An Experimental Performance Measurement of Implemented Wireless Access Point for Interworking Wi-Fi and HSDPA Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byun, Tae-Young

This paper presents a prototype of WAP(Wireless Access Point) that provides the wireless Internet access anywhere. Implemented WAP can be equipped with various wireless WAN interfaces such as WCDMA and HSDPA. WAP in the IP mechanism has to process connection setup procedure to one wireless WAN. Also, WAP can provide connection management procedures to reconnect interrupted connection automatically. By using WAP, several mobile devices such as netbook, UMPC and smart-phone in a moving vehicle can access to HSDPA network simultaneously. So, it has more convenient for using the WAP when there are needs to access wireless Internet more than two mobile devices in restricted spaces such as car, train and ship.

Megafaunal communities in rapidly warming fjords along the West Antarctic Peninsula: hotspots of abundance and beta diversity.

PubMed

Grange, Laura J; Smith, Craig R

2013-01-01

Glacio-marine fjords occur widely at high latitudes and have been extensively studied in the Arctic, where heavy meltwater inputs and sedimentation yield low benthic faunal abundance and biodiversity in inner-middle fjords. Fjord benthic ecosystems remain poorly studied in the subpolar Antarctic, including those in extensive fjords along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Here we test ecosystem predictions from Arctic fjords on three subpolar, glacio-marine fjords along the WAP. With seafloor photographic surveys we evaluate benthic megafaunal abundance, community structure, and species diversity, as well as the abundance of demersal nekton and macroalgal detritus, in soft-sediment basins of Andvord, Flandres and Barilari Bays at depths of 436-725 m. We then contrast these fjord sites with three open shelf stations of similar depths. Contrary to Arctic predictions, WAP fjord basins exhibited 3 to 38-fold greater benthic megafaunal abundance than the open shelf, and local species diversity and trophic complexity remained high from outer to inner fjord basins. Furthermore, WAP fjords contained distinct species composition, substantially contributing to beta and gamma diversity at 400-700 m depths along the WAP. The abundance of demersal nekton and macroalgal detritus was also substantially higher in WAP fjords compared to the open shelf. We conclude that WAP fjords are important hotspots of benthic abundance and biodiversity as a consequence of weak meltwater influences, low sedimentation disturbance, and high, varied food inputs. We postulate that WAP fjords differ markedly from their Arctic counterparts because they are in earlier stages of climate warming, and that rapid warming along the WAP will increase meltwater and sediment inputs, deleteriously impacting these biodiversity hotspots. Because WAP fjords also provide important habitat and foraging areas for Antarctic krill and baleen whales, there is an urgent need to develop better understanding of the structure, dynamics and climate-sensitivity of WAP subpolar fjord ecosystems.

Megafaunal Communities in Rapidly Warming Fjords along the West Antarctic Peninsula: Hotspots of Abundance and Beta Diversity

PubMed Central

Grange, Laura J.; Smith, Craig R.

2013-01-01

Glacio-marine fjords occur widely at high latitudes and have been extensively studied in the Arctic, where heavy meltwater inputs and sedimentation yield low benthic faunal abundance and biodiversity in inner-middle fjords. Fjord benthic ecosystems remain poorly studied in the subpolar Antarctic, including those in extensive fjords along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Here we test ecosystem predictions from Arctic fjords on three subpolar, glacio-marine fjords along the WAP. With seafloor photographic surveys we evaluate benthic megafaunal abundance, community structure, and species diversity, as well as the abundance of demersal nekton and macroalgal detritus, in soft-sediment basins of Andvord, Flandres and Barilari Bays at depths of 436–725 m. We then contrast these fjord sites with three open shelf stations of similar depths. Contrary to Arctic predictions, WAP fjord basins exhibited 3 to 38-fold greater benthic megafaunal abundance than the open shelf, and local species diversity and trophic complexity remained high from outer to inner fjord basins. Furthermore, WAP fjords contained distinct species composition, substantially contributing to beta and gamma diversity at 400–700 m depths along the WAP. The abundance of demersal nekton and macroalgal detritus was also substantially higher in WAP fjords compared to the open shelf. We conclude that WAP fjords are important hotspots of benthic abundance and biodiversity as a consequence of weak meltwater influences, low sedimentation disturbance, and high, varied food inputs. We postulate that WAP fjords differ markedly from their Arctic counterparts because they are in earlier stages of climate warming, and that rapid warming along the WAP will increase meltwater and sediment inputs, deleteriously impacting these biodiversity hotspots. Because WAP fjords also provide important habitat and foraging areas for Antarctic krill and baleen whales, there is an urgent need to develop better understanding of the structure, dynamics and climate-sensitivity of WAP subpolar fjord ecosystems. PMID:24312442

Time-Series Analyses of Transcriptomes and Proteomes Reveal Molecular Networks Underlying Oil Accumulation in Canola.

PubMed

Wan, Huafang; Cui, Yixin; Ding, Yijuan; Mei, Jiaqin; Dong, Hongli; Zhang, Wenxin; Wu, Shiqi; Liang, Ying; Zhang, Chunyu; Li, Jiana; Xiong, Qing; Qian, Wei

2016-01-01

Understanding the regulation of lipid metabolism is vital for genetic engineering of canola ( Brassica napus L.) to increase oil yield or modify oil composition. We conducted time-series analyses of transcriptomes and proteomes to uncover the molecular networks associated with oil accumulation and dynamic changes in these networks in canola. The expression levels of genes and proteins were measured at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after pollination (WAP). Our results show that the biosynthesis of fatty acids is a dominant cellular process from 2 to 6 WAP, while the degradation mainly happens after 6 WAP. We found that genes in almost every node of fatty acid synthesis pathway were significantly up-regulated during oil accumulation. Moreover, significant expression changes of two genes, acetyl-CoA carboxylase and acyl-ACP desaturase, were detected on both transcriptomic and proteomic levels. We confirmed the temporal expression patterns revealed by the transcriptomic analyses using quantitative real-time PCR experiments. The gene set association analysis show that the biosynthesis of fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids are the most significant biological processes from 2-4 WAP and 4-6 WAP, respectively, which is consistent with the results of time-series analyses. These results not only provide insight into the mechanisms underlying lipid metabolism, but also reveal novel candidate genes that are worth further investigation for their values in the genetic engineering of canola.

National Energy Audit Tool for Multifamily Buildings Development Plan

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

Malhotra, Mini; MacDonald, Michael; Accawi, Gina K

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) enables low-income families to reduce their energy costs by providing funds to make their homes more energy efficient. In addition, the program funds Weatherization Training and Technical Assistance (T and TA) activities to support a range of program operations. These activities include measuring and documenting performance, monitoring programs, promoting advanced techniques and collaborations to further improve program effectiveness, and training, including developing tools and information resources. The T and TA plan outlines the tasks, activities, and milestones to support the weatherization network with the program implementation ramp up efforts. Weatherizationmore » of multifamily buildings has been recognized as an effective way to ramp up weatherization efforts. To support this effort, the 2009 National Weatherization T and TA plan includes the task of expanding the functionality of the Weatherization Assistant, a DOE-sponsored family of energy audit computer programs, to perform audits for large and small multifamily buildings This report describes the planning effort for a new multifamily energy audit tool for DOE's WAP. The functionality of the Weatherization Assistant is being expanded to also perform energy audits of small multifamily and large multifamily buildings. The process covers an assessment of needs that includes input from national experts during two national Web conferences. The assessment of needs is then translated into capability and performance descriptions for the proposed new multifamily energy audit, with some description of what might or should be provided in the new tool. The assessment of needs is combined with our best judgment to lay out a strategy for development of the multifamily tool that proceeds in stages, with features of an initial tool (version 1) and a more capable version 2 handled with currently available resources. Additional development in the future is expected to be needed if more capabilities are to be added. A rough schedule for development of the version 1 tool is presented. The components and capabilities described in this plan will serve as the starting point for development of the proposed new multifamily energy audit tool for WAP.« less

Business Applications of WAP.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Steenderen, Margaret

2002-01-01

Explains the development of WAP (wireless application protocol), how it works, and what the major advantages and disadvantages are, especially when applied to the use of information. Topics include standardization; mobile communications; the effect of WAP on business tools, electronic commerce, and information services; consumers; corporate users;…

Migrating an Online Service to WAP - A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klasen, Lars

2002-01-01

Discusses mobile access via wireless application protocol (WAP) to online services that is offered in Sweden through InfoTorg. Topics include the Swedish online market; filtering HTML data from an Internet/Web server into WML (wireless markup language); mobile phone technology; microbrowsers; WAP protocol; and future possibilities. (LRW)

A Framework for a WAP-Based Course Registration System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

AL-Bastaki, Yousif; Al-Ajeeli, Abid

2005-01-01

This paper describes a WAP-based course registration system designed and implemented to facilitating the process of students' registration at Bahrain University. The framework will support many opportunities for applying WAP based technology to many services such as wireless commerce, cashless payment... and location-based services. The paper…

New energy venture: Final report

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

Not Available

Three nonprofit WAP subgrantees in Arkansas that currently manufacture storm windows, thermal doors and thermal windows on a limited basis for sale to the public and for use in the weatherization programs intend to form NEW ENERGY VENTURES (NEV) a for-profit entity that will market their products and products from other manufacturers that complement these WAP subgrantee produced products. Participating in the venture are East Central Arkansas Economic Opportunity Corp., Forrest City, AR; Universal Housing Development Corp., Dardanelle, AR; and Southwest Arkansas Development Council, Inc., Texarkana, AR. Because of the location of the agencies throughout Arkansas, the products could reasonablymore » be sold to individuals and businesses in the proximate areas of the neighboring states without remarkably increasing the cost of doing business. This assumption, however, will be tested during the business planning period.« less

Hierarchy within the mammary STAT5-driven Wap super-enhancer.

PubMed

Shin, Ha Youn; Willi, Michaela; HyunYoo, Kyung; Zeng, Xianke; Wang, Chaochen; Metser, Gil; Hennighausen, Lothar

2016-08-01

Super-enhancers comprise dense transcription factor platforms highly enriched for active chromatin marks. A paucity of functional data led us to investigate the role of super-enhancers in the mammary gland, an organ characterized by exceptional gene regulatory dynamics during pregnancy. ChIP-seq analysis for the master regulator STAT5A, the glucocorticoid receptor, H3K27ac and MED1 identified 440 mammary-specific super-enhancers, half of which were associated with genes activated during pregnancy. We interrogated the Wap super-enhancer, generating mice carrying mutations in STAT5-binding sites within its constituent enhancers. Individually, the most distal site displayed the greatest enhancer activity. However, combinatorial mutation analysis showed that the 1,000-fold induction in gene expression during pregnancy relied on all enhancers. Disabling the binding sites of STAT5, NFIB and ELF5 in the proximal enhancer incapacitated the entire super-enhancer. Altogether, these data suggest a temporal and functional enhancer hierarchy. The identification of mammary-specific super-enhancers and the mechanistic exploration of the Wap locus provide insights into the regulation of cell-type-specific expression of hormone-sensing genes.

Characterization of a double WAP domain-containing protein from the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Crustaceans express multiple whey acidic protein (WAP) domain containing proteins which are components of host immunity. In the present study, a new double WAP domain containing protein was identified from red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii, designated Pc-DWD. The ORF is 387 bp, encoding 128 ami...

Reduced Toxicity With Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) for Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor (DSRCT): An Update on the Whole Abdominopelvic Radiation Therapy (WAP-RT) Experience

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

Desai, Neil B.; Stein, Nicholas F.; LaQuaglia, Michael P.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare malignancy typically involving the peritoneum in young men. Whole abdominopelvic radiation therapy (WAP-RT) using conventional 2-dimensional (2D) radiation therapy (RT) is used to address local recurrence but has been limited by toxicity. Our objectives were to assess the benefit of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) on toxicity and to update the largest series on radiation for DSRCT. Methods and Materials: The records of 31 patients with DSRCT treated with WAP-RT (22 with 2D-RT and 9 with IMRT) between 1992 and 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. All received multi-agent chemotherapy and maximalmore » surgical debulking followed by 30 Gy of WAP-RT. A further focal boost of 12 to 24 Gy was used in 12 cases. Boost RT and autologous stem cell transplantation were nearly exclusive to patients treated with 2D-RT. Toxicities were assessed with the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Dosimetric analysis compared IMRT and simulated 2D-RT dose distributions. Results: Of 31 patients, 30 completed WAP-RT, with a median follow-up after RT of 19 months. Acute toxicity was reduced with IMRT versus 2D-RT: P=.04 for gastrointestinal toxicity of grade 2 or higher (33% vs 77%); P=.02 for grade 4 hematologic toxicity (33% vs 86%); P=.01 for rates of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; and P=.04 for rates of platelet transfusion. Post treatment red blood cell and platelet transfusion rates were also reduced (P=.01). IMRT improved target homogeneity ([D05-D95]/D05 of 21% vs 46%) and resulted in a 21% mean bone dose reduction. Small bowel obstruction was the most common late toxicity (23% overall). Updated 3-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 50% and 24%, respectively. Overall survival was associated with distant metastasis at diagnosis on multivariate analysis. Most failures remained intraperitoneal (88%). Conclusions: IMRT for consolidative WAP-RT in DSRCT improves hematologic toxicity in particular. Although the long-term efficacy of current treatment options remains disappointing, the improved therapeutic index of IMRT may aid in generalizing its use and allowing the addition of novel approaches such as intraperitoneal immunotherapy.« less

Safety evaluation of Whole Algalin Protein (WAP) from Chlorella protothecoides.

PubMed

Szabo, Nancy J; Matulka, Ray A; Chan, Teresa

2013-09-01

Microalgae such as Chlorella spp., were once consumed as traditional human foods; now they are being developed as ingredients for modern diets. Whole Algalin Protein (WAP) from dried milled Chlorella protothecoides was evaluated for dietary safety in a 13-week feeding trial in rodents with genotoxic potential evaluated using in vitro and in vivo assays and the likelihood of food allergy potential evaluated via human repeat-insult patch test (HRIPT). In the subchronic study, rats consumed feed containing 0, 25,000, 50,000 or 100,000 ppm WAP for 92-93 days. No treatment-related mortalities or effects in general condition, body weight, food consumption, ophthalmology, urinalysis, hematology, clinical chemistry, gross pathology, organ weights, and histopathology occurred. Several endpoints exhibited statistically significant effects, but none was dose-related. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was based on the highest WAP concentration consumed by the rats and was equivalent to 4805 mg/kg/day in males and 5518 mg/kg/day in females. No mutagenicity occurred in Salmonella typhimurium or Escherichia coli tester strains (≤5000 μg/plate WAP) with or without mutagenic activation. No clastogenic response occurred in bone marrow from mice administered a single oral dose (2000 mg/kg WAP). Skin sensitization was not induced by WAP via HRIPT, indicating little potential for food allergy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DETERMINATION OF REPORTABLE RADIONUCLIDES FOR DWPF SLUDGE BATCH 7B (MACROBATCH 9)

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

Crawford, C. L.; Diprete, D. P.

The Waste Acceptance Product Specifications (WAPS) 1.2 require that “The Producer shall report the inventory of radionuclides (in Curies) that have half-lives longer than 10 years and that are, or will be, present in concentrations greater than 0.05 percent of the total inventory for each waste type indexed to the years 2015 and 3115”. As part of the strategy to comply with WAPS 1.2, the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) will report for each waste type, all radionuclides (with half-lives greater than 10 years) that have concentrations greater than 0.01 percent of the total inventory from time of production throughmore » the 1100 year period from 2015 through 3115. The initial listing of radionuclides to be included is based on the design-basis glass as identified in the Waste Form Compliance Plan (WCP) and Waste Form Qualification Report (WQR). However, it is required that this list be expanded if other radionuclides with half-lives greater than 10 years are identified that may meet the greater than 0.01% criterion for Curie content. Specification 1.6 of the WAPS, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards Reporting for High Level Waste (HLW), requires that the ratio by weights of the following uranium and plutonium isotopes be reported: U-233, U-234, U-235, U-236, U-238, Pu-238, Pu-239, Pu-240, Pu-241, and Pu- 242. Therefore, the complete set of reportable radionuclides must also include this set of U and Pu isotopes. The DWPF is receiving radioactive sludge slurry from HLW Tank 40. The radioactive sludge slurry in Tank 40 is a blend of the heel from Sludge Batch 7a (SB7a) and Sludge Batch 7b (SB7b) that was transferred to Tank 40 from Tank 51. The blend of sludge in Tank 40 is also referred to as Macrobatch 9 (MB9). This report develops the list of reportable radionuclides and associated activities as a function of time. The DWPF will use this list and the activities as one of the inputs for the development of the Production Records that relate to radionuclide inventory. This work was initiated through Technical Task Request (TTR) HLW-DWPF-TTR-2011-0004; Rev. 0 entitled Sludge Batch 7b Qualification Studies. Specifically, this report details results from performing Subtask II, Item 2 of the TTR and, in part, meets Deliverable 6 of the TTR. The work was performed following the Task Technical and Quality Assurance Plan (TTQAP), SRNL-RP-2011-00247, Rev. 0 and Analytical Study Plan (ASP), SRNL-RP-2011-00248, Rev. 0. In order to determine the reportable radionuclides for SB7b (MB9), a list of radioisotopes that may meet the criteria as specified by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) WAPS was developed. All radioactive U- 235 fission products and all radioactive activation products that could be in the SRS HLW were considered. In addition, all U and Pu isotopes identified in WAPS 1.6 were included in the list. This list was then evaluated and some isotopes were excluded from the projection calculations. Based on measurements and analytical detection limits, 27 radionuclides have been identified as reportable for DWPF SB7b as specified by WAPS 1.2. The WCP and WQR require that all of the radionuclides present in the Design Basis glass be considered as the initial set of reportable radionuclides. For SB7b, all of the radionuclides in the Design Basis glass are reportable except for three radionuclides: Pd-107, Cs-135, and Th-230. At no time during the 1100- year period between 2015 and 3115 did any of these three radionuclides contribute to more than 0.01% of the radioactivity on a Curie basis. Two additional uranium isotopes (U-235 and -236) must be added to the list of reportable radionuclides in order to meet WAPS 1.6. All of the Pu isotopes (Pu-238, -239, -240, -241, and -242) and other U isotopes (U-233, -234, and -238) identified in WAPS 1.6 were already determined to be reportable according to WAPS 1.2 This brings the total number of reportable radionuclides for SB7b to 29. The radionuclide measurements made for SB7b are similar to those performed in the previous SB7a MB8 work. Some method development/refinement occurred during the conduct of these measurements, leading to lower detection limits and more accurate measurement of some isotopes than was previously possible. Improvement in the analytical measurements will likely continue, and this in turn should lead to improved detection limit values for some radionuclides and actual measurements for still others.« less

Determination Of Reportable Radionuclides For DWPF Sludge Batch 7B (Macrobatch 9)

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

Crawford, C. L.; DiPrete, D. P.

The Waste Acceptance Product Specifications (WAPS) 1.2 require that “The Producer shall report the inventory of radionuclides (in Curies) that have half-lives longer than 10 years and that are, or will be, present in concentrations greater than 0.05 percent of the total inventory for each waste type indexed to the years 2015 and 3115”. As part of the strategy to comply with WAPS 1.2, the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) will report for each waste type, all radionuclides (with half-lives greater than 10 years) that have concentrations greater than 0.01 percent of the total inventory from time of production throughmore » the 1100 year period from 2015 through 3115. The initial listing of radionuclides to be included is based on the design-basis glass as identified in the Waste Form Compliance Plan (WCP) and Waste Form Qualification Report (WQR). However, it is required that this list be expanded if other radionuclides with half-lives greater than 10 years are identified that may meet the greater than 0.01% criterion for Curie content. Specification 1.6 of the WAPS, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards Reporting for High Level Waste (HLW), requires that the ratio by weights of the following uranium and plutonium isotopes be reported: U-233, U-234, U-235, U-236, U-238, Pu-238, Pu-239, Pu-240, Pu-241, and Pu-242. Therefore, the complete set of reportable radionuclides must also include this set of U and Pu isotopes. The DWPF is receiving radioactive sludge slurry from HLW Tank 40. The radioactive sludge slurry in Tank 40 is a blend of the heel from Sludge Batch 7a (SB7a) and Sludge Batch 7b (SB7b) that was transferred to Tank 40 from Tank 51. The blend of sludge in Tank 40 is also referred to as Macrobatch 9 (MB9). This report develops the list of reportable radionuclides and associated activities as a function of time. The DWPF will use this list and the activities as one of the inputs for the development of the Production Records that relate to radionuclide inventory. This work was initiated through Technical Task Request (TTR) HLW-DWPF-TTR-2011-0004; Rev. 0 entitled Sludge Batch 7b Qualification Studies. Specifically, this report details results from performing Subtask II, Item 2 of the TTR and, in part, meets Deliverable 6 of the TTR. The work was performed following the Task Technical and Quality Assurance Plan (TTQAP), SRNL-RP-2011-00247, Rev. 0 and Analytical Study Plan (ASP), SRNL-RP-2011-00248, Rev. 0. In order to determine the reportable radionuclides for SB7b (MB9), a list of radioisotopes that may meet the criteria as specified by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) WAPS was developed. All radioactive U-235 fission products and all radioactive activation products that could be in the SRS HLW were considered. In addition, all U and Pu isotopes identified in WAPS 1.6 were included in the list. This list was then evaluated and some isotopes were excluded from the projection calculations. Based on measurements and analytical detection limits, 27 radionuclides have been identified as reportable for DWPF SB7b as specified by WAPS 1.2. The WCP and WQR require that all of the radionuclides present in the Design Basis glass be considered as the initial set of reportable radionuclides. For SB7b, all of the radionuclides in the Design Basis glass are reportable except for three radionuclides: Pd-107, Cs-135, and Th-230. At no time during the 1100-year period between 2015 and 3115 did any of these three radionuclides contribute to more than 0.01% of the radioactivity on a Curie basis. Two additional uranium isotopes (U-235 and -236) must be added to the list of reportable radionuclides in order to meet WAPS 1.6. All of the Pu isotopes (Pu-238, -239, -240, -241, and -242) and other U isotopes (U-233, -234, and -238) identified in WAPS 1.6 were already determined to be reportable according to WAPS 1.2 This brings the total number of reportable radionuclides for SB7b to 29. The radionuclide measurements made for SB7b are similar to those performed in the previous SB7a MB8 work. Some method development/refinement occurred during the conduct of these measurements, leading to lower detection limits and more accurate measurement of some isotopes than was previously possible. Improvement in the analytical measurements will likely continue, and this in turn should lead to improved detection limit values for some radionuclides and actual measurements for still others.« less

Fatty Acyl Incorporation in the Biosynthesis of WAP-8294A, a Group of Potent Anti-MRSA Cyclic Lipodepsipeptides

PubMed Central

Chen, Haotong; Olson, Andrew S.; Su, Wei; Dussault, Patrick H.; Du, Liangcheng

2015-01-01

WAP-8294A is a family of at least 20 cyclic lipodepsipeptides exhibiting potent anti-MRSA activity. These compounds differ mainly in the hydroxylated fatty acyl chain; WAP-8294A2, the most potent member of the family that reached clinical trials, is based on (R)-3-hydroxy-7-methyloctanoic acid. It is unclear how the acyl group is incorporated because no acyl-CoA ligase (ACL) gene is present in the WAP-8294A gene cluster in Lysobacter enzymogenes OH11. Here, we identified seven putative ACL genes in the OH11 genome and showed that the yield of WAP-8294A2 was impacted by multiple ACL genes with the ACL6 gene having the most significant effect. We then investigated several (R)-3-hydroxy fatty acids and their acyl SNAC (N-acetylcysteamine) thioesters as substrates for the ACLs. Feeding (R)-3-hydroxy-7-methyloctanoate-SNAC to the ACL6 gene deletion mutant restored the production of WAP-8294A2. Finally, we heterologously expressed the seven ACL genes in E. coli and purified six of the proteins. While these enzymes exhibit a varied level of activity in vitro, ACL6 showed the highest catalytic efficiency in converting (R)-3-hydroxy-7-methyloctanoic acid to its CoA thioester when incubated with coenzyme A and ATP. These results provided both in vivo and in vitro evidence to support the fact that ACL6 is the main player for fatty acyl activation and incorporation in WAP-8294A2 biosynthesis. The results also suggest that the molecular basis for the acyl chain diversity in the WAP-8294A family is the presence of functionally overlapping ACLs. PMID:26726302

Fatty Acyl Incorporation in the Biosynthesis of WAP-8294A, a Group of Potent Anti-MRSA Cyclic Lipodepsipeptides.

PubMed

Chen, Haotong; Olson, Andrew S; Su, Wei; Dussault, Patrick H; Du, Liangcheng

WAP-8294A is a family of at least 20 cyclic lipodepsipeptides exhibiting potent anti-MRSA activity. These compounds differ mainly in the hydroxylated fatty acyl chain; WAP-8294A2, the most potent member of the family that reached clinical trials, is based on ( R )-3-hydroxy-7-methyloctanoic acid. It is unclear how the acyl group is incorporated because no acyl-CoA ligase (ACL) gene is present in the WAP-8294A gene cluster in Lysobacter enzymogenes OH11. Here, we identified seven putative ACL genes in the OH11 genome and showed that the yield of WAP-8294A2 was impacted by multiple ACL genes with the ACL6 gene having the most significant effect. We then investigated several ( R )-3-hydroxy fatty acids and their acyl SNAC ( N -acetylcysteamine) thioesters as substrates for the ACLs. Feeding ( R )-3-hydroxy-7-methyloctanoate-SNAC to the ACL6 gene deletion mutant restored the production of WAP-8294A2. Finally, we heterologously expressed the seven ACL genes in E. coli and purified six of the proteins. While these enzymes exhibit a varied level of activity in vitro , ACL6 showed the highest catalytic efficiency in converting ( R )-3-hydroxy-7-methyloctanoic acid to its CoA thioester when incubated with coenzyme A and ATP. These results provided both in vivo and in vitro evidence to support the fact that ACL6 is the main player for fatty acyl activation and incorporation in WAP-8294A2 biosynthesis. The results also suggest that the molecular basis for the acyl chain diversity in the WAP-8294A family is the presence of functionally overlapping ACLs.

Epigenetic modifications and chromatin loop organization explain the different expression profiles of the Tbrg4, WAP and Ramp3 genes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Whey Acidic Protein (WAP) gene expression is specific to the mammary gland and regulated by lactogenic hormones to peak during lactation. It differs markedly from the more constitutive expression of the two flanking genes, Ramp3 and Tbrg4. Our results show that the tight regulation of WAP gene expre...

Identification and Characterization of the Anti-Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus WAP-8294A2 Biosynthetic Gene Cluster from Lysobacter enzymogenes OH11 ▿ †

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wei; Li, Yaoyao; Qian, Guoliang; Wang, Yan; Chen, Haotong; Li, Yue-Zhong; Liu, Fengquan; Shen, Yuemao; Du, Liangcheng

2011-01-01

Lysobactor enzymogenes strain OH11 is an emerging biological control agent of fungal and bacterial diseases. We recently completed its genome sequence and found it contains a large number of gene clusters putatively responsible for the biosynthesis of nonribosomal peptides and polyketides, including the previously identified antifungal dihydromaltophilin (HSAF). One of the gene clusters contains two huge open reading frames, together encoding 12 modules of nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS). Gene disruption of one of the NRPS led to the disappearance of a metabolite produced in the wild type and the elimination of its antibacterial activity. The metabolite and antibacterial activity were also affected by the disruption of some of the flanking genes. We subsequently isolated this metabolite and subjected it to spectroscopic analysis. The mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance data showed that its chemical structure is identical to WAP-8294A2, a cyclic lipodepsipeptide with potent anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity and currently in phase I/II clinical trials. The WAP-8294A2 biosynthetic genes had not been described previously. So far, the Gram-positive Streptomyces have been the primary source of anti-infectives. Lysobacter are Gram-negative soil/water bacteria that are genetically amendable and have not been well exploited. The WAP-8294A2 synthetase represents one of the largest NRPS complexes, consisting of 45 functional domains. The identification of these genes sets the foundation for the study of the WAP-8294A2 biosynthetic mechanism and opens the door for producing new anti-MRSA antibiotics through biosynthetic engineering in this new source of Lysobacter. PMID:21930890

Novel role of the LPS core glycosyltransferase WapH for cold adaptation in the Antarctic bacterium Pseudomonas extremaustralis.

PubMed

Benforte, Florencia C; Colonnella, Maria A; Ricardi, Martiniano M; Solar Venero, Esmeralda C; Lizarraga, Leonardo; López, Nancy I; Tribelli, Paula M

2018-01-01

Psychrotroph microorganisms have developed cellular mechanisms to cope with cold stress. Cell envelopes are key components for bacterial survival. Outer membrane is a constituent of Gram negative bacterial envelopes, consisting of several components, such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS). In this work we investigated the relevance of envelope characteristics for cold adaptation in the Antarctic bacterium Pseudomonas extremaustralis by analyzing a mini Tn5 wapH mutant strain, encoding a core LPS glycosyltransferase. Our results showed that wapH strain is impaired to grow under low temperature but not for cold survival. The mutation in wapH, provoked a strong aggregative phenotype and modifications of envelope nanomechanical properties such as lower flexibility and higher turgor pressure, cell permeability and surface area to volume ratio (S/V). Changes in these characteristics were also observed in the wild type strain grown at different temperatures, showing higher cell flexibility but lower turgor pressure under cold conditions. Cold shock experiments indicated that an acclimation period in the wild type is necessary for cell flexibility and S/V ratio adjustments. Alteration in cell-cell interaction capabilities was observed in wapH strain. Mixed cells of wild type and wapH strains, as well as those of the wild type strain grown at different temperatures, showed a mosaic pattern of aggregation. These results indicate that wapH mutation provoked marked envelope alterations showing that LPS core conservation appears as a novel essential feature for active growth under cold conditions.

Tackling obesity in areas of high social deprivation: clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a task-based weight management group programme - a randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation.

PubMed

McRobbie, Hayden; Hajek, Peter; Peerbux, Sarrah; Kahan, Brennan C; Eldridge, Sandra; Trépel, Dominic; Parrott, Steve; Griffiths, Chris; Snuggs, Sarah; Myers Smith, Katie

2016-10-01

An increasing number of people require help to manage their weight. The NHS recommends weight loss advice by general practitioners and/or a referral to a practice nurse. Although this is helpful for some, more effective approaches that can be disseminated economically on a large scale are needed. To assess whether or not a task-based weight management programme [Weight Action Programme (WAP)] has better long-term effects than a 'best practice' intervention provided in primary care by practice nurses. Randomised controlled trial with cost-effectiveness analysis. General practices in east London, UK. Three hundred and thirty adults with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 30 kg/m 2 or a BMI of ≥ 28 kg/m 2 plus comorbidities were recruited from local general practices and via media publicity. Those who had a BMI of > 45 kg/m 2 , had lost > 5% of their body weight in the previous 6 months, were currently pregnant or taking psychiatric medications were excluded. Participants were randomised (2 : 1) to the WAP or nurse arms. The WAP intervention was delivered in eight weekly group sessions that combined dietary and physical activity, advice and self-monitoring in a group-oriented intervention. The initial course was followed by 10 monthly group maintenance sessions open to all participants in this study arm. The practice nurse intervention (best usual care) consisted of four one-to-one sessions delivered over 8 weeks, and included standard advice on diet and physical activity based on NHS 'Change4Life' materials and motivational support. The primary outcome measure was weight change at 12 months. Secondary outcome measures included change in BMI, waist circumference and blood pressure, and proportion of participants losing at least 5% and 10% of baseline body weight. Staff collecting measurements at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups were blinded to treatment allocation. The primary outcome measure was analysed according to the intention-to-treat principle, and included all participants with at least one recorded outcome at either 1, 2, 6 or 12 months. The analysis employed a mixed-effects linear regression model, adjusted for baseline weight, age, sex, ethnicity, smoking status and general practice. The European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions-5 Levels questionnaire was completed and used to estimate quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) within the cost-effectiveness analysis. There were 330 participants (WAP arm, n  = 221; nurse arm, n  = 109; 72% women). A total of 291 (88%) participants (WAP arm, n  = 194; nurse arm, n  = 97) were included in the main analysis for the primary outcome. Weight loss at 12 months was greater in the WAP arm than in the nurse intervention arm [-4.2 kg vs. -2.3 kg; difference -1.9 kg, 95% confidence interval (CI) -3.7 to -0.1 kg; p  = 0.04]. Participants in the WAP arm were more likely than participants in the nurse arm to have lost at least 5% of their baseline body weight at 12 months (41% vs. 27%; odds ratio 14.61, 95% CI 2.32 to 91.96; p  = 0.004). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for WAP over and above the nurse arm is £7742 per QALY. A WAP delivered in general practice better promotes weight loss over 12 months than a best usual practice nurse-led weight loss programme. The trial recruited mostly women. Research is needed into factors that would make weight loss programmes more attractive to men. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN45820471. This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment ; Vol. 20, No. 79. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Formative Evaluation of the Behavior Change Components within a Colorado Weatherization Assistance Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandoval, Perla K.

A formative evaluation of behavior change elements of an ongoing Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) offered by the Energy Resource Center (E.R.C.) in Denver, CO was conducted. The WAP as administered by the E.R.C. in Colorado saves residents an average 15% of energy consumption (E.R.C., 2015). However, research suggests that adding behavioral components to WAPs could increase energy savings to 21-26% (Gregory, 1992; APPRAISE, 2002). The goal of this evaluation is to provide recommendations to E.R.C. for program changes using Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM) and Theory of Planned Behavior. The CBSM Step 1- Step 3 is the focus of this formative evaluation. This program evaluation has four components: 1) review of written materials, 2) interviews with staff, 3) surveys mailed to E.R.C. clients and 4) in-home observations conducted with E.R.C. clients. Results of this formative evaluation has 3 sections of behaviors recommended for future intervention high priority, mid priority, and low priority recommendations based on CBSM penetration, probability, and impact factors. Behaviors that are listed as high priority for E.R.C. Behavioral intervention are cold water washing, hang drying, setting back thermostats, and window coverings. Overall increase in staff engagement is also recommended to be pursued. Each staff level is also given recommendations on how to engage in behavior change interventions.

TANK 40 FINAL SB7B CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION RESULTS

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

Bannochie, C.

2012-03-15

A sample of Sludge Batch 7b (SB7b) was taken from Tank 40 in order to obtain radionuclide inventory analyses necessary for compliance with the Waste Acceptance Product Specifications (WAPS). The SB7b WAPS sample was also analyzed for chemical composition including noble metals and fissile constituents, and these results are reported here. These analyses along with the WAPS radionuclide analyses will help define the composition of the sludge in Tank 40 that is currently being fed to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) as SB7b. At the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) the 3-L Tank 40 SB7b sample was transferred frommore » the shipping container into a 4-L high density polyethylene bottle and solids were allowed to settle over the weekend. Supernate was then siphoned off and circulated through the shipping container to complete the transfer of the sample. Following thorough mixing of the 3-L sample, a 558 g sub-sample was removed. This sub-sample was then utilized for all subsequent analytical samples. Eight separate aliquots of the slurry were digested, four with HNO{sub 3}/HCl (aqua regia) in sealed Teflon{reg_sign} vessels and four with NaOH/Na{sub 2}O{sub 2} (alkali or peroxide fusion) using Zr crucibles. Two Analytical Reference Glass - 1 (ARG-1) standards were digested along with a blank for each preparation. Each aqua regia digestion and blank was diluted to 1:100 mL with deionized water and submitted to Analytical Development (AD) for inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis, inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AA) for As and Se, and cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CV-AA) for Hg. Equivalent dilutions of the alkali fusion digestions and blank were submitted to AD for ICP-AES analysis. Tank 40 SB7b supernate was collected from a mixed slurry sample in the SRNL Shielded Cells and submitted to AD for ICP-AES, ion chromatography (IC), total base/free OH{sup -}/other base, total inorganic carbon/total organic carbon (TIC/TOC) analyses, and Cs-137 gamma scan. Weighted dilutions of slurry were submitted for IC, TIC/TOC, and total base/free OH{sup -}/other base analyses. Activities for U-233, U-235, and Pu-239 were determined from the ICP-MS data for the aqua regia digestions of the Tank 40 WAPS slurry using the specific activity of each isotope. The Pu-241 value was determined from a Pu-238/-241 method developed by SRNL AD and previously described. The following conclusions were drawn from the analytical results reported here: (1) The ratios of the major elements for the SB7b WAPS sample are different from those measured for the SB7a WAPS sample. There is less Al and Mn relative to Fe than the previous sludge batch. (2) The elemental composition of this sample and the analyses conducted here are reasonable and consistent with DWPF batch data measurements in light of DWPF pre-sample concentration and SRAT product heel contributions to the DWPF SRAT receipt analyses. The element ratios for Al/Fe, Ca/Fe, Mn/Fe, and U/Fe agree within 10% between this work and the DWPF Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) receipt analyses. (3) Sulfur in the SB7b WAPS sample is 82% soluble, slightly less than results reported for SB3, SB4, and SB6 samples but unlike the 50% insoluble sulfur observed in the SB5 WAPS sample. In addition, 23% of the soluble sulfur is not present as sulfate in SB7b. (4) The average activities of the fissile isotopes of interest in the SB7b WAPS sample are (in {mu}Ci/g of total dried solids): 4.22E-02 U-233, 6.12E-04 U-235, 1.08E+01 Pu-239, and 5.09E+01 Pu-241. The full radionuclide composition will be reported in a future document. (5) The fission product noble metal and Ag concentrations appear to have largely peaked in previous DWPF sludge batches, with the exception of Ru, which still shows a slight increase in SB7b.« less

Whey acidic proteins (WAPs): novel modulators of innate immunity to HIV infection.

PubMed

Reading, James L; Meyers, Adrienne F A; Vyakarnam, Annapurna

2012-03-01

To discuss how whey acidic proteins (WAPs), a new class of immunomodulatory soluble mediators, impact innate immunity to HIV infection. Innate immunity to HIV infection is increasingly being recognized as critical in determining initial virus transmission and dissemination and may, therefore, be exploited in vaccine and microbicide intervention strategies to combat HIV infection. Several important innate immune mediators have recently been shown to regulate HIV infection in vitro and are, thus, implicated in in vivo immunity to the virus. These include soluble mediators, such as type I interferon, the defensins and more recently WAPs. Recent evidence is discussed, which show that WAPs are pleiotropic soluble mediators that may impact the course of HIV infection in two ways: as regulators of HIV replication and as regulators of innate and adaptive immunity. A better understanding of host factors that regulate HIV transmission is essential in the development of novel therapeutic strategies. This review focuses on recent findings that highlight the HIV regulatory and anti-inflammatory function of WAPs and assesses their potential to be exploited as novel therapeutics.

Flooded area and plant zonation in isolated wetlands in well fields in the Northern Tampa Bay Region, Florida, following reductions in groundwater-withdrawal rates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haag, Kim H.; Pfeiffer, William R.

2012-01-01

WAP scores and weighted average scores for wetland vegetation were generally consistent with the results of the flooded area analysis. The WAP scores and weighted average scores were higher overall and did not decline with time at four wetlands in well fields (W-33, W-56, Starkey N, and Starkey 108) during the years following reductions in groundwater-withdrawal rates. These four wetlands also had increases in the extent and duration of the flooded area during the post-reduction period. Scores for trees were more consistent than scores for shrubs and groundcover. WAP scores remained relatively low or generally declined at five well-field wetlands (Q-1, W-17, W-41, Starkey D, and Starkey E) during the years following reductions in groundwater-withdrawal rates, and weighted average scores either declined over time or remained low. These five wetlands either did not have an increase in the extent and duration of the flooded area, or if there was an increase, it was small.

Assessing the Potential of Social Networks as a Means for Information Diffusion the Weatherization Experiences (WE) Project.

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

Rose, Erin M.; Hawkins, Beth A.

In April 2009, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) formally tasked Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with conducting two impact and process evaluations of DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), known as the retrospective and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) period evaluations, respectively. The former focused on WAP Program Year (PY) 2008, which covers the period from April 2008 to June 2009. The latter focused on PY 2010. This report presents in-depth analyses from ORNL’s social network study, the Weatherization Experiences (WE) Project, an exploratory study conducted as part of the ARRA period WAP evaluation. The WE Project exploredmore » the potential for WAP recipients and staff to influence energy savings beyond their homes and day jobs. Several studies conducted through ORNL’s evaluation of WAP found that the program has the ability to profoundly impact the lives of the people it serves (Tonn et al. 2014b). Recipients of WAP provided statements ranging from the newfound ability to pay utility bills and prescription medication to reduced emergency department visits for asthma and medical conditions associated with thermal stress. Through this exploratory research project, the stories of hundreds of weatherization recipients and providers were documented. The WE Project was designed to further investigate whether or not shared experiences with weatherization have the power to stimulate home energy saving action within an individual’s social network.« less

Air Leakage of US Homes: Regression Analysis and Improvements from Retrofit

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

Chan, Wanyu R.; Joh, Jeffrey; Sherman, Max H.

2012-08-01

LBNL Residential Diagnostics Database (ResDB) contains blower door measurements and other diagnostic test results of homes in United States. Of these, approximately 134,000 single-family detached homes have sufficient information for the analysis of air leakage in relation to a number of housing characteristics. We performed regression analysis to consider the correlation between normalized leakage and a number of explanatory variables: IECC climate zone, floor area, height, year built, foundation type, duct location, and other characteristics. The regression model explains 68% of the observed variability in normalized leakage. ResDB also contains the before and after retrofit air leakage measurements of approximatelymore » 23,000 homes that participated in weatherization assistant programs (WAPs) or residential energy efficiency programs. The two types of programs achieve rather similar reductions in normalized leakage: 30% for WAPs and 20% for other energy programs.« less

Embargo on Lion Hunting Trophies from West Africa: An Effective Measure or a Threat to Lion Conservation?

PubMed Central

Bouché, Philippe; Crosmary, William; Kafando, Pierre; Doamba, Benoit; Kidjo, Ferdinand Claude; Vermeulen, Cédric; Chardonnet, Philippe

2016-01-01

The W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) ecosystem, shared among Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger, represents the last lion stronghold of West Africa. To assess the impact of trophy hunting on lion populations in hunting areas of the WAP, we analyzed trends in harvest rates from 1999 to 2014. We also investigated whether the hunting areas with higher initial hunting intensity experienced steeper declines in lion harvest between 1999 and 2014, and whether lion densities in hunting areas were lower than in national parks. Lion harvest rate remained overall constant in the WAP. At initial hunting intensities below 1.5 lions/1000km2, most hunting areas experienced an increase in lion harvest rate, although that increase was of lower magnitude for hunting areas with higher initial hunting intensity. The proportion of hunting areas that experienced a decline in lion harvest rate increased at initial hunting intensities above 1.5 lions/1000km2. In 2014, the lion population of the WAP was estimated with a spoor count at 418 (230–648) adults and sub-adult individuals, comparable to the 311 (123–498) individuals estimated in the previous 2012 spoor survey. We found no significant lion spoor density differences between national parks and hunting areas. Hunting areas with higher mean harvest rates did not have lower lion densities. The ratio of large adult males, females and sub-adults was similar between the national parks and the hunting areas. These results suggested that the lion population was not significantly affected by hunting in the WAP. We concluded that a quota of 1 lion/1000km2 would be sustainable for the WAP. Based on our results, an import embargo on lion trophies from the WAP would not be justified. It could ruin the incentive of local actors to conserve lions in hunting areas, and lead to a drastic reduction of lion range in West Africa. PMID:27182985

Embargo on Lion Hunting Trophies from West Africa: An Effective Measure or a Threat to Lion Conservation?

PubMed

Bouché, Philippe; Crosmary, William; Kafando, Pierre; Doamba, Benoit; Kidjo, Ferdinand Claude; Vermeulen, Cédric; Chardonnet, Philippe

2016-01-01

The W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) ecosystem, shared among Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger, represents the last lion stronghold of West Africa. To assess the impact of trophy hunting on lion populations in hunting areas of the WAP, we analyzed trends in harvest rates from 1999 to 2014. We also investigated whether the hunting areas with higher initial hunting intensity experienced steeper declines in lion harvest between 1999 and 2014, and whether lion densities in hunting areas were lower than in national parks. Lion harvest rate remained overall constant in the WAP. At initial hunting intensities below 1.5 lions/1000km2, most hunting areas experienced an increase in lion harvest rate, although that increase was of lower magnitude for hunting areas with higher initial hunting intensity. The proportion of hunting areas that experienced a decline in lion harvest rate increased at initial hunting intensities above 1.5 lions/1000km2. In 2014, the lion population of the WAP was estimated with a spoor count at 418 (230-648) adults and sub-adult individuals, comparable to the 311 (123-498) individuals estimated in the previous 2012 spoor survey. We found no significant lion spoor density differences between national parks and hunting areas. Hunting areas with higher mean harvest rates did not have lower lion densities. The ratio of large adult males, females and sub-adults was similar between the national parks and the hunting areas. These results suggested that the lion population was not significantly affected by hunting in the WAP. We concluded that a quota of 1 lion/1000km2 would be sustainable for the WAP. Based on our results, an import embargo on lion trophies from the WAP would not be justified. It could ruin the incentive of local actors to conserve lions in hunting areas, and lead to a drastic reduction of lion range in West Africa.

Early Spring Phytoplankton Dynamics in the Western Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arrigo, Kevin R.; van Dijken, Gert L.; Alderkamp, Anne-Carlijn; Erickson, Zachary K.; Lewis, Kate M.; Lowry, Kate E.; Joy-Warren, Hannah L.; Middag, Rob; Nash-Arrigo, Janice E.; Selz, Virginia; van de Poll, Willem

2017-12-01

The Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research program has sampled waters of the western Antarctic Peninsula (wAP) annually each summer since 1990. However, information about the wAP prior to the peak of the phytoplankton bloom in January is sparse. Here we present results from a spring process cruise that sampled the wAP in the early stages of phytoplankton bloom development in 2014. Sea ice concentrations were high on the shelf relative to nonshelf waters, especially toward the south. Macronutrients were high and nonlimiting to phytoplankton growth in both shelf and nonshelf waters, while dissolved iron concentrations were high only on the shelf. Phytoplankton were in good physiological condition throughout the wAP, although biomass on the shelf was uniformly low, presumably because of heavy sea ice cover. In contrast, an early stage phytoplankton bloom was observed beneath variable sea ice cover just seaward of the shelf break. Chlorophyll a concentrations in the bloom reached 2 mg m-3 within a 100-150 km band between the SBACC and SACCF. The location of the bloom appeared to be controlled by a balance between enhanced vertical mixing at the position of the two fronts and increased stratification due to melting sea ice between them. Unlike summer, when diatoms overwhelmingly dominate the phytoplankton population of the wAP, the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica dominated in spring, although diatoms were common. These results suggest that factors controlling phytoplankton abundance and composition change seasonally and may differentially affect phytoplankton populations as environmental conditions within the wAP region continue to change.

Effect of sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) cutting date and planting density on weed suppression in Georgia, USA.

PubMed

Morris, J Bradley; Chase, Carlene; Treadwell, Danielle; Koenig, Rosie; Cho, Alyssa; Morales-Payan, Jose Pable; Murphy, Tim; Antonious, George F

2015-01-01

A field study was conducted in 2008 and 2009 at the USDA, ARS, Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit in Griffin, GA, to investigate weed suppression by sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L). The objectives were to (1) evaluate the effects of apical meristem removal (AMR) at three dates [5, 6, and 7 wks after planting (WAP) on May 14, 2008 and May 21, 2009] and (2) assess the impact of seeding rates (11, 28, and 45 kg ha(-1)) on weed biomass reduction. Weed species were identified at 4, 8, and 12 wks after sunn hemp planting. Sunn hemp cutting date had no significant effect on weed suppression in 2008 but significant differences for grass weeds at 4, 8, and 12 WAP and for yellow nutsedge at 8 and 12 WAP did occur when compared to the control in 2009. In comparison to the sunn hemp-free control plot in 2009, all three seeding rates had reduced grass weed dry weights at 4, 8, and 12 WAP. The total mass of yellow nutsedge when grown with sunn hemp was reduced compared to the total mass of yellow nutsedge grown in the weedy check for all seeding rates at 8 and 12 WAP. Lower grass weed biomass was observed by 12 WAP for cutting dates and seeding rates during 2008 and 2009. Sunn hemp cutting date and seeding rate reduced branch numbers in both years. The reduction in sunn hemp seeding rates revealed a decrease in weed populations.

Weatherization Works--Summary of Findings from the Retrospective Evaluation of the U.S. DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program

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

Tonn, Bruce Edward; Carroll, David; Pigg, Scott

This report presents a summary of the studies and analyses that compose the retrospective evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy s low-income Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). WAP provides grants to Grantees (i.e., states) that then provide grants to Subgrantees (i.e., local weatherization agencies) to weatherize low-income homes. This evaluation focused on the WAP Program Year 2008. The retrospective evaluation produced twenty separate reports, including this summary. Four separate reports address the energy savings, energy cost savings, and cost effectiveness of WAP across four housing types: single family, mobile home, small multifamily, and large multifamily. Other reports address the environmentalmore » emissions, macroeconomic, and health and household-related benefits attributable to WAP, and characterize the program, its recipients, and those eligible for the program. Major field studies are also summarized, including a major indoor air quality study and a follow-up ventilation study, an in-depth in-field assessment of weatherization work and quality, and a study that assesses reasons for variations in energy savings across homes. Results of surveys of weatherization staff, occupants, occupants satisfaction with weatherization services provided, and weatherization trainees are summarized. Lastly, this report summarizes a set of fifteen case studies of high-performing and unique local weatherization agencies.« less

Marked phylogeographic structure of Gentoo penguin reveals an ongoing diversification process along the Southern Ocean.

PubMed

Vianna, Juliana A; Noll, Daly; Dantas, Gisele P M; Petry, Maria Virginia; Barbosa, Andrés; González-Acuña, Daniel; Le Bohec, Céline; Bonadonna, Francesco; Poulin, Elie

2017-02-01

Two main hypotheses have been debated about the biogeography of the Southern Ocean: (1) the Antarctic Polar Front (APF), acting as a barrier between Antarctic and sub-Antarctic provinces, and (2) the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), promoting gene flow among sub-Antarctic areas. The Gentoo penguin is distributed throughout these two provinces, separated by the APF. We analyzed mtDNA (HVR1) and 12 microsatellite loci of 264 Gentoo penguins, Pygoscelis papua, from 12 colonies spanning from the Western Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands (WAP) to the sub-Antarctic Islands (SAI). While low genetic structure was detected among WAP colonies (mtDNA Ф ST =0.037-0.133; microsatellite F ST =0.009-0.063), high differentiation was found between all SAI and WAP populations (mtDNA Ф ST =0.678-0.930; microsatellite F ST =0.110-0.290). These results suggest that contemporary dispersal around the Southern Ocean is very limited or absent. As predicted, the APF appears to be a significant biogeographical boundary for Gentoo penguin populations; however, the ACC does not promote connectivity in this species. Our data suggest demographic expansion in the WAP during the last glacial maximum (LGM, about 20kya), but stability in SAI. Phylogenetic analyses showed a deep divergence between populations from the WAP and those from the SAI. Therefore, taxonomy should be further revised. The Crozet Islands resulted as a basal clade (3.57Mya), followed by the Kerguelen Islands (2.32Mya) as well as a more recent divergence between the Falkland/Malvinas Islands and the WAP (1.27Mya). Historical isolation, local adaptation, and past climate scenarios of those Evolutionarily Significant Units may have led to different potentials to respond to climate changes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inter-decadal variability of phytoplankton biomass along the coastal West Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Kim, Hyewon; Ducklow, Hugh W; Abele, Doris; Ruiz Barlett, Eduardo M; Buma, Anita G J; Meredith, Michael P; Rozema, Patrick D; Schofield, Oscar M; Venables, Hugh J; Schloss, Irene R

2018-06-28

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a climatically sensitive region where periods of strong warming have caused significant changes in the marine ecosystem and food-web processes. Tight coupling between phytoplankton and higher trophic levels implies that the coastal WAP is a bottom-up controlled system, where changes in phytoplankton dynamics may largely impact other food-web components. Here, we analysed the inter-decadal time series of year-round chlorophyll- a (Chl) collected from three stations along the coastal WAP: Carlini Station at Potter Cove (PC) on King George Island, Palmer Station on Anvers Island and Rothera Station on Adelaide Island. There were trends towards increased phytoplankton biomass at Carlini Station (PC) and Palmer Station, while phytoplankton biomass declined significantly at Rothera Station over the studied period. The impacts of two relevant climate modes to the WAP, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode, on winter and spring phytoplankton biomass appear to be different among the three sampling stations, suggesting an important role of local-scale forcing than large-scale forcing on phytoplankton dynamics at each station. The inter-annual variability of seasonal bloom progression derived from considering all three stations together captured ecologically meaningful, seasonally co-occurring bloom patterns which were primarily constrained by water-column stability strength. Our findings highlight a coupled link between phytoplankton and physical and climate dynamics along the coastal WAP, which may improve our understanding of overall WAP food-web responses to climate change and variability.This article is part of the theme issue 'The marine system of the West Antarctic Peninsula: status and strategy for progress in a region of rapid change'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Expression of truncated Int6/eIF3e in mammary alveolar epithelium leads to persistent hyperplasia and tumorigenesis

PubMed Central

Mack, David L; Boulanger, Corinne A; Callahan, Robert; Smith, Gilbert H

2007-01-01

Introduction Int6 has been shown to be an interactive participant with the protein translation initiation complex eIF3, the COP9 signalosome and the regulatory lid of the 26S proteasome. Insertion of mouse mammary tumor virus into the Int6 locus creates a C-terminally truncated form of the protein. Expression of the truncated form of Int6 (Int6sh) in stably transfected human and mouse mammary epithelial cell lines leads to cellular transformation. In addition, decreased expression of Int6/eIF3e is observed in approximately one third of all human breast carcinomas. Methods To validate that Int6sh has transforming activity in vivo, a transgenic mouse model was designed using the whey acidic protein (Wap) promoter to target expression of truncated Int6 to differentiating alveolar epithelial cells in the mammary gland. Microarray analyses were performed on normal, premalignant and malignant WapInt6sh expressing tissues. Results Mammary tumors developed in 42% of WapInt6sh heterozygous parous females at an average age of 18 months. In WapInt6sh mice, the contralateral mammary glands from both tumorous and non-tumorous tissues contained widespread focal alveolar hyperplasia. Only 4% of WapInt6sh non-breeding females developed tumors by 2 years of age. The Wap promoter is active only during estrus in the mammary tissue of cycling non-pregnant mice. Microarray analyses of mammary tissues demonstrated that Int6sh expression in the alveolar tissue altered the mammary transcriptome in a specific manner that was detectable even in the first pregnancy. This Int6sh-specific transcriptome pattern subsequently persisted in both the Int6sh-expressing alveolar hyperplasia and mammary tumors. These observations are consistent with the conclusion that WapInt6sh-expressing alveolar cells survive involution following the cessation of lactation, and subsequently give rise to the mammary tumors that arise in aging multiparous females. Conclusion These observations provide direct in vivo evidence that mammary-specific expression of the Int6sh truncation leads to persistence of alveolar hyperplasia with the accompanying increased predisposition to mammary tumorigenesis. PMID:17626637

Recurrent seascape units identify key ecological processes along the western Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Bowman, Jeff S; Kavanaugh, Maria T; Doney, Scott C; Ducklow, Hugh W

2018-04-10

The western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a bellwether of global climate change and natural laboratory for identifying interactions between climate and ecosystems. The Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project has collected data on key ecological and environmental processes along the WAP since 1993. To better understand how key ecological parameters are changing across space and time, we developed a novel seascape classification approach based on in situ temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a, nitrate + nitrite, phosphate, and silicate. We anticipate that this approach will be broadly applicable to other geographical areas. Through the application of self-organizing maps (SOMs), we identified eight recurrent seascape units (SUs) in these data. These SUs have strong fidelity to known regional water masses but with an additional layer of biogeochemical detail, allowing us to identify multiple distinct nutrient profiles in several water masses. To identify the temporal and spatial distribution of these SUs, we mapped them across the Palmer LTER sampling grid via objective mapping of the original parameters. Analysis of the abundance and distribution of SUs since 1993 suggests two year types characterized by the partitioning of chlorophyll a into SUs with different spatial characteristics. By developing generalized linear models for correlated, time-lagged external drivers, we conclude that early spring sea ice conditions exert a strong influence on the distribution of chlorophyll a and nutrients along the WAP, but not necessarily the total chlorophyll a inventory. Because the distribution and density of phytoplankton biomass can have an impact on biomass transfer to the upper trophic levels, these results highlight anticipated links between the WAP marine ecosystem and climate. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Low-grade and high-grade mammary carcinomas in WAP-T transgenic mice are independent entities distinguished by Met expression.

PubMed

Otto, Benjamin; Gruner, Katharina; Heinlein, Christina; Wegwitz, Florian; Nollau, Peter; Ylstra, Bauke; Pantel, Klaus; Schumacher, Udo; Baumbusch, Lars O; Martin-Subero, José Ignacio; Siebert, Reiner; Wagener, Christoph; Streichert, Thomas; Deppert, Wolfgang; Tolstonog, Genrich V

2013-03-15

Mammary carcinomas developing in SV40 transgenic WAP-T mice arise in two distinct histological phenotypes: as differentiated low-grade and undifferentiated high-grade tumors. We integrated different types of information such as histological grading, analysis of aCGH-based gene copy number and gene expression profiling to provide a comprehensive molecular description of mammary tumors in WAP-T mice. Applying a novel procedure for the correlation of gene copy number with gene expression on a global scale, we observed in tumor samples a global coherence between genotype and transcription. This coherence can be interpreted as a matched transcriptional regulation inherited from the cells of tumor origin and determined by the activity of cancer driver genes. Despite common recurrent genomic aberrations, e.g. gain of chr. 15 in most WAP-T tumors, loss of chr. 19 frequently occurs only in low-grade tumors. These tumors show features of "basal-like" epithelial differentiation, particularly expression of keratin 14. The high-grade tumors are clearly separated from the low-grade tumors by strong expression of the Met gene and by coexpression of epithelial (e.g. keratin 18) and mesenchymal (e.g. vimentin) markers. In high-grade tumors, the expression of the nonmutated Met protein is associated with Met-locus amplification and Met activity. The role of Met as a cancer driver gene is supported by the contribution of active Met signaling to motility and growth of mammary tumor-derived cells. Finally, we discuss the independent origin of low- and high-grade tumors from distinct cells of tumor origin, possibly luminal progenitors, distinguished by Met gene expression and Met signaling. Copyright © 2012 UICC.

Laser and plasma dental soldering techniques applied to Ti-6Al-4V alloy: ultimate tensile strength and finite element analysis.

PubMed

Castro, Morgana G; Araújo, Cleudmar A; Menegaz, Gabriela L; Silva, João Paulo L; Nóbilo, Mauro Antônio A; Simamoto Júnior, Paulo Cézar

2015-05-01

The literature provides limited information regarding the performance of Ti-6Al-4V laser and plasma joints welded in prefabricated bars in dental applications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanical strength of different diameters of Ti-6Al-4V alloy welded with laser and plasma techniques. Forty-five dumbbell-shaped rods were created from Ti-6Al-4V and divided into 9 groups (n=5): a control group with 3-mm and intact bars; groups PL2.5, PL3, PL4, and PL5 (specimens with 2.5-, 3-, 4-, and 5-mm diameters welded with plasma); and groups L2.5, L3, L4, and L5 (specimens with 2.5-, 3-, 4-, and 5-mm diameters welded with laser). The specimens were tested for ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation percentages (EP) were obtained. Fractured specimens were analyzed by stereomicroscopy, and welded area percentages (WAP) were calculated. Images were made with scanning electron microscopy. In the initial analysis, the data were analyzed with a 2-way ANOVA (2×4) and the Tukey Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test. In the second analysis, the UTS and EP data were analyzed with 1-way ANOVA, and the Dunnett test was used to compare the 4 experimental groups with the control group (α=.05). The Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficient tests were applied to correlate the study factors. Finite element models were developed in a workbench environment with boundary conditions simulating those of a tensile test. The 2-way ANOVA showed that the factors welding type and diameter were significant for the UTS and WAP values. However, the interaction between them was not significant. The 1-way ANOVA showed statistically significant differences among the groups for UTS, WAP, and EP values. The Dunnett test showed that all the tested groups had lower UTS and EP values than the control group. The 2.5- and 3-mm diameter groups showed higher values for UTS and WAP than the other test groups. A positive correlation was found between welded area percentage and UTS and a negative correlation between these parameters and the diameters of the specimens. No statistically significant difference was found between the weld techniques. Under the experimental conditions described, diameters of 2.5 and 3 mm resulted in higher UTS and WAP for both laser and plasma welding and appear to be the best option for joining prefabricated rods in this kind of union. Copyright © 2015 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A new anti-MRSA antibiotic complex, WAP-8294A II. Structure characterization of minor components by ESI LCMS and MS/MS.

PubMed

Kato, Azusa; Hirata, Haruhisa; Ohashi, Yoshitami; Fujii, Kiyonaga; Mori, Kenji; Harada, Ken-ichi

2011-05-01

The anti-MRSA antibiotic, WAP-8294A, was isolated from the fermentation broth of Lysobacter sp. The major component, WAP-8294A2, is composed of 1 mol of Gly, L-Leu, L-Glu, D-Asn, D-Trp, D-threo-β-hydroxyasparagine, N-Me-D-Phe and N-Me-L-Val, and 2 mol of L-Ser, D-Orn and D-3-hydroxy-7-Me-octanoic acid. The structure of the WAP-8294A2 was mainly determined as a cyclic depsipeptide by 2D NMR experiments. However, it was difficult to use the NMR experiment to determine the minor components, A1, A4 and Ax13, isolated in small amounts. In the present study, ESI MS/MS was applied to the structure elucidation of these minor components. The structures of these minor components were determined on the basis of the fragmentation pattern of the product ions of WAP-8294A2 in the ESI MS/MS. As a result, it was confirmed that A1 and A4 had the same amino acid sequence as A2, while A1 and A4 had the 3-OH-octanoic acid and 3-OH-8-Me-nonanoic acid, respectively, in the place of the 3-OH-7-Me-octanoic acid in A2. In the structure of Ax13, it was found that Gly of A2 was changed to β-Ala of Ax13. © 2011 Japan Antibiotics Research Association All rights reserved

Geochemical analyses reveal the importance of environmental history for blue carbon sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelleway, J. J.; Saintilan, N.; Macreadie, P. I.; Baldock, J. A.; Heijnis, H.; Zawadzki, A.; Gadd, P.; Jacobsen, G.; Ralph, P. J.

2017-07-01

Coastal habitats including saltmarshes and mangrove forests can accumulate and store significant blue carbon stocks, which may persist for millennia. Despite this implied stability, the distribution and structure of intertidal-supratidal wetlands are known to respond to changes imposed by geomorphic evolution, climatic, sea level, and anthropogenic influences. In this study, we reconstruct environmental histories and biogeochemical conditions in four wetlands of similar contemporary vegetation in SE Australia. The objective is to assess the importance of historic factors to contemporary organic carbon (C) stocks and accumulation rates. Results from the four cores—two collected from marine-influenced saltmarshes (Wapengo marine site (WAP-M) and Port Stephens marine site (POR-M)) and two from fluvial influenced saltmarshes (Wapengo fluvial site (WAP-F) and Port Stephens fluvial site (POR-F))—highlight different environmental histories and preservation conditions. High C stocks are associated with the presence of a mangrove phase below the contemporary saltmarsh sediments in the POR-M and POR-F cores. 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analyses show this historic mangrove root C to be remarkably stable in its molecular composition despite its age, consistent with its position in deep sediments. WAP-M and WAP-F cores did not contain mangrove root C; however, significant preservation of char C (up to 46% of C in some depths) in WAP-F reveals the importance of historic catchment processes to this site. Together, these results highlight the importance of integrating historic ecosystem and catchment factors into attempts to upscale C accounting to broader spatial scales.

Characteristics of the modelled meteoric freshwater budget of the western Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wessem, J. M.; Meredith, M. P.; Reijmer, C. H.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Cook, A. J.

2017-05-01

Rapid climatic changes in the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) have led to considerable changes in the meteoric freshwater input into the surrounding ocean, with implications for ocean circulation, the marine ecosystem and sea-level rise. In this study, we use the high-resolution Regional Atmospheric Climate Model RACMO2.3, coupled to a firn model, to assess the various contributions to the meteoric freshwater budget of the WAP for 1979-2014: precipitation (snowfall and rainfall), meltwater runoff to the ocean, and glacial discharge. Snowfall is the largest component in the atmospheric contribution to the freshwater budget, and exhibits large spatial and temporal variability. The highest snowfall rates are orographically forced and occur over the coastal regions of the WAP (> 2000 mm water equivalent (w.e.) y-1) and extend well onto the ocean up to the continental shelf break; a minimum (∼ 500 mm w . e .y-1) is reached over the open ocean. Rainfall is an order of magnitude smaller, and strongly depends on latitude and season, being large in summer, when sea ice extent is at its minimum. For Antarctic standards, WAP surface meltwater production is relatively large (> 50 mm w . e .y-1) , but a large fraction refreezes in the snowpack, limiting runoff. Only at a few more northerly locations is the meltwater predicted to run off into the ocean. In summer, we find a strong relationship of the freshwater fluxes with the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) index. When SAM is positive and occurs simultaneously with a La Niña event there are anomalously strong westerly winds and enhanced snowfall rates over the WAP mountains, Marguerite Bay and the Bellingshausen Sea. When SAM coincides with an El Niño event, winds are more northerly, reducing snowfall and increasing rainfall over the ocean, and enhancing orographic snowfall over the WAP mountains. Assuming balance between snow accumulation (mass gain) and glacial discharge (mass loss), the largest glacial discharge is found for the regions around Adelaide Island (10 Gty-1) , Anvers Island (8 Gty-1) and southern Palmer Land (12 Gty-1) , while a minimum (< 2 Gty-1) is found in Marguerite Bay and the northern WAP. Glacial discharge is in the same order of magnitude as the direct freshwater input into the ocean from snowfall, but there are some local differences. The spatial patterns in the meteoric freshwater budget have consequences for local productivity and carbon drawdown in the coastal ocean.

Ice melt influence on summertime net community production along the Western Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eveleth, R.; Cassar, N.; Sherrell, R. M.; Ducklow, H.; Meredith, M. P.; Venables, H. J.; Lin, Y.; Li, Z.

2017-05-01

The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a highly productive marine environment that is undergoing rapid change, with consequences for productivity and total ecosystem carbon cycling. We present continuous underway O2/Ar estimates of net community production (NCPO2Ar) in austral summer 2012, 2013 and 2014 at sub-kilometer horizontal resolution within the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (Pal-LTER) grid region of the WAP. Substantial spatial variability is observed with NCPO2Ar ranging from 0 to 790 mmol O2 m-2 d-1 and considerable interannual variability with mean values in the grid region of 54.4±48.5, 44.6±40.5, and 85.6±75.9 mmol O2 m-2 d-1 in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. Based on a strong correlation (r2=0.83) between residence time integrated NCPO2Ar and NCPDIC derived from seasonal DIC drawdown, we find the observed NCPO2Ar spatial and interannual variability to be consistent with the December-January NCPDIC magnitude. Seeking to explain the mechanistic drivers of NCP in the WAP, we observe a linear relationship between NCPO2Ar and meteoric water content derived from δ18O and salinity. This correlation may be due to Fe supply from glacial melt and/or strengthening of stratification and relief of light limitation. Elevated surface Fe availability, as indicated by Fv/Fm and measurements of surface water dissolved Fe and Mn (a rough proxy for recent potential Fe availability), and shallower, more stable mixed layers are present where meteoric water and/or sea ice melt is high near the coast. Light limitation is evident in the WAP when mixed layer depths are greater than 40 m. Additionally we document hotspots of NCP associated with submarine canyons along the WAP. While it is difficult to predict how the physical-biological system might evolve under changing climatic conditions, it is evident that NCP, and potentially carbon flux out of the mixed layer, along the WAP will be sensitive to shifts in meltwater input and timing.

Effects of glyphosate on the mineral content of glyphosate-resistant soybeans (Glycine max).

PubMed

Duke, Stephen O; Reddy, Krishna N; Bu, Kaixuan; Cizdziel, James V

2012-07-11

There are conflicting claims as to whether treatment with glyphosate adversely affects mineral nutrition of glyphosate-resistant (GR) crops. Those who have made claims of adverse effects have argued links between reduced Mn and diseases in these crops. This article describes experiments designed to determine the effects of a recommended rate (0.86 kg ha(-1)) of glyphosate applied once or twice on the mineral content of young and mature leaves, as well as in seeds produced by GR soybeans (Glycine max) in both the greenhouse and field using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In the greenhouse, there were no effects of either one application (at 3 weeks after planting, WAP) or two applications (at 3 and 6 WAP) of glyphosate on Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu, Sr, Ba, Al, Cd, Cr, Co, or Ni content of young or old leaves sampled at 6, 9, and 12 WAP and in harvested seed. Se concentrations were too low for accurate detection in leaves, but there was also no effect of glyphosate applications on Se in the seeds. In the field study, there were no effects of two applications (at 3 and 6 WAP) of glyphosate on Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu, Sr, Ba, Al, Cd, Cr, Co, or Ni content of young or old leaves at either 9 or 12 WAP. There was also no effect on Se in the seeds. There was no difference in yield between control and glyphosate-treated GR soybeans in the field. The results indicate that glyphosate does not influence mineral nutrition of GR soybean at recommended rates for weed management in the field. Furthermore, the field studies confirm the results of greenhouse studies.

Weatherization Works II - Summary of Findings from the ARRA Period Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program

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

Tonn, Bruce Edward; Carroll, David; Rose, Erin M.

2015-10-01

This report presents a summary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy s low-income Weatherization Program. This evaluation focused on the WAP Program Year 2010. The ARRA evaluation produced fourteen separate reports, including this summary. Three separate reports address the energy savings, energy cost savings, and cost effectiveness of WAP across four housing types: single family, mobile home, and large multifamily. Other reports address the environmental emissions benefits attributable to WAP, and characterize the program. Special studies were conducted to: estimate the impacts of weatherization and healthy homes interventions onmore » asthma-related Medicaid claims in a small cohort in Washington State; assess how weatherization recipients communicate their weatherization experiences to those in their social network, and assess processes implemented to defer homes for weatherization. Small studies addressed energy use in refrigerators, WAP as implemented in the U.S. territories for the first time, and weatherization s impacts on air conditioning energy savings. The national occupant survey was mined for additional insights on the impacts of weatherization on household budgets and energy behaviors post-weatherization. Lastly, the results of a survey of weatherization training centers are summarized.« less

Tank 40 Final Sludge Batch 8 Chemical Characterization Results

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

Bannochie, Christopher J.

2013-09-19

A sample of Sludge Batch 8 (SB8) was pulled from Tank 40 in order to obtain radionuclide inventory analyses necessary for compliance with the Waste Acceptance Product Specifications (WAPS). The SB8 WAPS sample was also analyzed for chemical composition, including noble metals, and fissile constituents, and these results are reported here. These analyses along with the WAPS radionuclide analyses will help define the composition of the sludge in Tank 40 that is currently being fed to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) as SB8. At SRNL, the 3-L Tank 40 SB8 sample was transferred from the shipping container into amore » 4-L high density polyethylene bottle and solids were allowed to settle. Supernate was then siphoned off and circulated through the shipping container to complete the transfer of the sample. Following thorough mixing of the 3-L sample, a 553 g sub-sample was removed. This sub-sample was then utilized for all subsequent slurry sample preparations. Eight separate aliquots of the slurry were digested, four with HNO{sub 3}/HCl (aqua regia) in sealed Teflon(r) vessels and four with NaOH/Na{sub 2}O{sub 2} (alkali or peroxide fusion) using Zr crucibles. Two Analytical Reference Glass - 1 (ARG-1) standards were digested along with a blank for each preparation. Each aqua regia digestion and blank was diluted to 1:100 mL with deionized water and submitted to Analytical Development (AD) for inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis, inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AA) for As and Se, and cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CV-AA) for Hg. Equivalent dilutions of the alkali fusion digestions and blank were submitted to AD for ICP-AES analysis. Tank 40 SB8 supernate was collected from a mixed slurry sample in the SRNL Shielded Cells and submitted to AD for ICP-AES, ion chromatography (IC), total base/free OH-/other base, total inorganic carbon/total organic carbon (TIC/TOC) analyses. Weighted dilutions of slurry were submitted for IC, TIC/TOC, and total base/free OH-/other base analyses. Activities for U-233, U-235, and Pu-239 were determined from the ICP-MS data for the aqua regia digestions of the Tank 40 WAPS slurry using the specific activity of each isotope. The Pu-241 value was determined from a Pu-238/-241 method developed by SRNL AD and previously described.« less

Tank 40 final sludge batch 9 chemical and fissile radionuclide characterization results

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

Bannochie, C. J.; Kubilius, W. P.; Pareizs, J. M.

A sample of Sludge Batch (SB) 9 was pulled from Tank 40 in order to obtain radionuclide inventory analyses necessary for compliance with the Waste Acceptance Product Specifications (WAPS)i. The SB9 WAPS sample was also analyzed for chemical composition, including noble metals, and fissile constituents, and these results are reported here. These analyses along with the WAPS radionuclide analyses will help define the composition of the sludge in Tank 40 that is fed to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) as SB9. At the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), the 3-L Tank 40 SB9 sample was transferred from the shippingmore » container into a 4-L high density polyethylene bottle and solids were allowed to settle. Supernate was then siphoned off and circulated through the shipping container to complete the transfer of the sample. Following thorough mixing of the 3-L sample, a 547 g sub-sample was removed. This sub-sample was then utilized for all subsequent slurry sample preparations. Eight separate aliquots of the slurry were digested, four with HNO3/HCl (aqua regiaii) in sealed Teflon® vessels and four with NaOH/Na2O2 (alkali or peroxide fusioniii) using Zr crucibles. Three Analytical Reference Glass – 1iv (ARG-1) standards were digested along with a blank for each preparation. Each aqua regia digestion and blank was diluted to 1:100 with deionized water and submitted to Analytical Development (AD) for inductively coupled plasma – atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis, inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AA) for As and Se, and cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CV-AA) for Hg. Equivalent dilutions of the alkali fusion digestions and blank were submitted to AD for ICP-AES analysis. Tank 40 SB9 supernate was collected from a mixed slurry sample in the SRNL Shielded Cells and submitted to AD for ICP-AES, ion chromatography (IC), total base/free OH-/other base, total inorganic carbon/total organic carbon (TIC/TOC) analyses. Weighted dilutions of slurry were submitted for IC, TIC/TOC, and total base/free OH-/other base analyses. Activities for U-233, U-235, and Pu-239 were determined from the ICP-MS data for the aqua regia digestions of the SB9 WAPS slurry using the specific activity of each isotope. The Pu-241 value was determined from a Pu-238/-241 method developed by SRNL AD and previously described.v« less

Recent changes in phytoplankton communities associated with rapid regional climate change along the western Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Montes-Hugo, Martin; Doney, Scott C; Ducklow, Hugh W; Fraser, William; Martinson, Douglas; Stammerjohn, Sharon E; Schofield, Oscar

2009-03-13

The climate of the western shelf of the Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is undergoing a transition from a cold-dry polar-type climate to a warm-humid sub-Antarctic-type climate. Using three decades of satellite and field data, we document that ocean biological productivity, inferred from chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a), has significantly changed along the WAP shelf. Summertime surface Chl a (summer integrated Chl a approximately 63% of annually integrated Chl a) declined by 12% along the WAP over the past 30 years, with the largest decreases equatorward of 63 degrees S and with substantial increases in Chl a occurring farther south. The latitudinal variation in Chl a trends reflects shifting patterns of ice cover, cloud formation, and windiness affecting water-column mixing. Regional changes in phytoplankton coincide with observed changes in krill (Euphausia superba) and penguin populations.

The prediction of palmitoylation site locations using a multiple feature extraction method.

PubMed

Shi, Shao-Ping; Sun, Xing-Yu; Qiu, Jian-Ding; Suo, Sheng-Bao; Chen, Xiang; Huang, Shu-Yun; Liang, Ru-Ping

2013-03-01

As an extremely important and ubiquitous post-translational lipid modification, palmitoylation plays a significant role in a variety of biological and physiological processes. Unlike other lipid modifications, protein palmitoylation and depalmitoylation are highly dynamic and can regulate both protein function and localization. The dynamic nature of palmitoylation is poorly understood because of the limitations in current assay methods. The in vivo or in vitro experimental identification of palmitoylation sites is both time consuming and expensive. Due to the large volume of protein sequences generated in the post-genomic era, it is extraordinarily important in both basic research and drug discovery to rapidly identify the attributes of a new protein's palmitoylation sites. In this work, a new computational method, WAP-Palm, combining multiple feature extraction, has been developed to predict the palmitoylation sites of proteins. The performance of the WAP-Palm model is measured herein and was found to have a sensitivity of 81.53%, a specificity of 90.45%, an accuracy of 85.99% and a Matthews correlation coefficient of 72.26% in 10-fold cross-validation test. The results obtained from both the cross-validation and independent tests suggest that the WAP-Palm model might facilitate the identification and annotation of protein palmitoylation locations. The online service is available at http://bioinfo.ncu.edu.cn/WAP-Palm.aspx. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physicians' perceptions of an eczema action plan for atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Ntuen, Edidiong; Taylor, Sarah L; Kinney, Megan; O'Neill, Jenna L; Krowchuk, Daniel P; Feldman, Steven R

2010-01-01

Poor adherence to topical medications in atopic dermatitis may lead to exposure to more costly and potentially toxic systemic agents. Written action plans (WAPs) improve adherence and treatment outcomes in asthma patients and may be useful for children with atopic dermatitis. To assess physicians' perceptions of a WAP for atopic dermatitis and their openness to using it. An Eczema Action Plan (EAP) was modeled from those used in pediatric asthma. A brief survey to assess the perceived practicality and usefulness of the EAP was sent to 48 pediatricians in our local area and to 17 pediatric dermatologists nationally. Survey items included layout, graphics, readability, accuracy, and utility. Qualitative analyses were performed due to small sample sizes. Seventeen pediatricians from five community practices and eight pediatric dermatologists responded (response rates of 35% and 41%, respectively). Layout was rated as excellent by 59% of pediatricians and 43% of pediatric dermatologists, the graphics were rated good (60% and 70%), the readability as good to excellent (100% and 86%), the accuracy as excellent or good (83% and 86%), and usefulness as good to excellent (100% of both groups). Most (71%) of the pediatric dermatologists reported already having their own patient education materials for atopic dermatitis, but none of the pediatricians did. All pediatricians and 60% of pediatric dermatologists reported they were likely to use the EAP in their clinical practices. Limitations included the sample size being small, but it still provided for qualitative assessment of generalists and sub-specialists. We did not assess how the EAP would be perceived by patients or their families. The practice settings of the community and academic physicians are not identical, which may make for weakened comparisons. Pediatricians are open to using an EAP for atopic dermatitis. If an EAP were effective at improving adherence and outcomes in atopic dermatitis, widespread implementation should be feasible.

Climate change enhances primary production in the western Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Moreau, Sébastien; Mostajir, Behzad; Bélanger, Simon; Schloss, Irene R; Vancoppenolle, Martin; Demers, Serge; Ferreyra, Gustavo A

2015-06-01

Intense regional warming was observed in the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) over the last 50 years. Here, we investigate the impact of climate change on primary production (PP) in this highly productive region. This study is based on temporal data series of ozone thickness (1972-2010), sea ice concentration (1978-2010), sea-surface temperature (1990-2010), incident irradiance (1988-2010) and satellite-derived chlorophyll a concentration (Chl-a, 1997-2010) for the coastal WAP. In addition, we apply a photosynthesis/photoinhibition spectral model to satellite-derived data (1997-2010) to compute PP and examine the separate impacts of environmental forcings. Since 1978, sea ice retreat has been occurring earlier in the season (in March in 1978 and in late October during the 2000s) while the ozone hole is present in early spring (i.e. August to November) since the early 1990s, increasing the intensity of ultraviolet-B radiation (UVBR, 280-320 nm). The WAP waters have also warmed over 1990-2010. The modelled PP rates are in the lower range of previously reported PP rates in the WAP. The annual open water PP in the study area increased from 1997 to 2010 (from 0.73 to 1.03 Tg C yr(-1) ) concomitantly with the increase in the production season length. The coincidence between the earlier sea ice retreat and the presence of the ozone hole increased the exposure to incoming radiation (UVBR, UVAR and PAR) and, thus, increased photoinhibition during austral spring (September to November) in the study area (from 0.014 to 0.025 Tg C yr(-1) ). This increase in photoinhibition was minor compared to the overall increase in PP, however. Climate change hence had an overall positive impact on PP in the WAP waters. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Single-Family Energy Auditor Job Task Analysis

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

Head, Heather R.; Kurnik, Charles W.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to develop and maintain the resources under the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals (GHEP) project. As part of the GHEP strategy to increase the quality of work conducted for single-family, residential energy-efficiency retrofits, the Home Energy Professionals Job Task Analysis are used as the foundation for quality training programs and trainers.

Single-Family Quality Control Inspector Job Task Analysis

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

Head, Heather R; Kurnik, Charles W

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to develop and maintain the resources under the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals (GHEP) project. As part of the GHEP strategy to increase the quality of work conducted for single-family, residential energy-efficiency retrofits, the Home Energy Professionals Job Task Analysis are used as the foundation for quality training programs and trainers.

Holocene paleoceanography of Bigo Bay, west Antarctic Peninsula: Connections between surface water productivity and nutrient utilization and its implication for surface-deep water mass exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sunghan; Yoo, Kyu-Cheul; Lee, Jae Il; Khim, Boo-Keun; Bak, Young-Suk; Lee, Min Kyung; Lee, Jongmin; Domack, Eugene W.; Christ, Andrew J.; Yoon, Ho Il

2018-07-01

Paleoceanographic changes in response to Holocene climate variability in Bigo Bay, west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) were reconstructed through geochemical, isotopic, sedimentological, and microfossil analysis. Core WAP13-GC47 is composed of 4 lithologic units. Unit 4 was deposited under ice shelf settings. Unit 3 represents the mid-Holocene open marine conditions. Unit 2 indicates lateral sediment transport by a glacier advance during the Neoglacial period. The chronological contrast between the timing of open marine conditions at core WAP13-GC47 (ca. 7060 cal. yr BP at 540 cm) and the ages of calcareous shell fragments (ca. 8500 cal. yr BP) in Unit 2b suggests sediment reworking during the Neoglacial period. Unit 1 was deposited during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and the Little Ice Age (LIA). Surface water productivity, represented by biogenic opal and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations, increased and bulk δ15N (nitrate utilization) decreased during the warmer early to middle Holocene and the MWP. In contrast, surface water productivity decreased with increased bulk δ15N during the colder Neoglacial period and LIA in Bigo Bay. The nitrate utilization was enhanced during cold periods in association with strong surface water stratification resulting from increased sea ice meltwater discharge or proximity to an ice shelf calving front in Bigo Bay. Reduced nitrate utilization during warm periods is related to weak stratification induced by less sea ice meltwater input and stronger Circumpolar Deep Water influence.

Gene expression profiling: cell cycle deregulation and aneuploidy do not cause breast cancer formation in WAP-SVT/t transgenic animals.

PubMed

Klein, Andreas; Guhl, Eva; Zollinger, Raphael; Tzeng, Yin-Jeh; Wessel, Ralf; Hummel, Michael; Graessmann, Monika; Graessmann, Adolf

2005-05-01

Microarray studies revealed that as a first hit the SV40 T/t antigen causes deregulation of 462 genes in mammary gland cells (ME cells) of WAP-SVT/t transgenic animals. The majority of deregulated genes are cell proliferation specific and Rb-E2F dependent, causing ME cell proliferation and gland hyperplasia but not breast cancer formation. In the breast tumor cells a further 207 genes are differentially expressed, most of them belonging to the cell communication category. In tissue culture breast tumor cells frequently switch off WAP-SVT/t transgene expression and regain the morphology and growth characteristics of normal ME cells, although the tumor-revertant cells are aneuploid and only 114 genes regain the expression level of normal ME cells. The profile of retransformants shows that only 38 deregulated genes are tumor-specific, and that none of them is considered to be a typical breast cancer gene.

Hierarchy within the mammary STAT5-driven Wap super-enhancer

PubMed Central

Zeng, Xianke; Wang, Chaochen; Metser, Gil; Hennighausen, Lothar

2016-01-01

Super-enhancers comprise of dense transcription factor platforms highly enriched for active chromatin marks. A paucity of functional data led us to investigate their role in the mammary gland, an organ characterized by exceptional gene regulatory dynamics during pregnancy. ChIP-Seq for the master regulator STAT5, the glucocorticoid receptor, H3K27ac and MED1, identified 440 mammary-specific super-enhancers, half of which were associated with genes activated during pregnancy. We interrogated the Wap super-enhancer, generating mice carrying mutations in STAT5 binding sites within its three constituent enhancers. Individually, only the most distal site displayed significant enhancer activity. However, combinatorial mutations showed that the 1,000-fold gene induction relied on all enhancers. Disabling the binding sites of STAT5, NFIB and ELF5 in the proximal enhancer incapacitated the entire super-enhancer, suggesting an enhancer hierarchy. The identification of mammary-specific super-enhancers and the mechanistic exploration of the Wap locus provide insight into the complexity of cell-specific and hormone-regulated genes. PMID:27376239

Wolf Attack Probability: A Theoretical Security Measure in Biometric Authentication Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Une, Masashi; Otsuka, Akira; Imai, Hideki

This paper will propose a wolf attack probability (WAP) as a new measure for evaluating security of biometric authentication systems. The wolf attack is an attempt to impersonate a victim by feeding “wolves” into the system to be attacked. The “wolf” means an input value which can be falsely accepted as a match with multiple templates. WAP is defined as a maximum success probability of the wolf attack with one wolf sample. In this paper, we give a rigorous definition of the new security measure which gives strength estimation of an individual biometric authentication system against impersonation attacks. We show that if one reestimates using our WAP measure, a typical fingerprint algorithm turns out to be much weaker than theoretically estimated by Ratha et al. Moreover, we apply the wolf attack to a finger-vein-pattern based algorithm. Surprisingly, we show that there exists an extremely strong wolf which falsely matches all templates for any threshold value.

EVALUATION OF RISKS AND WASTE CHARACTERIZATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TRANSURANIC WASTE EMPLACED IN WIPP DURING 1999

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

Channell, J.K.; Walker, B.A.

2000-05-01

Specifically this report: 1. Compares requirements of the WAP that are pertinent from a technical viewpoint with the WIPP pre-Permit waste characterization program, 2. Presents the results of a risk analysis of the currently emplaced wastes. Expected and bounding risks from routine operations and possible accidents are evaluated; and 3. Provides conclusions and recommendations.

Assessment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Upon the Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program: Assessment of the ARRA

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

Tonn, Bruce; Hawkins, Beth; Rose, Erin

The Department of Energy (DOE) administers the national low-income Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Under this program, DOE provides grants to states (grantees), which then provide grants to local weatherization agencies (subgrantees), to weatherize income-eligible homes for free. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 allocated $5 billion in funding to WAP, a very significant increase from an annual appropriation that ranged in the $200–250 million range for many years. Furthermore, as part of a major evaluation of WAP, states and local weatherization agencies were surveyed, in part, to assess their experiences during the ARRA period. The substantial fundingmore » increase created a number of issues for the national weatherization network: the political visibility of their programs increased significantly, organizational responsibilities were shifted, new laws and regulations were passed that impacted their programs, media attention of their programs increased, federal oversight of their programs increased; and programmatic costs increased because of the increased oversight and because ARRA required WAP to operate under the provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931. There was also some concern within the national weatherization network that the influx of ARRA funds would permanently damage nonfederal funding leveraging relationships. However, two-thirds of grantees and over 40% of subgrantees stated that they believe that the long-term impacts of ARRA on leveraging relationships will be positive.« less

A single WAP domain (SWD)-containing protein with antiviral activity from Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.

PubMed

Yang, Linwei; Niu, Shengwen; Gao, Jiefeng; Zuo, Hongliang; Yuan, Jia; Weng, Shaoping; He, Jianguo; Xu, Xiaopeng

2018-02-01

The single whey acidic protein (WAP) domain (SWD)-containing proteins, also called type III crustins, are a group of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in crustaceans. At present, a number of SWDs have been identified in shrimp, which showed essential antibacterial activities. However, the roles of SWDs in antiviral immune responses have not been reported up to now. In this study, a novel SWD (LvSWD3) was identified from Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, which contained a typical single WAP domain homologous to those of other crustacean SWDs. Although lacking the pro and arg-rich region between the signal peptide and the WAP domain, LvSWD3 was closely clustered with other shrimp SWDs in the phylogenetic tree. Similar to many shrimp SWDs, the highest expression of LvSWD3 was detected in hemocytes. The LvSWD3 expression exhibited only limited changes after challenges with Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Poly (I:C) and lipopolysaccharide, but was significantly up-regulated after white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection. Silencing of LvSWDs significantly accelerated the death of the WSSV-infected but not the V. parahaemolyticus-infected shrimp. The recombinant LvSWD3 protein did not show proteinase inhibitory and antibacterial activities but could significantly postpone the death of WSSV-infected shrimp and reduce the viral load in tissues. These suggested that LvSWD3 was a novel SWD with antiviral activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multimodal browsing using VoiceXML

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caccia, Giuseppe; Lancini, Rosa C.; Peschiera, Giuseppe

2003-06-01

With the increasing development of devices such as personal computers, WAP and personal digital assistants connected to the World Wide Web, end users feel the need to browse the Internet through multiple modalities. We intend to investigate on how to create a user interface and a service distribution platform granting the user access to the Internet through standard I/O modalities and voice simultaneously. Different architectures are evaluated suggesting the more suitable for each client terminal (PC o WAP). In particular the design of the multimodal usermachine interface considers the synchronization issue between graphical and voice contents.

Examination Of Sulfur Measurements In DWPF Sludge Slurry And SRAT Product Materials

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

Bannochie, C. J.; Wiedenman, B. J.

2012-11-29

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was asked to re-sample the received SB7b WAPS material for wt. % solids, perform an aqua regia digestion and analyze the digested material by inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), as well as re-examine the supernate by ICP-AES. The new analyses were requested in order to provide confidence that the initial analytical subsample was representative of the Tank 40 sample received and to replicate the S results obtained on the initial subsample collected. The ICP-AES analyses for S were examined with both axial and radial detection of the sulfur ICP-AES spectroscopic emission linesmore » to ascertain if there was any significant difference in the reported results. The outcome of this second subsample of the Tank 40 WAPS material is the first subject of this report. After examination of the data from the new subsample of the SB7b WAPS material, a team of DWPF and SRNL staff looked for ways to address the question of whether there was in fact insoluble S that was not being accounted for by ion chromatography (IC) analysis. The question of how much S is reaching the melter was thought best addressed by examining a DWPF Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) Product sample, but the significant dilution of sludge material, containing the S species in question, that results from frit addition was believed to add additional uncertainty to the S analysis of SME Product material. At the time of these discussions it was believed that all S present in a Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) Receipt sample would be converted to sulfate during the course of the SRAT cycle. A SRAT Product sample would not have the S dilution effect resulting from frit addition, and hence, it was decided that a DWPF SRAT Product sample would be obtained and submitted to SRNL for digestion and sample preparation followed by a round-robin analysis of the prepared samples by the DWPF Laboratory, F/H Laboratories, and SRNL for S and sulfate. The results of this round-robin analytical study are the second subject of this report.« less

Marine pelagic ecosystems: the West Antarctic Peninsula

PubMed Central

Ducklow, Hugh W; Baker, Karen; Martinson, Douglas G; Quetin, Langdon B; Ross, Robin M; Smith, Raymond C; Stammerjohn, Sharon E; Vernet, Maria; Fraser, William

2006-01-01

The marine ecosystem of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) extends from the Bellingshausen Sea to the northern tip of the peninsula and from the mostly glaciated coast across the continental shelf to the shelf break in the west. The glacially sculpted coastline along the peninsula is highly convoluted and characterized by deep embayments that are often interconnected by channels that facilitate transport of heat and nutrients into the shelf domain. The ecosystem is divided into three subregions, the continental slope, shelf and coastal regions, each with unique ocean dynamics, water mass and biological distributions. The WAP shelf lies within the Antarctic Sea Ice Zone (SIZ) and like other SIZs, the WAP system is very productive, supporting large stocks of marine mammals, birds and the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba. Ecosystem dynamics is dominated by the seasonal and interannual variation in sea ice extent and retreat. The Antarctic Peninsula is one among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, having experienced a 2°C increase in the annual mean temperature and a 6°C rise in the mean winter temperature since 1950. Delivery of heat from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current has increased significantly in the past decade, sufficient to drive to a 0.6°C warming of the upper 300 m of shelf water. In the past 50 years and continuing in the twenty-first century, the warm, moist maritime climate of the northern WAP has been migrating south, displacing the once dominant cold, dry continental Antarctic climate and causing multi-level responses in the marine ecosystem. Ecosystem responses to the regional warming include increased heat transport, decreased sea ice extent and duration, local declines in ice-dependent Adélie penguins, increase in ice-tolerant gentoo and chinstrap penguins, alterations in phytoplankton and zooplankton community composition and changes in krill recruitment, abundance and availability to predators. The climate/ecological gradients extending along the WAP and the presence of monitoring systems, field stations and long-term research programmes make the region an invaluable observatory of climate change and marine ecosystem response. PMID:17405208

Modeling the spatial and temporal dynamics of foraging movements of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Western Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Curtice, Corrie; Johnston, David W; Ducklow, Hugh; Gales, Nick; Halpin, Patrick N; Friedlaender, Ari S

2015-01-01

A population of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) spends the austral summer feeding on Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). These whales acquire their annual energetic needs during an episodic feeding season in high latitude waters that must sustain long-distance migration and fasting on low-latitude breeding grounds. Antarctic krill are broadly distributed along the continental shelf and nearshore waters during the spring and early summer, and move closer to land during late summer and fall, where they overwinter under the protective and nutritional cover of sea ice. We apply a novel space-time utilization distribution method to test the hypothesis that humpback whale distribution reflects that of krill: spread broadly during summer with increasing proximity to shore and associated embayments during fall. Humpback whales instrumented with satellite-linked positional telemetry tags (n = 5), show decreased home range size, amount of area used, and increased proximity to shore over the foraging season. This study applies a new method to model the movements of humpback whales in the WAP region throughout the feeding season, and presents a baseline for future observations of the seasonal changes in the movement patterns and foraging behavior of humpback whales (one of several krill-predators affected by climate-driven changes) in the WAP marine ecosystem. As the WAP continues to warm, it is prudent to understand the ecological relationships between sea-ice dependent krill and krill predators, as well as the interactions among recovering populations of krill predators that may be forced into competition for a shared food resource.

Have historical climate changes affected Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) populations in Antarctica?

PubMed

Peña M, Fabiola; Poulin, Elie; Dantas, Gisele P M; González-Acuña, Daniel; Petry, Maria Virginia; Vianna, Juliana A

2014-01-01

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) has been suffering an increase in its atmospheric temperature during the last 50 years, mainly associated with global warming. This increment of temperature trend associated with changes in sea-ice dynamics has an impact on organisms, affecting their phenology, physiology and distribution range. For instance, rapid demographic changes in Pygoscelis penguins have been reported over the last 50 years in WAP, resulting in population expansion of sub-Antarctic Gentoo penguin (P. papua) and retreat of Antarctic Adelie penguin (P. adeliae). Current global warming has been mainly associated with human activities; however these climate trends are framed in a historical context of climate changes, particularly during the Pleistocene, characterized by an alternation between glacial and interglacial periods. During the last maximal glacial (LGM∼21,000 BP) the ice sheet cover reached its maximum extension on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), causing local extinction of Antarctic taxa, migration to lower latitudes and/or survival in glacial refugia. We studied the HRVI of mtDNA and the nuclear intron βfibint7 of 150 individuals of the WAP to understand the demographic history and population structure of P. papua. We found high genetic diversity, reduced population genetic structure and a signature of population expansion estimated around 13,000 BP, much before the first paleocolony fossil records (∼1,100 BP). Our results suggest that the species may have survived in peri-Antarctic refugia such as South Georgia and North Sandwich islands and recolonized the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands after the ice sheet retreat.

Population-Level Transcriptomic Responses of the Southern Ocean Salp Salpa thompsoni to Environment Variability of the Western Antarctic Peninsula Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bucklin, A. C.; Batta Lona, P. G.; Maas, A. E.; O'Neill, R. J.; Wiebe, P. H.

2015-12-01

In response to the changing Antarctic climate, the Southern Ocean salp Salpa thompsoni has shown altered patterns of distribution and abundance that are anticipated to have profound impacts on pelagic food webs and ecosystem dynamics. The physiological and molecular processes that underlay ecological function and biogeographical distribution are key to understanding present-day dynamics and predicting future trajectories. This study examined transcriptome-wide patterns of gene expression in relation to biological and physical oceanographic conditions in coastal, shelf and offshore waters of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region during austral spring and summer 2011. Based on field observations and collections, seasonal changes in the distribution and abundance of salps of different life stages were associated with differences in water mass structure of the WAP. Our observations are consistent with previous suggestions that bathymetry and currents in Bransfield Strait could generate a retentive cell for an overwintering population of S. thompsoni, which may generate the characteristic salp blooms found throughout the region later in summer. The statistical analysis of transcriptome-wide patterns of gene expression revealed differences among salps collected in different seasons and from different habitats (i.e., coastal versus offshore) in the WAP. Gene expression patterns also clustered by station in austral spring - but not summer - collections, suggesting stronger heterogeneity of environmental conditions. During the summer, differentially expressed genes covered a wider range of functions, including those associated with stress responses. Future research using novel molecular transcriptomic / genomic characterization of S. thompsoni will allow more complete understanding of individual-, population-, and species-level responses to environmental variability and prediction of future dynamics of Southern Ocean food webs and ecosystems.

Upregulation of AMWAP: a novel mechanism for HDAC inhibitors to protect against cisplatin nephrotoxicity.

PubMed

Tang, Jinhua; Zhuang, Shougang

2016-02-01

Histone deacetylases have been reported to protect against renal tubular damage in several animal models of acute renal injury, including cisplatin nephrotoxicity. However, the mechanism involved is not well defined. In this study, Ranganathan et al. identify activated microglia/macrophage WAP domain protein as the novel mediator of histone deacetylase inhibitor-mediated renal protection in a murine model of cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Activated microglia/macrophage WAP-mediated renal protection is associated with suppression of inflammation and renal epithelial cell apoptosis. Copyright © 2016 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Increased Airway Wall Thickness is Associated with Adverse Longitudinal First-Second Forced Expiratory Volume Trajectories of Former World Trade Center workers.

PubMed

de la Hoz, Rafael E; Liu, Xiaoyu; Doucette, John T; Reeves, Anthony P; Bienenfeld, Laura A; Wisnivesky, Juan P; Celedón, Juan C; Lynch, David A; San José Estépar, Raúl

2018-05-24

Occupational exposures at the WTC site after September 11, 2001 have been associated with several presumably inflammatory lower airway diseases. In this study, we describe the trajectories of expiratory air flow decline, identify subgroups with adverse progression, and investigate the association of a quantitative computed tomography (QCT) imaging measurement of airway wall thickness, and other risk factors for adverse progression. We examined the trajectories of expiratory air flow decline in a group of 799 former WTC workers and volunteers with QCT-measured (with two independent systems) wall area percent (WAP) and at least 3 periodic spirometries. We calculated individual regression lines for first-second forced expiratory volume (FEV 1 ), identified subjects with rapidly declining and increasing ("gainers"), and compared them to subjects with normal and "stable" FEV 1 decline. We used multivariate logistic regression to model decliner vs. stable trajectories. The mean longitudinal FEV 1 slopes for the entire study population, and its stable, decliner, and gainer subgroups were, respectively, - 35.8, - 8, - 157.6, and + 173.62 ml/year. WAP was associated with "decliner" status (OR adj 1.08, 95% CI 1.02, 1.14, per 5% increment) compared to stable. Age, weight gain, baseline FEV 1 percent predicted, bronchodilator response, and pre-WTC occupational exposures were also significantly associated with accelerated FEV 1 decline. Analyses of gainers vs. stable subgroup showed WAP as a significant predictor in unadjusted but not consistently in adjusted analyses. The apparent normal age-related rate of FEV 1 decline results from averaging widely divergent trajectories. WAP is significantly associated with accelerated air flow decline in WTC workers.

Facile method for site-specific gene integration in Lysobacter enzymogenes for yield improvement of the anti-MRSA antibiotics WAP-8294A and the antifungal antibiotic HSAF.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Qian, Guoliang; Liu, Fengquan; Li, Yue-Zhong; Shen, Yuemao; Du, Liangcheng

2013-11-15

Lysobacter is a genus of Gram-negative gliding bacteria that are emerged as novel biocontrol agents and new sources of bioactive natural products. The bacteria are naturally resistant to many antibiotics commonly used in transformant selection, which has hampered the genetic manipulations. Here, we described a facile method for quick-and-easy identification of the target transformants from a large population of the wild type and nontarget transformants. The method is based on a distinct yellow-to-black color change as a visual selection marker for site-specific integration of the gene of interest. Through transposon random mutagenesis, we identified a black-colored strain from the yellow-colored L. enzymogenes . The black strain was resulted from a disruption of hmgA, a gene required for tyrosine/phenylalanine metabolism. The disruption of hmgA led to accumulation of dark brown pigments. As proof of principle, we constructed a series of expression vectors for a regulator gene found within the WAP-8294A biosynthetic gene cluster. The yield of WAP-8294A in the black strains increased by 2 fold compared to the wild type. Interestingly, the yield of another antibiotic (HSAF) increased up to 7 fold in the black strains. WAP-8294A is a family of potent anti-MRSA antibiotics and is currently in clinical studies, and HSAF is an antifungal compound with distinct structural features and a novel mode of action. This work represents the first successful metabolic engineering in Lysobacter. The development of this facile method opens a way toward manipulating antibiotic production in the largely unexplored sources.

A Facile Method for Site-specific Gene Integration in Lysobacter enzymogenes for Yield Improvement of the Anti-MRSA Antibiotics WAP-8294A and the Antifungal Antibiotic HSAF

PubMed Central

Wang, Yan; Qian, Guoliang; Liu, Fengquan; Li, Yue-Zhong; Shen, Yuemao; Du, Liangcheng

2013-01-01

Lysobacter is a genus of Gram -negative gliding bacteria that are emerged as novel biocontrol agents and new sources of bioactive natural products. The bacteria are naturally resistant to many antibiotics commonly used in transformant selection, which has hampered the genetic manipulations. Here, we described a facile method for quick -and-easy identification of the target transformants from a large population of the wild type and non-target transformants. The method is based on a distinct yellow-to-black color change as a visual selection marker for site-specific integration of the gene of interest. Through transposon random mutagenesis, we identified a black-colored strain from the yellow-colored L. enzymogenes. The black strain was resulted from a disruption of hmgA, a gene required for tyrosine /phenylalanine metabolism. The disruption of hmgA led to accumulation of dark brown pigments. As proof of principle, we constructed a series of expression vectors for a regulator gene found within the WAP-8294A biosynthetic gene cluster. The yield of WAP-8294A in the black strains increased by 2 fold compared to the wild type. Interestingly, the yield of another antibiotic (HSAF) increased up to 7 fold in the black strains. WAP-8294A is a family of potent anti-MRSA antibiotics and is currently in clinical studies, and HSAF is an antifungal compound with distinct structural features and a novel mode of action. This work represents the first successful metabolic engineering in Lysobacter. The development of this facile method opens a way toward manipulating antibiotic production in the largely unexplored sources. PMID:23937053

Testing paradigms of ecosystem change under climate warming in Antarctica.

PubMed

Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica; Constable, Andrew; Wotherspoon, Simon; Raymond, Ben

2013-01-01

Antarctic marine ecosystems have undergone significant changes as a result of human activities in the past and are now responding in varied and often complicated ways to climate change impacts. Recent years have seen the emergence of large-scale mechanistic explanations-or "paradigms of change"-that attempt to synthesize our understanding of past and current changes. In many cases, these paradigms are based on observations that are spatially and temporally patchy. The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), one of Earth's most rapidly changing regions, has been an area of particular research focus. A recently proposed mechanistic explanation for observed changes in the WAP region relates changes in penguin populations to variability in krill biomass and regional warming. While this scheme is attractive for its simplicity and chronology, it may not account for complex spatio-temporal processes that drive ecosystem dynamics in the region. It might also be difficult to apply to other Antarctic regions that are experiencing some, though not all, of the changes documented for the WAP. We use qualitative network models of differing levels of complexity to test paradigms of change for the WAP ecosystem. Importantly, our approach captures the emergent effects of feedback processes in complex ecological networks and provides a means to identify and incorporate uncertain linkages between network elements. Our findings highlight key areas of uncertainty in the drivers of documented trends, and suggest that a greater level of model complexity is needed in devising explanations for ecosystem change in the Southern Ocean. We suggest that our network approach to evaluating a recent and widely cited paradigm of change for the Antarctic region could be broadly applied in hypothesis testing for other regions and research fields.

Functional amyloids in Streptococcus mutans, their use as targets of biofilm inhibition and initial characterization of SMU_63c

PubMed Central

Besingi, Richard N; Wenderska, Iwona B; Senadheera, Dilani B; Cvitkovitch, Dennis G; Long, Joanna R; Wen, Zezhang T

2017-01-01

Amyloids have been identified as functional components of the extracellular matrix of bacterial biofilms. Streptococcus mutans is an established aetiologic agent of dental caries and a biofilm dweller. In addition to the previously identified amyloidogenic adhesin P1 (also known as AgI/II, PAc), we show that the naturally occurring antigen A derivative of S. mutans wall-associated protein A (WapA) and the secreted protein SMU_63c can also form amyloid fibrils. P1, WapA and SMU_63c were found to significantly influence biofilm development and architecture, and all three proteins were shown by immunogold electron microscopy to reside within the fibrillar extracellular matrix of the biofilms. We also showed that SMU_63c functions as a negative regulator of biofilm cell density and genetic competence. In addition, the naturally occurring C-terminal cleavage product of P1, C123 (also known as AgII), was shown to represent the amyloidogenic moiety of this protein. Thus, P1 and WapA both represent sortase substrates that are processed to amyloidogenic truncation derivatives. Our current results suggest a novel mechanism by which certain cell surface adhesins are processed and contribute to the amyloidogenic capability of S. mutans. We further demonstrate that the polyphenolic small molecules tannic acid and epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and the benzoquinone derivative AA-861, which all inhibit amyloid fibrillization of C123 and antigen A in vitro, also inhibit S. mutans biofilm formation via P1- and WapA-dependent mechanisms, indicating that these proteins serve as therapeutic targets of anti-amyloid compounds. PMID:28141493

Testing Paradigms of Ecosystem Change under Climate Warming in Antarctica

PubMed Central

Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica; Constable, Andrew; Wotherspoon, Simon; Raymond, Ben

2013-01-01

Antarctic marine ecosystems have undergone significant changes as a result of human activities in the past and are now responding in varied and often complicated ways to climate change impacts. Recent years have seen the emergence of large-scale mechanistic explanations–or “paradigms of change”–that attempt to synthesize our understanding of past and current changes. In many cases, these paradigms are based on observations that are spatially and temporally patchy. The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), one of Earth’s most rapidly changing regions, has been an area of particular research focus. A recently proposed mechanistic explanation for observed changes in the WAP region relates changes in penguin populations to variability in krill biomass and regional warming. While this scheme is attractive for its simplicity and chronology, it may not account for complex spatio-temporal processes that drive ecosystem dynamics in the region. It might also be difficult to apply to other Antarctic regions that are experiencing some, though not all, of the changes documented for the WAP. We use qualitative network models of differing levels of complexity to test paradigms of change for the WAP ecosystem. Importantly, our approach captures the emergent effects of feedback processes in complex ecological networks and provides a means to identify and incorporate uncertain linkages between network elements. Our findings highlight key areas of uncertainty in the drivers of documented trends, and suggest that a greater level of model complexity is needed in devising explanations for ecosystem change in the Southern Ocean. We suggest that our network approach to evaluating a recent and widely cited paradigm of change for the Antarctic region could be broadly applied in hypothesis testing for other regions and research fields. PMID:23405116

Chinstrap penguin population genetic structure: one or more populations along the Southern Ocean?

PubMed

Mura-Jornet, Isidora; Pimentel, Carolina; Dantas, Gisele P M; Petry, Maria Virginia; González-Acuña, Daniel; Barbosa, Andrés; Lowther, Andrew D; Kovacs, Kit M; Poulin, Elie; Vianna, Juliana A

2018-06-13

Historical factors, demography, reproduction and dispersal are crucial in determining the genetic structure of seabirds. In the Antarctic marine environment, penguins are a major component of the avian biomass, dominant predators and important bioindicators of ecological change. Populations of chinstrap penguins have decreased in nearly all their breeding sites, and their range is expanding throughout the Antarctic Peninsula. Population genetic structure of this species has been studied in some colonies, but not between breeding colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula or at the species' easternmost breeding colony (Bouvetøya). Connectivity, sex-biased dispersal, diversity, genetic structure and demographic history were studied using 12 microsatellite loci and a mitochondrial DNA region (HVRI) in 12 breeding colonies in the South Shetland Islands (SSI) and the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), and one previously unstudied sub-Antarctic island, 3600 km away from the WAP (Bouvetøya). High genetic diversity, evidence of female bias-dispersal and a sign of population expansion after the last glacial maximum around 10,000 mya were detected. Limited population genetic structure and lack of isolation by distance throughout the region were found, along with no differentiation between the WAP and Bouvetøya (overall microsatellite F ST  = 0.002, p = 0.273; mtDNA F ST  = - 0.004, p = 0.766), indicating long distance dispersal. Therefore, genetic assignment tests could not assign individuals to their population(s) of origin. The most differentiated location was Georges Point, one of the southernmost breeding colonies of this species in the WAP. The subtle differentiation found may be explained by some combination of low natal philopatric behavior, high rates of dispersal and/or generally high mobility among colonies of chinstrap penguins compared to other Pygoscelis species.

Denying Al Qaeda Safe Haven in a Weak State: An Analysis of U.S. Strategy in Yemen

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

Phillips, Yemen’s Democracy Experiment, 73-76. President Saleh intentionally skirts past provisions in the law which prohibit his manipulation of the...Command USSOF United States Special Operations Forces WAP Western Aden Protectorate YAR Yemen Arab Republic YSP Yemen Socialist Party...AQAP. In essence, this paper finds that the U.S. initiated buildup of Yemen’s security apparatus has far outpaced the implementation of governmental

Security Analysis of Yeh-Tsai Security Mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yum, Dae Hyun; Shin, Jong Hoon; Lee, Pil Joong

Yeh and Tsai recently proposed an enhanced mobile commerce security mechanism. They modified the lightweight security mechanism due to Lam, Chung, Gu, and Sun to relieve the burden of mobile clients. However, this article shows that a malicious WAP gateway can successfully obtain the mobile client's PIN by sending a fake public key of a mobile commerce server and exploiting information leakage caused by addition operation. We also present a countermeasure against the proposed attack.

Population genetic structure and gene flow of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) breeding throughout the western Antarctic Peninsula

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gorman, Kristen B.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Sage, George K.; Gravley, Megan C.; Fraser, William R.; Williams, Tony D.

2017-01-01

Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are responding to ocean–climate variability throughout the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) where some breeding colonies have declined by 80%. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers were used to understand historical population genetic structure and gene flow given relatively recent and continuing reductions in sea ice habitats and changes in numbers of breeding adults at colonies throughout the WAP. Genetic diversity, spatial genetic structure, genetic signatures of fluctuations in population demography and gene flow were assessed in four regional Adélie penguin colonies. The analyses indicated little genetic structure overall based on bi-parentally inherited microsatellite markers (FST =-0.006–0.004). No significant variance was observed in overall haplotype frequency (mtDNA ΦST =0.017; P=0.112). Some comparisons with Charcot Island were significant, suggestive of female-biased philopatry. Estimates of gene flow based on a two-population coalescent model were asymmetrical from the species’ regional core to its northern range. Breeding Adélie penguins of the WAP are a panmictic population and hold adequate genetic diversity and dispersal capacity to be resilient to environmental change.

Microbial risk assessment with the OAEL approach at water abstraction points in rural Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yillia, Paul T.; Kreuzinger, Norbert; Mathooko, Jude M.; Ndomahina, Ernest T.

US-based models for recreational water quality were applied to characterize the potential health risk (PHR) of infection with gastroenteritis (GI) and highly credible gastroenteritis (HCGI) illnesses from single exposure at several water abstraction points (WAPs) along the Njoro River in rural Kenya. Ambient geometric mean densities of Escherichia coli (EC) and intestinal enterococci (IE) were generally high (2-4 log units of cfu/100 ml) and risk levels were grossly in excess of acceptable health risk (AHR) levels for bathing and drinking. PHR was 2-3 times higher with the Cabelli (IE) model (Equation (2)) compared to the US EPA (EC) model (Equation (1)). Risk levels varied among WAPs in concomitance to the spatial and seasonal variability of ambient EC and IE densities. With the Cabelli IE model, PHR of HCGI illness on single exposure to the dry weather 95th percentile IE density for bathing was 2.5% of the exposed population at Logoman compared to 5.2% at Turkana Flats, 4.9% at Kenyatta or Nessuit and 4.6%, 4.5% and 4.2% at Treetop, Segotik and Njoro Bridge, respectively. PHR was ⩾5% on exposure to the wet weather 95th percentile IE density at all WAPs, excepting Treetop with 4.3%. Relative risk levels increased by at least 30 and 70 times for GI and HCGI illnesses, respectively, from drinking (250 ml) raw stream water, rising erratically in wet weather by >80% of the dry weather risk at Logoman, >30% at Njoro Bridge and Kenyatta and 10-15% at Segotik, Nessuit and Turkana Flats. By stipulating freshwater bathing water quality guidelines of 126 and 33 cfu/100 ml for EC and IE, respectively, US, EPA upholds maximum AHR levels at 0.7% and 1.9% for EC and IE, respectively. Hence, reducing current PHR levels at the WAPs to the US, EPA bathing AHR levels would require at least 2-4 log reductions of IE and EC densities with even further log reductions to achieve the WHO recommended drinking water AHR level of 0.1%. This would necessitate specialized treatment, in particular point-of-use treatment at the household level, as well as the implementation of comprehensive catchment management measures to protect the stream and the WAPs.

Tank 40 Final SB7b Chemical Characterization Results

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

Bannochie, C. J.

2012-11-06

A sample of Sludge Batch 7b (SB7b) was taken from Tank 40 in order to obtain radionuclide inventory analyses necessary for compliance with the Waste Acceptance Product Specifications (WAPS). The SB7b WAPS sample was also analyzed for chemical composition including noble metals and fissile constituents. At the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) the 3-L Tank 40 SB7b sample was transferred from the shipping container into a 4-L high density polyethylene bottle and solids were allowed to settle over the weekend. Supernate was then siphoned off and circulated through the shipping container to complete the transfer of the sample. Following thoroughmore » mixing of the 3-L sample, a 558 g sub-sample was removed. This sub-sample was then utilized for all subsequent analytical samples. Eight separate aliquots of the slurry were digested, four with HNO{sub 3}/HCl (aqua regia) in sealed Teflon vessels and four with NaOH/Na{sub 2}O{sub 2} (alkali or peroxide fusion) using Zr crucibles. Two Analytical Reference Glass ? 1 (ARG-1) standards were digested along with a blank for each preparation. Each aqua regia digestion and blank was diluted to 1:100 mL with deionized water and submitted to Analytical Development (AD) for inductively coupled plasma ? atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis, inductively coupled plasma ? mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AA) for As and Se, and cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CV-AA) for Hg. Equivalent dilutions of the alkali fusion digestions and blank were submitted to AD for ICP-AES analysis. Tank 40 SB7b supernate was collected from a mixed slurry sample in the SRNL Shielded Cells and submitted to AD for ICP-AES, ion chromatography (IC), total base/free OH{sup -}/other base, total inorganic carbon/total organic carbon (TIC/TOC) analyses, and Cs-137 gamma scan. Weighted dilutions of slurry were submitted for IC, TIC/TOC, and total base/free OH-/other base analyses. Activities for U-233, U-235, and Pu-239 were determined from the ICP-MS data for the aqua regia digestions of the Tank 40 WAPS slurry using the specific activity of each isotope. The Pu-241 value was determined from a Pu-238/-241 method.« less

Using Differential Evolution to Optimize Learning from Signals and Enhance Network Security

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

Harmer, Paul K; Temple, Michael A; Buckner, Mark A

2011-01-01

Computer and communication network attacks are commonly orchestrated through Wireless Access Points (WAPs). This paper summarizes proof-of-concept research activity aimed at developing a physical layer Radio Frequency (RF) air monitoring capability to limit unauthorizedWAP access and mprove network security. This is done using Differential Evolution (DE) to optimize the performance of a Learning from Signals (LFS) classifier implemented with RF Distinct Native Attribute (RF-DNA) fingerprints. Performance of the resultant DE-optimized LFS classifier is demonstrated using 802.11a WiFi devices under the most challenging conditions of intra-manufacturer classification, i.e., using emissions of like-model devices that only differ in serial number. Using identicalmore » classifier input features, performance of the DE-optimized LFS classifier is assessed relative to a Multiple Discriminant Analysis / Maximum Likelihood (MDA/ML) classifier that has been used for previous demonstrations. The comparative assessment is made using both Time Domain (TD) and Spectral Domain (SD) fingerprint features. For all combinations of classifier type, feature type, and signal-to-noise ratio considered, results show that the DEoptimized LFS classifier with TD features is uperior and provides up to 20% improvement in classification accuracy with proper selection of DE parameters.« less

Drivers of interannual variability in virioplankton abundance at the coastal western Antarctic peninsula and the potential effects of climate change.

PubMed

Evans, Claire; Brandsma, Joost; Pond, David W; Venables, Hugh J; Meredith, Michael P; Witte, Harry J; Stammerjohn, Sharon; Wilson, William H; Clarke, Andrew; Brussaard, Corina P D

2017-02-01

An 8-year time-series in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) with an approximately weekly sampling frequency was used to elucidate changes in virioplankton abundance and their drivers in this climatically sensitive region. Virioplankton abundances at the coastal WAP show a pronounced seasonal cycle with interannual variability in the timing and magnitude of the summer maxima. Bacterioplankton abundance is the most influential driving factor of the virioplankton, and exhibit closely coupled dynamics. Sea ice cover and duration predetermine levels of phytoplankton stock and thus, influence virioplankton by dictating the substrates available to the bacterioplankton. However, variations in the composition of the phytoplankton community and particularly the prominence of Diatoms inferred from silicate drawdown, drive interannual differences in the magnitude of the virioplankton bloom; likely again mediated through changes in the bacterioplankton. Their findings suggest that future warming within the WAP will cause changes in sea ice that will influence viruses and their microbial hosts through changes in the timing, magnitude and composition of the phytoplankton bloom. Thus, the flow of matter and energy through the viral shunt may be decreased with consequences for the Antarctic food web and element cycling. © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Distribution of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water on the warming continental shelf of the West Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Couto, Nicole; Martinson, Douglas G.; Kohut, Josh; Schofield, Oscar

2017-07-01

We use autonomous underwater vehicles to characterize the spatial distribution of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) on the continental shelf of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and present the first near-synoptic measurements of mesoscale features (eddies) containing UCDW on the WAP. Thirty-three subsurface eddies with widths on the order of 10 km were detected during four glider deployments. Each eddy contributed an average of 5.8 × 1016 J to the subpycnocline waters, where a cross-shelf heat flux of 1.37 × 1019 J yr-1 is required to balance the diffusive loss of heat to overlying winter water and to the near-coastal waters. Approximately two-thirds of the heat coming onto the shelf diffuses across the pycnocline and one-third diffuses to the coastal waters; long-term warming of the subpycnocline waters is a small residual of this balance. Sixty percent of the profiles that contained UCDW were part of a coherent eddy. Between 20% and 53% of the lateral onshore heat flux to the WAP can be attributed to eddies entering Marguerite Trough, a feature in the southern part of the shelf which is known to be an important conduit for UCDW. A northern trough is identified as additional important location for eddy intrusion.

Effect of foliar application of chitosan and salicylic acid on the growth of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) varieties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasanah, Y.; Sembiring, M.

2018-02-01

Elicitors such as chitosan and salicylic acid could be used not only to increase isoflavone concentration of soybean seeds, but also to increase the growth and seed yield. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of foliar application of elicitor compounds (i.e. chitosan, and salicylic acid)on the growth of two soybean varieties under dry land conditions. Experimental design was a randomized block design with 2 factors and 3 replications. The first factor was soybean varieties (Wilis and Devon). The second factor was foliar application of elicitors consisted of without elicitor; chitosan at V4 (four trifoliate leaves are fully developed); chitosan at R3 (early podding); chitosan at V4 and R3; salicylic acid at V4; salicylic acid at R3 and salicylic acid at V4 and R3. Parameters observed was plant height at 2-7 week after planting (WAP), shoot dry weight and root dry weight. The results suggest that the Wilis variety had higher plant height 7 WAP than Devon. The foliar application of chitosan increased the plant height at 7 WAP, shoot dry weight and root dry weight. The foliar application of chitosan at V4 and R3 on Devon variety increased shoot dry weight.

Summertime grazing impact of the dominant macrozooplankton off the Western Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernard, Kim S.; Steinberg, Deborah K.; Schofield, Oscar M. E.

2012-04-01

The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a region of rapid climate change that is altering plankton community structure. To investigate how these changes may impact carbon and energy transfer in the pelagic food web, grazing rates of the five dominant macrozooplankton species (euphausiids Euphausia superba, Euphausia crystallorophias, and Thysanöessa macrura; the pteropod Limacina helicina, and the salp Salpa thompsoni) in the WAP were measured in January 2009 and 2010 as part of the Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) study. Measurements were made across the coastal-shelf-offshore and north-south gradients of the LTER survey grid. Highest grazing rates occurred offshore in both years, and in the south during 2009 and north during 2010, all associated with the presence of large localized salp blooms. During both years, E. superba was the major grazer at the coast, while S. thompsoni dominated grazing offshore. L. helicina was an important grazer throughout the study area during both years, but especially so over the shelf during 2009. During 2009, there was little difference in the relative importance of the macrozooplankton grazers along the north-south gradient. The presence of a salp bloom in the north during 2010, though, resulted in a distinct shift in the relative importance of major grazers from the euphausiids and L. helicina in the south to salps in the north. Grazing impact was low in coastal waters (≤0.3% of phytoplankton standing stock and ≤0.6% of primary productivity). In contrast, in the offshore waters, where salp blooms were observed, grazing impacts of up to 30% of standing stock and 169% of primary productivity were recorded. If S. thompsoni and L. helicina continue to expand their ranges and increase in abundance, the associated shift in the food web dynamics of the WAP will alter the regional flow of carbon through the WAP food webs and the export of carbon to depth.

Healthy Housing Opportunities During Weatherization Work

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

Wilson, J.; Tohn, E.

2011-03-01

In the summer and early fall of 2010, the National Center for Healthy Housing interviewed people from a selection of state and local agencies that perform weatherizations on low-income housing in order to gauge their approach to improving the health and safety of the homes. The interviews provided a strong cross section of what work agencies can do, and how they go about funding this work when funds from the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) do not cover the full extent of the repairs. The report also makes recommendations for WAP in how to assist agencies to streamline and maximize themore » health and safety repairs they are able to make in the course of a standard weatherization.« less

National Weatherization Assistance Program Characterization Describing the Recovery Act Period

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

Tonn, Bruce Edward; Rose, Erin M.; Hawkins, Beth A.

This report characterizes the U.S. Department of Energy s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) during the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) period. This research was one component of the Recovery Act evaluation of WAP. The report presents the results of surveys administered to Grantees (i.e., state weatherization offices) and Subgrantees (i.e., local weatherization agencies). The report also documents the ramp up and ramp down of weatherization production and direct employment during the Recovery Act period and other challenges faced by the Grantees and Subgrantees during this period. Program operations during the Recovery Act (Program Year 2010) aremore » compared to operations during the year previous to the Recovery Act (Program Year 2008).« less

A Fast lattice-based polynomial digital signature system for m-commerce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Xinzhou; Leung, Lin; Anshel, Michael

2003-01-01

The privacy and data integrity are not guaranteed in current wireless communications due to the security hole inside the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) version 1.2 gateway. One of the remedies is to provide an end-to-end security in m-commerce by applying application level security on top of current WAP1.2. The traditional security technologies like RSA and ECC applied on enterprise's server are not practical for wireless devices because wireless devices have relatively weak computation power and limited memory compared with server. In this paper, we developed a lattice based polynomial digital signature system based on NTRU's Polynomial Authentication and Signature Scheme (PASS), which enabled the feasibility of applying high-level security on both server and wireless device sides.

Survey of Recipients of WAP Services Assessment of Household Budget and Energy Behaviors Pre to Post Weatherization DOE

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

Tonn, Bruce Edward; Rose, Erin M.; Hawkins, Beth A.

This report presents results from the national survey of weatherization recipients. This research was one component of the retrospective and Recovery Act evaluations of the U.S. Department of Energy s Weatherization Assistance Program. Survey respondents were randomly selected from a nationally representative sample of weatherization recipients. The respondents and a comparison group were surveyed just prior to receiving their energy audits and then again approximately 18 months post-weatherization. This report focuses on budget issues faced by WAP households pre- and post-weatherization, whether household energy behaviors changed from pre- to post, the effectiveness of approaches to client energy education, and usemore » and knowledge about thermostats.« less

PSI Wide Area Product (WAP) for measuring Ground Surface Displacements at regional level for multi-hazards studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duro, Javier; Iglesias, Rubén; Blanco, Pablo; Albiol, David; Koudogbo, Fifamè

2015-04-01

The Wide Area Product (WAP) is a new interferometric product developed to provide measurement over large regions. Persistent Scatterers Interferometry (PSI) has largely proved their robust and precise performance in measuring ground surface deformation in different application domains. In this context, however, the accurate displacement estimation over large-scale areas (more than 10.000 km2) characterized by low magnitude motion gradients (3-5 mm/year), such as the ones induced by inter-seismic or Earth tidal effects, still remains an open issue. The main reason for that is the inclusion of low quality and more distant persistent scatterers in order to bridge low-quality areas, such as water bodies, crop areas and forested regions. This fact yields to spatial propagation errors on PSI integration process, poor estimation and compensation of the Atmospheric Phase Screen (APS) and the difficult to face residual long-wavelength phase patterns originated by orbit state vectors inaccuracies. Research work for generating a Wide Area Product of ground motion in preparation for the Sentinel-1 mission has been conducted in the last stages of Terrafirma as well as in other research programs. These developments propose technological updates for keeping the precision over large scale PSI analysis. Some of the updates are based on the use of external information, like meteorological models, and the employment of GNSS data for an improved calibration of large measurements. Usually, covering wide regions implies the processing over areas with a land use which is chiefly focused on livestock, horticulture, urbanization and forest. This represents an important challenge for providing continuous InSAR measurements and the application of advanced phase filtering strategies to enhance the coherence. The advanced PSI processing has been performed out over several areas, allowing a large scale analysis of tectonic patterns, and motion caused by multi-hazards as volcanic, landslide and flood. Several examples of the application of the PSI WAP to wide regions for measuring ground displacements related to different types of hazards, natural and human induced will be presented. The InSAR processing approach to measure accurate movements at local and large scales for allowing multi-hazard interpretation studies will also be discussed. The test areas will show deformations related to active faults systems, landslides in mountains slopes, ground compaction over underneath aquifers and movements in volcanic areas.

Lactation-induced WAP-SV40 Tag transgene expression in C57BL/6J mice leads to mammary carcinoma.

PubMed

Hüsler, M R; Kotopoulis, K A; Sundberg, J P; Tennent, B J; Kunig, S V; Knowles, B B

1998-07-01

Two transgenic lineages were generated by directing the expression of SV40 T antigen to the mammary gland of inbred C57BL/6J mice using the whey acidic protein (WAP) promoter. In one lineage, WAPTag 1, multiparous female mice developed mammary adenocarcinoma with an average latency period of 13 months. The histopathological phenotype was heterogeneous, tumours occurred in a stochastic fashion, normal tissue was located next to neoplastic tissue, the mammary tumours usually developed and were remarkably similar to that observed in human cases. In addition, male and virgin females developed a poorly differentiated SV40 T antigen-positive soft tissue sarcoma, also at 13 months of age. In the other lineage, WAPTag 3, some parous females developed mammary tumours, but most mice succumbed to osteosarcomas arising from the os petrosum at 5.5 to 6 months of age and on necropsy, renal adenocarcinomas were also found. Appearance of these unexpected tumour types demonstrates the non-specific expression of SV40 Tag under the control of the WAP promoter. The expression of SV40 Tag in mammary glands at different stages of development was also examined, and only actively lactating glands were positive. This suggests that the abundant cyclic synthesis of SV40 Tag associated with pregnancy is required for mammary tumorigenesis in these lineages.

Impingement drying for preparing dried apple pomace flour and its fortification in bakery and meat products.

PubMed

Jung, Jooyeoun; Cavender, George; Zhao, Yanyun

2015-09-01

This study aimed to evaluate impingement drying (ID) as a rapid drying method to dry wet apple pomace (WAP) and to investigate the fortification of dried apple pomace flour (APF) or WAP in bakery and meat products. ID at ~110 °C reduced the moisture content of apple pomace from 80 % (wet basis) to 4.5 % within 3 h, compared with 24 h to 2.2 % using 40 °C forced-air drying and ~60 h to 2.3 % using freeze drying. Furthermore, ID enhanced the extractable phenolic compounds, allowing for a 58 % increase in total phenolic content (TPC) compared with wet pomace, a 110 % and 83 % higher than TPC in forced-air dried and freeze dried samples, respectively. The 15-20 % APF-fortified cookies were found to be ~44-59 % softer, ~30 % more chewy, and ~14 % moister than those of the control. WAP-fortified meat products had significantly higher dietary fiber content (0.7-1.8 % vs. 0.1-0.2 % in control) and radical scavenging activity than that of the control. These results suggest that impingement drying is a fast and effective method for preparing dried APF with highly retained bioactive compounds, and apple pomace fortified products maintained or even had improved quality.

The Surface Mass Balance of the Antarctic Peninsula at 5.5 km horizontal resolution, as simulated by a regional atmospheric climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wessem, M.; Reijmer, C.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Ligtenberg, S.; Scambos, T. A.; Barrand, N. E.; Van De Berg, W. J.; Thomas, E. R.; Wuite, J.; van Meijgaard, E.; Turner, J.

2015-12-01

The Antarctic Peninsula (AP) is one of the most rapidly changing regions on earth, but limited detailed information is available about AP climate due to a lack of observational data. Here, we present a high-resolution (5.5 km) estimate of the surface mass balance (SMB) for the AP, from 1979 to 2014, calculated by the regional atmospheric climate model RACMO2.3, that is specifically adapted for use over the polar regions. Next to this, a firn densification model is used to calculate the processes in the snowpack, such as firn compaction and meltwater percolation, refreezing, and runoff. A comparison with the few available in-situ observations shows that the AP SMB is well modeled, but that discrepancies remain that are mainly related to the highly variable AP topography compared to the model resolution. Integrated over an ice sheet area of 4.1 105 km2, the climatological (1979-2014) SMB of the AP amounts to 351 Gt y-1 (with interannual variability = 58 Gt y-1), which mostly consists of snowfall (363 ± 56 Gt y-1). The other SMB components, sublimation, drifting snow erosion and meltwater runoff, are small (11, 0.5 and 4 Gt y-1, respectively). The AP mountains act as an important climate barrier, leading to distinct differences between the climate of the western AP (WAP) and the eastern AP (EAP). For instance, 77% of all AP snowfall falls over the WAP, where strong orographic forcing leads to snowfall rates >4 m w.e. y-1 on the northwestern slopes, while snowfall rates are <400 mm w.e. y-1 over the EAP ice shelves. These results, and further investigations of this sharp west-to-east climate distinction, clearly highlight the different forcing mechanisms of the SMB over the WAP and the EAP: over the WAP most snowfall is orographically induced, while over the EAP it is generated by depressions over the Weddell Sea. Furthermore, no significant trends are found in any of the SMB components, except for a slight decrease in snowmelt.

The 3D Distribution of Dissolved and Colloidal Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb in the Western Antarctic Peninsula Shelf Region; Implications for Natural Fe Fertilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherrell, R. M.; Fitzsimmons, J. N.; Roccanova, J.; Schofield, O.; Meredith, M. P.

2016-02-01

The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) shelf region is is a natural Fe fertilization zone where primary production exceeds that of the adjacent open Southern Ocean. Until recently, however, distributions of Fe and of other bioactive metals were completely lacking for the WAP, and the sources and delivery mechanisms of Fe to the euphotic zone were only speculated upon. We have previously presented surface water (2m) dissolved (dTM, <0.2µm) and particulate (pTM, >0.45µm) distributions for Fe and a suite of other bioactive metals over the WAP shelf, covering the Palmer LTER sampling grid for Jan. 2010, 2011 and 2012. We now report the first complete 3D distribution of dissolved and colloidal Fe (and Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb) over the LTER grid in Jan. 2015, allowing assessment of dFe size speciation, sources and transport pathways in this dynamic shelf system. Dissolved metals were analyzed by automated offline preconcentration (seaFAST-pico, ESI) followed by sector-field ICP-MS. We confirm previous findings of low ( 0.1nM) dFe in surface waters on the mid-outer shelf in the northern portion of the grid, and now find that concentrations at this level or below persist through the euphotic zone. However, dFe increases rapidly with depth, with low surface values underlain by substantially higher concentrations even at 50m. Inner shelf surface waters are generally substantially > 0.1nM, suggesting Fe replete conditions in this region. Vertical profiles reveal that dFe generally increases with depth, much moreso in the inner shelf (dFe up to 5.0nM) than the outer shelf. A general N-S gradient in dFe is also evident, with concentrations higher in the southern WAP, especially in Marguerite Bay. In addition, shelf stations often show a dFe maximum suggesting remineralization from sinking biogenic particles. These findings for dFe and for the other metals, will be used to help unravel the biogeochemical workings of natural Fe fertilization in this region.

Effect of injection of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides of GAD isozymes into rat ventromedial hypothalamus on food intake and locomotor activity.

PubMed

Bannai, M; Ichikawa, M; Nishihara, M; Takahashi, M

1998-02-16

In the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plays a role in regulating feeding and running behaviors. The GABA synthetic enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), consists of two isozymes, GAD65 and GAD67. In the present study, the phosphorothioated antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) of each GAD isozyme were injected bilaterally into the VMH of male rats, and food intake, body weight and locomotor activity were monitored. ODNs were incorporated in the water-absorbent polymer (WAP, 0.2 nmol/microliter) so that ODNs were retained at the injection site. Each antisense ODN of GAD65 or GAD67 tended to reduce food intake on day 1 (day of injection=day 0) though not significantly. An injection combining both antisense ODNs significantly decreased food intake only on day 1, but body weight remained significantly lower than the control for 5 days. This suppression of body weight gain could be attributed to a significant increase in locomotor activity between days 3 and 5. Individual treatment with either ODNs did not change locomotor activity. The increase in daily locomotor activity in the group receiving the combined antisense ODNs occurred mainly during the light phase. Neither vehicle (WAP) nor control ODN affected food intake, body weight and locomotor activity. Histological studies indicated that antisense ODN distributed within 800 micron from the edge of the area where WAP was located 24 h after the injection gradually disappeared within days, but still remained within 300 micron m distance even 7 days after the injection. Antisense ODN was effectively incorporated by all the cell types examined, i.e., neurons, astrocytes and microglias. Further, HPLC analysis revealed that antisense ODNs of GAD isozymes, either alone or combined, decreased the content of GABA by 50% in VMH 24 h after the injection. These results indicate that suppression of GABA synthesis by either of the GAD isozymes is synergistically involved in suppressing food intake and enhancing locomotor activity in rat VMH. Copyright 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

Impact of sea-ice melt on dimethyl sulfide (sulfoniopropionate) inventories in surface waters of Marguerite Bay, West Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Stefels, Jacqueline; van Leeuwe, Maria A; Jones, Elizabeth M; Meredith, Michael P; Venables, Hugh J; Webb, Alison L; Henley, Sian F

2018-06-28

The Southern Ocean is a hotspot of the climate-relevant organic sulfur compound dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Spatial and temporal variability in DMS concentration is higher than in any other oceanic region, especially in the marginal ice zone. During a one-week expedition across the continental shelf of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), from the shelf break into Marguerite Bay, in January 2015, spatial heterogeneity of DMS and its precursor dimethyl sulfoniopropionate (DMSP) was studied and linked with environmental conditions, including sea-ice melt events. Concentrations of sulfur compounds, particulate organic carbon (POC) and chlorophyll a in the surface waters varied by a factor of 5-6 over the entire transect. DMS and DMSP concentrations were an order of magnitude higher than currently inferred in climatologies for the WAP region. Particulate DMSP concentrations were correlated most strongly with POC and the abundance of haptophyte algae within the phytoplankton community, which, in turn, was linked with sea-ice melt. The strong sea-ice signal in the distribution of DMS(P) implies that DMS(P) production is likely to decrease with ongoing reductions in sea-ice cover along the WAP. This has implications for feedback processes on the region's climate system.This article is part of the theme issue 'The marine system of the West Antarctic Peninsula: status and strategy for progress in a region of rapid change'. © 2018 The Author(s).

High particle export over the continental shelf of the west Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buesseler, Ken O.; McDonnell, Andrew M. P.; Schofield, Oscar M. E.; Steinberg, Deborah K.; Ducklow, Hugh W.

2010-11-01

Drifting cylindrical traps and the flux proxy 234Th indicate more than an order of magnitude higher sinking fluxes of particulate carbon and 234Th in January 2009 than measured by a time-series conical trap used regularly on the shelf of the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). The higher fluxes measured in this study have several implications for our understanding of the WAP ecosystem. Larger sinking fluxes result in a revised export efficiency of at least 10% (C flux/net primary production) and a requisite lower regeneration efficiency in surface waters. High fluxes also result in a large supply of sinking organic matter to support subsurface and benthic food webs on the continental shelf. These new findings call into question the magnitude of seasonal and interannual variability in particle flux and reaffirm the difficulty of using moored conical traps as a quantitative flux collector in shallow waters.

Project Management Plan for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Experimental Test Program

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

Connolly, M.J.; Sayer, D.L.

1993-11-01

EG&G Idaho, Inc. and Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W) are participating in the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory`s (INEL`s) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Experimental Test Program (WETP). The purpose of the INEL WET is to provide chemical, physical, and radiochemical data on transuranic (TRU) waste to be stored at WIPP. The waste characterization data collected will be used to support the WIPP Performance Assessment (PA), development of the disposal No-Migration Variance Petition (NMVP), and to support the WIPP disposal decision. The PA is an analysis required by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40, Part 191 (40 CFR 191), whichmore » identifies the processes and events that may affect the disposal system (WIPP) and examines the effects of those processes and events on the performance of WIPP. A NMVP is required for the WIPP by 40 CFR 268 in order to dispose of land disposal restriction (LDR) mixed TRU waste in WIPP. It is anticipated that the detailed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) waste characterization data of all INEL retrievably-stored TRU waste to be stored in WIPP will be required for the NMVP. Waste characterization requirements for PA and RCRA may not necessarily be identical. Waste characterization requirements for the PA will be defined by Sandia National Laboratories. The requirements for RCRA are defined in 40 CFR 268, WIPP RCRA Part B Application Waste Analysis Plan (WAP), and WIPP Waste Characterization Program Plan (WWCP). This Project Management Plan (PMP) addresses only the characterization of the contact handled (CH) TRU waste at the INEL. This document will address all work in which EG&G Idaho is responsible concerning the INEL WETP. Even though EG&G Idaho has no responsibility for the work that ANL-W is performing, EG&G Idaho will keep a current status and provide a project coordination effort with ANL-W to ensure that the INEL, as a whole, is effectively and efficiently completing the requirements for WETP.« less

Weed diversity identification on growth phases of twelve maize varieties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahayu, M.; Yudono, P.; Indradewa, D.; Hanudin, E.

2018-03-01

Weed is one of the factors that disturb maize cultivation. Each maize variety has specific characteristics which will lead to weeds diversity in particular farm. This study aimed to identify the effect of maize variety on weed diversity on maize’s growth phases. The research was conducted from March to July 2016 in Banguntapan, Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The field research was arranged by using Randomised Complete Block Design with three replications. The treatments were maize varieties, consist of 12 levels: ‘Bisi 18’, ‘Bisi 2’, ‘Pertiwi 3’, ‘NK 22’, ‘NK 33’, ‘DK 959’, ‘P23’, ‘DK 771’, ‘DK 95’, ‘Bima 19 Uri’, ‘Bisma’, and ‘Sukmaraga’. The results showed that at four weeks after planting (WAP) the most of weeds were growing on varieties ‘Bisi 18’, ‘NK 33’, ‘P 23’, and ‘DK 95’, there were 14 species. Bulbostylispuberula and Cyperusrotundus were growing on all maize varieties with the highest SDR on ‘Sukmaraga’ and ‘DK 959’. At six WAP, weeds that grew, most consists of four species of sedges, six species of grasses and 24 species of broadleaf. While at the age of eight WAP, the weeds that grow at least on ‘NK 33’ that were 13 species and the most on ‘P23’ that were 21 species. Dactyloctenium aeghypthium having highest SDR in all maize varieties except Bisi 18. The highest SDR value on Bisi 18 was Boerhaavia erecta about 16.23%.

Environmental Factors Influencing Antarctic Krill Recruitment along the Western Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cope, J. S.; Steinberg, D. K.; Thanassekos, S.

2016-02-01

Climate warming in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is impacting pelagic food web structure. Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, are a critical food-web link between primary producers and higher trophic levels such as penguins, seals, and whales. Climate-induced changes in krill recruitment are thus an important consideration when evaluating future WAP ecosystem trends. We examined long-term (1993 to 2015) and spatial (north/south) changes in summer krill recruitment. Krill were collected within the epipelagic zone during the Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research (PAL LTER) cruises within a 700 x 260 km sampling grid along the WAP. Krill from each tow were enumerated and their lengths were measured. A simple recruitment index based on the proportion of krill smaller than 40 mm (F40) was used in our analyses. There was a significant 5-6-year cyclical trend in F40. In the last 5 years, the southern population has begun to deviate from this cycle. To investigate potential environmental factors leading to this pattern in recruitment success, F40 was regressed with environmental factors and climatological indices for both the whole PAL LTER grid and north/south sub-regions. Over the whole grid, F40 was positively correlated with chlorophyll a and primary production, both with a 1-year lag. Spatially, these trends were strongest for chlorophyll in the north, and primary production in the south. Krill recruitment in the south was also correlated to climatological indices such as the Multivariate El Niño/Southern Oscillation Index (MEI). These correlations could be used to forecast future krill population changes.

Super-aggregations of krill and humpback whales in Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Nowacek, Douglas P; Friedlaender, Ari S; Halpin, Patrick N; Hazen, Elliott L; Johnston, David W; Read, Andrew J; Espinasse, Boris; Zhou, Meng; Zhu, Yiwu

2011-04-27

Ecological relationships of krill and whales have not been explored in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), and have only rarely been studied elsewhere in the Southern Ocean. In the austral autumn we observed an extremely high density (5.1 whales per km(2)) of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding on a super-aggregation of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in Wilhelmina Bay. The krill biomass was approximately 2 million tons, distributed over an area of 100 km(2) at densities of up to 2000 individuals m(-3); reports of such 'super-aggregations' of krill have been absent in the scientific literature for >20 years. Retentive circulation patterns in the Bay entrained phytoplankton and meso-zooplankton that were grazed by the krill. Tagged whales rested during daylight hours and fed intensively throughout the night as krill migrated toward the surface. We infer that the previously unstudied WAP embayments are important foraging areas for whales during autumn and, furthermore, that meso-scale variation in the distribution of whales and their prey are important features of this system. Recent decreases in the abundance of Antarctic krill around the WAP have been linked to reductions in sea ice, mediated by rapid climate change in this area. At the same time, baleen whale populations in the Southern Ocean, which feed primarily on krill, are recovering from past exploitation. Consideration of these features and the effects of climate change on krill dynamics are critical to managing both krill harvests and the recovery of baleen whales in the Southern Ocean.

National Weatherization Assistance Program Impact Evaluation - Client Satisfaction Survey: WAP Service Delivery from the Client's Perspective

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

Miller, Carolyn; Carroll, David; Berger, Jacqueline

This report presents the results of a survey of recipients to measure satisfaction with services provided by local weatherization agencies being supported by funding from Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program.

A Technical Note on the PainChek™ System: A Web Portal and Mobile Medical Device for Assessing Pain in People With Dementia.

PubMed

Atee, Mustafa; Hoti, Kreshnik; Hughes, Jeffery D

2018-01-01

Background: Pain in dementia is predominant particularly in the advanced stages or in those who are unable to verbalize. Uncontrolled pain alters the course of behaviors in patients with dementia making them perturbed, unsettled, and devitalized. Current measures of assessing pain in this population group are inadequate and underutilized in clinical practice because they lack systematic evaluation and innovative design. Objective: To describe a novel method and system of pain assessment using a combination of technologies: automated facial recognition and analysis (AFRA), smart computing, affective computing, and cloud computing (Internet of Things) for people with advanced dementia. Methods and Results: Cognification and affective computing were used to conceptualize the system. A computerized clinical system was developed to address the challenging problem of identifying pain in non-verbal patients with dementia. The system is composed of a smart device enabled app (App) linked to a web admin portal (WAP). The App "PainChek™" uses AFRA to identify facial action units indicative of pain presence, and user-fed clinical information to calculate a pain intensity score. The App has various functionalities including: pain assessment, pain monitoring, patient profiling, and data synchronization (into the WAP). The WAP serves as a database that collects the data obtained through the App in the clinical setting. These technologies can assist in addressing the various characteristics of pain (e.g., subjectivity, multidimensionality, and dynamicity). With over 750 paired assessments conducted, the App has been validated in two clinical studies ( n = 74, age: 60-98 y), which showed sound psychometric properties: excellent concurrent validity ( r = 0.882-0.911), interrater reliability (Kw = 0.74-0.86), internal consistency (α = 0.925-0.950), and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.904), while it possesses good predictive validity and discriminant validity. Clinimetric data revealed high accuracy (95.0%), sensitivity (96.1%), and specificity (91.4%) as well as excellent clinical utility (0.95). Conclusions: PainChek™ is a comprehensive and evidence-based pain management system. This novel approach has the potential to transform pain assessment in people who are unable to verbalize because it can be used by clinicians and carers in everyday clinical practice.

Three STATs are involved in the regulation of the expression of antimicrobial peptides in the triangle sail mussel, Hyriopsis cumingii.

PubMed

Dai, Yun-Jia; Hui, Kai-Min; Zhang, Ying-Hao; Liu, Yan; Wang, Yu-Qing; Zhao, Li-Juan; Lin, Li; Chai, Lian-Qin; Wei, Shun; Lan, Jiang-Feng

2017-04-01

Janus kinase (Jak) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway is associated in antiviral and antibacterial immune response. Previous studies primarily investigated the function of STATs in mammals. For most invertebrates, only one STAT was found in each species, such as STAT92E was found in Drosophila melanogaster. The studies, which focus on the functional difference between various STATs in the same species of invertebrate, are limited. In the present study, three STATs (HcSTAT1, HcSTAT2 and HcSTAT3) were identified in triangle shell pearl mussel, Hyriopsis cumingii. Phylogenetic analysis showed that HcSTAT1 and HcSTAT3 were clustered with Homo sapiens STAT5, and HcSTAT2 was clustered with Pinctada fucata STAT and Crassostea gigas STAT6. All three STATs could be detected in all tested tissues (hemocytes, hepatopancreas, gill, mantle and foot), and were induced expression when challenged with Staphylococcus aureus or Aeromonas hydrophilia in hemocytes and hepatopancreas. HcSTAT1 regulated the expression of HcDef, HcWAP, HcThe and HcTNF. The expression of HcWAP and HcTNF was down-regulated in HcSTAT2-RNAi mussel. And HcSTAT3 affected the expression of HcTNF. The study is the first report of different functions in antibacterial immune responses between STATs in mollusks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

National Weatherization Assistance Program Impact Evaluation: Impact of Exhaust-Only Ventilation on Radon and Indoor Humidity - A Field Investigation

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

Pigg, Scott

2014-09-01

The study described here sought to assess the impact of exhaust-only ventilation on indoor radon and humidity in single-family homes that had been treated by the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

Macronutrient supply, uptake and recycling in the coastal ocean of the west Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henley, Sian F.; Tuerena, Robyn E.; Annett, Amber L.; Fallick, Anthony E.; Meredith, Michael P.; Venables, Hugh J.; Clarke, Andrew; Ganeshram, Raja S.

2017-05-01

Nutrient supply, uptake and cycling underpin high primary productivity over the continental shelf of the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Here we use a suite of biogeochemical and isotopic data collected over five years in northern Marguerite Bay to examine these macronutrient dynamics and their controlling biological and physical processes in the WAP coastal ocean. We show pronounced nutrient drawdown over the summer months by primary production which drives a net seasonal nitrate uptake of 1.83 mol N m-2 yr-1, equivalent to net carbon uptake of 146 g C m-2 yr-1. High primary production fuelled primarily by deep-sourced macronutrients is diatom-dominated, but non-siliceous phytoplankton also play a role. Strong nutrient drawdown in the uppermost surface ocean has the potential to cause transient nitrogen limitation before nutrient resupply and/or regeneration. Interannual variability in nutrient utilisation corresponds to winter sea ice duration and the degree of upper ocean mixing, implying susceptibility to physical climate change. The nitrogen isotope composition of nitrate (δ15NNO3) shows a utilisation signal during the growing seasons with a community-level net isotope effect of 4.19 ± 0.29‰. We also observe significant deviation of our data from modelled and observed utilisation trends, and argue that this is driven primarily by water column nitrification and meltwater dilution of surface nitrate. This study is important because it provides a detailed description of the nutrient biogeochemistry underlying high primary productivity at the WAP, and shows that surface ocean nutrient inventories in the Antarctic sea ice zone can be affected by intense recycling in the water column, meltwater dilution and sea ice processes, in addition to utilisation in the upper ocean.

Long-term (1993-2013) changes in macrozooplankton off the Western Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinberg, Deborah K.; Ruck, Kate E.; Gleiber, Miram R.; Garzio, Lori M.; Cope, Joseph S.; Bernard, Kim S.; Stammerjohn, Sharon E.; Schofield, Oscar M. E.; Quetin, Langdon B.; Ross, Robin M.

2015-07-01

The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, and where a high apex predator biomass is supported in large part by macrozooplankton. We examined trends in summer (January-February) abundance of major taxa of macrozooplankton along the WAP over two decades (1993-2013) and their relationship with environmental parameters (sea ice, atmospheric climate indices, sea surface temperature, and phytoplankton biomass and productivity). Macrozooplankton were collected from the top 120 m of the water column in a mid-Peninsula study region divided into latitudinal (North, South, and Far South) and cross-shelf (coastal, shelf, slope) sub-regions. Trends for krill species included a 5-year cycle in abundance peaks (positive anomalies) for Euphausia superba, but no directional long-term trend, and an increase in Thysanoessa macrura in the North; variability in both species was strongly influenced by primary production 2-years prior. E. crystallorophias abundance was best explained by the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and Multivariate El Niño Southern Oscillation Index (MEI), and was more abundant in higher ice conditions. The salp Salpa thompsoni and thecosome pteropod Limacina helicina cycled between negative and positive anomalies in the North, but showed increasing positive anomalies in the South over time. Variation in salp and pteropod abundance was best explained by SAM and the MEI, respectively, and both species were more abundant in lower ice conditions. There was a long-term increase in some carnivorous gelatinous zooplankton (polychaete worm Tomopteris spp.) and amphipods. Abundance of Pseudosagitta spp. chaetognaths was closely related to SAM, with higher abundance tied to lower ice conditions. Long-term changes and sub-decadal cycles of WAP macrozooplankton community composition may affect energy transfer to higher trophic levels, and alter biogeochemical cycling in this seasonally productive and sensitive polar ecosystem.

Stirring Up the Biological Pump: Vertical Mixing and Carbon Export in the Southern Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stukel, Michael R.; Ducklow, Hugh W.

2017-09-01

The biological carbon pump (BCP) transports organic carbon from the surface to the ocean's interior via sinking particles, vertically migrating organisms, and passive transport of organic matter by advection and diffusion. While many studies have quantified sinking particles, the magnitude of passive transport remains poorly constrained. In the Southern Ocean weak thermal stratification, strong vertical gradients in particulate organic matter, and weak vertical nitrate gradients suggest that passive transport from the euphotic zone may be particularly important. We compile data from seasonal time series at a coastal site near Palmer Station, annual regional cruises in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), cruises throughout the broader Southern Ocean, and SOCCOM (Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling) autonomous profiling floats to estimate spatial and temporal patterns in vertical gradients of nitrate, particulate nitrogen (PN), and dissolved organic carbon. Under a steady state approximation, the ratio of ∂PN/∂z to ∂NO3-/∂z suggests that passive transport of PN may be responsible for removing 46% (37%-58%) of the nitrate introduced into the surface ocean of the WAP (with dissolved organic matter contributing an additional 3-6%) and for 23% (19%-28%) of the BCP in the broader Southern Ocean. A simple model parameterized with in situ nitrate, PN, and primary production data suggested that passive transport was responsible for 54% of the magnitude of the BCP in the WAP. Our results highlight the potential importance of passive transport (by advection and diffusion) of organic matter in the Southern Ocean but should only be considered indicative of high passive transport (rather than conclusive evidence) due to our steady state assumptions.

NATIONAL EVALUATION OF THE WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM DURING THE ARRA PERIOD: PROGRAM YEARS 2009-2011

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

Tonn, Bruce Edward; Rose, Erin M; Schmoyer, Richard L

This report describes the third major evaluation of the Program, encompassing program years 2009 to 2011. In this report, this period of time is referred to as the ARRA Period. This is a special period of time for the Program because the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 has allocated $5 billion of funding for the Program. In normal program years, WAP s annual appropriation is in the range of $200-250 million, supporting the weatherization of approximately 100,000 homes. With the addition of ARRA funding during these program years, the expectation is that weatherization activity will exceed 300,000more » homes per year. In addition to saving energy and reducing low-income energy bills, expanded WAP funding is expected to stimulate the economy by providing new jobs in the weatherization field and allowing low-income households to spend more money on goods and services by spending less on energy.« less

Remote monitoring and security alert based on motion detection using mobile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suganya Devi, K.; Srinivasan, P.

2016-03-01

Background model does not have any robust solution and constitutes one of the main problems in surveillance systems. The aim of the paper is to provide a mobile based security to a remote monitoring system through a WAP using GSM modem. It is most designed to provide durability and versatility for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor applications. It is compatible with both narrow and band networks and provides simultaneous image detection. The communicator provides remote control, event driven recording, including pre-alarm and post-alarm and image motion detection. The web cam allowing them to be mounted either to a ceiling or wall without requiring bracket, with the use of web cam. We could continuously monitoring status in the client system through the web. If any intruder arrives in the client system, server will provide an alert to the mobile (what we are set in the message that message send to the authorized person) and the client can view the image using WAP.

ACHP | News

Science.gov Websites

Agreement (PA) for its Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), State Energy Program (SEP), and Energy ability of signatories to amend or terminate the agreement. DOE formally requested the ACHP comment on its , and EECBG in each state in lieu of renegotiating and amending each executed agreement. The prototype

CAP/WAP-based correlations for estimating the static axial capacity of open-ended steel pipe piles in Alaska.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

CAPWAP analyses of open-ended steel pipe piles at 32 bridge sites in Alaska have been compiled with geotechnical and construction : information for 12- to 48-inch diameter piles embedded in predominantly cohesionless soils to maximum depths of 161-fe...

76 FR 38380 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-30

... markets. DATES: Comments regarding this collection must be received on or before August 1, 2011. If you... Conservation and Production Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6861 et seq.), as amended, authorizes the DOE to administer the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of...

Targeting expression of a transforming growth factor beta 1 transgene to the pregnant mammary gland inhibits alveolar development and lactation.

PubMed Central

Jhappan, C; Geiser, A G; Kordon, E C; Bagheri, D; Hennighausen, L; Roberts, A B; Smith, G H; Merlino, G

1993-01-01

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) possesses highly potent, diverse and often opposing cell-specific activities, and has been implicated in the regulation of a variety of physiologic and developmental processes. To determine the effects of in vivo overexpression of TGF-beta 1 on mammary gland function, transgenic mice were generated harboring a fusion gene consisting of the porcine TGF-beta 1 cDNA placed under the control of regulatory elements of the pregnancy-responsive mouse whey-acidic protein (WAP) gene. Females from two of four transgenic lines were unable to lactate due to inhibition of the formation of lobuloalveolar structures and suppression of production of endogenous milk protein. In contrast, ductal development of the mammary glands was not overtly impaired. There was a complete concordance in transgenic mice between manifestation of the lactation-deficient phenotype and expression of RNA from the WAP/TGF-beta 1 transgene, which was present at low levels in the virgin gland, but was greatly induced at mid-pregnancy. TGF-beta 1 was localized to numerous alveoli and to the periductal extracellular matrix in the mammary gland of transgenic females late in pregnancy by immunohistochemical analysis. Glands reconstituted from cultured transgenic mammary epithelial cells duplicated the inhibition of lobuloalveolar development observed in situ in the mammary glands of pregnant transgenic mice. Results from this transgenic model strongly support the hypothesis that TGF-beta 1 plays an important in vivo role in regulating the development and function of the mammary gland. Images PMID:8491177

Mobile Learning: A Framework and Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motiwalla, Luvai F.

2007-01-01

Wireless data communications in form of Short Message Service (SMS) and Wireless Access Protocols (WAP) browsers have gained global popularity, yet, not much has been done to extend the usage of these devices in electronic learning (e-learning). This project explores the extension of e-learning into wireless/handheld (W/H) computing devices with…

PAL[R] Services Being Measured through Scientifically-Based Evaluation Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perspectives in Peer Programs, 2007

2007-01-01

In January 2006, PAL[R] Peer Assistance and Leadership, a Promising Prevention Program of Workers Assistance Program, Inc. (WAP), received a $30,000 grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) in order to be scientifically-evaluated on the outcomes and effectiveness of its programs and services. According to the grant, the…

Binary Coded Web Access Pattern Tree in Education Domain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomathi, C.; Moorthi, M.; Duraiswamy, K.

2008-01-01

Web Access Pattern (WAP), which is the sequence of accesses pursued by users frequently, is a kind of interesting and useful knowledge in practice. Sequential Pattern mining is the process of applying data mining techniques to a sequential database for the purposes of discovering the correlation relationships that exist among an ordered list of…

The high-level expression of human tissue plasminogen activator in the milk of transgenic mice with hybrid gene locus strategy.

PubMed

Zhou, Yanrong; Lin, Yanli; Wu, Xiaojie; Xiong, Fuyin; Lv, Yuemeng; Zheng, Tao; Huang, Peitang; Chen, Hongxing

2012-02-01

Transgene expression for the mammary gland bioreactor aimed at producing recombinant proteins requires optimized expression vector construction. Previously we presented a hybrid gene locus strategy, which was originally tested with human lactoferrin (hLF) as target transgene, and an extremely high-level expression of rhLF ever been achieved as to 29.8 g/l in mice milk. Here to demonstrate the broad application of this strategy, another 38.4 kb mWAP-htPA hybrid gene locus was constructed, in which the 3-kb genomic coding sequence in the 24-kb mouse whey acidic protein (mWAP) gene locus was substituted by the 17.4-kb genomic coding sequence of human tissue plasminogen activator (htPA), exactly from the start codon to the end codon. Corresponding five transgenic mice lines were generated and the highest expression level of rhtPA in the milk attained as to 3.3 g/l. Our strategy will provide a universal way for the large-scale production of pharmaceutical proteins in the mammary gland of transgenic animals.

Contribution of an alveolar cell of origin to the aggressive phenotype of pregnancy-associated breast cancer

PubMed Central

Haricharan, Svasti; Hein, Sarah; Dong, Jie; Toneff, Michael; Aina, Olulana; Rao, Pulivarthi H.; Cardiff, Robert; Li, Yi

2014-01-01

Pregnancy-associated breast cancers (PABCs) are malignancies diagnosed during pregnancy or up to five years following parturition, and are usually aggressive, stroma-rich, and estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor-negative; but little is known about the cellular origin of PABCs or the mechanisms by which PABCs initiate. Using the RCAS retrovirus to deliver the ErbB2 oncogene into the mammary epithelium of our previous reported MMTV-tva transgenic mice, we detected human PABC-like tumors during pregnancy and lactation but not in involuted mice or in age-matched virgin mice. More importantly, by generating a WAP-tva transgenic line for expression of ErbB2 selectively in WAP+ mammary alveolar cells, we found that the resulting tumors exhibited the hallmarks of PABCs irrespective of the time since pregnancy and even in the absence of pregnancy. These data suggest that PABCs arise preferentially from an alveolar cell population that expands during pregnancy and lactation. This somatic mouse model may also be useful for preclinical testing of new prophylactic and therapeutic strategies against PABC. PMID:24317513

Mobile phone based SCADA for industrial automation.

PubMed

Ozdemir, Engin; Karacor, Mevlut

2006-01-01

SCADA is the acronym for "Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition." SCADA systems are widely used in industry for supervisory control and data acquisition of industrial processes. Conventional SCADA systems use PC, notebook, thin client, and PDA as a client. In this paper, a Java-enabled mobile phone has been used as a client in a sample SCADA application in order to display and supervise the position of a sample prototype crane. The paper presents an actual implementation of the on-line controlling of the prototype crane via mobile phone. The wireless communication between the mobile phone and the SCADA server is performed by means of a base station via general packet radio service (GPRS) and wireless application protocol (WAP). Test results have indicated that the mobile phone based SCADA integration using the GPRS or WAP transfer scheme could enhance the performance of the crane in a day without causing an increase in the response times of SCADA functions. The operator can visualize and modify the plant parameters using his mobile phone, without reaching the site. In this way maintenance costs are reduced and productivity is increased.

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

Buckner, Mark A; Bobrek, Miljko; Farquhar, Ethan

Wireless Access Points (WAP) remain one of the top 10 network security threats. This research is part of an effort to develop a physical (PHY) layer aware Radio Frequency (RF) air monitoring system with multi-factor authentication to provide a first-line of defense for network security--stopping attackers before they can gain access to critical infrastructure networks through vulnerable WAPs. This paper presents early results on the identification of OFDM-based 802.11a WiFi devices using RF Distinct Native Attribute (RF-DNA) fingerprints produced by the Fractional Fourier Transform (FRFT). These fingerprints are input to a "Learning from Signals" (LFS) classifier which uses hybrid Differentialmore » Evolution/Conjugate Gradient (DECG) optimization to determine the optimal features for a low-rank model to be used for future predictions. Results are presented for devices under the most challenging conditions of intra-manufacturer classification, i.e., same-manufacturer, same-model, differing only in serial number. The results of Fractional Fourier Domain (FRFD) RF-DNA fingerprints demonstrate significant improvement over results based on Time Domain (TD), Spectral Domain (SD) and even Wavelet Domain (WD) fingerprints.« less

Deciphering the Temporal and Spatial Complexity in Submarine Canyons in Antarctica: the Role of Mixed Layer Depth in Regulating Primary Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvalho, F.; Kohut, J. T.; Schofield, O.; Oliver, M. J.; Gorbunov, M. Y.

2016-02-01

There is a high spatial and temporal variability in the biophysical processes regulating primary productivity in submarine canyons in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). WAP canyon heads are considered biological "hotspots" by providing predictable food resource and driving penguin foraging locations. Because the physiology and composition of the phytoplankton blooms and the physical mechanisms driving them aren't well understood, we aim to characterize the dynamics of the spring phytoplankton bloom at the head of a canyon in the WAP. A 6-year record of Slocum glider deployments is analyzed, corresponding to over 16,000 water column profiles. The mixed layer depth (MLD), determined by the maximum of the buoyancy frequency criteria, was found to be the MLD definition with the highest ecological relevance. The same holds true for other regions in Antarctica such as the Ross and Amundsen Seas. A FIRe sensor on a glider was used to evaluate physiological responses of phytoplankton to canyon dynamics using fluorescence kinetics. Initial results show a spatial influence, with increased photosynthetic efficiencies found at the canyon head. The strongest signal was the seasonal cycle. The shoaling of the MLD in early January results in increased chlorophyll a concentrations and as MLD deepens in mid season due to wind forcing, phytoplankton concentrations decrease, likely due to decreased light availability. A consistent secondary peak in chlorophyll matches a shoaling in MLD later in the growth season. A steady warming and increase in salinity of the MLD is seen throughout the season. Spatial differences were recorded at the head of the canyon and result from the local circulation. Shallower MLD found on the northern region are consistent with a fresher surface ocean (coastal influence) and increased chlorophyll concentrations. The southern region is thought to be more oceanic influenced as intrusions of warm deep water (mUCDW) to the upper water column were recorded regularly there.

Internal desynchronization in a model of night-work by forced activity in rats.

PubMed

Salgado-Delgado, R; Angeles-Castellanos, M; Buijs, M R; Escobar, C

2008-06-26

Individuals engaged in shift- or night-work show disturbed diurnal rhythms, out of phase with temporal signals associated to the light/dark (LD) cycle, resulting in internal desynchronization. The mechanisms underlying internal desynchrony have been mainly investigated in experimental animals with protocols that induce phase shifts of the LD cycle and thus modify the activity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). In this study we developed an animal model of night-work in which the light-day cycle remained stable and rats were required to be active in a rotating wheel for 8 h daily during their sleeping phase (W-SP). This group was compared with rats that were working in the wheel during their activity phase (W-AP) and with undisturbed rats (C). We provide evidence that forced activity during the sleeping phase (W-SP group) alters not only activity, but also the temporal pattern of food intake. In consequence W-SP rats showed a loss of glucose rhythmicity and a reversed rhythm of triacylglycerols. In contrast W-AP rats did not show such changes and exhibited metabolic rhythms similar to those of the controls. The three groups exhibited the nocturnal corticosterone increase, in addition the W-SP and W-AP groups showed increase of plasma corticosterone associated with the start of the working session. Forced activity during the sleep phase did not modify SCN activity characterized by the temporal patterns of PER1 and PER2 proteins, which remained in phase with the LD cycle. These observations indicate that a working regimen during the sleeping period elicits internal desynchronization in which activity combined with feeding uncouples metabolic functions from the biological clock which remains fixed to the LD cycle. The present data suggest that in the night worker the combination of work and eating during working hours may be the cause of internal desynchronization.

Biological and physical controls on O2/Ar, Ar and pCO2 variability at the Western Antarctic Peninsula and in the Drake Passage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eveleth, R.; Cassar, N.; Doney, S. C.; Munro, D. R.; Sweeney, C.

2017-05-01

Using simultaneous sub-kilometer resolution underway measurements of surface O2/Ar, total O2 and pCO2 from annual austral summer surveys in 2012, 2013 and 2014, we explore the impacts of biological and physical processes on the O2 and pCO2 system spatial and interannual variability at the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). In the WAP, mean O2/Ar supersaturation was (7.6±9.1)% and mean pCO2 supersaturation was (-28±22)%. We see substantial spatial variability in O2 and pCO2 including sub-mesoscale/mesoscale variability with decorrelation length scales of 4.5 km, consistent with the regional Rossby radius. This variability is embedded within onshore-offshore gradients. O2 in the LTER grid region is driven primarily by biological processes as seen by the median ratio of the magnitude of biological oxygen (O2/Ar) to physical oxygen (Ar) supersaturation anomalies (%) relative to atmospheric equilibrium (2.6), however physical processes have a more pronounced influence in the southern onshore region of the grid where we see active sea-ice melting. Total O2 measurements should be interpreted with caution in regions of significant sea-ice formation and melt and glacial meltwater input. pCO2 undersaturation predominantly reflects biological processes in the LTER grid. In contrast we compare these results to the Drake Passage where gas supersaturations vary by smaller magnitudes and decorrelate at length scales of 12 km, in line with latitudinal changes in the regional Rossby radius. Here biological processes induce smaller O2/Ar supersaturations (mean (0.14±1.3)%) and pCO2 undersaturations (mean (-2.8±3.9)%) than in the WAP, and pressure changes, bubble and gas exchange fluxes drive stable Ar supersaturations.

Seasonal dynamics of megafauna on the deep West Antarctic Peninsula shelf in response to variable phytodetrital influx.

PubMed

Sumida, P Y G; Smith, C R; Bernardino, A F; Polito, P S; Vieira, D R

2014-11-01

The deep West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) shelf is characterized by intense deposition of phytodetritus during spring/summer months, while very little food material reaches the seafloor during winter. The response of the shelf benthic megafauna to this highly variable food supply is still poorly understood. In order to characterize the deposition of phytodetritus and the megabenthic community response, we deployed a seafloor time-lapse camera at approximately 590 m depth on the mid WAP shelf west of Anvers Island for 15 months. Seafloor photographs were taken at intervals of 12 or 24 h nearly continuously from 9 December 1999 (austral winter) to 20 March 2001 (summer) and analysed for phytodetritus deposition and megafaunal dynamics. Seafloor images indicated a marked seasonal arrival of greenish phytodetritus, with large interannual and seasonal variability in the coverage of depositing phytodetrital particles. The surface-deposit-feeding elasipod holothurians Protelpidia murrayi and Peniagone vignoni dominated the epibenthic megafauna throughout the year, frequently constituting more than 80% of the megafaunal abundance, attaining total densities of up to 2.4 individuals m(-2). Elasipod abundances were significantly higher in summer than winter. During summer periods of high phytodetrital flux, Pr. murrayi produced faecal casts at higher rates, indicating intensified population-level feeding activity. In March-June 2000, faecal casts lasted longest, suggesting lower horizontal bioturbation activity during autumn-winter. Our data indicate that the Pr. murrayi population increases its feeding rates in response to increasing amounts and/or lability of organic matter on the sediment surface. Assuming that this species feeds on the top millimetre of the sediment, we estimate that, during periods of high phytodetrital flux, the Pr. murrayi population reworks one square metre of sediment surface in approximately 287 days. We suggest that Pr. murrayi is an important species for organic-carbon recycling on the deep WAP shelf, controlling the availability of deposited labile phytodetritus to the broader shelf benthic community.

Seasonal dynamics of megafauna on the deep West Antarctic Peninsula shelf in response to variable phytodetrital influx

PubMed Central

Sumida, P. Y. G.; Smith, C. R.; Bernardino, A. F.; Polito, P. S.; Vieira, D. R.

2014-01-01

The deep West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) shelf is characterized by intense deposition of phytodetritus during spring/summer months, while very little food material reaches the seafloor during winter. The response of the shelf benthic megafauna to this highly variable food supply is still poorly understood. In order to characterize the deposition of phytodetritus and the megabenthic community response, we deployed a seafloor time-lapse camera at approximately 590 m depth on the mid WAP shelf west of Anvers Island for 15 months. Seafloor photographs were taken at intervals of 12 or 24 h nearly continuously from 9 December 1999 (austral winter) to 20 March 2001 (summer) and analysed for phytodetritus deposition and megafaunal dynamics. Seafloor images indicated a marked seasonal arrival of greenish phytodetritus, with large interannual and seasonal variability in the coverage of depositing phytodetrital particles. The surface-deposit-feeding elasipod holothurians Protelpidia murrayi and Peniagone vignoni dominated the epibenthic megafauna throughout the year, frequently constituting more than 80% of the megafaunal abundance, attaining total densities of up to 2.4 individuals m−2. Elasipod abundances were significantly higher in summer than winter. During summer periods of high phytodetrital flux, Pr. murrayi produced faecal casts at higher rates, indicating intensified population-level feeding activity. In March–June 2000, faecal casts lasted longest, suggesting lower horizontal bioturbation activity during autumn–winter. Our data indicate that the Pr. murrayi population increases its feeding rates in response to increasing amounts and/or lability of organic matter on the sediment surface. Assuming that this species feeds on the top millimetre of the sediment, we estimate that, during periods of high phytodetrital flux, the Pr. murrayi population reworks one square metre of sediment surface in approximately 287 days. We suggest that Pr. murrayi is an important species for organic-carbon recycling on the deep WAP shelf, controlling the availability of deposited labile phytodetritus to the broader shelf benthic community. PMID:26064564

Decadal variability in coastal phytoplankton community composition in a changing West Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schofield, Oscar; Saba, Grace; Coleman, Kaycee; Carvalho, Filipa; Couto, Nicole; Ducklow, Hugh; Finkel, Zoe; Irwin, Andrew; Kahl, Alex; Miles, Travis; Montes-Hugo, Martin; Stammerjohn, Sharon; Waite, Nicole

2017-06-01

The coastal waters of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) are associated with large phytoplankton blooms dominated by large (>20 μm) diatoms however, nanoplankton (<20 μm) are also an important component of the food web. The dominant nanoflagellates in the WAP are cryptomonad algae. Using a twenty-year time series collected by the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research program at the United States Palmer Research Station, we assessed long-term patterns and stability in the coastal phytoplankton communities in the WAP. There was significant interannual variability in the integrated water column chlorophyll a (chl-a) concentrations, which varied by a factor of 5 over the 20-year time series. There has been a significant positive increase in the seasonally integrated concentration of chl-a over the time series. The dominant phytoplankton were diatoms, with cryptophytes the second most abundant. Mixed flagellates also constituted a significant fraction of the chl-a but showed less interannual variability than diatoms and cryophytes. Peak phytoplankton biomass was observed in summer months, when monthly averaged wind speed was lower than in the fall and autumn. Cryptophytes were most abundant during the summer months (December-January) after the seasonal retreat of sea ice. While diatoms were observed over the full range of observed salinities 32-34.5) as well as over the full range of in situ temperatures (-1.5 to 2.5 °C), the cryptophyte populations were observed in locations with lower salinity 32.5-33.75) and colder water (-1 to 1 °C). Environmental factors that favored a shallower seasonal mixed layer resulted in larger diatom blooms compared to the other phytoplankton taxa. During summer with lower phytoplankton biomass, a larger proportion of the chlorophyll a was associated with cryptophytes. These results demonstrate that continued temperature changes along the West Antarctic Peninsula will result in changes in phytoplankton concentration and community composition, which has significant ramifications for the food web.

Impact of cigarette price differences across the entire European Union on cross-border purchase of tobacco products among adult cigarette smokers.

PubMed

Agaku, Israel T; Blecher, Evan; Filippidis, Filippos T; Omaduvie, Uyoyo T; Vozikis, Athanassios; Vardavas, Constantine I

2016-05-01

We investigated the impact of cigarette price differences across the European Union (EU) on cross-border tobacco purchasing because of cheaper price among current cigarette smokers. Individual-level tobacco-related data (including cross-border tobacco purchasing behavior) were from the Special Eurobarometer 385 (V.77.1), a cross-sectional survey of persons aged ≥15 years from 27 EU Member States during 2012. Country-specific weighted average prices (WAP) per 1000 cigarettes (as of 1 July 2012) were obtained from the European Commission, and divided by 50 to yield WAP per cigarette pack. The dispersion in EU cigarette prices was measured with the coefficient of variation. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to measure the relationship between EU-wide cigarette price differential and cross-border tobacco purchasing because of cheaper price among current cigarette smokers (n=6896). The coefficient of variation for cigarette WAP within the EU was 0.39 (mean price=€3.99/pack). Of all current cigarette smokers in the EU, 26.2% (27.5 million persons) engaged in a cross-border tobacco purchase within the past 12 months, of which 56.3% did so because of cheaper price in another country. EU-wide cigarette price differential was significantly associated with making a cross-border tobacco purchase because of cheaper price (adjusted OR=1.34; 95% CI 1.22 to 1.47). Reducing differences in cigarette tax and price within the EU, coupled with a stricter limitation on the quantity of cigarettes that it is possible to carry from one Member State to another, may help reduce cross-border tax avoidance strategies. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Hypothermal stress induced differential expression profiles of the immune response gene, warm-temperature-acclimation associated 65-kDa protein (Wap65), in the liver of fresh water and seawater milkfish, Chanos chanos.

PubMed

Chang, Chia-Hao; Lin, Jing-Yun; Lo, Wan-Yu; Lee, Tsung-Han

2017-11-01

The milkfish (Chanos chanos), an important aquaculture species, is intolerant to cold environments. Temperature fluctuations in the environment affect the physiological response, behavior, and survival rate of the fish. The warm-temperature-acclimation associated 65-kDa protein (Wap65) of teleosts was identified after heat shock treatment and has two isoforms. Both the isoforms were involved in the induction of immune responses in fish. They showed high degree of sequence conservation with the mammalian hemopexin and had high affinity for heme, which helped in the neutralization of free-heme and its transport to the liver. In this study, we isolated and characterized the two isoforms of wap65 genes (Ccwap65-1 and Ccwap65-2) from the liver of milkfish. The Ccwap65-1 and Ccwap65-2 are mainly expressed in livers of milkfish. In hypothermal treatment, the expression levels of Ccwap65-2 in the livers of SW and FW milkfish were up-regulated after exposure to low temperature (18 °C) for 12 h and 96 h compared to those in the normal temperature (28 °C) group, respectively. After intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the expression of Ccwap65-2 was elevated in both SW and FW milkfish, whereas that of Ccwap65-1 was not affected in both the groups. Thus, Ccwap65-2 expressed in the milkfish liver under hypothermal stress was identified as a novel immune biomarker. In addition, according to the transcriptome database, up-regulation of the other immune-response genes indicated increased pathogen infection status under hypothermal stress. Acute increase in the expression of hepatic Ccwap65-2 in response to pathogen infection might lead to better cold tolerance of SW milkfish compared to that of the FW individuals upon cold challenge. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial and Developmental Effects on the Accumulation of Mercury in Antarctic Krill (E. superba) Along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sontag, P.; Steinberg, D. K.; Reinfelder, J. R.

2016-02-01

Philip T. Sontag1, Deborah K. Steinberg2, and John R. Reinfelder11Rutgers University, Department of Environmental Sciences, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA 2College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, Virginia, USAThe Antarctic krill Euphausia superba is a critical component of the WAP food web and is therefore a potentially important link in the transfer of mercury (Hg) to higher trophic levels including penguins, seals, and whales. In order to examine ontogenetic (juvenile, adult), spatial (north-south, onshore-offshore) and annual differences in Hg accumulation by E. superba, we measured concentrations of total Hg (THg) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) in krill collected at northern ( 64.5°S) and southern (67.4-69°S) stations during the summers of 2013-2015 along the WAP. Total mercury in krill (4.6 ± 1.1 to 20 ± 13 ng g-1), which includes both inorganic Hg and organic MMHg (0.3 ± 0.2 to 3.2 ± 0.8 ng g-1) was higher in offshore than nearshore adults in 2014, but north-south differences in krill THg were not observed. THg concentrations were positively correlated with trophic level (derived from δ15N) for both juvenile (R2=0.86) and adult (R2=0.45) krill at northern and southern stations. However, higher concentrations of MMHg, the form of Hg that biomagnifies in marine food webs, were observed in juvenile than adult E. superba collected at the same latitude and longitude (p<0.005). In addition, both juvenile and adult krill collected at northern latitudes contained higher MMHg concentrations than krill collected farther south near the summer sea ice edge (p<0.005). Differences in MMHg accumulation in krill were not explained by δ15N-based trophic levels indicating that spatial and developmental factors were most important.

Implications of Using Computer-Based Training with the AN/SQQ-89(v) Sonar System: Operating and Support Costs

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs (VAMOSC...VAMOSC Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs VMA Variant Manning Average WAP Weapons Alternate Processor WCS Work Center...Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs (VAMOSC), under Unit Level Consumption and Manhours—Organizational Corrective Maintenance. C

Weatherization and Indoor Air Quality: Measured Impacts in Single Family Homes Under the Weatherization Assistance Program

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

Pigg, Scott; Cautley, Dan; Francisco, Paul

2014-09-01

This report summarizes findings from a national field study of indoor air quality parameters in homes treated under the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). The study involved testing and monitoring in 514 single-family homes (including mobile homes) located in 35 states and served by 88 local weatherization agencies.

Design and implementation of web service-based mobile reply testing management system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Liang; Han, Yu-min

2013-03-01

This paper introduces the design and implementation of a reply testing management system that based-on C#, Web Service and ASP .Net. With the system, teachers can manage reply site through Windows Mobile, judges can grade onscene by visiting WAP site through GPRS. Then this paper discusses details of the implementation and key technologies of the system.

Contribution of an alveolar cell of origin to the high-grade malignant phenotype of pregnancy-associated breast cancer.

PubMed

Haricharan, S; Hein, S M; Dong, J; Toneff, M J; Aina, O H; Rao, P H; Cardiff, R D; Li, Y

2014-12-11

Pregnancy-associated breast cancers (PABCs) are tumors diagnosed during pregnancy or up to 5 years following parturition, and are usually high-grade, connective tissue-rich, and estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor-negative. Little is known about the cellular origin of PABCs or the mechanisms by which PABCs are initiated. Using the RCAS retrovirus to deliver the ErbB2 oncogene into the mammary epithelium of our previously reported MMTV-tva transgenic mice, we detected high-grade, poorly differentiated, stroma-rich and ER-negative tumors during pregnancy and lactation. These high-grade and stroma-rich tumors were less frequent in involuted mice or in age-matched nulliparous mice. More importantly, by generating a WAP-tva transgenic line for expression of ErbB2 selectively in WAP(+) mammary alveolar cells, we found that tumors had similar morphological phenotypes (high grade, poorly differentiated, stroma-rich and ER-negative), irrespective of the time since pregnancy and even in the absence of pregnancy. These data suggest that PABCs arise preferentially from an alveolar cell population that expands during pregnancy and lactation. This somatic mouse model may also be useful for preclinical testing of new prophylactic and therapeutic strategies against PABC.

Optimising the Use of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Sites for Listening Activities in a Korean English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nah, Ki Chune

2011-01-01

Using the Internet through a mobile phone for learning English as a foreign language (EFL) listening skills has significant potential, and language learners in South Korea hold clearly positive attitudes towards using this. However, the barriers discouraging language learners from using the Internet for EFL listening have not yet been thoroughly…

Development of Probabilistic and Possebilistic Approaches to Approximate Reasoning and Its Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-31

fo tmaa OmfuogeM ara Mmi. fal in fM?05V~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A D A 2 4 0409"~ n ugt Psoo,@’ oducbof Proton (07044 136M. WagaWapN. DC 20141 T1 3. REPORT TYPE...Al (circumscription, non- monotonic reasoning, and default reasoning), our approach is based on fuzzy logic and, more specifically, on the theory of

Weatherization Assistance Program Technical Assistance Center

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

Robert Adams

2009-01-07

The following is a synopsis of the major achievements attributed to the operation of the Weatherization Assistance Program Technical Assistance Center (WAPTAC) by the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP). During the past five years, the WAPTAC has developed into the premier source for information related to operating the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) at the state and local levels. The services provide through WAPTAC include both virtual technical support as well as hands-on training and instruction in classroom and in the field. The WAPTAC achieved several important milestones during its operation including the establishment of a national Weatherizationmore » Day now celebrated in most states, the implementation of a comprehensive Public Information Campaign (PIC) to raise the awareness of the Program among policy makers and the public, the training of more than 150 new state managers and staff as they assume their duties in state offices around the country, and the creation and support of a major virtual information source on the Internet being accessed by thousands of staff each month. The Weatherization Assistance Program Technical Assistance Center serves the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program as a valuable training and technical assistance resource for the network of 54 direct state grantees (50 states, District of Columbia and three Native American tribes) and the network of 900 local subgrantees (comprised of community action agencies, units of local government, and other non-profit organizations). The services provided through WAPTAC focus on standardizing and improving the daily management of the WAP. Staff continually identify policies changes and best practices to help the network improve its effectiveness and enhance the benefits of the Program for the customers who receive service and the federal and private investors. The operations of WAPTAC are separated into six distinct areas: (1) Orientation for New WAP State Directors and Staff; (2) Pollution Occurrence Insurance Project; (3) Public Information Campaign; (4) State Management Training Project; (5) System for Integrating and Reviewing Technologies and Techniques; and (6) WAPTAC Services.« less

From Regional Hazard Assessment to Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Support - InSAR Ground Motion Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lege, T.; Kalia, A.; Gruenberg, I.; Frei, M.

2016-12-01

There are numerous scientific applications of InSAR methods in tectonics, earthquake analysis and other geologic and geophysical fields. Ground motion on local and regional scale measured and monitored via the application of the InSAR techniques provide scientists and engineers with plenty of new insights and further understanding of subsurface processes. However, the operational use of InSAR is not yet very widespread. To foster the operational utilization of the Copernicus Sentinel Satellites in the day-to-day business of federal, state and municipal work and planning BGR (Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources) initiated workshops with potential user groups. Through extensive reconcilement of interests and demands with scientific, technical, economic and governmental stakeholders (e.g. Ministries, Mining Authorities, Geological Surveys, Geodetic Surveys and Environmental Agencies on federal and state level, SMEs, German Aerospace Center) BGR developed the concept of the InSAR based German National Ground Motion Service. One important backbone for the nationwide ground motion service is the so-called Persistent Scatterer Interferometry Wide Area Product (WAP) approach developed with grants of European research funds. The presentation shows the implementation of the ground motion service and examples for product developments for operational supervision of mining, water resources management and spatial planning. Furthermore the contributions of Copernicus Sentinel 1 radar data in the context of CTBT are discussed. The DInSAR processing of Sentinel 1 IW (Interferometric Wide Swath) SAR acquisitions from January 1st and 13th Jan. 2016 allow for the first time a near real time ground motion measurement of the North Korean nuclear test site. The measured ground displacements show a strong spatio-temporal correlation to the calculated epicenter measured by teleseismic stations. We are convinced this way another space technique will soon contribute even further to secure better societal information needs.

Storage Reliability Missile Materiel Program. Storage Reliability Summary Report. Volume 2. Electromechanical Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-02-01

ii•t, difforonc wit h ono data not’ hoV14. a nq I til i. It n 1.1 y Hho i~r fitltrevi rato, TIhil # da tai ou t W~AP i’eiwivod and th I’ll oeitnniciw...consideration. Wolfram, molybdenum, and carbon are able to sustain an arc without reaching their melting point (sufficient thermionic emission occurs at

High pregnancy rates in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) around the Western Antarctic Peninsula, evidence of a rapidly growing population

PubMed Central

Baker, C. Scott; Steel, Debbie; Kellar, Nicholas M.; Robbins, Jooke; Johnston, David W.; Nowacek, Doug P.; Read, Andrew J.; Friedlaender, Ari S.

2018-01-01

Antarctic humpback whales are recovering from near extirpation from commercial whaling. To understand the dynamics of this recovery and establish a baseline to monitor impacts of a rapidly changing environment, we investigated sex ratios and pregnancy rates of females within the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) feeding population. DNA profiling of 577 tissue samples (2010–2016) identified 239 males and 268 females. Blubber progesterone levels indicated 63.5% of the females biopsied were pregnant. This proportion varied significantly across years, from 36% in 2010 to 86% in 2014. A comparison of samples collected in summer versus fall showed significant increases in the proportion of females present (50% to 59%) and pregnant (59% to 72%), consistent with demographic variation in migratory timing. We also found evidence of annual reproduction among females; 54.5% of females accompanied by a calf were pregnant. These high pregnancy rates are consistent with a population recovering from past exploitation, but appear inconsistent with recent estimates of WAP humpback population growth. Thus, our results will help to better understand population growth potential and set a current baseline from which to determine the impact of climate change and variability on fecundity and reproductive rates. PMID:29892441

Distribution of immunodeficiency fact files with XML--from Web to WAP.

PubMed

Väliaho, Jouni; Riikonen, Pentti; Vihinen, Mauno

2005-06-26

Although biomedical information is growing rapidly, it is difficult to find and retrieve validated data especially for rare hereditary diseases. There is an increased need for services capable of integrating and validating information as well as proving it in a logically organized structure. A XML-based language enables creation of open source databases for storage, maintenance and delivery for different platforms. Here we present a new data model called fact file and an XML-based specification Inherited Disease Markup Language (IDML), that were developed to facilitate disease information integration, storage and exchange. The data model was applied to primary immunodeficiencies, but it can be used for any hereditary disease. Fact files integrate biomedical, genetic and clinical information related to hereditary diseases. IDML and fact files were used to build a comprehensive Web and WAP accessible knowledge base ImmunoDeficiency Resource (IDR) available at http://bioinf.uta.fi/idr/. A fact file is a user oriented user interface, which serves as a starting point to explore information on hereditary diseases. The IDML enables the seamless integration and presentation of genetic and disease information resources in the Internet. IDML can be used to build information services for all kinds of inherited diseases. The open source specification and related programs are available at http://bioinf.uta.fi/idml/.

Geomorphology and vegetation mapping the ice-free terrains of the Western Antarctic Peninsula region using very high resolution imagery from an UAV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vieira, G.; Mora, C.; Pina, P.; Bandeira, L.; Hong, S. G.

2014-12-01

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is one of the Earth's regions with a fastest warming signal since the 1950's with an increase of over +2.5 ºC in MAAT. Significant changes have been reported for glaciers, ice-shelves, sea-ice and also for the permafrost environment. Mapping and monitoring the ice-free areas of the WAP has been until recently limited by the available aerial photo surveys, but also by the scarce high resolution satellite imagery (e.g. QuickBird, WorldView, etc.) that are seriously constrained by the high cloudiness of the region. Recent developments in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's), which have seen significant technological advances and price reduction in the last few years, allow for its systematical use for mapping and monitoring in remote environments. In the framework of projects PERMANTAR-3 (PTDC/AAG-GLO/3908/2012 - FCT) and 3DAntártida (Ciência Viva), we complement traditional terrain surveying and mapping, satellite remote sensing (SAR and optical) and D-GPS deformation monitoring, with the application of an UAV. In this communication, we present the results from the application of a Sensefly ebee UAV in mapping the vegetation and geomorphological processes (e.g. sorted circles), as well as for digital elevation model generation in a test site in Barton Pen., King George Isl.. The UAV is a lightweight (ci. 700g) aircraft, with a 96 cm wingspan, which is portable and easy to transport. It allows for up to 40 min flight time, with application of RGB or NIR cameras. We have tested the ebee successfully with winds up to 10 m/s and obtained aerial photos with a ground resolution of 4 cm/pixel. The digital orthophotomaps, high resolution DEM's together with field observations have allowed for deriving geomorphological maps with unprecedented detail and accuracy, providing new insight into the controls on the spatial distribution of geomorphological processes. The talk will focus on the first results from the field surveys of February and March 2014 and will also include some test data from the mountains of serra da Estrela, Portugal. New surveying is planned for the season of 2014-15 with mapping to be conducted in Livingston and King George Islands.

Trophic structure on the West Antarctic Peninsula shelf: Detritivory and benthic inertia revealed by δ 13C and δ 15N analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mincks, Sarah L.; Smith, Craig R.; Jeffreys, Rachel M.; Sumida, Paulo Y. G.

2008-11-01

Summer bloom-derived phytodetritus settles rapidly to the seafloor on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) continental shelf, where it appears to degrade relatively slowly, forming a sediment "food bank" for benthic detritivores. We used stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes to examine sources and sinks of particulate organic material (POM) reaching the WAP shelf benthos (550-625 m depths), and to explore trophic linkages among the most abundant benthic megafauna. We measured δ 13C and δ 15N values in major megafaunal taxa ( n=26) and potential food sources, including suspended and sinking POM, ice algae, sediment organic carbon, phytodetritus, and macrofaunal polychaetes. The range in δ 13C values (>14‰) of suspended POM was considerably broader than in sedimentary POC, where little temporal variability in stable isotope signatures was observed. While benthic megafauna also exhibited a broad range of δ 13C values, organic carbon entering the benthic food web appeared to be derived primarily from phytoplankton production, with little input from ice algae. One group of organisms, primarily deposit-feeders, appeared to rely on fresh phytodetritus recovered from the sediments, and sediment organic material that had been reworked by sediment microbes. A second group of animals, including many mobile invertebrate and fish predators, appeared to utilize epibenthic or pelagic food resources such as zooplankton. One surface-deposit-feeding holothurian ( Protelpidia murrayi) exhibited seasonal variability in stable isotope values of body tissue, while other surface- and subsurface-deposit-feeders showed no evidence of seasonal variability in food source or trophic position. Detritus from phytoplankton blooms appears to be the primary source of organic material for the detritivorous benthos; however, seasonal variability in the supply of this material is not mirrored in the sediments, and only to a minor degree in the benthic fauna. This pattern suggests substantial inertia in benthic-pelagic coupling, whereby the sediment ecosystem integrates long-term variability in production processes in the water column above.

Proceedings of the Tenth International Winterschool on New Developments in Solid State Physics "New Frontiers in Low-Dimensional Physics," Held in Mauterndorf, Austria, on 23-27 February 1998

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-02-01

Pfeiffer, K.W. West, cially pronounced for emission from the antibonding Science 264 (1994) 1740. level. This decrease of the exciton lifetime for...1996)1624. R.T Cox, A. Tardot, C. Grattepain, J. Appl. Phys. 7211(96124R.T92) Cox,; A. Tardot, C. G rattepain, J. WapD . Phy. 7 [26] R. Egger, H

Research on mobile electronic commerce security technology based on WPKI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bo

2013-07-01

Through the in-depth study on the existing mobile e-commerce and WAP protocols, this paper presents a security solution of e-commerce system based on WPKI, and describes its implementation process and specific implementation details. This solution uniformly distributes the key used by the various participating entities , to fully ensure the confidentiality, authentication, fairness and integrity of mobile e-commerce payments, therefore has some pract ical value for improving the security of e-commerce system.

Beyond the First Optical Depth: Fusing Optical Data From Ocean Color Imagery and Gliders

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

34*/ Office of Counsel,Code 1008.3 U •• "*-<-, ADOR/Director NCST E. R. Franchi , 7000 %. Public Affairs (Unclassified/ Unlimited Only). Code -rn...extreme weather (e.g., hurricanes) becoming a safe and efficient alternative to shipboard surveys3. Despite these benefits , data streams provided by...ECO-triplet poke, WetLabs). Unlike other glider types (e.g., spray, seaglider), the use of Slocums was especially advantageous in the WAP region to

Success in Low Intensity Conflict: Conclusions and Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-07

the scenes de ,:isions following World War II and how they were made. From a much different perspective Patti’s Why Vietna is a history of the Office...critical elements from the broad perspective. Differing perspectives and classifications of LIC will be examined for possible inclusion in discussion...34 Talks were conducted in Paris in July 1946 but General De Gaulle interceded to retain the colony and no progress wap made."’- Ho returned to Vietnam

Shelf–ocean exchange and hydrography west of the Antarctic Peninsula: a review

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a highly productive marine ecosystem where extended periods of change have been observed in the form of glacier retreat, reduction of sea-ice cover and shifts in marine populations, among others. The physical environment on the shelf is known to be strongly influenced by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current flowing along the shelf slope and carrying warm, nutrient-rich water, by cold waters flooding into the northern Bransfield Strait from the Weddell Sea, by an extensive network of glaciers and ice shelves, and by strong seasonal to inter-annual variability in sea-ice formation and air–sea interactions, with significant modulation by climate modes like El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode. However, significant gaps have remained in understanding the exchange processes between the open ocean and the shelf, the pathways and fate of oceanic water intrusions, the shelf heat and salt budgets, and the long-term evolution of the shelf properties and circulation. Here, we review how recent advances in long-term monitoring programmes, process studies and newly developed numerical models have helped bridge these gaps and set future research challenges for the WAP system. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The marine system of the West Antarctic Peninsula: status and strategy for progress in a region of rapid change’. PMID:29760109

Lessons learned from multifrequency acoustic studies of zooplankton and micronekton in the western Antarctic Peninsula and the Gulf of Maine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavery, Andone C.; Lawson, Gareth L.; Wiebe, Peter H.

2005-09-01

A series of acoustic surveys of zooplankton and micronekton have been performed in the Gulf of Maine (GOM), off the northeast United States, and along the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Similar techniques were used to survey these regions, including multifrequency acoustic backscatter (43, 120, 200, 420, 1000 kHz), MOCNESS, CTD, VPR, and in some instances physical microstructure measurements. The GOM is characterized by heterogeneous zooplankton communities in which biomass is dominated by abundant millimeter sized copepods, but the scattering is frequently dominated by a smaller number of strong scatterers, such as shelled pteropods and gas-bearing siphonophores. Heterogeneous zooplankton communities are also observed in the WAP, but patches of comparatively large (40 mm) Antarctic krill are present and often dominate the scattering. In both regions, striking patterns are evident in the backscatter that can be related to the biological community structure and physical processes. Differences in community structure, however, strongly affect the quantitative inferences that can be made based on the acoustic data. Combining direct biological and environmental information with recently developed scattering models has allowed dominant scatterers to be identified and inferences to be made regarding the physical factors influencing backscatter variability, though only under limited conditions. Highlights from these studies and lessons learned regarding our ability to interpret multifrequency acoustics are presented.

Antarctic Phytoplankton down-regulate Their Carbon-Concentrating Mechanisms under High CO2 with no Change in Growth Rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kranz, S. A.; Young, J. N.; Goldman, J.; Tortell, P. D.; Morel, F. M.

2016-02-01

High-latitude oceans, in particular the coastal Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region of the Southern Ocean, are experiencing a rapidly changing environment due to rising surface ocean temperatures and CO2 concentrations. However, the direct effect of increasing CO2 on polar ocean primary production is unclear, with a number of experiments showing conflicting results. It has been hypothesized that increased CO2 may cause a reduction of the energy-intensive carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM) in phytoplankton, and these energy savings may lead to increased productivity. To test this hypothesis, we incubated natural phytoplankton communities in the WAP under high (800 ppm), current (400 ppm) and low (100 ppm) CO2 for 2 to 3 wk during the austral spring-summer of 2012/2013. In 2 incubations with diatom-dominated phytoplankton assemblages, high CO2 led to a clear down-regulation of CCM activity, as evidenced by an increase in half-saturation constants for CO2, a decrease in external carbonic anhydrase activity and a higher biological fractionation of stable carbon isotopes. In a third incubation, there was no observable regulation of the CCM. We did not observe a significant effect of CO2 on growth rates or community composition in the diatom-dominated communities. The lack of a measureable effect on growth despite CCM down-regulation is likely explained by a very small energetic requirement to concentrate CO2 and saturate Rubisco at low temperatures.

Time-lapse imagery of Adélie penguins reveals differential winter strategies and breeding site occupation

PubMed Central

Southwell, Colin; Emmerson, Louise; Lunn, Daniel

2018-01-01

Polar seabirds adopt different over-wintering strategies to survive and build condition during the critical winter period. Penguin species either reside at the colony during the winter months or migrate long distances. Tracking studies and survey methods have revealed differences in winter migration routes among penguin species and colonies, dependent on both biotic and abiotic factors present. However, scan sampling methods are rarely used to reveal non-breeding behaviors during winter and little is known about presence at the colony site over this period. Here we show that Adélie penguins on the Yalour Islands in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) are present year-round at the colony and undergo a mid-winter peak in abundance during winter. We found a negative relationship between daylight hours and penguin abundance when either open water or compact ice conditions were present, suggesting that penguins return to the breeding colony when visibility is lowest for at-sea foraging and when either extreme low or high levels of sea ice exist offshore. In contrast, Adélie penguins breeding in East Antarctica were not observed at the colonies during winter, suggesting that Adélie penguins undergo differential winter strategies in the marginal ice zone on the WAP compared to those in East Antarctica. These results demonstrate that cameras can successfully monitor wildlife year-round in areas that are largely inaccessible during winter. PMID:29561876

Microbial activity during a coastal phytoplankton bloom on the Western Antarctic Peninsula in late summer.

PubMed

Alcamán-Arias, María E; Farías, Laura; Verdugo, Josefa; Alarcón-Schumacher, Tomás; Díez, Beatriz

2018-05-01

Phytoplankton biomass during the austral summer is influenced by freezing and melting cycles as well as oceanographic processes that enable nutrient redistribution in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Microbial functional capabilities, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic activities as well as inorganic 13C- and 15N-assimilation rates were studied in the surface waters of Chile Bay during two contrasting summer periods in 2014. Concentrations of Chlorophyll a (Chla) varied from 0.3 mg m-3 in February to a maximum of 2.5 mg m-3 in March, together with a decrease in nutrients; however, nutrients were never depleted. The microbial community composition remained similar throughout both sampling periods; however, microbial abundance and activity changed with Chla levels. An increased biomass of Bacillariophyta, Haptophyceae and Cryptophyceae was observed along with night-grazing activity of Dinophyceae and ciliates (Alveolates). During high Chla conditions, HCO3- uptake rates during daytime incubations increased 5-fold (>2516 nmol C L-1 d-1), and increased photosynthetic transcript numbers that were mainly associated with cryptophytes; meanwhile night time NO3- (>706 nmol N L-1 d-1) and NH4+ (41.7 nmol N L-1 d-1) uptake rates were 2- and 3-fold higher, respectively, due to activity from Alpha-/Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes (Flavobacteriia). Due to a projected acceleration in climate change in the WAP, this information is valuable for predicting the composition and functional changes in Antarctic microbial communities.

Environmental responses of the Northeast Antarctic Peninsula to the Holocene climate variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbara, Loïc.; Crosta, Xavier; Leventer, Amy; Schmidt, Sabine; Etourneau, Johan; Domack, Eugene; Massé, Guillaume

2016-01-01

In this study, we present a unique high-resolution Holocene record of oceanographic and climatic change based on analyses of diatom assemblages combined with biomarker data from a sediment core collected from the Vega Drift, eastern Antarctic Peninsula (EAP). These data add to the climate framework already established by high-resolution marine sedimentary records from the Palmer Deep, western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Heavy sea ice conditions and reduced primary productivity were observed prior to 7.4 ka B.P. in relation with the proximity of the glacial ice melt and calving. Subsequent Holocene oceanographic conditions were controlled by the interactions between the Westerlies-Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC)-Weddell Gyre dynamics. A warm period characterized by short seasonal sea ice duration associated with a southern shift of both ACC and Westerlies field persisted until 5 ka B.P. This warm episode was then followed by climate deterioration during the middle-to-late Holocene (5 to 1.9 ka B.P.) with a gradual increase in annual sea ice duration triggered by the expansion of the Weddell Gyre and a strong oceanic connection from the EAP to the WAP. Increase of benthic diatom species during this period was indicative of more summer/autumn storms, which was consistent with changes in synoptic atmospheric circulation and the establishment of low- to high-latitude teleconnections. Finally, the multicentennial scale variability of the Weddell Gyre intensity and storm frequency during the late Holocene appeared to be associated with the increased El Niño-Southern Oscillation frequency.

Exploring Estimates of Net Community Production and Export Along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), 1993-2014.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducklow, H. W.; Stukel, M. R.; Bowman, J. S.; Kim, H.; Cassar, N.; Eveleth, R.; Li, Z.; Doney, S. C.; Sailley, S. F.; Jickells, T. D.; Baker, A. R.; Chance, R.

2016-12-01

In this presentation, we will compare different estimates of net community production (NCP) and export production (EP), including both traditional (changes in nutrient inventories and biological incubations) and newer measurements (Oxygen-Argon ratio, Thorium-234 disequilibrium, Iodide accumulation). Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (PAL-LTER) has been conducting observations of core biogeochemical (nutrient and carbon inventories, sediment trap flux) and ecological (standing stocks, production and grazing rates) processes along the WAP since 1993. Datasets include both temporally-intensive (semiweekly, Oct-April) observations in two nearshore locations at Palmer Station, and regionally-extensive observations over a 200 x 700 km grid of stations extending across the shelf into deep ocean water (>3000 m) each January. These observations provide a long term temporal and spatial context for more recent and focused measurements of net NCP and EP from the euphotic zone. For example, long-term net drawdown of nitrate averaged 415 mmol N m-2 season-1 (33 gC m-2 Season-1) at Palmer Station and 557 mmol N m-2 Season-1 (45 gC m-2 Season-1) over the regional grid. In comparison, discrete bottle-based O2/Ar estimates of NCP averaged 44 mmol O2 m-2 d-1 (0.37 gC m-2 d-1) regionally in January 2008-11. Th234 export was 684 dpm-2 d-1 (0.15 gC m-2 d-1) in January 2012, sourced from 15NO3 uptake-based new production of 4.1 mmol N m-2 d-1 (0.37 gC m-2 d-1). Intercomparison of these estimates is not straightforward. Measurements are based on several elemental currencies (C, N, O2, Th). We do not fully understand the processes each method claims to address. Is NCP the same as new production? Different processes and their measurements proceed over timescales of hours (new and net PP) to weeks (O2/Ar, 234Th) to months (inventory drawdowns). As implied above, assignment of time duration of net drawdown processes is uncertain for changes in water column inventories. Models provide additional insights, as modeled processes can be exactly defined. Inverse foodweb models of foodwebs in the PAL-WAP region yield NCP and EP estimates ranging 0.14 - 0.48 gC m-2 d-1. NCP and EP are equivalent in these steady-state foodweb models. We will synthesize these and other estimates and placed in emergent objective schemes.

Foraging habitats of southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, from the Northern Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muelbert, Monica M. C.; de Souza, Ronald B.; Lewis, Mirtha N.; Hindell, Mark A.

2013-04-01

Elephant Island (EI) is uniquely placed to provide southern elephant seals (SES) breeding there with potential access to foraging grounds in the Weddell Sea, the frontal zones of the South Atlantic Ocean, the Patagonian shelf and the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Quantifying where seals from EI forage therefore provides insights into the types of important habitats available, and which are of particular importance to elephant seals. Twenty nine SES (5 sub-adult males—SAM and 24 adult females—AF) were equipped with SMRU CTD-SLDRs during the post-breeding (PB 2008, 2009) and post-moulting (PM 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) trips to sea. There were striking intra-annual and inter-sex differences in foraging areas, with most of the PB females remaining within 150 km of EI. One PB AF travelled down the WAP as did 16 out of the 20 PM females and foraged near the winter ice-edge. Most PM sub-adult males remained close to EI, in areas similar to those used by adult females several months earlier, although one SAM spent the early part of the winter foraging on the Patagonian Shelf. The waters of the Northern Antarctic Peninsula (NAP) contain abundant resources to support the majority of the Islands' SES for the summer and early winter, such that the animals from this population have shorter migrations than those from most other populations. Sub-adult males and PB females are certainly taking advantage of these resources. However, PM females did not remain there over the winter months, instead they used the same waters at the ice-edge in the southern WAP that females from both King George Island and South Georgia used. Females made more benthic dives than sub-adult males—again this contrasts with other sites where SAMs do more benthic diving. Unlike most other populations studied to date EI is a relatively southerly breeding colony located on the Antarctic continental shelf. EI seals are using shelf habitats more than other SES populations but some individuals still employ open water foraging strategies. Sea-ice was also very influential for PM females with more foraging occurring in heavier pack-ice. Larger females used areas with heavier ice-concentration than smaller females. The study demonstrates the importance of shelf and slope habitat to elephant seals, but also highlighted the influence of sea-ice and fine-scale bathymetry and local ocean condition in determining foraging habitat.

AFRRI (Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute) Reports, January- March 1986

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-01

cells , calculated from —50 to —40 mV, wap 101 nS4:0-12 (mean+ 8.E. of mean, n = 22 ). 480 E. K. GAL UN AND P. A. SHEEH Y Effect of adherence on zero...and Hagan, M. Effect of radiation on the regulation of sodium-dependent glucose transport in LLC-PKi epithelial cell line: Possible model for...epithelial cells . SR86-9: Mullin, M. J., and Hunt, W. A. Actions of ethanol on voltage-sensitive sodium channels: Effects on neurotoxin-stimulated

Waves associated to COMPLEX EVENTS observed by STEREO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siu Tapia, A. L.; Blanco-Cano, X.; Kajdic, P.; Aguilar-Rodriguez, E.; Russell, C. T.; Jian, L. K.; Luhmann, J. G.

2012-12-01

Complex Events are formed by two or more large-scale solar wind structures which interact in space. Typical cases are interactions of: (i) a Magnetic Cloud/Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (MC/ICME) with another MC/ICME transient; and (ii) an ICME followed by a Stream Interaction Region (SIR). Complex Events are of importance for space weather studies and studying them can enhance our understanding of collisionless plasma physics. Some of these structures can produce or enhance southward magnetic fields, a key factor in geomagnetic storm generation. Using data from the STEREO mission during the years 2006-2011, we found 17 Complex Events preceded by a shock wave. We use magnetic field and plasma data to study the micro-scale structure of the shocks, and the waves associated to these shocks and within Complex Events structures. To determine wave characteristics we perform Power Spectra and Minimum Variance Analysis. We also use PLASTIC WAP protons data to study foreshock extensions and the relationship between Complex Regions and particle acceleration to suprathermal energies.

Variability in krill biomass links harvesting and climate warming to penguin population changes in Antarctica

PubMed Central

Trivelpiece, Wayne Z.; Hinke, Jefferson T.; Miller, Aileen K.; Reiss, Christian S.; Trivelpiece, Susan G.

2011-01-01

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and adjacent Scotia Sea support abundant wildlife populations, many of which were nearly extirpated by humans. This region is also among the fastest-warming areas on the planet, with 5–6 °C increases in mean winter air temperatures and associated decreases in winter sea-ice cover. These biological and physical perturbations have affected the ecosystem profoundly. One hypothesis guiding ecological interpretations of changes in top predator populations in this region, the “sea-ice hypothesis,” proposes that reductions in winter sea ice have led directly to declines in “ice-loving” species by decreasing their winter habitat, while populations of “ice-avoiding” species have increased. However, 30 y of field studies and recent surveys of penguins throughout the WAP and Scotia Sea demonstrate this mechanism is not controlling penguin populations; populations of both ice-loving Adélie and ice-avoiding chinstrap penguins have declined significantly. We argue in favor of an alternative, more robust hypothesis that attributes both increases and decreases in penguin populations to changes in the abundance of their main prey, Antarctic krill. Unlike many other predators in this region, Adélie and chinstrap penguins were never directly harvested by man; thus, their population trajectories track the impacts of biological and environmental changes in this ecosystem. Linking trends in penguin abundance with trends in krill biomass explains why populations of Adélie and chinstrap penguins increased after competitors (fur seals, baleen whales, and some fishes) were nearly extirpated in the 19th to mid-20th centuries and currently are decreasing in response to climate change. PMID:21482793

Climate-driven Sympatry does not Lead to Foraging Competition Between Adélie and Gentoo Penguins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cimino, M. A.; Moline, M. A.; Fraser, W.; Patterson-Fraser, D.; Oliver, M. J.

2016-02-01

Climate-driven sympatry may lead to competition for food resources between species, population shifts and changes in ecosystem structure. Rapid warming in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is coincident with increasing gentoo penguin and decreasing Adélie penguin populations, suggesting that competition for food may exacerbate the Adélie penguin decline. At Palmer Station, we tested for foraging competition between these species by comparing their prey, Antarctic krill, distributions and penguin foraging behaviors on fine scales. To study these predator-prey dynamics, we simultaneously deployed penguin satellite transmitters, and a REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle that acoustically detected krill aggregations and measured physical and biological properties of the water column. We detected krill aggregations within the horizontal and vertical foraging ranges of Adélie and gentoo penguin. In the upper 100 m of the water column, the distribution of krill aggregations were mainly associated with CHL and light, suggesting that krill selected for habitats that balance the need to consume food and avoid predation. Adélie and gentoo penguins mainly had spatially segregated foraging areas but in areas of overlap, gentoo penguins switched foraging behavior by foraging at deeper depths, a strategy which limits competition with Adélie penguins. This suggests that climate-driven sympatry does not necessarily result in competitive exclusion. Contrary to a recent theory, which suggests that increased competition for krill is the major driver of Adélie penguin population declines, we suggest that declines in Adélie penguins along the WAP are more likely due to direct and indirect climate impacts on their life histories.

Oceanographic variability on the West Antarctic Peninsula during the Holocene and the influence of upper circumpolar deep water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peck, Victoria L.; Allen, Claire S.; Kender, Sev; McClymont, Erin L.; Hodgson, Dominic A.

2015-07-01

Recent intensification of wind-driven upwelling of warm upper circumpolar deep water (UCDW) has been linked to accelerated melting of West Antarctic ice shelves and glaciers. To better assess the long term relationship between UCDW upwelling and the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, we present a multi-proxy reconstruction of surface and bottom water conditions in Marguerite Bay, West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), through the Holocene. A combination of sedimentological, diatom and foraminiferal records are, for the first time, presented together to infer a decline in UCDW influence within Marguerite Bay through the early to mid Holocene and the dominance of cyclic forcing in the late Holocene. Extensive glacial melt, limited sea ice and enhanced primary productivity between 9.7 and 7.0 ka BP is considered to be most consistent with persistent incursions of UCDW through Marguerite Trough. From 7.0 ka BP sea ice seasons increased and productivity decreased, suggesting that UCDW influence within Marguerite Bay waned, coincident with the equatorward migration of the Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds (SWW). UCDW influence continued through the mid Holocene, and by 4.2 ka BP lengthy sea ice seasons persisted within Marguerite Bay. Intermittent melting and reforming of this sea ice within the late Holocene may be indicative of episodic incursions of UCDW into Marguerite Bay during this period. The cyclical changes in the oceanography within Marguerite Bay during the late Holocene is consistent with enhanced sensitively to ENSO forcing as opposed to the SWW-forcing that appears to have dominated the early to mid Holocene. Current measurements of the oceanography of the WAP continental shelf suggest that the system has now returned to the early Holocene-like oceanographic configuration reported here, which in both cases has been associated with rapid deglaciation.

Climate change and the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula

PubMed Central

Clarke, Andrew; Murphy, Eugene J; Meredith, Michael P; King, John C; Peck, Lloyd S; Barnes, David K.A; Smith, Raymond C

2006-01-01

The Antarctic Peninsula is experiencing one of the fastest rates of regional climate change on Earth, resulting in the collapse of ice shelves, the retreat of glaciers and the exposure of new terrestrial habitat. In the nearby oceanic system, winter sea ice in the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas has decreased in extent by 10% per decade, and shortened in seasonal duration. Surface waters have warmed by more than 1 K since the 1950s, and the Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current has also warmed. Of the changes observed in the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region to date, alterations in winter sea ice dynamics are the most likely to have had a direct impact on the marine fauna, principally through shifts in the extent and timing of habitat for ice-associated biota. Warming of seawater at depths below ca 100 m has yet to reach the levels that are biologically significant. Continued warming, or a change in the frequency of the flooding of CDW onto the WAP continental shelf may, however, induce sublethal effects that influence ecological interactions and hence food-web operation. The best evidence for recent changes in the ecosystem may come from organisms which record aspects of their population dynamics in their skeleton (such as molluscs or brachiopods) or where ecological interactions are preserved (such as in encrusting biota of hard substrata). In addition, a southwards shift of marine isotherms may induce a parallel migration of some taxa similar to that observed on land. The complexity of the Southern Ocean food web and the nonlinear nature of many interactions mean that predictions based on short-term studies of a small number of species are likely to be misleading. PMID:17405211

The Upper 1000-m Slope Currents North of the South Shetland Islands and Elephant Island Based on Ship Cruise Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Guangqian; Zhang, Zhaoru; Zhou, Meng; Zhu, Yiwu; Zhong, Yisen

2018-04-01

While the Antarctic Slope Current (ASC) has been intensively studied for the East Antarctica slope area and the Weddell Sea, its fate in the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region remains much less known. Data from two cruises conducted near the South Shetland Islands (SSIs) and the Elephant Island (EI), one in austral summer of 2004 and one in austral winter of 2006, were analyzed to provide a broad picture of the circulation pattern over the continental slope of the surveyed area, and an insight into the dynamical balance of the circulation. The results indicate that southwestward currents are present over the upper slope in the study area, indicating the ASC in the WAP region. Near the Shackleton Gap (SG) north of the EI, the southwestward slope currents near the shelf break are characterized by a water mass colder and fresher than the ambient water, which produces cross-slope density gradients and then vertical shear of the along-slope (or along-isobath) velocity. The vertical shear is associated with a reversal of the along-slope current from northeastward at surface to southwestward in deeper layers, or a depth-intensification of the southwestward slope currents. The water mass with temperature and salinity characteristics similar to the observed cold and fresh water is also revealed on the southern slope of the Scotia Sea, suggesting that this cold and fresh water is originated from the Scotia Sea slope and flows southwestward through the SG. Over the shelf north of the SSIs, the cold and fresh water mass is also observed and originates mainly from the Bransfield Strait. In this area, vertical structure of the southwestward slope currents is associated with the onshore intrusion of the upper Circumpolar Deep Water that creates cross-slope density gradients.

Climate change and the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Clarke, Andrew; Murphy, Eugene J; Meredith, Michael P; King, John C; Peck, Lloyd S; Barnes, David K A; Smith, Raymond C

2007-01-29

The Antarctic Peninsula is experiencing one of the fastest rates of regional climate change on Earth, resulting in the collapse of ice shelves, the retreat of glaciers and the exposure of new terrestrial habitat. In the nearby oceanic system, winter sea ice in the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas has decreased in extent by 10% per decade, and shortened in seasonal duration. Surface waters have warmed by more than 1 K since the 1950s, and the Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current has also warmed. Of the changes observed in the marine ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region to date, alterations in winter sea ice dynamics are the most likely to have had a direct impact on the marine fauna, principally through shifts in the extent and timing of habitat for ice-associated biota. Warming of seawater at depths below ca 100 m has yet to reach the levels that are biologically significant. Continued warming, or a change in the frequency of the flooding of CDW onto the WAP continental shelf may, however, induce sublethal effects that influence ecological interactions and hence food-web operation. The best evidence for recent changes in the ecosystem may come from organisms which record aspects of their population dynamics in their skeleton (such as molluscs or brachiopods) or where ecological interactions are preserved (such as in encrusting biota of hard substrata). In addition, a southwards shift of marine isotherms may induce a parallel migration of some taxa similar to that observed on land. The complexity of the Southern Ocean food web and the nonlinear nature of many interactions mean that predictions based on short-term studies of a small number of species are likely to be misleading.

Low-Dose IL-17 Therapy Prevents and Reverses Diabetic Nephropathy, Metabolic Syndrome, and Associated Organ Fibrosis.

PubMed

Mohamed, Riyaz; Jayakumar, Calpurnia; Chen, Feng; Fulton, David; Stepp, David; Gansevoort, Ron T; Ramesh, Ganesan

2016-03-01

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for >45% of new cases of dialysis. Diabetic nephropathy is characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, and oxidant stress, pathologic features that are shared by many other chronic inflammatory diseases. The cytokine IL-17A was initially implicated as a mediator of chronic inflammatory diseases, but recent studies dispute these findings and suggest that IL-17A can favorably modulate inflammation. Here, we examined the role of IL-17A in diabetic nephropathy. We observed that IL-17A levels in plasma and urine were reduced in patients with advanced diabetic nephropathy. Type 1 diabetic mice that are genetically deficient in IL-17A developed more severe nephropathy, whereas administration of low-dose IL-17A prevented diabetic nephropathy in models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, IL-17A administration effectively treated, prevented, and reversed established nephropathy in genetic models of diabetes. Protective effects were also observed after administration of IL-17F but not IL-17C or IL-17E. Notably, tubular epithelial cell-specific overexpression of IL-17A was sufficient to suppress diabetic nephropathy. Mechanistically, IL-17A administration suppressed phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, a central mediator of fibrosis, upregulated anti-inflammatory microglia/macrophage WAP domain protein in an AMP-activated protein kinase-dependent manner and favorably modulated renal oxidative stress and AMP-activated protein kinase activation. Administration of recombinant microglia/macrophage WAP domain protein suppressed diabetes-induced albuminuria and enhanced M2 marker expression. These observations suggest that the beneficial effects of IL-17 are isoform-specific and identify low-dose IL-17A administration as a promising therapeutic approach in diabetic kidney disease. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Nephrology.

An automated data exploitation system for airborne sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hai-Wen; McGurr, Mike

2014-06-01

Advanced wide area persistent surveillance (WAPS) sensor systems on manned or unmanned airborne vehicles are essential for wide-area urban security monitoring in order to protect our people and our warfighter from terrorist attacks. Currently, human (imagery) analysts process huge data collections from full motion video (FMV) for data exploitation and analysis (real-time and forensic), providing slow and inaccurate results. An Automated Data Exploitation System (ADES) is urgently needed. In this paper, we present a recently developed ADES for airborne vehicles under heavy urban background clutter conditions. This system includes four processes: (1) fast image registration, stabilization, and mosaicking; (2) advanced non-linear morphological moving target detection; (3) robust multiple target (vehicles, dismounts, and human) tracking (up to 100 target tracks); and (4) moving or static target/object recognition (super-resolution). Test results with real FMV data indicate that our ADES can reliably detect, track, and recognize multiple vehicles under heavy urban background clutters. Furthermore, our example shows that ADES as a baseline platform can provide capability for vehicle abnormal behavior detection to help imagery analysts quickly trace down potential threats and crimes.

WEB - A Wireless Experiment Box for the Dextre Pointing Package ELC Payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bleier, Leor Z.; Marrero-Fontanez, Victor J.; Sparacino, Pietro A.; Moreau, Michael C.; Mitchell, Jason William

2012-01-01

The Wireless Experiment Box (WEB) was proposed to work with the International Space Station (ISS) External Wireless Communication (EWC) system to support high-definition video from the Dextre Pointing Package (DPP). DPP/WEB was a NASA GSFC proposed ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC) payload designed to flight test an integrated suite of Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) technologies to enable a wide spectrum of future missions across NASA and other US Government agencies. The ISS EWC uses COTS Wireless Access Points (WAPs) to provide high-rate bi-directional communications to ISS. In this paper, we discuss WEB s packaging, operation, antenna development, and performance testing.

Web: A Wireless Experiment Box for the Dextre Pointing Package ELC Payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bleier, Leor Z.; Marrero-Fontanez, Victor J.; Sparacino, Pietro A.; Moreau, Michael C.; Mitchell, Jason W.

2012-01-01

The Wireless Experiment Box (WEB) was proposed to work with the International Space Station (ISS) External Wireless Communication (EWC) system to support high-definition video from the Dextre Pointing Package (DPP). DPP/WEB was a NASA GSFC proposed ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC) payload designed to flight test an integrated suite of Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) technologies to enable a wide spectrum of future missions across NASA and other US Government agencies. The ISS EWC uses COTS Wireless Access Points (WAPs) to provide high-rate bi-directional communications to ISS. In this paper, we discuss WEB s packaging, operation, antenna development, and performance testing.

Variability of the Antarctic Surface Water and the Upper Circumpolar Deep Water from 1992 WOCE and 2007-2008 Argo data along the section P19 in Southeastern Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, S.; Lee, J.; Kim, Y.; Kim, E.; Seung, Y.

2013-12-01

The variability of the Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) and Antarctic Surface Water (AASW) is examined based upon the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) data in 1992 and Argo data in 2007 and 2008 along the section P19. D.G. Martinson (2012) examined the Antarctic Circumpolar Current's role in the Antarctic Ice System and showed that 3-color WOCE temperature sections, including section P19, showed that tilt of the isopycnals associated with ACC prevent warm tropical waters from reaching Antarctic continental margin. The paper also described that warm UCDW layer slips along the tilted isopycnals to reach the continental slope in section P19 along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). It is also revealed that the UCDW, associated with the ACC in section P19, occupies the domain from 58°S to 68°S with meridional ACC width of about 1,000km. In order to estimate the fluctuation of the warm UCDW layer the Argo data both in 2007 and 2008 were collected and the location of the warm UCDW from Argo data in 2007 and 2008 was compared with that of WOCE from Martinson (2012) in 1992. The argo data in 2007 and 2008 are used to examine the tilted isopycnal pattern of the warm UCDW represented by warm waters above 1.8°C. One thing to note is that the southern limit of the UCDW in the WOCE data in 1992, appears to move northward in Argo data of 2007 and 2008. Also AASW less than 2.0°C from the WAP in Argo data replaces the rather warm thin layer between 62°S nearly to 69°S shown in the WOCE data in 1992. The low salinity layer bounded by 34.0 psu extends far north compared with that of WOCE data, indicating that the ice melting water from the WAP flows northward. Since all year round data in case of Argo data are used and the error by the seasonal fluctuation may be introduced in the location of the upper 500m depth. The global wind stress curl data by SCOW (Scatterometer Climatology of Ocean Wind) are available over 1997 to 2007, which reveals that the wind stress curl is negative in the southeastern Pacific including the section P19. These negative values explain that the Sverdrup transport is northward. Enhanced northward transport may contribute to the northward advection of the AASW over the 15 years. Longer wind data may be needed to examine the qualitative trend of the mater mass's spreading trend along section P19. Some details and discussion will be shown in the presentation. Acknowledgement: This work was partially supported by KIOST research program (PE98991, PE99163, and PN65481).

Psychophysiological Effects of Aging - Developing a Functional Age Index for Pilots. II Taxonomy of Psychological Factors

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-04-01

84 MieWJede apsed orI0 FoWap., ash.. 12’ Ii’ lase. sm. Is" 14 viand seas v7 3 IS Selected woog acurse U1Ds eia li of satia. SiP 215’ Fmxbd2 I 54 Dely...considered as preliminary by the authors (44). 32 I rnnvBESI AVAIISA LE LLWI *.4U’ -I C 2!2d 1 - N I2Ak -...4W O. SR N NN4 .-. N - N NN...South Africa, October 24-29, 1976. 91. Verra, G., 3. Martin, 3. P. Crance, and N. Boulange: La Motivation chez les Pilotes d’Aviation Legere I

Weatherization Innovation Pilot Program (WIPP): Technical Assistance Summary

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

Hollander, A.

2014-09-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office (WIPO) launched the Weatherization Innovation Pilot Program (WIPP) to accelerate innovations in whole-house weatherization and advance DOE's goal of increasing the energy efficiency and health and safety of low-income residences without the utilization of additional taxpayer funding. Sixteen WIPP grantees were awarded a total of $30 million in Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) funds in September 2010. These projects focused on: including nontraditional partners in weatherization service delivery; leveraging significant non-federal funding; and improving the effectiveness of low-income weatherization through the use of newmore » materials, technologies, behavior-change models, and processes.« less

Characterization of winter foraging locations of Adélie penguins along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, 2001-2002

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdmann, Eric S.; Ribic, Christine A.; Patterson-Fraser, Donna L.; Fraser, William R.

2011-07-01

In accord with the hypotheses driving the Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (SO GLOBEC) program, we tested the hypothesis that the winter foraging ecology of a major top predator in waters off the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), the Adélie penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae), is constrained by oceanographic features related to the physiography of the region. This hypothesis grew from the supposition that breeding colonies in the WAP during summer are located adjacent to areas of complex bathymetry where circulation and upwelling processes appear to ensure predictable food resources. Therefore, we tested the additional hypothesis that these areas continue to contribute to the foraging strategy of this species throughout the non-breeding winter season. We used satellite telemetry data collected as part of the SO GLOBEC program during the austral winters of 2001 and 2002 to characterize individual penguin foraging locations in relation to bathymetry, sea ice variability within the pack ice, and wind velocity and divergence (as a proxy for potential areas with cracks and leads). We also explored differences between males and females in core foraging area overlap. Ocean depth was the most influential variable in the determination of foraging location, with most birds focusing their effort on shallow (<200 m) waters near land and on mixed-layer (200-500 m) waters near the edge of deep troughs. Within-ice variability and wind (as a proxy for potential areas with cracks and leads) were not found to be influential variables, which is likely because of the low resolution satellite imagery and model outputs that were available. Throughout the study period, all individuals maintained a core foraging area separated from other individuals with very little overlap. However, from a year with light sea ice to one with heavy ice cover (2001-2002), we observed an increase in the overlap of individual female foraging areas with those of other birds, likely due to restricted access to the water column, reduced prey abundance, or higher prey concentration. Male birds maintained separate core foraging areas with the same small amount of overlap, showing no difference in overlap between the years. While complex bathymetry was an important physical variable influencing the Adélie penguin's foraging, the analysis of sea ice data of a higher resolution than was available for this study may help elucidate the role of sea ice in affecting Adélie penguin winter foraging behavior within the pack ice.

Characterization of winter foraging locations of Adélie penguins along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, 2001–2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Erdmann, Eric S.; Ribic, Christine; Patterson-Fraser, Donna L.; Fraser, William R.

2011-01-01

In accord with the hypotheses driving the Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (SO GLOBEC) program, we tested the hypothesis that the winter foraging ecology of a major top predator in waters off the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), is constrained by oceanographic features related to the physiography of the region. This hypothesis grew from the supposition that breeding colonies in the WAP during summer are located adjacent to areas of complex bathymetry where circulation and upwelling processes appear to ensure predictable food resources. Therefore, we tested the additional hypothesis that these areas continue to contribute to the foraging strategy of this species throughout the non-breeding winter season. We used satellite telemetry data collected as part of the SO GLOBEC program during the austral winters of 2001 and 2002 to characterize individual penguin foraging locations in relation to bathymetry, sea ice variability within the pack ice, and wind velocity and divergence (as a proxy for potential areas with cracks and leads). We also explored differences between males and females in core foraging area overlap. Ocean depth was the most influential variable in the determination of foraging location, with most birds focusing their effort on shallow (<200 m) waters near land and on mixed-layer (200–500 m) waters near the edge of deep troughs. Within-ice variability and wind (as a proxy for potential areas with cracks and leads) were not found to be influential variables, which is likely because of the low resolution satellite imagery and model outputs that were available. Throughout the study period, all individuals maintained a core foraging area separated from other individuals with very little overlap. However, from a year with light sea ice to one with heavy ice cover (2001–2002), we observed an increase in the overlap of individual female foraging areas with those of other birds, likely due to restricted access to the water column, reduced prey abundance, or higher prey concentration. Male birds maintained separate core foraging areas with the same small amount of overlap, showing no difference in overlap between the years. While complex bathymetry was an important physical variable influencing the Adélie penguin's foraging, the analysis of sea ice data of a higher resolution than was available for this study may help elucidate the role of sea ice in affecting Adélie penguin winter foraging behavior within the pack ice.

Enhanced extracellular production of L-asparaginase from Bacillus subtilis 168 by B. subtilis WB600 through a combined strategy.

PubMed

Feng, Yue; Liu, Song; Jiao, Yun; Gao, Hui; Wang, Miao; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian

2017-02-01

L-asparaginase (EC 3.5.1.1, ASN) exhibits great commercial value due to its uses in the food and medicine industry. In this study, we reported the enhanced expression of type II ASN from Bacillus subtilis 168 in B. subtilis WB600 through a combined strategy. First, eight signal peptides (the signal peptide of the ASN, ywbN, yvgO, amyE, oppA, vpr, lipA, and wapA) were used for ASN secretion in B. subtilis by using Hpa II promoter, respectively. The signal peptide wapA achieved the highest extracellular ASN activity (28.91 U/mL). Second, Hpa II promoter was replaced by a strong promoter, P43 promoter, resulting in 38.1 % enhanced ASN activity. By two rounds of error-prone PCR mutation, the P43 promoter variants with remarkably enhanced strength (D7, E2, H6, B2, and F3) were identified. B2 (-28: A → G, -13: A → G) achieved ASN activity up to 51.13 U/mL. Third, after deletion of the N-terminal 25-residues, ASN activity reached 102.41 U/mL, which was 100 % higher than that of the intact ASN. At last, the extracellular ASN of the B. subtilis arrived at 407.6 U/mL (2.5 g/L of ASN protein) in a 3-L bioreactor by using a fed-batch strategy. The purified ASN showed maximal activity at 65 °C and its half-life at 65 °C was 61 min. The K m and k cat of the ASN were 5.29 mM and 54.4 s -1 , respectively. To the best of our knowledge, we obtained the highest yield of ASN in a food-grade host ever reported, which may benefit the industrial production and application of ASN.

The modelled surface mass balance of the Antarctic Peninsula at 5.5 km horizontal resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wessem, J. M.; Ligtenberg, S. R. M.; Reijmer, C. H.; van de Berg, W. J.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Barrand, N. E.; Thomas, E. R.; Turner, J.; Wuite, J.; Scambos, T. A.; van Meijgaard, E.

2016-02-01

This study presents a high-resolution (˜ 5.5 km) estimate of surface mass balance (SMB) over the period 1979-2014 for the Antarctic Peninsula (AP), generated by the regional atmospheric climate model RACMO2.3 and a firn densification model (FDM). RACMO2.3 is used to force the FDM, which calculates processes in the snowpack, such as meltwater percolation, refreezing and runoff. We evaluate model output with 132 in situ SMB observations and discharge rates from six glacier drainage basins, and find that the model realistically simulates the strong spatial variability in precipitation, but that significant biases remain as a result of the highly complex topography of the AP. It is also clear that the observations significantly underrepresent the high-accumulation regimes, complicating a full model evaluation. The SMB map reveals large accumulation gradients, with precipitation values above 3000 mm we yr-1 in the western AP (WAP) and below 500 mm we yr-1 in the eastern AP (EAP), not resolved by coarser data sets such as ERA-Interim. The average AP ice-sheet-integrated SMB, including ice shelves (an area of 4.1 × 105 km2), is estimated at 351 Gt yr-1 with an interannual variability of 58 Gt yr-1, which is dominated by precipitation (PR) (365 ± 57 Gt yr-1). The WAP (2.4 × 105 km2) SMB (276 ± 47 Gt yr-1), where PR is large (276 ± 47 Gt yr-1), dominates over the EAP (1.7 × 105 km2) SMB (75 ± 11 Gt yr-1) and PR (84 ± 11 Gt yr-1). Total sublimation is 11 ± 2 Gt yr-1 and meltwater runoff into the ocean is 4 ± 4 Gt yr-1. There are no significant trends in any of the modelled AP SMB components, except for snowmelt that shows a significant decrease over the last 36 years (-0.36 Gt yr-2).

Temporal and Regional Variability in the Skin Microbiome of Humpback Whales along the Western Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Bierlich, K C; Miller, Carolyn; DeForce, Emelia; Friedlaender, Ari S; Johnston, David W; Apprill, Amy

2018-03-01

The skin is the first line of defense between an animal and its environment, and disruptions in skin-associated microorganisms can be linked to an animal's health and nutritional state. To better understand the skin microbiome of large whales, high-throughput sequencing of partial small subunit rRNA genes was used to study the skin-associated bacteria of 89 seemingly healthy humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) sampled along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) during early (2010) and late (2013) austral summers. Six core groups of bacteria were present in 93% or more of all humpback skin samples. A shift was observed in the average relative abundances of these core bacteria over time, with the emergence of four additional core groups of bacteria that corresponded to a decrease in water temperature, possibly caused by season- or foraging-related changes in skin biochemistry that influenced microbial growth, or other temporal factors. The skin microbiome differed between whales sampled at several regional locations along the WAP, suggesting that environmental factors or population may also influence the whale skin microbiome. Overall, the skin microbiome of humpback whales appears to provide insight into animal- and environment-related factors and may serve as a useful indicator for animal health or ecosystem alterations. IMPORTANCE The microbiomes of wild animals are currently understudied but may provide information about animal health and/or animal-environment interactions. In the largest sampling of any marine mammal microbiome, this study demonstrates conservation in the skin microbiome of 89 seemingly healthy humpback whales sampled in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, with shifts in the bacterial community composition related to temporal and regional variability. This study is important because it suggests that the skin microbiome of humpback whales could provide insight into animal nutritional or seasonal/environment-related factors, which are becoming increasingly important to recognize due to unprecedented rates of climate change and anthropogenic impact on ocean ecosystems. Copyright © 2018 Bierlich et al.

Temporal and Regional Variability in the Skin Microbiome of Humpback Whales along the Western Antarctic Peninsula

PubMed Central

Bierlich, K. C.; Miller, Carolyn; DeForce, Emelia; Friedlaender, Ari S.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The skin is the first line of defense between an animal and its environment, and disruptions in skin-associated microorganisms can be linked to an animal's health and nutritional state. To better understand the skin microbiome of large whales, high-throughput sequencing of partial small subunit rRNA genes was used to study the skin-associated bacteria of 89 seemingly healthy humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) sampled along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) during early (2010) and late (2013) austral summers. Six core groups of bacteria were present in 93% or more of all humpback skin samples. A shift was observed in the average relative abundances of these core bacteria over time, with the emergence of four additional core groups of bacteria that corresponded to a decrease in water temperature, possibly caused by season- or foraging-related changes in skin biochemistry that influenced microbial growth, or other temporal factors. The skin microbiome differed between whales sampled at several regional locations along the WAP, suggesting that environmental factors or population may also influence the whale skin microbiome. Overall, the skin microbiome of humpback whales appears to provide insight into animal- and environment-related factors and may serve as a useful indicator for animal health or ecosystem alterations. IMPORTANCE The microbiomes of wild animals are currently understudied but may provide information about animal health and/or animal-environment interactions. In the largest sampling of any marine mammal microbiome, this study demonstrates conservation in the skin microbiome of 89 seemingly healthy humpback whales sampled in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, with shifts in the bacterial community composition related to temporal and regional variability. This study is important because it suggests that the skin microbiome of humpback whales could provide insight into animal nutritional or seasonal/environment-related factors, which are becoming increasingly important to recognize due to unprecedented rates of climate change and anthropogenic impact on ocean ecosystems. PMID:29269499

1982 HHS/LIHEAP funds used for weatherization. An analysis of data from twenty states: Task A. Final report

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

Not Available

1983-05-01

During the Summer and Fall of 1982, Arawak Consulting Corporation monitored a number of program management functions of the Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) in the 20 states under the jurisdiction of the DOE Chicago Operations Office. The monitoring included on-site visits to all 20 state grantees and 85 randomly selected local subgrantees. Although the monitoring was designed to focus only on the DOE funded program, it soon became apparent that funds from the Department of Health and Human Services' Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) often had a significant effect on the scope and mode of operationmore » of the weatherization program. As a result of these and other outcomes, DOE asked Arawak to further study the impact of HHS funds on the Weatherization Assistance Program in the same 20 states. This report is the result of that request. It draws on information collected during the monitoring visits which were conducted from mid-July to mid-October 1982, and on additional information obtained in telephone interviews during the last two weeks of February 1983.« less

[Psychological Characteristics of Patients With Stress-induced Arterial Hypertension: a Violation of the Regulation of Emotions as a Central Link of Pathogenesis].

PubMed

Ostroumova, O D; Pervichko, E I; Zinchenko, Y P

2016-09-01

The study of emotional and personality characteristics of patients with hypertension in the workplace (HW) and comparative assessment of the effectiveness of antihypertensive therapy in these patients. The study included 170 patients c hypertensive disease stage II, 1-2-th degree, aged 32-52 years, including 85 patients with and 85 patients without WAH, and 82 healthy subjects matched for age and sex. To carry out simulation of the situation of emotional intensity (level of claims assessment process - UE) and a modified version of the test Rosenzweig. Patients with WAH were randomized into 2 groups: patients of group 1 received bisoprolol, 2nd group -eprosartan. If target blood pressure (BP) in 2 weeks, all patients were added indapamide retard. At baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment was carried out daily monitoring of blood pressure and the working day. When modeling a situation of emotional intensity in patients with WAP become, compared with patients without a healthy and WAH, revealed (1) marked increase in systolic blood pressure - 16.1, 4.1 and 3.0 mmHg, respectively (p <0,001 ), (2) the dominance of motivation "avoid failure" (UP underestimated in 34.1% of cases, unformed UP - in 21.2% of cases, healthy - 14.6% and 3.7% of cases, cootvetstvenno, p<0,001 in patients without WAH - 20% and 11.8%, respectively, p<0,05). Patients with WAP become different from normal was significantly (p<0.05) the number of the selected blshim emotionally meaningful situations (9.7 and 7.8, respectively) and emotional descriptors (11 and 7, respectively). Patients with WAH differ significantly (p<0,05) more frequent than in healthy, the use of ineffective strategies of emotion regulation in an emotionally meaningful situations: the suppression of the expression of emotions (38.3 and 20.3%, respectively), rumination and disasterization (19 and 11.8%, respectively) and more rare - high performance: sequential actualization of new meanings (25.7 and 31.7%, respectively) and the strategy of interactive subject-subject transformations (12.6 and 25.2%, respectively). After 16 weeks of treatment showed a significant (p<0,001) reduction of blood pressure in the 1st and 2nd groups. The number of patients achieving target blood pressure, at 2, 4 and 6 weeks, respectively, was as follows: 14 in the bisoprolol group and 93 (100%), in the eprosartan group - 0, 52 (100%). Both groups showed significant (p <0,001) reduction in mean daytime and nighttime blood pressure in the weekdays and weekends. In the group of bisoprolol showed a significant (p <0,01) higher average daily decrease in systolic blood pressure in the working day, compared with eprosartan group (26.2 and 19.3 mm Hg, respectively). Patients with WAP become emotionally meaningful situations frequently resorted to repression of emotions, choose the inefficient strategies of emotion regulation, they noted the expressed reaction of BP in response to the emotional burden. Antihypertensive therapy based on bisoprolol, is highly effective and has advantages over circuit-based therapy with eprosartan.

Emergence of the acute-phase protein hemopexin in jawed vertebrates.

PubMed

Dooley, Helen; Buckingham, E Bryan; Criscitiello, Michael F; Flajnik, Martin F

2010-01-01

When released from damaged erythrocytes free heme not only provides a source of iron for invading bacteria but also highly toxic due to its ability to catalyze free radical formation. Hemopexin (Hx) binds free heme with very high-affinity and thus protects against heme toxicity, sequesters heme from pathogens, and helps conserve valuable iron. Hx is also an acute-phase serum protein (APP), whose expression is induced by inflammation. To date Hx has been identified as far back in phylogeny as bony fish where it is called warm-temperature acclimation-related 65 kDa protein (WAP65), as serum protein levels are increased at elevated environmental temperatures as well as by infection. During analysis of nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) plasma we isolated a Ni(2+)-binding serum glycoprotein and characterized it as the APP Hx. We subsequently cloned Hx from nurse shark and another cartilaginous fish species, the little skate Leucoraja erinacea. Functional analysis showed shark Hx, like that of mammals, binds heme but is found at unusually high levels in normal shark serum. As an Hx orthologue could not be found in the genomes of jawless vertebrates or lower deuterostomes it appears to have arisen just prior to the emergence of jawed vertebrates, coincident with the second round of genome-wide duplication and the appearance of tetrameric hemoglobin (Hb). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A mobile information management system used in textile enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, C.-R.; Yu, W.-D.

2008-02-01

The mobile information management system (MIMS) for textile enterprises is based on Microsoft Visual Studios. NET2003 Server, Microsoft SQL Server 2000, C++ language and wireless application protocol (WAP) and wireless markup language (WML) technology. The portable MIMS is composed of three-layer structures, i.e. showing layer; operating layer; and data visiting layer corresponding to the port-link module; processing module; and database module. By using the MIMS, not only the information exchanges become more convenient and easier, but also the compatible between the giant information capacity and a micro-cell phone and functional expansion nature in operating and designing can be realized by means of build-in units. The development of MIMS is suitable for the utilization in textile enterprises.

Secretion of whey acidic protein and cystatin is down regulated at mid-lactation in the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicholas, K.R.; Fisher, J.A.; Muths, E.; Trott, J.; Janssens, P.A.; Reich, C.; Shaw, D.C.

2001-01-01

Milk collected from the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) between day 100 and 260 of lactation showed major changes in milk composition at around day 200 of lactation, the time at which the pouch young begins to temporarily exit the pouch and eat herbage. The carbohydrate content of milk declined abruptly at this time and although there was only a small increase in total protein content, SDS PAGE analysis of milk revealed asynchrony in the secretory pattern of individual proteins. The levels of α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and transferrin remain unchanged during lactation. In contrast, the protease inhibitor cystatin, and the putative protease inhibitor whey acidic protein (WAP) first appeared in milk at elevated concentrations after approximately 150 days of lactation and then ceased to be secreted at approximately 200 days. In addition, a major whey protein, late lactation protein, was first detected in milk around the time whey acidic protein and cystatin cease to be secreted and was present at least until day 260 of lactation. The co-ordinated, but asynchronous secretion of putative protease inhibitors in milk may have several roles during lactation including tissue remodelling in the mammary gland and protecting specific proteins in milk required for physiological development of the dependent young.

Secretion of whey acidic protein and cystatin is down regulated at mid-lactation in the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicholas, K.R.; Fisher, J.A.; Muths, E.; Trott, J.; Janssens, P.A.; Reich, C.; Shaw, D.C.

2001-01-01

Milk collected from the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) between day 100 and 260 of lactation showed major changes in milk composition at around day 200 of lactation, the time at which the pouch young begins to temporarily exit the pouch and eat herbage. The carbohydrate content of milk declined abruptly at this time and although there was only a small increase in total protein content, SDS PAGE analysis of milk revealed asynchrony in the secretory pattern of individual proteins. The levels of ??-lactalbumin, ??-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and transferrin remain unchanged during lactation. In contrast, the protease inhibitor cystatin, and the putative protease inhibitor whey acidic protein (WAP) first appeared in milk at elevated concentrations after approximately 150 days of lactation and then ceased to be secreted at approximately 200 days. In addition, a major whey protein, late lactation protein, was first detected in milk around the time whey acidic protein and cystatin cease to be secreted and was present at least until day 260 of lactation. The co-ordinated, but asynchronous secretion of putative protease inhibitors in milk may have several roles during lactation including tissue remodelling in the mammary gland and protecting specific proteins in milk required for physiological development of the dependent young. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science Inc.

Proteomic analysis of the organic matrix of the abalone Haliotis asinina calcified shell

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The formation of the molluscan shell is regulated to a large extent by a matrix of extracellular macromolecules that are secreted by the shell forming tissue, the mantle. This so called "calcifying matrix" is a complex mixture of proteins and glycoproteins that is assembled and occluded within the mineral phase during the calcification process. While the importance of the calcifying matrix to shell formation has long been appreciated, most of its protein components remain uncharacterised. Results Recent expressed sequence tag (EST) investigations of the mantle tissue from the tropical abalone (Haliotis asinina) provide an opportunity to further characterise the proteins in the shell by a proteomic approach. In this study, we have identified a total of 14 proteins from distinct calcified layers of the shell. Only two of these proteins have been previously characterised from abalone shells. Among the novel proteins are several glutamine- and methionine-rich motifs and hydrophobic glycine-, alanine- and acidic aspartate-rich domains. In addition, two of the new proteins contained Kunitz-like and WAP (whey acidic protein) protease inhibitor domains. Conclusion This is one of the first comprehensive proteomic study of a molluscan shell, and should provide a platform for further characterization of matrix protein functions and interactions. PMID:21050442

Personal Insights and Anecdotes about the Weatherization Assistance Program Process Field Study

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

Treitler, Inga

The present report is based on the research conducted for the Process Field Study between March and September 2011. The Process Field Study documents how Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) services were delivered to clients, and the quality with which those services were delivered. The assessments were conducted by visiting 19 agencies in 19 states around the country interviewing agency managers, staff, and contractors; observing program intake along, with 43 audits, 45 measure installation and 37 final inspections; and conducting debriefing interviews with clients and weatherization staff following the observation of service delivery. In this report, we turn to detailed observationsmore » of a few field interactions. The client stories from our observations illustrate some of the ways clients and crew interact to build the success of the program, but shows there will always be unanticipated obstacles to building trust and getting the program to the public. Stories of staff and crew career paths indicate that weatherization technology and techniques are being learned and used by technicians out of the new home construction industry and that their new knowledge provides them with technical tools and methods that many hope to take back into the construction industry if and when they return. This report is organized according to the four stages of weatherization: intake, audit, installation, and inspection. It contributes to our understanding of the area where policy, environment, culture, and individual decisions influence social innovation. The anecdotes reveal the realities of implementing programs for the benefit of the greater good at minimal cost and sacrifice in times of ever restricting budgets. As the authors revisited their field notes and compiled memorable narratives to communicate the essence of the weatherization experience, they identified three key takeaways that summarize the major issues. First, in WAP as in all services there will always be challenges to reaching the community needing to be served. Second, crew and staff learn new skills and gain experience that can be and are applied in jobs elsewhere. Finally, in the best cases, changes from the weatherization experience permeate communities in unanticipated ways.« less

Iceberg killing fields limit huge potential for benthic blue carbon in Antarctic shallows.

PubMed

Barnes, David K A

2017-07-01

Climate-forced ice losses are increasing potential for iceberg-seabed collisions, termed ice scour. At Ryder Bay, West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) sea ice, oceanography, phytoplankton and encrusting zoobenthos have been monitored since 1998. In 2003, grids of seabed markers, covering 225 m 2 , were established, surveyed and replaced annually to measure ice scour frequency. Disturbance history has been recorded for each m 2 of seabed monitored at 5-25 m for ~13 years. Encrusting fauna, collected from impacted and nonimpacted metres each year, show coincident benthos responses in growth, mortality and mass of benthic immobilized carbon. Encrusting benthic growth was mainly determined by microalgal bloom duration; each day, nanophytoplankton exceeded 200 μg L -1 produced ~0.05 mm radial growth of bryozoans, and sea temperature >0 °C added 0.002 mm day -1 . Mortality and persistence of growth, as benthic carbon immobilization, were mainly influenced by ice scour. Nearly 30% of monitored seabed was hit each year, and just 7% of shallows were not hit. Hits in deeper water were more deadly, but less frequent, so mortality decreased with depth. Five-year recovery time doubled benthic carbon stocks. Scour-driven mortality varied annually, with two-thirds of all monitored fauna killed in a single year (2009). Reduced fast ice after 2006 ramped iceberg scouring, killing half the encrusting benthos each year in following years. Ice scour coupled with low phytoplankton biomass drove a phase shift to high mortality and depressed zoobenthic immobilized carbon stocks, which has persevered for 10 years since. Stocks of immobilized benthic carbon averaged nearly 15 g m -2 . WAP ice scouring may be recycling 80 000 tonnes of carbon yr -1 . Without scouring, such carbon would remain immobilized and the 2.3% of shelf which are shallows could be as productive as all the remaining continental shelf. The region's future, when glaciers reach grounding lines and iceberg production diminishes, is as a major global sink of carbon storage. © 2016 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

On thin ice/in hot water: Rapid drawdown of Wordie Ice Shelf glaciers in the decades after collapse in response to a changing ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, C. C.; Gardner, A. S.

2016-12-01

Over the past 50 years, several Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves have retreated or collapsed completely. One such collapse was the Wordie Ice Shelf (WIS), located in Marguerite Bay, which began to disintegrate around 1989. We use several observational datasets to show that the glaciers that used to maintain WIS have experienced a surprising acceleration in flow ( 500m/yr) that began 2008, nearly 20 years after the onset of WIS collapse. During the same period, airborne altimetry from NASA Operation IceBridge shows the glaciers experienced a drawdown at their calving fronts between 4 and 9 m/yr, a near-doubling in rate of elevation change from the 1990's and early-2000's. The time lag between WIS collapse and rapid glacier drawdown suggests that these recent changes are unrelated to loss of buttressing. We identify possible links to changes in ocean conditions using in-situ Palmer Station Long-Term Ecological Research (PAL LTER) ocean CTD-gridded observations (Martinson et al., 2008) taken along the continental shelf on the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) since 1993. We use ECCO2 simulations and atmospheric reanalysis data to characterize changes in atmospheric forcing. We also measure changes in ice shelf area using historic archives and Landsat imagery for 50 glacier systems along the WAP from 1945 to present. Surface structural changes in the WIS system, e.g., melt ponds, sea/fast ice presence, and crevasse density/orientation, are also examined. We conclude that recent changes in WIS tributaries likely resulted from a significant increase in upwelling of warm, salty Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) due to enhanced wind forcing following coincident global atmospheric oscillation events, namely a positive Southern Annular Mode and a moderate La Nina event. This enabled enhanced incursions of UCDW into Marguerite Bay between 2008-2014, in part due to the deep Marguerite Trough that connects the bay to the continental shelf break, along which the southern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current flows.

The FOODBANCS project: Introduction and sinking fluxes of organic carbon, chlorophyll- a and phytodetritus on the western Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Craig R.; Mincks, Sarah; DeMaster, David J.

2008-11-01

The impact of the highly seasonal Antarctic primary production cycle on shelf benthic ecosystems remains poorly evaluated. Here we describe a times-series research project on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) shelf designed to evaluate the seafloor deposition, and subsequent ecological and biogeochemical impacts, of the summer phytoplankton bloom along a transect crossing the Antarctic shelf near Anvers Island. During this project, entitled Food for Benthos on the Antarctic Continental Shelf (FOODBANCS), we deployed replicate sediment traps 150-170 m above the seafloor (total water-column depth of 590 m) on the central shelf from December 1999 to March 2001, recovering trap samples every 3-4 months. In addition, we used a seafloor time-lapse camera system, as well as video surveys conducted at 3-4 months intervals, to monitor the presence and accumulation of phytodetritus at the sediment-water interface. The fluxes of particulate organic carbon and chlorophyll- a into sediment traps (binned over 3-4 month intervals) showed patterns consistent with seasonal variability, with average summer fluxes during the first year exceeding winter fluxes by a factor of ˜2-3. However, inter-annual variability in summer fluxes was even greater than seasonal variability, with 4-10-fold differences in the flux of organic carbon and chlorophyll- a between the summer seasons of 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. Phytodetrital accumulation at the shelf floor also exhibited intense inter-annual variability, with no visible phytodetritus from essentially December 1999 to November 2000, followed by pulsed accumulation of 1-2 cm of phytodetritus over a ˜30,000 km 2 shelf area by March 2001. Comparisons with other studies suggest that the levels of inter-annual variability we observed are typical of the Antarctic shelf over decadal time scales. We conclude that fluxes of particulate organic carbon, chlorophyll- a and phytodetritus to WAP-shelf sediments vary intensely on seasonal to inter-annual time scales, yielding dramatic temporal variability in the flux of food for detritivores to the Antarctic shelf floor.

Polar zoobenthos blue carbon storage increases with sea ice losses, because across-shelf growth gains from longer algal blooms outweigh ice scour mortality in the shallows.

PubMed

Barnes, David K A

2017-12-01

One of the major climate-forced global changes has been white to blue to green; losses of sea ice extent in time and space around Arctic and West Antarctic seas has increased open water and the duration (though not magnitude) of phytoplankton blooms. Blueing of the poles has increases potential for heat absorption for positive feedback but conversely the longer phytoplankton blooms have increased carbon export to storage and sequestration by shelf benthos. However, ice shelf collapses and glacier retreat can calve more icebergs, and the increased open water allows icebergs more opportunities to scour the seabed, reducing zoobenthic blue carbon capture and storage. Here the size and variability in benthic blue carbon in mega and macrobenthos was assessed in time and space at Ryder and Marguerite bays of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). In particular the influence of the duration of primary productivity and ice scour are investigated from the shallows to typical shelf depths of 500 m. Ice scour frequency dominated influence on benthic blue carbon at 5 m, to comparable with phytoplankton duration by 25 m depth. At 500 m only phytoplankton duration was significant and influential. WAP zoobenthos was calculated to generate ~10 7 , 4.5 × 10 6 and 1.6 × 10 6 tonnes per year (between 2002 and 2015) in terms of production, immobilization and sequestration of carbon respectively. Thus about 1% of annual primary productivity has sequestration potential at the end of the trophic cascade. Polar zoobenthic blue carbon capture and storage responses to sea ice losses, the largest negative feedback on climate change, has been underestimated despite some offsetting of gain by increased ice scouring with more open water. Equivalent survey of Arctic and sub-Antarctic shelves, for which new projects have started, should reveal the true extent of this feedback and how much its variability contributes to uncertainty in climate models. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Social structure of lions (Panthera leo) is affected by management in Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, Benin.

PubMed

Sogbohossou, Etotépé A; Bauer, Hans; Loveridge, Andrew; Funston, Paul J; De Snoo, Geert R; Sinsin, Brice; De Iongh, Hans H

2014-01-01

Lion populations have undergone a severe decline in West Africa. As baseline for conservation management, we assessed the group structure of lions in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Benin. This reserve, composed of one National Park and two Hunting Zones, is part of the WAP transboundary complex of protected areas. Overall mean group size was 2.6±1.7 individuals (n = 296), it was significantly higher in the National Park (2.7±1.7, n = 168) than in the Hunting Zones (2.2±1.5, n = 128). Overall adult sex ratio was even, but significantly biased towards females (0.67) in the National Park and towards males (1.67) in the Hunting Zones. Our results suggest that the Pendjari lion population is affected by perturbations, such as trophy hunting.

Comparison of methods for localizing the source position of deauthentication attacks on WAP 802.11n using Chanalyzer and Wi-Spy 2.4x

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahaweres, R. B.; Mokoginta, S.; Alaydrus, M.

2017-01-01

This paper descnbes a comparison of three methods used to locate the position of the source of deauthentication attacks on Wi-Fi using Chanalyzer, and Wi-Spy 2.4x adapter. The three methods are wardriving, absorption and trilateration. The position of constant deauthentication attacks is more easily analyzed compared to that of random attacks. Signal propagation may provide a comparison between signal strength and distance which makes the position of attackers more easily located. The results are shown on the chart patterns generated from the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSS). And it is proven that these three methods can be used to localize the position of attackers, and can be recommended for use in the environment of organizations using Wi-Fi.

Social Structure of Lions (Panthera leo) Is Affected by Management in Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, Benin

PubMed Central

Sogbohossou, Etotépé A.; Bauer, Hans; Loveridge, Andrew; Funston, Paul J.; De Snoo, Geert R.; Sinsin, Brice; De Iongh, Hans H.

2014-01-01

Lion populations have undergone a severe decline in West Africa. As baseline for conservation management, we assessed the group structure of lions in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Benin. This reserve, composed of one National Park and two Hunting Zones, is part of the WAP transboundary complex of protected areas. Overall mean group size was 2.6±1.7 individuals (n = 296), it was significantly higher in the National Park (2.7±1.7, n = 168) than in the Hunting Zones (2.2±1.5, n = 128). Overall adult sex ratio was even, but significantly biased towards females (0.67) in the National Park and towards males (1.67) in the Hunting Zones. Our results suggest that the Pendjari lion population is affected by perturbations, such as trophy hunting. PMID:24416263

Generation and phenotypic analysis of a transgenic line of rabbits secreting active recombinant human erythropoietin in the milk.

PubMed

Mikus, Tomás; Poplstein, Martin; Sedláková, Jirina; Landa, Vladimír; Jeníkova, Gabriela; Trefil, Pavel; Lidický, Jan; Malý, Petr

2004-10-01

Production of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) for therapeutic purposes relies on its expression in selected clones of transfected mammalian cells. Alternatively, this glycoprotein can be produced by targeted secretion into the body fluid of transgenic mammals. Here, we report on the generation of a transgenic rabbits producing rhEPO in the lactating mammary gland. Transgenic individuals are viable, fertile and transmit the rhEPO gene to the offspring. Northern blot data indicated that the expression of the transgene in the mammary gland is controlled by whey acidic protien (WAP) regulatory sequences during the period of lactation. While the hybridization with total RNA revealed the expression only in the lactating mammary gland, the highly sensitive combinatory approach using RT-PCR/hybridization technique detected a minor ectopic expression. The level of rhEPO secretion in the founder female, measured in the period of lactation, varied in the range of 60-178 and 60-162 mIU/ml in the milk and blood plasma, respectively. Biological activity of the milk rhEPO was confirmed by a standard [3H]-thymidine incorporation test. Thus, we describe the model of a rhEPO-transgenic rabbit, valuable for studies of rhEPO glycosylation and function, which can be useful for the development of transgenic approaches designed for the preparation of recombinant proteins by alternative biopharmaceutical production.

A multiobjective optimization framework for multicontaminant industrial water network design.

PubMed

Boix, Marianne; Montastruc, Ludovic; Pibouleau, Luc; Azzaro-Pantel, Catherine; Domenech, Serge

2011-07-01

The optimal design of multicontaminant industrial water networks according to several objectives is carried out in this paper. The general formulation of the water allocation problem (WAP) is given as a set of nonlinear equations with binary variables representing the presence of interconnections in the network. For optimization purposes, three antagonist objectives are considered: F(1), the freshwater flow-rate at the network entrance, F(2), the water flow-rate at inlet of regeneration units, and F(3), the number of interconnections in the network. The multiobjective problem is solved via a lexicographic strategy, where a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) procedure is used at each step. The approach is illustrated by a numerical example taken from the literature involving five processes, one regeneration unit and three contaminants. The set of potential network solutions is provided in the form of a Pareto front. Finally, the strategy for choosing the best network solution among those given by Pareto fronts is presented. This Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problem is tackled by means of two approaches: a classical TOPSIS analysis is first implemented and then an innovative strategy based on the global equivalent cost (GEC) in freshwater that turns out to be more efficient for choosing a good network according to a practical point of view. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mixing and phytoplankton dynamics in a submarine canyon in the West Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvalho, Filipa; Kohut, Josh; Oliver, Matthew J.; Sherrell, Robert M.; Schofield, Oscar

2016-07-01

Bathymetric depressions (canyons) exist along the West Antarctic Peninsula shelf and have been linked with increased phytoplankton biomass and sustained penguin colonies. However, the physical mechanisms driving this enhanced biomass are not well understood. Using a Slocum glider data set with over 25,000 water column profiles, we evaluate the relationship between mixed layer depth (MLD, estimated using the depth of maximum buoyancy frequency) and phytoplankton vertical distribution. We use the glider deployments in the Palmer Deep region to examine seasonal and across canyon variability. Throughout the season, the ML becomes warmer and saltier, as a result of vertical mixing and advection. Shallow ML and increased stratification due to sea ice melt are linked to higher chlorophyll concentrations. Deeper mixed layers, resulting from increased wind forcing, show decreased chlorophyll, suggesting the importance of light in regulating phytoplankton productivity. Spatial variations were found in the canyon head region where local physical water column properties were associated with different biological responses, reinforcing the importance of local canyon circulation in regulating phytoplankton distribution in the region. While the mechanism initially hypothesized to produce the observed increases in phytoplankton over the canyons was the intrusion of warm, nutrient enriched modified Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (mUCDW), our analysis suggests that ML dynamics are key to increased primary production over submarine canyons in the WAP.

Assemblages of micronektonic fishes and invertebrates in a gradient of regional warming along the Western Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, Melanie L.; Fraser, William R.; Ashford, Julian; Patarnello, Tomaso; Zane, Lorenzo; Torres, Joseph J.

2015-12-01

Micronektonic fishes and invertebrates were sampled with 32 midwater trawls at nine sites along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) in the austral fall (March-April) of 2010. Study sites were located within four hypothesized hydrographic regions: near Joinville Island in Region I, at Croker Passage, near Anvers Island, and near Renaud Island in Region II, within Marguerite Bay and the Marguerite Trough in Region III, and near Charcot Island in Region IV. A total of 62 taxa representing 12 taxonomic groups of pelagic invertebrates and 9 families of fish were captured, but assemblages were dominated by only a few species. The most numerically abundant taxa were the euphausiids, Thysanoessa macrura, Euphausia superba, and E. crystallorophias, combining to contribute nearly 79% of the total catch. Biomass dominants included E. superba, which contributed more than 44% of the total catch, the notothenioid Pleuragramma antarctica, and the salp, Salpa thompsoni. A comparison of total catches among sites revealed that the largest volumetric abundances and biomasses were captured at the Marguerite Bay site. Cluster analysis of abundance data identified distinct multispecies assemblages at Joinville Island in Region I, Croker Passage in Region II, Marguerite Bay in Region III, and Charcot Island in Region IV. A fifth distinct assemblage included samples from sites near Anvers and Renaud Island in Region II, and from the Marguerite Trough in Region III. Assemblages at Joinville Island and Croker Passage were both dominated by E. superba and S. thompsoni, but hydrographic conditions at Joinville Island favored a neritic assemblage, underscored by substantial numbers of P. antarctica. The assemblage at Croker Passage was more oceanic in nature with major inputs from the myctophid, Electrona antarctica and the hyperiid amphipod, Themisto gaudichaudii. Marguerite Bay and Charcot Island were well-mixed assemblages with strong representation by both neritic and oceanic fauna. The mid-peninsula assemblage was oceanic in character, being overwhelmingly dominated by Thysanoessa macrura and T. gaudichaudii. Pleuragramma antarctica were captured at five sites: Joinville Island, Croker Passage, Marguerite Bay, and the two sites near Charcot Island. They were completely absent at the two sites near Anvers Island, at Renaud Island, and in the Marguerite Trough. One fish was captured in Croker Passage. The majority of fish captured in Marguerite Bay were larger than 150 mm standard length (SL), with very few fish of smaller size present. If resident populations of Pleuragramma reproduce and recruit locally rather than being sustained by larval advection, those populations will be highly susceptible to local disappearance. This may be the causative factor behind the absence of Pleuragramma from the mid-peninsula region. Continued warming and subsequent sea ice reductions may not only cause Pleuragramma population collapses in the Marguerite Bay and Charcot Island regions, but may also change the character of the faunal assemblages along the WAP to those of an oceanic system.

Latent myostatin has significant activity and this activity is controlled more efficiently by WFIKKN1 than by WFIKKN2

PubMed Central

Szláma, György; Trexler, Mária; Patthy, László

2013-01-01

Myostatin, a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth, is produced from myostatin precursor by multiple steps of proteolytic processing. After cleavage by a furin-type protease, the propeptide and growth factor domains remain associated, forming a noncovalent complex, the latent myostatin complex. Mature myostatin is liberated from latent myostatin by bone morphogenetic protein 1/tolloid proteases. Here, we show that, in reporter assays, latent myostatin preparations have significant myostatin activity, as the noncovalent complex dissociates at an appreciable rate, and both mature and semilatent myostatin (a complex in which the dimeric growth factor domain interacts with only one molecule of myostatin propeptide) bind to myostatin receptor. The interaction of myostatin receptor with semilatent myostatin is efficiently blocked by WAP, Kazal, immunoglobulin, Kunitz and NTR domain-containing protein 1 or growth and differentiation factor-associated serum protein 2 (WFIKKN1), a large extracellular multidomain protein that binds both mature myostatin and myostatin propeptide [Kondás et al. (2008) J Biol Chem 283, 23677–23684]. Interestingly, the paralogous protein WAP, Kazal, immunoglobulin, Kunitz and NTR domain-containing protein 2 or growth and differentiation factor-associated serum protein 1 (WFIKKN2) was less efficient than WFIKKN1 as an antagonist of the interactions of myostatin receptor with semilatent myostatin. Our studies have shown that this difference is attributable to the fact that only WFIKKN1 has affinity for the propeptide domain, and this interaction increases its potency in suppressing the receptor-binding activity of semilatent myostatin. As the interaction of WFIKKN1 with various forms of myostatin permits tighter control of myostatin activity until myostatin is liberated from latent myostatin by bone morphogenetic protein 1/tolloid proteases, WFIKKN1 may have greater potential as an antimyostatic agent than WFIKKN2. Structured digital abstract Furin cleaves Promyostatin by protease assay (View interaction) myostatin binds to PRO by surface plasmon resonance (View interaction) BMP-1 cleaves Promyostatin by protease assay (View interaction) ACR IIB physically interacts with Latent Myostatin by surface plasmon resonance (View interaction) Promyostatin and Promyostatin bind by comigration in gel electrophoresis (View interaction) WFIKKN1 binds to Latent Myostatin by pull down (View interaction) ACR IIB binds to Mature Myostatin by surface plasmon resonance (View Interaction: 1, 2, 3) WFIKKN1 binds to Myostatin Prodomain by surface plasmon resonance (View Interaction: 1, 2, 3) PMID:23829672

The modelled surface mass balance of the Antarctic Peninsula at 5.5 km horizontal resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wessem, J. M.; Ligtenberg, S. R. M.; Reijmer, C. H.; van de Berg, W. J.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Barrand, N. E.; Thomas, E. R.; Turner, J.; Wuite, J.; Scambos, T. A.; van Meijgaard, E.

2015-09-01

This study presents a high-resolution (~ 5.5 km) estimate of Surface Mass Balance (SMB) over the period 1979-2014 for the Antarctic Peninsula (AP), generated by the regional atmospheric climate model RACMO2.3 and a Firn Densification Model (FDM). RACMO2.3 is used to force the FDM, which calculates processes in the snowpack, such as meltwater percolation, refreezing and runoff. We evaluate model output with 132 in-situ SMB observations and discharge rates from 6 glacier drainage basins, and find that the model realistically simulates the strong spatial variability in precipitation, but that significant biases remain as a result of the highly complex topography of the AP. It is also clear that the observations significantly underrepresent the high-accumulation regimes. The SMB map reveals large accumulation gradients, with precipitation values above 3000 mm we yr-1 over the western AP (WAP) and below 500 mm we yr-1 on the eastern AP (EAP), not resolved by coarser data-sets such as ERA-Interim. The other SMB components are one order of magnitude smaller, with drifting snow sublimation the largest ablation term removing up to 100 mm we yr-1 of mass. Snowmelt is widespread over the AP, reaching 500 mm we yr-1 towards the northern ice shelves, but the meltwater mostly refreezes. As a result runoff fluxes are low, but still considerable (200 mm we yr-1) over the Larsen (B/C), Wilkins and George VI ice shelves. The average AP ice sheet integrated SMB, including ice shelves (an area of 4.1 × 105 km2), is estimated at 351 Gt yr-1 with an interannual variability of 58 Gt yr-1, which is dominated by precipitation (PR) (365 ± 57 Gt yr-1). The WAP (2.4 × 105 km2) SMB (276 ± 47 Gt yr-1), where PR is large (276 ± 47 Gt yr-1), dominates over the EAP (1.7 × 105 km2) SMB (75 ± 11 Gt yr-1) and PR (84 ± 11 Gt yr-1). Total sublimation is 11 ± 2 Gt yr-1 and meltwater runoff into the ocean is 4 ± 4 Gt yr-1. There are no significant trends in any of the AP SMB components, except for snowmelt that shows a significant decrease over the last 36 years (-0.36 Gt yr-2).

National Weatherization Assistance Program Characterization - Describing the Pre-ARRA Progam

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

Bensch, Ingo; Keene, Ashleigh; Cowan, Claire

2014-09-01

This report characterizes the Department of Energy s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) as it was administered in Program Year 2008. WAP has supported energy efficiency improvements to the homes of low-income households in the United States since 1976. The program provides grants, guidance, and other support to grantees: weatherization programs administered by each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and some Native American tribes. Although there have been studies of some grantee-administered weatherization programs, the overall effectiveness of the national weatherization program has not been formally evaluated since Program Year 1989. Since that time, the program has evolvedmore » significantly, with an increased focus on baseload electric usage, continued evolution of diagnostic tools, new guidelines and best practices for heating-related measures, and adjustments in program rules. More recently, the program has also adjusted to large, temporary funding increases and changes in federal rules spurred by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Because the Weatherization Assistance Program of today is dramatically different from the one evaluated in 1989, DOE determined to undertake a new comprehensive evaluation of the national program. This new national evaluation is managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Under a competitive solicitation process, ORNL selected APPRISE, Inc., Blasnik & Associates, Dalhoff Associates and the Energy Center of Wisconsin to conduct the evaluation. The national evaluation comprises two independent evaluations. The first evaluation of which this report is a part focuses on Program Year 2008 (PY08). The second evaluation focuses on the ARRA-funded years of 2009 through 2011. This report, together with its companion the Eligible Population Study addresses specific program characterization goals established for the greater evaluation. The Energy Center led grantee and subgrantee data collection efforts, administering surveys to 51 grantees and 851 of the approximately 900 subgrantees that were slated to receive DOE weatherization funds in PY08. In all, seven different data collection instruments were used to gather the needed data two instruments for grantees and five for subgrantees. See Table 1 for a list of these survey instruments. These surveys were used to determine, among other things: Structure and funding of weatherization programs Training and staff development of service providers How weatherization services are delivered Clients served« less

Analytical method of waste allocation in waste management systems: Concept, method and case study

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

Bergeron, Francis C., E-mail: francis.b.c@videotron.ca

Waste is not a rejected item to dispose anymore but increasingly a secondary resource to exploit, influencing waste allocation among treatment operations in a waste management (WM) system. The aim of this methodological paper is to present a new method for the assessment of the WM system, the “analytical method of the waste allocation process” (AMWAP), based on the concept of the “waste allocation process” defined as the aggregation of all processes of apportioning waste among alternative waste treatment operations inside or outside the spatial borders of a WM system. AMWAP contains a conceptual framework and an analytical approach. Themore » conceptual framework includes, firstly, a descriptive model that focuses on the description and classification of the WM system. It includes, secondly, an explanatory model that serves to explain and to predict the operation of the WM system. The analytical approach consists of a step-by-step analysis for the empirical implementation of the conceptual framework. With its multiple purposes, AMWAP provides an innovative and objective modular method to analyse a WM system which may be integrated in the framework of impact assessment methods and environmental systems analysis tools. Its originality comes from the interdisciplinary analysis of the WAP and to develop the conceptual framework. AMWAP is applied in the framework of an illustrative case study on the household WM system of Geneva (Switzerland). It demonstrates that this method provides an in-depth and contextual knowledge of WM. - Highlights: • The study presents a new analytical method based on the waste allocation process. • The method provides an in-depth and contextual knowledge of the waste management system. • The paper provides a reproducible procedure for professionals, experts and academics. • It may be integrated into impact assessment or environmental system analysis tools. • An illustrative case study is provided based on household waste management in Geneva.« less

Dividing up the pie: Whales, fish, and humans as competitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruzicka, James J.; Steele, John H.; Ballerini, Tosca; Gaichas, Sarah K.; Ainley, David G.

2013-09-01

Similarly structured food web models of four coastal ecosystems (Northern California Current, Central Gulf of Alaska, Georges Bank, southwestern Antarctic Peninsula) were used to investigate competition among whales, fishes, pinnipeds, and humans. Two analysis strategies simulated the effects of historic baleen and odontocete whale abundances across all trophic levels: food web structure scenarios and time-dynamic scenarios. Direct competition between whales and commercial fisheries is small at current whale abundances; whales and fisheries each take similar proportions of annual pelagic fish production (4-7%). Scenarios show that as whale populations grow, indirect competition between whales and fish for zooplankton would more likely impact fishery production than would direct competition for fish between whales and commercial fisheries. Increased baleen whale abundance would have greater and broader indirect effects on upper trophic levels and fisheries than a similar increase in odontocete abundance. Time-dynamic scenarios, which allow for the evolution of compensatory mechanisms, showed more modest impacts than structural scenarios, which show the immediate impacts of altered energy pathways. Structural scenarios show that in terms of energy availability, there is potential for large increases in whale abundance without major changes to existing food web structures and without substantial reduction of fishery production. For each ecosystem, a five-fold increase in baleen whale abundance could be supported with minor disruptions to existing energy flow pathways. However, such an increase would remain below historical population levels for many cetaceans. A larger expansion (20X) could be accommodated only with large reductions in energy flow to competitor groups. The scope for odontocete expansion varies between ecosystems but may be more restricted than the scope for baleen expansion because they feed at higher, less productive trophic levels. Egestion: unassimilated consumption, feces; directed to detritus pools. Metabolism: basal metabolism, specific dynamic action, and activity costs in terms of ammonium excretion NH4+; directed to recycled nutrient pools. Predation: a production term; production directed to grazing or predation by other functional groups. “Other” mortality: a production term; “other” mortality is unconsumed production; principally unconsumed phytoplankton; directed to detritus pools. Export (losses): a production term; export of plankton and pelagic detritus by physical transport; export losses are handled as a reduction of group transfer efficiency (the fraction of consumption that is passed to higher trophic level groups through grazing or predation). “Consumption” for phytoplankton is the uptake of new nitrate NO3- input and recycled ammonium NH4+ produced by consumer metabolism. Nitrate input was rescaled to carbon based upon the Redfield ratio (6.625 mmole C mmole N-1) and to wet weight based upon the estimated carbon content of fish (8.8 mg wet weight mg C-1) (Steele et al., 2007).The E2E trophic network matrices for each region are provided as Supplementary material. The E2E network models for the Northern California Current (NCC), Central Gulf of Alaska (CGoA), and southwestern Antarctic Peninsula (sWAP) ecosystems were derived following the techniques of Steele and Ruzicka (2011) from solutions for biomasses, consumption rates, and predation pressure upon each functional group calculated using ECOPATH algorithms (Christensen and Walters, 2004). The NCC model was modified from Ruzicka et al. (2012), the CGoA model was modified as noted in the Supplementary material from the full Gulf of Alaska model documented in Aydin et al. (2007), and the sWAP model was modified from Ballerini et al. (submitted for publication). A quantitative assessment of the Georges Bank (GB) food web is given in Steele et al. (2007) and Collie et al. (2009). Top predators (seabirds, baleen whales, odontocetes) were implicit in the original GB model. These components have now been explicitly defined using information from Link et al. (2006) to provide estimates of the abundance, diets, and consumption rates of birds and mammals on Georges Bank. (ECOPATH parameters and diet matrices for all four regional models are provided in the Supplementary material).Each regional model was developed by a different team of researchers with different emphasis of purpose but was re-structured so that each shared similar functional group aggregations. Functional groups were aggregated using production-weighted mean values of physiological parameters and diets and the sums of group biomasses and fishery harvests. Model currencies also differed between regional models: wet weight biomass (NCC, CGoA), nitrogen biomass (GB), and carbon biomass (sWAP). However, all analyses are expressed as comparable dimensionless metrics: relative changes in production rate (E2E network scenarios) and relative changes in biomass (time-dynamic scenarios).

Genome-Wide Identification and Immune Response Analysis of Serine Protease Inhibitor Genes in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

PubMed Central

Duan, Jun; Wang, Genhong; Wang, Lingyan; Li, Youshan; Xiang, Zhonghuai; Xia, Qingyou

2012-01-01

In most insect species, a variety of serine protease inhibitors (SPIs) have been found in multiple tissues, including integument, gonad, salivary gland, and hemolymph, and are required for preventing unwanted proteolysis. These SPIs belong to different families and have distinct inhibitory mechanisms. Herein, we predicted and characterized potential SPI genes based on the genome sequences of silkworm, Bombyx mori. As a result, a total of eighty SPI genes were identified in B. mori. These SPI genes contain 10 kinds of SPI domains, including serpin, Kunitz_BPTI, Kazal, TIL, amfpi, Bowman-Birk, Antistasin, WAP, Pacifastin, and alpha-macroglobulin. Sixty-three SPIs contain single SPI domain while the others have at least two inhibitor units. Some SPIs also contain non-inhibitor domains for protein-protein interactions, including EGF, ADAM_spacer, spondin_N, reeler, TSP_1 and other modules. Microarray analysis showed that fourteen SPI genes from lineage-specific TIL family and Group F of serpin family had enriched expression in the silk gland. The roles of SPIs in resisting pathogens were investigated in silkworms when they were infected by four pathogens. Microarray and qRT-PCR experiments revealed obvious up-regulation of 8, 4, 3 and 3 SPI genes after infection with Escherichia coli, Bacillus bombysepticus, Beauveria bassiana or B. mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV), respectively. On the contrary, 4, 11, 7 and 9 SPI genes were down-regulated after infection with E. coli, B. bombysepticus, B. bassiana or BmNPV, respectively. These results suggested that these SPI genes may be involved in resistance to pathogenic microorganisms. These findings may provide valuable information for further clarifying the roles of SPIs in the development, immune defence, and efficient synthesis of silk gland protein. PMID:22348050

Informing climate change adaptation in the Northeast and Midwest United States: The role of Climate Science Centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryan, A. M.; Morelli, T. L.

2015-12-01

The Department of Interior Northeast Climate Science Center (NE CSC) is part of a federal network of eight Climate Science Centers created to provide scientific information and tools that managers and other parties interested in land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources can use to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to climate change. The NE CSC partners with other federal agencies, universities, and NGOs to facilitate stakeholder interaction and delivery of scientific products. For example, NE CSC researchers have partnered with the National Park Service to help managers at Acadia National Park adapt their infrastructure, operations, and ecosystems to rising seas and more extreme events. In collaboration with the tribal College of Menominee Nation and Michigan State University, the NE CSC is working with indigenous communities in Michigan and Wisconsin to co-develop knowledge of how to preserve their natural and cultural values in the face of climate change. Recently, in its largest collaborative initiative to date, the NE CSC led a cross-institutional effort to produce a comprehensive synthesis of climate change, its impacts on wildlife and their habitats, and available adaptation strategies across the entire Northeast and Midwest region; the resulting document was used by wildlife managers in 22 states to revise their Wildlife Action Plans (WAPs). Additionally, the NE CSC is working with the Wildlife Conservation Society to help inform moose conservation management. Other research efforts include hydrological modeling to inform culvert sizing under greater rainfall intensity, forest and landscape modeling to inform tree planting that mitigates the spread of invasive species, species and habitat modeling to help identify suitable locations for wildlife refugia. In addition, experimental research is being conducted to improve our understanding of how species such as brook trout are responding to climate change. Interacting with stakeholders during all phases of these projects ensures that the science produced meets their specific needs and allows them to make informed decisions to better adapt to our changing climate.

Laboratory safety and the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety.

PubMed

McCay, Layla; Lemer, Claire; Wu, Albert W

2009-06-01

Laboratory medicine has been a pioneer in the field of patient safety; indeed, the College of American Pathology first called attention to the issue in 1946. Delivering reliable laboratory results has long been considered a priority, as the data produced in laboratory medicine have the potential to critically influence individual patients' diagnosis and management. Until recently, most attention on laboratory safety has focused on the analytic stage of laboratory medicine. Addressing this stage has led to significant and impressive improvements in the areas over which laboratories have direct control. However, recent data demonstrate that pre- and post-analytical phases are at least as vulnerable to errors; to further improve patient safety in laboratory medicine, attention must now be focused on the pre- and post-analytic phases, and the concept of patient safety as a multi-disciplinary, multi-stage and multi-system concept better understood. The World Alliance for Patient Safety (WAPS) supports improvement of patient safety globally and provides a potential framework for considering the total testing process.

The applications of mobile telecommunications in new rural areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xia; Lu, Ting-jie

2009-07-01

With the current popularity of information and telecommunication technologies, more and more farmers recognize the important role of information. The urgent need for Chinese farmers is how to make use of information to get rich. Contrast in the newspapers, television, radio and other traditional media, mobile information services have unmatched advantages, such as wide spread in very low cost, spread source of widely dispersed, and diverse forms of communication, simple and easy to operate, with strong participatory and interactive, and so on. The paper proposes that Mobile operators can supply different information in accordance with personalized demands of farmers with various agencies, such as government departments, supply and marketing cooperatives, hospitals, banks, veterinary clinics, agricultural stations. They can unite to supply a number of convenience people, rich people, and love for the people's business through the message, voice, WAP and other forms to meet the needs of farmers. Besides, the paper points out that those farmers can order information on personalized service.

The Collagen Binding Proteins of Streptococcus mutans and Related Streptococci

PubMed Central

Avilés-Reyes, Alejandro; Miller, James H.; Lemos, José A.; Abranches, Jacqueline

2016-01-01

Summary The ability of Streptococcus mutans to interact with collagen through the expression of collagen-binding proteins (CBPs) bestows this oral pathogen with an alternative to the sucrose-dependent mechanism of colonization classically attributed to caries development. Based on the abundance and distribution of collagen throughout the human body, stringent adherence to this molecule grants S. mutans with the opportunity to establish infection at different host sites. Surface proteins, such as SpaP, WapA, Cnm and Cbm, have been shown to bind collagen in vitro, and it has been suggested that these molecules play a role in colonization of oral and extra-oral tissues. However, robust collagen binding is not achieved by all strains of S. mutans, particularly those that lack Cnm or Cbm. These observations merit careful dissection of the contribution from these different CBPs towards tissue colonization and virulence. In this review, we will discuss the current understanding of mechanisms utilized by S. mutans and related streptococci to colonize collagenous tissues, and the possible contribution of CBPs to infections in different sites of the host. PMID:26991416

WFDC2 is differentially expressed in the mammary gland of the tammar wallaby and provides immune protection to the mammary gland and the developing pouch young.

PubMed

Watt, Ashalyn P; Sharp, Julie A; Lefevre, Christophe; Nicholas, Kevin R

2012-03-01

WAP four disulfide core domain 2 (WFDC2) is a four disulfide core (4-DSC) protein secreted in the milk of the tammar wallaby. It is comprised of two 4-DSC domains assigned domain III at the NH2-terminal end and domain II at the COOH-terminal end. The WFDC2 gene was expressed only during pregnancy, early lactation, towards the end of lactation and involution. The WFDC2 protein showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and this activity resided with domain II. There was no antibacterial activity detected against Enterococcus faecalis. The observed expression pattern of tammar WFDC2 and its antibacterial activity suggests a role to either reduce mastitis in the mammary gland caused by S. aureus or to protect the gut of the young at a time when it is not immune-competent. The latter effect could be achieved without disturbing the balance of commensal gut flora such as E. faecalis. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modification of the plasma complement protein profile by exogenous estrogens is indicative of a compromised immune competence in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma).

PubMed

Dong, Miao; Seemann, Frauke; Humble, Joseph L; Liang, Yimin; Peterson, Drew R; Ye, Rui; Ren, Honglin; Kim, Hui-Su; Lee, Jae-Seong; Au, Doris W T; Lam, Yun Wah

2017-11-01

Growing evidence suggests that the immune system of teleost is vulnerable to xenoestrogens, which are ubiquitous in the marine environment. This study detected and identified the major circulatory immune proteins deregulated by 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), which may be linked to fish susceptibility to pathogens in the marine medaka, Oryzias melastigma. Fish immune competence was determined using a host resistance assay to pathogenic bacteria Edwardsiella tarda. Females were consistently more susceptible to infection-induced mortality than males. Exposure to EE2 could narrow the sex gap of mortality by increasing infection-induced death in male fish. Proteomic analysis revealed that the major plasma immune proteins of adult fish were highly sexually dimorphic. EE2 induced pronounced sex-specific changes in the plasma proteome, with the male plasma composition clearly becoming "feminised". Male plasma was found to contain a higher level of fibrinogens, WAP63 and ependymin-2-like protein, which are involved in coagulation, inflammation and regeneration. For the first time, we demonstrated that expression of C1q subunit B (C1Q), an initiating factor of the classical complement pathway, was higher in males and was suppressed in both sexes in response to EE2 and bacterial challenge. Moreover, cleavage and post-translational modification of C3, the central component of the complement system, could be altered by EE2 treatment in males (C3dg down; C3g up). Multiple regression analysis indicated that C1Q is possibly an indicator of fish survival, which warrants further confirmation. The findings support the potential application of plasma immune proteins for prognosis/diagnosis of fish immune competence. Moreover, this study provides the first biochemical basis of the sex-differences in fish immunity and how these differences might be modified by xenoestrogens. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

39 CFR 3002.12 - Office of Rates, Analysis, and Planning.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 39 Postal Service 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Office of Rates, Analysis, and Planning. 3002.12... Rates, Analysis, and Planning. (a) The Office of Rates, Analysis, and Planning is responsible for technical (as opposed to legal) analysis and the formulation of policy recommendations for the Commission...

39 CFR 3002.12 - Office of Rates, Analysis, and Planning.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 39 Postal Service 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Office of Rates, Analysis, and Planning. 3002.12... Rates, Analysis, and Planning. (a) The Office of Rates, Analysis, and Planning is responsible for technical (as opposed to legal) analysis and the formulation of policy recommendations for the Commission...

WASTE ANALYSIS PLAN REVIEW ADVISOR - AN INTELLIGENT DATABASE TO ASSIST RCRA PERMIT REVIEWERS

EPA Science Inventory

The Waste Analysis Plan Review Advisor (WAPRA) system assists in the review of the Waste Analysis Plan Section of RCRA Part B facility permit applications. Specifically, this program automates two functions of the waste analysis plan review. First, the system checks all wastes wh...

Bacterial succession across seasonal transitions in the coastal waters of the western Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luria, C.; Rich, J. J.; Amaral-Zettler, L. A.; Ducklow, H. W.

2016-02-01

The marine ecosystem west of the Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) undergoes a dramatic seasonal transition every spring, from almost total darkness to almost continuous sunlight, resulting in a cascade of environmental changes, including the intense phytoplankton blooms that support a highly productive food web. Despite having important implications for the microbial loop and the biological carbon pump, the degree of trophic coupling between phytoplankton and bacteria is unclear. In particular, due to the difficulties inherent in sampling this remote system during the Antarctic winter and spring, little is known about how phytoplankton blooms may or may not drive bacterial seasonal succession. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we assessed bacterial community composition in 68 samples from 24 dates that spanned the cold, dark winter, spring transitional period, and summer phytoplankton bloom. Our analysis resulted in 15 million sequences and 12,000 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). We found that mid-winter bacterial communities had the highest richness ( 1,800 observed OTUs in rarefied libraries) and a greater abundance of oligotrophic and potentially chemoautolithotrophic taxa. The bacterial community changed only gradually up until the onset of a mid-summer phytoplankton bloom, which coincided with a 100-fold increase in bacterial production, a rapid decline in richness to 700 OTUs, and a shift in community composition toward copiotrophic taxa. This period lasted only a few weeks, at the end of which the bacterial community had largely reverted to its mid-winter state. Our findings provide new evidence of trophic coupling between bacteria and phytoplankton and highlight the importance of higher-resolution time series sampling in order to capture rapid seasonal changes.

Climate forcing for dynamics of dissolved inorganic nutrients at Palmer Station, Antarctica: An interdecadal (1993-2013) analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyewon; Doney, Scott C.; Iannuzzi, Richard A.; Meredith, Michael P.; Martinson, Douglas G.; Ducklow, Hugh W.

2016-09-01

We analyzed 20 years (1993-2013) of observations of dissolved inorganic macronutrients (nitrate, N; phosphate, P; and silicate, Si) and chlorophyll a (Chl) at Palmer Station, Antarctica (64.8°S, 64.1°W) to elucidate how large-scale climate and local physical forcing affect the interannual variability in the seasonal phytoplankton bloom and associated drawdown of nutrients. The leading modes of nutrients (N, P, and Si empirical orthogonal functions 1, EOF1) represent overall negative anomalies throughout growing seasons, showing a mixed signal of variability in the initial levels and drawdown thereafter (low-frequency dynamics). The second most common seasonal patterns of nitrate and phosphate (N and P EOF2) capture prolonged drawdown events during December-March, which are correlated to Chl EOF1. Si EOF2 captures a drawdown event during November-December, which is correlated to Chl EOF2. These different drawdown patterns are shaped by different sets of physical and climate forcing mechanisms. N and P drawdown events during December-March are influenced by the winter and spring Southern Annular Mode (SAM) phase, where nutrient utilization is enhanced in a stabilized upper water column as a consequence of SAM-driven winter sea ice and spring wind dynamics. Si drawdown during November-December is influenced by early sea ice retreat, where ice breakup may induce abrupt water column stratification and a subsequent diatom bloom or release of diatom cells from within the sea ice. Our findings underscore that seasonal nutrient dynamics in the coastal WAP are coupled to large-scale climate forcing and related physics, understanding of which may enable improved projections of biogeochemical responses to climate change.

Saugus River and Tributaries Flood Damage Reduction Study: Lynn, Malden, Revere and Saugus, Massachusetts. Section 1. Feasibility Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

57 Table 5 Sensitivity Analysis - Point of Pines LPP 61 Table 6 Plan Comparison 64 Table 7 NED Plan Project Costs 96 Table 8 Estimated Operation...Costs 99 Table 13 Selected Plan/Estimated Annual Benefits 101 Table 14 Comparative Impacts - NED Regional Floodgate Plan 102 Table 15 Economic Analysis ...Includes detailed descriptions, plans and profiles and design considerations of the selected plan; coastal analysis of the shorefront; detailed project

The Development and Analysis of a Strategic Planning Process at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-07-01

conduct the SWOT analysis , and identify strategic issues. Organizational goals, objectives, strategies , milestones, responsible agencies, and...reposition itself in a market or industry, change its game plan, or to dismantle current strategies and adopt a new strategic plan" (Pegels & Rogers...remaining three parallel tasks: analysis of the STRATEGIC PLANNING 20 environment, analysis of the market and service segments, and analysis of the

Collagen-binding proteins of Streptococcus mutans and related streptococci.

PubMed

Avilés-Reyes, A; Miller, J H; Lemos, J A; Abranches, J

2017-04-01

The ability of Streptococcus mutans to interact with collagen through the expression of collagen-binding proteins (CBPs) bestows this oral pathogen with an alternative to the sucrose-dependent mechanism of colonization classically attributed to caries development. Based on the abundance and distribution of collagen throughout the human body, stringent adherence to this molecule grants S. mutans with the opportunity to establish infection at different host sites. Surface proteins, such as SpaP, WapA, Cnm and Cbm, have been shown to bind collagen in vitro, and it has been suggested that these molecules play a role in colonization of oral and extra-oral tissues. However, robust collagen binding is not achieved by all strains of S. mutans, particularly those that lack Cnm or Cbm. These observations merit careful dissection of the contribution from these different CBPs towards tissue colonization and virulence. In this review, we will discuss the current understanding of mechanisms used by S. mutans and related streptococci to colonize collagenous tissues, and the possible contribution of CBPs to infections in different sites of the host. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

WFIKKN1 and WFIKKN2: "Companion" proteins regulating TGFB activity.

PubMed

Monestier, Olivier; Blanquet, Véronique

2016-12-01

The WFIKKN (WAP, Follistatin/kazal, Immunoglobulin, Kunitz and Netrin domain-containing) protein family is composed of two multidomain proteins: WFIKKN1 and WFIKKN2. They were formed by domain shuffling and are likely present in deuterostoms. The WFIKKN (also called GASP) proteins are well known for their function in muscle and skeletal tissues, namely, inhibition of certain members of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) superfamily such as myostatin (MSTN) and growth and differentiation factor 11 (GDF11). However, the role of the WFIKKN proteins in other tissues is still poorly understood in spite of evidence suggesting possible action in the inner ear, brain and reproduction. Further, several recent studies based on next generation technologies revealed differential expression of WFIKKN1 and WFIKKN2 in various tissues suggesting that their function is not limited to MSTN and GDF11 inhibition in musculoskeletal tissue. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the WFIKKN proteins and propose that they are "companion" proteins for various growth factors by providing localized and sustained presentation of TGFB proteins to their respective receptors, thus regulating the balance between the activation of Smad and non-Smad pathways by TGFB. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mesa Isochrones and Stellar Tracks (MIST). I. Solar-scaled Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jieun; Dotter, Aaron; Conroy, Charlie; Cantiello, Matteo; Paxton, Bill; Johnson, Benjamin D.

2016-06-01

This is the first of a series of papers presenting the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) Isochrones and Stellar Tracks (MIST) project, a new comprehensive set of stellar evolutionary tracks and isochrones computed using MESA, a state-of-the-art open-source 1D stellar evolution package. In this work, we present models with solar-scaled abundance ratios covering a wide range of ages (5≤slant {log}({Age}) [{year}]≤slant 10.3), masses (0.1≤slant M/{M}⊙ ≤slant 300), and metallicities (-2.0≤slant [{{Z}}/{{H}}]≤slant 0.5). The models are self-consistently and continuously evolved from the pre-main sequence (PMS) to the end of hydrogen burning, the white dwarf cooling sequence, or the end of carbon burning, depending on the initial mass. We also provide a grid of models evolved from the PMS to the end of core helium burning for -4.0≤slant [{{Z}}/{{H}}]\\lt -2.0. We showcase extensive comparisons with observational constraints as well as with some of the most widely used existing models in the literature. The evolutionary tracks and isochrones can be downloaded from the project website at http://waps.cfa.harvard.edu/MIST/.

Histone deacetylase mediated silencing of AMWAP expression contributes to cisplatin nephrotoxicity

PubMed Central

Ranganathan, Punithavathi; Hamad, Rania; Mohamed, Riyaz; Jayakumar, Calpurnia; Muthusamy, Thangaraju; Ramesh, Ganesan

2015-01-01

Cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury is a serious problem in cancer patients during treatment of solid tumors. Currently, there are no therapies available to treat or prevent cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Since histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition augments cisplatin anti-tumor activity, we tested whether HDAC inhibitors can prevent cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and determined the underlying mechanism. Cisplatin up-regulated the expression of several HDACs in the kidney. Inhibition of HDAC with clinically used trichostatin A suppressed cisplatin-induced kidney injury, inflammation and epithelial cell apoptosis. Moreover, trichostatin A upregulated the novel anti-inflammatory protein, activated microglia/macrophage WAP domain protein (AMWAP), in epithelial cells which was enhanced with cisplatin treatment. Interestingly, HDAC1 and -2 specific inhibitors are sufficient to potently up-regulate AMWAP in epithelial cells. Administration of recombinant AMWAP or its epithelial cell-specific overexpression reduced cisplatin-induced kidney dysfunction. Moreover, AMWAP treatment suppressed epithelial cell apoptosis, and siRNA-based knockdown of AMWAP expression abolished trichostatin A-mediated suppression of epithelial cell apoptosis in vitro. Thus, HDAC-mediated silencing of AMWAP may contribute to cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Hence, HDAC1 and -2 specific inhibitors or AMWAP could be useful therapeutic agents for the prevention of cisplatin nephrotoxicity. PMID:26509586

Meta-analysis of landscape conservation plan evaluations

Treesearch

Michaela Foster; M. Nils Peterson; Frederick Cubbage; Gerard McMahon

2016-01-01

The number of studies evaluating the quality and content of many types of plans have grown in recent decades. Natural resource conservation plans have been included in some of these plan evaluation studies; however, no meta-analysis of natural resource planning literature has been conducted. This focus is needed because natural resource conservation planning differs...

Nurse manager succession planning: A cost-benefit analysis.

PubMed

Phillips, Tracy; Evans, Jennifer L; Tooley, Stephanie; Shirey, Maria R

2018-03-01

This commentary presents a cost-benefit analysis to advocate for the use of succession planning to mitigate the problems ensuing from nurse manager turnover. An estimated 75% of nurse managers will leave the workforce by 2020. Many benefits are associated with proactively identifying and developing internal candidates. Fewer than 7% of health care organisations have implemented formal leadership succession planning programmes. A cost-benefit analysis of a formal succession-planning programme from one hospital illustrates the benefits of the programme in their organisation and can be replicated easily. Assumptions of nursing manager succession planning cost-benefit analysis are identified and discussed. The succession planning exemplar demonstrates the integration of cost-benefit analysis principles. Comparing the costs of a formal nurse manager succession planning strategy with the status quo results in a positive cost-benefit ratio. The implementation of a formal nurse manager succession planning programme effectively reduces replacement costs and time to transition into the new role. This programme provides an internal pipeline of future leaders who will be more successful than external candidates. Using an actual cost-benefit analysis equips nurse managers with valuable evidence depicting succession planning as a viable business strategy. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An analysis of commitment strategies in planning: The details

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minton, Steven; Bresina, John; Drummond, Mark; Philips, Andrew B.

1991-01-01

We compare the utility of different commitment strategies in planning. Under a 'least commitment strategy', plans are represented as partial orders and operators are ordered only when interactions are detected. We investigate claims of the inherent advantages of planning with partial orders, as compared to planning with total orders. By focusing our analysis on the issue of operator ordering commitment, we are able to carry out a rigorous comparative analysis of two planners. We show that partial-order planning can be more efficient than total-order planning, but we also show that this is not necessarily so.

Integrating fire management analysis into land management planning

Treesearch

Thomas J. Mills

1983-01-01

The analysis of alternative fire management programs should be integrated into the land and resource management planning process, but a single fire management analysis model cannot meet all planning needs. Therefore, a set of simulation models that are analytically separate from integrated land management planning models are required. The design of four levels of fire...

75 FR 14361 - Notification, Documentation, and Recordkeeping Requirements for Inspected Establishments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-25

... establishment's process control plans, that is, its Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plans. DATES... control plans, i.e., its Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans; and (3) make the recall... systematic prevention of biological, chemical, and physical hazards. HACCP plans are establishment-developed...

Transmission Planning Analysis Tool

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

2015-06-23

Developed to solve specific problem: Assist transmission planning for regional transfers in interconnected power systems. This work was originated in a study for the U.S. Department of State, to recommend transmission reinforcements for the Central American regional system that interconnects 6 countries. Transmission planning analysis is currently performed by engineers with domainspecific and systemspecific knowledge without a unique methodology. The software codes of this disclosure assists engineers by defining systematic analysis procedures to help identify weak points and make decisions on transmission planning of regional interconnected power systems. Transmission Planning Analysis Tool groups PSS/E results of multiple AC contingency analysismore » and voltage stability analysis and QV analysis of many scenarios of study and arrange them in a systematic way to aid power system planning engineers or transmission operators in effective decision]making process or in the off]line study environment.« less

Three-Dimensional Analysis and Surgical Planning in Craniomaxillofacial Surgery.

PubMed

Steinbacher, Derek M

2015-12-01

Three-dimensional (3D) analysis and planning are powerful tools in craniofacial and reconstructive surgery. The elements include 1) analysis, 2) planning, 3) virtual surgery, 4) 3D printouts of guides or implants, and 5) verification of actual to planned results. The purpose of this article is to review different applications of 3D planning in craniomaxillofacial surgery. Case examples involving 3D analysis and planning were reviewed. Common threads pertaining to all types of reconstruction are highlighted and contrasted with unique aspects specific to new applications in craniomaxillofacial surgery. Six examples of 3D planning are described: 1) cranial reconstruction, 2) craniosynostosis, 3) midface advancement, 4) mandibular distraction, 5) mandibular reconstruction, and 6) orthognathic surgery. Planning in craniomaxillofacial surgery is useful and has applicability across different procedures and reconstructions. Three-dimensional planning and virtual surgery enhance efficiency, accuracy, creativity, and reproducibility in craniomaxillofacial surgery. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 123.6 - Hazard analysis and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Hazard analysis and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan. 123.6 Section 123.6 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... processor shall have and implement a written HACCP plan whenever a hazard analysis reveals one or more food...

21 CFR 123.6 - Hazard analysis and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Hazard analysis and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan. 123.6 Section 123.6 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... processor shall have and implement a written HACCP plan whenever a hazard analysis reveals one or more food...

40 CFR 265.92 - Sampling and analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Sampling and analysis. 265.92 Section... FACILITIES Ground-Water Monitoring § 265.92 Sampling and analysis. (a) The owner or operator must obtain and... follow a ground-water sampling and analysis plan. He must keep this plan at the facility. The plan must...

40 CFR 265.92 - Sampling and analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Sampling and analysis. 265.92 Section... FACILITIES Ground-Water Monitoring § 265.92 Sampling and analysis. (a) The owner or operator must obtain and... follow a ground-water sampling and analysis plan. He must keep this plan at the facility. The plan must...

The WAP four-disulfide core domain protein HE4: a novel biomarker for heart failure.

PubMed

de Boer, Rudolf A; Cao, Qi; Postmus, Douwe; Damman, Kevin; Voors, Adriaan A; Jaarsma, Tiny; van Veldhuisen, Dirk J; Arnold, William D; Hillege, Hans L; Silljé, Herman H W

2013-04-01

This study investigated clinical determinants and added prognostic value of HE4 as a biomarker not previously described in heart failure (HF). Identification of plasma biomarkers that help to risk stratify HF patients may help to improve treatment. Plasma HE4 levels were determined in 567 participants of the COACH (Coordinating study evaluating outcomes of Advising and Counseling in Heart failure). Patients had been hospitalized for HF and were followed for 18 months. The primary endpoint of this study was a composite of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization. HE4 showed a strong correlation with HF severity, according to New York Heart Association functional class and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels (p < 0.001). HE4 also showed a positive correlation with GDF15 (p < 0.001) and, in addition, correlated with kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]; p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis revealed that a doubling of HE4 levels was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.73 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.53 to 1.95) for the primary outcome (p < 0.001). After correction for age, gender, BNP, and eGFR, the HR was 1.46 (95% CI: 1.23 to 1.72; p < 0.001), and after additional adjustment for GDF15, the HR lowered to 1.30 (95% CI: 1.07 to 1.59; p = 0.009). The area under the curve in the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis increased from 0.727 to 0.752 when HE4 was included in the clinical evaluation (p = 0.051). The integrated discrimination improvement and net reclassification index for reclassification showed significant improvements when HE4 was added to the clinical model, and this remained significant after BNP inclusion in the model. HE4 plasma levels are correlated with markers of HF severity, show prognostic value, and can improve risk assessment in HF. Copyright © 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conference Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Richard

1982-01-01

Presents an overview of the management planning technique known as Break Even Analysis and outlines its use as a tool in financial planning for organizations intending to conduct or sponsor a conference, seminar, or workshop. Three figures illustrating Break Even Analysis concepts and a Break Even Analysis worksheet are included. (JL)

The Woodlands Metro Center energy study. Case studies of project planning and design for energy conservation

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

Not Available

1980-03-01

Appendix II of The Woodlands Metro Center Energy Study near Houston consists of the following: Metro Center Program, Conventional Plan Building Prototypes and Detail Parcel Analysis, Energy Plan Building Prototypes, and Energy Plan Detail Parcel Analysis.

Benchmarking of a treatment planning system for spot scanning proton therapy: Comparison and analysis of robustness to setup errors of photon IMRT and proton SFUD treatment plans of base of skull meningioma

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

Harding, R., E-mail: ruth.harding2@wales.nhs.uk; Trnková, P.; Lomax, A. J.

Purpose: Base of skull meningioma can be treated with both intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and spot scanned proton therapy (PT). One of the main benefits of PT is better sparing of organs at risk, but due to the physical and dosimetric characteristics of protons, spot scanned PT can be more sensitive to the uncertainties encountered in the treatment process compared with photon treatment. Therefore, robustness analysis should be part of a comprehensive comparison between these two treatment methods in order to quantify and understand the sensitivity of the treatment techniques to uncertainties. The aim of this work was tomore » benchmark a spot scanning treatment planning system for planning of base of skull meningioma and to compare the created plans and analyze their robustness to setup errors against the IMRT technique. Methods: Plans were produced for three base of skull meningioma cases: IMRT planned with a commercial TPS [Monaco (Elekta AB, Sweden)]; single field uniform dose (SFUD) spot scanning PT produced with an in-house TPS (PSI-plan); and SFUD spot scanning PT plan created with a commercial TPS [XiO (Elekta AB, Sweden)]. A tool for evaluating robustness to random setup errors was created and, for each plan, both a dosimetric evaluation and a robustness analysis to setup errors were performed. Results: It was possible to create clinically acceptable treatment plans for spot scanning proton therapy of meningioma with a commercially available TPS. However, since each treatment planning system uses different methods, this comparison showed different dosimetric results as well as different sensitivities to setup uncertainties. The results confirmed the necessity of an analysis tool for assessing plan robustness to provide a fair comparison of photon and proton plans. Conclusions: Robustness analysis is a critical part of plan evaluation when comparing IMRT plans with spot scanned proton therapy plans.« less

Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Officer Career Information and Planning System

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

information without the use of a computer. - vii COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF THE OFFICER CAREER INFOýKATTON AND PLANNING SYSTEM CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ...OF THE OFFICER CAREER INFORMATION AND PLANNING SYSTEM INTRODUCTION The implementation of the Officer Personnel Management System (OPMS) has...Research Report 1256 I / COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF THE OFFICER CAREER INFORMATION AND PLANNING SYSTEM Roger A. Myers, Peter C. Cairo, K - Jon A

Strategic Planning for Institutions of Higher Education: A Content Analysis for the Universidad Tecnica del Estado Planning System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karadima, Oscar

Ten-year development plans of each of the eight campuses of the Universidad de Santiago de Chile, formerly called Universidad Tecnica del Estado, are evaluated, using content analysis. In addition to narrative descriptions, diagrams illustrate the features of each plan, which covers the period 1983-1993. Topics covered by the plans were grouped…

Planned residential units: New development trajectories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedchenko, Irina

2017-01-01

The paper summarizes the transformation patterns of functional, morphological, social, and administrative structures of planned residential units - district (Russia, Eastern Europe), neighborhood (USA), community (UK, Europe), as the smallest structural and planning elements of the settlements. The study is based on the author's own on-site survey of the existing and new planned residential units, as well as on the analysis of theoretical sources. The multidisciplinary analysis of the theoretical concepts and on-site survey results showed that planned residential units formed in the early twentieth century retain their social and planning importance and identity, evolve and acquire new features and forms. At the same time, according to the current regulatory and legal instruments they remain basic planning elements of urban structure in the early twenty-first century. This paper also includes experimental analysis of the theoretical concepts of planned residential units' transformation, their conceptual planning model and formation principles in the early twenty-first century.

40 CFR 279.55 - Analysis plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Analysis plan. 279.55 Section 279.55 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF USED OIL Standards for Used Oil Processors and Re-Refiners § 279.55 Analysis plan...

47 CFR 0.271 - Authority delegated.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis § 0.271 Authority delegated. (a) Insofar as authority is... status, the Chief, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis is delegated authority to deny... Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis has primary authority. (b) [Reserved] [45 FR 10347, Feb. 15, 1980, as...

Planning, Conducting, and Documenting Data Analysis for Program Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winer, Abby; Taylor, Cornelia; Derrington, Taletha; Lucas, Anne

2015-01-01

This 2015 document was developed to help technical assistance (TA) providers and state staff define and limit the scope of data analysis for program improvement efforts, including the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP); develop a plan for data analysis; document alternative hypotheses and additional analyses as they are generated; and…

76 FR 66004 - Preliminary Plan for Retrospective Analysis of Existing Rules

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-25

... and 13563 recognize the importance of maintaining a consistent culture of retrospective review and... documents. IV. Elements of the Plan Fostering a Culture of Retrospective Analysis. The Commission intends to strengthen its culture of retrospective analysis by informing all of its employees of the Plan and...

A Call for Strategic Planning: The Two-Year College Imperative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masoner, David J.; Essex, Nathan, L.

1987-01-01

Addresses the imperative for strategic and tactical planning to support the viability of the two-year college. Describes a process for approaching strategic planning, comprising the following steps: self-identification, self-analysis, analysis of service area, informed decision making, and the development of a marketing plan. (CBC)

Nurse manager succession planning: a concept analysis.

PubMed

Titzer, Jennifer L; Shirey, Maria R

2013-01-01

The current nursing leadership pipeline is inadequate and demands strategic succession planning methods. This article provides concept clarification regarding nurse manager succession planning. Attributes common to succession planning include organizational commitment and resource allocation, proactive and visionary leadership approach, and a mentoring and coaching environment. Strategic planning, current and future leadership analysis, high-potential identification, and leadership development are succession planning antecedents. Consequences of succession planning are improved leadership and organizational culture continuity, and increased leadership bench strength. Health care has failed to strategically plan for future leadership. Developing a strong nursing leadership pipeline requires deliberate and strategic succession planning. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sensor planning for moving targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musman, Scott A.; Lehner, Paul; Elsaesser, Chris

1994-10-01

Planning a search for moving ground targets is difficult for humans and computationally intractable. This paper describes a technique to solve such problems. The main idea is to combine probability of detection assessments with computational search heuristics to generate sensor plans which approximately maximize either the probability of detection or a user- specified knowledge function (e.g., determining the target's probable destination; locating the enemy tanks). In contrast to super computer-based moving target search planning, our technique has been implemented using workstation technology. The data structures generated by sensor planning can be used to evaluate sensor reports during plan execution. Our system revises its objective function with each sensor report, allowing the user to assess both the current situation as well as the expected value of future information. This capability is particularly useful in situations involving a high rate of sensor reporting, helping the user focus his attention on sensors reports most pertinent to current needs. Our planning approach is implemented in a three layer architecture. The layers are: mobility analysis, followed by sensor coverage analysis, and concluding with sensor plan analysis. It is possible using these layers to describe the physical, spatial, and temporal characteristics of a scenario in the first two layers, and customize the final analysis to specific intelligence objectives. The architecture also allows a user to customize operational parameters in each of the three major components of the system. As examples of these performance options, we briefly describe the mobility analysis and discuss issues affecting sensor plan analysis.

Joint Planning and Development Office Work Plan FY10

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

IPSA ) Division will make refinements to the NextGen Portfolio Analysis. In addition, IPSA will work with the Department of Defense (DoD) to define and...Submitted Interagency Portfolio and Systems Analysis ( IPSA ) DRAFT DoD Portfolio Analysis Criteria BASELINE DoD Portfolio Analysis Criteria DRAFT...WG Work Plan Review Prototype Capability Selected and Defined CHAs Complete Safety Metrics for IPSA Complete FINAL Prototype Report FINAL

PCB Analysis Plan for Tank Archive Samples

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

NGUYEN, D.M.

2001-03-22

This analysis plan specifies laboratory analysis, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), and data reporting requirements for analyzing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) concentrations in archive samples. Tank waste archive samples that are planned for PCB analysis are identified in Nguyen 2001. The tanks and samples are summarized in Table 1-1. The analytical data will be used to establish a PCB baseline inventory in Hanford tanks.

Computer planning tools applied to a cable logging research study

Treesearch

Chris B. LeDoux; Penn A. Peters

1985-01-01

Contemporary harvest planning software was used in planning the layout of cable logging units for a production study of the Clearwater Yarder in upstate New York. Planning software, including payload analysis and digital terrain models, allowed researchers to identify layout and yarding problems before the experiment. Analysis of proposed ground profiles pinpointed the...

40 CFR 279.55 - Analysis plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... information will be used to make this determination; (2) If sample analyses are used to make this... 40 Protection of Environment 28 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Analysis plan. 279.55 Section 279.55... THE MANAGEMENT OF USED OIL Standards for Used Oil Processors and Re-Refiners § 279.55 Analysis plan...

40 CFR 279.55 - Analysis plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... information will be used to make this determination; (2) If sample analyses are used to make this... 40 Protection of Environment 28 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Analysis plan. 279.55 Section 279.55... THE MANAGEMENT OF USED OIL Standards for Used Oil Processors and Re-Refiners § 279.55 Analysis plan...

40 CFR 279.55 - Analysis plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... information will be used to make this determination; (2) If sample analyses are used to make this... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Analysis plan. 279.55 Section 279.55... THE MANAGEMENT OF USED OIL Standards for Used Oil Processors and Re-Refiners § 279.55 Analysis plan...

40 CFR 279.55 - Analysis plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Whether sample analyses or knowledge of the halogen content of the used oil will be used to make this... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Analysis plan. 279.55 Section 279.55... THE MANAGEMENT OF USED OIL Standards for Used Oil Processors and Re-Refiners § 279.55 Analysis plan...

The strategic planning of health management information systems.

PubMed

Smith, J

1995-01-01

This paper discusses the roles and functions of strategic planning of information systems in health services. It selects four specialised methodologies of strategic planning for analysis with respect to their applicability in the health field. It then examines the utilisation of information planning in case studies of three health organisations (two State departments of health and community services and one acute care institution). Issues arising from the analysis concern the planning process, the use to which plans are put, and implications for management.

AdaNET research project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Digman, R. Michael

1988-01-01

The components necessary for the success of the commercialization of an Ada Technology Transition Network are reported in detail. The organizational plan presents the planned structure for services development and technical transition of AdaNET services to potential user communities. The Business Plan is the operational plan for the AdaNET service as a commercial venture. The Technical Plan is the plan from which the AdaNET can be designed including detailed requirements analysis. Also contained is an analysis of user fees and charges, and a proposed user fee schedule.

Are Suicide Attempters Wired Differently?: A Comparison With Nonsuicidal Depressed Individuals Using Plan Analysis.

PubMed

Brüdern, Juliane; Berger, Thomas; Michel, Konrad; Maillart, Anja Gysin; Held, Isabelle Schmutz; Caspar, Franz

2015-07-01

Limited research exists on internal risk processes in suicide attempters and factors that distinguish them from nonsuicidal depressive individuals. In this qualitative study, we investigated Plans, motives, and underlying self-regulatory processes of the two groups and conducted a comparative analysis. We analyzed narrative interviews of 17 suicide attempters and intake interviews of 17 nonsuicidal depressive patients using Plan Analysis. Then, we developed a prototypical Plan structure for both groups. Suicidal behavior serves various Plans found only in suicide attempters. Plans of this group are especially related to social perfectionism and withdrawal to protect their self-esteem. Depressive patients use several interpersonal control and coping strategies, which might help prevent suicidal behavior. The prototypical Plan structure of suicide attempters may be a valuable tool for clinicians to detect critical Plans and motives in their interaction with patients, which are related to suicide risk.

A combined planning and self-efficacy intervention to promote physical activity: a multiple mediation analysis.

PubMed

Koring, Milena; Richert, Jana; Parschau, Linda; Ernsting, Anna; Lippke, Sonia; Schwarzer, Ralf

2012-01-01

Many individuals are motivated to improve their physical activity levels, but often fail to act upon their intention. Interventions fostering volitional strategies, such as action planning, coping planning, and self-efficacy beliefs, can help to translate intentions into behavior. This study examines the effectiveness and the mechanisms of a combined planning and self-efficacy intervention to promote physical activity among motivated individuals. Participants (N = 883) were randomly assigned to the intervention or to a waiting-list control condition. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that the intervention resulted in significantly more physical activity, higher levels of action planning, coping planning, and volitional self-efficacy beliefs (p < 0.01). In addition, multiple mediation analysis showed that action planning, coping planning, and volitional self-efficacy mediate between the intervention and physical activity. The study shows that the intervention successfully fostered physical activity and unfolds the underlying self-regulatory mechanisms of the intervention's effectiveness.

Voltammetric determination of copper in selected pharmaceutical preparations--validation of the method.

PubMed

Lutka, Anna; Maruszewska, Małgorzata

2011-01-01

It were established and validated the conditions of voltammetric determination of copper in pharmaceutical preparations. The three selected preparations: Zincuprim (A), Wapń, cynk, miedź z wit. C (B), Vigor complete (V) contained different salts and different quantity of copper (II) and increasing number of accompanied ingredients. For the purpose to transfer copper into solution, the samples of powdered tablets of the first and second preparation were undergone extraction and of the third the mineralization procedures. The concentration of copper in solution was determined by differential pulse voltammetry (DP) using comparison with standard technique. In the validation process, the selectivity, accuracy, precision and linearity of DP determination of copper in three preparations were estimated. Copper was determined within the concentration range of 1-9 ppm (1-9 microg/mL): the mean recoveries approached 102% (A), 100% (B), 102% (V); the relative standard deviations of determinations (RSD) were 0.79-1.59% (A), 0.62-0.85% (B) and 1.68-2.28% (V), respectively. The mean recoveries and the RSDs of determination satisfied the requirements for the analyte concentration at the level 1-10 ppm. The statistical verification confirmed that the tested voltammetric method is suitable for determination of copper in pharmaceutical preparation.

Projected asymmetric response of Adélie penguins to Antarctic climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cimino, Megan A.; Lynch, Heather J.; Saba, Vincent S.; Oliver, Matthew J.

2016-06-01

The contribution of climate change to shifts in a species’ geographic distribution is a critical and often unresolved ecological question. Climate change in Antarctica is asymmetric, with cooling in parts of the continent and warming along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) is a circumpolar meso-predator exposed to the full range of Antarctic climate and is undergoing dramatic population shifts coincident with climate change. We used true presence-absence data on Adélie penguin breeding colonies to estimate past and future changes in habitat suitability during the chick-rearing period based on historic satellite observations and future climate model projections. During the contemporary period, declining Adélie penguin populations experienced more years with warm sea surface temperature compared to populations that are increasing. Based on this relationship, we project that one-third of current Adélie penguin colonies, representing ~20% of their current population, may be in decline by 2060. However, climate model projections suggest refugia may exist in continental Antarctica beyond 2099, buffering species-wide declines. Climate change impacts on penguins in the Antarctic will likely be highly site specific based on regional climate trends, and a southward contraction in the range of Adélie penguins is likely over the next century.

Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) Vermont Highlight (Fact Sheet)

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

Not Available

2012-01-01

Case study on Vermont's innovative strategy for helping low-income families save energy through its Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) program. The DOE Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) granted Vermont to give its weatherization clients access to solar energy systems and one-on-one assistance from energy efficiency coaches to help clients achieve meaningful and long-lasting reductions in their energy bills. Vermont-SERC is administered by the Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity and is carried out by five local weatherization agencies. The purpose of the program is to identify technologies and new approaches-in this case, solar energy and energy efficiency coaches-that can improve weatherizationmore » services to low-income clients. The program selects households that have previously received weatherization services. This has several advantages. First, the clients already understand how weatherization works and are willing to strive for additional energy savings. Second, the weatherization agencies are working with clients who have previously had weatherization and therefore have complete energy usage data from utility bills collected during the first energy upgrade installation. This allows the agencies to select the best potential candidates for solar energy. Agencies have existing knowledge of the homes and can pre-screen them for potential structural problems or lack of south-facing exposure.« less

seq-ImmuCC: Cell-Centric View of Tissue Transcriptome Measuring Cellular Compositions of Immune Microenvironment From Mouse RNA-Seq Data.

PubMed

Chen, Ziyi; Quan, Lijun; Huang, Anfei; Zhao, Qiang; Yuan, Yao; Yuan, Xuye; Shen, Qin; Shang, Jingzhe; Ben, Yinyin; Qin, F Xiao-Feng; Wu, Aiping

2018-01-01

The RNA sequencing approach has been broadly used to provide gene-, pathway-, and network-centric analyses for various cell and tissue samples. However, thus far, rich cellular information carried in tissue samples has not been thoroughly characterized from RNA-Seq data. Therefore, it would expand our horizons to better understand the biological processes of the body by incorporating a cell-centric view of tissue transcriptome. Here, a computational model named seq-ImmuCC was developed to infer the relative proportions of 10 major immune cells in mouse tissues from RNA-Seq data. The performance of seq-ImmuCC was evaluated among multiple computational algorithms, transcriptional platforms, and simulated and experimental datasets. The test results showed its stable performance and superb consistency with experimental observations under different conditions. With seq-ImmuCC, we generated the comprehensive landscape of immune cell compositions in 27 normal mouse tissues and extracted the distinct signatures of immune cell proportion among various tissue types. Furthermore, we quantitatively characterized and compared 18 different types of mouse tumor tissues of distinct cell origins with their immune cell compositions, which provided a comprehensive and informative measurement for the immune microenvironment inside tumor tissues. The online server of seq-ImmuCC are freely available at http://wap-lab.org:3200/immune/.

Epithelial Xbp1 Is Required for Cellular Proliferation and Differentiation during Mammary Gland Development

PubMed Central

Hasegawa, Daisuke; Calvo, Veronica; Avivar-Valderas, Alvaro; Lade, Abigale; Chou, Hsin-I; Lee, Youngmin A.; Farias, Eduardo F.; Aguirre-Ghiso, Julio A.

2015-01-01

Xbp1, a key mediator of the unfolded protein response (UPR), is activated by IRE1α-mediated splicing, which results in a frameshift to encode a protein with transcriptional activity. However, the direct function of Xbp1 in epithelial cells during mammary gland development is unknown. Here we report that the loss of Xbp1 in the mammary epithelium through targeted deletion leads to poor branching morphogenesis, impaired terminal end bud formation, and spontaneous stromal fibrosis during the adult virgin period. Additionally, epithelial Xbp1 deletion induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the epithelium and dramatically inhibits epithelial proliferation and differentiation during lactation. The synthesis of milk and its major components, α/β-casein and whey acidic protein (WAP), is significantly reduced due to decreased prolactin receptor (Prlr) and ErbB4 expression in Xbp1-deficient mammary epithelium. Reduction of Prlr and ErbB4 expression and their diminished availability at the cell surface lead to reduced phosphorylated Stat5, an essential regulator of cell proliferation and differentiation during lactation. As a result, lactating mammary glands in these mice produce less milk protein, leading to poor pup growth and postnatal death. These findings suggest that the loss of Xbp1 induces a terminal UPR which blocks proliferation and differentiation during mammary gland development. PMID:25713103

Quality-assurance plan for the analysis of suspended sediment by the U.S. Geological Survey in Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodge, Kent A.; Lambing, John H.

2006-01-01

A quality-assurance plan has been developed for use by the sediment laboratory of the U.S. Geological Survey Montana Water Science Center in conducting activities related to the analysis of suspended sediment. The plan documents quality-assurance policies for sediment-laboratory certification, personnel responsibilities and training, documentation requirements, and laboratory safety. The plan also documents quality-assurance procedures related to laboratory equipment and supplies, sample management, sample analysis, analytical quality control, and data management.

Planning applications in image analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boddy, Mark; White, Jim; Goldman, Robert; Short, Nick, Jr.

1994-01-01

We describe two interim results from an ongoing effort to automate the acquisition, analysis, archiving, and distribution of satellite earth science data. Both results are applications of Artificial Intelligence planning research to the automatic generation of processing steps for image analysis tasks. First, we have constructed a linear conditional planner (CPed), used to generate conditional processing plans. Second, we have extended an existing hierarchical planning system to make use of durations, resources, and deadlines, thus supporting the automatic generation of processing steps in time and resource-constrained environments.

Planning and Scheduling of Software Manufacturing Projects

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-01

based on the previous results in social analysis of computing, operations research in manufacturing, artificial intelligence in manufacturing...planning and scheduling, and the traditional approaches to planning in artificial intelligence, and extends the techniques that have been developed by them...social analysis of computing, operations research in manufacturing, artificial intelligence in manufacturing planning and scheduling, and the

Development Plans in Turkey and a Managerial Analysis on Education (1963-2013 Years)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çakir, Rahman

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is that to evaluate nine educational management plans between the years 1963-2013 and one plan in the process of implementation educational management. Document analysis technique from the qualitative research methods was used in this research. Data was analyzed as three stages: description, analysis and interpretation.…

Space Transportation System Payloads Data and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, J. D.; Craft, H. G., Jr.

1975-01-01

The background, current developments and future plans for the Space Transportation System Payloads Data and Analysis (SPDA) activities at Marshall Space Flight Center are reviewed. It is shown how the payload data bank and future planned activities will interface with the payloads community and Space Transportation System designers. The interfaces with the STS data base include NASA planning, international planning, payload design, shuttle design, user agencies planning and information, and OMB, Congress and others.

Backward assembly planning with DFA analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Sukhan (Inventor)

1992-01-01

An assembly planning system that operates based on a recursive decomposition of assembly into subassemblies is presented. The planning system analyzes assembly cost in terms of stability, directionality, and manipulability to guide the generation of preferred assembly plans. The planning in this system incorporates the special processes, such as cleaning, testing, labeling, etc., that must occur during the assembly. Additionally, the planning handles nonreversible, as well as reversible, assembly tasks through backward assembly planning. In order to decrease the planning efficiency, the system avoids the analysis of decompositions that do not correspond to feasible assembly tasks. This is achieved by grouping and merging those parts that can not be decomposable at the current stage of backward assembly planning due to the requirement of special processes and the constraint of interconnection feasibility. The invention includes methods of evaluating assembly cost in terms of the number of fixtures (or holding devices) and reorientations required for assembly, through the analysis of stability, directionality, and manipulability. All these factors are used in defining cost and heuristic functions for an AO* search for an optimal plan.

a Baseline for Upper Crustal Velocity Variations Along the East Pacific Rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kappus, Mary Elizabeth

Seismic measurements of the oceanic crust and theoretical models of its generation at mid-ocean ridges suggest several systematic variations in upper crustal velocity structure, but without constraints on the inherent variation in newly-formed crust these suggestions remain tentative. The Wide Aperture Profiles (WAPs) which form the database for this study have sufficient horizontal extent and resolution in the upper crust to establish a zero-age baseline. After assessing the adequacy of amplitude preservation in several tau - p transform methods we make a precise estimate of the velocity at the top of the crust from analysis of amplitudes in the tau - p domain. Along a 52-km segment we find less than 5% variation from 2.45 km/s. Velocity models of the uppermost crust are constructed using waveform inversion for both reflection and refraction arrivals. This method exploits the high quality of both primary and secondary phases and provides an objective process for iteratively improving trial models and for measuring misfit. The resulting models show remarkable homogeneity: on-axis variation is 5% or less within layers 2A and 2B, increasing to 10% at the sharp 2A/2B boundary. The extrusive volcanic layer is only 130 m thick along-axis and corresponds to the triangular -shaped neovolcanic zone. From this we infer that the sheeted dikes feeding the extrusive layer 2A come up to very shallow depths on axis. Along axis, a fourth-order deviation from axial linearity identified geochemically is observed as a small increase in thickness of the extrusive layer. Off -axis, the velocity increases only slightly to 2.49 km/s, while the thickness of the extrusives increases to 217 km and the variability in both parameters increases with distance from the ridge axis. In a separate section we present the first published analysis of seismic records of thunder. We calculate multi -taper spectra to determine the peak energy in the lightning bolt and apply time-dependent polarization analysis to determine the lightning propagation path. The peak energies of the intracloud lightning bolts are all infrasonic, but we show that this is not incompatible with the mechanism of thunder production by a rapidly heated gas channel as was previously thought. From polarization analysis we find the direction to the lightning bolt from a single station record, in several cases resolving a significant horizontal component to the lightning path.

The Active for Life Year 5 (AFLY5) school-based cluster randomised controlled trial protocol: detailed statistical analysis plan.

PubMed

Lawlor, Debbie A; Peters, Tim J; Howe, Laura D; Noble, Sian M; Kipping, Ruth R; Jago, Russell

2013-07-24

The Active For Life Year 5 (AFLY5) randomised controlled trial protocol was published in this journal in 2011. It provided a summary analysis plan. This publication is an update of that protocol and provides a detailed analysis plan. This update provides a detailed analysis plan of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the AFLY5 intervention. The plan includes details of how variables will be quality control checked and the criteria used to define derived variables. Details of four key analyses are provided: (a) effectiveness analysis 1 (the effect of the AFLY5 intervention on primary and secondary outcomes at the end of the school year in which the intervention is delivered); (b) mediation analyses (secondary analyses examining the extent to which any effects of the intervention are mediated via self-efficacy, parental support and knowledge, through which the intervention is theoretically believed to act); (c) effectiveness analysis 2 (the effect of the AFLY5 intervention on primary and secondary outcomes 12 months after the end of the intervention) and (d) cost effectiveness analysis (the cost-effectiveness of the AFLY5 intervention). The details include how the intention to treat and per-protocol analyses were defined and planned sensitivity analyses for dealing with missing data. A set of dummy tables are provided in Additional file 1. This detailed analysis plan was written prior to any analyst having access to any data and was approved by the AFLY5 Trial Steering Committee. Its publication will ensure that analyses are in accordance with an a priori plan related to the trial objectives and not driven by knowledge of the data. ISRCTN50133740.

Bridging the gap between individual-level risk for HIV and structural determinants: using root cause analysis in strategic planning.

PubMed

Willard, Nancy; Chutuape, Kate; Stines, Stephanie; Ellen, Jonathan M

2012-01-01

HIV prevention efforts have expanded beyond individual-level interventions to address structural determinants of risk. Coalitions have been an important vehicle for addressing similar intractable and deeply rooted health-related issues. A root cause analysis process may aid coalitions in identifying fundamental, structural-level contributors to risk and in identifying appropriate solutions. For this article, strategic plans for 13 coalitions were analyzed both before and after a root cause analysis approach was applied to determine the coalitions' strategic plans potential impact and comprehensiveness. After root cause analysis, strategic plans trended toward targeting policies and practices rather than on single agency programmatic changes. Plans expanded to target multiple sectors and several changes within sectors to penetrate deeply into a sector or system. Findings suggest that root cause analysis may be a viable tool to assist coalitions in identifying structural determinants and possible solutions for HIV risk.

An Analysis of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2016 Shipbuilding Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

OCTOBER 2015 An Analysis of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2016 Shipbuilding Plan Provided as a convenience, this “screen-friendly” version is identical in...hyperlinked references in the text to view them Summary The Department of Defense (DoD) submitted to the Congress the Navy’s 2016 shipbuilding plan...appropriations for shipbuilding in recent decades. The Navy’s 2016 shipbuilding plan is similar to its 2015 plan with respect to the goal for the

The Continuing Seminar on Organizational Planning and Policy Analysis: Implications for Community College Planning Offices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, James L.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a seminar on planning and policy analysis is offered for doctoral students who wish to conduct planning and forecasting studies for their doctoral dissertations or who simply wish to learn such techniques. One of the major projects of the seminar is the development of an environmental scanning…

Planning Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder across the Lifespan: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olde Dubbelink, Linda M. E.; Geurts, Hilde M.

2017-01-01

Individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are thought to encounter planning difficulties, but experimental research regarding the mastery of planning in ASD is inconsistent. By means of a meta-analysis of 50 planning studies with a combined sample size of 1755 individuals with and 1642 without ASD, we aim to determine whether planning…

Understanding what asthma plans mean: a linguistic analysis of terminology used in published texts.

PubMed

Ring, Nicola; Pinnock, Hilary; Wilson, Caroline; Hoskins, Gaylor; Jepson, Ruth; Wyke, Sally; Sheikh, Aziz

2011-06-01

To identify from the literature what terms are used for 'asthma plans', with what meaning, and in what context(s). Linguistic analysis of a selected body of asthma literature from 1989-2009. A wide range of asthma plan terminology was evident, with terms such as 'action plans', 'self-management plans' and 'treatment plans' being applied inconsistently and synonymously. For individual patients the term 'asthma plan' can describe a clinically-determined list of prescribed medication, an agreed plan to guide self-management of changing symptoms, or a more holistic 'living with asthma' plan. In some contexts the term 'asthma plan' was also used to describe an organisational system of care, which causes further ambiguity. Within the literature, a plethora of terms is used inconsistently and with varied meaning. This is a potential, but previously unrecognised, barrier to asthma plan implementation. A taxonomy of asthma plans and a standardised definitions of terms is required.

Text Analysis: Critical Component of Planning for Text-Based Discussion Focused on Comprehension of Informational Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kucan, Linda; Palincsar, Annemarie Sullivan

2018-01-01

This investigation focuses on a tool used in a reading methods course to introduce reading specialist candidates to text analysis as a critical component of planning for text-based discussions. Unlike planning that focuses mainly on important text content or information, a text analysis approach focuses both on content and how that content is…

Strategic Planning for Cardiac Services

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-13

Support Delivery Strategies 38 8. Action Plan 40 CT Strategy Plan List of Tables Table 1. CT program SWOT analysis Table 2. Critical strengths and...activities will give an overview to form a thorough SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis by uncovering crucial elements...Potential Strategies To understand potential strategies available to DDEAMC and Augusta VAMC, a SWOT analysis was completed to clearly identify

Risk Analysis for Resource Planning Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chueng, Kar-Ming

2008-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to introduce a risk management approach that allows planners to quantify the risk and efficiency tradeoff in the presence of uncertainties, and to make forward-looking choices in the development and execution of the plan. Demonstrate a planning and risk analysis framework that tightly integrates mathematical optimization, empirical simulation, and theoretical analysis techniques to solve complex problems.

The Italian Registry of Antiphospholipid Antibodies.

PubMed

Finazzi, G

1997-01-01

The clinical importance of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) derives from their association with a syndrome of venous and arterial thrombosis, recurrent fetal loss and thrombocytopenia known as the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The Italian Registry of Antiphospholipid Antibodies was set up in 1989 for the purpose of collecting a large number of patients with lupus anticoagulant (LA) or anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) for clinical studies in order to obtain more information on the clinical features of APS. The Italian Registry has completed two clinical studies and proposed an international trial on the treatment of APS patients. These activities of the Registry are reviewed herein. Additional information has been obtained from pertinent articles and abstracts published in journals covered by the Science Citation Index and Medline. The first study of the Registry was a retrospective analysis of enrolled patients which showed that: a) the prevalence of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia was similar in cases with idiopathic APA or APA secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus, and b) the rate of thrombosis was significantly reduced in patients with severe thrombocytopenia but not in those with only a mild reduction of the platelet count. The second study was a prospective survey of the natural history of the disease, showing that a) previous thrombosis and ACA titer > 40 units were independent predictors of subsequent vascular complications; b) a history of miscarriage or thrombosis is significantly associated with adverse pregnancy outcome; c) hematological malignancies can develop during follow-up and patients with APA should be considered at increased risk of developing NHL. Thus the possibility of a hematologic neoplastic disease should be borne in mind in the initial evaluation and during the follow-up of these patients. The latest initiative of the Registry was the proposal of an international, randomized clinical trial (WAPS study) aimed at assessing the efficacy and safety of high-dose warfarin in preventing recurrent thrombosis in patients with APA and vascular disease. The study is scheduled to start in March 1997.

Nasal mucus proteomic changes reflect altered immune responses and epithelial permeability in patients with allergic rhinitis.

PubMed

Tomazic, Peter Valentin; Birner-Gruenberger, Ruth; Leitner, Anita; Obrist, Britta; Spoerk, Stefan; Lang-Loidolt, Doris

2014-03-01

Nasal mucus is the first-line defense barrier against (aero-) allergens. However, its proteome and function have not been clearly investigated. The role of nasal mucus in the pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis was investigated by analyzing its proteome in patients with allergic rhinitis (n = 29) and healthy control subjects (n = 29). Nasal mucus was collected with a suction device, tryptically digested, and analyzed by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Proteins were identified by searching the SwissProt database and annotated by collecting gene ontology data from databases and existing literature. Gene enrichment analysis was performed by using Cytoscape/BINGO software tools. Proteins were quantified with spectral counting, and selected proteins were confirmed by means of Western blotting. In total, 267 proteins were identified, with 20 (7.5%) found exclusively in patients with allergic rhinitis and 25 (9.5%) found exclusively in healthy control subjects. Five proteins were found to be significantly upregulated in patients with allergic rhinitis (apolipoprotein A-2 [APOA2], 9.7-fold; α2-macroglobulin [A2M], 4.5-fold; apolipoprotein A-1 [APOA1], 3.2-fold; α1-antitrypsin [SERPINA1], 2.5-fold; and complement C3 [C3], 2.3-fold) and 5 were found to be downregulated (antileukoproteinase [SLPI], 0.6-fold; WAP 4-disulfide core domain protein [WFDC2], 0.5-fold; haptoglobin [HP], 0.7-fold; IgJ chain [IGJ], 0.7-fold; and Ig hc V-III region BRO, 0.8-fold) compared with levels seen in healthy control subjects. The allergic rhinitis mucus proteome shows an enhanced immune response in which apolipoproteins might play an important role. Furthermore, an imbalance between cysteine proteases and antiproteases could be seen, which negatively affects epithelial integrity on exposure to pollen protease activity. This reflects the important role of mucus as the first-line defense barrier against allergens. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Characterization and expression profiling of serine protease inhibitors in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae).

PubMed

Lin, Hailan; Lin, Xijian; Zhu, Jiwei; Yu, Xiao-Qiang; Xia, Xiaofeng; Yao, Fengluan; Yang, Guang; You, Minsheng

2017-02-14

Serine protease inhibitors (SPIs) have been found in all living organisms and play significant roles in digestion, development and innate immunity. In this study, we present a genome-wide identification and expression profiling of SPI genes in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), a major pest of cruciferous crops with global distribution and broad resistance to different types of insecticides. A total of 61 potential SPI genes were identified in the P. xylostella genome, and these SPIs were classified into serpins, canonical inhibitors, and alpha-2-macroglobulins based on their modes of action. Sequence alignments showed that amino acid residues in the hinge region of known inhibitory serpins from other insect species were conserved in most P. xylostella serpins, suggesting that these P. xylostella serpins may be functionally active. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that P. xylostella inhibitory serpins were clustered with known inhibitory serpins from six other insect species. More interestingly, nine serpins were highly similar to the orthologues in Manduca sexta which have been demonstrated to participate in regulating the prophenoloxidase activation cascade, an important innate immune response in insects. Of the 61 P.xylostella SPI genes, 33 were canonical SPIs containing seven types of inhibitor domains, including Kunitz, Kazal, TIL, amfpi, Antistasin, WAP and Pacifastin. Moreover, some SPIs contained additional non-inhibitor domains, including spondin_N, reeler, and other modules, which may be involved in protein-protein interactions. Gene expression profiling showed gene-differential, stage- and sex-specific expression patterns of SPIs, suggesting that SPIs may be involved in multiple physiological processes in P. xylostella. This is the most comprehensive investigation so far on SPI genes in P. xylostella. The characterized features and expression patterns of P. xylostella SPIs indicate that the SPI family genes may be involved in innate immunity of this species. Our findings provide valuable information for uncovering further biological roles of SPI genes in P. xylostella.

A Common Foundation of Information and Analytical Capability for AFSPC Decision Making

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-23

System Strategic Master Plan MAPs/MSP CRRAAF TASK FORCE CONOPS MUA Task Weights Engagement Analysis ASIIS Optimization ACEIT COST Analysis...Engangement Architecture Analysis Architecture MUA AFSPC POM S&T Planning Military Utility Analysis ACEIT COST Analysis Joint Capab Integ Develop System

Backward assembly planning with DFA analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Sukhan (Inventor)

1995-01-01

An assembly planning system that operates based on a recursive decomposition of assembly into subassemblies, and analyzes assembly cost in terms of stability, directionality, and manipulability to guide the generation of preferred assembly plans is presented. The planning in this system incorporates the special processes, such as cleaning, testing, labeling, etc. that must occur during the assembly, and handles nonreversible as well as reversible assembly tasks through backward assembly planning. In order to increase the planning efficiency, the system avoids the analysis of decompositions that do not correspond to feasible assembly tasks. This is achieved by grouping and merging those parts that can not be decomposable at the current stage of backward assembly planning due to the requirement of special processes and the constraint of interconnection feasibility. The invention includes methods of evaluating assembly cost in terms of the number of fixtures (or holding devices) and reorientations required for assembly, through the analysis of stability, directionality, and manipulability. All these factors are used in defining cost and heuristic functions for an AO* search for an optimal plan.

Comparison of the efficiency between two sampling plans for aflatoxins analysis in maize

PubMed Central

Mallmann, Adriano Olnei; Marchioro, Alexandro; Oliveira, Maurício Schneider; Rauber, Ricardo Hummes; Dilkin, Paulo; Mallmann, Carlos Augusto

2014-01-01

Variance and performance of two sampling plans for aflatoxins quantification in maize were evaluated. Eight lots of maize were sampled using two plans: manual, using sampling spear for kernels; and automatic, using a continuous flow to collect milled maize. Total variance and sampling, preparation, and analysis variance were determined and compared between plans through multifactor analysis of variance. Four theoretical distribution models were used to compare aflatoxins quantification distributions in eight maize lots. The acceptance and rejection probabilities for a lot under certain aflatoxin concentration were determined using variance and the information on the selected distribution model to build the operational characteristic curves (OC). Sampling and total variance were lower at the automatic plan. The OC curve from the automatic plan reduced both consumer and producer risks in comparison to the manual plan. The automatic plan is more efficient than the manual one because it expresses more accurately the real aflatoxin contamination in maize. PMID:24948911

Kennedy Space Center Orion Processing Team Planning for Ground Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Letchworth, Gary; Schlierf, Roland

2011-01-01

Topics in this presentation are: Constellation Ares I/Orion/Ground Ops Elements Orion Ground Operations Flow Orion Operations Planning Process and Toolset Overview, including: 1 Orion Concept of Operations by Phase 2 Ops Analysis Capabilities Overview 3 Operations Planning Evolution 4 Functional Flow Block Diagrams 5 Operations Timeline Development 6 Discrete Event Simulation (DES) Modeling 7 Ground Operations Planning Document Database (GOPDb) Using Operations Planning Tools for Operability Improvements includes: 1 Kaizen/Lean Events 2 Mockups 3 Human Factors Analysis

A needs analysis method for land-use planning of illegal dumping sites: a case study in Aomori-Iwate, Japan.

PubMed

Ishii, Kazuei; Furuichi, Toru; Nagao, Yukari

2013-02-01

Land use at contaminated sites, following remediation, is often needed for regional redevelopment. However, there exist few methods of developing economically and socially feasible land-use plans based on regional needs because of the wide variety of land-use requirements. This study proposes a new needs analysis method for the conceptual land-use planning of contaminated sites and illustrates this method with a case study of an illegal dumping site for hazardous waste. In this method, planning factors consisting of the land-use attributes and related facilities are extracted from the potential needs of the residents through a preliminary questionnaire. Using the extracted attributes of land use and the related facilities, land-use cases are designed for selection-based conjoint analysis. A second questionnaire for respondents to the first one who indicated an interest in participating in the second questionnaire is conducted for the conjoint analysis to determine the utility function and marginal cost of each attribute in order to prioritize the planning factors to develop a quantitative and economically and socially feasible land-use plan. Based on the results, site-specific land-use alternatives are developed and evaluated by the utility function obtained from the conjoint analysis. In this case study of an illegal dumping site for hazardous waste, the uses preferred as part of a conceptual land-use plan following remediation of the site were (1) agricultural land and a biogas plant designed to recover energy from biomass or (2) a park with a welfare facility and an athletic field. Our needs analysis method with conjoint analysis is applicable to the development of conceptual land-use planning for similar sites following remediation, particularly when added value is considered. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Interacting Plans as a Guide to the Understanding of Story Structure. Technical Report No. 130.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruce, Bertram

A complete analysis of a story's structure must rely on more than a simple grammar of story components; it requires a consideration of the characters' plans as they are stated or implied in the story. Furthermore, these plans are recognized as the characters' beliefs, and beliefs about interactions among plans are crucial determinants of a story's…

Idea Notebook: Wilderness Food Planning in the Computer Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drury, Jack K.

1986-01-01

Explains the use of a computer as a planning and teaching tool in wilderness trip food planning. Details use of master food list and spreadsheet software such as VisiCalc to provide shopping lists for food purchasing, cost analysis, and diet analysis. (NEC)

14 CFR Appendix B to Part 415 - Safety Review Document Outline

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

....0Flight Safety (§ 415.115) 4.1Initial Flight Safety Analysis 4.1.1Flight Safety Sub-Analyses, Methods, and... Analysis Data 4.2Radionuclide Data (where applicable) 4.3Flight Safety Plan 4.3.1Flight Safety Personnel 4... Safety (§ 415.117) 5.1Ground Safety Analysis Report 5.2Ground Safety Plan 6.0Launch Plans (§ 415.119 and...

14 CFR Appendix B to Part 415 - Safety Review Document Outline

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

....0Flight Safety (§ 415.115) 4.1Initial Flight Safety Analysis 4.1.1Flight Safety Sub-Analyses, Methods, and... Analysis Data 4.2Radionuclide Data (where applicable) 4.3Flight Safety Plan 4.3.1Flight Safety Personnel 4... Safety (§ 415.117) 5.1Ground Safety Analysis Report 5.2Ground Safety Plan 6.0Launch Plans (§ 415.119 and...

Annual Report of the Metals and Ceramics Information Center, 1 May 1979-30 April 1980.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-07-01

MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS DEPT. * Computer and Information SyslemsiD. C Operations 1 Battelle Technical Inputs to Planning * Computer Systems 0...Biomass Resources * Education 0 Business Planning * Information Systems * Economics , Planning and Policy Analysis * Statistical and Mathematical Modelrng...Metals and Ceramics Information Center (MCIC) is one of several technical information analysis centers (IAC’s) chartered and sponsored by the

Strategic Planning in Population Health and Public Health Practice: A Call to Action for Higher Education

PubMed Central

PHELPS, CHARLES; RAPPUOLI, RINO; LEVIN, SCOTT; SHORTLIFFE, EDWARD; COLWELL, RITA

2016-01-01

Policy Points: Scarce resources, especially in population health and public health practice, underlie the importance of strategic planning.Public health agencies’ current planning and priority setting efforts are often narrow, at times opaque, and focused on single metrics such as cost‐effectiveness.As demonstrated by SMART Vaccines, a decision support software system developed by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering, new approaches to strategic planning allow the formal incorporation of multiple stakeholder views and multicriteria decision making that surpass even those sophisticated cost‐effectiveness analyses widely recommended and used for public health planning.Institutions of higher education can and should respond by building on modern strategic planning tools as they teach their students how to improve population health and public health practice. Context Strategic planning in population health and public health practice often uses single indicators of success or, when using multiple indicators, provides no mechanism for coherently combining the assessments. Cost‐effectiveness analysis, the most complex strategic planning tool commonly applied in public health, uses only a single metric to evaluate programmatic choices, even though other factors often influence actual decisions. Methods Our work employed a multicriteria systems analysis approach—specifically, multiattribute utility theory—to assist in strategic planning and priority setting in a particular area of health care (vaccines), thereby moving beyond the traditional cost‐effectiveness analysis approach. Findings (1) Multicriteria systems analysis provides more flexibility, transparency, and clarity in decision support for public health issues compared with cost‐effectiveness analysis. (2) More sophisticated systems‐level analyses will become increasingly important to public health as disease burdens increase and the resources to deal with them become scarcer. Conclusions The teaching of strategic planning in public health must be expanded in order to fill a void in the profession's planning capabilities. Public health training should actively incorporate model building, promote the interactive use of software tools, and explore planning approaches that transcend restrictive assumptions of cost‐effectiveness analysis. The Strategic Multi‐Attribute Ranking Tool for Vaccines (SMART Vaccines), which was recently developed by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering to help prioritize new vaccine development, is a working example of systems analysis as a basis for decision support. PMID:26994711

Strategic Planning in Population Health and Public Health Practice: A Call to Action for Higher Education.

PubMed

Phelps, Charles; Madhavan, Guruprasad; Rappuoli, Rino; Levin, Scott; Shortliffe, Edward; Colwell, Rita

2016-03-01

Scarce resources, especially in population health and public health practice, underlie the importance of strategic planning. Public health agencies' current planning and priority setting efforts are often narrow, at times opaque, and focused on single metrics such as cost-effectiveness. As demonstrated by SMART Vaccines, a decision support software system developed by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering, new approaches to strategic planning allow the formal incorporation of multiple stakeholder views and multicriteria decision making that surpass even those sophisticated cost-effectiveness analyses widely recommended and used for public health planning. Institutions of higher education can and should respond by building on modern strategic planning tools as they teach their students how to improve population health and public health practice. Strategic planning in population health and public health practice often uses single indicators of success or, when using multiple indicators, provides no mechanism for coherently combining the assessments. Cost-effectiveness analysis, the most complex strategic planning tool commonly applied in public health, uses only a single metric to evaluate programmatic choices, even though other factors often influence actual decisions. Our work employed a multicriteria systems analysis approach--specifically, multiattribute utility theory--to assist in strategic planning and priority setting in a particular area of health care (vaccines), thereby moving beyond the traditional cost-effectiveness analysis approach. (1) Multicriteria systems analysis provides more flexibility, transparency, and clarity in decision support for public health issues compared with cost-effectiveness analysis. (2) More sophisticated systems-level analyses will become increasingly important to public health as disease burdens increase and the resources to deal with them become scarcer. The teaching of strategic planning in public health must be expanded in order to fill a void in the profession's planning capabilities. Public health training should actively incorporate model building, promote the interactive use of software tools, and explore planning approaches that transcend restrictive assumptions of cost-effectiveness analysis. The Strategic Multi-Attribute Ranking Tool for Vaccines (SMART Vaccines), which was recently developed by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering to help prioritize new vaccine development, is a working example of systems analysis as a basis for decision support. © 2016 Milbank Memorial Fund.

78 FR 11685 - Public Availability of FY 2011 Service Contract Inventory Analysis, FY 2012 Service Contract...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-19

... Analysis, FY 2012 Service Contract Inventory, and FY 2012 Service Contract Inventory Planned Analysis for... of the availability of the FY 2011 Service Contract Inventory Analysis, the FY 2012 Service Contract Inventory, and the FY 2012 Service Contract Inventory Planned Analysis. The FY 2011 inventory analysis...

Plastic Surgery Applications Using Three-Dimensional Planning and Computer-Assisted Design and Manufacturing.

PubMed

Pfaff, Miles J; Steinbacher, Derek M

2016-03-01

Three-dimensional analysis and planning is a powerful tool in plastic and reconstructive surgery, enabling improved diagnosis, patient education and communication, and intraoperative transfer to achieve the best possible results. Three-dimensional planning can increase efficiency and accuracy, and entails five core components: (1) analysis, (2) planning, (3) virtual surgery, (4) three-dimensional printing, and (5) comparison of planned to actual results. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of three-dimensional virtual planning and to provide a framework for applying these systems to clinical practice. Therapeutic, V.

SU-G-TeP3-11: Radiobiological-Cum-Dosimetric Quality Assurance of Complex Radiotherapy Plans

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

Paudel, N; Narayanasamy, G; Zhang, X

2016-06-15

Purpose: Dosimetric gamma-analysis used for QA of complex radiotherapy plans tests the dosimetric equivalence of a delivered plan with the treatment planning system (TPS) optimized plan. It does not examine whether a dosimetric difference results in any radiobiological difference. This study introduces a method to test the radiobiological and dosimetric equivalence between a delivered and the TPS optimized plan. Methods: Six head and neck and seven lung cancer VMAT or IMRT plans optimized for patient treatment were calculated and delivered to an ArcCheck phantom. ArcCheck measured dose distributions were compared with the TPS calculated dose distributions using a 2-D gamma-analysis.more » Dose volume histograms (DVHs) for various patient structures were obtained by using measured data in 3DVH software and compared against the TPS calculated DVHs using 3-D gamma analysis. DVH data were used in the Poisson model to calculate tumor control probability (TCP) for the treatment targets and in the sigmoid dose response model to calculate normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) for the normal structures. Results: Two-D and three-D gamma passing rates among six H&N patient plans differed by 0 to 2.7% and among seven lung plans by 0.1 to 4.5%. Average ± SD TCPs based on measurement and TPS were 0.665±0.018 and 0.674±0.044 for H&N, and 0.791±0.027 and 0.733±0.031 for lung plans, respectively. Differences in NTCPs were usually negligible. The differences in dosimetric results, TCPs and NTCPs were insignificant. Conclusion: The 2-D and 3-D gamma-analysis based agreement between measured and planned dose distributions may indicate their dosimetric equivalence. Small and insignificant differences in TCPs and NTCPs based on measured and planned dose distributions indicate the radiobiological equivalence between the measured and optimized plans. However, patient plans showing larger differences between 2-D and 3-D gamma-analysis can help us make a more definite conclusion through our ongoing research with a larger number of patients.« less

77 FR 47572 - Retrospective Analysis of Existing Rules

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-09

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION 19 CFR Chapter II Retrospective Analysis of Existing Rules AGENCY... Order 13579 of July 11, 2011, the Commission recently adopted its Plan for Retrospective Analysis of... submitted in connection with the Commission's Preliminary Plan for Retrospective Analysis of Existing Rules...

Integrated corridor management analysis, modeling, and simulation experimental plan for the test corridor.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-03-01

This document, the AMS Experimental Plan, lays out the scope of analysis that will be conducted through the application of the AMS methodology to the Test Corridor. The specific objectives of the Experimental Plan are: create an AMS framework that id...

Connected vehicle impacts on transportation planning analysis of the need for new and enhanced analysis tools, techniques and data : Highway Capacity Manual briefing.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-03-02

The principal objective of this project, Connected Vehicle Impacts on Transportation Planning, is to comprehensively assess how connected vehicles should be considered across the range of transportation planning processes and products developed...

MONROE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAMPUS PLAN.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caudill, Rowlett, Scott and Associates, Bryan, TX.

THE MASTER PLANS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CAMPUS OF THE NEW MONROE COMMUNITY COLLEGE INCLUDE EDUCATIONAL SPECIFICATIONS, SITE ANALYSIS DATA AND BUILDING PLANS. THE EDUCATIONAL SPECIFICATIONS ARE BASED UPON COMMUNITY NEEDS AND ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS, AND REFLECT SPACE REQUIREMENTS. IN THE SITE ANALYSIS, FACTORS SUCH AS TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATE,…

Connected vehicle impacts on transportation planning technical memorandum #3 : analysis of the need for new and enhanced analysis tools, techniques, and data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-06-01

The principal objective of this project, Connected Vehicle Impacts on Transportation Planning, is to comprehensively assess how connected vehicles should be considered across the range of transportation planning processes and products developed...

Developing Scenarios: Linking Environmental Scanning and Strategic Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whiteley, Meredith A.; And Others

1990-01-01

The multiple scenario analysis technique for organizational planning used by multinational corporations is adaptable for colleges and universities. Arizona State University launched a futures-based planning project using the Delphi technique and cross-impact analysis to produce three alternative scenarios (stable, turbulent, and chaotic) to expand…

Planning performance in schizophrenia patients: a meta-analysis of the influence of task difficulty and clinical and sociodemographic variables.

PubMed

Knapp, F; Viechtbauer, W; Leonhart, R; Nitschke, K; Kaller, C P

2017-08-01

Despite a large body of research on planning performance in adult schizophrenia patients, results of individual studies are equivocal, suggesting either no, moderate or severe planning deficits. This meta-analysis therefore aimed to quantify planning deficits in schizophrenia and to examine potential sources of the heterogeneity seen in the literature. The meta-analysis comprised outcomes of planning accuracy of 1377 schizophrenia patients and 1477 healthy controls from 31 different studies which assessed planning performance using tower tasks such as the Tower of London, the Tower of Hanoi and the Stockings of Cambridge. A meta-regression analysis was applied to assess the influence of potential moderator variables (i.e. sociodemographic and clinical variables as well as task difficulty). The findings indeed demonstrated a planning deficit in schizophrenia patients (mean effect size: ; 95% confidence interval 0.56-0.78) that was moderated by task difficulty in terms of the minimum number of moves required for a solution. The results did not reveal any significant relationship between the extent of planning deficits and sociodemographic or clinical variables. The current results provide first meta-analytic evidence for the commonly assumed impairments of planning performance in schizophrenia. Deficits are more likely to become manifest in problem items with higher demands on planning ahead, which may at least partly explain the heterogeneity of previous findings. As only a small fraction of studies reported coherent information on sample characteristics, future meta-analyses would benefit from more systematic reports on those variables.

Analysis of Survivor Benefit Plan - Acceptance and Comparison with Private Sector

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

I COPY AIU WAR COLLEGE ,.SEARCH REPORT ,YSIS OF SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN-__CCEPTANCE ’-U AND COMPARISON WITH PRIVATE SECTOR LIEUENNT COLONEL JOHN R...AAA AIR WAR COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY ANALYSIS OF SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN--ACCEPTANCE AND COMPARISON WITH PRIVATE SECTOR by John R. Adams Lieutenant...Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)--Acceptance and Comparison With Private Sector . AUTHORS: John R. Adams, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF; Daniel 3. Kohn

Individual Differences in Planning Processes.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

prescriptive guidelines for improving planning. The research focuses on the analysis of thinking-aloud proto- cols produced by five subjects as they performed a...planning. ICURITV CLAI, PICA’IOw of il PAogemben Do&l abwr . --- ...... - iii - PREFACE This Note describes an analysis of "think-aloud" protocols gen...a conceptual framework for the analysis . The model specifies a Dumber of decision categories that could be matched to sub- jects’ descriptions of

Marketing Analysis and Strategy for a Small Business in the Beekeeping Industry.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-18

segment has opportunities associated with it that may be profitably 2Philip Kotler , "Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control," Prentice...I I I162 I I BIBLIOGRAPHY IB Abel, Derek and John Hammond. Strategic Market Planning. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice- Hall, Inc., 1979. Kotler ... Philip . Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1976. Ott, Hyman. Introduction to Statistical

24 CFR 91.410 - Housing market analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Housing market analysis. 91.410... Development CONSOLIDATED SUBMISSIONS FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS Consortia; Contents of Consolidated Plan § 91.410 Housing market analysis. Housing market analysis must be described in the...

Connected vehicle impacts on transportation planning : analysis of the need for new and enhanced analysis tools, techniques and data, briefing for traffic simulation models.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-03-11

The principal objective of this project, Connected Vehicle Impacts on Transportation Planning, is to comprehensively assess how connected vehicles should be considered across the range of transportation planning processes and products developed...

Connected vehicle impacts on transportation planning : analysis of the need for new and enhanced analysis tools, techniques and data—briefing for traffic simulation models.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-03-11

The principal objective of this project, Connected Vehicle Impacts on Transportation Planning, is to comprehensively assess how connected vehicles should be considered across the range of transportation planning processes and products developed...

Strategic Planning (Thinking) for the Digital Era.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groff, Warren H.

This paper examines trends and issues in strategic planning for business and educational institutions on an international level. The paper is organized into sections on analysis, visions, and action plans. Under "analysis" the discussion focuses on commerce (electronic commerce, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas, and stages of the…

DOD Product Support Business Case Analysis Guidebook

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-01

Mitigation Plans ................................................................................................ 30 4.8 Sensitivity Analysis...Product Support BCA concludes with a recommendation and associated specific actions and an implementation plan to achieve stated organizational...primary executer of the actions and recommendations derived out of the BCA. Within the program office, the PSM has the responsibility to plan

Design and architecture of the Mars relay network planning and analysis framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheung, K. M.; Lee, C. H.

2002-01-01

In this paper we describe the design and architecture of the Mars Network planning and analysis framework that supports generation and validation of efficient planning and scheduling strategy. The goals are to minimize the transmitting time, minimize the delaying time, and/or maximize the network throughputs. The proposed framework would require (1) a client-server architecture to support interactive, batch, WEB, and distributed analysis and planning applications for the relay network analysis scheme, (2) a high-fidelity modeling and simulation environment that expresses link capabilities between spacecraft to spacecraft and spacecraft to Earth stations as time-varying resources, and spacecraft activities, link priority, Solar System dynamic events, the laws of orbital mechanics, and other limiting factors as spacecraft power and thermal constraints, (3) an optimization methodology that casts the resource and constraint models into a standard linear and nonlinear constrained optimization problem that lends itself to commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)planning and scheduling algorithms.

Numbers of Beauty: An Innovative Aesthetic Analysis for Orthognathic Surgery Treatment Planning.

PubMed

Marianetti, Tito Matteo; Gasparini, Giulio; Midulla, Giulia; Grippaudo, Cristina; Deli, Roberto; Cervelli, Daniele; Pelo, Sandro; Moro, Alessandro

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to validate a new aesthetic analysis and establish the sagittal position of the maxilla on an ideal group of reference. We want to demonstrate the usefulness of these findings in the treatment planning of patients undergoing orthognathic surgery. We took a reference group of 81 Italian women participating in a national beauty contest in 2011 on which we performed Arnett's soft tissues cephalometric analysis and our new "Vertical Planning Line" analysis. We used the ideal values to elaborate the surgical treatment planning of a second group of 60 consecutive female patients affected by skeletal class III malocclusion. Finally we compared both pre- and postoperative pictures with the reference values of the ideal group. The ideal group of reference does not perfectly fit in Arnett's proposed norms. From the descriptive statistical comparison of the patients' values before and after orthognathic surgery with the reference values we observed how all parameters considered got closer to the ideal population. We consider our "Vertical Planning Line" a useful help for orthodontist and surgeon in the treatment planning of patients with skeletal malocclusions, in combination with the clinical facial examination and the classical cephalometric analysis of bone structures.

Statistical analysis plan for the family-led rehabilitation after stroke in India (ATTEND) trial: A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a new model of stroke rehabilitation compared to usual care.

PubMed

Billot, Laurent; Lindley, Richard I; Harvey, Lisa A; Maulik, Pallab K; Hackett, Maree L; Murthy, Gudlavalleti Vs; Anderson, Craig S; Shamanna, Bindiganavale R; Jan, Stephen; Walker, Marion; Forster, Anne; Langhorne, Peter; Verma, Shweta J; Felix, Cynthia; Alim, Mohammed; Gandhi, Dorcas Bc; Pandian, Jeyaraj Durai

2017-02-01

Background In low- and middle-income countries, few patients receive organized rehabilitation after stroke, yet the burden of chronic diseases such as stroke is increasing in these countries. Affordable models of effective rehabilitation could have a major impact. The ATTEND trial is evaluating a family-led caregiver delivered rehabilitation program after stroke. Objective To publish the detailed statistical analysis plan for the ATTEND trial prior to trial unblinding. Methods Based upon the published registration and protocol, the blinded steering committee and management team, led by the trial statistician, have developed a statistical analysis plan. The plan has been informed by the chosen outcome measures, the data collection forms and knowledge of key baseline data. Results The resulting statistical analysis plan is consistent with best practice and will allow open and transparent reporting. Conclusions Publication of the trial statistical analysis plan reduces potential bias in trial reporting, and clearly outlines pre-specified analyses. Clinical Trial Registrations India CTRI/2013/04/003557; Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN1261000078752; Universal Trial Number U1111-1138-6707.

Impact of model-based risk analysis for liver surgery planning.

PubMed

Hansen, C; Zidowitz, S; Preim, B; Stavrou, G; Oldhafer, K J; Hahn, H K

2014-05-01

A model-based risk analysis for oncologic liver surgery was described in previous work (Preim et al. in Proceedings of international symposium on computer assisted radiology and surgery (CARS), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 353–358, 2002; Hansen et al. Int I Comput Assist Radiol Surg 4(5):469–474, 2009). In this paper, we present an evaluation of this method. To prove whether and how the risk analysis facilitates the process of liver surgery planning, an explorative user study with 10 liver experts was conducted. The purpose was to compare and analyze their decision-making. The results of the study show that model-based risk analysis enhances the awareness of surgical risk in the planning stage. Participants preferred smaller resection volumes and agreed more on the safety margins’ width in case the risk analysis was available. In addition, time to complete the planning task and confidence of participants were not increased when using the risk analysis. This work shows that the applied model-based risk analysis may influence important planning decisions in liver surgery. It lays a basis for further clinical evaluations and points out important fields for future research.

CPAS Preflight Drop Test Analysis Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Englert, Megan E.; Bledsoe, Kristin J.; Romero, Leah M.

2015-01-01

Throughout the Capsule Parachute Assembly System (CPAS) drop test program, the CPAS Analysis Team has developed a simulation and analysis process to support drop test planning and execution. This process includes multiple phases focused on developing test simulations and communicating results to all groups involved in the drop test. CPAS Engineering Development Unit (EDU) series drop test planning begins with the development of a basic operational concept for each test. Trajectory simulation tools include the Flight Analysis and Simulation Tool (FAST) for single bodies, and the Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems (ADAMS) simulation for the mated vehicle. Results are communicated to the team at the Test Configuration Review (TCR) and Test Readiness Review (TRR), as well as at Analysis Integrated Product Team (IPT) meetings in earlier and intermediate phases of the pre-test planning. The ability to plan and communicate efficiently with rapidly changing objectives and tight schedule constraints is a necessity for safe and successful drop tests.

An early examination of access to select orphan drugs treating rare diseases in health insurance exchange plans.

PubMed

Robinson, Sandy W; Brantley, Kelly; Liow, Christine; Teagarden, J Russell

2014-10-01

Patients with rare diseases often face significant health care access challenges, particularly since the number of available treatment options for rare diseases is limited. The implementation of health insurance exchanges promises improved access to health care. However, when purchasing a plan, patients with rare diseases need to consider multiple factors, such as insurance premium, access to providers, coverage of a specific medication or treatment, tier placement of drug, and out-of-pocket costs.  To provide an early snapshot of the exchange plan landscape from the perspective of patients with select rare diseases by evaluating the degree of access to medications in a subset of exchange plans based on coverage, tier placement, associated cost sharing, and utilization management (UM) applied.  The selection of drugs for this analysis began by identifying rare diseases with FDA-approved treatment options using the National Institutes of Health Office of Rare Diseases' webpage and further identification of a subset of drugs based on select criteria to ensure a varied sample, including the characteristics and prevalence of the condition. The medications were categorized based on whether alternative therapies have FDA approval for the same indication and whether there are comparators based on class or therapeutic area. The list was narrowed to 11 medications across 7 diseases, and the analysis was based on how these drugs are listed in exchange plan outpatient pharmacy benefit formularies. This analysis focused on 84 plans in 15 states with the highest expected exchange enrollment and included a variety of plan types to ensure that variability in the marketplace was represented. To best approximate plans that will have the greatest enrollment, the analysis focused on silver and bronze plan formularies because consumers in this market are expected to be sensitive to premiums. Data on drug coverage, tier placement, cost, and UM were collected from these plans beginning October 1, 2013, with the launch of the open enrollment period. Coverage and use of UM for selected medications vary within and across states. This study found that bronze plans were far less likely than silver plans to cover the 11 products included in this analysis. Results also showed that select drugs identified as the only FDA-approved product indicated for a certain rare disease experienced relatively robust coverage (at least 65% of plans) but often included some form of UM. However, coverage of selected rare disease therapies also is complicated by the fact that plans cover certain products under the medical benefit versus the pharmacy benefit. At the time of this analysis, transparency of medical benefit coverage for these products in exchange plans was limited.Selected medications are most likely to appear on the highest tiers of 4-tier formularies or are not covered at all. Although there are no requirements to designate certain tiers as "specialty tiers," more than 70% of plans in this study use coinsurance for the highest tiers of their formularies. Rates of coinsurance for medications on highest tiers range from 10% to 50% in silver plans and 15% to 50% in bronze plans. Among those plans utilizing copayments rather than coinsurance, ranges of copayments for these select products vary between $20 and $250 per prescription across both silver plans and bronze plans. This preliminary analysis of access to treatments for patients with select rare diseases revealed the complexities involved for patients with specific needs when selecting a plan with appropriate coverage. For patients with rare diseases, the process of identifying and selecting a plan centers on understanding if and how the plan covers a specific treatment or set of treatments. Access factors will likely vary substantially across plans, as demonstrated by the findings from this analysis. With limited treatment options and the potential for cost sharing and UM barriers, increased data transparency to assist patients in navigating formularies will be a critical step for patients to fully understand their access to needed therapies in each plan.

No-migration variance petition. Appendices A--B: Volume 2, Revision 1

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

Not Available

1990-03-01

Volume II contains Appendix A, emergency plan and Appendix B, waste analysis plan. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Emergency plan and Procedures (WP 12-9, Rev. 5, 1989) provides an organized plan of action for dealing with emergencies at the WIPP. A contingency plan is included which is in compliance with 40 CFR Part 265, Subpart D. The waste analysis plan provides a description of the chemical and physical characteristics of the wastes to be emplaced in the WIPP underground facility. A detailed discussion of the WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria and the rationale for its established units are also included.

Motivations and Barriers for Policymakers to Developing State Adaptation Plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, R.; Sylak-Glassman, E.

2016-12-01

Current approaches for developing high-quality adaptation plan require significant resources. In recent years, communities have grown to embrace adaptive plans across multiple forms, including adaptive capacity assessments, resilience strategies, and vulnerability assessments. Across the United States, as of this writing, 14 states have established adaptation plans, with another 8 states having begun the process. Given the high resources requirements and increasing interest in the development of adaptation plans, we aim to examine patterns behind the establishment of resilience plans at the state level. We examine demographic, financial, political, and physical characteristics associated with different states in an effort to explore the reasoning behind investing in the development of adaptation plans. This analysis considers quantitative and qualitative factors, including recent elections for political parties, politicians' climate-related statements and campaign promises, demographics, budgets, and regional climate threats. The analysis aims to identify motivations for state leadership taking action to develop adaptation plans. Results from the analysis seek to identify the primary drivers and barriers associated with state-wide resilience planning. These results could inform the design of scientific communication tools or approaches to aid future adaptation responses to climate change.

SU-F-T-312: Identifying Distinct Radiation Therapy Plan Classes Through Multi-Dimensional Analysis of Plan Complexity Metrics

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

Desai, V; Labby, Z; Culberson, W

Purpose: To determine whether body site-specific treatment plans form unique “plan class” clusters in a multi-dimensional analysis of plan complexity metrics such that a single beam quality correction determined for a representative plan could be universally applied within the “plan class”, thereby increasing the dosimetric accuracy of a detector’s response within a subset of similarly modulated nonstandard deliveries. Methods: We collected 95 clinical volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans from four body sites (brain, lung, prostate, and spine). The lung data was further subdivided into SBRT and non-SBRT data for a total of five plan classes. For each control pointmore » in each plan, a variety of aperture-based complexity metrics were calculated and stored as unique characteristics of each patient plan. A multiple comparison of means analysis was performed such that every plan class was compared to every other plan class for every complexity metric in order to determine which groups could be considered different from one another. Statistical significance was assessed after correcting for multiple hypothesis testing. Results: Six out of a possible 10 pairwise plan class comparisons were uniquely distinguished based on at least nine out of 14 of the proposed metrics (Brain/Lung, Brain/SBRT lung, Lung/Prostate, Lung/SBRT Lung, Lung/Spine, Prostate/SBRT Lung). Eight out of 14 of the complexity metrics could distinguish at least six out of the possible 10 pairwise plan class comparisons. Conclusion: Aperture-based complexity metrics could prove to be useful tools to quantitatively describe a distinct class of treatment plans. Certain plan-averaged complexity metrics could be considered unique characteristics of a particular plan. A new approach to generating plan-class specific reference (pcsr) fields could be established through a targeted preservation of select complexity metrics or a clustering algorithm that identifies plans exhibiting similar modulation characteristics. Measurements and simulations will better elucidate potential plan-class specific dosimetry correction factors.« less

Foundation for the Future. 2013-2015 Strategic Plan. FY13 Organizational Performance Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ( SWOT ) Analysis 192013–2015 Strategic Plan tr t ic l The Planning, Policy, and Leadership Support (PPLS...participation of faculty and staff from across the University in this review. The review process begins with an analysis of organizational strengths...weaknesses, opportunities, and threats ( SWOT ). (The results of the SWOT are shown on page 18.) This is based on an environmental scan which identifi

Planning for Post-Regime Change Environments: The Introduction of a Post-Regime Environment Planning Partnership (PREPP)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-26

makers. The third case study, on Nigeria , will provide an analysis of a peaceful transition of power. Finally, the structure for a proposed Post...15. SUBJECT TERMS Regime Change, National Security Council, Kosovo, Libya, Nigeria , transition of power, post-regime change planning. 16. SECURITY...conflation that exists between the planning element and politically appointed decision makers. The third case study, on Nigeria , will provide an analysis of

Study on the methods of rational analysis about the area of the Planning of Sea Usage of Regional Construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ya-Juan, Li; Tian-Yu, Mao; Mingjing-Tian

2018-03-01

The Planning of Sea Usage of Regional Construction is a new area, and the rational analysis about the area of which is one of its difficulties. Based on “Urban land classification and land use planning and construction standards”, the land use control index method study the rationality of the sea usage area of the whole region, by accumulating for specific land use indicators for each land type within the planning area. This paper, takeing the project named “caofeidian integrated service area” for example, make a little study on the land use control index method used by the sea usage demonstration of the planning of sea usage of regional construction. The study will be good for improving the technical methods of rational analysis about the area of the planning of sea usage of regional construction.

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of patient education for acute low back pain (PREVENT Trial): statistical analysis plan.

PubMed

Traeger, Adrian C; Skinner, Ian W; Hübscher, Markus; Lee, Hopin; Moseley, G Lorimer; Nicholas, Michael K; Henschke, Nicholas; Refshauge, Kathryn M; Blyth, Fiona M; Main, Chris J; Hush, Julia M; Pearce, Garry; Lo, Serigne; McAuley, James H

Statistical analysis plans increase the transparency of decisions made in the analysis of clinical trial results. The purpose of this paper is to detail the planned analyses for the PREVENT trial, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of patient education for acute low back pain. We report the pre-specified principles, methods, and procedures to be adhered to in the main analysis of the PREVENT trial data. The primary outcome analysis will be based on Mixed Models for Repeated Measures (MMRM), which can test treatment effects at specific time points, and the assumptions of this analysis are outlined. We also outline the treatment of secondary outcomes and planned sensitivity analyses. We provide decisions regarding the treatment of missing data, handling of descriptive and process measure data, and blinded review procedures. Making public the pre-specified statistical analysis plan for the PREVENT trial minimizes the potential for bias in the analysis of trial data, and in the interpretation and reporting of trial results. ACTRN12612001180808 (https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12612001180808). Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

A landscape analysis plan

Treesearch

Nancy E. Fleenor

2002-01-01

A Landscape Analysis Plan (LAP) sets out broad guidelines for project development within boundaries of the Kings River Sustainable Forest Ecosystems Project. The plan must be a dynamic, living document, subject to change as new information arises over the course of this very long-term project (several decades). Two watersheds, each of 32,000 acres, were dedicated to...

Hampton Roads, Virginia eight-hour ozone maintenance area transportation conformity analysis : 2030 long range transportation plan and FY 09-12 transportation improvement program, draft report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

This report presents the regional conformity analysis and recommendation for a finding : of conformity for the Hampton Roads 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP, or : "Plan") and associated Fiscal Year (FY) 2009-2012 Transportation Improvement ...

Education and Modernization of Micronesia: A Case Study in Development and Development Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearse, Richard; Bezanson, Keith A.

The case study examined the development of an overall education plan for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The methodology of multidisciplinary education planning through the use of general comparative analysis models of political, economic, and social development is explained: Almond and Powell's framework for the analysis of political…

Confronting Rhetorical Disability: A Critical Analysis of Women's Birth Plans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Kim Hensley

2009-01-01

Through its analysis of birth plans, documents some women create to guide their birth attendants' actions during hospital births, this article reveals the rhetorical complexity of childbirth and analyzes women's attempts to harness birth plans as tools of resistance and self-education. Asserting that technologies can both silence and give voice,…

Hampton Roads, Virginia eight-hour ozone maintenance area transportation conformity analysis : 2030 long range transportation plan and FY 09-12 transportation improvement program, draft executive summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

This report presents the regional conformity analysis and recommendation for a finding of conformity for the Hampton Roads 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP, or "Plan") and associated Fiscal Year (FY) 2009-2012 Transportation Improvement Prog...

Guidelines for Analysis of Health Facilities Planning in Developing Countries. Volume 5: Health Facilities Planning. International Health Planning Methods Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Dennis R.; And Others

Intended to assist Agency for International Development (AID) officers, advisors, and health officials in incorporating health planning into national plans for economic development, this fifth of ten manuals in the International Health Planning Methods Series deals with health facilities planning in developing countries. While several specific…

Guidelines for Analysis of Health Manpower Planning. Volume 3: Health Manpower Planning. International Health Planning Methods Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staff, Robert J.; Porter, Dennis R.

Intended to assist Agency for International Development (AID) officers, advisors, and health officials in incorporating health planning into national plans for economic development, this third of ten manuals in the International Health Planning Methods Series deals with health manpower planning and assessment. It provides a conceptual and…

Preliminary logging analysis system (PLANS): overview.

Treesearch

R.H. Twito; S.E. Reutebuch; R.J. McGaughey; C.N. Mann

1987-01-01

The paper previews a computer-aided design system, PLANS, that is useful for developing timber harvest and road network plans on large-scale topographic maps. Earlier planning techniques are reviewed, and the advantages are explained of using advanced planning systems like PLANS. There is a brief summary of the input, output, and function of each program in the PLANS...

10 CFR 52.79 - Contents of applications; technical information in final safety analysis report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... B to 10 CFR part 73. (iii) A cyber security plan in accordance with the criteria set forth in § 73..., training and qualification plan, and cyber security plan; and (v) Each applicant who prepares a physical security plan, a safeguards contingency plan, a training and qualification plan, or a cyber security plan...

10 CFR 52.79 - Contents of applications; technical information in final safety analysis report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... B to 10 CFR part 73. (iii) A cyber security plan in accordance with the criteria set forth in § 73..., training and qualification plan, and cyber security plan; and (v) Each applicant who prepares a physical security plan, a safeguards contingency plan, a training and qualification plan, or a cyber security plan...

10 CFR 52.79 - Contents of applications; technical information in final safety analysis report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) A cyber security plan in accordance with the criteria set forth in § 73.54 of this chapter; (iv) A... cyber security plan; and (v) Each applicant who prepares a physical security plan, a safeguards contingency plan, a training and qualification plan, or a cyber security plan, shall protect the plans and...

10 CFR 52.79 - Contents of applications; technical information in final safety analysis report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... B to 10 CFR part 73. (iii) A cyber security plan in accordance with the criteria set forth in § 73..., training and qualification plan, and cyber security plan; and (v) Each applicant who prepares a physical security plan, a safeguards contingency plan, a training and qualification plan, or a cyber security plan...

Analysis of strategic plans to assess planning for sustainability of comprehensive community initiatives.

PubMed

Sridharan, Sanjeev; Go, Sodam; Zinzow, Heidi; Gray, Aracelis; Barrett, Melissa Gutierrez

2007-02-01

In order to achieve the intended impact on a community, comprehensive community initiatives must sustain programs once they have been implemented. However, planning for sustainability is challenging and is rarely incorporated in the planning process of an initiative. The current study examined 19 5-year plans developed during the planning phase of the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent and Chronic Juvenile Offenders. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to assess the extent to which the construct of sustainability was incorporated. The plan analysis was supplemented with results from other components of the complex evaluation design implemented as part of the process evaluation of Comprehensive Strategy. Results suggested that sustainability was not accounted for during the planning phase of this initiative. The implications of these findings, including the importance of planning for sustainability in order to achieve sustainability, are discussed.

Interactive Planning under Uncertainty with Casual Modeling and Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

Tool ( CAT ), a system for creating and analyzing causal models similar to Bayes networks. In order to use CAT as a tool for planning, users go through...an iterative process in which they use CAT to create and an- alyze alternative plans. One of the biggest difficulties is that the number of possible...Causal Analysis Tool ( CAT ), which is a tool for representing and analyzing causal networks sim- ilar to Bayesian networks. In order to represent plans

Planning representation for automated exploratory data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

St. Amant, Robert; Cohen, Paul R.

1994-03-01

Igor is a knowledge-based system for exploratory statistical analysis of complex systems and environments. Igor has two related goals: to help automate the search for interesting patterns in data sets, and to help develop models that capture significant relationships in the data. We outline a language for Igor, based on techniques of opportunistic planning, which balances control and opportunism. We describe the application of Igor to the analysis of the behavior of Phoenix, an artificial intelligence planning system.

Analysis of the value of battery storage with wind and photovoltaic generation to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District

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

Zaininger, H.W.

1998-08-01

This report describes the results of an analysis to determine the economic and operational value of battery storage to wind and photovoltaic (PV) generation technologies to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) system. The analysis approach consisted of performing a benefit-cost economic assessment using established SMUD financial parameters, system expansion plans, and current system operating procedures. This report presents the results of the analysis. Section 2 describes expected wind and PV plant performance. Section 3 describes expected benefits to SMUD associated with employing battery storage. Section 4 presents preliminary benefit-cost results for battery storage added at the Solano wind plantmore » and the Hedge PV plant. Section 5 presents conclusions and recommendations resulting from this analysis. The results of this analysis should be reviewed subject to the following caveat. The assumptions and data used in developing these results were based on reports available from and interaction with appropriate SMUD operating, planning, and design personnel in 1994 and early 1995 and are compatible with financial assumptions and system expansion plans as of that time. Assumptions and SMUD expansion plans have changed since then. In particular, SMUD did not install the additional 45 MW of wind that was planned for 1996. Current SMUD expansion plans and assumptions should be obtained from appropriate SMUD personnel.« less

Considerations for using data envelopment analysis for the assessment of radiotherapy treatment plan quality.

PubMed

Simpson, John; Raith, Andrea; Rouse, Paul; Ehrgott, Matthias

2017-10-09

Purpose The operations research method of data envelopment analysis (DEA) shows promise for assessing radiotherapy treatment plan quality. The purpose of this paper is to consider the technical requirements for using DEA for plan assessment. Design/methodology/approach In total, 41 prostate treatment plans were retrospectively analysed using the DEA method. The authors investigate the impact of DEA weight restrictions with reference to the ability to differentiate plan performance at a level of clinical significance. Patient geometry influences plan quality and the authors compare differing approaches for managing patient geometry within the DEA method. Findings The input-oriented DEA method is the method of choice when performing plan analysis using the key undesirable plan metrics as the DEA inputs. When considering multiple inputs, it is necessary to constrain the DEA input weights in order to identify potential plan improvements at a level of clinical significance. All tested approaches for the consideration of patient geometry yielded consistent results. Research limitations/implications This work is based on prostate plans and individual recommendations would therefore need to be validated for other treatment sites. Notwithstanding, the method that requires both optimised DEA weights according to clinical significance and appropriate accounting for patient geometric factors is universally applicable. Practical implications DEA can potentially be used during treatment plan development to guide the planning process or alternatively used retrospectively for treatment plan quality audit. Social implications DEA is independent of the planning system platform and therefore has the potential to be used for multi-institutional quality audit. Originality/value To the authors' knowledge, this is the first published examination of the optimal approach in the use of DEA for radiotherapy treatment plan assessment.

40 CFR 60.2899 - What is a waste management plan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What is a waste management plan? 60... (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Preconstruction Siting Analysis Waste Management Plan § 60.2899 What is a waste management plan? A waste management plan is a written plan that...

40 CFR 60.2899 - What is a waste management plan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What is a waste management plan? 60... (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Preconstruction Siting Analysis Waste Management Plan § 60.2899 What is a waste management plan? A waste management plan is a written plan that...

Collection and analysis of 2013-2014 travel time data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-07-04

This report documents the findings of Planning Study 27, Collection and Analysis of 2013-2014 Travel Time Data, which is a continuation of Planning Study 24, Analysis of Historical Travel Time Data. The main scope is to analyze newly acquired link-re...

Guidelines for Analysis of Communicable Disease Control Planning in Developing Countries. Volume 1: Communicable Diseases Control Planning. International Health Planning Methods Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chin, James

Intended to assist Agency for International Development (AID) officers, advisors, and health officials in incorporating health planning into national plans for economic development, this first of ten manuals in the International Health Planning Methods Series deals with planning and evaluation of communicable disease control programs. The first…

Guidelines for Analysis of Environmental Health Planning in Developing Countries. Volume 2: Environmental Health Planning. International Health Planning Methods Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Renee White; Shani, Hadasa

Intended to assist Agency for International Development (AID) officers, advisors, and health officials in incorporating health planning into national plans for economic development, this second of ten manuals in the International Health Planning Methods Series deals with assessment, planning, and evaluation in the field of environmental health.…

75 FR 30100 - FY 2010 Discretionary Livability Funding Opportunity: Alternatives Analysis Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-28

..., Alternatives Analysis Program, Office of Planning and Environment, by phone at (202) 493-0512 or by e-mail at... transportation planning process which includes: (1) An assessment of a wide range of public transportation... descriptions of the documents produced, can be found on FTA's Web site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/planning...

Benefits of Using Planned Comparisons Rather Than Post Hoc Tests: A Brief Review with Examples.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DuRapau, Theresa M.

The rationale behind analysis of variance (including analysis of covariance and multiple analyses of variance and covariance) methods is reviewed, and unplanned and planned methods of evaluating differences between means are briefly described. Two advantages of using planned or a priori tests over unplanned or post hoc tests are presented. In…

Farmers and Bankers Are Interested in F.B.P.A. (Farm Business Planning and Analysis)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borton, John L.

1974-01-01

A successful Farm Business Planning and Analysis program is being taught by the Upper Sandusky, Ohio, Vocational Agriculture Department fo farm operators, farm couples, bankers, and vocational agriculture teachers and students. The F.B.P.A. program consists of developing a record system, summarizing and analyzing the system, and planning future…

78 FR 29318 - Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, Colorado and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-20

.../ grasslands plan amendments to the 1984 PSICC Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) may be needed to... areas in Colorado. The scope of the analysis is Forest and Grassland-wide. DATES: Comments concerning the scope of this analysis should be received by June 19, 2013. The draft environmental impact...

Research on the Intensity Analysis and Result Visualization of Construction Land in Urban Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, J.; Dong, B.; Li, J.; Li, L.

2017-09-01

As a fundamental work of urban planning, the intensity analysis of construction land involves many repetitive data processing works that are prone to cause errors or data precision loss, and the lack of efficient methods and tools to visualizing the analysis results in current urban planning. In the research a portable tool is developed by using the Model Builder technique embedded in ArcGIS to provide automatic data processing and rapid result visualization for the works. A series of basic modules provided by ArcGIS are linked together to shape a whole data processing chain in the tool. Once the required data is imported, the analysis results and related maps and graphs including the intensity values and zoning map, the skyline analysis map etc. are produced automatically. Finally the tool is installation-free and can be dispatched quickly between planning teams.

Specific Molecular Signatures for Type II Crustins in Penaeid Shrimp Uncovered by the Identification of Crustin-Like Antimicrobial Peptides in Litopenaeus vannamei

PubMed Central

Barreto, Cairé; Coelho, Jaqueline da Rosa; Yuan, Jianbo; Xiang, Jianhai; Perazzolo, Luciane Maria

2018-01-01

Crustins form a large family of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in crustaceans composed of four sub-groups (Types I-IV). Type II crustins (Type IIa or “Crustins” and Type IIb or “Crustin-like”) possess a typical hydrophobic N-terminal region and are by far the most representative sub-group found in penaeid shrimp. To gain insight into the molecular diversity of Type II crustins in penaeids, we identified and characterized a Type IIb crustin in Litopenaeus vannamei (Crustin-like Lv) and compared Type II crustins at both molecular and transcriptional levels. Although L. vannamei Type II crustins (Crustin Lv and Crustin-like Lv) are encoded by separate genes, they showed a similar tissue distribution (hemocytes and gills) and transcriptional response to the shrimp pathogens Vibrio harveyi and White spot syndrome virus (WSSV). As Crustin Lv, Crustin-like Lv transcripts were found to be present early in development, suggesting a maternal contribution to shrimp progeny. Altogether, our in silico and transcriptional data allowed to conclude that (1) each sub-type displays a specific amino acid signature at the C-terminal end holding both the cysteine-rich region and the whey acidic protein (WAP) domain, and that (2) shrimp Type II crustins evolved from a common ancestral gene that conserved a similar pattern of transcriptional regulation. PMID:29337853

Strategic Planning to Conduct Joint Force Network Operations: A Content Analysis of NETOPS Organizations Strategic Plans

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

information dominance , Joint Network Operations (NETOPS) organizations need to be strategically aligned. As result, to enhance the capabilities-based effects of NETOPS and reduce our NETOP infrastructures susceptibility to compromise. Once the key organizations were identified, their strategic plans were analyzed using a structured content analysis framework. The results illustrated that the strategic plans were aligned with the community of interests tasking to conduct NETOPS. Further research is required into the strategic alignment beyond the strategic

Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) Water Temperature Models Developed for the Missouri River Recovery Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-18

Temperature Models Developed for the Missouri River Recovery Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement En vi ro nm en ta l L ab or at or y...Engineering Center-River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) Water Temperature Models Developed for the Missouri River Recovery Management Plan and Environmental...Prepared for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Washington, DC 20314-1000 Under Project 396939, “Missouri River Recovery Management Plan and Environmental

Solving the AI Planning Plus Scheduling Problem Using Model Checking via Automatic Translation from the Abstract Plan Preparation Language (APPL) to the Symbolic Analysis Laboratory (SAL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, Ricky W.; Munoz, Cesar A.; Siminiceanu, Radu I.

2007-01-01

This paper describes a translator from a new planning language named the Abstract Plan Preparation Language (APPL) to the Symbolic Analysis Laboratory (SAL) model checker. This translator has been developed in support of the Spacecraft Autonomy for Vehicles and Habitats (SAVH) project sponsored by the Exploration Technology Development Program, which is seeking to mature autonomy technology for the vehicles and operations centers of Project Constellation.

Application of mobile digital communications in law enforcement, an introductory planning guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sohn, R. L.; Abraham, J. E.; Leflang, W. G.; Kennedy, R. D.; Wilson, J. H.; Gurfield, R. M.

1975-01-01

A set of planning guidelines for the application of digital communications techniques to law enforcement use is presented. Some essential characteristics of digital techniques and their applications are outlined, as are some principles of system analysis, evaluation, and planning. Requirements analysis, system concept design, implementation planning, and performance and cost modeling are described and demonstrated with respect to this application problem. Information on law enforcement digital communications systems and equipment and a list of vendor sources are given in appendices.

Defense Planning In A Time Of Conflict: A Comparative Analysis Of The 2001-2014 Quadrennial Defense Reviews, And Implications For The Army--Executive Summary

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-01

Defense Planning in a Time of Conflict A Comparative Analysis of the 2001– 2014 Quadrennial Defense Reviews, and Implications for...The purpose of the project was to perform a comparative historical review of the four Quadrennial Defense Reviews (QDRs) conducted since the first...Planning in a Time of Conflict: A Comparative Analysis of the 2001–2014 Quadrennial Defense Reviews, and Implications for the Army—that documented

An Analysis of the Navys Fiscal Year 2016 Shipbuilding Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) 12/01/2014 Technical Report - Congressional Testimony An Analysis of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2016 Shipbuilding ...Release 12/4/2015 No U U U CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES Testimony An Analysis of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2016 Shipbuilding Plan Eric J. Labs Senior...Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the Navy’s 2016 shipbuilding plan and the 2014 update to the service’s 2012 force structure

12 CFR 618.8020 - Feasibility requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) An analysis of how the program relates to or promotes the institution's business plan and strategic... plan; (2) An analysis of the expected financial returns of the program which, at a minimum, must include an evaluation of market, pricing, competition issues, and expected profitability. This analysis...

Integrated corridor management analysis, modeling, and simulation for the I–15 corridor in San Diego, California—post-deployment analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-11-01

Post-Deployment Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) activities focus on identifying impacts and benefits of the as-deployed Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) system. The as-deployed ICM strategies may differ from as-planned ...

Integrated corridor management : analysis, modeling, and simulation for the U.S.-15 corridor in Dallas, Texas—post-deployment analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-10-01

Post-Deployment Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) activities focus on identifying impacts and benefits of the as-deployed Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) system. The as-deployed ICM strategies may differ from as-planned ...

The clinician's guide to composing effective business plans.

PubMed

Ettinger, Alan B; Blondell, Catherine

2011-01-01

In today's challenging healthcare environment, clinicians need to understand the fundamentals of financial analysis, which are the underpinnings of their clinical programs, especially when seeking administrative support for new initiatives. The business plan for new clinical program initiatives is composed of diverse elements such as the mission statement, market and competitive analyses, operations plan, and financial analysis. Armed with a basic knowledge of financial analysis of clinical programs, as well as forward-looking analysis of an initiative's added value, the healthcare provider can work much more effectively with administration in developing or creating new healthcare program initiatives.

Local Government GIS and Geospatial Capabilities : Suitability for Integrated Transportation & Land Use Planning (California SB 375)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-01

This report examines two linked phenomena in transportation planning: the geospatial analysis capabilities of local planning agencies and the increasing demands on such capabilities imposed by comprehensive planning mandates.

Distinguishing between taskwork and teamwork planning in teams: relations with coordination and interpersonal processes.

PubMed

Fisher, David M

2014-05-01

Planning in teams represents a critical process that lays the groundwork for effective team functioning. The current investigation examined whether emergent team planning can be meaningfully characterized in terms of a distinction between planning that focuses on taskwork and planning that focuses on teamwork. In Study 1, items written to reflect commonly identified indicators of team planning were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, slightly modified items were provided to a separate sample, and a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. In Study 3, the relationships between the different forms of planning and other team processes (i.e., coordination, interpersonal processes) were examined in order to determine whether there are unique relationships for task-focused and team-focused planning. Results from the first 2 studies provided support for a 2-factor structure of team planning, whereas Study 3 found independent relationships for taskwork and teamwork planning with subsequent team processes. Both forms of planning also exhibited indirect relationships with team performance via the mediating role of subsequent team processes. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

A cost-benefit analysis of the Mexican Social Security Administration's family planning program.

PubMed

Nortman, D L; Halvas, J; Rabago, A

1986-01-01

A cost-benefit analysis of the family planning program of the Mexican Social Security System (IMSS) was undertaken to test the hypothesis that IMSS's family planning services yield a net savings to IMSS by reducing the load on its maternal and infant care service. The cost data are believed to be of exceptionally high quality because they were empirically ascertained by a retrospective and prospective survey of unit time and personnel costs per specified detailed type of service in 37 IMSS hospitals and 16 clinics in 13 of Mexico's 32 states. Based on the average cost per case, the analysis disclosed that for every peso (constant 1983 currency) that IMSS spent on family planning services to its urban population during 1972-1984 inclusive, the agency saved nine pesos. The article concludes by raising the speculative question as to the proportion of the births averted by the IMSS family planning program that would have been averted in the absence of IMSS's family planning services.

Planning for Impact: A Guide to Planning Effective Family Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, James M.

A document intended to provide program planning guidelines for Young Men's Christian Associations (YMCAs) desirous of working with families, recommends adherence to eight principles and following of five steps. The principles involve planning before action, fact finding and analysis, clear delineation of operational objectives, planning at all…

Strategic financial analysis: the CFO's role in strategic planning.

PubMed

Litos, D M

1985-03-01

Strategic financial analysis, the financial information support system for the strategic planning process, provides information vital to maintaining a healthy bottom line. This article, the third in HCSM's series on the organizational components of strategic planning, reviews the role of the chief financial officer in determining which programs and services will best meet the future needs of the institution.

An Analysis of the Mission and Vision Statements on the Strategic Plans of Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozdem, Guven

2011-01-01

This study aimed to analyze the mission and vision statements on the strategic plans of higher education institutions. The sample of the study consisted of 72 public universities. Strategic plans of the universities were accessed over the internet, and the data collected were analyzed using content analysis. The findings show that statements on…

77 FR 16852 - Notice of Reclassification of Five Regional Offices to Investigative Field Offices: Seattle, WA...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-22

..., it does not need to reorganize. This notice also includes a cost-benefit analysis supporting the...-benefit analysis of the effect of the plan on the office involved. The required cost-benefit analysis must... such offices, HUD/OIG nonetheless voluntarily publishes the following cost-benefit analysis of its plan...

Modeling and analysis needs and resources for small metropolitan area transportation planning : report on a peer exchange.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-01

A peer exchange on Modeling and Analysis Needs and Resources for Small Metropolitan Area Transportation Planning was convened on August 28 and 29, 2011, to explore the state of transportation modeling and analysis practice in communities with populat...

Enriching Planning through Industry Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Mario; Wolverton, Mimi

2009-01-01

Strategic planning is an important tool, but the sole dependence on it across departments and campuses has resulted in the underutilization of equally important methods of analysis. The evolution of higher and postsecondary education necessitates a systemic industry analysis, as the combination of new providers and delivery mechanisms and changing…

Introduction to Psychology and Leadership. Typological Analysis of Student Characteristics: Preliminary Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bessemer, David W.; Shrage, Jules H.

Recommendations for an alternative plan, based on typological analysis techniques, for the evaluation of student characteristics related to media, presentation design, and academic performance are presented. Difficulties with present evaluation plans are discussed, and different methods of typological analysis are described. Included are…

Corridor Planning And Feasibility Analysis Corridor, Master Plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-04-01

THE I-70 RURAL IVHS CORRIDOR MASTER PLAN IS THE GUIDANCE DOCUMENT FOR DEPLOYMENT OF THE INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (ITS) FOR THE INTERSTATE-70 CORRIDOR FROM DENVER TO GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLORADO. AS A WORKING DOCUMENT, THE PLAN RECOMMENDS STRAT...

Transfusion Indication Threshold Reduction (TITRe2) randomized controlled trial in cardiac surgery: statistical analysis plan.

PubMed

Pike, Katie; Nash, Rachel L; Murphy, Gavin J; Reeves, Barnaby C; Rogers, Chris A

2015-02-22

The Transfusion Indication Threshold Reduction (TITRe2) trial is the largest randomized controlled trial to date to compare red blood cell transfusion strategies following cardiac surgery. This update presents the statistical analysis plan, detailing how the study will be analyzed and presented. The statistical analysis plan has been written following recommendations from the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, prior to database lock and the final analysis of trial data. Outlined analyses are in line with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT). The study aims to randomize 2000 patients from 17 UK centres. Patients are randomized to either a restrictive (transfuse if haemoglobin concentration <7.5 g/dl) or liberal (transfuse if haemoglobin concentration <9 g/dl) transfusion strategy. The primary outcome is a binary composite outcome of any serious infectious or ischaemic event in the first 3 months following randomization. The statistical analysis plan details how non-adherence with the intervention, withdrawals from the study, and the study population will be derived and dealt with in the analysis. The planned analyses of the trial primary and secondary outcome measures are described in detail, including approaches taken to deal with multiple testing, model assumptions not being met and missing data. Details of planned subgroup and sensitivity analyses and pre-specified ancillary analyses are given, along with potential issues that have been identified with such analyses and possible approaches to overcome such issues. ISRCTN70923932 .

Regional economic impacts of current and proposed management alternatives for Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richardson, Leslie; Huber, Chris; Koontz, Lynne

2012-01-01

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires all units of the National Wildlife Refuge System to be managed under a Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan must describe the desired future conditions of a Refuge and provide long-range guidance and management direction to achieve refuge purposes. The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, located at the south end of California's San Francisco Bay and one of seven refuges in the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is in the process of developing a range of management goals, objectives, and strategies for the Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan must contain an analysis of expected effects associated with current and proposed Refuge management strategies. For Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan planning, a regional economic analysis provides a means of estimating how current management (No Action Alternative) and proposed management activities (alternatives) affect the local economy. This type of analysis provides two critical pieces of information: (1) it illustrates the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge's contribution to the local community, and (2) it can help in determining whether economic effects are or are not a real concern in choosing among management alternatives. This report first presents a description of the local community and economy near the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Next, the methods used to conduct a regional economic impact analysis are described. An analysis of the final Comprehensive Conservation Plan management strategies that could affect stakeholders, residents, and the local economy is then presented. The management activities of economic concern in this analysis are: * Spending in the local community by Refuge visitors; * Refuge personnel salary spending; and * Refuge purchases of goods and services within the local community.

ANALYSIS RESULTS FOR BUILDING 241 702-AZ A TRAIN

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

DUNCAN JB; FRYE JM; COOKE CA

2006-12-13

This report presents the analyses results for three samples obtained under RPP-PLAN-28509, Sampling and Analysis Plan for Building 241 702-AZ A Train. The sampling and analysis was done in response to problem evaluation request number PER-2004-6139, 702-AZ Filter Rooms Need Radiological Cleanup Efforts.

Local government GIS and geospatial capabilities : suitability for integrated transportation and land use planning (California SB 375).

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-01

This report examines two linked phenomena in transportation planning: the geospatial analysis capabilities of local planning agencies and the increasing demands on such capabilities imposed by comprehensive planning mandates. The particular examples ...

A retrospective analysis for patient-specific quality assurance of volumetric-modulated arc therapy plans.

PubMed

Li, Guangjun; Wu, Kui; Peng, Guang; Zhang, Yingjie; Bai, Sen

2014-01-01

Volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is now widely used clinically, as it is capable of delivering a highly conformal dose distribution in a short time interval. We retrospectively analyzed patient-specific quality assurance (QA) of VMAT and examined the relationships between the planning parameters and the QA results. A total of 118 clinical VMAT cases underwent pretreatment QA. All plans had 3-dimensional diode array measurements, and 69 also had ion chamber measurements. Dose distribution and isocenter point dose were evaluated by comparing the measurements and the treatment planning system (TPS) calculations. In addition, the relationship between QA results and several planning parameters, such as dose level, control points (CPs), monitor units (MUs), average field width, and average leaf travel, were also analyzed. For delivered dose distribution, a gamma analysis passing rate greater than 90% was obtained for all plans and greater than 95% for 100 of 118 plans with the 3%/3-mm criteria. The difference (mean ± standard deviation) between the point doses measured by the ion chamber and those calculated by TPS was 0.9% ± 2.0% for all plans. For all cancer sites, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and gastric cancer have the lowest and highest average passing rates, respectively. From multivariate linear regression analysis, the dose level (p = 0.001) and the average leaf travel (p < 0.001) showed negative correlations with the passing rate, and the average field width (p = 0.003) showed a positive correlation with the passing rate, all indicating a correlation between the passing rate and the plan complexity. No statistically significant correlation was found between MU or CP and the passing rate. Analysis of the results of dosimetric pretreatment measurements as a function of VMAT plan parameters can provide important information to guide the plan parameter setting and optimization in TPS. Copyright © 2014 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A retrospective analysis for patient-specific quality assurance of volumetric-modulated arc therapy plans

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

Li, Guangjun; Wu, Kui; Peng, Guang

2014-01-01

Volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is now widely used clinically, as it is capable of delivering a highly conformal dose distribution in a short time interval. We retrospectively analyzed patient-specific quality assurance (QA) of VMAT and examined the relationships between the planning parameters and the QA results. A total of 118 clinical VMAT cases underwent pretreatment QA. All plans had 3-dimensional diode array measurements, and 69 also had ion chamber measurements. Dose distribution and isocenter point dose were evaluated by comparing the measurements and the treatment planning system (TPS) calculations. In addition, the relationship between QA results and several planning parameters,more » such as dose level, control points (CPs), monitor units (MUs), average field width, and average leaf travel, were also analyzed. For delivered dose distribution, a gamma analysis passing rate greater than 90% was obtained for all plans and greater than 95% for 100 of 118 plans with the 3%/3-mm criteria. The difference (mean ± standard deviation) between the point doses measured by the ion chamber and those calculated by TPS was 0.9% ± 2.0% for all plans. For all cancer sites, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and gastric cancer have the lowest and highest average passing rates, respectively. From multivariate linear regression analysis, the dose level (p = 0.001) and the average leaf travel (p < 0.001) showed negative correlations with the passing rate, and the average field width (p = 0.003) showed a positive correlation with the passing rate, all indicating a correlation between the passing rate and the plan complexity. No statistically significant correlation was found between MU or CP and the passing rate. Analysis of the results of dosimetric pretreatment measurements as a function of VMAT plan parameters can provide important information to guide the plan parameter setting and optimization in TPS.« less

Location and Size Planning of Distributed Photovoltaic Generation in Distribution network System Based on K-means Clustering Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Siqi; Wang, Xiaorong; Wu, Junyong

2018-01-01

The paper presents a method to generate the planning scenarios, which is based on K-means clustering analysis algorithm driven by data, for the location and size planning of distributed photovoltaic (PV) units in the network. Taken the power losses of the network, the installation and maintenance costs of distributed PV, the profit of distributed PV and the voltage offset as objectives and the locations and sizes of distributed PV as decision variables, Pareto optimal front is obtained through the self-adaptive genetic algorithm (GA) and solutions are ranked by a method called technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS). Finally, select the planning schemes at the top of the ranking list based on different planning emphasis after the analysis in detail. The proposed method is applied to a 10-kV distribution network in Gansu Province, China and the results are discussed.

Strategic Long Range Planning for Universities. AIR Forum 1980 Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Michael E.

The use of strategic long-range planning at Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) is discussed. A structure for strategic planning analysis that integrates existing techniques is presented, and examples of planning activities at CMU are included. The key concept in strategic planning is competitive advantage: if a university has a competitive…

Planning for Downtown Circulation Systems. Volume 2. Analysis Techniques.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-10-01

This volume contains the analysis and refinement stages of downtown circulator planning. Included are sections on methods for estimating patronage, costs, revenues, and impacts, and a section on methods for performing micro-level analyses.

Intelligent control of a planning system for astronaut training.

PubMed

Ortiz, J; Chen, G

1999-07-01

This work intends to design, analyze and solve, from the systems control perspective, a complex, dynamic, and multiconstrained planning system for generating training plans for crew members of the NASA-led International Space Station. Various intelligent planning systems have been developed within the framework of artificial intelligence. These planning systems generally lack a rigorous mathematical formalism to allow a reliable and flexible methodology for their design, modeling, and performance analysis in a dynamical, time-critical, and multiconstrained environment. Formulating the planning problem in the domain of discrete-event systems under a unified framework such that it can be modeled, designed, and analyzed as a control system will provide a self-contained theory for such planning systems. This will also provide a means to certify various planning systems for operations in the dynamical and complex environments in space. The work presented here completes the design, development, and analysis of an intricate, large-scale, and representative mathematical formulation for intelligent control of a real planning system for Space Station crew training. This planning system has been tested and used at NASA-Johnson Space Center.

Loads and aeroelasticity division research and technology accomplishments for FY 1982 and plans for FY 1983

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, J. E.

1983-01-01

Accomplishments of the past year and plans for the coming year are highlighted as they relate to five year plans and the objectives of the following technical areas: aerothermal loads; multidisciplinary analysis and optimization; unsteady aerodynamics; and configuration aeroelasticity. Areas of interest include thermal protection system concepts, active control, nonlinear aeroelastic analysis, aircraft aeroelasticity, and rotorcraft aeroelasticity and vibrations.

Analysis on influencing factors of EV charging station planning based on AHP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, F.; Ma, X. F.

2016-08-01

As a new means of transport, electric vehicle (EV) is of great significance to alleviate the energy crisis. EV charging station planning has a far-reaching significance for the development of EV industry. This paper analyzes the impact factors of EV charging station planning, and then uses the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to carry on the further analysis to the influencing factors, finally it gets the weight of each influence factor, and provides the basis for the evaluation scheme of the planning of charging stations for EV.

Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of nursing discharge planning interventions for older inpatients discharged home.

PubMed

Mabire, Cédric; Dwyer, Andrew; Garnier, Antoine; Pellet, Joanie

2018-04-01

To determine the effectiveness of nursing discharge planning interventions on health-related outcomes for older inpatients discharged home. Inadequate discharge planning for the ageing population poses significant challenges for health services. Effective discharge planning interventions have been examined in several studies, but little information is available on nursing interventions for older people. Despite the research published on the importance of discharge planning, the impact on patient's health outcomes still needs to be evaluated in practice. Systematic review and meta-analysis. A systematic search was undertaken across 13 databases to retrieve published and unpublished studies in English between 2000-2015. Critical appraisal, data extraction and meta-analysis followed the methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Thirteen studies were included in the review, 2 of 13 were pilot studies and one had a pre-post design. Included studies involved 3,964 participants with a median age of 77 years. Nurse discharge planning did not significantly reduce hospital readmission or quality of life, except readmission was lower across studies conducted in the USA. The overall effect score for nurse discharge planning on length of stay was statistically significant and positive. Nursing discharge planning is a complex intervention and difficult to evaluate. Findings suggest that nursing discharge planning for older inpatients discharged home increases the length of stay yet neither reduces readmission rate nor improves quality of life. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Urban Planning and Management Information Systems Analysis and Design Based on GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xin, Wang

Based on the analysis of existing relevant systems on the basis of inadequate, after a detailed investigation and research, urban planning and management information system will be designed for three-tier structure system, under the LAN using C/S mode architecture. Related functions for the system designed in accordance with the requirements of the architecture design of the functional relationships between the modules. Analysis of the relevant interface and design, data storage solutions proposed. The design for small and medium urban planning information system provides a viable building program.

SEI Program Plans: 1996-2000. Volume 1. Five-Year Strategic Plan. Volume 2. One-Year Plans/Proposals.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-01-01

architecture for a family of sys- tems. The Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ) method looks primarily at "user-visible" aspects of a domain. The...Partners I-9 1.4.2 Acquisition, Development, and Post Deployment 1-10 2 Strategic Overview 1-15 2.1 Situation Analysis 1-15 2.1.1...Contents Strategic Overview 1-15 2.1 Situation Analysis 1-15 2.1.1 DoD Budget Reductions, Downsizing, and the Changing Role of the Military

Assessing Assessment Texts: Where Is Planning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fives, Helenrose; Barnes, Nicole; Dacey, Charity; Gillis, Anna

2016-01-01

We conducted a content analysis of 27 assessment textbooks to determine how assessment planning was framed in texts for preservice teachers. We identified eight assessment planning themes: alignment, assessment purpose and types, reliability and validity, writing goals and objectives, planning specific assessments, unpacking, overall assessment…

To Prosecute or Not? Enforcement of Federal Criminal Regulatory Statutes. Revised Edition. A Student's Lesson Plan [and] A Teacher's Lesson Plan [and] A Lawyer's Lesson Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Estelle; And Others

One of a series of secondary level teaching units presenting case studies with pro and con analyses of particular legal problems, the document consists of a student's lesson plan, a teacher's lesson plan, and a lawyer's lesson plan for a unit about the enforcement of federal criminal regulatory statutes. The lesson plan presents an analysis of the…

ONR (Office of Naval Research) Research in Distributed Reasoning and Planning.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-01

Reasoning about Actions and Plans, Timberline Lodge , Timberline , Oregon (1987). [62] Lansky, A.L. "GEMPLAN: Event-based Planning Through Temporal...Actions and Plans, Timberline Lodge , Timberline , Oregon (1987). [71] Litman, D. Plan Recognition and Discourse Analysis. PhD thesis, University of...Workshop on Reasoning about Actions and Plans, Timberline Lodge , Timberlinie. Oregon (1987). [74] Manna, Z. and P.Wolper, "Synthesis of Communicating

SU-F-P-64: The Impact of Plan Complexity Parameters On the Plan Quality and Deliverability of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy with Canonical Correlation Analysis

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

Jin, X; Yi, J; Xie, C

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of complexity indices on the plan quality and deliverability of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), and to determine the most significant parameters in the generation of an ideal VMAT plan. Methods: A multi-dimensional exploratory statistical method, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was adopted to study the correlations between VMAT parameters of complexity, quality and deliverability, as well as their contribution weights with 32 two-arc VMAT nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients and 31 one-arc VMAT prostate cancer patients. Results: The MU per arc (MU/Arc) and MU per control point (MU/CP) of NPC were 337.8±25.2 and 3.7±0.3, respectively, whichmore » were significantly lower than those of prostate cancer patients (MU/Arc : 506.9±95.4, MU/CP : 5.6±1.1). The plan complexity indices indicated that two-arc VMAT plans were more complex than one-arc VMAT plans. Plan quality comparison confirmed that one-arc VMAT plans had a high quality than two-arc VMAT plans. CCA results implied that plan complexity parameters were highly correlated with plan quality with the first two canonical correlations of 0.96, 0.88 (both p<0.001) and significantly correlated with deliverability with the first canonical correlation of 0.79 (p<0.001), plan quality and deliverability was also correlated with the first canonical correlation of 0.71 (p=0.02). Complexity parameters of MU/CP, segment area (SA) per CP, percent of MU/CP less 3 and planning target volume (PTV) were weighted heavily in correlation with plan quality and deliveability . Similar results obtained from individual NPC and prostate CCA analysis. Conclusion: Relationship between complexity, quality, and deliverability parameters were investigated with CCA. MU, SA related parameters and PTV volume were found to have strong effect on the plan quality and deliverability. The presented correlation among different quantified parameters could be used to improve the plan quality and the efficiency of the radiotherapy process when creating a complex VMAT plan.« less

Nitrate Waste Treatment Sampling and Analysis Plan

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

Vigil-Holterman, Luciana R.; Martinez, Patrick Thomas; Garcia, Terrence Kerwin

2017-07-05

This plan is designed to outline the collection and analysis of nitrate salt-bearing waste samples required by the New Mexico Environment Department- Hazardous Waste Bureau in the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (Permit).

Arthropod surveillance programs: Basic components, strategies, and analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Effective entomological surveillance planning stresses a careful consideration of methodology, trapping technologies, and analysis techniques. Herein, the basic principles and technological components of arthropod surveillance plans are described, as promoted in the symposium “Advancements in arthro...

Capturing Complexities of Relationship-Level Family Planning Trajectories in Malawi.

PubMed

Furnas, Hannah E

2016-09-01

In a transitioning fertility climate, preferences and decisions surrounding family planning are constantly in flux. Malawi provides an ideal case study of family planning complexities as fertility preferences are flexible, the relationship context is unstable, and childbearing begins early. I use intensive longitudinal data from Tsogolo la Thanzi-a research project in Malawi that follows young adults in romantic partnerships through the course of their relationship. I examine two questions: (1) What are the typical patterns of family planning as young adults transition through a relationship? (2) How are family planning trajectories related to individual and relationship-level characteristics? I use sequence analysis to order family planning across time and to contextualize it within each relationship. I generate and cluster the family planning trajectories and find six distinct groups of young adults who engage in family planning in similar ways. I find that family planning is complex, dynamic, and unique to each relationship. I argue that (a) family planning research should use the relationship as the unit of analysis and (b) family planning behaviors and preferences should be sequenced over time for a better understanding of key concepts, such as unmet need. © 2016 The Population Council, Inc.

Capturing Complexities of Relationship-Level Family Planning Trajectories in Malawi

PubMed Central

Furnas, Hannah E.

2017-01-01

In a transitioning fertility climate, preferences and decisions surrounding family planning are constantly in flux. Malawi provides an ideal case study of family planning complexities as fertility preferences are flexible, the relationship context is unstable, and childbearing begins early. I use intensive longitudinal data from Tsogolo la Thanzi—a research project in Malawi that follows young adults in romantic partnerships through the course of their relationship and allows me to ask two questions: (1) What are the typical patterns of family planning as young adults transition through a relationship? (2) How are family planning trajectories related to individual and relationship-level characteristics? I use sequence analysis to order family planning across time and to contextualize it within each relationship. I generate and cluster the family planning trajectories and find six distinct groups of young adults who engage in family planning in similar ways. I find that family planning is complex, dynamic, and unique to each relationship. I argue that (a) family planning research should use the relationship as the unit of analysis and (b) family planning behaviors and preferences should be sequenced over time for a better understanding of key concepts, such as unmet need. PMID:27517867

Comments on "Women, Development Planning and Government Policies in Pakistan".

PubMed

Hafeez, S

1992-01-01

Commentary on Shahnaz and Bilquees Raza's paper on women in development in Pakistan is supportive of the content analysis of the Sixth and Seventh 5-Year Plans and policies, but critical of the methods used n the analysis. The parallel to survey research methods was made in that there was a specification of 1) the unit of analysis (reference to each policy measure, each chapter, each page of the plan), 2) the rationale for the plan, 3) specific objectives of the examination, and 4) the criteria for analysis. Missing also was the identification of policy trends from the Fourth and Fifth 5-Year Plans. The question is never answered as to why gender issues were not directed to the agricultural sector. The conclusion that there was a hugh gap between intentions and implementation was an issue not unique to women's issues, and a deeper analysis may have been required in order to understand the nature and magnitude of the gaps for women's policies and their productive roles. Questions should have been directed to the issues of the root causes of gaps in planning and implementation of policies and programs for women in development, and the identification of quantitative and qualitative indicators of gaps. Questions arise as to whether the gaps have changed with changes in the strength of political and social will in various decades. Recognition was given by the authors to the low budget allocations between 1955 and 1970 to education and health which affected both men and women, but there was scant mention of the strong social, not political, will to enhance women's welfare prevalent at this time. Information was lacking on the differences between the Sixth and Seventh sectoral plans for agricultural employment and women and the working groups plans that did include women in agricultural employment; the question is why the working plans were not incorporated into the final plans, and why the working groups did not protest this omission. The lack of political and social will was one of the most significant gaps between policy and implementation that was the article's focus. Has the Ministry of Women in Development really been given administrative authority to promote social change?

Small Explorer project: Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS). Mission operations and data analysis plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melnick, Gary J.

1990-01-01

The Mission Operations and Data Analysis Plan is presented for the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) Project. It defines organizational responsibilities, discusses target selection and navigation, specifies instrument command and data requirements, defines data reduction and analysis hardware and software requirements, and discusses mission operations center staffing requirements.

9 CFR 417.2 - Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... more food safety hazards that are reasonably likely to occur, based on the hazard analysis conducted in... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan. 417.2 Section 417.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...

9 CFR 417.2 - Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... more food safety hazards that are reasonably likely to occur, based on the hazard analysis conducted in... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan. 417.2 Section 417.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...

9 CFR 417.2 - Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... more food safety hazards that are reasonably likely to occur, based on the hazard analysis conducted in... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan. 417.2 Section 417.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...

9 CFR 417.2 - Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... more food safety hazards that are reasonably likely to occur, based on the hazard analysis conducted in... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan. 417.2 Section 417.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...

9 CFR 417.2 - Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... more food safety hazards that are reasonably likely to occur, based on the hazard analysis conducted in... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan. 417.2 Section 417.2 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...

Quadrant Analysis as a Strategic Planning Technique in Curriculum Development and Program Marketing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, James; And Others

1996-01-01

Quadrant analysis, a widely-used research technique, is suggested as useful in college or university strategic planning. The technique uses consumer preference data and produces information suitable for a wide variety of curriculum and marketing decisions. Basic quadrant analysis design is described, and advanced variations are discussed, with…

Quality-Assurance Plan for Water-Quality Activities of the U.S. Geological Survey Montana Water Science Center

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lambing, John H.

2006-01-01

In accordance with guidelines set forth by the Office of Water Quality in the Water Resources Discipline of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a quality-assurance plan has been created for use by the USGS Montana Water Science Center in conducting water-quality activities. This quality-assurance plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the USGS Montana Water Science Center for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of water-quality data. The policies and procedures presented in this quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities complement the quality-assurance plans for surface-water and ground-water activities and suspended-sediment analysis.

Launching a medicare advantage plan: smart planning saves headaches.

PubMed

Abrams, Robert J; Mullaney, Teri L

2007-11-01

If you're considering setting up a Medicare Advantage plan, the following are important considerations: Financial analysis. Payment rates. Medical costs. Marketing and operational costs. Technology infrastructure. Staffing.

Strategic Planning and the Marketing Process: Library Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Elizabeth J.

1983-01-01

Illustrates how basic principles of marketing and strategic market planning can be applied to libraries and discusses some concepts of strategic planning (organization mission, objectives and goals, growth strategy, program portfolio plan) and marketing (opportunity analysis, target market selection, marketing mix strategy, marketing systems…

Provision of family planning services in Tanzania: a comparative analysis of public and private facilities.

PubMed

Kakoko, Deodatus C; Ketting, Evert; Kamazima, Switbert R; Ruben, Ruerd

2012-12-01

Adherence to the policy guidelines and standards is necessary for family planning services. We compared public and private facilities in terms of provision of family planning services. We analyzed data from health facility questionnaire of the 2006 Tanzania Service Provision Assessment survey, based on 529 health facilities. Majority of public facilities (95.4%) offered family planning services, whereas more than half of private facilities (52.1%) did not offer those. Public facilities were more likely to offer modern contraceptives as compared to private facilities. However, private facilities were more likely to offer counseling on natural methods of family planning [AOR = 2.12 (1.15-3.92), P < or = 0.001]. Public facilities were more likely to report having guidelines or protocols for family planning services and various kinds of visual aids for family planning and STIs when compared to private facilities. This comparative analysis entails the need to enforce the standards of family planning services in Tanzania.

Interpretation and Manipulation in Human Plans. Technical Report No. 317.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Denis; Bruce, Bertram

Analysis of students' interpretations of a complex episode of social interaction was used to illustrate three features of human plans that distinguish them from robot plans and that form a basis for a theory of the development of social action. The features illustrated are that (1) human plans are social, (2) human plans operate on…

29 CFR 2520.104-20 - Limited exemption for certain small welfare plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... from employee benefit plans for research and analysis (section 513). (d) Examples. (1) A welfare plan... administrator of an employee benefit plan from any other requirement of title I of the Act, including the... and maintained in the same way as the plan described in example (1), except that a trade association...

29 CFR 2520.104-20 - Limited exemption for certain small welfare plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... from employee benefit plans for research and analysis (section 513). (d) Examples. (1) A welfare plan... administrator of an employee benefit plan from any other requirement of title I of the Act, including the... and maintained in the same way as the plan described in example (1), except that a trade association...

Macro-Language Planning for Multilingual Education: Focus on Programmes and Provision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor-Leech, Kerry; Liddicoat, Anthony J.

2014-01-01

This overview identifies some common features of macro-level language planning and briefly summarises the changing approaches to the analysis of macro-planning in the field. It previews six cases of language-in-education planning in response to linguistic diversity presented by the contributors to this issue. The cases show how macro-planning can…

The Automated Logistics Element Planning System (ALEPS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwaab, Douglas G.

1991-01-01

The design and functions of ALEPS (Automated Logistics Element Planning System) is a computer system that will automate planning and decision support for Space Station Freedom Logistical Elements (LEs) resupply and return operations. ALEPS provides data management, planning, analysis, monitoring, interfacing, and flight certification for support of LE flight load planning activities. The prototype ALEPS algorithm development is described.

Strategic Planning and Energy Options Analysis for the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. Final report

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

Williamson, Jim S; Greenwood Village, CO 80112

2007-03-31

Strategic Planning and Energy Options Analysis provides the Fort Peck Tribes with a tool to build analytical capabilities and local capacity to extract the natural and energy resource potential for the benefit of the tribal community. Each resource is identified irrespective of the development potential and is viewed as an absolute resulting in a comprehensive resource assessment for Tribal energy planning

Apollo experience report: Mission planning for lunar module descent and ascent

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, F. V.

1972-01-01

The premission planning, the real-time situation, and the postflight analysis for the Apollo 11 lunar descent and ascent are described. A comparison between premission planning and actual results is included. A navigation correction capability, developed from Apollo 11 postflight analysis was used successfully on Apollo 12 to provide the first pinpoint landing. An experience summary, which illustrates typical problems encountered by the mission planners, is also included.

A Portfolio Analysis Tool for Measuring NASAs Aeronautics Research Progress toward Planned Strategic Outcomes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tahmasebi, Farhad; Pearce, Robert

2016-01-01

Description of a tool for portfolio analysis of NASA's Aeronautics research progress toward planned community strategic Outcomes is presented. The strategic planning process for determining the community Outcomes is also briefly described. Stakeholder buy-in, partnership performance, progress of supporting Technical Challenges, and enablement forecast are used as the criteria for evaluating progress toward Outcomes. A few illustrative examples are also presented.

Meta-analysis of learning design on sciences to develop a teacher’s professionalism training model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alimah, S.; Anggraito, Y. U.; Prasetyo, A. P. B.; Saptono, S.

2018-03-01

This research explored a meta-analysis ofthe teaching design on sciences teachers’ lesson plans to develop the training model in achieving 21st-century learning competence and the implementation of the scientifically literate school model. This is a qualitative research with descriptively qualitative analysis. The sample was the members of sciences teacher’s organizations in Brebes Central Java Indonesia. Data was collected by documentation, observation, interviews, and questionnaires scale understanding. Analysis of the lesson plans focused on the correctness of development concept and integration of Strengthening Character Education; School Literacy Movement; Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity; and Higher Order Thinking Skill. The sciences teachers had a good understanding of the components of the lesson plan, but needed further training. The integration of the character education by the teacher was not explicitly written into their lesson plan. The teachers’ skill to integrate the components was still needed improvements. It is found that training and mentoring of lesson plan development to improve the skills of science teachers in achieving 21st-century learning competencies are still urgent to be done. The training and mentoring model proposed here is Peretipe model, to help teachers skillfully design good lesson plans based on Technological Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge.

Analysis and integration of spatial data for transportation planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-06-01

Transportation planning requires substantial amounts of data and cooperation among transportation planning : agencies. Advances in computer technology and the increasing availability of geographic information : systems (GIS) are giving transportation...

Phase Transitions in Planning Problems: Design and Analysis of Parameterized Families of Hard Planning Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hen, Itay; Rieffel, Eleanor G.; Do, Minh; Venturelli, Davide

2014-01-01

There are two common ways to evaluate algorithms: performance on benchmark problems derived from real applications and analysis of performance on parametrized families of problems. The two approaches complement each other, each having its advantages and disadvantages. The planning community has concentrated on the first approach, with few ways of generating parametrized families of hard problems known prior to this work. Our group's main interest is in comparing approaches to solving planning problems using a novel type of computational device - a quantum annealer - to existing state-of-the-art planning algorithms. Because only small-scale quantum annealers are available, we must compare on small problem sizes. Small problems are primarily useful for comparison only if they are instances of parametrized families of problems for which scaling analysis can be done. In this technical report, we discuss our approach to the generation of hard planning problems from classes of well-studied NP-complete problems that map naturally to planning problems or to aspects of planning problems that many practical planning problems share. These problem classes exhibit a phase transition between easy-to-solve and easy-to-show-unsolvable planning problems. The parametrized families of hard planning problems lie at the phase transition. The exponential scaling of hardness with problem size is apparent in these families even at very small problem sizes, thus enabling us to characterize even very small problems as hard. The families we developed will prove generally useful to the planning community in analyzing the performance of planning algorithms, providing a complementary approach to existing evaluation methods. We illustrate the hardness of these problems and their scaling with results on four state-of-the-art planners, observing significant differences between these planners on these problem families. Finally, we describe two general, and quite different, mappings of planning problems to QUBOs, the form of input required for a quantum annealing machine such as the D-Wave II.

49 CFR 611.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... following definitions apply: Alternatives analysis is a corridor level analysis which evaluates all... should include transit improvements lower in cost than the new start which result in a better ratio of... preparation of final construction plans (including construction management plans), detailed specifications...

49 CFR 611.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... following definitions apply: Alternatives analysis is a corridor level analysis which evaluates all... should include transit improvements lower in cost than the new start which result in a better ratio of... preparation of final construction plans (including construction management plans), detailed specifications...

49 CFR 611.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... following definitions apply: Alternatives analysis is a corridor level analysis which evaluates all... should include transit improvements lower in cost than the new start which result in a better ratio of... preparation of final construction plans (including construction management plans), detailed specifications...

Amy Schwab | NREL

Science.gov Websites

strategic scenario planning and analysis Program portfolio analysis Program management, planning and strategic execution Change management and operational improvement Research Interests Bioenergy supply chains management, organizational improvement, and program and project management. Prior Work Experience Consultant

Minnesota urban partnership agreement national evaluation : content analysis test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-17

This report presents the content analysis test plan for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employing ...

With Interest It Comes To...Unconscionable Clauses in Sales Contracts. A Student's Lesson Plan [and] A Teacher's Lesson Plan [and] A Lawyer's Lesson Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Estelle; And Others

One of a series of secondary level teaching units presenting case studies with pro and con analysis of particular legal problems, the document presents a student's lesson plan, a teacher's lesson plan, and a lawyer's lesson plan on unconscionable clauses in sales contracts. The unit acquaints students with the operation of sales contracts and…

Contemporary computerized methods for logging planning

Treesearch

Chris B. LeDoux

1988-01-01

Contemporary harvest planning graphic software is highlighted with practical applications. Planning results from a production study of the Clearwater Cable Yarder are summarized. Application of the planning methods to evaluation of proposed silvicultural treatments is included. Results show that 3-dimensional graphic analysis of proposed harvesting or silvicultural...

Twelve Middle-School Teachers' Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Deborah Sardo

1988-01-01

Case studies described 12 middle-school teachers' instructional yearly, unit, weekly, and daily planning on the basis of a background questionnaire, interview protocols, an analysis of written plans, think-aloud typescripts, and a questionnaire. A process model best characterized teachers long-term planning, while an agenda-formulation model fit…

Status of health sector strategic plans in five countries of the WHO African Region.

PubMed

Barry, S P; Sambo, L G; Bakeera, S; Kirigia, J M; Diarra-Nama, A J

2009-01-01

To assess the adequacy of the existing strategic plans and compare the format and content of health sector strategic plans with the guidelines in selected countries of the African region. The health strategic plans for Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda, which are kept at the WHO/AFRO, were reviewed. All health strategic plans among the Anglophone countries (Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) that were developed after the year 2000 were eligible for inclusion. Fifty percent of these countries that fitted this criterion were randomly selected. They included Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda. The analysis framework used in the review included situation analysis; an assessment of appropriateness of strategies that are selected; well developed indicators for each strategy; the match between the service and outcomes targets with available resources; and existence of a clear framework for partnership engagement for implementation. Most of the strategic plans identify key ill health conditions and their contributing factors. Health service and resource gaps are described but not quantified in the Botswana, Gambia, Malawi, Tanzania strategic documents. Most of the plans selected strategies that related to the situational analysis. Generally, countries' plans had clear indicators. Matching service and outcome targets to available resources was the least addressed area in majority of the plans. Most of the strategic plans identified stakeholders and acknowledged their participation in the implementation, providing different levels of comprehensiveness. Some of the areas that are well addressed according to the analysis framework included: addressing the strategic concerns of the health policies; identifying key partners for implementation; and selection of appropriate strategies. The following areas needed more emphasis: quantification of health system gaps; setting targets that are cognisant of the local resource base; and being more explicit in what stakeholders' roles are during the implementation period.

Linking Science Analysis with Observation Planning: A Full Circle Data Lifecycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grosvenor, Sandy; Jones, Jeremy; Koratkar, Anuradha; Li, Connie; Mackey, Jennifer; Neher, Ken; Wolf, Karl; Obenschain, Arthur F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A clear goal of the Virtual Observatory (VO) is to enable new science through analysis of integrated astronomical archives. An additional and powerful possibility of the VO is to link and integrate these new analyses with planning of new observations. By providing tools that can be used for observation planning in the VO, the VO will allow the data lifecycle to come full circle: from theory to observations to data and back around to new theories and new observations. The Scientist's Expert Assistant (SEA) Simulation Facility (SSF) is working to combine the ability to access existing archives with the ability to model and visualize new observations. Integrating the two will allow astronomers to better use the integrated archives of the VO to plan and predict the success of potential new observations more efficiently, The full circle lifecycle enabled by SEA can allow astronomers to make substantial leaps in the quality of data and science returns on new observations. Our paper examines the exciting potential of integrating archival analysis with new observation planning, such as performing data calibration analysis on archival images and using that analysis to predict the success of new observations, or performing dynamic signal-to-noise analysis combining historical results with modeling of new instruments or targets. We will also describe how the development of the SSF is progressing and what have been its successes and challenges.

Linking Science Analysis with Observation Planning: A Full Circle Data Lifecycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Jeremy; Grosvenor, Sandy; Wolf, Karl; Li, Connie; Koratkar, Anuradha; Powers, Edward I. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A clear goal of the Virtual Observatory (VO) is to enable new science through analysis of integrated astronomical archives. An additional and powerful possibility of the VO is to link and integrate these new analyses with planning of new observations. By providing tools that can be used for observation planning in the VO, the VO will allow the data lifecycle to come full circle: from theory to observations to data and back around to new theories and new observations. The Scientist's Expert Assistant (SEA) Simulation Facility (SSF) is working to combine the ability to access existing archives with the ability to model and visualize new observations. Integrating the two will allow astronomers to better use the integrated archives of the VO to plan and predict the success of potential new observations. The full circle lifecycle enabled by SEA can allow astronomers to make substantial leaps in the quality of data and science returns on new observations. Our paper will examine the exciting potential of integrating archival analysis with new observation planning, such as performing data calibration analysis on archival images and using that analysis to predict the success of new observations, or performing dynamic signal-to-noise analysis combining historical results with modeling of new instruments or targets. We will also describe how the development of the SSF is progressing and what has been its successes and challenges.

Surface Water Quality-Assurance Plan for the North Florida Program Office of the U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franklin, Marvin A.

2000-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, has a policy that requires each District office to prepare a Surface Water Quality-Assurance Plan. The plan for each District describes the policies and procedures that ensure high quality in the collection, processing, analysis, computer storage, and publication of surface-water data. The North Florida Program Office Surface Water Quality-Assurance Plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the North Florida Program office for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of surface-water data.

The Australasian Resuscitation in Sepsis Evaluation (ARISE) trial statistical analysis plan.

PubMed

Delaney, Anthony P; Peake, Sandra L; Bellomo, Rinaldo; Cameron, Peter; Holdgate, Anna; Howe, Belinda; Higgins, Alisa; Presneill, Jeffrey; Webb, Steve

2013-09-01

The Australasian Resuscitation in Sepsis Evaluation (ARISE) study is an international, multicentre, randomised, controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of early goal-directed therapy compared with standard care for patients presenting to the emergency department with severe sepsis. In keeping with current practice, and considering aspects of trial design and reporting specific to non-pharmacological interventions, our plan outlines the principles and methods for analysing and reporting the trial results. The document is prepared before completion of recruitment into the ARISE study, without knowledge of the results of the interim analysis conducted by the data safety and monitoring committee and before completion of the two related international studies. Our statistical analysis plan was designed by the ARISE chief investigators, and reviewed and approved by the ARISE steering committee. We reviewed the data collected by the research team as specified in the study protocol and detailed in the study case report form. We describe information related to baseline characteristics, characteristics of delivery of the trial interventions, details of resuscitation, other related therapies and other relevant data with appropriate comparisons between groups. We define the primary, secondary and tertiary outcomes for the study, with description of the planned statistical analyses. We have developed a statistical analysis plan with a trial profile, mock-up tables and figures. We describe a plan for presenting baseline characteristics, microbiological and antibiotic therapy, details of the interventions, processes of care and concomitant therapies and adverse events. We describe the primary, secondary and tertiary outcomes with identification of subgroups to be analysed. We have developed a statistical analysis plan for the ARISE study, available in the public domain, before the completion of recruitment into the study. This will minimise analytical bias and conforms to current best practice in conducting clinical trials.

29 CFR 2509.08-1 - Supplemental guidance relating to fiduciary responsibility in considering economically targeted...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... equal, taking into account a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the economic impact on the plan... June 27, 2008 (A.O. 2008-05A). A plan fiduciary's analysis is required to comply with, but is not... investments. The same type of analysis must also be applied when choosing between investment alternatives...

Partnerships: The Path to Improving Crisis Communication

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

News Media Perceives Relationships with Public Safety.................32 Table 4. Public Safety SWOT Analysis ...opportunities and threats ( SWOT ) of the Seattle fire and police departments. The SWOT analysis is an assessment tool common to strategic planning for...requirements for training • Lack of strategic planning experience Table 4. Public Safety SWOT Analysis 46 Table 4 compares the strengths and

Language Planning and Policy in a School Site: A Diachronic Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemp, Shaun

2017-01-01

This article engages with diachronic analysis, an analysis of changes over time, as it relates to the field of language planning and policy (LPP) through a case study of a local language problem: the introduction of Chinese language into an established government school over a 10-year period. Using cultural-historical activity theory, expanding…

Integrated vehicle-based safety systems (IVBSS) : light vehicle platform field operational test data analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-12-22

This document presents the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institutes plan to : perform analysis of data collected from the light vehicle platform field operational test of the : Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) progr...

Minnesota urban partnership agreement national evaluation : cost benefit analysis test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-17

This report presents the cost benefit analysis test plan for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by emplo...

Integrated vehicle-based safety systems (IVBSS) : heavy truck platform field operational test data analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-23

This document presents the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institutes plan to perform : analysis of data collected from the heavy truck platform field operational test of the Integrated Vehicle- : Based Safety Systems (IVBSS) progra...

Megan Day | NREL

Science.gov Websites

research, analysis, and technical assistance on municipal energy planning and policy, utility-scale Baseline Analysis of Municipal Codification across the U.S., NREL Technical Report (2016) Navajo Generating Station & Federal Resource Planning - Volume 1: Sectoral, Technical, and Economic Trends, NREL

I-394 Minneapolis, Minnesota, analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

This AMS Analysis Plan for the Interstate 394 (I-394) Pioneer Corridor outlines the various tasks associated with the application of the ICM AMS tools to the corridor in support of a benefit/cost assessment of the proposed strategies. The report prov...

Guidelines for Analysis of Socio-Cultural Factors in Health. Volume 4: Socio-Cultural Factors in Health Planning. International Health Planning Methods Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Renee White

Intended to assist Agency for International Development (AID) officers, advisors, and health officials in incorporating health planning into national plans for economic development, this fourth of ten manuals in the International Health Planning Methods Series deals with sociocultural, psychological, and behavioral factors that affect the planning…

An Analysis of Categorical and Quantitative Methods for Planning Under Uncertainty

PubMed Central

Langlotz, Curtis P.; Shortliffe, Edward H.

1988-01-01

Decision theory and logical reasoning are both methods for representing and solving medical decision problems. We analyze the usefulness of these two approaches to medical therapy planning by establishing a simple correspondence between decision theory and non-monotonic logic, a formalization of categorical logical reasoning. The analysis indicates that categorical approaches to planning can be viewed as comprising two decision-theoretic concepts: probabilities (degrees of belief in planning hypotheses) and utilities (degrees of desirability of planning outcomes). We present and discuss examples of the following lessons from this decision-theoretic view of categorical (nonmonotonic) reasoning: (1) Decision theory and artificial intelligence techniques are intended to solve different components of the planning problem. (2) When considered in the context of planning under uncertainty, nonmonotonic logics do not retain the domain-independent characteristics of classical logical reasoning for planning under certainty. (3) Because certain nonmonotonic programming paradigms (e.g., frame-based inheritance, rule-based planning, protocol-based reminders) are inherently problem-specific, they may be inappropriate to employ in the solution of certain types of planning problems. We discuss how these conclusions affect several current medical informatics research issues, including the construction of “very large” medical knowledge bases.

Nurse manager succession planning: synthesis of the evidence.

PubMed

Titzer, Jennifer; Phillips, Tracy; Tooley, Stephanie; Hall, Norma; Shirey, Maria

2013-10-01

The literature supporting nurse manager succession planning is reviewed and synthesised to discover best practice for identifying and developing future nurse managers. Healthcare succession planning practices are lacking. Nurse managers are historically selected based on clinical skills and lack formal leadership preparation. A systematic literature search appraises and summarises the current literature supporting nurse manager succession planning. Multiple reviewers were used to increase the reliability and validity of article selection and analysis. New nurse managers require months to adapt to their positions. Deliberate nurse manager succession planning should be integrated in the organisation's strategic plan and provide a proactive method for identifying and developing potential leaders. Organisations that identify and develop internal human capital can improve role transition, reduce nurse manager turnover rates and decrease replacement costs. Despite the clear benefits of succession planning, studies show that resource allocation for proactive, deliberate development of current and future nurse leaders is lacking. Additionally, systematic evaluation of succession planning is limited. Deliberate succession planning efforts and appropriate resource allocation require strategic planning and evaluation methods. Detailed evaluation methods demonstrating a positive return on investment utilising a cost-benefit analysis and empirical outcomes are necessary. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Analysis of the Impacts of the Clean Power Plan

EIA Publications

2015-01-01

This report responds to an August 2014 request to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) from Representative Lamar Smith, Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for an analysis of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed Clean Power Plan under which states would be required to develop plans to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rates from existing fossil-fired electricity generating units.

The Use of Multi-Criteria Evaluation and Network Analysis in the Area Development Planning Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

layouts. The alternative layout scoring process, base in multi-criteria evaluation, returns a quantitative score for each alternative layout and a...The purpose of this research was to develop improvements to the area development planning process. These plans are used to improve operations within...an installation sub-section by altering the physical layout of facilities. One methodology was developed based on apply network analysis concepts to

A new plan quality index for nasopharyngeal cancer SIB IMRT.

PubMed

Jin, X; Yi, J; Zhou, Y; Yan, H; Han, C; Xie, C

2014-02-01

A new plan quality index integrating dosimetric and radiobiological indices was proposed to facilitate the evaluation and comparison of simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plans for nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients. Ten NPC patients treated by SIB-IMRT were enrolled in the study. Custom software was developed to read dose-volume histogram (DVH) curves from the treatment planning system (TPS). A plan filtering matrix was introduced to filter plans that fail to satisfy treatment protocol. Target plan quality indices and organ at risk (OAR) plan quality indices were calculated for qualified plans. A unique composite plan quality index (CPQI) was proposed based on the relative weight of these indices to evaluate and compare competing plans. Plan ranking results were compared with detailed statistical analysis, radiation oncology quality system (ROQS) scoring results and physician's evaluation results to verify the accuracy of this new plan quality index. The average CPQI values for plans with OAR priority of low, normal, high, and PTV only were 0.22 ± 0.08, 0.49 ± 0.077, 0.71 ± 0.062, and -0.21 ± 0.16, respectively. There were significant differences among these plan quality indices (One-way ANOVA test, p < 0.01). This was consistent with statistical analysis, ROQS results and physician's ranking results in which 90% OAR high plans were selected. Plan filtering matrix was able to speed up the plan evaluation process. The new matrix plan quality index CPQI showed good consistence with physician ranking results. It is a promising index for NPC SIB-IMRT plan evaluation. Copyright © 2013 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 123.8 - Verification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... processor shall verify that the HACCP plan is adequate to control food safety hazards that are reasonably... minimum: (1) Reassessment of the HACCP plan. A reassessment of the adequacy of the HACCP plan whenever any changes occur that could affect the hazard analysis or alter the HACCP plan in any way or at least...

21 CFR 123.8 - Verification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... processor shall verify that the HACCP plan is adequate to control food safety hazards that are reasonably... minimum: (1) Reassessment of the HACCP plan. A reassessment of the adequacy of the HACCP plan whenever any changes occur that could affect the hazard analysis or alter the HACCP plan in any way or at least...

77 FR 33237 - Saline Valley Warm Springs Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Death Valley National...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-05

... Valley Warm Springs Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Death Valley National Park, Inyo... an Environmental Impact Statement for the Saline Valley Warm Springs Management Plan, Death Valley... analysis process for the Saline Valley Warm Springs Management Plan for Death Valley [[Page 33238...

Strategic Planning at a Small College--Executive Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agnew, Robert

2004-01-01

In 1994, Baldwin-Wallace College produced a Strategic Plan for Information Technology. This plan mandated changes in the influx of technology, the structure of IT, and technology committees. The published plan included the organizational structure of the College, a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), ten proposed…

Handbook for Educational Buildings Planning. Educational Building and Equipment 9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almeida, Rodolfo

Stages in the educational facility planning process are presented in this handbook, with a second focus on implementation. Four chapters provide information on the four cycles of the planning process, which include analysis and diagnosis, research and development, planning and programming, and implementation and evaluation. Characteristics of an…

From the ground up: aligning state freight plans to enhance state collaboration and establish regional and national harmonization of freight priorities.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

This project reviews MAFC state freight plans and current planning efforts and provides a catalogue of state practices, data and analysis techniques, stakeholder involvement and other planning elements. The project also identifies where states share ...

Collaborative Planning in Process: An Ethnomethodological Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Josephine; Burch, Alfred Rue

2017-01-01

Following Ellis's (2005) call for more social and process-oriented planning research, this study explores how learners approach collaborative planning tasks in the classroom as a locally contingent activity in situ. Drawing on ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, the present study focuses on a group planning stage that precedes the final…

78 FR 48504 - Proposed Revisions to Maintenance Rule Standard Review Plan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-08

... Review Plan AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Standard review plan-draft section revision... Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition,'' Section 17... and Management System (ADAMS): You may access publicly available documents online in the NRC Library...

Salem Community College's 1999-2002 Strategic Plan Authoring & Implementation Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salem Community Coll., Penns Grove, NJ.

This document outlines the Strategic Planning Initiative (SPI) for New Jersey's Salem Community College. This is the first plan the college has authored in seven years. The report provides a theoretical framework for heterarchical planning, which allows for complexity and interrelations of structural analysis, and lateral decision making. The…

Waste Analysis Plan and Waste Characterization Survey, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-01

review to assess if analysis is needed, any analyses that are to be provided by generators, and methods to be used to meet specific waste analysis ...sampling method , sampling frequency, parameters of analysis , SW 846 test methods , Department of Transportation (DOT) shipping name and hazard class...S.e.iceA w/Atchs 2. HQ SAC/DEV Ltr, 28 Sep 90 19 119 APPENDIX B Waste Analysis Plan Rationale 21 APPENDIX B 1. SAMPLING METHOD RATIONALE: Composite Liquid

SBKF Modeling and Analysis Plan: Buckling Analysis of Compression-Loaded Orthogrid and Isogrid Cylinders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lovejoy, Andrew E.; Hilburger, Mark W.

2013-01-01

This document outlines a Modeling and Analysis Plan (MAP) to be followed by the SBKF analysts. It includes instructions on modeling and analysis formulation and execution, model verification and validation, identifying sources of error and uncertainty, and documentation. The goal of this MAP is to provide a standardized procedure that ensures uniformity and quality of the results produced by the project and corresponding documentation.

A Review of Strategic Mobility Models and Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

Logistics Directorate of the Joint Staff, (JS-J-4) specifically by the Studies , Concepts, and Analysis Division (SCAD), which conducts long-range...their analysis objec- tives. This study was designed to assist the Logistics Directorate of the Joint Staff (JS/J-4) to understand and improve the...This study concentrated on resource planning, which is the type of planning performed by the Logistics Directorate’s Studies , Concepts, and Analysis

SU-E-T-325: The New Evaluation Method of the VMAT Plan Delivery Using Varian DynaLog Files and Modulation Complexity Score (MCS)

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

Tateoka, K; Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, JP; Fujimomo, K

2014-06-01

Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate the use of Varian DynaLog files to verify VMAT plans delivery and modulation complexity score (MCS) of VMAT. Methods: Delivery accuracy of machine performance was quantified by multileaf collimator (MLC) position errors, gantry angle errors and fluence delivery accuracy for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). The relationship between machine performance and plan complexity were also investigated using the modulation complexity score (MCS). Plan and Actual MLC positions, gantry angles and delivered fraction of monitor units were extracted from Varian DynaLog files. These factors were taken from the record and verify systemmore » of MLC control file. Planned and delivered beam data were compared to determine leaf position errors and gantry angle errors. Analysis was also performed on planned and actual fluence maps reconstructed from those of the DynaLog files. This analysis was performed for all treatment fractions of 5 prostate VMAT plans. The analysis of DynaLog files have been carried out by in-house programming in Visual C++. Results: The root mean square of leaf position and gantry angle errors were about 0.12 and 0.15, respectively. The Gamma of planned and actual fluence maps at 3%/3 mm criterion was about 99.21. The gamma of the leaf position errors were not directly related to plan complexity as determined by the MCS. Therefore, the gamma of the gantry angle errors were directly related to plan complexity as determined by the MCS. Conclusion: This study shows Varian dynalog files for VMAT plan can be diagnosed delivery errors not possible with phantom based quality assurance. Furthermore, the MCS of VMAT plan can evaluate delivery accuracy for patients receiving of VMAT. Machine performance was found to be directly related to plan complexity but this is not the dominant determinant of delivery accuracy.« less

SU-E-T-615: Plan Comparison Between Photon IMRT and Proton Plans Incorporating Uncertainty Analysis

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

Cheng, C; Wessels, B; Jesseph, F

2015-06-15

Purpose: In this study, we investigate the effect of setup uncertainty on DVH calculations which may impact plan comparison. Methods: Treatment plans (6 MV VMAT calculated on Pinnacle TPS) were chosen for different disease sites: brain, prostate, H&N and spine in this retrospective study. A proton plan (PP) using double scattering beams was generated for each selected VMAT plan subject to the same set of dose-volume constraints as in VMAT. An uncertainty analysis was incorporated on the DVH calculations in which isocenter shifts from 1 to 5 mm in each of the ±x, ±y and ±z directions were used tomore » simulate the setup uncertainty and residual positioning errors. A total of 40 different combinations of isocenter shifts were used in the re-calculation of DVH of the PTV and the various OARs for both the VMAT and the corresponding PT. Results: For the brain case, both VMAT and PP are comparable in PTV coverage and OAR sparing, and VMAT is a clear choice for treatment due to its ease of delivery. However, when incorporating isoshifts in DVH calculations, a significant change in dose-volume relationship emerges. For example, both VMAT and PT provide adequate coverage, even with ±3mm isoshift. However, +3mm isoshift results in increase of V40(Lcochlea, VMAT) from 7.2% in the original plan to 45% and V40(R cochlea, VMAT) from 75% to 92%. For protons, V40(Lcochlea, PT) increases from 62% in the initial plan to 75%, while V40(Rcochea, PT) increases from 7% to 26%. Conclusion: DVH alone may not be sufficient to allow an unequivocal decision in plan comparison, especially when two rival plans are very similar in both PTV coverage and OAR sparing. It is a good practice to incorporate uncertainty analysis on photon and proton plan comparison studies to test the plan robustness in plan evaluation.« less

Quantitatively Excessive Normal Tissue Toxicity and Poor Target Coverage in Postoperative Lung Cancer Radiotherapy Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Abuodeh, Yazan; Naghavi, Arash O; Echevarria, Michelle; DeMarco, MaryLou; Tonner, Brian; Feygelman, Vladimir; Stevens, Craig W; Perez, Bradford A; Dilling, Thomas J

2018-01-01

A previous meta-analysis (MA) found postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in lung cancer patients to be detrimental in N0/N1 patients and equivocal in the N2 setting. We hypothesized that treatment plans generated using MA protocols had worse dosimetric outcomes compared to modern plans. We retrieved plans for 13 patients who received PORT with modern planning. A plan was recreated for each patient using the 8 protocols included in MA. Dosimetric values were then compared between the modern and simulated MA plans. A total of 104 MA plans were generated. Median prescribed dose was 50.4 (range, 50-60) Gy in the modern plans and 53.2 (30-60) Gy in the MA protocols. Median planning volume coverage was 96% (93%-100%) in the modern plans, versus 58% (0%-100%) in the MA plans (P < .001). Internal target volume coverage was 100% (99%-100%) versus 65% (0%-100%), respectively (P < .001). Organs at risk received the following doses: spinal cord maximum dose, 36.8 (4.6-50.4) Gy versus 46.8 (2.9-74.0) Gy (P < .001); esophageal mean dose, 22.9 (5.5-35) Gy versus 30.5 (11.1-52.5) Gy (P = .003); heart V30 (percentage of volume of an organ receiving at least a dose of 30 Gy), 16% (0%-45%) versus 35% (0%-79%) (P = .047); mean lung dose, 12.4 (3.4-24.3) Gy versus 14.8 (4.1-27.4) Gy (P = .008); and lung V20, 18% (4%-34%) versus 25% (8%-67%) (P = .023). We quantitatively confirm the inferiority of the techniques used in the PORT MA. Our analysis showed a lower therapeutic ratio in the MA plans, which may explain the poor outcomes in the MA. The findings of the MA are not relevant in the era of modern treatment planning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Sustainability focus in the health plans of the autonomous communities: sustainable development as an opportunity].

PubMed

Moyano-Santiago, Miguel A; Rivera-Lirio, Juana M

2016-01-01

To determine the degree to which the health plans of the autonomous communities focus on the usual three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social and environmental, both in the general level of discourse and in the different areas of intervention. A qualitative study was conducted through content analysis of a large sample of documents. The specific methodology was analysis of symbolic and operational sensitivity in a sample of eleven health plans of the Spanish state. Social aspects, such as social determinants or vulnerable groups, are receiving increasing attention from the health planner, although there is room to strengthen attention to environmental issues and to provide specific interventions in economic terms. The analysis demonstrates the incipient state of health plans as strategic planning documents that integrate economic, social and environmental aspects and contribute to the sustainability of the different health systems of the country. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Development of Consistency between Marketing and Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williford, A. Michael

1986-01-01

Examined descriptive information about marketing, enrollment management, institutional planning and factors affecting them. A factor analysis of statistically appropriate variables identified factors associated with a state of symbiosis between marketing and institutional planning. (Author/BL)

23 CFR 1335.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

....5 of this part. For the purpose of this Part, an assessment includes an audit or a strategic planning analysis. (d) Strategic plan means a multi-year plan that meets the requirements of § 1335.6 of...

23 CFR 1335.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

....5 of this part. For the purpose of this Part, an assessment includes an audit or a strategic planning analysis. (d) Strategic plan means a multi-year plan that meets the requirements of § 1335.6 of...

GIS-assisted spatial analysis for urban regulatory detailed planning: designer's dimension in the Chinese code system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yang; Zeng, Zheng

2009-10-01

By discussing the causes behind the high amendments ratio in the implementation of urban regulatory detailed plans in China despite its law-ensured status, the study aims to reconcile conflict between the legal authority of regulatory detailed planning and the insufficient scientific support in its decision-making and compilation by introducing into the process spatial analysis based on GIS technology and 3D modeling thus present a more scientific and flexible approach to regulatory detailed planning in China. The study first points out that the current compilation process of urban regulatory detailed plan in China employs mainly an empirical approach which renders it constantly subjected to amendments; the study then discusses the need and current utilization of GIS in the Chinese system and proposes the framework of a GIS-assisted 3D spatial analysis process from the designer's perspective which can be regarded as an alternating processes between the descriptive codes and physical design in the compilation of regulatory detailed planning. With a case study of the processes and results from the application of the framework, the paper concludes that the proposed framework can be an effective instrument which provides more rationality, flexibility and thus more efficiency to the compilation and decision-making process of urban regulatory detailed plan in China.

Integrated corridor management initiative : demonstration phase evaluation – Dallas corridor performance analysis test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-01

This report presents the test plan for conducting the Corridor Performance Analysis for the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) evaluation of the Dallas U.S. 75 Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Initiative Demonstration. The ICM ...

Integrated corridor management initiative : demonstration phase evaluation – San Diego corridor performance analysis test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-01

This report presents the test plan for conducting the Corridor Performance Analysis for the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) evaluation of the San Diego Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Initiative Demonstration. The ICM proje...

Development of Phased-Array Ultrasonic Testing Acceptability Criteria : (Phase II)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

The preliminary technical approach and scan plans developed during phase I of this research was implemented on testing four butt-weld specimens. The ray path analysis carried out to develop the scan plans and the preliminary data analysis indicated t...

Research and Planning for Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenske, Robert H., Ed.; Staskey, Paul J., Ed.

Forty-four papers are collected in this volume and categorized: invited papers on research and planning for higher education; organizational analysis; finance and resource allocation; program and outcomes analysis; modeling; evaluation; and studies of faculty and students. Abstracts of additional papers are included. (MSE)

Sampling and Analysis Plan - Guidance and Template v.4 - General Projects - 04/2014

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) guidance and template is intended to assist organizations in documenting the procedural and analytical requirements for one-time, or time-limited, projects involving the collection of water, soil, sediment, or other

Remote sensing applications for environmental analysis in transportation planning : application to the Washington State I-405 corridor

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-08-30

The project's major objective is to demonstrate and assess the applicability of commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies to environmental analysis in transportation planning, using the I-405 corridor in Washington State...

Integrated corridor management initiative : demonstration phase evaluation - Dallas decision support system analysis test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-01

This report presents the test plan for conducting the Decision Support System (DSS) Analysis for the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) evaluation of the Dallas U.S. 75 Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Initiative Demonstration....

Integrated corridor management initiative : demonstration phase evaluation – Dallas technical capability analysis test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-01

This report presents the test plan for conducting the Technical Capability Analysis for the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) evaluation of the Dallas U.S. 75 Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Initiative Demonstration. The ICM ...

"Bottleneck study" : transportation infrastructure and traffic management analysis of cross border bottlenecks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-11-01

The motivation behind the Transportation Infrastructure and Traffic Management Analysis of : Cross Border Bottlenecks study was generated by the U.S.-Mexico Border Partnership Action : Plan (Action item #2 of the 22-Point Smart Border Action Plan: De...

U.S. 75 Dallas, Texas, analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

This AMS Analysis Plan for the U.S. 75 Pioneer Corridor outlines the various tasks associated with the application of the ICM AMS tools and strategies to the corridor, in support of a benefit-cost assessment of the proposed strategies. The report pro...

Relative importance of attributes of drug benefit plans: Thai civil servants' perspective.

PubMed

Ngorsuraches, Surachat; Wanishayakorn, Tanatape; Tanvejsilp, Pimwara; Udomaksorn, Siripa

2013-01-01

The drug benefit plan of Thailand's Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS) must be amended to control increasing costs; to that end, it is important to gather the views of beneficiaries before making changes to the benefit plan. To examine the relative importance of attributes of drug benefit plans from the perspective of CSMBS beneficiaries. Attributes and levels adopted from focus group discussions and a preliminary survey were used to develop a questionnaire concerning hypothetical drug benefit plans. A convenience sample of 650 CSMBS beneficiaries in Songkhla province was asked to rate the drug benefit plans. To determine the beneficiaries' decision models, judgment analysis was used. Policy-capturing analysis was used to examine the beneficiaries' preferences, and cluster analysis was conducted to explore the variability among judgment plans. Judgment policy insight was also examined. The results of the study showed that the beneficiaries weighed on cost-sharing as their most important attribute. The results remained unchanged, although only data from the beneficiaries who used the compensatory model were analyzed. The results of the cluster analysis showed that the largest cluster of beneficiaries weighed mostly on the cost-sharing attribute. The judgment policy insight results not only supported the finding that most beneficiaries focused on the cost-sharing attribute but also revealed that they might have the least understanding of how the formulary attribute affected beneficiaries' decision making. Cost-sharing was the most important attribute for the CSMBS beneficiaries. This study indicated that a possible preferred drug benefit plan should have no cost-sharing, permit access only to drugs listed in a closed formulary, allow beneficiaries to obtain 3 months of drugs, and allow them to obtain drugs from either a community pharmacy or a government hospital. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis and preliminary design of Kunming land use and planning management information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Li; Chen, Zhenjie

2007-06-01

This article analyzes Kunming land use planning and management information system from the system building objectives and system building requirements aspects, nails down the system's users, functional requirements and construction requirements. On these bases, the three-tier system architecture based on C/S and B/S is defined: the user interface layer, the business logic layer and the data services layer. According to requirements for the construction of land use planning and management information database derived from standards of the Ministry of Land and Resources and the construction program of the Golden Land Project, this paper divides system databases into planning document database, planning implementation database, working map database and system maintenance database. In the design of the system interface, this paper uses various methods and data formats for data transmission and sharing between upper and lower levels. According to the system analysis results, main modules of the system are designed as follows: planning data management, the planning and annual plan preparation and control function, day-to-day planning management, planning revision management, decision-making support, thematic inquiry statistics, planning public participation and so on; besides that, the system realization technologies are discussed from the system operation mode, development platform and other aspects.

Why and for Whom May Coping Planning Have Adverse Effects? A Moderated Mediation Analysis.

PubMed

Inauen, Jennifer; Stocker, Andrea; Scholz, Urte

2018-05-09

Coping planning, the formation of plans to overcome behavioral barriers is assumed to promote health behavior maintenance, but the literature on this is inconsistent. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mechanisms of a coping planning intervention that adversely affected maintained safe water consumption. We also explored perceived behavioral difficulty as a potential moderator of coping planning interventions. In the second phase of a cluster-randomised trial, households (N = 177 analyzed) were randomly allocated to a coping planning intervention or a comparison group (repetition of interventions from first intervention phase). Safe water consumption, the mechanisms of coping planning, and perceived difficulty were measured pre-post. The data were analyzed using mediation and moderated mediation analysis. Changes in behavioral intention mediated the intervention effects on behavioral maintenance (b = -0.36, 95% CI [-0.91, -0.03]). Changes in perceived coping planning (b = 0.08, 95% CI [-0.12, 0.34]), and maintenance self-efficacy (b = -0.13, 95% CI [-0.45, 0.01]) did not mediate the effects. Prior perceived difficulty moderated the coping planning intervention effects on maintenance via intention. Coping planning may decrease motivation for health behavior maintenance for persons who experienced few barriers prior to the planning intervention. © 2018 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Application of scenario analysis and multiagent technique in land-use planning: a case study on Sanjiang wetlands.

PubMed

Yu, Huan; Ni, Shi-Jun; Kong, Bo; He, Zheng-Wei; Zhang, Cheng-Jiang; Zhang, Shu-Qing; Pan, Xin; Xia, Chao-Xu; Li, Xuan-Qiong

2013-01-01

Land-use planning has triggered debates on social and environmental values, in which two key questions will be faced: one is how to see different planning simulation results instantaneously and apply the results back to interactively assist planning work; the other is how to ensure that the planning simulation result is scientific and accurate. To answer these questions, the objective of this paper is to analyze whether and how a bridge can be built between qualitative and quantitative approaches for land-use planning work and to find out a way to overcome the gap that exists between the ability to construct computer simulation models to aid integrated land-use plan making and the demand for them by planning professionals. The study presented a theoretical framework of land-use planning based on scenario analysis (SA) method and multiagent system (MAS) simulation integration and selected freshwater wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain of China as a case study area. Study results showed that MAS simulation technique emphasizing quantitative process effectively compensated for the SA method emphasizing qualitative process, which realized the organic combination of qualitative and quantitative land-use planning work, and then provided a new idea and method for the land-use planning and sustainable managements of land resources.

Application of Scenario Analysis and Multiagent Technique in Land-Use Planning: A Case Study on Sanjiang Wetlands

PubMed Central

Ni, Shi-Jun; He, Zheng-Wei; Zhang, Cheng-Jiang; Zhang, Shu-Qing; Pan, Xin; Xia, Chao-Xu; Li, Xuan-Qiong

2013-01-01

Land-use planning has triggered debates on social and environmental values, in which two key questions will be faced: one is how to see different planning simulation results instantaneously and apply the results back to interactively assist planning work; the other is how to ensure that the planning simulation result is scientific and accurate. To answer these questions, the objective of this paper is to analyze whether and how a bridge can be built between qualitative and quantitative approaches for land-use planning work and to find out a way to overcome the gap that exists between the ability to construct computer simulation models to aid integrated land-use plan making and the demand for them by planning professionals. The study presented a theoretical framework of land-use planning based on scenario analysis (SA) method and multiagent system (MAS) simulation integration and selected freshwater wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain of China as a case study area. Study results showed that MAS simulation technique emphasizing quantitative process effectively compensated for the SA method emphasizing qualitative process, which realized the organic combination of qualitative and quantitative land-use planning work, and then provided a new idea and method for the land-use planning and sustainable managements of land resources. PMID:23818816

Statistical analysis plan of the head position in acute ischemic stroke trial pilot (HEADPOST pilot).

PubMed

Olavarría, Verónica V; Arima, Hisatomi; Anderson, Craig S; Brunser, Alejandro; Muñoz-Venturelli, Paula; Billot, Laurent; Lavados, Pablo M

2017-02-01

Background The HEADPOST Pilot is a proof-of-concept, open, prospective, multicenter, international, cluster randomized, phase IIb controlled trial, with masked outcome assessment. The trial will test if lying flat head position initiated in patients within 12 h of onset of acute ischemic stroke involving the anterior circulation increases cerebral blood flow in the middle cerebral arteries, as measured by transcranial Doppler. The study will also assess the safety and feasibility of patients lying flat for ≥24 h. The trial was conducted in centers in three countries, with ability to perform early transcranial Doppler. A feature of this trial was that patients were randomized to a certain position according to the month of admission to hospital. Objective To outline in detail the predetermined statistical analysis plan for HEADPOST Pilot study. Methods All data collected by participating researchers will be reviewed and formally assessed. Information pertaining to the baseline characteristics of patients, their process of care, and the delivery of treatments will be classified, and for each item, appropriate descriptive statistical analyses are planned with comparisons made between randomized groups. For the outcomes, statistical comparisons to be made between groups are planned and described. Results This statistical analysis plan was developed for the analysis of the results of the HEADPOST Pilot study to be transparent, available, verifiable, and predetermined before data lock. Conclusions We have developed a statistical analysis plan for the HEADPOST Pilot study which is to be followed to avoid analysis bias arising from prior knowledge of the study findings. Trial registration The study is registered under HEADPOST-Pilot, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01706094.

Effects-based strategy development through center of gravity and target system analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Christopher M.; Prendergast, Michael; Pioch, Nicholas; Jones, Eric K.; Graham, Stephen

2003-09-01

This paper describes an approach to effects-based planning in which a strategic-theater-level mission is refined into operational-level and ultimately tactical-level tasks and desired effects, informed by models of the expected enemy response at each level of abstraction. We describe a strategy development system that implements this approach and supports human-in-the-loop development of an effects-based plan. This system consists of plan authoring tools tightly integrated with a suite of center of gravity (COG) and target system analysis tools. A human planner employs the plan authoring tools to develop a hierarchy of tasks and desired effects. Upon invocation, the target system analysis tools use reduced-order models of enemy centers of gravity to select appropriate target set options for the achievement of desired effects, together with associated indicators for each option. The COG analysis tools also provide explicit models of the causal mechanisms linking tasks and desired effects to one another, and suggest appropriate observable indicators to guide ISR planning, execution monitoring, and campaign assessment. We are currently implementing the system described here as part of the AFRL-sponsored Effects Based Operations program.

Comparative analysis of operational forecasts versus actual weather conditions in airline flight planning, volume 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keitz, J. F.

1982-01-01

The impact of more timely and accurate weather data on airline flight planning with the emphasis on fuel savings is studied. This volume of the report discusses the results of Task 4 of the four major tasks included in the study. Task 4 uses flight plan segment wind and temperature differences as indicators of dates and geographic areas for which significant forecast errors may have occurred. An in-depth analysis is then conducted for the days identified. The analysis show that significant errors occur in the operational forecast on 15 of the 33 arbitrarily selected days included in the study. Wind speeds in an area of maximum winds are underestimated by at least 20 to 25 kts. on 14 of these days. The analysis also show that there is a tendency to repeat the same forecast errors from prog to prog. Also, some perceived forecast errors from the flight plan comparisons could not be verified by visual inspection of the corresponding National Meteorological Center forecast and analyses charts, and it is likely that they are the result of weather data interpolation techniques or some other data processing procedure in the airlines' flight planning systems.

Analysis of Workplace Health Education Performed by Occupational Health Managers in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Yeon-Ha; Jung, Moon-Hee

2016-09-01

To evaluate workplace health education as practiced by occupational health managers based on standardized job tasks and suggest priority tasks and areas to be trained. The study was conducted between November 10, 2013 and April 30, 2014. The tool used in this study was standardized job tasks of workplace health education for occupational health managers which was developed through methodological steps. It was evaluated by 233 worksite occupational health managers. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0. Predicting variables of workplace health education performance were the "analysis and planning" factor, type of enterprise, and form of management. Healthcare professionals and occupational health managers who managed the nonmanufacturing industry showed high importance and low performance level in "analysis and planning" factor. "Analysis and planning" skill is priority training area for healthcare professionals and occupational health managers who managed nonmanufacturing industry. It is necessary to develop a training curriculum for occupational health managers that include improving analysis of worksites and plans for a health education program. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.