SU-F-T-600: Influence of Acuros XB and AAA Dose Calculation Algorithms On Plan Quality Metrics and Normal Lung Doses in Lung SBRT

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

Yaparpalvi, R; Mynampati, D; Kuo, H

Purpose: To study the influence of superposition-beam model (AAA) and determinant-photon transport-solver (Acuros XB) dose calculation algorithms on the treatment plan quality metrics and on normal lung dose in Lung SBRT. Methods: Treatment plans of 10 Lung SBRT patients were randomly selected. Patients were prescribed to a total dose of 50-54Gy in 3–5 fractions (10?5 or 18?3). Doses were optimized accomplished with 6-MV using 2-arcs (VMAT). Doses were calculated using AAA algorithm with heterogeneity correction. For each plan, plan quality metrics in the categories- coverage, homogeneity, conformity and gradient were quantified. Repeat dosimetry for these AAA treatment plans was performedmore » using AXB algorithm with heterogeneity correction for same beam and MU parameters. Plan quality metrics were again evaluated and compared with AAA plan metrics. For normal lung dose, V{sub 20} and V{sub 5} to (Total lung- GTV) were evaluated. Results: The results are summarized in Supplemental Table 1. PTV volume was mean 11.4 (±3.3) cm{sup 3}. Comparing RTOG 0813 protocol criteria for conformality, AXB plans yielded on average, similar PITV ratio (individual PITV ratio differences varied from −9 to +15%), reduced target coverage (−1.6%) and increased R50% (+2.6%). Comparing normal lung doses, the lung V{sub 20} (+3.1%) and V{sub 5} (+1.5%) were slightly higher for AXB plans compared to AAA plans. High-dose spillage ((V105%PD - PTV)/ PTV) was slightly lower for AXB plans but the % low dose spillage (D2cm) was similar between the two calculation algorithms. Conclusion: AAA algorithm overestimates lung target dose. Routinely adapting to AXB for dose calculations in Lung SBRT planning may improve dose calculation accuracy, as AXB based calculations have been shown to be closer to Monte Carlo based dose predictions in accuracy and with relatively faster computational time. For clinical practice, revisiting dose-fractionation in Lung SBRT to correct for dose overestimates attributable to algorithm may very well be warranted.« less

Comparison of Acuros (AXB) and Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) for dose calculation in treatment of oesophageal cancer: effects on modelling tumour control probability.

PubMed

Padmanaban, Sriram; Warren, Samantha; Walsh, Anthony; Partridge, Mike; Hawkins, Maria A

2014-12-23

To investigate systematic changes in dose arising when treatment plans optimised using the Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) are recalculated using Acuros XB (AXB) in patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) for locally advanced oesophageal cancers. We have compared treatment plans created using AAA with those recalculated using AXB. Although the Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) is currently more widely used in clinical routine, Acuros XB (AXB) has been shown to more accurately calculate the dose distribution, particularly in heterogeneous regions. Studies to predict clinical outcome should be based on modelling the dose delivered to the patient as accurately as possible. CT datasets from ten patients were selected for this retrospective study. VMAT (Volumetric modulated arc therapy) plans with 2 arcs, collimator rotation ± 5-10° and dose prescription 50 Gy / 25 fractions were created using Varian Eclipse (v10.0). The initial dose calculation was performed with AAA, and AXB plans were created by re-calculating the dose distribution using the same number of monitor units (MU) and multileaf collimator (MLC) files as the original plan. The difference in calculated dose to organs at risk (OAR) was compared using dose-volume histogram (DVH) statistics and p values were calculated using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The potential clinical effect of dosimetric differences in the gross tumour volume (GTV) was evaluated using three different TCP models from the literature. PTV Median dose was apparently 0.9 Gy lower (range: 0.5 Gy - 1.3 Gy; p < 0.05) for VMAT AAA plans re-calculated with AXB and GTV mean dose was reduced by on average 1.0 Gy (0.3 Gy -1.5 Gy; p < 0.05). An apparent difference in TCP of between 1.2% and 3.1% was found depending on the choice of TCP model. OAR mean dose was lower in the AXB recalculated plan than the AAA plan (on average, dose reduction: lung 1.7%, heart 2.4%). Similar trends were seen for CRT plans. Differences in dose distribution are observed with VMAT and CRT plans recalculated with AXB particularly within soft tissue at the tumour/lung interface, where AXB has been shown to more accurately represent the true dose distribution. AAA apparently overestimates dose, particularly the PTV median dose and GTV mean dose, which could result in a difference in TCP model parameters that reaches clinical significance.

SU-F-T-449: Dosimetric Comparison of Acuros XB, Adaptive Convolve in Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

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

Uehara, R; Tachibana, H

Purpose: There have been several publications focusing on dose calculation in lung for a new dose calculation algorithm of Acuros XB (AXB). AXB could contribute to dose calculation for high-density media for bone and dental prosthesis rather than in lung. We compared the dosimetric performance of AXB, Adaptive Convolve (AC) in head and neck IMRT plans. Methods: In a phantom study, the difference in depth profile between AXB and AC was evaluated using Kodak EDR2 film sandwiched with tough water phantoms. 6 MV x-ray using the TrueBeam was irradiated. In a patient study, 20 head and neck IMRT plans hadmore » been clinically approved in Pinnacle3 and were transferred to Eclipse. Dose distribution was recalculated using AXB in Eclipse while maintaining AC-calculated monitor units and MLC sequence planned in Pinnacle. Subsequently, both the dose-volumetric data obtained using the two different calculation algorithms were compared. Results: The results in the phantom evaluation for the shallow area ahead of the build-up region shows over-dose for AXB and under-dose for AC, respectively. In the patient plans, AXB shows more hot spots especially around the high-density media than AC in terms of PTV (Max difference: 4.0%) and OAR (Max. difference: 1.9%). Compared to AC, there were larger dose deviations in steep dose gradient region and higher skin-dose. Conclusion: In head and neck IMRT plans, AXB and AC show different dosimetric performance for the regions inside the target volume around high-density media, steep dose gradient regions and skin-surface. There are limitations in skin-dose and complex anatomic condition using even inhomogeneous anthropomorphic phantom Thus, there is the potential for an increase of hot-spot in AXB, and an underestimation of dose in substance boundaries and skin regions in AC.« less

SU-F-T-441: Dose Calculation Accuracy in CT Images Reconstructed with Artifact Reduction Algorithm

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

Ng, C; Chan, S; Lee, F

Purpose: Accuracy of radiotherapy dose calculation in patients with surgical implants is complicated by two factors. First is the accuracy of CT number, second is the dose calculation accuracy. We compared measured dose with dose calculated on CT images reconstructed with FBP and an artifact reduction algorithm (OMAR, Philips) for a phantom with high density inserts. Dose calculation were done with Varian AAA and AcurosXB. Methods: A phantom was constructed with solid water in which 2 titanium or stainless steel rods could be inserted. The phantom was scanned with the Philips Brillance Big Bore CT. Image reconstruction was done withmore » FBP and OMAR. Two 6 MV single field photon plans were constructed for each phantom. Radiochromic films were placed at different locations to measure the dose deposited. One plan has normal incidence on the titanium/steel rods. In the second plan, the beam is at almost glancing incidence on the metal rods. Measurements were then compared with dose calculated with AAA and AcurosXB. Results: The use of OMAR images slightly improved the dose calculation accuracy. The agreement between measured and calculated dose was best with AXB and image reconstructed with OMAR. Dose calculated on titanium phantom has better agreement with measurement. Large discrepancies were seen at points directly above and below the high density inserts. Both AAA and AXB underestimated the dose directly above the metal surface, while overestimated the dose below the metal surface. Doses measured downstream of metal were all within 3% of calculated values. Conclusion: When doing treatment planning for patients with metal implants, care must be taken to acquire correct CT images to improve dose calculation accuracy. Moreover, great discrepancies in measured and calculated dose were observed at metal/tissue interface. Care must be taken in estimating the dose in critical structures that come into contact with metals.« less

SU-F-T-609: Impact of Dosimetric Variation for Prescription Dose Using Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm (AAA) in Lung SBRT

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

Kawai, D; Takahashi, R; Kamima, T

Purpose: Actual irradiated prescription dose to patients cannot be verified. Thus, independent dose verification and second treatment planning system are used as the secondary check. AAA dose calculation engine has contributed to lung SBRT. We conducted a multi-institutional study to assess variation of prescription dose for lung SBRT when using AAA in reference to using Acuros XB and Clarkson algorithm. Methods: Six institutes in Japan participated in this study. All SBRT treatments were planed using AAA in Eclipse and Adaptive Convolve (AC) in Pinnacle3. All of the institutes used a same independent dose verification software program (Simple MU Analysis: SMU,more » Triangle Product, Ishikawa, Japan), which implemented a Clarkson-based dose calculation algorithm using CT image dataset. A retrospective analysis for lung SBRT plans (73 patients) was performed to compute the confidence limit (CL, Average±2SD) in dose between the AAA and the SMU. In one of the institutes, a additional analysis was conducted to evaluate the variations between the AAA and the Acuros XB (AXB). Results: The CL for SMU shows larger systematic and random errors of 8.7±9.9 % for AAA than the errors of 5.7±4.2 % for AC. The variations of AAA correlated with the mean CT values in the voxels of PTV (a correlation coefficient : −0.7) . The comparison of AXB vs. AAA shows smaller systematic and random errors of −0.7±1.7%. The correlation between dose variations for AXB and the mean CT values in PTV was weak (0.4). However, there were several plans with more than 2% deviation of AAPM TG114 (Maximum: −3.3 %). Conclusion: In comparison for AC, prescription dose calculated by AAA may be more variable in lung SBRT patient. Even AXB comparison shows unexpected variation. Care should be taken for the use of AAA in lung SBRT. This research is partially supported by Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)« less

Comparison of selected dose calculation algorithms in radiotherapy treatment planning for tissues with inhomogeneities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woon, Y. L.; Heng, S. P.; Wong, J. H. D.; Ung, N. M.

2016-03-01

Inhomogeneity correction is recommended for accurate dose calculation in radiotherapy treatment planning since human body are highly inhomogeneous with the presence of bones and air cavities. However, each dose calculation algorithm has its own limitations. This study is to assess the accuracy of five algorithms that are currently implemented for treatment planning, including pencil beam convolution (PBC), superposition (SP), anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA), Monte Carlo (MC) and Acuros XB (AXB). The calculated dose was compared with the measured dose using radiochromic film (Gafchromic EBT2) in inhomogeneous phantoms. In addition, the dosimetric impact of different algorithms on intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) was studied for head and neck region. MC had the best agreement with the measured percentage depth dose (PDD) within the inhomogeneous region. This was followed by AXB, AAA, SP and PBC. For IMRT planning, MC algorithm is recommended for treatment planning in preference to PBC and SP. The MC and AXB algorithms were found to have better accuracy in terms of inhomogeneity correction and should be used for tumour volume within the proximity of inhomogeneous structures.

SU-E-T-101: Determination and Comparison of Correction Factors Obtained for TLDs in Small Field Lung Heterogenous Phantom Using Acuros XB and EGSnrc

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

Soh, R; Lee, J; Harianto, F

Purpose: To determine and compare the correction factors obtained for TLDs in 2 × 2cm{sup 2} small field in lung heterogenous phantom using Acuros XB (AXB) and EGSnrc. Methods: This study will simulate the correction factors due to the perturbation of TLD-100 chips (Harshaw/Thermoscientific, 3 × 3 × 0.9mm{sup 3}, 2.64g/cm{sup 3}) in small field lung medium for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT). A physical lung phantom was simulated by a 14cm thick composite cork phantom (0.27g/cm{sup 3}, HU:-743 ± 11) sandwiched between 4cm thick Plastic Water (CIRS,Norfolk). Composite cork has been shown to be a good lung substitute materialmore » for dosimetric studies. 6MV photon beam from Varian Clinac iX (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) with field size 2 × 2cm{sup 2} was simulated. Depth dose profiles were obtained from the Eclipse treatment planning system Acuros XB (AXB) and independently from DOSxyznrc, EGSnrc. Correction factors was calculated by the ratio of unperturbed to perturbed dose. Since AXB has limitations in simulating actual material compositions, EGSnrc will also simulate the AXB-based material composition for comparison to the actual lung phantom. Results: TLD-100, with its finite size and relatively high density, causes significant perturbation in 2 × 2cm{sup 2} small field in a low lung density phantom. Correction factors calculated by both EGSnrc and AXB was found to be as low as 0.9. It is expected that the correction factor obtained by EGSnrc wlll be more accurate as it is able to simulate the actual phantom material compositions. AXB have a limited material library, therefore it only approximates the composition of TLD, Composite cork and Plastic water, contributing to uncertainties in TLD correction factors. Conclusion: It is expected that the correction factors obtained by EGSnrc will be more accurate. Studies will be done to investigate the correction factors for higher energies where perturbation may be more pronounced.« less

SU-E-T-122: Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) Vs. Acuros XB (AXB) in Stereotactic Treatment Planning

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

Mynampati, D; Scripes, P Godoy; Kuo, H

2015-06-15

Purpose: To evaluate dosimetric differences between superposition beam model (AAA) and determinant photon transport solver (AXB) in lung SBRT and Cranial SRS dose computations. Methods: Ten Cranial SRS and ten Lung SBRT plans using Varian, AAA -11.0 were re-planned using Acuros -XB-11.0 with fixed MU. 6MV photon Beam model with HD120-MLC used for dose calculations. Four non-coplanar conformal arcs used to deliver 21Gy or 18Gy to SRS targets (0.4 to 6.2cc). 54Gy (3Fractions) or 50Gy (5Fractions) was planned for SBRT targets (7.3 to 13.9cc) using two VAMT non-coplanar arcs. Plan comparison parameters were dose to 1% PTV volume (D1), dosemore » to 99% PTV volume( D99), Target mean (Dmean), Conformity index (ratio of prescription isodose volume to PTV), Homogeneity Index [ (D2%-D98%)/Dmean] and R50 (ratio of 50% of prescription isodose volume to PTV). OAR parameters were Brain volume receiving 12Gy dose (V12Gy) and maximum dose (D0.03) to Brainstem for SRS. For lung SBRT, maximum dose to Heart and Cord, Mean lung dose (MLD) and volume of lung receiving 20Gy (V20Gy) were computed. PTV parameters compared by percentage difference between AXB and AAA parameters. OAR parameters and HI compared by absolute difference between two calculations. For analysis, paired t-test performed over the parameters. Results: Compared to AAA, AXB SRS plans have on average 3.2% lower D99, 6.5% lower CI and 3cc less Brain-V12. However, AXB SBRT plans have higher D1, R50 and Dmean by 3.15%, 1.63% and 2.5%. For SRS and SBRT, AXB plans have average HI 2 % and 4.4% higher than AAA plans. In both techniques, all other parameters vary within 1% or 1Gy. In both sets only two parameters have P>0.05. Conclusion: Even though t-test results signify difference between AXB and AAA plans, dose differences in dose estimations by both algorithms are clinically insignificant.« less

Dosimetric comparison of peripheral NSCLC SBRT using Acuros XB and AAA calculation algorithms.

PubMed

Ong, Chloe C H; Ang, Khong Wei; Soh, Roger C X; Tin, Kah Ming; Yap, Jerome H H; Lee, James C L; Bragg, Christopher M

2017-01-01

There is a concern for dose calculation in highly heterogenous environments such as the thorax region. This study compares the quality of treatment plans of peripheral non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) using 2 calculation algorithms, namely, Eclipse Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) and Acuros External Beam (AXB), for 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) data from 20 anonymized patients were studied using Varian Eclipse planning system, AXB, and AAA version 10.0.28. A 3DCRT plan and a VMAT plan were generated using AAA and AXB with constant plan parameters for each patient. The prescription and dose constraints were benchmarked against Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0915 protocol. Planning parameters of the plan were compared statistically using Mann-Whitney U tests. Results showed that 3DCRT and VMAT plans have a lower target coverage up to 8% when calculated using AXB as compared with AAA. The conformity index (CI) for AXB plans was 4.7% lower than AAA plans, but was closer to unity, which indicated better target conformity. AXB produced plans with global maximum doses which were, on average, 2% hotter than AAA plans. Both 3DCRT and VMAT plans were able to achieve D95%. VMAT plans were shown to be more conformal (CI = 1.01) and were at least 3.2% and 1.5% lower in terms of PTV maximum and mean dose, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference for doses received by organs at risk (OARs) regardless of calculation algorithms and treatment techniques. In general, the difference in tissue modeling for AXB and AAA algorithm is responsible for the dose distribution between the AXB and the AAA algorithms. The AXB VMAT plans could be used to benefit patients receiving peripheral NSCLC SBRT. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AAA and AXB algorithms for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma using IMRT and RapidArc techniques.

PubMed

Kamaleldin, Maha; Elsherbini, Nader A; Elshemey, Wael M

2017-09-27

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) and 2 reporting systems (AXB-D m and AXB-D w ) of Acuros XB algorithm (AXB) on clinical plans of nasopharyngeal patients using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and RapidArc (RA) techniques. Six plans of different algorithm-technique combinations are performed for 10 patients to calculate dose-volume histogram (DVH) physical parameters for planning target volumes (PTVs) and organs at risk (OARs). The number of monitor units (MUs) and calculation time are also determined. Good coverage is reported for all algorithm-technique combination plans without exceeding the tolerance for OARs. Regardless of the algorithm, RA plans persistently reported higher D 2% values for PTV-70. All IMRT plans reported higher number of MUs (especially with AXB) than did RA plans. AAA-IMRT produced the minimum calculation time of all plans. Major differences between the investigated algorithm-technique combinations are reported only for the number of MUs and calculation time parameters. In terms of these 2 parameters, it is recommended to employ AXB in calculating RA plans and AAA in calculating IMRT plans to achieve minimum calculation times at reduced number of MUs. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A model-based 3D patient-specific pre-treatment QA method for VMAT using the EPID

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCowan, P. M.; Asuni, G.; van Beek, T.; van Uytven, E.; Kujanpaa, K.; McCurdy, B. M. C.

2017-02-01

This study reports the development and validation of a model-based, 3D patient dose reconstruction method for pre-treatment quality assurance using EPID images. The method is also investigated for sensitivity to potential MLC delivery errors. Each cine-mode EPID image acquired during plan delivery was processed using a previously developed back-projection dose reconstruction model providing a 3D dose estimate on the CT simulation data. Validation was carried out using 24 SBRT-VMAT patient plans by comparing: (1) ion chamber point dose measurements in a solid water phantom, (2) the treatment planning system (TPS) predicted 3D dose to the EPID reconstructed 3D dose in a solid water phantom, and (3) the TPS predicted 3D dose to the EPID and our forward predicted reconstructed 3D dose in the patient (CT data). AAA and AcurosXB were used for TPS predictions. Dose distributions were compared using 3%/3 mm (95% tolerance) and 2%/2 mm (90% tolerance) γ-tests in the planning target volume (PTV) and 20% dose volumes. The average percentage point dose differences between the ion chamber and the EPID, AcurosXB, and AAA were 0.73  ±  1.25%, 0.38  ±  0.96% and 1.06  ±  1.34% respectively. For the patient (CT) dose comparisons, seven (3%/3 mm) and nine (2%/2 mm) plans failed the EPID versus AAA. All plans passed the EPID versus Acuros XB and the EPID versus forward model γ-comparisons. Four types of MLC sensitive errors (opening, shifting, stuck, and retracting), of varying magnitude (0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mm), were introduced into six different SBRT-VMAT plans. γ-comparisons of the erroneous EPID dose and original predicted dose were carried out using the same criteria as above. For all plans, the sensitivity testing using a 3%/3 mm γ-test in the PTV successfully determined MLC errors on the order of 1.0 mm, except for the single leaf retraction-type error. A 2%/2 mm criteria produced similar results with two more additional detected errors.

Dosimetric evaluation of magnetic resonance-generated synthetic CT for radiation treatment of rectal cancer.

PubMed

Wang, Hesheng; Du, Kevin; Qu, Juliet; Chandarana, Hersh; Das, Indra J

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the dosimetric equivalence of magnetic resonance (MR)-generated synthetic CT (synCT) and simulation CT for treatment planning in radiotherapy of rectal cancer. This study was conducted on eleven patients who underwent whole-body PET/MR and PET/CT examination in a prospective IRB-approved study. For each patient synCT was generated from Dixon MR using a model-based method. Standard treatment planning directives were used to create a four-field box (4F), an oblique four-field (O4F) and a volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan on synCT for treatment of rectal cancer. The plans were recalculated on CT with the same monitor units (MUs) as that of synCT. Dose-volume metrics of planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs) as well as gamma analysis of dose distributions were evaluated to quantify the difference between synCT and CT plans. All plans were calculated using the analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA). The VMAT plans on synCT and CT were also calculated using the Acuros XB algorithm for comparison with the AAA calculation. Medians of absolute differences in PTV metrics between synCT and CT plans were 0.2%, 0.2% and 0.3% for 4F, O4F and VMAT respectively. No significant differences were observed in OAR dose metrics including bladder V40Gy, mean dose in bladder, bowel V45Gy and femoral head V30Gy in any techniques. Gamma analysis with 2%/2mm dose difference/distance to agreement criteria showed median passing rates of 99.8% (range: 98.5 to 100%), 99.9% (97.2 to 100%), and 99.9% (99.4 to 100%) for 4F, O4F and VMAT, respectively. Using Acuros XB dose calculation, 2%/2mm gamma analysis generated a passing rate of 99.2% (97.7 to 99.9%) for VMAT plans. SynCT enabled dose calculation equivalent to conventional CT for treatment planning of 3D conformal treatment as well as VMAT of rectal cancer. The dosimetric agreement between synCT and CT calculated doses demonstrated the potential of MR-only treatment planning for rectal cancer using MR generated synCT.

National dosimetric audit network finds discrepancies in AAA lung inhomogeneity corrections.

PubMed

Dunn, Leon; Lehmann, Joerg; Lye, Jessica; Kenny, John; Kron, Tomas; Alves, Andrew; Cole, Andrew; Zifodya, Jackson; Williams, Ivan

2015-07-01

This work presents the Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service's (ACDS) findings of an investigation of systematic discrepancies between treatment planning system (TPS) calculated and measured audit doses. Specifically, a comparison between the Anisotropic Analytic Algorithm (AAA) and other common dose-calculation algorithms in regions downstream (≥2cm) from low-density material in anthropomorphic and slab phantom geometries is presented. Two measurement setups involving rectilinear slab-phantoms (ACDS Level II audit) and anthropomorphic geometries (ACDS Level III audit) were used in conjunction with ion chamber (planar 2D array and Farmer-type) measurements. Measured doses were compared to calculated doses for a variety of cases, with and without the presence of inhomogeneities and beam-modifiers in 71 audits. Results demonstrate a systematic AAA underdose with an average discrepancy of 2.9 ± 1.2% when the AAA algorithm is implemented in regions distal from lung-tissue interfaces, when lateral beams are used with anthropomorphic phantoms. This systemic discrepancy was found for all Level III audits of facilities using the AAA algorithm. This discrepancy is not seen when identical measurements are compared for other common dose-calculation algorithms (average discrepancy -0.4 ± 1.7%), including the Acuros XB algorithm also available with the Eclipse TPS. For slab phantom geometries (Level II audits), with similar measurement points downstream from inhomogeneities this discrepancy is also not seen. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SU-F-T-413: Calculation Accuracy of AAA and Acuros Using Cerrobend Blocks for TBI at 400cm

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

Lamichhane, N; Studenski, M

2016-06-15

Purpose: It is essential to assess the lung dose during TBI to reduce toxicity. Here we characterize the accuracy of the AAA and Acuros algorithms when using cerrobend lung shielding blocks at an extended distance for TBI. Methods: We positioned a 30×30×30 cm3 solid water slab phantom at 400 cm SSD and measured PDDs (Exradin A12 and PTW parallel plate ion chambers). A 2 cm thick, 10×10 cm2 cerrobend block was hung 2 cm in front of the phantom. This geometry was reproduced in the planning system for both AAA and Acuros. In AAA, the mass density of the cerrobendmore » block was forced to 9.38 g/cm3 and in Acuros it was forced to 8.0 g/cm3 (limited to selecting stainless steel). Three different relative electron densities (RED) were tested for each algorithm; 4.97, 6.97, and 8.97. Results: PDDs from both Acuros and AAA underestimated the delivered dose. AAA calculated that depth dose was higher for RED of 4.97 as compared to 6.97 and 8.97 but still lower than measured. There was no change in the percent depth dose with changing relative electron densities for Acuros. Conclusion: Care should be taken before using AAA or Acuros with cerrobend blocks as the planning system underestimates dose. Acuros limits the ability to modify RED when compared to AAA.« less

Dosimetric comparison of Acuros XB, AAA, and XVMC in stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung cancer.

PubMed

Tsuruta, Yusuke; Nakata, Manabu; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro; Matsuo, Yukinori; Higashimura, Kyoji; Monzen, Hajime; Mizowaki, Takashi; Hiraoka, Masahiro

2014-08-01

To compare the dosimetric performance of Acuros XB (AXB), anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA), and x-ray voxel Monte Carlo (XVMC) in heterogeneous phantoms and lung stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) plans. Water- and lung-equivalent phantoms were combined to evaluate the percentage depth dose and dose profile. The radiation treatment machine Novalis (BrainLab AG, Feldkirchen, Germany) with an x-ray beam energy of 6 MV was used to calculate the doses in the composite phantom at a source-to-surface distance of 100 cm with a gantry angle of 0°. Subsequently, the clinical lung SBRT plans for the 26 consecutive patients were transferred from the iPlan (ver. 4.1; BrainLab AG) to the Eclipse treatment planning systems (ver. 11.0.3; Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). The doses were then recalculated with AXB and AAA while maintaining the XVMC-calculated monitor units and beam arrangement. Then the dose-volumetric data obtained using the three different radiation dose calculation algorithms were compared. The results from AXB and XVMC agreed with measurements within ± 3.0% for the lung-equivalent phantom with a 6 × 6 cm(2) field size, whereas AAA values were higher than measurements in the heterogeneous zone and near the boundary, with the greatest difference being 4.1%. AXB and XVMC agreed well with measurements in terms of the profile shape at the boundary of the heterogeneous zone. For the lung SBRT plans, AXB yielded lower values than XVMC in terms of the maximum doses of ITV and PTV; however, the differences were within ± 3.0%. In addition to the dose-volumetric data, the dose distribution analysis showed that AXB yielded dose distribution calculations that were closer to those with XVMC than did AAA. Means ± standard deviation of the computation time was 221.6 ± 53.1 s (range, 124-358 s), 66.1 ± 16.0 s (range, 42-94 s), and 6.7 ± 1.1 s (range, 5-9 s) for XVMC, AXB, and AAA, respectively. In the phantom evaluations, AXB and XVMC agreed better with measurements than did AAA. Calculations differed in the density-changing zones (substance boundaries) between AXB/XVMC and AAA. In the lung SBRT cases, a comparative analysis of dose-volumetric data and dose distributions with XVMC demonstrated that the AXB provided better agreement with XVMC than AAA. The computation time of AXB was faster than that of XVMC; therefore, AXB has better balance in terms of the dosimetric performance and computation speed for clinical use than XVMC.

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

Kang, S; Suh, T; Chung, J

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dosimetric and radiobiological impact of Acuros XB (AXB) and Anisotropic Analytic Algorithm (AAA) dose calculation algorithms on prostate stereotactic body radiation therapy plans with both conventional flattened (FF) and flattening-filter free (FFF) modes. Methods: For thirteen patients with prostate cancer, SBRT planning was performed using 10-MV photon beam with FF and FFF modes. The total dose prescribed to the PTV was 42.7 Gy in 7 fractions. All plans were initially calculated using AAA algorithm in Eclipse treatment planning system (11.0.34), and then were re-calculated using AXB with the same MUsmore » and MLC files. The four types of plans for different algorithms and beam energies were compared in terms of homogeneity and conformity. To evaluate the radiobiological impact, the tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) calculations were performed. Results: For PTV, both calculation algorithms and beam modes lead to comparable homogeneity and conformity. However, the averaged TCP values in AXB plans were always lower than in AAA plans with an average difference of 5.3% and 6.1% for 10-MV FFF and FF beam, respectively. In addition, the averaged NTCP values for organs at risk (OARs) were comparable. Conclusion: This study showed that prostate SBRT plan were comparable dosimetric results with different dose calculation algorithms as well as delivery beam modes. For biological results, even though NTCP values for both calculation algorithms and beam modes were similar, AXB plans produced slightly lower TCP compared to the AAA plans.« less

SU-E-T-800: Verification of Acurose XB Dose Calculation Algorithm at Air Cavity-Tissue Interface Using Film Measurement for Small Fields of 6-MV Flattening Filter-Free Beams

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

Kang, S; Suh, T; Chung, J

2015-06-15

Purpose: To verify the dose accuracy of Acuros XB (AXB) dose calculation algorithm at air-tissue interface using inhomogeneous phantom for 6-MV flattening filter-free (FFF) beams. Methods: An inhomogeneous phantom included air cavity was manufactured for verifying dose accuracy at the air-tissue interface. The phantom was composed with 1 and 3 cm thickness of air cavity. To evaluate the central axis doses (CAD) and dose profiles of the interface, the dose calculations were performed for 3 × 3 and 4 × 4 cm{sup 2} fields of 6 MV FFF beams with AAA and AXB in Eclipse treatment plainning system. Measurements inmore » this region were performed with Gafchromic film. The root mean square errors (RMSE) were analyzed with calculated and measured dose profile. Dose profiles were divided into inner-dose profile (>80%) and penumbra (20% to 80%) region for evaluating RMSE. To quantify the distribution difference, gamma evaluation was used and determined the agreement with 3%/3mm criteria. Results: The percentage differences (%Diffs) between measured and calculated CAD in the interface, AXB shows more agreement than AAA. The %Diffs were increased with increasing the thickness of air cavity size and it is similar for both algorithms. In RMSEs of inner-profile, AXB was more accurate than AAA. The difference was up to 6 times due to overestimation by AAA. RMSEs of penumbra appeared to high difference for increasing the measurement depth. Gamma agreement also presented that the passing rates decreased in penumbra. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the dose calculation with AXB shows more accurate than with AAA for the air-tissue interface. The 2D dose distributions with AXB for both inner-profile and penumbra showed better agreement than with AAA relative to variation of the measurement depths and air cavity sizes.« less

Dosimetric comparison of a 6-MV flattening-filter and a flattening-filter-free beam for lung stereotactic ablative radiotherapy treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yon-Lae; Chung, Jin-Beom; Kim, Jae-Sung; Lee, Jeong-Woo; Kim, Jin-Young; Kang, Sang-Won; Suh, Tae-Suk

2015-11-01

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of clinical usage of a flattening-filter-free (FFF) beam for treatment with lung stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). Ten patients were treated with SABR and a 6-MV FFF beam for this study. All plans using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) were optimized in the Eclipse treatment planning system (TPS) by using the Acuros XB (AXB) dose calculation algorithm and were delivered by using a Varian TrueBeam ™ linear accelerator equipped with a high-definition (HD) multi-leaf collimator. The prescription dose used was 48 Gy in 4 fractions. In order to compare the plan using a conventional 6-MV flattening-filter (FF) beam, the SABR plan was recalculated under the condition of the same beam settings used in the plan employing the 6-MV FFF beam. All dose distributions were calculated by using Acuros XB (AXB, version 11) and a 2.5-mm isotropic dose grid. The cumulative dosevolume histograms (DVH) for the planning target volume (PTV) and all organs at risk (OARs) were analyzed. Technical parameters, such as total monitor units (MUs) and the delivery time, were also recorded and assessed. All plans for target volumes met the planning objectives for the PTV ( i.e., V95% > 95%) and the maximum dose ( i.e., Dmax < 110%) revealing adequate target coverage for the 6-MV FF and FFF beams. Differences in DVH for target volumes (PTV and clinical target volume (CTV)) and OARs on the lung SABR plans from the interchange of the treatment beams were small, but showed a marked reduction (52.97%) in the treatment delivery time. The SABR plan with a FFF beam required a larger number of MUs than the plan with the FF beam, and the mean difference in MUs was 4.65%. This study demonstrated that the use of the FFF beam for lung SABR plan provided better treatment efficiency relative to 6-MV FF beam. This strategy should be particularly beneficial for high dose conformity to the lung and decreased intra-fraction movements because of the shorter treatment delivery time. Future studies are necessary to assess the clinical outcome and the toxicity.

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

Pacaci, P; Cebe, M; Mabhouti, H

Purpose: In this study, dosimetric comparison of field in field (FIF) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) techniques used for treatment of whole breast radiotherapy (WBRT) were made. The dosimetric accuracy of treatment planning system (TPS) for Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) and Acuros XB (AXB) algorithms in predicting PTV and OAR doses was also investigated. Methods: Two different treatment planning techniques of left-sided breast cancer were generated for rando phantom. FIF and IMRT plans were compared for doses in PTV and OAR volumes including ipsilateral lung, heart, left ascending coronary artery, contralateral lung and the contralateral breast. PTV and OARsmore » doses and homogeneity and conformality indexes were compared between two techniques. The accuracy of TPS dose calculation algorithms was tested by comparing PTV and OAR doses measured by thermoluminescent dosimetry with the dose calculated by the TPS using AAA and AXB for both techniques. Results: IMRT plans had better conformality and homogeneity indexes than FIF technique and it spared OARs better than FIF. While both algorithms overestimated PTV doses they underestimated all OAR doses. For IMRT plan, PTV doses, overestimation up to 2.5 % was seen with AAA algorithm but it decreased to 1.8 % when AXB algorithm was used. Based on the results of the anthropomorphic measurements for OAR doses, underestimation greater than 7 % is possible by the AAA. The results from the AXB are much better than the AAA algorithm. However, underestimations of 4.8 % were found in some of the points even for AXB. For FIF plan, similar trend was seen for PTV and OARs doses in both algorithm. Conclusion: When using the Eclipse TPS for breast cancer, AXB the should be used instead of the AAA algorithm, bearing in mind that the AXB may still underestimate all OAR doses.« less

Evaluation of six TPS algorithms in computing entrance and exit doses.

PubMed

Tan, Yun I; Metwaly, Mohamed; Glegg, Martin; Baggarley, Shaun; Elliott, Alex

2014-05-08

Entrance and exit doses are commonly measured in in vivo dosimetry for comparison with expected values, usually generated by the treatment planning system (TPS), to verify accuracy of treatment delivery. This report aims to evaluate the accuracy of six TPS algorithms in computing entrance and exit doses for a 6 MV beam. The algorithms tested were: pencil beam convolution (Eclipse PBC), analytical anisotropic algorithm (Eclipse AAA), AcurosXB (Eclipse AXB), FFT convolution (XiO Convolution), multigrid superposition (XiO Superposition), and Monte Carlo photon (Monaco MC). Measurements with ionization chamber (IC) and diode detector in water phantoms were used as a reference. Comparisons were done in terms of central axis point dose, 1D relative profiles, and 2D absolute gamma analysis. Entrance doses computed by all TPS algorithms agreed to within 2% of the measured values. Exit doses computed by XiO Convolution, XiO Superposition, Eclipse AXB, and Monaco MC agreed with the IC measured doses to within 2%-3%. Meanwhile, Eclipse PBC and Eclipse AAA computed exit doses were higher than the IC measured doses by up to 5.3% and 4.8%, respectively. Both algorithms assume that full backscatter exists even at the exit level, leading to an overestimation of exit doses. Despite good agreements at the central axis for Eclipse AXB and Monaco MC, 1D relative comparisons showed profiles mismatched at depths beyond 11.5 cm. Overall, the 2D absolute gamma (3%/3 mm) pass rates were better for Monaco MC, while Eclipse AXB failed mostly at the outer 20% of the field area. The findings of this study serve as a useful baseline for the implementation of entrance and exit in vivo dosimetry in clinical departments utilizing any of these six common TPS algorithms for reference comparison.

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

Iwai, P; Lins, L Nadler

Purpose: There is a lack of studies with significant cohort data about patients using pacemaker (PM), implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device undergoing radiotherapy. There is no literature comparing the cumulative doses delivered to those cardiac implanted electronic devices (CIED) calculated by different algorithms neither studies comparing doses with heterogeneity correction or not. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the algorithms Pencil Beam Convolution (PBC), Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm (AAA) and Acuros XB (AXB) as well as heterogeneity correction on risk categorization of patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 19 3DCRT ormore » IMRT plans of 17 patients was conducted, calculating the dose delivered to CIED using three different calculation algorithms. Doses were evaluated with and without heterogeneity correction for comparison. Risk categorization of the patients was based on their CIED dependency and cumulative dose in the devices. Results: Total estimated doses at CIED calculated by AAA or AXB were higher than those calculated by PBC in 56% of the cases. In average, the doses at CIED calculated by AAA and AXB were higher than those calculated by PBC (29% and 4% higher, respectively). The maximum difference of doses calculated by each algorithm was about 1 Gy, either using heterogeneity correction or not. Values of maximum dose calculated with heterogeneity correction showed that dose at CIED was at least equal or higher in 84% of the cases with PBC, 77% with AAA and 67% with AXB than dose obtained with no heterogeneity correction. Conclusion: The dose calculation algorithm and heterogeneity correction did not change the risk categorization. Since higher estimated doses delivered to CIED do not compromise treatment precautions to be taken, it’s recommend that the most sophisticated algorithm available should be used to predict dose at the CIED using heterogeneity correction.« less

Dosimetric comparison of Acuros XB deterministic radiation transport method with Monte Carlo and model-based convolution methods in heterogeneous media

PubMed Central

Han, Tao; Mikell, Justin K.; Salehpour, Mohammad; Mourtada, Firas

2011-01-01

Purpose: The deterministic Acuros XB (AXB) algorithm was recently implemented in the Eclipse treatment planning system. The goal of this study was to compare AXB performance to Monte Carlo (MC) and two standard clinical convolution methods: the anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) and the collapsed-cone convolution (CCC) method. Methods: Homogeneous water and multilayer slab virtual phantoms were used for this study. The multilayer slab phantom had three different materials, representing soft tissue, bone, and lung. Depth dose and lateral dose profiles from AXB v10 in Eclipse were compared to AAA v10 in Eclipse, CCC in Pinnacle3, and EGSnrc MC simulations for 6 and 18 MV photon beams with open fields for both phantoms. In order to further reveal the dosimetric differences between AXB and AAA or CCC, three-dimensional (3D) gamma index analyses were conducted in slab regions and subregions defined by AAPM Task Group 53. Results: The AXB calculations were found to be closer to MC than both AAA and CCC for all the investigated plans, especially in bone and lung regions. The average differences of depth dose profiles between MC and AXB, AAA, or CCC was within 1.1, 4.4, and 2.2%, respectively, for all fields and energies. More specifically, those differences in bone region were up to 1.1, 6.4, and 1.6%; in lung region were up to 0.9, 11.6, and 4.5% for AXB, AAA, and CCC, respectively. AXB was also found to have better dose predictions than AAA and CCC at the tissue interfaces where backscatter occurs. 3D gamma index analyses (percent of dose voxels passing a 2%∕2 mm criterion) showed that the dose differences between AAA and AXB are significant (under 60% passed) in the bone region for all field sizes of 6 MV and in the lung region for most of field sizes of both energies. The difference between AXB and CCC was generally small (over 90% passed) except in the lung region for 18 MV 10 × 10 cm2 fields (over 26% passed) and in the bone region for 5 × 5 and 10 × 10 cm2 fields (over 64% passed). With the criterion relaxed to 5%∕2 mm, the pass rates were over 90% for both AAA and CCC relative to AXB for all energies and fields, with the exception of AAA 18 MV 2.5 × 2.5 cm2 field, which still did not pass. Conclusions: In heterogeneous media, AXB dose prediction ability appears to be comparable to MC and superior to current clinical convolution methods. The dose differences between AXB and AAA or CCC are mainly in the bone, lung, and interface regions. The spatial distributions of these differences depend on the field sizes and energies. PMID:21776802

Percentage depth dose calculation accuracy of model based algorithms in high energy photon small fields through heterogeneous media and comparison with plastic scintillator dosimetry.

PubMed

Alagar, Ananda Giri Babu; Mani, Ganesh Kadirampatti; Karunakaran, Kaviarasu

2016-01-08

Small fields smaller than 4 × 4 cm2 are used in stereotactic and conformal treatments where heterogeneity is normally present. Since dose calculation accuracy in both small fields and heterogeneity often involves more discrepancy, algorithms used by treatment planning systems (TPS) should be evaluated for achieving better treatment results. This report aims at evaluating accuracy of four model-based algorithms, X-ray Voxel Monte Carlo (XVMC) from Monaco, Superposition (SP) from CMS-Xio, AcurosXB (AXB) and analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA) from Eclipse are tested against the measurement. Measurements are done using Exradin W1 plastic scintillator in Solid Water phantom with heterogeneities like air, lung, bone, and aluminum, irradiated with 6 and 15 MV photons of square field size ranging from 1 to 4 cm2. Each heterogeneity is introduced individually at two different depths from depth-of-dose maximum (Dmax), one setup being nearer and another farther from the Dmax. The central axis percentage depth-dose (CADD) curve for each setup is measured separately and compared with the TPS algorithm calculated for the same setup. The percentage normalized root mean squared deviation (%NRMSD) is calculated, which represents the whole CADD curve's deviation against the measured. It is found that for air and lung heterogeneity, for both 6 and 15 MV, all algorithms show maximum deviation for field size 1 × 1 cm2 and gradually reduce when field size increases, except for AAA. For aluminum and bone, all algorithms' deviations are less for 15 MV irrespective of setup. In all heterogeneity setups, 1 × 1 cm2 field showed maximum deviation, except in 6MV bone setup. All algorithms in the study, irrespective of energy and field size, when any heterogeneity is nearer to Dmax, the dose deviation is higher compared to the same heterogeneity far from the Dmax. Also, all algorithms show maximum deviation in lower-density materials compared to high-density materials.

A Phantom Study on Fetal Dose Reducing Factors in Pregnant Patients with Breast Cancer during Radiotherapy Treatment

PubMed Central

Öğretici, Akın; Çakır, Aydın; Akbaş, Uğur; Köksal, Canan; Kalafat, Ümmühan; Tambaş, Makbule; Bilge, Hatice

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the factors that reduce fetal dose in pregnant patients with breast cancer throughout their radiation treatment. Two main factors in a standard radiation oncology center are considered as the treatment planning systems (TPSs) and simple shielding for intensity modulated radiation therapy technique. Materials and Methods: TPS factor was evaluated with two different planning algorithms: Anisotropic analytical algorithm and Acuros XB (external beam). To evaluate the shielding factor, a standard radiological purpose lead apron was chosen. For both studies, thermoluminescence dosimeters were used to measure the point dose, and an Alderson RANDO-phantom was used to simulate a female pregnant patient in this study. Thirteen measurement points were chosen in the 32nd slice of the phantom to cover all possible locations of a fetus up to 8th week of gestation. Results: The results show that both of the TPS algorithms are incapable of calculating the fetal doses, therefore, unable to reduce them at the planning stage. Shielding with a standard lead apron, however, showed a slight radiation protection (about 4.7%) to the fetus decreasing the mean fetal dose from 84.8 mGy to 80.8 mGy, which cannot be disregarded in case of fetal irradiation. Conclusions: Using a lead apron for shielding the abdominal region of a pregnant patient during breast irradiation showed a minor advantage; however, its possible side effects (i.e., increased scattered radiation and skin dose) should also be investigated further to solidify its benefits. PMID:28974857

Evaluation of six TPS algorithms in computing entrance and exit doses

PubMed Central

Metwaly, Mohamed; Glegg, Martin; Baggarley, Shaun P.; Elliott, Alex

2014-01-01

Entrance and exit doses are commonly measured in in vivo dosimetry for comparison with expected values, usually generated by the treatment planning system (TPS), to verify accuracy of treatment delivery. This report aims to evaluate the accuracy of six TPS algorithms in computing entrance and exit doses for a 6 MV beam. The algorithms tested were: pencil beam convolution (Eclipse PBC), analytical anisotropic algorithm (Eclipse AAA), AcurosXB (Eclipse AXB), FFT convolution (XiO Convolution), multigrid superposition (XiO Superposition), and Monte Carlo photon (Monaco MC). Measurements with ionization chamber (IC) and diode detector in water phantoms were used as a reference. Comparisons were done in terms of central axis point dose, 1D relative profiles, and 2D absolute gamma analysis. Entrance doses computed by all TPS algorithms agreed to within 2% of the measured values. Exit doses computed by XiO Convolution, XiO Superposition, Eclipse AXB, and Monaco MC agreed with the IC measured doses to within 2%‐3%. Meanwhile, Eclipse PBC and Eclipse AAA computed exit doses were higher than the IC measured doses by up to 5.3% and 4.8%, respectively. Both algorithms assume that full backscatter exists even at the exit level, leading to an overestimation of exit doses. Despite good agreements at the central axis for Eclipse AXB and Monaco MC, 1D relative comparisons showed profiles mismatched at depths beyond 11.5 cm. Overall, the 2D absolute gamma (3%/3 mm) pass rates were better for Monaco MC, while Eclipse AXB failed mostly at the outer 20% of the field area. The findings of this study serve as a useful baseline for the implementation of entrance and exit in vivo dosimetry in clinical departments utilizing any of these six common TPS algorithms for reference comparison. PACS numbers: 87.55.‐x, 87.55.D‐, 87.55.N‐, 87.53.Bn PMID:24892349

Experimental verification of the Acuros XB and AAA dose calculation adjacent to heterogeneous media for IMRT and RapidArc of nasopharygeal carcinoma.

PubMed

Kan, Monica W K; Leung, Lucullus H T; So, Ronald W K; Yu, Peter K N

2013-03-01

To compare the doses calculated by the Acuros XB (AXB) algorithm and analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA) with experimentally measured data adjacent to and within heterogeneous medium using intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and RapidArc(®) (RA) volumetric arc therapy plans for nasopharygeal carcinoma (NPC). Two-dimensional dose distribution immediately adjacent to both air and bone inserts of a rectangular tissue equivalent phantom irradiated using IMRT and RA plans for NPC cases were measured with GafChromic(®) EBT3 films. Doses near and within the nasopharygeal (NP) region of an anthropomorphic phantom containing heterogeneous medium were also measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) and EBT3 films. The measured data were then compared with the data calculated by AAA and AXB. For AXB, dose calculations were performed using both dose-to-medium (AXB_Dm) and dose-to-water (AXB_Dw) options. Furthermore, target dose differences between AAA and AXB were analyzed for the corresponding real patients. The comparison of real patient plans was performed by stratifying the targets into components of different densities, including tissue, bone, and air. For the verification of planar dose distribution adjacent to air and bone using the rectangular phantom, the percentages of pixels that passed the gamma analysis with the ± 3%/3mm criteria were 98.7%, 99.5%, and 97.7% on the axial plane for AAA, AXB_Dm, and AXB_Dw, respectively, averaged over all IMRT and RA plans, while they were 97.6%, 98.2%, and 97.7%, respectively, on the coronal plane. For the verification of planar dose distribution within the NP region of the anthropomorphic phantom, the percentages of pixels that passed the gamma analysis with the ± 3%/3mm criteria were 95.1%, 91.3%, and 99.0% for AAA, AXB_Dm, and AXB_Dw, respectively, averaged over all IMRT and RA plans. Within the NP region where air and bone were present, the film measurements represented the dose close to unit density water in a heterogeneous medium, produced the best agreement with the AXB_Dw. For the verification of point doses within the target using TLD in the anthropomorphic phantom, the absolute percentage deviations between the calculated and measured data when averaged over all IMRT and RA plans were 1.8%, 1.7%, and 1.8% for AAA, AXB_Dm and AXB_Dw, respectively. From all the verification results, no significant difference was found between the IMRT and RA plans. The target dose analysis of the real patient plans showed that the discrepancies in mean doses to the PTV component in tissue among the three dose calculation options were within 2%, but up to about 4% in the bone content, with AXB_Dm giving the lowest values and AXB_Dw giving the highest values. In general, the verification measurements demonstrated that both algorithms produced acceptable accuracy when compared to the measured data. GafChromic(®) film results indicated that AXB produced slightly better accuracy compared to AAA for dose calculation adjacent to and within the heterogeneous media. Users should be aware of the differences in calculated target doses between options AXB_Dm and AXB_Dw, especially in bone, for IMRT and RA in NPC cases.

Sci-Sat AM: Radiation Dosimetry and Practical Therapy Solutions - 04: On 3D Fabrication of Phantoms and Experimental Verification of Patient Dose Computation Algorithms

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

Khan, Rao; Zavan, Rodolfo; McGeachy, Philip

2016-08-15

Purpose: Transport based dose calculation algorithm Acuros XB (AXB) has been shown to accurately account for heterogeneities mostly through comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations. This study aims at providing additional experimental verification for AXB for flattened and unflattened clinical energies in low density phantoms of the same material. Materials and Methods: Polystyrene slabs were created using a bench-top 3D printer. Six slabs were printed at varying densities from 0.23 g/cm{sup 3} to 0.68 g/cm{sup 3}, corresponding to different density humanoid tissues. The slabs were used to form different single and multilayer geometries. Dose was calculated with AXB 11.0.31 for 6MV,more » 15MV flattened and 6FFF (flattening filter free) energies for field sizes of 2×2 cm{sup 2} and 5×5 cm{sup 2}. The phantoms containing radiochromic EBT3 films were irradiated. Absolute dose profiles and 2D gamma analyses were performed for 96 dose planes. Results: For all single slab, multislab configurations and energies, absolute dose differences between the AXB calculation and film measurements remained <3% for both fields, with slightly poor disagreement in penumbra. The gamma index at 2% / 2mm averaged 98% in all combinations of fields, phantoms and photon energies. Conclusions: The transport based dose algorithm AXB is in good agreement with the experimental measurements for small field sizes using 6MV, 6FFF and 15MV beams adjacent to low density heterogeneous media. This work provides sufficient experimental ground to support the use of AXB for heterogeneous dose calculation purposes.« less

Percentage depth dose calculation accuracy of model based algorithms in high energy photon small fields through heterogeneous media and comparison with plastic scintillator dosimetry

PubMed Central

Mani, Ganesh Kadirampatti; Karunakaran, Kaviarasu

2016-01-01

Small fields smaller than 4×4 cm2 are used in stereotactic and conformal treatments where heterogeneity is normally present. Since dose calculation accuracy in both small fields and heterogeneity often involves more discrepancy, algorithms used by treatment planning systems (TPS) should be evaluated for achieving better treatment results. This report aims at evaluating accuracy of four model‐based algorithms, X‐ray Voxel Monte Carlo (XVMC) from Monaco, Superposition (SP) from CMS‐Xio, AcurosXB (AXB) and analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA) from Eclipse are tested against the measurement. Measurements are done using Exradin W1 plastic scintillator in Solid Water phantom with heterogeneities like air, lung, bone, and aluminum, irradiated with 6 and 15 MV photons of square field size ranging from 1 to 4 cm2. Each heterogeneity is introduced individually at two different depths from depth‐of‐dose maximum (Dmax), one setup being nearer and another farther from the Dmax. The central axis percentage depth‐dose (CADD) curve for each setup is measured separately and compared with the TPS algorithm calculated for the same setup. The percentage normalized root mean squared deviation (%NRMSD) is calculated, which represents the whole CADD curve's deviation against the measured. It is found that for air and lung heterogeneity, for both 6 and 15 MV, all algorithms show maximum deviation for field size 1×1 cm2 and gradually reduce when field size increases, except for AAA. For aluminum and bone, all algorithms' deviations are less for 15 MV irrespective of setup. In all heterogeneity setups, 1×1 cm2 field showed maximum deviation, except in 6 MV bone setup. All algorithms in the study, irrespective of energy and field size, when any heterogeneity is nearer to Dmax, the dose deviation is higher compared to the same heterogeneity far from the Dmax. Also, all algorithms show maximum deviation in lower‐density materials compared to high‐density materials. PACS numbers: 87.53.Bn, 87.53.kn, 87.56.bd, 87.55.Kd, 87.56.jf PMID:26894345

SU-E-T-374: Evaluation and Verification of Dose Calculation Accuracy with Different Dose Grid Sizes for Intracranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery

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

Han, C; Schultheiss, T

Purpose: In this study, we aim to evaluate the effect of dose grid size on the accuracy of calculated dose for small lesions in intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and to verify dose calculation accuracy with radiochromic film dosimetry. Methods: 15 intracranial lesions from previous SRS patients were retrospectively selected for this study. The planning target volume (PTV) ranged from 0.17 to 2.3 cm{sup 3}. A commercial treatment planning system was used to generate SRS plans using the volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technique using two arc fields. Two convolution-superposition-based dose calculation algorithms (Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm and Acuros XB algorithm) weremore » used to calculate volume dose distribution with dose grid size ranging from 1 mm to 3 mm with 0.5 mm step size. First, while the plan monitor units (MU) were kept constant, PTV dose variations were analyzed. Second, with 95% of the PTV covered by the prescription dose, variations of the plan MUs as a function of dose grid size were analyzed. Radiochomic films were used to compare the delivered dose and profile with the calculated dose distribution with different dose grid sizes. Results: The dose to the PTV, in terms of the mean dose, maximum, and minimum dose, showed steady decrease with increasing dose grid size using both algorithms. With 95% of the PTV covered by the prescription dose, the total MU increased with increasing dose grid size in most of the plans. Radiochromic film measurements showed better agreement with dose distributions calculated with 1-mm dose grid size. Conclusion: Dose grid size has significant impact on calculated dose distribution in intracranial SRS treatment planning with small target volumes. Using the default dose grid size could lead to under-estimation of delivered dose. A small dose grid size should be used to ensure calculation accuracy and agreement with QA measurements.« less

Dosimetric comparison of lung stereotactic body radiotherapy treatment plans using averaged computed tomography and end-exhalation computed tomography images: Evaluation of the effect of different dose-calculation algorithms and prescription methods

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

Mitsuyoshi, Takamasa; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro, E-mail: m_nkmr@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Matsuo, Yukinori

The purpose of this article is to quantitatively evaluate differences in dose distributions calculated using various computed tomography (CT) datasets, dose-calculation algorithms, and prescription methods in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for patients with early-stage lung cancer. Data on 29 patients with early-stage lung cancer treated with SBRT were retrospectively analyzed. Averaged CT (Ave-CT) and expiratory CT (Ex-CT) images were reconstructed for each patient using 4-dimensional CT data. Dose distributions were initially calculated using the Ave-CT images and recalculated (in the same monitor units [MUs]) by employing Ex-CT images with the same beam arrangements. The dose-volume parameters, including D{sub 95}, D{submore » 90}, D{sub 50}, and D{sub 2} of the planning target volume (PTV), were compared between the 2 image sets. To explore the influence of dose-calculation algorithms and prescription methods on the differences in dose distributions evident between Ave-CT and Ex-CT images, we calculated dose distributions using the following 3 different algorithms: x-ray Voxel Monte Carlo (XVMC), Acuros XB (AXB), and the anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA). We also used 2 different dose-prescription methods; the isocenter prescription and the PTV periphery prescription methods. All differences in PTV dose-volume parameters calculated using Ave-CT and Ex-CT data were within 3 percentage points (%pts) employing the isocenter prescription method, and within 1.5%pts using the PTV periphery prescription method, irrespective of which of the 3 algorithms (XVMC, AXB, and AAA) was employed. The frequencies of dose-volume parameters differing by >1%pt when the XVMC and AXB were used were greater than those associated with the use of the AAA, regardless of the dose-prescription method employed. All differences in PTV dose-volume parameters calculated using Ave-CT and Ex-CT data on patients who underwent lung SBRT were within 3%pts, regardless of the dose-calculation algorithm or the dose-prescription method employed.« less

A new SPECT/CT reconstruction algorithm: reliability and accuracy in clinical routine for non-oncologic bone diseases.

PubMed

Delcroix, Olivier; Robin, Philippe; Gouillou, Maelenn; Le Duc-Pennec, Alexandra; Alavi, Zarrin; Le Roux, Pierre-Yves; Abgral, Ronan; Salaun, Pierre-Yves; Bourhis, David; Querellou, Solène

2018-02-12

xSPECT Bone® (xB) is a new reconstruction algorithm developed by Siemens® in bone hybrid imaging (SPECT/CT). A CT-based tissue segmentation is incorporated into SPECT reconstruction to provide SPECT images with bone anatomy appearance. The objectives of this study were to assess xB/CT reconstruction diagnostic reliability and accuracy in comparison with Flash 3D® (F3D)/CT in clinical routine. Two hundred thirteen consecutive patients referred to the Brest Nuclear Medicine Department for non-oncological bone diseases were evaluated retrospectively. Two hundred seven SPECT/CT were included. All SPECT/CT were independently interpreted by two nuclear medicine physicians (a junior and a senior expert) with xB/CT then with F3D/CT three months later. Inter-observer agreement (IOA) and diagnostic confidence were determined using McNemar test, and unweighted Kappa coefficient. The study objectives were then re-assessed for validation through > 18 months of clinical and paraclinical follow-up. No statistically significant differences between IOA xB and IOA F3D were found (p = 0.532). Agreement for xB after categorical classification of the diagnoses was high (κ xB = 0.89 [95% CI 0.84 -0.93]) but without statistically significant difference F3D (κ F3D = 0.90 [95% CI 0.86 - 0.94]). Thirty-one (14.9%) inter-reconstruction diagnostic discrepancies were observed of which 21 (10.1%) were classified as major. The follow-up confirmed the diagnosis of F3D in 10 cases, xB in 6 cases and was non-contributory in 5 cases. xB reconstruction algorithm was found reliable, providing high interobserver agreement and similar diagnostic confidence to F3D reconstruction in clinical routine.

Acuros CTS: A fast, linear Boltzmann transport equation solver for computed tomography scatter - Part I: Core algorithms and validation.

PubMed

Maslowski, Alexander; Wang, Adam; Sun, Mingshan; Wareing, Todd; Davis, Ian; Star-Lack, Josh

2018-05-01

To describe Acuros ® CTS, a new software tool for rapidly and accurately estimating scatter in x-ray projection images by deterministically solving the linear Boltzmann transport equation (LBTE). The LBTE describes the behavior of particles as they interact with an object across spatial, energy, and directional (propagation) domains. Acuros CTS deterministically solves the LBTE by modeling photon transport associated with an x-ray projection in three main steps: (a) Ray tracing photons from the x-ray source into the object where they experience their first scattering event and form scattering sources. (b) Propagating photons from their first scattering sources across the object in all directions to form second scattering sources, then repeating this process until all high-order scattering sources are computed using the source iteration method. (c) Ray-tracing photons from scattering sources within the object to the detector, accounting for the detector's energy and anti-scatter grid responses. To make this process computationally tractable, a combination of analytical and discrete methods is applied. The three domains are discretized using the Linear Discontinuous Finite Elements, Multigroup, and Discrete Ordinates methods, respectively, which confer the ability to maintain the accuracy of a continuous solution. Furthermore, through the implementation in CUDA, we sought to exploit the parallel computing capabilities of graphics processing units (GPUs) to achieve the speeds required for clinical utilization. Acuros CTS was validated against Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations using two digital phantoms: (a) a water phantom containing lung, air, and bone inserts (WLAB phantom) and (b) a pelvis phantom derived from a clinical CT dataset. For these studies, we modeled the TrueBeam ® (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) kV imaging system with a source energy of 125 kVp. The imager comprised a 600 μm-thick Cesium Iodide (CsI) scintillator and a 10:1 one-dimensional anti-scatter grid. For the WLAB studies, the full-fan geometry without a bowtie filter was used (with and without the anti-scatter grid). For the pelvis phantom studies, a half-fan geometry with bowtie was used (with the anti-scatter grid). Scattered and primary photon fluences and energies deposited in the detector were recorded. The Acuros CTS and Monte Carlo results demonstrated excellent agreement. For the WLAB studies, the average percent difference between the Monte Carlo- and Acuros-generated scattered photon fluences at the face of the detector was -0.7%. After including the detector response, the average percent differences between the Monte Carlo- and Acuros-generated scatter fractions (SF) were -0.1% without the grid and 0.6% with the grid. For the digital pelvis simulation, the Monte Carlo- and Acuros-generated SFs agreed to within 0.1% on average, despite the scatter-to-primary ratios (SPRs) being as high as 5.5. The Acuros CTS computation time for each scatter image was ~1 s using a single GPU. Acuros CTS enables a fast and accurate calculation of scatter images by deterministically solving the LBTE thus offering a computationally attractive alternative to Monte Carlo methods. Part II describes the application of Acuros CTS to scatter correction of CBCT scans on the TrueBeam system. © 2018 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

WE-AB-207B-05: Correlation of Normal Lung Density Changes with Dose After Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) for Early Stage Lung Cancer

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

Wu, Q; Devpura, S; Feghali, K

2016-06-15

Purpose: To investigate correlation of normal lung CT density changes with dose accuracy and outcome after SBRT for patients with early stage lung cancer. Methods: Dose distributions for patients originally planned and treated using a 1-D pencil beam-based (PB-1D) dose algorithm were retrospectively recomputed using algorithms: 3-D pencil beam (PB-3D), and model-based Methods: AAA, Acuros XB (AXB), and Monte Carlo (MC). Prescription dose was 12 Gy × 4 fractions. Planning CT images were rigidly registered to the followup CT datasets at 6–9 months after treatment. Corresponding dose distributions were mapped from the planning to followup CT images. Following the methodmore » of Palma et al .(1–2), Hounsfield Unit (HU) changes in lung density in individual, 5 Gy, dose bins from 5–45 Gy were assessed in the peri-tumor region, defined as a uniform, 3 cm expansion around the ITV(1). Results: There is a 10–15% displacement of the high dose region (40–45 Gy) with the model-based algorithms, relative to the PB method, due to the electron scattering of dose away from the tumor into normal lung tissue (Fig.1). Consequently, the high-dose lung region falls within the 40–45 Gy dose range, causing an increase in HU change in this region, as predicted by model-based algorithms (Fig.2). The patient with the highest HU change (∼110) had mild radiation pneumonitis, and the patient with HU change of ∼80–90 had shortness of breath. No evidence of pneumonitis was observed for the 3 patients with smaller CT density changes (<50 HU). Changes in CT densities, and dose-response correlation, as computed with model-based algorithms, are in excellent agreement with the findings of Palma et al. (1–2). Conclusion: Dose computed with PB (1D or 3D) algorithms was poorly correlated with clinically relevant CT density changes, as opposed to model-based algorithms. A larger cohort of patients is needed to confirm these results. This work was supported in part by a grant from Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA.« less

Superficial dose evaluation of four dose calculation algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Ying; Yang, Xiaoyu; Yang, Zhen; Qiu, Xiaoping; Lv, Zhiping; Lei, Mingjun; Liu, Gui; Zhang, Zijian; Hu, Yongmei

2017-08-01

Accurate superficial dose calculation is of major importance because of the skin toxicity in radiotherapy, especially within the initial 2 mm depth being considered more clinically relevant. The aim of this study is to evaluate superficial dose calculation accuracy of four commonly used algorithms in commercially available treatment planning systems (TPS) by Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and film measurements. The superficial dose in a simple geometrical phantom with size of 30 cm×30 cm×30 cm was calculated by PBC (Pencil Beam Convolution), AAA (Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm), AXB (Acuros XB) in Eclipse system and CCC (Collapsed Cone Convolution) in Raystation system under the conditions of source to surface distance (SSD) of 100 cm and field size (FS) of 10×10 cm2. EGSnrc (BEAMnrc/DOSXYZnrc) program was performed to simulate the central axis dose distribution of Varian Trilogy accelerator, combined with measurements of superficial dose distribution by an extrapolation method of multilayer radiochromic films, to estimate the dose calculation accuracy of four algorithms in the superficial region which was recommended in detail by the ICRU (International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurement) and the ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection). In superficial region, good agreement was achieved between MC simulation and film extrapolation method, with the mean differences less than 1%, 2% and 5% for 0°, 30° and 60°, respectively. The relative skin dose errors were 0.84%, 1.88% and 3.90%; the mean dose discrepancies (0°, 30° and 60°) between each of four algorithms and MC simulation were (2.41±1.55%, 3.11±2.40%, and 1.53±1.05%), (3.09±3.00%, 3.10±3.01%, and 3.77±3.59%), (3.16±1.50%, 8.70±2.84%, and 18.20±4.10%) and (14.45±4.66%, 10.74±4.54%, and 3.34±3.26%) for AXB, CCC, AAA and PBC respectively. Monte Carlo simulation verified the feasibility of the superficial dose measurements by multilayer Gafchromic films. And the rank of superficial dose calculation accuracy of four algorithms was AXB>CCC>AAA>PBC. Care should be taken when using the AAA and PBC algorithms in the superficial dose calculation.

Photon beam dosimetry with EBT3 film in heterogeneous regions: Application to the evaluation of dose-calculation algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Hyunuk; Kum, Oyeon; Han, Youngyih; Park, Byungdo; Cheong, Kwang-Ho

2014-12-01

For a better understanding of the accuracy of state-of-the-art-radiation therapies, 2-dimensional dosimetry in a patient-like environment will be helpful. Therefore, the dosimetry of EBT3 films in non-water-equivalent tissues was investigated, and the accuracy of commercially-used dose-calculation algorithms was evaluated with EBT3 measurement. Dose distributions were measured with EBT3 films for an in-house-designed phantom that contained a lung or a bone substitute, i.e., an air cavity (3 × 3 × 3 cm3) or teflon (2 × 2 × 2 cm3 or 3 × 3 × 3 cm3), respectively. The phantom was irradiated with 6-MV X-rays with field sizes of 2 × 2, 3 × 3, and 5 × 5 cm2. The accuracy of EBT3 dosimetry was evaluated by comparing the measured dose with the dose obtained from Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. A dose-to-bone-equivalent material was obtained by multiplying the EBT3 measurements by the stopping power ratio (SPR). The EBT3 measurements were then compared with the predictions from four algorithms: Monte Carlo (MC) in iPlan, acuros XB (AXB), analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA) in Eclipse, and superposition-convolution (SC) in Pinnacle. For the air cavity, the EBT3 measurements agreed with the MC calculation to within 2% on average. For teflon, the EBT3 measurements differed by 9.297% (±0.9229%) on average from the Monte Carlo calculation before dose conversion, and by 0.717% (±0.6546%) after applying the SPR. The doses calculated by using the MC, AXB, AAA, and SC algorithms for the air cavity differed from the EBT3 measurements on average by 2.174, 2.863, 18.01, and 8.391%, respectively; for teflon, the average differences were 3.447, 4.113, 7.589, and 5.102%. The EBT3 measurements corrected with the SPR agreed with 2% on average both within and beyond the heterogeneities with MC results, thereby indicating that EBT3 dosimetry can be used in heterogeneous media. The MC and the AXB dose calculation algorithms exhibited clinically-acceptable accuracy (<5%) in heterogeneities.

Comparison of dosimetric and radiobiological parameters on plans for prostate stereotactic body radiotherapy using an endorectal balloon for different dose-calculation algorithms and delivery-beam modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Sang-Won; Suh, Tae-Suk; Chung, Jin-Beom; Eom, Keun-Yong; Song, Changhoon; Kim, In-Ah; Kim, Jae-Sung; Lee, Jeong-Woo; Cho, Woong

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of dosimetric and radiobiological parameters on treatment plans by using different dose-calculation algorithms and delivery-beam modes for prostate stereotactic body radiation therapy using an endorectal balloon. For 20 patients with prostate cancer, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) plans were generated by using a 10-MV photon beam with flattening filter (FF) and flattening-filter-free (FFF) modes. The total treatment dose prescribed was 42.7 Gy in 7 fractions to cover at least 95% of the planning target volume (PTV) with 95% of the prescribed dose. The dose computation was initially performed using an anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) in the Eclipse treatment planning system (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) and was then re-calculated using Acuros XB (AXB V. 11.0.34) with the same monitor units and multileaf collimator files. The dosimetric and the radiobiological parameters for the PTV and organs at risk (OARs) were analyzed from the dose-volume histogram. An obvious difference in dosimetric parameters between the AAA and the AXB plans was observed in the PTV and rectum. Doses to the PTV, excluding the maximum dose, were always higher in the AAA plans than in the AXB plans. However, doses to the other OARs were similar in both algorithm plans. In addition, no difference was observed in the dosimetric parameters for different delivery-beam modes when using the same algorithm to generate plans. As a result of the dosimetric parameters, the radiobiological parameters for the two algorithm plans presented an apparent difference in the PTV and the rectum. The average tumor control probability of the AAA plans was higher than that of the AXB plans. The average normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) to rectum was lower in the AXB plans than in the AAA plans. The AAA and the AXB plans yielded very similar NTCPs for the other OARs. In plans using the same algorithms, the NTCPs for delivery-beam modes showed no differences. This study demonstrated that the dosimetric and the radiobiological parameters for the PTV and the rectum affected the dose-calculation algorithms for prostate SBRT using an endorectal balloon. However, the dosimetric and the radiobiological parameters in the AAA and the AXB plans for other OARs were similar. Furthermore, difference between the dosimetric and the radiobiological parameters for different delivery-beam modes were not found when the same algorithm was used to generate the treatment plan.

SU-E-J-58: Dosimetric Verification of Metal Artifact Effects: Comparison of Dose Distributions Affected by Patient Teeth and Implants

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

Lee, M; Kang, S; Lee, S

Purpose: Implant-supported dentures seem particularly appropriate for the predicament of becoming edentulous and cancer patients are no exceptions. As the number of people having dental implants increased in different ages, critical dosimetric verification of metal artifact effects are required for the more accurate head and neck radiation therapy. The purpose of this study is to verify the theoretical analysis of the metal(streak and dark) artifact, and to evaluate dosimetric effect which cause by dental implants in CT images of patients with the patient teeth and implants inserted humanoid phantom. Methods: The phantom comprises cylinder which is shaped to simulate themore » anatomical structures of a human head and neck. Through applying various clinical cases, made phantom which is closely allied to human. Developed phantom can verify two classes: (i)closed mouth (ii)opened mouth. RapidArc plans of 4 cases were created in the Eclipse planning system. Total dose of 2000 cGy in 10 fractions is prescribed to the whole planning target volume (PTV) using 6MV photon beams. Acuros XB (AXB) advanced dose calculation algorithm, Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm (AAA) and progressive resolution optimizer were used in dose optimization and calculation. Results: In closed and opened mouth phantom, because dark artifacts formed extensively around the metal implants, dose variation was relatively higher than that of streak artifacts. As the PTV was delineated on the dark regions or large streak artifact regions, maximum 7.8% dose error and average 3.2% difference was observed. The averaged minimum dose to the PTV predicted by AAA was about 5.6% higher and OARs doses are also 5.2% higher compared to AXB. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that AXB dose calculation involving high-density materials is more accurate than AAA calculation, and AXB was superior to AAA in dose predictions beyond dark artifact/air cavity portion when compared against the measurements.« less

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

Pokharel, S; Rana, S

Purpose: purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of grid size in Eclipse AcurosXB dose calculation algorithm for SBRT lung. Methods: Five cases of SBRT lung previously treated have been chosen for present study. Four of the plans were 5 fields conventional IMRT and one was Rapid Arc plan. All five cases have been calculated with five grid sizes (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3mm) available for AXB algorithm with same plan normalization. Dosimetric indices relevant to SBRT along with MUs and time have been recorded for different grid sizes. The maximum difference was calculated as a percentagemore » of mean of all five values. All the plans were IMRT QAed with portal dosimetry. Results: The maximum difference of MUs was within 2%. The time increased was as high as 7 times from highest 3mm to lowest 1mm grid size. The largest difference of PTV minimum, maximum and mean dose were 7.7%, 1.5% and 1.6% respectively. The highest D2-Max difference was 6.1%. The highest difference in ipsilateral lung mean, V5Gy, V10Gy and V20Gy were 2.6%, 2.4%, 1.9% and 3.8% respectively. The maximum difference of heart, cord and esophagus dose were 6.5%, 7.8% and 4.02% respectively. The IMRT Gamma passing rate at 2%/2mm remains within 1.5% with at least 98% points passing with all grid sizes. Conclusion: This work indicates the lowest grid size of 1mm available in AXB is not necessarily required for accurate dose calculation. The IMRT passing rate was insignificant or not observed with the reduction of grid size less than 2mm. Although the maximum percentage difference of some of the dosimetric indices appear large, most of them are clinically insignificant in absolute dose values. So we conclude that 2mm grid size calculation is best compromise in light of dose calculation accuracy and time it takes to calculate dose.« less

SU-F-T-153: Experimental Validation and Calculation Benchmark for a Commercial Monte Carlo Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy Treatment Planning System in Water

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

Lin, L; Huang, S; Kang, M

Purpose: Eclipse proton Monte Carlo AcurosPT 13.7 was commissioned and experimentally validated for an IBA dedicated PBS nozzle in water. Topas 1.3 was used to isolate the cause of differences in output and penumbra between simulation and experiment. Methods: The spot profiles were measured in air at five locations using Lynx. PTW-34070 Bragg peak chamber (Freiburg, Germany) was used to collect the relative integral Bragg peak for 15 proton energies from 100 MeV to 225 MeV. The phase space parameters (σx, σθ, ρxθ) number of protons per MU, energy spread and calculated mean energy provided by AcurosPT were identically implementedmore » into Topas. The absolute dose, profiles and field size factors measured using ionization chamber arrays were compared with both AcurosPT and Topas. Results: The beam spot size, σx, and the angular spread, σθ, in air were both energy-dependent: in particular, the spot size in air at isocentre ranged from 2.8 to 5.3 mm, and the angular spread ranged from 2.7 mrad to 6 mrad. The number of protons per MU increased from ∼9E7 at 100 MeV to ∼1.5E8 at 225 MeV. Both AcurosPT and TOPAS agree with experiment within 2 mm penumbra difference or 3% dose difference for scenarios including central axis depth dose and profiles at two depths in multi-spot square fields, from 40 to 200 mm, for all the investigated single-energy and multi-energy beams, indicating clinically acceptable source model and radiation transport algorithm in water. Conclusion: By comparing measured data and TOPAS simulation using the same source model, the AcurosPT 13.7 was validated in water within 2 mm penumbra difference or 3% dose difference. Benchmarks versus an independent Monte Carlo code are recommended to study the agreement in output, filed size factors and penumbra differences. This project is partially supported by the Varian grant under the master agreement between University of Pennsylvania and Varian.« less

Feasibility study of entrance and exit dose measurements at the contra lateral breast with alanine/electron spin resonance dosimetry in volumetric modulated radiotherapy of breast cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Daniela M.; Hüttenrauch, Petra; Anton, Mathias; von Voigts-Rhetz, Philip; Zink, Klemens; Wolff, Hendrik A.

2017-07-01

The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt has established a secondary standard measurement system for the dose to water, D W, based on alanine/ESR (Anton et al 2013 Phys. Med. Biol. 58 3259-82). The aim of this study was to test the established measurement system for the out-of-field measurements of inpatients with breast cancer. A set of five alanine pellets were affixed to the skin of each patient at the contra lateral breast beginning at the sternum and extending over the mammilla to the distal surface. During 28 fractions with 2.2 Gy per fraction, the accumulated dose was measured in four patients. A cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) scan was generated for setup purposes before every treatment. The reference CT dataset was registered rigidly and deformably to the CBCT dataset for 28 fractions. To take the actual alanine pellet position into account, the dose distribution was calculated for every fraction using the Acuros XB algorithm. The results of the ESR measurements were compared to the calculated doses. The maximum dose measured at the sternum was 19.9 Gy  ±  0.4 Gy, decreasing to 6.8 Gy  ±  0.2 Gy at the mammilla and 4.5 Gy  ±  0.1 Gy at the distal surface of the contra lateral breast. The absolute differences between the calculated and measured doses ranged from  -1.9 Gy to 0.9 Gy. No systematic error could be seen. It was possible to achieve a combined standard uncertainty of 1.63% for D W  =  5 Gy for the measured dose. The alanine/ESR method is feasible for in vivo measurements.

Rapid scatter estimation for CBCT using the Boltzmann transport equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Mingshan; Maslowski, Alex; Davis, Ian; Wareing, Todd; Failla, Gregory; Star-Lack, Josh

2014-03-01

Scatter in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a significant problem that degrades image contrast, uniformity and CT number accuracy. One means of estimating and correcting for detected scatter is through an iterative deconvolution process known as scatter kernel superposition (SKS). While the SKS approach is efficient, clinically significant errors on the order 2-4% (20-40 HU) still remain. We have previously shown that the kernel method can be improved by perturbing the kernel parameters based on reference data provided by limited Monte Carlo simulations of a first-pass reconstruction. In this work, we replace the Monte Carlo modeling with a deterministic Boltzmann solver (AcurosCTS) to generate the reference scatter data in a dramatically reduced time. In addition, the algorithm is improved so that instead of adjusting kernel parameters, we directly perturb the SKS scatter estimates. Studies were conducted on simulated data and on a large pelvis phantom scanned on a tabletop system. The new method reduced average reconstruction errors (relative to a reference scan) from 2.5% to 1.8%, and significantly improved visualization of low contrast objects. In total, 24 projections were simulated with an AcurosCTS execution time of 22 sec/projection using an 8-core computer. We have ported AcurosCTS to the GPU, and current run-times are approximately 4 sec/projection using two GPU's running in parallel.

Performance of dose calculation algorithms from three generations in lung SBRT: comparison with full Monte Carlo‐based dose distributions

PubMed Central

Kapanen, Mika K.; Hyödynmaa, Simo J.; Wigren, Tuija K.; Pitkänen, Maunu A.

2014-01-01

The accuracy of dose calculation is a key challenge in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) of the lung. We have benchmarked three photon beam dose calculation algorithms — pencil beam convolution (PBC), anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA), and Acuros XB (AXB) — implemented in a commercial treatment planning system (TPS), Varian Eclipse. Dose distributions from full Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were regarded as a reference. In the first stage, for four patients with central lung tumors, treatment plans using 3D conformal radiotherapy (CRT) technique applying 6 MV photon beams were made using the AXB algorithm, with planning criteria according to the Nordic SBRT study group. The plans were recalculated (with same number of monitor units (MUs) and identical field settings) using BEAMnrc and DOSXYZnrc MC codes. The MC‐calculated dose distributions were compared to corresponding AXB‐calculated dose distributions to assess the accuracy of the AXB algorithm, to which then other TPS algorithms were compared. In the second stage, treatment plans were made for ten patients with 3D CRT technique using both the PBC algorithm and the AAA. The plans were recalculated (with same number of MUs and identical field settings) with the AXB algorithm, then compared to original plans. Throughout the study, the comparisons were made as a function of the size of the planning target volume (PTV), using various dose‐volume histogram (DVH) and other parameters to quantitatively assess the plan quality. In the first stage also, 3D gamma analyses with threshold criteria 3%/3 mm and 2%/2 mm were applied. The AXB‐calculated dose distributions showed relatively high level of agreement in the light of 3D gamma analysis and DVH comparison against the full MC simulation, especially with large PTVs, but, with smaller PTVs, larger discrepancies were found. Gamma agreement index (GAI) values between 95.5% and 99.6% for all the plans with the threshold criteria 3%/3 mm were achieved, but 2%/2 mm threshold criteria showed larger discrepancies. The TPS algorithm comparison results showed large dose discrepancies in the PTV mean dose (D50%), nearly 60%, for the PBC algorithm, and differences of nearly 20% for the AAA, occurring also in the small PTV size range. This work suggests the application of independent plan verification, when the AAA or the AXB algorithm are utilized in lung SBRT having PTVs smaller than 20‐25 cc. The calculated data from this study can be used in converting the SBRT protocols based on type ‘a’ and/or type ‘b’ algorithms for the most recent generation type ‘c’ algorithms, such as the AXB algorithm. PACS numbers: 87.55.‐x, 87.55.D‐, 87.55.K‐, 87.55.kd, 87.55.Qr PMID:24710454

In vivo measurements for high dose rate brachytherapy with optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters

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

Sharma, Renu; Jursinic, Paul A.

2013-07-15

Purpose: To show the feasibility of clinical implementation of OSLDs for high dose-rate (HDR) in vivo dosimetry for gynecological and breast patients. To discuss how the OSLDs were characterized for an Ir-192 source, taking into account low gamma energy and high dose gradients. To describe differences caused by the dose calculation formalism of treatment planning systems.Methods: OSLD irradiations were made using the GammaMedplus iX Ir-192 HDR, Varian Medical Systems, Milpitas, CA. BrachyVision versions 8.9 and 10.0, Varian Medical Systems, Milpitas, CA, were used for calculations. Version 8.9 used the TG-43 algorithm and version 10.0 used the Acuros algorithm. The OSLDsmore » (InLight Nanodots) were characterized for Ir-192. Various phantoms were created to assess calculated and measured doses and the angular dependence and self-absorption of the Nanodots. Following successful phantom measurements, patient measurements for gynecological patients and breast cancer patients were made and compared to calculated doses.Results: The OSLD sensitivity to Ir-192 compared to 6 MV is between 1.10 and 1.25, is unique to each detector, and changes with accumulated dose. The measured doses were compared to those predicted by the treatment planning system and found to be in agreement for the gynecological patients to within measurement uncertainty. The range of differences between the measured and Acuros calculated doses was -10%-14%. For the breast patients, there was a discrepancy of -4.4% to +6.5% between the measured and calculated doses at the skin surface when the Acuros algorithm was used. These differences were within experimental uncertainty due to (random) error in the location of the detector with respect to the treatment catheter.Conclusions: OSLDs can be successfully used for HDR in vivo dosimetry. However, for the measurements to be meaningful one must account for the angular dependence, volume-averaging, and the greater sensitivity to Ir-192 gamma rays than to 6 MV x-rays if 6 MV x-rays were used for OSLD calibration. The limitations of the treatment planning algorithm must be understood, especially for surface dose measurements. Use of in vivo dosimetry for HDR brachytherapy treatments is feasible and has the potential to detect and prevent gross errors. In vivo HDR brachytherapy should be included as part of the QA for a HDR brachytherapy program.« less

The performance of the progressive resolution optimizer (PRO) for RapidArc planning in targets with low-density media.

PubMed

Kan, Monica W K; Leung, Lucullus H T; Yu, Peter K N

2013-11-04

A new version of progressive resolution optimizer (PRO) with an option of air cavity correction has been implemented for RapidArc volumetric-modulated arc therapy (RA). The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of this new PRO with the use of air cavity correction option (PRO10_air) against the one without the use of the air cavity correction option (PRO10_no-air) for RapidArc planning in targets with low-density media of different sizes and complexities. The performance of PRO10_no-air and PRO10_air was initially compared using single-arc plans created for four different simple heterogeneous phantoms with virtual targets and organs at risk. Multiple-arc planning of 12 real patients having nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC) and ten patients having non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were then performed using the above two options for further comparison. Dose calculations were performed using both the Acuros XB (AXB) algorithm with the dose to medium option and the analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA). The effect of using intermediate dose option after the first optimization cycle in PRO10_air and PRO10_no-air was also investigated and compared. Plans were evaluated and compared using target dose coverage, critical organ sparing, conformity index, and dose homogeneity index. For NSCLC cases or cases for which large volumes of low-density media were present in or adjacent to the target volume, the use of the air cavity correction option in PRO10 was shown to be beneficial. For NPC cases or cases for which small volumes of both low- and high-density media existed in the target volume, the use of air cavity correction in PRO10 did not improve the plan quality. Based on the AXB dose calculation results, the use of PRO10_air could produce up to 18% less coverage to the bony structures of the planning target volumes for NPC cases. When the intermediate dose option in PRO10 was used, there was negligible difference observed in plan quality between optimizations with and without using the air cavity correction option.

SU-E-T-280: Reconstructed Rectal Wall Dose Map-Based Verification of Rectal Dose Sparing Effect According to Rectum Definition Methods and Dose Perturbation by Air Cavity in Endo-Rectal Balloon

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

Park, J; Research Institute of Biomedical Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul; Park, H

Purpose: Dosimetric effect and discrepancy according to the rectum definition methods and dose perturbation by air cavity in an endo-rectal balloon (ERB) were verified using rectal-wall (Rwall) dose maps considering systematic errors in dose optimization and calculation accuracy in intensity-modulated radiation treatment (IMRT) for prostate cancer patients. Methods: When the inflated ERB having average diameter of 4.5 cm and air volume of 100 cc is used for patient, Rwall doses were predicted by pencil-beam convolution (PBC), anisotropic analytic algorithm (AAA), and AcurosXB (AXB) with material assignment function. The errors of dose optimization and calculation by separating air cavity from themore » whole rectum (Rwhole) were verified with measured rectal doses. The Rwall doses affected by the dose perturbation of air cavity were evaluated using a featured rectal phantom allowing insert of rolled-up gafchromic films and glass rod detectors placed along the rectum perimeter. Inner and outer Rwall doses were verified with reconstructed predicted rectal wall dose maps. Dose errors and extent at dose levels were evaluated with estimated rectal toxicity. Results: While AXB showed insignificant difference of target dose coverage, Rwall doses underestimated by up to 20% in dose optimization for the Rwhole than Rwall at all dose range except for the maximum dose. As dose optimization for Rwall was applied, the Rwall doses presented dose error less than 3% between dose calculation algorithm except for overestimation of maximum rectal dose up to 5% in PBC. Dose optimization for Rwhole caused dose difference of Rwall especially at intermediate doses. Conclusion: Dose optimization for Rwall could be suggested for more accurate prediction of rectal wall dose prediction and dose perturbation effect by air cavity in IMRT for prostate cancer. This research was supported by the Leading Foreign Research Institute Recruitment Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) (Grant No. 200900420)« less

Clinical Implementation of a Model-Based In Vivo Dose Verification System for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy-Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy Treatments Using the Electronic Portal Imaging Device.

PubMed

McCowan, Peter M; Asuni, Ganiyu; Van Uytven, Eric; VanBeek, Timothy; McCurdy, Boyd M C; Loewen, Shaun K; Ahmed, Naseer; Bashir, Bashir; Butler, James B; Chowdhury, Amitava; Dubey, Arbind; Leylek, Ahmet; Nashed, Maged

2017-04-01

To report findings from an in vivo dosimetry program implemented for all stereotactic body radiation therapy patients over a 31-month period and discuss the value and challenges of utilizing in vivo electronic portal imaging device (EPID) dosimetry clinically. From December 2013 to July 2016, 117 stereotactic body radiation therapy-volumetric modulated arc therapy patients (100 lung, 15 spine, and 2 liver) underwent 602 EPID-based in vivo dose verification events. A developed model-based dose reconstruction algorithm calculates the 3-dimensional dose distribution to the patient by back-projecting the primary fluence measured by the EPID during treatment. The EPID frame-averaging was optimized in June 2015. For each treatment, a 3%/3-mm γ comparison between our EPID-derived dose and the Eclipse AcurosXB-predicted dose to the planning target volume (PTV) and the ≥20% isodose volume were performed. Alert levels were defined as γ pass rates <85% (lung and liver) and <80% (spine). Investigations were carried out for all fractions exceeding the alert level and were classified as follows: EPID-related, algorithmic, patient setup, anatomic change, or unknown/unidentified errors. The percentages of fractions exceeding the alert levels were 22.6% for lung before frame-average optimization and 8.0% for lung, 20.0% for spine, and 10.0% for liver after frame-average optimization. Overall, mean (± standard deviation) planning target volume γ pass rates were 90.7% ± 9.2%, 87.0% ± 9.3%, and 91.2% ± 3.4% for the lung, spine, and liver patients, respectively. Results from the clinical implementation of our model-based in vivo dose verification method using on-treatment EPID images is reported. The method is demonstrated to be valuable for routine clinical use for verifying delivered dose as well as for detecting errors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Brain-Machine-Brain Interface for Rewiring of Cortical Circuitry after Traumatic Brain Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

were requested to provide further evidence, either neurophysiological or neuroanatomical, of enhanced connectivity (no additional studies in new...report. The algorithms developed during the course of the manuscript revision have proved to be very enlightening . During Year 3, we revisited our Year...to our local IACUC and subsequently, to ACURO during Year 4. As a result of the Nature reviews, we focused on a more neurophysiological approach to

The performance of the progressive resolution optimizer (PRO) for RapidArc planning in targets with low‐density media

PubMed Central

Leung, Lucullus H.T.; Yu, Peter K.N.

2013-01-01

A new version of progressive resolution optimizer (PRO) with an option of air cavity correction has been implemented for RapidArc volumetric‐modulated arc therapy (RA). The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of this new PRO with the use of air cavity correction option (PRO10_air) against the one without the use of the air cavity correction option (PRO10_no‐air) for RapidArc planning in targets with low‐density media of different sizes and complexities. The performance of PRO10_no‐air and PRO10_air was initially compared using single‐arc plans created for four different simple heterogeneous phantoms with virtual targets and organs at risk. Multiple‐arc planning of 12 real patients having nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC) and ten patients having non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were then performed using the above two options for further comparison. Dose calculations were performed using both the Acuros XB (AXB) algorithm with the dose to medium option and the analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA). The effect of using intermediate dose option after the first optimization cycle in PRO10_air and PRO10_no‐air was also investigated and compared. Plans were evaluated and compared using target dose coverage, critical organ sparing, conformity index, and dose homogeneity index. For NSCLC cases or cases for which large volumes of low‐density media were present in or adjacent to the target volume, the use of the air cavity correction option in PROIO was shown to be beneficial. For NPC cases or cases for which small volumes of both low‐ and high‐density media existed in the target volume, the use of air cavity correction in PRO10 did not improve the plan quality. Based on the AXB dose calculation results, the use of PRO10_air could produce up to 18% less coverage to the bony structures of the planning target volumes for NPC cases. When the intermediate dose option in PRO10 was used, there was negligible difference observed in plan quality between optimizations with and without using the air cavity correction option. PACS number: 87.55.D‐, 87.55.de, 87.56.N‐

SU-E-T-795: Validations of Dose Calculation Accuracy of Acuros BV in High-Dose-Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy with a Shielded Cylinder Applicator Using Monte Carlo Simulation

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

Li, Y; Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing; Tian, Z

Purpose: Acuros BV has become available to perform accurate dose calculations in high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy with phantom heterogeneity considered by solving the Boltzmann transport equation. In this work, we performed validation studies regarding the dose calculation accuracy of Acuros BV in cases with a shielded cylinder applicator using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Methods: Fifteen cases were considered in our studies, covering five different diameters of the applicator and three different shielding degrees. For each case, a digital phantom was created in Varian BrachyVision with the cylinder applicator inserted in the middle of a large water phantom. A treatment plan withmore » eight dwell positions was generated for these fifteen cases. Dose calculations were performed with Acuros BV. We then generated a voxelized phantom of the same geometry, and the materials were modeled according to the vendor’s specifications. MC dose calculations were then performed using our in-house developed fast MC dose engine for HDR brachytherapy (gBMC) on a GPU platform, which is able to simulate both photon transport and electron transport in a voxelized geometry. A phase-space file for the Ir-192 HDR source was used as a source model for MC simulations. Results: Satisfactory agreements between the dose distributions calculated by Acuros BV and those calculated by gBMC were observed in all cases. Quantitatively, we computed point-wise dose difference within the region that receives a dose higher than 10% of the reference dose, defined to be the dose at 5mm outward away from the applicator surface. The mean dose difference was ∼0.45%–0.51% and the 95-percentile maximum difference was ∼1.24%–1.47%. Conclusion: Acuros BV is able to accurately perform dose calculations in HDR brachytherapy with a shielded cylinder applicator.« less

SU-F-T-236: Comparison of Two IMRT/VMAT QA Systems Using Gamma Index Analysis

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

Dogan, N; Denissova, S

2016-06-15

Purpose: The goal of this study is to assess differences in the Gamma index pass rates when using two commercial QA systems and provide optimum Gamma index parameters for pre-treatment patient specific QA. Methods: Twenty-two VMAT cases that consisted of prostate, lung, head and neck, spine, brain and pancreas, were included in this study. The verification plans have been calculated using AcurosXB(V11) algorithm for different dose grids (1.5mm, 2.5mm, 3mm). The measurements were performed on TrueBeam(Varian) accelerator using both EPID(S1000) portal imager and ArcCheck(SunNuclearCorp) devices. Gamma index criteria variation of 3%/3mm, 2%/3mm, 2%/2mm and threshold (TH) doses of 5% tomore » 50% were used in analysis. Results: The differences in Gamma pass rates between two devices are not statistically significant for 3%/3mm, yielding pass rate higher than 95%. Increase of lower dose TH showed reduced pass rates for both devices. ArcCheck’s more pronounced effect can be attributed to higher contribution of lower dose region spread. As expected, tightening criteria to 2%/2mm (TH: 10%) decreased Gamma pass rates below 95%. Higher EPID (92%) pass rates compared to ArcCheck (86%) probably due to better spatial resolution. Portal Dosimetry results showed lower Gamma pass rates for composite plans compared to individual field pass rates. This may be due to the expansion in the analyzed region which includes pixels not included in the separate field analysis. Decreasing dose grid size from 2.5mm to 1.5mm did not show statistically significant (p<0.05) differences in Gamma pass rates for both QA devices. Conclusion: Overall, both system measurements agree well with calculated dose when using gamma index criteria of 3%/3mm for a variety of VMAT cases. Variability between two systems increases using different dose GRID, TH and tighter gamma criteria and must be carefully assessed prior to clinical use.« less

SU-E-T-215: Comparison of VMAT-SABR Treatment Plans with Flattened Filter (FF) Beam and Flattening Filter-Free (FFF) Beam for Localized Prostate Cancer

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

Chung, J; Kim, J; Kang, S

2015-06-15

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to access VMAT-SABR plan using flattening filter (FF) and flattening filter-free (FFF) beam, and compare the verification results for all pretreatment plans. Methods: SABR plans for 20 prostate patients were optimized in the Eclipse treatment planning system. A prescription dose was 42.7 Gy/7 fractions. Four SABR plans for each patient were calculated using Acuros XB algorithm with both FF and FFF beams of 6- and 10-MV. The dose-volume histograms (DVH) and technical parameters were recorded and compared. A pretreatment verification was performed and the gamma analysis was used to quantify the agreement betweenmore » calculations and measurements. Results: For each patient, the DVHs are closely similar for plans of four different beams. There are small differences showed in dose distributions and corresponding DVHs when comparing the each plan related to the same patient. Sparing on bladder and rectum was slightly better on plans with 10-MV FF and FFF than with 6-MV FF and FFF, but this difference was negligible. However, there was no significance in the other OARs. The mean agreement of 3%/3mm criteria was higher than 97% in all plans. The mean MUs and deliver time employed was 1701±101 and 3.02±0.17 min for 6-MV FF, 1870±116 and 1.69±0.08 min for 6-MV FFF, 1471±86 and 2.68±0.14 min for 10-MV FF, and 1619±101 and 0.98±0.04 min for 10-MV FFF, respectively. Conclusion: Dose distributions on prostate SABR plans using FFF beams were similar to those generated by FF beams. However, the use of FFF beam offers a clear benefit in delivery time when compared to FF beam. Verification of pretreatment also represented the acceptable and comparable results in all plans using FF beam as well as FFF beam. Therefore, this study suggests that the use of FFF beam is feasible and efficient technique for prostate SABR.« less

Density scaling of phantom materials for a 3D dose verification system.

PubMed

Tani, Kensuke; Fujita, Yukio; Wakita, Akihisa; Miyasaka, Ryohei; Uehara, Ryuzo; Kodama, Takumi; Suzuki, Yuya; Aikawa, Ako; Mizuno, Norifumi; Kawamori, Jiro; Saitoh, Hidetoshi

2018-05-21

In this study, the optimum density scaling factors of phantom materials for a commercially available three-dimensional (3D) dose verification system (Delta4) were investigated in order to improve the accuracy of the calculated dose distributions in the phantom materials. At field sizes of 10 × 10 and 5 × 5 cm 2 with the same geometry, tissue-phantom ratios (TPRs) in water, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and Plastic Water Diagnostic Therapy (PWDT) were measured, and TPRs in various density scaling factors of water were calculated by Monte Carlo simulation, Adaptive Convolve (AdC, Pinnacle 3 ), Collapsed Cone Convolution (CCC, RayStation), and AcurosXB (AXB, Eclipse). Effective linear attenuation coefficients (μ eff ) were obtained from the TPRs. The ratios of μ eff in phantom and water ((μ eff ) pl,water ) were compared between the measurements and calculations. For each phantom material, the density scaling factor proposed in this study (DSF) was set to be the value providing a match between the calculated and measured (μ eff ) pl,water . The optimum density scaling factor was verified through the comparison of the dose distributions measured by Delta4 and calculated with three different density scaling factors: the nominal physical density (PD), nominal relative electron density (ED), and DSF. Three plans were used for the verifications: a static field of 10 × 10 cm 2 and two intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment plans. DSF were determined to be 1.13 for PMMA and 0.98 for PWDT. DSF for PMMA showed good agreement for AdC and CCC with 6 MV x ray, and AdC for 10 MV x ray. DSF for PWDT showed good agreement regardless of the dose calculation algorithms and x-ray energy. DSF can be considered one of the references for the density scaling factor of Delta4 phantom materials and may help improve the accuracy of the IMRT dose verification using Delta4. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Xenorhabdus bovienii CS03, the bacterial symbiont of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema weiseri, is a non-virulent strain against lepidopteran insects.

PubMed

Bisch, Gaëlle; Pagès, Sylvie; McMullen, John G; Stock, S Patricia; Duvic, Bernard; Givaudan, Alain; Gaudriault, Sophie

2015-01-01

Xenorhabdus bacteria (γ-proteobacteria: Enterobacteriaceae) have dual lifestyles. They have a mutualistic relationship with Steinernema nematodes (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) and are pathogenic to a wide range of insects. Each Steinernema nematode associates with a specific Xenorhabdus species. However, a Xenorhabdus species can have multiple nematode hosts. For example, Xenorhabdus bovienii (Xb) colonizes at least nine Steinernema species from two different phylogenetic clades. The Steinernema-Xb partnership has been found in association with different insect hosts. Biological and molecular data on the Steinernema jollieti-Xb strain SS-2004 pair have recently been described. In particular, the Xb SS-2004 bacteria are virulent alone after direct injection into insect, making this strain a model for studying Xb virulence. In this study, we searched for Xb strains attenuated in virulence. For this purpose, we underwent infection assays with five Steinernema spp.-Xb pairs with two insects, Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The S. weiseri-Xb CS03 pair showed attenuated virulence and lower fitness in S. littoralis in comparison to the other nematode-bacteria pairs. Furthermore, when injected alone into the hemolymph of G. mellonella or S. littoralis, the Xb CS03 bacterial strain was the only non-virulent strain. By comparison with the virulent Xb SS-2004 strain, Xb CS03 showed an increased sensitivity to the insect antimicrobial peptides, suggesting an attenuated response to the insect humoral immunity. To our current knowledge, Xb CS03 is the first non-virulent Xb strain identified. We propose this strain as a new model for studying the Xenorhabdus virulence. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evolution of Fermi Surface Properties in CexLa1-xB6 and PrxLa1-xB6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Endo, Motoki; Nakamura, Shintaro; Isshiki, Toshiyuki; Kimura, Noriaki; Nojima, Tsutomu; Aoki, Haruyoshi; Harima, Hisatomo; Kunii, Satoru

2006-11-01

We report the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) effect measurements of the Fermi surface properties in LaB6, CexLa1-xB6 (x = 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0) and PrxLa1-xB6 (x = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0) with particular attention to the spin dependence of the Fermi surface properties. The Fermi surface shape and dimension of CexLa1-xB6 change considerably with Ce concentration, while those of PrxLa1-xB6 change very slightly up to x = 0.75, and in PrB6 the Fermi surface splits into the up and down spin Fermi surfaces. The effective mass of CexLa1-xB6 increases considerably with Ce concentration and is nearly proportional to the number of Ce ions, whereas that of PrxLa1-xB6 increases slightly with Pr concentration. In CexLa1-xB6 the effective mass depends very strongly on field and increases divergently with decreasing field, while that of PrxLa1-xB6 increases slightly with decreasing field. The contribution to the dHvA signal from the conduction electrons of one spin direction diminishes with Ce concentration and appears to disappear somewhere around x = 0.25--0.5. A weak spin dependence is also found in PrxLa1-xB6. The behaviors of CexLa1-xB6 and PrxLa1-xB6 are compared to discuss the origin of the spin dependence of the Fermi surface properties.

Dissecting the Mechanisms of Drug Resistance in BRCA1/2-Mutant Breast Cancers

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) (protocol # 08-036) for performing Figure 6. NMNAT-1 deficiency rescues...sorted on day 3, and chromosomal aberrations were analyzed by metaphase spreads. 7 all of the proposed animal experiments at site 2, DFCI. The...ACURO documents/forms have been submitted to DOD for approval. The USAMRMC Animal Care and Use Review Office (ACURO) has received the appropriate forms

Overexpression of Rice Auxilin-Like Protein, XB21, Induces Necrotic Lesions, up-Regulates Endocytosis-Related Genes, and Confers Enhanced Resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae.

PubMed

Park, Chang-Jin; Wei, Tong; Sharma, Rita; Ronald, Pamela C

2017-12-01

The rice immune receptor XA21 confers resistance to the bacterial pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). To elucidate the mechanism of XA21-mediated immunity, we previously performed a yeast two-hybrid screening for XA21 interactors and identified XA21 binding protein 21 (XB21). Here, we report that XB21 is an auxilin-like protein predicted to function in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. We demonstrate an XA21/XB21 in vivo interaction using co-immunoprecipitation in rice. Overexpression of XB21 in rice variety Kitaake and a Kitaake transgenic line expressing XA21 confers a necrotic lesion phenotype and enhances resistance to Xoo. RNA sequencing reveals that XB21 overexpression results in the differential expression of 8735 genes (4939 genes up- and 3846 genes down-regulated) (≥2-folds, FDR ≤0.01). The up-regulated genes include those predicted to be involved in 'cell death' and 'vesicle-mediated transport'. These results indicate that XB21 plays a role in the plant immune response and in regulation of cell death. The up-regulation of genes controlling 'vesicle-mediated transport' in XB21 overexpression lines is consistent with a functional role for XB21 as an auxilin.

A Novel EphA4-Based Small Molecule-Based Therapeutic Strategy for Prevention and Treatment of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

first three months of the project, we successfully obtained approval for our Animal Component of Research Project (ACORP) from our local IACUC and...total number of animals . The approved ACORP and the amendment were submitted to ACURO for approval and final approval from the ACURO was secured on...the tibial plateau. The injury was produced using an “Instron” servohydraulic tester with the animal under inhalation anesthesia (3% isoflurane, 0.5

Overexpression of Rice Auxilin-Like Protein, XB21, Induces Necrotic Lesions, up-Regulates Endocytosis-Related Genes, and Confers Enhanced Resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

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

Park, Chang-Jin; Wei, Tong; Sharma, Rita

The rice immune receptor XA21 confers resistance to the bacterial pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). To elucidate the mechanism of XA21-mediated immunity, we previously performed a yeast two-hybrid screening for XA21 interactors and identified XA21 binding protein 21 (XB21). Here, we report that XB21 is an auxilin-like protein predicted to function in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. We demonstrate an XA21/XB21 in vivo interaction using co-immunoprecipitation in rice. Overexpression of XB21 in rice variety Kitaake and a Kitaake transgenic line expressing XA21 confers a necrotic lesion phenotype and enhances resistance to Xoo. RNA sequencing reveals that XB21 overexpression results in the differentialmore » expression of 8735 genes (4939 genes up- and 3846 genes down-regulated) (≥2-folds, FDR ≤0.01). The up-regulated genes include those predicted to be involved in ‘cell death’ and ‘vesicle-mediated transport’. These results indicate that XB21 plays a role in the plant immune response and in regulation of cell death. The up-regulation of genes controlling ‘vesicle-mediated transport’ in XB21 overexpression lines is consistent with a functional role for XB21 as an auxilin.« less

Overexpression of Rice Auxilin-Like Protein, XB21, Induces Necrotic Lesions, up-Regulates Endocytosis-Related Genes, and Confers Enhanced Resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

DOE PAGES

Park, Chang-Jin; Wei, Tong; Sharma, Rita; ...

2017-06-02

The rice immune receptor XA21 confers resistance to the bacterial pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). To elucidate the mechanism of XA21-mediated immunity, we previously performed a yeast two-hybrid screening for XA21 interactors and identified XA21 binding protein 21 (XB21). Here, we report that XB21 is an auxilin-like protein predicted to function in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. We demonstrate an XA21/XB21 in vivo interaction using co-immunoprecipitation in rice. Overexpression of XB21 in rice variety Kitaake and a Kitaake transgenic line expressing XA21 confers a necrotic lesion phenotype and enhances resistance to Xoo. RNA sequencing reveals that XB21 overexpression results in the differentialmore » expression of 8735 genes (4939 genes up- and 3846 genes down-regulated) (≥2-folds, FDR ≤0.01). The up-regulated genes include those predicted to be involved in ‘cell death’ and ‘vesicle-mediated transport’. These results indicate that XB21 plays a role in the plant immune response and in regulation of cell death. The up-regulation of genes controlling ‘vesicle-mediated transport’ in XB21 overexpression lines is consistent with a functional role for XB21 as an auxilin.« less

XB130 translocation to microfilamentous structures mediates NNK-induced migration of human bronchial epithelial cells.

PubMed

Wu, Qifei; Nadesalingam, Jeya; Moodley, Serisha; Bai, Xiaohui; Liu, Mingyao

2015-07-20

Cigarette smoking contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. Nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone (NNK) is the most potent carcinogen among cigarette smoking components, and is known to enhance migration of cancer cells. However, the effect of NNK on normal human bronchial epithelial cells is not well studied. XB130 is a member of actin filament associated protein family and is involved in cell morphology changes, cytoskeletal rearrangement and outgrowth formation, as well as cell migration. We hypothesized that XB130 mediates NNK-induced migration of normal human bronchial epithelial cells. Our results showed that, after NNK stimulation, XB130 was translocated to the cell periphery and enriched in cell motility-associated structures, such as lamellipodia, in normal human bronchial epithelial BEAS2B cells. Moreover, overexpression of XB130 significantly enhanced NNK-induced migration, which requires both the N- and C-termini of XB130. Overexpression of XB130 enhanced NNK-induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation and promoted matrix metalloproteinase-14 translocation to cell motility-associated cellular structures after NNK stimulation. XB130-mediated NNK-induced cell migration may contribute to airway epithelial repair; however, it may also be involved in cigarette smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.

Measured Sonic Boom Signatures Above and Below the XB-70 Airplane Flying at Mach 1.5 and 37,000 Feet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maglieri, Domenic J.; Henderson, Herbert R.; Tinetti, Ana F.

2011-01-01

During the 1966-67 Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) National Sonic Boom Evaluation Program, a series of in-flight flow-field measurements were made above and below the USAF XB-70 using an instrumented NASA F-104 aircraft with a specially designed nose probe. These were accomplished in the three XB-70 flights at about Mach 1.5 at about 37,000 ft. and gross weights of about 350,000 lbs. Six supersonic passes with the F-104 probe aircraft were made through the XB-70 shock flow-field; one above and five below the XB-70. Separation distances ranged from about 3000 ft. above and 7000 ft. to the side of the XB-70 and about 2000 ft. and 5000 ft. below the XB-70. Complex near-field "sawtooth-type" signatures were observed in all cases. At ground level, the XB-70 shock waves had not coalesced into the two-shock classical sonic boom N-wave signature, but contained three shocks. Included in this report is a description of the generating and probe airplanes, the in-flight and ground pressure measuring instrumentation, the flight test procedure and aircraft positioning, surface and upper air weather observations, and the six in-flight pressure signatures from the three flights.

Technical Report: Evaluation of peripheral dose for flattening filter free photon beams.

PubMed

Covington, E L; Ritter, T A; Moran, J M; Owrangi, A M; Prisciandaro, J I

2016-08-01

To develop a comprehensive peripheral dose (PD) dataset for the two unflattened beams of nominal energy 6 and 10 MV for use in clinical care. Measurements were made in a 40 × 120 × 20 cm(3) (width × length × depth) stack of solid water using an ionization chamber at varying depths (dmax, 5, and 10 cm), field sizes (3 × 3 to 30 × 30 cm(2)), and distances from the field edge (5-40 cm). The effects of the multileaf collimator (MLC) and collimator rotation were also evaluated for a 10 × 10 cm(2) field. Using the same phantom geometry, the accuracy of the analytic anisotropic algorithm (AAA) and Acuros dose calculation algorithm was assessed and compared to the measured values. The PDs for both the 6 flattening filter free (FFF) and 10 FFF photon beams were found to decrease with increasing distance from the radiation field edge and the decreasing field size. The measured PD was observed to be higher for the 6 FFF than for the 10 FFF for all field sizes and depths. The impact of collimator rotation was not found to be clinically significant when used in conjunction with MLCs. AAA and Acuros algorithms both underestimated the PD with average errors of -13.6% and -7.8%, respectively, for all field sizes and depths at distances of 5 and 10 cm from the field edge, but the average error was found to increase to nearly -69% at greater distances. Given the known inaccuracies of peripheral dose calculations, this comprehensive dataset can be used to estimate the out-of-field dose to regions of interest such as organs at risk, electronic implantable devices, and a fetus. While the impact of collimator rotation was not found to significantly decrease PD when used in conjunction with MLCs, results are expected to be machine model and beam energy dependent. It is not recommended to use a treatment planning system to estimate PD due to the underestimation of the out-of-field dose and the inability to calculate dose at extended distances due to the limits of the dose calculation matrix.

Thermopower of CexR1-xB6 (R=La, Pr and Nd)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Moo‑Sung; Nakai, Yuki; Tou, Hideki; Sera, Masafumi; Iga, Fumitoshi; Takabatake, Toshiro; Kunii, Satoru

2006-06-01

The thermopower, S, of CexR1-xB6 (R=La, Pr, Nd) was investigated. S with a positive sign shows a typical behavior observed in the Ce Kondo system, an increase with decreasing temperature at high temperatures and a maximum at low temperatures. The S values of all the systems at high temperatures are roughly linearly dependent on the Ce concentration, indicating the conservation of the single-impurity character of the Kondo effect in a wide x range. However, the maximum value of S, Smax, and the temperature, Tmax, at which Smax is observed exhibit different x dependences between CexLa1-xB6 and CexR1-xB6 (R=Pr, Nd). In CexLa1-xB6, Tmax, which is ˜8 K in CeB6, decreases with decreasing x and converges to ˜1 K in a very dilute alloy and Smax shows an increase below x ˜ 0.1 after decreasing with decreasing x. In CexR1-xB6 (R=Pr, Nd), Tmax shows a weak x dependence but Smax shows a roughly linear decrease in x. These results are discussed from the standpoint of the chemical pressure effect and the Ce-Ce interaction. S in the long-range ordered phase shows very different behaviors between CexPr1-xB6 and CexNd1-xB6.

Nonhydrostatic and surfbeat model predictions of extreme wave run-up in fringing reef environments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lashley, Christopher H.; Roelvink, Dano; van Dongeren, Ap R.; Buckley, Mark L.; Lowe, Ryan J.

2018-01-01

The accurate prediction of extreme wave run-up is important for effective coastal engineering design and coastal hazard management. While run-up processes on open sandy coasts have been reasonably well-studied, very few studies have focused on understanding and predicting wave run-up at coral reef-fronted coastlines. This paper applies the short-wave resolving, Nonhydrostatic (XB-NH) and short-wave averaged, Surfbeat (XB-SB) modes of the XBeach numerical model to validate run-up using data from two 1D (alongshore uniform) fringing-reef profiles without roughness elements, with two objectives: i) to provide insight into the physical processes governing run-up in such environments; and ii) to evaluate the performance of both modes in accurately predicting run-up over a wide range of conditions. XBeach was calibrated by optimizing the maximum wave steepness parameter (maxbrsteep) in XB-NH and the dissipation coefficient (alpha) in XB-SB) using the first dataset; and then applied to the second dataset for validation. XB-NH and XB-SB predictions of extreme wave run-up (Rmax and R2%) and its components, infragravity- and sea-swell band swash (SIG and SSS) and shoreline setup (<η>), were compared to observations. XB-NH more accurately simulated wave transformation but under-predicted shoreline setup due to its exclusion of parameterized wave-roller dynamics. XB-SB under-predicted sea-swell band swash but overestimated shoreline setup due to an over-prediction of wave heights on the reef flat. Run-up (swash) spectra were dominated by infragravity motions, allowing the short-wave (but not wave group) averaged model (XB-SB) to perform comparably well to its more complete, short-wave resolving (XB-NH) counterpart. Despite their respective limitations, both modes were able to accurately predict Rmax and R2%.

SU-F-T-625: Optimal Treatment Planning Strategy Among Arc Arrangements for Prostate SBRT with VMAT Technique

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

Chung, J; Kim, J; Eom, K

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal treatment planning strategy among the different arc arrangements for prostate stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) plans with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Methods: Ten patients with prostate cancer were selected. The SBRT-VMAT plans for each patient were generated with single-full (181° to 179°; 1FA), single-partial (240° to 120°; 1PA), double-full (181° to 179° and 179° to 181°; 2FA), and double-partial (240° to 120° and 120° to 240°; 2PA) arc arrangements. The prescription dose was 42.7 Gy in 7 fractions. Dose distribution was calculated using a 10-MV flattening-filter-free beam and themore » Acuros XB algorithm. Dosimetric parameters of target volume and organs at risk (OARs) were evaluated from cumulative dose-volume histograms on prostate SBRT-VMAT plans between single-arc (1FA and 1PA) and double-arc (2FA and 2PA) arrangements. Results: All plans using four arc arrangements were highly conformal with conformity index (CI)<1.05 and conformation number (CN)=0.91, and the doses to target volume were homogeneous (homogeneity index (HI)= 0.09 0.12). Pertaining to the dose to the OARs, there were significant differences in the rectum, left and right femoral head doses while having no difference in the bladder dose. The partial-arc (1PA and 2PA) had relatively high reductions for the mean rectum dose compared to full-arc (1FA and 2FA). The near-to-maximum dose (D2%) and mean dose of the left and right femoral head were always lower on prostate SBRT-VMAT plan using the full-arc, when compared to the partial-arc arrangement. Conclusion: This study confirmed that prostate SBRT-VMAT using 1PA was feasible fast delivery time and produced equivalent target coverage and better rectum sparing, although the D2% and mean dose of the left and right femoral head increased slightly. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that the use of 1PA is an attractive choice for delivering prostate SBRT-VMAT.« less

XB-70A during take-off

NASA Image and Video Library

1965-08-17

Viewed from the front the #1 XB-70A (62-0001) is shown climbing out during take-off. Most flights were scheduled during the morning hours to take advantage of the cooler ambient air temperatures for improved propulsion efficiencies. The wing tips are extended straight out to provide a maximum lifting wing surface. The XB-70A, capable of flying three times the speed of sound, was the world's largest experimental aircraft in the 1960s. Two XB-70A aircraft were built. Ship #1 was flown by NASA in a high speed flight research program.

XB-70A during startup and ramp taxi

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1968-01-01

The XB-70 was the world's largest experimental aircraft. Capable of flight at speeds of three times the speed of sound (2,000 miles per hour) at altitudes of 70,000 feet, the XB-70 was used to collect in-flight information for use in the design of future supersonic aircraft, military and civilian. This 35-second video shows the startup of the XB-70A airplane engines, the beginning of its taxi to the runway, and a turn on the ramp that shows the unique configuration of this aircraft.

XB-70A #1 liftoff with TB-58A chase aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1960-01-01

This photo shows XB-70A #1 taking off on a research flight, escorted by a TB-58 chase plane. The TB-58 (a prototype B-58 modified as a trainer) had a dash speed of Mach 2. This allowed it to stay close to the XB-70 as it conducted its research maneuvers. When the XB-70 was flying at or near Mach 3, the slower TB-58 could often keep up with it by flying lower and cutting inside the turns in the XB-70's flight path when these occurred. The XB-70 was the world's largest experimental aircraft. It was capable of flight at speeds of three times the speed of sound (roughly 2,000 miles per hour) at altitudes of 70,000 feet. It was used to collect in-flight information for use in the design of future supersonic aircraft, military and civilian. The major objectives of the XB-70 flight research program were to study the airplane's stability and handling characteristics, to evaluate its response to atmospheric turbulence, and to determine the aerodynamic and propulsion performance. In addition there were secondary objectives to measure the noise and friction associated with airflow over the airplane and to determine the levels and extent of the engine noise during takeoff, landing, and ground operations. The XB-70 was about 186 feet long, 33 feet high, with a wingspan of 105 feet. Originally conceived as an advanced bomber for the United States Air Force, the XB-70 was limited to production of two aircraft when it was decided to limit the aircraft's mission to flight research. The first flight of the XB-70 was made on Sept. 21, 1964. The number two XB-70 was destroyed in a mid-air collision on June 8, 1966. Program management of the NASA-USAF research effort was assigned to NASA in March 1967. The final flight was flown on Feb. 4, 1969. Designed by North American Aviation (later North American Rockwell and still later, a division of Boeing) the XB-70 had a long fuselage with a canard or horizontal stabilizer mounted just behind the crew compartment. It had a sharply swept 65.6-percent delta wing. The outer portion of the wing could be folded down in flight to provide greater lateral-directional stability. The airplane had two windshields. A moveable outer windshield was raised for high-speed flight to reduce drag and lowered for greater visibility during takeoff and landing. The forward fuselage was constructed of riveted titanium frames and skin. The remainder of the airplane was constructed almost entirely of stainless steel. The skin was a brazed stainless-steel honeycomb material. Six General Electric YJ93-3 turbojet engines, each in the 30,000-pound-thrust class, powered the XB-70. Internal geometry of the inlets was controllable to maintain the most efficient airflow to the engines.

Application of dual-energy CT to suppression of metal artefact caused by pedicle screw fixation in radiotherapy: a feasibility study using original phantom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tianyuan; Ishihara, Takeaki; Kono, Atsushi; Yoshida, Naoki; Akasaka, Hiroaki; Mukumoto, Naritoshi; Yada, Ryuichi; Ejima, Yasuo; Yoshida, Kenji; Miyawaki, Daisuke; Kakutani, Kenichiro; Nishida, Kotaro; Negi, Noriyuki; Minami, Toshiaki; Aoyama, Yuuichi; Takahashi, Satoru; Sasaki, Ryohei

2017-08-01

The objective of the present study was the determination of the potential dosimetric benefits of using metal-artefact-suppressed dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) images for cases involving pedicle screw implants in spinal sites. A heterogeneous spinal phantom was designed for the investigation of the dosimetric effect of the pedicle-screw-related artefacts. The dosimetric comparisons were first performed using a conventional two-directional opposed (AP-PA) plan, and then a volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan, which are both used for the treatment of spinal metastases in our institution. The results of Acuros® XB dose-to-medium (Dm) and dose-to-water (Dw) calculations using different imaging options were compared with experimental measurements including the chamber and film dosimetries in the spinal phantom. A dual-energy composition image with a weight factor of  -0.2 and a dual-energy monochromatic image (DEMI) with an energy level of 180 keV were found to have superior abilities for artefact suppression. The Dm calculations revealed greater dosimetric effects of the pedicle screw-related artefacts compared to the Dw calculations. The results of conventional single-energy computed tomography showed that, although the pedicle screws were made from low-Z titanium alloy, the metal artefacts still have dosimetric effects, namely, an average (maximum) Dm error of 4.4% (5.6%) inside the spinal cord for a complex VMAT treatment plan. Our findings indicate that metal-artefact suppression using the proposed DECT (DEMI) approach is promising for improving the dosimetric accuracy near the implants and inside the spinal cord (average (maximum) Dm error of 1.1% (2.0%)).

Experimental investigation of halogen-bond hard-soft acid-base complementarity.

PubMed

Riel, Asia Marie S; Jessop, Morly J; Decato, Daniel A; Massena, Casey J; Nascimento, Vinicius R; Berryman, Orion B

2017-04-01

The halogen bond (XB) is a topical noncovalent interaction of rapidly increasing importance. The XB employs a `soft' donor atom in comparison to the `hard' proton of the hydrogen bond (HB). This difference has led to the hypothesis that XBs can form more favorable interactions with `soft' bases than HBs. While computational studies have supported this suggestion, solution and solid-state data are lacking. Here, XB soft-soft complementarity is investigated with a bidentate receptor that shows similar associations with neutral carbonyls and heavy chalcogen analogs. The solution speciation and XB soft-soft complementarity is supported by four crystal structures containing neutral and anionic soft Lewis bases.

Ginga observations of the dipping low-mass X-ray binaries XB 1916-053 and EXO 1748-676

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smale, Alan P.; Mukai, Koji; Williams, O. R.; Jones, Mark H.; Corbet, Robin H. D.

1992-01-01

Ginga observations of XB 1916-053 and EXO 0748-676, low-mass X-ray binaries with pronounced dips of variable depth and duration in their X-ray light curves, are reported. Periodicity studies of XB-1916-053 show results consistent with those from previous Ginga observations, specifically, that the derived X-ray period is shorter than the optical period by about 1 percent. This problem is discussed, and a more refined model for the system is described. Three bursts were detected during the observation of XB 1916-053, the second of which occurred during a dip. Spectral analysis suggests that the second burst caused an almost instantaneous ionization of the absorbing medium in the line of sight. This material then returned to its equilibrium state on the same time scale as the burst decay. Loose limits are placed upon the possible clumpiness of the material responsible for the accretion disk structure in XB 1916-053 and EXO 0748-676.

A Spatially Detailed Model of Isometric Contraction Based on Competitive Binding of Troponin I Explains Cooperative Interactions between Tropomyosin and Crossbridges

PubMed Central

Land, Sander; Niederer, Steven A.

2015-01-01

Biophysical models of cardiac tension development provide a succinct representation of our understanding of force generation in the heart. The link between protein kinetics and interactions that gives rise to high cooperativity is not yet fully explained from experiments or previous biophysical models. We propose a biophysical ODE-based representation of cross-bridge (XB), tropomyosin and troponin within a contractile regulatory unit (RU) to investigate the mechanisms behind cooperative activation, as well as the role of cooperativity in dynamic tension generation across different species. The model includes cooperative interactions between regulatory units (RU-RU), between crossbridges (XB-XB), as well more complex interactions between crossbridges and regulatory units (XB-RU interactions). For the steady-state force-calcium relationship, our framework predicts that: (1) XB-RU effects are key in shifting the half-activation value of the force-calcium relationship towards lower [Ca2+], but have only small effects on cooperativity. (2) XB-XB effects approximately double the duty ratio of myosin, but do not significantly affect cooperativity. (3) RU-RU effects derived from the long-range action of tropomyosin are a major factor in cooperative activation, with each additional unblocked RU increasing the rate of additional RU’s unblocking. (4) Myosin affinity for short (1–4 RU) unblocked stretches of actin of is very low, and the resulting suppression of force at low [Ca2+] is a major contributor in the biphasic force-calcium relationship. We also reproduce isometric tension development across mouse, rat and human at physiological temperature and pacing rate, and conclude that species differences require only changes in myosin affinity and troponin I/troponin C affinity. Furthermore, we show that the calcium dependence of the rate of tension redevelopment ktr is explained by transient blocking of RU’s by a temporary decrease in XB-RU effects. PMID:26262582

A Dosimetric Evaluation of The Eclipse and Pinnacle Treatment Planning Systems in Treatment of Vertebral Bodies Using IMRT and VMAT with Modeled and Commissioned Flattening Filter Free (FFF) Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajo, Ramzi, Jr.

Modern treatment planning systems (TPS's) utilize different algorithms in computing dose within the patient medium. The algorithms rely on properly modeled clinical setups in order to perform optimally. Aside from various parameters of the beam, modifiers, such as multileaf collimators (MLC's), must also be modeled properly. That could not be more true today, where dynamic delivery such as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) are being increasingly utilized due to their ability to deliver higher dose precisely to the target while sparing more surrounding normal tissue. Two of the most popular TPS's, Pinnacle (Philips) and Eclipse (Varian), were compared, with special emphasis placed on parameterization of the dosimetric leaf gap (DLG) in Eclipse. The DLG is a parameter that accounts for Varian's rounded MLC leaf ends. While Pinnacle accounts for the rounded leaf end by modeling the MLC's, Eclipse uses a measured parameter. This study investigated whether a single value measured DLG is sufficient for dynamic delivery. Using five planning volumes for vertebral body SBRT treatments, each prescribed for 3000 cGy in 5 fractions, an array of 20 treatment plans was generated using varying energies of 6MV-FFF and 10MV-FFF. Treatment techniques consisted of 9-field Step-and-shoot IMRT, and dual-arc VMAT using patient specific optimization criteria in the Pinnacle TPS v9.8. Each plan was normalized to ensure coverage of 3000cGy to 95% of the target volume. The dose was computed in Pinnacle v9.8, with the Collapsed Cone Convolution Superposition algorithm and Eclipse v11, with the Acuros XB algorithm, using a dose grid resolution of 2 mm in both systems. Dose volume histograms (DVH's) were generated for a comparison of max and mean dose to the targets and spinal cord, as well as 95% coverage of the targets and the volume of the spinal cord receiving 14.5 Gy (V14.5). Patient specific quality assurance (PSQA) fields were generated and then delivered, using a Varian Edge linear accelerator, to a 4D QA phantom for a gamma analysis and distance to agreement (DTA) comparison. All Eclipse calculations were made for both measured and optimized DLG parameters. Calculated vs. measured point dose for the Pinnacle TPS had an average difference of 2.79 +/- 2.00%. Gamma analysis using a 3% and 3 mm DTA had 99/100 fields passing at > 95%. Using measured values of the DLG in Eclipse, calculated vs. measured point dose was -4.44 +/- 1.97%, and DTA had 33/110 fields passing at > 95%. After an optimization of the DLG in Eclipse, calculated vs. measured point dose had an average difference of 2.20 +/- 2.23%, and DTA with 95/110 fields passing at > 95%. This study looked at the performance of the Pinnacle and Eclipse TPS's, with special consideration given to the DLG parameterization used by Eclipse. The results support the idea that a single valued DLG is not sufficient for dynamic delivery. An optimization of the parameter is necessary to account for the high modulation of IMRT and VMAT techniques.

Spin-split fermi surfaces in CexLa1-xB6 and PrxLa1-xB6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isshiki, T.; Endo, M.; Sugi, M.; Kimura, N.; Nakamura, S.; Nojima, T.; Aoki, H.; Kunii, S.

2006-05-01

We have performed the dHvA measurements on CexLa1-xB6 and PrxLa1-xB6 compounds to study spin splitting of the Fermi surfaces. In PrB 6 we have found new frequency branches to confirm that the Fermi surface splits into up and down spin Fermi surfaces, whereas no spin splitting has been found for x=0.25,0.5,0.75. We have also found several new frequency branches in CeB6. The new frequency branches imply that the Fermi surfaces of up and down spin conduction electrons are significantly different in CeB6 as well as in PrB6.

Sedative and mechanical hypoalgesic effects of butorphanol in xylazine-premedicated donkeys.

PubMed

Lizarraga, I; Castillo-Alcala, F

2015-05-01

Combinations of α2 -adrenoceptor and opioid agonists are commonly used in equids, but little scientific information is available on donkeys. To compare the sedative and hypoalgesic effects of xylazine alone or in combination with different dosages of butorphanol in donkeys. Placebo-controlled, operator-blinded, randomised, crossover, Latin square study. Six donkeys received intravenous normal saline and normal saline (NS-NS); xylazine (0.5 mg/kg bwt) and normal saline (X-NS); xylazine and 10 μg/kg bwt butorphanol (X-B10); xylazine and 20 μg/kg bwt butorphanol (X-B20); xylazine and 30 μg/kg bwt butorphanol (X-B30); and xylazine and 40 μg/kg bwt butorphanol (X-B40). Sedation scores (SS), head height above ground (HHAG) and mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNT) were assessed before and for 120 min after treatment. Areas under the curve (AUC) values for 0-30, 30-60 and 60-120 min were computed for SS, HHAG and MNT. As appropriate, differences between treatments were analysed using the Friedman test followed by Dunn's test and a repeated measures one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's test; significance was set at P<0.05. All treatments apart from NS-NS induced sedation. Butorphanol treatments induced significantly larger SS-AUC0 -30 values than those for NS-NS (P<0.05). Compared to corresponding NS-NS values, HHAG-AUC0 -30 values were significantly smaller for all other treatments (P<0.001) and HHAG-AUC30-60 values were significantly smaller for X-B40 (P<0.05). Compared to NS-NS, all treatments induced mechanical hypoalgesia and yielded significantly larger MNT-AUC0-30 values (P<0.001). Treatment X-NS yielded significantly smaller MNT-AUC0 -30 values than those for X-B30 and X-B40 (P<0.05). Only MNT-AUC30 -60 values for X-B30 and X-B40 were significantly larger than those for NS-NS and X-NS (P<0.05). Sedation and mechanical hypoalgesia induced by xylazine were enhanced by butorphanol at 40 μg/kg bwt. This drug combination may be suitable for chemical restraint of donkeys undergoing certain clinical procedures. © 2014 EVJ Ltd.

Dose-Dependent Effects of the Myosin Activator Omecamtiv Mecarbil on Cross-Bridge Behavior and Force Generation in Failing Human Myocardium.

PubMed

Mamidi, Ranganath; Li, Jiayang; Gresham, Kenneth S; Verma, Sujeet; Doh, Chang Yoon; Li, Amy; Lal, Sean; Dos Remedios, Cristobal G; Stelzer, Julian E

2017-10-01

Omecamtiv mecarbil (OM) enhances systolic function in vivo by directly binding the myosin cross-bridges (XBs) in the sarcomere. However, the mechanistic details governing OM-induced modulation of XB behavior in failing human myocardium are unclear. The effects of OM on steady state and dynamic XB behavior were measured in chemically skinned myocardial preparations isolated from human donor and heart failure (HF) left ventricle. HF myocardium exhibited impaired contractile function as evidenced by reduced maximal force, magnitude of XB recruitment ( P df ), and a slowed rate of XB detachment ( k rel ) at submaximal Ca 2+ activations. Ca 2+ sensitivity of force generation (pCa 50 ) was higher in HF myocardium when compared with donor myocardium, both prior to and after OM incubations. OM incubation (0.5 and 1.0 μmol/L) enhanced force generation at submaximal Ca 2+ activations in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, OM induced a slowing in k rel with 1.0 μmol/L OM but not with 0.5 μmol/L OM in HF myocardium. Additionally, OM exerted other differential effects on XB behavior in HF myocardium as evidenced by a greater enhancement in P df and slowing in the time course of cooperative XB recruitment ( T rec ), which collectively prolonged achievement of peak force development ( T pk ), compared with donor myocardium. Our findings demonstrate that OM augments force generation but also prolongs the time course of XB transitions to force-bearing states in remodeled HF myocardium, which may extend the systolic ejection time in vivo. Optimal OM dosing is critical for eliciting enhanced systolic function without excessive prolongation of systolic ejection time, which may compromise diastolic filling. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Image quality comparisons of X-Omat RP, L and B films.

PubMed

Van Dis, M L; Beck, F M

1991-08-01

The Eastman Kodak Company has recently developed a new film, X-Omat B (XB), designed to be interchangeable with X-Omat RP (XRP) film. The manufacturer claims the new film can be manually developed in half the time of other X-Omat films while automatic processing is unchanged. Three X-Omat film types were processed manually or automatically and the image qualities were evaluated. The XRP film had greater contrast than the XB and X-Omat L (XL) films when manually processed, and the XL film showed less contrast than the XB and XRP films when processed automatically. There was no difference in the subjective evaluation of the various film types and processing methods, and the XB film could be interchanged with XRP film in a simulated clinical situation.

Natural Abundance 15 N and 13 C Solid-State NMR Chemical Shifts: High Sensitivity Probes of the Halogen Bond Geometry.

PubMed

Cerreia Vioglio, Paolo; Catalano, Luca; Vasylyeva, Vera; Nervi, Carlo; Chierotti, Michele R; Resnati, Giuseppe; Gobetto, Roberto; Metrangolo, Pierangelo

2016-11-14

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectroscopy is a versatile characterization technique that can provide a plethora of information complementary to single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) analysis. Herein, we present an experimental and computational investigation of the relationship between the geometry of a halogen bond (XB) and the SSNMR chemical shifts of the non-quadrupolar nuclei either directly involved in the interaction ( 15 N) or covalently bonded to the halogen atom ( 13 C). We have prepared two series of X-bonded co-crystals based upon two different dipyridyl modules, and several halobenzenes and diiodoalkanes, as XB-donors. SCXRD structures of three novel co-crystals between 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane, and 1,4-diiodobenzene, 1,6-diiodododecafluorohexane, and 1,8-diiodohexadecafluorooctane were obtained. For the first time, the change in the 15 N SSNMR chemical shifts upon XB formation is shown to experimentally correlate with the normalized distance parameter of the XB. The same overall trend is confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the chemical shifts. 13 C NQS experiments show a positive, linear correlation between the chemical shifts and the C-I elongation, which is an indirect probe of the strength of the XB. These correlations can be of general utility to estimate the strength of the XB occurring in diverse adducts by using affordable SSNMR analysis. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Specially-Equipped Martin XB-25E Icing Research Aircraft

NASA Image and Video Library

1947-08-21

In 1946 the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory became the NACA’s official icing research center. In addition to the Icing Research Tunnel, the lab possessed several aircraft modified for icing work, including a Consolidated B-24M Liberator and a North American XB-25E Mitchell, seen here. The XB-25E’s frequent engine fires allegedly resulted in its “Flamin’ Maimie” nickname. The aircraft’s nose art, visible in this photograph, includes a leather-jacketed mechanic with an extinguisher fleeing a fiery woman. North American developed the B-25 in the mid-1930s as a transport aircraft, but it was hurriedly reconfigured as a medium bomber for World War II. This XB-25E was a single prototype designed in 1942 specifically to test an exhaust gas ice prevention system developed by NACA researcher Lewis Rodert. The system circulated the engines’ hot bleed air to the wings, windshield, and tail. The XB-25E was utilized at the NACA’s Ames Aeronautical Laboratory for two years before being transferred to Cleveland in July 1944. NACA Lewis mechanics modified the aircraft further by installing electrical heating in the front fuselage, propellers, inboard sing, cowls, and antennae. Lewis pilots flew the B-24M and XB-25E into perilous weather conditions all across the country to study both deicing technologies and the physics of ice-producing clouds. These dangerous flights led to advances in weather sensing instruments and flight planning.

The formation, structure and physical properties of M(2)Pd(14+x)B(5-y) compounds, with M =  La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Lu and Th.

PubMed

Royanian, E; Bauer, E; Kaldarar, H; Galatanu, A; Khan, R T; Hilscher, G; Michor, H; Reissner, M; Rogl, P; Sologub, O; Giester, G; Gonçalves, A P

2009-07-29

Novel ternary compounds, M(2)Pd(14+x)B(5-y) (M =  La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Lu, Th; x∼0.9, y∼0.1), have been synthesized by arc melting. The crystal structures of Nd(2)Pd(14+x)B(5-y) and Th(2)Pd(14+x)B(5-y) were determined from x-ray single-crystal data and both are closely related to the structure type of Sc(4)Ni(29)B(10). All compounds were characterized by Rietveld analyses and found to be isotypic with the Nd(2)Pd(14+x)B(5-y) type. Measurements of the temperature dependent susceptibility and specific heat as well as the temperature and field dependent resistivity were employed to derive basic information on bulk properties of these compounds. The electrical resistivity of M(2)Pd(14+x)B(5-y), in general, is characterized by small RRR (residual resistance ratio) values originating from defects inherent to the crystal structure. Whereas the compounds based on Ce, Nd, Sm and Gd exhibit magnetic order, those based on Pr and Eu seem to be non-magnetic, at least down to 400 mK. While the non-magnetic ground state of the Pr based compound is a consequence of crystalline electric field effects in the context of the non-Kramers ion Pr, the lack of magnetic order in the case of the Eu based compound results from an intermediate valence state of the Eu ion.

ARC-1969-AAL-1443

NASA Image and Video Library

1941-09-10

XB-32 model wing with 15% chord sealed gap aileron. Flaps extended to 40 degrees. The first wind-tunnel report published by Ames Covered the XB-32 Test in the 7-by-10 No. ! and was authored by Roy P. Jackson and George L. Smith Jr.

A live attenuated BCG vaccine overexpressing multistage antigens Ag85B and HspX provides superior protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

PubMed

Yuan, Xuefeng; Teng, Xindong; Jing, Yukai; Ma, Jilei; Tian, Maopeng; Yu, Qi; Zhou, Lei; Wang, Ruibo; Wang, Weihua; Li, Li; Fan, Xionglin

2015-12-01

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most menacing infectious diseases, although attenuated Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine has been widely used to protect children against primary TB. There are increasing evidences that rapid growing and dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) coexist in vivo after infection. However, BCG vaccine only elicits cell-mediated immune responses to secretory antigens expressed by rapid growing pathogen. BCG vaccine is thus unable to thwart the reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and its protection wanes over age after neonatal immunization. In order to extend its ability for a durable protection, a novel recombinant BCG (rBCG) strain, named rBCG::XB, was constructed by overexpressing immunodominant multistage antigens of Ag85B and HspX, which are expressed by both rapid replicating and dormant M. tuberculosis. Long-term protective effect and immunogenicity of rBCG::XB were compared with the parental BCG in vaccinated C57BL/6 mice. Our results demonstrated that rBCG::XB provided the stronger and long-lasting protection against M. tuberculosis H37Rv intranasal infection than BCG. The rBCG::XB not only elicited the more durable multistage antigen-specific CD4(+)Th1-biased immune responses and specific polyfunctional CD4(+)T cells but also augmented the CD8(+) CTL effects against Ag85B in vivo. In particular, higher levels of CD4(+) TEM and CD8(+) TCM cells, dominated by IL2(+) CD4(+) and CD8(+) TCM cells, were obtained in the spleen of rBCG::XB vaccinated mice. Therefore, our findings indicate that rBCG::XB is a promising candidate to improve the efficacy of BCG.

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

Thomas, S; Yuen, C; Huang, V

Purpose: In this abstract we implement and validate a 4D VMAT Acuros XB dose calculation using Gafchromic film. Special attention is paid to the physical material assignment in the CT dataset and to reported dose to water and dose to medium. Methods: A QUASAR phantom with a 3 cm sinusoidal tumor motion and 5 second period was scanned using 4D computed tomography. A CT was also obtained of the static QUASAR phantom with the tumor at the central position. A VMAT plan was created on the average CT dataset and was delivered on a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator. The trajectorymore » log file from this treatment was acquired and used to create 10 VMAT subplans (one for each portion of the breathing cycle). Motion for each subplan was simulated by moving the beam isocentre in the superior/inferior direction in the Treatment Planning System on the static CT scan. The 10 plans were calculated (both dose to medium and dose to water) and summed for 1) the original HU values from the static CT scan and 2) the correct physical material assignment in the CT dataset. To acquire a breathing phase synchronized film measurements the trajectory log was used to create a VMAT delivery plan which includes dynamic couch motion using the Developer Mode. Three different treatment start phases were investigated (mid inhalation, full inhalation and full exhalation). Results: For each scenario the coronal dose distributions were measured using Gafchromic film and compared to the corresponding calculation with Film QA Pro Software using a Gamma test with a 3%/3mm distance to agreement criteria. Good agreement was found between calculation and measurement. No statistically significant difference in agreement was found between calculations to original HU values vs calculations to over-written (material-assigned) HU values. Conclusion: The investigated 4D dose calculation method agrees well with measurement.« less

SU-E-T-791: Validation of a Determinant Based Photon Transport Solver in Dose Perturbed By Diverse Media

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

Kuo, H; Tome, W; Yaparpalvi, R

Purpose: To validate a determinant based photon transport solver in dose imparted within different transition zone between different medium. Methods: Thickness (.2cm,.5cm, 1cm, 3cm) from various materials (Air - density=0.0012g/cm3, Cork-0.19g/cm3, Lung-0.26g/cm3, Bone-1.85g/cm3, Aluminum (Al)-2.7g/cm3, Titanium (Ti)-4.42g/cm3, Iron (Fe)-8g/cm3) were sandwiched by 10cm solid water. 6MV were used to study the calculation difference between a superposition photon beam model (AAA) and the determinant based Boltzmann photon transport solver (XB) at the upstream (I) and downstream boarder (II) of the medium, within the medium (III), and at far distance downstream away from medium (IV). Calculation was validated with available thickness ofmore » Air, Cork, Lung, Al, Ti and Fe. Results are presented as the ratio of the dose at the point with medium perturbation to the same point dose without perturbation. Results: Zone I showed different backscatter enhancement from high-density materials within the 5mm of the upstream border. AAA showed no backscatter at all, XB showed good agreement beyond 1mm upstream (1.18 vs 1.14, 1.09 vs 1.10, and 1.04 vs 1.05 for Fe, Ti, and Fe, respectively). Zone II showed a re-buildup after exiting high-density medium and Air but no build up for density close to water in both of the measurement and XB. AAA yielded the opposite results in Zone II. XB and AAA showed in Zone III very different absorption in high density medium and the Air. XB and measurement had high concordance regarding photon attenuation in Zone IV. AAA showed less agreement especially when the medium was Air or Fe. Conclusion: XB compared well with measurement in regions 1mm away from the interface. Planning using XB should be beneficial for External Beam Planning in situations with large air cavity, very low lung density, compact bone, and any kind of metal implant.« less

Force Tests of the Boeing XB-47 Full-Scale Empennage in the Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunton, Lynn W.

1947-01-01

A wind-tunnel investigation of the Boeing XB-47 full-scale empennage was conducted to provide, prior to flight tests, data required on the effectiveness of the elevator and rudder. The XB-47 airplane is a jet-propelled medium bomber having wing and tail surfaces swept back 35 degrees. The investigation included tests of the effectiveness of the elevator with normal straight sides, with a buldged trailing edge, and with a modified hinge-line gap and tests of the effectiveness of the rudder with a normal straight-sided tab and with a bulged tab.

Evidence for halogen bond covalency in acyclic and interlocked halogen-bonding receptor anion recognition

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

Robinson, Sean W.; Mustoe, Chantal L.; White, Nicholas G.

The synthesis and anion binding properties of novel halogen-bonding (XB) bis-iodotriazole-pyridinium-containing acyclic and [2]catenane anion host systems are described. The XB acyclic receptor displays selectivity for acetate over halides with enhanced anion recognition properties compared to the analogous hydrogen-bonding (HB) acyclic receptor. A reversal in halide selectivity is observed in the XB [2]catenane, in comparison to the acyclic XB receptor, due to the interlocked host’s unique three-dimensional binding cavity, and no binding is observed for oxoanions. Notable halide anion association constant values determined for the [2]catenane in competitive organic–aqueous solvent mixtures demonstrate considerable enhancement of anion recognition as compared tomore » the HB catenane analogue. X-ray crystallographic analysis of a series of halide catenane complexes reveal strong XB interactions in the solid state. These interactions were studied using Cl and Br K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) indicating intense pre-edge features characteristic of charge transfer from the halide to its bonding partner (σ AX←X–* ← X1s), and providing a direct measure of the degree of covalency in the halogen bond(s). Lastly, the data reveal that the degree of covalency is similar to that which is observed in transition metal coordinate covalent bonds. These results are supported by DFT results, which correlate well with the experimental data.« less

Evidence for halogen bond covalency in acyclic and interlocked halogen-bonding receptor anion recognition

DOE PAGES

Robinson, Sean W.; Mustoe, Chantal L.; White, Nicholas G.; ...

2014-12-05

The synthesis and anion binding properties of novel halogen-bonding (XB) bis-iodotriazole-pyridinium-containing acyclic and [2]catenane anion host systems are described. The XB acyclic receptor displays selectivity for acetate over halides with enhanced anion recognition properties compared to the analogous hydrogen-bonding (HB) acyclic receptor. A reversal in halide selectivity is observed in the XB [2]catenane, in comparison to the acyclic XB receptor, due to the interlocked host’s unique three-dimensional binding cavity, and no binding is observed for oxoanions. Notable halide anion association constant values determined for the [2]catenane in competitive organic–aqueous solvent mixtures demonstrate considerable enhancement of anion recognition as compared tomore » the HB catenane analogue. X-ray crystallographic analysis of a series of halide catenane complexes reveal strong XB interactions in the solid state. These interactions were studied using Cl and Br K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) indicating intense pre-edge features characteristic of charge transfer from the halide to its bonding partner (σ AX←X–* ← X1s), and providing a direct measure of the degree of covalency in the halogen bond(s). Lastly, the data reveal that the degree of covalency is similar to that which is observed in transition metal coordinate covalent bonds. These results are supported by DFT results, which correlate well with the experimental data.« less

Monte Carlo Investigation on the Effect of Heterogeneities on Strut Adjusted Volume Implant (SAVI) Dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koontz, Craig

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer for women with more than 225,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States in 2012 (ACS, 2012). With the high prevalence, comes an increased emphasis on researching new techniques to treat this disease. Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) has been used as an alternative to whole breast irradiation (WBI) in order to treat occult disease after lumpectomy. Similar recurrence rates have been found using ABPI after lumpectomy as with mastectomy alone, but with the added benefit of improved cosmetic and psychological results. Intracavitary brachytherapy devices have been used to deliver the APBI prescription. However, inability to produce asymmetric dose distributions in order to avoid overdosing skin and chest wall has been an issue with these devices. Multi-lumen devices were introduced to overcome this problem. Of these, the Strut-Adjusted Volume Implant (SAVI) has demonstrated the greatest ability to produce an asymmetric dose distribution, which would have greater ability to avoid skin and chest wall dose, and thus allow more women to receive this type of treatment. However, SAVI treatments come with inherent heterogeneities including variable backscatter due to the proximity to the tissue-air and tissue-lung interfaces and variable contents within the cavity created by the SAVI. The dose calculation protocol based on TG-43 does not account for heterogeneities and thus will not produce accurate dosimetry; however Acuros, a model-based dose calculation algorithm manufactured by Varian Medical Systems, claims to accurately account for heterogeneities. Monte Carlo simulation can calculate the dosimetry with high accuracy. In this thesis, a model of the SAVI will be created for Monte Carlo, specifically using MCNP code, in order to explore the affects of heterogeneities on the dose distribution. This data will be compared to TG-43 and Acuros calculated dosimetry to explore their accuracy.

Measurement of Two- and Three-Nucleon Short-Range Correlation Probabilities in Nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egiyan, K. S.; Dashyan, N. B.; Sargsian, M. M.; Strikman, M. I.; Weinstein, L. B.; Adams, G.; Ambrozewicz, P.; Anghinolfi, M.; Asavapibhop, B.; Asryan, G.; Avakian, H.; Baghdasaryan, H.; Baillie, N.; Ball, J. P.; Baltzell, N. A.; Batourine, V.; Battaglieri, M.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Bektasoglu, M.; Bellis, M.; Benmouna, N.; Biselli, A. S.; Bonner, B. E.; Bouchigny, S.; Boiarinov, S.; Bradford, R.; Branford, D.; Brooks, W. K.; Bültmann, S.; Burkert, V. D.; Bultuceanu, C.; Calarco, J. R.; Careccia, S. L.; Carman, D. S.; Carnahan, B.; Chen, S.; Cole, P. L.; Coltharp, P.; Corvisiero, P.; Crabb, D.; Crannell, H.; Cummings, J. P.; Sanctis, E. De; Devita, R.; Degtyarenko, P. V.; Denizli, H.; Dennis, L.; Dharmawardane, K. V.; Djalali, C.; Dodge, G. E.; Donnelly, J.; Doughty, D.; Dragovitsch, P.; Dugger, M.; Dytman, S.; Dzyubak, O. P.; Egiyan, H.; Elouadrhiri, L.; Empl, A.; Eugenio, P.; Fatemi, R.; Fedotov, G.; Feuerbach, R. J.; Forest, T. A.; Funsten, H.; Gavalian, G.; Gevorgyan, N. G.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Goetz, J. T.; Golovatch, E.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guidal, M.; Guillo, M.; Guler, N.; Guo, L.; Gyurjyan, V.; Hadjidakis, C.; Hardie, J.; Hersman, F. W.; Hicks, K.; Hleiqawi, I.; Holtrop, M.; Hu, J.; Huertas, M.; Hyde-Wright, C. E.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Ito, M. M.; Jenkins, D.; Jo, H. S.; Joo, K.; Juengst, H. G.; Kellie, J. D.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, K. Y.; Kim, K.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Klimenko, A.; Klusman, M.; Kramer, L. H.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuhn, J.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S.; Lachniet, J.; Laget, J. M.; Langheinrich, J.; Lawrence, D.; Lee, T.; Livingston, K.; Maximon, L. C.; McAleer, S.; McKinnon, B.; McNabb, J. W.; Mecking, B. A.; Mestayer, M. D.; Meyer, C. A.; Mibe, T.; Mikhailov, K.; Minehart, R.; Mirazita, M.; Miskimen, R.; Mokeev, V.; Morrow, S. A.; Mueller, J.; Mutchler, G. S.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Napolitano, J.; Nasseripour, R.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Niczyporuk, B. B.; Niyazov, R. A.; O'Rielly, G. V.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Peterson, C.; Pierce, J.; Pivnyuk, N.; Pocanic, D.; Pogorelko, O.; Polli, E.; Pozdniakov, S.; Preedom, B. M.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Qin, L. M.; Raue, B. A.; Riccardi, G.; Ricco, G.; Ripani, M.; Ritchie, B. G.; Ronchetti, F.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Rowntree, D.; Rubin, P. D.; Sabatié, F.; Salgado, C.; Santoro, J. P.; Sapunenko, V.; Schumacher, R. A.; Serov, V. S.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Shaw, J.; Smith, E. S.; Smith, L. C.; Sober, D. I.; Stavinsky, A.; Stepanyan, S.; Stokes, B. E.; Stoler, P.; Strauch, S.; Suleiman, R.; Taiuti, M.; Taylor, S.; Tedeschi, D. J.; Thompson, R.; Tkabladze, A.; Tkachenko, S.; Todor, L.; Tur, C.; Ungaro, M.; Vineyard, M. F.; Vlassov, A. V.; Weygand, D. P.; Williams, M.; Wolin, E.; Wood, M. H.; Yegneswaran, A.; Yun, J.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.

2006-03-01

The ratios of inclusive electron scattering cross sections of 4He, 12C, and 56Fe to 3He have been measured at 11.4 GeV2, the ratios exhibit two separate plateaus, at 1.52.25. This pattern is predicted by models that include 2- and 3-nucleon short-range correlations (SRC). Relative to A=3, the per-nucleon probabilities of 3-nucleon SRC are 2.3, 3.1, and 4.4 times larger for A=4, 12, and 56. This is the first measurement of 3-nucleon SRC probabilities in nuclei.

Bottom-Up Evaluation of Twig Join Pattern Queries in XML Document Databases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yangjun

Since the extensible markup language XML emerged as a new standard for information representation and exchange on the Internet, the problem of storing, indexing, and querying XML documents has been among the major issues of database research. In this paper, we study the twig pattern matching and discuss a new algorithm for processing ordered twig pattern queries. The time complexity of the algorithmis bounded by O(|D|·|Q| + |T|·leaf Q ) and its space overhead is by O(leaf T ·leaf Q ), where T stands for a document tree, Q for a twig pattern and D is a largest data stream associated with a node q of Q, which contains the database nodes that match the node predicate at q. leaf T (leaf Q ) represents the number of the leaf nodes of T (resp. Q). In addition, the algorithm can be adapted to an indexing environment with XB-trees being used.

Effect of supplementing a fibrous diet with a xylanase and β-glucanase blend on growth performance, intestinal glucose uptake, and transport-associated gene expression in growing pigs.

PubMed

Agyekum, A K; Sands, J S; Regassa, A; Kiarie, E; Weihrauch, D; Kim, W K; Nyachoti, C M

2015-07-01

The present study evaluated supplemental carbohydrase effect on performance, intestinal nutrient uptake, and transporter mRNA expressions in growing pigs offered a high-fiber diet manufactured with distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Twenty-four pigs (22.4 ± 0.7 kg BW) were randomly assigned to 1of 3 nutritionally adequate diets (8 pigs per diet) based on corn and soybean meal (SBM) with either 0 (control) or 30% DDGS (high fiber [HF]). The third diet was supplemented with a xylanase and β-glucanase blend (XB) in addition to the 30% DDGS (HF+XB). Parameters determined were ADFI, ADG, G:F, plasma glucose and plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) concentrations, jejunal tissue electrophysiological properties, and mRNA expressions of the sodium-dependent glucose transport 1 (SGLT1) and cationic AA transporter, bo,+AT, in the jejunal and ileal tissues. In addition, mRNA expressions of the short-chain fatty acid transporters, monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) and sodium-coupled monocarboxylate transporter, and mucin genes were quantified in the ileum. Feed intake, plasma glucose, and jejunal tissue electrophysiological properties were not affected (P > 0.05) by diet. However, control-fed pigs had superior growth rate and feed efficiency and higher PUN (P < 0.05) than HF- and HF+XB-fed pigs. The HF diet increased (P < 0.05) SGLT1 mRNA expression in the jejunum and decreased (P < 0.05) bo,+ mRNA expression in the ileum. The XB supplementation also increased bo,+ mRNA expression in the ileum relative to HF-fed pigs. Additionally, MCT1 mRNA expression was greater (P < 0.05) in the ileum of the HF- and HF+XB-fed pigs. In the present study, XB supplementation influenced nutrient transporter mRNA expression, although it was not accompanied by improved pig performance.

Functional Properties of Five Dictyostelium discoideum P2X Receptors*

PubMed Central

Baines, Abigail; Parkinson, Katie; Sim, Joan A.; Bragg, Laricia; Thompson, Christopher R. L.; North, R. Alan

2013-01-01

The Dictyostelium discoideum genome encodes five proteins that share weak sequence similarity with vertebrate P2X receptors. Unlike vertebrate P2X receptors, these proteins are not expressed on the surface of cells, but populate the tubules and bladders of the contractile vacuole. In this study, we expressed humanized cDNAs of P2XA, P2XB, P2XC, P2XD, and P2XE in human embryonic kidney cells and altered the ionic and proton environment in an attempt to reflect the situation in amoeba. Recording of whole-cell membrane currents showed that four receptors operated as ATP-gated channels (P2XA, P2XB, P2XD, and P2XE). At P2XA receptors, ATP was the only effective agonist of 17 structurally related putative ligands that were tested. Extracellular sodium, compared with potassium, strongly inhibited ATP responses in P2XB, P2XD, and P2XE receptors. Increasing the proton concentration (pH 6.2) accelerated desensitization at P2XA receptors and decreased currents at P2XD receptors, but increased the currents at P2XB and P2XE receptors. Dictyostelium lacking P2XA receptors showed impaired regulatory volume decrease in hypotonic solution. This phenotype was readily rescued by overexpression of P2XA and P2XD receptors, partially rescued by P2XB and P2XE receptors, and not rescued by P2XC receptors. The failure of the nonfunctional receptor P2XC to restore the regulatory volume decrease highlights the importance of ATP activation of P2X receptors for a normal response to hypo-osmotic shock, and the weak rescue by P2XB and P2XE receptors indicates that there is limited functional redundancy among Dictyostelium P2X receptors. PMID:23740252

Functional properties of five Dictyostelium discoideum P2X receptors.

PubMed

Baines, Abigail; Parkinson, Katie; Sim, Joan A; Bragg, Laricia; Thompson, Christopher R L; North, R Alan

2013-07-19

The Dictyostelium discoideum genome encodes five proteins that share weak sequence similarity with vertebrate P2X receptors. Unlike vertebrate P2X receptors, these proteins are not expressed on the surface of cells, but populate the tubules and bladders of the contractile vacuole. In this study, we expressed humanized cDNAs of P2XA, P2XB, P2XC, P2XD, and P2XE in human embryonic kidney cells and altered the ionic and proton environment in an attempt to reflect the situation in amoeba. Recording of whole-cell membrane currents showed that four receptors operated as ATP-gated channels (P2XA, P2XB, P2XD, and P2XE). At P2XA receptors, ATP was the only effective agonist of 17 structurally related putative ligands that were tested. Extracellular sodium, compared with potassium, strongly inhibited ATP responses in P2XB, P2XD, and P2XE receptors. Increasing the proton concentration (pH 6.2) accelerated desensitization at P2XA receptors and decreased currents at P2XD receptors, but increased the currents at P2XB and P2XE receptors. Dictyostelium lacking P2XA receptors showed impaired regulatory volume decrease in hypotonic solution. This phenotype was readily rescued by overexpression of P2XA and P2XD receptors, partially rescued by P2XB and P2XE receptors, and not rescued by P2XC receptors. The failure of the nonfunctional receptor P2XC to restore the regulatory volume decrease highlights the importance of ATP activation of P2X receptors for a normal response to hypo-osmotic shock, and the weak rescue by P2XB and P2XE receptors indicates that there is limited functional redundancy among Dictyostelium P2X receptors.

XB-70A #1 cockpit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1965-01-01

Photo of the XB-70 #1 cockpit, which shows the complexity of this mid-1960s research aircraft. On the left and right sides of the picture are the pilot's and co-pilot's control yokes. Forward of these, on the cockpit floor, are the rudder pedals with the NAA (North American Aviation) trademark. Between them is the center console. Visible are the six throttles for the XB-70's jet engines. Above this is the center instrument panel. The bottom panel has the wing tip fold, landing gear, and flap controls, as well as the hydraulic pressure gages. In the center are three rows of engine gages. The top row are tachometers, the second are exhaust temperature gages, and the bottom row are exhaust nozzle position indicators. Above these are the engine fire and engine brake switches. The instrument panels for the pilot (left) and co-pilot (right) differ somewhat. Both crewmen have an airspeed/Mach indicator, and altitude/vertical velocity indicator, an artificial horizon, and a heading indicator/compass directly in front of them. The pilot's flight instruments, from top to bottom, are total heat gage and crew warning lights; stand-by flight instruments (side-slip, artificial horizon, and altitude); the engine vibration indicators; cabin altitude, ammonia, and water quantity gages, the electronic compartment air temperature gage, and the liquid oxygen quantity gage. At the bottom are the switches for the flight displays and environmental controls. On the co-pilot's panel, the top three rows are for the engine inlet controls. Below this is the fuel tank sequence indicator, which shows the amount of fuel in each tank. The bottom row consists of the fuel pump switches, which were used to shift fuel to maintain the proper center of gravity. Just to the right are the indicators for the total fuel (top) and the individual tanks (bottom). Visible on the right edge of the photo are the refueling valves, while above these are switches for the flight data recording instruments. The XB-70 was the world's largest experimental aircraft. It was capable of flight at speeds of three times the speed of sound (roughly 2,000 miles per hour) at altitudes of 70,000 feet. It was used to collect in-flight information for use in the design of future supersonic aircraft, military and civilian. The major objectives of the XB-70 flight research program were to study the airplane's stability and handling characteristics, to evaluate its response to atmospheric turbulence, and to determine the aerodynamic and propulsion performance. In addition there were secondary objectives to measure the noise and friction associated with airflow over the airplane and to determine the levels and extent of the engine noise during takeoff, landing, and ground operations. The XB-70 was about 186 feet long, 33 feet high, with a wingspan of 105 feet. Originally conceived as an advanced bomber for the United States Air Force, the XB-70 was limited to production of two aircraft when it was decided to limit the aircraft's mission to flight research. The first flight of the XB-70 was made on Sept. 21, 1964. The number two XB-70 was destroyed in a mid-air collision on June 8, 1966. Program management of the NASA-USAF research effort was assigned to NASA in March 1967. The final flight was flown on Feb. 4, 1969. Designed by North American Aviation (later North American Rockwell and still later, a division of Boeing) the XB-70 had a long fuselage with a canard or horizontal stabilizer mounted just behind the crew compartment. It had a sharply swept 65.6-percent delta wing. The outer portion of the wing could be folded down in flight to provide greater lateral-directional stability. The airplane had two windshields. A moveable outer windshield was raised for high-speed flight to reduce drag and lowered for greater visibility during takeoff and landing. The forward fuselage was constructed of riveted titanium frames and skin. The remainder of the airplane was constructed almost entirely of stainless steel. The skin was a brazed stainless-steel honeycomb material. Six General Electric YJ93-3 turbojet engines, each in the 30,000-pound-thrust class, powered the XB-70. Internal geometry of the inlets was controllable to maintain the most efficient airflow to the engines.

Investigation of Prolific Sheep from UK and Ireland for Evidence on Origin of the Mutations in BMP15 (FecXG, FecXB) and GDF9 (FecGH) in Belclare and Cambridge Sheep

PubMed Central

Mullen, Michael P.; Hanrahan, James P.; Howard, Dawn J.

2013-01-01

This paper concerns the likely origin of three mutations with large effects on ovulation rate identified in the Belclare and Cambridge sheep breeds; two in the BMP15 gene (FecXG and FecXB) and the third (FecGH) in GDF9. All three mutations segregate in Belclare sheep while one, FecXB, has not been found in the Cambridge. Both Belclare and Cambridge breeds are relatively recently developed composites that have common ancestry through the use of genetic material from the Finnish Landrace and Lleyn breeds. The development of both composites also involved major contributions from exceptionally prolific ewes screened from flocks in Ireland (Belclare) and Britain (Cambridge) during the 1960s. The objective of the current study was to establish the likely origin of the mutations (FecXG, FecXB and FecGH) through analysis of DNA from Finnish Landrace and Lleyn sheep, and Galway and Texel breeds which contributed to the development of the Belclare breed. Ewes with exceptionally high prolificacy (hyper-prolific ewes) in current flocks on Irish farms were identified to simulate the screening of ewes from Irish flocks in the 1960s. DNA was obtained from: prolific ewes in extant flocks of Lleyn sheep (n = 44) on the Lleyn peninsula in Wales; hyper-prolific ewes (n = 41); prolific Galway (n = 41) ewes; Finnish Landrace (n = 124) and Texel (n = 19) ewes. The FecXG mutation was identified in Lleyn but not in Finnish Landrace, Galway or Texel sheep; FecXB was only found among the hyper-prolific ewes. The FecGH mutation was identified in the sample of Lleyn sheep. It was concluded from these findings that the Lleyn breed was the most likely source of the FecXG and FecGH mutations in Belclare and Cambridge sheep and that the FecXB mutation came from the High Fertility line that was developed using prolific ewes selected from commercial flocks in Ireland in the 1960′s and subsequently used in the genesis of the Belclare. PMID:23301039

Optically dark excitonic states mediated exciton and biexciton valley dynamics in monolayer WSe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Minghua; Fu, Jiyong; Dias, A. C.; Qu, Fanyao

2018-07-01

We present a theory to address the photoluminescence (PL) intensity and valley polarization (VP) dynamics in monolayer WSe2, under the impact of excitonic dark states of both excitons and biexcitons. We find that the PL intensity of all excitonic channels including intravalley exciton (Xb), intravalley biexciton (XXk,k) and intervalley biexciton (XX) in particular for the XXk,k PL is enhanced by laser excitation fluence. In addition, our results indicate the anomalous temperature dependence of PL, i.e. increasing with temperature, as a result of favored phonon assisted dark-to-bright scatterings at high temperatures. Moreover, we observe that the PL is almost immune to intervalley scatterings, which trigger the exchange of excitonic states between the two valleys. As far as the valley polarization is concerned, we find that the VP of Xb shrinks as temperature increases, exhibiting opposite temperature response to PL, while the intravalley XXk,k VP is found almost independent of temperature. In contrast to both Xb and XXk,k, the intervalley XX VP identically vanishes, because of equal populations of excitons in the K and valleys bounded to form intervalley biexcitons. Notably, it is found that the Xb VP much more strongly depends on bright–dark scattering than that of XXk,k, making dark state act as a robust reservoir for valley polarization against intervalley scatterings for Xb at strong bright–dark scatterings, but not for XXk,k. Dark excitonic states enabled enhancement of VP benefits quantum technology for information processing based on the valley degree of freedom in valleytronic devices. Furthermore, the VP has strong dependence on intervalley scattering but maintains essentially constant with excitation fluence. Finally, the dependence of time evolution of PL and VP on temperature and excitation fluence is discussed.

Flight investigation of XB-70 structural response to oscillatory aerodynamic shaker excitation and correlation with analytical results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckay, J. M.; Kordes, E. E.; Wykes, J. H.

1973-01-01

The low frequency symmetric structural response and damping characteristics of the XB-70 airplane were measured at four flight conditions: heavyweight at a Mach number of 0.87 at an altitude of 7620 meters (25,000 feet); lightweight at a Mach number of 0.86 at an altitude of 7620 meters (25,000 feet); a Mach number of 1.59 at an altitude of 11,918 meters (39.100 feet); and a Mach number of 2.38 and an altitude of 18,898 meters (62,000 feet). The flight data are compared with the response calculated by using early XB-70 design data and with the response calculated with mass, structural, and aerodynamic data updated to reflect as closely as possible the airplane characteristics at three of the flight conditions actually flown.

Non-Fermi liquid and heavy fermion behavior in CexLa1-xB6 with quadrupolar moments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Shintaro; Yamamoto, Harufumi; Endo, Motoki; Aoki, Haruyoshi; Kimura, Noriaki; Nojima, Tsutomu; Kunii, Satoru

2006-05-01

The electrical resistivity of the cubic Kondo system CexLa1-xB6 ( x=0.1-0.65) has been measured. Non-Fermi liquid behavior is found in paramagnetic phase I over the wide Ce concentration range. Heavy fermion behavior is found in ordered phases of Ce0.65La0.35B6. The mass enhancement of quasiparticles in this compound is strongly dependent of the magnetic field.

Investigation of dynamic ground effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Ray Chung; Muirhead, Vincent U.

1987-01-01

An experimental investigation of dynamic ground effect was conducted in the Univ. of Kansas wind tunnel using delta wings of 60, 70, 75 deg sweep; the XB-70 wing; and the F-104A wing. Both static and dynamic tests were made. Test data were compared to other test data, including dynamic flight test data of the XB-70 and F-104A. Limited flow visualization test were conducted. A significant dynamic effect was found for highly swept delta wings.

A national dosimetry audit for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy in lung.

PubMed

Distefano, Gail; Lee, Jonny; Jafari, Shakardokht; Gouldstone, Clare; Baker, Colin; Mayles, Helen; Clark, Catharine H

2017-03-01

A UK national dosimetry audit was carried out to assess the accuracy of Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) lung treatment delivery. This mail-based audit used an anthropomorphic thorax phantom containing nine alanine pellets positioned in the lung region for dosimetry, as well as EBT3 film in the axial plane for isodose comparison. Centres used their local planning protocol/technique, creating 27 SABR plans. A range of delivery techniques including conformal, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and Cyberknife (CK) were used with six different calculation algorithms (collapsed cone, superposition, pencil-beam (PB), AAA, Acuros and Monte Carlo). The mean difference between measured and calculated dose (excluding PB results) was 0.4±1.4% for alanine and 1.4±3.4% for film. PB differences were -6.1% and -12.9% respectively. The median of the absolute maximum isodose-to-isodose distances was 3mm (-6mm to 7mm) and 5mm (-10mm to +19mm) for the 100% and 50% isodose lines respectively. Alanine and film is an effective combination for verifying dosimetric and geometric accuracy. There were some differences across dose algorithms, and geometric accuracy was better for VMAT and CK compared with conformal techniques. The alanine dosimetry results showed that planned and delivered doses were within ±3.0% for 25/27 SABR plans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Statistical survey of XB-70 airplane responses and control usage with an illustration of the application to handling qualities criteria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powers, B. G.

1972-01-01

The magnitude and frequency of occurrence of aircraft responses and control inputs during 27 flights of the XB-70 airplane were measured. Exceedance curves are presented for the airplane responses and control usage. A technique is presented which makes use of these exceedance curves to establish or verify handling qualities criteria. This technique can provide a means of incorporating current operational experience in handling qualities requirements for future aircraft.

Quantum noncovariance of the linear potential in 1 + 1 dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artru, Xavier

1984-03-01

The two-body bound states governed by the Hamiltonian (pa2+ma2)12+(pb2+mb2)12+κ|xa-xb| in 1 + 1 dimensions do not have Lorentz-invariant masses (En,P2-P2)12 even to first order in P2, if one used the standard commutation relations [xi,pi]=1ℏ. This is shown explicitly for ma=mb=0 and generalized by continuity to ma+mb≠0. The same is true for any other potential V(|xa-xb|).

T -odd correlations in polarized top quark decays in the sequential decay t (↑)→Xb+W+(→ℓ++νℓ) and in the quasi-three-body decay t (↑)→ Xb+ℓ++νℓ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, M.; Groote, S.; Körner, J. G.

2018-05-01

We identify the T -odd structure functions that appear in the description of polarized top quark decays in the sequential decay t (↑)→Xb+W+(→ℓ++νℓ) (two structure functions) and the quasi-three-body decay t (↑)→X b+ℓ++νℓ (one structure function). A convenient measure of the magnitude of the T -odd structure functions is the contribution of the imaginary part Im gR of the right-chiral tensor coupling gR to the T -odd structure functions which we work out. Contrary to the case of QCD, the NLO electroweak corrections to polarized top quark decays admit absorptive one-loop vertex contributions. We analytically calculate the imaginary parts of the relevant four electroweak one-loop triangle vertex diagrams and determine their contributions to the T -odd helicity structure functions that appear in the description of polarized top quark decays.

Algorithm for Surface of Translation Attached Radiators (A-STAR). Volume III. Computer Codes.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-01

SEGMENT ARRAYS* C2075 CCPMCN /83jTI 44DDFNPTNBAND C2080 COM MCN IBDT21 N’,RL.YR(831, yS(83)eYS1(82).XB1(82) C2085 COMMON /GOT?/ 14(82)PSVt .12).CVt82 C2090...i a.4 ZZaZ lti 12 )-ZCI CI 10 RH020 . XNXX +VV*VV*ZZ*ZZ 2’ REaS REINZ 4 A3mA IUC 49CEXPI-U*SK*ER R14.IP I RR 8 CEDGE(SOT j-E(OOE(CA IMPEOANCE ELEMENTS...FvAv.S~%Lt IAXpSIIs PINER) 57*f ?C ********* ************* i5?C COM ~PLEX SIFIPSON INTEGRATION RflUTINE.j7 i N E.x,!& pSvsIPK Il~~i Agj:;)2c.19v20 5ON

Rapid Dispersion of Polymicrobial Wound Biofilms with Depolymerase Enzymes

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-01

reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of...purified several of these enzymes that displayed proper folding and favorable solubility properties, and began characterizing their anti -biofilm...infection.   2 BODY: Specific Aim 1. Identify, clone, and express potential depolymerases. Task 1. IACUC and USAMRMC ACURO review and

An Unstable Arch Model of a Solar Flare

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-08-10

where the Euler-Lagrange equation becomes singular. We now expand f(r) and g(r) around the singular point r. Thus k JA + - p x, (3.20) m where x...current layer, etc.) can result only from convection. The equations we will use are ()B E 2 - VX(vXB)- _ VX(1TV XB), (4.8) E+ vX B=77j (4.9) C and curl (P...d- curl (J ( curl B) X B+pg . (4.10) Since the treatment is principally concerned with resistive instabilities whose growth times are long compared to

NNLO QCD corrections to the polarized top quark decay t (↑)→Xb+W+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czarnecki, A.; Groote, S.; Körner, J. G.; Piclum, J. H.

2018-05-01

We compute the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD corrections to the decay t (↑)→Xb+W+ of a polarized top quark. The spin-momentum correlation in this quasi two-body decay is described by the polar angle distribution d Γ /d cos θP=Γ/2 (1 +PtαPcos θP) , where Pt is the polarization of the top quark and αP denotes the asymmetry parameter of the decay. For the latter we find αPNNLO=0.3792 ±0.0037 .

Concentration, ozone formation potential and source analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a thermal power station centralized area: A study in Shuozhou, China.

PubMed

Yan, Yulong; Peng, Lin; Li, Rumei; Li, Yinghui; Li, Lijuan; Bai, Huiling

2017-04-01

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from two sampling sites (HB and XB) in a power station centralized area, in Shuozhou city, China, were sampled by stainless steel canisters and measured by gas chromatography-mass selective detection/flame ionization detection (GC-MSD/FID) in the spring and autumn of 2014. The concentration of VOCs was higher in the autumn (HB, 96.87 μg/m 3 ; XB, 58.94 μg/m 3 ) than in the spring (HB, 41.49 μg/m 3 ; XB, 43.46 μg/m 3 ), as lower wind speed in the autumn could lead to pollutant accumulation, especially at HB, which is a new urban area surrounded by residential areas and a transportation hub. Alkanes were the dominant group at both HB and XB in both sampling periods, but the contribution of aromatic pollutants at HB in the autumn was much higher than that of the other alkanes (11.16-19.55%). Compared to other cities, BTEX pollution in Shuozhou was among the lowest levels in the world. Because of the high levels of aromatic pollutants, the ozone formation potential increased significantly at HB in the autumn. Using the ratio analyses to identify the age of the air masses and analyze the sources, the results showed that the atmospheric VOCs at XB were strongly influenced by the remote sources of coal combustion, while at HB in the spring and autumn were affected by the remote sources of coal combustion and local sources of vehicle emission, respectively. Source analysis conducted using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model at Shuozhou showed that coal combustion and vehicle emissions made the two largest contributions (29.98% and 21.25%, respectively) to atmospheric VOCs. With further economic restructuring, the influence of vehicle emissions on the air quality should become more significant, indicating that controlling vehicle emissions is key to reducing the air pollution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defect-Tolerant Diffusion Channels for Mg 2+ Ions in Ribbon-Type Borates: Structural Insights into Potential Battery Cathodes MgVBO 4 and Mg x Fe 2–xB 2O 5

DOE PAGES

Bo, Shou-Hang; Grey, Clare P.; Khalifah, Peter G.

2015-06-10

The reversible room temperature intercalation of Mg 2+ ions is difficult to achieve, but may offer substantial advantages in the design of next-generation batteries if this electrochemical process can be successfully realized. Two types of quadruple ribbon-type transition metal borates (Mg xFe 2-xB 2O 5 and MgVBO 4) with high theoretical capacities (186 mAh/g and 360 mAh/g) have been synthesized and structurally characterized through the combined Rietveld refinement of synchrotron and time-of-flight neutron diffraction data. Neither MgVBO 4 nor Mg xFe 2-xB 2O 5 can be chemically oxidized at room temperature, though Mg can be dynamically removed from themore » latter phase at elevated temperatures (approximately 200 - 500 °C). Findings show that Mg diffusion in the Mg xFe 2-xB 2O 5 structure is more facile for the inner two octahedral sites than for the two outer octahedral sites in the ribbons, a result supported by both the refined site occupancies after Mg removal and by bond valence sum difference map calculations of diffusion paths in the pristine material. Mg diffusion in this pyroborate Mg xFe 2-xB 2O 5 framework is also found to be tolerant to the presence of Mg/Fe disorder since Mg ions can diffuse through interstitial channels which bypass Fe-containing sites.« less

Efficient pre-ionization by direct X-B mode conversion in VEST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jo, JongGab; Lee, H. Y.; Kim, S. C.; Kim, S. H.; An, Y. H.; Hwang, Y. S.

2017-01-01

Pre-ionization experiments with pure toroidal field have been carried out in VEST (Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus) to investigate the feasibility of direct XB mode conversion from perpendicular LFS (Low Field Side) injection for efficient pre-ionization. Pre-ionization plasmas are studied by measuring the electron density and temperature profiles with respect to microwave power and toroidal field strength, and 2D full wave cold plasma simulation using the COMSOL Multiphysics is performed for the comparison. It is experimentally figured out that exceeding the threshold microwave power (>3 kW), the parametric decay and localized collisional heating is observed near the UHR (Upper Hybrid Resonance), and the efficient XB mode conversion can be achieved in both short density scale length (Ln) and magnetic scale length (LB) region positioned at outboard and inboard sides, respectively. From the 2D full wave simulations, the reflection and tunneling of X-wave near the R-cutoff layer according to the measured electron density profiles are analyzed with electric field polarization and power flow. Threshold electric field and wave power density for parametric decay are evaluated at least more than 4.8 × 104 V/m and 100 W/cm2, respectively. This study shows that efficient pre-ionization schemes using direct XB mode conversion can be realized by considering the key factors such as Ln, LB, and transmitted wave power at the UHR. Application to Ohmic start-up experiment is carried out to confirm the effect of the pre-ionization schemes on tokamak plasma start-up in VEST.

Silencing of the Rice Gene LRR1 Compromises Rice Xa21 Transcript Accumulation and XA21-Mediated Immunity.

PubMed

Caddell, Daniel F; Park, Chang-Jin; Thomas, Nicholas C; Canlas, Patrick E; Ronald, Pamela C

2017-12-01

The rice immune receptor XA21 confers resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), the causal agent of bacterial leaf blight. We previously demonstrated that an auxilin-like protein, XA21 BINDING PROTEIN 21 (XB21), positively regulates resistance to Xoo. To further investigate the function of XB21, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen. We identified 22 unique XB21 interacting proteins, including LEUCINE-RICH REPEAT PROTEIN 1 (LRR1), which we selected for further analysis. Silencing of LRR1 in the XA21 genetic background (XA21-LRR1Ri) compromises resistance to Xoo compared with control XA21 plants. XA21-LRR1Ri plants have reduced Xa21 transcript levels and reduced expression of genes that serve as markers of XA21-mediated activation. Overexpression of LRR1 is insufficient to alter resistance to Xoo in rice lines lacking XA21. Taken together, our results indicate that LRR1 is required for wild-type Xa21 transcript expression and XA21-mediated immunity.

Halogen bonding and pharmaceutical cocrystals: the case of a widely used preservative.

PubMed

Baldrighi, Michele; Cavallo, Gabriella; Chierotti, Michele R; Gobetto, Roberto; Metrangolo, Pierangelo; Pilati, Tullio; Resnati, Giuseppe; Terraneo, Giancarlo

2013-05-06

3-Iodo-2-propynyl-N-butylcarbamate (IPBC) is an iodinated antimicrobial product used globally as a preservative, fungicide, and algaecide. IPBC is difficult to obtain in pure form as well as to handle in industrial products because it tends to be sticky and clumpy. Here, we describe the preparation of four pharmaceutical cocrystals involving IPBC. The obtained cocrystals have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, solution and solid-state NMR, IR, and DSC analyses. In all the described cases the halogen bond (XB) is the key interaction responsible for the self-assembly of the pharmaceutical cocrystals thanks to the involvement of the 1-iodoalkyne moiety of IPBC, which functions as a very reliable XB-donor, with both neutral and anionic XB-acceptors. Most of the obtained cocrystals have improved properties with respect to the source API, in terms, e.g., of thermal stability. The cocrystal involving the GRAS excipient CaCl2 has superior powder flow characteristics compared to the pure IPBC, representing a promising solution to the handling issues related to the manufacturing of products containing IPBC.

Magnetic properties and microstructure of melt-spun Ce17Fe78-xB6Hfx (x = 0-1.0) alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Qingzheng; Zhong, Minglong; Quan, Qichen; Lei, Weikai; Zeng, Qingwen; Hu, Yongfeng; Xu, Yaping; Hu, Xianjun; Zhang, Lili; Liu, Renhui; Ma, Shengcan; Zhong, Zhenchen

2017-12-01

Ce17Fe78-xB6Hfx (x = 0-1.0) alloys were fabricated by a melt-spinning technique in order to study their magnetic properties and microstructure. Magnetic investigations of Ce17Fe78-xB6Hfx (x = 0-1.0) alloys show that the room-temperature coercivity increases linearly from 352 kA/m at x = 0 to 420 kA/m at x = 1.0. The Curie temperature (Tc) decreases monotonically from 424.5 K to 409.1 K. The Ce L3-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectrums reveal that there is more Ce4+ in ribbons under total electron yield (TEY) than fluorescence yield (FY). Hf addition has no effect on the weight of Ce3+ and Ce4+ in CeFeB-based alloys. The grain refinement and microstructure uniformity are essential for improving the magnetic properties of Hf-doped alloys. This paper may shed light on the further development of the Ce-based magnets and offer a feasible way for using the rare earth resources effectively.

Measurements of W Erosion using UV Emission from DIII-D and CTH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Curtis; Ennis, David; Loch, Stuart; Balance, Connor; Victor, Brian; Allen, Steve; Samuell, Cameron; Abrams, Tyler; Unterberg, Ezekial

2017-10-01

of Plasma Facing Components (PFCs) will play a critical role in establishing the performance of reactor-relevant fusion devices, particularly for tungsten (W) divertor targets. Erosion can be diagnosed from spectral line emission together with atomic coefficients representing the `ionizations per photon' (S/XB). Emission from W I is most intense in the UV region. Thus, UV survey spectrometers (200-400 nm) are used to diagnose W PFCs erosion in the DIII-D divertor and from a W tipped probe in the CTH experiment. Nineteen W emission lines in the UV region are identified between the two experiments, allowing for multiple S/XB erosion measurements. Initial W erosion measurements are compared to erosion using the 400.9 nm W I line. Complete UV spectra will be presented and compared to synthetic spectra for varying plasma conditions. Analysis of the metastable states impact on the S/XB will be presented as well as possible electron temperature and density diagnosis from W I line ratios. Work supported by USDOE Grants DE-SC0015877 & DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Opioid Abuse after Traumatic Brain Injury: Evaluation Using Rodent Models

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-01

acclimation to the laboratory and handling, catheterization surgery and recovery, brain injury and evaluation of acquisition, reinforcing efficacy or...subjects entered into protocol =112 (10+10+20+22+ 24+26) Total number catheterized =62 Total number undergoing sham injury =33...did not enter into the experimental protocol until after VCU IACUC and ACURO approval in July 2013. Twenty-two subjects have been catheterized and

Joint Services Electronics Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-31

COJNRACT ON GRANT NuuSER(.j M. Tinkham N00014-84-K-0465 S. PeRFOR MING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADORESS 𔃺. PROGRAM EL.,IT. P0OJECT. TASA Division of...2 7 R.W. Brockett DlAG29-83-K-0040 TW.osbr AFosR- 81-7401 R.W. Brockett -: DE -FGD2-84-EEw4O1 5B T.T. Wui sER xB-2-02144-l W. Paul JOINT SERVICES...0465, NSF DMR-81-08327 and SERI Subcontract XB-2-02144-1 of DOE Prime Contract DE -AC-02-83-CHI0093; Research Unit 2 (former #3). During this period we

SU-F-BRA-12: End-User Oriented Tools and Procedures for Testing Brachytherapy TPSs Employing MBDCAs

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

Peppa, V; Pappas, E; Lahanas, V

2015-06-15

Purpose: To develop user-oriented tools for commissioning and dosimetry testing of {sup 192}Ir brachytherapy treatment planning systems (TPSs) employing model based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCAs). Methods: A software tool (BrachyGuide) has been developed for the automatic generation of MCNP6 input files from any CT based plan exported in DICOM RT format from Elekta and Varian TPSs. BrachyGuide also facilitates the evaluation of imported Monte Carlo (MC) and TPS dose distributions in terms of % dose differences and gamma index (CT overlaid colormaps or relative frequency plots) as well as DVHs and related indices. For users not equipped to perform MC,more » a set of computational models was prepared in DICOM format, accompanied by treatment plans and corresponding MCNP6 generated reference data. BrachyGuide can then be used to compare institutional and reference data as per TG186. The model set includes a water sphere with the MBDCA WG {sup 192}Ir source placed centrically and in two eccentric positions, a water sphere with cubic bone and lung inhomogeneities and a five source dwells plan, and a patient equivalent model with an Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI) plan. Results: The tools developed were used for the dosimetry testing of the Acuros and ACE MBDCAs implemented in BrachyVision v.13 and Oncentra Brachy v.4.5, respectively. Findings were consistent with previous results in the literature. Besides points close to the source dwells, Acuros was found to agree within type A uncertainties with the reference MC results. Differences greater than MC type A uncertainty were observed for ACE at distances >5cm from the source dwells and in bone. Conclusion: The tools developed are efficient for brachytherapy MBDCA planning commissioning and testing. Since they are appropriate for distribution over the web, they will be put at the AAPM WG MBDCA’s disposal. Research co-financed by the ESF and Greek funds. NSRF operational Program: Education and Lifelong Learning Investing in Knowledge Society-Aristeia. Varian Medical Systems and Nucletron, an Elekta company provided access to TPSs for research purposes. Miss Peppa was supported by IKY-fellowships of excellence for postgraduate studies in Greece,Siemens Program.« less

X-15 and XB-70 parked on NASA ramp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1967-01-01

The X-15A-2 with drop tanks and ablative coating is shown parked on the NASA ramp in front of the XB-70. These aircraft represent two different approaches to flight research. The X-15 was a research airplane in the purest sense, whereas the XB-70 was an experimental bomber intended for production but diverted to research when production was cancelled by changes in the Department of Defense's offensive doctrine. The X-15A-2 had been modified from its original configuration with a longer fuselage and drop tanks. To protect it against aerodynamic heating, researchers had coated it with an ablative coating covered by a layer of white paint. These changes allowed the X-15A-2 to reach a maximum speed of Mach 6.7, although it could be sustained for only a brief period. The XB-70, by contrast, was designed for prolonged high-altitude cruise flight at Mach 3. The aircraft's striking shape--with a long forward fuselage, canards, a large delta wing, twin fins, and a box-like engine bay--allowed it to ride its own Mach 3 shockwave, so to speak. A joint NASA-Air Force program used the aircraft to collect data in support of the U.S supersonic transport (SST) program, which never came to fruition because of environmental concerns. X-15: The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft. The original three aircraft were about 50 ft long with a wingspan of 22 ft. The modified #2 aircraft (X-15A-2 was longer.) They were a missile-shaped vehicles with unusual wedge-shaped vertical tails, thin stubby wings, and unique side fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. The XLR-99 rocket engine, manufactured by Thiokol Chemical Corp., was pilot controlled and was rated at 57,000 lb of thrust, although there are indications that it actually achieved up to 60,000 lb. North American Aviation built three X-15 aircraft for the program. The X-15 research aircraft was developed to provide in-flight information and data on aerodynamics, structures, flight controls, and the physiological aspects of high-speed, high-altitude flight. A follow-on program used the aircraft as testbeds to carry various scientific experiments beyond the Earth's atmosphere on a repeated basis. For flight in the dense air of the usable atmosphere, the X-15 used conventional aerodynamic controls such as rudder surfaces on the vertical stabilizers to control yaw and movable horizontal stabilizers to control pitch when moving in synchronization or roll when moved differentially. For flight in the thin air outside of the appreciable Earth's atmosphere, the X-15 used a reaction control system. Hydrogen peroxide thrust rockets located on the nose of the aircraft provided pitch and yaw control. Those on the wings provided roll control. Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at approximately 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. Depending on the mission, the rocket engine provided thrust for the first 80 to 120 sec of flight. The remainder of the normal 10 to 11 min. flight was powerless and ended with a 200-mph glide landing. Generally, one of two types of X-15 flight profiles was used; a high-altitude flight plan that called for the pilot to maintain a steep rate of climb, or a speed profile that called for the pilot to push over and maintain a level altitude. The X-15 was flown over a period of nearly 10 years -- June 1959 to Oct. 1968 -- and set the world's unofficial speed and altitude records of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7) and 354,200 ft in a program to investigate all aspects of manned hypersonic flight. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned spaceflight programs, and also the Space Shuttle program. The X-15s made a total of 199 flights, and were manufactured by North American Aviation. X-15-1, serial number 56-6670, is now located at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC. North American X-15A-2, serial number 56-6671, is at the United States Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. X-15-3, serial number 56-6672, crashed on 15 November 1967, resulting in the death of Maj. Michael J. Adams. XB-70: The XB-70 was the world's largest experimental aircraft. It was capable of flight at speeds of three times the speed of sound (roughly 2,000 miles per hour) at altitudes of 70,000 feet. It was used to collect in-flight information for use in the design of future supersonic aircraft, military and civilian. The major objectives of the XB-70 flight research program were to study the airplane's stability and handling characteristics, to evaluate its response to atmospheric turbulence, and to determine the aerodynamic and propulsion performance. In addition there were secondary objectives to measure the noise and friction associated with airflow over the airplane and to determine the levels and extent of the engine noise during takeoff, landing, and ground operations. The XB-70 was about 186 feet long, 33 feet high, with a wingspan of 105 feet. Originally conceived as an advanced bomber for the United States Air Force, the XB-70 was limited to production of two aircraft when it was decided to limit the aircraft's mission to flight research. The first flight of the XB-70 was made on Sept. 21, 1964. The number two XB-70 was destroyed in a mid-air collision on June 8, 1966. Program management of the NASA-USAF research effort was assigned to NASA in March 1967. The final flight was flown on Feb. 4, 1969. Designed by North American Aviation (later North American Rockwell and still later, a division of Boeing) the XB-70 had a long fuselage with a canard or horizontal stabilizer mounted just behind the crew compartment. It had a sharply swept 65.6-percent delta wing. The outer portion of the wing could be folded down in flight to provide greater lateral-directional stability. The airplane had two windshields. A moveable outer windshield was raised for high-speed flight to reduce drag and lowered for greater visibility during takeoff and landing. The forward fuselage was constructed of riveted titanium frames and skin. The remainder of the airplane was constructed almost entirely of stainless steel. The skin was a brazed stainless-steel honeycomb material. Six General Electric YJ93-3 turbojet engines, each in the 30,000-pound-thrust class, powered the XB-70. Internal geometry of the inlets was controllable to maintain the most efficient airflow to the engines.

In situ TEM study of electron-beam radiation induced boron diffusion and effects on phase and microstructure evolution in nanostructured CoFeB/SiO2 thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, B. H.; Teo, H. W.; Mo, Z. H.; Mai, Z. H.; Lam, J.; Xue, J. M.; Zhao, Y. Z.; Tan, P. K.

2017-01-01

Using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we studied boron diffusion and segregation in CoFeB/SiO2 nanostructured thin film stacks. We also investigated how these phenomena affected the phase and microstructure of CoFeB thin films under electron beam irradiation at 300 kV. A unique phase transformation was observed in CoFeB thin films under high-dose electron irradiation, from a polycrystalline Co3Fe to a unilateral amorphous phase of Co3Fe and nanocrystalline FexCo23-xB6. The unilateral amorphization of the Co3Fe film showed an electron-dose-rate sensitivity with a threshold dose rate. Detailed in situ TEM studies revealed that the unilateral amorphization of the Co3Fe film arose from boron segregation at the bottom of the Co3Fe thin film induced by radiation-enhanced diffusion of boron atoms that were displaced by electron knock-on effects. The radiation-induced nanocrystallization of FexCo23-xB6 was also found to be dose-rate sensitive with a higher electron beam current leading to earlier nucleation and more rapid grain growth. The nanocrystallization of FexCo23-xB6 occurred preferentially at the CoFeB/SiO2 interface. Kinetic studies by in situ TEM revealed the surface crystallization and diffusion-controlled nucleation and grain growth mechanisms. The radiation-enhanced atomic diffusivity and high-concentration of radiation-induced point defects at the Co3Fe/SiO2 interface enhanced the local short-range ordering of Fe, Co, and B atoms, favoring nucleation and grain growth of FexCo23-xB6 at the interface.

Updating the orbital ephemeris of the dipping source XB 1254-690 and the distance to the source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gambino, Angelo F.; Iaria, Rosario; Di Salvo, Tiziana; Matranga, Marco; Burderi, Luciano; Pintore, Fabio; Riggio, Alessandro; Sanna, Andrea

2017-09-01

XB 1254-690 is a dipping low mass X-ray binary system hosting a neutron star and showing type I X-ray bursts. We aim at obtaining a more accurate orbital ephemeris and at constraining the orbital period derivative of the system for the first time. In addition, we want to better constrain the distance to the source in order to locate the system in a well defined evolutive scenario. We apply, for the first time, an orbital timing technique to XB 1254-690, using the arrival times of the dips present in the light curves that have been collected during 26 yr of X-ray pointed observations acquired from different space missions. We estimate the dip arrival times using a statistical method that weights the count-rate inside the dip with respect to the level of persistent emission outside the dip. We fit the obtained delays as a function of the orbital cycles both with a linear and a quadratic function. We infer the orbital ephemeris of XB 1254-690, improving the accuracy of the orbital period with respect to previous estimates. We infer a mass of M 2 = 0.42 ± 0.04 M ʘ for the donor star, in agreement with estimations already present in literature, assuming that the star is in thermal equilibrium while it transfers part of its mass via the inner Lagrangian point, and assuming a neutron star mass of 1.4 M ʘ. Using these assumptions, we also constrain the distance to the source, finding a value of 7.6 ± 0.8 kpc. Finally, we discuss the evolution of the system, suggesting that it is compatible with a conservative mass transfer driven by magnetic braking.

Development and Production of Array Barrier Detectors at SCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klipstein, P. C.; Avnon, E.; Benny, Y.; Berkowicz, E.; Cohen, Y.; Dobromislin, R.; Fraenkel, R.; Gershon, G.; Glozman, A.; Hojman, E.; Ilan, E.; Karni, Y.; Klin, O.; Kodriano, Y.; Krasovitsky, L.; Langof, L.; Lukomsky, I.; Nevo, I.; Nitzani, M.; Pivnik, I.; Rappaport, N.; Rosenberg, O.; Shtrichman, I.; Shkedy, L.; Snapi, N.; Talmor, R.; Tessler, R.; Weiss, E.; Tuito, A.

2017-09-01

XB n or XB p barrier detectors exhibit diffusion-limited dark currents comparable with mercury cadmium telluride Rule-07 and high quantum efficiencies. In 2011, SemiConductor Devices (SCD) introduced "HOT Pelican D", a 640 × 512/15- μm pitch InAsSb/AlSbAs XB n mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detector with a 4.2- μm cut-off and an operating temperature of ˜150 K. Its low power (˜3 W), high pixel operability (>99.5%) and long mean time to failure make HOT Pelican D a highly reliable integrated detector-cooler product with a low size, weight and power. More recently, "HOT Hercules" was launched with a 1280 × 1024/15- μm format and similar advantages. A 3-megapixel, 10- μm pitch version ("HOT Blackbird") is currently completing development. For long-wave infrared applications, SCD's 640 × 512/15- μm pitch "Pelican-D LW" XB p type II superlattice (T2SL) detector has a ˜9.3- μm cut-off wavelength. The detector contains InAs/GaSb and InAs/AlSb T2SLs, and is fabricated into focal plane array (FPA) detectors using standard production processes including hybridization to a digital silicon read-out integrated circuit (ROIC), glue underfill and substrate thinning. The ROIC has been designed so that the complete detector closely follows the interfaces of SCD's MWIR Pelican-D detector family. The Pelican-D LW FPA has a quantum efficiency of ˜50%, and operates at 77 K with a pixel operability of >99% and noise equivalent temperature difference of 13 mK at 30 Hz and F/2.7.

Targeting Metabolic Survival Pathways in Lung Cancer via Combination Therapy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

B1, non-small cell lung cancer, glutamine metabolism, biguanides 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18 . NUMBER OF...combination therapy (months 15-16) Task 5. In vivo testing of biguanide and glutamine metabolism inhibitors in xenograft models of LKB1-proficient and...combination therapies in xenograft mice (months 12-15) IACUC and ACURO approval have been granted for in vivo xenograft studies, which will commence in

Measurements of surface-pressure fluctuations on the XB-70 airplane at local Mach numbers up to 2.45

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, T. L.; Dods, J. B., Jr.; Hanly, R. D.

1973-01-01

Measurements of surface-pressure fluctuations were made at two locations on the XB-70 airplane for nine flight-test conditions encompassing a local Mach number range from 0.35 to 2.45. These measurements are presented in the form of estimated power spectral densities, coherence functions, and narrow-band-convection velocities. The estimated power spectral densities compared favorably with wind-tunnel data obtained by other experimenters. The coherence function and convection velocity data supported conclusions by other experimenters that low-frequency surface-pressure fluctuations consist of small-scale turbulence components with low convection velocity.

Measurement of exclusive π(0) electroproduction structure functions and their relationship to transverse generalized parton distributions.

PubMed

Bedlinskiy, I; Kubarovsky, V; Niccolai, S; Stoler, P; Adhikari, K P; Aghasyan, M; Amaryan, M J; Anghinolfi, M; Avakian, H; Baghdasaryan, H; Ball, J; Baltzell, N A; Battaglieri, M; Bennett, R P; Biselli, A S; Bookwalter, C; Boiarinov, S; Briscoe, W J; Brooks, W K; Burkert, V D; Carman, D S; Celentano, A; Chandavar, S; Charles, G; Contalbrigo, M; Crede, V; D'Angelo, A; Daniel, A; Dashyan, N; De Vita, R; De Sanctis, E; Deur, A; Djalali, C; Doughty, D; Dupre, R; Egiyan, H; El Alaoui, A; El Fassi, L; Elouadrhiri, L; Eugenio, P; Fedotov, G; Fegan, S; Fleming, J A; Forest, T A; Fradi, A; Garçon, M; Gevorgyan, N; Giovanetti, K L; Girod, F X; Gohn, W; Gothe, R W; Graham, L; Griffioen, K A; Guegan, B; Guidal, M; Guo, L; Hafidi, K; Hakobyan, H; Hanretty, C; Heddle, D; Hicks, K; Holtrop, M; Ilieva, Y; Ireland, D G; Ishkhanov, B S; Isupov, E L; Jo, H S; Joo, K; Keller, D; Khandaker, M; Khetarpal, P; Kim, A; Kim, W; Klein, F J; Koirala, S; Kubarovsky, A; Kuhn, S E; Kuleshov, S V; Kvaltine, N D; Livingston, K; Lu, H Y; MacGregor, I J D; Mao, Y; Markov, N; Martinez, D; Mayer, M; McKinnon, B; Meyer, C A; Mineeva, T; Mirazita, M; Mokeev, V; Moutarde, H; Munevar, E; Munoz Camacho, C; Nadel-Turonski, P; Niculescu, G; Niculescu, I; Osipenko, M; Ostrovidov, A I; Pappalardo, L L; Paremuzyan, R; Park, K; Park, S; Pasyuk, E; Anefalos Pereira, S; Phelps, E; Pisano, S; Pogorelko, O; Pozdniakov, S; Price, J W; Procureur, S; Prok, Y; Protopopescu, D; Puckett, A J R; Raue, B A; Ricco, G; Rimal, D; Ripani, M; Rosner, G; Rossi, P; Sabatié, F; Saini, M S; Salgado, C; Saylor, N; Schott, D; Schumacher, R A; Seder, E; Seraydaryan, H; Sharabian, Y G; Smith, G D; Sober, D I; Sokhan, D; Stepanyan, S S; Stepanyan, S; Strauch, S; Taiuti, M; Tang, W; Taylor, C E; Tian, Ye; Tkachenko, S; Ungaro, M; Vineyard, M F; Vlassov, A; Voskanyan, H; Voutier, E; Walford, N K; Watts, D P; Weinstein, L B; Weygand, D P; Wood, M H; Zachariou, N; Zhang, J; Zhao, Z W; Zonta, I

2012-09-14

Exclusive π(0) electroproduction at a beam energy of 5.75 GeV has been measured with the Jefferson Lab CLAS spectrometer. Differential cross sections were measured at more than 1800 kinematic values in Q(2), x(B), t, and ϕ(π), in the Q(2) range from 1.0 to 4.6  GeV(2), -t up to 2  GeV(2), and x(B) from 0.1 to 0.58. Structure functions σ(T)+ϵσ(L), σ(TT), and σ(LT) were extracted as functions of t for each of 17 combinations of Q(2) and x(B). The data were compared directly with two handbag-based calculations including both longitudinal and transversity generalized parton distributions (GPDs). Inclusion of only longitudinal GPDs very strongly underestimates σ(T)+ϵσ(L) and fails to account for σ(TT) and σ(LT), while inclusion of transversity GPDs brings the calculations into substantially better agreement with the data. There is very strong sensitivity to the relative contributions of nucleon helicity-flip and helicity nonflip processes. The results confirm that exclusive π(0) electroproduction offers direct experimental access to the transversity GPDs.

Measurement of Exclusive π0 Electroproduction Structure Functions and their Relationship to Transverse Generalized Parton Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedlinskiy, I.; Kubarovsky, V.; Niccolai, S.; Stoler, P.; Adhikari, K. P.; Aghasyan, M.; Amaryan, M. J.; Anghinolfi, M.; Avakian, H.; Baghdasaryan, H.; Ball, J.; Baltzell, N. A.; Battaglieri, M.; Bennett, R. P.; Biselli, A. S.; Bookwalter, C.; Boiarinov, S.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Burkert, V. D.; Carman, D. S.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Charles, G.; Contalbrigo, M.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Daniel, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Deur, A.; Djalali, C.; Doughty, D.; Dupre, R.; Egiyan, H.; El Alaoui, A.; El Fassi, L.; Elouadrhiri, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Fegan, S.; Fleming, J. A.; Forest, T. A.; Fradi, A.; Garçon, M.; Gevorgyan, N.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Gohn, W.; Gothe, R. W.; Graham, L.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guegan, B.; Guidal, M.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Hakobyan, H.; Hanretty, C.; Heddle, D.; Hicks, K.; Holtrop, M.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Isupov, E. L.; Jo, H. S.; Joo, K.; Keller, D.; Khandaker, M.; Khetarpal, P.; Kim, A.; Kim, W.; Klein, F. J.; Koirala, S.; Kubarovsky, A.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Kvaltine, N. D.; Livingston, K.; Lu, H. Y.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Mao, Y.; Markov, N.; Martinez, D.; Mayer, M.; McKinnon, B.; Meyer, C. A.; Mineeva, T.; Mirazita, M.; Mokeev, V.; Moutarde, H.; Munevar, E.; Munoz Camacho, C.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Pappalardo, L. L.; Paremuzyan, R.; Park, K.; Park, S.; Pasyuk, E.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Phelps, E.; Pisano, S.; Pogorelko, O.; Pozdniakov, S.; Price, J. W.; Procureur, S.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Raue, B. A.; Ricco, G.; Rimal, D.; Ripani, M.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Sabatié, F.; Saini, M. S.; Salgado, C.; Saylor, N.; Schott, D.; Schumacher, R. A.; Seder, E.; Seraydaryan, H.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Smith, G. D.; Sober, D. I.; Sokhan, D.; Stepanyan, S. S.; Stepanyan, S.; Strauch, S.; Taiuti, M.; Tang, W.; Taylor, C. E.; Tian, Ye; Tkachenko, S.; Ungaro, M.; Vineyard, M. F.; Vlassov, A.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Walford, N. K.; Watts, D. P.; Weinstein, L. B.; Weygand, D. P.; Wood, M. H.; Zachariou, N.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, Z. W.; Zonta, I.

2012-09-01

Exclusive π0 electroproduction at a beam energy of 5.75 GeV has been measured with the Jefferson Lab CLAS spectrometer. Differential cross sections were measured at more than 1800 kinematic values in Q2, xB, t, and ϕπ, in the Q2 range from 1.0 to 4.6GeV2, -t up to 2GeV2, and xB from 0.1 to 0.58. Structure functions σT+ɛσL, σTT, and σLT were extracted as functions of t for each of 17 combinations of Q2 and xB. The data were compared directly with two handbag-based calculations including both longitudinal and transversity generalized parton distributions (GPDs). Inclusion of only longitudinal GPDs very strongly underestimates σT+ɛσL and fails to account for σTT and σLT, while inclusion of transversity GPDs brings the calculations into substantially better agreement with the data. There is very strong sensitivity to the relative contributions of nucleon helicity-flip and helicity nonflip processes. The results confirm that exclusive π0 electroproduction offers direct experimental access to the transversity GPDs.

Exploring Sea Quark EMC Effect and Anti-Shadowing Through Drell-Yan at SeaQuest / Fermilab E906

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dannowitz, Bryan; Fermilab E906 / SeaQuest Collaboration

2015-04-01

Fermilab E906/SeaQuest is a fixed-target experiment that uses the 120 GeV Main Injector proton beam. SeaQuest will extract sea anti-quark structure of the proton by detecting dimuon pairs created by Drell-Yan and measuring the cross-section ratios for LH2, LD2, C, Fe, and W targets. The European Muon Collaboration (EMC) discovered that the momentum distribution of quarks in a free nucleon becomes modified when bound within a nucleus. In studying the EMC Effect, an anti-shadowing feature has been observed in DIS and pion-induced DY measurements in the 0 . 1

Xylan degradation by the human gut Bacteroides xylanisolvens XB1A(T) involves two distinct gene clusters that are linked at the transcriptional level.

PubMed

Despres, Jordane; Forano, Evelyne; Lepercq, Pascale; Comtet-Marre, Sophie; Jubelin, Gregory; Chambon, Christophe; Yeoman, Carl J; Berg Miller, Margaret E; Fields, Christopher J; Martens, Eric; Terrapon, Nicolas; Henrissat, Bernard; White, Bryan A; Mosoni, Pascale

2016-05-04

Plant cell wall (PCW) polysaccharides and especially xylans constitute an important part of human diet. Xylans are not degraded by human digestive enzymes in the upper digestive tract and therefore reach the colon where they are subjected to extensive degradation by some members of the symbiotic microbiota. Xylanolytic bacteria are the first degraders of these complex polysaccharides and they release breakdown products that can have beneficial effects on human health. In order to understand better how these bacteria metabolize xylans in the colon, this study was undertaken to investigate xylan breakdown by the prominent human gut symbiont Bacteroides xylanisolvens XB1A(T). Transcriptomic analyses of B. xylanisolvens XB1A(T) grown on insoluble oat-spelt xylan (OSX) at mid- and late-log phases highlighted genes in a polysaccharide utilization locus (PUL), hereafter called PUL 43, and genes in a fragmentary remnant of another PUL, hereafter referred to as rPUL 70, which were highly overexpressed on OSX relative to glucose. Proteomic analyses supported the up-regulation of several genes belonging to PUL 43 and showed the important over-production of a CBM4-containing GH10 endo-xylanase. We also show that PUL 43 is organized in two operons and that the knockout of the PUL 43 sensor/regulator HTCS gene blocked the growth of the mutant on insoluble OSX and soluble wheat arabinoxylan (WAX). The mutation not only repressed gene expression in the PUL 43 operons but also repressed gene expression in rPUL 70. This study shows that xylan degradation by B. xylanisolvens XB1A(T) is orchestrated by one PUL and one PUL remnant that are linked at the transcriptional level. Coupled to studies on other xylanolytic Bacteroides species, our data emphasize the importance of one peculiar CBM4-containing GH10 endo-xylanase in xylan breakdown and that this modular enzyme may be used as a functional marker of xylan degradation in the human gut. Our results also suggest that B. xylanisolvens XB1A(T) has specialized in the degradation of xylans of low complexity. This functional feature may provide a niche to all xylanolytic bacteria harboring similar PULs. Further functional and ecological studies on fibrolytic Bacteroides species are needed to better understand their role in dietary fiber degradation and their impact on intestinal health.

Social Behavior in Medulloblastoma: Functional Analysis of Tumor-Supporting Glial Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

GNPs are unipotent and only give rise to granule neurons. However, using MADM, a mouse genetic mosaic model, we found that medulloblastoma contain...demonstrated that GNPs are unipotent and only give rise to granule neurons. However, using MADM, a mouse genetic mosaic model with lineage tracing capability...UVa Animal Care and Use Committee, and got the approval. We then submitted ACURO documents and IACUC approval by UVa to USAMRMC Office of Research

Integrative Lifecourse and Genetic Analysis of Military Working Dogs

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-01

Working Dogs 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-11-2-0225 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) C. Guillermo Couto, DVM, Diplomate...protocol for the collection of biological samples and Lackland veterinary approval was granted ; and final Lackland AFB oversight approval was granted and...those documents were submitted to DoD CDMRP grant administration. Currently, there is one final approval from ACURO pending (and expected

Unusual Evolution of the Conduction-Electron State in CexLa1-xB6 from Non-Fermi Liquid to Fermi Liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, S.; Endo, M.; Yamamoto, H.; Isshiki, T.; Kimura, N.; Aoki, H.; Nojima, T.; Otani, S.; Kunii, S.

2006-12-01

We report unusual evolution of the conduction-electron state in the localized f electron system CexLa1-xB6 from normal electron state to heavy Fermi liquid (FL) state through local FL and non-FL states with increasing Ce concentration and/or with increasing magnetic field. The effective mass of quasiparticle or the coefficient A of T2 term of resistivity is found to increase divergently near the boundary between FL state and non-FL state. The features of the non-FL state are also different from those of the typical non-FL systems previously observed or theoretically predicted.

WE-DE-201-07: Measurement of Real-Time Dose for Tandem and Ovoid Brachytherapy Procedures Using a High Precision Optical Fiber Radiation Detector

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

Belley, MD; Current Address Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI; Faught, A

Purpose: Development of a novel on-line dosimetry tool is needed to move toward patient-specific quality assurance measurements for Ir-192 HDR brachytherapy to verify accurate dose delivery to the intended location. This work describes the development and use of a nano-crystalline yttrium oxide inorganic scintillator based optical-fiber detector capable of acquiring real-time high-precision dose measurements during tandem and ovoid (T&O) gynecological (GYN) applicator Ir-192 HDR brachytherapy procedures. Methods: An optical-fiber detector was calibrated by acquiring light output measurements in liquid water at 3, 5, 7, and 9cm radial source-detector-distances from an Ir-192 HDR source. A regression model was fit to themore » data to describe the relative light output per unit dose (TG-43 derived) as a function of source-detector-distance. Next, the optical-fiber detector was attached to a vaginal balloon fixed to a Varian Fletcher-Suit-Delclos-style applicator (to mimic clinical setup), and localized by acquiring high-resolution computed tomography (CT) images. To compare the physical point dose to the TPS calculated values (TG-43 and Acuros-BV), a phantom measurement was performed, by submerging the T&O applicator in a liquid water bath and delivering a treatment template representative of a clinical T&O procedure. The fiber detector collected scintillation signal as a function of time, and the calibration data was applied to calculate both real-time dose rate, and cumulative dose. Results: Fiber cumulative dose values were 100.0cGy, 94.3cGy, and 348.9cGy from the tandem, left ovoid, and right ovoid dwells, respectively (total of 443.2cGy). A plot of real time dose rate during the treatment was also acquired. The TPS values at the fiber location were 458.4cGy using TG-43, and 437.6cGy using Acuros-BV calculated as Dm,m (per TG-186). Conclusion: The fiber measured dose value agreement was 3% vs TG-43 and −1% vs Acuros-BV. This fiber detector opens up new possibilities for performing patient-specific quality assurance for Ir-192 HDR GYN procedures. Funding from Coulter Foundation, Duke Bio-medical Engineering. Company is being created around the detector technology. Duke holds patents on the technology.« less

Impact of heterogeneity-corrected dose calculation using a grid-based Boltzmann solver on breast and cervix cancer brachytherapy.

PubMed

Hofbauer, Julia; Kirisits, Christian; Resch, Alexandra; Xu, Yingjie; Sturdza, Alina; Pötter, Richard; Nesvacil, Nicole

2016-04-01

To analyze the impact of heterogeneity-corrected dose calculation on dosimetric quality parameters in gynecological and breast brachytherapy using Acuros, a grid-based Boltzmann equation solver (GBBS), and to evaluate the shielding effects of different cervix brachytherapy applicators. Calculations with TG-43 and Acuros were based on computed tomography (CT) retrospectively, for 10 cases of accelerated partial breast irradiation and 9 cervix cancer cases treated with tandem-ring applicators. Phantom CT-scans of different applicators (plastic and titanium) were acquired. For breast cases the V20Gyαβ3 to lung, the D0.1cm(3) , D1cm(3) , D2cm(3) to rib, the D0.1cm(3) , D1cm(3) , D10cm(3) to skin, and Dmax for all structures were reported. For cervix cases, the D0.1cm(3) , D2cm(3) to bladder, rectum and sigmoid, and the D50, D90, D98, V100 for the CTVHR were reported. For the phantom study, surrogates for target and organ at risk were created for a similar dose volume histogram (DVH) analysis. Absorbed dose and equivalent dose to 2 Gy fractionation (EQD2) were used for comparison. Calculations with TG-43 overestimated the dose for all dosimetric indices investigated. For breast, a decrease of ~8% was found for D10cm(3) to the skin and 5% for D2cm(3) to rib, resulting in a difference ~ -1.5 Gy EQD2 for overall treatment. Smaller effects were found for cervix cases with the plastic applicator, with up to -2% (-0.2 Gy EQD2) per fraction for organs at risk and -0.5% (-0.3 Gy EQD2) per fraction for CTVHR. The shielding effect of the titanium applicator resulted in a decrease of 2% for D2cm(3) to the organ at risk versus 0.7% for plastic. Lower doses were reported when calculating with Acuros compared to TG-43. Differences in dose parameters were larger in breast cases. A lower impact on clinical dose parameters was found for the cervix cases. Applicator material causes systematic shielding effects that can be taken into account.

Shear bond strength evaluation of chemically-cured and light-cured orthodontic adhesives after enamel deproteinization with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salim, J. C.; Krisnawati; Purbiati, M.

2017-08-01

This study aimed to assess the effect of enamel deproteinization with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) before etching on the shear bond strength (SBS) of Unite (UN; 3M Unitek) and Xihu-BIOM adhesive (XB). Fifty-two maxillary first premolars were divided into four groups: (1) UN and (2) XB according to manufacturer’s recommendation and (3) UN and (4) XB deproteinized with 5.25% NaOCl. Brackets were bonded, and a mechanical test was performed using a universal testing machine. The mean SBS value for groups A1, A2, B1, and B2 was 13.51 ± 2.552, 14.36 ± 2.902, 16.43 ± 2.615, and 13.05 ± 2.348 MPa, respectively. A statistically significant difference in SBSs was observed between chemically cured groups and between group B (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference in SBSs was observed between light-cured adhesive groups and between group A (p > 0.05). NaOCl enamel deproteinization before acid etching has a significant effect on the SBS of Unite adhesive, but not on that of the Xihu-BIOM adhesive. Furthermore, a significant difference in the SBS of Unite and Xihu-BIOM adhesives within the enamel deproteinization group was observed in this study.

Wind-tunnel/flight correlation study of aerodynamic characteristics of a large flexible supersonic cruise airplane (XB-70-1). 3: A comparison between characteristics predicted from wind-tunnel measurements and those measured in flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnaiz, H. H.; Peterson, J. B., Jr.; Daugherty, J. C.

1980-01-01

A program was undertaken by NASA to evaluate the accuracy of a method for predicting the aerodynamic characteristics of large supersonic cruise airplanes. This program compared predicted and flight-measured lift, drag, angle of attack, and control surface deflection for the XB-70-1 airplane for 14 flight conditions with a Mach number range from 0.76 to 2.56. The predictions were derived from the wind-tunnel test data of a 0.03-scale model of the XB-70-1 airplane fabricated to represent the aeroelastically deformed shape at a 2.5 Mach number cruise condition. Corrections for shape variations at the other Mach numbers were included in the prediction. For most cases, differences between predicted and measured values were within the accuracy of the comparison. However, there were significant differences at transonic Mach numbers. At a Mach number of 1.06 differences were as large as 27 percent in the drag coefficients and 20 deg in the elevator deflections. A brief analysis indicated that a significant part of the difference between drag coefficients was due to the incorrect prediction of the control surface deflection required to trim the airplane.

Structure-Energy Relationships of Halogen Bonds in Proteins.

PubMed

Scholfield, Matthew R; Ford, Melissa Coates; Carlsson, Anna-Carin C; Butta, Hawera; Mehl, Ryan A; Ho, P Shing

2017-06-06

The structures and stabilities of proteins are defined by a series of weak noncovalent electrostatic, van der Waals, and hydrogen bond (HB) interactions. In this study, we have designed and engineered halogen bonds (XBs) site-specifically to study their structure-energy relationship in a model protein, T4 lysozyme. The evidence for XBs is the displacement of the aromatic side chain toward an oxygen acceptor, at distances that are equal to or less than the sums of their respective van der Waals radii, when the hydroxyl substituent of the wild-type tyrosine is replaced by a halogen. In addition, thermal melting studies show that the iodine XB rescues the stabilization energy from an otherwise destabilizing substitution (at an equivalent noninteracting site), indicating that the interaction is also present in solution. Quantum chemical calculations show that the XB complements an HB at this site and that solvent structure must also be considered in trying to design molecular interactions such as XBs into biological systems. A bromine substitution also shows displacement of the side chain, but the distances and geometries do not indicate formation of an XB. Thus, we have dissected the contributions from various noncovalent interactions of halogens introduced into proteins, to drive the application of XBs, particularly in biomolecular design.

Using a Novel Transgenic Mouse Model to Study c-Myc Oncogenic Pathway in Castration Resistance and Chemoresistance of Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

epididymis tumors, and performed implantation of testosterone pellets to continue support prostate tumor growth. Our recent data suggest that these...will eliminate the concerns on epididymis tumors. We also proposed to perform subcutaneous implantation of testosterone pellets to continue...USAMRMC ACURO. We have initiated performing the early castration and testosterone pellet implantation on the young PB-Cre4/CAG- SMIL/p53loxP/loxP

Autophagy and TGF-Beta Antagonist Signaling in Breast Cancer at Premetastatic Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

dormant legions. These inhibitors will be the drug leads for further medicinal chemistry and preclinical/clinical studies. 4 Body Overview Over the...autophagy, largely due to unexpected half-year delay of the official approval of our ACURO animal protocol . Below we report our progress, starting with...sections taken at various times after tail vein injection will enable us to verify that the anti-Coco MAb does not affect extravasation or homing but

Synthetic Beta-Lactam Antibiotics as a Selective Breast Cancer Cell Apoptosis Inducer: Significance in Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

synthetic antibiotics is one of the most important medical breakthroughs in human history. Many diseases, such as bacterial meningitis, pneumonia , and...mg scale . I would like to emphasize that this in vivo experiment has been approved by the ACURO office at the Office of Research Protections at the...development and tissue homeostasis [1,2]. Perturbation of this pathway can lead to autoimmunity, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, neurodegenerative

Strain-induced tetragonal distortions and multiferroic properties in polycrystalline Sr1 -xB axMn O3 (x =0.43 -0.45 ) perovskites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Somaily, H.; Kolesnik, S.; Mais, J.; Brown, D.; Chapagain, K.; Dabrowski, B.; Chmaissem, O.

2018-05-01

We report the structure-property phase diagram of unique single-ion type-1 multiferroic pseudocubic Sr1 -xB axMn O3 perovskites. Employing a specially designed multistep reduction-oxidation synthesis technique, we have synthesized Sr1 -xB axMn O3 compositions in their polycrystalline form with a significantly extended Ba solubility limit that is only rivaled by a very limited number of crystals and thin films grown under nonequilibrium conditions. Understanding the multiferroic interplay with structure in Sr1 -xB axMn O3 is of great importance as it opens the door wide to the development of newer materials from the parent (A A' ) (B B' ) O3 system with enhanced properties. To this end, using a combination of time-of-flight neutron and synchrotron x-ray scattering techniques, we determined the exact structures and quantified the Mn and oxygen polar distortions above and below the ferroelectric Curie temperature TC and the Néel temperature TN. In its ferroelectric state, the system crystalizes in the noncentrosymmetric tetragonal P 4 m m space group, which gives rise to a large electric dipole moment Ps, in the z direction, of 18.4 and 29.5 μ C /c m2 for x =0.43 and 0.45, respectively. The two independently driven ferroelectric and magnetic order parameters are single-handedly accommodated by the Mn sublattice leading to a novel strain-assisted multiferroic behavior in agreement with many theoretical predictions. Our neutron diffraction results demonstrate the large and tunable suppression of the ferroelectric order at the onset of AFM ordering and confirm the coexistence and strong coupling of the two ferroic orders below TN. The refined magnetic moments confirm the strong covalent bonding between Mn and the oxygen anions, which is necessary for stabilizing the ferroelectric phase.

Observation of two distinct negative trions in tungsten disulfide monolayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulesbaa, Abdelaziz; Huang, Bing; Wang, Kai; Lin, Ming-Wei; Mahjouri-Samani, Masoud; Rouleau, Christopher; Xiao, Kai; Yoon, Mina; Sumpter, Bobby; Puretzky, Alexander; Geohegan, David

2015-09-01

Ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy of two-dimensional tungsten disulfide monolayers (2 D W S2) grown on sapphire substrates revealed two transient absorption spectral peaks that are attributed to distinct negative trions at ˜2.02 eV (T1) and ˜1.98 eV (T2) . The dynamics measurements indicate that trion formation by the probe is enabled by photodoped 2D WS2 crystals with electrons remaining after trapping of holes from excitons or free electron-hole pairs at defect sites in the crystal or on the substrate. Dynamics of the characteristic absorption bands of excitons XA and XB at ˜2.03 and ˜2.40 eV , respectively, were separately monitored and compared to the photoinduced absorption features. Selective excitation of the lowest exciton level XA using λpump<2.4 eV forms only trion T1, implying that the electron remaining from dissociation of exciton XA is involved in the creation of this trion with a binding energy ˜10 meV with respect to XA. The absorption peak corresponding to trion T2 appears when λpump<2.4 eV , which is just sufficient to excite exciton XB. The dynamics of trion T2 formation are found to correlate with the disappearance of the bleach of the XB exciton, indicating the involvement of holes participating in the bleach dynamics of exciton XB. Static electrical-doping photoabsorption measurements confirm the presence of an induced absorption peak similar to that of T2. Since the proposed trion formation process here involves exciton dissociation through hole trapping by defects in the 2D crystal or substrate, this discovery highlights the strong role of defects in defining optical and electrical properties of 2D metal chalcogenides, which is relevant to a broad spectrum of basic science and technological applications.

Surface electromyographic evaluation of jaw muscles in children with unilateral crossbite and lateral shift in the early mixed dentition. Sexual dimorphism

PubMed Central

Lenguas, Leticia; Alarcón, José-Antonio; Venancio, Filipa; Kassem, Marta

2012-01-01

Objectives: To examine the activity of jaw muscles at rest and during maximal voluntary clenching (MVC) in children with unilateral posterior crossbite (UPXB) and functional lateral shift in the early mixed dentition and to evaluate sex differences. Material and Methods: The sample included 30 children (15 males, 15 females) aged 6 to 10 years old, with UPXB and functional mandibular lateral shift (≥1.5 mm) in the early mixed dentition. sEMG activity coming from the muscle areas (anterior temporalis [AT], posterior temporalis [PT], masseter [MA] and suprahyoid [SH]) were obtained from both the crossbite (XB) and noncrossbite (NONXB) sides at mandibular rest position. sEMG acti-vity of the bilateral AT and MA muscles sides was obtained during MVC. Asymmetry and activity indexes were calculated for each muscle area at rest and during MVC; the MA/TA ratio during MVC was also determined. Results: At rest, no differences were found between sexes for any muscle areas or asymmetry and activity indexes. No differences were found between XB and NONXB sides. During MVC, however, significant sex differences were found in AT and MA activity, with higher sEMG values in males than in females, on both XB and NONXB sides. Asymmetry indexes, activity indexes and MA/AT ratios did not show significant differences between the sexes. Activity was symmetric both in males and in females. Conclusions: At rest, no sex differences were found, but during MVC males showed higher activity than did females in both XB and NONXB AT and MA muscle areas. Muscular activity was symmetrical at rest and during MVC in both sexes. Sexual dimorphism should be considered in the diagnosis and treatment of UPXB and lateral shift in the early mixed dentition. Key words:Unilateral crossbite, mandibular shift, jaw muscles, sEMG, early mixed dentition. PMID:22926468

Stabilization of Phase IV in CexLa1-xB6 (x=0.4, 0.5) by Pr and Nd Ion Dopings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondo, Akihiro; Taniguchi, Toshihiro; Tanida, Hiroshi; Matsumura, Takeshi; Sera, Masafumi; Iga, Fumitoshi; Tou, Hideki; Sakakibara, Toshiro; Kunii, Satoru

2009-09-01

We have studied the effect of magnetic rare-earth ion (Pr, Nd) doping on phase IV in CexLa1-xB6 (x=0.4, 0.5) systems. An unexpected large increase in the IV-I transition temperature TIV--I by Pr and Nd dopings was observed, while no such increase was observed for x≥ 0.6. Although we do not know the reason why the doping effect markedly differs between x≤ 0.5 and x≥ 0.6 at present, the order parameter in phase IV for x≤ 0.5 is coupled with the magnetic dipole moment of Pr and Nd ions and phase IV is stabilized.

The low-lying quartet electronic states of group 14 diatomic borides XB (X = C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pontes, Marcelo A. P.; de Oliveira, Marcos H.; Fernandes, Gabriel F. S.; Da Motta Neto, Joaquim D.; Ferrão, Luiz F. A.; Machado, Francisco B. C.

2018-04-01

The present work focuses in the characterization of the low-lying quartet electronic and spin-orbit states of diatomic borides XB, in which X is an element of group 14 (C, Si, Ge, Sn, PB). The wavefunction was obtained at the CASSCF/MRCI level with a quintuple-ζ quality basis set. Scalar relativistic effects were also taken into account. A systematic and comparative analysis of the spectroscopic properties for the title molecular series was carried out, showing that the (1)4Π→X4Σ- transition band is expected to be measurable by emission spectroscopy to the GeB, SnB and PbB molecules, as already observed for the lighter CB and SiB species.

Clinical implementation of AXB from AAA for breast: Plan quality and subvolume analysis.

PubMed

Guebert, Alexandra; Conroy, Leigh; Weppler, Sarah; Alghamdi, Majed; Conway, Jessica; Harper, Lindsay; Phan, Tien; Olivotto, Ivo A; Smith, Wendy L; Quirk, Sarah

2018-05-01

Two dose calculation algorithms are available in Varian Eclipse software: Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) and Acuros External Beam (AXB). Many Varian Eclipse-based centers have access to AXB; however, a thorough understanding of how it will affect plan characteristics and, subsequently, clinical practice is necessary prior to implementation. We characterized the difference in breast plan quality between AXB and AAA for dissemination to clinicians during implementation. Locoregional irradiation plans were created with AAA for 30 breast cancer patients with a prescription dose of 50 Gy to the breast and 45 Gy to the regional node, in 25 fractions. The internal mammary chain (IMC CTV ) nodes were covered by 80% of the breast dose. AXB, both dose-to-water and dose-to-medium reporting, was used to recalculate plans while maintaining constant monitor units. Target coverage and organ-at-risk doses were compared between the two algorithms using dose-volume parameters. An analysis to assess location-specific changes was performed by dividing the breast into nine subvolumes in the superior-inferior and left-right directions. There were minimal differences found between the AXB and AAA calculated plans. The median difference between AXB and AAA for breast CTV V 95% , was <2.5%. For IMC CTV , the median differences V 95% , and V 80% were <5% and 0%, respectively; indicating IMC CTV coverage only decreased when marginally covered. Mean superficial dose increased by a median of 3.2 Gy. In the subvolume analysis, the medial subvolumes were "hotter" when recalculated with AXB and the lateral subvolumes "cooler" with AXB; however, all differences were within 2 Gy. We observed minimal difference in magnitude and spatial distribution of dose when comparing the two algorithms. The largest observable differences occurred in superficial dose regions. Therefore, clinical implementation of AXB from AAA for breast radiotherapy is not expected to result in changes in clinical practice for prescribing or planning breast radiotherapy. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Remote sensing imagery classification using multi-objective gravitational search algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Aizhu; Sun, Genyun; Wang, Zhenjie

2016-10-01

Simultaneous optimization of different validity measures can capture different data characteristics of remote sensing imagery (RSI) and thereby achieving high quality classification results. In this paper, two conflicting cluster validity indices, the Xie-Beni (XB) index and the fuzzy C-means (FCM) (Jm) measure, are integrated with a diversity-enhanced and memory-based multi-objective gravitational search algorithm (DMMOGSA) to present a novel multi-objective optimization based RSI classification method. In this method, the Gabor filter method is firstly implemented to extract texture features of RSI. Then, the texture features are syncretized with the spectral features to construct the spatial-spectral feature space/set of the RSI. Afterwards, cluster of the spectral-spatial feature set is carried out on the basis of the proposed method. To be specific, cluster centers are randomly generated initially. After that, the cluster centers are updated and optimized adaptively by employing the DMMOGSA. Accordingly, a set of non-dominated cluster centers are obtained. Therefore, numbers of image classification results of RSI are produced and users can pick up the most promising one according to their problem requirements. To quantitatively and qualitatively validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, the proposed classification method was applied to classifier two aerial high-resolution remote sensing imageries. The obtained classification results are compared with that produced by two single cluster validity index based and two state-of-the-art multi-objective optimization algorithms based classification results. Comparison results show that the proposed method can achieve more accurate RSI classification.

DNA Damage and Oxidative Stress in Dyskeratosis Congenita: Analysis of Pathways and Therapeutic Stategies Using CPISPR and iPSC Model Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

Milestone Achieved: HRPO/ACURO Approval 6 Finished Major Task 2 CRISPR knockout/RNAseq Viral infection/prep 3-6 CRISPR KO virus library prep...finished; RNA-Seq: ~75% Cell manipulation 3-6 CRISPR KO virus infection: 50%; Single cDNA infections: finished Bioinformatics 1 CRISPR KO library...characterization 1-3 Finished Update: production of iPSC clones harboring DC mutations generated by CRISPR : Design 1 Finished Update: production of

The Role of Adenosine A2BR in Metastatic Melanoma

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

100% complete. ACURO approval to perform animal studies was obtained July 2016. Specific Aim 1, Subtask 2: 100% complete. Use CRISPR /Cas9 technology...immune cell interactions, the first objective was to use the CRISPR Cas9 system to knock out A2BR expression in melanoma cell lines. Melanoma cell lines...and sgRNA3 to work but sgRNA2 would not be as efficient. We considered commercially available constructs to potentially improve the CRISPR knock

Brain Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury with and without Neuropathic Pain: Translating Animal Models of Neuroinflammation onto Human Neural Networks and Back

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

During year one , we have: Obtained IRB and HRPO approval for the human studies , obtained IACUC and ACURO approval for the animal studies , refined the...human study protocol and collected PET-MR data on healthy individuals and spinal cord injured subjects, developed the rodent imaging procedures...qualtiative synthesis of the current state of the field, and 6 studies can be included in a quantitative meta-analysis. The studies eligible for inclusion in

Anticrossproducts and cross divisions.

PubMed

de Leva, Paolo

2008-01-01

This paper defines, in the context of conventional vector algebra, the concept of anticrossproduct and a family of simple operations called cross or vector divisions. It is impossible to solve for a or b the equation axb=c, where a and b are three-dimensional space vectors, and axb is their cross product. However, the problem becomes solvable if some "knowledge about the unknown" (a or b) is available, consisting of one of its components, or the angle it forms with the other operand of the cross product. Independently of the selected reference frame orientation, the known component of a may be parallel to b, or vice versa. The cross divisions provide a compact and insightful symbolic representation of a family of algorithms specifically designed to solve problems of such kind. A generalized algorithm was also defined, incorporating the rules for selecting the appropriate kind of cross division, based on the type of input data. Four examples of practical application were provided, including the computation of the point of application of a force and the angular velocity of a rigid body. The definition and geometrical interpretation of the cross divisions stemmed from the concept of anticrossproduct. The "anticrossproducts of axb" were defined as the infinitely many vectors x(i) such that x(i)xb=axb.

[Juvenile myasthenia gravis in sub-Saharan Africa: a case study of two consanguine sisters born from consanguinity in Togo].

PubMed

Maneh, Nidain; Apetse, Kossivi; Diatewa, Bénédicte Marèbe; Domingo, Sidik Abou-Bakr; Agba, Aidé Isabelle; Ayena, Koffi Didier; Balogou, Koffi Agnon; Balo, Komi Patrice

2017-01-01

Myasthenia gravis is a rare acquired autoimmune pathology causing neuromuscular transmission impairment. Juvenile onset of myasthenia gravis is often characterized by ocular involvement. We report two cases of ocular juvenile myasthenia gravis (JMG) in two siblings. They were two young girls, XA and XB, aged 11 and 9 years, of Malian origin, residing in Togo, born from first-degree of consanguinity presenting to Ophthalmology due to progressive decrease in visual acuity. XA showed visual acuity 8/10 on both eyes while XB showed improvement in visual acuity from 3/10 to 7/10 using a pinhole occluder, suggesting ametropia. XA had a 2-year history of bilateral ptosis lifting the upper eyelid of 7 mm, while XB had a 3-year history of bilateral ptosis with no lifting of the upper eyelid. Ice pack test was strongly positive in both patients. They had Cogan's lid twitch with paresis of the oculomotor nerve without diplopia. The dosage of acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies was normal. The diagnosis of JMG associated with ametropia was suspected. Ametropia was corrected by glasses and a specific treatment with pyridostigmine was initiated, but both patients were lost to follow-up. Autoimmune myasthenia gravis with inaugural ophthalmologic manifestation is rare but it can occur among children living in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies should be conducted to establish the features of this disease.

Improved magnetic properties and thermal stabilities of Pr-Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets by Hf addition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Qingzheng; Lei, Weikai; Zeng, Qingwen; Quan, Qichen; Zhang, Lili; Liu, Renhui; Hu, Xianjun; He, Lunke; Qi, Zhiqi; Ju, Zhihua; Zhong, Minglong; Ma, Shengcan; Zhong, Zhenchen

2018-05-01

Nd2Fe14B-type permanent magnets have been widely applied in various fields such as wind power, voice coil motors, and medical instruments. The large temperature dependence of coercivity, however, limits their further applications. We have systematically investigated the magnetic properties, thermal stabilities and coercivity mechanisms of the (Pr0.2Nd0.8)13Fe81-xB6Hfx (x=0, 0.5) nanocrystalline magnets fabricated by a spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The results indicate that the influence of Hf addition is significant on magnetic properties and thermal stabilities of the (PrNd)2Fe14B-type sintered magnets. It is shown that the sample with x = 0.5 at 300 K has much higher coercivity and remanent magnetization than those counterparts without Hf. The temperature coefficients of remanence (α) and coercivity (β) of the (Pr0.2Nd0.8)13Fe81-xB6Hfx magnets are improved significantly from -0.23 %/K, -0.57 %/K for the sample at x = 0 to -0.17 %/K, -0.49 %/K for the sample at x = 0.5 in the temperature range of 300-400 K. Furthermore, it is found out that the domain wall pinning mechanism is more likely responsible for enhancing the coercivity of the (Pr0.2Nd0.8)13Fe81-xB6Hfx magnets.

High sensibility to reactivation by acidic lipids of the recombinant human plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase isoform 4xb purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Cura, Carolina I; Corradi, Gerardo R; Rinaldi, Débora E; Adamo, Hugo P

2008-12-01

The human plasma membrane Ca2+ pump (isoform 4xb) was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and purified by calmodulin-affinity chromatography. Under optimal conditions the recombinant enzyme (yPMCA) hydrolyzed ATP in a Ca2+ dependent manner at a rate of 15 micromol/mg/min. The properties of yPMCA were compared to those of the PMCA purified from human red cells (ePMCA). The mobility of yPMCA in SDS-PAGE was the expected for the hPMCA4xb protein but slightly lower than that of ePMCA. Both enzymes achieved maximal activity when supplemented with acidic phospholipids. However, while ePMCA in mixed micelles of phosphatidylcholine-detergent had 30% of its maximal activity, the yPMCA enzyme was nearly inactive. Increasing the phosphatidylcholine content of the micelles did not increase the activity of yPMCA but the activity in the presence of phosphatidylcholine improved by partially removing the detergent. The reactivation of the detergent solubilized yPMCA required specifically acidic lipids and, as judged by the increase in the level of phosphoenzyme, it involved the increase in the amount of active enzyme. These results indicate that the function of yPMCA is highly sensitive to delipidation and the restitution of acidic lipids is needed for a functional enzyme.

Investigation of the Stability and Control Characteristics of a 1/20-Scale Model of the Consolidated Vultee XB-53 Airplane in the Langley Free-Flight Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, Charles V.

1947-01-01

An investigation of the low-speed, power-off stability and control characteristics of a 1/20-scale model of the Consolidated Vultee XB-53 airplane has been conducted in the Langley free-flight tunnel. In the investigation it was found that with flaps neutral satisfactory flight behavior at low speeds was obtainable with an increase in height of the vertical tail and with the inboard slats opened. In the flap-down slat-open condition the longitudinal stability was satisfactory, but it was impossible to obtain satisfactory lateral-flight characteristics even with the increase in height of the vertical tail because of the negative effective dihedral, low directional stability, and large-adverse yawing moments of the ailerons.

Exclusive ρ0 meson electroproduction from hydrogen at CLAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clas Collaboration; Hadjidakis, C.; Guidal, M.; Garçon, M.; Laget, J.-M.; Smith, E. S.; Vanderhaeghen, M.; Adams, G.; Ambrozewicz, P.; Anciant, E.; Anghinolfi, M.; Asavapibhop, B.; Asryan, G.; Audit, G.; Auger, T.; Avakian, H.; Bagdasaryan, H.; Ball, J. P.; Barrow, S.; Battaglieri, M.; Beard, K.; Bektasoglu, M.; Bellis, M.; Benmouna, N.; Bianchi, N.; Biselli, A. S.; Boiarinov, S.; Bonner, B. E.; Bouchigny, S.; Bradford, R.; Branford, D.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Burkert, V. D.; Butuceanu, C.; Calarco, J. R.; Carman, D. S.; Carnahan, B.; Cetina, C.; Chen, S.; Cole, P. L.; Coleman, A.; Cords, D.; Corvisiero, P.; Crabb, D.; Crannell, H.; Cummings, J. P.; de Sanctis, E.; Devita, R.; Degtyarenko, P. V.; Dennis, L.; Dharmawardane, K. V.; Dhuga, K. S.; Didelez, J.-P.; Djalali, C.; Dodge, G. E.; Doughty, D.; Dragovitsch, P.; Dugger, M.; Dytman, S.; Dzyubak, O. P.; Egiyan, H.; Egiyan, K. S.; Elouadrhiri, L.; Empl, A.; Eugenio, P.; Farhi, L.; Fatemi, R.; Feuerbach, R. J.; Forest, T. A.; Frolov, V.; Funsten, H.; Gaff, S. J.; Gavalian, G.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girard, P.; Gordon, C. I. O.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guillo, M.; Guler, M.; Guo, L.; Gyurjyan, V.; Hakobyan, R. S.; Hardie, J.; Heddle, D.; Hersman, F. W.; Hicks, K.; Hleiqawi, H.; Holtrop, M.; Hourany, E.; Hu, J.; Hyde-Wright, C. E.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D.; Ito, M. M.; Jenkins, D.; Jo, H.-S.; Joo, K.; Juengst, H. G.; Kelley, J. H.; Kellie, J.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, K. Y.; Kim, K.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Klimenko, A. V.; Klusman, M.; Kossov, M.; Kramer, L. H.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuhn, J.; Lachniet, J.; Langheinrich, J.; Lawrence, D.; Lee, T.; Li, Ji; Livingstone, K.; Lukashin, K.; Manak, J. J.; Marchand, C.; McAleer, S.; McNabb, J. W. C.; Mecking, B. A.; Melone, J. J.; Mestayer, M. D.; Meyer, C. A.; Mikhailov, K.; Minehart, R.; Mirazita, M.; Miskimen, R.; Morand, L.; Morrow, S. A.; Muccifora, V.; Mueller, J.; Mutchler, G. S.; Napolitano, J.; Nasseripour, R.; Nelson, S. O.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Niczyporuk, B. B.; Niyazov, R. A.; Nozar, M.; O'Rielly, G. V.; Osipenko, M.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Peterson, G.; Philips, S. A.; Pivnyuk, N.; Pocanic, D.; Pogorelko, O.; Polli, E.; Pozdniakov, S.; Preedom, B. M.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Qin, L. M.; Raue, B. A.; Riccardi, G.; Ricco, G.; Ripani, M.; Ritchie, B. G.; Ronchetti, F.; Rossi, P.; Rosner, G.; Rowntree, D.; Rubin, P. D.; Sabatié, F.; Sabourov, K.; Salgado, C.; Santoro, J. P.; Sapunenko, V.; Schumacher, R. A.; Serov, V. S.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Shaw, J.; Simionatto, S.; Skabelin, A. V.; Smith, L. C.; Sober, D. I.; Spraker, M.; Stavinsky, A.; Stepanyan, S.; Stokes, B. E.; Stoler, P.; Strauch, S.; Taiuti, M.; Taylor, S.; Tedeschi, D. J.; Thoma, U.; Thompson, R.; Tkabladze, A.; Todor, L.; Tur, C.; Ungaro, M.; Vineyard, M. F.; Vlassov, A. V.; Wang, K.; Weinstein, L. B.; Weller, H.; Weygand, D. P.; Whisnant, C. S.; Williams, M.; Wolin, E.; Wood, M. H.; Yegneswaran, A.; Yun, J.; Zana, L.

2005-01-01

The longitudinal and transverse components of the cross section for the ep→e‧pρ0 reaction were measured in Hall B at Jefferson Laboratory using the CLAS detector. The data were taken with a 4.247 GeV electron beam and were analyzed in a range of xB from 0.2 to 0.6 and of Q2 from 1.5 to 3.0 GeV2. The data are compared to a Regge model based on effective hadronic degrees of freedom and to a calculation based on Generalized Parton Distributions. It is found that, at our lowest xB values, the transverse part of the cross section is well described by the former approach while the longitudinal part can be reproduced by the latter.

Comparisons of Predictions of the XB-70-1 Longitudinal Stability and Control Derivatives with Flight Results for Six Flight Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolowicz, C. H.; Yancey, R. B.

1973-01-01

Preliminary correlations of flight-determined and predicted stability and control characteristics of the XB-70-1 reported in NASA TN D-4578 were subject to uncertainties in several areas which necessitated a review of prediction techniques particularly for the longitudinal characteristics. Reevaluation and updating of the original predictions, including aeroelastic corrections, for six specific flight-test conditions resulted in improved correlations of static pitch stability with flight data. The original predictions for the pitch-damping derivative, on the other hand, showed better correlation with flight data than the updated predictions. It appears that additional study is required in the application of aeroelastic corrections to rigid model wind-tunnel data and the theoretical determination of dynamic derivatives for this class of aircraft.

SU-E-J-113: The Influence of Optimizing Pediatric CT Simulator Protocols On the Treatment Dose Calculation in Radiotherapy

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

Zhang, Y; Zhang, J; Hu, Q

2014-06-01

Purpose: To investigate the possibility of applying optimized scanning protocols for pediatric CT simulation by quantifying the dosimetric inaccuracy introduced by using a fixed HU to density conversion. Methods: The images of a CIRS electron density reference phantom (Model 062) were acquired by a Siemens CT simulator (Sensation Open) using the following settings of tube voltage and beam current: 120 kV/190mA (the reference protocol used to calibrate CT for our treatment planning system (TPS)); Fixed 190mA combined with all available kV: 80, 100, and 140; fixed 120 kV and various current from 37 to 444 mA (scanner extremes) with intervalmore » of 30 mA. To avoid the HU uncertainty of point sampling in the various inserts of known electron densities, the mean CT numbers of the central cylindrical volume were calculated using DICOMan software. The doses per 100 MU to the reference point (SAD=100cm, Depth=10cm, Field=10X10cm, 6MV photon beam) in a virtual cubic phantom (30X30X30cm) were calculated using Eclipse TPS (calculation model: AcurosXB-11031) by assigning the CT numbers to HU of typical materials acquired by various protocols. Results: For the inserts of densities less than muscle, CT number fluctuations of all protocols were within the tolerance of 10 HU as accepted by AAPM-TG66. For more condensed materials, fixed kV yielded stable HU with any mA combination where largest disparities were found in 1750mg/cc insert: HU{sub reference}=1801(106.6cGy), HU{sub minimum}=1799 (106.6cGy, error{sub dose}=0.00%), HU{sub maximum}=1815 (106.8cGy, error{sub dose}=0.19%). Yet greater disagreements were observed with increasing density when kV was modified: HU{sub minimum}=1646 (104.5cGy, error{sub dose}=- 1.97%), HU{sub maximum}=2487 (116.4cGy, error{sub dose}=9.19%) in 1750mg/cc insert. Conclusion: Without affecting treatment dose calculation, personalized mA optimization of CT simulator can be conducted by fixing kV for a better cost-effectiveness of imaging dose and quality especially for children. Unless recalibrated, kV should be constant for all anatomical sites if diagnostic CT scanner is used as a simulator. This work was partially supported by Capital Medical Development Scientific Research Fund of China.« less

Preliminary Design of the Low Speed Propulsion Air Intake of the LAPCAT-MR2 Aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meerts, C.; Steelant, J.; Hendrick, P.

2011-08-01

A supersonic air intake has been designed for the low speed propulsion system of the LAPCAT-MR2 aircraft. Development has been based on the XB-70 aircraft air intake which achieves extremely high performances over a wide operation range through the combined use of variable geometry and porous wall suction for boundary layer control. Design of the LAPCAT-MR2 intake has been operated through CFD simulations using DLR TAU-Code (perfect gas model - Menter SST turbulence model). First, a new boundary condition has been validated into the DLR TAU-Code (perfect gas model) for porous wall suction modelling. Standard test cases have shown surprisingly good agreement with both theoretical predictions and experimental results. Based upon this validation, XB-70 air intake performances have been assessed through CFD simulations over the subsonic, transonic and supersonic operation regions and compared to available flight data. A new simulation strategy was deployed avoiding numerical instabilities when initiating the flow in both transonic and supersonic operation modes. First, the flow must be initiated with a far field Mach number higher than the target flight Mach number. Additionally, the inlet backpressure may only be increased to its target value once the oblique shock pattern downstream the intake compression ramps is converged. Simulations using that strategy have shown excellent agreement with in-flight measurements for both total pressure recovery ratio and variable geometry schedule prediction. The demarcation between stable and unstable operation could be well reproduced. Finally, a modified version of the XB-70 air intake has been integrated in the elliptical intake on the LAPCAT vehicle. Operation of this intake in the LAPCAT-MR2 environment is under evaluation using the same simulation strategy as the one developed for the XB-70. Performances are assessed at several key operation points to assess viability of this design. This information will allow in a next phase to better quantify the operation of the aerojet engines from take-off till the switch-over flight Mach number for the dual mode ramjet.

Effects of configurational disorder on the elastic properties of icosahedral boron-rich alloys based on B6O, B13C2, and B4C, and their mixing thermodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ektarawong, A.; Simak, S. I.; Hultman, L.; Birch, J.; Tasnádi, F.; Wang, F.; Alling, B.

2016-04-01

The elastic properties of alloys between boron suboxide (B6O) and boron carbide (B13C2), denoted by (B6O)1-x(B13C2)x, as well as boron carbide with variable carbon content, ranging from B13C2 to B4C are calculated from first-principles. Furthermore, the mixing thermodynamics of (B6O)1-x(B13C2)x is studied. A superatom-special quasirandom structure approach is used for modeling different atomic configurations, in which effects of configurational disorder between the carbide and suboxide structural units, as well as between boron and carbon atoms within the units, are taken into account. Elastic properties calculations demonstrate that configurational disorder in B13C2, where a part of the C atoms in the CBC chains substitute for B atoms in the B12 icosahedra, drastically increase the Young's and shear modulus, as compared to an atomically ordered state, B12(CBC). These calculated elastic moduli of the disordered state are in excellent agreement with experiments. Configurational disorder between boron and carbon can also explain the experimentally observed almost constant elastic moduli of boron carbide as the carbon content is changed from B4C to B13C2. The elastic moduli of the (B6O)1-x(B13C2)x system are also practically unchanged with composition if boron-carbon disorder is taken into account. By investigating the mixing thermodynamics of the alloys, in which the Gibbs free energy is determined within the mean-field approximation for the configurational entropy, we outline the pseudo-binary phase diagram of (B6O)1-x(B13C2)x. The phase diagram reveals the existence of a miscibility gap at all temperatures up to the melting point. Also, the coexistence of B6O-rich as well as ordered or disordered B13C2-rich domains in the material prepared through equilibrium routes is predicted.

Short-term sandbar variability based on video imagery: Comparison between Time-Average and Time-Variance techniques

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guedes, R.M.C.; Calliari, L.J.; Holland, K.T.; Plant, N.G.; Pereira, P.S.; Alves, F.N.A.

2011-01-01

Time-exposure intensity (averaged) images are commonly used to locate the nearshore sandbar position (xb), based on the cross-shore locations of maximum pixel intensity (xi) of the bright bands in the images. It is not known, however, how the breaking patterns seen in Variance images (i.e. those created through standard deviation of pixel intensity over time) are related to the sandbar locations. We investigated the suitability of both Time-exposure and Variance images for sandbar detection within a multiple bar system on the southern coast of Brazil, and verified the relation between wave breaking patterns, observed as bands of high intensity in these images and cross-shore profiles of modeled wave energy dissipation (xD). Not only is Time-exposure maximum pixel intensity location (xi-Ti) well related to xb, but also to the maximum pixel intensity location of Variance images (xi-Va), although the latter was typically located 15m offshore of the former. In addition, xi-Va was observed to be better associated with xD even though xi-Ti is commonly assumed as maximum wave energy dissipation. Significant wave height (Hs) and water level (??) were observed to affect the two types of images in a similar way, with an increase in both Hs and ?? resulting in xi shifting offshore. This ??-induced xi variability has an opposite behavior to what is described in the literature, and is likely an indirect effect of higher waves breaking farther offshore during periods of storm surges. Multiple regression models performed on xi, Hs and ?? allowed the reduction of the residual errors between xb and xi, yielding accurate estimates with most residuals less than 10m. Additionally, it was found that the sandbar position was best estimated using xi-Ti (xi-Va) when xb was located shoreward (seaward) of its mean position, for both the first and the second bar. Although it is unknown whether this is an indirect hydrodynamic effect or is indeed related to the morphology, we found that this behavior can be explored to optimize sandbar estimation using video imagery, even in the absence of hydrodynamic data. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V..

Spectroscopic determination of inverse photon efficiencies of W atoms in the scrape-off layer of TEXTOR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brezinsek, S.; Laengner, M.; Coenen, J. W.; O'Mullane, M. G.; Pospieszczyk, A.; Sergienko, G.; Samm, U.

2017-12-01

Optical emission spectroscopy can be applied to determine in situ tungsten particle fluxes from erosion processes at plasma-facing materials. Inverse photon efficiencies convert photon fluxes of WI and WII line transitions into W and {{{W}}}+ particle fluxes, respectively, dependening on the local plasma conditions. Experiments in TEXTOR were carried out to determine effective conversion factors for different WI and WII transitions with the aid of WF6 injection into deuterium scrape-off layer plasmas in the electron temperature T e range between {T}{e}=20 {eV} and {T}{e}=82 {eV}. The inverse photon efficiencies or so-called effective \\tfrac{S}{{XB}}-values have been determined for WI lines at λ =400.9 {nm}, 429.5 nm, 488.7 nm, 498.3 nm, and 522.5 nm as well as for WII at λ =434.6 {nm} and compared with theoretical calculations from the ADAS data base. Moreover, a multi-machine scaling for the \\tfrac{S}{{XB}}-value in the range of T e between 2...100 {eV} has been determined for the most prominent WI line at λ =400.9 {nm} to \\tfrac{S}{{XB}}({T}{e})=53.63-56.07× {e}(0.045× {T{e}[{eV}])} considering experimental data from TEXTOR, ASDEX Upgrade, PSI and PISCES. Comparison with ADAS calculations for the same transition reveal a good qualitative agreement with the dependence on T e , but an underestimation of ADAS calculations of less than 25% over the full covered range of experimentally accessible T e in the multi-machine scaling. A good agreement within the experimental uncertainties is found between TEXTOR and ADAS \\tfrac{S}{{XB}}-values for WI at λ =429.5 {nm} and λ =488.7 {nm} whereas an underestimation of up to a factor two of ADAS values for WI at λ =522.5 {nm} and λ =498.3 {nm} was measured. Potentially, reasons for the discrepancy are an overestimation of applied ionisation rate coefficients in ADAS for neutral W and a stronger electron dependence n e for these transitions.

Magnetic phase diagrams of CexLa1-xB6 in high magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akatsu, Mitsuhiro; Kazama, Nanako; Goto, Terutaka; Nemoto, Yuichi; Suzuki, Osamu; Kido, Giyuu; Kunii, Satoru

We have performed ultrasonic measurements under high magnetic fields up to 30 T by using the hybrid magnet at the National Institute for Materials Science to investigate the magnetic phase diagram for antiferroquadrupole (AFQ) phase II in CexLa1-xB6. With increasing Ce concentration x from x=0.50, the AFQ phase transition temperatures TQ indicate an almost linear increase in various fields. The large magnetic anisotropy of AFQ phase II, in which TQH∥[0 0 1] is much smaller than TQH∥[1 1 0] and TQH∥[1 1 1] in high magnetic fields, is revealed in x=0.75,0.60 as well as in x=0.50. These experimental results support the theoretical calculation based on the Γ5-type AFQ ordering and the magnetic field induced octupole Txyz.

Chandra observation of the dipping source XB 1254-690

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iaria, R.; di Salvo, T.; Lavagetto, G.; D'Aí, A.; Robba, N. R.

2007-03-01

We present the results of a 53 ks long Chandra observation of the dipping source XB 1254-690. During the observation neither bursts or dips were observed. From the zero-order image we estimated the precise X-ray coordinates of the source with a 90% uncertainty of 0.6´´. Since the lightcurve did not show any significant variability, we extracted the spectrum corresponding to the whole observation. We confirmed the presence of the Fe XXVI Kα absorption lines with a larger accuracy with respect to the previous XMM EPIC pn observation. Assuming that the line width were due to a bulk motion or a turbulence associated to the coronal activity, we estimate that the lines were produced in a photoionized absorber between the coronal radius and the outer edge of the accretion disk.

Chromatographic column evaluation for the untargeted profiling of glucosinolates in cauliflower by means of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Capriotti, Anna Laura; Cavaliere, Chiara; La Barbera, Giorgia; Montone, Carmela Maria; Piovesana, Susy; Zenezini Chiozzi, Riccardo; Laganà, Aldo

2018-03-01

The untargeted profiling is a promising approach for the characterization of secondary metabolites in biological matrices. Thanks to the recent rapid development of high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) instrumentations, the number of applications by untargeted approaches for biological samples profiling has widely increased in the recent years. Despite the high potentialities of HRMS, however, a major issue in natural products analysis often arises in the upstream process of compounds separation. A separation technique is necessary to avoid phenomena such as signal suppression, and it is especially needed in the presence of isomeric metabolites, which are otherwise indistinguishable. Glucosinolates (GLSs), a group of secondary metabolites widely distributed among plants, resulted to be associated to the prevention of some serious diseases, such as cancer. This led to the development of several methods for the analysis of GLSs in vegetables tissues. The issue of GLSs chromatographic separation has been widely studied in the past because of the difficulty in the analysis of this highly polar and variable class of compounds. Several alternatives to reversed phase (RP) chromatography, sometimes not compatible with the coupling of liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry, have been tested for the analysis of intact GLSs. However, the availability of new stationary phases, in the last years, could allow the re-evaluation of RP chromatography for the analysis of intact GLSs. In this work, a thorough evaluation of four RP chromatographic columns for the analysis of GLSs in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) extracts by an ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic system coupled via electrospray source to a hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer is presented. The columns tested were the following: one column Luna Omega polar C 18 , one column Kinetex Biphenyl, one column Kinetex core-shell XB-C 18 , two columns Kinetex core-shell XB-C 18 . After a previous optimization of the extraction method, cauliflower extracts were analyzed testing four different mobile phases onto the four columns for a total of sixteen different chromatographic conditions. The chromatographic systems were evaluated based on the number of detected and tentatively identified GLSs. Luna Polar stationary phase resulted to be the most suitable for the analysis of GLSs compared to Kinetex XB and Kinetex Biphenyl columns stationary phase. However, two in series Kinetex XB columns increased the number of tentatively identified GLSs compared to one Kinetex XB, showing the importance of column length in the analysis of complex mixtures. The data obtained with the best chromatographic system were deeply analyzed by MS/MS investigation for the final identification. Fiflty-one GLSs were tentatively identified, 24 of which have never been identified in cauliflower. Finally the linearity of the analytes response over the analyzed range of concentration was checked, suggesting that the developed method is suitable for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of GLSs in phytochemical mixtures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A generic high-dose rate {sup 192}Ir brachytherapy source for evaluation of model-based dose calculations beyond the TG-43 formalism

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

Ballester, Facundo, E-mail: Facundo.Ballester@uv.es; Carlsson Tedgren, Åsa; Granero, Domingo

Purpose: In order to facilitate a smooth transition for brachytherapy dose calculations from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group No. 43 (TG-43) formalism to model-based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCAs), treatment planning systems (TPSs) using a MBDCA require a set of well-defined test case plans characterized by Monte Carlo (MC) methods. This also permits direct dose comparison to TG-43 reference data. Such test case plans should be made available for use in the software commissioning process performed by clinical end users. To this end, a hypothetical, generic high-dose rate (HDR) {sup 192}Ir source and a virtual watermore » phantom were designed, which can be imported into a TPS. Methods: A hypothetical, generic HDR {sup 192}Ir source was designed based on commercially available sources as well as a virtual, cubic water phantom that can be imported into any TPS in DICOM format. The dose distribution of the generic {sup 192}Ir source when placed at the center of the cubic phantom, and away from the center under altered scatter conditions, was evaluated using two commercial MBDCAs [Oncentra{sup ®} Brachy with advanced collapsed-cone engine (ACE) and BrachyVision ACUROS{sup TM}]. Dose comparisons were performed using state-of-the-art MC codes for radiation transport, including ALGEBRA, BrachyDose, GEANT4, MCNP5, MCNP6, and PENELOPE2008. The methodologies adhered to recommendations in the AAPM TG-229 report on high-energy brachytherapy source dosimetry. TG-43 dosimetry parameters, an along-away dose-rate table, and primary and scatter separated (PSS) data were obtained. The virtual water phantom of (201){sup 3} voxels (1 mm sides) was used to evaluate the calculated dose distributions. Two test case plans involving a single position of the generic HDR {sup 192}Ir source in this phantom were prepared: (i) source centered in the phantom and (ii) source displaced 7 cm laterally from the center. Datasets were independently produced by different investigators. MC results were then compared against dose calculated using TG-43 and MBDCA methods. Results: TG-43 and PSS datasets were generated for the generic source, the PSS data for use with the ACE algorithm. The dose-rate constant values obtained from seven MC simulations, performed independently using different codes, were in excellent agreement, yielding an average of 1.1109 ± 0.0004 cGy/(h U) (k = 1, Type A uncertainty). MC calculated dose-rate distributions for the two plans were also found to be in excellent agreement, with differences within type A uncertainties. Differences between commercial MBDCA and MC results were test, position, and calculation parameter dependent. On average, however, these differences were within 1% for ACUROS and 2% for ACE at clinically relevant distances. Conclusions: A hypothetical, generic HDR {sup 192}Ir source was designed and implemented in two commercially available TPSs employing different MBDCAs. Reference dose distributions for this source were benchmarked and used for the evaluation of MBDCA calculations employing a virtual, cubic water phantom in the form of a CT DICOM image series. The implementation of a generic source of identical design in all TPSs using MBDCAs is an important step toward supporting univocal commissioning procedures and direct comparisons between TPSs.« less

Vibration responses of test structure no. 1 during the Edwards Air Force Base phase of the national sonic boom program. [F-104, B-58, and XB-70 sonic boom exposures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Findley, D. S.; Huckel, V.; Henderson, H. R.

1975-01-01

In order to evaluate reaction of people to sonic booms of varying overpressures and time durations, a series of closely controlled and systematic flight test studies were conducted in the vicinity of Edwards AFB, California, from June 3 to June 23, 1966. The dynamic responses of several building structures were measured as a part of these studies, and the measurements made in a one-story residence structure (Edwards test structure No. 1) are presented. Sample acceleration and strain recordings are presented from F-104, B-58, and XB-70 sonic-boom exposures, along with tabulations of the maximum acceleration and strain values measured for each one of about 140 flight tests. These data are compared with similar measurements for engine noise exposures of the building during simulated landing approaches and takeoffs of KC-135 aircraft.

Systematic Evaluation of Chromatographic Parameters for Isoquinoline Alkaloids on XB-C18 Core-Shell Column Using Different Mobile Phase Compositions

PubMed Central

Sowa, Ireneusz; Zielińska, Sylwia; Sawicki, Jan; Bogucka-Kocka, Anna; Staniak, Michał; Bartusiak-Szcześniak, Ewa; Podolska-Fajks, Maja; Kocjan, Ryszard

2018-01-01

Chelidonium majus L. is a rich source of isoquinoline alkaloids with confirmed anti-inflammatory, choleretic, spasmolytic, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities. However, their chromatographic analysis is difficult because they may exist both in charged and uncharged forms and may result in the irregular peak shape and the decrease in chromatographic system efficacy. In the present work, the separation of main C. majus alkaloids was optimized using a new-generation XB-C18 endcapped core-shell column dedicated for analysis of alkaline compounds. The influence of organic modifier concentration, addition of salts, and pH of eluents on chromatographic parameters such as retention, resolution, chromatographic plate numbers, and peak asymmetry was investigated. The results were applied to elaborate the optimal chromatographic system for simultaneous quantification of seven alkaloids from the root, herb, and fruit of C. majus. PMID:29675288

Experimental and theoretical studies of the structure of tellurate-borate glasses network.

PubMed

Rada, Simona; Culea, Eugen; Neumann, Manfred

2010-08-01

The structural properties of the xTeO(2) x (1-x)B(2)O(3) glasses (x = 0.6; 0.7) were investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy. From the analysis of the FTIR spectra, it is reasonable to assume that by the increasing of boron ions content, the tetrahedral [BO(4)] units are gradually replaced by the trigonal [BO(3)] units. The increase in the number of non-bridging oxygen atoms would decrease the connectivity of the glass network and will yield the depolymerization of the borate chains. The molecular structure and vibrational frequencies of the proposed structural models have been studied by exploring the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The FTIR spectra of the xTeO(2) x (1-x)B(2)O(3) vitreous systems were compared with the calculated spectrum. This procedure allowed us to assign most of the observed IR bands.

WE-AB-207A-08: BEST IN PHYSICS (IMAGING): Advanced Scatter Correction and Iterative Reconstruction for Improved Cone-Beam CT Imaging On the TrueBeam Radiotherapy Machine

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

Wang, A; Paysan, P; Brehm, M

2016-06-15

Purpose: To improve CBCT image quality for image-guided radiotherapy by applying advanced reconstruction algorithms to overcome scatter, noise, and artifact limitations Methods: CBCT is used extensively for patient setup in radiotherapy. However, image quality generally falls short of diagnostic CT, limiting soft-tissue based positioning and potential applications such as adaptive radiotherapy. The conventional TrueBeam CBCT reconstructor uses a basic scatter correction and FDK reconstruction, resulting in residual scatter artifacts, suboptimal image noise characteristics, and other artifacts like cone-beam artifacts. We have developed an advanced scatter correction that uses a finite-element solver (AcurosCTS) to model the behavior of photons as theymore » pass (and scatter) through the object. Furthermore, iterative reconstruction is applied to the scatter-corrected projections, enforcing data consistency with statistical weighting and applying an edge-preserving image regularizer to reduce image noise. The combined algorithms have been implemented on a GPU. CBCT projections from clinically operating TrueBeam systems have been used to compare image quality between the conventional and improved reconstruction methods. Planning CT images of the same patients have also been compared. Results: The advanced scatter correction removes shading and inhomogeneity artifacts, reducing the scatter artifact from 99.5 HU to 13.7 HU in a typical pelvis case. Iterative reconstruction provides further benefit by reducing image noise and eliminating streak artifacts, thereby improving soft-tissue visualization. In a clinical head and pelvis CBCT, the noise was reduced by 43% and 48%, respectively, with no change in spatial resolution (assessed visually). Additional benefits include reduction of cone-beam artifacts and reduction of metal artifacts due to intrinsic downweighting of corrupted rays. Conclusion: The combination of an advanced scatter correction with iterative reconstruction substantially improves CBCT image quality. It is anticipated that clinically acceptable reconstruction times will result from a multi-GPU implementation (the algorithms are under active development and not yet commercially available). All authors are employees of and (may) own stock of Varian Medical Systems.« less

Xenomicrobiology: a roadmap for genetic code engineering.

PubMed

Acevedo-Rocha, Carlos G; Budisa, Nediljko

2016-09-01

Biology is an analytical and informational science that is becoming increasingly dependent on chemical synthesis. One example is the high-throughput and low-cost synthesis of DNA, which is a foundation for the research field of synthetic biology (SB). The aim of SB is to provide biotechnological solutions to health, energy and environmental issues as well as unsustainable manufacturing processes in the frame of naturally existing chemical building blocks. Xenobiology (XB) goes a step further by implementing non-natural building blocks in living cells. In this context, genetic code engineering respectively enables the re-design of genes/genomes and proteins/proteomes with non-canonical nucleic (XNAs) and amino (ncAAs) acids. Besides studying information flow and evolutionary innovation in living systems, XB allows the development of new-to-nature therapeutic proteins/peptides, new biocatalysts for potential applications in synthetic organic chemistry and biocontainment strategies for enhanced biosafety. In this perspective, we provide a brief history and evolution of the genetic code in the context of XB. We then discuss the latest efforts and challenges ahead for engineering the genetic code with focus on substitutions and additions of ncAAs as well as standard amino acid reductions. Finally, we present a roadmap for the directed evolution of artificial microbes for emancipating rare sense codons that could be used to introduce novel building blocks. The development of such xenomicroorganisms endowed with a 'genetic firewall' will also allow to study and understand the relation between code evolution and horizontal gene transfer. © 2016 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Appearance of the octupole ordered phase IV in CexLa1 -x B6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sera, M.; Kunimori, K.; Matsumura, T.; Kondo, A.; Tanida, H.; Tou, H.; Iga, F.

2018-05-01

We investigated the physical properties of CexLa1 -xB6 at x ˜0.8 , below which the Tβ-type antiferro-octupole (AFO) ordered phase IV appears as a result of the larger suppression rate of TQ than TN by La doping. The most important result is that while the peak of the specific heat at TQ is rapidly suppressed and broadened by La doping, that at TIV is sharp and large. This indicates that although the Tβ-AFO order in the phase IV is robust against the local lattice distortion induced by La doping, the Ox y-type antiferroquadrupole (AFQ) ordered phase II is very weak. The Tx y z-AFO interaction is robust against La doping from the observation of the pronounced enhancement of TQ even in a small x region. Based on these La-doping effect of the multipole interactions, we carried out the mean-field calculation for the four-sublattice model to reproduce the magnetic phase diagrams of CexLa1 -xB6 . Based on the calculated results, we propose that the small splitting of the quartet is induced by La doping in phase I to explain the magnetic phase diagram for x <0.65 . We could obtain the calculated results roughly consistent with the experimental results, although there appear new problems. We classified the mechanisms of the four different types of the competition among the four interactions with roughly the same magnitude, which induce the interesting and complicated properties in CexLa1 -xB6 .

77 FR 16539 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-21

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB098 Gulf of...), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Council to convene a public... allocation and the application of social indicators to [[Page 16540

77 FR 70147 - Fish and Wildlife Service 0648-XB088

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-23

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fish and Wildlife... (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce; Fish and Wildlife Service..., Conservation Planning Division, Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage...

77 FR 31585 - Marine Mammals; File No. 16388

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-29

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB154 Marine Mammals; File No. 16388 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... Mark Baumgartner, Ph.D., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MS 33 Biology Department, Woods Hole, MA...

78 FR 51146 - Marine Mammals; File No. 14535

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-20

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB161 Marine Mammals; File No. 14535 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... that a permit amendment has been issued to Colleen Reichmuth, Ph.D., Long Marine Laboratory, University...

77 FR 47045 - Marine Mammals; File No. 16580

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-07

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB158 Marine Mammals; File No. 16580 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... Road, Juneau, AK 99801 to receive, import and export marine mammal parts for scientific research...

77 FR 33198 - Marine Mammals; File No. 17159

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-05

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB110 Marine Mammals; File No. 17159 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2012-13573 Filed 6-4...

Effect of Ga addition on the valence state of Ce and magnetic properties of melt-spun Ce17Fe78-xB6Gax (x = 0-1.0) ribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Qingzheng; Zhong, Minglong; Lei, Weikai; Zeng, Qingwen; Hu, Yongfeng; Quan, Qichen; Xu, Yaping; Hu, Xianjun; Zhang, Lili; Liu, Renhui; Ma, Shengcan; Zhong, Zhenchen

2017-08-01

The Ce17Fe78-xB6Gax (x=0-1.0) ribbons were fabricated by a melt-spinning technique in order to study the mechanism of the valence variation of Ce and their magnetic properties as well as improve the thermal stability of Ce-based rare earth permanent magnets. The systematic investigations of the Ce17Fe78-xB6Gax (x=0-1.0) alloys show that the room-temperature coercivity increases significantly from 352 kA/m at x = 0 to 492 kA/m at x = 1.0. The Curie temperature (Tc) increases monotonically from 424.5 K to 433.6 K, and the temperature coefficients of remanence (α) and coercivity (β) of the ribbons are better off from -0.56 %/K, -0.75 %/K for x = 0 to -0.45 %/K, -0.65 %/K for x = 0.75 in the temperature range of 300-400 K, respectively. The Ce L3-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectrums reveal that there is more Ce4+ in ribbons under total electron yield than fluorescence yield as Ce has a high affinity with oxygen. The weight of Ce3+ increases while the weight of Ce4+ decreases in Ga-added alloys. The refined grain size and a more uniform microstructure are mainly attributed to the improved magnetic properties and thermal stability with Ga doping. This paper may serve as a reference for further developing the so-called gap magnets and the effective utilization of the rare earth resources.

Effect of a myosin regulatory light chain mutation K104E on actin-myosin interactions.

PubMed

Duggal, D; Nagwekar, J; Rich, R; Huang, W; Midde, K; Fudala, R; Das, H; Gryczynski, I; Szczesna-Cordary, D; Borejdo, J

2015-05-15

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young individuals. Molecular mechanisms underlying this disorder are largely unknown; this study aims at revealing how disruptions in actin-myosin interactions can play a role in this disorder. Cross-bridge (XB) kinetics and the degree of order were examined in contracting myofibrils from the ex vivo left ventricles of transgenic (Tg) mice expressing FHC regulatory light chain (RLC) mutation K104E. Because the degree of order and the kinetics are best studied when an individual XB makes a significant contribution to the overall signal, the number of observed XBs in an ex vivo ventricle was minimized to ∼20. Autofluorescence and photobleaching were minimized by labeling the myosin lever arm with a relatively long-lived red-emitting dye containing a chromophore system encapsulated in a cyclic macromolecule. Mutated XBs were significantly better ordered during steady-state contraction and during rigor, but the mutation had no effect on the degree of order in relaxed myofibrils. The K104E mutation increased the rate of XB binding to thin filaments and the rate of execution of the power stroke. The stopped-flow experiments revealed a significantly faster observed dissociation rate in Tg-K104E vs. Tg-wild-type (WT) myosin and a smaller second-order ATP-binding rate for the K104E compared with WT myosin. Collectively, our data indicate that the mutation-induced changes in the interaction of myosin with actin during the contraction-relaxation cycle may contribute to altered contractility and the development of FHC. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

77 FR 23662 - Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-20

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB170 Mid-Atlantic... Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. SUMMARY: The Social and Economic Sub-Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Scientific...

Tests of a 1/7-Scale Semispan Model of the XB-35 Airplane in the Langley 19-Foot Pressure Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teplitz, Jerome; Kayten, Gerald G.; Cancro, Patrick A.

1946-01-01

A 1/7 scale semispan model of the XB-35 airplane was tested in the Langley 10 foot pressure tunnel, primarily for the purpose of investigating the effectiveness of a leading-edge slot for alleviation of stick-fixed longitudinal instability at high angles of attack caused by early tip stalling and a device for relief of stick-free instability caused by elevon up-floating tendencies at high angles of attack. Results indicated that the slot was not adequate to provide the desired improvement in stick-fixed stability. The tab-flipper device provided improvement in stick-free stability abd two of the linkage combinations tested gave satisfactory variations of control force with airspeed for all conditions except that in which the wing-tip "pitch-control" flap was fully deflected. However, the improvement in control force characteristics was accompanied by a detrimental effect on stick-fixed stability because of the pitching moments produced by the elevon tab deflection.

Modulation of the fibrillogenesis inhibition properties of two transthyretin ligands by halogenation.

PubMed

Cotrina, Ellen Y; Pinto, Marta; Bosch, Lluís; Vilà, Marta; Blasi, Daniel; Quintana, Jordi; Centeno, Nuria B; Arsequell, Gemma; Planas, Antoni; Valencia, Gregorio

2013-11-27

The amyloidogenic protein transthyretin (TTR) is thought to aggregate into amyloid fibrils by tetramer dissociation which can be inhibited by a number of small molecule compounds. Our analysis of a series of crystallographic protein-inhibitor complexes has shown no clear correlation between the observed molecular interactions and the in vitro activity of the inhibitors. From this analysis, it emerged that halogen bonding (XB) could be mediating some key interactions. Analysis of the halogenated derivatives of two well-known TTR inhibitors has shown that while flufenamic acid affinity for TTR was unchanged by halogenation, diflunisal gradually improves binding up to 1 order of magnitude after iodination through interactions that can be interpreted as a suboptimal XB (carbonyl Thr106: I...O distance 3.96-4.05 Å; C-I...O angle 152-156°) or as rather optimized van der Waals contacts or as a mixture of both. These results illustrate the potential of halogenation strategies in designing and optimizing TTR fibrillogenesis inhibitors.

77 FR 24469 - Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

... Endangered Species Act (ESA). The proposed research activities are intended to increase knowledge of the... genetic research in the Yolo Bypass. Dated: April 19, 2012. Angela Somma, Chief, Endangered Species... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB168 Endangered...

77 FR 13096 - Endangered Species; File No. 16598

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-05

... under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened species... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB054 Endangered...

77 FR 40588 - Endangered Species; File No. 16598

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-10

... has been issued under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C... such endangered or threatened species, and (3) is consistent with the purposes and policies set forth... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB054 Endangered...

77 FR 57559 - Endangered Species; File No. 13330

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-18

... been granted under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531... endangered or threatened species, and (3) is consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XB144 Endangered...

77 FR 14352 - Marine Mammals

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-09

...-XB065 Marine Mammals AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216), the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended...

77 FR 22678 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-17

.... 110707371-2136-02] RIN 0648- XB145 Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries; Closure of the Trimester 1 Longfin Squid Fishery AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION...

Propulsion Flight Research at NASA Dryden From 1967 to 1997

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burcham, Frank W., Jr.; Ray, Ronald J.; Conners, Timothy R.; Walsh, Kevin R.

1997-01-01

From 1967 to 1997, pioneering propulsion flight research activities have been conceived and conducted at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Many of these programs have been flown jointly with the United States Department of Defense, industry, or the Federal Aviation Administration. Propulsion research has been conducted on the XB-70, F-111 A, F-111E, YF-12, JetStar, B-720, MD-11, F-15, F- 104, Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology, F-14, F/A-18, SR-71, and the hypersonic X-15 airplanes. Research studies have included inlet dynamics and control, in-flight thrust computation, integrated propulsion controls, inlet and boattail drag, wind tunnel-to-flight comparisons, digital engine controls, advanced engine control optimization algorithms, acoustics, antimisting kerosene, in-flight lift and drag, throttle response criteria, and thrust-vectoring vanes. A computer-controlled thrust system has been developed to land the F-15 and MD-11 airplanes without using any of the normal flight controls. An F-15 airplane has flown tests of axisymmetric thrust-vectoring nozzles. A linear aerospike rocket experiment has been developed and tested on the SR-71 airplane. This paper discusses some of the more unique flight programs, the results, lessons learned, and their impact on current technology.

77 FR 19146 - Fisheries of the Economic Exclusive Zone Off Alaska; Shallow-Water Species Fishery by Vessels...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-30

.... 111207737-2141-02] RIN 0648-XB122 Fisheries of the Economic Exclusive Zone Off Alaska; Shallow- Water...; closure. SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for species that comprise the shallow-water species... first seasonal apportionment of the Pacific halibut bycatch allowance specified for the shallow-water...

Bryon W. Larson | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Avdoshenko, AA Popov, OV Boltalina, SH Strauss, N Kopidakis, G Rumbles. "Inter-Fullerene Electronic , EV Bukovsky, BW Larson, JB Whitaker, SHM Deng, N Kopidakis, G Rumbles, AA Popov, Y-S Chen, X-B Wang Science, 6, 1801-1815, 2015. BW Larson, JB Whitaker, AA Popov, N Kopidakis, G Rumbles, OV Boltalina, SH

77 FR 19951 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-03

.... 111220786-1781-01] RIN 0648-XB103 Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery... of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2012 commercial summer flounder quota to the... commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia. NMFS is adjusting the quotas and announcing...

77 FR 14481 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-12

.... 111220786-1781-01] RIN 0648-XB026 Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery... of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2012 commercial summer flounder quota to the...: Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual...

Antimicrobial Peptide-PNA Conjugates Selectively Targeting Bacterial Genes

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-22

RXR)4XB and (KFF)3K, were previously reported as a potent permeabilizer against E. coli and MRSA cells (Mellbye, 2009). (RW)4D, a small dendrimeric ...lethal concentration (Liu, 2007). Scheme 1. Synthesis of PNA- dendrimer conjugate. (a) (RW)4D-cysteine (b)Free PNA (C) PNA-(RW)4D conjugates

A New MI-Based Visualization Aided Validation Index for Mining Big Longitudinal Web Trial Data

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhaoyang; Fang, Hua; Wang, Honggang

2016-01-01

Web-delivered clinical trials generate big complex data. To help untangle the heterogeneity of treatment effects, unsupervised learning methods have been widely applied. However, identifying valid patterns is a priority but challenging issue for these methods. This paper, built upon our previous research on multiple imputation (MI)-based fuzzy clustering and validation, proposes a new MI-based Visualization-aided validation index (MIVOOS) to determine the optimal number of clusters for big incomplete longitudinal Web-trial data with inflated zeros. Different from a recently developed fuzzy clustering validation index, MIVOOS uses a more suitable overlap and separation measures for Web-trial data but does not depend on the choice of fuzzifiers as the widely used Xie and Beni (XB) index. Through optimizing the view angles of 3-D projections using Sammon mapping, the optimal 2-D projection-guided MIVOOS is obtained to better visualize and verify the patterns in conjunction with trajectory patterns. Compared with XB and VOS, our newly proposed MIVOOS shows its robustness in validating big Web-trial data under different missing data mechanisms using real and simulated Web-trial data. PMID:27482473

B-70 Aircraft Study. Volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Volume 2 of the final report on the B-70 aircraft study is presented here. The B-70 Program, at the onset, was a full weapon system capable of sustained Mach 3 flight for the major portion of its design missions. The weapon system was to enter the SAC inventory as an RS-70 with the first intercontinental resonnaissance/bomber wing scheduled to go operational in July, 1964. After several redirections, a two XB-70 air vehicle program emerged with its prime objective being to demonstrate the technical feasibility of sustained Mach 3 flight. This section describes the original Weapon System 110A concepts, the evolution of the RS-70 design, and the XB-70 air vehicles which demonstrated the design, fabrication, and technical feasibility of long range Mach 3 flights at high altitude. The data presented shows that a very large step forward in the state-of-the-art of manned aircraft design was achieved during the B-70 development program and that advances were made and incorporated in every area, including design, materials application, and manufacturing techniques.

A theoretical investigation of mixing thermodynamics, age-hardening potential, and electronic structure of ternary M11–xM2xB2 alloys with AlB2 type structure

PubMed Central

Alling, B.; Högberg, H.; Armiento, R.; Rosen, J.; Hultman, L.

2015-01-01

Transition metal diborides are ceramic materials with potential applications as hard protective thin films and electrical contact materials. We investigate the possibility to obtain age hardening through isostructural clustering, including spinodal decomposition, or ordering-induced precipitation in ternary diboride alloys. By means of first-principles mixing thermodynamics calculations, 45 ternary M11–xM2xB2 alloys comprising MiB2 (Mi = Mg, Al, Sc, Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta) with AlB2 type structure are studied. In particular Al1–xTixB2 is found to be of interest for coherent isostructural decomposition with a strong driving force for phase separation, while having almost concentration independent a and c lattice parameters. The results are explained by revealing the nature of the electronic structure in these alloys, and in particular, the origin of the pseudogap at EF in TiB2, ZrB2, and HfB2. PMID:25970763

Aggregation-Induced Emission-Active Ruthenium(II) Complex of 4,7-Dichloro Phenanthroline for Selective Luminescent Detection and Ribosomal RNA Imaging.

PubMed

Sheet, Sanjoy Kumar; Sen, Bhaskar; Patra, Sumit Kumar; Rabha, Monosh; Aguan, Kripamoy; Khatua, Snehadrinarayan

2018-05-02

The development of red emissive aggregation-induced emission (AIE) active probes for organelle-specific imaging is of great importance. Construction of metal complex-based AIE-active materials with metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT), ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) emission together with the ligand-centered and intraligand (LC/ILCT) emission is a challenging task. We developed a red emissive ruthenium(II) complex, 1[PF 6 ] 2 , and its perchlorate analogues of the 4,7-dichloro phenanthroline ligand. 1[PF 6 ] 2 has been characterized by spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 1 showed AIE enhancement in water, highly dense polyethylene glycol media, and also in the solid state. The possible reason behind the AIE property may be the weak supramolecular π···π, C-H···π, and C-Cl···H interactions between neighboring phen ligands as well as C-Cl···O halogen bonding (XB). The crystal structures of the two perchlorate analogues revealed C-Cl···O distances shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii, which confirmed the XB interaction. The AIE property was supported by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and atomic force microscopy studies. Most importantly, the probe was found to be low cytotoxicity and to efficiently permeate the cell membrane. The cell-imaging experiments revealed rapid staining of the nucleolus in HeLa cells via the interaction with nucleolar ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA). It is expected that the supramolecular interactions as well as C-Cl···O XB interaction with rRNA is the origin of aggregation and possible photoluminescence enhancement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of red emissive ruthenium(II) complex-based probes with AIE characteristics for selective rRNA detection and nucleolar imaging.

Paleozoic tectonics in the eastern part of Central Asian Orogenic Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yongjiang; Li, Weimin; Feng, Zhiqiang; Neubauer, Franz

2017-04-01

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) is the largest accretionary orogen in the world, which is responsible for considerable Phanerozoic juvenile crustal growth. The NE China and its adjacent areas compose the eastern segment of the CAOB, which is a key area for providing important evidence of the CAOB evolution and understanding the NE Asian tectonics. The eastern segment of the CAOB is composed tectonically of four micro-blocks and four sutures, i.e. Erguna block (EB), Xing'an block (XB), Songliao-Xilinhot block (SXB), Jiamusi block (JB), Xinlin-Xiguitu suture (XXS), Heihe-Hegenshan suture (HHS), Mudanjiang-Yilan suture (MYS) and Solonker-Xar Moron-Changchun-Yanji suture (SXCYS). The EB and XB were amalgamated by westward subduction, oceanic island accretions and final collision in ca. 500 Ma. The XB and SXB were amalgamated by subduction-related Early Paleozoic marginal arc, Late Paleozoic marginal arc and final collision in the late Early Carboniferous to early Late Carboniferous. The JB probably had been attached to the SXB in the Early Paleozoic, but broken apart from the SXB in the Triassic and collided back in the Jurassic. The closure of Paleo-Asian Ocean had experienced a long continue/episodic subduction-accretion processes on margins of the NCC to the south and the SXB to the north from the Early to Late Paleozoic. The final closure happened along the SXCYS, from west Solonker, Sonid Youqi, Kedanshan (Keshenketengqi), Xar Moron River through Songliao Basin via Kailu, Tongliao, Horqin Zuoyizhongqi, Changchun, to the east Panshi, Huadian, Dunhua, Yanji, with a scissors style closure in time from the Late Permian-Early Triassic in the west to the Late Permian-Middle Triassic in the east. The amalgamated blocks should compose a united micro-continent, named as Jiamusi-Mongolia Block (JMB) after Early Carboniferous, which bounded by Mongo-Okhotsk suture to the northwest, Solonker-Xar Moron-Changchun suture to the south and the eastern margin of JB to the east.

The functional effect of dilated cardiomyopathy mutation (R144W) in mouse cardiac troponin T is differently affected by α- and β-myosin heavy chain isoforms.

PubMed

Gollapudi, Sampath K; Tardiff, Jil C; Chandra, Murali

2015-04-15

Given the differential impact of α- and β-myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms on how troponin T (TnT) modulates contractile dynamics, we hypothesized that the effects of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) mutations in TnT would be altered differently by α- and β-MHC. We characterized dynamic contractile features of normal (α-MHC) and transgenic (β-MHC) mouse cardiac muscle fibers reconstituted with a mouse TnT analog (TnTR144W) of the human DCM R141W mutation. TnTR144W did not alter maximal tension but attenuated myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity (pCa50) to a similar extent in α- and β-MHC fibers. TnTR144W attenuated the speed of cross-bridge (XB) distortion dynamics (c) by 24% and the speed of XB recruitment dynamics (b) by 17% in α-MHC fibers; however, both b and c remained unaltered in β-MHC fibers. Likewise, TnTR144W attenuated the rates of XB detachment (g) and tension redevelopment (ktr) only in α-MHC fibers. TnTR144W also decreased the impact of strained XBs on the recruitment of new XBs (γ) by 30% only in α-MHC fibers. Because c, b, g, ktr, and γ are strongly influenced by thin filament-based cooperative mechanisms, we conclude that the TnTR144W- and β-MHC-mediated changes in the thin filament interact to produce a less severe functional phenotype, compared with that brought about by TnTR144W and α-MHC. These observations provide a basis for lower mortality rates of humans (β-MHC) harboring the TnTR141W mutant compared with transgenic mouse studies. Our findings strongly suggest that some caution is necessary when extrapolating data from transgenic mouse studies to human hearts. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Monte Carlo dose calculations for high-dose-rate brachytherapy using GPU-accelerated processing.

PubMed

Tian, Z; Zhang, M; Hrycushko, B; Albuquerque, K; Jiang, S B; Jia, X

2016-01-01

Current clinical brachytherapy dose calculations are typically based on the Association of American Physicists in Medicine Task Group report 43 (TG-43) guidelines, which approximate patient geometry as an infinitely large water phantom. This ignores patient and applicator geometries and heterogeneities, causing dosimetric errors. Although Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculation is commonly recognized as the most accurate method, its associated long computational time is a major bottleneck for routine clinical applications. This article presents our recent developments of a fast MC dose calculation package for high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, gBMC, built on a graphics processing unit (GPU) platform. gBMC-simulated photon transport in voxelized geometry with physics in (192)Ir HDR brachytherapy energy range considered. A phase-space file was used as a source model. GPU-based parallel computation was used to simultaneously transport multiple photons, one on a GPU thread. We validated gBMC by comparing the dose calculation results in water with that computed TG-43. We also studied heterogeneous phantom cases and a patient case and compared gBMC results with Acuros BV results. Radial dose function in water calculated by gBMC showed <0.6% relative difference from that of the TG-43 data. Difference in anisotropy function was <1%. In two heterogeneous slab phantoms and one shielded cylinder applicator case, average dose discrepancy between gBMC and Acuros BV was <0.87%. For a tandem and ovoid patient case, good agreement between gBMC and Acruos BV results was observed in both isodose lines and dose-volume histograms. In terms of the efficiency, it took ∼47.5 seconds for gBMC to reach 0.15% statistical uncertainty within the 5% isodose line for the patient case. The accuracy and efficiency of a new GPU-based MC dose calculation package, gBMC, for HDR brachytherapy make it attractive for clinical applications. Copyright © 2016 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

77 FR 12213 - Fisheries of the Economic Exclusive Zone Off Alaska; Shallow-Water Species by Amendment 80...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-29

.... 101126522-0640-02] RIN 0648-XB044 Fisheries of the Economic Exclusive Zone Off Alaska; Shallow- Water...: NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for species that comprise the shallow-water species fishery by... shallow-water species fishery by Amendment 80 vessels in the GOA has been reached. DATES: Effective 1200...

Gleaning Structure from Sound: The Role of Prosodic Contrast in Learning Non-Adjacent Dependencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grama, Ileana C.; Kerkhoff, Annemarie; Wijnen, Frank

2016-01-01

The ability to detect non-adjacent dependencies (i.e. between "a" and "b" in "aXb") in spoken input may support the acquisition of morpho-syntactic dependencies (e.g. "The princess 'is' kiss'ing' the frog"). Functional morphemes in morpho-syntactic dependencies are often marked by perceptual cues that render…

77 FR 10668 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod for American Fisheries Act...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-23

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 679 [Docket No. 101126521-0640-02] RIN 0648-XB028 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod for American Fisheries Act Catcher/Processors Using Trawl Gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands...

77 FR 19144 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod for American Fisheries Act...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-30

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 679 [Docket No. 111213751-2102-02] RIN 0648-XB138 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod for American Fisheries Act Catcher/Processors Using Trawl Gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands...

76 FR 41536 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-14

.... Section X(a): Installation fees for new cabinets with power. 2. Section X(b): Installation fees for... period than the install timeframes. 3. Section X(c): Installation fees for cabinet power related to an order for a new cabinet. 4. Section X(d): Installation fees for cooling fans, perforated floor tiles and...

Clinical Implementation of a Model-Based In Vivo Dose Verification System for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy–Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy Treatments Using the Electronic Portal Imaging Device

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

McCowan, Peter M., E-mail: pmccowan@cancercare.mb.ca; Asuni, Ganiyu; Van Uytven, Eric

Purpose: To report findings from an in vivo dosimetry program implemented for all stereotactic body radiation therapy patients over a 31-month period and discuss the value and challenges of utilizing in vivo electronic portal imaging device (EPID) dosimetry clinically. Methods and Materials: From December 2013 to July 2016, 117 stereotactic body radiation therapy–volumetric modulated arc therapy patients (100 lung, 15 spine, and 2 liver) underwent 602 EPID-based in vivo dose verification events. A developed model-based dose reconstruction algorithm calculates the 3-dimensional dose distribution to the patient by back-projecting the primary fluence measured by the EPID during treatment. The EPID frame-averaging was optimized in Junemore » 2015. For each treatment, a 3%/3-mm γ comparison between our EPID-derived dose and the Eclipse AcurosXB–predicted dose to the planning target volume (PTV) and the ≥20% isodose volume were performed. Alert levels were defined as γ pass rates <85% (lung and liver) and <80% (spine). Investigations were carried out for all fractions exceeding the alert level and were classified as follows: EPID-related, algorithmic, patient setup, anatomic change, or unknown/unidentified errors. Results: The percentages of fractions exceeding the alert levels were 22.6% for lung before frame-average optimization and 8.0% for lung, 20.0% for spine, and 10.0% for liver after frame-average optimization. Overall, mean (± standard deviation) planning target volume γ pass rates were 90.7% ± 9.2%, 87.0% ± 9.3%, and 91.2% ± 3.4% for the lung, spine, and liver patients, respectively. Conclusions: Results from the clinical implementation of our model-based in vivo dose verification method using on-treatment EPID images is reported. The method is demonstrated to be valuable for routine clinical use for verifying delivered dose as well as for detecting errors.« less

77 FR 16307 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-20

... Change To Eliminate the 100MB Connectivity Option and Fee March 14, 2012. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of... Exchange proposes to eliminate 100MB connectivity between the Exchange and co-located servers, as well as..., Section X(b) to eliminate 100MB connectivity between the Exchange and co-located servers, as well as...

Efficient Scores, Variance Decompositions and Monte Carlo Swindles.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-08-28

to ;r Then a version .of Pythagoras ’ theorem gives the variance decomposition (6.1) varT var S var o(T-S) P P0 0 0 One way to see this is to note...complete sufficient statistics for (B, a) , and that the standard- ized residuals a(y - XB) 6 are ancillary. Basu’s sufficiency- ancillarity theorem

76 FR 55995 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-09

... direct connection requires Phlx to provide cabinet space and middleware for those customers' third-party...). \\4\\ Id. at page 4 and page 8. \\5\\ Id. \\6\\ Id. \\7\\ See Exchange Fee Schedule, Section X(b... customers who are not co-located in the Exchange's data center, but require shared cabinet space and power...

Effects of ozone (0.30 parts per million, ~600 ug/m\\0xB3) on sedentary men representative of airline passengers and cockpit crewmembers.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1980-03-01

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of 0.30 ppmv ozone on 40 men representative of airline pilots. All were medically fit; 20 were smokers and 20 were nonsmokers. : Subjects were divided into two age groups, 40-49 years and 50-59 years...

Modeling of plasma distortions by laser-induced ablation spectroscopy (LIAS) and implications for the interpretation of LIAS measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokar, M. Z.; Gierse, N.; Philipps, V.; Samm, U.

2015-09-01

For the interpretation of the line radiation observed from laser induced ablation spectroscopy (LIAS) such parameters as the density and temperature of electrons within very compact clouds of atoms and singly charged ions of ablated material have to be known. Compared to the local plasma conditions prior to the laser pulse, these can be strongly changed during LIAS since new electrons are generated by the ionisation of particles ejected from the irradiated target. Because of their transience and spatial inhomogeneity it is technically difficult to measure disturbances induced in the plasma by LIAS. To overcome this uncertainty a numerical model has been elaborated, providing a self-consistent description for the spreading of ablated particles and accompanying modifications in the plasma. The results of calculations for LIAS performed on carbon-containing targets in Ohmic and additionally heated discharges in the tokamak TEXTOR are presented. Due to the increase in the electron density the ‘ionisation per photon’ ratio, S/XB factor, is significantly enhanced compared to unperturbed plasma conditions. The impact of the amount of material ablated and of the plasma conditions before LIAS on the level of the S/XB-enhancement is investigated.

Synthesis, crystal structure investigation and magnetism of the complex metal-rich boride series Crx(Rh1-yRuy)7-xB3 (x=0.88-1; y=0-1) with Th7Fe3-type structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misse, Patrick R. N.; Mbarki, Mohammed; Fokwa, Boniface P. T.

2012-08-01

Powder samples and single crystals of the new complex boride series Crx(Rh1-yRuy)7-xB3 (x=0.88-1; y=0-1) have been synthesized by arc-melting the elements under purified argon atmosphere on a water-cooled copper crucible. The products, which have metallic luster, were structurally characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction as well as EDX measurements. Within the whole solid solution range the hexagonal Th7Fe3 structure type (space group P63mc, no. 186, Z=2) was identified. Single-crystal structure refinement results indicate the presence of chromium at two sites (6c and 2b) of the available three metal Wyckoff sites, with a pronounced preference for the 6c site. An unexpected Rh/Ru site preference was found in the Ru-rich region only, leading to two different magnetic behaviors in the solid solution: The Rh-rich region shows a temperature-independent (Pauli) paramagnetism whereas an additional temperature-dependent paramagnetic component is found in the Ru-rich region.

Explorations on TiOsX (X=B, C, N, O and Si) alloys for potential superhard materials from first-principle calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Junyan; Zhang, Bo; Zhan, Yongzhong

2017-05-01

Using the first-principle calculations, we gained a deep insight of the structural, mechanical, electronic and thermal properties of the TiOs and TiOs-X (X=B, C, N, O and Si) compounds. The calculated results of formation enthalpy Hform and ternary transfer energy EXOs → Ti illustrate that O element exhibits strong Os site preference and all the compounds here are structurally stable. The results of mechanical properties confirm that there is no superhard character in those intermetallics which are mechanically stable. It is noted that the Ti7Os8Si possesses the best mechanical properties. All the compounds here show elastic anisotropy, and the Ti8Os7O exhibits the strongest elastic anisotropy, while the Ti8Os7Si strongly tends to be isotropic. There exists a mixture of covalent, ionic and metallic characters in these compounds. The covalent bond strength of Ti7Os8X is supposed to be better than that of the corresponding Ti8Os7X. Moreover, the minimum thermal conductivity kmin of these compounds are comparatively small and show dependence of directions, and they have potential thermal-insulating application in engineering.

Equivalent Longitudinal Area Distributions of the B-58 and XB-70-1 Airplanes for Use in Wave Drag and Sonic Boom Calculations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tinetti, Ana F.; Maglieri, Domenic J.; Driver, Cornelius; Bobbitt, Percy J.

2011-01-01

A detailed geometric description, in wave drag format, has been developed for the Convair B-58 and North American XB-70-1 delta wing airplanes. These descriptions have been placed on electronic files, the contents of which are described in this paper They are intended for use in wave drag and sonic boom calculations. Included in the electronic file and in the present paper are photographs and 3-view drawings of the two airplanes, tabulated geometric descriptions of each vehicle and its components, and comparisons of the electronic file outputs with existing data. The comparisons include a pictorial of the two airplanes based on the present geometric descriptions, and cross-sectional area distributions for both the normal Mach cuts and oblique Mach cuts above and below the vehicles. Good correlation exists between the area distributions generated in the late 1950s and 1960s and the present files. The availability of these electronic files facilitates further validation of sonic boom prediction codes through the use of two existing data bases on these airplanes, which were acquired in the 1960s and have not been fully exploited.

Effect of magnetic field annealing on soft magnetic properties of Co71Fe2Si14-xB9+xMn4 amorphous alloys with low permeability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Xingdu; Li, Meng; Zhang, Tao; Yuan, Chenchen; Shen, Baolong

2018-05-01

The effect of transverse magnetic field annealing (TFA) on soft magnetic properties of Co71Fe2Si14-xB9+xMn4 amorphous alloys was investigated with the aim of reducing effective permeability (μe). It was revealed that the increasing B content improved thermal stability, increased saturation magnetic flux density (Bs) of as-quenched alloys, while the samples exhibited a slightly larger coercivity (Hc) when the atom percentages of Si and B were similar. Permeability decreased dramatically after TFA. The decrease of permeability mainly depended on annealing temperature and magnetic field intensity. Besides, flat hysteresis loops were obtained after TFA, Lorentz micrograph observation revealed the TFA sample exhibited denser magnetic domain walls, which confirmed it was more difficult to be saturated. The Co71Fe2Si9B14Mn4 alloy was successful prepared with low μe of 3020, low Hc of 1.7 A/m and high resistance to DC bias 6 times that of as-quenched alloy at the DC field of 300 A/m.

Development of a Grid-Based Gyro-Kinetic Simulation Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapillonne, Xavier; Brunetti, Maura; Tran, Trach-Minh; Brunner, Stephan

2006-10-01

A grid-based semi-Lagrangian code using cubic spline interpolation is being developed at CRPP, for solving the electrostatic drift-kinetic equations [M. Brunetti et. al, Comp. Phys. Comm. 163, 1 (2004)] in a cylindrical system. This 4-dim code, CYGNE, is part of a project with long term aim of studying microturbulence in toroidal fusion devices, in the more general frame of gyro-kinetic equations. Towards their non-linear phase, the simulations from this code are subject to significant overshoot problems, reflected by the development of negative value regions of the distribution function, which leads to bad energy conservation. This has motivated the study of alternative schemes. On the one hand, new time integration algorithms are considered in the semi-Lagrangian frame. On the other hand, fully Eulerian schemes, which separate time and space discretisation (method of lines), are investigated. In particular, the Essentially Non Oscillatory (ENO) approach, constructed so as to minimize the overshoot problem, has been considered. All these methods have first been tested in the simpler case of the 2-dim guiding-center model for the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, which enables to address the specific issue of the E xB drift also met in the more complex gyrokinetic-type equations. Based on these preliminary studies, the most promising methods are being implemented and tested in CYGNE.

Sarcomere mechanics in uniform and non-uniform cardiac muscle: a link between pump function and arrhythmias.

PubMed

ter Keurs, Henk E D J; Shinozaki, Tsuyoshi; Zhang, Ying Ming; Zhang, Mei Luo; Wakayama, Yuji; Sugai, Yoshinao; Kagaya, Yutaka; Miura, Masahito; Boyden, Penelope A; Stuyvers, Bruno D M; Landesberg, Amir

2008-01-01

Starling's Law and the well-known end-systolic pressure-volume relationship (ESPVR) of the left ventricle reflect the effect of sarcomere length (SL) on stress (sigma) development and shortening by myocytes in the uniform ventricle. We show here that tetanic contractions of rat cardiac trabeculae exhibit a sigma-SL relationship at saturating [Ca2+] that depends on sarcomere geometry in a manner similar to skeletal sarcomeres and the existence of opposing forces in cardiac muscle shortened below slack length. The sigma-SL-[Ca2+]free relationships (sigma-SL-CaR) at submaximal [Ca2+] in intact and skinned trabeculae were similar, albeit that the sensitivity for Ca2+ of intact muscle was higher. We analyzed the mechanisms underlying the sigma-SL-CaR using a kinetic model where we assumed that the rates of Ca2+ binding by Troponin-C (Tn-C) and/or cross-bridge (XB) cycling are determined by SL, [Ca2+] or stress. We analyzed the correlation between the model results and steady state stress measurements at varied SL and [Ca2+] from skinned rat cardiac trabeculae to test the hypotheses that: (i) the dominant feedback mechanism is SL, stress or [Ca2+]-dependent; and (ii) the feedback mechanism regulates: Tn-C-Ca2+ affinity, XB kinetics or, unitary XB-force. The analysis strongly suggests that feedback of the number of strong XBs to cardiac Tn-C-Ca2+ affinity is the dominant mechanism that regulates XB recruitment. Application of this concept in a mathematical model of twitch-stress accurately reproduced the sigma-SL-CaR and the time course of twitch-stress as well as the time course of intracellular [Ca2+]i. Modeling of the response of the cardiac twitch to rapid stress changes using the above feedback model uniquely predicted the occurrence of [Ca2+]i transients as a result of accelerated Ca2+ dissociation from Tn-C. The above concept has important repercussions for the non-uniformly contracting heart in which arrhythmogenic Ca2+ waves arise from weakened areas in cardiac muscle. These Ca2+ waves can reversibly be induced in muscle with non-uniform excitation contraction coupling (ECC) by the cycle of stretch and release in the border zone between the damaged and intact regions. Stimulus trains induced propagating Ca2+ waves and reversibly induced arrhythmias. We hypothesize that rapid force loss by sarcomeres in the border zone during relaxation causes Ca2+ release from Tn-C and initiates Ca2+ waves propagated by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). These observations suggest the unifying hypothesis that force feedback to Ca2+ binding by Tn-C is responsible for Starling's Law and the ESPVR in uniform myocardium and leads in non-uniform myocardium to a surge of Ca2+ released by the myofilaments during relaxation, which initiates arrhythmogenic propagating Ca2+ release by the SR.

Liquid Rocket Booster (LRB) for the Space Transportation System (STS) systems study. Appendix A: Stress analysis report for the pump-fed and pressure-fed liquid rocket booster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

Pressure effects on the pump-fed Liquid Rocket Booster (LRB) of the Space Transportation System are examined. Results from the buckling tests; bending moments tests; barrel, propellant tanks, frame XB1513, nose cone, and intertank tests; and finite element examination of forward and aft skirts are presented.

78 FR 2672 - Application for Final Commitment for a Long-Term Loan or Financial Guarantee in Excess of $100...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-14

... EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES [Public Notice: 2013-0101] Application for Final..., AP078595XB AGENCY: Export-Import Bank of the United States. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This Notice is to inform the public, in accordance with Section 3(c)(10) of the Charter of the Export-Import Bank of the United...

78 FR 78955 - Application for Final Commitment for a Long-Term Loan or Financial Guarantee in Excess of $100...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-27

... EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES [Public Notice: 2013-0060] Application for Final... AP088412XB AGENCY: Export-Import Bank of the United States. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This Notice is to inform the public, in accordance with Section 3(c)(10) of the Charter of the Export-Import Bank of the United...

Study of Turbulence and Radial Electric Field Transitions in ASDEX Upgrade using Doppler Reflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conway, Garrard

2006-10-01

The radial electric field is recognised as an important factor in the performance of magnetically confined fusion plasmas. On ASDEX Upgrade microwave Doppler reflectometry has been developed to directly measure Er profiles, its shear and its fluctuations. Here a poloidally tilted antenna selects via Bragg a specific turbulence wavenumber giving a frequency shift directly proportional to the perpendicular rotation velocity u= vE xB+ vturb of the turbulence moving in the plasma. Turbulence simulations show vE xBvturb allowing simple extraction of Er with good accuracy. In the scrape-off-layer Er is positive, but reverses across the separatrix due to the pedestal pressure gradient to form a negative well. The strength of the well scales directly with confinement, typically -50V/cm for ohmic/L-mode, rising to -300V/cm for H-mode and in excess of -500V/cm for improved H-modes. Without NBI vE xB vturb which allows the turbulence behaviour to be investigated. For example the core rotation reverses from ion to electron direction when plasma collisionality is raised while matched gyro-kinetic turbulence simulations show the dominant turbulence changing from TEM to ITG with corresponding vturb reversal, which implies the core Er reverses sign with the turbulence. Also of major importance to confinement are zonal flows and GAMs - radially localised oscillating E xB flows. Er fluctuations directly measured by Doppler refl. reveal coherent modes in the edge gradient region where turbulence vorticity and Er shear are largest. The mode frequency scales as sound speed over major radius but is sensitive to plasma shape and local q. So far GAMs have not been seen in H-modes, nor in the plasma core. In each topic, the synergetic combination of experiment, theory and numerical simulation aids interpretation shows Er is interlinked with turbulence and the mean plasma profiles. Collaborators: J.Schirmer, W.Suttrop, C.Angioni, R.Dux, F.Jenko, E.Holzhauer, S.Klenge, B.Kurzan, C.Maggi, A.G.Peeters, M.Reich, F.Ryter, B.Scott, C.Tr"oster, E.Wolfrum, H.Zohm and the ASDEX Upgrade Team.

Sarcomeric protein modification during adrenergic stress enhances cross-bridge kinetics and cardiac output

PubMed Central

Gresham, Kenneth S.; Mamidi, Ranganath; Li, Jiayang; Kwak, Hyerin

2017-01-01

Molecular adaptations to chronic neurohormonal stress, including sarcomeric protein cleavage and phosphorylation, provide a mechanism to increase ventricular contractility and enhance cardiac output, yet the link between sarcomeric protein modifications and changes in myocardial function remains unclear. To examine the effects of neurohormonal stress on posttranslational modifications of sarcomeric proteins, mice were administered combined α- and β-adrenergic receptor agonists (isoproterenol and phenylephrine, IPE) for 14 days using implantable osmotic pumps. In addition to significant cardiac hypertrophy and increased maximal ventricular pressure, IPE treatment accelerated pressure development and relaxation (74% increase in dP/dtmax and 14% decrease in τ), resulting in a 52% increase in cardiac output compared with saline (SAL)-treated mice. Accelerated pressure development was maintained when accounting for changes in heart rate and preload, suggesting that myocardial adaptations contribute to enhanced ventricular contractility. Ventricular myocardium isolated from IPE-treated mice displayed a significant reduction in troponin I (TnI) and myosin-binding protein C (MyBP-C) expression and a concomitant increase in the phosphorylation levels of the remaining TnI and MyBP-C protein compared with myocardium isolated from saline-treated control mice. Skinned myocardium isolated from IPE-treated mice displayed a significant acceleration in the rate of cross-bridge (XB) detachment (46% increase) and an enhanced magnitude of XB recruitment (43% increase) at submaximal Ca2+ activation compared with SAL-treated mice but unaltered myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity of force generation. These findings demonstrate that sarcomeric protein modifications during neurohormonal stress are molecular adaptations that enhance in vivo ventricular contractility through accelerated XB kinetics to increase cardiac output. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Posttranslational modifications to sarcomeric regulatory proteins provide a mechanism to modulate cardiac function in response to stress. In this study, we demonstrate that neurohormonal stress produces modifications to myosin-binding protein C and troponin I, including a reduction in protein expression within the sarcomere and increased phosphorylation of the remaining protein, which serve to enhance cross-bridge kinetics and increase cardiac output. These findings highlight the importance of sarcomeric regulatory protein modifications in modulating ventricular function during cardiac stress. PMID:27909224

Sarcomeric protein modification during adrenergic stress enhances cross-bridge kinetics and cardiac output.

PubMed

Gresham, Kenneth S; Mamidi, Ranganath; Li, Jiayang; Kwak, Hyerin; Stelzer, Julian E

2017-03-01

Molecular adaptations to chronic neurohormonal stress, including sarcomeric protein cleavage and phosphorylation, provide a mechanism to increase ventricular contractility and enhance cardiac output, yet the link between sarcomeric protein modifications and changes in myocardial function remains unclear. To examine the effects of neurohormonal stress on posttranslational modifications of sarcomeric proteins, mice were administered combined α- and β-adrenergic receptor agonists (isoproterenol and phenylephrine, IPE) for 14 days using implantable osmotic pumps. In addition to significant cardiac hypertrophy and increased maximal ventricular pressure, IPE treatment accelerated pressure development and relaxation (74% increase in dP/d t max and 14% decrease in τ), resulting in a 52% increase in cardiac output compared with saline (SAL)-treated mice. Accelerated pressure development was maintained when accounting for changes in heart rate and preload, suggesting that myocardial adaptations contribute to enhanced ventricular contractility. Ventricular myocardium isolated from IPE-treated mice displayed a significant reduction in troponin I (TnI) and myosin-binding protein C (MyBP-C) expression and a concomitant increase in the phosphorylation levels of the remaining TnI and MyBP-C protein compared with myocardium isolated from saline-treated control mice. Skinned myocardium isolated from IPE-treated mice displayed a significant acceleration in the rate of cross-bridge (XB) detachment (46% increase) and an enhanced magnitude of XB recruitment (43% increase) at submaximal Ca 2+ activation compared with SAL-treated mice but unaltered myofilament Ca 2+ sensitivity of force generation. These findings demonstrate that sarcomeric protein modifications during neurohormonal stress are molecular adaptations that enhance in vivo ventricular contractility through accelerated XB kinetics to increase cardiac output. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Posttranslational modifications to sarcomeric regulatory proteins provide a mechanism to modulate cardiac function in response to stress. In this study, we demonstrate that neurohormonal stress produces modifications to myosin-binding protein C and troponin I, including a reduction in protein expression within the sarcomere and increased phosphorylation of the remaining protein, which serve to enhance cross-bridge kinetics and increase cardiac output. These findings highlight the importance of sarcomeric regulatory protein modifications in modulating ventricular function during cardiac stress. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Immunologic Intervention in HIV Infection: Anti-Polymerase Responses and Hormonal Regulation

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-09-01

chronic human immunodeficiency virus infection is blocked in vitro by a methylphosphonate oligodeoxynucleoside targeted to a U3/enhancer element. J...Grimison B, Gonenne A. 1992. Effect of recombinant human growth hormone on acute and chronic human immunodeficiency virus infection in vitro. Blood 79...Kong X-B, Chou T-C. Interactions of recombinant human growth hormone with dideoxynucleoside inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus. Blood, in

Sonic boom signature data from cruciform microphone array experiments during the 1966-1967 EAFB national sonic boom evaluation program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hubbard, H. H.; Maglieri, D. J.

1990-01-01

Tables are provided of measured sonic boom signature data derived from supersonic flyover tests of the XB-70, B-58 and F-104 aircraft for ranges of altitude and Mach number. These tables represent a convenient hard copy version of available electronic files and complement preliminary information included in a reference National Sonic Boom Evaluation Office document.

Ocean Remote Sensing Using Ambient Noise

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

and other adaptive array processing methods. OBJECTIVES Work on this project has focused on noise interferometry – the process by which an...measured at xA and xB. In that context, our objective is to investigate and identify the limitations of noise interferometry for remote sensing...and 6 is ongoing. 1. Demonstration of noise interferometry at 10 km range in a shallow water environment Recently conducted experiments in the

The inter-ELM tungsten erosion profile in DIII-D H-mode discharges and benchmarking with ERO+OEDGE modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrams, T.; Ding, R.; Guo, H. Y.; Thomas, D. M.; Chrobak, C. P.; Rudakov, D. L.; McLean, A. G.; Unterberg, E. A.; Briesemeister, A. R.; Stangeby, P. C.; Elder, J. D.; Wampler, W. R.; Watkins, J. G.

2017-05-01

It is important to develop a predictive capability for the tungsten source rate near the strike points during H-mode operation in ITER and beyond. H-mode deuterium plasma exposures were performed on W-coated graphite and molybdenum substrates in the DIII-D divertor using DiMES. The W-I 400.9 nm spectral line was monitored by fast filtered diagnostics cross calibrated via a high-resolution spectrometer to resolve inter-ELM W erosion. The effective ionization/photon (S/XB) was calibrated using a unique method developed on DIII-D based on surface analysis. Inferred S/XB values agree with an existing empirical scaling at low electron density (n e) but diverge at higher densities, consistent with recent ADAS atomic physics modeling results. Edge modeling of the inter-ELM phase is conducted via OEDGE utilizing the new capability for charge-state resolved carbon impurity fluxes. ERO modeling is performed with the calculated main ion and impurity plasma background from OEDGE. ERO results demonstrate the importance a mixed-material surface model in the interpretation of W sourcing measurements. It is demonstrated that measured inter-ELM W erosion rates can be well explained by C→W sputtering only if a realistic mixed material model is incorporated.

Comparative analysis of seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis regarding some epidemiological and anamnestic characteristics.

PubMed

Sahatçiu-Meka, Vjollca; Izairi, Remzi; Rexhepi, Sylejman; Manxhuka-Kerliu, Suzana

2007-01-01

Classifying patients into two subsets of the disease--seronegative RA and seropositive RA--has been the subject of many studies which aim to clarify this phenomenon--without any conclusive or acceptable answer so far. The aim of this prospective study was to establish a scientific comparative analysis between seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding some epidemiological and anamnestic characteristics. The studied group consisted of seronegative patients with titers lower than 1:64 as defined by Rose-Waaler test, while the control group consisted of seropositive patients with titers of 1:64 or higher. All patients belonged to 2nd and 3rd functional class according to the ARA criteria, were between 25-60 years of age (Xb=49.96), with disease duration between 1-27 years (Xb=6.41). Education, residence, economic and living conditions did not show any significant statistical difference regarding serostatus. Familial clustering of RA confirmed higher susceptibility in the seropositive group (chi2=7.02; p<0.01). In both subsets banal diseases, psychic and physical trauma, weakness, and numbness of hands and legs dominated, without any statistical differenceregarding serostatus. Some differences between groups regarding sex were noticed, but were not statistically significant, except regarding physical trauma, which was more present in seronegative females (chi2=8.05; p<0.01).

The Influence of Phonons and Phonon Decay on the Optical Properties of GaN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, D. Y.; Basavaraj, M.; Nikishin, S. A.; Holtz, M.; Soukhoveev, V.; Usikov, A.; Dmitriev, V.

2006-03-01

The temperature dependences of vibrational and optical properties of high-quality GaN are studied using Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies in the range 20 to 325 K. The Raman-active A1(LO) phonon has temperature dependence described well by combined two- and three-phonon decay. The temperature dependences of E2^2 phonon are almost entirely dominated by the thermal expansion, and the contribution of three-phonon decay process is very small throughout interested temperature range. The shallow neutral donor-bound exciton (D^0,X) and two free excitons (XA and XB) are observed at low temperatrue PL spectra. Also seen are two A1(LO) phonon sidebands (PSBs), originating from the XB free exciton, with the characteristic asymmetry attributed to interactions between discrete and continuum states. Analysis of the band-edge excitons reveals that energy gap shrinkage and exciton linewidths are completely described based on electron-phonon interactions with phonon properties consistent with the Raman analysis. First and second PSBs have temperature dependence associated with the A1(LO) phonon. The shift, broadening, and asymmetry of the PSBs are explained by Segall-Mahan theory adding the decay mechanism of A1(LO) phonon and the exciton broadening from electron-phonon interactions. Work at Texas Tech University supported by National Science Foundation grant ECS-0323640.

Gluon structure function of a color dipole in the light-cone limit of lattice QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grünewald, D.; Ilgenfritz, E.-M.; Pirner, H. J.

2009-10-01

We calculate the gluon structure function of a color dipole in near-light-cone SU(2) lattice QCD as a function of xB. The quark and antiquark are external nondynamical degrees of freedom which act as sources of the gluon string configuration defining the dipole. We compute the color dipole matrix element of transversal chromo-electric and chromo-magnetic field operators separated along a direction close to the light cone, the Fourier transform of which is the gluon structure function. As vacuum state in the pure glue sector, we use a variational ground state of the near-light-cone Hamiltonian. We derive a recursion relation for the gluon structure function on the lattice similar to the perturbative Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi equation. It depends on the number of transversal links assembling the Schwinger string of the dipole. Fixing the mean momentum fraction of the gluons to the “experimental value” in a proton, we compare our gluon structure function for a dipole state with four links with the next-to-leading-order MRST 2002 and the CTEQ AB-0 parametrizations at Q2=1.5GeV2. Within the systematic uncertainty we find rather good agreement. We also discuss the low xB behavior of the gluon structure function in our model calculation.

The iron complex in high mass X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giménez-García, A.; Torrejón, J. M.; Martínez-Núñez, S.; Rodes-Rocas, J. J.; Bernabéu, G.

2013-05-01

An X-ray binary system consists of a compact object (a white dwarf, a neutron star or a black hole) accreting material from an optical companion star. The spectral type of the optical component strongly affects the mass transfer to the compact object. This is the reason why X-ray binary systems are usually divided in High Mass X-ray Binaries (companion O or B type, denoted HMXB) and Low Mass X-ray Binaries (companion type A or later). The HMXB are divided depending on the partner's luminosity class in two main groups: the Supergiant X-ray Binaries (SGXB) and Be X-ray Binaries (BeXB). We introduce the spectral characterization of a sample of 9 High Mass X-ray Binaries in the iron complex (˜ 6-7 keV). This spectral range is a fundamental tool in the study of the surrounding material of these systems. The sources have been divided into three main groups according to their current standard classification: SGXB, BeXB and γ Cassiopeae-like. The purpose of this work is to look for qualitative patterns in the iron complex, around 6-7 keV, in order to discern between current different classes that make up the group of HMXB. We find significant spectral patterns for each of the sets, reflecting differences in accretion physics thereof.

SU-E-T-459: Impact of Source Position and Traveling Time On HDR Skin Surface Applicator Dosimetry

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

Jeong, J; Barker, C; Zaider, M

Purpose: Observed dosimetric discrepancy between measured and treatment planning system (TPS) predicted values, during applicator commissioning, were traced to source position uncertainty in the applicator. We quantify the dosimetric impact of this geometric uncertainty, and of the source traveling time inside the applicator, and propose corrections for clinical use. Methods: We measured the dose profiles from the Varian Leipzig-style (horizontal) HDR skin applicator, using EBT3 film, photon diode, and optically stimulated luminescence dosimeter (OSLD) and three different GammaMed HDR afterloders. The dose profiles and depth dose of each aperture were measured at several depths (up to about 10 mm, dependingmore » on the dosimeter). The measured dose profiles were compared with Acuros calculated profiles in BrachyVision TPS. For the impact of the source position, EBT3 film measurements were performed with applicator, facing-down and facing-up orientations. The dose with and without source traveling was measured with diode detector using HDR timer and electrometer timer, respectively. Results: Depth doses measured using the three dosimeters were in good agreement, but were consistently higher than the Acuros dose calculations. Measurements with the applicator facing-up were significantly lower than those in the facing-down position with maximum difference of about 18% at the surface, due to source sag inside the applicator. Based on the inverse-square law, the effective source sag was evaluated to be about 0.5 mm from the planned position. The additional dose from the source traveling was about 2.8% for 30 seconds with 10 Ci source, decreasing with increased dwelling time and decreased source activity. Conclusion: Due to the short source-to-surface distance of the applicator, the small source sag inside the applicator has significant dosimetric impact, which should be considered before the clinical use of the applicator. Investigation of the effect for other applicators that have relatively large source lumen inner diameter may be warranted. Christopher Barker and Gil’ad Cohen are receiving research support for a study of skin surface brachytherapy from Elekta.« less

77 FR 13510 - Pacific Cod by Catcher Vessels Less Than 50 Feet (15.2 Meters) Length Overall Using Hook-and-Line...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-07

.... 101126522-0640-2] RIN 0648-XB062 Pacific Cod by Catcher Vessels Less Than 50 Feet (15.2 Meters) Length... (CVs) less than 50 feet (15.2 meters (m)) in length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line gear in the... season allowance of the 2012 Pacific cod total allowable catch apportioned to CVs less than 50 feet (15.2...

77 FR 16949 - Pacific Cod by Catcher Vessels Greater Than or Equal to 50 Feet (15.2 Meters) Length Overall...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-23

.... 111207737-2141-02] RIN 0648-XB112 Pacific Cod by Catcher Vessels Greater Than or Equal to 50 Feet (15.2... catcher vessels (CVs) greater than or equal to 50 feet (15.2 meters (m)) in length overall (LOA) using... to CVs greater than or equal to 50 feet (15.2 m) LOA using hook-and-line gear in the Central...

Research Overview and Analysis.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

they have the infrastructure in place to respond to a signi- ficant increase in demand for the development of metric standards should such a demand...Conversion of Standards: The Views of Nine Selected Major Standards Development Bodies, U.S. Metric Board, in press (1982). A Study of Metric Conversion...Reports Developed under Contract AA-80-SAC-XB604 4--Office of Public Awareness and Education 5--Three Reports Developed under Contract AA-80-SAC-X8602

A variational ensemble scheme for noisy image data assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yin; Robinson, Cordelia; Heitz, Dominique; Mémin, Etienne

2014-05-01

Data assimilation techniques aim at recovering a system state variables trajectory denoted as X, along time from partially observed noisy measurements of the system denoted as Y. These procedures, which couple dynamics and noisy measurements of the system, fulfill indeed a twofold objective. On one hand, they provide a denoising - or reconstruction - procedure of the data through a given model framework and on the other hand, they provide estimation procedures for unknown parameters of the dynamics. A standard variational data assimilation problem can be formulated as the minimization of the following objective function with respect to the initial discrepancy, η, from the background initial guess: δ« J(η(x)) = 1∥Xb (x) - X (t ,x)∥2 + 1 tf∥H(X (t,x ))- Y (t,x)∥2dt. 2 0 0 B 2 t0 R (1) where the observation operator H links the state variable and the measurements. The cost function can be interpreted as the log likelihood function associated to the a posteriori distribution of the state given the past history of measurements and the background. In this work, we aim at studying ensemble based optimal control strategies for data assimilation. Such formulation nicely combines the ingredients of ensemble Kalman filters and variational data assimilation (4DVar). It is also formulated as the minimization of the objective function (1), but similarly to ensemble filter, it introduces in its objective function an empirical ensemble-based background-error covariance defined as: B ≡ <(Xb - )(Xb - )T>. (2) Thus, it works in an off-line smoothing mode rather than on the fly like sequential filters. Such resulting ensemble variational data assimilation technique corresponds to a relatively new family of methods [1,2,3]. It presents two main advantages: first, it does not require anymore to construct the adjoint of the dynamics tangent linear operator, which is a considerable advantage with respect to the method's implementation, and second, it enables the handling of a flow-dependent background error covariance matrix that can be consistently adjusted to the background error. These nice advantages come however at the cost of a reduced rank modeling of the solution space. The B matrix is at most of rank N - 1 (N is the size of the ensemble) which is considerably lower than the dimension of state space. This rank deficiency may introduce spurious correlation errors, which particularly impact the quality of results associated with a high resolution computing grid. The common strategy to suppress these distant correlations for ensemble Kalman techniques is through localization procedures. In this paper we present key theoretical properties associated to different choices of methods involved in this setup and compare with an incremental 4DVar method experimentally the performances of several variations of an ensemble technique of interest. The comparisons have been led on the basis of a Shallow Water model and have been carried out both with synthetic data and real observations. We particularly addressed the potential pitfalls and advantages of the different methods. The results indicate an advantage in favor of the ensemble technique both in quality and computational cost when dealing with incomplete observations. We highlight as the premise of using ensemble variational assimilation, that the initial perturbation used to build the initial ensemble has to fit the physics of the observed phenomenon . We also apply the method to a stochastic shallow-water model which incorporate an uncertainty expression if the subgrid stress tensor related to the ensemble spread. References [1] A. C. Lorenc, The potential of the ensemble kalman filter for nwp - a comparison with 4d-var, Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., Vol. 129, pp. 3183-3203, 2003. [2] C. Liu, Q. Xiao, and B. Wang, An Ensemble-Based Four-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation Scheme. Part I: Technical Formulation and Preliminary Test, Mon. Wea. Rev., Vol. 136(9), pp. 3363-3373, 2008. [3] M. Buehner, Ensemble-derived stationary and flow-dependent background-error covariances: Evaluation in a quasi- operational NWP setting, Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., Vol. 131(607), pp. 1013-1043, April 2005.

Extra-articular manifestations of seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Sahatciu-Meka, Vjollca; Rexhepi, Sylejman; Manxhuka-Kerliu, Suzana; Rexhepi, Mjellma

2010-02-01

Although considered a "joint disease," rheumatoid arthritis is associated with the involvement of extra-articular manifestations. The aim of the study is the investigation and comparison of frequency and type of extra-articular manifestations in a well defined community based cohort of patients with seropositive and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. Using the ACR (1987) criteria for rheumatoid arthritis, patients have been classified into the 2nd and 3rd functional class (ARA). The studied group consisted of 125 seronegative patients with titters lower than 1:64 as defined by Rose-Waaler test, whereas the control group consisted of 125 seropositive patients with titters of 1:64 or higher. All patients were between 25-60 years of age (Xb=49,96), with disease duration between 1-27 years (Xb=6,41). In order to present the findings of the study, the structure, prevalence, arithmetic mean (Xb), standard deviation (SB), variation quotient (QV%) and variation interval (Rmax-Rmin) have been used. Probability level has been expressed by p<0,01 and p<0,05. Correlation between the number of extra-articular manifestations and duration of the disease has been calculated by means of Pearson linear correlation. Higher presence of diffuse lung fibrosis, central and peripheral nervous system damages have been confirmed in the seropositive group, and osteoporosis in the seronegative; however, no statistical difference has been found. In extra-articular manifestations, "rheumatoid core" in the seropositive subset (chi2=4,80, p<0,05) presented significant statistical difference. Rheumatoid nodules were more frequent in seropositive subset (12%:16%), in both sexes; however, they were not of significant statistical difference. Neuropathy and lung diseases were also frequently present in seropositive group, but no statistical difference has been found regarding the statistical difference. Longer duration of the disease resulted in an increase of the number of extra-articular manifestations. Calculated linear correlation by Pearson, resulted as positive and high correlation in total (r=0,36, p<0,01), and for groups [(r=0,52, p<0,01) seronegative, (r=0,25, p<0,01) seropositive], nevertheless no significant statistical difference was found regarding the sero-status. In conclusion, extra-articular manifestations are more frequent in the seropositive patients. The longer the duration of the disease the larger the number of extra-articular manifestations. Differences with regard to sero-status and sex, with some exceptions, are not observed.

Topological Entropy Measure of Artificial Grammar Complexity for Use in Designing Experiments on Human Performance in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Tasks

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-02

grammar may be stated as AA 6→ AA, so not form AAA xB 6→ BB, so not form xBB xS 6→ SS, so not form xSS SA 6→ AB, so not form SAB BA 6→ AS, so not form BAS... 350 . Dienes, Z., & Scott, R. (2005). Measuring Unconscious Knowledge: Distinguishing Structural Knowledge and Judgment Knowledge. Psychological

$$X_{b}$$ Search and Measurement of the $Y(1)$, $(2S)$ and $Y(3S)$ Polarization

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

Marino, Claudia

There are two studies presented in this analysis. The rst one is the measurement of the Υ(1S), Υ(2S) and Υ(3S) polarization in two orthogonal frames: the helicity and the Collins-Soper frame. The second is the search for a possible bottom counterpart of the X(3872) which would show up as a narrow resonance in the Υ(1S)π + π - nal state.

Synthetic alienation of microbial organisms by using genetic code engineering: Why and how?

PubMed

Kubyshkin, Vladimir; Budisa, Nediljko

2017-08-01

The main goal of synthetic biology (SB) is the creation of biodiversity applicable for biotechnological needs, while xenobiology (XB) aims to expand the framework of natural chemistries with the non-natural building blocks in living cells to accomplish artificial biodiversity. Protein and proteome engineering, which overcome limitation of the canonical amino acid repertoire of 20 (+2) prescribed by the genetic code by using non-canonic amino acids (ncAAs), is one of the main focuses of XB research. Ideally, estranging the genetic code from its current form via systematic introduction of ncAAs should enable the development of bio-containment mechanisms in synthetic cells potentially endowing them with a "genetic firewall" i.e. orthogonality which prevents genetic information transfer to natural systems. Despite rapid progress over the past two decades, it is not yet possible to completely alienate an organism that would use and maintain different genetic code associations permanently. In order to engineer robust bio-contained life forms, the chemical logic behind the amino acid repertoire establishment should be considered. Starting from recent proposal of Hartman and Smith about the genetic code establishment in the RNA world, here the authors mapped possible biotechnological invasion points for engineering of bio-contained synthetic cells equipped with non-canonical functionalities. Copyright © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Kinetic simulations of X-B and O-X-B mode conversion and its deterioration at high input power

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

Arefiev, A. V.; Dodin, I. Y.; Kohn, A.

Spherical tokamak plasmas are typically overdense and thus inaccessible to externally-injected microwaves in the electron cyclotron range. The electrostatic electron Bernstein wave (EBW), however, provides a method to access the plasma core for heating and diagnostic purposes. Understanding the details of the coupling process to electromagnetic waves is thus important both for the interpretation of microwave diagnostic data and for assessing the feasibility of EBW heating and current drive. While the coupling is reasonably well–understood in the linear regime, nonlinear physics arising from high input power has not been previously quantified. To tackle this problem, we have performed one- andmore » two-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of the two possible coupling mechanisms, namely X-B and O-X-B mode conversion. We find that the ion dynamics has a profound effect on the field structure in the nonlinear regime, as high amplitude short-scale oscillations of the longitudinal electric field are excited in the region below the high-density cut-off prior to the arrival of the EBW. We identify this effect as the instability of the X wave with respect to resonant scattering into an EBW and a lower-hybrid wave. Finally, we calculate the instability rate analytically and find this basic theory to be in reasonable agreement with our simulation results.« less

Breaking Wave Impact on a Partially Submerged Rigid Cube in Deep Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, C. M.; Choquette, M.; Duncan, J. H.

2011-11-01

The impact of a plunging breaking wave on a partially submerged cube is studied experimentally. The experiments are performed in a wave tank that is 14.8 m long, 1.15 m wide and 2.2 m high with a water depth of 0.91 m. A single repeatable plunging breaker is generated from a dispersively focused wave packet (average frequency of 1.4 Hz) that is created with a programmable wave maker. The rigid (L = 30 . 5 cm) cube is centered in the width of the tank and mounted from above with one face oriented normal to the oncoming wave. The position of the center of the front face of the cube is varied from the breaker location (xb ~ 6 . 35 m) to xb + 0 . 05 m in the streamwise direction and from - 0 . 25 L to 0 . 25 L vertically relative to the mean water level. A high-speed digital camera is used to record both white-light and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) movies of the free surface shape in front of the cube before and after the wave impact. When the wave hits the cube just as the plunging jet is formed, a high-velocity vertical jet is created and the trajectory and maximum height of the jet are strongly influenced by the vertical position of the cube. Supported by the Office of Naval Research, Contract Monitor R. D. Joslin.

Kinetic simulations of X-B and O-X-B mode conversion and its deterioration at high input power

DOE PAGES

Arefiev, A. V.; Dodin, I. Y.; Kohn, A.; ...

2017-08-09

Spherical tokamak plasmas are typically overdense and thus inaccessible to externally-injected microwaves in the electron cyclotron range. The electrostatic electron Bernstein wave (EBW), however, provides a method to access the plasma core for heating and diagnostic purposes. Understanding the details of the coupling process to electromagnetic waves is thus important both for the interpretation of microwave diagnostic data and for assessing the feasibility of EBW heating and current drive. While the coupling is reasonably well–understood in the linear regime, nonlinear physics arising from high input power has not been previously quantified. To tackle this problem, we have performed one- andmore » two-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of the two possible coupling mechanisms, namely X-B and O-X-B mode conversion. We find that the ion dynamics has a profound effect on the field structure in the nonlinear regime, as high amplitude short-scale oscillations of the longitudinal electric field are excited in the region below the high-density cut-off prior to the arrival of the EBW. We identify this effect as the instability of the X wave with respect to resonant scattering into an EBW and a lower-hybrid wave. Finally, we calculate the instability rate analytically and find this basic theory to be in reasonable agreement with our simulation results.« less

Sodium Chloride Reduces Production of Curvacin A, a Bacteriocin Produced by Lactobacillus curvatus Strain LTH 1174, Originating from Fermented Sausage

PubMed Central

Verluyten, Jurgen; Messens, Winy; De Vuyst, Luc

2004-01-01

Lactobacillus curvatus LTH 1174, a strain originating in fermented sausage, produces the antilisterial bacteriocin curvacin A. Its biokinetics of cell growth and bacteriocin production as a function of various concentrations of salt (sodium chloride) were investigated in vitro during laboratory fermentations using modified MRS medium. A model was set up to describe the effects of different NaCl concentrations on microbial behavior. Both cell growth and bacteriocin activity were affected by changes in the salt concentration. Sodium chloride clearly slowed down the growth of L. curvatus LTH 1174, but more importantly, it had a detrimental effect on specific curvacin A production (kB) and hence on overall bacteriocin activity. Even a low salt concentration (2%, wt/vol) decreased bacteriocin production, while growth was unaffected at this concentration. The inhibitory effect of NaCl was mainly due to its role as an aw-lowering agent. Further, it was clear that salt interfered with bacteriocin induction. Additionally, when 6% (wt/vol) sodium chloride was added, the minimum biomass concentration necessary to start the production of curvacin A (XB) was 0.90 g (cell dry mass) per liter. Addition of the cell-free culture supernatant or a protein solution as a source of induction factor resulted in a decrease in XB, an increase in kB, and hence an increase in the maximum attainable bacteriocin activity. PMID:15066822

Dynamics of cross-bridge cycling, ATP hydrolysis, force generation, and deformation in cardiac muscle

PubMed Central

Tewari, Shivendra G.; Bugenhagen, Scott M.; Palmer, Bradley M.; Beard, Daniel A.

2015-01-01

Despite extensive study over the past six decades the coupling of chemical reaction and mechanical processes in muscle dynamics is not well understood. We lack a theoretical description of how chemical processes (metabolite binding, ATP hydrolysis) influence and are influenced by mechanical processes (deformation and force generation). To address this need, a mathematical model of the muscle cross-bridge (XB) cycle based on Huxley’s sliding filament theory is developed that explicitly accounts for the chemical transformation events and the influence of strain on state transitions. The model is identified based on elastic and viscous moduli data from mouse and rat myocardial strips over a range of perturbation frequencies, and MgATP and inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations. Simulations of the identified model reproduce the observed effects of MgATP and MgADP on the rate of force development. Furthermore, simulations reveal that the rate of force re-development measured in slack-restretch experiments is not directly proportional to the rate of XB cycling. For these experiments, the model predicts that the observed increase in the rate of force generation with increased Pi concentration is due to inhibition of cycle turnover by Pi. Finally, the model captures the observed phenomena of force yielding suggesting that it is a result of rapid detachment of stretched attached myosin heads. PMID:25681584

Nanolipoprotein Particles (NLPs) as Versatile Vaccine Platforms for Co-delivery of Multiple Adjuvants with Subunit Antigens from Burkholderia spp. and F. tularensis - Technical Report

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

Fischer, N. O.

The goal of this proposal is to demonstrate that colocalization of protein subunit antigens and adjuvants on nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) can increase the protective efficacy of subunit antigens from Burkholderia spp. and Francisella tularensis against an aerosol challenge. In the third quarter of the third year, F344 rats vaccinated with adjuvanted NLP formulations were challenged with F. tularensis SCHU S4 at Battelle. Preliminary data indicate that up to 65% of females vaccinated intranasally with an NLP-based formulation survived this challenge, compared to only 20% survival of naïve animals. In addition, NLPs were successfully formulated with Burkholderia protein antigens. IACUC approvalmore » for immunological assessments in BALB/c mice was received and we anticipate that these assessments will begin by March 2015, pending ACURO approval.« less

6. Credit USAF, ca. 1947. Original housed in the Photograph ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

6. Credit USAF, ca. 1947. Original housed in the Photograph Files, AFFTC/HO, Edwards AFB, California. Interior of Building 4401 (or possibly 4402) looking east at hangar doors with a North American Aviation XB-45 Tornado jet aircraft in the foreground. This view illustrates why the series of sliding doors and wide, high interior clearances were necessary to accommodate large aircraft. Note configuration of wooden trusses supporting the roof. - Edwards Air Force Base, North Base, Hangar No. 1, First & B Streets, Boron, Kern County, CA

Immunologic Intervention in HIV Infection: Anti-Polymerase Responses and Hormonal Regulation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-01

34), has serious physical ad psyhdologic cosequn , including further compromise of irmmu status in AIMS (1). Dr. D. Kotler of Columbia University recently...nutritional factors in the induction of immunologic abnormalities in HIV-positive homosexual men. J. AIDS 2:235, 1989. 2. Kotler D, Nutrition in AIDS...1051, 1990. 14. Korq X-B, Zhu Q-Y, Vidal PM, Watanole AM, Polsky B, Armstrong D, Ostrandz M, lang SA Jr, Rxthors E, Cmaa T-C. Cmparisons of anti-HIV

Gravity-Wave Dynamics in the Atmosphere

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

boundaries of domain. The viscous boundary layers are used as an artificial radiation condition. 25 The inclusion of viscous terms in an explicit temporal... evolution equations become Volterra equations of the second kind given by Kc11aT +K c 12bT + ˆ x −∞ dx′ (K11xa ′ T +K12xb ′ T )− 1 2 α2a + bxY = 0...nonlinear wavepackets arising from shear-flow instabilities. 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18

Mineral Separation in a CELSS by Ion-exchange Chromatography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballou, E. V.; Spitze, L. A.; Wong, F. W.; Wydeven, T.; Johnson, C. C.

1982-01-01

Operational parameters pertinent to ion exchange chromatography separation were identified. The experiments were performed with 9 mm diameter ion exchange columns and conventional column accessories. The cation separation beds were packed with AG 50W-X2 strong acid cation exchange resin in H(+) form and 200-400 dry mesh particle size. The stripper beds used in some experiments were packed with AG 1-XB strong base cation exchange resin in OH(-) form and 200-400 dry mesh particle size.

Critical appraisal of volumetric-modulated arc therapy compared with electrons for the radiotherapy of cutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma of lower extremities with bone sparing.

PubMed

Nicolini, G; Abraham, S; Fogliata, A; Jordaan, A; Clivio, A; Vanetti, E; Cozzi, L

2013-03-01

To evaluate the use of volumetric-modulated arc therapy [VMAT, RapidArc® (RA); Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA] for the treatment of cutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) of lower extremities with adequate target coverage and high bone sparing, and to compare VMAT with electron beam therapy. 10 patients were planned with either RA or electron beams. The dose was prescribed to 30 Gy, 10 fractions, to mean the planning target volume (PTV), and significant maximum dose to bone was limited to 30 Gy. Plans were designed for 6-MV photon beams for RA and 6 MeV for electrons. Dose distributions were computed with AcurosXB® (Varian Medical Systems) for photons and with a Monte Carlo algorithm for electrons. V(90%) was 97.3±1.2 for RA plans and 78.2±2.6 for electrons; similarly, V(107%) was 2.5±2.2 and 37.7±3.4, respectively. RA met coverage criteria. Concerning bone sparing, D(2%) was 29.6±1.1 for RA and 31.0±2.4 for electrons. Although acceptable for bone involvement, pronounced target coverage violations were obtained for electron plans. Monitor units were similar for electrons and RA, although for the latter they increased when superior bone sparing was imposed. Delivery times were 12.1±4.0 min for electrons and 4.8±1.3 min for the most modulated RA plans. High plan quality was shown for KS in the lower extremities using VMAT, and this might simplify their management in comparison with the more conventional usage of electrons, particularly in institutes with limited staff resources and heavy workloads. VMAT is also dosimetrically extremely advantageous in a typology of treatments where electron beam therapy is mainly considered to be effective owing to the limited penetration of the beams.

Transgenic expression of the dicotyledonous pattern recognition receptor EFR in rice leads to ligand-dependent activation of defense responses.

PubMed

Schwessinger, Benjamin; Bahar, Ofir; Thomas, Nicholas; Thomas, Nicolas; Holton, Nicolas; Nekrasov, Vladimir; Ruan, Deling; Canlas, Patrick E; Daudi, Arsalan; Petzold, Christopher J; Singan, Vasanth R; Kuo, Rita; Chovatia, Mansi; Daum, Christopher; Heazlewood, Joshua L; Zipfel, Cyril; Ronald, Pamela C

2015-03-01

Plant plasma membrane localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) detect extracellular pathogen-associated molecules. PRRs such as Arabidopsis EFR and rice XA21 are taxonomically restricted and are absent from most plant genomes. Here we show that rice plants expressing EFR or the chimeric receptor EFR::XA21, containing the EFR ectodomain and the XA21 intracellular domain, sense both Escherichia coli- and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo)-derived elf18 peptides at sub-nanomolar concentrations. Treatment of EFR and EFR::XA21 rice leaf tissue with elf18 leads to MAP kinase activation, reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression. Although expression of EFR does not lead to robust enhanced resistance to fully virulent Xoo isolates, it does lead to quantitatively enhanced resistance to weakly virulent Xoo isolates. EFR interacts with OsSERK2 and the XA21 binding protein 24 (XB24), two key components of the rice XA21-mediated immune response. Rice-EFR plants silenced for OsSERK2, or overexpressing rice XB24 are compromised in elf18-induced reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression indicating that these proteins are also important for EFR-mediated signaling in transgenic rice. Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential feasibility of enhancing disease resistance in rice and possibly other monocotyledonous crop species by expression of dicotyledonous PRRs. Our results also suggest that Arabidopsis EFR utilizes at least a subset of the known endogenous rice XA21 signaling components.

The inter-ELM tungsten erosion profile in DIII-D H-mode discharges and benchmarking with ERO+OEDGE modeling [The inter-ELM W erosion profile in DIII-D H-mode discharges and benchmarking with OEDGE+ERO modeling

DOE PAGES

Abrams, Tyler; Ding, Rui; Guo, Houyang Y.; ...

2017-04-03

It is important to develop a predictive capability for the tungsten source rate near the strike points during H-mode operation in ITER and beyond. H-mode deuterium plasma exposures were performed on W-coated graphite and TZM molybdenum substrates in the DIII-D divertor using DiMES. The W-I 400.9 nm spectral line was monitored by fast filtered diagnostics cross calibrated via a high-resolution spectrometer to resolve inter-ELM W erosion. The effective ionization/photon (S/XB) was calibrated using a unique method developed on DIII-D based on surface analysis. Inferred S/XB values agree with an existing empirical scaling at low electron density (n e) but divergemore » at higher densities, consistent with recent ADAS atomic physics modeling results. Edge modeling of the inter-ELM phase is conducted via OEDGE utilizing the new capability for charge-state resolved carbon impurity fluxes. ERO modeling is performed with the calculated main ion and impurity plasma background from OEDGE. ERO results demonstrate the importance a mixed-material surface model in the interpretation of W sourcing measurements. As a result, it is demonstrated that measured inter-ELM W erosion rates can be well explained by C→W sputtering only if a realistic mixed material model is incorporated.« less

Reliability of Beta angle in assessing true anteroposterior apical base discrepancy in different growth patterns

PubMed Central

Sundareswaran, Shobha; Kumar, Vinay

2015-01-01

Introduction: Beta angle as a skeletal anteroposterior dysplasia indicator is known to be useful in evaluating normodivergent growth patterns. Hence, we compared and verified the accuracy of Beta angle in predicting sagittal jaw discrepancy among subjects with hyperdivergent, hypodivergent and normodivergent growth patterns. Materials and Methods: Lateral cephalometric radiographs of 179 patients belonging to skeletal Classes I, II, and III were further divided into normodivergent, hyperdivergent, and hypodivergent groups based on their vertical growth patterns. Sagittal dysplasia indicators - angle ANB, Wits appraisal, and Beta angle values were measured and tabulated. The perpendicular point of intersection on line CB (Condylion-Point B) in Beta angle was designated as ‘X’ and linear dimension XB was evaluated. Results: Statistically significant increase was observed in the mean values of Beta angle and XB distance in the vertical growth pattern groups of both skeletal Class I and Class II patients thus pushing them toward Class III and Class I, respectively. Conclusions: Beta angle is a reliable indicator of sagittal dysplasia in normal and horizontal patterns of growth. However, vertical growth patterns significantly increased Beta angle values, thus affecting their reliability as a sagittal discrepancy assessment tool. Hence, Beta angle may not be a valid tool for assessment of sagittal jaw discrepancy in patients exhibiting vertical growth patterns with skeletal Class I and Class II malocclusions. Nevertheless, Class III malocclusions having the highest Beta angle values were unaffected. PMID:25810649

Transgenic Expression of the Dicotyledonous Pattern Recognition Receptor EFR in Rice Leads to Ligand-Dependent Activation of Defense Responses

PubMed Central

Thomas, Nicolas; Holton, Nicolas; Nekrasov, Vladimir; Ruan, Deling; Canlas, Patrick E.; Daudi, Arsalan; Petzold, Christopher J.; Singan, Vasanth R.; Kuo, Rita; Chovatia, Mansi; Daum, Christopher; Heazlewood, Joshua L.; Zipfel, Cyril; Ronald, Pamela C.

2015-01-01

Plant plasma membrane localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) detect extracellular pathogen-associated molecules. PRRs such as Arabidopsis EFR and rice XA21 are taxonomically restricted and are absent from most plant genomes. Here we show that rice plants expressing EFR or the chimeric receptor EFR::XA21, containing the EFR ectodomain and the XA21 intracellular domain, sense both Escherichia coli- and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo)-derived elf18 peptides at sub-nanomolar concentrations. Treatment of EFR and EFR::XA21 rice leaf tissue with elf18 leads to MAP kinase activation, reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression. Although expression of EFR does not lead to robust enhanced resistance to fully virulent Xoo isolates, it does lead to quantitatively enhanced resistance to weakly virulent Xoo isolates. EFR interacts with OsSERK2 and the XA21 binding protein 24 (XB24), two key components of the rice XA21-mediated immune response. Rice-EFR plants silenced for OsSERK2, or overexpressing rice XB24 are compromised in elf18-induced reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression indicating that these proteins are also important for EFR-mediated signaling in transgenic rice. Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential feasibility of enhancing disease resistance in rice and possibly other monocotyledonous crop species by expression of dicotyledonous PRRs. Our results also suggest that Arabidopsis EFR utilizes at least a subset of the known endogenous rice XA21 signaling components. PMID:25821973

The inter-ELM tungsten erosion profile in DIII-D H-mode discharges and benchmarking with ERO+OEDGE modeling [The inter-ELM W erosion profile in DIII-D H-mode discharges and benchmarking with OEDGE+ERO modeling

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

Abrams, Tyler; Ding, Rui; Guo, Houyang Y.

It is important to develop a predictive capability for the tungsten source rate near the strike points during H-mode operation in ITER and beyond. H-mode deuterium plasma exposures were performed on W-coated graphite and TZM molybdenum substrates in the DIII-D divertor using DiMES. The W-I 400.9 nm spectral line was monitored by fast filtered diagnostics cross calibrated via a high-resolution spectrometer to resolve inter-ELM W erosion. The effective ionization/photon (S/XB) was calibrated using a unique method developed on DIII-D based on surface analysis. Inferred S/XB values agree with an existing empirical scaling at low electron density (n e) but divergemore » at higher densities, consistent with recent ADAS atomic physics modeling results. Edge modeling of the inter-ELM phase is conducted via OEDGE utilizing the new capability for charge-state resolved carbon impurity fluxes. ERO modeling is performed with the calculated main ion and impurity plasma background from OEDGE. ERO results demonstrate the importance a mixed-material surface model in the interpretation of W sourcing measurements. As a result, it is demonstrated that measured inter-ELM W erosion rates can be well explained by C→W sputtering only if a realistic mixed material model is incorporated.« less

Evaluation of High-Speed Civil Transport Handling Qualities Criteria with Supersonic Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, Timothy H.; Jackson, Dante W.

1997-01-01

Most flying qualities criteria have been developed from data in the subsonic flight regime. Unique characteristics of supersonic flight raise questions about whether these criteria successfully extend into the supersonic flight regime. Approximately 25 years ago NASA Dryden Flight Research Center addressed this issue with handling qualities evaluations of the XB-70 and YF-12. Good correlations between some of the classical handling qualities parameters, such as the control anticipation parameter as a function of damping, were discovered. More criteria have been developed since these studies. Some of these more recent criteria are being used in designing the High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). A second research study recently addressed this issue through flying qualities evaluations of the SR-71 at Mach 3. The research goal was to extend the high-speed flying qualities experience of large airplanes and to evaluate more recent MIL-STD-1797 criteria against pilot comments and ratings. Emphasis was placed on evaluating the criteria used for designing the HSCT. XB-70 and YF-12 data from the previous research supplemented the SR-71 data. The results indicate that the criteria used in the HSCT design are conservative and should provide good flying qualities for typical high-speed maneuvering. Additional results show correlation between the ratings and comments and criteria for gradual maneuvering with precision control. Correlation is shown between ratings and comments and an extension of the Neal/Smith criterion using normal acceleration instead of pitch rate.

Simulated Altitude Performance of Combustor of Westinghouse 19XB-1 Jet-Propulsion Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Childs, J. Howard; McCafferty, Richard J.

1948-01-01

A 19XB-1 combustor was operated under conditions simulating zero-ram operation of the 19XB-1 turbojet engine at various altitudes and engine speeds. The combustion efficiencies and the altitude operational limits were determined; data were also obtained on the character of the combustion, the pressure drop through the combustor, and the combustor-outlet temperature and velocity profiles. At altitudes about 10,000 feet below the operational limits, the flames were yellow and steady and the temperature rise through the combustor increased with fuel-air ratio throughout the range of fuel-air ratios investigated. At altitudes near the operational limits, the flames were blue and flickering and the combustor was sluggish in its response to changes in fuel flow. At these high altitudes, the temperature rise through the combustor increased very slowly as the fuel flow was increased and attained a maximum at a fuel-air ratio much leaner than the over-all stoichiometric; further increases in fuel flow resulted in decreased values of combustor temperature rise and increased resonance until a rich-limit blow-out occurred. The approximate operational ceiling of the engine as determined by the combustor, using AN-F-28, Amendment-3, fuel, was 30,400 feet at a simulated engine speed of 7500 rpm and increased as the engine speed was increased. At an engine speed of 16,000 rpm, the operational ceiling was approximately 48,000 feet. Throughout the range of simulated altitudes and engine speeds investigated, the combustion efficiency increased with increasing engine speed and with decreasing altitude. The combustion efficiency varied from over 99 percent at operating conditions simulating high engine speed and low altitude operation to less than 50 percent at conditions simulating operation at altitudes near the operational limits. The isothermal total pressure drop through the combustor was 1.82 times as great as the inlet dynamic pressure. As expected from theoretical considerations, a straight-line correlation was obtained when the ratio of the combustor total pressure drop to the combustor-inlet dynamic pressure was plotted as a function of the ratio of the combustor-inlet air density to the combustor-outlet gas density. The combustor-outlet temperature profiles were, in general, more uniform for runs in which the temperature rise was low and the combustion efficiency was high. Inspection of the combustor basket after 36 hours of operation showed very little deterioration and no appreciable carbon deposits.

Monoterpenyl Glycosyltransferases Differentially Contribute to Production of Monoterpenyl Glycosides in Two Aromatic Vitis vinifera Varieties

PubMed Central

Li, Xiang-Yi; Wen, Ya-Qin; Meng, Nan; Qian, Xu; Pan, Qiu-Hong

2017-01-01

HIGHLIGHTS A similar trend on accumulation of glycosidically bound monoterpenes was observed in both varietiesTwo VvGT7 alleles mutations occurred at key sites in Muscat blanc à PetitVvGT14 exerted a major role in production of monoterpenyl glycosides in both varieties Terpenoids are the major aroma components and generally exist as both free and glycosidically-bound forms, of which nonvolatile glycosides account for a large fraction in grape berries. Our previous study has indicated that differential accumulation of monoterpenyl glycosides in Vitis vinifera “Muscat blanc à Petit” between two regions is closely correlated to monoterpenyl glucosyltransferase (VvGT14, XM_002285734.2) transcript abundance. However, it has not been determined yet whether this correlation also exists in other Vitis vinifera varieties. This study investigated the evolution of free and glycosidically bound monoterpenes in two Vitis vinifera variety “Muscat blanc à Petit” and “Gewurztraminer” under two vintages, and further assessed the relation between the accumulation of bound monoterpenes and two monoterpenyl glycosyltransferase transcript levels. Results showed that free monoterpenes exhibited three evolution patterns in both varieties during berry development of two vintages, whereas glycosidically bound monoterpenes showed a concentration elevation with berry maturation. The Cis-rose oxide and geraniol were major components contributing to the aroma odors of “Gewürztraminer” grapes while linalool was major aroma contributor to the “Muscat blanc à Petit grain” grapes. The accumulation of glycosidically bound monoterpenes in both varieties was accompanied with the high expression of VvGT7 (XM_002276510.2) and VvGT14. Only one allele of VvGT7 was found in the variety “Gewürztraminer” and no mutation was observed in its enzyme active sites. XB-VvGT7-4 and XB-VvGT7-5 were two alleles of VvGT7 detected in “Muscat blanc à Petit grain.” The mutation on its enzyme active site inhibited the activity of XB-VvGT7-4, whereas VvGT7-5 exhibited an alteration on enzyme activity due to the insertion mutation at the position 443. Only one VvGT14 allele was found in both varieties, and the VvGT14 allele in both varieties showed the similarity on amino acid sequence. No mutation occurred in active sites of VvGT14 allele. These indicated that VvGT7 and VvGT14 differentially contributed to the production of monoterpenyl glycosides in these Vitis Vinifera varieties. PMID:28751905

Monoterpenyl Glycosyltransferases Differentially Contribute to Production of Monoterpenyl Glycosides in Two Aromatic Vitis vinifera Varieties.

PubMed

Li, Xiang-Yi; Wen, Ya-Qin; Meng, Nan; Qian, Xu; Pan, Qiu-Hong

2017-01-01

HIGHLIGHTS A similar trend on accumulation of glycosidically bound monoterpenes was observed in both varietiesTwo VvGT7 alleles mutations occurred at key sites in Muscat blanc à Petit VvGT14 exerted a major role in production of monoterpenyl glycosides in both varieties Terpenoids are the major aroma components and generally exist as both free and glycosidically-bound forms, of which nonvolatile glycosides account for a large fraction in grape berries. Our previous study has indicated that differential accumulation of monoterpenyl glycosides in Vitis vinifera "Muscat blanc à Petit" between two regions is closely correlated to monoterpenyl glucosyltransferase ( VvGT14 , XM_002285734.2) transcript abundance. However, it has not been determined yet whether this correlation also exists in other Vitis vinifera varieties. This study investigated the evolution of free and glycosidically bound monoterpenes in two Vitis vinifera variety "Muscat blanc à Petit" and "Gewurztraminer" under two vintages, and further assessed the relation between the accumulation of bound monoterpenes and two monoterpenyl glycosyltransferase transcript levels. Results showed that free monoterpenes exhibited three evolution patterns in both varieties during berry development of two vintages, whereas glycosidically bound monoterpenes showed a concentration elevation with berry maturation. The Cis -rose oxide and geraniol were major components contributing to the aroma odors of "Gewürztraminer" grapes while linalool was major aroma contributor to the "Muscat blanc à Petit grain" grapes. The accumulation of glycosidically bound monoterpenes in both varieties was accompanied with the high expression of VvGT7 (XM_002276510.2) and VvGT14 . Only one allele of VvGT7 was found in the variety "Gewürztraminer" and no mutation was observed in its enzyme active sites. XB-VvGT7-4 and XB-VvGT7-5 were two alleles of VvGT7 detected in "Muscat blanc à Petit grain." The mutation on its enzyme active site inhibited the activity of XB-VvGT7-4 , whereas VvGT7-5 exhibited an alteration on enzyme activity due to the insertion mutation at the position 443. Only one VvGT14 allele was found in both varieties, and the VvGT14 allele in both varieties showed the similarity on amino acid sequence. No mutation occurred in active sites of VvGT14 allele. These indicated that VvGT7 and VvGT14 differentially contributed to the production of monoterpenyl glycosides in these Vitis Vinifera varieties.

Evaluation of more general integrals involving universal associated Legendre polynomials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Yuan; Chen, Chang-Yuan; Tahir, Farida; Dong, Shi-Hai

2017-05-01

We find that the solution of the polar angular differential equation can be written as the universal associated Legendre polynomials. We present a popular integral formula which includes universal associated Legendre polynomials and we also evaluate some important integrals involving the product of two universal associated Legendre polynomials Pl' m'(x ) , Pk' n'(x ) and x2 a(1-x2 ) -p -1, xb(1±x2 ) -p, and xc(1-x2 ) -p(1±x ) -1, where l'≠k' and m'≠n'. Their selection rules are also mentioned.

Nonlinear Scattering of Acoustic Waves by Vibrating Obstacles.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

2xB’(x) - 2(v+l)B(x). (A40) As a first example of this general form, we let f(x) e-X 2 . [This is the usual weighting function used in the orthogonality ... Some examples involving Laguerre functions. We nov consider integrals of the general forim where L,(x) is the Laguerre function of order v, and f(x...phenomena Integrals 20. ABSTRACT (ContiIne an reverse sle if 009000MY and Ideitfy 67 6l4k rom’ ") The problem of the generation of sum- and difference

Design, Simulation, and Experimental Verification of a Computer Model and Enhanced Position Estimator for the NPS AUV II

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

NDRB REAL NPDOT, NRDOT, NPQ, NQR , NVDOT, NP, NR, NVQ, NWP,NWR, NV,NVW, NDRS REAL MM(6,6),INDX(100) DIMENSION X(15),BR(15),HH(15),VECH1(15),VECH2(15...MASS*YG*W*Q+NPQ*P*Q+’ & NQR *Q*R+NP*U*P+NR*U*R+NVQ*V*Q+NWP*W*P+NWP*W*R+NV*U*V+ NV*VWY DR+ DB(XG*WEIGHT-XB*BOY) * &COS(THETA) *SIN(PHI)+(YG*WEIGHT-YB*BOY

Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory: 2011 November-December

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melton, Elizabeth; Carver, Spencer; Harris, Andrew; Karnemaat, Ryan; Klaasse, Matthew; Ditteon, Richard

2012-07-01

Photometric data for 26 asteroids were collected over 20 nights of observing during 2011 November through December at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory. The asteroids were: 664 Judith, 739 Mandeville, 781 Kartvelia, 871 Amneris, 971 Alsatia, 1577 Reiss, 2068 Dangreen, 2745 San Martin, 2870 Haupt, 2909 Hoshino- ie, 3041 Webb, 4359 Berlage, 4363 Sergej, 4804 Pasteur, 5870 Baltimore, (5874) 1989 XB, 6121 Plachinda, 6172 Prokofeana, 6402 Holstein, (10765) 1990 UZ , 12738 Satoshimiki, 16358 Plesetsk, (23276) 2000 YT101, (24475) 2000 VN2, (96487) 1998 JU1, (98129) 2000 SD25.

Linear and Non-Linear Response of Liquid and Solid Particles to Energetic Radiation

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-11

for particle 2 located on the + x6 axis (perpendicular to the beam propagation axis) one diameter surface-to-surface from particle 1 (i 12 = 4.0, Obd2 ...axis direction. Off is the far field scattering angle relative to the beam propagation axis. Obd2 is the orientation angle of particle 2 relative to...Particle 2 in the Xb - Zb plane and positioned one diameter surface-to-surface from particle 1 (P12 = 4.0). a.) Obd2 = 00, b.) Obd2 = 30 ° , c.) ebd

Dip Spectroscopy of the Low Mass X-Ray Binary XB 1254-690

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smale, Alan P.; Church, M. J.; BalucinskaChurch, M.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We observed the low mass X-ray binary XB 1254-690 with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer in 2001 May and December. During the first observation strong dipping on the 3.9-hr orbital period and a high degree of variability were observed, along with "shoulders" approx. 15% deep during extended intervals on each side of the main dips. The first observation also included pronounced flaring activity. The non-dip spectrum obtained using the PCA instrument was well-described by a two-component model consisting of a blackbody with kT = 1.30 +/- 0.10 keV plus a cut-off power law representation of Comptonized emission with power law photon index 1.10 +/- 0.46 and a cut-off energy of 5.9(sup +3.0, sub -1.4) keV. The intensity decrease in the shoulders of dipping is energy-independent, consistent with electron scattering in the outer ionized regions of the absorber. In deep dipping the depth of dipping reached 100%, in the energy band below 5 keV, indicating that all emitting regions were covered by absorber. Intensity-selected dip spectra were well-fit by a model in which the point-like blackbody is rapidly covered, while the extended Comptonized emission is progressively overlapped by the absorber, with the, covering fraction rising to 95% in the deepest portion of the dip. The intensity of this component in the dip spectra could be modeled by a combination of electron scattering and photoelectric absorption. Dipping did not occur during the 2001 December observation, but remarkably, both bursting and flaring were observed contemporaneously.

Transgenic expression of the dicotyledonous pattern recognition receptor EFR in rice leads to ligand-dependent activation of defense responses

DOE PAGES

Schwessinger, Benjamin; Bahar, Ofir; Thomas, Nicolas; ...

2015-03-30

Plant plasma membrane localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) detect extracellular pathogen-associated molecules. PRRs such as Arabidopsis EFR and rice XA21 are taxonomically restricted and are absent from most plant genomes. Here we show that rice plants expressing EFR or the chimeric receptor EFR::XA21, containing the EFR ectodomain and the XA21 intracellular domain, sense both Escherichia coli- and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo)-derived elf18 peptides at sub-nanomolar concentrations. Treatment of EFR and EFR::XA21 rice leaf tissue with elf18 leads to MAP kinase activation, reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression. Although expression of EFR does not lead to robust enhanced resistancemore » to fully virulent Xoo isolates, it does lead to quantitatively enhanced resistance to weakly virulent Xoo isolates. EFR interacts with OsSERK2 and the XA21 binding protein 24 (XB24), two key components of the rice XA21-mediated immune response. Rice-EFR plants silenced for OsSERK2, or overexpressing rice XB24 are compromised in elf18-induced reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression indicating that these proteins are also important for EFR-mediated signaling in transgenic rice. Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential feasibility of enhancing disease resistance in rice and possibly other monocotyledonous crop species by expression of dicotyledonous PRRs. Our results also suggest that Arabidopsis EFR utilizes at least a subset of the known endogenous rice XA21 signaling components.« less

Halogen bond: a long overlooked interaction.

PubMed

Cavallo, Gabriella; Metrangolo, Pierangelo; Pilati, Tullio; Resnati, Giuseppe; Terraneo, Giancarlo

2015-01-01

Because of their high electronegativity, halogen atoms are typically considered, in most of their derivatives, as sites of high electron density and it is commonly accepted that they can form attractive interactions by functioning as the electron donor site (nucleophilic site). This is the case when they work as hydrogen bond acceptor sites. However, the electron density in covalently bound halogens is anisotropically distributed. There is a region of higher electron density, accounting for the ability of halogens to function as electron donor sites in attractive interactions, and a region of lower electron density where the electrostatic potential is frequently positive (mainly in the heavier halogens). This latter region is responsible for the ability of halogen atoms to function as the electron-acceptor site (electrophilic site) in attractive interactions formed with a variety of lone pair-possessing atoms, anions, and π-systems. This ability is quite general and is shown by a wide diversity of halogenated compounds (e.g., organohalogen derivatives and dihalogens). According to the definition proposed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, any attractive interactions wherein the halogen atom is the electrophile is named halogen bond (XB). In this chapter, it is discussed how the practice and the concept of XB developed and a brief history of the interaction is presented. Papers (either from the primary or secondary literature) which have reported major experimental findings in the field or which have given important theoretical contributions for the development of the concept are recollected in order to trace how a unifying and comprehensive categorization emerged encompassing all interactions wherein halogen atoms function as the electrophilic site.

The Orbital Parameters and Nature of the X-ray Pulsar IGR J16393-4643 Using Pulse Timing Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearlman, Aaron B.; Corbet, R. H. D.; Pottschmidt, K.; Skinner, G. K.

2011-09-01

A 3.7 day orbital period was previously suggested for the 910 s X-ray pulsar IGR J16393-4643 from a pulse timing study of widely separated X-ray observations (Thompson et al., 2006), placing the system in the supergiant wind-fed region of the Ppulse-Porb diagram. However, orbital periods of 50.2 and 8.1 days could not be excluded. Nespoli et al. (2010) refute this wind-accreting high-mass X-ray binary classification and suggest a symbiotic X-ray binary (SyXB) designation based on infrared spectroscopy of the proposed counterpart and the potential 50.2 day orbital solution. SyXBs are low-mass X-ray binaries in which a neutron star accretes from the inhomogeneous medium around an M-type giant companion. We find that two statistically independent light curves of IGR J16393-4643, from the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (15-50 keV) and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Proportional Counter Array (PCA) Galactic bulge scans (2-10 keV), show highly significant orbital modulation near 4.24 days. Making use of this precise orbital period, we present the results from pulse arrival time analysis on IGR J16393-4643 using RXTE PCA observations. We provide significantly improved phase-connected pulse timing results using archival observations presented in Thompson et al. (2006) and additional pulse timing data not included in their study to determine the orbital parameters of the system. The derived 7.5 M⊙ mass function is inconsistent with a SyXB identification.

Transgenic expression of the dicotyledonous pattern recognition receptor EFR in rice leads to ligand-dependent activation of defense responses

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

Schwessinger, Benjamin; Bahar, Ofir; Thomas, Nicolas

Plant plasma membrane localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) detect extracellular pathogen-associated molecules. PRRs such as Arabidopsis EFR and rice XA21 are taxonomically restricted and are absent from most plant genomes. Here we show that rice plants expressing EFR or the chimeric receptor EFR::XA21, containing the EFR ectodomain and the XA21 intracellular domain, sense both Escherichia coli- and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo)-derived elf18 peptides at sub-nanomolar concentrations. Treatment of EFR and EFR::XA21 rice leaf tissue with elf18 leads to MAP kinase activation, reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression. Although expression of EFR does not lead to robust enhanced resistancemore » to fully virulent Xoo isolates, it does lead to quantitatively enhanced resistance to weakly virulent Xoo isolates. EFR interacts with OsSERK2 and the XA21 binding protein 24 (XB24), two key components of the rice XA21-mediated immune response. Rice-EFR plants silenced for OsSERK2, or overexpressing rice XB24 are compromised in elf18-induced reactive oxygen production and defense gene expression indicating that these proteins are also important for EFR-mediated signaling in transgenic rice. Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential feasibility of enhancing disease resistance in rice and possibly other monocotyledonous crop species by expression of dicotyledonous PRRs. Our results also suggest that Arabidopsis EFR utilizes at least a subset of the known endogenous rice XA21 signaling components.« less

Independent calculation of monitor units for VMAT and SPORT

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

Chen, Xin; Bush, Karl; Ding, Aiping

Purpose: Dose and monitor units (MUs) represent two important facets of a radiation therapy treatment. In current practice, verification of a treatment plan is commonly done in dose domain, in which a phantom measurement or forward dose calculation is performed to examine the dosimetric accuracy and the MU settings of a given treatment plan. While it is desirable to verify directly the MU settings, a computational framework for obtaining the MU values from a known dose distribution has yet to be developed. This work presents a strategy to calculate independently the MUs from a given dose distribution of volumetric modulatedmore » arc therapy (VMAT) and station parameter optimized radiation therapy (SPORT). Methods: The dose at a point can be expressed as a sum of contributions from all the station points (or control points). This relationship forms the basis of the proposed MU verification technique. To proceed, the authors first obtain the matrix elements which characterize the dosimetric contribution of the involved station points by computing the doses at a series of voxels, typically on the prescription surface of the VMAT/SPORT treatment plan, with unit MU setting for all the station points. An in-house Monte Carlo (MC) software is used for the dose matrix calculation. The MUs of the station points are then derived by minimizing the least-squares difference between doses computed by the treatment planning system (TPS) and that of the MC for the selected set of voxels on the prescription surface. The technique is applied to 16 clinical cases with a variety of energies, disease sites, and TPS dose calculation algorithms. Results: For all plans except the lung cases with large tissue density inhomogeneity, the independently computed MUs agree with that of TPS to within 2.7% for all the station points. In the dose domain, no significant difference between the MC and Eclipse Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) dose distribution is found in terms of isodose contours, dose profiles, gamma index, and dose volume histogram (DVH) for these cases. For the lung cases, the MC-calculated MUs differ significantly from that of the treatment plan computed using AAA. However, the discrepancies are reduced to within 3% when the TPS dose calculation algorithm is switched to a transport equation-based technique (Acuros™). Comparison in the dose domain between the MC and Eclipse AAA/Acuros calculation yields conclusion consistent with the MU calculation. Conclusions: A computational framework relating the MU and dose domains has been established. The framework does not only enable them to verify the MU values of the involved station points of a VMAT plan directly in the MU domain but also provide a much needed mechanism to adaptively modify the MU values of the station points in accordance to a specific change in the dose domain.« less

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

Buchholz, Bruce A.

The project has two main goals: 1) Identify the types of adducts naphthalene (NA) forms with DNA and 2) determine whether adduct formation correlates with site selective tumor formation in defined subcompartments of the respiratory tract (respiratory and olfactory nasal epithelium and airways of mice, rats and rhesus monkeys). Five tasks are associated with the completion of the goals. Task 1: Contracting and Animal Use Approvals. IACUC and ACURO approvals are complete, The subcontract with UC Davis (UCD) was executed in December 2014. Task 2: Perform In Vitro Study for Goal 1. Rat samples exposed and in freezer while adductmore » standards are being made. Mouse samples need to be exposed in next quarter. Task 3: Perform In Vitro Study for Goal 2. Mouse ex vivo samples completed. Rat and monkey samples need to be completed in the next quarter. Task 4: Sample Preparation and Analysis. Mouse Goal 2 samples completed. Other samples remain to be done. Task 5: Data Interpretation and Reporting. Need rat data to write paper on adduct formation.« less

Thermal fluids for CSP systems: Alkaline nitrates/nitrites thermodynamics modelling method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tizzoni, A. C.; Sau, S.; Corsaro, N.; Giaconia, A.; D'Ottavi, C.; Licoccia, S.

2016-05-01

Molten salt (MS) mixtures are used for the transport (HTF-heat transfer fluid) and storage of heat (HSM-heat storage material) in Concentration Solar Plants (CSP). In general, alkaline and earth-alkaline nitrate/nitrite mixtures are employed. Along with its upper stability temperature, the melting point (liquidus point) of a MS mixture is one of the main parameters which defines its usefulness as a HTF and HSM medium. As a result, we would like to develop a predictive model which will allow us to forecast freezing points for different MS mixture compositions; thus circumventing the need to determine experimentally the phase diagram for each MS mixture. To model ternary/quaternary phase diagram, parameters for the binary subsystems are to be determined, which is the purpose of the concerned work. In a binary system with components A and B, in phase equilibrium conditions (e.g. liquid and solid) the chemical potentials (partial molar Gibbs energy) for each component in each phase are equal. For an ideal solution it is possible to calculate the mixing (A+B) Gibbs energy:ΔG = ΔH - TΔS = RT(xAlnxA + xBlnxB) In case of non-ideal solid/liquid mixtures, such as the nitrates/nitrites compositions investigated in this work, the actual value will differ from the ideal one by an amount defined as the "mixing" (mix) Gibbs free energy. If the resulting mixtures is assumed, as indicated in the previous literature, to follow a "regular solution" model, where all the non-ideality is considered included in the enthalpy of mixing value and considering, for instance, the A component:Δ G ≡0 =(Δ HA-T Δ SA)+(ΔH¯ m i x AL-T ΔS¯ m i x AL)-(ΔH¯ m i x AS-T ΔS¯ m i x AS)where the molar partial amounts can be calculated from the total value by the Gibbs Duhem equation: (ΔH¯m i x AL=ΔHm i x-XB Ld/Δ Hm i x d XB L ) L;(ΔH¯m i x AS=ΔHm i x-XB Sd/Δ Hm i x d XB S ) S and, in general, it is possible to express the mixing enthalpy for solids and liquids as a function of the mol fraction: Δ HL m i x=XA LXB L(a1+b1XA L+c1XA LXB L),Δ HS m i x=XA SXB S(a2+b2XA S+c2XA SXB S) From the latter expressions it can be possible to modelize the phase diagram of a binary mixtures by using the a,b and c couples of parameters. To calculate those coefficients a method commonly employed in literature is to measure the mixing enthalpies, or to use one reported of the enthalpy of mixing (for instance for the liquid state) and calculate the other one using the phase diagram points. A direct ΔHmix (in solid or liquid phase) measurement can be difficult to carry out using common DSC equipment generally present in research laboratories. In fact, such determinations can be, in principle, performed, but the obtained data will be affected by large experimental errors. On the other hand, it is possible to obtain values with great precision regarding the algebraic sum of mixing enthalpies and the phase diagram trend. For this reason, only the phase diagrams are proposed to be used to calculate a, b, c parameters, and, subsequently, the total (liquid-solid algebraic sum) enthalpy of mixing will be employed to verify their validity. At this aim, a C++ code was assessed and used. Three binary mixtures were considered by combining NaNO3, KNO3 and NaNO2.

The Form, and Some Robustness Properties of Integrated Distance Estimators for Linear Models, Applied to Some Published Data Sets.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

observation in our framework is the pair (y,x) with x considered given. The influence function for 52 at the Gaussian distribution with mean xB and variance...3/2 - (1+22)o2 2) 1+2x\\/2 x’) 2(3-9) (1+2X) This influence function is bounded in the residual y-xS, and redescends to an asymptote greater than...version of the influence function for B at the Gaussian distribution, given the x. and x, is defined as the normalized differenceJ (see Barnett and

Actively Controlled Structures Theory. Volume 1. Theory of Design Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-11-01

the effects of control and observacion spillover can be treated as stochastic disturbances instead of being ignored as usual. Furthermore, the...accordingly given by k = lA .. + 6.7021/-X.. for A.. <^ 0. Note first that as IX-J increases from zero to infinity, k decreases from infinity to k...BFiC1l TK + Q + PCJFJNF^J - 0 YES (solve for K) (c)pL{A-BF1Ci] T + lA -BFiCi]L + Xo 1 -1 T T T -1 „F, - - N XB KLCnC.LC.1] 1 p ill

Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation of an Advanced Artillery Weapon System

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

SIGXB,SIGYB, SIGMAR ,DIST,RSEARCH,R1,R2 READ ( 2, *) (PRH1(I), I-I, 5), (PRH2(I), 1-1,5), (PRH3(I), 1-1,5) READ ( 2, *) (PRK1(I), I-1, 5), (PRK2(I), 1...ISUB - 1, NSUB CALL RANNUM( 2, SEED(4), DIST, SIGMAR , 0, DISTR ) CALL RANNUM( 1, SEED(5), 0.0, 6.28319, 0, THETA ) 80 C XCS - XB + XP + DISTR*COS(THETA...SIGXB, SIGYB, RATE, RSEARCH, SIGMAR , DIST REAL DX, DY INTEGER NSUB, NAPX, NAPY COMMON /SYSTEM/ SIGXP, SIGYP, SIGXB, SIGYB, RATE, RSEARCH, NSUB

Feed efficiency of tropically adapted cattle when fed in winter or spring in a temperate location.

PubMed

Coleman, S W; Chase, C C; Phillips, W A; Riley, D G

2018-04-16

Earlier work has shown that young, tropically adapted cattle do not gain as rapidly as temperately adapted cattle during the winter in Oklahoma. The objective for this study was to determine if efficiency of gains was also impacted in tropically adapted cattle and if efficiency was consistent over different seasons. Over 3 yrs, 240 straightbred and crossbred steers (F1 and three-way crosses) of Angus, Brahman or Romosinuano breeding, born in Brooksville, FL were transported to El Reno, OK in October and fed in two phases to determine performance, individual intake and efficiency. Phase 1 (WIN) began in November after a 28 d recovery from shipping stress and Phase 2 (SS) began in March, 28 d following completion of WIN each year. The diet for WIN was a grower diet (14% CP, 1.10 Mcal NEg/kg) and that for the SS was a feedlot diet (12.8% CP; 1.33 Mcal NEg/kg). After a 14 d adjustment to diet and facilities, intake trials were conducted over a period of 56 to 162 d for determination of intake and gain for efficiency. Body weights were recorded at approximately 14 d intervals, and initial BW, median BW, and ADG were determined from individual animal regressions of BW on days on feed (DOF). Individual daily DMI was then regressed by phase on median BW and ADG, and residuals of regression were recorded as residual feed intake (RFI). Similarly, daily gain was regressed by phase on median BW and DMI, and errors of regression were recorded as residual gain (RADG). Gain to feed (G:F) was also calculated. The statistical model to evaluate ADG, DMI, and efficiency included fixed effects of dam age (3 to 4, 5, 6 to10, and > 10yr), harvest group (3 per year), age on test, and a nested term DT(ST x XB) where DT = proportion tropical breeding of dam (0, 0.5, or 1), ST= proportion tropical breeding of sire (1, or 0), and XB whether the calf was straightbred or crossbred. Year of record, sire(ST x XB) and pen were random effects. Pre-weaning ADG and BW increased (P < 0.05) with level of genetic tropical influence, but during the WIN, ADG and efficiency estimated by G:F and RADG declined (P < 0.05). Tropical influence had little effect on RFI during the WIN, or on most traits during SS. In general during SS, crossbred steers gained faster, and were more efficient by G:F and RADG (P < 0.05) than straightbred steers. Simple correlations, both Pearson and Spearman, between RFI in WIN and RFI in SS were 0.51 (P < 0.001) whereas that for RADG was 0.17 (P < 0.01).

Radiographic estimation in seropositive and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis

PubMed Central

Sahatçiu-Meka, Vjollca; Rexhepi, Sylejman; Manxhuka-Kërliu, Suzana; Rexhepi, Mjellma

2011-01-01

Long since it have been suggested that a subpopulation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, diagnosed with negative rheumatoid factor tests, represents a clinical entity quite distinct from that of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim was to establish a scientific comparative analysis between seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, regarding some radiological and clinical parameters, applied for the first time on patients from Kosovo. Two hundred fifty patients with rheumatoid arthritis according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria were retrospectively studied by analysis the radiographic damage and clinical parameters of the disease, using a data base. All examinees were between 25-60 years of age (Xb=49.96, SD=10.37) with disease duration between 1-27 years (Xb = 6.41, SD=6.47). All patients underwent a standardised evaluation radiographs. Baseline standardised poster anterior radiographs of hands and feet and radiographs of other joints, depending on indications, were assessed. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate values correlated with the radiological damages and statistical difference was found for seronegative subset (r=0.24, p<0.01). Longer duration of the disease resulted in the increase of radiological changes in both subsets (r=0.66, p<0.01) seronegative, (r=0.49, p<0.01) seropositive. Anatomic changes of IInd and IIIrd level were nearly equally distributed in both subsets, 76 (60.8%) seronegative, 75 (60%) seropositive. Radiological damages are nearly equal in both subsets, elevate in relation to the duration of the disease and correlate with ESR values. Regarding the sero-status, differences within sex, with some exceptions, are not relevant. Although there are some definite quantitative and qualitative differences regarding sero-status, obviously there is a great deal of overlap between the two groups. PMID:21875421

Radiographic estimation in seropositive and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Sahatçiu-Meka, Vjollca; Rexhepi, Sylejman; Manxhuka-Kërliu, Suzana; Rexhepi, Mjellma

2011-08-01

Long since it have been suggested that a subpopulation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, diagnosed with negative rheumatoid factor tests, represents a clinical entity quite distinct from that of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim was to establish a scientific comparative analysis between seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, regarding some radiological and clinical parameters, applied for the first time on patients from Kosovo. Two hundred fifty patients with rheumatoid arthritis according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria were retrospectively studied by analysis the radiographic damage and clinical parameters of the disease, using a data base. All examinees were between 25-60 years of age (Xb=49.96, SD=10.37) with disease duration between 1-27 years (Xb = 6.41, SD=6.47). All patients underwent a standardised evaluation radiographs. Baseline standardised poster anterior radiographs of hands and feet and radiographs of other joints, depending on indications, were assessed. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate values correlated with the radiological damages and statistical difference was found for seronegative subset (r=0.24, p<0.01). Longer duration of the disease resulted in the increase of radiological changes in both subsets (r=0.66, p<0.01) seronegative, (r=0.49, p<0.01) seropositive. Anatomic changes of IInd and IIIrd level were nearly equally distributed in both subsets, 76 (60.8%) seronegative, 75 (60%) seropositive. Radiological damages are nearly equal in both subsets, elevate in relation to the duration of the disease and correlate with ESR values. Regarding the sero-status, differences within sex, with some exceptions, are not relevant. Although there are some definite quantitative and qualitative differences regarding sero-status, obviously there is a great deal of overlap between the two groups.

SWIFT REVEALS A ∼5.7 DAY SUPER-ORBITAL PERIOD IN THE M31 GLOBULAR CLUSTER X-RAY BINARY XB158

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

Barnard, R.; Garcia, M. R.; Murray, S. S.

2015-03-01

The M31 globular cluster X-ray binary XB158 (a.k.a. Bo 158) exhibits intensity dips on a 2.78 hr period in some observations, but not others. The short period suggests a low mass ratio, and an asymmetric, precessing disk due to additional tidal torques from the donor star since the disk crosses the 3:1 resonance. Previous theoretical three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamical modeling suggested a super-orbital disk precession period 29 ± 1 times the orbital period, i.e., ∼81 ± 3 hr. We conducted a Swift monitoring campaign of 30 observations over ∼1 month in order to search for evidence of such a super-orbital period. Fitting the 0.3-10 keV Swift X-Ray Telescopemore » luminosity light curve with a sinusoid yielded a period of 5.65 ± 0.05 days, and a >5σ improvement in χ{sup 2} over the best fit constant intensity model. A Lomb-Scargle periodogram revealed that periods of 5.4-5.8 days were detected at a >3σ level, with a peak at 5.6 days. We consider this strong evidence for a 5.65 day super-orbital period, ∼70% longer than the predicted period. The 0.3-10 keV luminosity varied by a factor of ∼5, consistent with variations seen in long-term monitoring from Chandra. We conclude that other X-ray binaries exhibiting similar long-term behavior are likely to also be X-ray binaries with low mass ratios and super-orbital periods.« less

Characterization of the altered gene expression profile in early porcine embryos generated from parthenogenesis and somatic cell chromatin transfer.

PubMed

Zhou, Chi; Dobrinsky, John; Tsoi, Stephen; Foxcroft, George R; Dixon, Walter T; Stothard, Paul; Verstegen, John; Dyck, Michael K

2014-01-01

The in vitro production of early porcine embryos is of particular scientific and economic interest. In general, embryos produced from in vitro Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) manipulations, such as somatic cell chromatin transfer (CT) and parthenogenetic activation (PA), are less developmentally competent than in vivo-derived embryos. The mechanisms underlying the deficiencies of embryos generated from PA and CT have not been completely understood. To characterize the altered genes and gene networks in embryos generated from CT and PA, comparative transcriptomic analyses of in vivo (IVV) expanded blastocysts (XB), IVV hatched blastocyst (HB), PA XB, PA HB, and CT HB were performed using a custom microarray platform enriched for genes expressed during early embryonic development. Differential expressions of 1492 and 103 genes were identified in PA and CT HB, respectively, in comparison with IVV HB. The "eIF2 signalling", "mitochondrial dysfunction", "regulation of eIF4 and p70S6K signalling", "protein ubiquitination", and "mTOR signalling" pathways were down-regulated in PA HB. Dysregulation of notch signalling-associated genes were observed in both PA and CT HB. TP53 was predicted to be activated in both PA and CT HB, as 136 and 23 regulation targets of TP53 showed significant differential expression in PA and CT HB, respectively, in comparison with IVV HB. In addition, dysregulations of several critical pluripotency, trophoblast development, and implantation-associated genes (NANOG, GATA2, KRT8, LGMN, and DPP4) were observed in PA HB during the blastocyst hatching process. The critical genes that were observed to be dysregulated in CT and PA embryos could be indicative of underlying developmental deficiencies of embryos produced from these technologies.

Accretion from a clumpy massive-star wind in supergiant X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Mellah, I.; Sundqvist, J. O.; Keppens, R.

2018-04-01

Supergiant X-ray binaries (SgXB) host a compact object, often a neutron star (NS), orbiting an evolved O/B star. Mass transfer proceeds through the intense line-driven wind of the stellar donor, a fraction of which is captured by the gravitational field of the NS. The subsequent accretion process on to the NS is responsible for the abundant X-ray emission from SgXB. They also display peak-to-peak variability of the X-ray flux by a factor of a few 10-100, along with changes in the hardness ratios possibly due to varying absorption along the line of sight. We use recent radiation-hydrodynamic simulations of inhomogeneities (a.k.a. clumps) in the non-stationary wind of massive hot stars to evaluate their impact on the time-variable accretion process. For this, we run 3D hydrodynamic simulations of the wind in the vicinity of the accretor to investigate the formation of the bow shock and follow the inhomogeneous flow over several spatial orders of magnitude, down to the NS magnetosphere. In particular, we show that the impact of the wind clumps on the time variability of the intrinsic mass accretion rate is severely tempered by the crossing of the shock, compared to the purely ballistic Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton estimation. We also account for the variable absorption due to clumps passing by the line of sight and estimate the final effective variability of the column density and mass accretion rate for different orbital separations. Finally, we compare our results to the most recent analysis of the X-ray flux and the hardness ratio in Vela X-1.

3XMM J181923.7-170616: An X-Ray Binary with a 408 s Pulsar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Hao; Zhou, Ping; Yu, Wenfei; Li, Xiangdong; Xu, Xiaojie

2017-09-01

We carry out a dedicated study of 3XMM J181923.7-170616 with an approximate pulsation period of 400 s using the XMM-Newton and Swift observations spanning across nine years. We have refined the period of the source to 407.904(7) s (at epoch MJD 57142) and constrained the 1σ upper limit on the period derivative \\dot{P}≤slant 1.1× {10}-8 {{s}} {{{s}}}-1. The source radiates hard, persistent X-ray emission during the observation epochs, which is best described by an absorbed power-law model (Γ ˜ 0.2-0.8) plus faint Fe lines at 6.4 and 6.7 keV. The X-ray flux revealed a variation within a factor of 2, along with a spectral hardening as the flux increased. The pulse shape is sinusoid-like and the spectral properties of different phases do not present significant variation. The absorption {N}{{H}} (˜ 1.3× {10}22 {{cm}}-2) is similar to the total Galactic hydrogen column density along the direction, indicating that it is a distant source. A search for the counterpart in optical and near-infrared surveys reveals a low-mass K-type giant, while the existence of a Galactic OB supergiant is excluded. A symbiotic X-ray binary (SyXB) is the favored nature of 3XMM J181923.7-170616 and can essentially explain the low luminosity of 2.78× {10}34{d}102 {erg} {{{s}}}-1, slow pulsation, hard X-ray spectrum, and possible K3 III companion. An alternative explanation of the source is a persistent Be X-ray binary (BeXB) with a companion star no earlier than B3-type.

Critical appraisal of volumetric-modulated arc therapy compared with electrons for the radiotherapy of cutaneous Kaposi’s sarcoma of lower extremities with bone sparing

PubMed Central

Abraham, S; Fogliata, A; Jordaan, A; Clivio, A; Vanetti, E; Cozzi, L

2013-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the use of volumetric-modulated arc therapy [VMAT, RapidArc® (RA); Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA] for the treatment of cutaneous Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) of lower extremities with adequate target coverage and high bone sparing, and to compare VMAT with electron beam therapy. Methods: 10 patients were planned with either RA or electron beams. The dose was prescribed to 30 Gy, 10 fractions, to mean the planning target volume (PTV), and significant maximum dose to bone was limited to 30 Gy. Plans were designed for 6-MV photon beams for RA and 6 MeV for electrons. Dose distributions were computed with AcurosXB® (Varian Medical Systems) for photons and with a Monte Carlo algorithm for electrons. Results: V90% was 97.3±1.2 for RA plans and 78.2±2.6 for electrons; similarly, V107% was 2.5±2.2 and 37.7±3.4, respectively. RA met coverage criteria. Concerning bone sparing, D2% was 29.6±1.1 for RA and 31.0±2.4 for electrons. Although acceptable for bone involvement, pronounced target coverage violations were obtained for electron plans. Monitor units were similar for electrons and RA, although for the latter they increased when superior bone sparing was imposed. Delivery times were 12.1±4.0 min for electrons and 4.8±1.3 min for the most modulated RA plans. Conclusion: High plan quality was shown for KS in the lower extremities using VMAT, and this might simplify their management in comparison with the more conventional usage of electrons, particularly in institutes with limited staff resources and heavy workloads. Advances in knowledge: VMAT is also dosimetrically extremely advantageous in a typology of treatments where electron beam therapy is mainly considered to be effective owing to the limited penetration of the beams. PMID:23392192

A Statistical Investigation of the Sensitivity of Ensemble-Based Kalman Filters to Covariance Filtering

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

the ensemble perturbations fXb(k): k5 1, . . . , Kg are from the same distribution; thus P̂bc ’ 1 K 2 1 K21 k51 Pbtc ’ Pbtc, and (18) p̂bcu ’ p btc u...19) where p̂bcu and p btc u are the uth column of P̂ bc u and P btc u , respectively. Similar arguments can be made to show that the filtered...estimate should also satisfy ~pbcu ’ p btc u , (20) where ~pbcu is the uth column of ~P bc u . We emphasize that Eqs. (19) and (20) do not provide

Vibration responses of two house structures during the Edwards Air Force Base phase of the national sonic boom program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hubbard, Harvey H.

1990-01-01

The data are reproduced from NSBEO-1-67, which contains some preliminary results of the test program, and from NASA-Langley working papers 259 and 288 which are now out of print. Included are sample acceleration and strain recordings from F-104, B-58, and XB-70 sonic boom exposures, along with tabulations of the maximum acceleration and strain values measured for each one of about 130 flight tests. These data are compared with similar measurements for engine noise exposures of the building during simulated landing approaches and takeoffs of KC-135 aircraft.

User and Analyst Manual for a FORTRAN Computer Program Simulating the Engagement of a Stationary Point Target by a Stationary Direct Fire Weapon

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-12-01

0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 FLT TF1 ,TFS XM1»XH2...2110 FORMAT A WRITE ( WRITE ( A 2120 FORMAT A B C D WRITE 1 ) 60 TO 2200 FLT » TF1 ,TFS »STD1 *ST02 jXB #SIGYL...SIGXR #SIGYR *PGS ,PGCH *PGCS ,CDRX /CDRY #HSX *SIGYBH/XBL *YBL *SIGXBS,SIGYBS ) FLT » TF1 ,TFS *STD1

A study of accretion discs around rapidly rotating neutron stars in general relativity and its applications to four low mass X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Sudip

2002-02-01

We calculate the accretion disc temperature profiles, disc luminosities and boundary layer luminosities for rapidly rotating neutron stars considering the full effect of general relativity. We compare the theoretical values of these quantities with their values inferred from EXOSAT data for four low mass X-ray binary sources: XB 1820-30, GX 17+2, GX 9+1 and GX 349+2 and constrain the values of several properties of these sources. According to our calculations, the neutron stars in GX 9+1 and GX 349+2 are rapidly rotating and stiffer equations of state are unfavoured.

Relationships between stratospheric clear air turbulence and synoptic meteorological parameters over the western United States between 12-20 km altitude

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scoggins, J. R.; Clark, T. L.; Possiel, N. C.

1975-01-01

Procedures for forecasting clear air turbulence in the stratosphere over the western United States from rawinsonde data are described and results presented. Approaches taken to relate meteorological parameters to regions of turbulence and nonturbulence encountered by the XB-70 during 46 flights at altitudes between 12-20 km include: empirical probabilities, discriminant function analysis, and mountainwave theory. Results from these techniques were combined into a procedure to forecast regions of clear air turbulence with an accuracy of 70-80 percent. A computer program was developed to provide an objective forecast directly from the rawinsonde sounding data.

Evaluate More General Integrals Involving Universal Associated Legendre Polynomials via Taylor’s Theorem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yañez-Navarro, G.; Sun, Guo-Hua; Sun, Dong-Sheng; Chen, Chang-Yuan; Dong, Shi-Hai

2017-08-01

A few important integrals involving the product of two universal associated Legendre polynomials {P}{l\\prime}{m\\prime}(x), {P}{k\\prime}{n\\prime}(x) and x2a(1 - x2)-p-1, xb(1 ± x)-p-1 and xc(1 -x2)-p-1 (1 ± x) are evaluated using the operator form of Taylor’s theorem and an integral over a single universal associated Legendre polynomial. These integrals are more general since the quantum numbers are unequal, i.e. l‧ ≠ k‧ and m‧ ≠ n‧. Their selection rules are also given. We also verify the correctness of those integral formulas numerically. Supported by 20170938-SIP-IPN, Mexico

Unusual pressure dependence of the multipolar interactions in CexLa1-xB6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, S.; Umeo, K.; Tou, H.; Sera, M.; Iga, F.; Kunii, S.

We performed the mean field calculation of the magnetization under pressure for the four sublattice model to understand the unusual pressure effect of CeB6. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental results and the canted ferromagnetic ground state is predicted to appear at higher pressure. We studied the electrical resistivity of Ce0.75La0.25B6 under pressure. We found that the phase III is rapidly suppressed by pressure and T increases with pressure. At P=0.6 GPa, the direct phase transition from IV to II is found, which will be the clue to understanding the phase IV.

Glass capable of ionic conduction and method of preparation

DOEpatents

Susman, S.; Boehm, L.; Volin, K.J.; Delbecq, C.J.

1982-05-06

Sulfide glasses capable of conducting alkali metal ions are prepared from a nonmetal glass former such as GeS/sub 2/, B/sub 2/S/sub 2/ and SiS/sub 2/ in mixture with a glass modifier such as Na/sub 2/S or another alkali metal sulfide. A molten mixture of the constituents is rapidly quenched to below the glass transition temperature by contact with a metal mold. The rapid quench is sufficient to prevent crystallization and permit solidification as an amorphous solid mixture. An oxygen-free atmosphere is maintained over the mixture to prevent oxidation. A new glass system of (1 - X) Na/sub 2/O:XB/sub 2/S/sub 3/ is disclosed.

Glass capable of ionic conduction and method of preparation

DOEpatents

Susman, Sherman; Delbecq, Charles J.; Volin, Kenneth J.; Boehm, Leah

1984-01-01

Sulfide glasses capable of conducting alkali metal ions are prepared from a nonmetal glass former such as GeS.sub.2, B.sub.2 S.sub.3 and SiS.sub.2 in mixture with a glass modifier such as Na.sub.2 S or another alkali metal sulfide. A molten mixture of the constituents is rapidly quenched to below the glass transition temperature by contact with a metal mold. The rapid quench is sufficient to prevent crystallization and permit solidification as an amorphous solid mixture. An oxygen-free atmosphere is maintained over the mixture to prevent oxidation. A new glass system of (1-X) Na.sub.2 O:XB.sub.2 S.sub.3 is disclosed.

Glass capable of ionic conduction and method of preparation

DOEpatents

Susman, Sherman; Boehm, Leah; Volin, Kenneth J.; Delbacq, Charles J.

1985-01-01

Sulfide glasses capable of conducting alkali metal ions are prepared from a nonmetal glass former such as GeS.sub.2, B.sub.2 S.sub.3 and SiS.sub.2 in mixture with a glass modifier such as Na.sub.2 S or another alkali metal sulfide. A molten mixture of the constituents is rapidly quenched to below the glass transition temperature by contact with a metal mold. The rapid quench is sufficient to prevent crystallization and permit solidification as an amorphous solid mixture. An oxygen-free atmosphere is maintained over the mixture to prevent oxidation. A new glass system of (1-X) Na.sub.2 O:XB.sub.2 S.sub.3 is disclosed.

IMPACT OF MORNING STIFFNESS, EDUCATION, AND AGE ON THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS OF PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.

PubMed

Sahatçiu-Meka, Vjollca; Rexhepi, Sylejman; Manxhuka-Kerliu, Suzana; Pallaska, Kelmend; Murtezani, Ardiana; Osmani-Vllasolli, Teuta; Rexhepi, Mjellma; Rexhepi, Blerta

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between disability status and duration of morning stiffness in hands with regard to age, level of education, and gender in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Also, the authors wanted to investigate this relationship with regard to the presence of rheumatoid factor, i.e., the serological status. A retrospective study was conducted in 250 patients with the classic form of RA (186 females, s64 males, mean age Xb = 49.96 y ears, range 25-60 years, disease duration 1-27 years, Xb = 6.41) previously diagnosed with RA according to the ACR (American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria). All patients were in Steinbrocker functional classes II and III. The probability level was expressed by p < 0.01 and p < 0.05. The relationship between the variables was measured by point-biserial correlation. The correlation between duration of morning stiffness and functional class was positive but low [(r = 0.10, y = 0.00x + 2.37, p > 0.05) seronegative, (r = 0.12, y = 0.00x + 2.30, p > 0.05) seropositive]. High positive values were obtained for the linear correlation coefficient between duration of the disease and functional class (p < 0.01). Also, high values were obtained regarding the coefficient of correlation between age and functional class [(r = 0.29, p < 0.01) seronegative, (r = 0.47, p < 0.01) seropositive]. Uneducated patients were significantly more represented in functional class III [ 23 (50%) seronegative, 19 (42.2%) seropositive] than in functional class II [16 (20.3%) seronegative, 22 (27.5%) seropositive]. In conclusion, in this study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, increased duration of morning stiffness was associated with functional disability. Functional disability increased with the duration of the disease, depended on age and educational level, and was more pronounced in older age, regardless of RA serological status. With regard to serological status and sex, the differences were non-significant.

Changes in the mRNA expression of structural proteins, hormone synthesis and secretion from bovine placentome sections after DDT and DDE treatment.

PubMed

Wojciechowska, A; Mlynarczuk, J; Kotwica, J

2017-01-15

Disorders in the barrier function and secretory activity of the placenta can be caused by xenobiotics (XB) present in the environment and their accumulation in tissues of living organisms. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2,-bis-4-chlorophenyl-ethane (DDT) and its metabolite 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis-4-chlorophenyl-ethene (DDE) (for 24 or 48h) at doses of 1, 10 or 100ng/ml on the function of cow placentome sections in the second trimester of pregnancy. DDT and DDE affected neither (P>0.05) the viability nor hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF1α) mRNA expression of the sections. XB decreased (P<0.05) connexin (Cx) 26, 32, 43 and placenta-specific 1 (PLAC-1) mRNA expression but did not affect (P>0.05) keratin 8 (KRT8) mRNA expression. DDT and DDE also reduced (P<0.05) prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) synthase (PGFS) mRNA expression, while DDT increased (P<0.05) prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthase (PGES) mRNA expression. Neither cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) mRNA expression nor PGF2α and PGE2 secretion were affected. Both DDT and DDE increased (P<0.05) neurophysin I/oxytocin (NP1/OT) mRNA expression and oxytocin (OT), oestradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) secretion while DDT stimulated only 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3βHSD) and cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (CYP11A1) mRNA expression (P<0.05). In summary, DDT and DDE impaired the barrier function and secretory activity of the placenta. Thus, these compounds can disrupt trophoblast invasion, myometrium contractility and gas/nutrient exchange throughout pregnancy in cows. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Saccharide-derived microporous spherical biochar prepared from hydrothermal carbonization and different pyrolysis temperatures: synthesis, characterization, and application in water treatment.

PubMed

Tran, Hai Nguyen; Lee, Chung-Kung; Nguyen, Tien Vinh; Chao, Huan-Ping

2017-08-24

Three saccharides (glucose, sucrose, and xylose) were used as pure precursors for synthesizing spherical biochars (GB, SB, and XB), respectively. The two-stage synthesis process comprised: (1) the hydrothermal carbonization of saccharides to produce spherical hydrochar' and (2) pyrolysis of the hydrochar at different temperatures from 300°C to 1200°C. The results demonstrated that the pyrolysis temperatures insignificantly affected the spherical morphology and surface chemistry of biochar. The biochar' isoelectric point ranged from 2.64 to 3.90 (abundant oxygen-containing functionalities). The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)-specific surface areas (S BET ) and total pore volumes (V total ) of biochar increased with the increasing pyrolysis temperatures. The highest S BET and V total were obtained at a pyrolysis temperature of 900°C for GB (775 m 2 /g and 0.392 cm 3 /g), 500°C for SB (410 m 2 /g and 0.212 cm 3 /g), and 600°C for XB (426 m 2 /g and 0.225 cm 3 /g), respectively. The spherical biochar was a microporous material with approximately 71-98% micropore volume. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the biochar' structure was predominantly amorphous. The spherical biochar possessed the graphite structure when the pyrolysis temperature was higher than 600°C. The adsorption capacity of GB depended strongly on the pyrolysis temperature. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacities ([Formula: see text]) of 900GB exhibited the following selective order: phenol (2.332 mmol/g) > Pb 2+ (1.052 mmol/g) > Cu 2+ (0.825 mmol/g) > methylene green 5 (0.426 mmol/g) > acid red 1 (0.076 mmol/g). This study provides a simple method to prepare spherical biochar - a new and potential adsorbent for adsorbing heavy metals and aromatic contaminants.

Spectral and Timing Nature of the Symbiotic X-Ray Binary 4U 1954+319: The Slowest Rotating Neutron Star in AN X-Ray Binary System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Enoto, Teruaki; Sasano, Makoto; Yamada, Shin'Ya; Tamagawa, Toru; Makishima, Kazuo; Pottschmidt, Katja; Marcu, Diana; Corbet, Robin H. D.; Fuerst, Felix; Wilms, Jorn

2014-01-01

The symbiotic X-ray binary (SyXB) 4U 1954+319 is a rare system hosting a peculiar neutron star (NS) and an M-type optical companion. Its approx. 5.4 hr NS spin period is the longest among all known accretion-powered pulsars and exhibited large (is approx. 7%) fluctuations over 8 yr. A spin trend transition was detected with Swift/BAT around an X-ray brightening in 2012. The source was in quiescent and bright states before and after this outburst based on 60 ks Suzaku observations in 2011 and 2012. The observed continuum is well described by a Comptonized model with the addition of a narrow 6.4 keV Fe-K alpha line during the outburst. Spectral similarities to slowly rotating pulsars in high-mass X-ray binaries, its high pulsed fraction (approx. 60%-80%), and the location in the Corbet diagram favor high B-field (approx. greater than 10(exp12) G) over a weak field as in low-mass X-ray binaries. The observed low X-ray luminosity (10(exp33)-10(exp35) erg s(exp-1)), probable wide orbit, and a slow stellar wind of this SyXB make quasi-spherical accretion in the subsonic settling regime a plausible model. Assuming a approx. 10(exp13) G NS, this scheme can explain the approx. 5.4 hr equilibrium rotation without employing the magnetar-like field (approx. 10(exp16) G) required in the disk accretion case. The timescales of multiple irregular flares (approx. 50 s) can also be attributed to the free-fall time from the Alfv´en shell for a approx. 10(exp13) G field. A physical interpretation of SyXBs beyond the canonical binary classifications is discussed.

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

Buchholz, B. A.

The project has two main goals: 1) Identify the types of adducts naphthalene (NA) forms with DNA and 2) determine whether adduct formation correlates with site selective tumor formation in defined subcompartments of the respiratory tract (respiratory and olfactory nasal epithelium and airways of mice, rats and rhesus monkeys). Five tasks are associated with the completion of the goals. Task 1: Contracting and Animal Use Approvals. IACUC and ACURO approvals are complete. The subcontract with UC Davis (UCD) was executed in December 2014. Task 2: Perform In Vitro Study for Goal 1. Rat and mouse samples exposures completed. Monkey samplesmore » need to be exposed in next quarter. Task 3: Perform In Vitro Study for Goal 2. Mouse and rat ex vivo exposures completed. Monkey samples need to be completed in the next quarter. Task 4: Sample Preparation and Analysis. Mouse and Rat Goal 2 samples completed. Monkey samples remain to be done for Goal 2. Rat samples completed for Goal 1. Mouse and Monkey samples for Goal 1 need to be completed. Task 5: Data Interpretation and Reporting. Poster will be presented at 2016 Society of Toxicology Meeting. Outline for paper on adduct formation complete and similar to poster for SOT meeting.« less

Glass capable of ionic conduction and method of preparation

DOEpatents

Susman, S.; Delbecq, C.J.; Volin, K.J.; Boehm, L.

1984-02-21

Sulfide glasses capable of conducting alkali metal ions are prepared from a nonmetal glass former such as GeS[sub 2], B[sub 2]S[sub 3] and SiS[sub 2] in mixture with a glass modifier such as Na[sub 2]S or another alkali metal sulfide. A molten mixture of the constituents is rapidly quenched to below the glass transition temperature by contact with a metal mold. The rapid quench is sufficient to prevent crystallization and permit solidification as an amorphous solid mixture. An oxygen-free atmosphere is maintained over the mixture to prevent oxidation. A new glass system of (1-X) Na[sub 2]O:XB[sub 2]S[sub 3] is disclosed. 4 figs.

FASINEX (Frontal Air-Sea Interaction Experiment), January-June 1986. Summaries for FASINEX Mooring Cruises. Phase One: R/V KNORR 119. Phase Three: R/V KNORR Cruise 123.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-10-01

639 644 549 664 669 664 669 0-~ JI 700 (KNOR 119)- 143 14s Xolr Goo-4* a.58 258 21 XB UME 570 57 w05859 9 0 - . I , , I , - I - , , , I , I . I...12 Jan 25041.65 69056.77 202 0830 12 Jan 25039.43 69°56.85 Ii 203 0845 12 Jan 25037.23 69056.89 204 0900 12 Jan 25034.99 69057.03 205 0915 12 Jan...0845 22 Jun 29004.48 70006.92 203 0900 22 Jun 29012.17 7007.31 204 0915 22 Jun 29015.33 70007.80 205 0945 22 Jun 29020.39 70008.21 206 1000 22 Jun

Subsonic Wing Optimization for Handling Qualities Using ACSYNT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soban, Danielle Suzanne

1996-01-01

The capability to accurately and rapidly predict aircraft stability derivatives using one comprehensive analysis tool has been created. The PREDAVOR tool has the following capabilities: rapid estimation of stability derivatives using a vortex lattice method, calculation of a longitudinal handling qualities metric, and inherent methodology to optimize a given aircraft configuration for longitudinal handling qualities, including an intuitive graphical interface. The PREDAVOR tool may be applied to both subsonic and supersonic designs, as well as conventional and unconventional, symmetric and asymmetric configurations. The workstation-based tool uses as its model a three-dimensional model of the configuration generated using a computer aided design (CAD) package. The PREDAVOR tool was applied to a Lear Jet Model 23 and the North American XB-70 Valkyrie.

Robust Path Tracking of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Using Sliding Modes

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

MDB REAL MQN , MWN ,MDSN REAL QHADOTQHAT,THADOT,THAT C C YAW HYDRODYNAMIC COEFFICIENTS C REAL NPDOT,NRDOTNPQ , NQR REAL NVDOT , NP ,NR ,NVQ REAL NWP...NRDOT--3.4E-3-,NPQ .s-2.1E-2 , NQR .s2.7E-3, & NVDOT-1.2E-3 , NP --8.4E-4 ,NR --1.6E-2 ,NVQ - -1.E-2, -& NWP --1.75-2 , NWR -7.4E-3 ,NV -.-7.4E-3 ,NVW... NQR *Q*R)- +(RHO/2)*L**4*(NP*U*P+ & NR*U*R + NVQ*V*Q-+NWP*W*P + NWR*W*R) +(RHO/2)*L**3*(NV* & -U*V + NVW*V*W +-NDR*U**2*D R) +-YAW + (XG*WEIGHT- &XB

Ginga observations of dipping low mass X ray binaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smale, Alan P.; Mukai, Koji; Williams, O. Rees; Jones, Mark H.; Parmar, Arvind N.; Corbet, Robin H. D.

1989-01-01

Ginga observations of several low mass X ray binaries displaying pronounced dips of variable depth and duration in their X ray light curves are analyzed. The periodic occultation of the central X ray source by azimuthal accretion disk structure is considered. A series of spectra selected by intensity from the dip data from XB1916-053, are presented. The effects of a rapidly changing column density upon the spectral fitting results are modeled. EXO0748-676 was observed in March 1989 for three days. The source was found to be in a bright state with a 1 to 20 keV flux of 8.8 x 10 (exp -10) erg/sqcms. The data include two eclipses, observed with high time resolution.

Vibration Responses of Test Structure No. 2 During the Edward Air Force Base Phase of the National Sonic Boom Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Findley, D. S.; Huckel, V.; Hubbard, H. H.

1975-01-01

In order to evaluate reaction of people to sonic booms of varying overpressures and time durations, a series of closely controlled and systematic flight tests/studies were conducted from June 3 to June 23, 1966. The dynamic responses of several building structures were measured, with emphasis on a two-story residence structure. Sample acceleration and strain recordings from F-104, B-58, and XB-70 sonic boom exposures are included, along with tabulations of the maximum acceleration and strain values measured for each one of about 140 flight tests. These data are compared with similar measurements for engine noise exposures of the building during simulated landing approaches and takeoffs of KC-135 aircraft.

European Solid State Device Research Conference (18th) Held on September 13-16 1988 in Montpellier, France. (ESSDERC 88)

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-16

IEEE Trans. Electron Dev., 30, pp 1295 (1983) /2/ K.K. Ng and W.T. Lynch, IEEE Trans. Electron Dev., 34, pp 503 (1987). /3/ P.A. van der Plas, W.C.E...300 20 F Ohm I FRC I 500 170 Ohm INPNICje F 65 F 28 fI Cjc F 100 j 45 I fF hFE I 80 j 80 II IBVEB I 6.5 F 6.5 V BVCE I 6.5 6.5 vI BVCB F 18 I 18 (V I...evaluated include a -Xb RAM, a 1.6GHz universal shift register and an 8 bit DAC with a 1.2ns settling time. A micograph of the DAC is shown in figure 6

Boron Nitride and Silicon Nitride Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-02-01

far Physikalische Chemie der UniversitAt W~ien, Austria February 1991 United States Army EUROPEAN RESEARCH OFFICE OF THE U.S. ARMY London England...109 A Van hPS a= 491.7 [85Vi1J PSa22 a= 458.8 I-n I~.a Vea~ad tP58 a=2a(V ) [780no] * P4,/nmc o=2a(VN ) V.~z VNIIx cp8 a= 413.6 [85Vii] Fm~m IaC1...Cr8 c= 306.5 vBU hP14 a= 298.45 [88Kle) � P6,/mmc c=1387.3 V2B5 W 1-xB, a P a= 519.76 [SeKleJ �* P8,1.30 o= 833.51 VaN cF8 a= 412.8 [85Vil) N

Cross Sections for the Exclusive Photon Electroproduction on the Proton and Generalized Parton Distributions.

PubMed

Jo, H S; Girod, F X; Avakian, H; Burkert, V D; Garçon, M; Guidal, M; Kubarovsky, V; Niccolai, S; Stoler, P; Adhikari, K P; Adikaram, D; Amaryan, M J; Anderson, M D; Anefalos Pereira, S; Ball, J; Baltzell, N A; Battaglieri, M; Batourine, V; Bedlinskiy, I; Biselli, A S; Boiarinov, S; Briscoe, W J; Brooks, W K; Carman, D S; Celentano, A; Chandavar, S; Charles, G; Colaneri, L; Cole, P L; Compton, N; Contalbrigo, M; Crede, V; D'Angelo, A; Dashyan, N; De Vita, R; De Sanctis, E; Deur, A; Djalali, C; Dupre, R; Alaoui, A El; Fassi, L El; Elouadrhiri, L; Fedotov, G; Fegan, S; Filippi, A; Fleming, J A; Garillon, B; Gevorgyan, N; Ghandilyan, Y; Gilfoyle, G P; Giovanetti, K L; Goetz, J T; Golovatch, E; Gothe, R W; Griffioen, K A; Guegan, B; Guler, N; Guo, L; Hafidi, K; Hakobyan, H; Harrison, N; Hattawy, M; Hicks, K; Hirlinger Saylor, N; Ho, D; Holtrop, M; Hughes, S M; Ilieva, Y; Ireland, D G; Ishkhanov, B S; Jenkins, D; Joo, K; Joosten, S; Keller, D; Khachatryan, G; Khandaker, M; Kim, A; Kim, W; Klein, A; Klein, F J; Kuhn, S E; Kuleshov, S V; Lenisa, P; Livingston, K; Lu, H Y; MacGregor, I J D; McKinnon, B; Meziani, Z E; Mirazita, M; Mokeev, V; Montgomery, R A; Moutarde, H; Movsisyan, A; Munevar, E; Munoz Camacho, C; Nadel-Turonski, P; Net, L A; Niculescu, G; Osipenko, M; Ostrovidov, A I; Paolone, M; Park, K; Pasyuk, E; Phillips, J J; Pisano, S; Pogorelko, O; Price, J W; Procureur, S; Prok, Y; Puckett, A J R; Raue, B A; Ripani, M; Rizzo, A; Rosner, G; Rossi, P; Roy, P; Sabatié, F; Salgado, C; Schott, D; Schumacher, R A; Seder, E; Simonyan, A; Skorodumina, Iu; Smith, G D; Sokhan, D; Sparveris, N; Stepanyan, S; Strakovsky, I I; Strauch, S; Sytnik, V; Tian, Ye; Tkachenko, S; Ungaro, M; Voskanyan, H; Voutier, E; Walford, N K; Watts, D P; Wei, X; Weinstein, L B; Wood, M H; Zachariou, N; Zana, L; Zhang, J; Zhao, Z W; Zonta, I

2015-11-20

Unpolarized and beam-polarized fourfold cross sections (d^{4}σ/dQ^{2}dx_{B}dtdϕ) for the ep→e^{'}p^{'}γ reaction were measured using the CLAS detector and the 5.75-GeV polarized electron beam of the Jefferson Lab accelerator, for 110 (Q^{2},x_{B},t) bins over the widest phase space ever explored in the valence-quark region. Several models of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) describe the data well at most of our kinematics. This increases our confidence that we understand the GPD H, expected to be the dominant contributor to these observables. Through a leading-twist extraction of Compton form factors, these results support the model predictions of a larger nucleon size at lower quark-momentum fraction x_{B}.

Study of boro-tellurite glasses doped with neodymium oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanjay, Kishore, N.; Sheoran, M. S.; Devi, S.

2018-05-01

Borotellurite glasses doped with Nd2O3 [xB2O3(95-x)TeO25Nd2O3] have been prepared by the standard melt-quenching technique. Amorphous nature of the present system was estimated by XRD patterns. The thermal parameters like glass transition temperature (Tg), crystallization (Tc) and melting (Tm) temperatures have been estimated from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) traces. Density and molar volume have been determined. It was found that Tg is increased due to increasing number of Te-O bonds were replaced by a number of stronger B-O bonds whereas density was decreased with an increase in B2O3 content is due to the higher degree of cross-bonding between the Boron and non-bridging oxygen ions resulting in a strengthening of glass network.

Structural and critical current properties in Al-doped MgB 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, D. N.; Xiang, J. Y.; Lang, P. L.; Li, J. Q.; Che, G. C.; Zhao, Z. W.; Wen, H. H.; Tian, H. Y.; Ni, Y. M.; Zhao, Z. X.

2004-08-01

A series of Al-doped Mg 1- xAl xB 2 samples have been fabricated and systematic study on structure and superconducting properties have been carried out for the samples. In addition to a structural transition observed by XRD, TEM micrographs showed the existence of a superstructure of double c-axis lattice constant along the direction perpendicular to the boron honeycomb sheet. In order to investigate the effect of Al doping on flux pinning and critical current properties in MgB 2, measurements on the superconducting transition temperature Tc, irreversible field Birr and critical current density Jc were performed too, for the samples with the doping levels lower than 0.15 in particular. These experimental observations were discussed in terms of Al doping induced changes in carrier concentration.

Effects of metabolic acidosis on intracellular pH responses in multiple cell types

PubMed Central

Salameh, Ahlam Ibrahim; Ruffin, Vernon A.

2014-01-01

Metabolic acidosis (MAc), a decrease in extracellular pH (pHo) caused by a decrease in [HCO3−]o at a fixed [CO2]o, is a common clinical condition and causes intracellular pH (pHi) to fall. Although previous work has suggested that MAc-induced decreases in pHi (ΔpHi) differ among cell types, what is not clear is the extent to which these differences are the result of the wide variety of methodologies employed by various investigators. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of two sequential MAc challenges (MAc1 and MAc2) on pHi in 10 cell types/lines: primary-cultured hippocampal (HCN) neurons and astrocytes (HCA), primary-cultured medullary raphé (MRN) neurons, and astrocytes (MRA), CT26 colon cancer, the C2C12 skeletal muscles, primary-cultured bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) and dendritic cells (BMDC), Ink4a/ARF-null melanocytes, and XB-2 keratinocytes. We monitor pHi using ratiometric fluorescence imaging of 2′,7′-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein while imposing MAc: lowering (pHo) from 7.4 to 7.2 by decreasing [HCO3−]o from 22 to 14 mM at 5% CO2 for 7 min. After MAc1, we return cells to the control solution for 10 min and impose MAc2. Using our definition of MAc resistance [(ΔpHi/ΔpHo) ≤ 40%], during MAc1, ∼70% of CT26 and ∼50% of C2C12 are MAc-resistant, whereas the other cell types are predominantly MAc-sensitive. During MAc2, some cells adapt [(ΔpHi/ΔpHo)2 < (ΔpHi/ΔpHo)1], particularly HCA, C2C12, and BMDC. Most maintain consistent responses [(ΔpHi/ΔpHo)2 ≅ (ΔpHi/ΔpHo)1], and a few decompensate [(ΔpHi/ΔpHo)2>(ΔpHi/ΔpHo)1], particularly HCN, C2C12, and XB-2. Thus, responses to twin MAc challenges depend both on the individual cell and cell type. PMID:25209413

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

Chen, Wei; Boehlert, C. J.

The tensile properties of extruded Ti 6Al 4V xB alloys (wt.%) were evaluated in an orientation perpendicular to the extrusion direction at room-temperature and 455 C. The extrusion process preferentially oriented the basal plane of -Ti perpendicular to the extrusion axis. This strong - phase texture resulted in tensile anisotropy. The tensile strength in the transverse orientation was lower than that in the longitudinal orientation, but it remained greater than that for the ascast Ti 6Al 4V. The TiB phasewas aligned in the extrusion direction and increased B content was found to weaken the -phase texture, causing a weakening ofmore » tensile anisotropy. Debonding was not observed during the tensile tests in the transverse orientation, indicating a strong interface bond exists between the TiB phase and the two-phase ( + ) Ti 6Al 4V matrix.« less

Longitudinal target-spin asymmetries for deeply virtual compton scattering.

PubMed

Seder, E; Biselli, A; Pisano, S; Niccolai, S; Smith, G D; Joo, K; Adhikari, K; Amaryan, M J; Anderson, M D; Anefalos Pereira, S; Avakian, H; Battaglieri, M; Bedlinskiy, I; Bono, J; Boiarinov, S; Bosted, P; Briscoe, W; Brock, J; Brooks, W K; Bültmann, S; Burkert, V D; Carman, D S; Carlin, C; Celentano, A; Chandavar, S; Charles, G; Colaneri, L; Cole, P L; Contalbrigo, M; Crabb, D; Crede, V; D'Angelo, A; Dashyan, N; De Vita, R; De Sanctis, E; Deur, A; Djalali, C; Doughty, D; Dupre, R; El Fassi, L; Elouadrhiri, L; Eugenio, P; Fedotov, G; Fegan, S; Filippi, A; Fleming, J A; Fradi, A; Garillon, B; Garçon, M; Gevorgyan, N; Ghandilyan, Y; Giovanetti, K L; Girod, F X; Goetz, J T; Gohn, W; Gothe, R W; Griffioen, K A; Guegan, B; Guidal, M; Guo, L; Hafidi, K; Hakobyan, H; Hanretty, C; Harrison, N; Hattawy, M; Hirlinger Saylor, N; Holtrop, M; Hughes, S M; Ilieva, Y; Ireland, D G; Ishkhanov, B S; Isupov, E L; Jo, H S; Joosten, S; Keith, C D; Keller, D; Khachatryan, G; Khandaker, M; Kim, A; Kim, W; Klein, A; Klein, F J; Koirala, S; Kubarovsky, V; Kuhn, S E; Lenisa, P; Livingston, K; Lu, H Y; MacGregor, I J D; Markov, N; Mayer, M; McKinnon, B; Meekins, D G; Mineeva, T; Mirazita, M; Mokeev, V; Montgomery, R; Moody, C I; Moutarde, H; Movsisyan, A; Munoz Camacho, C; Nadel-Turonski, P; Niculescu, I; Osipenko, M; Ostrovidov, A I; Paolone, M; Pappalardo, L L; Park, K; Park, S; Pasyuk, E; Peng, P; Phelps, W; Pogorelko, O; Price, J W; Prok, Y; Protopopescu, D; Puckett, A J R; Ripani, M; Rizzo, A; Rosner, G; Rossi, P; Roy, P; Sabatié, F; Salgado, C; Schott, D; Schumacher, R A; Senderovich, I; Simonyan, A; Skorodumina, I; Sokhan, D; Sparveris, N; Stepanyan, S; Stoler, P; Strakovsky, I I; Strauch, S; Sytnik, V; Taiuti, M; Tang, W; Tian, Y; Ungaro, M; Voskanyan, H; Voutier, E; Walford, N K; Watts, D P; Wei, X; Weinstein, L B; Wood, M H; Zachariou, N; Zana, L; Zhang, J; Zonta, I

2015-01-23

A measurement of the electroproduction of photons off protons in the deeply inelastic regime was performed at Jefferson Lab using a nearly 6 GeV electron beam, a longitudinally polarized proton target, and the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer. Target-spin asymmetries for ep→e^{'}p^{'}γ events, which arise from the interference of the deeply virtual Compton scattering and the Bethe-Heitler processes, were extracted over the widest kinematics in Q^{2}, x_{B}, t, and ϕ, for 166 four-dimensional bins. In the framework of generalized parton distributions, at leading twist the t dependence of these asymmetries provides insight into the spatial distribution of the axial charge of the proton, which appears to be concentrated in its center. These results also bring important and necessary constraints for the existing parametrizations of chiral-even generalized parton distributions.

Theoretical Study of the B(sup 3) Sigma(sup -, sub u) - X(sup3)Sigma(sub g, sup -) and B"(sup 3)Pi(sub u) - X(sup 3)Sigma(sub g, sup -) Band Systems of S(sub 2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pradhan, Atul D.; Partridge, Harry; Langhoff, Stephen R. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Multireference configuration-interaction (MRCI) wavefunctions and potential energy curves have been calculated for the X(sup 3)Sigma(sub g,sup -), B(sup 3)Sigma(sub u, Sup -) and B"(sup 3)Pi((sub u) states of S(sub 2) using correlation consistent Gaussian basis sets. These wavefunctions are utilized to compute the the transition dipole moments of the B(sup 3)Sigma(sub g, sup -) - X(sup 3) Sigma(sub g, sup -) and B"(sup 3)Pi(sub u) - X(sup 3)Sigma(sub g, sup -) systems. Oscillator strengths, transition probabilities, and radiative lifetimes are computed for the X-B system and comparison is made with experimental data.

National Program for Inspection of Non-Federal Dams. Souhegan River Watershed Dam Number 35 (NH 00435), NHWRB 175.21, Merrimack River Basin, New Ipswich, New Hampshire. Phase I Inspection Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-08-01

left end of the service platform has spalled over a 12 inch by 4 inch area. This spalling is attributed to excessive concrete vibra- tion. A...reinforced rod on ton of service platform exposed for 12"’ 1-f f Irescenct- NKone notedl Hon n E, com r)-1 12"’ x I" on headwa . seer- S age flowing through...3 nL 3 o m W(\\ +4 X -. = 0 wix .- X a kD X-~ W-I)~ + 0 5 Z I-- wJ 0 - U) w X -n = -o-Xb \\ W -- ~U)~.I-+ + -L a " fJ f It 1.Z’ X - r X tO U- -w LLI- W

Short-Range Nucleon-Nucleon Correlations

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

Douglas Higinbotham

2011-10-01

Valence-shell nucleon knock-out experiments, such as 12C(e,e'p)11B, measure less strength then is predicted by independent particle shell model calculations. The theoretical solution to this problem is to include the correlations between the nucleons in the nucleus in the calculations. Motivated by these results, many electron scattering experiments have tried to directly observe these correlations in order to gain new insight into the short-range part of the nucleon-nucleon potential. Unfortunately, many competing mechanisms can cause the same observable final-state as an initial-state correlation, making truly isolating the signal extremely challenging. This paper reviews the recent experimental evidence for short-range correlations, asmore » well as explores the possibility that such correlations are responsible for the EMC effect in the 0.3 < xB < 0.7 deep inelastic scattering ratios.« less

Longitudinal Target-Spin Asymmetries for Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seder, E.; Biselli, A.; Pisano, S.; Niccolai, S.; Smith, G. D.; Joo, K.; Adhikari, K.; Amaryan, M. J.; Anderson, M. D.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Avakian, H.; Battaglieri, M.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Bono, J.; Boiarinov, S.; Bosted, P.; Briscoe, W.; Brock, J.; Brooks, W. K.; Bültmann, S.; Burkert, V. D.; Carman, D. S.; Carlin, C.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Charles, G.; Colaneri, L.; Cole, P. L.; Contalbrigo, M.; Crabb, D.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Deur, A.; Djalali, C.; Doughty, D.; Dupre, R.; El Fassi, L.; Elouadrhiri, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Fegan, S.; Filippi, A.; Fleming, J. A.; Fradi, A.; Garillon, B.; Garçon, M.; Gevorgyan, N.; Ghandilyan, Y.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Goetz, J. T.; Gohn, W.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guegan, B.; Guidal, M.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Hakobyan, H.; Hanretty, C.; Harrison, N.; Hattawy, M.; Hirlinger Saylor, N.; Holtrop, M.; Hughes, S. M.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Isupov, E. L.; Jo, H. S.; Joosten, S.; Keith, C. D.; Keller, D.; Khachatryan, G.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, A.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Koirala, S.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuhn, S. E.; Lenisa, P.; Livingston, K.; Lu, H. Y.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Markov, N.; Mayer, M.; McKinnon, B.; Meekins, D. G.; Mineeva, T.; Mirazita, M.; Mokeev, V.; Montgomery, R.; Moody, C. I.; Moutarde, H.; Movsisyan, A.; Munoz Camacho, C.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Niculescu, I.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Paolone, M.; Pappalardo, L. L.; Park, K.; Park, S.; Pasyuk, E.; Peng, P.; Phelps, W.; Pogorelko, O.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Ripani, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Roy, P.; Sabatié, F.; Salgado, C.; Schott, D.; Schumacher, R. A.; Senderovich, I.; Simonyan, A.; Skorodumina, I.; Sokhan, D.; Sparveris, N.; Stepanyan, S.; Stoler, P.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Strauch, S.; Sytnik, V.; Taiuti, M.; Tang, W.; Tian, Y.; Ungaro, M.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Walford, N. K.; Watts, D. P.; Wei, X.; Weinstein, L. B.; Wood, M. H.; Zachariou, N.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.; Zonta, I.; CLAS Collaboration

2015-01-01

A measurement of the electroproduction of photons off protons in the deeply inelastic regime was performed at Jefferson Lab using a nearly 6 GeV electron beam, a longitudinally polarized proton target, and the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer. Target-spin asymmetries for e p →e'p'γ events, which arise from the interference of the deeply virtual Compton scattering and the Bethe-Heitler processes, were extracted over the widest kinematics in Q2 , xB, t , and ϕ , for 166 four-dimensional bins. In the framework of generalized parton distributions, at leading twist the t dependence of these asymmetries provides insight into the spatial distribution of the axial charge of the proton, which appears to be concentrated in its center. These results also bring important and necessary constraints for the existing parametrizations of chiral-even generalized parton distributions.

Cross Sections for the Exclusive Photon Electroproduction on the Proton and Generalized Parton Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jo, H. S.; Girod, F. X.; Avakian, H.; Burkert, V. D.; Garçon, M.; Guidal, M.; Kubarovsky, V.; Niccolai, S.; Stoler, P.; Adhikari, K. P.; Adikaram, D.; Amaryan, M. J.; Anderson, M. D.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Ball, J.; Baltzell, N. A.; Battaglieri, M.; Batourine, V.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Biselli, A. S.; Boiarinov, S.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Carman, D. S.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Charles, G.; Colaneri, L.; Cole, P. L.; Compton, N.; Contalbrigo, M.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Deur, A.; Djalali, C.; Dupre, R.; Alaoui, A. El; Fassi, L. El; Elouadrhiri, L.; Fedotov, G.; Fegan, S.; Filippi, A.; Fleming, J. A.; Garillon, B.; Gevorgyan, N.; Ghandilyan, Y.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Goetz, J. T.; Golovatch, E.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guegan, B.; Guler, N.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Hakobyan, H.; Harrison, N.; Hattawy, M.; Hicks, K.; Hirlinger Saylor, N.; Ho, D.; Holtrop, M.; Hughes, S. M.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Jenkins, D.; Joo, K.; Joosten, S.; Keller, D.; Khachatryan, G.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, A.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Lenisa, P.; Livingston, K.; Lu, H. Y.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; McKinnon, B.; Meziani, Z. E.; Mirazita, M.; Mokeev, V.; Montgomery, R. A.; Moutarde, H.; Movsisyan, A.; Munevar, E.; Munoz Camacho, C.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Net, L. A.; Niculescu, G.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Paolone, M.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Phillips, J. J.; Pisano, S.; Pogorelko, O.; Price, J. W.; Procureur, S.; Prok, Y.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Raue, B. A.; Ripani, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Roy, P.; Sabatié, F.; Salgado, C.; Schott, D.; Schumacher, R. A.; Seder, E.; Simonyan, A.; Skorodumina, Iu.; Smith, G. D.; Sokhan, D.; Sparveris, N.; Stepanyan, S.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Strauch, S.; Sytnik, V.; Tian, Ye; Tkachenko, S.; Ungaro, M.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Walford, N. K.; Watts, D. P.; Wei, X.; Weinstein, L. B.; Wood, M. H.; Zachariou, N.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, Z. W.; Zonta, I.; CLAS Collaboration

2015-11-01

Unpolarized and beam-polarized fourfold cross sections (d4σ /d Q2d xBd t d ϕ ) for the e p →e'p'γ reaction were measured using the CLAS detector and the 5.75-GeV polarized electron beam of the Jefferson Lab accelerator, for 110 (Q2,xB,t ) bins over the widest phase space ever explored in the valence-quark region. Several models of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) describe the data well at most of our kinematics. This increases our confidence that we understand the GPD H , expected to be the dominant contributor to these observables. Through a leading-twist extraction of Compton form factors, these results support the model predictions of a larger nucleon size at lower quark-momentum fraction xB.

Flight calibration of compensated and uncompensated pitot-static airspeed probes and application of the probes to supersonic cruise vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, L. D.; Washington, H. P.

1972-01-01

Static pressure position error calibrations for a compensated and an uncompensated XB-70 nose boom pitot static probe were obtained in flight. The methods (Pacer, acceleration-deceleration, and total temperature) used to obtain the position errors over a Mach number range from 0.5 to 3.0 and an altitude range from 25,000 feet to 70,000 feet are discussed. The error calibrations are compared with the position error determined from wind tunnel tests, theoretical analysis, and a standard NACA pitot static probe. Factors which influence position errors, such as angle of attack, Reynolds number, probe tip geometry, static orifice location, and probe shape, are discussed. Also included are examples showing how the uncertainties caused by position errors can affect the inlet controls and vertical altitude separation of a supersonic transport.

Structural investigation and optical properties of xMnO2-25Li2O-5Na2O-15Bi2O3-(55-x)B2O3 glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, Shilpa; Jali, V. M.

2018-02-01

This paper deals with the new mixed system of glass compositions Lithium sodium bismuth borate glasses doped with transition metal oxide. The technique used to prepare a sample is by melt quenching. The XRD profile pattern confirmed the amorphous phase of the present glass system. The network structure is based on BO3, BO4 units and BiO6 octahedral units. No boroxyl rings observed in the glass structure. The addition of MnO2 in small amount does not account for major structural changes. Optical band gap lies in the range 1.89 to 0.96 eV. Density, molar volume, oxygen packing density, Tg, direct optical band gap and refractive index show anomalous behavior.

Exclusive η electroproduction at W >2 GeV with CLAS and transversity generalized parton distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedlinskiy, I.; Kubarovsky, V.; Stoler, P.; Adhikari, K. P.; Akbar, Z.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Avakian, H.; Ball, J.; Baltzell, N. A.; Battaglieri, M.; Batourine, V.; Biselli, A. S.; Boiarinov, S.; Briscoe, W. J.; Burkert, V. D.; Cao, T.; Carman, D. S.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Charles, G.; Ciullo, G.; Clark, L.; Colaneri, L.; Cole, P. L.; Contalbrigo, M.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Deur, A.; Djalali, C.; Dupre, R.; Alaoui, A. El; Fassi, L. El; Elouadrhiri, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fanchini, E.; Fedotov, G.; Fersch, R.; Filippi, A.; Fleming, J. A.; Forest, T. A.; Garçon, M.; Gevorgyan, N.; Ghandilyan, Y.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Gleason, C.; Golovatch, E.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guidal, M.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Hakobyan, H.; Hanretty, C.; Harrison, N.; Hattawy, M.; Hicks, K.; Hughes, S. M.; Hyde, C. E.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Isupov, E. L.; Jenkins, D.; Jiang, H.; Jo, H. S.; Joo, K.; Joosten, S.; Keller, D.; Khachatryan, G.; Khachatryan, M.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, A.; Kim, W.; Klein, F. J.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Lanza, L.; Lenisa, P.; Livingston, K.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Markov, N.; McKinnon, B.; Meziani, Z. E.; Mirazita, M.; Mokeev, V.; Montgomery, R. A.; Movsisyan, A.; Munoz Camacho, C.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Net, L. A.; Ni, A.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, G.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Paolone, M.; Paremuzyan, R.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Peng, P.; Phelps, W.; Pisano, S.; Pogorelko, O.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Raue, B. A.; Ripani, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Roy, P.; Sabatié, F.; Saini, M. S.; Salgado, C.; Schumacher, R. A.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Skorodumina, Iu.; Smith, G. D.; Sokhan, D.; Sparveris, N.; Stepanyan, S.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Strauch, S.; Taiuti, M.; Tian, Ye; Torayev, B.; Turisini, M.; Ungaro, M.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Walford, N. K.; Watts, D. P.; Wei, X.; Weinstein, L. B.; Wood, M. H.; Yurov, M.; Zachariou, N.; Zhang, J.; Zonta, I.; CLAS Collaboration

2017-03-01

The cross section of the exclusive η electroproduction reaction e p →e'p'η was measured at Jefferson Laboratory with a 5.75 GeV electron beam and the CLAS detector. Differential cross sections d4σ /d t d Q2d xBd ϕη and structure functions σU=σT+ɛ σL,σT T , and σL T, as functions of t , were obtained over a wide range of Q2 and xB. The η structure functions are compared with those previously measured for π0 at the same kinematics. At low t , both π0 and η are described reasonably well by generalized parton distributions (GPDs) in which chiral-odd transversity GPDs are dominant. The π0 and η data, when taken together, can facilitate the flavor decomposition of the transversity GPDs.

Beam-spin asymmetries from semi-inclusive pion electroproduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gohn, W.; Avakian, H.; Joo, K.; Ungaro, M.; Adhikari, K. P.; Aghasyan, M.; Amaryan, M. J.; Anderson, M. D.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Ball, J.; Baltzell, N. A.; Battaglieri, M.; Biselli, A. S.; Bono, J.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Burkert, V. D.; Carman, D. S.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Charles, G.; Cole, P. L.; Contalbrigo, M.; Cortes, O.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Djalali, C.; Doughty, D.; Dupre, R.; El Alaoui, A.; El Fassi, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Fleming, J. A.; Forest, T.; Garçon, M.; Ghandilyan, Y.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guegan, B.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Hanretty, C.; Harrison, N.; Hattawy, Mohammad; Hicks, K.; Ho, D.; Holtrop, M.; Hyde, C.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Jo, H. S.; Keller, D.; Khandaker, M.; Khetarpal, P.; Kim, W.; Klein, F. J.; Koirala, S.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Lenisa, P.; Livingston, K.; Lu, H. Y.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Markov, N.; Mayer, M.; McKinnon, B.; Mineeva, T.; Mirazita, M.; Mokeev, V.; Movsisyan, A.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, I.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Pappalardo, L. L.; Paremuzyan, R.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Peng, P.; Phillips, J. J.; Pisano, S.; Pozdniakov, S.; Price, J. W.; Procureur, S.; Prok, Y.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Raue, B. A.; Ripani, M.; Ritchie, B. G.; Rizzo, A.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Roy, P.; Sabatié, F.; Salgado, C.; Schott, D.; Schumacher, R. A.; Seder, E.; Seraydaryan, H.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Simonyan, A.; Smith, G. D.; Sober, D. I.; Sokhan, D.; Stoler, P.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Stepanyan, S.; Strauch, S.; Tang, W.; Tkachenko, S.; Vernarsky, B.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Walford, N. K.; Watts, D. P.; Weinstein, L. B.; Wood, M. H.; Zachariou, N.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.; Zonta, I.; CLAS Collaboration

2014-04-01

We have measured the moment ALUsinϕ corresponding to the polarized electron beam-spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering. ALUsinϕ is a twist-3 quantity providing information about quark-gluon correlations. Data were taken with the CLAS Spectrometer at Jefferson Lab using a 5.498 GeV longitudinally polarized electron beam and an unpolarized liquid hydrogen target. All three pion channels (π+, π0 and π-) were measured simultaneously over a large range of kinematics within the virtuality range Q2≈ 1.0-4.5 GeV2. The observable was measured with better than 1% statistical precision over a large range of z, PT, xB, and Q2, which permits comparison with several reaction models. The discussed measurements provide an upgrade in statistics over previous measurements, and serve as the first evidence for the negative sign of the π- sinϕ moment.

Supplementary Free-Spinning-Tunnel Tests of a 1/16-Scale Model of the McDonnell XB-85 Airplane Equipped with a Conventional-Tail Arrangement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klinar, Walter J.

1947-01-01

Spin tests have been conducted in the Langley free-spinning tunnel on a 1/16-scale model of the McDonnell XP-85 airplane with the normal X-tail replaced with a short-coupled conventional tail arrangement. The effect of the conventional tail arrangement and the effects of various modifications upon the spin and recovery characteristics of the model were determined. The results of the tests indicated that installation of the conventional tail arrangement wil not provide satisfactory recoveries from spins of the airplane. Satisfactory recoveries will be obtainable, however, either by installing in addition a very large ventral fin (17.94 sq ft, full-scale) below the tail or by decreasing the width of the fuselage and making it flat sided rearward of the wing trailing edge.

Survey of EBW Mode-Conversion Characteristics for Various Boundary Conditions

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

Tanaka, H.; Maekawa, T.; Igami, H.

2005-09-26

A survey of linear mode-conversion characteristics between external transverse electromagnetic (TEM) waves and electron Bernstein waves (EBW) for various plasma and wave parameters has been presented. It is shown that if the wave propagation angle and polarization are adjusted appropriately for each individual case of the plasma parameters, efficient mode conversion occur for wide range of plasma parameters where the conventional 'XB' and 'OXB' scheme cannot cover. It is confirmed that the plasma parameters just at the upper hybrid resonance (UHR) layer strongly affect the mode conversion process and the influence of the plasma profiles distant from the UHR layermore » is not so much. The results of this survey is useful enough to examine wave injection/detection condition for efficient ECH/ECCD or measurement of emissive TEM waves for each individual experimental condition of overdense plasmas.« less

Phase composition and magnetic properties in nanocrystalline permanent magnets based on misch-metal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Q.; Wang, J.; Zhang, Z. Y.; Zhang, X. F.; Liu, F.; Liu, Y. L.; Jv, X. M.; Li, Y. F.; Wang, G. F.

2017-09-01

The magnetic properties and phase composition of magnets based on misch-metal (MM) with nominal composition of MM13+xFe84-xB6.5 with x = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 using melt-spinning method were investigated. For x = 1.5, it could exhibit best magnetic properties (Hcj = 753.02 kA m-1, (BH)max = 70.77 kJ m-3). X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy show that the multi hard magnetic phase of RE2Fe14B (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd) existed in the magnets. The domain wall pinning effect and the exchange coupling interaction between grains are dependent on the abnormal RE-rich phase composition. Optimizing the phase constitution is necessary to improve magnetic properties in MM-Fe-B magnets for utilizing the rare earth resource in a balanced manner.

Anti-platelet effects of chalcones from Angelica keiskei Koidzumi (Ashitaba) in vivo.

PubMed

Ohkura, N; Ohnishi, K; Taniguchi, M; Nakayama, A; Usuba, Y; Fujita, M; Fujii, A; Ishibashi, K; Baba, K; Atsumi, G

2016-11-02

Angelica keiskei Koidzumi (Ashitaba) is a traditional folk medicine that is also regarded in Japan as a health food with potential antithrombotic properties. The ability of the major chalcones, xanthoangelol (XA) and 4-hydroxyderricin (4-HD) extracted from Ashitaba roots to inhibit platelet aggregation activity in vitro was recently determined. However, the anti-platelet activities of Ashitaba chalcones in vivo have remained unclear. The present study examines the anti-platelet effects of Ashitaba exudate and its constituent chalcones using mouse tail-bleeding models that reflect platelet aggregation in vivo. Ashitaba exudate and the major chalcone subtype XA, suppressed the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced shortening of mouse tail bleeding. However, trace amounts of other Ashitaba chalcone subtypes including xanthoangelols B (XB), D (XD), E (XE) and F (XF) did not affect tail bleeding. These results suggest that the major chalcone subtype in Ashitaba, XA, has anti-platelet-activities in vivo.

Flight-measured base pressure coefficients for thick boundary-layer flow over an aft-facing step for Mach numbers from 0.4 to 2.5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goecke, S. A.

1973-01-01

A 0.56-inch thick aft-facing step was located 52.1 feet from the leading edge of the left wing of an XB-70 airplane. A boundary-layer rake at a mirror location on the right wing was used to obtain local flow properties. Reynolds numbers were near 10 to the 8th power, resulting in a relatively thick boundary-layer. The momentum thickness ranged from slightly thinner to slightly thicker than the step height. Surface static pressures forward of the step were obtained for Mach numbers near 0.9, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.4. The data were compared with thin boundary-layer results from flight and wind-tunnel experiments and semiempirical relationships. Significant differences were found between the thick and the thin boundary-layer data.

Effect of R(3+) ions on the structure and properties of lanthanum borate glasses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chakraborty, I. N.; Day, D. E.

1985-01-01

The present investigation of glass formation in the (mole percent) systems 25La2O3 (x)R2O3 (75-x)B2O3, where R = Al, Ga, and (25-x)La2O3 (x)Ln2O3 75B2O3, where Ln = Gd, Er, Y, notes that up to 25 mol pct Al2O3 or Ga2O3 can be substituted for B2O3, while no more than about 5 mol pct Ln2O3, substituted for La2O3, caused macro-phase separation. The substitution of either R2O3 or Ln2O3 in the lanthanum borate system changes the separation distance between adjacent B3O6 chains. The effect of this structural change on the molar volume, transformation temperature, thermal expansion coefficient, and transformation-range viscosity is discussed.

Rosenbluth Separation of the π^{0} Electroproduction Cross Section Off the Neutron.

PubMed

Mazouz, M; Ahmed, Z; Albataineh, H; Allada, K; Aniol, K A; Bellini, V; Benali, M; Boeglin, W; Bertin, P; Brossard, M; Camsonne, A; Canan, M; Chandavar, S; Chen, C; Chen, J-P; Defurne, M; de Jager, C W; de Leo, R; Desnault, C; Deur, A; El Fassi, L; Ent, R; Flay, D; Friend, M; Fuchey, E; Frullani, S; Garibaldi, F; Gaskell, D; Giusa, A; Glamazdin, O; Golge, S; Gomez, J; Hansen, O; Higinbotham, D; Holmstrom, T; Horn, T; Huang, J; Huang, M; Huber, G M; Hyde, C E; Iqbal, S; Itard, F; Kang, Ho; Kang, Hy; Kelleher, A; Keppel, C; Koirala, S; Korover, I; LeRose, J J; Lindgren, R; Long, E; Magne, M; Mammei, J; Margaziotis, D J; Markowitz, P; Martí Jiménez-Argüello, A; Meddi, F; Meekins, D; Michaels, R; Mihovilovic, M; Muangma, N; Muñoz Camacho, C; Nadel-Turonski, P; Nuruzzaman, N; Paremuzyan, R; Puckett, A; Punjabi, V; Qiang, Y; Rakhman, A; Rashad, M N H; Riordan, S; Roche, J; Russo, G; Sabatié, F; Saenboonruang, K; Saha, A; Sawatzky, B; Selvy, L; Shahinyan, A; Sirca, S; Solvignon, P; Sperduto, M L; Subedi, R; Sulkosky, V; Sutera, C; Tobias, W A; Urciuoli, G M; Wang, D; Wojtsekhowski, B; Yao, H; Ye, Z; Zana, L; Zhan, X; Zhang, J; Zhao, B; Zhao, Z; Zheng, X; Zhu, P

2017-06-02

We report the first longitudinal-transverse separation of the deeply virtual exclusive π^{0} electroproduction cross section off the neutron and coherent deuteron. The corresponding four structure functions dσ_{L}/dt, dσ_{T}/dt, dσ_{LT}/dt, and dσ_{TT}/dt are extracted as a function of the momentum transfer to the recoil system at Q^{2}=1.75  GeV^{2} and x_{B}=0.36. The ed→edπ^{0} cross sections are found compatible with the small values expected from theoretical models. The en→enπ^{0} cross sections show a dominance from the response to transversely polarized photons, and are in good agreement with calculations based on the transversity generalized parton distributions of the nucleon. By combining these results with previous measurements of π^{0} electroproduction off the proton, we present a flavor decomposition of the u and d quark contributions to the cross section.

A simplified flight-test method for determining aircraft takeoff performance that includes effects of pilot technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larson, T. J.; Schweikhard, W. G.

1974-01-01

A method for evaluating aircraft takeoff performance from brake release to air-phase height that requires fewer tests than conventionally required is evaluated with data for the XB-70 airplane. The method defines the effects of pilot technique on takeoff performance quantitatively, including the decrease in acceleration from drag due to lift. For a given takeoff weight and throttle setting, a single takeoff provides enough data to establish a standardizing relationship for the distance from brake release to any point where velocity is appropriate to rotation. The lower rotation rates penalized takeoff performance in terms of ground roll distance; the lowest observed rotation rate required a ground roll distance that was 19 percent longer than the highest. Rotations at the minimum rate also resulted in lift-off velocities that were approximately 5 knots lower than the highest rotation rate at any given lift-off distance.

Synthesis, characterization and properties of Dy3+-activated single host borosilicate phosphors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Hong; Chen, Shanyong; Chen, Jinlei

2017-12-01

New phosphors Sr3B2SiO8: Dy3+ have been successfully synthesized via solid-state reaction process. Emission/excitation spectra, photoluminescence decay behaviors were investigated in detail. Under the excitation of 351 nm, the emission spectrum consisting of the characteristic transitions of Dy3+ which mainly peaking at 480, 487 nm and 574 nm corresponding to the4F9/2→6H15/2 and4F9/2→6H13/2, respectively, the intensity of the blue emission stronger than the yellow one which indicated that Dy3+ ions take the site without inversion symmetry. The chromaticity coordinates of Sr3-xB2SiO8: x Dy3+ fixed in the white region. The results showed the kind of phosphor may be act potential applications in the fields of UV-excited white LEDs.

The network formers role of gadolinium(III) ions in some zinc-borate glass ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosca, Maria; Pop, Lidia; Pascuta, Petru

2017-12-01

EPR and magnetic susceptibility measurements were performed on glass ceramics from the (Gd2O3)x.(B2O3)(60-x).(ZnO)40 system, with 0 ≤ x ≤ 15 mol%, in order to determine the role of gadolinium ions on structural and magnetic properties. At low Gd2O3 contents (x ≤ 1 mol%) the EPR spectra show four resonance lines with effective g-values of ˜ 6, 4.8, 2.8 and 2, typical for Gd3+ ions uniformly distributed in the glass and glass ceramic samples. For higher contents of gadolinium ions (x ≥ 3 mol%) the EPR spectra are dominated by a single broad line centered at g ˜ 2, which can be due to the magnetic clusters containing Gd3+ ions. The magnetic susceptibility data show that the gadolinium ions are involved in superexchange interactions in all the investigated glass ceramics, being antiferromagnetically coupled.

Catching the role of anisotropic electronic distribution and charge transfer in halogen bonded complexes of noble gases

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

Bartocci, Alessio; Cappelletti, David; Pirani, Fernando

2015-05-14

The systems studied in this work are gas-phase weakly bound adducts of the noble-gas (Ng) atoms with CCl{sub 4} and CF{sub 4}. Their investigation was motivated by the widespread current interest for the intermolecular halogen bonding (XB), a structural motif recognized to play a role in fields ranging from elementary processes to biochemistry. The simulation of the static and dynamic behaviors of complex systems featuring XB requires the formulation of reliable and accurate model potentials, whose development relies on the detailed characterization of strength and nature of the interactions occurring in simple exemplary halogenated systems. We thus selected the prototypicalmore » Ng-CCl{sub 4} and Ng-CF{sub 4} and performed high-resolution molecular beam scattering experiments to measure the absolute scale of their intermolecular potentials, with high sensitivity. In general, we expected to probe typical van der Waals interactions, consisting of a combination of size (exchange) repulsion with dispersion/induction attraction. For the He/Ne-CF{sub 4}, the analysis of the glory quantum interference pattern, observable in the velocity dependence of the integral cross section, confirmed indeed this expectation. On the other hand, for the He/Ne/Ar-CCl{sub 4}, the scattering data unravelled much deeper potential wells, particularly for certain configurations of the interacting partners. The experimental data can be properly reproduced only including a shifting of the repulsive wall at shorter distances, accompanied by an increased role of the dispersion attraction, and an additional short-range stabilization component. To put these findings on a firmer ground, we performed, for selected geometries of the interacting complexes, accurate theoretical calculations aimed to evaluate the intermolecular interaction and the effects of the complex formation on the electron charge density of the constituting moieties. It was thus ascertained that the adjustments of the potential suggested by the analysis of the experiments actually reflect two chemically meaningful contributions, namely, a stabilizing interaction arising from the anisotropy of the charge distribution around the Cl atom in CCl{sub 4} and a stereospecific electron transfer that occurs at the intermolecular distances mainly probed by the experiments. Our model calculations suggest that the largest effect is for the vertex geometry of CCl{sub 4} while other geometries appear to play a minor to negligible role.« less

Comparative analysis of protein-protein interactions in the defense response of rice and wheat.

PubMed

Cantu, Dario; Yang, Baoju; Ruan, Randy; Li, Kun; Menzo, Virginia; Fu, Daolin; Chern, Mawsheng; Ronald, Pamela C; Dubcovsky, Jorge

2013-03-12

Despite the importance of wheat as a major staple crop and the negative impact of diseases on its production worldwide, the genetic mechanisms and gene interactions involved in the resistance response in wheat are still poorly understood. The complete sequence of the rice genome has provided an extremely useful parallel road map for genetic and genomics studies in wheat. The recent construction of a defense response interactome in rice has the potential to further enhance the translation of advances in rice to wheat and other grasses. The objective of this study was to determine the degree of conservation in the protein-protein interactions in the rice and wheat defense response interactomes. As entry points we selected proteins that serve as key regulators of the rice defense response: the RAR1/SGT1/HSP90 protein complex, NPR1, XA21, and XB12 (XA21 interacting protein 12). Using available wheat sequence databases and phylogenetic analyses we identified and cloned the wheat orthologs of these four rice proteins, including recently duplicated paralogs, and their known direct interactors and tested 86 binary protein interactions using yeast-two-hybrid (Y2H) assays. All interactions between wheat proteins were further tested using in planta bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). Eighty three percent of the known rice interactions were confirmed when wheat proteins were tested with rice interactors and 76% were confirmed using wheat protein pairs. All interactions in the RAR1/SGT1/ HSP90, NPR1 and XB12 nodes were confirmed for the identified orthologous wheat proteins, whereas only forty four percent of the interactions were confirmed in the interactome node centered on XA21. We hypothesize that this reduction may be associated with a different sub-functionalization history of the multiple duplications that occurred in this gene family after the divergence of the wheat and rice lineages. The observed high conservation of interactions between proteins that serve as key regulators of the rice defense response suggests that the existing rice interactome can be used to predict interactions in wheat. Such predictions are less reliable for nodes that have undergone a different history of duplications and sub-functionalization in the two lineages.

Robust uncertainty evaluation for system identification on distributed wireless platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crinière, Antoine; Döhler, Michael; Le Cam, Vincent; Mevel, Laurent

2016-04-01

Health monitoring of civil structures by system identification procedures from automatic control is now accepted as a valid approach. These methods provide frequencies and modeshapes from the structure over time. For a continuous monitoring the excitation of a structure is usually ambient, thus unknown and assumed to be noise. Hence, all estimates from the vibration measurements are realizations of random variables with inherent uncertainty due to (unknown) process and measurement noise and finite data length. The underlying algorithms are usually running under Matlab under the assumption of large memory pool and considerable computational power. Even under these premises, computational and memory usage are heavy and not realistic for being embedded in on-site sensor platforms such as the PEGASE platform. Moreover, the current push for distributed wireless systems calls for algorithmic adaptation for lowering data exchanges and maximizing local processing. Finally, the recent breakthrough in system identification allows us to process both frequency information and its related uncertainty together from one and only one data sequence, at the expense of computational and memory explosion that require even more careful attention than before. The current approach will focus on presenting a system identification procedure called multi-setup subspace identification that allows to process both frequencies and their related variances from a set of interconnected wireless systems with all computation running locally within the limited memory pool of each system before being merged on a host supervisor. Careful attention will be given to data exchanges and I/O satisfying OGC standards, as well as minimizing memory footprints and maximizing computational efficiency. Those systems are built in a way of autonomous operations on field and could be later included in a wide distributed architecture such as the Cloud2SM project. The usefulness of these strategies is illustrated on data from a progressive damage action on a prestressed concrete bridge. References [1] E. Carden and P. Fanning. Vibration based condition monitoring: a review. Structural Health Monitoring, 3(4):355-377, 2004. [2] M. Döhler and L. Mevel. Efficient multi-order uncertainty computation for stochastic subspace identification. Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 38(2):346-366, 2013. [3] M.Döhler, L. Mevel. Modular subspace-based system identification from multi-setup measurements. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 57(11):2951-2956, 2012. [4] M. Döhler, X.-B. Lam, and L. Mevel. Uncertainty quantification for modal parameters from stochastic subspace identification on multi-setup measurements. MechanicalSystems and Signal Processing, 36(2):562-581, 2013. [5] A Crinière, J Dumoulin, L Mevel, G Andrade-Barosso, M Simonin. The Cloud2SM Project.European Geosciences Union General Assembly (EGU2015), Apr 2015, Vienne, Austria. 2015.

Electroproduction of the neutral pion off 4He

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

Torayev, Bayram

Deeply virtual exclusive processes offer a unique opportunity to study the internal structure of the nucleon and nuclei. The goal of this work is to extract the beam-spin asymmetry in deeply virtual coherent neutral pion electroproduction, e^4He to e'^4He'pi^0, using the CLAS detector in the experimental Hall B at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The data were collected in 2009 with a 6 GeV longitudinally polarized electron beam impinging on a 30 cm long, 6 atm Helium-4 gaseous target. In order to ensure that the process is coherent, a new Radial Time Projection Chamber was used to detect and identifymore » low energy recoil a-particles. The Beam Spin Asymmetry in the coherent deep exclusive regime was measured at Q^2 = 1.50 GeV^2, xB = 0.18 and -t = 0.14 GeV^2. The measured asymmetry has an amplitude of 10%+/-5% and has the opposite sign compared the asymmetry measured for pi^0 production on the proton.« less

Rosenbluth Separation of the π 0 Electroproduction Cross Section Off the Neutron

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

Mazouz, M.; Ahmed, Z.; Albataineh, H.

2017-06-01

We report the first longitudinal-transverse separation of the deeply virtual exclusive π0 electroproduction cross section off the neutron and coherent deuteron. The corresponding four structure functions dσL/dt, dσT/dt, dσLT/dt, and dσTT/dt are extracted as a function of the momentum transfer to the recoil system at Q2=1.75 GeV2 and xB=0.36. The ed→edπ0 cross sections are found compatible with the small values expected from theoretical models. The en→enπ0 cross sections show a dominance from the response to transversely polarized photons, and are in good agreement with calculations based on the transversity generalized parton distributions of the nucleon. By combining these results withmore » previous measurements of π0 electroproduction off the proton, we present a flavor decomposition of the u and d quark contributions to the cross section« less

Rosenbluth Separation of the π0 Electroproduction Cross Section Off the Neutron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazouz, M.; Ahmed, Z.; Albataineh, H.; Allada, K.; Aniol, K. A.; Bellini, V.; Benali, M.; Boeglin, W.; Bertin, P.; Brossard, M.; Camsonne, A.; Canan, M.; Chandavar, S.; Chen, C.; Chen, J.-P.; Defurne, M.; de Jager, C. W.; de Leo, R.; Desnault, C.; Deur, A.; El Fassi, L.; Ent, R.; Flay, D.; Friend, M.; Fuchey, E.; Frullani, S.; Garibaldi, F.; Gaskell, D.; Giusa, A.; Glamazdin, O.; Golge, S.; Gomez, J.; Hansen, O.; Higinbotham, D.; Holmstrom, T.; Horn, T.; Huang, J.; Huang, M.; Huber, G. M.; Hyde, C. E.; Iqbal, S.; Itard, F.; Kang, Ho.; Kang, Hy.; Kelleher, A.; Keppel, C.; Koirala, S.; Korover, I.; LeRose, J. J.; Lindgren, R.; Long, E.; Magne, M.; Mammei, J.; Margaziotis, D. J.; Markowitz, P.; Martí Jiménez-Argüello, A.; Meddi, F.; Meekins, D.; Michaels, R.; Mihovilovic, M.; Muangma, N.; Muñoz Camacho, C.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Nuruzzaman, N.; Paremuzyan, R.; Puckett, A.; Punjabi, V.; Qiang, Y.; Rakhman, A.; Rashad, M. N. H.; Riordan, S.; Roche, J.; Russo, G.; Sabatié, F.; Saenboonruang, K.; Saha, A.; Sawatzky, B.; Selvy, L.; Shahinyan, A.; Sirca, S.; Solvignon, P.; Sperduto, M. L.; Subedi, R.; Sulkosky, V.; Sutera, C.; Tobias, W. A.; Urciuoli, G. M.; Wang, D.; Wojtsekhowski, B.; Yao, H.; Ye, Z.; Zana, L.; Zhan, X.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, B.; Zhao, Z.; Zheng, X.; Zhu, P.; Jefferson Lab Hall A Collaboration

2017-06-01

We report the first longitudinal-transverse separation of the deeply virtual exclusive π0 electroproduction cross section off the neutron and coherent deuteron. The corresponding four structure functions d σL/d t , d σT/d t , d σL T/d t , and d σT T/d t are extracted as a function of the momentum transfer to the recoil system at Q2=1.75 GeV2 and xB=0.36 . The e d →e d π0 cross sections are found compatible with the small values expected from theoretical models. The e n →e n π0 cross sections show a dominance from the response to transversely polarized photons, and are in good agreement with calculations based on the transversity generalized parton distributions of the nucleon. By combining these results with previous measurements of π0 electroproduction off the proton, we present a flavor decomposition of the u and d quark contributions to the cross section.

Exclusive π0 electroproduction at W >2 GeV with CLAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedlinskiy, I.; Kubarovsky, V.; Niccolai, S.; Stoler, P.; Adhikari, K. P.; Anderson, M. D.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Avakian, H.; Ball, J.; Baltzell, N. A.; Battaglieri, M.; Batourine, V.; Biselli, A. S.; Boiarinov, S.; Bono, J.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Burkert, V. D.; Carman, D. S.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Colaneri, L.; Cole, P. L.; Contalbrigo, M.; Cortes, O.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Deur, A.; Djalali, C.; Doughty, D.; Dupre, R.; Egiyan, H.; El Alaoui, A.; El Fassi, L.; Elouadrhiri, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Fegan, S.; Fleming, J. A.; Forest, T. A.; Garillon, B.; Garçon, M.; Gavalian, G.; Gevorgyan, N.; Ghandilyan, Y.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Golovatch, E.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guegan, B.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Hakobyan, H.; Harrison, N.; Hattawy, M.; Hicks, K.; Holtrop, M.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Isupov, E. L.; Jenkins, D.; Jo, H. S.; Joo, K.; Keller, D.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, A.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Koirala, S.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Lenisa, P.; Levine, W. I.; Livingston, K.; Lu, H. Y.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Markov, N.; Mayer, M.; McKinnon, B.; Mirazita, M.; Mokeev, V.; Montgomery, R. A.; Moody, C. I.; Moutarde, H.; Movsisyan, A.; Munoz Camacho, C.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Niculescu, I.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Pappalardo, L. L.; Park, K.; Park, S.; Pasyuk, E.; Phelps, E.; Phelps, W.; Phillips, J. J.; Pisano, S.; Pogorelko, O.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Procureur, S.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Raue, B. A.; Ripani, M.; Ritchie, B. G.; Rizzo, A.; Rossi, P.; Roy, P.; Sabatié, F.; Salgado, C.; Schott, D.; Schumacher, R. A.; Seder, E.; Senderovich, I.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Simonyan, A.; Smith, G. D.; Sober, D. I.; Sokhan, D.; Stepanyan, S. S.; Strauch, S.; Sytnik, V.; Tang, W.; Tian, Ye; Ungaro, M.; Vlassov, A. V.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Walford, N. K.; Watts, D.; Wei, X.; Weinstein, L. B.; Yurov, M.; Zachariou, N.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, Z. W.; Zonta, I.; CLAS Collaboration

2014-08-01

Exclusive neutral-pion electroproduction (ep→e'p'π0) was measured at Jefferson Lab with a 5.75-GeV electron beam and the CLAS detector. Differential cross sections d4σ/dtdQ2dxBdϕπ and structure functions σT+ɛσL,σTT, and σLT as functions of t were obtained over a wide range of Q2 and xB. The data are compared with Regge and handbag theoretical calculations. Analyses in both frameworks find that a large dominance of transverse processes is necessary to explain the experimental results. For the Regge analysis it is found that the inclusion of vector meson rescattering processes is necessary to bring the magnitude of the calculated and measured structure functions into rough agreement. In the handbag framework, there are two independent calculations, both of which appear to roughly explain the magnitude of the structure functions in terms of transversity generalized parton distributions.

Performance of local correlation methods for halogen bonding: The case of Br{sub 2}–(H{sub 2}O){sub n},n = 4,5 clusters and Br{sub 2}@5{sup 12}6{sup 2} clathrate cage

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

Batista-Romero, Fidel A.; Bernal-Uruchurtu, Margarita I.; Hernández-Lamoneda, Ramón, E-mail: ramon@uaem.mx

The performance of local correlation methods is examined for the interactions present in clusters of bromine with water where the combined effect of hydrogen bonding (HB), halogen bonding (XB), and hydrogen-halogen (HX) interactions lead to many interesting properties. Local methods reproduce all the subtleties involved such as many-body effects and dispersion contributions provided that specific methodological steps are followed. Additionally, they predict optimized geometries that are nearly free of basis set superposition error that lead to improved estimates of spectroscopic properties. Taking advantage of the local correlation energy partitioning scheme, we compare the different interaction environments present in small clustersmore » and those inside the 5{sup 12}6{sup 2} clathrate cage. This analysis allows a clear identification of the reasons supporting the use of local methods for large systems where non-covalent interactions play a key role.« less

Time-resolved photon echoes from donor-bound excitons in ZnO epitaxial layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poltavtsev, S. V.; Kosarev, A. N.; Akimov, I. A.; Yakovlev, D. R.; Sadofev, S.; Puls, J.; Hoffmann, S. P.; Albert, M.; Meier, C.; Meier, T.; Bayer, M.

2017-07-01

The coherent optical response from 140 nm and 65 nm thick ZnO epitaxial layers is studied using four-wave-mixing spectroscopy with picosecond temporal resolution. Resonant excitation of neutral donor-bound excitons results in two-pulse and three-pulse photon echoes. For the donor-bound A exciton (D0XA ) at temperature of 1.8 K we evaluate optical coherence times T2=33 -50 ps corresponding to homogeneous line widths of 13 -19 μ eV , about two orders of magnitude smaller as compared with the inhomogeneous broadening of the optical transitions. The coherent dynamics is determined mainly by the population decay with time T1=30 -40 ps, while pure dephasing is negligible. Temperature increase leads to a significant shortening of T2 due to interaction with acoustic phonons. In contrast, the loss of coherence of the donor-bound B exciton (D0XB ) is significantly faster (T2=3.6 ps ) and governed by pure dephasing processes.

Rugged TDLAS system for High Energy Laser atmospheric propagation characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perram, Glen; Rice, Christopher

2008-10-01

An active remote sensing instrument for the characterization of atmospheric absorption, scattering, and scintillation at several key high energy laser wavelengths is in development. The instrument is based on narrow band tunable diode lasers fiber coupled to a 12'' Ritchey-Chretien transmit telescope and a second receive telescope with visible or near infrared imager. For example, tunable diode lasers have been used to obtain absorption spectra in the laboratory for the Cs D2 lines near 852 nm and the oxygen X-b lines near 760 nm, key to the Diode Pumped Alkali Laser (DPAL) concept. Absorbencies of less than 0.5% are observable. Applications will be assessed including effects to HEL atmospheric propagation from molecular and aerosol absorption and scattering, Cn2 estimation from atmospheric turbulence, hazardous chemical emission detection, and laser communication interception from side scattering. The system will soon be deployed to a military laser test range to characterize path lengths of greater than 1 km.

Study of the impact of resonant magnetic perturbation fields on gross tungsten erosion using DiMES samples in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, E. T.; Schmitz, O.; Frerichs, H.; Abrams, T.; Briesemeister, A.; Rudakov, D. L.; Unterberg, E. A.; Wampler, W. R.; Watkins, J. G.; Wang, H. Q.

2017-12-01

An experiment was conducted in DIII-D to compare gross tungsten (W) erosion on samples exposed to outer strike point (OSP) sweeps in L-mode plasmas for three conditions. These included two phases of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs), and a set with no perturbations. Upon RMP application, lobe structures indicative of strike point splitting of the OSP were evident in divertor camera data and on Langmuir probes. Gross W erosion flux, {{{Γ }}}{{W}}, inferred spectroscopically using the S/XB method applied to the 400.9 nm W-I line, was generally in the range {{{Γ }}}{{W}}/{{{Γ }}}{{D}+,\\perp }=2× {10}-4 referenced to incident deuterium ion flux {{{Γ }}}{{D}+,\\perp }, and was increased in the RMP cases by no more than 30% of the level observed in unperturbed discharges. A large reduction in gross erosion (50%) was observed in the private flux region at the W sample for one specific toroidal phase of the RMP field.

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

Kim, A.; Avakian, H.; Burkert, V.

The target and double spin asymmetries of the exclusive pseudoscalar channel e→p→→epπ0 were measured for the first time in the deep-inelastic regime using a longitudinally polarized 5.9 GeV electron beam and a longitudinally polarized proton target at Jefferson Lab with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). The data were collected over a large kinematic phase space and divided into 110 four-dimensional bins of Q2, xB, -t and Φ. Large values of asymmetry moments clearly indicate a substantial contribution to the polarized structure functions from transverse virtual photon amplitudes. The interpretation of experimental data in terms of generalized parton distributions (GPDs)more » provides the first insight on the chiral-odd GPDs H˜T and ET, and complement previous measurements of unpolarized structure functions sensitive to the GPDs HT and E¯T. These data provide a crucial input for parametrizations of essentially unknown chiral-odd GPDs and will strongly influence existing theoretical calculations based on the handbag formalism.« less

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

Kim, A.; Avakian, H.; Burkert, V.

The target and double spin asymmetries of the exclusive pseudoscalar channelmore » $$\\vec e\\vec p\\to ep\\pi^0$$ were measured for the first time in the deep-inelastic regime using a longitudinally polarized 5.9 GeV electron beam and a longitudinally polarized proton target at Jefferson Lab with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). The data were collected over a large kinematic phase space and divided into 110 four-dimensional bins of $Q^2$, $$x_B$$, $-t$ and $$\\phi$$. Large values of asymmetry moments clearly indicate a substantial contribution to the polarized structure functions from transverse virtual photon amplitudes. The interpretation of experimental data in terms of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) provides the first insight on the chiral-odd GPDs $$\\tilde{H}_T$$ and $$E_T$$, and complement previous measurements of unpolarized structure functions sensitive to the GPDs $$H_T$$ and $$\\bar E_T$$. Finally, these data provide necessary constraints for chiral-odd GPD parametrizations and will strongly influence existing theoretical handbag models.« less

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Volatile Components of Zhengtian Pills Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography.

PubMed

Liu, Cui-Ting; Zhang, Min; Yan, Ping; Liu, Hai-Chan; Liu, Xing-Yun; Zhan, Ruo-Ting

2016-01-01

Zhengtian pills (ZTPs) are traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) which have been commonly used to treat headaches. Volatile components of ZTPs extracted by ethyl acetate with an ultrasonic method were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Twenty-two components were identified, accounting for 78.884% of the total components of volatile oil. The three main volatile components including protocatechuic acid, ferulic acid, and ligustilide were simultaneously determined using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (UHPLC-DAD). Baseline separation was achieved on an XB-C18 column with linear gradient elution of methanol-0.2% acetic acid aqueous solution. The UHPLC-DAD method provided good linearity (R (2) ≥ 0.9992), precision (RSD < 3%), accuracy (100.68-102.69%), and robustness. The UHPLC-DAD/GC-MS method was successfully utilized to analyze volatile components, protocatechuic acid, ferulic acid, and ligustilide, in 13 batches of ZTPs, which is suitable for discrimination and quality assessment of ZTPs.

Sex Determination in Bees. IV. Genetic Control of Juvenile Hormone Production in MELIPONA QUADRIFASCIATA (Apidae)

PubMed Central

Kerr, Warwick Estevam; Akahira, Yukio; Camargo, Conceição A.

1975-01-01

Cell number and volume of corpora allata was determined for 8 phases of development, the first prepupal stage to adults 30 days old, in the social Apidae Melipona quadrifasciata. In the second prepupal stage a strong correlation was found between cell number and body weight ( r=0.651**), and cell number and corpora allata volume in prepupal stage (r=0.535*), which indicates that juvenile hormone has a definite role in caste determination in Melipona. The distribution of the volume of corpus allatum suggest a 3:1 segregation between bees with high volume of corpora allata against low and medium volume. This implies that genes xa and xb code for an enzyme that directly participates in juvenile hormone production. It was also concluded that the number of cells in the second prepupal stage is more important than the weight of the prepupa for caste determination. A scheme summarizing the genic control of sex and caste determination in Melipona bees in the prepupal phase is given. PMID:1213273

Watch 60-Seconds of Major SLS Hardware Being Moved and Put in the Test Stand at NASA Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-13

A test version of the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for NASA’s new rocket, the Space Launch System, is moved to a 65-foot-tall test stand at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The test version LVSA will be stacked with other test pieces of the upper part of the SLS rocket and pushed, pulled and twisted as part of an upcoming test series to ensure each structure can withstand the incredible stresses of launch. The LVSA joins the core stage simulator, which was loaded into the test stand Sept. 21. The other three qualification articles and the Orion simulator will complete the stack later this fall. SLS will be the world’s most powerful rocket, and with the Orion spacecraft, take astronauts to deep-space destinations, including the Journey to Mars. More information on the upcoming test series can be found here: http://go.nasa.gov/2dS8yXB

SLS Rocket Hardware Moved to NASA Marshall Stand for Upcoming Test Series (30-second timelapse)

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-13

A test version of the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for NASA’s new rocket, the Space Launch System, is moved to a 65-foot-tall test stand at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The test version LVSA will be stacked with other test pieces of the upper part of the SLS rocket and pushed, pulled and twisted as part of an upcoming test series to ensure each structure can withstand the incredible stresses of launch. The LVSA joins the core stage simulator, which was loaded into the test stand Sept. 21. The other three qualification articles and the Orion simulator will complete the stack later this fall. SLS will be the world’s most powerful rocket, and with the Orion spacecraft, take astronauts to deep-space destinations, including the Journey to Mars. More information on the upcoming test series can be found here: http://go.nasa.gov/2dS8yXB

Rosenbluth Separation of the π 0 Electroproduction Cross Section Off the Neutron

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

Mazouz, M.; Ahmed, Z.; Albataineh, H.

Here, we report the first longitudinal/transverse separation of the deeply virtual exclusivemore » $$\\pi^0$$ electroproduction cross section off the neutron and coherent deuteron. Furthemore, the corresponding four structure functions $$d\\sigma_L/dt$$, $$d\\sigma_T/dt$$, $$d\\sigma_{LT}/dt$$ and $$d\\sigma_{TT}/dt$$ are extracted as a function of the momentum transfer to the recoil system at $Q^2$=1.75 GeV$^2$ and $$x_B$$=0.36. The $$ed \\to ed\\pi^0$$ cross sections are found compatible with the small values expected from theoretical models. The $$en \\to en\\pi^0$$ cross sections show a dominance from the response to transversely polarized photons, and are in good agreement with calculations based on the transversity GPDs of the nucleon. By combining our results with previous measurements of $$\\pi^0$$ electroproduction off the proton, we present a flavor decomposition of the $u$ and $d$ quark contributions to the cross section.« less

Performance Evaluation Method for Dissimilar Aircraft Designs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, H. J.

1979-01-01

A rationale is presented for using the square of the wingspan rather than the wing reference area as a basis for nondimensional comparisons of the aerodynamic and performance characteristics of aircraft that differ substantially in planform and loading. Working relationships are developed and illustrated through application to several categories of aircraft covering a range of Mach numbers from 0.60 to 2.00. For each application, direct comparisons of drag polars, lift-to-drag ratios, and maneuverability are shown for both nondimensional systems. The inaccuracies that may arise in the determination of aerodynamic efficiency based on reference area are noted. Span loading is introduced independently in comparing the combined effects of loading and aerodynamic efficiency on overall performance. Performance comparisons are made for the NACA research aircraft, lifting bodies, century-series fighter aircraft, F-111A aircraft with conventional and supercritical wings, and a group of supersonic aircraft including the B-58 and XB-70 bomber aircraft. An idealized configuration is included in each category to serve as a standard for comparing overall efficiency.

Development of a 3-D visible limiter imaging system for the HSX stellarator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buelo, C.; Stephey, L.; Anderson, F. S. B.; Eisert, D.; Anderson, D. T.

2017-12-01

A visible camera diagnostic has been developed to study the Helically Symmetric eXperiment (HSX) limiter plasma interaction. A straight line view from the camera location to the limiter was not possible due to the complex 3D stellarator geometry of HSX, so it was necessary to insert a mirror/lens system into the plasma edge. A custom support structure for this optical system tailored to the HSX geometry was designed and installed. This system holds the optics tube assembly at the required angle for the desired view to both minimize system stress and facilitate robust and repeatable camera positioning. The camera system has been absolutely calibrated and using Hα and C-III filters can provide hydrogen and carbon photon fluxes, which through an S/XB coefficient can be converted into particle fluxes. The resulting measurements have been used to obtain the characteristic penetration length of hydrogen and C-III species. The hydrogen λiz value shows reasonable agreement with the value predicted by a 1D penetration length calculation.

Observations of galactic X-ray sources by OSO-7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markert, T. H.; Canizares, C. R.; Clark, G. W.; Hearn, D. R.; Li, F. K.; Sprott, G. F.; Winkler, P. F.

1977-01-01

We present the MIT data from the OSO-7 satellite for observations of the galactic plane between 1971 and 1974. A number of sources discovered in the MIT all-sky survey are described in detail: MX 0049 + 59, MX 0836 - 42, MX 1353 - 64, MX 1406 - 61, MX 1418 - 61, MX 1709 - 40, and MX 1608 - 52 (the persistent source suggested to be associated with the X-ray burst source XB 1608 - 52). Upper limits to the X-ray emission from a number of interesting objects are also derived. General results describing all of our observations of galactic sources are presented. Specifically, we display the number-intensity diagrams, luminosity functions, and color-color diagrams for all of the sources we detected. The data are divided between disk and bulge populations, and the characteristics of the two groups are contrasted. Finally, the concept of X-ray source populations and the relationship of globular cluster sources and burst sources to the disk and bulge populations are discussed.

Rosenbluth Separation of the π 0 Electroproduction Cross Section Off the Neutron

DOE PAGES

Mazouz, M.; Ahmed, Z.; Albataineh, H.; ...

2017-06-01

Here, we report the first longitudinal/transverse separation of the deeply virtual exclusivemore » $$\\pi^0$$ electroproduction cross section off the neutron and coherent deuteron. Furthemore, the corresponding four structure functions $$d\\sigma_L/dt$$, $$d\\sigma_T/dt$$, $$d\\sigma_{LT}/dt$$ and $$d\\sigma_{TT}/dt$$ are extracted as a function of the momentum transfer to the recoil system at $Q^2$=1.75 GeV$^2$ and $$x_B$$=0.36. The $$ed \\to ed\\pi^0$$ cross sections are found compatible with the small values expected from theoretical models. The $$en \\to en\\pi^0$$ cross sections show a dominance from the response to transversely polarized photons, and are in good agreement with calculations based on the transversity GPDs of the nucleon. By combining our results with previous measurements of $$\\pi^0$$ electroproduction off the proton, we present a flavor decomposition of the $u$ and $d$ quark contributions to the cross section.« less

Hadamard Factorization of Stable Polynomials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loredo-Villalobos, Carlos Arturo; Aguirre-Hernández, Baltazar

2011-11-01

The stable (Hurwitz) polynomials are important in the study of differential equations systems and control theory (see [7] and [19]). A property of these polynomials is related to Hadamard product. Consider two polynomials p,q ∈ R[x]:p(x) = anxn+an-1xn-1+...+a1x+a0q(x) = bmx m+bm-1xm-1+...+b1x+b0the Hadamard product (p × q) is defined as (p×q)(x) = akbkxk+ak-1bk-1xk-1+...+a1b1x+a0b0where k = min(m,n). Some results (see [16]) shows that if p,q ∈R[x] are stable polynomials then (p×q) is stable, also, i.e. the Hadamard product is closed; however, the reciprocal is not always true, that is, not all stable polynomial has a factorization into two stable polynomials the same degree n, if n> 4 (see [15]).In this work we will give some conditions to Hadamard factorization existence for stable polynomials.

Triple modifier effect on physical, optical and structural properties of boro tellurite zinc lithium glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naresh, P.; Srinivasu, D.; Narsimlu, N.; Ch. Srinivas, Kavitha, B.; Deshpandhe, Uday; Kumar, K. Siva

2018-05-01

To investigate physical, optical and structural properties of glass samples of the Quaternary system (60-x)B2O3-xTeO2-10ZnO-30Li2O with x=0,5,10,15, and 20 mol% were prepared by conventional melt quenching technique. XRD confirmed the amorphous nature of all samples. Physical parameters like density, molar volume, Oxygen packing density and etc. calculated. Density of glass samples increased with the increase of TeO2 concentration due to the replacement of lighter B2O3 with heavier TeO2. Optical properties has studied with the help of UV-Visible spectra. Cut off wavelength is increases whereas Eopt and Urbache energies is decreased except intermediate mole fraction of TeO2 at which the triple modifier effect can be observed. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy reveals that the network consists of TeO3 and TeO6 structural units along with BO3 and BO4 units.

Variation of energy absorption and exposure buildup factors with incident photon energy and penetration depth for boro-tellurite (B2O3-TeO2) glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayyed, M. I.; Elhouichet, H.

2017-01-01

The gamma ray energy absorption (EABF) and exposure buildup factors (EBF) of (100-x)TeO2-xB2O3 glass systems (where x=5, 10, 15, 20, 22.5 and 25 mol%) have been calculated in the energy region 0.015-15 MeV up to a penetration depth of 40 mfp (mean free path). The five parameters (G-P) fitting method has been used to estimate both EABF and EBF values. Variations of EABF and EBF with incident photon energy and penetration depth have been studied. It was found that EABF and EBF values were higher in the intermediate energy region, for all the glass systems. Furthermore, boro-tellurite glass with 5 mol% B2O3, was found to present the lowest EABF and EBF values, hence it is superior gamma-ray shielding material. The results indicate that the boro-tellurite glasses can be used as radiation shielding materials.

Crystallographic and Mössbauer investigations on Np1- xPuxB2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chipaux, R.; Bonnisseau, D.; Bogé, M.; Larroque, J.

1988-08-01

The diborides of neptunium and plutonium and their solid solutions Np 1- xPu xB 2 have been synthesized by direct reaction with a good purity. The lattice parameters follow Vegard's law. The magnetic properties of the samples containing neptunium have been investigated by Mössbauer spectrometry. The isomer shift is almost constant in all compounds (-14.5 (0.2) mm/s resp. to NpAl 2), suggesting tetravalent Np ions. At high temperatures, a large quadrupolar interaction, clearly connected to the crystal structure, is observed in all compounds, decreasing slowly with the neptunium concentration. At low temperature, magnetic patterns appear for x ⩽ 0.5. The magnetic moments are ordered perpendicular to the c-axis and equal to 0.57μ B for x = 0. In Np 0.5Pu 0.5B 2 and, in less degree in Np 0.7Pu 0.3B 2 and Np 0.33Pu 0.67B 2, magnetic fluctuations are detec ted.

Magnetic field annealing for improved creep resistance

DOEpatents

Brady, Michael P.; Ludtka, Gail M.; Ludtka, Gerard M.; Muralidharan, Govindarajan; Nicholson, Don M.; Rios, Orlando; Yamamoto, Yukinori

2015-12-22

The method provides heat-resistant chromia- or alumina-forming Fe-, Fe(Ni), Ni(Fe), or Ni-based alloys having improved creep resistance. A precursor is provided containing preselected constituents of a chromia- or alumina-forming Fe-, Fe(Ni), Ni(Fe), or Ni-based alloy, at least one of the constituents for forming a nanoscale precipitate MaXb where M is Cr, Nb, Ti, V, Zr, or Hf, individually and in combination, and X is C, N, O, B, individually and in combination, a=1 to 23 and b=1 to 6. The precursor is annealed at a temperature of 1000-1500.degree. C. for 1-48 h in the presence of a magnetic field of at least 5 Tesla to enhance supersaturation of the M.sub.aX.sub.b constituents in the annealed precursor. This forms nanoscale M.sub.aX.sub.b precipitates for improved creep resistance when the alloy is used at service temperatures of 500-1000.degree. C. Alloys having improved creep resistance are also disclosed.

Magnetic Properties of Rapid Cooled FeCoB Based Alloys Produced by Injection Molding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nabialek, M.; Jeż, B.; Jeż, K.; Pietrusiewicz, P.; Gruszka, K.; Błoch, K.; Gondro, J.; Rzącki, J.; Abdullah, M. M. A. B.; Sandu, A. V.; Szota, M.

2018-06-01

The paper presents the results of investigations of the structure and magnetic properties of massive rapid cooled Fe50-xCo20+xB20Cu1Nb9 alloys (where x = 0, 5). Massive alloys were made using the method of injecting a liquid alloy into a copper mold. Samples were obtained in the form of 0.5 mm thick plates. The structure of the obtained samples was examined using an X-ray diffractometer equipped with a CuKα lamp. The phase composition of the alloys formed was determined using the Match program. By using Sherrer’s dependence the grain sizes of the identified crystalline phases were estimated. Using the Faraday magnetic balance, the magnetization of samples as a function of temperature in the range from room temperature to 850K was measured. Magnetization of saturation and value of the coercive field for the prepared alloys were determined on the basis of magnetic hysteresis loop measurement using the LakeShore vibration magnetometer.

Optical identification of X-ray source 1RXS J180431.1-273932 as a magnetic cataclysmic variable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masetti, N.; Nucita, A. A.; Parisi, P.

2012-08-01

The X-ray source 1RXS J180431.1-273932 has been proposed as a new member of the symbiotic X-ray binary (SyXB) class of systems, which are composed of a late-type giant that loses matter to an extremely compact object, most likely a neutron star. In this paper, we present an optical campaign of imaging plus spectroscopy on selected candidate counterparts of this object. We also reanalyzed the available archival X-ray data collected with XMM-Newton. We find that the brightest optical source inside the 90% X-ray positional error circle is spectroscopically identified as a magnetic cataclysmic variable (CV), most likely of intermediate polar type, through the detection of prominent Balmer, He i, He ii, and Bowen blend emissions. On either spectroscopic or statistical grounds, we discard as counterparts of the X-ray source the other optical objects in the XMM-Newton error circle. A red giant star of spectral type M5 III is found lying just outside the X-ray position: we consider this latter object as a fore-/background one and likewise rule it out as a counterpart of 1RXS J180431.1-273932. The description of the X-ray spectrum of the source using a bremsstrahlung plus black-body model gives temperatures of kTbr ~ 40 keV and kTbb ~ 0.1 keV for these two components. We estimate a distance of d ~ 450 pc and a 0.2-10 keV X-ray luminosity of LX ~ 1.7 × 1032 erg s-1 for this system and, using the information obtained from the X-ray spectral analysis, a mass MWD ~ 0.8 M⊙ for the accreting white dwarf (WD). We also confirm an X-ray periodicity of 494 s for this source, which we interpret as the spin period of the WD. In summary, 1RXS J180431.1-273932 is identified as a magnetic CV and its SyXB nature is excluded. Partly based on observations collected at the Italian Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (Canary Islands, Spain).Reduced data used for imaging and spectra is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/544/A114

The rate of decay of fresh fission products from a nuclear reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolan, David J.

Determining the rate of decay of fresh fission products from a nuclear reactor is complex because of the number of isotopes involved, different types of decay, half-lives of the isotopes, and some isotopes decay into other radioactive isotopes. Traditionally, a simplified rule of 7s and 10s is used to determine the dose rate from nuclear weapons and can be to estimate the dose rate from fresh fission products of a nuclear reactor. An experiment was designed to determine the dose rate with respect to time from fresh fission products of a nuclear reactor. The experiment exposed 0.5 grams of unenriched Uranium to a fast and thermal neutron flux from a TRIGA Research Reactor (Lakewood, CO) for ten minutes. The dose rate from the fission products was measured by four Mirion DMC 2000XB electronic personal dosimeters over a period of six days. The resulting dose rate following a rule of 10s: the dose rate of fresh fission products from a nuclear reactor decreases by a factor of 10 for every 10 units of time.

Erosion and Surface Morphology of Silicon Carbide Under Variable DIII-D Divertor Heat Fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bringuier, Stefan; Abrams, Tyler; Khalifa, Hesham; Thomas, Dan; Holland, Leo; Rudakov, Dmitry; Briesemeister, Alexis

2017-10-01

A SiC coating of 250 μm, deposited onto a graphite DiMES cap via chemical vapor deposition, was exposed to 80 s of H-mode plasma bombardment in the DIII-D outer divertor with steady-state heat fluxes up to 3 MW m-2 and transient loads due to ELMs typically peaking at 10 MW m-2. In-situ monitoring of Si I and Si II atomic spectral lines revealed the presence of significant neutral Si and Si+ impurity influx, which are used to determine quantitative erosion rates via the S/XB method. No visual macroscopic flaking or delamination of the SiC coating was observed, supporting the notion that SiC is thermal-mechanically robust and compatible with graphite substrates at elevated temperatures. Post-mortem profilometric analysis also indicates no pronounced change in surface roughness after plasma exposure. Finally, we investigate aspects of preferential sputtering and changes to surface composition exposure using scanning electron microscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy. Work supported under USDOE Cooperative Agreement DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Rosenbluth Separation of the π^{0} Electroproduction Cross Section.

PubMed

Defurne, M; Mazouz, M; Ahmed, Z; Albataineh, H; Allada, K; Aniol, K A; Bellini, V; Benali, M; Boeglin, W; Bertin, P; Brossard, M; Camsonne, A; Canan, M; Chandavar, S; Chen, C; Chen, J-P; de Jager, C W; de Leo, R; Desnault, C; Deur, A; El Fassi, L; Ent, R; Flay, D; Friend, M; Fuchey, E; Frullani, S; Garibaldi, F; Gaskell, D; Giusa, A; Glamazdin, O; Golge, S; Gomez, J; Hansen, O; Higinbotham, D; Holmstrom, T; Horn, T; Huang, J; Huang, M; Huber, G M; Hyde, C E; Iqbal, S; Itard, F; Kang, Ho; Kang, Hy; Kelleher, A; Keppel, C; Koirala, S; Korover, I; LeRose, J J; Lindgren, R; Long, E; Magne, M; Mammei, J; Margaziotis, D J; Markowitz, P; Martí Jiménez-Argüello, A; Meddi, F; Meekins, D; Michaels, R; Mihovilovic, M; Muangma, N; Muñoz Camacho, C; Nadel-Turonski, P; Nuruzzaman, N; Paremuzyan, R; Puckett, A; Punjabi, V; Qiang, Y; Rakhman, A; Rashad, M N H; Riordan, S; Roche, J; Russo, G; Sabatié, F; Saenboonruang, K; Saha, A; Sawatzky, B; Selvy, L; Shahinyan, A; Sirca, S; Solvignon, P; Sperduto, M L; Subedi, R; Sulkosky, V; Sutera, C; Tobias, W A; Urciuoli, G M; Wang, D; Wojtsekhowski, B; Yao, H; Ye, Z; Zana, L; Zhan, X; Zhang, J; Zhao, B; Zhao, Z; Zheng, X; Zhu, P

2016-12-23

We present deeply virtual π^{0} electroproduction cross-section measurements at x_{B}=0.36 and three different Q^{2} values ranging from 1.5 to 2  GeV^{2}, obtained from Jefferson Lab Hall A experiment E07-007. The Rosenbluth technique is used to separate the longitudinal and transverse responses. Results demonstrate that the cross section is dominated by its transverse component and, thus, is far from the asymptotic limit predicted by perturbative quantum chromodynamics. Nonetheless, an indication of a nonzero longitudinal contribution is provided by the measured interference term σ_{LT}. Results are compared with several models based on the leading-twist approach of generalized parton distributions (GPDs). In particular, a fair agreement is obtained with models in which the scattering amplitude includes convolution terms of chiral-odd (transversity) GPDs of the nucleon with the twist-3 pion distribution amplitude. This experiment, together with previous extensive unseparated measurements, provides strong support to the exciting idea that transversity GPDs can be accessed via neutral pion electroproduction in the high-Q^{2} regime.

Target and double spin asymmetries of deeply virtual π0 production with a longitudinally polarized proton target and CLAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, A.; Avakian, H.; Burkert, V.; Joo, K.; Kim, W.; Adhikari, K. P.; Akbar, Z.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Badui, R. A.; Battaglieri, M.; Batourine, V.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Biselli, A. S.; Boiarinov, S.; Bosted, P.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Bültmann, S.; Cao, T.; Carman, D. S.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Charles, G.; Chetry, T.; Colaneri, L.; Cole, P. L.; Compton, N.; Contalbrigo, M.; Cortes, O.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Djalali, C.; Egiyan, H.; El Alaoui, A.; El Fassi, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Fersch, R.; Filippi, A.; Fleming, J. A.; Fradi, A.; Garc con, M.; Ghandilyan, Y.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Gohn, W.; Golovatch, E.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Hanretty, C.; Hattawy, M.; Heddle, D.; Hicks, K.; Holtrop, M.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Jenkins, D.; Jiang, H.; Jo, H. S.; Joosten, S.; Keller, D.; Khachatryan, G.; Khandaker, M.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Lanza, L.; Lenisa, P.; Lu, H. Y.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Markov, N.; Mattione, P.; McCracken, M. E.; McKinnon, B.; Mokeev, V.; Movsisyan, A.; Munevar, E.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Net, L. A.; Niccolai, S.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Paolone, M.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Phelps, W.; Pisano, S.; Pogorelko, O.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Ripani, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Roy, P.; Salgado, C.; Schumacher, R. A.; Seder, E.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Skorodumina, Iu.; Smith, G. D.; Sokhan, D.; Sparveris, N.; Stepanyan, S.; Stoler, P.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Strauch, S.; Sytnik, V.; Taiuti, M.; Torayev, B.; Ungaro, M.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Watts, D. P.; Wei, X.; Weinstein, L. B.; Zachariou, N.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.

2017-05-01

The target and double spin asymmetries of the exclusive pseudoscalar channel e → p → → epπ0 were measured for the first time in the deep-inelastic regime using a longitudinally polarized 5.9 GeV electron beam and a longitudinally polarized proton target at Jefferson Lab with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). The data were collected over a large kinematic phase space and divided into 110 four-dimensional bins of Q2, xB, -t and ϕ. Large values of asymmetry moments clearly indicate a substantial contribution to the polarized structure functions from transverse virtual photon amplitudes. The interpretation of experimental data in terms of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) provides the first insight on the chiral-odd GPDs H˜T and ET, and complement previous measurements of unpolarized structure functions sensitive to the GPDs HT and EbarT. These data provide a crucial input for parametrizations of essentially unknown chiral-odd GPDs and will strongly influence existing theoretical calculations based on the handbag formalism.

Rosenbluth Separation of the π0 Electroproduction Cross Section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Defurne, M.; Mazouz, M.; Ahmed, Z.; Albataineh, H.; Allada, K.; Aniol, K. A.; Bellini, V.; Benali, M.; Boeglin, W.; Bertin, P.; Brossard, M.; Camsonne, A.; Canan, M.; Chandavar, S.; Chen, C.; Chen, J.-P.; de Jager, C. W.; de Leo, R.; Desnault, C.; Deur, A.; El Fassi, L.; Ent, R.; Flay, D.; Friend, M.; Fuchey, E.; Frullani, S.; Garibaldi, F.; Gaskell, D.; Giusa, A.; Glamazdin, O.; Golge, S.; Gomez, J.; Hansen, O.; Higinbotham, D.; Holmstrom, T.; Horn, T.; Huang, J.; Huang, M.; Huber, G. M.; Hyde, C. E.; Iqbal, S.; Itard, F.; Kang, Ho.; Kang, Hy.; Kelleher, A.; Keppel, C.; Koirala, S.; Korover, I.; LeRose, J. J.; Lindgren, R.; Long, E.; Magne, M.; Mammei, J.; Margaziotis, D. J.; Markowitz, P.; Martí Jiménez-Argüello, A.; Meddi, F.; Meekins, D.; Michaels, R.; Mihovilovic, M.; Muangma, N.; Muñoz Camacho, C.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Nuruzzaman, N.; Paremuzyan, R.; Puckett, A.; Punjabi, V.; Qiang, Y.; Rakhman, A.; Rashad, M. N. H.; Riordan, S.; Roche, J.; Russo, G.; Sabatié, F.; Saenboonruang, K.; Saha, A.; Sawatzky, B.; Selvy, L.; Shahinyan, A.; Sirca, S.; Solvignon, P.; Sperduto, M. L.; Subedi, R.; Sulkosky, V.; Sutera, C.; Tobias, W. A.; Urciuoli, G. M.; Wang, D.; Wojtsekhowski, B.; Yao, H.; Ye, Z.; Zana, L.; Zhan, X.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, B.; Zhao, Z.; Zheng, X.; Zhu, P.; Jefferson Lab Hall A Collaboration

2016-12-01

We present deeply virtual π0 electroproduction cross-section measurements at xB=0.36 and three different Q2 values ranging from 1.5 to 2 GeV 2 , obtained from Jefferson Lab Hall A experiment E07-007. The Rosenbluth technique is used to separate the longitudinal and transverse responses. Results demonstrate that the cross section is dominated by its transverse component and, thus, is far from the asymptotic limit predicted by perturbative quantum chromodynamics. Nonetheless, an indication of a nonzero longitudinal contribution is provided by the measured interference term σL T. Results are compared with several models based on the leading-twist approach of generalized parton distributions (GPDs). In particular, a fair agreement is obtained with models in which the scattering amplitude includes convolution terms of chiral-odd (transversity) GPDs of the nucleon with the twist-3 pion distribution amplitude. This experiment, together with previous extensive unseparated measurements, provides strong support to the exciting idea that transversity GPDs can be accessed via neutral pion electroproduction in the high-Q2 regime.

Quality evaluation of Desmodium styracifolium using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhou, Chan; Luo, Jian-Guang; Kong, Ling-Yi

2012-01-01

Desmodium styracifolium, with C-flavone glycosides as main pharmacological effective compounds, is a popular Chinese medicinal herb and has been used to treat urination disturbance, urolithiasis, edema and jaundice. However, few systematic methods have been reported on the quality control of this natural herb. To develop a method for control the quality of D. styracifolium by combining chromatographic fingerprints and major constituent quantification. Separations were performed on an Ultimate XB-C-18 column by gradient elution using acetonitrile and 0.1% aqueous formic acid. Analytes were identified by HPLC coupled with electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry experiments. Twenty common peaks in chromatographic fingerprints were first identified among 15 batches of D. styracifolium from various regions. On basis of this, a HPLC-PAD method was established to simultaneously quantify five major constituents, which was validated for limit of qualification, linearity and interday variation of precision and accuracy. The assay developed could be considered as a suitable quality control method of D. styracifolium. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of chromatographic columns packed with semi- and fully porous particles for benzimidazoles separation.

PubMed

Gonzalo-Lumbreras, Raquel; Sanz-Landaluze, Jon; Cámara, Carmen

2015-07-01

The behavior of 15 benzimidazoles, including their main metabolites, using several C18 columns with standard or narrow-bore diameters and different particle size and type were evaluated. These commercial columns were selected because their differences could affect separation of benzimidazoles, and so they can be used as alternative columns. A simple screening method for the analysis of benzimidazole residues and their main metabolites was developed. First, the separation of benzimidazoles was optimized using a Kinetex C18 column; later, analytical performances of other columns using the above optimized conditions were compared and then individually re-optimized. Critical pairs resolution, analysis run time, column type and characteristics, and selectivity were considered for chromatographic columns comparison. Kinetex XB was selected because it provides the shortest analysis time and the best resolution of critical pairs. Using this column, the separation conditions were re-optimized using a factorial design. Separations obtained with the different columns tested can be applied to the analysis of specific benzimidazoles residues or other applications. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of molybdenum on gamma ray shielding and structural properties of PbO-B2O3 glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dogra, Mridula; Singh, K. J.; Kaur, Kulwinder

2018-04-01

The present study is aimed at developing new shielding materials for gamma ray shielding applications. Transparent glasses of the composition xMoO3-0.7PbO-(0.3-x)B2O3 where x= 0.03 to 0. 06 (mole fraction) have been prepared by using melt-quenchingtechnique. Gamma ray shielding properties have been evaluated in terms of mass attenuation coefficient and half value layer parameter at photon energies 662 and 1173 keV. These shielding parameters are also compared with standard shielding material`concretes'. It has been found that prepared glass system shows better shielding properties than barite and ordinary concretes proving the possibility of its usage as an alternate to conventional concrete for gamma ray shielding applications. The density, molar volume, X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform InfraRed and Raman studies have been performed to study the structural properties of the glass system. It has been analyzed from FTIR and Raman studies that bridging oxygens increase with the decrease of MoO3 content in the glass composition.

Development of BaO-ZnO-B2O3 glasses as a radiation shielding material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chanthima, N.; Kaewkhao, J.; Limkitjaroenporn, P.; Tuscharoen, S.; Kothan, S.; Tungjai, M.; Kaewjaeng, S.; Sarachai, S.; Limsuwan, P.

2017-08-01

The effects of the BaO on the optical, physical and radiation shielding properties of the xBaO: 20ZnO: (80-x)B2O3, where x=5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mol%, were investigated. The glasses were developed by the conventional melt-quenching technique at 1400 °C with high purity chemicals of H3BO3, ZnO, and BaSO4. The optical transparency of the glasses indicated that the glasses samples were high, as observed by visual inspections. The mass attenuation coefficients (μm), the effective atomic numbers (Zeff), and the effective electron densities (Ne) were increased with the increase of BaO concentrations, and the decrease of gamma-ray energy. The developed glass samples were investigated and compared with the shielding concretes and glasses in terms of half value layer (HVL). The overall results demonstrated that the developed glasses had good shielding properties, and highly practical potentials in the environmental friendly radiation shielding materials without an additional of Pb.

A preliminary investigation of inlet unstart effects on a high-speed civil transport concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Domack, Christopher S.

1991-01-01

Vehicle motions resulting from a supersonic mixed-compression inlet unstart were examined to determine if the unstart constituted a hazard severe enough to warrant rejection of mixed-compression inlets on high-speed civil transport (HSCT) concepts. A simple kinematic analysis of an inlet unstart during cruise was performed for a Mach 2, 4, 250-passenger HSCT concept using data from a wind-tunnel test of a representative configuration with unstarted inlets simulated. A survey of previously published research on inlet unstart effects, including simulation and flight test data for the YF-12, XB-70, and Concorde aircraft, was conducted to validate the calculated results. It was concluded that, when countered by suitable automatic propulsion and flight control systems, the vehicle dynamics induced by an inlet unstart are not severe enough to preclude the use of mixed-compression inlets on an HSCT from a passenger safety standpoint. The ability to provide suitable automatic controls appears to be within the current state of the art. However, the passenger startle and discomfort caused by the noise, vibration, and cabin motions associated with an inlet unstart remain a concern.

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of Sr 4Mn 2NiO 9

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Abed, Ahmed; Gaudin, Etienne; Lemaux, Sylvain; Darriet, Jacques

2001-12-01

The crystal structure of Sr 4Mn 2NiO 9 has been refined on single crystal. This phase belongs to the series A 1+ x(A 'xB 1- x)O 3 ( x=1/3) related to the 2H-hexagonal perovskite. The structure contains transition metals in chains of oxide polyhedra (trigonal prisms and octahedra); neighboring chains are separated from each other by the Sr atoms. The sequence of the face sharing polyhedra along the chains is two octahedra + one trigonal prism. Mn occupies the octahedra and Ni is disordered in the trigonal prism with ≈80% in the pseudo square faces of the prism and ≈20% at the centre. This result has been confirmed by XANES experiments at Mn K and Ni K edges, respectively. Sr 4Mn 2NiO 9 is antiferromagnetic with a Néel temperature at T=3 K. The Curie constant measured at high temperature is in good agreement with ≈80% of the Ni 2+ ions in the spin state configuration S=0.

Dehydrogenation kinetics and reversibility of LiAlH4-LiBH4 doped with Ti-based additives and MWCNT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thaweelap, Natthaporn; Utke, Rapee

2016-11-01

Dehydrogenation kinetics and reversibility of LiAlH4-LiBH4 doped with Ti-based additives (TiCl3 and Ti-isopropoxide), multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), and MWCNT impregnated with Ti-based additives are proposed. Reduction of dehydrogenation temperature as well as improvements of kinetics and reversibility, especially decomposition of thermodynamically stable hydride (LiBH4) is obtained from the samples doped with Ti-isopropoxide and MWCNT. This can be due to the fact that the formations of LixAl(1-x)B2 and LiH-Al containing phase during dehydrogenation favor decomposition of LiH, leading to increment of hydrogen capacity, and stabilization of boron in solid state, resulting in improvement of reversibility. Besides, the curvatures and thermal conductivity of MWCNT benefit hydrogen diffusion and heat transfer during de/rehydrogenation. Nevertheless, deficient hydrogen content reversible is observed in all samples due to the irreversible of LiAlH4 and/or Li3AlH6 as well as the formation of stable phase (Li2B12H12) during de/rehydrogenation.

[Preliminary results of an open-label observational study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Prolia used in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis].

PubMed

Ershova, O B; Lesniak, O M; Belova, K Iu; Nazarova, A V; Manovitskaia, A V; Musaeva, T M; Musraev, R M; Nurlygaianov, R Z; Rozhinskaia, L Ia; Skripnikova, I A; Toroptsova, N V

2014-01-01

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Denosumab (Prolia), a first-line osteoporosis (OP) medication that is a fully human monoclonal antibody to the receptor activator of nuclear factor xB ligand (RANKL), within an open-label observational study. Patients aged 50 years or older with postmenopausal OP, who were treated with Prolia in clinical practice, were examined. The concentrations of the bone resorption (BR) marker of C-terminal telopeptide and other laboratory indicators (total serum calcium, total alkaline phosphatase, and creatinine) were measured following 3 months. Adverse drug reactions were recorded. Three months after initiation of the investigation, there was a significant decrease in the BR marker C-terminal telopeptide (by 89%; p<0.0001). There were rare adverse reactions: hypocalcemia in 3 (5.9%) patients, arthralgias in 2 (3.9%), and eczema in 1 (1.9%). There were neither serious adverse events nor study withdrawal cases. The preliminary results of the open-label study of Prolia in postmenopausal OP suggest that the significantly lower BR activity determines the efficacy of this drug and its high safety.

Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter from Start to Stack

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-16

See how a test version of the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System, is designed, built and stacked in a test stand at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The LVSA was moved to a 65-foot-tall test stand Oct. 12 at Marshall. The test version LVSA will be stacked with other test pieces of the upper part of the SLS rocket and pushed, pulled and twisted as part of an upcoming test series to ensure each structure can withstand the incredible stresses of launch. The LVSA joins the core stage simulator, which was loaded into the test stand Sept. 21. The other three qualification articles and the Orion simulator will complete the stack later this fall. Testing is scheduled to begin in early 2017. SLS will be the world’s most powerful rocket, and with the Orion spacecraft, take astronauts to deep-space destinations, including the Journey to Mars. More information on the upcoming test series can be found here: http://go.nasa.gov/2dS8yXB

Characterization of Flow and Ohm's Law in the Rotating Wall Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannum, David; Brookhart, M.; Forest, C. B.; Kendrick, R.; Mengin, G.; Paz-Soldan, C.

2010-11-01

The rotating wall machine is a linear screw-pinch built to study the role of different electromagnetic boundary conditions on the Resistive Wall Mode (RWM). Its plasma is created by an array of electrostatic washer guns which can be biased to discharge up to 1 kA of current each. Individual flux ropes from the guns shear, merge, and expand into a 20 cm diameter, ˜1 m long plasma column. Langmuir (singletip) and tri-axial B-dot probes move throughout the column to measure radial and axial profiles of key plasma parameters. As the plasma current increases, more H2 fuel is ionized, raising ne to 5 x10^20 m-3 while Te stays at a constant 3 eV. The electron density expands to the wall while the current density (Jz) stays pinched to the central axis. E xB and diamagnetic drifts create radially and axially sheared plasma rotation. Plasma resistivity follows the Spitzer model in the core while exceeding it at the edge. These measurements improve the model used to predict the RWM growth rate.

A novel TaqI polymorphism in the coding region of the ovine TNXB gene in the MHC class III region: morphostructural and physiological influences.

PubMed

Ajayi, Oyeyemi O; Adefenwa, Mufliat A; Agaviezor, Brilliant O; Ikeobi, Christian O N; Wheto, Matthew; Okpeku, Moses; Amusan, Samuel A; Yakubu, Abdulmojeed; De Donato, Marcos; Peters, Sunday O; Imumorin, Ikhide G

2014-02-01

The tenascin-XB (TNXB) gene has antiadhesive effects, functions in matrix maturation in connective tissues, and localizes to the major histocompatibility complex class III region. We hypothesized that it may influence adaptive physiological response through an effect on blood vessel function. We identified a novel g.1324 A→G polymorphism at a TaqI recognition site in a 454 bp fragment of ovine TNXB and genotyped it in 150 Nigerian sheep using PCR-RFLP. The missense mutation changes glutamic acid (GAA) to glycine (GGA). Among SNP genotypes, significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in body weight and fore cannon bone length. Interaction effects of breed, SNP genotype, and geographic location had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on chest girth. The SNP genotype was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with physiological traits of pulse rate and skin temperature. The observed effect of this novel polymorphism may be mediated through its role in connective tissue biology, requiring further association and functional studies.

Rosenbluth Separation of the π 0 Electroproduction Cross Section

DOE PAGES

Defurne, M.; Mazouz, M.; Ahmed, Z.; ...

2016-12-23

In this paper, we present deeply virtualmore » $$\\pi^0$$ electroproduction cross-section measurements at $$x_B$$=0.36 and three different $Q^2$ values ranging from 1.5 to 2 GeV$^2$, obtained from Jefferson Lab Hall A experiment E07-007. The Rosenbluth technique is used to separate the longitudinal and transverse responses. Results demonstrate that the cross section is dominated by its transverse component and, thus, is far from the asymptotic limit predicted by perturbative quantum chromodynamics. Nonetheless, an indication of a nonzero longitudinal contribution is provided by the measured interference term $$\\sigma_{LT}$$. Results are compared with several models based on the leading-twist approach of generalized parton distributions (GPDs). In particular, a fair agreement is obtained with models in which the scattering amplitude includes convolution terms of chiral-odd (transversity) GPDs of the nucleon with the twist-3 pion distribution amplitude. Finally, this experiment, together with previous extensive unseparated measurements, provides strong support to the exciting idea that transversity GPDs can be accessed via neutral pion electroproduction in the high-Q 2 regime.« less

Investigation of thermal stability and spectroscopic properties in Er3+/Yb3+-codoped TeO2-Li2O-B2O3-GeO2 glasses.

PubMed

Nie, Qiu-Hua; Gao, Yuan; Xu, Tie-Feng; Shen, Xiang

2005-06-01

The new Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped 70TeO2-5Li2O-(25-x)B2O3-xGeO2 (x = 0, 5, 10, 15 fand 20 mol.%) glasses were prepared. The thermal stability, absorption spectra, emission spectra and lifetime of the 4I(13/2) level of Er3+ ions were measured and studied. The FT-IR spectra were carried out in order to investigate the structure of local arrangements in glasses. It is found that the thermal stability, absorption cross-section of Yb3+, emission intensity and lifetime of the 4I(13/2) level of Er3+ increase with increasing GeO2 content in the glass composition, while the fluorescence width at half maximum (FWHM) at 1.5 um of Er3+ is about 70 nm. The obtained data suggest that this system glass can be used as a candidate host material for potential broadband optical amplifiers.

Featured Image: A Slow-Spinning X-Ray Pulsar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-05-01

This image (click for a closer look!) reveals the sky location of a new discovery: the slowest spinning X-ray pulsar a spinning, highly magnetized neutron star ever found in an extragalactic globular cluster. The pulsar, XB091D (circled in the bottom left inset), lies in the globular cluster B091D in the Andromeda galaxy. In a recent study led by Ivan Zolotukhin (University of Toulouse, Moscow State University, and Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences), a team of scientists details the importance of this discovery. This pulsar is gradually spinning faster and faster a process thats known as recycling, thought to occur as a pulsar accretes material from a donor star in a binary system. Zolotukhin and collaborators think that this particular pairing formed relatively recently, when the pulsar captured a passing star into a binary system. Were now seeing it in a unique stage of evolution where the pulsar is just starting to get recycled. For more information, check out the paper below!CitationIvan Yu. Zolotukhin et al 2017 ApJ 839 125. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa689d

Target and double spin asymmetries of deeply virtual π 0 production with a longitudinally polarized proton target and CLAS

DOE PAGES

Kim, A.; Avakian, H.; Burkert, V.; ...

2017-02-22

The target and double spin asymmetries of the exclusive pseudoscalar channelmore » $$\\vec e\\vec p\\to ep\\pi^0$$ were measured for the first time in the deep-inelastic regime using a longitudinally polarized 5.9 GeV electron beam and a longitudinally polarized proton target at Jefferson Lab with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). The data were collected over a large kinematic phase space and divided into 110 four-dimensional bins of $Q^2$, $$x_B$$, $-t$ and $$\\phi$$. Large values of asymmetry moments clearly indicate a substantial contribution to the polarized structure functions from transverse virtual photon amplitudes. The interpretation of experimental data in terms of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) provides the first insight on the chiral-odd GPDs $$\\tilde{H}_T$$ and $$E_T$$, and complement previous measurements of unpolarized structure functions sensitive to the GPDs $$H_T$$ and $$\\bar E_T$$. Finally, these data provide necessary constraints for chiral-odd GPD parametrizations and will strongly influence existing theoretical handbag models.« less

Measurement of Single and Double Spin Asymmetries in p(e, e' pi(+/-,0))X Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jawalkar, Sucheta Shrikant

Measurements in the late 1980s at CERN revealed that quark spins account for a small fraction of the proton's spin. This so-called spin crisis spurred a number of new experiments to identify the proton's silent spin contributors, namely, the spin of the gluons, which hold the quarks together, and the orbital angular momentum of both quarks and gluons. One such experiment was eg1-dvcs at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Va., which ran in 2009 and collected approximately 19 billion electron triggers for hydrogen. I will present new measurements of the single and double-spin asymmetries ALU, AUL and ALL for pi+, pi - and pi0, measured as a function of Bjorken xB, squared momentum transfer Q2, hadron energy fraction z, and hadron transverse momentum Ph ⊥. These asymmetries, which are convolutions of transverse-momentum-dependent parton distributions and fragmentation functions, correlate with the transverse momentum, and therefore with the orbital motion, of the struck quark.

Structure and luminescence properties of Dy 2O 3 doped bismuth-borate glasses

DOE PAGES

Mugoni, Consuelo; Gatto, C.; Pla-Dalmau, A.; ...

2017-07-05

In this study heavy bismuth-borate glasses were studied as host matrices of Dy 2O 3 rare earth, for potential application as scintillator materials in high energy physics experiments and in general radiation detection systems. Glass matrices were prepared from 20BaO-xBi 2O 3-(80-x)B 2O 3 (x = 20, 30, 40 mol%) ternary systems and synthesized by the melt-quenching method at different temperatures in order to obtain high density and high transparency in the UV/Vis range. Particularly, the glass manifesting the higher transparency and with sufficiently high density was doped with Dy 2O 3 (2.5 and 5 mol%) in order to inducemore » the luminescence characteristics. The effects of Bi 2O 3 and Dy 2O 3 on density, thermal behaviour, transmission as well as luminescence properties under UV excitation, were investigated. The experimental results show that the synthesized glasses can be considered promising candidate materials as dense scintillators, due to the Dy 3 + centres emission.« less

Spectroscopic measurements and modeling of tungsten erosion in the DIII-D divertor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrams, T. D.; Ding, R.; Guo, H. Y.; Leonard, A. W.; Thomas, D. M.; Allen, S. L.; McLean, A. G.; Briesemeister, A. R.; Unterberg, E. A.; Chrobak, C.; Doerner, R. P.; Rudakov, D. L.; Elder, J. D.; Stangeby, P. C.; Wampler, W. R.; Watkins, J. G.

2015-11-01

In situ time-resolved measurements of the gross W erosion rate have been performed in DIII-D by monitoring W/I (400.9 nm) emission in the divertor via a filtered camera and high-resolution spectrometer. The erosion rate of a thin W coating on DiMES, inferred via the S/XB method, was found to be ~ 0.7 nm/s during deuterim L-mode exposure, in fair agreement with post-mortem IBA analysis but lower than REDEP/WBC modeling. During H-mode He bombardment of W disks, average erosion rates of ~ 2.9 nm/s and ~ 9.0 nm/s were estimated during the inter-ELM and intra-ELM phases, using ne and Te from divertor Thomson scattering and Langmuir probes. Results will also be presented from additional W erosion experiments in preparation for the DIII-D mini-campaign to measure high-Z transport in the edge plasma. Comparisons will be made with ERO modeling Supported by US DOE DE-AC05-06OR23100, DE-FC02-04ER54698, DE-AC52-07NA27344, DE-AC05-00OR22725, DE-SC0001961, DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Measurement of transparency ratios for protons from short-range correlated pairs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hen, O.; Hakobyan, H.; Shneor, R.; Piasetzky, E.; Weinstein, L. B.; Brooks, W. K.; May-Tal Beck, S.; Gilad, S.; Korover, I.; Beck, A.; Adhikari, K. P.; Aghasyan, M.; Amaryan, M. J.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Arrington, J. R.; Baghdasaryan, H.; Ball, J.; Battaglieri, M.; Batourine, V.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Biselli, A. S.; Bono, J.; Boiarinov, S.; Briscoe, W. J.; Burkert, V. D.; Carman, D. S.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Cole, P. L.; Contalbrigo, M.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Deur, A.; Djalali, C.; Dodge, G. E.; Doughty, D.; Dupre, R.; Egiyan, H.; El Alaoui, A.; El Fassi, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Fegan, S.; Fleming, J. A.; Gabrielyan, M. Y.; Gevorgyan, N.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Goetz, J. T.; Gohn, W.; Golovatch, E.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Harrison, N.; Heddle, D.; Hicks, K.; Holtrop, M.; Hyde, C. E.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Isupov, E. L.; Jo, H. S.; Joo, K.; Keller, D.; Khandaker, M.; Khetarpal, P.; Kim, A.; Klein, F. J.; Koirala, S.; Kubarovsky, A.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuhn, S. E.; Livingston, K.; Lu, H. Y.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Martinez, D.; Mayer, M.; McKinnon, B.; Mineeva, T.; Mokeev, V.; Montgomery, R. A.; Moutarde, H.; Munevar, E.; Munoz Camacho, C.; Mustapha, B.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Nasseripour, R.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Pappalardo, L. L.; Paremuzyan, R.; Park, K.; Park, S.; Pasyuk, E.; Phelps, E.; Phillips, J. J.; Pisano, S.; Pivnyuk, N.; Pogorelko, O.; Pozdniakov, S.; Price, J. W.; Procureur, S.; Protopopescu, D.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Raue, B. A.; Rimal, D.; Ripani, M.; Ritchie, B. G.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Sabatié, F.; Saini, M. S.; Schott, D.; Schumacher, R. A.; Seraydaryan, H.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Smith, G. D.; Sober, D. I.; Sokhan, D.; Stepanyan, S. S.; Stepanyan, S.; Strauch, S.; Taiuti, M.; Tang, W.; Taylor, C. E.; Tian, Ye; Tkachenko, S.; Ungaro, M.; Vernarsky, B.; Vlassov, A.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Walford, N. K.; Watts, D. P.; Wood, M. H.; Zachariou, N.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.; Zheng, X.; Zonta, I.

2013-05-01

Nuclear transparency, Tp (A), is a measure of the average probability for a struck proton to escape the nucleus without significant re-interaction. Previously, nuclear transparencies were extracted for quasi-elastic A (e ,e‧ p) knockout of protons with momentum below the Fermi momentum, where the spectral functions are well known. In this Letter we extract a novel observable, the transparency ratio, Tp (A) /Tp(12 C), for knockout of high-missing-momentum protons from the breakup of short-range correlated pairs (2N-SRC) in Al, Fe and Pb nuclei relative to C. The ratios were measured at momentum transfer Q2 ⩾ 1.5(GeV /c) 2 and xB ⩾ 1.2 where the reaction is expected to be dominated by electron scattering from 2N-SRC. The transparency ratios of the knocked-out protons coming from 2N-SRC breakup are 20-30% lower than those of previous results for low missing momentum. They agree with Glauber calculations and agree with renormalization of the previously published transparencies as proposed by recent theoretical investigations. The new transparencies scale as A - 1 / 3, which is consistent with dominance of scattering from nucleons at the nuclear surface.

Fifty Years of Flight Research: An Annotated Bibliography of Technical Publications of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, 1946-1996

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, David F.

1999-01-01

Titles, authors, report numbers, and abstracts are given for more than 2200 unclassified and unrestricted technical reports and papers published from September 1946 to December 1996 by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and its predecessor organizations. These technical reports and papers describe and give the results of 50 years of flight research performed by the NACA and NASA, from the X-1 and other early X-airplanes, to the X-15, Space Shuttle, X-29 Forward Swept Wing, and X-31 aircraft. Some of the other research airplanes tested were the D-558, phase 1 and 2; M-2, HL-10 and X-24 lifting bodies; Digital Fly-By-Wire and Supercritical Wing F-8; XB-70; YF-12; AFTI F-111 TACT and MAW; F-15 HiDEC; F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle, and F-18 Systems Research Aircraft. The citations of reports and papers are listed in chronological order, with author and aircraft indices. In addition, in the appendices, citations of 233 contractor reports, more than 200 UCLA Flight System Research Center reports and 25 video tapes are included.

Structural and optical studies on Sm3+ ions doped bismuth fluoroborate glasses for visible laser applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariyappan, M.; Suthanthirakumar, P.; Arunkumar, S.; Marimuthu, K.

2018-04-01

A new series of Sm3+ doped bismuth fluoroborate glasses have been prepared following the melt quenching technique with the chemical composition (55-x)B2O3+15BiF3+15CaF2+15NaF+xSm2O3 (where x = 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 in wt%). The structural analysis was made by recording XRD, SEM and EDAX spectra. The XRD pattern reveals the amorphous nature and EDAX confirms the presence of elements in the titled glasses. The optical properties have been explored through recording NIR absorption, photoluminescence spectra. Radiative properties such as transition probability (A), stimulated emission cross-section (σp) and branching ratio (βR) for the 4G5/2 → 6H5/2, 6H7/2, 6H9/2 emission levels were determined. The luminescence quenching for the prominent 4G5/2→6H7/2 emission transition have been observed while increasing the Sm3+ ions concentration beyond 0.5wt%. The CIE chromaticity coordinates of the present glasses lay in the orange-red region thus indicates its suitability for the reddish-orange emission.

Profiles of electron temperature and Bz along Earth's magnetotail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artemyev, A. V.; Petrukovich, A. A.; Nakamura, R.; Zelenyi, L. M.

2013-06-01

We study the electron temperature distribution and the structure of the current sheet along the magnetotail using simultaneous observations from THEMIS spacecraft. We perform a statistical study of 40 crossings of the current sheet when the three spacecraft THB, THC, and THD were distributed along the tail in the vicinity of midnight with coordinates XB \\in [-30 RE, -20 RE], XC \\in [-20 RE, -15 RE], and XD ~ -10 RE. We obtain profiles of the average electron temperature \\mlab Te\\mrab and the average magnetic field \\mlab Bz\\mrab along the tail. Electron temperature and \\mlab Bz\\mrab increase towards the Earth with almost the same rates (i.e., ratio \\mlab Te\\mrab/\\mlab Bz\\mrab ≈ 2 keV/7 nT is approximately constant along the tail). We also use statistics of 102 crossings of the current sheet from THB and THC to estimate dependence of Te and Bz distributions on geomagnetic activity. The ratio \\mlab Te \\mrab/\\mlab Bz\\mrab depends on geomagnetic activity only slightly. Additionally we demonstrate that anisotropy of the electron temperature \\mlab T∥/T⊥\\mrab ≈ 1.1 is almost constant along the tail for X \\in [-30 RE, -10 RE].

Crystal growth in zinc borosilicate glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kullberg, Ana T. G.; Lopes, Andreia A. S.; Veiga, João P. B.; Monteiro, Regina C. C.

2017-01-01

Glass samples with a molar composition (64+x)ZnO-(16-x)B2O3-20SiO2, where x=0 or 1, were successfully synthesized using a melt-quenching technique. Based on differential thermal analysis data, the produced glass samples were submitted to controlled heat-treatments at selected temperatures (610, 615 and 620 °C) during various times ranging from 8 to 30 h. The crystallization of willemite (Zn2SiO4) within the glass matrix was confirmed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Under specific heat-treatment conditions, transparent nanocomposite glass-ceramics were obtained, as confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy. The influence of temperature, holding time and glass composition on crystal growth was investigated. The mean crystallite size was determined by image analysis on SEM micrographs. The results indicated an increase on the crystallite size and density with time and temperature. The change of crystallite size with time for the heat-treatments at 615 and 620 °C depended on the glass composition. Under fixed heat-treatment conditions, the crystallite density was comparatively higher for the glass composition with higher ZnO content.

Electroproduction Exclusive des Mesons f0(980) et f2(1270) sur le Proton a JLab avec le Detecteur CLAS (in English; French)

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

Garillon, Brice

We present in this report our results for the exclusive electroproduction of f0(980) and f2(1270) off the proton. The data were taken during the e1-6 experiment (2001-2002) with the CLAS detector of Jff?erson Laboratory, using a 5.754 GeV beam and a liquid hydrogen target. We have measured for the first time the reduced differential cross sections for these two processes, in the kinematical region 1:5 < Q2 < 4:33 GeV2 and 0:15 < xB < 0:55. We propose an interpretation of our results according to a Regge-based model. An alternative analysis of the data in terms of partial waves amplitudesmore » as well as in terms of moments of the decay angular distributions has also been attempted. Finally, we have performed the calibration of the photomultipliers of the Central Neutron Detector (CND), to be installed in the CLAS12 detector. The CND has been optimised for the study of the n-DVCS process (Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering off the neutron).« less

Coherent dynamics of localized excitons and trions in ZnO/(Zn,Mg)O quantum wells studied by photon echoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solovev, I. A.; Poltavtsev, S. V.; Kapitonov, Yu. V.; Akimov, I. A.; Sadofev, S.; Puls, J.; Yakovlev, D. R.; Bayer, M.

2018-06-01

We study optically the coherent evolution of trions and excitons in a δ -doped 3.5-nm-thick ZnO/Zn0.91Mg0.09O multiple quantum well by means of time-resolved four-wave mixing at a temperature of 1.5 K. Employing spectrally narrow picosecond laser pulses in the χ(3 ) regime allows us to address differently localized trion and exciton states, thereby avoiding many-body interactions and excitation-induced dephasing. The signal in the form of photon echoes from the negatively charged A excitons (TA, trions) decays with coherence times varying from 8 up to 60 ps, depending on the trion energy: more strongly localized trions reveal longer coherence dynamics. The localized neutral excitons decay on the picosecond time scale with coherence times up to T2=4.5 ps. The coherent dynamics of the XB exciton and TB trion are very short (T2<1 ps), which is attributed to the fast energy relaxation from the trion and exciton B states to the respective A states. The trion population dynamics is characterized by the decay time T1, rising from 30 to 100 ps with decreasing trion energy.

Half-metallic magnetism in Ti 3Co 5-xFe xB 2

DOE PAGES

Pathak, Rohit; Ahamed, Imran; Zhang, W. Y.; ...

2017-02-08

Here, bulk alloys and thin films of Fe-substituted Ti 3Co 5B 2 have been investigated by first-principle density-functional calculations. The series, which is of interest in the context of alnico magnetism and spin electronics, has been experimentally realized in nanostructures but not in the bulk. Our bulk calculations predict paramagnetism for Ti 3Co 5B 2, Ti 3Co 4FeB 2 and Ti 3CoFe 4B 2, whereas Ti 3Fe 5B 2 is predicted to be ferromagnetic. The thin films are all ferromagnetic, indicating that moment formation may be facilitated at nanostructural grain boundaries. One member of the thin-film series, namely Ti 3CoFemore » 4B 2, is half-metallic and exhibits perpendicular easy-axis magnetic anisotropy. The half-metallicity reflects the hybridization of the Ti, Fe and Co 3d orbitals, which causes a band gap in minority spin channel, and the limited equilibrium solubility of Fe in bulk Ti 3Co 5B 2 may be linked to the emerging half-metallicity due to Fe substitution.« less

Optical properties in the visible luminescence of SiO2:B2O3:CaO:GdF3 glass scintillators containing CeF3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, J. M.; Kim, H. J.; Karki, Sujita; Kaewkhao, J.; Damdee, B.; Kothan, S.; Kaewjaeng, S.

2017-12-01

CeF3-doped silicaborate-calcium-gadolinium glass scintillators, with the formula 10SiO2:(55-x)B2O3:10CaO:25GdF3:xCeF3, were fabricated by the melt-quenching technique. The doping concentration of the CeF3 was from 0.00 mol% to 0.20 mol%. The optical properties of the CeF3 doped glass scintillators were studied by using various radiation sources. The transition state of the CeF3-doped glass scintillators studied by using the absorption and photo-luminescence spectrum results. The X-ray, photo, proton and laser-induced luminescence spectra were also studied to understand the luminescence mechanism under various conditions. To understand the temperature dependence, the laser-induced luminescence and the decay component of the CeF3-doped glass scintillator were studied while the temperature was varied from 300 K to 10 K. The emission wavelength spectrum showed from 350 nm to 55 nm under various radiation sources. Also the CeF3-doped glass scintillator have one decay component as 34 ns at room temperature.

Induced anisotropy in FeCo-based nanocomposites: Early transition metal content dependence

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

Shen, S; DeGeorge, V; Ohodnicki, PR

2014-05-07

Soft magnetic nanocomposites variants of FeCo-based (HTX002) alloys (Fe65Co35)(81+x)B12Nb4-xSi2Cu1, exhibiting high inductions (up to 1.9 T), low losses, and high temperature stability are studied for high frequency inductors and current sensors. For alloys with x 0, 1, 1.5, 2, and 3, we report field induced anisotropy, K-U, after annealing at temperatures of 340-450 degrees C for 1 h in a 2 T transverse magnetic field. The anisotropy field, H-K, measured by AC permeametry on toroidal cores, and by first order reversal curves on square sections of ribbon, decreases with annealing temperature and saturates at high annealing temperatures suggesting a nanostructuremore » related anisotropy mechanism in which the amorphous phase exhibits a higher H-K than the crystalline phase. A high saturation induction nanocrystalline phase and high H-K amorphous phase were achieved by low temperature annealing resulting in a value of K-U exceeding 14 X 10(3) erg/cm(3), more than twice that reported previously for Fe-rich amorphous and nanocomposite alloys. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.« less

Evaluation of TeO2 content on the optical and spectroscopic properties of Yb3+-doped calcium borotellurite glasses.

PubMed

Lima, A M O; Gomes, J F; Hegeto, F L; Medina, A N; Steimacher, A; Barboza, M J

2018-03-15

This paper reports the synthesis and the characterization of Yb 3+ -doped calcium borotellurite (CaBTeX) glasses with composition 10CaF 2 -(29.5-0.4x)CaO-(60-0.6x)B 2 O 3 -xTeO 2 -0.5Yb 2 O 3 (x=10, 16, 22, 31 and 54mol%). The results of XRD confirm the amorphous character of all the samples. The density, molar volume, refractive index and electronic polarizability values show an increase with TeO 2 content. Otherwise, the optical band gap energy shows a decrease with the increase of TeO 2 content. The replacement of CaO and B 2 O 3 by TeO 2 changes the glass structure, which decreases the excited Yb 3+ /cm 3 and, consequently, the luminescence intensity. The temperature dependence of luminescence was studied for all the samples up to 420K. The fluorescence lifetime does not change significantly due to TeO 2 addition. In addition, absorption and emission cross section were calculated and present high values as compared to other tellurite and phosphate glasses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of TeO2 content on the optical and spectroscopic properties of Yb3 +-doped calcium borotellurite glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lima, A. M. O.; Gomes, J. F.; Hegeto, F. L.; Medina, A. N.; Steimacher, A.; Barboza, M. J.

2018-03-01

This paper reports the synthesis and the characterization of Yb3 +-doped calcium borotellurite (CaBTeX) glasses with composition 10CaF2-(29.5 - 0.4x)CaO-(60 - 0.6x)B2O3-xTeO2-0.5Yb2O3 (x = 10, 16, 22, 31 and 54 mol%). The results of XRD confirm the amorphous character of all the samples. The density, molar volume, refractive index and electronic polarizability values show an increase with TeO2 content. Otherwise, the optical band gap energy shows a decrease with the increase of TeO2 content. The replacement of CaO and B2O3 by TeO2 changes the glass structure, which decreases the excited Yb3 +/cm3 and, consequently, the luminescence intensity. The temperature dependence of luminescence was studied for all the samples up to 420 K. The fluorescence lifetime does not change significantly due to TeO2 addition. In addition, absorption and emission cross section were calculated and present high values as compared to other tellurite and phosphate glasses.

Photoluminescence of CuInS2 nanocrystals: effect of surface modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Young-Kuk; Cho, Young-Sang; Chung, Kookchae; Choi, Chul-Jin

2011-09-01

We have synthesized highly luminescent Cu-In-S(CIS) nanocrystals (NCs) by heating the mixture of metal carboxylates and alkylthiol under inert atmosphere. We modified the surface of CIS NCs with zinc carboxylate and subsequent injection of alkylthiol. As a result of the surface modification, highly luminescent CIS@ZnS core/shell nanocrystals were synthesized. The luminescence quantum yield (QY) of best CIS@ZnS NCs was above 50%, which is 10 times higher than the initial QY of CIS NCs before surface modification (QY=3%). Detailed study on the luminescence mechanism implies that etching of the surface of NCs by dissociated carboxylate group (CH3COO-) and formation of epitaxial shell by Zn with sulfur from alkylthiol efficiently removed the surface defects which are known to be major non-radiative recombination sites in semiconductor nanocrystals. In this study, we developed a novel surface modification route for monodispersed highly luminescent Cu-In-S NCs with less toxic and highly stable precursors. Investigation with the timeand the temperature-dependent photoluminescence showed that the trap related emission was minimized by surface modification and the donor-acceptor pair recombination was enhanced by controlling copper stoichiometry.xb

Model-Dependent Constraint on Quark Total Angular Momentum Based on the Transverse Target-spin Asymmetry Measured in Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering at HERMES

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

Nowak, Wolf-Dieter

Results are reported on the transverse target-spin asymmetry (TTSA) associated with deeply virtual Compton scattering on the proton. The data have been accumulated in the years 2002-2004 by the HERMES experiment at DESY, in which the HERA 27.6 GeV e+ beam scattered on a transversely polarized hydrogen target. Two azimuthal amplitudes of the TTSA appearing to LO in 1/Q and {alpha}s, A{sub UT}{sup sin({phi}-{phi}{sub S})cos{phi}} and A{sub UT}{sup cos({phi} -{phi}{sub S})sin{phi}}, are given as a function of -t,xB,Q2 in the kinematic range |t| < 0.7 GeV2, 0.03 < xB < 0.35 and 1 < Q2 < 10 GeV2. The firstmore » amplitude is found to be sensitive to the generalized parton distribution (GPD) E of the proton, which can be parameterized in a GPD model through quark total angular momentum Jq(q = u, d). Within the context of this model, a constraint in the (Ju,Jd) plane is obtained from HERMES TTSA data.« less

Half-metallic magnetism in Ti 3Co 5-xFe xB 2

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

Pathak, Rohit; Ahamed, Imran; Zhang, W. Y.

Here, bulk alloys and thin films of Fe-substituted Ti 3Co 5B 2 have been investigated by first-principle density-functional calculations. The series, which is of interest in the context of alnico magnetism and spin electronics, has been experimentally realized in nanostructures but not in the bulk. Our bulk calculations predict paramagnetism for Ti 3Co 5B 2, Ti 3Co 4FeB 2 and Ti 3CoFe 4B 2, whereas Ti 3Fe 5B 2 is predicted to be ferromagnetic. The thin films are all ferromagnetic, indicating that moment formation may be facilitated at nanostructural grain boundaries. One member of the thin-film series, namely Ti 3CoFemore » 4B 2, is half-metallic and exhibits perpendicular easy-axis magnetic anisotropy. The half-metallicity reflects the hybridization of the Ti, Fe and Co 3d orbitals, which causes a band gap in minority spin channel, and the limited equilibrium solubility of Fe in bulk Ti 3Co 5B 2 may be linked to the emerging half-metallicity due to Fe substitution.« less

Pharmacokinetics of ginkgolide B injection in beagle dogs.

PubMed

Song, H; Bu, F; Wei, C; Yuan, G; Liu, X; Wang, B; Guo, R

2012-12-01

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed, validated, and applied to the pharmacokinetic study with doses of 0.68, 2.73 and 10.92 mg/kg of ginkgolide B in beagle dogs after intravenous infusion.An aliquot of blood samples were -collected, separated and quantitatively analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method with mobile phase of acetonitrile-0.02% ammonia solution (33:67, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min on the UltimateTM XB-C18 column (5 μm, 4.6×150 mm).The method was sensitive, accurate and convenient, and can be used for the determination of ginkgolide B in beagle dogs. The Cmax and AUC0-∞ of GB increased with dose escalation, but ANOVA analyses showed that no significant difference was observed in other pharmacokinetic parameters between different doses.An LC/MS method was developed with good sensitivity, reproducibility and specificity. In the pharmacokinetic study of GB in beagle dogs, linear pharmacokinetics was found at doses from 0.62 to 10.92 mg/kg after a single-dose intravenous infusion. Gender differences were not observed in the pharmacokinetics of GB. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Lewis Rodert Receiving a Collier Trophy from President Truman

NASA Image and Video Library

1947-12-21

Lewis Rodert, then of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory, receives the Collier Trophy from President Harry Truman for his work in the design and development of an ice prevention system for aircraft. The accumulation of ice on an aircraft had been a critical issue for years. Rodert developed a method of transferring engine heat to the wings and other vulnerable components to prevent ice buildup. Rodert began his icing investigations at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in 1936. The NACA ordered a Lockheed 12A aircraft to be built using Rodert’s deicing system. The aircraft successfully flew through icing conditions during the following winter. Soon thereafter the military incorporated the system into a Consolidated B-24D Liberator and several other military aircraft, including a North American XB-25F. Rodert and the NACA icing program transferred to the Lewis lab in Cleveland in 1946. In Cleveland, the focus turned to the study of cloud composition and the causes of icing. Rodert’s role at Lewis diminished over the ensuing years. Rodert was honored in 1947 for his Collier Trophy at ceremonies at Langley, Ames, and then finally Lewis.

Effect of Bi2O3 on spectroscopic and structural properties of Er3+ doped cadmium bismuth borate glasses.

PubMed

Sanghi, S; Pal, I; Agarwal, A; Aggarwal, M P

2011-12-01

Glasses with composition 20CdO·xBi(2)O(3)·(79.5-x)B(2)O(3) (15≤x≤35, x in mol%) containing 0.5 mol% of Er(3+) ions were prepared by melt-quench technique (1150°C in air). The amorphous nature of the glasses was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The spectroscopic properties of the glasses were investigated using optical absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra. The phenomenological Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Ω(λ) (λ=2, 4, 6) were determined from the spectral intensities of absorption bands in order to calculate the radiative transition probability (A(R)), radiative life time (τ(R)), branching ratios (β(R)) for various excited luminescent states. Using the near infrared emission spectra, full width at half maxima (FWHM), stimulated emission cross-section (σ(e)) and figure of merit (FOM) were evaluated and compared with other hosts. Especially, the numerical values of these parameters indicate that the emission transition (4)I(13/2)→(4)I(15/2) at 1.506 μm in Er(3+)-doped cadmium bismuth borate glasses may be useful in optical communication. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the sustainability of road drainage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Diez, Iván; Palencia, Covadonga; Fernández Raga, María

2017-04-01

Water is the most erosive agent that exists on the linear structures, because they are constantly subjected to outdoor condition like irregular infiltration, frosts and different rain intensities. Another variables that highly influence in the entire lifetime of a natural drainage system are the spatial and temporal variability of the rainfall, the soil, the vegetation cover and the design. All this factors are affecting the vulnerability of the clearings and embankments, by wearing away the weakest materials which surround the roads or train rails, producing erosion and very bumpy surfaces. The result is that the original pattern, developped to disminished the lost of soil, is not properly working and it cannot eliminate water, with the consequence destruction of the linear structure after several rainfall periods, and the accumulation of material down slope. The propose of this research focuses on analysing the drainage systems used in spanish roads and railways lines. For this purpose, a revision of the literature has been done, and the main drainage solutions have been recovered, carrying out an evaluation of them from an environmental point of view. This procedure has been requested by several authors in the past (Nwa, E.U. & Twocock, J.G., 1969; Goulter, I.C., 1992), together with the need of designing a more sustainable drainage system. The final objective of this complete revision is to compare objetively the designs to valuate them in order to develop a new drainage patter which minimize the erosion, increasing the durability and effectiveness of the drainage system. For this purpose, it is neccesary to assure that all the systems will be compare under similar parameters of flow rate, vegetation, substrate, lenght, slope and total section. Only the channels pattern and water distribution will change. The analysis has been done following Liu, H. & Zhu, X.B., (2012), who pointed out that the main parameters to take into account to select a road drainage system are the hydraulic functioning, structural strength, produced erosion, service life, initial invesment and maintenance costs of different drainage systems. The followed methodology was to create a Leopold's matrix to compare among the alternatives of drainage design, asignating a puntuation from 1 to 5 to each factor that affects the functioning of the drainage. The process to decide the punctuation of every factor in each drainage design will be also explained. The alternative which obtains more puntuation represents the best available design to decrease erosion on the slopes and increase the service life. The validation of this results has been done in the field. References Goulter, I.C., 1992. Systems Analysis in Water-Distribution Network Design: From Theory to Practice, Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. ASCE 118, No. 3 Nwa, E.U. & Twocock, J.G., 1969. Drainage design theory and practice. Journal of Hydrology 9, 259-276 Liu, H. & Zhu, X.B., 2012. Influencing Factors and Prevention Measures of Erosion Damage for Highway Slope in Loess Area. Advanced Materials Research 594, 161-166

A calibration-free formulation of the complementary relationship of evaporation for continental-scale hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szilagyi, Jozsef; Crago, Richard; Qualls, Russell

2017-01-01

An important scaling consideration is introduced into the formulation of the complementary relationship (CR) of land surface evapotranspiration (ET) by specifying the maximum possible evaporation rate (Epmax) of a small water body (or wet patch) as a result of adiabatic drying from the prevailing near-neutral atmospheric conditions. In dimensionless form the CR therefore becomes yB = f(Epmax-EpEpmax-EwxB) = f(X) = 2X2 - X3, where yB = ET/Ep, xB = Ew/Ep. Ew is the wet-environment evaporation rate as given by the Priestley-Taylor equation, Ep is the evaporation rate of the same small wet surface for which Epmax is specified and estimated by the Penman equation. With the help of North American Regional Reanalysis data, the CR this way yields better continental-scale performance than earlier, calibrated versions of it and is on par with current land surface model results, the latter requiring vegetation, soil information and soil moisture bookkeeping. Validation has been performed by Parameter-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model precipitation and United States Geological Survey runoff data. A novel approach is also introduced to calculate the value of the Priestley-Taylor parameter to be used with continental-scale data, making the new formulation of the CR completely calibration free.

Structural, optical, physical and electrical properties of V2O5.SrO.B2O3 glasses.

PubMed

Sindhu, S; Sanghi, S; Agarwal, A; Seth, V P; Kishore, N

2006-05-01

The present work aims to study the structure and variation of optical band gap, density and dc electrical conductivity in vanadium strontium borate glasses. The glass systems xV2O5.(40-x)SrO.60B2O3 and xV2O5.(60-x)B2O3.40SrO with x varying from 0 to 20 mol% were prepared by normal melt quench technique. Structural studies were made by recording IR transmission spectra. The fundamental absorption edge for all the glasses was analyzed in terms of the theory proposed by Davis and Mott. The position of absorption edge and hence the value of the optical band gap was found to depend on the semiconducting glass composition. The absorption in these glasses is believed to be associated with indirect transitions. The origin of Urbach energy is associated with the phonon-assisted indirect transitions. The change in both density and molar volume was discussed in terms of the structural modifications that take place in the glass matrix on addition of V2O5. dc conductivity of the glass systems is also reported. The change of conductivity and activation energy with composition indicates that the conduction process varies from ionic to polaronic one.

XRD and FTIR analysis heat treated lithium bismo-borate glasses doped with 1.0 mol% copper ferrite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Arti; Narwal, P.; Dahiya, Manjeet S.; Dahiya, T.; Agarwal, A.; Khasa, S.

2018-05-01

Glasses of compositions of 20Li20 • xBi2O3• (79-x)B2O3 + (1.0 mol%) CuFe2O4, with 0 ≤ x ≤ 40 were prepared by melt-quench technique. To obtain the glass-ceramics the controlled heat treatment were given to the prepared glasses. Two nano crystalline phases, i.e., Li2B4O7 and LiB3O5 were observed from X-ray diffraction patterns of the prepared glass- ceramic samples. We investigated the change in coordination number of network formers B2O3 and Bi2O3 and network modifiers Bi2O3, Li2O and CuFe2O4. Crystallites size (lies in range ˜47-50nm) and lattice strain (ɛ) were calculated for major phases for all prepared samples. FT-IR study revealed the de-polymerization of borate groups that change with heat treatment and Bi2O3 content. Deconvolution of IR absorption spectra resolves the overlapped and hidden peaks in IR spectra. Sharp and more intense FTIR peaks confirm the vibrations due to crystallites Li2B4O7 and LiB3O5 and change in coordination of network forming borate units.

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

Sitler, Steven J.; Raja, Krishnan S.; Charit, Indrajit

Spark plasma sintered transition metal diborides such as HfB 2, ZrB 2 and their solid solutions were investigated as electrode materials for electrochemical hydrogen evolutions reactions (HER) in 1 M H 2SO 4 and 1 M NaOH electrolytes. HfB 2 and ZrB 2 formed complete solid solutions when mixed in 1:1, 1:4, and 4:1 ratios and they were stable in both electrolytes. The HER kinetics of the diborides were slower in the basic solution than in the acidic solutions. The Tafel slopes in 1 M H 2SO 4 were in the range of 0.15 - 0.18 V/decade except for puremore » HfB 2 which showed a Tafel slope of 0.38 V/decade. In 1 M NaOH the Tafel slopes were in the range of 0.12 - 0.27 V/decade. The composition of Hf xZr 1-xB 2 solid solutions with x = 0.2 - 0.8, influenced the exchange current densities, overpotentials and Tafel slopes of the HER. As a result, the EIS data were fitted with a porous film equivalent circuit model in order to better understand the HER behavior. In addition, modeling calculations, using density functional theory approach, were carried out to estimate the density of states and band structure of the boride solid solutions.« less

Six Decades of Flight Research: An Annotated Bibliography of Technical Publications of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, 1946-2006

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, David F.

2007-01-01

Titles, authors, report numbers, and abstracts are given for nearly 2900 unclassified and unrestricted technical reports and papers published from September 1946 to December 2006 by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and its predecessor organizations. These technical reports and papers describe and give the results of 60 years of flight research performed by the NACA and NASA, from the X-1 and other early X-airplanes, to the X-15, Space Shuttle, X-29 Forward Swept Wing, X-31, and X-43 aircraft. Some of the other research airplanes tested were the D-558, phase 1 and 2; M-2, HL-10 and X-24 lifting bodies; Digital Fly-By-Wire and Supercritical Wing F-8; XB-70; YF-12; AFTI F-111 TACT and MAW; F-15 HiDEC; F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle, F-18 Systems Research Aircraft and the NASA Landing Systems Research aircraft. The citations of reports and papers are listed in chronological order, with author and aircraft indices. In addition, in the appendices, citations of 270 contractor reports, more than 200 UCLA Flight System Research Center reports, nearly 200 Tech Briefs, 30 Dryden Historical Publications, and over 30 videotapes are included.

Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) Run (E12-06-114) in Hall A of Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karki, Bishnu; DVCS Hall A of JLab Collaboration; JLab Hall A Collaboration

2017-01-01

Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) provide a information about transverse position and longitudinal momentum distribution of partons in the nucleon along with the correlation between transverse position and longitudinal momentum of partons. GPDs also provide access to the contribution of orbital momentum of partons to nucleon total spin. The DVCS is one of the favorite reaction to measure the GPDs because it is simplest process that can be described in terms of GPDs. DVCS refers to scattering of virtual photon off the nucleon (γ* N -> γN). The DVCS experiment (E12-06-114) in Hall A will be running again in Fall 2016, to complete proposed DVCS kinematics. We use the polarized electron beam from CEBAF with energy ranging from 8 GeV to 11 GeV and measure high statistics polarized and unpolarized cross section of H(e,e' γ)p and map it to extract GPDs of proton. The wide range of Q2 scan (2.7 <=Q2 >= 9 GeV2) for xB ranging from 0.3 to 0.6 are performed. The Q2 dependence of the cross section allows one to quantify the contribution of higher twist terms. In this talk the status of experiment will be presented.

Synthetic reconstruction of recycling on the limiter during startup phase of W7-X based on EMC3-EIRENE simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frerichs, Heinke; Effenberg, Florian; Schmitz, Oliver; Stephey, Laurie; W7-X Team

2016-10-01

Interpretation of spectroscopic measurements in the edge region of high-temperature plasmas can be a challenge due to line of sight integration effects. The EMC3-EIRENE code - a 3D fluid edge plasma and kinetic neutral gas transport code - is a suitable tool for full 3D reconstruction of such signals. A versatile synthetic diagnostic module has been developed recently which allows the realistic three dimensional setup of various plasma edge diagnostics to be captured. We present an analysis of recycling on the inboard limiter of W7-X during its startup phase in terms of a synthetic camera for Hα light observations and reconstruct the particle flux from these synthetic images based on ionization per photon coefficients (S/XB). We find that line of sight integration effects can lead to misinterpretation of data (redistribution of particle flux due to neutral gas diffusion), and that local plasma effects are important for the correct treatment of photon emissions. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Grant DE-SC0014210, by startup funds of the Department of Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and by the EUROfusion Consortium under Euratom Grant No 633053.

Effect of Heat Treatment Technique on the Low Temperature Impact Toughness of Steel EQ70 for Offshore Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Su-Fen; Xia, Yun-Jin; Wang, Fu-Ming; Li, Jie; Fan, Ding-Dong

2017-09-01

Circle quenching and tempering (CQ&T), intercritical quenching and tempering (IQ&T) and regular quenching and tempering (Q&T) were used to study the influence of heat treatment techniques on the low temperature impact toughness of steel EQ70 for offshore structure. The steels with 2.10 wt. % Ni (steel A) and 1.47 wt. % Ni (steel B) were chosen to analyze the effect of Ni content on the low temperature impact toughness of steel EQ70 for offshore structure. The fracture morphologies were examined by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM, JSM-6480LV), and microstructures etched by 4 vol. % nitric acid were observed on a type 9XB-PC optical microscope. The results show that the impact toughness of steel A is higher than that of steel B at the same test temperature and heat treatment technique. For steel B, the energy absorbed is, in descending order, CQ&T, Q&T and IQ&T, while for steel A, that is CQ&T, IQ&T and Q&T. The effects of heat treatment on the low temperature impact toughness are different for steels A and B, the absorbed energy changes more obviously for steel A. The results can be significant references for actual heat treatment techniques in steel plant.

Characterization and discrimination of large caliber gun blast and flash signatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steward, Bryan J.; Gross, Kevin C.; Perram, Glen P.

2012-06-01

Two hundred and one firings of three 152 mm howitzer munitions were observed to characterize firing signatures of a large caliber gun. Muzzle blast expansion was observed with high-speed (1600 Hz) optical imagery. The trajectory of the blast front was well approximated by a modified point-blast model described by constant rate of energy deposition. Visible and near-infrared (450 - 850 nm) spectra of secondary combustion were acquired at ~0.75 nm spectral resolution and depict strong contaminant emissions including Li, Na, K, Cu, and Ca. The O2 (X-->b) absorption band is evident in the blue wing of the potassium D lines and was used for monocular passive ranging accurate to within 4 - 9%. Timeresolved midwave infrared (1800 - 6000 cm-1) spectra were collected at 100 Hz and 32 cm-1 resolution. A low dimensional radiative transfer model was used to characterize plume emissions in terms of area, temperature, soot emissivity, and species concentrations. Combustion emissions have ~100 ms duration, 1200 - 1600 K temperature, and are dominated by H2O and CO2. Non-combusting plume emissions last ~20 ms, are 850 - 1050 K, and show significant continuum (emissivity ~0.36) and CO structure. Munitions were discriminated with 92 - 96% classification accuracy using only 1 - 3 firing signature features.

[HPLC fingerprint of flavonoids in Sophora flavescens and determination of five components].

PubMed

Ma, Hong-Yan; Zhou, Wan-Shan; Chu, Fu-Jiang; Wang, Dong; Liang, Sheng-Wang; Li, Shao

2013-08-01

A simple and reliable method of high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was developed to evaluate the quality of a traditional Chinese medicine Sophora flavescens through establishing chromatographic fingerprint and simultaneous determination of five flavonoids, including trifolirhizin, maackiain, kushenol I, kurarinone and sophoraflavanone G. The optimal conditions of separation and detection were achieved on an ULTIMATE XB-C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) with a gradient of acetonitrile and water, detected at 295 nm. In the chromatographic fingerprint, 13 peaks were selected as the characteristic peaks to assess the similarities of different samples collected from different origins in China according to similarity evaluation for chromatographic fingerprint of traditional chinese medicine (2004AB) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used in data analysis. There were significant differences in the fingerprint chromatograms between S. flavescens and S. tonkinensis. Principal component analysis showed that kurarinone and sophoraflavanone G were the most important component. In quantitative analysis, the five components showed good regression (R > 0.999) with linear ranges, and their recoveries were in the range of 96.3% - 102.3%. This study indicated that the combination of quantitative and chromatographic fingerprint analysis can be readily utilized as a quality control method for S. flavescens and its related traditional Chinese medicinal preparations.

Alloying effect on bright-dark exciton states in ternary monolayer Mo x W1-x Se2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yanping; Tom, Kyle; Zhang, Xiaowei; Lou, Shuai; Liu, Yin; Yao, Jie

2017-07-01

Binary transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) in the class MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) have been widely investigated for potential applications in optoelectronics and nanoelectronics. Recently, alloy-based monolayers of TMDCs have provided a stable and versatile technique to tune the physical properties and optimize them for potential applications. Here, we present experimental evidence for the existence of an intermediate alloy state between the MoSe2-like and the WSe2-like behavior of the neutral exciton (X 0) using temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) of the monolayer Mo x W1-x Se2 alloy. The existence of a maximum PL intensity around 120 K can be explained by the competition between the thermally activated bright states and the non-radiative quenching of the bright states. Moreover, we also measured localized exciton (XB ) PL peak in the alloy and the observed behavior agrees well with a model previously proposed for the 3D case, which indicates the theory also applies to 2D systems. Our results not only shed light on bright-dark states and localized exciton physics of 2D semiconductors, but also offer a new route toward the control of the bright-dark transition and tailoring optical properties of 2D semiconductors through defect engineering.

TU-AB-201-06: Evaluation of Electromagnetically Guided High- Dose Rate Brachytherapy for Ablative Treatment of Lung Metastases

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

Pinkham, D.W.; Shultz, D.; Loo, B.W.

Purpose: The advent of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy has enabled minimally invasive access to peripheral lung tumors previously inaccessible by optical bronchoscopes. As an adjunct to Stereotactic Ablative Radiosurgery (SABR), implantation of HDR catheters can provide focal treatments for multiple metastases and sites of retreatments. The authors evaluate a procedure to deliver ablative doses via Electromagnetically-Guided HDR (EMG-HDR) to lung metastases, quantify the resulting dosimetry, and assess its role in the comprehensive treatment of lung cancer. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on ten patients, who, from 2009 to 2011, received a hypo-fractionated SABR regimen with 6MV VMAT to lesions inmore » various lobes ranging from 1.5 to 20 cc in volume. A CT visible pathway was delineated for EM guided placement of an HDR applicator (catheter) and dwell times were optimized to ensure at least 98% prescription dose coverage of the GTV. Normal tissue doses were calculated using inhomogeneity corrections via a grid-based Boltzmann solver (Acuros-BV-1.5.0). Results: With EMG-HDR, an average of 83% (+/−9% standard deviation) of each patient’s GTV received over 200% of the prescription dose, as compared to SABR where the patients received an average maximum dose of 125% (+/−5%). EMG-HDR enabled a 59% (+/−12%) decrease in the aorta maximum dose, a 63% (+/−26%) decrease in the spinal cord max dose, and 57% (+/−23%) and 70% (+/−17%) decreases in the volume of the body receiving over 50% and 25% of the prescription dose, respectively. Conclusion: EMG-HDR enables delivery of higher ablative doses to the GTV, while concurrently reducing surrounding normal tissue doses. The single catheter approach shown here is limited to targets smaller than 20 cc. As such, the technique enables ablation of small lesions and a potentially safe and effective retreatment option in situations where external beam utility is limited by normal tissue constraints.« less

Scintillation and optical properties of TiO2-ZnO-Al2O3-B2O3 glasses and glass-ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usui, Yuki; Okada, Go; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Masai, Hirokazu; Yanagida, Takayuki

2018-04-01

13TiO2-xZnO-17Al2O3-(70 - x)B2O3 (x = 17, 26, and 35) glasses were prepared by a melt-quenching method, and the obtained glass samples were heated at temperatures 30 °C above the glass transition temperature of corresponding glass in order to obtain glass-ceramics. The obtained glass-ceramic samples were confirmed to have anatase (x = 17) and rutile (x = 26 and 35) phases from X-ray diffraction analysis. Then, the scintillation and optical properties were evaluated and discussed the difference between the glass-ceramic and glass samples. In the scintillation spectra under X-ray irradiation, a broad emission peak was observed around 450 nm in all the samples, and the new peak around 500 nm appeared in the anatase-precipitated glass-ceramic. The intensities of the glass-ceramic samples were enhanced in comparison with the corresponding glasses because the glass-ceramics includes TiO2 crystallites with defect centers which act as effective emission centers. The scintillation decay curves of the glass and glass-ceramic samples were approximated by one and a sum of two exponential decay functions, respectively. The faster component of glass and glass-ceramic samples would be caused by the host emission, and the slower component of glass-ceramic sample would be ascribed to the emission of Ti3+.

Longitudinal Handling Qualities of the Tu-144LL Airplane and Comparisons With Other Large, Supersonic Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, Timothy H.; Marshall, Alisa

2000-01-01

Four flights have been conducted using the Tu-144LL supersonic transport aircraft with the dedicated objective of collecting quantitative data and qualitative pilot comments. These data are compared with the following longitudinal flying qualities criteria: Neal-Smith, short-period damping, time delay, control anticipation parameter, phase delay (omega(sp)*T(theta(2))), pitch bandwidth as a function of time delay, and flight path as a function of pitch bandwidth. Determining the applicability of these criteria and gaining insight into the flying qualities of a large, supersonic aircraft are attempted. Where appropriate, YF-12, XB-70, and SR-71 pilot ratings are compared with the Tu-144LL results to aid in the interpretation of the Tu-144LL data and to gain insight into the application of criteria. The data show that approach and landing requirements appear to be applicable to the precision flightpath control required for up-and-away flight of large, supersonic aircraft. The Neal-Smith, control anticipation parameter, and pitch-bandwidth criteria tend to correlate with the pilot comments better than the phase delay criterion, omega(sp)*T(theta(2)). The data indicate that the detrimental flying qualities implication of decoupled pitch-attitude and flightpath responses occurring for high-speed flight may be mitigated by requiring the pilot to close the loop on flightpath or vertical speed.

Rip Current Velocity Structure in Drifter Trajectories and Numerical Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, W. E.; Slinn, D. N.

2008-12-01

Estimates of rip current velocity and cross-shore structure were made using surfzone drifters, bathymetric surveys, and rectified video images. Over 60 rip current trajectories were observed during a three year period at a Southern California beach in July 2000, 2001, and 2002. Incident wave heights (Hs) immediately offshore (~7 m depth) were obtained by initializing a refraction model with data from nearby directional wave buoys, and varied from 0.3 to 1.0 m. Tide levels varied over approximately 1 m and winds were light. Numerical simulations using the non-linear shallow water equations and modeled over measured bathymetry also produced similar flows and statistics. Time series of drifter position, sampled at 1 Hz, were first-differenced to produce velocity time series. Maximum observed velocities varied between 25 and 80 cm s-1, whereas model maximum velocities were lower by a factor 2 to 3. When velocity maxima were non-dimensionalized by respective trajectory mean velocity, both observed and modeled values varied between 1.5 and 3.5. Cross-shore location of rip current velocity maxima for both shore-normal and shore-oblique rip currents were strongly coincident with the surfzone edge (Xb), as determined by rectified video (observations) or breakpoint (model). Once outside of the surfzone, observed and modeled rip current velocities decreased to 10% of their peak values within 2 surfzone widths of the shoreline, a useful definition of rip current cross-shore extent.

ZrB 2-HfB 2 solid solutions as electrode materials for hydrogen reaction in acidic and basic solutions

DOE PAGES

Sitler, Steven J.; Raja, Krishnan S.; Charit, Indrajit

2016-11-09

Spark plasma sintered transition metal diborides such as HfB 2, ZrB 2 and their solid solutions were investigated as electrode materials for electrochemical hydrogen evolutions reactions (HER) in 1 M H 2SO 4 and 1 M NaOH electrolytes. HfB 2 and ZrB 2 formed complete solid solutions when mixed in 1:1, 1:4, and 4:1 ratios and they were stable in both electrolytes. The HER kinetics of the diborides were slower in the basic solution than in the acidic solutions. The Tafel slopes in 1 M H 2SO 4 were in the range of 0.15 - 0.18 V/decade except for puremore » HfB 2 which showed a Tafel slope of 0.38 V/decade. In 1 M NaOH the Tafel slopes were in the range of 0.12 - 0.27 V/decade. The composition of Hf xZr 1-xB 2 solid solutions with x = 0.2 - 0.8, influenced the exchange current densities, overpotentials and Tafel slopes of the HER. As a result, the EIS data were fitted with a porous film equivalent circuit model in order to better understand the HER behavior. In addition, modeling calculations, using density functional theory approach, were carried out to estimate the density of states and band structure of the boride solid solutions.« less

RMP effects on the W and C erosion/deposition balance on W test samples in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, E. T.; Frerichs, H.; Schmitz, O.; Evans, T. E.; Guo, H. Y.; Thomas, D. M.; Rudakov, D. L.; Abrams, T.; Unterberg, E. A.; Briesemeister, A.; Lasnier, C. J.; McLean, A. G.; Makowski, M.; Wampler, W. R.; Watkins, J. G.; Wang, H. Q.

2016-10-01

Clear evidence for alteration of the W and C erosion by resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) fields has been obtained in an experiment exposing W-coated DiMES samples in the DIII-D divertor to outer strike point (OSP) sweeps in comparable series of discharges with and without the application of RMP. Gross erosion measurements of W and C during these sweeps using the S/XB method show that the 3-D boundary induced by the RMP significantly alters the erosion rate from DiMES. In particular, application of RMP smooths radial W erosion anisotropy seen for the axisymmetric case, where the W erosion rate for the OSP sweep in the outward direction significantly exceeds the erosion rate observed for the subsequent inward radial sweep over the sample. This finding is likely related to a change in the W/C erosion and redeposition balance in the C-dominated wall environment at DIII-D. Moreover, non-axisymmetric plasma structure on the W sample has to be considered. This challenge will be further examined by comparison of experimental results to EMC3-EIRENE modeling. Work supported by US DOE DE-SC0013911, DE-FC02-04ER54698, DE-FH02-07ER54917, DE-AC05-06OR23100, DE-AC05-00OR22725, DE-AC52-07NA27344, and DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Absence of magnetic long-range order in Y2CrSbO7 : Bond-disorder-induced magnetic frustration in a ferromagnetic pyrochlore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, L.; Greaves, C.; Riyat, R.; Hansen, T. C.; Blackburn, E.

2017-09-01

The consequences of random nonmagnetic-ion dilution for the pyrochlore family Y2(M 1 -xN x)2O7 (M = magnetic ion, N = nonmagnetic ion) have been investigated. As a first step, we experimentally examine the magnetic properties of Y2CrSbO7 (x =0.5 ), in which the magnetic sites (Cr3 +) are percolative. Although the effective Cr-Cr spin exchange is ferromagnetic, as evidenced by a positive Curie-Weiss temperature, ΘCW ≃19.5 K , our high-resolution neutron powder diffraction measurements detect no sign of magnetic long-range order down to 2 K. In order to understand our observations, we construct a lattice model to numerically study the bond disorder introduced by the ionic size mismatch between M and N , which reveals that the bond disorder percolates at xb ≃0.23 , explaining the absence of magnetic long-range order. This model could be applied to a series of frustrated magnets with a pyrochlore sublattice, for example, the spinel compound Zn (Cr1 -xGax )2O4 , wherein a Néel to spin glass phase transition occurs between x =0.2 and 0.25 [Lee et al., Phys. Rev. B 77, 014405 (2008), 10.1103/PhysRevB.77.014405]. Our study stresses the non-negligible role of bond disorder on magnetic frustration, even in ferromagnets.

Qiang-Dong proper quantization rule and its applications to exactly solvable quantum systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serrano, F. A.; Gu, Xiao-Yan; Dong, Shi-Hai

2010-08-01

We propose proper quantization rule, ∫x_Ax_B k(x)dx-∫x0Ax0Bk0(x)dx=nπ, where k(x )=√2M[E -V(x)] /ℏ. The xA and xB are two turning points determined by E =V(x), and n is the number of the nodes of wave function ψ(x ). We carry out the exact solutions of solvable quantum systems by this rule and find that the energy spectra of solvable systems can be determined only from its ground state energy. The previous complicated and tedious integral calculations involved in exact quantization rule are greatly simplified. The beauty and simplicity of the rule come from its meaning—whenever the number of the nodes of ϕ(x ) or the number of the nodes of the wave function ψ(x ) increases by 1, the momentum integral ∫xAxBk(x )dx will increase by π. We apply this proper quantization rule to carry out solvable quantum systems such as the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator, the Morse potential and its generalization, the Hulthén potential, the Scarf II potential, the asymmetric trigonometric Rosen-Morse potential, the Pöschl-Teller type potentials, the Rosen-Morse potential, the Eckart potential, the harmonic oscillator in three dimensions, the hydrogen atom, and the Manning-Rosen potential in D dimensions.

The Potential of Graphene as an Adsorbent for Five Pesticides from Different Classes in Rape Oil Samples Using Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction.

PubMed

Madej, Katarzyna; Janiga, Katarzyna; Piekoszewski, Wojciech

2018-01-01

Isolation conditions for five pesticides (metazachlor, tebuconazole, λ -cyhalothrin, chlorpyrifos, and deltamethrin) from rape oil samples were examined using the dispersive solid-phase graphene extraction technique. To determine the optimal extraction conditions, a number of experimental factors (amount of graphene, amount of salt, type and volume of the desorbing solvent, desorption time with and without sonication energy, and temperature during desorption) were studied. The compounds of interest were separated and detected by an HPLC-UV employing a Kinetex XB-C18 column and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water flowing in a gradient mode. The optimized extraction conditions were: the amount of graphene 15 mg, desorbing solvent (acetonitrile) 5 mL, time desorption 10 min at 40°C, and amount of NaCl 1 g. The detection limit for metazachlor, tebuconazole, λ -cyhalothrin, and chlorpyrifos was 62.5 ng·g -1 , and for deltamethrin, it was 500 ng·g -1 . The obtained results lead to the conclusion that graphene may be successfully used for the isolation of the five pesticides from rape oil. However, their determination at low concentration levels, as they occur in real oil samples, requires the employment of appropriately highly sensitive analytical methods, as well as a more suitable graphene form (e.g., magnetically modified graphene).

Effect of 3-D magnetic fields on neutral particle fueling and exhaust in MAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flesch, Kurt; Kremeyer, Thierry; Waters, Ian; Schmitz, Oliver; Kirk, Andrew; Harrison, James

2017-10-01

The application of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) is used to suppress edge localized modes but causes in many cases a density pump-out. At MAST, this particle pump out was found to be connected to an amplifying MHD plasma response. An analysis is presented on past MAST discharges to understand the effect of these RMPs on the neutral household and on changes in neutral fueling and exhaust during the pump out. A global, 0-D particle balance model was used to study the neutral dynamics and plasma confinement during shots with and without RMP application. Using the D α emission measured by filterscopes and a calibrated 1-D CCD camera, as well as S/XB coefficients determined by the edge plasma parameters, globally averaged ion confinement times were calculated. In L-mode, discharges with RMPs that caused an MHD response had a 15-20% decrease in confinement time but an increase in total recycling flux. The application of RMPs in H-mode caused either a decrease or no change in confinement, like those in L-mode, depending on the configuration of the RMPs and plasma response. A spectroscopically assisted Penning gauge is being prepared for the next campaign at MAST-U to extend this particle balance to study impurity exhaust with RMPs. This work was funded in part by the U.S. DoE under Grant DE-SC0012315.

Gamma-ray shielding effect of Gd3+ doped lead barium borate glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kummathi, Harshitha; Naveen Kumar, P.; Vedavathi T., C.; Abhiram, J.; Rajaramakrishna, R.

2018-05-01

The glasses of the batch xPbO: 10BaO: (90-x)B2O3: 0.2Gd2O3 (x = 40,45,50 mol %) were prepared by melt-quench technique. The work emphasizes on gamma ray shielding effect on doped lead glasses. The role of Boron is significant as it acts as better neutron attenuator as compared with any other materials, as the thermal neutron cross-sections are high for Gadolinium, 0.2 mol% is chosen as the optimum concentration for this matrix, as higher the concentration may lead to further increase as it produces secondary γ rays due to inelastic neutron scattering. Shielding effects were studied using Sodium Iodide (NaI) - Scintillation Gamma ray spectrometer. It was found that at higher concentration of lead oxide (PbO) in the matrix, higher the attenuation which can be co-related with density. Infra-red (I.R.) spectra reveals that the conversion of Lose triangles to tight tetrahedral structure results in enhancement of shielding properties. The Differential Scanning Calorimeter (D.S.C.) study also reveals that the increase in glass forming range increases the stability which in-turn results in inter-conversion of BO3 to BO4 units such that the density of glass increases with increase in PbO content, resulting in much stable and efficient gamma ray shielding glasses.

Bioactives in Chinese Proprietary Medicine Modulates 5α-Reductase Activity and Gene Expression Associated with Androgenetic Alopecia

PubMed Central

Tan, Justin J. Y.; Pan, Jing; Sun, Lihan; Zhang, Junying; Wu, Chunyong; Kang, Lifeng

2017-01-01

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is characterized by a progressive and patterned transformation of thick, pigmented terminal scalp hairs into short, hypo-pigmented vellus-like hairs. The use of Minoxidil and Finasteride to treat AGA are often associated with complications in safety and efficacy. However, herbal remedies are deemed to have lesser side effects in many societies. This study aims to identify potential hair growth properties of individual compounds from a Chinese proprietary medicine known as Yangxue Shengfa capsule (YSC), used in China for many years for improving AGA. Six marker compounds, including 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside (TSG), Chlorogenic acid, Emodin, Ferulic acid, Isoimperatorin, and Paeoniflorin were used for simultaneous HPLC quantification and anti-AGA in-vitro screening. Simultaneous quantification of these components was performed on 75% (v/v) methanol extracts of YSC, using a Welch Ultimate XB-C18 column and gradient elution. Five compounds significantly promoted cell proliferation in cultured immortalized human Dermal Papilla Cells (DPC). Multiple genes associated with the progression of AGA, including IGF-1, DKK-1, and TGF-β1, were found to be regulated by some of these compounds. Interestingly, Ferulic acid and Emodin demonstrated good pharmacological properties against AGA, thereby concluding the potential of these bioactives to be used in the treatment against AGA. PMID:28450835

Test pilots 1962 - Thompson, McKay, Dana, Armstrong, Peterson, Butchart, Walker

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1962-01-01

A group photo of NASA research pilots at the front door of the Flight Research Center headquarters building. In the front row are (left to right) Milt Thompson, Jack McKay, and Bill Dana. All three flew the X-15, and Thompson and Dana were also involved in the lifting body flights. McKay was injured in a crash landing in X-15 #2. Although he recovered, the injuries eventually forced him to retire from research flying. In the back row (left to right) are Neil Armstrong, Bruce Peterson, Stanley Butchart, and Joe Walker. Armstrong and Walker also both flew the X-15. Soon after this photo was taken, Armstrong was selected as an astronaut, and seven years later became the first man to walk on the Moon. Walker made the highest flight in the X-15, reaching 354,200 feet. He then went on to fly the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, and was killed on June 8, 1966 when his F-104N collided with the XB-70. Peterson made the first flight in the HL-10 lifting body, and was later badly injured in the crash of the M2-F2 lifting body. Butchart flew a wide range of research missions in the 1950s, and was the B-29 drop plane pilot for a number of rocket flight.

Rapid screening and identification of antioxidants in the leaves of Malus hupehensis using off-line two-dimensional HPLC-UV-MS/MS coupled with a 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay.

PubMed

Liu, Minzhuo; Huang, Xueqian; Liu, Qi; Chen, Miao; Liao, Sen; Zhu, Fawei; Shi, Shuyun; Yang, Hua; Chen, Xiaoqing

2018-04-17

The leaves of Malus hupehensis have a strong antioxidant activity and are commonly consumed as a healthy tea. However, detailed information about its antioxidants is incomplete. Herein, we developed an effective strategy based on combining off-line two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and tandem mass spectrometry detection with a 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay to rapidly screen and identify the antioxidants from the leaves of M. hupehensis. In the orthogonal two-dimensional liquid chromatography system, a Venusil HILIC column was used for the first dimension, while a Universil XB-C 18 column was installed in the second dimension. As a result, 32 antioxidants, including ten dihydrochalcones, two flavanones, nine flavonols, four flavones, and seven phenolic acids were tentatively identified, out of which 23 compounds, as far as we know, were isolated and characterized from the leaves of M. hupehensis for the first time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic investigation of the antioxidants from the leaves of M. hupehensis. The results indicated that the proposed method is an efficient technique to rapidly investigate antioxidants, especially for coeluted and minor compounds in a complex system. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A multiwavelength study of SXP 1062, the long-period X-ray pulsar associated with a supernova remnant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Galán, A.; Oskinova, L. M.; Popov, S. B.; Haberl, F.; Kühnel, M.; Gallagher, J.; Schurch, M. P. E.; Guerrero, M. A.

2018-04-01

SXP 1062 is a Be X-ray binary (BeXB) located in the Small Magellanic Cloud. It hosts a long-period X-ray pulsar and is likely associated with the supernova remnant MCSNR J0127-7332. In this work we present a multiwavelength view on SXP 1062 in different luminosity regimes. We consider monitoring campaigns in optical (OGLE survey) and X-ray (Swift telescope). During these campaigns a tight coincidence of X-ray and optical outbursts is observed. We interpret this as typical Type I outbursts as often detected in BeXBs at periastron passage of the neutron star (NS). To study different X-ray luminosity regimes in depth, during the source quiescence we observed it with XMM-Newton while Chandra observations followed an X-ray outburst. Nearly simultaneously with Chandra observations in X-rays, in optical the RSS/SALT telescope obtained spectra of SXP 1062. On the basis of our multiwavelength campaign we propose a simple scenario where the disc of the Be star is observed face-on, while the orbit of the NS is inclined with respect to the disc. According to the model of quasi-spherical settling accretion our estimation of the magnetic field of the pulsar in SXP 1062 does not require an extremely strong magnetic field at the present time.

Fast targeted analysis of 132 acidic and neutral drugs and poisons in whole blood using LC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Di Rago, Matthew; Saar, Eva; Rodda, Luke N; Turfus, Sophie; Kotsos, Alex; Gerostamoulos, Dimitri; Drummer, Olaf H

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was to develop an LC-MS/MS based screening technique that covers a broad range of acidic and neutral drugs and poisons by combining a small sample volume and efficient extraction technique with simple automated data processing. After protein precipitation of 100μL of whole blood, 132 common acidic and neutral drugs and poisons including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, barbiturates, anticonvulsants, antidiabetics, muscle relaxants, diuretics and superwarfarin rodenticides (47 quantitated, 85 reported as detected) were separated using a Shimadzu Prominence HPLC system with a C18 separation column (Kinetex XB-C18, 4.6mm×150mm, 5μm), using gradient elution with a mobile phase of 25mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 7.5)/acetonitrile. The drugs were detected using an ABSciex(®) API 2000 LC-MS/MS system (ESI+ and -, MRM mode, two transitions per analyte). The method was fully validated in accordance with international guidelines. Quantification data obtained using one-point calibration compared favorably to that using multiple calibrants. The presented LC-MS/MS assay has proven to be applicable for determination of the analytes in blood. The fast and reliable extraction method combined with automated processing gives the opportunity for high throughput and fast turnaround times for forensic and clinical toxicology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of an UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for determination of dehydroevodiamine, limonin, evodiamine, and rutaecarpine in Evodiae Fructus

PubMed Central

Zhao, Yang; Zhao, Yunling; Zhou, Xin; Gong, Xiaojian

2014-01-01

Objective: Evodiae Fructus (EF), one of the most widely used traditional Chinese medicines, mainly consists of alkaloids, is widely used for the treatments of headache and gastrointestinal disorders. In this study, a sensitive and reliable UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed for qualitative determination of dehydroevodiamine, limonin, evodiamine, and rutaecarpine. Materials and Methods: Chromatographic separations were accomplished on a Phenomenex Kinetex XB-C18 column (2.1 × 150 mm, 1.7 μm) by using a gradient elution profile with a mobile phase consisting of 0.5% formic acid in water (A) and acetonitrile (B). Detection was performed using multiple reactions monitoring mode under ESI in the positive ion mode. Results: The results showed good linearity over the investigated concentration ranges (R2>0.9900) for the analytes. The limit of quantitations (LOQs) were 6.88 ng/mL for dehydroevodiamine, 18.6 ng/mL for limonin, 6.24 ng/mL for evodiamine, and 2.56 ng/mL for rutaecarpine, respectively. Intraday and interday precisions (relative standard deviations, %) were <5% and accuracies ranged from 92% to 106%. Conclusion: The validated method was successfully applied to assay the contents of the four compounds in EF samples from different regions, with which just 10 min was needed to analyze each sample. PMID:25210328

The pre-Mesozoic tectonic unit division of the Xing-Meng orogenic belt (XMOB)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Bei; Zhao, Pan

2014-05-01

According to the viewpoint that the paleo-Asian ocean closed by the end of early Paleozoic and extended during the late Paleozoic, a pre-Mesozoic tectonic unit division has been suggested. Five blocks and four sutures have been recognized in the pre-Devonia stage, the five blocks are called Erguna (EB), Xing'an (XB), Airgin Sum-Xilinhot (AXB), Songliao-Hunshandak (SHB) and Jiamusi (JB) blocks and four sutures, Xinlin-Xiguitu (XXS), Airgin Sum-Xilinhot-Heihe (AXHS), Ondor Sum-Jizhong-Yanji (OJYS) and Mudanjiang (MS) sutures. The EB contains the Precambrian base with the ages of 720-850Ma and ɛHf(T)=+2.5to +8.1. The XB is characterized by the Paleoproterozoic granitic gneiss with ɛHf(T)=-3.9 to -8.9. Several ages from 1150 to 1500 Ma bave been acquired in the AXB, proving presence of old block that links with Hutag Uul block in Mongolia to the west. The Paleoproterozoic (1.8-1.9Ga) and Neoproterozoic (750-850Ma) ages have been reported from southern and eastern parts of the SHB, respectively. As a small block in east margin of the XMOB, the JB outcrops magmatite and granitic gneiss bases with ages of 800-1000Ma. The XXS is marked by blueschists with zircon ages of 490-500Ma in Toudaoqiao village, ophiolites in Xiguitu County and granite with ages of about 500Ma along the northern segment of XXS. The AXHS is characterized by the early Paleozoic arc magmatic rocks with ages from 430Ma to 490Ma, mélange and the late Devonia molass basins, which indicates a northward subduction of the SHB beneath the AXB during the early-middle Paleozoic. The OJYS is composed of the early Paleozoic volcanic rocks, diorites and granites with ages of 425-475Ma, blueschists, ophiolitic mélange, the late Silurian flysch and Early-Middle Devonian molasses in western segment, granites (420-450Ma) in middle segment, and plagiogranites (443Ma) and the late Silurian molasses in eastern segment. This suture was caused by a southward subduction of the SHB beneath the North China block. The MS is between the SHB and JB, marked by the three phase granites of 485, 450 and 425Ma in the SHB. Tectonic units of the middle Devonian-Carboniferous tectonic stage include the middle-late Devonian continental basin, Carboniferious continental and epeiric sea basin, intrusive and irruptive igneous rock belt with ages from 300Ma to 330Ma containing granites, diorites, gabbros and biomodal volcanic rocks, and early Carboniferious ophiolites of 330-350Ma in Hegenshan and Erenhot. The Permian tectonic units can be divided into continental rift belt, ophiolite belt, alkaline rock belt and "red sea"-like ocean basin, which indicates an continuous extension environment during the Permian. The continental rift belt is composed of thick continental sedimentary rocks containing plant fossils, biomodal volcanic rocks (270-290Ma). The alkaline rocks can be divided into north and south belts by their distribution. The Solonker ophiolite is a thrust sheet that is inserted in a thrust stack containing the Upper Carboniferious epeiric sea clastic rocks and carbornates. The "red sea"-like ocean basin is characterized by basalt sequences with ages of 246-260Ma, which shows an affinity to E-MORB and a tendency towards OIB.

Investigation of probabilistic orbital evolution of near-Earth asteroids moving in the vicinity of resonances with Mercury

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galushina, T. Yu.; Titarenko, E. Yu

2014-12-01

The purpose of this work is the investigation of probabilistic orbital evolution of near-Earth asteroids (NEA) moving in the vicinity of resonances with Mercury. In order to identify such objects the equations of all NEA motion have been integrated on the time interval (1000, 3000 years). The initial data has been taken from the E. Bowell catalog on February 2014. The motion equations have been integrated numerically by Everhart method. The resonance characteristics are critical argument that defines the connection longitude of the asteroid and the planet and its time derivative, called resonance "band". The study has identified 15 asteroids moving in the vicinity of different resonances with Mercury. Six of them (52381 1993 HA, 172034 2001 WR1, 2008 VB1, 2009 KT4, 2013 CQ35, 2013 TH) move in the vicinity of the resonance 1/6, five of them (142561 2002 TX68, 159608 2002 AC2, 241370 2008 LW8, 2006 UR216, 2009 XB2) move in the vicinity of the resonance 1/9 and one by one asteroid moves in the vicinity of resonances 1/3, 1/7, 1/8 and 2/7 (2006 SE6, 2002 CV46, 2013 CN35 and 2006 VY2 respectively). The orbits of all identified asteroids have been improved by least square method using the available optical observations and probabilistic orbital evolution has been investigated. Improvement have been carried out at the time of the best conditionality in accounting perturbations from the major planets, Pluto, Moon, Ceres, Pallas and Vesta, the relativistic effects from the Sun and the Solar oblateness. The estimation of the nonlinearity factor has showed that for all the considered NEA it does not exceed the critical value of 0.1, which makes it possible to use the linear method for constructing the initial probability domain. The domain has been built in the form of an ellipsoid in six-dimensional phase space of coordinates and velocity components on the base of the full covariance matrix, the center of ellipsoid is the nominal orbit obtained by improving. The 10 000 clones distributed according to the normal law has been chosen in the initial probability domain. The nonlinear method by numerical integration of the differential equations of each clone motion has been used for study of probabilistic orbital evolution. The force model has corresponded to the model used in the improvement. The time interval has been limited by ephemeris DE406 and accuracy of integration and has been amounted for different objects from two to six thousand years. As a result of the orbit improvement from the available optical positional observations it has been turned out that the orbits of NEA 2006 SE6, 2009 KT4, 2013 CQ35, 2013 TH, 2002 CV46, 2013 CN35 and 2006 VY2 are poorly defined, that does not allow to conclude about their resonance capture. The remaining objects can be divided into two classes. Asteroids 172034 2001 WR1, 2008 VB1, 159608 2002 AC2 and 2006 UR216 move in the vicinity of the resonance over the entire interval of the study. Probability domains of NEA 52381 1993 HA, 142561 2002 TX68, 241370 2008 LW8 и 2009 XB2 are increase significantly under the influence of close encounters, and part of clones are out of resonance. It should be noted that for all the considered objects the critical argument varies around the moving center of libration or circulates that suggests instability resonance.

Spectroscopic properties of Er(3+)/Yb(3+) co-doped Bi(2)O(3)-B(2)O(3)-GeO(2) glasses.

PubMed

Zhang, Xudong; Xu, Tiefeng; Nie, Qiuhua; Dai, Shixun; Shen, Xiang; Zhang, Xianghua

2007-05-01

Er(3+)/Yb(3+) co-doped 60Bi(2)O(3)-(40 - x)B(2)O(3)-xGeO(2) (BBG; x=0, 5, 10, 15 mol%) glasses that are suitable for fiber lasers, amplifiers have been fabricated and characterized. The absorption spectra, emission spectra, and lifetime of the (4)I(13/2) level and quantum efficiency of Er(3+):(4)I(13/2) --> (4)I(15/2) transition were measured and calculated. With the substitution of GeO(2) for B(2)O(3), both Delta lambda(eff) and sigma(e) decrease from 75 to 71 nm and 9.88 to 8.12 x 10(-21) cm(2), respectively. The measured lifetime of the (4)I(13/2) level and quantum efficiency of Er(3+):(4)I(13/2) --> (4)I(15/2) transition increase from 1.18 to 1.5 ms and 36.2% to 43.2%, respectively. The emission spectra of Er(3+):(4)I(13/2) --> (4)I(15/2) transition was also analyzed using a peak-fit routine, and an equivalent four-level system was proposed to estimate the stark splitting for the (4)I(15/2) and (4)I(13/2) levels of Er(3+) in the BBG glasses. The results indicate that the (4)I(13/2) --> (4)I(15/2) emission of Er(3+) can be exhibit a considerable broadening due to a significant enhance the peak A, and D emission.

Course and prognosis in seropositive and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Sahatçiu-Meka, Vjollca; Rexhepi, Sylejman; Kukeli, Anton; Manxhuka-Kërliu, Suzana; Pallaskas, Kelmend; Murtezani, Ardiana; Rexhepi, Mjellma; Rexhepi, Blerta

2013-01-01

Long since it have been suggested that a subpopulation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), diagnosed with negative rheumatoid factor (RF) tests, represents a clinical entity quite distinct from that of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of the study was to establish a scientific comparative analysis between RA seronegative and seropositive, regarding course and prognoses of the disease. Two hundred fifty patients with rheumatoid arthritis according to the (American College of Rheumatology) criteria were retrospectively studied by analysis the course and prognoses of disease. All examinees were between 25-60 years of age (Xb=49.9, SD=10.3) with disease duration between 1-27 years (Xbox=6.41, SD=6.47). Course of the disease with "remissions and exacerbations", progressive continual course and bad prognoses, were more presented in seropositive group ofpatients. Partial remission was more common in seronegative patients but according to serostatus and gender has not shown statistically significant difference. Duration of the disease was a specific prognostic sign for both subsets [(r=0.32, p<0.01) seronegative, (r=0.22, p<0.05) seropositive], while age was only a specific prognostic sign for the seropositive subset [(r=0.01, p>0.05) seronegative, (r=0.18, p<0.05) seropositive]. Seropositive and seronegative RA distinguish in course and prognostic feature, but not enough to differentiate them in two different forms of the disease. Regarding the sero-status, differences within sex, with some exceptions, are not relevant.

Altitude-Wind-Tunnel Investigation of the 19B-2, 19B-8, and 19XB-1 Jet-Propulsion Engines. II - Analysis of Turbine Performance of the 19B-8 Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krebs, Richard P.; Suozzi, Frank L.

1947-01-01

Performance characteristics of the turbine in the 19B-8 jet propulsion engine were determined from an investigation of the complete engine in the Cleveland altitude wind tunnel. The investigation covered a range of simulated altitudes from 5000 to 30,000 feet and flight Mach numbers from 0.05 to 0.46 for various tail-cone positions over the entire operable range of engine speeds. The characteristics of the turbine are presented as functions of the total-pressure ratio across the turbine and the turbine speed and the gas flow corrected to NACA standard atmospheric conditions at sea level. The effect of changes in altitude, flight Mach number, and tail-cone position on turbine performance is discussed. The turbine efficiency with the tail cone in varied from a maximum of 80.5 percent to minimum of 75 percent over a range of engine speeds from 7500 to 17,500 rpm at a flight Mach number of 0.055. Turbine efficiency was unaffected by changes in altitude up to 15,000 feet but was a function of tail-cone position and flight Mach number. Decreasing the tail-pipe-nozzle outlet area 21 percent reduced the turbine efficiency between 2 and 4.5 percent. The turbine efficiency increased between 1.5 and 3 percent as the flight Mach number changed from 0.055 to 0.297.

Overturned Alboran slab beneath westernmost Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, D.; Miller, M. S.

2017-12-01

The geological evolution of the westernmost Mediterranean holds an important piece of the puzzle of how whole western Mediterranean evolved due to the convergence of Africa with Eurasia. The idea of continuous slab roll back acting a prominent force in this region is strongly supported by tomographic images with near vertical high velocity structure connecting the surface beneath the Alboran domain [Spakman and Wortel, 2004; Bezada et al., 2013]. However, the slab shape, width, and sharpness of its edges are not well resolved. Here, we use the waveforms recorded from the PICASSO (XB) array and IberArray (IA) for the deep 2010 earthquake beneath Granada to study the detailed Alboran slab structure. We found: (1) A low velocity structure (7 km thickness, δVs = -20%) surrounding the earthquake to explain the second arrivals observed in many stations at Spain. (2) A thin low velocity layer sits on the bottom of the high velocity slab-like structure to explain the high frequency second arrivals and long coda after the P and S arrivals on stations in the Rif Mountains of Morocco. The most feasible explanation of the low velocity structure is the dehydrated surface of the slab lithosphere extending from the 600 km to the shallow mantle. However, such geometry is contradictory with our observation, which the low velocity layer is at the bottom of the slab. We proposed that the Albora slab had undergone significant "roll-over" movement, which overturned the slab surface.

Estimating decay rate of X^{{± }}(5568)→ B_sπ ^{{± }} while assuming them to be molecular states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Hong-Wei; Li, Xue-Qian

2018-05-01

Discovery of X(5568) brings up a tremendous interest because it is very special, i.e. made of four different flavors. The D0 collaboration claimed that they observed this resonance through portal X(5568)→ B_sπ , but unfortunately, later the LHCb, CMS, CDF and ATLAS collaborations' reports indicate that no such state was found. Almost on the Eve of 2017, the D0 collaboration reconfirmed existence of X(5568) via the semileptonic decay of B_s. To further reveal the discrepancy, supposing X(5568) as a molecular state, we calculate the decay rate of X(5568)→ B_sπ ^+ in an extended light front model. Numerically, the theoretically predicted decay width of Γ (X(5568)→ B_sπ ^+) is 20.28 MeV which is consistent with the result of the D0 collaboration (Γ =18.6^{+7.9}_{-6.1}({it{stat}})^{+3.5}_{-3.8}({it{syst}}) MeV). Since the resonance is narrow, signals might be drowned in a messy background. In analog, two open-charm molecular states DK and BD named as X_a and X_b, could be in the same situation. The rates of X_a→ D_sπ ^0 and X_b→ B_cπ ^0 are estimated as about 30 and 20 MeV respectively. We suggest the experimental collaborations round the world to search for these two modes and accurate measurements may provide us with valuable information.

Studies of short-range tungsten migration in DIII-D divertor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudakov, D. L.; Stangeby, P. C.; Elder, J. D.; Ding, R.; Abrams, T.; Unterberg, E. A.; Briesemeister, A.; Donovan, D.; McLean, A. G.; Guo, H. Y.; Thomas, D. M.; Hinson, E.; Wampler, W. R.; Watkins, J. G.

2016-10-01

Two toroidal rings of 5 cm wide W-coated TZM inserts were installed in the lower divertor of DIII-D. Migration of W on the graphite tile surfaces 1-6 cm radially outwards from the outermost ring was studied in a series of 23 reproducible lower single null L-mode discharges with the Outer Strike Point (OSP) placed on the ring. The discharges used 3.2 MW of NBI heating power; plasma density and electron temperature at the OSP were about 1x1020m-3 and 30 eV. W gross erosion rates were measured via monitoring 400.9 nm WI line and applying S/XB coefficient. W deposition was measured on a graphite DiMES sample used as a divertor collector probe. The sample featured two 1 mm wide radial inserts; one was exposed for the whole experiment, the other was exchanged every 4-8 plasma discharges. Measurements of the areal density of W on the inserts by post-mortem RBS analysis show that W deposition is largest in the area of net carbon deposition, possibly due to W re-erosion suppression by C deposits. Measured W coverage in the area of net C erosion is comparable to ERO modeling predictions. Supported by US DOE under DE-FG02-07ER54917, DE-AC04-94AL85000, DE-AC05-00OR22725, DE-AC52-07NA27344, DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Force measurements on the molecular interactions between ligand (RGD) and human platelet α IIbβ 3 receptor system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, ImShik; Marchant, Roger E.

2001-10-01

The peptide sequence arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) found in fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor, fibronectin, and vitronectin, plays a critical role in platelet adhesion and thrombus formation, when bound to the platelet α IIbβ 3 integrin receptor. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we have measured the debonding interaction between an RGD peptide-modified AFM probe tip and a human platelet surface from pN to nN levels of force. The peptide sequence, GSSSGRGDSPA, which contains the biologically active RGDSP sequence with a hydrophilic spacer sequence (GSSSG), was covalently coupled to AFM probe tips. Direct measurements on the debonding force for the RGD ligand - α IIbβ 3 platelet receptor system were carried out in Tyrode buffer at room temperature. Our results show three distinct distributions of debonding forces at a loading rate of 12 nN/s, from which we estimate the debonding force for the single ligand-receptor to be ˜93 pN. The results also show evidence for considerable extension in the flexible sample surface during the debonding process, and a linear correlation between the debonding force and the logarithm of the rate of loading. From our analysis, the zero kinetic off-rate Koff(0), the single molecular binding energy Eb, and the transition state xB, assuming rigid binding, were extracted from the data, and estimated to be 22.6 s -1, -2.64×10 -20 J and 0.1 nm, respectively.

Polarizability, optical basicity and optical properties of SiO2B2O3Bi2O3TeO2 glass system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashif, I.; Ratep, A.; Adel, Gh.

2018-07-01

Glasses having a composition xSiO2 xB2O3 (95-2 x) Bi2O35TeO2 where x = (5, 10, 15, 20, 25) prepared by the melt-quenching technique. Thermal stability, density, optical transmittance, and the refractive index of these glasses investigated. Glass samples were transparent in the visible to near-infrared (NIR) region and had a high refractive index. A number of glass samples have high glass-forming ability. This indicates that the quarterly glasses are suitable for optical applications in the visible to the NIR region. Bi2O3 substituted by B2O3 and SiO2 on optical properties discussed. It suggested that the substitution of Bi2O3 increased the density, molar volume, the molar polarizability, optical basicity and refractive index in addition to, the oxygen packing density, the optical energy gap, and metallization decrease. These results are helpful for designing new optical glasses controlled to have a higher refractive index. All studied glass presented high nonlinearities, and the addition of network modifiers made a little contribution. Results clarified the bandgap energy reduction, which associated with the growth within the non-bridging oxygen content with the addition of the network modifier. An increase in the refractive index nonlinearity explained by the optical basicity and the high electronic polarizability of the modifier ions.

Simultaneous determination of eight chemicals in Fufang Xueshuantong capsules by LC-MS-MS with periodic polarity switching.

PubMed

Zhou, Chunhua; Su, Linfei; Shang, Weiding; Rong, Zhihuan; Sun, Mengmeng; Zhang, Kai; Shi, Xiaowei; Wang, Qiao

2015-01-01

A rapid, sensitive, selective and periodic polarity-switching liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS-MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eight components in an important traditional Chinese medicinal capsule, Fufang Xueshuantong. LC analysis was carried out on a Kinetex 2.6 µm XB-C18 column by gradient elution. The detection was performed by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with a periodic polarity-switching electrospray ionization (ESI) source across five periods of switching between positive and negative mode. Periodic polarity-switching was used to acquire maximal responses and to simultaneously detect eight constituents in one analysis run lasting 8 min. All of the analytes showed good linearity (r > 0.9947) in the tested ranges. The average recoveries were in the range of 95.4-103.9% with relative standard deviations ≤6.3%, and the intra- and inter-day variations were ≤3.7%. The developed method was successfully employed to analyze three batches of Fufang Xueshuantong capsule samples. The results showed that the levels of notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rb1 and salvianolic acid B were clearly different in different batches of Fufang Xueshuantong capsules. Furthermore, the new established periodic polarity-switching LC-MS-MS method was proven to be highly sensitive and effective in evaluating the quality of Fufang Xueshuantong capsules. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Full in-vitro analyses of new-generation bulk fill dental composites cured by halogen light.

PubMed

Tekin, Tuçe Hazal; Kantürk Figen, Aysel; Yılmaz Atalı, Pınar; Coşkuner Filiz, Bilge; Pişkin, Mehmet Burçin

2017-08-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the full in-vitro analyses of new-generation bulk-fill dental composites cured by halogen light (HLG). Two types' four composites were studied: Surefill SDR (SDR) and Xtra Base (XB) as bulk-fill flowable materials; QuixFill (QF) and XtraFill (XF) as packable bulk-fill materials. Samples were prepared for each analysis and test by applying the same procedure, but with different diameters and thicknesses appropriate to the analysis and test requirements. Thermal properties were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis; the Vickers microhardness (VHN) was measured after 1, 7, 15 and 30days of storage in water. The degree of conversion values for the materials (DC, %) were immediately measured using near-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The surface morphology of the composites was investigated by scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and atomic-force microscopy (AFM) analyses. The sorption and solubility measurements were also performed after 1, 7, 15 and 30days of storage in water. In addition to his, the data were statistically analyzed using one-way analysis of variance, and both the Newman Keuls and Tukey multiple comparison tests. The statistical significance level was established at p<0.05. According to the ISO 4049 standards, all the tested materials showed acceptable water sorption and solubility, and a halogen light source was an option to polymerize bulk-fill, resin-based dental composites. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physical, structural and luminescence investigation of Eu3+-doped lithium-gadolinium bismuth-borate glasses for LEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaman, F.; Rooh, G.; Srisittipokakun, N.; Wongdeeying, C.; Kim, H. J.; Kaewkhao, J.

2018-06-01

The aim of the current report is to fabricate Eu3+-doped glasses with the chemical composition of 50Li2O-15Gd2O3-5Bi2O3-(30-x)B2O3-xEu2O3 (where x = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mol%), with the help of conventional melt quenching technique. The fabricated glasses have been studied with help of physical, structural and luminescence properties for application of LEDs. The structural properties were investigated by XRD and FTIR spectra. Physical properties have been measured. Direct and indirect optical energy band gap (Eg) have been calculated and found to be increasing with Eu2O3 concentration. Luminescence spectra have been observed from photo and radioluminescence spectra and found in good agreement with each other, however the concentration quenching was not determined for the samples. The high-covalence and asymmetric nature was confirmed from Photoluminescence emission and RL emission transition as well as from the higher values of luminescence intensity ratio. The JO parameters have been found for the better performance of lasing materials. The lifetime's data have been found to be decreasing from 1.64 to 1.50 ms, which is the confirmation of energy transfer in Eu3+ ions through cross relaxations. From the calculated properties it has been suggested that the present glass samples might be good for red-light emitting devices.

Statistical Study of the Characteristics of Isolated Bursts of Midlatitude Pi2 Geomagnetic Pulsations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurazhkovskaya, N. A.; Klain, B. I.

2018-03-01

The characteristics and interplanetary excitation conditions of isolated bursts of Pi2 geomagnetic pulsations observed during the development of magnetospheric substorms (substorm Pi2) and in its absence (nonsubstorm Pi2) on the night side of the Earth are comparatively analyzed. It is shown that, regardless of the local time and season, the amplitude of isolated Pi2 substorm bursts is always higher than that of the nonsubstorm ones, and the periods and duration of the wave packets of substorm Pi2 bursts are less than those of nonsubstorms. Diurnal and seasonal variations in the characteristics of the two groups of Pi2 bursts differ in the form and position of maxima and minima. It is found that the start of excitation of isolated Pi2 bursts, during substorms and in its absence, is controlled by the preferred direction of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) vector perpendicular to the Sun-Earth line (angle θxB = arccos( B x/B) → 90°). It is assumed that isolated Pi2 bursts of both groups are triggered by reorientation of the IMF vector in the ecliptic plane and the plane perpendicular to it 15 min before their onset. The most likely source of midlatitude isolated Pi2 bursts during substorm development and in its absence are bursty bulk flows (BBFs) in the plasma sheet of the magnetospheric tail, the regularities of which coincide in many respects with the observed features of Pi2 bursts.

SU-F-T-27: A Comparative Case Study Among Four Modalities for the Superficial Treatment of Squamous Cell Carcinoma

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

Ashenafi, M; Koch, N; Peng, J

Purpose: We performed a comparative planning study among High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy, superficial electrons, Volume Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), and Helical IMRT (Tomotherapy) for squamous cell carcinoma of the abdominal wall with consideration for the underlining bowel. Methods: A 69-year old female presented with squamous cell carcinoma protruding 8mm beyond the anterior skin surface of the midabdomen was considered for treatment. The patient had a ventral hernia which resulted in the reduction of the abdominal wall thickness and the adjacent small bowel being the dose limiting structure. Four plans were generated using different treatment modalities: a) an enface electronmore » field (eMC, Eclipse v. 11), b) Tomotherapy (HI-Art II v.5.0.5), c) VMAT (Acuros, Eclipse v. 11), and d) HDR using a Freiburg applicator (Oncentra v. 4.3). The following plan objectives were used for all four plans: for the CTV target, V90% ≥90% (61.8Gy2/2).For the small bowel, D0.1cc < 56.2 Gy2/2 was a hard constraint and expressed as a percentage of the prescription for comparison to demonstrate the dose fall-off achieved among the modalities.For HDR, V200% <0.1cc was an additional constraint. Multiple dosimetric parameters, including those listed above, were compared among the four modalities. Results: The HDR plan showed comparable target coverage compared to the Tomotherapy plan and better coverage compared to the electron plan. Small bowel doses (D0.1cc) were lower in HDR plan compared to Tomotherapy, electron, & VMAT plans (88.8%, 89.6%, 90.9%, & 96.6%). Integral dose to the whole body (V5%) was much higher for HDR, VMAT, and Tomotherapy when compared to electron plan by factors of seven, eight, and ten, respectively. After reviewing all treatment modalities, the physician selected HDR owing to better control of the small bowel dose while maintaining adequate target coverage. Conclusion: This case study demonstrated HDR can successfully treat superficial lesions with superior sparing of underlying structures.« less

Denni Algorithm An Enhanced Of SMS (Scan, Move and Sort) Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aprilsyah Lubis, Denni; Salim Sitompul, Opim; Marwan; Tulus; Andri Budiman, M.

2017-12-01

Sorting has been a profound area for the algorithmic researchers, and many resources are invested to suggest a more working sorting algorithm. For this purpose many existing sorting algorithms were observed in terms of the efficiency of the algorithmic complexity. Efficient sorting is important to optimize the use of other algorithms that require sorted lists to work correctly. Sorting has been considered as a fundamental problem in the study of algorithms that due to many reasons namely, the necessary to sort information is inherent in many applications, algorithms often use sorting as a key subroutine, in algorithm design there are many essential techniques represented in the body of sorting algorithms, and many engineering issues come to the fore when implementing sorting algorithms., Many algorithms are very well known for sorting the unordered lists, and one of the well-known algorithms that make the process of sorting to be more economical and efficient is SMS (Scan, Move and Sort) algorithm, an enhancement of Quicksort invented Rami Mansi in 2010. This paper presents a new sorting algorithm called Denni-algorithm. The Denni algorithm is considered as an enhancement on the SMS algorithm in average, and worst cases. The Denni algorithm is compared with the SMS algorithm and the results were promising.

Application of ant colony Algorithm and particle swarm optimization in architectural design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ziyi; Wu, Yunfa; Song, Jianhua

2018-02-01

By studying the development of ant colony algorithm and particle swarm algorithm, this paper expounds the core idea of the algorithm, explores the combination of algorithm and architectural design, sums up the application rules of intelligent algorithm in architectural design, and combines the characteristics of the two algorithms, obtains the research route and realization way of intelligent algorithm in architecture design. To establish algorithm rules to assist architectural design. Taking intelligent algorithm as the beginning of architectural design research, the authors provide the theory foundation of ant colony Algorithm and particle swarm algorithm in architectural design, popularize the application range of intelligent algorithm in architectural design, and provide a new idea for the architects.

New development of the image matching algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoqiang; Feng, Zhao

2018-04-01

To study the image matching algorithm, algorithm four elements are described, i.e., similarity measurement, feature space, search space and search strategy. Four common indexes for evaluating the image matching algorithm are described, i.e., matching accuracy, matching efficiency, robustness and universality. Meanwhile, this paper describes the principle of image matching algorithm based on the gray value, image matching algorithm based on the feature, image matching algorithm based on the frequency domain analysis, image matching algorithm based on the neural network and image matching algorithm based on the semantic recognition, and analyzes their characteristics and latest research achievements. Finally, the development trend of image matching algorithm is discussed. This study is significant for the algorithm improvement, new algorithm design and algorithm selection in practice.

A multi-band semi-analytical algorithm for estimating chlorophyll-a concentration in the Yellow River Estuary, China.

PubMed

Chen, Jun; Quan, Wenting; Cui, Tingwei

2015-01-01

In this study, two sample semi-analytical algorithms and one new unified multi-band semi-analytical algorithm (UMSA) for estimating chlorophyll-a (Chla) concentration were constructed by specifying optimal wavelengths. The three sample semi-analytical algorithms, including the three-band semi-analytical algorithm (TSA), four-band semi-analytical algorithm (FSA), and UMSA algorithm, were calibrated and validated by the dataset collected in the Yellow River Estuary between September 1 and 10, 2009. By comparing of the accuracy of assessment of TSA, FSA, and UMSA algorithms, it was found that the UMSA algorithm had a superior performance in comparison with the two other algorithms, TSA and FSA. Using the UMSA algorithm in retrieving Chla concentration in the Yellow River Estuary decreased by 25.54% NRMSE (normalized root mean square error) when compared with the FSA algorithm, and 29.66% NRMSE in comparison with the TSA algorithm. These are very significant improvements upon previous methods. Additionally, the study revealed that the TSA and FSA algorithms are merely more specific forms of the UMSA algorithm. Owing to the special form of the UMSA algorithm, if the same bands were used for both the TSA and UMSA algorithms or FSA and UMSA algorithms, the UMSA algorithm would theoretically produce superior results in comparison with the TSA and FSA algorithms. Thus, good results may also be produced if the UMSA algorithm were to be applied for predicting Chla concentration for datasets of Gitelson et al. (2008) and Le et al. (2009).

Quantification of aesculin in rabbit plasma and ocular tissues by high performance liquid chromatography using fluorescent detection: application to a pharmacokinetic study.

PubMed

Chen, QiuHong; Zeng, Ying; Kuang, JianChao; Li, Ye; Li, XiaoHui; Zheng, Yu; Hou, Hua; Hou, ShiXiang

2011-04-28

A simple and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD) was described for the determination of aesculin (AL) at low concentrations in rabbit plasma and ocular tissues. After deproteinization by methanol using pazufloxacin mesilate (PM) as an internal standard (I.S.), supernatants were evaporated to dryness at 40°C under a gentle stream of nitrogen. The residue was reconstituted in mobile phase and a volume of 20μL was injected into the HPLC for analysis. Analytes were separated on an Ultimate XB-C18 column (250mm × 4.6mm i.d., 5μm particle size) and protected by a ODS guard column (10mm × 4.0mm i.d., 5μm particle size), using acetonitrile-0.1% triethylamine in water (adjusted to pH 3.0 using phosphoric acid) (12:88, v/v) as mobile phase with a flow rate of 1.0mL/min. The wavelengths of fluorescence detector (FD) were set at 344nm for excitation and 466nm for emission. The lower limit of quantitation (LOQ) for AL was 0.80ng/mL for plasma and vitreous body, 1.59ng/mL for aqueous humor, and 6.55ng/g for iris and 1.66ng/g for retina. The method was used in the study of AL concentrations in plasma and ocular tissues after topical administration of AL eye drops. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Coercivity and nanostructure of melt-spun Ti-Fe-Co-B-based alloys

DOE PAGES

Zhang, W. Y.; Skomski, R.; Kashyap, A.; ...

2016-02-18

Nanocrystalline Ti-Fe-Co-B-based alloys, prepared by melt spinning and subsequent annealing, have been characterized structurally and magnetically. X-ray diffraction and thermomagnetic measurements show that the ribbons consist of tetragonal Ti 3(Fe,Co) 5B 2, FeCo-rich bcc, and NiAl-rich L2 1 phases; Ti 3(Fe,Co) 5B 2, is a new substitutional alloy series whose end members Ti 3Co 5B 2 and Ti 3Fe 5B 2 have never been investigated magnetically and may not even exist, respectively. Two compositions are considered, namely Ti 11+xFe 37.5-0.5xCo 37.5–0.5xB 14 (x = 0, 4) and alnico-like Ti 11Fe 26Co 26Ni 10Al 11Cu 2B 14, the latter also containingmore » an L2 1-type alloy. The volume fraction of the Ti 3(Fe,Co) 5B 2 phase increases with x, which leads to a coercivity increase from 221 Oe for x = 0 to 452 Oe for x = 4. Since the grains are nearly equiaxed, there is little or no shape anisotropy, and the coercivity is largely due to the magnetocrystallineanisotropy of the tetragonal Ti 3(Fe,Co) 5B 2 phase. The alloy containing Ni,Al, and Cu exhibits a magnetization of 10.6 kG and a remanence ratio of 0.59. Lastly, our results indicate that magnetocrystallineanisotropy can be introduced in alnico-like magnets, adding to shape anisotropy that may be induced by field annealing.« less

Effect of TiO2 on electron paramagnetic resonance, optical transmission and dc conductivity of vanadyl doped sodium borate glasses.

PubMed

Agarwal, A; Seth, V P; Gahlot, P; Goyal, D R; Arora, M; Gupta, S K

2004-11-01

Glass systems with composition xTiO2.(30 - x)Na2O.70B2O3 (series I) and xTiO2.(70 - x)B2O3.30Na2O (series II) containing 2 mol% V2O5 have been prepared (0 < or = x < or = 7, mol%) by normal melt-quenching. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of VO2+ ions have been recorded in the X-band (approximately 9.13 GHz) at room temperature. Spin Hamiltonian parameters, gparallel, gperpendicular, Aparallel, Aperpendicular, the dipolar hyperfine coupling parameter (P) and the Fermi contact interaction parameter (K) have been calculated. The increase in Deltagparallel/Deltagperpendicular with increase in TiO2 content in series I shows that the octahedral symmetry of V4+O6 complex is reduced, whereas in series II the octahedral symmetry is improved with increase in x. The decrease in P, in both the series, indicates that the 3dxy orbit expands with increase in mol% of TiO2. The molecular orbital coefficients, alpha2 and gamma2 have been calculated by recording the optical transmission spectra in the range 500-850 nm. alpha2 and gamma2 increase with increase in x in both the series, which indicates that, the covalency of the vanadium oxygen bonds decreases. The dc conductivity sigma, decreases and activation energy, W increases with increase in TiO2:Na2O ratio whereas with increase in TiO2:B2O3 ratio the variation in sigma and W is within experimental error.

Comparative Analysis of Compatibility Effects on Invigorating Blood Circulation for Cyperi Rhizoma Series of Herb Pairs Using Untargeted Metabolomics

PubMed Central

Liu, Pei; Shang, Er-Xin; Zhu, Yue; Yu, Jin-Gao; Qian, Da-Wei; Duan, Jin-Ao

2017-01-01

The mutual-assistance compatibility of Cyperi Rhizoma (Xiangfu, XF) and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Danggui, DG), Chuanxiong Rhizoma (Chuanxiong, CX), Paeoniae Radix Alba (Baishao, BS), or Corydalis Rhizoma (Yanhusuo, YH), found in a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) named Xiang-Fu-Si-Wu Decoction (XFSWD), can produce synergistic and promoting blood effects. Nowadays, XFSWD has been proved to be effective in activating blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis. However, the role of the herb pairs synergistic effects in the formula were poorly understood. In order to quantitatively assess the compatibility effects of herb pairs, mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics studies were performed. The plasma and urine metabolic profiles of acute blood stasis rats induced by adrenaline hydrochloride and ice water and administered with Cyperi Rhizoma—Angelicae Sinensis Radix (XD), Cyperi Rhizoma—Chuanxiong Rhizoma (XC), Cyperi Rhizoma—Paeoniae Radix Alba (XB), Cyperi Rhizoma—Corydalis Rhizoma (XY) were compared. Relative peak area of identified metabolites was calculated and principal component analysis (PCA) score plot from the potential markers was used to visualize the overall differences. Then, the metabolites results were used with biochemistry indicators and genes expression values as parameters to quantitatively evaluate the compatibility effects of XF series of herb pairs by PCA and correlation analysis. The collective results indicated that the four XF herb pairs regulated glycerophospholipid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis and arachidonic acid metabolism pathway. XD was more prominent in regulating the blood stasis during the four XF herb pairs. This study demonstrated that metabolomics was a useful tool to efficacy evaluation and compatibility effects of TCM elucidation. PMID:29018346

SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF X-RAY BINARIES IN CENTAURUS A

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

Burke, Mark J.; Raychaudhury, Somak; Kraft, Ralph P.

2013-04-01

We present a spectral investigation of X-ray binaries (XBs) in NGC 5128 (Cen A), using six 100 ks Chandra observations taken over two months in 2007. We divide our sample into thermally and non-thermally dominated states based on the behavior of the fitted absorption column N{sub H}, and present the spectral parameters of sources with L{sub x} {approx}> 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 37} erg s{sup -1}. The majority of sources are consistent with being neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (NS LMXBs) and we identify three transient black hole (BH) LMXB candidates coincident with the dust lane, which is the remnant ofmore » a small late-type galaxy. Our results also provide tentative support for the apparent 'gap' in the mass distribution of compact objects between {approx}2-5 M{sub Sun }. We propose that BH LMXBs are preferentially found in the dust lane, and suggest this is because of the younger stellar population. The majority ({approx}70%-80%) of potential Roche lobe filling donors in the Cen A halo are {approx}> 12 Gyr old, while BH LMXBs require donors {approx}> 1 M{sub Sun} to produce the observed peak luminosities. This requirement for more massive donors may also explain recent results that claim a steepening of the X-ray luminosity function with age at L{sub x} {>=} 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 38} erg s{sup -1} for the XB population of early-type galaxies; for older stellar populations, there are fewer stars {approx}> 1 M{sub Sun }, which are required to form the more luminous sources.« less

Cooperativity of halogen, chalcogen, and pnictogen bonds in infinite molecular chains by electronic structure theory.

PubMed

George, Janine; Deringer, Volker L; Dronskowski, Richard

2014-05-01

Halogen bonds (XBs) are intriguing noncovalent interactions that are frequently being exploited for crystal engineering. Recently, similar bonding mechanisms have been proposed for adjacent main-group elements, and noncovalent "chalcogen bonds" and "pnictogen bonds" have been identified in crystal structures. A fundamental question, largely unresolved thus far, is how XBs and related contacts interact with each other in crystals; similar to hydrogen bonding, one might expect "cooperativity" (bonds amplifying each other), but evidence has been sparse. Here, we explore the crucial step from gas-phase oligomers to truly infinite chains by means of quantum chemical computations. A periodic density functional theory (DFT) framework allows us to address polymeric chains of molecules avoiding the dreaded "cluster effects" as well as the arbitrariness of defining a "large enough" cluster. We focus on three types of molecular chains that we cut from crystal structures; furthermore, we explore reasonable substitutional variants in silico. We find evidence of cooperativity in chains of halogen cyanides and also in similar chalcogen- and pnictogen-bonded systems; the bonds, in the most extreme cases, are amplified through cooperative effects by 79% (I···N), 90% (Te···N), and 103% (Sb···N). Two experimentally known organic crystals, albeit with similar atomic connectivity and XB characteristics, show signs of cooperativity in one case but not in another. Finally, no cooperativity is observed in alternating halogen/acetone and halogen/1,4-dioxane chains; in fact, these XBs weaken each other by up to 26% compared to the respective gas-phase dimers.

Correlating the optical properties of WS2 monolayers grown by CVD with isoelectronic Mo doping level(Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kai; Cross, Nick; Boulesbaa, Abdelaziz; Pudasaini, Pushpa R.; Tian, Mengkun; Mahjouri-Samani, Masoud; Oxley, Mark P.; Rouleau, Christopher M.; Puretzky, Alexander A.; Rack, Philip D.; Xiao, Kai; Yoon, Mina; Eres, Gyula; Duscher, Gerd; Geohegan, David B.

2017-02-01

Incorporating dopants in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) can enable manipulations of their electrical and optical properties. Previous attempts in amphoteric doping in monolayer TMDs have proven to be challenging. Here we report the incorporation of molybdenum (Mo) atoms in monolayer WS2 during growth by chemical vapor deposition, and correlate the distribution of Mo atoms with the optical properties including photoluminescence and ultrafast transient absorption dynamics. Dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging quantified the isoelectronic doping of Mo in WS2 and revealed its gradual distribution along a triangular WS2 monolayer crystal, increasing from 0% at the edge to 2% in the center of the triangular WS2 triangular crystals. This agrees well with the Raman spectra data that showed two obvious modes between 360 cm-1 and 400 cm-1 that corresponded to MoS2 in the center. This in-plane gradual distribution of Mo in WS2 was found to account for the spatial variations in photoluminescence intensity and emission energy. Transition absorption spectroscopy further indicated that the incorporation of Mo in WS2 regulate the amplitude ratio of XA and XB of WS2. The effect of Mo incorporation on the electronic structure of WS2 was further elucidated by density functional theory. Finally, we compared the electrical properties of Mo incorporated and pristine WS2 monolayers by fabricating field-effect transistors. The isoelectronic doping of Mo in WS2 provides an alternative approach to engineer the bandgap and also enriches our understanding the influence of the doping on the excitonic dynamics.

Plasma current start-up experiments without the central solenoid in the TST-2 spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takase, Y.; Ejiri, A.; Shiraiwa, S.; Adachi, Y.; Ishii, N.; Kasahara, H.; Nuga, H.; Ono, Y.; Oosako, T.; Sasaki, M.; Shimada, Y.; Sumitomo, N.; Taguchi, I.; Tojo, H.; Tsujimura, J.; Ushigome, M.; Yamada, T.; Hanada, K.; Hasegawa, M.; Idei, H.; Nakamura, K.; Sakamoto, M.; Sasaki, K.; Sato, K. N.; Zushi, H.; Nishino, N.; Mitarai, O.

2006-08-01

Several techniques for initiating the plasma current without the use of the central solenoid are being developed in TST-2. While TST-2 was temporarily located at Kyushu University, two types of start-up scenarios were demonstrated. (1) A plasma current of 4 kA was generated and sustained for 0.28 s by either electron cyclotron wave or electron Bernstein wave, without induction. (2) A plasma current of 10 kA was obtained transiently by induction using only outboard poloidal field coils. In the second scenario, it is important to supply sufficient power for ionization (100 kW of EC power was sufficient in this case), since the vertical field during start-up is not adequate to maintain plasma equilibrium. In addition, electron heating experiments using the X-B mode conversion scenario were performed, and a heating efficiency of 60% was observed at a 100 kW RF power level. TST-2 is now located at the Kashiwa Campus of the University of Tokyo. Significant upgrades were made in both magnetic coil power supplies and RF systems, and plasma experiments have restarted. RF power of up to 400 kW is available in the high-harmonic fast wave frequency range around 20 MHz. Four 200 MHz transmitters are now being prepared for plasma current start-up experiments using RF power in the lower-hybrid frequency range. Preparations are in progress for a new plasma merging experiment (UTST) aimed at the formation and sustainment of ultra-high β ST plasmas.

Primary secondary amine as a sorbent material in dispersive solid-phase extraction clean-up for the determination of indicator polychlorinated biphenyls in environmental water samples by gas chromatography with electron capture detection.

PubMed

Guo, Yuanming; Hu, Hongmei; Li, Tiejun; Xue, Lijian; Zhang, Xiaoning; Zhong, Zhi; Zhang, Yurong; Jin, Yanjian

2017-08-01

A simple, rapid, and novel method has been developed and validated for determination of seven indicator polychlorinated biphenyls in water samples by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. 1 L of water samples containing 30 g of anhydrous sodium sulfate was first liquid-liquid extracted with an automated Jipad-6XB vertical oscillator using n-hexane/dichloromethane (1:1, v/v). The concentrated extract was cleaned up by dispersive solid-phase extraction with 100 mg of primary secondary amine as sorbent material. The linearity of this method ranged from 1.25 to 100 μg/L, with regression coefficients ranging between 0.9994 and 0.9999. The limits of detection were in the ng/L level, ranging between 0.2 and 0.3 ng/L. The recoveries of seven spiked polychlorinated biphenyls with external calibration method at different concentration levels in tap water, lake water, and sea water were in the ranges of 85-112, 76-116, and 72-108%, respectively, and with relative standard deviations of 3.3-4.5, 3.4-5.6, and 3.1-4.8% (n = 5), respectively. The performance of the proposed method was compared with traditional liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction clean-up methods, and comparable efficiencies were obtained. It is concluded that this method can be successfully applied for the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in different water samples. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Spectroscopic properties and thermal stability of Er3+ -doped TeO2-B2O3-Nb2O5-ZnO glass for potential WDM amplifier.

PubMed

Xu, Tiefeng; Zhang, Xudong; Li, Guangpo; Dai, Shixun; Nie, Qiuhua; Shen, Xiang; Zhang, Xianghua

2007-06-01

A series of novel 70TeO2-(15-x)B2O3-xNb2O5-15ZnO-1wt.% Er2O3 (TBN x=0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 mol%) tellurite glasses were prepared. The thermal stability, absorption spectra, emission spectra, and the lifetime of the (4)I(13/2) level of Er(3+) ions were measured and investigated. Three Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Omega(t) (t=2, 4 and 6) (Omega(2)=(5.42-6.76)x10(-20)cm(2); Omega(4)=(1.37-1.73)x10(-20)cm(2); Omega(6)=(0.70-0.94)x10(-20)cm(2)) of Er(3+) ions were calculated by Judd-Ofelt theory. It is found that the Omega(6) first increases with the increase of Nb2O5 content from 0 to 6 mol% and then decreases, which is mainly affected by the number of non-bridging oxygen ions of the glass network. The high peak of stimulated emission cross-section (sigma(e)(peak)=(0.77-0.91)x10(-20)cm(2)) of Er(3+): (4)I(13/2)-->(4)I(15/2) transition were obtained according to McCumber theory and broad full width at half maximum (FWHM=65-73 nm) of the (4)I(13/2)-->(4)I(15/2) transition of Er(3+) ions were measured. The results indicate that these new TBN glasses can be used as a candidate host material for potential broadband optical amplifiers.

ExoMol molecular line lists - XXIII. Spectra of PO and PS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prajapat, Laxmi; Jagoda, Pawel; Lodi, Lorenzo; Gorman, Maire N.; Yurchenko, Sergei N.; Tennyson, Jonathan

2017-12-01

Comprehensive line lists for phosphorus monoxide (31P16O) and phosphorus monosulphide (31P32S) in their X 2Π electronic ground state are presented. The line lists are based on new ab initio potential energy (PEC), spin-orbit (SOC) and dipole moment (DMC) curves computed using the MRCI+Q-r method with aug-cc-pwCV5Z and aug-cc-pV5Z basis sets. The nuclear motion equations (i.e. the rovibronic Schrödinger equations for each molecule) are solved using the program DUO. The PECs and SOCs are refined in least-squares fits to available experimental data. Partition functions, Q(T), are computed up to T = 5000 K, the range of validity of the line lists. These line lists are the most comprehensive available for either molecule. The characteristically sharp peak of the Q-branches from the spin-orbit split components gives useful diagnostics for both PO and PS in spectra at infrared wavelengths. These line lists should prove useful for analysing observations and setting up models of environments such as brown dwarfs, low-mass stars, O-rich circumstellar regions and potentially for exoplanetary retrievals. Since PS is yet to be detected in space, the role of the two lowest excited electronic states (a 4Π and B 2Π) are also considered. An approximate line list for the PS X-B electronic transition, which predicts a number of sharp vibrational bands in the near ultraviolet, is also presented. The line lists are available from the CDS (http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr) and ExoMol (www.exomol.com) data bases.

Study of generalized parton distributions and deeply virtual compton scattering on the nucleon with the CLAS and CLAS12 detectors at the Jefferson Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guegan, Baptiste

The Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) provide a new description of the nucleon structure in terms of its elementary constituents, the quarks and the gluons. The GPDs give access to a unified picture of the nucleon, correlating the information obtained from the measurements of the Form Factors and the Parton Distribution Functions. They describe the correlation between the transverse position and the longitudinal momentum fraction of the partons in the nucleon. Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS), the electroproduction of a real photon on a single quark of the nucleon eN → eN'gamma , is the most straightforward exclusive process allowing access to the GPDs. The DVCS process interferes with the Bethe-Heitler (BH) process, in which the real photon is emitted by either the incoming or the scattered electron instead of the nucleon. A dedicated experiment to study DVCS with the CLAS detector of Jefferson Lab has been carried out using a 5.883 GeV polarized electron beam and an unpolarized hydrogen target, allowing to collect DVCS events in the widest kinematic range ever explored in the valence region : 1 < Q2 < 4.6 GeV2, 0.1 < xB < 0.58, 0.09 < -t < 3 GeV2. We will present preliminary results on the extraction of the unpolarized and the difference of polarized DVCS cross sections. We will show a preliminary extraction of the GPDs using the latest fitting code procedure on our data, and a preliminary interpretation of the results.

Consolidated B-24M Liberator Equipped for Icing Research

NASA Image and Video Library

1946-07-21

A Consolidated B-25M Liberator modified for icing research by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. NACA Lewis performed a limited amount of icing research during World War II, but the program expanded significantly in 1946. The accumulation of ice on aircraft was a continual problem. The ice formations could result in extra weight, aerodynamic penalties, and blockage engine inlets. Although the Lewis icing researchers utilized numerous aircraft, the program’s two workhorses were the B-24M Liberator, seen here, and a North American XB-25E Mitchell. The Consolidated Aircraft Company created the four-engine bomber in the early 1940s. During World War II the bomber was employed on long-duration bombing missions in both Europe and the Pacific. Production of the B-24M version did not begin until October 1944 with the end of the war in Europe approaching. This resulted in scores of unneeded bombers when hostilities ended. This B-24M arrived at the NACA Lewis laboratory in November 1945. At Lewis the B-24M was repeatedly modified to study ice accretion on aircraft components. Researchers analyzed different anti-icing and deicing strategies and gathered statistical ice measurement data. The B-24M was also used to study ice buildup on jet engines. A General Electric I-16 engine was installed in the aircraft’s waist compartment with an air scoop on the top of the aircraft to duct air to the engine. Water spray nozzles inside the aircraft were employed to simulate icing conditions at the turbojet’s inlet.

The Human Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome in Response to Oral Shilajit Supplementation

PubMed Central

Das, Amitava; Datta, Soma; Rhea, Brian; Sinha, Mithun; Veeraragavan, Muruganandam; Gordillo, Gayle

2016-01-01

Abstract The objective of the present study (clinicaltrials.gov NCT02026414) was to observe the effects of oral supplementation of a purified and standardized Shilajit extract on skeletal muscle adaptation in adult overweight/class I obese human subjects from the U.S. population. Shilajit is a mineral pitch that oozes out of Himalayan rocks. The study design consisted of a baseline visit, followed by 8 weeks of 250 mg of oral Shilajit supplementation b.i.d., and additional 4 weeks of supplementation with exercise. At each visit, blood samples and muscle biopsies were collected for further analysis. Supplementation was well tolerated without any changes in blood glucose levels and lipid profile after 8 weeks of oral supplementation and the additional 4 weeks of oral supplementation with exercise. In addition, no changes were noted in creatine kinase and serum myoglobin levels after 8 weeks of oral supplementation and the additional 4 weeks of supplementation with exercise. Microarray analysis identified a cluster of 17 extracellular matrix (ECM)-related probe sets that were significantly upregulated in muscles following 8 weeks of oral supplementation compared with the expression at the baseline visit. This cluster included tenascin XB, decorin, myoferlin, collagen, elastin, fibrillin 1, and fibronectin 1. The differential expression of these genes was confirmed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The study provided maiden evidence that oral Shilajit supplementation in adult overweight/class I obese human subjects promoted skeletal muscle adaptation through upregulation of ECM-related genes that control muscle mechanotransduction properties, elasticity, repair, and regeneration. PMID:27414521

The Human Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome in Response to Oral Shilajit Supplementation.

PubMed

Das, Amitava; Datta, Soma; Rhea, Brian; Sinha, Mithun; Veeraragavan, Muruganandam; Gordillo, Gayle; Roy, Sashwati

2016-07-01

The objective of the present study ( clinicaltrials.gov NCT02026414) was to observe the effects of oral supplementation of a purified and standardized Shilajit extract on skeletal muscle adaptation in adult overweight/class I obese human subjects from the U.S. Shilajit is a mineral pitch that oozes out of Himalayan rocks. The study design consisted of a baseline visit, followed by 8 weeks of 250 mg of oral Shilajit supplementation b.i.d., and additional 4 weeks of supplementation with exercise. At each visit, blood samples and muscle biopsies were collected for further analysis. Supplementation was well tolerated without any changes in blood glucose levels and lipid profile after 8 weeks of oral supplementation and the additional 4 weeks of oral supplementation with exercise. In addition, no changes were noted in creatine kinase and serum myoglobin levels after 8 weeks of oral supplementation and the additional 4 weeks of supplementation with exercise. Microarray analysis identified a cluster of 17 extracellular matrix (ECM)-related probe sets that were significantly upregulated in muscles following 8 weeks of oral supplementation compared with the expression at the baseline visit. This cluster included tenascin XB, decorin, myoferlin, collagen, elastin, fibrillin 1, and fibronectin 1. The differential expression of these genes was confirmed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The study provided maiden evidence that oral Shilajit supplementation in adult overweight/class I obese human subjects promoted skeletal muscle adaptation through upregulation of ECM-related genes that control muscle mechanotransduction properties, elasticity, repair, and regeneration.

Screening and confirmation of steroids and nitroimidazoles in urine, blood, and food matrices: Sample preparation methods and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric separations.

PubMed

Tölgyesi, Ádám; Barta, Enikő; Simon, Andrea; McDonald, Thomas J; Sharma, Virender K

2017-10-25

Veterinary drugs containing synthetic anabolic steroid and nitroimidazole active agents are not allowed for their applications in livestock of the European Union (EU). This paper presents analyses of twelve selected steroids and six nitroimidazole antibiotics at low levels (1.56μg/L-4.95μg/L and 0.17μg/kg-2.14μg/kg, respectively) in body fluids and egg incurred samples. Analyses involved clean-up procedures, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation, and tandem mass spectrometric screening and confirmatory methods. Target steroids and nitroimidazoles in samples were cleaned by two independent supported liquid extraction and solid phase extraction procedures. Separation of the selected compounds was conducted on Kinetex XB C-18 HPLC column using gradient elution. The screening methods utilised supported liquid extraction that enabled fast and cost effective clean-up. The confirmatory methods were improved by extending the number of matrices and compounds, and by introducing an isotope dilution mass spectrometry for nitroimidazoles. The new methods were validated according to the recommendation of the European Union Reference Laboratories and the performance characteristics evaluated met fully the criteria. The methods were applied to incurred samples in the proficiency tests. The obtained results of Z-scores demonstrated the applicability of developed protocols of the methods to real samples. The confirmatory methods were applied to the national monitoring program and natural contamination of prednisolone could be detected in urine at low concentration in few samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ligand design, synthesis and biological anti-HCV evaluations for genotypes 1b and 4a of certain 4-(3- & 4-[3-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propylamino]phenyl) butyric acids and 3-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propylamino-acetamidobenzoic acid esters.

PubMed

Ismail, Mohamed Abdel Hamid; Abouzid, Khaled A M; Mohamed, Nasser Saad; Dokla, Eman Mahmoud Elawady

2013-12-01

4-(4-[N-1-carboxy-3-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-oxo-propylamino]phenyl)-4-oxo-butyric acid (V), 4-(3- & 4-[N-1-carboxy-3-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-oxo-propylaminophenyl]-2-aryl-4-oxo-butyric acids (Xa-e) and 4-(2-alkyl-2-[N-3-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-carboxy-3-oxo-propylamino]acetamido) benzoate esters (XVa-e) were designed, synthesized and biologically evaluated as anti-HCV for genotypes 1b and 4a. The design was based on their docking scores with HCV NS3/4A protease-binding site of the genotype 1b (1W3C), which is conserved in the genotype 4a structure. The docking scores predicted that most of these molecules have higher affinity to the HCV NS3/4A enzyme more than Indoline lead. These compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their cytopathic inhibitory activity against RAW HCV cell cultures of genotype 4a and also examined against Huh 5-2 HCV cell culture of genotype 1b, utilizing Luciferase and MTS assays. Compounds Xa and Xb have 95 and 80% of the activity of Ribavirin against genotype 4a and compounds XVa, XVb and XVd exerted high percentage inhibitory activity against genotype 1b equal 87.7, 84.3 and 82.8%, respectively, with low EC50 doses.

Lasing transition at 1.06 μm emission in Nd3+ -doped borate-based tellurium calcium zinc niobium oxide glasses for high-power solid-state lasers.

PubMed

Ravi, O; Prasad, K; Jain, Rajiv; Venkataswamy, M; Chaurasia, Shivanand; Deva Prasad Raju, B

2017-08-01

The spectroscopic properties of Tellurium Calcium Zinc Niobium oxide Borate (TCZNB) glasses of composition (in mol%) 10TeO 2  + 15CaO + 5ZnO + 10 Nb 2 O 5  + (60 - x)B 2 O 3  + Nd 2 O 3 (x = 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 mol%) have been investigated experimentally. The three phenomenological intensity parameters Ω 2 , Ω 4, Ω 6 have been calculated using the Judd-Ofelt theory and in turn radiative properties such as radiative transition probabilities, emission cross-sections, branching ratios and radiative lifetimes have been estimated. The trend found in the JO intensity parameter is Ω 2  > Ω 6  > Ω 4 If Ω 6  > Ω 4 , the glass system is favourable for the laser emission 4 F 3 /2  →  4 I 11 /2 in the infrared (IR) wavelength. The experimental values of branching ratio of 4 F 3 /2  →  4 I 11 /2 transition indicate favourable lasing action with low threshold power. The evaluated total radiative transition probabilities (A T ), stimulated emission cross-section (σ e ) and gain bandwidth parameters (σ e  × Δλ p ) were compared with earlier reports. An energy level analysis has been carried out considering the experimental energy positions of the absorption and emission bands. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Gradient Evolution-based Support Vector Machine Algorithm for Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulvia, Ferani E.; Kuo, R. J.

2018-03-01

This paper proposes a classification algorithm based on a support vector machine (SVM) and gradient evolution (GE) algorithms. SVM algorithm has been widely used in classification. However, its result is significantly influenced by the parameters. Therefore, this paper aims to propose an improvement of SVM algorithm which can find the best SVMs’ parameters automatically. The proposed algorithm employs a GE algorithm to automatically determine the SVMs’ parameters. The GE algorithm takes a role as a global optimizer in finding the best parameter which will be used by SVM algorithm. The proposed GE-SVM algorithm is verified using some benchmark datasets and compared with other metaheuristic-based SVM algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed GE-SVM algorithm obtains better results than other algorithms tested in this paper.

Efficient image compression algorithm for computer-animated images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yfantis, Evangelos A.; Au, Matthew Y.; Miel, G.

1992-10-01

An image compression algorithm is described. The algorithm is an extension of the run-length image compression algorithm and its implementation is relatively easy. This algorithm was implemented and compared with other existing popular compression algorithms and with the Lempel-Ziv (LZ) coding. The Lempel-Ziv algorithm is available as a utility in the UNIX operating system and is also referred to as the UNIX uncompress. Sometimes our algorithm is best in terms of saving memory space, and sometimes one of the competing algorithms is best. The algorithm is lossless, and the intent is for the algorithm to be used in computer graphics animated images. Comparisons made with the LZ algorithm indicate that the decompression time using our algorithm is faster than that using the LZ algorithm. Once the data are in memory, a relatively simple and fast transformation is applied to uncompress the file.

Efficient convex-elastic net algorithm to solve the Euclidean traveling salesman problem.

PubMed

Al-Mulhem, M; Al-Maghrabi, T

1998-01-01

This paper describes a hybrid algorithm that combines an adaptive-type neural network algorithm and a nondeterministic iterative algorithm to solve the Euclidean traveling salesman problem (E-TSP). It begins with a brief introduction to the TSP and the E-TSP. Then, it presents the proposed algorithm with its two major components: the convex-elastic net (CEN) algorithm and the nondeterministic iterative improvement (NII) algorithm. These two algorithms are combined into the efficient convex-elastic net (ECEN) algorithm. The CEN algorithm integrates the convex-hull property and elastic net algorithm to generate an initial tour for the E-TSP. The NII algorithm uses two rearrangement operators to improve the initial tour given by the CEN algorithm. The paper presents simulation results for two instances of E-TSP: randomly generated tours and tours for well-known problems in the literature. Experimental results are given to show that the proposed algorithm ran find the nearly optimal solution for the E-TSP that outperform many similar algorithms reported in the literature. The paper concludes with the advantages of the new algorithm and possible extensions.

Advancements to the planogram frequency–distance rebinning algorithm

PubMed Central

Champley, Kyle M; Raylman, Raymond R; Kinahan, Paul E

2010-01-01

In this paper we consider the task of image reconstruction in positron emission tomography (PET) with the planogram frequency–distance rebinning (PFDR) algorithm. The PFDR algorithm is a rebinning algorithm for PET systems with panel detectors. The algorithm is derived in the planogram coordinate system which is a native data format for PET systems with panel detectors. A rebinning algorithm averages over the redundant four-dimensional set of PET data to produce a three-dimensional set of data. Images can be reconstructed from this rebinned three-dimensional set of data. This process enables one to reconstruct PET images more quickly than reconstructing directly from the four-dimensional PET data. The PFDR algorithm is an approximate rebinning algorithm. We show that implementing the PFDR algorithm followed by the (ramp) filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm in linogram coordinates from multiple views reconstructs a filtered version of our image. We develop an explicit formula for this filter which can be used to achieve exact reconstruction by means of a modified FBP algorithm applied to the stack of rebinned linograms and can also be used to quantify the errors introduced by the PFDR algorithm. This filter is similar to the filter in the planogram filtered backprojection algorithm derived by Brasse et al. The planogram filtered backprojection and exact reconstruction with the PFDR algorithm require complete projections which can be completed with a reprojection algorithm. The PFDR algorithm is similar to the rebinning algorithm developed by Kao et al. By expressing the PFDR algorithm in detector coordinates, we provide a comparative analysis between the two algorithms. Numerical experiments using both simulated data and measured data from a positron emission mammography/tomography (PEM/PET) system are performed. Images are reconstructed by PFDR+FBP (PFDR followed by 2D FBP reconstruction), PFDRX (PFDR followed by the modified FBP algorithm for exact reconstruction) and planogram filtered backprojection image reconstruction algorithms. We show that the PFDRX algorithm produces images that are nearly as accurate as images reconstructed with the planogram filtered backprojection algorithm and more accurate than images reconstructed with the PFDR+FBP algorithm. Both the PFDR+FBP and PFDRX algorithms provide a dramatic improvement in computation time over the planogram filtered backprojection algorithm. PMID:20436790

Improved pulse laser ranging algorithm based on high speed sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xuan-yi; Qian, Rui-hai; Zhang, Yan-mei; Li, Huan; Guo, Hai-chao; He, Shi-jie; Guo, Xiao-kang

2016-10-01

Narrow pulse laser ranging achieves long-range target detection using laser pulse with low divergent beams. Pulse laser ranging is widely used in military, industrial, civil, engineering and transportation field. In this paper, an improved narrow pulse laser ranging algorithm is studied based on the high speed sampling. Firstly, theoretical simulation models have been built and analyzed including the laser emission and pulse laser ranging algorithm. An improved pulse ranging algorithm is developed. This new algorithm combines the matched filter algorithm and the constant fraction discrimination (CFD) algorithm. After the algorithm simulation, a laser ranging hardware system is set up to implement the improved algorithm. The laser ranging hardware system includes a laser diode, a laser detector and a high sample rate data logging circuit. Subsequently, using Verilog HDL language, the improved algorithm is implemented in the FPGA chip based on fusion of the matched filter algorithm and the CFD algorithm. Finally, the laser ranging experiment is carried out to test the improved algorithm ranging performance comparing to the matched filter algorithm and the CFD algorithm using the laser ranging hardware system. The test analysis result demonstrates that the laser ranging hardware system realized the high speed processing and high speed sampling data transmission. The algorithm analysis result presents that the improved algorithm achieves 0.3m distance ranging precision. The improved algorithm analysis result meets the expected effect, which is consistent with the theoretical simulation.

An efficient algorithm for function optimization: modified stem cells algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taherdangkoo, Mohammad; Paziresh, Mahsa; Yazdi, Mehran; Bagheri, Mohammad Hadi

2013-03-01

In this paper, we propose an optimization algorithm based on the intelligent behavior of stem cell swarms in reproduction and self-organization. Optimization algorithms, such as the Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm and Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm, can give solutions to linear and non-linear problems near to the optimum for many applications; however, in some case, they can suffer from becoming trapped in local optima. The Stem Cells Algorithm (SCA) is an optimization algorithm inspired by the natural behavior of stem cells in evolving themselves into new and improved cells. The SCA avoids the local optima problem successfully. In this paper, we have made small changes in the implementation of this algorithm to obtain improved performance over previous versions. Using a series of benchmark functions, we assess the performance of the proposed algorithm and compare it with that of the other aforementioned optimization algorithms. The obtained results prove the superiority of the Modified Stem Cells Algorithm (MSCA).

Structural and optical studies of Er3+-doped alkali/alkaline oxide containing zinc boro-aluminosilicate glasses for 1.5 μm optical amplifier applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaky, Kawa M.; Lakshminarayana, G.; Baki, S. O.; Lira, A.; Caldiño, U.; Meza-Rocha, A. N.; Falcony, C.; Kityk, I. V.; Taufiq-Yap, Y. H.; Halimah, M. K.; Mahdi, M. A.

2017-07-01

In the present work, we report on the optical spectral properties of Er3+-doped zinc boro-aluminosilicate glasses with an addition of 10 mol % alkali/alkaline modifier regarding the fabrication of new optical materials for optical amplifiers. A total of 10 glasses were prepared using melt-quenching technique with the compositions (40-x)B2O3 - 10SiO2 - 10Al2O3 - 30ZnO - 10Li2O - xEr2O3 and (40-x)B2O3 - 10SiO2 - 10Al2O3 - 30ZnO - 10MgO - xEr2O3 (x = 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mol %). We confirm the amorphous-like structure for all the prepared glasses using X-ray diffraction (XRD). To study the functional groups of the glass composition after the melt-quenching process, Raman spectroscopy was used, and various structural units such as triangular and tetrahedral-borates (BO3 and BO4) have been identified. All the samples were characterized using optical absorption for UV, visible and NIR regions. Judd-Ofelt (JO) intensity parameters (Ωλ, λ = 2, 4 and 6) were calculated from the optical absorption spectra of two glasses LiEr 2.0 and MgEr 2.0 (doped with 2 mol % of Er3+). JO parameters for LiEr 2.0 and MgEr 2.0 glasses follow the trend as Ω6>Ω2>Ω4. Using Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters, we obtained radiative probability A (S-1), branching ratios (β), radiative decay lifetimes τrad (μs) of emissions from excited Er+3 ions in LiEr 2.0 and MgEr 2.0 to all lower levels. Quantum efficiency (η) of 4I13/2 and 4S3/2 levels for LiEr 2.0 and MgEr 2.0 with and without 4D7/2 level was calculated using the radiative decay lifetimes τrad. (μs) and measured lifetimes τexp. (μs). We measured the visible photoluminescence under 377 nm excitation for both LiEr and MgEr glass series within the region 390-580 nm. Three bands were observed in the visible region at 407 nm, 530 nm, and 554 nm, as a result of 2H9/2 → 4I15/2, 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 and 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 transitions, respectively. Decay lifetimes for emissions at 407 nm, 530 nm, and 554 nm were measured and they show single exponential behavior for all the LiEr and MgEr glass series. From the photoluminescence and radiative decay lifetimes (τrad), we calculated the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), emission cross-section (σPE) and bandwidth gain (FWHM × σPE) parameters. Near-infrared photoluminescence under 980 nm excitation was measured for all the LiEr and MgEr glass series in the region 1420-1620 nm. NIR emissions show a broadband centered at ∼1530 nm due to the transition of Er3+: 4I13/2 → 4I15/2. Decay lifetimes for NIR emission at ∼1530 nm were measured and they show a quite exponential nature for all the LiEr and MgEr glass series. From the NIR emission spectra and decay lifetimes, we calculated the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), the emission cross-section (σPE) and the bandwidth gain (FWHM × σPE) for the NIR emission and it shows FWHM of 50-70 nm for prepared glasses, emission cross-section of (∼3.5) × 10-20 cm2, while bandwidth gain was (∼25) × 10-26 cm3.

Clustering algorithm for determining community structure in large networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pujol, Josep M.; Béjar, Javier; Delgado, Jordi

2006-07-01

We propose an algorithm to find the community structure in complex networks based on the combination of spectral analysis and modularity optimization. The clustering produced by our algorithm is as accurate as the best algorithms on the literature of modularity optimization; however, the main asset of the algorithm is its efficiency. The best match for our algorithm is Newman’s fast algorithm, which is the reference algorithm for clustering in large networks due to its efficiency. When both algorithms are compared, our algorithm outperforms the fast algorithm both in efficiency and accuracy of the clustering, in terms of modularity. Thus, the results suggest that the proposed algorithm is a good choice to analyze the community structure of medium and large networks in the range of tens and hundreds of thousand vertices.

A Fast parallel tridiagonal algorithm for a class of CFD applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moitra, Stuti; Sun, Xian-He

1996-01-01

The parallel diagonal dominant (PDD) algorithm is an efficient tridiagonal solver. This paper presents for study a variation of the PDD algorithm, the reduced PDD algorithm. The new algorithm maintains the minimum communication provided by the PDD algorithm, but has a reduced operation count. The PDD algorithm also has a smaller operation count than the conventional sequential algorithm for many applications. Accuracy analysis is provided for the reduced PDD algorithm for symmetric Toeplitz tridiagonal (STT) systems. Implementation results on Langley's Intel Paragon and IBM SP2 show that both the PDD and reduced PDD algorithms are efficient and scalable.

Wavelength converter placement for different RWA algorithms in wavelength-routed all-optical networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Xiaowen; Li, Bo; Chlamtac, Imrich

2002-07-01

Sparse wavelength conversion and appropriate routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) algorithms are the two key factors in improving the blocking performance in wavelength-routed all-optical networks. It has been shown that the optimal placement of a limited number of wavelength converters in an arbitrary mesh network is an NP complete problem. There have been various heuristic algorithms proposed in the literature, in which most of them assume that a static routing and random wavelength assignment RWA algorithm is employed. However, the existing work shows that fixed-alternate routing and dynamic routing RWA algorithms can achieve much better blocking performance. Our study in this paper further demonstrates that the wavelength converter placement and RWA algorithms are closely related in the sense that a well designed wavelength converter placement mechanism for a particular RWA algorithm might not work well with a different RWA algorithm. Therefore, the wavelength converter placement and the RWA have to be considered jointly. The objective of this paper is to investigate the wavelength converter placement problem under fixed-alternate routing algorithm and least-loaded routing algorithm. Under the fixed-alternate routing algorithm, we propose a heuristic algorithm called Minimum Blocking Probability First (MBPF) algorithm for wavelength converter placement. Under the least-loaded routing algorithm, we propose a heuristic converter placement algorithm called Weighted Maximum Segment Length (WMSL) algorithm. The objective of the converter placement algorithm is to minimize the overall blocking probability. Extensive simulation studies have been carried out over three typical mesh networks, including the 14-node NSFNET, 19-node EON and 38-node CTNET. We observe that the proposed algorithms not only outperform existing wavelength converter placement algorithms by a large margin, but they also can achieve almost the same performance comparing with full wavelength conversion under the same RWA algorithm.

Sequential and Mixed Genetic Algorithm and Learning Automata (SGALA, MGALA) for Feature Selection in QSAR

PubMed Central

MotieGhader, Habib; Gharaghani, Sajjad; Masoudi-Sobhanzadeh, Yosef; Masoudi-Nejad, Ali

2017-01-01

Feature selection is of great importance in Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) analysis. This problem has been solved using some meta-heuristic algorithms such as GA, PSO, ACO and so on. In this work two novel hybrid meta-heuristic algorithms i.e. Sequential GA and LA (SGALA) and Mixed GA and LA (MGALA), which are based on Genetic algorithm and learning automata for QSAR feature selection are proposed. SGALA algorithm uses advantages of Genetic algorithm and Learning Automata sequentially and the MGALA algorithm uses advantages of Genetic Algorithm and Learning Automata simultaneously. We applied our proposed algorithms to select the minimum possible number of features from three different datasets and also we observed that the MGALA and SGALA algorithms had the best outcome independently and in average compared to other feature selection algorithms. Through comparison of our proposed algorithms, we deduced that the rate of convergence to optimal result in MGALA and SGALA algorithms were better than the rate of GA, ACO, PSO and LA algorithms. In the end, the results of GA, ACO, PSO, LA, SGALA, and MGALA algorithms were applied as the input of LS-SVR model and the results from LS-SVR models showed that the LS-SVR model had more predictive ability with the input from SGALA and MGALA algorithms than the input from all other mentioned algorithms. Therefore, the results have corroborated that not only is the predictive efficiency of proposed algorithms better, but their rate of convergence is also superior to the all other mentioned algorithms. PMID:28979308

Sequential and Mixed Genetic Algorithm and Learning Automata (SGALA, MGALA) for Feature Selection in QSAR.

PubMed

MotieGhader, Habib; Gharaghani, Sajjad; Masoudi-Sobhanzadeh, Yosef; Masoudi-Nejad, Ali

2017-01-01

Feature selection is of great importance in Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) analysis. This problem has been solved using some meta-heuristic algorithms such as GA, PSO, ACO and so on. In this work two novel hybrid meta-heuristic algorithms i.e. Sequential GA and LA (SGALA) and Mixed GA and LA (MGALA), which are based on Genetic algorithm and learning automata for QSAR feature selection are proposed. SGALA algorithm uses advantages of Genetic algorithm and Learning Automata sequentially and the MGALA algorithm uses advantages of Genetic Algorithm and Learning Automata simultaneously. We applied our proposed algorithms to select the minimum possible number of features from three different datasets and also we observed that the MGALA and SGALA algorithms had the best outcome independently and in average compared to other feature selection algorithms. Through comparison of our proposed algorithms, we deduced that the rate of convergence to optimal result in MGALA and SGALA algorithms were better than the rate of GA, ACO, PSO and LA algorithms. In the end, the results of GA, ACO, PSO, LA, SGALA, and MGALA algorithms were applied as the input of LS-SVR model and the results from LS-SVR models showed that the LS-SVR model had more predictive ability with the input from SGALA and MGALA algorithms than the input from all other mentioned algorithms. Therefore, the results have corroborated that not only is the predictive efficiency of proposed algorithms better, but their rate of convergence is also superior to the all other mentioned algorithms.