traitement des troubles du mouvement induits par les antipsychotiques proviennent de patients adultes atteints de schizophrénie. Étant donné le peu de données pédiatriques, les recommandations découlent de publications portant tant sur des adultes que sur des enfants. Compte tenu des limites de généralisation des données provenant de sujets adultes pour des enfants, il

Relationship between Mass Loading and Frequency Temperature Characteristics of AT-Cut Quartz Resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Xun; Sekimoto, Hitoshi; Goka, Shigeyoshi; Watanabe, Yasuaki

2003-07-01

Past experiments indicated that the mass loading (R) results in a shift of the apparent orientation angle of the quartz plate and this shift is proportional to the thickness of the metal film and the difference between the thermal expansion coefficients (α) of the electrode and the substrate. In this study, first we make a new model that includes the anisotropy of quartz based on the model of EerNisse [Proc. 29th Annu. Freq. Control Symp., 1975, p. 1] to obtain the thermally induced strain bias. Then, we deduce a simple relationship for the thickness shear vibrations from Lee and Tang’s [IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelect. & Freq. Control 34 (1987) 659] theory of small-magnitude vibration superposing on the bias strain field. A new method which can enable a strict analysis of the phenomenon is thus developed. The simulation of several kinds of metal films is performed. The results agree well with the above-mentioned experimental results.

Rotational Spectra of Halogenated Ethers Used as Volatile Anaesthetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vega-Toribio, Alicia; Lesarri, Alberto; Suenram, Richard D.; Grabow, Jens-Uwe

2009-06-01

Following previous microwave investigations by Suenram et al., we will report on the rotational spectrum of several halogenated ethers used as volatile anaesthetics, including sevoflurane ((CF_3)_2CH-O-CH_2F), isoflurane (CF_3CHCl-O-CHF_2), enflurane (CHFClCF_2-O-CHF_2) and methoxyflurane (CHCl_2CF_2-O-CH_3). This study has been conducted in the 6-18 GHz centimetre-wave region using Balle-Flygare-type FT-microwave spectroscopy. The results will include the analysis of the rotational spectra of minor species in natural abundance (^{13}C and ^{18}O in some cases), structural calculations and auxiliary ab initio modelling. The conformational and structural conclusions will be compared with previous gas-phase electron diffraction and solid-state X-ray diffraction analysis. R. D. Suenram, D. J. Brugh, F. J. Lovas and C. Chu, 51st OSU Int. Symp. On Mol. Spectrosc., Columbus, OH, 1999, RB07

Evidence for a Role for Nanoporosity and Pyridinoline Content in Human Mild Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

PubMed

Paschalis, Eleftherios P; Gamsjaeger, Sonja; Fratzl-Zelman, Nadja; Roschger, Paul; Masic, Admir; Brozek, Wolfgang; Hassler, Norbert; Glorieux, Francis H; Rauch, Frank; Klaushofer, Klaus; Fratzl, Peter

2016-05-01

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous connective tissue disorder characterized by bone fragility that arises from decreased bone mass and abnormalities in bone material quality. OI type I represents the milder form of the disease and according to the original Sillence classification is characterized by minimal skeletal deformities and near-normal stature. Raman microspectroscopy is a vibrational spectroscopic technique that allows the determination of bone material properties in bone biopsy blocks with a spatial resolution of ∼1 µm, as a function of tissue age. In the present study, we used Raman microspectroscopy to evaluate bone material quality in transiliac bone biopsies from children with a mild form of OI, either attributable to collagen haploinsufficiency OI type I (OI-Quant; n = 11) or aberrant collagen structure (OI-Qual; n = 5), as a function of tissue age, and compared it against the previously published values established in a cohort of biopsies from healthy children (n = 54, ages 1 to 23 years). The results indicated significant differences in bone material compositional characteristics between OI-Quant patients and healthy controls, whereas fewer were evident in the OI-Qual patients. Differences in both subgroups of OI compared with healthy children were evident for nanoporosity, mineral maturity/crystallinity as determined by maxima of the v1 PO4 Raman band, and pyridinoline (albeit in different direction) content. These alterations in bone material compositional properties most likely contribute to the bone fragility characterizing this disease. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Circulating Cell-Free DNA Differentiates Severity of Inflammation.

PubMed

Frank, Mayu O

2016-10-01

As the U.S. population ages, the incidence of chronic disease will rise. Chronic diseases have been linked to chronic inflammation. The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in relation to inflammation. PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched. Inclusion criteria were noninterventional studies on acute and chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, and infection published in English after 2000, conducted in humans using the fluorescence method of quantifying DNA. Of the 442 articles retrieved, 83 were identified for full-text review and 13 remained after application of inclusion criteria. Of the reviewed studies, three involved acute inflammation, six involved chronic inflammation, and four involved infection. Healthy controls with interpretable results were included in six studies, three of which used the Quant-iT high-sensitivity DNA kit and found cfDNA quantities near 800 ng/ml, while the other three used other fluorescence methods and found quantities below 100 ng/ml. All 13 studies compared groups, and all but 1 found statistically significant differences between them. Among studies using the Quant-iT reagent, levels were higher in infection than in chronic inflammation. Among studies that used other reagents, levels increased from chronic to acute inflammation to severe infection. CfDNA levels were associated with mortality and with clinical outcomes in acute inflammation and infection. Most studies assessed cfDNA's correlation with other inflammation biomarkers and found inconclusive results. There appears to be an association between inflammation and cfDNA. Further research is necessary before cfDNA can be used clinically as a measure of inflammation. © The Author(s) 2016.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finkelstein, J.

I construct a positive-operator-valued measure (POVM) which has 2d rank-1 elements and which is informationally complete for generic pure states in d dimensions, thus confirming a conjecture made by Flammia, Silberfarb, and Caves (e-print quant-ph/0404137). I show that if a rank-1 POVM is required to be informationally complete for all pure states in d dimensions, it must have at least 3d-2 elements. I also show that, in a POVM which is informationally complete for all pure states in d dimensions, for any vector there must be at least 2d-1 POVM elements which do not annihilate that vector.

Spatial and temporal pulse propagation for dispersive paraxial optical systems.

PubMed

Marcus, G

2016-04-04

The formalism for pulse propagation through dispersive paraxial optical systems first presented by Kostenbauder (IEEE J. Quant. Elec.261148-1157 (1990)) using 4 × 4 ray-pulse matrices is extended to 6 × 6 matrices and includes non-separable spatial-temporal couplings in both transverse dimensions as well as temporal dispersive effects up to a quadratic phase. The eikonal in a modified Huygens integral in the Fresnell approximation is derived and can be used to propagate pulses through complicated dispersive optical systems within the paraxial approximation. In addition, a simple formula for the propagation of ultrashort pulses having a Gaussian profile both spatially and temporally is presented.

On The Stark Shift of Ar II 472.68 nm Spectral Line

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mijatovic, Z.; Gajo, T.; Vujicic, B.

The Stark shift of Ar II 472.68 nm (transition 4s2P - 4p2D deg. ) spectral lines emitted from T-tube plasmas was considered. The electron density ranged from (1.63-2.2){center_dot}1023 m-3 and was determined using laser interferometry. The plasma temperature, derived from the Gaussian part of recorded line profiles was found to be in the range (15000-43300) K. Experimental shifts were compared to theoretical values obtained from the semiempirical formula [M. S. Dimitrijevic and N. Konjevic, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 24, 451 (1980)]. This comparison showed good agreement between experimental results and theory.

smiFISH and FISH-quant - a flexible single RNA detection approach with super-resolution capability.

PubMed

Tsanov, Nikolay; Samacoits, Aubin; Chouaib, Racha; Traboulsi, Abdel-Meneem; Gostan, Thierry; Weber, Christian; Zimmer, Christophe; Zibara, Kazem; Walter, Thomas; Peter, Marion; Bertrand, Edouard; Mueller, Florian

2016-12-15

Single molecule FISH (smFISH) allows studying transcription and RNA localization by imaging individual mRNAs in single cells. We present smiFISH (single molecule inexpensive FISH), an easy to use and flexible RNA visualization and quantification approach that uses unlabelled primary probes and a fluorescently labelled secondary detector oligonucleotide. The gene-specific probes are unlabelled and can therefore be synthesized at low cost, thus allowing to use more probes per mRNA resulting in a substantial increase in detection efficiency. smiFISH is also flexible since differently labelled secondary detector probes can be used with the same primary probes. We demonstrate that this flexibility allows multicolor labelling without the need to synthesize new probe sets. We further demonstrate that the use of a specific acrydite detector oligonucleotide allows smiFISH to be combined with expansion microscopy, enabling the resolution of transcripts in 3D below the diffraction limit on a standard microscope. Lastly, we provide improved, fully automated software tools from probe-design to quantitative analysis of smFISH images. In short, we provide a complete workflow to obtain automatically counts of individual RNA molecules in single cells. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

QuantCrit: Education, Policy, "Big Data" and Principles for a Critical Race Theory of Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillborn, David; Warmington, Paul; Demack, Sean

2018-01-01

Quantitative research enjoys heightened esteem among policy-makers, media, and the general public. Whereas qualitative research is frequently dismissed as subjective and impressionistic, statistics are often assumed to be objective and factual. We argue that these distinctions are wholly false; quantitative data is no less socially constructed…

Comparative evaluation of three automated systems for DNA extraction in conjunction with three commercially available real-time PCR assays for quantitation of plasma Cytomegalovirus DNAemia in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients.

PubMed

Bravo, Dayana; Clari, María Ángeles; Costa, Elisa; Muñoz-Cobo, Beatriz; Solano, Carlos; José Remigia, María; Navarro, David

2011-08-01

Limited data are available on the performance of different automated extraction platforms and commercially available quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR) methods for the quantitation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in plasma. We compared the performance characteristics of the Abbott mSample preparation system DNA kit on the m24 SP instrument (Abbott), the High Pure viral nucleic acid kit on the COBAS AmpliPrep system (Roche), and the EZ1 Virus 2.0 kit on the BioRobot EZ1 extraction platform (Qiagen) coupled with the Abbott CMV PCR kit, the LightCycler CMV Quant kit (Roche), and the Q-CMV complete kit (Nanogen), for both plasma specimens from allogeneic stem cell transplant (Allo-SCT) recipients (n = 42) and the OptiQuant CMV DNA panel (AcroMetrix). The EZ1 system displayed the highest extraction efficiency over a wide range of CMV plasma DNA loads, followed by the m24 and the AmpliPrep methods. The Nanogen PCR assay yielded higher mean CMV plasma DNA values than the Abbott and the Roche PCR assays, regardless of the platform used for DNA extraction. Overall, the effects of the extraction method and the QRT-PCR used on CMV plasma DNA load measurements were less pronounced for specimens with high CMV DNA content (>10,000 copies/ml). The performance characteristics of the extraction methods and QRT-PCR assays evaluated herein for clinical samples were extensible at cell-based standards from AcroMetrix. In conclusion, different automated systems are not equally efficient for CMV DNA extraction from plasma specimens, and the plasma CMV DNA loads measured by commercially available QRT-PCRs can differ significantly. The above findings should be taken into consideration for the establishment of cutoff values for the initiation or cessation of preemptive antiviral therapies and for the interpretation of data from clinical studies in the Allo-SCT setting.

Line Shapes and Intensities of Carbon Monoxide Transitions in the (3→0) and (4→1) Bands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Zachary; Polyansky, Oleg; Hodges, Joseph T.

2017-06-01

We have measured several carbon monoxide transitions in the (3→0) and (4→1) band using frequency stabilized cavity ringdown spectroscopy (FS-CRDS). The measured transitions are compared to the line strength values in HITRAN 2012 [1], those determined by Wojtewitz et al [2], and to theoretical calculations. The cavity length is actively locked to an iodine stabilized HeNe laser, providing long term frequency stability of 10 kHz and is linked to a self-referenced, octave-spanning frequency comb. The temperature of the optical cavity is actively regulated at the mK level, and the pressure measurements are SI-traceable. The sample is a NIST calibrated reference mixture of 11.98575(95)% CO in N_{2}. The absorption spectra are modeled using the Hartmann-Tran profile (HTP). The SNR in these spectra may exceed 10,000:1, which necessitates including the effects of speed dependence, collisional narrowing, and correlation between velocity-changing and dephasing collisions. The relative uncertainties of the line strengths calculated in this study are better than 0.1%. There are systematic differences on the 1% level for ^{12}CO against both HITRAN [1] and the previous work by Wojtewitz et al [2]. The measurement uncertainties are nearly an order of magnitude lower than previous results. Additionally, the relative uncertainties in the integrated areas of selected ^{12}CO and ^{13}CO transitions are less than 0.006% and 0.02%, respectively, providing an excellent test case for determination of isotope ratios by direct use of theoretical line intensity calculations. [1] Wojtewicz, S., et al., J Quant Spect and Rad Trans,2013. 130: p.191-200. [2]Rothman, L.S., et al., Journal of Quant Spect and Rad Trans, 2013. 130: p. 4-50.

Atmospheric Measurements by Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Hongming; Wu, Tao; Coeur-Tourneur, Cécile; Fertein, Eric; Gao, Xiaoming; Zhao, Weixiong; Zhang, Weijun; Chen, Weidong

2015-04-01

Since the last decade, atmospheric environmental monitoring has benefited from the development of novel spectroscopic measurement techniques owing to the significant breakthroughs in photonic technology from the UV to the infrared spectral domain [1]. In this presentation, we will overview our recent development and applications of cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy techniques for in situ optical monitoring of chemically reactive atmospheric species (such as HONO, NO3, NO2, N2O5) in intensive campaigns [2] and/or in smog chamber studies [3]. These field deployments demonstrated that modern photonic technologies (newly emergent light sources combined with high sensitivity spectroscopic techniques) can provide a useful tool to improve our understanding of tropospheric chemical processes which affect climate, air quality, and the spread of pollution. Experimental detail and preliminary results will be presented. Acknowledgements. The financial support from the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) under the NexCILAS (ANR-11-NS09-0002) and the CaPPA (ANR-10-LABX-005) contracts is acknowledged. References [1] X. Cui, C. Lengignon, T. Wu, W. Zhao, G. Wysocki, E. Fertein, C. Coeur, A. Cassez,L. Croisé, W. Chen, et al., "Photonic Sensing of the Atmosphere by absorption spectroscopy", J. Quant. Spectrosc. Rad. Transfer 113 (2012) 1300-1316 [2] T. Wu, Q. Zha, W. Chen, Z. XU, T. Wang, X. He, "Development and deployment of a cavity enhanced UV-LED spectrometer for measurements of atmospheric HONO and NO2 in Hong Kong", Atmos. Environ. 95 (2014) 544-551 [3] T. Wu, C. Coeur-Tourneur, G. Dhont,A. Cassez, E. Fertein, X. He, W. Chen,"Application of IBBCEAS to kinetic study of NO3 radical formation from O3 + NO2 reaction in an atmospheric simulation chamber", J. Quant. Spectrosc. Rad. Transfer 133 (2014)199-205

Astronomical Applications of New Line Lists for CN, C_2 and Their Isotopologues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernath, Peter F.; Sneden, Chris; Brooke, James S. A.; Ram, Ram

2014-06-01

For cool stellar and substellar objects, atomic lines weaken, and detailed elemental and isotopic abundances are often derived from molecular absorption features. We have embarked on a project to provide molecular line lists by combining experimental observations for line positions with ab initio calculations for line strengths. So far we have results for MgH (A-X and B-X transitions), C2 (Swan system), CP (A-X transition), NH (vibration-rotation bands) and OH (Meinel system). This talk will briefly describe the new line lists for the Swan system (d3Π-a3Π) of C2 and 12C13C, and the red (A2Π-X2Σ+) and violet (B2Σ+-X2Σ+) systems of CN, 13CN and C15N. Applications to the spectra of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars, the K-giant Arcturus, the metal-rich open cluster NGC 6791, the Sun and comets will be presented. E. GharibNezhad, A. Shayesteh and P. F. Bernath, Mon. Notices R. Astro. Soc. 432, 2043-2047 (2013) . H. Hinkle, L. Wallace, R. S. Ram, P. F. Bernath, C. Sneden and S. Lucatello, Astrophys. J. Suppl. 207, 26 (7pp) (2013) J. S. A. Brooke, P. F. Bernath, T. W. Schmidt and G. B. Bacskay, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Rad. Trans. 124, 11-20 (2013) R. S. Ram, J. S. A. Brooke, P. F. Bernath, C. Sneden and S. Lucatello, Astrophys. J. Suppl. 211, 5 (7pp) (2014) J. S. A. Brooke, R. S. Ram, C. M. Western, G. Li, D. W. Schwenke and P. F. Bernath, Astrophys. J. Suppl. 210, 23 (15pp) (2014) R. S. Ram, J. S. A. Brooke, C.M. Western and P. F. Bernath, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Rad. Transfer (in press) J. S. A. Brooke et al., this meeting, P301

Fecal hemoglobin excretion in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation: combined aspirin and low-dose warfarin vs conventional warfarin therapy.

PubMed

Blackshear, J L; Baker, V S; Holland, A; Litin, S C; Ahlquist, D A; Hart, R G; Ellefson, R; Koehler, J

1996-03-25

Antithrombotic prophylaxis using combined aspirin and low-dose warfarin is under evaluation in several clinical trials. However, therapy may result in increased gastrointestinal blood loss and clinical bleeding vs conventional single-agent antithrombotic therapy. To assess differences in gastrointestinal blood loss, we measured quantitative fecal hemoglobin equivalents (HemoQuant, Mayo Medical Laboratory, Rochester, Minn) in 117 patients, mean age 71 years, 1 month after initiation of assigned therapy in the Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation III Study. Sixty-three of these patients who had characteristics for high risk of stroke were randomly assigned to conventional adjusted-dose warfarin therapy (international normalized ratio, 2.0 to 3.0) or low-dose combined therapy (warfarin [international normalization ratio,<1.5] plus 325 mg/d of enteric-coated aspirin). The remaining 54 patients with low risk of stroke received 325 mg/d of enteric-coated aspirin. Among the 63 at high risk of stroke, abnormal values (>2mg of hemoglobin per gram of stool) were detected in 11% and values greater than 4 mg of hemoglobin per gram of stool were found in 8%. Mean ( +/- SD) values were more for those randomly assigned to receive combined therapy (1.7 +/- 3.3 mg of hemoglobin per gram of stool vs adjusted-dose warfarin therapy, 1.0 +/- 1.9 mg/g; P=.003). The 54 nonrandomized patients with low risk of stroke receiving aspirin alone had a mean (+/- SD) HemoQuant value of 0.8 +/- 0.7mg of hemoglobin per gram of stool 1 month after entry in the study. Abnormal levels of fecal hemoglobin excretion were common in elderly patients with high risk of atrial fibrillation 1 month after randomization to prophylactic antithrombotic therapy. Combined warfarin and aspirin therapy was associated with greater fecal hemoglobin excretion than standard warfarin therapy, suggesting the potential for increased gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Screening of Psychological Distress 4.5 Years after Diagnosis in Breast Cancer Patients Compared to Healthy Population.

PubMed

Svěrák, T; Skrivanova, K; Anderkova, L; Bendová, M; Brancikova, D; Elfmarková, N; Peterkova, H; Jarkovský, J; Benesova, K; Minar, L; Dusek, L; Nedvěd, J; Protivánková, M

2016-01-01

Survival rate of breast cancer patients has improved significantly in recent years. Cancer diagnosis represents a great psychological distress for patients which may not stem solely from the disease itself. Patients may experience higher distress even several years after treatment. The study was carried out at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Internal Medicine, Haematology and Oncology, Faculty Hospital Brno. Results of 85 patients at 4.5 years after diagnosis of breast cancer compared to 72 healthy controls are presented in this paper. The data were collected in the form of semi-structured interviews, from the patients medical records and by Symp-tom Check List-90. The overall rate of psychological distress (GSI) 4.5 years after breast cancer dia-gnosis does not differ significantly (p = 0.703) from the healthy population. Also, we did not find any statistically significant relationship between the observed factors and the level of psychological distress in breast cancer patients. Screening investigation showed no difference in the psychological distress in breast cancer patients 4.5 years following diagnosis, compared with the healthy population.

Physics Proofs of Four Millennium-Problems(MP) via CATEGORY-SEMANTICS(C-S)/F=C Aristotle SQUARE-of-OPPOSITION(SoO) DEduction-LOGIC DichotomY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clay, L.; Siegel, E.

2010-03-01

Siegel-Baez C-S/F=C tabular list-format matrix truth-table analytics SoO jargonial-obfuscation elimination query WHAT? yields four ``pure''-maths MP ``Feet of Clay!!!'' proofs:(1)Siegel [AMS Natl.Mtg.(2002)-Abs.#:973-03-126:(@CCNY;1964!!!)<<<(1994; Wiles)]Fermat's: Last-Theorem = Least-Action Principle; (2) P=/=NP TRIVIAL simple Euclid geometry/dimensions: NO computer anything;``Feet of Clay!!!''; (3)Birch-Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture; (4)Riemann-hypotheses via combination of: Siegel [AMS Natl.Mtg. (2002)-Abs.#:973-60-124 digits logarithmic-law simple algebraic- inversion to ONLY BEQS with ONLY zero-digit BEC, AND Rayleigh [(1870);graph-theory ``short-CUT method''[Doyle- Snell,Random- Walks & Electric-Networks,MAA(1981)]-``Anderson'' [PRL(1958)] critical-strip 1/2 complex-plane localization!!! SoO DichotomY (``v'') IdentitY: numbers(Euler v Bernoulli) = (Sets v Multisets) = Quantum-Statistics(F.-D. v B.-E.) = Power- Spectra(1/f^(0) v 1/f^(1.000...) = Conic-Sections(Ellipse v (Parabola) v Hyperbola) = Extent(Locality v Globality); Siegel [MRS Fractals Symp.(1989)](so MIScalled)``complexity'' as UTTER- SIMPLICITY (!!!) v COMPLICATEDNESS MEASURE(S) definition.

Spatial and temporal pulse propagation for dispersive paraxial optical systems

DOE PAGES

Marcus, G.

2016-04-01

The formalism for pulse propagation through dispersive paraxial optical systems first presented by Kostenbauder (IEEE J. Quant. Elec. 261148–1157 (1990)) using 4 × 4 ray-pulse matrices is extended to 6 × 6 matrices and includes non-separable spatial-temporal couplings in both transverse dimensions as well as temporal dispersive effects up to a quadratic phase. The eikonal in a modified Huygens integral in the Fresnell approximation is derived and can be used to propagate pulses through complicated dispersive optical systems within the paraxial approximation. Additionally, a simple formula for the propagation of ultrashort pulses having a Gaussian profile both spatially and temporallymore » is presented.« less

High-Speed Micro Signal Processor.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

4) 29 S1424-35 ADOR/QUANTITY FIELD - 2048 TO +409510, NOTE: POSITIVE VALUES 2047 4AP TO NEGKTIVE VALUES SK436 HALT 0 E ENABLE HALT 1 D DISABLE SM37 38...0 to 31 numeric. QUANT - 12 bit Quantity field to be used as the ALU ’Am operand. Value - (- 2048 to +2047)10 numeric. If (ASEL - Q16E) then, one...15AI12 1 9 rS EAO 1 41 1A!)3 I 10 TSEBO I 42 DTII1 I 11 TSEBI I 43 DTTIO T 12 VDI 1 44 )1109 1 13 DTAOO 0 45 DTI08 I 14 DTBOO 0 46 DTI07 I 15 DTBO1 0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khrennikov, Andrei; Volovich, Yaroslav

We analyze dynamical consequences of a conjecture that there exists a fundamental (indivisible) quant of time. In particular we study the problem of discrete energy levels of hydrogen atom. We are able to reconstruct potential which in discrete time formalism leads to energy levels of unperturbed hydrogen atom. We also consider linear energy levels of quantum harmonic oscillator and show how they are produced in the discrete time formalism. More generally, we show that in discrete time formalism finite motion in central potential leads to discrete energy spectrum, the property which is common for quantum mechanical theory. Thus deterministic (butmore » discrete time{exclamation_point}) dynamics is compatible with discrete energy levels.« less

Spatial and temporal pulse propagation for dispersive paraxial optical systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marcus, G.

The formalism for pulse propagation through dispersive paraxial optical systems first presented by Kostenbauder (IEEE J. Quant. Elec. 261148–1157 (1990)) using 4 × 4 ray-pulse matrices is extended to 6 × 6 matrices and includes non-separable spatial-temporal couplings in both transverse dimensions as well as temporal dispersive effects up to a quadratic phase. The eikonal in a modified Huygens integral in the Fresnell approximation is derived and can be used to propagate pulses through complicated dispersive optical systems within the paraxial approximation. Additionally, a simple formula for the propagation of ultrashort pulses having a Gaussian profile both spatially and temporallymore » is presented.« less

Matrix Product Operator Simulations of Quantum Algorithms

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-01

parallel to the Grover subspace parametrically: (Zi|φ〉)‖ = s cos γ|α〉+ s sin γ|β〉, s = √ a(k)2 (N − 1)2 + b(k)2, γ = tan −1 ( b(k)(N − 1) a(k) ) (6.32) Each...of this vector parallel to the Grover subspace in parametric form: (XiZi|φ〉)‖ = s cos(γ)|α〉+ s sin(γ)|β〉, s = 1√ N − 1 , γ = tan −1 ( cot (( k + 1 2 ) θ...quant- ph/0001106, 2000. Bibliography 146 [30] Jérémie Roland and Nicolas J Cerf. Quantum search by local adiabatic evolution. Physical Review A, 65(4

Integrated protocol for reliable and fast quantification and documentation of electrophoresis gels.

PubMed

Rehbein, Peter; Schwalbe, Harald

2015-06-01

Quantitative analysis of electrophoresis gels is an important part in molecular cloning, as well as in protein expression and purification. Parallel quantifications in yield and purity can be most conveniently obtained from densitometric analysis. This communication reports a comprehensive, reliable and simple protocol for gel quantification and documentation, applicable for single samples and with special features for protein expression screens. As major component of the protocol, the fully annotated code of a proprietary open source computer program for semi-automatic densitometric quantification of digitized electrophoresis gels is disclosed. The program ("GelQuant") is implemented for the C-based macro-language of the widespread integrated development environment of IGOR Pro. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bialynicki-Birula, Iwo

Quantum mechanical uncertainty relations for the position and the momentum and for the angle and the angular momentum are expressed in the form of inequalities involving the Renyi entropies. These uncertainty relations hold not only for pure but also for mixed states. Analogous uncertainty relations are valid also for a pair of complementary observables (the analogs of x and p) in N-level systems. All these uncertainty relations become more attractive when expressed in terms of the symmetrized Renyi entropies. The mathematical proofs of all the inequalities discussed in this paper can be found in Phys. Rev. A 74, No. 5more » (2006); arXiv:quant-ph/0608116.« less

[Quant therapy and the composition of the moister of the eye anterior chamber (an experimental study)].

PubMed

Pavliuk, E Iu; Sherkhoeva, D Ts; Pavliuk, A Iu; Khristoforov, V N

2005-01-01

We examined 12 rabbits, 6 of whom (12 eyes) were exposed to magneto-infrared laser radiation (MILR) and another 6 (12 eyes) were controls. The parameters of pulse and continuous infrared LED radiation were as follows: wavelength--860 nm, pulse capacity--2 W, mean radiation capacity--10 mW, magnetic field strength--up to 17 mTl. A study of the moister of the anterior chamber showed a MILR-induced activated metabolism, i.e. a better acid-base balance (ABB), more intense oxygenation in the ocular tissues and decreased acidosis. Higher concentrations of buffer bases (ABEe and SBEc) cause shifts in ABB towards metabolic alkalosis. A lower concentration of glucose denotes intensified processes related with its utilization. A lack of changes in the quantity of salts in the moister of the anterior chamber rules out the possibility of that the content of glucose would go down due to its dissolution with a big volume of newly produced moister. A lack of an increase in the concentration of whole protein, as observed after MILR, can be regarded as indirect evidence to absence of any adverse effect on the vascular wall.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ritter, William Gordon

Since there are many examples in which no decoherence-free subsystems exist (among them all cases where the error generators act irreducibly on the system Hilbert space), it is of interest to search for novel mechanisms which suppress decoherence in these more general cases. Drawing on recent work (quant-ph/0502153) we present three results which indicate decoherence suppression without the need for noiseless subsystems. There is a certain trade-off; our results do not necessarily apply to an arbitrary initial density matrix or for completely generic noise parameters. On the other hand, our computational methods are novel and the result--suppression of decoherence inmore » the error-algebra approach without noiseless subsystems--is an interesting new direction.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Albeverio, Sergio; Chen Kai; Fei Shaoming

A necessary separability criterion that relates the structures of the total density matrix and its reductions is given. The method used is based on the realignment method [K. Chen and L. A. Wu, Quant. Inf. Comput. 3, 193 (2003)]. The separability criterion naturally generalizes the reduction separability criterion introduced independently in the previous work [M. Horodecki and P. Horodecki, Phys. Rev. A 59, 4206 (1999) and N. J. Cerf, C. Adami, and R. M. Gingrich, Phys. Rev. A 60, 898 (1999)]. In special cases, it recovers the previous reduction criterion and the recent generalized partial transposition criterion [K. Chen andmore » L. A. Wu, Phys. Lett. A 306, 14 (2002)]. The criterion involves only simple matrix manipulations and can therefore be easily applied.« less

The maximum efficiency of nano heat engines depends on more than temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods, Mischa; Ng, Nelly; Wehner, Stephanie

Sadi Carnot's theorem regarding the maximum efficiency of heat engines is considered to be of fundamental importance in the theory of heat engines and thermodynamics. Here, we show that at the nano and quantum scale, this law needs to be revised in the sense that more information about the bath other than its temperature is required to decide whether maximum efficiency can be achieved. In particular, we derive new fundamental limitations of the efficiency of heat engines at the nano and quantum scale that show that the Carnot efficiency can only be achieved under special circumstances, and we derive a new maximum efficiency for others. A preprint can be found here arXiv:1506.02322 [quant-ph] Singapore's MOE Tier 3A Grant & STW, Netherlands.

Proteomics data exchange and storage: the need for common standards and public repositories.

PubMed

Jiménez, Rafael C; Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio

2013-01-01

Both the existence of data standards and public databases or repositories have been key factors behind the development of the existing "omics" approaches. In this book chapter we first review the main existing mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics resources: PRIDE, PeptideAtlas, GPMDB, and Tranche. Second, we report on the current status of the different proteomics data standards developed by the Proteomics Standards Initiative (PSI): the formats mzML, mzIdentML, mzQuantML, TraML, and PSI-MI XML are then reviewed. Finally, we present an easy way to query and access MS proteomics data in the PRIDE database, as a representative of the existing repositories, using the workflow management system (WMS) tool Taverna. Two different publicly available workflows are explained and described.

Les recommandations relatives aux vaccins antigrippaux administrés aux enfants et aux adolescents pour la saison 2017-2018.

PubMed

Moore, Dorothy L

2018-02-01

La Société canadienne de pédiatrie continue d'encourager la vaccination antigrippale annuelle de TOUS les enfants et les adolescents, dès l'âge de six mois. Les recommandations du Comité consultatif national de l'immunisation (CCNI) pour la saison 2017-2018 n'ont pas subi de changements importants par rapport à la saison précédente. Le CCNI a analysé toutes les données sur l'efficacité du vaccin vivant atténué contre l'influenza (VVAI) sur le marché et conclut qu'elles en appuient l'utilisation au Canada, même si les États-Unis ne le recommandent pas en raison de doutes quant à son efficacité.

Fact and fictions in FX arbitrage processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cross, Rod; Kozyakin, Victor

2015-02-01

The efficient markets hypothesis implies that arbitrage opportunities in markets such as those for foreign exchange (FX) would be, at most, short-lived. The present paper surveys the fragmented nature of FX markets, revealing that information in these markets is also likely to be fragmented. The "quant" workforce in the hedge fund featured in The Fear Index novel by Robert Harris would have little or no reason for their existence in an EMH world. The four currency combinatorial analysis of arbitrage sequences contained in [1] is then considered. Their results suggest that arbitrage processes, rather than being self-extinguishing, tend to be periodic in nature. This helps explain the fact that arbitrage dealing tends to be endemic in FX markets.

Brain MRI volumetry in a single patient with mild traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Ross, David E; Castelvecchi, Cody; Ochs, Alfred L

2013-01-01

This letter to the editor describes the case of a 42 year old man with mild traumatic brain injury and multiple neuropsychiatric symptoms which persisted for a few years after the injury. Initial CT scans and MRI scans of the brain showed no signs of atrophy. Brain volume was measured using NeuroQuant®, an FDA-approved, commercially available software method. Volumetric cross-sectional (one point in time) analysis also showed no atrophy. However, volumetric longitudinal (two points in time) analysis showed progressive atrophy in several brain regions. This case illustrated in a single patient the principle discovered in multiple previous group studies, namely that the longitudinal design is more powerful than the cross-sectional design for finding atrophy in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Serum Levels and Hippocampal Volume in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia due to Alzheimer Disease.

PubMed

Borba, Ericksen Mielle; Duarte, Juliana Avila; Bristot, Giovana; Scotton, Ellen; Camozzato, Ana Luiza; Chaves, Márcia Lorena Fagundes

2016-01-01

Hippocampal atrophy is a recognized biomarker of Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology. Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) reduction has been associated with neurodegeneration. We aimed to evaluate BDNF serum levels and hippocampal volume in clinical AD (dementia and mild cognitive impairment [MCI]). Participants were 10 patients with MCI and 13 with dementia due to AD as well as 10 healthy controls. BDNF serum levels were determined by ELISA and volumetric measures with NeuroQuant®. MCI and dementia patients presented lower BDNF serum levels than healthy participants; dementia patients presented a smaller hippocampal volume than MCI patients and healthy participants. The findings support that the decrease in BDNF might start before the establishment of neuronal injury expressed by the hippocampal reduction.

Stochastic Generation of Monthly Rainfall Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srikanthan, R.

2009-03-01

Monthly rainfall data is generally needed in the simulation of water resources systems, and in the estimation of water yield from large catchments. Monthly streamflow data generation models are usually applied to generate monthly rainfall data, but this presents problems for most regions, which have significant months of no rainfall. In an earlier study, Srikanthan et al. (J. Hydrol. Eng., ASCE 11(3) (2006) 222-229) recommended the modified method of fragments to disaggregate the annual rainfall data generated by a first-order autoregressive model. The main drawback of this approach is the occurrence of similar patterns when only a short length of historic data is available. Porter and Pink (Hydrol. Water Res. Symp. (1991) 187-191) used synthetic fragments from a Thomas-Fiering monthly model to overcome this drawback. As an alternative, a new two-part monthly model is nested in an annual model to generate monthly rainfall data which preserves both the monthly and annual characteristics. This nested model was applied to generate rainfall data from seven rainfall stations located in eastern and southern parts of Australia, and the results showed that the model performed satisfactorily.

Device performance of in situ steam generated gate dielectric nitrided by remote plasma nitridation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Al-Shareef, H. N.; Karamcheti, A.; Luo, T. Y.

2001-06-11

In situ steam generated (ISSG) oxides have recently attracted interest for use as gate dielectrics because of their demonstrated reliability improvement over oxides formed by dry oxidation. [G. Minor, G. Xing, H. S. Joo, E. Sanchez, Y. Yokota, C. Chen, D. Lopes, and A. Balakrishna, Electrochem. Soc. Symp. Proc. 99-10, 3 (1999); T. Y. Luo, H. N. Al-Shareef, G. A. Brown, M. Laughery, V. Watt, A. Karamcheti, M. D. Jackson, and H. R. Huff, Proc. SPIE 4181, 220 (2000).] We show in this letter that nitridation of ISSG oxide using a remote plasma decreases the gate leakage current of ISSGmore » oxide by an order of magnitude without significantly degrading transistor performance. In particular, it is shown that the peak normalized transconductance of n-channel devices with an ISSG oxide gate dielectric decreases by only 4% and the normalized drive current by only 3% after remote plasma nitridation (RPN). In addition, it is shown that the reliability of the ISSG oxide exhibits only a small degradation after RPN. These observations suggest that the ISSG/RPN process holds promise for gate dielectric applications. {copyright} 2001 American Institute of Physics.« less

A comparison of three radiation models for the calculation of nozzle arcs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixon, C. M.; Yan, J. D.; Fang, M. T. C.

2004-12-01

Three radiation models, the semi-empirical model based on net emission coefficients (Zhang et al 1987 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 20 386-79), the five-band P1 model (Eby et al 1998 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 31 1578-88), and the method of partial characteristics (Aubrecht and Lowke 1994 J. Phys. D: Appl.Phys. 27 2066-73, Sevast'yanenko 1979 J. Eng. Phys. 36 138-48), are used to calculate the radiation transfer in an SF6 nozzle arc. The temperature distributions computed by the three models are compared with the measurements of Leseberg and Pietsch (1981 Proc. 4th Int. Symp. on Switching Arc Phenomena (Lodz, Poland) pp 236-40) and Leseberg (1982 PhD Thesis RWTH Aachen, Germany). It has been found that all three models give similar distributions of radiation loss per unit time and volume. For arcs burning in axially dominated flow, such as arcs in nozzle flow, the semi-empirical model and the P1 model give accurate predictions when compared with experimental results. The prediction by the method of partial characteristics is poorest. The computational cost is the lowest for the semi-empirical model.

On the Relationship between Cosmic Ray Exposure Ages and Petrography of CM Chondrites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takenouchi, A.; Zolensky, M. E.; Nishiizumi, K.; Caffee, M.; Velbel, M. A.; Ross, K.; Zolensky, A.; Lee, L.; Imae, N.; Yamaguchi, A.;

SHOCKS Impulse-Jerk(I-J) Plasticity/Fracture Burst Acoustic-Emission(BAE) NON:``1''/ ω -``Noise'' Power-Law; Universality Power-Spectrum is I-J Time-Series Fourier-Transform: 1687 < < < 1988: VERY-LONG PRE-``Bak''!!!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chavira, Aldo; Gregson, Victor, Jr.; Green, Sidney; Siegel, Edward

2011-06-01

SHOCKS impulse-jerk(I-J) [apply strain/impulse to get stress/jerk ],{VS. NON-shocks[apply stress to get strain]}, plasticity/fracture BAE[E. S.: MSE 8.,310(71); PSS: (a) 5, 601/607(71); Xl..-Latt. Defects 5, 277(74); Scripta Met.: 6, 785(72); 8, 587/617(74); 3rd Tokyo A.-E. Symp. (76);Acta Met.25,383(77); JMMM 7, 312(78)] NON: ``1''/ ω -``Noise'' Zipf(NON-Pareto); power-law ; universality power-spectrum is manifestly-demonstrated in ONLY ``PURE''-MATHS way to be nothing but d[F(t)=m(t)a(t)=Newton's (3rd) Law of Motion=(I-J)]/dt I-Jderivative d(I-J)/dt=dF(t)/dt=[m(t)da(t)/dt+a(t)dm(t)/dt] REdiscovery!!! A/Siegel NON-shock PHYSICS derivation fails!!!; ''PURE''-MATHS: dF(t)/dt=d2p(t)/dt2=[m(t)da(t)/dt+a(t)dm(t)/dt] TRIPLE-integral [VS. NON -shocks F = ma time-series DOUBLE-integral] Dichotomy: s(t) = [v0+(1/2)a(t)t2+EXTRA-TERM(S)], {VS. s(t) = [v0t+(1/2) at2]}, integral-transform formally defines power-spectrum Dichotomy:

NON-Shock-Plasticity/Fracture Burst Acoustic-Emission(BAE) ``1''/f -``Noise'' Power-Spectrum Power-Law UNIVERSALITY is Merely F=ma Time-Series Integral-Transform, aka ``Bak'' -``SOC'' REdiscovery'' PRE(1687)-``Bak''(1988)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegel, Edward; Nabarro, Frank; Brailsford, Alan; Tatro, Clement

2011-06-01

NON-shock-plasticity/fracture BAE[E.S.:MSE 8,310(71);PSS:(a)5,601/607(71);Xl.-Latt. Defects 5,277(74);Scripta Met.:6,785(72); 8,587/617(74);3rd Tokyo AE Symp.(76);Acta Met. 25,383(77);JMMM 7,312(78)] ``1''/ ω-``noise'' power-spectrum ``pink''-Zipf-(NOT ``red''-Pareto) power-law UNIVERSALITY is manifestly-demonstrated in two distinct ways to be nothing but Newton Law of Motion F = ma REdiscovery!!!(aka ``Bak''(1988)-``SOC'':1687 < < < 1988: 1988-1687=301-years!!! PHYSICS:(1687) cross-multiplied F=ma rewritten as 1/m=a/F=OUTPUT/IN-PUT=EFFECT/CAUSE=inverse-mass mechanical-susceptibility=X(`` ω'') X(`` ω '') ~(F.-D. thm.) ~P(`` ω'') ``noise'' power-spectrum; (``Max & Al show''): E ~ ω , & E ~(or any/all media with upper-limiting-speeds) ~m. Thus: ω ~ E ~m inverting: 1/ ω ~ 1/E ~1/m ~a/F= X(`` ω'') ~ P(`` ω'') thus: F=ma integral-transform(I-T) is ```SOC'''s'' P(ω) ~ 1/ ω !!!; ``PURE''-MATHS: F=ma DOUBLE-integral time-series(T-S) s(t)=[v0t+(1/2)at2] I-T formally defines power-spectrum:

Aggregation Properties and Liquid Crystal Phase of a Dye Based on Naphthalenetetracarboxylic Acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomasik, Michelle; Collings, Peter

2007-03-01

R003 is a dye produced for thin film optical components by Optiva, Inc.^1 made from the sulfonation of the dibenzimidazole derivative of naphthalenetetracarboxylic acid. Its molecular structure is very different from the aggregating food dye previously investigated in our laboratory^2 and R003 forms a liquid crystal phase at significantly lower concentrations. We have performed polarizing microscopy, absorption spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction experiments in order to determine the phase diagram and aggregate structure. In addition, we have included both translational and orientational entropy in the theoretical analysis of the aggregation process, and have used a more realistic lineshape in analyzing the absorption data. Our results indicate that the ``bond energy'' for molecules in an aggregate is even larger than for the previously studied dye and that the aggregate structure has a cross-sectional area equal to two or three molecular areas rather than one.^1Lazarev, P., N. Ovchinnikova, M. Paukshto, SID Int. Symp. Digest of Tech. Papers, San Jose, California, June XXXII, 571 (2001).^2V. R. Horowitz, L. A. Janowitz, A. L. Modic, P. A. Heiney, and P. J. Collings, Phys. Rev. E 72, 041710 (2005).

Collisional Line Mixing in Parallel and Perpendicular Bands of Linear Molecules by a Non-Markovian Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buldyreva, Jeanna

2013-06-01

Reliable modeling of radiative transfer in planetary atmospheres requires accounting for the collisional line mixing effects in the regions of closely spaced vibrotational lines as well as in the spectral wings. Because of too high CPU cost of calculations from ab initio potential energy surfaces (if available), the relaxation matrix describing the influence of collisions is usually built by dynamical scaling laws, such as Energy-Corrected Sudden law. Theoretical approaches currently used for calculation of absorption near the band center are based on the impact approximation (Markovian collisions without memory effects) and wings are modeled via introducing some empirical parameters [1,2]. Operating with the traditional non-symmetric metric in the Liouville space, these approaches need corrections of the ECS-modeled relaxation matrix elements ("relaxation times" and "renormalization procedure") in order to ensure the fundamental relations of detailed balance and sum rules.We present an extension to the infrared absorption case of the previously developed [3] for rototranslational Raman scattering spectra of linear molecules non-Markovian approach of ECS-type. Owing to the specific choice of symmetrized metric in the Liouville space, the relaxation matrix is corrected for initial bath-molecule correlations and satisfies non-Markovian sum rules and detailed balance. A few standard ECS parameters determined by fitting to experimental linewidths of the isotropic Q-branch enable i) retrieval of these isolated-line parameters for other spectroscopies (IR absorption and anisotropic Raman scattering); ii) reproducing of experimental intensities of these spectra. Besides including vibrational angular momenta in the IR bending shapes, Coriolis effects are also accounted for. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated on OCS-He and CO_2-CO_2 spectra up to 300 and 60 atm, respectively. F. Niro, C. Boulet, and J.-M. Hartmann, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 88, 483

Technical note on the validation of a semi-automated image analysis software application for estrogen and progesterone receptor detection in breast cancer.

PubMed

Krecsák, László; Micsik, Tamás; Kiszler, Gábor; Krenács, Tibor; Szabó, Dániel; Jónás, Viktor; Császár, Gergely; Czuni, László; Gurzó, Péter; Ficsor, Levente; Molnár, Béla

2011-01-18

The immunohistochemical detection of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors in breast cancer is routinely used for prognostic and predictive testing. Whole slide digitalization supported by dedicated software tools allows quantization of the image objects (e.g. cell membrane, nuclei) and an unbiased analysis of immunostaining results. Validation studies of image analysis applications for the detection of ER and PR in breast cancer specimens provided strong concordance between the pathologist's manual assessment of slides and scoring performed using different software applications. The effectiveness of two connected semi-automated image analysis software (NuclearQuant v. 1.13 application for Pannoramic™ Viewer v. 1.14) for determination of ER and PR status in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded breast cancer specimens immunostained with the automated Leica Bond Max system was studied. First the detection algorithm was calibrated to the scores provided an independent assessors (pathologist), using selected areas from 38 small digital slides (created from 16 cases) containing a mean number of 195 cells. Each cell was manually marked and scored according to the Allred-system combining frequency and intensity scores. The performance of the calibrated algorithm was tested on 16 cases (14 invasive ductal carcinoma, 2 invasive lobular carcinoma) against the pathologist's manual scoring of digital slides. The detection was calibrated to 87 percent object detection agreement and almost perfect Total Score agreement (Cohen's kappa 0.859, quadratic weighted kappa 0.986) from slight or moderate agreement at the start of the study, using the un-calibrated algorithm. The performance of the application was tested against the pathologist's manual scoring of digital slides on 53 regions of interest of 16 ER and PR slides covering all positivity ranges, and the quadratic weighted kappa provided almost perfect agreement (κ = 0.981) among the two scoring schemes. NuclearQuant v

Hb variants in Korea: effect on HbA1c using five routine methods.

PubMed

Yun, Yeo-Min; Ji, Misuk; Ko, Dae-Hyun; Chun, Sail; Kwon, Gye Cheol; Lee, Kyunghoon; Song, Sang Hoon; Seong, Moon Woo; Park, Sung Sup; Song, Junghan

2017-07-26

Quantification of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a challenge in patients with hemoglobin (Hb) variants. We evaluated the impact of various Hb variants on five routine HbA1c assays by comparing with the IFCC reference measurement procedure (RMP). Whole blood samples showing warning flags or no results on routine HPLC HbA1c assays were confirmed for Hb variants and were submitted to HbA1c quantification using Sebia Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing, Roche Tina-quant HbA1c Gen. 2, Bio-Rad Variant II Turbo 2.0, ADAMS HA-8180, Tosoh G8 standard mode, and IFCC RMP using LC-MS. Among 114 samples, the most common variants were Hb G-Coushatta (n=47), Queens (n=41), Ube-4 (n=11), Chad (n=4), Yamagata (n=4), G-His-Tsou (n=2), G-Taipei (n=1), Fort de France (n=1), Hoshida (n=1), and two novel variants (Hb α-globin, HBA 52 Gly>Cys and Hb β-globin, HBB 146 His>Asn). In terms of control samples, all the result of HbA1c were "acceptable", within the criteria of ±7% compared to IFCC RMP target values. However, percentage of "unacceptable" results of samples with Hb variants were 16% for Capillarys 2, 7% for Tina-quant, 51% for Variant II Turbo 2.0, 95% for G8 standard mode, and 89% for HA-8180. The Capillarys 2 and HA-8180 assay did not provide the results in 5 and 40 samples with Hb variants, respectively. HbA1c results from five routine assays in patients with relatively common Hb variants in Korea showed various degrees of bias compared to those of IFCC RMP. Therefore, laboratories should be aware of the limitation of their methods with respect to interference from Hb variants found commonly in their local population and suggest an alternative HbA1c quantification method.

Measurement of plasma cell-free DNA concentrations in dogs with sepsis, trauma, and neoplasia.

PubMed

Letendre, Jo-Annie; Goggs, Robert

2017-05-01

To determine if cell-free DNA (cfDNA) was identifiable in canine plasma, to evaluate 3 techniques for the measurement of plasma cfDNA concentrations in dogs presented to an emergency service, and to compare the plasma cfDNA concentrations of healthy dogs to those with sepsis, trauma, and neoplasia. Retrospective study of banked canine plasma samples collected between May 2014 and December 2014. Dogs presented to the emergency service of a university veterinary teaching hospital. Plasma cfDNA was measured on residual plasma samples obtained from 15 dogs with sepsis, 15 dogs with moderate-severe trauma, 15 dogs diagnosed with a sarcoma. Plasma cfDNA was also measured in 15 healthy dogs. None. Assay linearity, repeatability, and reproducibility were evaluated. Quantification of cfDNA was performed in duplicate on diluted citrated plasma and following DNA purification using 2 fluorescence assays (SYBR-Gold; Quant-iT) and by ultraviolet absorbance spectroscopy. Fluorescence intensities (FIs) were converted to cfDNA concentrations using standard curves. Median FI values and cfDNA concentrations were compared to healthy controls using the Kruskal-Wallis test, with adjustment for multiple comparisons. Alpha was set at 0.05. Both assays had excellent linearity, and acceptable repeatability and reproducibility. Compared to controls, plasma cfDNA concentrations were significantly increased in dogs with sepsis or moderate-severe trauma with both assays (P ≤ 0.003). Dogs with neoplasia had significantly increased cfDNA concentrations with the Quant-iT assay only (P = 0.003). When measurements were performed on purified DNA, only dogs with moderate-severe trauma had significantly increased cfDNA concentrations (P < 0.001; SYBR-Gold assay). cfDNA can be readily identified in canine plasma using 2 fluorescence assays. DNA extraction offers no advantage over direct measurement. Compared to healthy controls, dogs with sepsis or moderate-severe trauma have significantly increased

The Lumipulse G HBsAg-Quant assay for screening and quantification of the hepatitis B surface antigen.

PubMed

Yang, Ruifeng; Song, Guangjun; Guan, Wenli; Wang, Qian; Liu, Yan; Wei, Lai

2016-02-01

Qualitative HBsAg assay is used to screen HBV infection for decades. The utility of quantitative assay is also rejuvenated recently. We aimed to evaluate and compare the performance of a novel ultra-sensitive and quantitative assay, the Lumipulse assay, with the Architect and Elecsys assays. As screening methods, specificity was compared using 2043 consecutive clinical routine samples. As quantitative assays, precision and accuracy were assessed. Sera from 112 treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients, four patients undergoing antiviral therapy and one patient with acute infection were tested to compare the correlations. Samples with concurrent HBsAg/anti-HBs were also quantified. The Lumipulse assay precisely quantified ultra-low level of HBsAg (0.004 IU/mL). It identified additional 0.98% (20/2043) clinical samples with trance amount of HBsAg. Three assays displayed excellent linear correlations irrespective of genotypes and S-gene mutations (R(2)>0.95, P<0.0001), while minor quantitative biases existed. The Lumipulse assay did not yield higher HBsAg concentrations in samples with concomitant anti-HBs. Compared with other assays, the Lumipulse assay is sensitive and specific for detecting HBsAg. The interpretation of the extremely low-level results, however, is challenging. Quantitative HBsAg results by different assays are highly correlated, but they should be interpreted interchangeably only after conversion to eliminate the biases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx--A fully automated assay for both diagnosis and quantification of HIV-1.

PubMed

Nair, Sangeetha Vijaysri; Kim, Hee Cheol; Fortunko, Jacqueline; Foote, Tracy; Peling, Tashi; Tran, Cuong; Nugent, Charles Thomas; Joo, Sunghae; Kang, Youna; Wilkins, Bana; Lednovich, Kristen; Worlock, Andrew

2016-04-01

Separate assays are available for diagnosis and viral load (VL) monitoring of HIV-1. Studies have shown that using a single test for both confirmatory diagnosis and VL increases linkage to care. To validate a single assay for both diagnosis and VL monitoring of HIV-1 on the fully automated Panther platform. Validate the assay by assessing specificity, sensitivity, subtype detection, seroconversion, reproducibility and linearity. Also assess diagnostic agreement with the Procleix(®) Ultrio Elite™ discriminatory assay (Procleix), and agreement of VL results (method comparison) with Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 version 2.0 (CAP/CTM), using clinical samples. The assay was specific (100%) and sensitive with a 95% limit of detection of 12 copies/mL with the 3rd WHO standards. Aptima detected HIV in seroconversion panels 6 and 11 days before p24 antigen and antibody tests, respectively. Diagnostic agreement with Procleix, was 100%. Regression analysis showed good agreement of VL results between Aptima and CAP/CTM with a slope of 1.02, intercept of 0.07, and correlation coefficient (R(2)) of 0.97. Aptima was more sensitive than CAP/CTM. Equivalent quantification was seen on testing clinical samples and isolates belonging to HIV group M, N, O and P and commercially available subtype panels. Assay results were linear (R(2) 0.9994) with standard deviation of <0.17 log copies across assay range. The good specificity, sensitivity, precision, subtype performance and clinical agreement with other assays demonstrated by Aptima combined with the complete automation provided by the Panther platform makes Aptima a good candidate for both VL monitoring and diagnosis of HIV-1. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HPLC-high-resolution mass spectrometry with polarity switching for increasing throughput of human in vitro cocktail drug-drug interaction assay.

PubMed

Ramanathan, Ragu; Ghosal, Anima; Ramanathan, Lakshmi; Comstock, Kate; Shen, Helen; Ramanathan, Dil

2018-05-01

Evaluation of HPLC-high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS) full scan with polarity switching for increasing throughput of human in vitro cocktail drug-drug interaction assay. Microsomal incubates were analyzed using a high resolution and high mass accuracy Q-Exactive mass spectrometer to collect integrated qualitative and quantitative (qual/quant) data. Within assay, positive-to-negative polarity switching HPLC-HRMS method allowed quantification of eight and two probe compounds in the positive and negative ionization modes, respectively, while monitoring for LOR and its metabolites. LOR-inhibited CYP2C19 and showed higher activity for CYP2D6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A4. Overall, LC-HRMS-based nontargeted full scan quantitation allowed to improve the throughput of the in vitro cocktail drug-drug interaction assay.

Hilic MS/MS determination of amino acids in herbs of Fumaria schleicheri L., Ocimum basilicum L., and leaves of Corylus avellana L.

PubMed

Prokopenko, Yuliya; Jakštas, Valdas; Žvikas, Vaidotas; Georgiyants, Victoriya; Ivanauskas, Liudas

2018-05-18

The aim of research was to study the content of amino acids using in extracts of Fumaria schleicheri L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Corylus avellana L. by HILIC MS/MS method. Separation of amino acids in the samples was carried out with Acquity H-class UPLC system (Waters, Milford, USA) equipped with SeQuant ZIC-Hilic collumn (2.1 × 150 mm, 3.5 μm) (Merck Millipore, Darmstadt, Germany). The MS/MS fragment ion chromatograms of the test solutions established the presence of 19 amino acids. The obtained results have shown that O. basilicum L. characterized the highest concentrations of different neurogenic amino acids (128.1 mg/kg), comparing with F. schleicheri L. and C. avellana L. (57.72 and 52.91 mg/kg, respectively).

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Serum Levels and Hippocampal Volume in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia due to Alzheimer Disease

PubMed Central

Borba, Ericksen Mielle; Duarte, Juliana Avila; Bristot, Giovana; Scotton, Ellen; Camozzato, Ana Luiza; Chaves, Márcia Lorena Fagundes

2016-01-01

Background/Aims Hippocampal atrophy is a recognized biomarker of Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology. Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) reduction has been associated with neurodegeneration. We aimed to evaluate BDNF serum levels and hippocampal volume in clinical AD (dementia and mild cognitive impairment [MCI]). Methods Participants were 10 patients with MCI and 13 with dementia due to AD as well as 10 healthy controls. BDNF serum levels were determined by ELISA and volumetric measures with NeuroQuant®. Results MCI and dementia patients presented lower BDNF serum levels than healthy participants; dementia patients presented a smaller hippocampal volume than MCI patients and healthy participants. Discussion The findings support that the decrease in BDNF might start before the establishment of neuronal injury expressed by the hippocampal reduction. PMID:28101102

Line positions in the v6=1 band of methyl iodide: Validation of the C3v TDS package based on the tensorial formalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haykal, I.; Doizi, D.; Boudon, V.; El Hilali, A.; Manceron, L.; Ducros, G.

2016-04-01

A tensorial formalism adapted to the case of symmetric-top molecules has been recently developed in Dijon (El Hilali et al., J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 2010;111, 1305-1315) [18]. It is based on the O(3) ⊃C∞v ⊃C3v group chain and allows a systematic expansion of the Hamiltonian and dipole moment operators, including all possible interactions for a given rovibrational polyad system. This suite of programs is used to analyze and simulate the mid-infrared spectrum of methyl iodide in order to test its performance. The v6 fundamental band has been recorded using the FTIR Bruker HR125 at the AILES beamline of the SOLEIL Synchrotron facility with the Globar internal source. 3882 lines up to J=61 were assigned and fitted with only 16 tensorial parameters.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shi Tao; Li Ying; Song Zhi

We show that a perfect quantum-state transmission can be realized through a spin chain possessing the commensurate structure of an energy spectrum, which is matched with the corresponding parity. As an exposition of the mirror inversion symmetry discovered by Albanese et al. (e-print quant-ph/0405029), the parity matched commensurability of the energy spectra helps us to present preengineered spin systems for quantum information transmission. Based on these theoretical analyses, we propose a protocol of near-perfect quantum-state transfer by using a ferromagnetic Heisenberg chain with uniform coupling constant, but an external parabolic magnetic field. The numerical results show that the initial Gaussianmore » wave packet in this system with optimal field distribution can be reshaped near perfectly over a longer distance.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Childs, Andrew M.; Center for Theoretical Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139; Leung, Debbie W.

We present unified, systematic derivations of schemes in the two known measurement-based models of quantum computation. The first model (introduced by Raussendorf and Briegel, [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 5188 (2001)]) uses a fixed entangled state, adaptive measurements on single qubits, and feedforward of the measurement results. The second model (proposed by Nielsen, [Phys. Lett. A 308, 96 (2003)] and further simplified by Leung, [Int. J. Quant. Inf. 2, 33 (2004)]) uses adaptive two-qubit measurements that can be applied to arbitrary pairs of qubits, and feedforward of the measurement results. The underlying principle of our derivations is a variant of teleportationmore » introduced by Zhou, Leung, and Chuang, [Phys. Rev. A 62, 052316 (2000)]. Our derivations unify these two measurement-based models of quantum computation and provide significantly simpler schemes.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jentschura, Ulrich D.; National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8401; Mohr, Peter J.

We describe the calculation of hydrogenic (one-loop) Bethe logarithms for all states with principal quantum numbers n{<=}200. While, in principle, the calculation of the Bethe logarithm is a rather easy computational problem involving only the nonrelativistic (Schroedinger) theory of the hydrogen atom, certain calculational difficulties affect highly excited states, and in particular states for which the principal quantum number is much larger than the orbital angular momentum quantum number. Two evaluation methods are contrasted. One of these is based on the calculation of the principal value of a specific integral over a virtual photon energy. The other method relies directlymore » on the spectral representation of the Schroedinger-Coulomb propagator. Selected numerical results are presented. The full set of values is available at arXiv.org/quant-ph/0504002.« less

Emergent Universe with Particle Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gangopadhyay, Sunandan; Saha, Anirban; Mukherjee, S.

2016-10-01

The possibility of an emergent universe solution to Einstein's field equations allowing for an irreversible creation of matter at the expense of the gravitational field is shown. With the universe being chosen as spatially flat FRW spacetime together with equation of state proposed in Mukherjee et al. (Class. Quant. Grav. 23, 6927, 2006), the solution exists when the ratio of the phenomenological matter creation rate to the number density times the Hubble parameter is a number β of the order of unity and independent of time. The thermodynamic behaviour is also determined for this solution. Interestingly, we also find that an emergent universe scenario is present with usual equation of state in cosmology when the matter creation rate is chosen to be a constant. More general class of emergent universe solutions are also discussed.

Super-Luminal Effects for Finsler Branes as a Way to Preserve the Paradigm of Relativity Theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vacaru, Sergiu I.

2013-06-01

Using Finsler brane solutions [see details and methods in: S. Vacaru, Class. Quant. Grav. 28:215001, 2011], we show that neutrinos may surpass the speed of light in vacuum which can be explained by trapping effects from gravity theories on eight dimensional (co) tangent bundles on Lorentzian manifolds to spacetimes in general and special relativity. In nonholonomic variables, the bulk gravity is described by Finsler modifications depending on velocity/momentum coordinates. Possible super-luminal phenomena are determined by the width of locally anisotropic brane (spacetime) and induced by generating functions and integration functions and constants in coefficients of metrics and nonlinear connections. We conclude that Finsler brane gravity trapping mechanism may explain neutrino super-luminal effects and almost preserve the paradigm of Einstein relativity as the standard one for particle physics and gravity.

Noise level and MPEG-2 encoder statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jungwoo

1997-01-01

Most software in the movie and broadcasting industries are still in analog film or tape format, which typically contains random noise that originated from film, CCD camera, and tape recording. The performance of the MPEG-2 encoder may be significantly degraded by the noise. It is also affected by the scene type that includes spatial and temporal activity. The statistical property of noise originating from camera and tape player is analyzed and the models for the two types of noise are developed. The relationship between the noise, the scene type, and encoder statistics of a number of MPEG-2 parameters such as motion vector magnitude, prediction error, and quant scale are discussed. This analysis is intended to be a tool for designing robust MPEG encoding algorithms such as preprocessing and rate control.

Experimental Raman adiabatic transfer of optical states in rubidium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Appel, Jürgen; Figueroa, Eden; Vewinger, Frank; Marzlin, Karl-Peter; Lvovsky, Alexander

2007-06-01

An essential element of a quantum optical communication network is a tool for transferring and/or distributing quantum information between optical modes (possibly of different frequencies) in a loss- and decoherence-free fashion. We present a theory [1] and an experimental demonstration [2] of a protocol for routing and frequency conversion of optical quantum information via electromagnetically-induced transparency in an atomic system with multiple excited levels. Transfer of optical states between different signal modes is implemented by adiabatically changing the control fields. The proof-of-principle experiment is performed using the hyperfine levels of the rubidium D1 line. [1] F. Vewinger, J. Appel, E. Figueroa, A. I. Lvovsky, quant-ph/0611181 [2] J. Appel, K.-P. Marzlin, A. I. Lvovsky, Phys. Rev. A 73, 013804 (2006)

Technical Report on Modeling for Quasispecies Abundance Inference with Confidence Intervals from Metagenomic Sequence Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McLoughlin, K.

2016-01-11

The overall aim of this project is to develop a software package, called MetaQuant, that can determine the constituents of a complex microbial sample and estimate their relative abundances by analysis of metagenomic sequencing data. The goal for Task 1 is to create a generative model describing the stochastic process underlying the creation of sequence read pairs in the data set. The stages in this generative process include the selection of a source genome sequence for each read pair, with probability dependent on its abundance in the sample. The other stages describe the evolution of the source genome from itsmore » nearest common ancestor with a reference genome, breakage of the source DNA into short fragments, and the errors in sequencing the ends of the fragments to produce read pairs.« less

Methodology of Detailed Geophysical Examination of the Areas of World Recognized Religious and Cultural Artifacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eppelbaum, Lev

2010-05-01

the low altitudes (3-5 meters) will help geophysical cover all the studied area with a regular observation step (Eppelbaum, 2008). At the final step all these measurements (including results of the previous works) could be compiled to 4D models of different geophysical parameters (Eppelbaum and Ben-Avraham, 2002; Eppelbaum et al., 2010). Analysis of temperature field in the boreholes drilled in the vicinity of the studied site will permit to estimate the temperature (e.g., Eppelbaum et al., 2006c) in the historical period when this artifact was constructed and, correspondingly, utilize this characteristic for investigation of mechanical and other properties of the ancient building material. Studying of temporal variations of magnetic (e.g., Finkelstein and Eppelbaum) and VLF fields can be also used for determination of nature of some buried ancient remains. The geophysical investigations must be combined with geochemical, paleostructural, paleobiogeographical, paleomorphological and other methods (Eppelbaum et al., 2010). Application of informational parameters (Khesin et al., 1996; Eppelbaum et al., 2003b) will permit to present all available data by the use of integral convolution units. REFERENCES Eppelbaum, L.V., 1999. Quantitative interpretation of resistivity anomalies using advanced methods developed in magnetic prospecting. Trans. of the XXIV General Assembly of the Europ. Geoph. Soc., Strasburg 1 (1), p.166. Eppelbaum, L.V., 2000. Applicability of geophysical methods for localization of archaeological targets: An introduction. Geoinformatics, 11, No.1, 19-28. Eppelbaum, L.V., 2005. Multilevel observations of magnetic field at archaeological sites as additional interpreting tool. Proceed. of the 6th Conference of Archaeological Prospection, Roma, Italy, 4 pp. Eppelbaum, L.V., 2008. Remote operated vehicle geophysical survey using magnetic and VLF methods: proposed schemes for data processing and interpretation. Proceed. of the Symp. on the Application of

Large conditional single-photon cross-phase modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beck, Kristin; Hosseini, Mahdi; Duan, Yiheng; Vuletic, Vladan

2016-05-01

Deterministic optical quantum logic requires a nonlinear quantum process that alters the phase of a quantum optical state by π through interaction with only one photon. Here, we demonstrate a large conditional cross-phase modulation between a signal field, stored inside an atomic quantum memory, and a control photon that traverses a high-finesse optical cavity containing the atomic memory. This approach avoids fundamental limitations associated with multimode effects for traveling optical photons. We measure a conditional cross-phase shift of up to π / 3 between the retrieved signal and control photons, and confirm deterministic entanglement between the signal and control modes by extracting a positive concurrence. With a moderate improvement in cavity finesse, our system can reach a coherent phase shift of p at low loss, enabling deterministic and universal photonic quantum logic. Preprint: arXiv:1512.02166 [quant-ph

Benchmarking statistical averaging of spectra with HULLAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klapisch, Marcel; Busquet, Michel

2008-11-01

Knowledge of radiative properties of hot plasmas is important for ICF, astrophysics, etc When mid-Z or high-Z elements are present, the spectra are so complex that one commonly uses statistically averaged description of atomic systems [1]. In a recent experiment on Fe[2], performed under controlled conditions, high resolution transmission spectra were obtained. The new version of HULLAC [3] allows the use of the same model with different levels of details/averaging. We will take advantage of this feature to check the effect of averaging with comparison with experiment. [1] A Bar-Shalom, J Oreg, and M Klapisch, J. Quant. Spectros. Rad. Transf. 65, 43 (2000). [2] J. E. Bailey, G. A. Rochau, C. A. Iglesias et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 265002-4 (2007). [3]. M. Klapisch, M. Busquet, and A. Bar-Shalom, AIP Conference Proceedings 926, 206-15 (2007).

Generation of highly pure Schrödinger's cat states and real-time quadrature measurements via optical filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asavanant, Warit; Nakashima, Kota; Shiozawa, Yu; Yoshikawa, Jun-Ichi; Furusawa, Akira

2017-12-01

Until now, Schr\\"odinger's cat states are generated by subtracting single photons from the whole bandwidth of squeezed vacua. However, it was pointed out recently that the achievable purities are limited in such method (J. Yoshikawa, W. Asavanant, and A. Furusawa, arXiv:1707.08146 [quant-ph] (2017)). In this paper, we used our new photon subtraction method with a narrowband filtering cavity and generated a highly pure Schr\\"odinger's cat state with the value of $-0.184$ at the origin of the Wigner function. To our knowledge, this is the highest value ever reported without any loss corrections. The temporal mode also becomes exponentially rising in our method, which allows us to make a real-time quadrature measurement on Schr\\"odinger's cat states, and we obtained the value of $-0.162$ at the origin of the Wigner function.

Digital morphogenesis via Schelling segregation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barmpalias, George; Elwes, Richard; Lewis-Pye, Andrew

2018-04-01

Schelling’s model of segregation looks to explain the way in which particles or agents of two types may come to arrange themselves spatially into configurations consisting of large homogeneous clusters, i.e. connected regions consisting of only one type. As one of the earliest agent based models studied by economists and perhaps the most famous model of self-organising behaviour, it also has direct links to areas at the interface between computer science and statistical mechanics, such as the Ising model and the study of contagion and cascading phenomena in networks. While the model has been extensively studied it has largely resisted rigorous analysis, prior results from the literature generally pertaining to variants of the model which are tweaked so as to be amenable to standard techniques from statistical mechanics or stochastic evolutionary game theory. In Brandt et al (2012 Proc. 44th Annual ACM Symp. on Theory of Computing) provided the first rigorous analysis of the unperturbed model, for a specific set of input parameters. Here we provide a rigorous analysis of the model’s behaviour much more generally and establish some surprising forms of threshold behaviour, notably the existence of situations where an increased level of intolerance for neighbouring agents of opposite type leads almost certainly to decreased segregation.

Magnetic and structural X-ray dichroïsms of metallic multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pizzini, Stefania; Fontaine, A.; Baudelet, F.; Minr, S.; Giorgetti, C.; Dartyge, E.; Bobo, J. F.; Piecuch, M.

1995-05-01

Fe/Cu and Co/Cu multilayers are intensively studied because of their exceptional magnetic properties, i.e., their giant magnetoresistance and the oscillations of the magnetic coupling between magnetic layers as a function of the thickness of the copper spacer [S.S. Parkin et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 66 (1991) 2152; F. Petroff et al., Phys. Rev. B 44 (1991) 5355]. Spectroscopic approaches to the understanding of the coupling of ferromagnetic layers through a noble metal layer have been recently introduced, in particular spin-resolved photoemission [N.B. Brookes et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 67 (1991) 354; C. Carbone et al., PRL 71 (1993) 2805] inverse photoemission [J.E. Ortega et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 69 (1992) 844; Phys. Rev. B 47 (1993) 1540] and magnetic circular dichroism [S. Pizzini et al., MRS Symp. Proc., vol. 313 (1993); M.G. Samant et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 72 (1994) 2152; S. Pizzini et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 74 (1995) 1470]. X-ray absorption spectroscopy appears to be effective both for determination of the local structure, specific to the bidimensionality of the system but also for the electron symmetry-dependent evaluation of the spin polarisation of the noble metal as well as the magnetic element.

The structure and ordering of ɛ-MnO 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Chang-Hoon; Akase, Zentaro; Zhang, Lichun; Heuer, Arthur H.; Newman, Aron E.; Hughes, Paula J.

2006-03-01

The presence of ɛ-MnO 2 as a major component of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) has been demonstrated by a combined X-ray diffraction/transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study. ɛ-MnO 2 usually has a partially ordered defect NiAs structure containing 50% cation vacancies; these vacancies can be fully ordered by a low temperature (200 °C) heat treatment to form a pseudohexagonal but monoclinic superlattice. Numerous fine-scale anti-phase domain boundaries are present in ordered ɛ-MnO 2 and cause extensive peak broadening and a massive shift of a very intense, 0.37 nm superlattice peak. This suggests a radically different explanation of the ubiquitous, very broad ˜0.42 nm peak (˜21-22° 2 θ, Cu Kα radiation) in EMDs, which heretofore has been attributed to Ramsdellite containing numerous planar defects. This work confirms the multi-phase model of equiaxed EMDs proposed by Heuer et al. [ITE Lett. 1(6) (2000) B50; Proc. Seventh Int. Symp. Adv. Phys. Fields 92 (2001)], rather than the defective single-phase model of Chabre and Pannetier [Prog. Solid State Chem. 23 (1995) 1] and Bowden et al. [ITE Lett. 4(1) (2003) B1].

Fuzzy Subspace Clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgelt, Christian

In clustering we often face the situation that only a subset of the available attributes is relevant for forming clusters, even though this may not be known beforehand. In such cases it is desirable to have a clustering algorithm that automatically weights attributes or even selects a proper subset. In this paper I study such an approach for fuzzy clustering, which is based on the idea to transfer an alternative to the fuzzifier (Klawonn and Höppner, What is fuzzy about fuzzy clustering? Understanding and improving the concept of the fuzzifier, In: Proc. 5th Int. Symp. on Intelligent Data Analysis, 254-264, Springer, Berlin, 2003) to attribute weighting fuzzy clustering (Keller and Klawonn, Int J Uncertain Fuzziness Knowl Based Syst 8:735-746, 2000). In addition, by reformulating Gustafson-Kessel fuzzy clustering, a scheme for weighting and selecting principal axes can be obtained. While in Borgelt (Feature weighting and feature selection in fuzzy clustering, In: Proc. 17th IEEE Int. Conf. on Fuzzy Systems, IEEE Press, Piscataway, NJ, 2008) I already presented such an approach for a global selection of attributes and principal axes, this paper extends it to a cluster-specific selection, thus arriving at a fuzzy subspace clustering algorithm (Parsons, Haque, and Liu, 2004).

Water interactions with hydrophobic groups: Assessment and recalibration of semiempirical molecular orbital methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marion, Antoine; Monard, Gérald; Ruiz-López, Manuel F.; Ingrosso, Francesca

2014-07-01

In this work, we present a study of the ability of different semiempirical methods to describe intermolecular interactions in water solution. In particular, we focus on methods based on the Neglect of Diatomic Differential Overlap approximation. Significant improvements of these methods have been reported in the literature in the past years regarding the description of non-covalent interactions. In particular, a broad range of methodologies has been developed to deal with the properties of hydrogen-bonded systems, with varying degrees of success. In contrast, the interactions between water and a molecule containing hydrophobic groups have been little analyzed. Indeed, by considering the potential energy surfaces obtained using different semiempirical Hamiltonians for the intermolecular interactions of model systems, we found that none of the available methods provides an entirely satisfactory description of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions in water. In addition, a vibrational analysis carried out in a model system for these interactions, a methane clathrate cluster, showed that some recent methods cannot be used to carry out studies of vibrational properties. Following a procedure established in our group [M. I. Bernal-Uruchurtu, M. T. C. Martins-Costa, C. Millot, and M. F. Ruiz-López, J. Comput. Chem. 21, 572 (2000); W. Harb, M. I. Bernal-Uruchurtu, and M. F. Ruiz-López, Theor. Chem. Acc. 112, 204 (2004)], we developed new parameters for the core-core interaction terms based on fitting potential energy curves obtained at the MP2 level for our model system. We investigated the transferability of the new parameters to describe a system, having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, interacting with water. We found that only by introducing two different sets of parameters for hydrophilic and hydrophobic hydrogen atom types we are able to match the features of the ab initio calculated properties. Once this assumption is made, a good agreement with the

Earth-Observation based mapping and monitoring of exposure change in the megacity of Istanbul: open-source tools from the MARSITE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Vecchi, Daniele; Dell'Acqua, Fabio

2016-04-01

The EU FP7 MARSITE project aims at assessing the "state of the art" of seismic risk evaluation and management at European level, as a starting point to move a "step forward" towards new concepts of risk mitigation and management by long-term monitoring activities carried out both on land and at sea. Spaceborne Earth Observation (EO) is one of the means through which MARSITE is accomplishing this commitment, whose importance is growing as a consequence of the operational unfolding of the Copernicus initiative. Sentinel-2 data, with its open-data policy, represents an unprecedented opportunity to access global spaceborne multispectral data for various purposes including risk monitoring. In the framework of EU FP7 projects MARSITE, RASOR and SENSUM, our group has developed a suite of geospatial software tools to automatically extract risk-related features from EO data, especially on the exposure and vulnerability side of the "risk equation" [1]. These are for example the extension of a built-up area or the distribution of building density. These tools are available open-source as QGIS plug-ins [2] and their source code can be freely downloaded from GitHub [3]. A test case on the risk-prone mega city of Istanbul has been set up, and preliminary results will be presented in this paper. The output of the algorithms can be incorporated into a risk modeling process, whose output is very useful to stakeholders and decision makers who intend to assess and mitigate the risk level across the giant urban agglomerate. Keywords - Remote Sensing, Copernicus, Istanbul megacity, seismic risk, multi-risk, exposure, open-source References [1] Harb, M.M.; De Vecchi, D.; Dell'Acqua, F., "Physical Vulnerability Proxies from Remotes Sensing: Reviewing, Implementing and Disseminating Selected Techniques," Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine, IEEE , vol.3, no.1, pp.20,33, March 2015. doi: 10.1109/MGRS.2015.2398672 [2] SENSUM QGIS plugin, 2016, available online at: https

Broadening of spectral lines of CO2, N2O , H2CO, HCN, and H2S by pressure of gases dominant in planetary atmospheres (H2, He and CO2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samuels, Shanelle; Gordon, Iouli; Tan, Yan

2018-01-01

HITRAN1,2 is a compilation of spectroscopic parameters that a variety of computer codes use to predict and simulate the transmission and emission of light in planetary atmospheres. The goal of this project is to add to the potential of the HITRAN database towards the exploration of the planetary atmospheres by including parameters describing broadening of spectral lines by H2, CO2, and He. These spectroscopic data are very important for the study of the hydrogen and helium-rich atmospheres of gas giants as well as rocky planets with volcanic activities, including Venus and Mars, since their atmospheres are dominated by CO2. First step in this direction was accomplished by Wilzewski et al.3 where this was done for SO2, NH3, HF, HCl, OCS and C2H2. The molecules investigated in this work were CO2, N2O, H2CO, HCN and H2S. Line-broadening coefficients, line shifts and temperature-dependence exponents for transitions of these molecules perturbed by H2, CO2 and He have been assembled from available peer-reviewed experimental and theoretical sources. The data was evaluated and the database was populated with these data and their extrapolations/interpolations using semi-empirical models that were developed to this end.Acknowledgements: Financial support from NASA PDART grant NNX16AG51G and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Latino Initiative Program from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center is gratefully acknowledged.References: 1. HITRAN online http://hitran.org/2. Gordon, I.E., Rothman, L.S., Hill, C., Kochanov, R.V., Tan, Y., et al., 2017. The HITRAN2016 Molecular Spectroscopic Database. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2017.06.0383. Wilzewski, J.S., Gordon, I.E., Kochanov, R. V., Hill, C., Rothman, L.S., 2016. H2, He, and CO2 line-broadening coefficients, pressure shifts and temperature-dependence exponents for the HITRAN database. Part 1: SO2, NH3, HF, HCl, OCS and C2H2. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat

What computational non-targeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics can gain from shotgun proteomics.

PubMed

Hamzeiy, Hamid; Cox, Jürgen

2017-02-01

Computational workflows for mass spectrometry-based shotgun proteomics and untargeted metabolomics share many steps. Despite the similarities, untargeted metabolomics is lagging behind in terms of reliable fully automated quantitative data analysis. We argue that metabolomics will strongly benefit from the adaptation of successful automated proteomics workflows to metabolomics. MaxQuant is a popular platform for proteomics data analysis and is widely considered to be superior in achieving high precursor mass accuracies through advanced nonlinear recalibration, usually leading to five to ten-fold better accuracy in complex LC-MS/MS runs. This translates to a sharp decrease in the number of peptide candidates per measured feature, thereby strongly improving the coverage of identified peptides. We argue that similar strategies can be applied to untargeted metabolomics, leading to equivalent improvements in metabolite identification. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of Carbon-Sulfur Chains: II. C_5S and SC_5S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorwirth, Sven; Salomon, Thomas; Dudek, John B.

2016-06-01

Unbiased high-resolution infrared survey scans of the ablation products from carbon-sulfur targets in the 2100 to 2150 cm-1 regime reveal two bands previously not observed in the gas phase. On the basis of comparison against laboratory matrix-isolation work and new high-level quantum-chemical calculations these bands are attributed to the linear C_5S and SC_5S clusters. While polar C_5S was studied earlier using Fourier-transform microwave techniques, the present work marks the first gas-phase spectroscopic detection of SC_5S. H. Wang, J. Szczepanski, P. Brucat, and M. Vala 2005, Int. J. Quant. Chem. 102, 795 Y. Kasai, K. Obi, Y. Ohshima, Y. Hirahara, Y. Endo, K. Kawaguchi, and A. Murakami 1993, ApJ 410, L45 V. D. Gordon, M. C. McCarthy, A. J. Apponi, and P. Thaddeus 2001, ApJS 134, 311

Super Lorentzian effects on the wings of self-broadened HCl and of HCl diluted in Ar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, H.; Hartmann, J.-M.; Li, G.; Ebert, V.

2017-02-01

Super-Lorentzian effects in the troughs between HCl lines were observed long time ago [Varanasi et al., J Quant Rad Transfer, Vol. 12, pag. 857, 1972]. The observed spectral shape was then modelled by using an empirical law and there was no explanation about the mechanisms underlying these super-Lorentzian effects. In this work, new spectra of pure HCl and HCl diluted in Ar have been measured using a high resolution Fourier Transform spectrometer, for pressure from 6 to 10 bars. Spectra of pure HCl and HCl in Ar have been also computed using classical molecular dynamics simulations (CMDS). First comparisons between CMDS-calculated spectra and measured ones, for regions at the troughs between HCl lines, show that the observed super-Lorentzian behaviour is correctly reproduced by the calculations. These results thus open the paths for the determination of the origin of these super-Lorentzian effects.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koenig, Robert; Institute for Quantum Information, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125; Mitchison, Graeme

In its most basic form, the finite quantum de Finetti theorem states that the reduced k-partite density operator of an n-partite symmetric state can be approximated by a convex combination of k-fold product states. Variations of this result include Renner's 'exponential' approximation by 'almost-product' states, a theorem which deals with certain triples of representations of the unitary group, and the result of D'Cruz et al. [e-print quant-ph/0606139;Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 160406 (2007)] for infinite-dimensional systems. We show how these theorems follow from a single, general de Finetti theorem for representations of symmetry groups, each instance corresponding to a particular choicemore » of symmetry group and representation of that group. This gives some insight into the nature of the set of approximating states and leads to some new results, including an exponential theorem for infinite-dimensional systems.« less

Improved non-LTE simulation algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Busquet, Michel; Klapisch, Marcel; Colombant, Denis; Fyfe, David; Gardner, John

2008-11-01

The RAdiation Dependent Ionization Model (RADIOM)- a.k.a Busquet's model-[1] has proven its success in simulating non --LTE effects in laser fusion plasmas [2]. This improved algorithm can take into account Auger effect by a new parameter fitted to SCROLL [3] results. It is independent of the photon binning thanks to a projection on a standard grid. It guarantees smoother convergence to LTE. This algorithm has been implemented in a new way in the hydro-code FASTnD. Hydro simulations on the recent subMJ targets[4], with and without non-LTE corrections will be shown. [1] M. Busquet, Phys. Fluids B 5, 4191(1993). [2] D.G. Colombant et al, Phys. Plas. 7,2046 (2000). [3] A. Bar-Shalom, J. Oreg M. Klapisch, J. Quant. Spectr. Rad. Transf. 65 ,43 (2000). [4] S. P. Obenschain, D. G. Colombant, A. J. Schmitt et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 056320 (2006).

Multiplexed direct-frequency-comb Vernier spectroscopy of carbon dioxide 2ν1 + ν3 ro-vibrational combination band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siciliani de Cumis, M.; Eramo, R.; Coluccelli, N.; Galzerano, G.; Laporta, P.; Cancio Pastor, P.

2018-03-01

We investigated a set of nineteen 12C16O2 transitions of the 2ν1 + ν3 ro-vibrational band in the spectral region from 5064 to 5126 cm-1 at different pressures, using frequency-comb Vernier spectroscopy. Our spectrometer enabled the systematic acquisition of molecular absorption profiles with high precision. Spectroscopic parameters, namely, transition frequency, linestrength, and self-pressure broadening coefficient, have been accurately determined by using a global fit procedure. These data are in agreement with theoretical values contained in HITRAN2016 database [I. E. Gordon et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 203, 3-69 (2017)] at the same precision level. A moderate improvement of the line intensity determinations, by a factor 1.5 in the best case [P(10) transition at 5091.6 cm-1], should be noticed, projecting direct-comb-Vernier-spectroscopy as an adequate tool for spectral intensity calibration.

‘From the cat’s point of view’: upper secondary physics students’ reflections on Schrödinger’s thought experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinjusveen Myhrehagen, Henning; Bungum, Berit

2016-09-01

The thought experiment ‘Schrödinger’s cat’ exposes fundamental dilemmas in how we interpret quantum physics, and has a potential for deepening students’ understanding of this part of modern physics, including its philosophical consequences. In this paper we report results from the project ReleQuant on how Norwegian physics students in upper secondary schools interpret the thought experiment. The analysis resulted in nine categories, and we discuss how these relate to interpretations made by physicists, in particular the concept of superposition. Even if students’ responses in many cases can be related to interpretations that make sense in physics, we conclude that lack of knowledge about the purpose and the historical context of the thought experiment limits students understanding of the physics content. Exploring the thought experiment from a historical perspective might deepen student understanding of key concepts in quantum physics as well as of how physics develops.

[Correlation of noises in the channels of digital X-ray receiver-transformer and the evaluation of registration's quant efficiency].

PubMed

Porosev, V V; Shekhtman, L I; Zelikman, M I; Blinov, N N

2004-01-01

Theoretical and experimental research results related with the influence of correlation of signals in neighboring elements of digital X-ray receiver-transformer produced on the evaluation of the output ratio noise/signal and, as a consequence, on the evaluation of quantum registration efficiency are described in the paper.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wenger, D. F.; Sinars, D. B.; Rochau, G. A.

An early prototype of a focusing spectrometer with one-dimensional (1D) spatial resolution (FSSR) instrument was previously developed for use in the vacuum chamber of the Sandia Z facility [Sinars et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 99, 595 (2006)]. This instrument used a single, spherically bent crystal to measure time-integrated Ar spectra from 0.295-0.378 nm with {lambda}/{delta}{lambda}>2000 and a 1D axial spatial resolution of {approx}50 {mu}m. We present the design of a final version of this instrument that improves the shielding, can be aligned more accurately, and uses three crystals instead of one. The last change enables coverage of multiplemore » spectral ranges if different crystals are used, or multiple times if identical crystals and time-gated detectors are used. We also present results from initial prototyping tests on the Z facility using two crystals in a time-integrated mode.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Giorda, Paolo; Zanardi, Paolo; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

We analyze the dynamical-algebraic approach to universal quantum control introduced in P. Zanardi and S. Lloyd, e-print quant-ph/0305013. The quantum state space H encoding information decomposes into irreducible sectors and subsystems associated with the group of available evolutions. If this group coincides with the unitary part of the group algebra CK of some group K then universal control is achievable over the K-irreducible components of H. This general strategy is applied to different kinds of bosonic systems. We first consider massive bosons in a double well and show how to achieve universal control over all finite-dimensional Fock sectors. We thenmore » discuss a multimode massless case giving the conditions for generating the whole infinite-dimensional multimode Heisenberg-Weyl enveloping algebra. Finally we show how to use an auxiliary bosonic mode coupled to finite-dimensional systems to generate high-order nonlinearities needed for universal control.« less

Quantum enigma cipher as a generalization of the quantum stream cipher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Kentaro

2016-09-01

Various types of randomizations for the quantum stream cipher by Y00 protocol have been developed so far. In particular, it must be noted that the analysis of immunity against correlation attacks with a new type of randomization by Hirota and Kurosawa prompted a new look at the quantum stream cipher by Y00 protocol (Quant. Inform. Process. 6(2) 2007). From the preceding study on the quantum stream cipher, we recognized that the quantum stream cipher by Y00 protocol would be able to be generalized to a new type of physical cipher that has potential to exceed the Shannon limit by installing additional randomization mechanisms, in accordance with the law of quantum mechanics. We call this new type of physical random cipher the quantum enigma cipher. In this article, we introduce the recent developments for the quantum stream cipher by Y00 protocol and future plans toward the quantum enigma cipher.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Braunstein, Samuel L.; Ghosh, Sibasish; Severini, Simone

We reconsider density matrices of graphs as defined in quant-ph/0406165. The density matrix of a graph is the combinatorial Laplacian of the graph normalized to have unit trace. We describe a simple combinatorial condition (the 'degree condition') to test the separability of density matrices of graphs. The condition is directly related to the Peres-Horodecki partial transposition condition. We prove that the degree condition is necessary for separability, and we conjecture that it is also sufficient. We prove special cases of the conjecture involving nearest-point graphs and perfect matchings. We observe that the degree condition appears to have a value beyondmore » the density matrices of graphs. In fact, we point out that circulant density matrices and other matrices constructed from groups always satisfy the condition and indeed are separable with respect to any split. We isolate a number of problems and delineate further generalizations.« less

Charged Vaidya solution satisfies weak energy condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Soumyabrata; Ganguli, Suman; Virmani, Amitabh

2016-07-01

The external matter stress-tensor supporting charged Vaidya solution appears to violate weak energy condition in certain region of the spacetime. Motivated by this, a new interpretation of charged Vaidya solution was proposed by Ori (Class Quant Grav 8:1559, 1991) in which the energy condition continues to be satisfied. In this construction, one glues an outgoing Vaidya solution to the original ingoing Vaidya solution provided the surface where the external stress-tensor vanishes is spacelike. We revisit this study and extend it to higher-dimensions, to AdS settings, and to higher-derivative f( R) theories. In asymptotically flat space context, we explore in detail the case when the mass function m( v) is proportional to the charge function q( v). When the proportionality constant ν = q(v)/m(v) lies in between zero and one, we show that the surface where the external stress-tensor vanishes is spacelike and lies in between the inner and outer apparent horizons.

Spatially and temporally resolved measurements of a dense copper plasma heated by intense relativistic electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleman, J. E.; Colgan, J.

2017-08-01

A 100-μm-thick Cu foil is isochorically heated by a ˜100-ns-long electron bunch with an energy of 19.8 MeV and current of 1.7 kA to Te > 1 eV. After 100 ns of heating and 20 ns of expansion, the plasma exhibits a stable, quiescent temperature and density distribution for >200 ns. Several intense Cu-I emission lines are observed after ˜20 J of electron beam energy is deposited. These lines have well known Stark widths providing a direct measurement of ne. The Los Alamos ATOMIC code [Magee et al., AIP Conf. Proc. 2004, 168-179 and Hakel et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 99, 265 (2006)] was run in local-thermodynamic-equilibrium mode to estimate Te and ne. Spatially and temporally resolved measurements are presented in both the vertical and horizontal directions adjacent to the foil indicating temperatures >1 eV and densities ranging from 1-3 × 1017 cm-3 after expansion and cooling.

Ab Initio Classical Dynamics Simulations of CO_2 Line-Mixing Effects in Infrared Bands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamouroux, Julien; Hartmann, Jean-Michel; Tran, Ha; Snels, Marcel; Stefani, Stefania; Piccioni, Giuseppe

2013-06-01

Ab initio calculations of line-mixing effects in CO_2 infrared bands are presented and compared with experiments. The predictions were carried using requantized Classical Dynamics Molecular Simulations (rCDMS) based on an approach previously developed and successfully tested for CO_2 isolated line shapes. Using classical dynamics equations, the force and torque applied to each molecule by the surrounding molecules (described by an ab initio intermolecular potential) are computed at each time step. This enables, using a requantization procedure, to predict dipole and isotropic polarizability auto-correlation functions whose Fourier-Laplace transforms yield the spectra. The quality of the rCDMS calculations is demonstrated by comparisons with measured spectra in the spectral regions of the 3ν_3 and 2ν_1+2ν_2+ν_3 Infrared bands. J.-M. Hartmann, H. Tran, N. H. Ngo, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. A {87} (2013), 013403. H. Tran, C. Boulet, M. Snels, S. Stefani, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer {112} (2011), 925-936.

Nanodroplet processing platform for deep and quantitative proteome profiling of 10-100 mammalian cells.

PubMed

Zhu, Ying; Piehowski, Paul D; Zhao, Rui; Chen, Jing; Shen, Yufeng; Moore, Ronald J; Shukla, Anil K; Petyuk, Vladislav A; Campbell-Thompson, Martha; Mathews, Clayton E; Smith, Richard D; Qian, Wei-Jun; Kelly, Ryan T

2018-02-28

Nanoscale or single-cell technologies are critical for biomedical applications. However, current mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic approaches require samples comprising a minimum of thousands of cells to provide in-depth profiling. Here, we report the development of a nanoPOTS (nanodroplet processing in one pot for trace samples) platform for small cell population proteomics analysis. NanoPOTS enhances the efficiency and recovery of sample processing by downscaling processing volumes to <200 nL to minimize surface losses. When combined with ultrasensitive liquid chromatography-MS, nanoPOTS allows identification of ~1500 to ~3000 proteins from ~10 to ~140 cells, respectively. By incorporating the Match Between Runs algorithm of MaxQuant, >3000 proteins are consistently identified from as few as 10 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate quantification of ~2400 proteins from single human pancreatic islet thin sections from type 1 diabetic and control donors, illustrating the application of nanoPOTS for spatially resolved proteome measurements from clinical tissues.

High-Throughput Analysis of Age-Dependent Protein Changes in Layer II/III of the Human Orbitofrontal Cortex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapadia, Fenika

Studies on the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) during normal aging have shown a decline in cognitive functions, a loss of spines/synapses in layer III and gene expression changes related to neural communication. Biological changes during the course of normal aging are summarized into 9 hallmarks based on aging in peripheral tissue. Whether these hallmarks apply to non-dividing brain tissue is not known. Therefore, we opted to perform large-scale proteomic profiling of the OFC layer II/III during normal aging from 15 young and 18 old male subjects. MaxQuant was utilized for label-free quantification and statistical analysis by the Random Intercept Model (RIM) identified 118 differentially expressed (DE) age-related proteins. Altered neural communication was the most represented hallmark of aging (54% of DE proteins), highlighting the importance of communication in the brain. Functional analysis showed enrichment in GABA/glutamate signaling and pro-inflammatory responses. The former may contribute to alterations in excitation/inhibition, leading to cognitive decline during aging.

Methodes de calcul des forces aerodynamiques pour les etudes des interactions aeroservoelastiques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biskri, Djallel Eddine

L'aeroservoelasticite est un domaine ou interagissent la structure flexible d'un avion, l'aerodynamique et la commande de vol. De son cote, la commande du vol considere l'avion comme une structure rigide et etudie l'influence du systeme de commande sur la dynamique de vol. Dans cette these, nous avons code trois nouvelles methodes d'approximation de forces aerodynamiques: Moindres carres corriges, Etat minimal corrige et Etats combines. Dans les deux premieres methodes, les erreurs d'approximation entre les forces aerodynamiques approximees par les methodes classiques et celles obtenues par les nouvelles methodes ont les memes formes analytiques que celles des forces aerodynamiques calculees par LS ou MS. Quant a la troisieme methode, celle-ci combine les formulations des forces approximees avec les methodes standards LS et MS. Les vitesses et frequences de battement et les temps d'executions calcules par les nouvelles methodes versus ceux calcules par les methodes classiques ont ete analyses.

Meeting new challenges: The 2014 HUPO-PSI/COSMOS Workshop: 13-15 April 2014, Frankfurt, Germany.

PubMed

Orchard, Sandra; Albar, Juan Pablo; Binz, Pierre-Alain; Kettner, Carsten; Jones, Andrew R; Salek, Reza M; Vizcaino, Juan Antonio; Deutsch, Eric W; Hermjakob, Henning

2014-11-01

The Annual 2014 Spring Workshop of the Proteomics Standards Initiative (PSI) of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) was held this year jointly with the metabolomics COordination of Standards in MetabOlomicS (COSMOS) group. The range of existing MS standards (mzML, mzIdentML, mzQuantML, mzTab, TraML) was reviewed and updated in the light of new methodologies and advances in technologies. Adaptations to meet the needs of the metabolomics community were incorporated and a new data format for NMR, nmrML, was presented. The molecular interactions workgroup began work on a new version of the existing XML data interchange format. PSI-MI XML3.0 will enable the capture of more abstract data types such as protein complex topology derived from experimental data, allosteric binding, and dynamic interactions. Further information about the work of the HUPO-PSI can be found at http://www.psidev.info. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanodroplet processing platform for deep and quantitative proteome profiling of 10–100 mammalian cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Ying; Piehowski, Paul D.; Zhao, Rui

Nanoscale or single cell technologies are critical for biomedical applications. However, current mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic approaches require samples comprising a minimum of thousands of cells to provide in-depth profiling. Here, we report the development of a nanoPOTS (Nanodroplet Processing in One pot for Trace Samples) platform as a major advance in overall sensitivity. NanoPOTS dramatically enhances the efficiency and recovery of sample processing by downscaling processing volumes to <200 nL to minimize surface losses. When combined with ultrasensitive LC-MS, nanoPOTS allows identification of ~1500 to ~3,000 proteins from ~10 to ~140 cells, respectively. By incorporating the Match Between Runsmore » algorithm of MaxQuant, >3000 proteins were consistently identified from as few as 10 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate robust quantification of ~2400 proteins from single human pancreatic islet thin sections from type 1 diabetic and control donors, illustrating the application of nanoPOTS for spatially resolved proteome measurements from clinical tissues.« less

Nanodroplet processing platform for deep and quantitative proteome profiling of 10–100 mammalian cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Ying; Piehowski, Paul D.; Zhao, Rui

Nanoscale or single-cell technologies are critical for biomedical applications. However, current mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic approaches require samples comprising a minimum of thousands of cells to provide in-depth profiling. Here in this paper, we report the development of a nanoPOTS (nanodroplet processing in one pot for trace samples) platform for small cell population proteomics analysis. NanoPOTS enhances the efficiency and recovery of sample processing by downscaling processing volumes to <200 nL to minimize surface losses. When combined with ultrasensitive liquid chromatography-MS, nanoPOTS allows identification of ~1500 to ~3000 proteins from ~10 to ~140 cells, respectively. By incorporating the Match Betweenmore » Runs algorithm of MaxQuant, >3000 proteins are consistently identified from as few as 10 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate quantification of ~2400 proteins from single human pancreatic islet thin sections from type 1 diabetic and control donors, illustrating the application of nanoPOTS for spatially resolved proteome measurements from clinical tissues.« less

Nanodroplet processing platform for deep and quantitative proteome profiling of 10–100 mammalian cells

DOE PAGES

Zhu, Ying; Piehowski, Paul D.; Zhao, Rui; ...

2018-02-28

Nanoscale or single-cell technologies are critical for biomedical applications. However, current mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic approaches require samples comprising a minimum of thousands of cells to provide in-depth profiling. Here in this paper, we report the development of a nanoPOTS (nanodroplet processing in one pot for trace samples) platform for small cell population proteomics analysis. NanoPOTS enhances the efficiency and recovery of sample processing by downscaling processing volumes to <200 nL to minimize surface losses. When combined with ultrasensitive liquid chromatography-MS, nanoPOTS allows identification of ~1500 to ~3000 proteins from ~10 to ~140 cells, respectively. By incorporating the Match Betweenmore » Runs algorithm of MaxQuant, >3000 proteins are consistently identified from as few as 10 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate quantification of ~2400 proteins from single human pancreatic islet thin sections from type 1 diabetic and control donors, illustrating the application of nanoPOTS for spatially resolved proteome measurements from clinical tissues.« less

Time Series Proteome Profiling

PubMed Central

Formolo, Catherine A.; Mintz, Michelle; Takanohashi, Asako; Brown, Kristy J.; Vanderver, Adeline; Halligan, Brian; Hathout, Yetrib

2014-01-01

This chapter provides a detailed description of a method used to study temporal changes in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteome of fibroblast cells exposed to ER stress agents (tunicamycin and thapsigargin). Differential stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) is used in combination with crude ER fractionation, SDS–PAGE and LC-MS/MS to define altered protein expression in tunicamycin or thapsigargin treated cells versus untreated cells. Treated and untreated cells are harvested at different time points, mixed at a 1:1 ratio and processed for ER fractionation. Samples containing labeled and unlabeled proteins are separated by SDS–PAGE, bands are digested with trypsin and the resulting peptides analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Proteins are identified using Bioworks software and the Swiss-Prot data-base, whereas ratios of protein expression between treated and untreated cells are quantified using ZoomQuant software. Data visualization is facilitated by GeneSpring software. proteomics PMID:21082445

Hypersonic Shock Wave Computations Using the Generalized Boltzmann Equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Ramesh; Chen, Rui; Cheremisin, Felix G.

2006-11-01

Hypersonic shock structure in diatomic gases is computed by solving the Generalized Boltzmann Equation (GBE), where the internal and translational degrees of freedom are considered in the framework of quantum and classical mechanics respectively [1]. The computational framework available for the standard Boltzmann equation [2] is extended by including both the rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom in the GBE. There are two main difficulties encountered in computation of high Mach number flows of diatomic gases with internal degrees of freedom: (1) a large velocity domain is needed for accurate numerical description of the distribution function resulting in enormous computational effort in calculation of the collision integral, and (2) about 50 energy levels are needed for accurate representation of the rotational spectrum of the gas. Our methodology addresses these problems, and as a result the efficiency of calculations has increased by several orders of magnitude. The code has been validated by computing the shock structure in Nitrogen for Mach numbers up to 25 including the translational and rotational degrees of freedom. [1] Beylich, A., ``An Interlaced System for Nitrogen Gas,'' Proc. of CECAM Workshop, ENS de Lyon, France, 2000. [2] Cheremisin, F., ``Solution of the Boltzmann Kinetic Equation for High Speed Flows of a Rarefied Gas,'' Proc. of the 24th Int. Symp. on Rarefied Gas Dynamics, Bari, Italy, 2004.

On the link between potential evaporation and regional evaporation from a CBL perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lhomme, J. P.; Guilioni, L.

2010-07-01

The relationship between potential evaporation and actual evaporation was first examined by Bouchet (Proc Berkeley Calif Symp IAHS Publ, 62:134-142, 1963) who considered potential evaporation as the consequence of regional evaporation due to atmospheric feedbacks. Using a heuristic approach, he derived a complementary relationship which, despite no real theoretical background, has proven to be very useful in interpreting many experimental data under various climatic conditions. Here, the relationship between actual and potential evaporation is reinterpreted in the context of the development of the convective boundary layer (CBL): first, with a closed-box approach, where the CBL has an impermeable lid; and then with an open system, where air is exchanged between the CBL and its external environment. By applying steady forcing to these systems, it is shown that an equilibrium state is reached, where potential evaporation has a specific equilibrium formulation as a function of two parameters: one representing large-scale advection and the other the feedback effect of regional evaporation on potential evaporation, i.e. a kind of “medium-scale advection”. It is also shown that the original form of Bouchet’s complementary relationship is not verified in the equilibrium state. This analysis leads us to propose a new and more rational approach of the relationship between potential and actual evaporation through the effective surface resistance of the region.

An Improved Analysis of the Sevoflurane-Benzene Structure by Chirped Pulse Ftmw Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seifert, Nathan A.; Perez, Cristobal; Zaleski, Daniel P.; Neill, Justin L.; Pate, Brooks H.; Lesarri, Alberto; Vallejo, Montserrat; Cocinero, Emilio J.; Castano, Fernando; Kleiner, Isabelle

2013-06-01

Recent improvements to the 2-8 GHz CP-FTMW spectrometer at University of Virginia have improved the structural and spectroscopic analysis of the sevoflurane-benzene cluster. Previously reported results, although robust, were limited to a fit of the a-type transitions of the normal species in the determination of the six-fold barrier to benzene internal rotation. Structural analysis was limited to the benzene hydrogen atom positions using benzene-d_{1}. The increased sensitivity of the new 2-8 GHz setup allows for a full internal rotation analysis of the a- and c-type transitions of the normal species, which was performed with BELGI. A fit value for V_{6} of 32.868(11) cm^{-1} is determined. Additionally, a full substitution structure of the benzene carbon atom positions was determined in natural abundance. Also, new measurements of a sevoflurane/benzene-d_{1} mixture enabled detection of 33 of the 60 possible ^{2}D / ^{13}C double isotopologues. This abundance of isotopic data, a total of 45 isotopologues, enabled a full heavy atom least-squares r_{0} structure fit for the complex, including positions for all seven fluorines in sevoflurane. N. A. Seifert, D. P. Zaleski, J. L. Neill, B. H. Pate, A. Lesarri, M. Vallejo, E. J. Cocinero, F. Castańo. 67th OSU Int. Symp. On Mol. Spectrosc., Columbus, OH, 2012, MH13.

STELLAR CONTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS IN THE AGE OF CHEMICAL STRATIFICATION

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowley, Charles; Sheminova, Valya; Castelli, Fiorella; Monier, Richard

2018-01-01

Contribution functions (CF's) were important tools to probe formation depths of features in the early numerical calculations of analytical stellar spectroscopy. In more recent work, CF's have played a minor role. Gray's (2005) text briefly discusses CF's, but CF's are not in Hubeny and Mihalas (2015). Gurtovenko and Sheminova (2015) give an extensive review of contribution functions in a recent preprint (arXiv:1505.00975). The realization that the atmospheres of certain stars are chemically stratified (Ryabchikova, Wade \\& LeBlanc, 2003, in IAU Symp. 210), and much subsequent work makes CF's of current interest. We employ new as well as older methods to compute CF's to find important layers, either for specific intensity or line depth for various points on the line profile. The most important layer is the one that causes the biggest change in the magnitude of the feature when the line absorption coefficient is set equal to zero for successive layers. This is readily done for a stratified or unstratified model. For an equivalent width, W, we calculate $(W-W_i/W) $, where $W_i$ is the equivalent width without absorption from the $i^th$ layer. We concentrate on cases where stratification is most obvious, for example, the Ca II K-line profile in the roAp stars and HR 6000 (Castelli, et al. 2017, A\\&A, 601, A119).

Targeting brain serotonin synthesis: insights into neurodevelopmental disorders with long-term outcomes related to negative emotionality, aggression and antisocial behaviour.

PubMed

Lesch, Klaus-Peter; Araragi, Naozumi; Waider, Jonas; van den Hove, Daniel; Gutknecht, Lise

2012-09-05

Aggression, which comprises multi-faceted traits ranging from negative emotionality to antisocial behaviour, is influenced by an interaction of biological, psychological and social variables. Failure in social adjustment, aggressiveness and violence represent the most detrimental long-term outcome of neurodevelopmental disorders. With the exception of brain-specific tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (Tph2), which generates serotonin (5-HT) in raphe neurons, the contribution of gene variation to aggression-related behaviour in genetically modified mouse models has been previously appraised (Lesch 2005 Novartis Found Symp. 268, 111-140; Lesch & Merschdorf 2000 Behav. Sci. Law 18, 581-604). Genetic inactivation of Tph2 function in mice led to the identification of phenotypic changes, ranging from growth retardation and late-onset obesity, to enhanced conditioned fear response, increased aggression and depression-like behaviour. This spectrum of consequences, which are amplified by stress-related epigenetic interactions, are attributable to deficient brain 5-HT synthesis during development and adulthood. Human data relating altered TPH2 function to personality traits of negative emotionality and neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in cognitive control and emotion regulation are based on genetic association and are therefore not as robust as the experimental mouse results. Mouse models in conjunction with approaches focusing on TPH2 variants in humans provide unexpected views of 5-HT's role in brain development and in disorders related to negative emotionality, aggression and antisocial behaviour.

What's in a Name?FRAMING:Martin-Bradshaw DYSfunctionality = Siegel ``Buzzwordism,Bandwagonism&Sloganeering For: Fun, Profit,Survival,Ego": From SOC to FLT Proof to High-Tc to Spintronics to Giant-Magnetoresistance: Ethics??? SHMETHICS!!! Rampant Sociolog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegel, Edward

2008-03-01

Buzzwordism,Bandwagonism,Sloganeering for:Fun,Profit,Survival, Ego=ethics DYSunctionality: Digits log-law: Siegel INVERSION: bosons=digits; Excluded d=0? P(0)=oo V P(1)Symp.Scaling,1990-proving SOC=F=ma Fourier-transform=AE]: 1971<1987: Not Per Bak, but PRE Bak!(ie Pure Bunk!) Bednorz-Mueller cuprates V Raveau-Chu TRUE high-Tc! Emery SC 3-band V Siegel multi-band Hubbard-mdls[J.Mag.Mag. Mtls.(1976-1980);APS March Mtgs.,1987-on];Intl.Conf.High-Tc:Stanford,1987;Berkeley,1987); WorldCong.SC, 1992]: 1970s<1993! Anderson SC RVB V Overhauser CORRECT SS/CDWs:1960s<1987. Fert-Grunberg GMR V decade-earlier Siegel[JMMM.7,31(1978);Mayo,Village Voice,p.40(8/21/78):1978<1988!!!A la Brian Martin-John Bradshaw addictions 12-step recovery programs[Healing SHAME That BINDS YOU]: One is only as SICK as one's SECRETS! Ethics? SHMETHICS! RAMPANT ethical DYSfunctionality!!!

Isotopologue-Sensitive Detection Using Chirped-Pulse Ft-Mw Spectroscopy: Minor Species of Propofol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesarri, Alberto; Neill, Justin; Muckle, Matt; Shipman, Steven T.; Pate, Brooks H.; Suenram, Richard D.; Caminati, Walther

2009-06-01

The capabilities of chirped-pulse FT-microwave spectroscopy to achieve full-bandwidth (11 GHz) isotopologue-sensitive detection have been tested on the 13-heavy atoms molecule of propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol). The analysis of the rotational spectrum using moderate signal averaging (10 k FIDs) had previously detected the presence of two conformers arising from the combined internal rotations of the hydroxyl and the two isopropyl groups. In the new experiment reported here 600 k FID's were coherently averaged, using three pulsed nozzle sources and reading multiple FIDs per sample injection cycle to reduce the total acquisition time and sample consumption. The new spectrum revealed a very large number of weak transitions, suggesting that full-band ^{13}C sensitivity had been surpassed. The new data have resulted in the assignment of a third conformer of propofol, followed by all twelve ^{13}C-monosubstituted species in natural abundance for the most stable conformer. The isotopic information confirmed the molecular structure for the preferred conformation of propofol, validating the ab initio predictions for this compound. The potential function for the OH internal rotation has been determined using a flexible model. A. Lesarri, S. T. Shipman, G. G. Brown, L. Alvarez-Valtierra, R. D. Suenram and B. H. Pate, 63^rd OSU Int. Symp. On Mol. Spectrosc., Columbus, OH, 2008, RH07 In the

Clinical performance of the novel DiaSorin LIAISON(®) XL murex: HBsAg Quant, HCV-Ab, HIV-Ab/Ag assays.

PubMed

Krawczyk, Adalbert; Hintze, Christian; Ackermann, Jessica; Goitowski, Birgit; Trippler, Martin; Grüner, Nico; Neumann-Fraune, Maria; Verheyen, Jens; Fiedler, Melanie

2014-01-01

The fully automated and closed LIAISON(®)XL platform was developed for reliable detection of infection markers like hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies (Ab) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-Ag/Ab. To date, less is known about the diagnostic performance of this system in direct comparison to the common Abbott ARCHITECT(®) platform. We compared the diagnostic performance and usability of the DiaSorin LIAISON(®)XL with the commonly used Abbott ARCHITECT(®) system. The qualitative performance of the above mentioned assays was compared in about 500 sera. Quantitative tests were performed for HBsAg-positive samples from patients under therapy (n=289) and in vitro expressed mutants (n=37). For HCV-Ab, a total number of 155 selected samples from patients chronically infected with different HCV genotypes were tested. The concordance between both systems was 99.4% for HBsAg, 98.81% for HCV-Ab, and 99.6% for HIV-Ab/Ag. The quantitative LIAISON(®)XL murex HBsAg assay detected all mutants in comparable amounts to the HBsAg wild type and yielded highly reliable HBsAg kinetics in patients treated with antiviral drugs. Dilution experiments using the 2nd International Standard for HBsAg (WHO) showed a high accuracy of this test. HCV-Ab from patients infected with genotypes 1-3 were equally detected in both systems. Interestingly, S/CO levels of HCV-Ab from patients infected with genotype 3 seem to be relatively low using both systems. The LIAISON(®)XL platform proved to be an excellent system for diagnostics of HBV, HCV, and HIV with equal performance compared to the ARCHITECT(®) system. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Corrigendum to "The discrete dipole approximation: An overview and recent developments" [J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 106 (2007) 558-589

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yurkin, Maxim A.; Hoekstra, Alfons G.

2016-03-01

The review [1] is still widely used as a general reference to the discrete dipole approximation, which motivates keeping it as accurate as possible. In the following we correct several errors, mostly typographical ones, which were uncovered over the years.

The ν_3 and ν_4 Bands of Nitric Acid (HNO_3) at 7.6 μm for Atmospheric Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perrin, A.; Flaud, J. M.; Ridolfi, M.; Carlotti, M.

2012-06-01

Nitric acid (HNO_3) plays an important role as a reservoir molecule of the NO_x (nitrogen oxides) species in the stratosphere. The three strongest infrared bands of nitric acid are located at 11 μm (ν_5 and 2ν_9 bands), 7.6 μm (the ν_3 and ν_4 bands at 1326 and 1303 cm-1) and 5.8 μm (ν_2 band). Although two times weaker than those located at 7.6 and 5.8 μm, the 11 μm region is the only one which is used for nitric acid retrievals in the atmosphere by several satellite instruments like MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding on ENVISAT) or ACE-FTS (ACE Fourier transform spectrometer on SCISAT). This is because the available spectroscopic parameters for HNO_3 in the HITRAN and GEISA databases are of very good quality in this spectral region. Of the two remaining bands, the 7.6 μm one is only partly masked by water, and therefore can be used also for nitric acid retrievals in the upper stratosphere. Moreover, because of their large difference in band intensity, combining measurements at 11 μm and 7.6 μm could maximize informations on the vertical distribution of HNO_3 in the atmosphere. However at 7.6 μm the spectroscopic parameters available in the HITRAN and GEISA databases are are not so good. Indeed, these parameters originate from a list generated more than 20 years ago. The low quality of the list at 7.6 μm prevents HNO_3 retrievals and severely affects the retrievals of several species absorbing in the 7.5-7.7 μm region, like SO_2. This work is a new and more accurate investigation of the line positions and intensities for the ν_3 and ν_4 bands of nitric acid located at 1326.187 and 1303.074 cm-1). For this task, we used new infrared laboratory data combined with a new theoretical model. Examples showing substantial improvements will be given. [1] Rothman et al. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf., 110, 533-572, 2009 [2] Jacquinet et al. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf., 112, 2395-2445, 2011 [3] A. Perrin, O. Lado

High accuracy laboratory spectroscopy to support active greenhouse gas sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, D. A.; Bielska, K.; Cygan, A.; Havey, D. K.; Okumura, M.; Miller, C. E.; Lisak, D.; Hodges, J. T.

2011-12-01

Recent carbon dioxide (CO2) remote sensing missions have set precision targets as demanding as 0.25% (1 ppm) in order to elucidate carbon sources and sinks [1]. These ambitious measurement targets will require the most precise body of spectroscopic reference data ever assembled. Active sensing missions will be especially susceptible to subtle line shape effects as the narrow bandwidth of these measurements will greatly limit the number of spectral transitions which are employed in retrievals. In order to assist these remote sensing missions we have employed frequency-stabilized cavity ring-down spectroscopy (FS-CRDS) [2], a high-resolution, ultrasensitive laboratory technique, to measure precise line shape parameters for transitions of O2, CO2, and other atmospherically-relevant species within the near-infrared. These measurements have led to new HITRAN-style line lists for both 16O2 [3] and rare isotopologue [4] transitions in the A-band. In addition, we have performed detailed line shape studies of CO2 transitions near 1.6 μm under a variety of broadening conditions [5]. We will address recent measurements in these bands as well as highlight recent instrumental improvements to the FS-CRDS spectrometer. These improvements include the use of the Pound-Drever-Hall locking scheme, a high bandwidth servo which enables measurements to be made at rates greater than 10 kHz [6]. In addition, an optical frequency comb will be utilized as a frequency reference, which should allow for transition frequencies to be measured with uncertainties below 10 kHz (3×10-7 cm-1). [1] C. E. Miller, D. Crisp, P. L. DeCola, S. C. Olsen, et al., J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos. 112, D10314 (2007). [2] J. T. Hodges, H. P. Layer, W. W. Miller, G. E. Scace, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75, 849-863 (2004). [3] D. A. Long, D. K. Havey, M. Okumura, C. E. Miller, et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 111, 2021-2036 (2010). [4] D. A. Long, D. K. Havey, S. S. Yu, M. Okumura, et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc

An integrated, open-source set of tools for urban vulnerability monitoring from Earth observation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Vecchi, Daniele; Harb, Mostapha; Dell'Acqua, Fabio; Aurelio Galeazzo, Daniel

2015-04-01

Aim: The paper introduces an integrated set of open-source tools designed to process medium and high-resolution imagery with the aim to extract vulnerability indicators [1]. Problem: In the context of risk monitoring [2], a series of vulnerability proxies can be defined, such as the extension of a built-up area or buildings regularity [3]. Different open-source C and Python libraries are already available for image processing and geospatial information (e.g. OrfeoToolbox, OpenCV and GDAL). They include basic processing tools but not vulnerability-oriented workflows. Therefore, it is of significant importance to provide end-users with a set of tools capable to return information at a higher level. Solution: The proposed set of python algorithms is a combination of low-level image processing and geospatial information handling tools along with high-level workflows. In particular, two main products are released under the GPL license: source code, developers-oriented, and a QGIS plugin. These tools were produced within the SENSUM project framework (ended December 2014) where the main focus was on earthquake and landslide risk. Further development and maintenance is guaranteed by the decision to include them in the platform designed within the FP 7 RASOR project . Conclusion: With the lack of a unified software suite for vulnerability indicators extraction, the proposed solution can provide inputs for already available models like the Global Earthquake Model. The inclusion of the proposed set of algorithms within the RASOR platforms can guarantee support and enlarge the community of end-users. Keywords: Vulnerability monitoring, remote sensing, optical imagery, open-source software tools References [1] M. Harb, D. De Vecchi, F. Dell'Acqua, "Remote sensing-based vulnerability proxies in the EU FP7 project SENSUM", Symposium on earthquake and landslide risk in Central Asia and Caucasus: exploiting remote sensing and geo-spatial information management, 29-30th January 2014

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marion, Antoine; Monard, Gérald; Ruiz-López, Manuel F., E-mail: Manuel.Ruiz@univ-lorraine.fr

In this work, we present a study of the ability of different semiempirical methods to describe intermolecular interactions in water solution. In particular, we focus on methods based on the Neglect of Diatomic Differential Overlap approximation. Significant improvements of these methods have been reported in the literature in the past years regarding the description of non-covalent interactions. In particular, a broad range of methodologies has been developed to deal with the properties of hydrogen-bonded systems, with varying degrees of success. In contrast, the interactions between water and a molecule containing hydrophobic groups have been little analyzed. Indeed, by considering themore » potential energy surfaces obtained using different semiempirical Hamiltonians for the intermolecular interactions of model systems, we found that none of the available methods provides an entirely satisfactory description of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions in water. In addition, a vibrational analysis carried out in a model system for these interactions, a methane clathrate cluster, showed that some recent methods cannot be used to carry out studies of vibrational properties. Following a procedure established in our group [M. I. Bernal-Uruchurtu, M. T. C. Martins-Costa, C. Millot, and M. F. Ruiz-López, J. Comput. Chem. 21, 572 (2000); W. Harb, M. I. Bernal-Uruchurtu, and M. F. Ruiz-López, Theor. Chem. Acc. 112, 204 (2004)], we developed new parameters for the core-core interaction terms based on fitting potential energy curves obtained at the MP2 level for our model system. We investigated the transferability of the new parameters to describe a system, having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, interacting with water. We found that only by introducing two different sets of parameters for hydrophilic and hydrophobic hydrogen atom types we are able to match the features of the ab initio calculated properties. Once this assumption is made, a good agreement

Archaeological Geophysics in Israel: Past, Present and Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eppelbaum, L. V.

2009-04-01

. Application of multifocusing seismic processing to the GPR data analysis. Proceed. of the Symp. on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems, Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, USA, 597-606. Borradaile, G. J., 2003. Viscous magnetization, archaeology and Bayesian statistics of small samples from Israel and England. Geophysical Research Letters, 30 (10), 1528, doi:10.1029/2003GL016977. Boyce, J.I., Reinhardt, E.G., Raban, A., and Pozza, M.R., 2004. The utility of marine magnetic surveying for mapping buried hydraulic concrete harbour structures: Marine Magnetic Survey of a Submerged Roman Harbour, Caesarea Maritima, Israel. The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 33, 1, 122-136. Bruins, H.J., van der Plicht, J., and Mazar, A., 2003. 14C dates from Tel-Rehov: Iron-age chronology, Pharaohs and Hebrew kings. Science, 300, 315-318. Daniels, J., Blumberg, D.J., Vulfson, L.D., Kotlyar, A.L., Freiliker, V., Ronen, G., and Ben-Asher, J., 2003. Microwave remote sensing of physically buried objects in the Negev Desert: implications for environmental research. Remote Sensing of Environment, 86, 243-256, 2003. Dolphin, L.T., 1981. Geophysical methods for archaeological surveys in Israel. Stanford Research International, Menlo Park, Calif., USA, 7 pp. Ellenblum, R., Marco, M., Agnon, A., Rockwell, T., and Boas, A., 1998. Crusader castle torn apart by earthquake at dawn, 20 May 1202. Geology, 26, No. 4, 303-306. Eppelbaum, L.V., 1999. Quantitative interpretation of resistivity anomalies using advanced methods developed in magnetic prospecting. Trans. of the XXIV General Assembly of the Europ. Geoph. Soc., Strasburg 1 (1), p.166. Eppelbaum, L.V., 2000a. Detailed geophysical investigations at archaeological sites. In: (Ed. A. Nissenbaum), Relation between archaeology and other scientific disciplines, Collection of Papers, Weitzman Inst., Rehovot, Israel, No.8, 39-54 (in Hebrew). Eppelbaum, L.V., 2000b. Applicability of geophysical methods for

Binding of D-phenylalanine and D-tyrosine to carboxypeptidase A.

PubMed

Christianson, D W; Mangani, S; Shoham, G; Lipscomb, W N

1989-08-05

The structures of the complexes of carboxypeptidase A with the amino acids D-phenylalanine and D-tyrosine are reported as determined by x-ray crystallographic methods to a resolution of 2.0 A. In each individual study one molecule of amino acids binds to the enzyme in the COOH-terminal hydrophobic pocket: the carboxylate of the bound ligand salt links with Arg-145, and the alpha-amino group salt links with Glu-270. The carboxylate of Glu-270 must break its hydrogen bond with the native zinc-bound water molecule in order to exploit the latter interaction. This result is in accord with spectroscopic studies which indicate that the binding of D or L amino acids (or analogues thereof) allows for more facile displacement of the metal-bound water by anions (Bicknell, R., Schaffer, A., Bertini, I., Luchinat, C., Vallee, B. L., and Auld, D. S. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 1050-1057). Additionally, we observe a significant movement of the zinc-bound water molecule (approximately 1 A) upon the binding of D-ligands. We propose that this unanticipated movement also contributes to anion sensitivity. The structural results of the current x-ray study correct predictions made in an early model building study regarding the binding of D-phenylalanine (Lipscomb, W. N., Hartsuck, J. A., Reeke, G. N., Jr., Quiocho, F. A., Bethge, P. H., Ludwig, M. L., Steitz, T. A., Muirhead, H., and Coppola, J. C. (1968) Brookhaven Symp. Biol. 21, 24-90).

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Companions to nearby stars from Pan-STARRS 1 (Deacon+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deacon, N. R.; Liu, M. C.; Magnier, E. A.; Aller, K. M.; Best, W. M. J.; Dupuy, T.; Bowler, B. P.; Mann, A. W.; Redstone, J. A.; Burgett, W. S.; Chambers, K. C.; Draper, P. W.; Flewelling, H.; Hodapp, K. W.; Kaiser, N.; Kudritzki, R.-P.; Morgan, J. S.; Metcalfe, N.; Price, P. A.; Tonry, J. L.; Wainscoat, R. J.

2017-04-01

Pan-STARRS 1 is a wide-field 1.8m telescope situated on Haleakala on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. Run by a consortium of astronomical research institutions, it has been surveying the sky north of δ=-30° since 2010 May. Just over half of the telescope's operating time is reserved for the 3π Survey, a multi-filter, multi-epoch survey of three-fourths of the sky (~30,000 deg2). We conducted our search over several iterations of the Pan-STARRS 1 3π database. In all our searches we queried the most up-to-date Pan-STARRS 1 3π database using the Desktop Virtual Observatory software (Magnier et al. 2008, IAU Symp. 248, A Giant Step: from Milli- to Micro-arcsecond Astrometry (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press), 553). Initially, our search involved combining 2MASS and Pan-STARRS 1 data to calculate proper motions in a similar process to that used by Deacon et al. (2011, J/AJ/142/77). For this PS1 + 2MASS search, we required that objects had more than one detection in the yP1 band. PS1 detections were required to have a significance greater than 5σ to be included in the astrometric and photometric solutions of their parent object. We also required that the objects be classified as good quality, point-source detections in both Pan-STARRS 1 and 2MASS. (10 data files).

Proteome-wide characterization of the RNA-binding protein RALY-interactome using the in vivo-biotinylation-pulldown-quant (iBioPQ) approach.

PubMed

Tenzer, Stefan; Moro, Albertomaria; Kuharev, Jörg; Francis, Ashwanth Christopher; Vidalino, Laura; Provenzani, Alessandro; Macchi, Paolo

2013-06-07

RALY is a member of the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins, a family of RNA-binding proteins generally involved in many processes of mRNA metabolism. No quantitative proteomic analysis of RALY-containing ribonucleoparticles (RNPs) has been performed so far, and the biological role of RALY remains elusive. Here, we present a workflow for the characterization of RALY's interaction partners, termed iBioPQ, that involves in vivo biotinylation of biotin acceptor peptide (BAP)-fused protein in the presence of the prokaryotic biotin holoenzyme synthetase of BirA so that it can be purified using streptavidin-coated magnetic beads, circumventing the need for specific antibodies and providing efficient pulldowns. Protein eluates were subjected to tryptic digestion and identified using data-independent acquisition on an ion-mobility enabled high-resolution nanoUPLC-QTOF system. Using label-free quantification, we identified 143 proteins displaying at least 2-fold difference in pulldown compared to controls. Gene Ontology overrepresentation analysis revealed an enrichment of proteins involved in mRNA metabolism and translational control. Among the most abundant interacting proteins, we confirmed RNA-dependent interactions of RALY with MATR3, PABP1 and ELAVL1. Comparative analysis of pulldowns after RNase treatment revealed a protein-protein interaction of RALY with eIF4AIII, FMRP, and hnRNP-C. Our data show that RALY-containing RNPs are much more heterogeneous than previously hypothesized.

Framework for measuring adaptive knowledge-rich systems performance.

PubMed

Bushko, Renata G

2005-01-01

The universe is non repeatable in nature--most of events cannot be prestated and do not repeat themselves. The only way to create systems that are truly useful is to make them adaptive (able to reason by analogy and learn) and rich in knowledge (including common sense knowledge). Adaptive and knowledge-rich health management could get us closer to errorless health care where small incremental adjustments happen all the time preventing occurrence of an error. In the era of adaptive systems we need to have a way to evaluate their performance. Are they truly adaptive? How adaptive are they? Are they accurate enough? Are they fast enough? Are they cost effective? This chapter presents general framework for measuring adaptive knowledge-rich systems' performance and includes among others definitions of adaptiveness factor, britt (a unit of brittleness) and uso-quant (unit of usefulness of a piece of knowledge). Measuring adaptive knowledge-rich systems performance is one of the most important research areas that can have a big pay-off in healthcare now and in the future.

Operationalizing hippocampal volume as an enrichment biomarker for amnestic MCI trials: effect of algorithm, test-retest variability and cut-point on trial cost, duration and sample size

PubMed Central

Yu, P.; Sun, J.; Wolz, R.; Stephenson, D.; Brewer, J.; Fox, N.C.; Cole, P.E.; Jack, C.R.; Hill, D.L.G.; Schwarz, A.J.

2014-01-01

Objective To evaluate the effect of computational algorithm, measurement variability and cut-point on hippocampal volume (HCV)-based patient selection for clinical trials in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods We used normal control and amnestic MCI subjects from ADNI-1 as normative reference and screening cohorts. We evaluated the enrichment performance of four widely-used hippocampal segmentation algorithms (FreeSurfer, HMAPS, LEAP and NeuroQuant) in terms of two-year changes in MMSE, ADAS-Cog and CDR-SB. We modeled the effect of algorithm, test-retest variability and cut-point on sample size, screen fail rates and trial cost and duration. Results HCV-based patient selection yielded not only reduced sample sizes (by ~40–60%) but also lower trial costs (by ~30–40%) across a wide range of cut-points. Overall, the dependence on the cut-point value was similar for the three clinical instruments considered. Conclusion These results provide a guide to the choice of HCV cut-point for aMCI clinical trials, allowing an informed trade-off between statistical and practical considerations. PMID:24211008

Interferometric visibility and coherence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswas, Tanmoy; García Díaz, María; Winter, Andreas

2017-07-01

Recently, the basic concept of quantum coherence (or superposition) has gained a lot of renewed attention, after Baumgratz et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 140401. (doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.140401)), following Åberg (http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0612146), have proposed a resource theoretic approach to quantify it. This has resulted in a large number of papers and preprints exploring various coherence monotones, and debating possible forms for the resource theory. Here, we take the view that the operational foundation of coherence in a state, be it quantum or otherwise wave mechanical, lies in the observation of interference effects. Our approach here is to consider an idealized multi-path interferometer, with a suitable detector, in such a way that the visibility of the interference pattern provides a quantitative expression of the amount of coherence in a given probe state. We present a general framework of deriving coherence measures from visibility, and demonstrate it by analysing several concrete visibility parameters, recovering some known coherence measures and obtaining some new ones.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jin Fengtao; Yuan Jianmin

The experimental transmission spectrum of a hot bromine plasma [J. E. Bailey et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 81, 31 (2003)] has been simulated by using a detailed level accounting model (DLA). With assumption of the local thermodynamic equilibrium, the major absorption lines of the experimental spectrum are well reproduced by the present DLA calculation, and the details of the absorption line shapes are used to determine the temperature of the plasma. In contrast to the results of two former statistical models, where the temperature was determined via a global fitting to the experimental data, the present DLA diagnosesmore » the plasma temperature by the line ratios of different charge states in the 2p{yields}3d transition groups resulting in a temperature of 37 eV. It is shown that a change of 1 eV in temperature could cause perceptible changes in the simulated spectrum. It is also shown that the 2p{sub 1/2}{yields}3d{sub 3/2} absorptions have been overestimated by the statistical models.« less

Study of quantum correlation swapping with relative entropy methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Chuanmei; Liu, Yimin; Chen, Jianlan; Zhang, Zhanjun

2016-02-01

To generate long-distance shared quantum correlations (QCs) for information processing in future quantum networks, recently we proposed the concept of QC repeater and its kernel technique named QC swapping. Besides, we extensively studied the QC swapping between two simple QC resources (i.e., a pair of Werner states) with four different methods to quantify QCs (Xie et al. in Quantum Inf Process 14:653-679, 2015). In this paper, we continue to treat the same issue by employing other three different methods associated with relative entropies, i.e., the MPSVW method (Modi et al. in Phys Rev Lett 104:080501, 2010), the Zhang method (arXiv:1011.4333 [quant-ph]) and the RS method (Rulli and Sarandy in Phys Rev A 84:042109, 2011). We first derive analytic expressions of all QCs which occur during the swapping process and then reveal their properties about monotonicity and threshold. Importantly, we find that a long-distance shared QC can be generated from two short-distance ones via QC swapping indeed. In addition, we simply compare our present results with our previous ones.

QED multi-dimensional vacuum polarization finite-difference solver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carneiro, Pedro; Grismayer, Thomas; Silva, Luís; Fonseca, Ricardo

2015-11-01

The Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) is expected to deliver peak intensities of 1023 - 1024 W/cm2 allowing to probe nonlinear Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) phenomena in an unprecedented regime. Within the framework of QED, the second order process of photon-photon scattering leads to a set of extended Maxwell's equations [W. Heisenberg and H. Euler, Z. Physik 98, 714] effectively creating nonlinear polarization and magnetization terms that account for the nonlinear response of the vacuum. To model this in a self-consistent way, we present a multi dimensional generalized Maxwell equation finite difference solver with significantly enhanced dispersive properties, which was implemented in the OSIRIS particle-in-cell code [R.A. Fonseca et al. LNCS 2331, pp. 342-351, 2002]. We present a detailed numerical analysis of this electromagnetic solver. As an illustration of the properties of the solver, we explore several examples in extreme conditions. We confirm the theoretical prediction of vacuum birefringence of a pulse propagating in the presence of an intense static background field [arXiv:1301.4918 [quant-ph

The millimeter-wavelength sulfur dioxide absorption spectra measured under simulated Venus conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellotti, Amadeo; Steffes, Paul G.

2015-07-01

Over 130 laboratory measurements of the 2-4 mm wavelength opacity of sulfur dioxide in a carbon dioxide atmosphere under simulated conditions for the upper Venus troposphere (temperatures between 308 and 343 K and pressures between 0.03 and 2 bar) have been made. These measurements along with the centimeter wavelength measurements by Steffes et al. (Steffes, P.G. et al. [2015]. Icarus 245, 153-161) have been used to empirically assess existing formalisms for sulfur dioxide opacity in a carbon dioxide atmosphere (Fahd, A.K., Steffes, P.G. [1992]. Icarus 97(2), 200-210; Suleiman, S.H. et al. [1996]. J. Geophys. Res.: Planets 101(E2), 4623-4635). The Van Vleck and Weisskopf Model (VVW) used by Fahd and Steffes with the JPL rotational line catalog (Pickett, H. et al. [1998]. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 60(5), 499-890) was found to fit 85.88% of all 500 measurements within the 2-sigma uncertainty. This work will improve the confidence in retrievals of the atmospheric abundance of sulfur dioxide from millimeter-wavelength observations of the Venus atmosphere.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mamaluy, Denis; Gao, Xujiao; Tierney, Brian David

We created a highly efficient, universal 3D quant um transport simulator. We demonstrated that the simulator scales linearly - both with the problem size (N) and number of CPUs, which presents an important break-through in the field of computational nanoelectronics. It allowed us, for the first time, to accurately simulate and optim ize a large number of realistic nanodevices in a much shorter time, when compared to other methods/codes such as RGF[%7EN 2.333 ]/KNIT, KWANT, and QTBM[%7EN 3 ]/NEMO5. In order to determine the best-in-class for different beyond-CMOS paradigms, we performed rigorous device optimization for high-performance logic devices at 6-,more » 5- and 4-nm gate lengths. We have discovered that there exists a fundamental down-scaling limit for CMOS technology and other Field-Effect Transistors (FETs). We have found that, at room temperatures, all FETs, irre spective of their channel material, will start experiencing unacceptable level of thermally induced errors around 5-nm gate lengths.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brady, P.; Ditmire, T.; Horton, W.

Magnetosphere-solar wind interactions are simulated in a laboratory setting with a small permanent magnet driven by two types of supersonic plasma wind sources. The first higher speed, shorter duration plasma wind is from a laser blow-off plasma while the second longer duration, lower speed plasma wind is produced with a capacitor discharge driven coaxial electrode creating plasma jets. The stand off distance of the solar wind from the magnetosphere was measured to be 1.7{+-}0.3 cm for the laser-produced plasma experiment and 0.87{+-}0.03 cm for the coaxial electrode plasma experiment. The stand off distance of the plasma was calculated using datamore » from HYADES[J. T. Larsen and S. M. Lane, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 51, 179 (1994)] as 1.46{+-}0.02 cm for the laser-produced plasma, and estimated for the coaxial plasma jet as r{sub mp}=0.72{+-}0.07 cm. Plasma build up on the poles of the magnets, consistent with magnetosphere systems, was also observed.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Demianowicz, Maciej; Horodecki, Pawel

We analyze different aspects of multiparty communication over quantum memoryless channels and generalize some of the key results known from bipartite channels to the multiparty scenario. In particular, we introduce multiparty versions of subspace and entanglement transmission fidelities. We also provide alternative, local, versions of fidelities and show their equivalence to the global ones in context of capacity regions defined. An equivalence of two different capacity notions with respect to two types of fidelities is proven. In analogy to the bipartite case it is shown, via sufficiency of isometric encoding theorem, that additional classical forward side channel does not increasemore » capacity region of any quantum channel with k senders and m receivers which represents a compact unit of general quantum networks theory. The result proves that recently provided capacity region of a multiple access channel [M. Horodecki et al., Nature 436, 673 (2005); J. Yard et al., e-print quant-ph/0501045], is optimal also in a scenario of an additional support of forward classical communication.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klaiman, Shachar; Gilary, Ido; Moiseyev, Nimrod

Analytical expressions for the resonances of the long-range potential (LRP), V(r)=a/r-b/r{sup 2}, as a function of the Hamiltonian parameters were derived by Doolen a long time ago [Int. J. Quant. Chem. 14, 523 (1979)]. Here we show that converged numerical results are obtained by applying the shifted complex scaling and the smooth-exterior scaling (SES) methods rather than the usual complex coordinate method (i.e., complex scaling). The narrow and broad shape-type resonances are shown to be localized inside or over the potential barrier and not inside the potential well. Therefore, the resonances for Doolen LRP's are not associated with the tunnelingmore » through the potential barrier as one might expect. The fact that the SES provides a universal reflection-free absorbing potential is, in particular, important in view of future applications. In particular, it is most convenient to calculate the molecular autoionizing resonances by adding one-electron complex absorbing potentials into the codes of the available quantum molecular electronic packages.« less

qcML: An Exchange Format for Quality Control Metrics from Mass Spectrometry Experiments*

PubMed Central

Walzer, Mathias; Pernas, Lucia Espona; Nasso, Sara; Bittremieux, Wout; Nahnsen, Sven; Kelchtermans, Pieter; Pichler, Peter; van den Toorn, Henk W. P.; Staes, An; Vandenbussche, Jonathan; Mazanek, Michael; Taus, Thomas; Scheltema, Richard A.; Kelstrup, Christian D.; Gatto, Laurent; van Breukelen, Bas; Aiche, Stephan; Valkenborg, Dirk; Laukens, Kris; Lilley, Kathryn S.; Olsen, Jesper V.; Heck, Albert J. R.; Mechtler, Karl; Aebersold, Ruedi; Gevaert, Kris; Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; Hermjakob, Henning; Kohlbacher, Oliver; Martens, Lennart

2014-01-01

Quality control is increasingly recognized as a crucial aspect of mass spectrometry based proteomics. Several recent papers discuss relevant parameters for quality control and present applications to extract these from the instrumental raw data. What has been missing, however, is a standard data exchange format for reporting these performance metrics. We therefore developed the qcML format, an XML-based standard that follows the design principles of the related mzML, mzIdentML, mzQuantML, and TraML standards from the HUPO-PSI (Proteomics Standards Initiative). In addition to the XML format, we also provide tools for the calculation of a wide range of quality metrics as well as a database format and interconversion tools, so that existing LIMS systems can easily add relational storage of the quality control data to their existing schema. We here describe the qcML specification, along with possible use cases and an illustrative example of the subsequent analysis possibilities. All information about qcML is available at http://code.google.com/p/qcml. PMID:24760958

qcML: an exchange format for quality control metrics from mass spectrometry experiments.

PubMed

Walzer, Mathias; Pernas, Lucia Espona; Nasso, Sara; Bittremieux, Wout; Nahnsen, Sven; Kelchtermans, Pieter; Pichler, Peter; van den Toorn, Henk W P; Staes, An; Vandenbussche, Jonathan; Mazanek, Michael; Taus, Thomas; Scheltema, Richard A; Kelstrup, Christian D; Gatto, Laurent; van Breukelen, Bas; Aiche, Stephan; Valkenborg, Dirk; Laukens, Kris; Lilley, Kathryn S; Olsen, Jesper V; Heck, Albert J R; Mechtler, Karl; Aebersold, Ruedi; Gevaert, Kris; Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; Hermjakob, Henning; Kohlbacher, Oliver; Martens, Lennart

2014-08-01

Quality control is increasingly recognized as a crucial aspect of mass spectrometry based proteomics. Several recent papers discuss relevant parameters for quality control and present applications to extract these from the instrumental raw data. What has been missing, however, is a standard data exchange format for reporting these performance metrics. We therefore developed the qcML format, an XML-based standard that follows the design principles of the related mzML, mzIdentML, mzQuantML, and TraML standards from the HUPO-PSI (Proteomics Standards Initiative). In addition to the XML format, we also provide tools for the calculation of a wide range of quality metrics as well as a database format and interconversion tools, so that existing LIMS systems can easily add relational storage of the quality control data to their existing schema. We here describe the qcML specification, along with possible use cases and an illustrative example of the subsequent analysis possibilities. All information about qcML is available at http://code.google.com/p/qcml. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Multicenter evaluation of an enzymatic method for glycated albumin.

PubMed

Paleari, Renata; Bonetti, Graziella; Callà, Cinzia; Carta, Mariarosa; Ceriotti, Ferruccio; Di Gaetano, Nicola; Ferri, Marilisa; Guerra, Elena; Lavalle, Gabriella; Cascio, Claudia Lo; Martino, Francesca Gabriela; Montagnana, Martina; Moretti, Marco; Santini, Gabriele; Scribano, Donata; Testa, Roberto; Vero, Anna; Mosca, Andrea

2017-06-01

The use of glycated albumin (GA) has been proposed as an additional glycemic control marker particularly useful in intermediate-term monitoring and in situation when HbA 1c test is not reliable. We have performed the first multicenter evaluation of the analytical performance of the enzymatic method quantILab Glycated Albumin assay implemented on the most widely used clinical chemistry analyzers (i.e. Abbott Architect C8000, Beckman Coulter AU 480 and 680, Roche Cobas C6000, Siemens ADVIA 2400 and 2400 XPT). The repeatability of the GA measurement (expressed as CV, %) implemented in the participating centers ranged between 0.9% and 1.2%. The within-laboratory CVs ranged between 1.2% and 1.6%. A good alignment between laboratories was found, with correlation coefficients from 0.996 to 0.998. Linearity was confirmed in the range from 7.6 to 84.7%. The new enzymatic method for glycated albumin evaluated by our investigation is suitable for clinical use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the Reproducibility of Label-Free Quantitative Cross-Linking/Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, Fränze; Fischer, Lutz; Chen, Zhuo Angel; Auchynnikava, Tania; Rappsilber, Juri

2018-02-01

Quantitative cross-linking/mass spectrometry (QCLMS) is an emerging approach to study conformational changes of proteins and multi-subunit complexes. Distinguishing protein conformations requires reproducibly identifying and quantifying cross-linked peptides. Here we analyzed the variation between multiple cross-linking reactions using bis[sulfosuccinimidyl] suberate (BS3)-cross-linked human serum albumin (HSA) and evaluated how reproducible cross-linked peptides can be identified and quantified by LC-MS analysis. To make QCLMS accessible to a broader research community, we developed a workflow that integrates the established software tools MaxQuant for spectra preprocessing, Xi for cross-linked peptide identification, and finally Skyline for quantification (MS1 filtering). Out of the 221 unique residue pairs identified in our sample, 124 were subsequently quantified across 10 analyses with coefficient of variation (CV) values of 14% (injection replica) and 32% (reaction replica). Thus our results demonstrate that the reproducibility of QCLMS is in line with the reproducibility of general quantitative proteomics and we establish a robust workflow for MS1-based quantitation of cross-linked peptides.

Target simulations with SCROLL non-LTE opacity/emissivity databases.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klapisch, M.; Colombant, D.; Bar-Shalom, A.

2001-10-01

SCROLL[1], a collisional radiative model and code based on superconfigurations, is able to compute high Z non-LTE opacities and emissivities accurately and efficiently. It was used to create opacity/emissivity databases for Pd, Lu, Au on a 50 temperatures/80 densities grid. Incident radiation field was shown to have no effect on opacities in the case of interest, and was not taken into account. These databases were introduced in the hydrocode FAST1D[2]. SCROLL also gives an ionization temperature Tz which is used in FAST1D to obtain non-LTE corrections to the equation of state. Results will be compared to those of a previous version using Busquet’s algorithm[3]. Work supported by USDOE under a contract with NRL. [1] A. Bar-Shalom, J. Oreg and M. Klapisch, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 65, 43(2000). [2] J. H. Gardner, A. J. Schmitt, J. P. Dahlburg, C. J. Pawley, S. E. Bodner, S. P. Obenschain, V. Serlin and Y. Aglitskiy, Phys. Plasmas, 5, 1935 (1998). [3] M. Busquet, Phys. Fluids B, 5, 4191 (1993).

Infrared Line Intensities for Formaldehyde from Simultaneous Measurements in the Infrared and Far Infrared Spectral Ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fissiaux, L.; Földes, T.; Tchana, F. Kwabia; Daumont, L.; Lepère, M.; Vander Auwera, J.

2011-06-01

Formaldehyde (H_2CO) is an important intermediate compound in the degradation of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including methane, in the terrestrial troposphere. Its observation using optical remote sensing in the infrared range relies on the 3.6 and 5.7 μm absorption bands. Band and individual line intensities have been reported in both ranges. With the present work, we aim to also derive infrared line intensities for formaldehyde, however relying on pure rotation line intensities and the known electric dipole moment to determine the particle density. Indeed, because formaldehyde polymerizes or degrades easily, the gas phase may contain polymerization or degradation products. Spectra of H_2CO diluted in 10 hPa of N_2 were therefore simultaneously recorded in the 20-60 Cm-1 and 3.6 μm ranges, respectively using a Bruker IFS125HR Fourier transform spectrometer and a tunable diode laser. see A. Perrin, D. Jacquemart, F. Kwabia Tchana, N. Lacome, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 110 (2009) 700-716, and references therein

Quantification of Wilms' tumor 1 mRNA by digital polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

Koizumi, Yuki; Furuya, Daisuke; Endo, Teruo; Asanuma, Kouichi; Yanagihara, Nozomi; Takahashi, Satoshi

2018-02-01

Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) is overexpressed in various hematopoietic tumors and widely used as a marker of minimal residual disease. WT1 mRNA has been analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). In the present study, we analyzed 40 peripheral blood and bone marrow samples obtained from cases of acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and myelodysplastic syndrome at Sapporo Medical University Hospital from April 2012 to January 2015. We performed quantification of WT1 was performed using QuantStudio 3D Digital PCR System (Thermo Fisher Scientific‎) and compared the results between digital PCR and real-time PCR technology. The correlation between digital PCR and real-time PCR was very strong (R = 0.99), and the detection limits of the two methods were equivalent. Digital PCR was able to accurately detect lower WT levels compared with real-time PCR. Digital PCR technology can thus be utilized to predict WT1/ABL1 expression level accurately and should thus be useful for diagnosis or the evaluation of drug efficiency in patients with leukemia.

Control of proliferation rate of N27 dopaminergic neurons using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation orientation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Yiwen; Hadimani, Ravi; Anantharam, Vellareddy; Kanthasamy, Anumantha; Jiles, David

2015-03-01

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been used to investigate possible treatments for a variety of neurological disorders. However, the effect that magnetic fields have on neurons has not been well documented in the literature. We have investigated the effect of different orientation of magnetic field generated by TMS coils with a monophasic stimulator on the proliferation rate of N27 neuronal cells cultured in flasks and multi-well plates. The proliferation rate of neurons would increase by exposed horizontally adherent N27 cells to a magnetic field pointing upward through the neuronal proliferation layer compared with the control group. On the other hand, proliferation rate would decrease in cells exposed to a magnetic field pointing downward through the neuronal growth layer compared with the control group. We confirmed results obtained from the Trypan-blue and automatic cell counting methods with those from the CyQuant and MTS cell viability assays. Our findings could have important implications for the preclinical development of TMS treatments of neurological disorders and represents a new method to control the proliferation rate of neuronal cells.

Biometric assessment of prostate cancer's metastatic potential.

PubMed

Cooper, C R; Emmett, N; Harris-Hooker, S; Patterson, R; Cooke, D B

1994-01-01

Currently, no protocol exists that can assess the metastatic potential of prostate adenocarcinoma. The reason for this is partly due to the lack of information on cellular changes that result in a tumor cell's becoming metastatic. In this investigation, attempts were made to devise a method that correlated with the metastatic potential of AT-1, Mat-Lu, and Mat-LyLu cell lines of the Dunning R-3327 rat prostatic adenocarcinoma system. To accomplish this, we applied BioQuant biometric parameters, i.e., area, shape factor, and cell motility. AT-1 had a lower shape factor and a greater area as compared with the more highly metastatic Mat-Lu subline. No significant difference in area or shape factor was detected between the AT-1 cell line and the highly metastatic Mat-LyLu line. However, the lowly metastatic AT-1 line had less motility as compared with the Mat-Lu and Mat-LyLu lines. This study revealed that metastatic potential could be partially predicted via area and shape factor and accurately predicted via cell motility.

High-speed single-photon signaling for daytime QKD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bienfang, Joshua; Restelli, Alessandro; Clark, Charles

2011-03-01

The distribution of quantum-generated cryptographic key at high throughputs can be critically limited by the performance of the systems' single-photon detectors. While noise and afterpulsing are considerations for all single-photon QKD systems, high-transmission rate systems also have critical detector timing-resolution and recovery time requirements. We present experimental results exploiting the high timing resolution and count-rate stability of modified single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) in our GHz QKD system operating over a 1.5 km free-space link that demonstrate the ability to apply extremely short temporal gates, enabling daytime free-space QKD with a 4% QBER. We also discuss recent advances in gating techniques for InGaAs SPADs that are suitable for high-speed fiber-based QKD. We present afterpulse-probability measurements that demonstrate the ability to support single-photon count rates above 100 MHz with low afterpulse probability. These results will benefit the design and characterization of free-space and fiber QKD systems. A. Restelli, J.C. Bienfang A. Mink, and C.W. Clark, IEEE J. Sel. Topics in Quant. Electron 16, 1084 (2010).

Effects of experimental otter trawling on benthic assemblages on Western Bank, northwest Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenchington, Ellen L. R.; Gilkinson, Kent D.; MacIsaac, Kevin G.; Bourbonnais-Boyce, Cynthia; Kenchington, Trevor J.; Smith, Stephen J.; Gordon, Donald C., Jr.

2006-10-01

The effects of otter trawling on a hard-bottom ecosystem on Western Bank on Canada's Scotian Shelf were examined experimentally from 1997 to 1999 with an asymmetrical BACI design. The site was located within an area that had been closed to fishing since 1987 to protect juvenile haddock. An experimental line was trawled 12-14 times on three separate occasions over a 20 month period. The benthic macrofauna and megafauna were sampled before and after trawling on both impact and control lines with both a grab and a photographic system. The 100 grab samples collected contained 341 taxa, primarily polychaetes, amphipods and molluscs, the majority (60%) of which were epifaunal. Biomass was dominated by the horse-mussel Modiolus modiolus, a long-lived bivalve, while the tube-building amphipod Ericthonius fasciatus was the most abundant species. Through the study period the benthos on the control lines showed little qualitative or quantitative change in individual taxa or community metrics. However, the abundance of 24 individual taxa (polychaetes, amphipods, echinoderms and molluscs) changed significantly, with the majority of these increasing. This resulted in a significantly different relative abundance of taxa between years as detected through ANOSIM. A significant change in relative biomass amongst the taxa was also observed. Trawling had few detectable immediate effects on the abundance or biomass of individual taxa and none on community composition. A few taxa, primarily a mixture of polychaetes and amphipods, decreased significantly after trawling and data from fish stomachs collected during the experiment (Kenchington, E.L., Gordon Jr., D.C., Bourbonnais-Boyce, C., MacIsaac, K.G., Gilkinson, K.D., McKeown, D.L., Vass, W.P., 2005. Effects of experimental otter trawling on the feeding of demersal fish on Western Bank, Nova Scotia. Amer. Fish. Soc. Symp. 41, 391-409) showed that some of these were scavenged by demersal fish. Fifteen taxa showed significant decreases

Anomalous Centrifugal Distortion in HDO and Spectroscopic Data Bases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coudert, L. H.

2015-06-01

. Molec. Spectrosc.~195 (1999) 73. Messer, De Lucia, and Helminger, J. Molec. Spectrosc.~105 (1984) 139; and Baskakov et al., Opt. Spectrosc.~63 (1987) 1016. Parekunnel et al., J. Molec. Spectrosc.~210 (2001) 28 Janca et al., J. Molec. Specrosc.~219 (2003) 132. Tennyson et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer~111 (2010) 2160. Rothman et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer~130 (2013) 4.

Erratum to "Rayleigh scattering cross-section measurements of nitrogen, argon, oxygen and air" J Quant Spectrosc Radiat Transf 147 (2014) 171-177

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thalman, Ryan; Zarzana, Kyle J.; Tolbert, Margaret A.; Volkamer, Rainer

2017-03-01

Tables 1 and 2 of the published material [1] contain a series of typographical errors. In Table 1 the exponent of the B term for N2 was corrected to 1012 and ν for the two N2 cases should be ν2 for the King correction factor. In Table 2 the units are (cm2×1027), the N2 calculation at 660.0 nm is 2.21×10-27 cm2 and the O2 calculation at 532.2 nm is 4.66×10-27 cm2.

Microwave Spectrum of the H_2S Dimer: Observation of K_{a}=1 Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Arijit; Mandal, Pankaj; Lovas, Frank J.; Medcraft, Chris; Arunan, Elangannan

2017-06-01

Large amplitude tunneling motions in (H_2S)_{2} complicate the analysis of its microwave spectrum. The previous rotational spectrum of (H_2S)_{2} was observed using the Balle-Flygare pulsed nozzle FT microwave spectrometers at NIST and IISc. For most isotopomers of (H_2S)_{2} a two state pattern of a-type K_{a}=0 transitions had been observed and were interpreted to arise from E_{1}^{+/-} and E_{2}^{+/-} states of the six tunneling states expected for (H_2S)_{2}. K_{a}=0 lines gave us only the distance between the acceptor and donor S atoms. The (B+C)/2 for E_{1} and E_{2} states were found to be 1749.3091(8) MHz and 1748.1090(8) MHz respectively. In this work, we have observed the K_{a}=1 microwave transitions which enable us to determine finer structural details of the dimer. The observation of the K_{a}=1 lines indicate that (H_2S)_{2} is not spherical in nature, their interactions do have some anisotropy. Preliminary assignment of K_{a}=1 lines for the E_{1} state results in B=1752.859 MHz and C=1745.780 MHz. We also report a new progression of lines which probably belongs to the parent isotopomers. F. J. Lovas, P. K. Mandal and E. Arunan, unpublished work P. K. Mandal Ph.D. Dissertation, Indian Institute of Science, (2005) F. J. Lovas, R. D. Suenram, and L. H. Coudert. 43rd Int.Symp. on Molecular Spectroscopy. (1988)

ROTATIONAL- SHOCK(S) Impulse-Jerk(I-J) [VS. T=I α] Plasticity/Fracture Burst Acoustic-Emission(BAE) NON: ``1''/[f= ω]-``Noise'' Power-Law Power-Spectrum is T=I α DERIVATIVE I-J Time-Series Integral-Transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Thomas; Siegel, Edward

2011-06-01

ROTATIONAL-[``spin-up''/``spin-down'']-SHOCK(S)-plasticity/fracture BAE[E.S.:MSE 8,310(71); PSS:(a)5,601 /607(71); Xl..-Latt. Defects 5,277(74);Scripta Met.:6,785(72);8,587/617(74);3rd Tokyo A.-E. Symp.(76);Acta Met. 25,383(77);JMMM 7,312(78)] NON: ``1''/ ω noise'' Zipf-(Pareto); power-law universality power-spectrum; is manifestly-demonstrated in two distinct ways to be nothing but ROTATIONAL(in 2 OR 3-dimensions)ANGULAR-momentum Newton's 3rd Law of Motion T=I α=dJ/dt REdiscovery!!! A/Siegel PHYSICS derivation FAILS!!! ''PURE''-MATHS: dT(t)/dt=(dJ(t)/dt)2=[I(t)d α(t)/dt+ α(t)(t)dI(t)/dt TRIPLE-integral VS. T=I α DOUBLE-integral time-series(T-S) Dichotomy: θ(t)=[ϖ0 t + α(t) t 2 / 2 + EXTRA-TERM(S)] VS. θ(t)=[ϖ0 t + α(t) t 2 / 2 ] integral-transform formally defines power-spectrum Dichotomy: P(ω) =? θ(t)e-iωtdt=?[ϖ0 t + αt2 / 2 ]e-iωtdt=φ0?te-iωtdt+?{[ α ≠ α (t)]/2}t2eiωtdt= φ0 (ω) /d ω+{[a ≠a(t)]/2}d2 δ (ω) /dω2 =φ0 /ω0+{[ α ≠ α (t)]/2}/ω 1 . 000 ...: if α=0, then P(ω) 1/ω0, VS. if α ≠ α (t) ≠0, then P(ω) 1/ ω 1/ω 1 . 000 ...

[Syndrome of vena cava obstruction in oncology].

PubMed

Kohútek, F; Litvin, I; Tamášová, M; Bystrický, B

2013-01-01

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCO) is caused by compression of superior vena cava and restriction of blood flow to the heart. The most common underlying condition in cancer patients is lung cancer or other malignancy expanding in the upper mediastinum. SVCO belongs to oncological emergencies and requires a prompt dia-gnostic work up and treatment. A 79year old man with a history of right sided stage IIIB nonsmall cell lung cancer, after two cycles of chemotherapy, was admitted to hospital with clinical signs of SVCO. The initial radiotherapy brought no relief of symptoms and due to deterioration of patients status during the treatment we proceeded to self expanding caval stent insertion. This was followed by immediate resolution of SVCO symptoms. In the second case we describe a 56year old female with a newly dia-gnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma who presented with SVCO symptoms when referred to our outpatient chemotherapy department. She had no history of previous treatment and she complained of a rapid face and eyelid edema and intractable cough in the last two days. CT scan revealed mediastinal mass compressing the superior vena cava. Urgent antilymphoma chemotherapy (RCHOP schedule) was commenced and yielded quick resolution of her symp-toms. Superior vena cava syndrome is a medical emergency in oncological patients usually caused by external compression of cava by lung cancer, lymphoma, other tumors, less frequently, from a thrombosis of indwelling central venous catheter. Multidiscip-linary cooperation among radiation and medical oncologists and interventional radiologists is needed in order to provide an early treatment without an undue delay.

Photosynthesis Decrease and Stomatal Control of Gas Exchange in Abies alba Mill. in Response to Vapor Pressure Difference.

PubMed

Guehl, J M; Aussenac, G

1987-02-01

The responses of steady state CO(2) assimilation rate (A), transpiration rate (E), and stomatal conductance (g(s)) to changes in leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference (DeltaW) were examined on different dates in shoots from Abies alba trees growing outside. In Ecouves, a provenance representative of wet oceanic conditions in Northern France, both A and g(s) decreased when DeltaW was increased from 4.6 to 14.5 Pa KPa(-1). In Nebias, which represented the dry end of the natural range of A. alba in southern France, A and g(s) decreased only after reaching peak levels at 9.0 and 7.0 Pa KPa(-1), respectively. The representation of the data in assimilation rate (A) versus intercellular CO(2) partial pressure (C(i)) graphs allowed us to determine how stomata and mesophyll photosynthesis interacted when DeltaW was increased. Changes in A were primarily due to alterations in mesophyll photosynthesis. At high DeltaW, and especially in Ecouves when soil water deficit prevailed, A declined, while C(i) remained approximately constant, which may be interpreted as an adjustment of g(s) to changes in mesophyll photosynthesis. Such a stomatal control of gas exchange appeared as an alternative to the classical feedforward interpretation of E versus DeltaW responses with a peak rate of E. The gas exchange response to DeltaW was also characterized by considerable deviations from the optimization theory of IR Cowan and GD Farquhar (1977 Symp Soc Exp Biol 31: 471-505).

Operationalizing hippocampal volume as an enrichment biomarker for amnestic mild cognitive impairment trials: effect of algorithm, test-retest variability, and cut point on trial cost, duration, and sample size.

PubMed

Yu, Peng; Sun, Jia; Wolz, Robin; Stephenson, Diane; Brewer, James; Fox, Nick C; Cole, Patricia E; Jack, Clifford R; Hill, Derek L G; Schwarz, Adam J

2014-04-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of computational algorithm, measurement variability, and cut point on hippocampal volume (HCV)-based patient selection for clinical trials in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We used normal control and amnestic MCI subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 1 (ADNI-1) as normative reference and screening cohorts. We evaluated the enrichment performance of 4 widely used hippocampal segmentation algorithms (FreeSurfer, Hippocampus Multi-Atlas Propagation and Segmentation (HMAPS), Learning Embeddings Atlas Propagation (LEAP), and NeuroQuant) in terms of 2-year changes in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), and Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB). We modeled the implications for sample size, screen fail rates, and trial cost and duration. HCV based patient selection yielded reduced sample sizes (by ∼40%-60%) and lower trial costs (by ∼30%-40%) across a wide range of cut points. These results provide a guide to the choice of HCV cut point for amnestic MCI clinical trials, allowing an informed tradeoff between statistical and practical considerations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Line Positions of Centrifugal Distorsion Induced Rotational Transitions of Methane Measured up to 2.6 Thz at Sub-Mhz Accuracy with a Cw-Thz Photomixing Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bray, Cédric; Cuisset, Arnaud; Hindle, Francis; Mouret, Gaël; Bocquet, Robin; Boudon, Vincent

2017-06-01

Several Doppler limited rotational transitions of methane induced by centrifugal distortion have been measured with an unprecedented frequency accuracy using the THz photomixing synthesizer based on a frequency comb. Compared to previous synchrotron based FT-Far-IR measurements of Boudon et al., the accuracy of the line frequency measurements is improved by one order of magnitude, this yields a corresponding increase of two orders of magnitude to the weighting of these transitions in the global fit. The rotational transitions in the ν_4←ν_4 hot band are measured for the first time by the broad spectral coverage of the photomixing CW-THz spectrometer providing access up to R(5) transitions at 2.6 THz. The new global fit including the present lines has been used to update the methane line list of the HITRAN database. Some small, but significant variations of the parameter values are observed and are accompanied by a reduction of the 1-σ uncertainties on the rotational (B_0) and centrifugal distortion (D_0) constants. V. Boudon, O. Pirali, P. Roy, J.-B. Brubach, L. Manceron, J. Vander Auwera, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 111, 1117-1129 (2010).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanz, J.; Betti, R.

A sharp boundary model for the deceleration phase of imploding capsules in inertial confinement fusion, in both direct and indirect drive, has been developed. The model includes heat conduction, local {alpha}-particle energy deposition, and shell compressibility effects. A differential equation for the temporal evolution of the modal amplitude interface is obtained. It is found that the {alpha}-particle energy has a strong influence on the evolution of the low l modes, via the compressibility of the shell. The modes are damped by vorticity convection, fire polishing, and {alpha}-particle energy deposition. The existence of a cutoff l number arises from the highmore » blow of velocity into the hot region (rocket effect) if density gradient scale length effects are taken into account at the interface. The differential equation for the modal amplitude is used as a postprocessor to the results of 1D-SARA code [J. J. Honrubia, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer. 49, 491 (1993)] in a typical capsule for indirect-drive ignition designed on the National Ignition Facility. It is found that modes with l>180 are completely stabilized. The results are in agreement with two-dimensional simulations.« less

Security of two-state and four-state practical quantum bit-commitment protocols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loura, Ricardo; Arsenović, Dušan; Paunković, Nikola; Popović, Duška B.; Prvanović, Slobodan

2016-12-01

We study cheating strategies against a practical four-state quantum bit-commitment protocol [A. Danan and L. Vaidman, Quant. Info. Proc. 11, 769 (2012)], 10.1007/s11128-011-0284-4 and its two-state variant [R. Loura et al., Phys. Rev. A 89, 052336 (2014)], 10.1103/PhysRevA.89.052336 when the underlying quantum channels are noisy and the cheating party is constrained to using single-qubit measurements only. We show that simply inferring the transmitted photons' states by using the Breidbart basis, optimal for ambiguous (minimum-error) state discrimination, does not directly produce an optimal cheating strategy for this bit-commitment protocol. We introduce a strategy, based on certain postmeasurement processes and show it to have better chances at cheating than the direct approach. We also study to what extent sending forged geographical coordinates helps a dishonest party in breaking the binding security requirement. Finally, we investigate the impact of imperfect single-photon sources in the protocols. Our study shows that, in terms of the resources used, the four-state protocol is advantageous over the two-state version. The analysis performed can be straightforwardly generalized to any finite-qubit measurement, with the same qualitative results.

High Accuracy Potential Energy Surface, Dipole Moment Surface, Rovibrational Energies and Line List Calculations for ^{14}NH_3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coles, Phillip; Yurchenko, Sergei N.; Polyansky, Oleg; Kyuberis, Aleksandra; Ovsyannikov, Roman I.; Zobov, Nikolay Fedorovich; Tennyson, Jonathan

2017-06-01

We present a new spectroscopic potential energy surface (PES) for ^{14}NH_3, produced by refining a high accuracy ab initio PES to experimental energy levels taken predominantly from MARVEL. The PES reproduces 1722 matched J=0-8 experimental energies with a root-mean-square error of 0.035 cm-1 under 6000 cm^{-1} and 0.059 under 7200 cm^{-1}. In conjunction with a new DMS calculated using multi reference configuration interaction (MRCI) and H=aug-cc-pVQZ, N=aug-cc-pWCVQZ basis sets, an infrared (IR) line list has been computed which is suitable for use up to 2000 K. The line list is used to assign experimental lines in the 7500 - 10,500 cm^{-1} region and previously unassigned lines in HITRAN in the 6000-7000 cm^{-1} region. Oleg L. Polyansky, Roman I. Ovsyannikov, Aleksandra A. Kyuberis, Lorenzo Lodi, Jonathan Tennyson, Andrey Yachmenev, Sergei N. Yurchenko, Nikolai F. Zobov, J. Mol. Spec., 327 (2016) 21-30 Afaf R. Al Derzia, Tibor Furtenbacher, Jonathan Tennyson, Sergei N. Yurchenko, Attila G. Császár, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Rad. Trans., 161 (2015) 117-130

Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice with Raman-assisted two-dimensional spin-orbit coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Jian-Song; Zhang, Wei; Yi, Wei; Guo, Guang-Can

2016-10-01

In a recent experiment (Z. Wu, L. Zhang, W. Sun, X.-T. Xu, B.-Z. Wang, S.-C. Ji, Y. Deng, S. Chen, X.-J. Liu, and J.-W. Pan, arXiv:1511.08170 [cond-mat.quant-gas]), a Raman-assisted two-dimensional spin-orbit coupling has been realized for a Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice potential. In light of this exciting progress, we study in detail key properties of the system. As the Raman lasers inevitably couple atoms to high-lying bands, the behaviors of the system in both the single- and many-particle sectors are significantly affected. In particular, the high-band effects enhance the plane-wave phase and lead to the emergence of "roton" gaps at low Zeeman fields. Furthermore, we identify high-band-induced topological phase boundaries in both the single-particle and the quasiparticle spectra. We then derive an effective two-band model, which captures the high-band physics in the experimentally relevant regime. Our results not only offer valuable insights into the two-dimensional lattice spin-orbit coupling, but also provide a systematic formalism to model high-band effects in lattice systems with Raman-assisted spin-orbit couplings.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vollick, Dan N.

In recent papers [D. N. Vollick, Phys. Rev. D 68, 063510 (2003)][D. N. Vollick, Classical Quantum Gravity 21, 3813 (2004).] I have argued that the observed cosmological acceleration can be accounted for by the inclusion of a 1/R term in the gravitational action in the Palatini formalism. Subsequently, Flanagan [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 071101 (2004)][Class. Quant. Grav. 21, 3817 (2004)] argued that this theory is equivalent to a scalar-tensor theory which produces corrections to the standard model that are ruled out experimentally. In this article I examine the Dirac field coupled to 1/R gravity. The Dirac action contains the connectionmore » which was taken to be the Christoffel symbol, not an independent quantity, in the papers by Flanagan. Since the metric and connection are taken to be independent in the Palatini approach it is natural to allow the connection that appears in the Dirac action to be an independent quantity. This is the approach that is taken in this paper. The resulting theory is very different and much more complicated than the one discussed in Flanagan's papers.« less

Renormalization group analysis of the 2000-2002 anti-bubble in the US S&P500 index: explanation of the hierarchy of five crashes and prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Wei-Xing; Sornette, Didier

2003-12-01

We propose a straightforward extension of our previously proposed log-periodic power-law model of the “anti-bubble” regime of the USA stock market since the summer of 2000, in terms of the renormalization group framework to model critical points. Using a previous work by Gluzman and Sornette (Phys. Rev. E 65 (2003) 036142) on the classification of the class of Weierstrass-like functions, we show that the five crashes that occurred since August 2000 can be accurately modeled by this approach, in a fully consistent way with no additional parameters. Our theory suggests an overall consistent organization of the investors forming a collective network which interact to form the pessimistic bearish “anti-bubble” regime with intermittent acceleration of the positive feedbacks of pessimistic sentiment leading to these crashes. We develop retrospective predictions, that confirm the existence of significant arbitrage opportunities for a trader using our model. Finally, we offer a prediction for the unknown future of the US S&P500 index extending over 2003 and 2004, that refines the previous prediction of Sornette and Zhou (Quant. Finance 2 (2002) 468).

Non-LTE Equation of State for ICF simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klapisch, Marcel; Bar-Shalom, Avraham; Colombant, Denis

2002-11-01

SCROLL is a collisional radiative model able to deal with complex spectra[1]. It is used to generate opacity/emissivity databases [2] compatible with the hydrocode FAST[3] for all elements of interest in the simulation of ICF targets, including high-Z. It is now modified to yield tables of EOS data for FAST, in the whole range of interest (T=1 to 25000eV, rho=10-6 to 100g/cc). SCROLL contributes the electronic -free and bound- part of the EOS, replacing Busquet's model of an ionization temperature. Ionization energies include contributions of all excited states. Energies and Z* go smoothly to the high density regime, where a "jellium" model is assumed. The free electrons are self consistent with the bound electrons. Examples of runs will be shown. Supported by USDOE through a contract with the Naval Research Laboratory. [1] A. Bar-Shalom, J. Oreg, and M. Klapisch, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 65, 43 (2000). [2] A. Bar-shalom, M. Klapisch, J. Oreg, and D. Colombant, Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 46, 295 (2001). [3] J. H. Gardner, A. J. Schmitt, J. P. Dahlburg, et al, Phys. Plasmas 5, 1935 (1998).

Identification of haemoglobin New York by haemoglobin A1c measurement using the Sebia Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing system.

PubMed

Chao, Yan; Wan, Zemin; Wu, Xiaobin; Qiu, Feng; Wu, Xinzhong; Wang, Yunxiu; Ke, Peifeng; Xu, Jianhua; Zhuang, Junhua; Huang, Xianzhang

2017-01-01

Haemoglobinopathies may interfere with the haemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c ) measurement, leading to incorrect diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. It is essential that HbA 1c assays are capable of identifying haemoglobinopathies. We report two cases of haemoglobin New York (HbNY) discovered through HbA 1c analysis using capillary electrophoresis (Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing [C2FP], Sebia). We used these samples to evaluate the ability of three other HbA 1c assays to identify this variant: ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (Variant II Turbo [VII-T], Bio-Rad); boronate affinity high-performance liquid chromatography (Ultra 2 , Trinity Biotech) and immunoassay (Cobas c501 Tina-quant Generation 3, Roche Diagnostics). Each method was used for HbA 1c assay of in samples from two cases of heterozygous haemoglobinopathy: β 0 -thalassemia/HbNY (Case 1) and HbA/NY (Case 2). Only the C2FP system detected HbNY (an additional peak appeared between HbA 1c and HbA 0 ). Clinical laboratories should be aware of the limitations of their HbA 1c assay methods especially in geographic areas, where haemoglobinopathy prevalence is high.

A tutorial for software development in quantitative proteomics using PSI standard formats☆

PubMed Central

Gonzalez-Galarza, Faviel F.; Qi, Da; Fan, Jun; Bessant, Conrad; Jones, Andrew R.

2014-01-01

The Human Proteome Organisation — Proteomics Standards Initiative (HUPO-PSI) has been working for ten years on the development of standardised formats that facilitate data sharing and public database deposition. In this article, we review three HUPO-PSI data standards — mzML, mzIdentML and mzQuantML, which can be used to design a complete quantitative analysis pipeline in mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics. In this tutorial, we briefly describe the content of each data model, sufficient for bioinformaticians to devise proteomics software. We also provide guidance on the use of recently released application programming interfaces (APIs) developed in Java for each of these standards, which makes it straightforward to read and write files of any size. We have produced a set of example Java classes and a basic graphical user interface to demonstrate how to use the most important parts of the PSI standards, available from http://code.google.com/p/psi-standard-formats-tutorial. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Computational Proteomics in the Post-Identification Era. Guest Editors: Martin Eisenacher and Christian Stephan. PMID:23584085

LE MAINTIEN DU POUVOIR CHEZ LA PERSONNE ÂGÉE HÉBERGÉE SOUFFRANT DE DÉFICITS COGNITIFS

PubMed Central

Vézina, Aline; Pelletier, Daniel

2013-01-01

Cet article théorique interpelle à la fois la recherche et l’intervention, à l’égard du mieux-être des personnes âgées hébergées présentant des troubles cognitifs associés à des démences dégénératives. Appuyé par la perspective de l’interactionnisme symbolique, il met l’accent sur les interactions entre le personnel soignant (infirmière, infirmière auxiliaire, préposée, ergothérapeute, personnel de réadaptation et des loisirs, travailleuse sociale, etc.) et les proches aidants, dans un objectif de maintien du pouvoir pour et par la personne âgée. Sous l’angle de l’approche centrée sur la personne, qui affirme l’importance de dépasser l’âgisme et l’impuissance quant à la démence, il aborde deux approches : l’approche prothétique élargie et l’approche biographique qui permettent de soutenir l’identité et l’affirmation de soi de la personne âgée hébergée souffrant de déficits cognitifs. PMID:24795486

Bounds for the price of discrete arithmetic Asian options

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanmaele, M.; Deelstra, G.; Liinev, J.; Dhaene, J.; Goovaerts, M. J.

2006-01-01

In this paper the pricing of European-style discrete arithmetic Asian options with fixed and floating strike is studied by deriving analytical lower and upper bounds. In our approach we use a general technique for deriving upper (and lower) bounds for stop-loss premiums of sums of dependent random variables, as explained in Kaas et al. (Ins. Math. Econom. 27 (2000) 151-168), and additionally, the ideas of Rogers and Shi (J. Appl. Probab. 32 (1995) 1077-1088) and of Nielsen and Sandmann (J. Financial Quant. Anal. 38(2) (2003) 449-473). We are able to create a unifying framework for European-style discrete arithmetic Asian options through these bounds, that generalizes several approaches in the literature as well as improves the existing results. We obtain analytical and easily computable bounds. The aim of the paper is to formulate an advice of the appropriate choice of the bounds given the parameters, investigate the effect of different conditioning variables and compare their efficiency numerically. Several sets of numerical results are included. We also discuss hedging using these bounds. Moreover, our methods are applicable to a wide range of (pricing) problems involving a sum of dependent random variables.

[Scattered light and glare sensitivity after wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy (WFG-PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (WFG-LASIK)].

PubMed

Vignal, R; Tanzer, D; Brunstetter, T; Schallhorn, S

2008-05-01

To compare glare sensitivity measured by the intraocular scattered light between WFG-PRK and WFG-LASIK at 12 months follow-up and to assess its correlation to patients' complaints. Prospective and randomized study on 13 patients treated with WFG-LASIK, 13 patients with WFG-PRK and a control group of 35 patients. The intraocular stray light was measured by the Oculus C-Quant 12 months after surgery and before surgery for the control group. Photopic and mesopic contrast acuity and glare symptoms were reported pre- and postoperatively. Stray light values were normal in 79% of patients after WFG-LASIK and PRK and 86% in the control group, with mean values of 1.05 log, 1.03 log, and 0.99 log, respectively (p>0.05). All the patients with significant glare complaints had impaired stray light values versus 31.5% in the no-complaint group. Photopic and mesopic contrast acuity and glare symptoms were improved 1 year after surgery compared to preoperatively (no significant difference between groups). WFG-LASIK and PRK are safe and equivalent procedures regarding quality of vision. The measurement of stray light can be a discriminative test to assessing patients' glare complaints.

Inflammation-related microRNA expression level in the bovine milk is affected by mastitis.

PubMed

Lai, Yu-Chang; Fujikawa, Takuro; Maemura, Tadashi; Ando, Takaaki; Kitahara, Go; Endo, Yasuyuki; Yamato, Osamu; Koiwa, Masateru; Kubota, Chikara; Miura, Naoki

2017-01-01

MicroRNA (miRNA) in tissue and liquid samples have been shown to be associated with many diseases including inflammation. We aimed to identify inflammation-related miRNA expression level in the bovine mastitis milk. Expression level of inflammation-related miRNA in milk from mastitis-affected and normal cows was analyzed using qPCR. We found that expression level of miR-21, miR-146a, miR-155, miR-222, and miR-383 was significantly upregulated in California mastitis test positive (CMT+) milk. We further analyzed these miRNA using a chip-based QuantStudio Digital PCR System. The digital PCR results correlated with those of qPCR, demonstrating upregulation of miR-21, miR-146a, miR-155, miR-222, and miR-383 in CMT+ milk. In conclusion, we identified miRNA that are upregulated in CMT+ milk. These miRNA exhibited sensitivity and specificity greater than 80% for differentiating between CMT+ milk and normal milk. Our findings suggest that inflammation-related miRNA expression level in the bovine milk was affected by mastitis, and miRNA in milk have potential for use as biomarkers of bovine mastitis.

An untargeted approach for the analysis of the urine peptidome of women with preeclampsia.

PubMed

Kononikhin, A S; Starodubtseva, N L; Bugrova, A E; Shirokova, V A; Chagovets, V V; Indeykina, M I; Popov, I A; Kostyukevich, Y I; Vavina, O V; Muminova, K T; Khodzhaeva, Z S; Kan, N E; Frankevich, V E; Nikolaev, E N; Sukhikh, G T

2016-10-21

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and proteinuria. The disorder usually occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy and gets worse over time. PE increases the risk of poor outcomes for both the mother and the baby. In the study we applied LC-MS/MS method for the analysis of the urine peptidome of women with PE. Samples were prepared using size-exclusion chromatography method which gives more than twice peptides identities if compared with solid phase extraction. Thirty urine samples from women with mild and severe preeclampsia and the control group were analyzed. In total 1786 peptides were identified using complementary search engines (Mascot, MaxQuant and PEAKS). A high level of agreement in peptide identification was observed with previously published data. Label-free data comparison resulted in 35 peptides which reliably distinguished a particular PE group (severe or mild) from controls. Our results revealed unique identifications (correlate to alpha-1-antitrypsin, collagen alpha-1(I) chain, collagen alpha-1 (III) chain, and uromodulin, for instance) that can potentially serve as early indicators of PE. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High resolution microscopy reveals the nuclear shape of budding yeast during cell cycle and in various biological states

PubMed Central

Kamgoue, Alain; Normand, Christophe; Léger-Silvestre, Isabelle; Mangeat, Thomas

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT How spatial organization of the genome depends on nuclear shape is unknown, mostly because accurate nuclear size and shape measurement is technically challenging. In large cell populations of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we assessed the geometry (size and shape) of nuclei in three dimensions with a resolution of 30 nm. We improved an automated fluorescence localization method by implementing a post-acquisition correction of the spherical microscopic aberration along the z-axis, to detect the three dimensional (3D) positions of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) in the nuclear envelope. Here, we used a method called NucQuant to accurately estimate the geometry of nuclei in 3D throughout the cell cycle. To increase the robustness of the statistics, we aggregated thousands of detected NPCs from a cell population in a single representation using the nucleolus or the spindle pole body (SPB) as references to align nuclei along the same axis. We could detect asymmetric changes of the nucleus associated with modification of nucleolar size. Stereotypical modification of the nucleus toward the nucleolus further confirmed the asymmetric properties of the nuclear envelope. PMID:27831493

Theory for long memory in supply and demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lillo, Fabrizio; Mike, Szabolcs; Farmer, J. Doyne

2005-06-01

Recent empirical studies have demonstrated long-memory in the signs of orders to buy or sell in financial markets [J.-P. Bouchaud, Y. Gefen, M. Potters, and M. Wyart, Quant. Finance 4, 176 (2004); F. Lillo and J. D. Farmer Dyn. Syst. Appl. 8, 3 (2004)]. We show how this can be caused by delays in market clearing. Under the common practice of order splitting, large orders are broken up into pieces and executed incrementally. If the size of such large orders is power-law distributed, this gives rise to power-law decaying autocorrelations in the signs of executed orders. More specifically, we show that if the cumulative distribution of large orders of volume v is proportional to v-α and the size of executed orders is constant, the autocorrelation of order signs as a function of the lag τ is asymptotically proportional to τ-(α-1) . This is a long-memory process when α<2 . With a few caveats, this gives a good match to the data. A version of the model also shows long-memory fluctuations in order execution rates, which may be relevant for explaining the long memory of price diffusion rates.

Theory for long memory in supply and demand.

PubMed

Lillo, Fabrizio; Mike, Szabolcs; Farmer, J Doyne

2005-06-01

Recent empirical studies have demonstrated long-memory in the signs of orders to buy or sell in financial markets [J.-P. Bouchaud, Y. Gefen, M. Potters, and M. Wyart, Quant. Finance 4, 176 (2004); F. Lillo and J. D. Farmer Dyn. Syst. Appl. 8, 3 (2004)]. We show how this can be caused by delays in market clearing. Under the common practice of order splitting, large orders are broken up into pieces and executed incrementally. If the size of such large orders is power-law distributed, this gives rise to power-law decaying autocorrelations in the signs of executed orders. More specifically, we show that if the cumulative distribution of large orders of volume v is proportional to v(-alpha) and the size of executed orders is constant, the autocorrelation of order signs as a function of the lag tau is asymptotically proportional to tau(-(alpha-1)). This is a long-memory process when alpha < 2. With a few caveats, this gives a good match to the data. A version of the model also shows long-memory fluctuations in order execution rates, which may be relevant for explaining the long memory of price diffusion rates.

Growth of a Lightly Doped Pr^3+:LaCl3 Crystal to Determine Radiative Transition Rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watters, J. Michael; Ganem, Joseph; Shaw, L. B.; Bowman, S. R.; Feldman, B. J.

1996-03-01

The recent demontration of 5.2 and 7.2 micron lasers using Pr^3+:LaCl3 ,(S. R. Bowman, Joseph Ganem, B. J. Feldman and A. W. Kueny, IEEE J. Quant. Elect. 30, 2925(1994).)^,(S. R. Bowman, L. B. Shaw, B. J. Feldman and Joseph Ganem, postdeadline paper CPD 26 at CLEO(1995).) the longest known wavelengths for any rare earth solid-state laser, has motivated further studies of this material. Design of mid-infrared lasers that use Pr^3+:LaCl3 would benefit from the ability to model population dynamics under different pumping conditions of the lower levels of the Pr^3+ ion. The lower levels, that are the basis for the new mid-infrared lasers, have many energetic overlaps resulting in several competing energy transfer processes when Pr^3+ concentrations approach 1 percent or higher. To minimize these processes we have grown and studied a lightly doped Pr^3+:LaCl3 crystal in order to determine the underlying radiative transition rates. We report how knowledge of the radiative rates can be incorporated into a model describing energy transfer processes in more heavily doped crystals.