Quantification of Tumor Vascular Permeability and Blood Volume by Positron Emission Tomography

PubMed Central

Chen, Haojun; Tong, Xiao; Lang, Lixin; Jacobson, Orit; Yung, Bryant C.; Yang, Xiangyu; Bai, Ruiliang; Kiesewetter, Dale O.; Ma, Ying; Wu, Hua; Niu, Gang; Chen, Xiaoyuan

2017-01-01

Purpose: Evans Blue (EB) is an azo dye that binds quantitatively with serum albumin. With an albumin binding, NOTA conjugated truncated Evan's blue (NEB) dye derived PET tracer, we aimed to establish a strategy for evaluating vascular permeability in malignant tumors via non-invasive PET. Experimental design: Sixty-minute dynamic PET using [18F]FAl-NEB was performed in three xenograft tumor models including INS-1 rat insulinoma, UM-SCC-22B human head and neck carcinoma and U-87 MG human glioblastoma. Tumor vascular permeability was quantified by the difference of the slopes between tumor and blood time-activity curve (TACs, expressed as Ps). The method was further substantiated by EB extraction and colorimetric assay and correlates with that calculated from dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). The changes in tumor vasculature at different time points were assessed with NEB PET in U-87 MG and UM-SCC-22B tumor models after treatment with bevacizumab or doxorubicin. Result: The Ps values calculated from tumor and blood TACs from multiple time-point static images are consistent with those from dynamic images. Moreover, the Ps showed a positive and significant correlation with extracted EB concentration and KPS-MRI generated from DCE-MRI, which further confirmed the soundness of this methodology. The antiangiogenic effect of bevacizumab could be revealed by NEB PET in U-87 MG tumors as early as 8 hrs after therapy, demonstrated by a substantial decrease of Ps. On the contrary, there was no significant change of Ps in bevacizumab treated UM-SCC-22B tumors, compared with control group. However, the significant changes of Pswere overestimated in doxorubicin treated UM-SCC-22B tumors. Conclusions: We successfully developed a relatively convenient and novel strategy to evaluate vascular permeability and blood volume using NEB PET. This method will be advantageous in evaluating vascular permeability, promoting drug delivery, and monitoring tumor response to therapeutics that affect tumor angiogenesis. PMID:28744320

Neuroepithelial bodies in the lung of Melanophryniscus stelzneri stelzneri (Anura, Bufonidae).

PubMed

Hermida, G N; Farías, A; Fiorito, L E

2003-12-01

Electron microscopy of the lungs of Melanophryniscus stelzneri stelzneri (Anura) revealed the presence of a complex pattern of corpuscular cells (CCs). The respiratory surface over the septa presents small areas where the CCs are grouped forming neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs). These corpuscular structures can also be localized in the inner layer of the lung wall. Although in both cases NEBs protrude slightly into the airway lumen, they are separated from the airway lumen and the basal connective tissue by thin apical and basal cytoplasmic processes of neighbouring pneumocytes. Ultrastructurally, the CCs possess a large nucleus, clear cytoplasm and vesicles of variable morphology and size, containing an electron dense material surrounded by a lucent space in some cases. The size of these dense-core vesicles (DCVs) ranged from 40 to 100 nm. The NEBs are associated with afferent and efferent terminal nerves. These types of nerve endings are located between the CCs and in the basal part of the NEBs. The location of the NEBs in strategic positions on the septa and in the wall of the lung, the presence of the DCVs in the basolateral region of the CCs, the occurrence of synaptic contacts between nerve endings and the CCs and the occurrence of capillaries close to the NEBs, suggest a receptosecretory function for NEBs in the lung of M.s. stelzneri.

A Cost Analysis of Salbutamol Administration by Metered-Dose Inhalers with Spacers versus Nebulization for Patients with Wheeze in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Evidence from Observational Data in Nova Scotia.

PubMed

Spin, Paul; Sketris, Ingrid; Hill-Taylor, Barbara; Ward, Courtney; Hurley, Katrina F

2017-01-01

Despite evidence demonstrating the advantages of metered-dose inhalers with spacers (MDI-s), nebulization (NEB) remains the primary method of asthma treatment in some pediatric emergency departments (PEDs). There is a perception that delivering salbutamol by MDI-s is more costly than by NEB. This research evaluates the relative costs of MDI-s and NEB using local, hospital-specific, patient-level data. Regression models estimated associations between the salbutamol inhalation method and costs, length of stay (LOS) in the PED and hospital, and the probability of admission. Our population was a random sample of 822 patients presenting with wheeze to the PED in 2008/2009. Control variables included age, sex, triage acuity, time of PED visit, other medications, and vitals. Costs were calculated using the prices and quantities of medical resources used per treatment. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was used. Treatment with MDI-s versus NEB was associated with an absolute decrease in hospitalization of 4.4% (p<0.05) and a 25-hour (p<0.001) reduction in average inpatient stay, after controlling for triage acuity and patient characteristics. This resulted in savings of $24/patient in the PED and $180/patient overall (p<0.001). Inpatient care accounted for more than 90% of total patient costs. Our results suggest economic gains associated with MDI-s for salbutamol inhalation in PEDs. Sensitivity analyses show that this conclusion is not affected by changes in model parameters that may differ by jurisdiction. Since most facilities already collect the data used for this study, our methods could be adopted for a cross-jurisdictional account of the cost effectiveness of MDI-s.

Management of Meloidogyne incognita on tomato with endophytic bacteria and fresh residue of Wasabia japonica.

PubMed

Li, G J; Dong, Q E; Ma, L; Huang, Y; Zhu, M L; Ji, Y P; Wang, Q H; Mo, M H; Zhang, K Q

2014-10-01

To characterize the nematicidal endophytic bacteria (NEB) of Wasabia japonica (wasabi) and evaluated the control efficacies of promising NEB as well as fresh wasabi residue (FWR) against Meloidogyne incognita on tomato. By in vitro bioassay, 53 NEB strains showing nematicidal efficacies of >50% against J2 of M. incognita were isolated from wasabi. Basing on 16S rRNA gene sequences, these NEB were identified into 18 species of 11 genera. In greenhouse, incorporation of selected NEB culture or FWR into potted soil significantly reduced infection of M. incognita on tomato. Treating tomatoes with either FWR or NEB of Raoultella terrigena RN16 and Pseudomonas reinekei SN21 in the field yielded excellent control efficacies against M. incognita, especially the combinations of FWR with either R. terrigena RN16 or Ps. reinekei SN21 at doses of 50 g plus 100 ml per plant or more. The results established that R. terrigena RN16 and Ps. reinekei SN21 applied separately or combined with FWR have the potential to provide bioprotection agents against M. incognita. This study provides novel way for disease management using combination of endophyte and host residue. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Integrating nutrient bioavailability and co-production links when identifying sustainable diets: How low should we reduce meat consumption?

PubMed Central

Gazan, Rozenn; Vieux, Florent; Micard, Valérie; Amiot, Marie-Josèphe; Darmon, Nicole

2018-01-01

Background Reducing the consumption of meat and other animal-based products is widely advocated to improve the sustainability of diets in high-income countries. However, such reduction may impair nutritional adequacy, since the bioavailability of key nutrients is higher when they come from animal- vs plant-based foods. Meat reduction may also affect the balance between foods co-produced within the same animal production system. Objective The objective was to assess the impact of introducing nutrient bioavailability and co-production links considerations on the dietary changes needed − especially regarding meat ‒ to improve diet sustainability. Methods Diet optimization with linear and non-linear programming was used to design, for each gender, three modeled diets departing the least from the mean observed French diet (OBS) while reducing by at least 30% the diet-related environmental impacts (greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, acidification): i) in the nutrition-environment (NE) model, the fulfillment of recommended dietary allowances for all nutrients was imposed; ii) in the NE-bioavailability (NEB) model, nutritional adequacy was further ensured by accounting for iron, zinc, protein and provitamin A bioavailability; iii) in the NEB-co-production (NEB-CP) model, two links between co-produced animal foods (milk–beef and blood sausage–pork) were additionally included into the models by proportionally co-constraining their respective quantities. The price and environmental impacts of individual foods were assumed to be constant. Results ‘Fruit and vegetables’ and ‘Starches’ quantities increased in all modeled diets compared to OBS. In parallel, total meat and ruminant meat quantities decreased. Starting from 110g/d women’s OBS diet (168g/d for men), total meat quantity decreased by 78%, 67% and 32% for women (68%, 66% and 62% for men) in NE, NEB and NEB-CP diets, respectively. Starting from 36g/d women’s OBS diet (54g/d for men), ruminant meat quantity dropped severely by 84% and 87% in NE and NEB diets for women (80% and 78% for men), whereas it only decreased by 27% in NEB-CP diets (38% for men). The share of energy and proteins of animal origin was similar for the 3 modeled diets (approximately 1/5 of total energy, and 1/2 of protein) and lower than in OBS diet (approximately 1/3 of total energy, and 2/3 of protein). Conclusions Decreasing meat content was strictly needed to achieve more sustainable diets for French adults, but the reduction was less severe when nutrient bioavailability and co-production links were taken into account. PMID:29444098

The natural insect peptide Neb-colloostatin induces ovarian atresia and apoptosis in the mealworm Tenebrio molitor.

PubMed

Czarniewska, Elżbieta; Rosiński, Grzegorz; Gabała, Elżbieta; Kuczer, Mariola

2014-01-30

The injection of Neb-colloostatin into T. molitor females causes gonadoinhibitory effects on ovarian development. This peptide inhibits intercellular space formation (patency) in follicular epithelium and results in slowed vitellogenesis, delayed ovulation, reduced number of eggs laid and presumably cell death in the terminal follicles. However, as does the form of cell death in the terminal follicle, the mode of action of Neb-colloostatin remains unknown. We tested Neb-colloostatin for a sterilizing effect on females of Tenebrio molitor. We report that injection of nanomolar doses of Neb-colloostatin induce ovarian follicle atresia in 4-day old females during their first gonadotropic cycle. Light microscope observations revealed morphological changes in the ovary: after Neb-colloostatin injection the terminal oocytes are significantly smaller and elicit massive follicle resorption, but the control terminal follicles possess translucent ooplasm in oocytes at different stages of vitellogenesis. A patency is visible in follicular epithelium of the control vitellogenic oocytes, whereas peptide injection inhibits intercellular space formation and, in consequence, inhibits vitellogenesis. Confocal and electron microscope examination showed that peptide injection causes changes in the morphology indicating death of follicular cells. We observed F-actin cytoskeleton disorganization, induction of caspase activity, changes in chromatin organization and autophagic vacuole formation. Moreover, the apical cytoplasm of follicular cells is filled with numerous free ribosomes, probably indicating a higher demand for protein biosynthesis, especially in preparation for autophagic vacuole formation. On the other hand, the process of polyribosomes formation is inhibited, indicating the contributing effect of this hormone. Neb-colloostatin induces atresia in the mealworm ovary. Degeneration of T. molitor follicles includes changes in morphology and viability of follicular cells, and oosorption as a consequence of these changes.

The natural insect peptide Neb-colloostatin induces ovarian atresia and apoptosis in the mealworm Tenebrio molitor

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The injection of Neb-colloostatin into T. molitor females causes gonadoinhibitory effects on ovarian development. This peptide inhibits intercellular space formation (patency) in follicular epithelium and results in slowed vitellogenesis, delayed ovulation, reduced number of eggs laid and presumably cell death in the terminal follicles. However, as does the form of cell death in the terminal follicle, the mode of action of Neb-colloostatin remains unknown. Results We tested Neb-colloostatin for a sterilizing effect on females of Tenebrio molitor. We report that injection of nanomolar doses of Neb-colloostatin induce ovarian follicle atresia in 4-day old females during their first gonadotropic cycle. Light microscope observations revealed morphological changes in the ovary: after Neb-colloostatin injection the terminal oocytes are significantly smaller and elicit massive follicle resorption, but the control terminal follicles possess translucent ooplasm in oocytes at different stages of vitellogenesis. A patency is visible in follicular epithelium of the control vitellogenic oocytes, whereas peptide injection inhibits intercellular space formation and, in consequence, inhibits vitellogenesis. Confocal and electron microscope examination showed that peptide injection causes changes in the morphology indicating death of follicular cells. We observed F-actin cytoskeleton disorganization, induction of caspase activity, changes in chromatin organization and autophagic vacuole formation. Moreover, the apical cytoplasm of follicular cells is filled with numerous free ribosomes, probably indicating a higher demand for protein biosynthesis, especially in preparation for autophagic vacuole formation. On the other hand, the process of polyribosomes formation is inhibited, indicating the contributing effect of this hormone. Conclusion Neb-colloostatin induces atresia in the mealworm ovary. Degeneration of T. molitor follicles includes changes in morphology and viability of follicular cells, and oosorption as a consequence of these changes. PMID:24479487

Rationale for nebivolol/valsartan combination for hypertension: review of preclinical and clinical data.

PubMed

Giles, Thomas D; Cockcroft, John R; Pitt, Bertram; Jakate, Abhijeet; Wright, Harold M

2017-09-01

: To treat hypertension, combining two or more antihypertensive drugs from different classes is often necessary. β-Blockers and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors, when combined, have been deemed 'less effective' based on partially overlapping mechanisms of action and limited evidence. Recently, the single-pill combination (SPC) of nebivolol (Neb) 5 mg - a vasodilatory β1-selective antagonist/β3 agonist - and valsartan 80 mg, an angiotensin II receptor blocker, was US Food and Drug Administration-approved for hypertension. Pharmacological profiles of Neb and valsartan, alone and combined, are well characterized. In addition, a large 8-week randomized trial in stages I-II hypertensive patients (N = 4161) demonstrated greater blood pressure-reducing efficacy for Neb/valsartan SPCs than component monotherapies with comparable tolerability. In a biomarkers substudy (N = 805), Neb/valsartan SPCs prevented valsartan-induced increases in plasma renin, and a greater reduction in plasma aldosterone was observed with the highest SPC dose vs. valsartan 320 mg/day. This review summarizes preclinical and clinical evidence supporting Neb/valsartan as an efficacious and well tolerated combination treatment for hypertension.

The pro-apoptotic action of the peptide hormone Neb-colloostatin on insect haemocytes.

PubMed

Czarniewska, E; Mrówczynska, L; Kuczer, M; Rosinski, G

2012-12-15

The gonadoinhibitory peptide hormone Neb-colloostatin was first isolated from ovaries of the flesh fly Neobellieria bullata. This 19-mer peptide is thought to be a cleaved product of a collagen-like precursor molecule that is formed during remodelling of the extracellular matrix. In this study, we report that upon injection of picomolar and nanomolar doses, this peptide exerts a pro-apoptotic action on haemocytes of Tenebrio molitor adults, as visualized by changes in morphology and viability. The F-actin cytoskeleton was found to aggregate into distinctive patches. This may be responsible for the observed inhibition of adhesion of haemocytes and for the stimulation of filopodia formation. However, Neb-colloostatin injection did not induce the formation of autophagic vacuoles. Our results suggest that physiological concentrations of Neb-colloostatin play an important role in controlling the quantity and activity of haemocytes in insect haemolymph. They also suggest that during periods in which Neb-colloostatin is released, this peptide may cause a weakening of the insects' immune system. This is the first report that exposure to a peptide hormone causes apoptosis in insect haemocytes.

Using nonesterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations during the transition period for herd-level monitoring of increased risk of disease and decreased reproductive and milking performance.

PubMed

Ospina, Paula A; McArt, Jessica A; Overton, Thomas R; Stokol, Tracy; Nydam, Daryl V

2013-07-01

Dairy cows visit a state of negative energy balance (NEB) as they transition from late gestation to early lactation. At the individual level, there are several metabolic adaptations to manage NEB, including mobilization of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) from body fat reserves and glucose sparing for lactogenesis. Based on current pen-level feeding and management practices, strategies to minimize excessive NEB in both the individual and herd should focus on herd-level testing and management. This article reviews strategies for testing and monitoring of excessive NEB at the herd level through individual testing of 2 energy markers: NEFA and β-hydroxybutyrate. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Jovian Hotspots in the NEB in the Visible and Near-IR from Hubble and Ground-Based IR Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wittal, Matthew Michael; Orton, Glenn; Sinclair, James; Wong, Michael; Simon, Amy; Irwin, Patrick; Braude, Ashwin

2018-01-01

In order to better understand the composition and behavior of Jupiter's atmosphere, radiating regions in the infrared known as ‘hotspots’ are compared with darker spots in the visible at the same locations within the Northern Equatorial Band (NEB). Hubble images taken in across the visible and into the near-infrared (between 275 nm and 889 nm) are compared with 5.1 µm images taken using the Subaru telescope and other ground-based observations. The connection between these regions has been known for some time, and comparison between them at these wavelengths showed a general correlation between dimness in the visible and brightness in the infrared, but this was not the case in all observed locations. The origins and cause of these hotspots remains unclear, but because of their quasi-stable nature and reoccurrence at roughly 30-degree longitudes suggests a relationship with Rossby Waves. Continuous spectra from Multi Unite Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) also shows that measured values from the near-infrared fit well with observations, and hints at the composition of the discolored region through the use of NEMESIS software cross-correlation.

Evidence of Teleconnections between the Peruvian central Andes and Northeast Brazil during extreme rainfall events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulca, J. C.; Vuille, M. F.; Silva, F. Y.; Takahashi, K.

2013-12-01

Knowledge about changes in regional circulation and physical processes associated with extreme rainfall events in South America is limited. Here we investigate such events over the Mantaro basin (MB) located at (10°S-13°S; 73°W-76°W) in the central Peruvian Andes and Northeastern Brazil (NEB), located at (9°S-15°S; 39°W-46°W). Occasional dry and wet spells can be observed in both areas during the austral summer season. The main goal of this study is to investigate potential teleconnections between extreme rainfall events in MB and NEB during austral summer. We define wet (dry) spells as periods that last for at least 3 (5) consecutive days with rainfall above (below) the 70 (30) percentile. To identify the dates of ocurrence of these events, we used daily accumulated rainfall data from 14 climate stations located in the Mantaro basin for the period 1965 to 2002. In NEB we defined a rainfall index which is based on average daily gridded rainfall data within the region for the same period. Dry (wet spells) in the MB are associated with positive (negative) OLR anomalies which extend over much of the tropical Andes, indicating the large-scale nature of these events. At 200 hPa anomalous easterly (westerly) zonal winds aloft accompany wet (dry) spells. Composite anomalies of dry spells in MB reveal significant contemporaneous precipitation anomalies of the opposite sign over NEB, which suggest that intraseasonal precipitation variability over the two regions may be dynamically linked. Indeed upper-tropospheric circulation anomalies over the central Andes extend across South America and appear to be tied to an adjustment in the Bolivian High-Nordeste Low system. Dry (wet) spells in NEB are equally associated with a large-scale pattern of positive (negative) OLR anomalies; however, there are no related significant OLR anomalies over the MB during these events. Dry (wet) spells are associated with robust patterns of anomalous wind fields at both low and upper levels, caused by a changing position of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) toward the southwest (northeast). But, there is no coincident robust pattern of wind anomalies over the Mantaro Basin. In conclusion, dry spells in the Mantaro basin appear to be dynamically linked to wet spells in NEB, since 62% of all dry events in MB coincide with wet spells in NEB (35% of all events). The dynamical link explaining the observed teleconnection and the resulting dipole pattern between precipitation extremes in the MB and NEB region, respectively, appears to be related to intraseasonal variability in the Bolivian High - Nordeste Low system. Only 26.53% of all wet spells, however, coincide with dry spells in NEB (12.15% of all events). While circulation anomalies that affect precipitation extremes in the MB have the potential to also affect the precipitation characteristics in NEB, the opposite is not the case. Extreme events in NEB are primarily affected by NE-SW displacement in the SACZ, a mechanism that is of little relevance for precipitation extremes in the MB.

Genome-wide analysis identifies 12 loci influencing human reproductive behavior.

PubMed

Barban, Nicola; Jansen, Rick; de Vlaming, Ronald; Vaez, Ahmad; Mandemakers, Jornt J; Tropf, Felix C; Shen, Xia; Wilson, James F; Chasman, Daniel I; Nolte, Ilja M; Tragante, Vinicius; van der Laan, Sander W; Perry, John R B; Kong, Augustine; Ahluwalia, Tarunveer S; Albrecht, Eva; Yerges-Armstrong, Laura; Atzmon, Gil; Auro, Kirsi; Ayers, Kristin; Bakshi, Andrew; Ben-Avraham, Danny; Berger, Klaus; Bergman, Aviv; Bertram, Lars; Bielak, Lawrence F; Bjornsdottir, Gyda; Bonder, Marc Jan; Broer, Linda; Bui, Minh; Barbieri, Caterina; Cavadino, Alana; Chavarro, Jorge E; Turman, Constance; Concas, Maria Pina; Cordell, Heather J; Davies, Gail; Eibich, Peter; Eriksson, Nicholas; Esko, Tõnu; Eriksson, Joel; Falahi, Fahimeh; Felix, Janine F; Fontana, Mark Alan; Franke, Lude; Gandin, Ilaria; Gaskins, Audrey J; Gieger, Christian; Gunderson, Erica P; Guo, Xiuqing; Hayward, Caroline; He, Chunyan; Hofer, Edith; Huang, Hongyan; Joshi, Peter K; Kanoni, Stavroula; Karlsson, Robert; Kiechl, Stefan; Kifley, Annette; Kluttig, Alexander; Kraft, Peter; Lagou, Vasiliki; Lecoeur, Cecile; Lahti, Jari; Li-Gao, Ruifang; Lind, Penelope A; Liu, Tian; Makalic, Enes; Mamasoula, Crysovalanto; Matteson, Lindsay; Mbarek, Hamdi; McArdle, Patrick F; McMahon, George; Meddens, S Fleur W; Mihailov, Evelin; Miller, Mike; Missmer, Stacey A; Monnereau, Claire; van der Most, Peter J; Myhre, Ronny; Nalls, Mike A; Nutile, Teresa; Kalafati, Ioanna Panagiota; Porcu, Eleonora; Prokopenko, Inga; Rajan, Kumar B; Rich-Edwards, Janet; Rietveld, Cornelius A; Robino, Antonietta; Rose, Lynda M; Rueedi, Rico; Ryan, Kathleen A; Saba, Yasaman; Schmidt, Daniel; Smith, Jennifer A; Stolk, Lisette; Streeten, Elizabeth; Tönjes, Anke; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Ulivi, Sheila; Wedenoja, Juho; Wellmann, Juergen; Willeit, Peter; Yao, Jie; Yengo, Loic; Zhao, Jing Hua; Zhao, Wei; Zhernakova, Daria V; Amin, Najaf; Andrews, Howard; Balkau, Beverley; Barzilai, Nir; Bergmann, Sven; Biino, Ginevra; Bisgaard, Hans; Bønnelykke, Klaus; Boomsma, Dorret I; Buring, Julie E; Campbell, Harry; Cappellani, Stefania; Ciullo, Marina; Cox, Simon R; Cucca, Francesco; Toniolo, Daniela; Davey-Smith, George; Deary, Ian J; Dedoussis, George; Deloukas, Panos; van Duijn, Cornelia M; de Geus, Eco J C; Eriksson, Johan G; Evans, Denis A; Faul, Jessica D; Sala, Cinzia Felicita; Froguel, Philippe; Gasparini, Paolo; Girotto, Giorgia; Grabe, Hans-Jörgen; Greiser, Karin Halina; Groenen, Patrick J F; de Haan, Hugoline G; Haerting, Johannes; Harris, Tamara B; Heath, Andrew C; Heikkilä, Kauko; Hofman, Albert; Homuth, Georg; Holliday, Elizabeth G; Hopper, John; Hyppönen, Elina; Jacobsson, Bo; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Johannesson, Magnus; Jugessur, Astanand; Kähönen, Mika; Kajantie, Eero; Kardia, Sharon L R; Keavney, Bernard; Kolcic, Ivana; Koponen, Päivikki; Kovacs, Peter; Kronenberg, Florian; Kutalik, Zoltan; La Bianca, Martina; Lachance, Genevieve; Iacono, William G; Lai, Sandra; Lehtimäki, Terho; Liewald, David C; Lindgren, Cecilia M; Liu, Yongmei; Luben, Robert; Lucht, Michael; Luoto, Riitta; Magnus, Per; Magnusson, Patrik K E; Martin, Nicholas G; McGue, Matt; McQuillan, Ruth; Medland, Sarah E; Meisinger, Christa; Mellström, Dan; Metspalu, Andres; Traglia, Michela; Milani, Lili; Mitchell, Paul; Montgomery, Grant W; Mook-Kanamori, Dennis; de Mutsert, Renée; Nohr, Ellen A; Ohlsson, Claes; Olsen, Jørn; Ong, Ken K; Paternoster, Lavinia; Pattie, Alison; Penninx, Brenda W J H; Perola, Markus; Peyser, Patricia A; Pirastu, Mario; Polasek, Ozren; Power, Chris; Kaprio, Jaakko; Raffel, Leslie J; Räikkönen, Katri; Raitakari, Olli; Ridker, Paul M; Ring, Susan M; Roll, Kathryn; Rudan, Igor; Ruggiero, Daniela; Rujescu, Dan; Salomaa, Veikko; Schlessinger, David; Schmidt, Helena; Schmidt, Reinhold; Schupf, Nicole; Smit, Johannes; Sorice, Rossella; Spector, Tim D; Starr, John M; Stöckl, Doris; Strauch, Konstantin; Stumvoll, Michael; Swertz, Morris A; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Thurik, A Roy; Timpson, Nicholas J; Tung, Joyce Y; Uitterlinden, André G; Vaccargiu, Simona; Viikari, Jorma; Vitart, Veronique; Völzke, Henry; Vollenweider, Peter; Vuckovic, Dragana; Waage, Johannes; Wagner, Gert G; Wang, Jie Jin; Wareham, Nicholas J; Weir, David R; Willemsen, Gonneke; Willeit, Johann; Wright, Alan F; Zondervan, Krina T; Stefansson, Kari; Krueger, Robert F; Lee, James J; Benjamin, Daniel J; Cesarini, David; Koellinger, Philipp D; den Hoed, Marcel; Snieder, Harold; Mills, Melinda C

2016-12-01

The genetic architecture of human reproductive behavior-age at first birth (AFB) and number of children ever born (NEB)-has a strong relationship with fitness, human development, infertility and risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, very few genetic loci have been identified, and the underlying mechanisms of AFB and NEB are poorly understood. We report a large genome-wide association study of both sexes including 251,151 individuals for AFB and 343,072 individuals for NEB. We identified 12 independent loci that are significantly associated with AFB and/or NEB in a SNP-based genome-wide association study and 4 additional loci associated in a gene-based effort. These loci harbor genes that are likely to have a role, either directly or by affecting non-local gene expression, in human reproduction and infertility, thereby increasing understanding of these complex traits.

Comparison Of Reaction Barriers In Energy And Free Energy For Enzyme Catalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrés Cisneros, G.; Yang, Weitao

Reaction paths on potential energy surfaces obtained from QM/MM calculations of enzymatic or solution reactions depend on the starting structure employed for the path calculations. The free energies associated with these paths should be more reliable for studying reaction mechanisms, because statistical averages are used. To investigate this, the role of enzyme environment fluctuations on reaction paths has been studied with an ab initio QM/MM method for the first step of the reaction catalyzed by 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase (4OT). Four minimum energy paths (MEPs) are compared, which have been determined with two different methods. The first path (path A) has been determined with a procedure that combines the nudged elastic band (NEB) method and a second order parallel path optimizer recently developed in our group. The second path (path B) has also been determined by the combined procedure, however, the enzyme environment has been relaxed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The third path (path C) has been determined with the coordinate driving (CD) method, using the enzyme environment from path B. We compare these three paths to a previously determined path (path D) determined with the CD method. In all four cases the QM/MM-FE method (Y. Zhang et al., JCP, 112, 3483) was employed to obtain the free energy barriers for all four paths. In the case of the combined procedure, the reaction path is approximated by a small number of images which are optimized to the MEP in parallel, which results in a reduced computational cost. However, this does not allow the FEP calculation on the MEP. In order to perform FEP calculations on these paths, we introduce a modification to the NEB method that enables the addition of as many extra images to the path as needed for the FEP calculations. The calculated potential energy barriers show differences in the activation barrier between the calculated paths of as much as 5.17 kcal/mol. However, the largest free energy barrier difference is 1.58 kcal/mol. These results show the importance of the inclusion of the environment fluctuation in the calculation of enzymatic activation barriers

Rationale for nebivolol/valsartan combination for hypertension: review of preclinical and clinical data

PubMed Central

Giles, Thomas D.; Cockcroft, John R.; Pitt, Bertram; Jakate, Abhijeet; Wright, Harold M.

2017-01-01

To treat hypertension, combining two or more antihypertensive drugs from different classes is often necessary. β-Blockers and renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors, when combined, have been deemed ‘less effective’ based on partially overlapping mechanisms of action and limited evidence. Recently, the single-pill combination (SPC) of nebivolol (Neb) 5 mg – a vasodilatory β1-selective antagonist/β3 agonist – and valsartan 80 mg, an angiotensin II receptor blocker, was US Food and Drug Administration-approved for hypertension. Pharmacological profiles of Neb and valsartan, alone and combined, are well characterized. In addition, a large 8-week randomized trial in stages I–II hypertensive patients (N = 4161) demonstrated greater blood pressure-reducing efficacy for Neb/valsartan SPCs than component monotherapies with comparable tolerability. In a biomarkers substudy (N = 805), Neb/valsartan SPCs prevented valsartan-induced increases in plasma renin, and a greater reduction in plasma aldosterone was observed with the highest SPC dose vs. valsartan 320 mg/day. This review summarizes preclinical and clinical evidence supporting Neb/valsartan as an efficacious and well tolerated combination treatment for hypertension. PMID:28509722

Size effects and strain localization in atomic-scale cleavage modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elsner, B. A. M.; Müller, S.

2015-09-01

In this work, we study the adhesion and decohesion of Cu(1 0 0) surfaces using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. An upper stress to surface decohesion is obtained via the universal binding energy relation (UBER), but the model is limited to rigid separation of bulk-terminated surfaces. When structural relaxations are included, an unphysical size effect arises if decohesion is considered to occur as soon as the strain energy equals the energy of the newly formed surfaces. We employ the nudged elastic band (NEB) method to show that this size effect is opposed by a size-dependency of the energy barriers involved in the transition. Further, we find that the transition occurs via a localization of bond strain in the vicinity of the cleavage plane, which resembles the strain localization at the tip of a sharp crack that is predicted by linear elastic fracture mechanics.

Comparing potential copper chelation mechanisms in Parkinson's disease protein

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, Frisco; Hodak, Miroslav; Bernholc, Jerry

2011-03-01

We have implemented the nudged elastic band (NEB) as a guided dynamics framework for our real-space multigrid method of DFT-based quantum simulations. This highly parallel approach resolves a minimum energy pathway (MEP) on the energy hypersurface by relaxing intermediates in a chain-of-states. As an initial application we present an investigation of chelating agents acting on copper ion bound to α -synuclein, whose misfolding is implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD). Copper ions are known to act as highly effective misfolding agents in a-synuclein and are thus an important target in understanding PD. Furthermore, chelation therapy has shown promise in the treatment of Alzheimer's and other neuro-degenerative diseases with similar metal-correlated pathologies. At present, our candidate chelating agents include nicotine, curcumin and clioquinol. We examine their MEP activation barriers in the context of a PD onset mechanism to assess the viability of various chelators for PD remediation.

First-principles investigation of point defect and atomic diffusion in Al2Ca

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Xiao; Wang, Jia-Ning; Wang, Ya-Ping; Shi, Xue-Feng; Tang, Bi-Yu

2017-04-01

Point defects and atomic diffusion in Al2Ca have been studied from first-principles calculations within density functional framework. After formation energy and relative stability of point defects are investigated, several predominant diffusion processes in Al2Ca are studied, including sublattice one-step mechanism, 3-jump vacancy cycles and antistructure sublattice mechanism. The associated energy profiles are calculated with climbing image nudged elastic band (CI-NEB) method, then the saddle points and activation barriers during atomic diffusion are further determined. The resulted activation barriers show that both Al and Ca can diffuse mainly mediated by neighbor vacancy on their own sublattice. 3-jump cycle mechanism mediated by VCa may make some contribution to the overall Al diffusion. And antistructure (AS) sublattice mechanism can also play an important role in Ca atomic diffusion owing to the moderate activation barrier.

Size effects and strain localization in atomic-scale cleavage modeling.

PubMed

Elsner, B A M; Müller, S

2015-09-04

In this work, we study the adhesion and decohesion of Cu(1 0 0) surfaces using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. An upper stress to surface decohesion is obtained via the universal binding energy relation (UBER), but the model is limited to rigid separation of bulk-terminated surfaces. When structural relaxations are included, an unphysical size effect arises if decohesion is considered to occur as soon as the strain energy equals the energy of the newly formed surfaces. We employ the nudged elastic band (NEB) method to show that this size effect is opposed by a size-dependency of the energy barriers involved in the transition. Further, we find that the transition occurs via a localization of bond strain in the vicinity of the cleavage plane, which resembles the strain localization at the tip of a sharp crack that is predicted by linear elastic fracture mechanics.

Genome-wide analysis identifies 12 loci influencing human reproductive behavior

PubMed Central

Barban, Nicola; Jansen, Rick; de Vlaming, Ronald; Vaez, Ahmad; Mandemakers, Jornt J.; Tropf, Felix C.; Shen, Xia; Wilson, James F.; Chasman, Daniel I.; Nolte, Ilja M.; Tragante, Vinicius; van der Laan, Sander W.; Perry, John R. B.; Kong, Augustine; Ahluwalia, Tarunveer; Albrecht, Eva; Yerges-Armstrong, Laura; Atzmon, Gil; Auro, Kirsi; Ayers, Kristin; Bakshi, Andrew; Ben-Avraham, Danny; Berger, Klaus; Bergman, Aviv; Bertram, Lars; Bielak, Lawrence F.; Bjornsdottir, Gyda; Bonder, Marc Jan; Broer, Linda; Bui, Minh; Barbieri, Caterina; Cavadino, Alana; Chavarro, Jorge E; Turman, Constance; Concas, Maria Pina; Cordell, Heather J.; Davies, Gail; Eibich, Peter; Eriksson, Nicholas; Esko, Tõnu; Eriksson, Joel; Falahi, Fahimeh; Felix, Janine F.; Fontana, Mark Alan; Franke, Lude; Gandin, Ilaria; Gaskins, Audrey J.; Gieger, Christian; Gunderson, Erica P.; Guo, Xiuqing; Hayward, Caroline; He, Chunyan; Hofer, Edith; Huang, Hongyan; Joshi, Peter K.; Kanoni, Stavroula; Karlsson, Robert; Kiechl, Stefan; Kifley, Annette; Kluttig, Alexander; Kraft, Peter; Lagou, Vasiliki; Lecoeur, Cecile; Lahti, Jari; Li-Gao, Ruifang; Lind, Penelope A.; Liu, Tian; Makalic, Enes; Mamasoula, Crysovalanto; Matteson, Lindsay; Mbarek, Hamdi; McArdle, Patrick F.; McMahon, George; Meddens, S. Fleur W.; Mihailov, Evelin; Miller, Mike; Missmer, Stacey A.; Monnereau, Claire; van der Most, Peter J.; Myhre, Ronny; Nalls, Mike A.; Nutile, Teresa; Panagiota, Kalafati Ioanna; Porcu, Eleonora; Prokopenko, Inga; Rajan, Kumar B.; Rich-Edwards, Janet; Rietveld, Cornelius A.; Robino, Antonietta; Rose, Lynda M.; Rueedi, Rico; Ryan, Kathy; Saba, Yasaman; Schmidt, Daniel; Smith, Jennifer A.; Stolk, Lisette; Streeten, Elizabeth; Tonjes, Anke; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Ulivi, Sheila; Wedenoja, Juho; Wellmann, Juergen; Willeit, Peter; Yao, Jie; Yengo, Loic; Zhao, Jing Hua; Zhao, Wei; Zhernakova, Daria V.; Amin, Najaf; Andrews, Howard; Balkau, Beverley; Barzilai, Nir; Bergmann, Sven; Biino, Ginevra; Bisgaard, Hans; Bønnelykke, Klaus; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Buring, Julie E.; Campbell, Harry; Cappellani, Stefania; Ciullo, Marina; Cox, Simon R.; Cucca, Francesco; Daniela, Toniolo; Davey-Smith, George; Deary, Ian J.; Dedoussis, George; Deloukas, Panos; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; de Geus, Eco JC.; Eriksson, Johan G.; Evans, Denis A.; Faul, Jessica D.; Felicita, Sala Cinzia; Froguel, Philippe; Gasparini, Paolo; Girotto, Giorgia; Grabe, Hans-Jörgen; Greiser, Karin Halina; Groenen, Patrick J.F.; de Haan, Hugoline G.; Haerting, Johannes; Harris, Tamara B.; Heath, Andrew C.; Heikkilä, Kauko; Hofman, Albert; Homuth, Georg; Holliday, Elizabeth G; Hopper, John; Hypponen, Elina; Jacobsson, Bo; Jaddoe, Vincent W. V.; Johannesson, Magnus; Jugessur, Astanand; Kähönen, Mika; Kajantie, Eero; Kardia, Sharon L.R.; Keavney, Bernard; Kolcic, Ivana; Koponen, Päivikki; Kovacs, Peter; Kronenberg, Florian; Kutalik, Zoltan; La Bianca, Martina; Lachance, Genevieve; Iacono, William; Lai, Sandra; Lehtimäki, Terho; Liewald, David C; Lindgren, Cecilia; Liu, Yongmei; Luben, Robert; Lucht, Michael; Luoto, Riitta; Magnus, Per; Magnusson, Patrik K.E.; Martin, Nicholas G.; McGue, Matt; McQuillan, Ruth; Medland, Sarah E.; Meisinger, Christa; Mellström, Dan; Metspalu, Andres; Michela, Traglia; Milani, Lili; Mitchell, Paul; Montgomery, Grant W.; Mook-Kanamori, Dennis; de Mutsert, Renée; Nohr, Ellen A; Ohlsson, Claes; Olsen, Jørn; Ong, Ken K.; Paternoster, Lavinia; Pattie, Alison; Penninx, Brenda WJH; Perola, Markus; Peyser, Patricia A.; Pirastu, Mario; Polasek, Ozren; Power, Chris; Kaprio, Jaakko; Raffel, Leslie J.; Räikkönen, Katri; Raitakari, Olli; Ridker, Paul M.; Ring, Susan M.; Roll, Kathryn; Rudan, Igor; Ruggiero, Daniela; Rujescu, Dan; Salomaa, Veikko; Schlessinger, David; Schmidt, Helena; Schmidt, Reinhold; Schupf, Nicole; Smit, Johannes; Sorice, Rossella; Spector, Tim D.; Starr, John M.; Stöckl, Doris; Strauch, Konstantin; Stumvoll, Michael; Swertz, Morris A.; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Thurik, A. Roy; Timpson, Nicholas J.; Tönjes, Anke; Tung, Joyce Y.; Uitterlinden, André G.; Vaccargiu, Simona; Viikari, Jorma; Vitart, Veronique; Völzke, Henry; Vollenweider, Peter; Vuckovic, Dragana; Waage, Johannes; Wagner, Gert G.; Wang, Jie Jin; Wareham, Nicholas J.; Weir, David R.; Willemsen, Gonneke; Willeit, Johann; Wright, Alan F.; Zondervan, Krina T.; Stefansson, Kari; Krueger, Robert F.; Lee, James J.; Benjamin, Daniel J.; Cesarini, David; Koellinger, Philipp D.; den Hoed, Marcel; Snieder, Harold; Mills, Melinda C.

2017-01-01

The genetic architecture of human reproductive behavior – age at first birth (AFB) and number of children ever born (NEB) – has a strong relationship with fitness, human development, infertility and risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, very few genetic loci have been identified and the underlying mechanisms of AFB and NEB are poorly understood. We report the largest genome-wide association study to date of both sexes including 251,151 individuals for AFB and 343,072 for NEB. We identified 12 independent loci that are significantly associated with AFB and/or NEB in a SNP-based genome-wide association study, and four additional loci in a gene-based effort. These loci harbor genes that are likely to play a role – either directly or by affecting non-local gene expression – in human reproduction and infertility, thereby increasing our understanding of these complex traits. PMID:27798627

Human fertility, molecular genetics, and natural selection in modern societies.

PubMed

Tropf, Felix C; Stulp, Gert; Barban, Nicola; Visscher, Peter M; Yang, Jian; Snieder, Harold; Mills, Melinda C

2015-01-01

Research on genetic influences on human fertility outcomes such as number of children ever born (NEB) or the age at first childbirth (AFB) has been solely based on twin and family-designs that suffer from problematic assumptions and practical limitations. The current study exploits recent advances in the field of molecular genetics by applying the genomic-relationship-matrix based restricted maximum likelihood (GREML) methods to quantify for the first time the extent to which common genetic variants influence the NEB and the AFB of women. Using data from the UK and the Netherlands (N = 6,758), results show significant additive genetic effects on both traits explaining 10% (SE = 5) of the variance in the NEB and 15% (SE = 4) in the AFB. We further find a significant negative genetic correlation between AFB and NEB in the pooled sample of -0.62 (SE = 0.27, p-value = 0.02). This finding implies that individuals with genetic predispositions for an earlier AFB had a reproductive advantage and that natural selection operated not only in historical, but also in contemporary populations. The observed postponement in the AFB across the past century in Europe contrasts with these findings, suggesting an evolutionary override by environmental effects and underscoring that evolutionary predictions in modern human societies are not straight forward. It emphasizes the necessity for an integrative research design from the fields of genetics and social sciences in order to understand and predict fertility outcomes. Finally, our results suggest that we may be able to find genetic variants associated with human fertility when conducting GWAS-meta analyses with sufficient sample size.

Mechanism of resistance to mesotrione in an Amaranthus tuberculatus population from Nebraska, USA

PubMed Central

Hutchings, Sarah-Jane; Dale, Richard P.; Howell, Anushka; Morris, James A.; Kramer, Vance C.; Shivrain, Vinod K.; Mcindoe, Eddie

2017-01-01

Amaranthus tuberculatus is a troublesome weed in corn and soybean production systems in Midwestern USA, due in part to its ability to evolve multiple resistance to key herbicides including 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD). Here we have investigated the mechanism of resistance to mesotrione, an important chemical for managing broadleaf weeds in corn, in a multiple herbicide resistant population (NEB) from Nebraska. NEB showed a 2.4-fold and 45-fold resistance increase to mesotrione compared to a standard sensitive population (SEN) in pre-emergence and post-emergence dose-response pot tests, respectively. Sequencing of the whole HPPD gene from 12 each of sensitive and resistant plants did not detect any target-site mutations that could be associated with post-emergence resistance to mesotrione in NEB. Resistance was not due to HPPD gene duplication or over-expression before or after herbicide treatment, as revealed by qPCR. Additionally, no difference in mesotrione uptake was detected between NEB and SEN. In contrast, higher levels of mesotrione metabolism via 4-hydroxylation of the dione ring were observed in NEB compared to the sensitive population. Overall, the NEB population was characterised by lower levels of parent mesotrione exported to other parts of the plant, either as a consequence of metabolism in the treated leaves and/or impaired translocation of the herbicide. This study demonstrates another case of non-target-site based resistance to an important class of herbicides in an A. tuberculatus population. The knowledge generated here will help design strategies for managing multiple herbicide resistance in this problematic weed species. PMID:28662111

Nuclear envelope breakdown and mitosis in sand dollar embryos is inhibited by microinjection of calcium buffers in a calcium-reversible fashion, and by antagonists of intracellular Ca2+ channels.

PubMed

Silver, R B

1989-01-01

Transient elevations in intracellular free Ca2+ are believed to signal the initiation of mitosis. This model predicts that mitosis might be arrested prior to nuclear envelope breakdown (NEB) or anaphase onset if intracellular Ca2+ concentration is buffered or dampened. Microinjection of a discrete dose of Ca2+ into the cell might then release the cell to resume mitotic cycling. Experimentally, one blastomere of two cell sand dollar (Echinaracnius parma) embryos was microinjected with Ca2+ buffers, Ca2+ solutions, or Ca2+ channel antagonists; the uninjected blastomere was the control. Cells were loaded with 10 pl doses of the Ca2+ buffer antipyrylazo III (ApIII) at specific times in the cell cycle to attempt a competitive inhibition of Ca2+-dependent steps in NEB and initiation of mitosis. Injection of 50 microM ApIII 6 min prior to NEB blocked NEB and further cell cycling. Injections of solutions between 0 and 30 microM ApIII were without observable effect. Control injections had no observable effect on the injected cell. Cells injected with 50 microM ApIII 2 min prior to the onset of anaphase in control cells were blocked in metaphase. Cells were sensitive to Ca2+ buffer injections 6 min prior to NEB (with a 40- to 45-sec duration), and 2 min prior to anaphase onset (with a 10- to 20-sec duration). Vital staining of these cells with H33342 demonstrated that they contained only one nucleus that had the same fluorescence intensity as seen prior to microinjection, and thus did not undergo DNA synthesis following the imposition of the Ca2+ buffer block to mitosis. Cells arrested in this fashion did not spontaneously resume mitotic cycling. This Ca2+ buffer-induced mitotic arrest was, however, experimentally reversible. Cells arrested with 50 microM ApIII 6 min prior to NEB could be returned to mitotic activity by injecting 300 microM CaCl2 5 min after the ApIII injection. The double injected cells resumed cycling, NEB, and mitosis after a delay of one cell cycle period, and remained one cell cycle out of phase with the sister (control) cell. Microinjection of antagonists of endomembrane Ca2+ channels inhibited NEB and anaphase onset in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion. The effective doses of compounds tested were 7 micrograms/ml ryanodine and 500 micrograms/ml TMB-8. These results indicate that a transient elevation of intracellular Ca2+ from endomembrane stores is required to initiate mitotic events, namely NEB and anaphase onset.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

First-principles study of molecular NO dissociation on Ir(100) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erikat, I. A.; Hamad, B. A.; Khalifeh, J. M.

2014-02-01

The dissociation of NO on Ir(100) surface is investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The pathway and transition state (TS) of the dissociation of NO molecule are determined using climbing image nudge elastic band (CI-NEB). The prerequisite state of NO dissociation is determining the most stable sites of the reactant and products. We found that the most energetically stable sites are the hollow for N atom and the bridge for NO molecule as well as O atom. We found that the bending of NO is the first step of the dissociation reaction due to the increase of the back-donation from the d-band of Ir to 2 π ∗ orbital of NO, which causes the weakening of NO bond. The dissociation energy barrier of NO molecule on Ir(100) surface is 0.49 eV.

Evaluating the length of stay and value of time in a pediatric emergency department with two models by comparing two different albuterol delivery systems.

PubMed

Staggs, Lauren; Peek, Meagan; Southard, Gary; Gracely, Ed; Baxendale, Sidney; Cross, Keith P; Kim, In K

2012-01-01

Asthma is one of the most common childhood illnesses and accounts for a substantial amount of pediatric emergency department visits. Historically, acute exacerbations are treated with a beta agonist via nebulizer therapy (NEB). However, with the advent of the spacer, the medication can be delivered via a metered dose inhaler (MDI+S) with the same efficacy for mild-to-moderate asthma exacerbations. To date, no study has been done to evaluate emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) and opportunity cost between nebulized vs MDI+S. The objective of this study was to compare ED LOS and associated opportunity cost among children who present with a mild asthma exacerbation according to the delivery mode of albuterol: MDI+S vs NEB. A structured, retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Medical records were reviewed from children aged 1-18 years treated at an urban pediatric ED from July 2007 to June 2008 with a discharge diagnosis International Classification of Disease-9 of asthma. Length of stay was defined: time from initial triage until the time of the guardian signature on the discharge instructions. An operational definition was used to define a mild asthma exacerbation; those patients requiring only one standard weight based albuterol treatment. Emergency department throughput time points, demographic data, treatment course, and delivery method of albuterol were recorded. Three hundred and four patients were analyzed: 94 in the MDI+S group and 209 in the NEB group. Mean age in years for the MDI+S group was 9.57 vs 5.07 for the NEB group (p<0.001). The percentage of patients that received oral corticosteroids was 39.4% in the MDI+S group vs 61.7% in the NEB group (p<0.001). There was no difference between groups in: race, insurance status, gender, or chest radiographs. The mean ED LOS for patients in the MDI+S group was 170 minutes compared to 205 minutes in the NEB group. On average, there was a 25.1 minute time savings per patient in ED treatment time (p<0.001; 95% CI=3.8-31.7). Significant predictors of outcome for treatment time were chest radiograph, steroids, and treatment mode. Opportunity cost analysis estimated a potential cost savings of $213,532 annually using MDI+S vs NEB. In mild asthma exacerbations, administering albuterol via MDI+S decreases ED treatment time when compared to administering nebulized albuterol. A metered dose inhaler with spacer utilization may enhance opportunity cost savings and decrease the left without being seen population with improved throughput. The key limitations of this study include its retrospective design, the proxy non-standard definition of mild asthma exacerbation, and the opportunity cost calculation, which may over-estimate the value of ED time saved based on ED volume.

Negative energy balance in dairy cows is associated with specific changes in IGF-binding protein expression in the oviduct

PubMed Central

Fenwick, M A; Llewellyn, S; Fitzpatrick, R; Kenny, D A; Murphy, J J; Patton, J; Wathes, D C

2008-01-01

Negative energy balance (NEB) during early lactation in dairy cows leads to an altered metabolic state that has major effects on the production of IGF family members. Low IGF-I concentrations are associated with poor fertility and therefore we aimed to determine whether NEB exerts a direct effect on IGF expression in the postpartum oviduct. Multiparous Holstein cows were allocated to two treatments (each n=6) designed using differential feeding and milking regimes to produce either mild NEB (MNEB) or severe NEB (SNEB). Animals were slaughtered in week 2 of lactation when divergent metabolic profiles were evident. Oviducts were collected for RNA analysis by real-time RT-PCR and in situ hybridisation. Quantitative measures in oviduct gene expression were obtained for all members of the IGF family (IGF-I/II, IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP) 1–6 and receptors for IGF types 1 and 2), insulin A/B, GH, glucocorticoid and oestrogen α/β. Expression of IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-6 (both of which have a high affinity for IGF-II) was decreased in SNEB relative to MNEB (P<0.05). No other gene was altered by NEB, but IGF-II, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-5 and IGFBP-6 all showed differential expression in different regions of the oviduct. These results indicate that, in addition to low circulating IGF-I after calving, NEB may also influence IGF availability in the oviduct indirectly through changes in specific IGFBP expression. It is possible that the predicted increased signalling by IGF-II may perturb embryo development, contributing to the high rates of embryonic mortality in dairy cows. PMID:18159084

Nebulisation of corticosteroid suspensions and solutions with a beta(2) agonist.

PubMed

O'Callaghan, Christopher L; White, Judy A; Jackson, Judith M; Barry, Peter W; Kantar, Ahmad

2008-05-01

The aim of this study was to determine the output of salbutamol nebulised in combination with either flunisolide or beclometasone dipropionate (BDP) from two different nebulisers under simulated breathing conditions. The BimboNeb and Nebula nebulisers were used to nebulise 3.0 mL of the two drug mixtures (salbutamol, 5000 microg plus either flunisolide, 600 microg, or BDP, 800 microg). Particle size was determined by inertial impaction. Total outputs of all drugs from both nebulisers were measured using a sinus flow pump under simulated paediatric and adult breathing patterns. The mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of BDP particles from the mixture was 6.34 mum using the BimboNeb and 5.34 mum using the Nebula. Values for salbutamol in this mixture were 3.93 and 3.32 microm, respectively. The MMAD of flunisolide particles from the BimboNeb and Nebula were 3.74 and 3.65 microm, respectively, while for salbutamol were 3.79 and 3.74 microm, respectively. With the simulated adult breathing pattern, all drug outputs from both mixtures were greater from the BimboNeb than from the Nebula after 5 and 10 min' nebulisation. Drug delivery from the BimboNeb, but not the Nebula, was affected by the simulated breathing pattern. Outputs with the BimboNeb were lower with the paediatric breathing pattern than with the adult pattern. In the majority of cases, nebulising for 10 min produced significantly greater drug output than after 5 min. For the Nebula, outputs were generally similar at 5 and 10 min, irrespective of the breathing pattern. These results highlight the need to assess the amount of aerosolised drug available when drugs are combined, when different nebulisers are used and when they are used with patients of different ages.

Anatase-rutile phase transformation of titanium dioxide bulk material: a DFT + U approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vu, Nam H.; Le, Hieu V.; Cao, Thi M.; Pham, Viet V.; Le, Hung M.; Nguyen-Manh, Duc

2012-10-01

The anatase-rutile phase transformation of TiO2 bulk material is investigated using a density functional theory (DFT) approach in this study. According to the calculations employing the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange-correlation functional with the Vanderbilt ultrasoft pseudopotential, it is suggested that the anatase phase is more energetically stable than rutile, which is in variance with the experimental observations. Consequently, the DFT + U method is employed in order to predict the correct structural stability in titania from electronic-structure-based total energy calculations. The Hubbard U term is determined by examining the band structure of rutile with various values of U from 3 to 10 eV. At U = 5 eV, a theoretical bandgap for rutile is obtained as 3.12 eV, which is in very good agreement with the reported experimental bandgap. Hence, we choose the DFT + U method (with U = 5 eV) to investigate the transformation pathway using the newly-developed solid-state nudged elastic band (ss-NEB) method, and consequently obtain an intermediate transition structure that is 9.794 eV per four-TiO2 above the anatase phase. When the Ti-O bonds in the transition state are examined using charge density analysis, seven Ti-O bonds (out of 24 bonds in the anatase unit cell) are broken, and this result is in excellent agreement with a previous experimental study (Penn and Banfield 1999 Am. Miner. 84 871-6).

Afghan National Engineer Brigade: Despite U.S. Training Efforts, the Brigade is Incapable of Operating Independently

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

carpentry, masonry , and the operation of heavy equipment. Plans called for the NEB to receive at least $29 million in engineering equipment and...JTF Sapper, NMCB 25, and NMCB 28, had responsibility for training the NEB in such areas as plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, masonry , and

Response to dietary-induced energy restriction in dairy sheep divergently selected for resistance or susceptibility to mastitis.

PubMed

Bouvier-Muller, J; Allain, C; Enjalbert, F; Tabouret, G; Portes, D; Caubet, C; Tasca, C; Foucras, G; Rupp, R

2016-01-01

Dairy ruminants experiencing a severe postpartum negative energy balance (NEB) are considered to be more susceptible to mastitis. Although the genetic variability of mastitis resistance is well established, the biological basis of the link between energy metabolism and resistance is mostly unknown. The aim of this study was to characterize the effect of NEB on metabolism and immune response according to the genetic background for mastitis resistance or susceptibility. Forty-eight ewes from high and low somatic cell score (SCS) genetic lines were allocated to 2 homogeneous subgroups 2 wk after lambing: one group (NEB) received an energy-restricted diet to cover 60% of their energy requirements, and the other group received a control (positive energy balance: PEB) diet. Both diets met the protein requirements. After 10 d on either the NEB or PEB diet, all ewes were injected with a Pam3CSK4/MDP solution in one half-udder to induce an inflammatory response. The ewes were monitored for milk production, somatic cell count (SCC), body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), and blood metabolites. Differential milk cell counts were determined by flow cytometry. Plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and triiodothyronine were determined. Energy restriction resulted in an increased fat:protein ratio in milk and decreased milk yield, BW, and BCS. The NEB ewes had significantly higher NEFA and BHB and lower plasma glucose concentrations than PEB ewes, reflecting a mobilization of body reserves and ketone body synthesis. High-SCS ewes had a higher SCS than low-SCS throughout the experiment, except after the inflammatory challenge, which resulted in similar SCS in all 4 groups. A noteworthy interaction between genetic background and diet was evidenced on metabolic parameters and BW. Indeed, high-SCS ewes subjected to NEB showed greater decrease in BW and increased NEFA and BHB concentrations compared with low-SCS ewes. Thus, NEB in early lactation led to extensive mobilization of body reserves and intense ketone body synthesis in mastitis-susceptible sheep. These results reinforce the hypothesis of a genetic association between mastitis susceptibility and energy metabolism and open the way to further studies on the biological basis for this association. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A density functional study on adsorption and dissociation of O 2 on Ir(1 0 0) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erikat, I. A.; Hamad, B. A.; Khalifeh, J. M.

2011-06-01

The adsorption and the reaction barrier for the dissociation of O 2 on Ir(1 0 0) surface are studied using periodic self-consistent density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Dissociative adsorption is found to be energetically more favorable compared to molecular adsorption. Parallel approaches Prl1 and Prl2 on a hollow site with the same adsorption energy of -3.93 eV for both of them are found to have the most energetically preferred sites of adsorptions among all the studied cases. Hybridization between p-O 2 and d-metal orbitals is responsible for the dissociative adsorption. The minimum energy path is determined by using the nudge elastic band method (NEB). We found that the dissociation occurs immediately and very early in the dissociation path with a small activation barrier (0.26 eV), which means that molecular adsorption of O 2 on Ir(1 0 0) surface occurs at very low temperatures; this is consistent with previous experimental and theoretical studies on Ir surfaces.

Simulation study of temperature-dependent diffusion behaviors of Ag/Ag(001) at low substrate temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Danyun; Mo, Yunjie; Feng, Xiaofang; He, Yingyou; Jiang, Shaoji

2017-06-01

In this study, a model based on the First Principles calculations and Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation were established to study the growth characteristic of Ag thin film at low substrate temperature. On the basis of the interaction between the adatom and nearest-neighbor atoms, some simplifications and assumptions were made to categorize the diffusion behaviors of Ag adatoms on Ag(001). Then the barriers of all possible diffusion behaviors were calculated using the Climbing Image Nudged Elastic Band method (CI-NEB). Based on the Arrhenius formula, the morphology variation, which is attributed to the surface diffusion behaviors during the growth, was simulated with a temperature-dependent KMC model. With this model, a non-monotonic relation between the surface roughness and the substrate temperature (decreasing from 300 K to 100 K) were discovered. The analysis of the temperature dependence on diffusion behaviors presents a theoretical explanation of diffusion mechanism for the non-monotonic variation of roughness at low substrate temperature.

CORTIM Project: Medical Regulation Concept Designed for Forward Field Casualty Management Based on an Information System

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

Digitisation of the Battlefield (NEB). Developed in the hearth of a regiment, at the cross roads of tactical and medico-logistic problems, the CORTIM...into the digital bubble developed by the Digitisation of the Battlefield (NEB). Developed in the hearth of a regiment, at the cross roads of tactical

Normal-Gamma-Bernoulli Peak Detection for Analysis of Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Data.

PubMed

Kim, Seongho; Jang, Hyejeong; Koo, Imhoi; Lee, Joohyoung; Zhang, Xiang

2017-01-01

Compared to other analytical platforms, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS) has much increased separation power for analysis of complex samples and thus is increasingly used in metabolomics for biomarker discovery. However, accurate peak detection remains a bottleneck for wide applications of GC×GC-MS. Therefore, the normal-exponential-Bernoulli (NEB) model is generalized by gamma distribution and a new peak detection algorithm using the normal-gamma-Bernoulli (NGB) model is developed. Unlike the NEB model, the NGB model has no closed-form analytical solution, hampering its practical use in peak detection. To circumvent this difficulty, three numerical approaches, which are fast Fourier transform (FFT), the first-order and the second-order delta methods (D1 and D2), are introduced. The applications to simulated data and two real GC×GC-MS data sets show that the NGB-D1 method performs the best in terms of both computational expense and peak detection performance.

Self-learning kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of Al diffusion in Mg

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

Nandipati, Giridhar; Govind, Niranjan; Andersen, Amity

2016-03-16

Atomistic on-lattice self-learning kinetic Monte Carlo (SLKMC) method was used to examine the vacancy-mediated diffusion of an Al atom in pure hcp Mg. Local atomic environment dependent activation barriers for vacancy-atom exchange processes were calculated on-the-fly using climbing image nudged-elastic band method (CI-NEB) and using a Mg-Al binary modified embedded-atom method (MEAM) interatomic potential. Diffusivities of vacancy and Al atom in pure Mg were obtained from SLKMC simulations and are compared with values available in the literature that are obtained from experiments and first-principle calculations. Al Diffusivities obtained from SLKMC simulations are lower, due to larger activation barriers and lowermore » diffusivity prefactors, than those available in the literature but have same order of magnitude. We present all vacancy-Mg and vacancy-Al atom exchange processes and their activation barriers that were identified in SLKMC simulations. We will describe a simple mapping scheme to map a hcp lattice on to a simple cubic lattice that would enable hcp lattices to be simulated in an on-lattice KMC framework. We also present the pattern recognition scheme used in SLKMC simulations.« less

Jupiter's Thermal Structure on the Eve of Juno's Arrival and an NEB Expansion Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fletcher, Leigh N.; Orton, Glenn S.; Greathouse, Thomas K.; Sinclair, James; Giles, Rohini; Irwin, Patrick; Rogers, John; Encrenaz, Therese

2016-04-01

We report on a continuing program of ground-based thermal-infrared imaging spectroscopy to explore variability in Jupiter's atmospheric temperatures, winds, clouds and composition in support of the NASA/Juno mission, scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in July 2016. Observations during the 2015/16 apparition, centred on opposition on March 8th 2016, will be presented from NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) and ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) as part of a world-wide campaign to characterise the Jovian atmosphere to support Juno. Thermal and chemical contrasts, combined with the visible-light record from the amateur community, show that Jupiter's North Equatorial Belt (NEB) is presently expanding northwards. The combination of thermal and visible observations will allow us to determine the environmental conditions underlying this belt/zone variability. Radiometrically calibrated spectral scan maps of Jupiter have been regularly obtained using the TEXES instrument (Texas Echelon cross Echelle Spectrograph, Lacy et al. 2002, PASP 114, p153-168) on the IRTF since 2012, and observations are planned in January and April 2016. Ten settings between 5 and 25 μm (10-20 cm-1 wide settings at spectral resolutions of 2000-10000) were selected to be sensitive to jovian temperatures (via H2, CH4 and CH3D), tropospheric phosphine and ammonia, tropospheric haze opacity and stratospheric hydrocarbons ethane and acetylene. These will be supplemented by photometric imaging from the VLT/VISIR instrument (Lagage et al., 2004, Messenger 117, p12-16) in ten narrow-band filters to determine temperatures associated with discrete phenomena (vortices, plumes, waves) at higher diffraction-limited spatial resolution. Spectra and images are inverted via the NEMESIS retrieval algorithm (Irwin et al., 2008, JSQRT 109, p1136-1150) to map temperatures at multiple altitudes (1-600 mbar), winds, aerosol opacity and gaseous composition. Our most recent observations (November 2015) revealed (i) a regular stratospheric wave pattern in stratospheric temperatures between 20 and 30°N (i.e., above the North Tropical Zone and Temperate Belt, NTropZ and NTB, respectively), possibly associated with the northward expansion of the broad North Equatorial Belt (NEB); (ii) tropospheric thermal variability along the NEB itself with correlations between aerosol variability in the 600-mbar region (sensed at 8.6 μm) and the 2-3 bar region (sensed at 5 μm). This appears to coincide with similar NEB and NTropZ wave structure observed in reflected sunlight near 2 μm, based on images from the SpeX instrument on the IRTF. Zonal mean distributions of temperature, phosphine, ammonia, aerosols and hydrocarbons will be compared to those derived by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) 15 years earlier. High-resolution VLT images of the Great Red Spot will be compared between 2008 and 2016 to understand the thermochemical changes associated with its recent shrinkage. All images and maps of retrieved properties will be assembled as a database (JCliD) to aid in the interpretation of Juno data during 2016-2017.

Greatwall is essential to prevent mitotic collapse after nuclear envelope breakdown in mammals.

PubMed

Álvarez-Fernández, Mónica; Sánchez-Martínez, Ruth; Sanz-Castillo, Belén; Gan, Pei Pei; Sanz-Flores, María; Trakala, Marianna; Ruiz-Torres, Miguel; Lorca, Thierry; Castro, Anna; Malumbres, Marcos

2013-10-22

Greatwall is a protein kinase involved in the inhibition of protein phosphatase 2 (PP2A)-B55 complexes to maintain the mitotic state. Although its biochemical activity has been deeply characterized in Xenopus, its specific relevance during the progression of mitosis is not fully understood. By using a conditional knockout of the mouse ortholog, Mastl, we show here that mammalian Greatwall is essential for mouse embryonic development and cell cycle progression. Yet, Greatwall-null cells enter into mitosis with normal kinetics. However, these cells display mitotic collapse after nuclear envelope breakdown (NEB) characterized by defective chromosome condensation and prometaphase arrest. Intriguingly, Greatwall is exported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in a CRM1-dependent manner before NEB. This export occurs after the nuclear import of cyclin B-Cdk1 complexes, requires the kinase activity of Greatwall, and is mediated by Cdk-, but not Polo-like kinase 1-dependent phosphorylation. The mitotic collapse observed in Greatwall-deficient cells is partially rescued after concomitant depletion of B55 regulatory subunits, which are mostly cytoplasmic before NEB. These data suggest that Greatwall is an essential protein in mammals required to prevent mitotic collapse after NEB.

A sensitivity study of the coupled simulation of the Northeast Brazil rainfall variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misra, Vasubandhu

2007-06-01

Two long-term coupled ocean-land-atmosphere simulations with slightly different parameterization of the diagnostic shallow inversion clouds in the atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) of the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA) coupled climate model are compared for their annual cycle and interannual variability of the northeast Brazil (NEB) rainfall variability. It is seen that the solar insolation affected by the changes to the shallow inversion clouds results in large scale changes to the gradients of the SST and the surface pressure. The latter in turn modulates the surface convergence and the associated Atlantic ITCZ precipitation and the NEB annual rainfall variability. In contrast, the differences in the NEB interannual rainfall variability between the two coupled simulations is attributed to their different remote ENSO forcing.

Integrating nutrient bioavailability and co-production links when identifying sustainable diets: How low should we reduce meat consumption?

PubMed

Barré, Tangui; Perignon, Marlène; Gazan, Rozenn; Vieux, Florent; Micard, Valérie; Amiot, Marie-Josèphe; Darmon, Nicole

2018-01-01

Reducing the consumption of meat and other animal-based products is widely advocated to improve the sustainability of diets in high-income countries. However, such reduction may impair nutritional adequacy, since the bioavailability of key nutrients is higher when they come from animal- vs plant-based foods. Meat reduction may also affect the balance between foods co-produced within the same animal production system. The objective was to assess the impact of introducing nutrient bioavailability and co-production links considerations on the dietary changes needed - especially regarding meat ‒ to improve diet sustainability. Diet optimization with linear and non-linear programming was used to design, for each gender, three modeled diets departing the least from the mean observed French diet (OBS) while reducing by at least 30% the diet-related environmental impacts (greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, acidification): i) in the nutrition-environment (NE) model, the fulfillment of recommended dietary allowances for all nutrients was imposed; ii) in the NE-bioavailability (NEB) model, nutritional adequacy was further ensured by accounting for iron, zinc, protein and provitamin A bioavailability; iii) in the NEB-co-production (NEB-CP) model, two links between co-produced animal foods (milk-beef and blood sausage-pork) were additionally included into the models by proportionally co-constraining their respective quantities. The price and environmental impacts of individual foods were assumed to be constant. 'Fruit and vegetables' and 'Starches' quantities increased in all modeled diets compared to OBS. In parallel, total meat and ruminant meat quantities decreased. Starting from 110g/d women's OBS diet (168g/d for men), total meat quantity decreased by 78%, 67% and 32% for women (68%, 66% and 62% for men) in NE, NEB and NEB-CP diets, respectively. Starting from 36g/d women's OBS diet (54g/d for men), ruminant meat quantity dropped severely by 84% and 87% in NE and NEB diets for women (80% and 78% for men), whereas it only decreased by 27% in NEB-CP diets (38% for men). The share of energy and proteins of animal origin was similar for the 3 modeled diets (approximately 1/5 of total energy, and 1/2 of protein) and lower than in OBS diet (approximately 1/3 of total energy, and 2/3 of protein). Decreasing meat content was strictly needed to achieve more sustainable diets for French adults, but the reduction was less severe when nutrient bioavailability and co-production links were taken into account.

Interactions between negative energy balance, metabolic diseases, uterine health and immune response in transition dairy cows.

PubMed

Esposito, Giulia; Irons, Pete C; Webb, Edward C; Chapwanya, Aspinas

2014-01-30

The biological cycles of milk production and reproduction determine dairying profitability thus making management decisions dynamic and time-dependent. Diseases also negatively impact on net earnings of a dairy enterprise. Transition cows in particular face the challenge of negative energy balance (NEB) and/or disproportional energy metabolism (fatty liver, ketosis, subacute, acute ruminal acidosis); disturbed mineral utilization (milk fever, sub-clinical hypocalcemia); and perturbed immune function (retained placenta, metritis, mastitis). Consequently NEB and reduced dry matter intake are aggravated. The combined effects of all these challenges are reduced fertility and milk production resulting in diminishing profits. Risk factors such as NEB, inflammation and impairment of the immune response are highly cause-and-effect related. Thus, managing cows during the transition period should be geared toward reducing NEB or feeding specially formulated diets to improve immunity. Given that all cows experience a reduced feed intake and body condition, infection and inflammation of the uterus after calving, there is a need for further research on the immunology of transition dairy cows. Integrative approaches at the molecular, cellular and animal level may unravel the complex interactions between disturbed metabolism and immune function that predispose cows to periparturient diseases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quadratic String Method for Locating Instantons in Tunneling Splitting Calculations.

PubMed

Cvitaš, Marko T

2018-03-13

The ring-polymer instanton (RPI) method is an efficient technique for calculating approximate tunneling splittings in high-dimensional molecular systems. In the RPI method, tunneling splitting is evaluated from the properties of the minimum action path (MAP) connecting the symmetric wells, whereby the extensive sampling of the full potential energy surface of the exact quantum-dynamics methods is avoided. Nevertheless, the search for the MAP is usually the most time-consuming step in the standard numerical procedures. Recently, nudged elastic band (NEB) and string methods, originaly developed for locating minimum energy paths (MEPs), were adapted for the purpose of MAP finding with great efficiency gains [ J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2016 , 12 , 787 ]. In this work, we develop a new quadratic string method for locating instantons. The Euclidean action is minimized by propagating the initial guess (a path connecting two wells) over the quadratic potential energy surface approximated by means of updated Hessians. This allows the algorithm to take many minimization steps between the potential/gradient calls with further reductions in the computational effort, exploiting the smoothness of potential energy surface. The approach is general, as it uses Cartesian coordinates, and widely applicable, with computational effort of finding the instanton usually lower than that of determining the MEP. It can be combined with expensive potential energy surfaces or on-the-fly electronic-structure methods to explore a wide variety of molecular systems.

Mutation-Specific Effects on Thin Filament Length in Thin Filament Myopathy

PubMed Central

de Winter, Josine M.; Joureau, Barbara; Lee, Eun-Jeong; Kiss, Balázs; Yuen, Michaela; Gupta, Vandana A.; Pappas, Christopher T.; Gregorio, Carol C.; Stienen, Ger J. M.; Edvardson, Simon; Wallgren-Pettersson, Carina; Lehtokari, Vilma-Lotta; Pelin, Katarina; Malfatti, Edoardo; Romero, Norma B.; van Engelen, Baziel G.; Voermans, Nicol C.; Donkervoort, Sandra; Bönnemann, C. G.; Clarke, Nigel F.; Beggs, Alan H.; Granzier, Henk; Ottenheijm, Coen A. C.

2016-01-01

Objective Thin filament myopathies are among the most common nondystrophic congenital muscular disorders, and are caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins that are associated with the skeletal muscle thin filament. Mechanisms underlying muscle weakness are poorly understood, but might involve the length of the thin filament, an important determinant of force generation. Methods We investigated the sarcomere length-dependence of force, a functional assay that provides insights into the contractile strength of muscle fibers as well as the length of the thin filaments, in muscle fibers from 51 patients with thin filament myopathy caused by mutations in NEB, ACTA1, TPM2, TPM3, TNNT1, KBTBD13, KLHL40, and KLHL41. Results Lower force generation was observed in muscle fibers from patients of all genotypes. In a subset of patients who harbor mutations in NEB and ACTA1, the lower force was associated with downward shifted force–sarcomere length relations, indicative of shorter thin filaments. Confocal microscopy confirmed shorter thin filaments in muscle fibers of these patients. A conditional Neb knockout mouse model, which recapitulates thin filament myopathy, revealed a compensatory mechanism; the lower force generation that was associated with shorter thin filaments was compensated for by increasing the number of sarcomeres in series. This allowed muscle fibers to operate at a shorter sarcomere length and maintain optimal thin–thick filament overlap. Interpretation These findings might provide a novel direction for the development of therapeutic strategies for thin filament myopathy patients with shortened thin filament lengths. PMID:27074222

Afghan National Engineer Brigade: Despite U.S. Training Efforts, the Brigade is Incapable of Operating Independently

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

carpentry, masonry , and the operation of heavy equipment. Plans called for the NEB to receive at least $29 million in engineering equipment and...JTF Sapper, NMCB 25, and NMCB 28, had responsibility for training the NEB in such areas as plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, masonry , and...measurement tool consisted of five possible ratings: fully capable, capable, partially capable, developing, and established. USFOR-A used these

Complete Genome Sequence of NEB 5-alpha, a Derivative of Escherichia coli K-12 DH5α.

PubMed

Anton, Brian P; Raleigh, Elisabeth A

2016-11-10

Escherichia coli K-12 DH5α is one of the most popular and widely available laboratory strains, but, surprisingly, no complete genome sequence has been publicly available. Here, we report the complete, finished sequence of NEB 5-alpha (DH5α fhuA2). It should serve as a useful reference for researchers working with DH5α. Copyright © 2016 Anton and Raleigh.

Anisotropic diffusion of oxygen on a few layers of black phosphorous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Escamilla, Hector Noe; González-Chávez, Víctor Hugo; Martínez-Guerra, Eduardo; Garay-Tapia, Andrés; Martínez-Guerra, Edgar

Recently, phosporene has also been scored well as a functional material for two-dimensional electronic and optoelectronic devices. That is, because in contrast to graphene, black phosphorous has an inherent, direct and appreciable band gap that can be modulated with the numbers of layes. However, the presence of exposed lone pairs at the surface makes phosphorous very reactive to air and humidity and consequently, degradation of its properties. No such fundamental explanation have been made, thus corresponding first principle predictions to evaluate diffusion of O over and along a mono- and a few layers are indispensable. Energy barriers and the mechanisms of oxygen diffusion on mono- and a few layer of black phosphorous were calculated using the NEB(Nudge Elastic band) method as implemented in Quantum Espresso. The electronic states are expanded in plane waves with kinetic-energy cutoffs of 25 and 200 Ry for the wave function and charge density, respectively. Also, as the H2O and O2 are polar molecules, spin-polarized calculations have been carried out. We evaluated the diffusion barriers for O2 and H2O on phosphorene along zigzag, armchair and intermediated directions. Our calculations show that diffusion of O is preferred on zigzag directions and dissociation of O2 is favored as a result of energy gains of about 2 eV. Also, apparently diffusion pathways are blocked along layers.

The safety and pharmacokinetics of rapid iloprost aerosol delivery via the BREELIB nebulizer in pulmonary arterial hypertension

PubMed Central

Gessler, Tobias; Ghofrani, Hossein-Ardeschir; Held, Matthias; Klose, Hans; Leuchte, Hanno; Olschewski, Horst; Rosenkranz, Stephan; Fels, Lueder; Li, Na; Ren, Dawn; Kaiser, Andreas; Schultze-Mosgau, Marcus-Hillert; Müllinger, Bernhard; Rohde, Beate; Seeger, Werner

2017-01-01

The BREELIB nebulizer was developed for iloprost to reduce inhalation times for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This multicenter, randomized, unblinded, four-part study compared inhalation time, pharmacokinetics, and acute tolerability of iloprost 5 µg at mouthpiece delivered via BREELIB versus the standard I-Neb nebulizer in 27 patients with PAH. The primary safety outcome was the proportion of patients with a maximum increase in heart rate (HR) ≥ 25% and/or a maximum decrease in systolic blood pressure ≥ 20% within 30 min after inhalation. Other safety outcomes included systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure, HR, oxygen saturation, and adverse events (AEs). Median inhalation times were considerably shorter with BREELIB versus I-Neb (2.6 versus 10.9 min; n = 24). Maximum iloprost plasma concentration and systemic exposure (area under the plasma concentration–time curve) were 77% and 42% higher, respectively, with BREELIB versus I-Neb. Five patients experienced a maximum systolic blood pressure decrease ≥ 20%, four with BREELIB (one mildly and transiently symptomatic), and one with I-Neb; none required medical intervention. AEs reported during the study were consistent with the known safety profile of iloprost. The BREELIB nebulizer offers reduced inhalation time, good tolerability, and may improve iloprost aerosol therapy convenience and thus compliance for patients with PAH. PMID:28597762

Calcium, BOBs, QEDs, microdomains and a cellular decision: control of mitotic cell division in sand dollar blastomeres.

PubMed

Silver, R B

1996-08-01

The role of Ca2+ in controlling cell processes (e.g. mitosis) presents an enigma in its ubiquity and selectivity. Intracellular free Ca2+ (Ca2+i) is an essential regulator of specific biochemical and physiological aspects of mitosis (e.g. nuclear envelope breakdown (NEB)). Changes in Ca2+i concentrations during mitosis in second cell-cycle sand dollar (Echinaracnius parma) blastomeres were imaged as Ca(2+)-dependent luminescence of the photoprotein aequorin with multi-spectral analytical video microscopy. Photons of this luminescence were seen as bright observable blobs (BOBs). Spatiotemporal patterns of BOBs were followed through one or more cell cycles to detect directly changes in Ca2+i, and were seen to change in a characteristic fashion prior to NEB, the onset of anaphase chromosome movement, and during cytokinesis. These patterns were observed from one cell cycle to the next in a single cell, from cell to cell, and from egg batch to egg batch. In both mitosis and synaptic transmission increases in Ca2+i concentration occurs in discrete, short-lived, highly localized pulses we name quantum emission domains (QEDs) within regions we named microdomains. Signal and statistical optical analyses of spatiotemporal BOB patterns show that many BOBs are linked by constant displacements in space-time (velocity). Linked BOBs are thus nonrandom and are classified as QEDS. Analyses of QED patterns demonstrated that the calcium signals required for NEB are nonrandom, and are evoked by an agent(s) generated proximal to a Ca2+i-QED; models of waves, diffusible agonists and Ca(2+)-activated Ca2+ release do not fit pre-NEB cell data. Spatial and temporal resolution of this multispectral approach significantly exceeds that reported for other methods, and avoids the perturbations associated with many fluorescent Ca2+ reporters that interfere with cells being studied (Ca(2+)-buffering, UV toxicity, etc.). Spatiotemporal patterns of Ca2+i-QED can control so many different processes, i.e. specific frequencies used to control particular processes. Predictive and structured patterns of calcium signals (e.g. a language expressed in Ca2+) may selectively regulate specific Ca(2+)-dependent cellular processes.

Auditory function in normal-hearing, noise-exposed human ears

PubMed Central

Stamper, Greta C.; Johnson, Tiffany A.

2014-01-01

Objectives To determine if supra-threshold measures of auditory function, such as distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), are correlated with noise exposure history in normal-hearing human ears. Recent data from animal studies have revealed significant deafferentation of auditory nerve fibers following full recovery from temporary noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Furthermore, these data report smaller ABR wave I amplitudes in noise-exposed animal ears when compared to non-noise exposed control animals or pre-noise exposure amplitudes in the same animal. It is unknown if a similar phenomenon exists in the normal-hearing, noise-exposed human ear. Design Thirty normal-hearing human subjects with a range of noise exposure backgrounds (NEBs) participated in this study. NEB was quantified by the use of a noise exposure questionnaire that extensively queried loud sound exposure over the previous 12 months. DPOAEs were collected at three f2’s (1, 2, and 4 kHz) over a range of L2’s. DPOAE stimulus level began at 80 dB FPL (forward-pressure level) and decreased in 10 dB steps. Two-channel ABRs were collected in response to click stimuli and 4 kHz tone bursts; one channel utilized an ipsilateral mastoid electrode and the other an ipsilateral tympanic membrane (TM) electrode. ABR stimulus level began at 90 dB nHL and was decreased in 10 dB steps. Amplitudes of waves I and V of the ABR were analyzed. Results A statistically significant relationship between ABR wave I amplitude and NEB was found for clicked-evoked ABRs recorded at a stimulus level of 90 dB nHL using a mastoid recording electrode. For this condition, ABR wave I amplitudes decreased as a function of NEB. Similar systematic trends were present for ABRs collected in response to clicks and 4 kHz tone bursts at additional supra-threshold stimulation levels (≥ 70 dB nHL). The relationship weakened and disappeared with decreases in stimulation level (≤ 60 dB nHL). Similar patterns were present for ABRs collected using a TM electrode. However, these relationships were not statistically significant and were weaker and more variable than those collected using a mastoid electrode. In contrast to the findings for ABR wave I, wave V amplitude was not significantly related to NEB. Furthermore, there was no evidence of a systematic relationship between supra-threshold DPOAEs and NEB. Conclusions A systematic trend of smaller ABR wave I amplitudes was found in normal-hearing human ears with greater amounts of voluntary NEB in response to supra-threshold clicks and 4 kHz tone bursts. These findings are consistent with data from previous work completed in animals, where the reduction in supra-threshold responses was a result of deafferentation of high-threshold/low-spontaneous rate auditory nerve fibers. These data suggest a similar mechanism might be operating in human ears following exposure to high sound levels. However, evidence of this damage is only apparent when examining supra-threshold wave I amplitude of the ABR. In contrast, supra-threshold DPOAE level was not significantly related to NEB. This was expected, given noise-induced auditory damage findings in animal ears did not extend to the outer hair cells, the generator for the DPOAE response. PMID:25350405

Nitrogen isotopic composition of enameloid-bound organic matter from modern and fossil shark teeth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kast, E.; Wang, X. T.; Kim, S.; Kocsis, L.; Sigman, D. M.

2016-12-01

The nitrogen isotopic composition of fossil organic matter has been used to reconstruct ocean biogeochemical conditions in the past, and there is the potential for such investigations to be extended to trophic and ecological processes. Organic matter trapped within biogenic minerals is of particular interest for this purpose because of relatively good preservation and specificity when compared to bulk sedimentary organic matter. The approach for measuring mineral bound organic matter δ15N previously applied to diatoms, foraminifera, and coral skeleton has been adapted for use with tooth apatite, with reproducibility within 0.25‰ for modern and fossil shark enameloid. Studies of modern shark enameloid bound δ15N (δ15NEB) show substantial variability ( 3‰) between individuals of a single species and in some cases among teeth from a given individual. δ15NEB is affected by the isotopic composition of nutrient supply, which is a primary determinant of the δ15N at the base of the food web, and progressive 15N enrichment with trophic level due to the metabolism and excretion of low-δ15N N. Among modern shark species studied, patterns in δ15NEB appear to primarily reflect regional variations in subsurface nitrate δ15N, with the trophic effect as a secondary signal, in part because trophic level does not vary greatly across the studied shark species (or, indeed, across many shark species). Teeth from individual jaws can show trends in δ15NEB with the age of the tooth, possibly representing a dietary shift or seasonal migration. The modern measurements suggest that, with care, enameloid bound δ15N can be used to reconstruct past nutrient cycling dynamics. In this context, measurements will be presented of δ15NEB from fossil shark teeth of various Cenozoic ages from the Atlantic basin.

The Adaptive Aerosol Delivery (AAD) technology: Past, present, and future.

PubMed

Denyer, John; Dyche, Tony

2010-04-01

Conventional aerosol delivery systems and the availability of new technologies have led to the development of "intelligent" nebulizers such as the I-neb Adaptive Aerosol Delivery (AAD) System. Based on the AAD technology, the I-neb AAD System has been designed to continuously adapt to changes in the patient's breathing pattern, and to pulse aerosol only during the inspiratory part of the breathing cycle. This eliminates waste of aerosol during exhalation, and creates a foundation for precise aerosol (dose) delivery. To facilitate the delivery of precise metered doses of aerosol to the patient, a unique metering chamber design has been developed. Through the vibrating mesh technology, the metering chamber design, and the AAD Disc function, the aerosol output rate and metered (delivered) dose can be tailored to the demands of the specific drug to be delivered. In the I-neb AAD System, aerosol delivery is guided through two algorithms, one for the Tidal Breathing Mode (TBM), and one for slow and deep inhalations, the Target Inhalation Mode (TIM). The aim of TIM is to reduce the treatment time by increasing the total inhalation time per minute, and to increase lung deposition by reducing impaction in the upper airways through slow and deep inhalations. A key feature of the AAD technology is the patient feedback mechanisms that are provided to guide the patient on delivery performance. These feedback signals, which include visual, audible, and tactile forms, are configured in a feedback cascade that leads to a high level of compliance with the use of the I-neb AAD System. The I-neb Insight and the Patient Logging System facilitate a further degree of sophistication to the feedback mechanisms, by providing information on long term adherence and compliance data. These can be assessed by patients and clinicians via a Web-based delivery of information in the form of customized graphical analyses.

The Role of Copper in Neurodegenerative Disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, Francis M.

My research concerns the fundamental atomistic mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and the methodologies by which they may be discerned. This thesis consists of three primary parts. The introductory material is the raison d'etre for this work and a critical overview of the specific physics, mathematics and algorithms used in this research. The methods are presented along with specific details in order to facilitate future replication and enhancement. With the groundwork of mechanisms and methods out of the way, we then explore a nouveau atomistic mechanism describing the onset of Parkinson's disease, a disease that has been closely linked to misfolded metalloproteins. Further exploration of neurodegeneration takes place in the following chapter, where a remedial approach to Alzheimer's disease via a simulated chelation of a metalloprotein is undertaken. Altogether, the methods and techniques applied here allow for simulated exploration of both the atomistic mechanisms of neurodegeneration and their potential remediation strategies. The beginning portion of the research efforts explore protein misfolding dynamics in the presence a copper ion. Misfolding of the human alpha-synuclein (aS) protein has been implicated as a central constituent in neurodegenerative disease. In Parkinson's disease (PD) in particular, aS is thought to be the causative participant when found concentrated into neuritic plaques. Here we propose a scenario involving the metal ion Cu2+ as the protein misfolding initiator of fibrillized aS, the chief component of neuritic plaques. From experimental results we know these misfolded proteins have a rich beta--sheet signature, a marker that we reproduce with our simulated model. This model identifies a process of structural modifications to a natively unfolded alpha-synuclein resulting in a partially folded intermediate with a well defined nucleation site. It serves as a precursor to the fully misfolded protein. Understanding the nucleation mechanism is of critical importance, as it enables the study of reversal mechanisms and inhibitory agents, leading to development of effective PD therapies. Following the PD work we then explore simulated chelation of a metalloprotein as a potential remediation scheme in neurodegeneration. Misfolded metalloproteins are potential causal agents in the onset of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases (AD and PD, respectively). Experimental results involving molecules capable of metal chelation have shown significant promise in AD symptom reduction and neuritic plaque clearance. We explore, through atomistic simulations, potential reaction pathways for the chelation of Cu2+ from the metal binding site in our metalloprotein model, amyloid--beta1--42. Our simulations use an ab-initio-based nudged elastic band (NEB) algorithm to obtain the activation barrier energies in these reactions. The NEB implementation provides a guided dynamics framework for our real-space multigrid method of density-functional-theory-based quantum simulations. This highly parallel approach resolves a minimum energy pathway (MEP) on the energy hypersurface by relaxing intermediates in a chain-of-states approach. In using NEB to explore copper chelation in Alzheimer's disease protein, we find that there exists a sequence of unbonding and rebonding events as well as proton transfers that make up an energetically viable chelation process. These findings provide fundamental insight into the process of metalloprotein chelation in AD and can lead to the development of more effective AD therapeutic drugs.

Professional- Amateur Astronomer Partnerships in Scientific Research: The Re-emergence of Jupiter's 5-Micron Hot Spots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanamandra-Fisher, P. A.

2012-12-01

The night sky, with all its delights and mysteries, enthrall professional and amateur astronomers alike. The discrete data sets acquired by professional astronomers via their approved observing programs at various national facilities are supplemented by the nearly daily observations of the same celestial object by amateur astronomers around the world. The emerging partnerships between professional and dedicated amateur astronomers rely on creating a niche for long timeline of multispectral remote sensing. "Citizen Astronomy" can be thought of as the paradigm shift transforming the nature of observational astronomy. In the past decade, it is the collective observations and their analyses by the ever-increasing global network of amateur astronomers that has discovered interesting phenomena and provided the reference backdrop for observations by ground-based professional astronomers and spacecraft missions. We shall present results from our collaborations to observe the recent global upheaval on Jupiter for the past five years and illustrate the strong synergy between the two groups. Global upheavals on Jupiter involve changes in the albedo of entire axisymmetric regions, lasting several years, with the last two occurring in 1989 and 2006. Against this backdrop of planetary-scale changes, discrete features such as the Great Red Spot (GRS), and other vortices exhibit changes on shorter spatial- and time-scales. One set of features we are currently tracking is the variability of the discrete equatorial 5-μm hot spots, semi-evenly spaced in longitude and confined to a narrow latitude band centered at 6.5°N (southern edge of the North Equatorial Belt, NEB), abundant in Voyager images (1980-1981). Tantalizingly similar patterns were observed in the visible (bright plumes and blue-gray regions), where reflectivity in the red is anti-correlated with 5-μm thermal radiance. During the recent NEB fade (2011 - early 2012), however, these otherwise ubiquitous features were absent, an atmospheric state not seen in decades. The ongoing NEB revival indicates nascent 5-μm hot spots as early as April 2012, with corresponding visible dark spots. The South Equatorial Belt (SEB) and NEB revivals began similarly with an instability that developed into a major outbreak, and many similarities in the observed propagation of clear regions. With the active inclusion and use of emerging social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), the near daily communication and updates (via email, Skype, Facebook) between the professional and amateur astronomers is becoming a powerful tool for ground-based remote sensing. The archival of amateur data via global repositories such as Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory (PVOL), The Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) and British Astronomical Association (BAA); and development of data reduction software, independent of professional astronomer community, provides an additional resource and dimension to scientific research. We shall present preliminary results that are the outcomes of the "Pro-Am" collaboration in the case of the re-emergence of Jupiter's 5-micron hot spots and highlight several members of our global amateur astronomer network.

Comparative study of two negative CAR resists: EN-024M and NEB 31

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baik, Ki-Ho; Dean, Robert; Lem, Homer Y.; Osborne, Stephen P.; Mueller, Mark A.; Cole, Damon M.

2004-08-01

In this paper, two negative-tone chemically amplified resists (CAR) are evaluated. The methodology and results are compared and discussed. The resists include EN-024M from TOK, and NEB 31 from Sumitomo. Both resists show high contrast, good dry etch selectivity, and high environmental stability. EN-024M showed good coating uniformity while NEB31 showed a coating uniformity problem. This was a round "dimple" approximately one centimeter in diameter of different thickness and density at the center of the plate. We addressed the "dimple" coating problem as described in the paper. Optimum PAB and PEB temperatures and nominal to maximum doses for isolated features were determined by running a matrix of PAB and PEB temperatures along with a dose series. We evaluated the process and compared the lithographic performance in terms of dose sensitivity, dose and bake latitude, resolution, resist profile, OPC (Optical Proximity Correction) pattern fidelity, CD uniformity, environmental stability, Line Edge Roughness (LER) and etching bias and resistance.

47. DETAIL OF ORIGINAL VANE ASSEMBLY AND TWO WHEEL SECTIONS ...

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

47. DETAIL OF ORIGINAL VANE ASSEMBLY AND TWO WHEEL SECTIONS FROM ELI WINDMILLS, THE VANE SHEET BEARING STENCILED PAINTED INSCRIPTION, 'KREGEL WINDMILL CO. ELI NEBRASKA CITY, NEB.' VISIBLE IN THE IMAGE ARE BOTH SIDES OF THE WHEEL SECTIONS, SHOWING THE METHOD OF BLADE MOUNTING FOR ELI WINDMILLS. - Kregel Windmill Company Factory, 1416 Central Avenue, Nebraska City, Otoe County, NE

Repeatability of metabolic responses to a nutrient deficiency in early and mid lactation and implications for robustness of dairy cows.

PubMed

Gross, J J; Bruckmaier, R M

2015-12-01

Nutrient partitioning toward the mammary gland during insufficient energy and nutrient supply is a strategy to ensure survival of the offspring in mammalian species. This homeorhetic priority of the mammary gland is also present in the modern dairy cow, in particular in early lactation. However, despite similar metabolic loads, the adaptive response to a given metabolic load varies considerably among animals. The aim of this study was to investigate if individual cows respond in a consistent manner to a negative energy balance (NEB) in early and mid lactation. Twenty-five dairy cows experienced the usual NEB after parturition and were subjected to a second 3-wk NEB induced by feed restriction in mid lactation. Animals were retrospectively ranked according to their highest plasma nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentration in wk 1 to 4 postpartum. The animals with the 33% highest and 33% lowest values were selected and classified either as the high response (HR) or low response (LR) group. Before parturition, no differences in the studied parameters, dry matter intake, energy balance, concentrations of glucose, NEFA, β-hydroxybutyrate, cholesterol, triglycerides, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor-1, were detected between LR and HR. After parturition, milk yield and energy-corrected milk yield was higher for HR compared with LR in wk 2 to 14 and wk 1 to 6, respectively. During feed restriction in wk 15 to 17 postpartum, no differences in energy-corrected milk between LR and HR were found. Energy balance was more negative in HR during the NEB in early lactation, but not different from LR during feed restriction in mid lactation. Although plasma concentrations of glucose, growth hormone, triglycerides, and cholesterol showed group differences in early lactation, but not during feed restriction, the plasma concentrations of NEFA, β-hydroxybutyrate, and insulin-like growth factor-1 in HR changed repeatedly to a greater extent during the NEB at the 2 stages of lactation compared with LR despite the similar extent of the NEB itself in both groups. The repeatedly greater amplitude of adaptive responses in HR compared with LR at different time points might partly indicate an underlying genetic background to enable a sufficient and rapid supply of mobilization-derived nutrients. The individual characteristics of adaptation to an energy and nutrient shortage might be beneficial when implemented in breeding programs. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Migration of defect clusters and xenon-vacancy clusters in uranium dioxide

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

Chen, Dong; Gao, Fei; Deng, Huiqiu

2014-07-01

The possible transition states, minimum energy paths and migration mechanisms of defect clusters and xenon-vacancy defect clusters in uranium dioxide have been investigated using the dimer and the nudged elastic-band methods. The nearby O atom can easily hop into the oxygen vacancy position by overcoming a small energy barrier, which is much lower than that for the migration of a uranium vacancy. A simulation for a vacancy cluster consisting of two oxygen vacancies reveals that the energy barrier of the divacancy migration tends to decrease with increasing the separation distance of divacancy. For an oxygen interstitial, the migration barrier formore » the hopping mechanism is almost three times larger than that for the exchange mechanism. Xe moving between two interstitial sites is unlikely a dominant migration mechanism considering the higher energy barrier. A net migration process of a Xe-vacancy pair containing an oxygen vacancy and a xenon interstitial is identified by the NEB method. We expect the oxygen vacancy-assisted migration mechanism to possibly lead to a long distance migration of the Xe interstitials in UO2. The migration of defect clusters involving Xe substitution indicates that Xe atom migrating away from the uranium vacancy site is difficult.« less

Visual Snapshots of Intracellular Kinase Activity At The Onset of Mitosis

PubMed Central

Dai, Zhaohua; Dulyaninova, Natalya G.; Kumar, Sanjai; Bresnick, Anne R.; Lawrence, David S.

2007-01-01

Summary Visual snapshots of intracellular kinase activity can be acquired with exquisite temporal control using a light-activatable (caged) sensor, thereby providing a means to interrogate enzymatic activity at any point during the cell division cycle. Robust protein kinase activity transpires just prior to, but not immediately following, nuclear envelope breakdown (NEB). Furthermore, kinase activity is required for progression from prophase into metaphase. Finally, the application of selective protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors, in combination with the caged sensor, correlates the action of the PKC β isoform with subsequent NEB. PMID:18022564

A possible connection between post-subduction arc magmatism and adakite-NEB rock association in Baja California, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo, P. R.

2007-05-01

Late Miocene to Recent arc-related magmatism occurs in Baja California, Mexico despite the cessation of plate subduction along its western margin at ~12.5 Ma. It includes calcalkaline and K-rich andesites, tholeiitic basalts and basaltic andesites, alkalic basalts similar to many ocean island basalts (OIB), magnesian and basaltic andesites with adakitic affinity (bajaiites), adakites, and Nb-enriched basalts (NEB). A popular model for the close spatial and temporal association of adakite (plus bajaiite) and NEB in Baja California is these are due to melting of the subducted Farallon/Cocos plate, which in turn is caused by the influx of hot asthenospheric mantle through a window created in the subducted slab directly beneath the Baja California peninsula [e.g., Benoit, M. et. al. (2002) J. Geol. 110, 627-648; Calmus, T. et al. (2003) Lithos 66, 77-105]. Here I propose an alternative model for the cause of post-subduction magmatism in Baja California in particular and origin of adakite-NEB rock association in general. The complicated tectonic configuration of the subducting Farallon/Cocos plate and westward motion of the North American continent caused western Mexico to override the hot, upwelling Pacific mantle that was decoupled from the spreading centers abandoned west of Baja California. The upwelling asthenosphere is best manifested east of the peninsula, beneath the Gulf of California, and is most probably due to a tear or window in the subducted slab there. The upwelling asthenosphere is compositionally heterogeneous and sends materials westward into the mantle wedge beneath the peninsula. These materials provide sources for post-subduction tholeiitic and alkalic magmas. Portions of tholeiitic magmas directly erupted at the surface produce tholeiitic lavas, but some get ponded beneath the crust. Re-melting and/or high-pressure fractional crystallization of the ponded tholeiitic magmas generate adakitic rocks. Alkalic magmas directly erupted at the surface produce OIB-like lavas but those that get contaminated during transit produce NEB. The influx of asthenosphere also provides thermal energy to melt the upper portion of the mantle wedge - producing calc- alkaline lavas, and the amphibolitized deeper portion of the wedge - producing bajaiites, after the cessation of subduction in Baja California.

PyNeb: a new tool for analyzing emission lines. I. Code description and validation of results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luridiana, V.; Morisset, C.; Shaw, R. A.

2015-01-01

Analysis of emission lines in gaseous nebulae yields direct measures of physical conditions and chemical abundances and is the cornerstone of nebular astrophysics. Although the physical problem is conceptually simple, its practical complexity can be overwhelming since the amount of data to be analyzed steadily increases; furthermore, results depend crucially on the input atomic data, whose determination also improves each year. To address these challenges we created PyNeb, an innovative code for analyzing emission lines. PyNeb computes physical conditions and ionic and elemental abundances and produces both theoretical and observational diagnostic plots. It is designed to be portable, modular, and largely customizable in aspects such as the atomic data used, the format of the observational data to be analyzed, and the graphical output. It gives full access to the intermediate quantities of the calculation, making it possible to write scripts tailored to the specific type of analysis one wants to carry out. In the case of collisionally excited lines, PyNeb works by solving the equilibrium equations for an n-level atom; in the case of recombination lines, it works by interpolation in emissivity tables. The code offers a choice of extinction laws and ionization correction factors, which can be complemented by user-provided recipes. It is entirely written in the python programming language and uses standard python libraries. It is fully vectorized, making it apt for analyzing huge amounts of data. The code is stable and has been benchmarked against IRAF/NEBULAR. It is public, fully documented, and has already been satisfactorily used in a number of published papers.

Bamboo vs. crops: an integrated emergy and economic evaluation of using bamboo to replace crops in south Sichuan Province, China.

PubMed

Lu, Hong-Fang; Cai, Chun-Ju; Zeng, Xian-Shu; Campbell, Daniel E; Fan, Shao-Hui; Liu, Guang-Lu

2018-03-10

Based on long-term monitoring conducted in Chang-ning county, a pilot site of the 'Grain for Green Program' (GFGP), an integrated emergy and economic method was applied to evaluate the dynamic ecological-economic performance of 3 kinds of bamboo systems planted on sloping farmland. The results confirmed the positive effects of all 3 kinds of bamboo systems on water conservation and soil erosion control. The benefits gained progressively increased during the first 8 years after conversion, going from 4639 to 16127 EMyuan/ha/yr on average. All three bamboo plantations were much more sustainable than common agricultural crops planted on sloping land (CP) on both the short and long-term scales with their Emergy Sustainability Index (ESI) and Emergy Index for Sustainable Development (EISD), respectively, being 14.07-325.71 and 80.35-265.80 times that of CP. However, all 3 bamboo plantations had a Net Economic Benefit (NEB) less than that of CP during the first 8 years after conversion. Even with the government-mandated ecological compensation applied, the annual NEB EC s of the Bambusa rigida (BR) and Phyllostachys pubescense (PP) plantations were, respectively, 3922.03 and 7422.77 yuan/ha/yr lower than the NEB of CP. Emergy-based evaluation of ecosystem services provides an objective reference for applying ecological compensation in strategy-making, but it cannot wholly solve the economic viability problem faced by all bamboo plantations. Inter-planting annual herbs or edible fungus, such as Dictyophora echinovolvata , within bamboo forests, especially in young bamboo plantations, might be a direction for optimizing bamboo cultivation that would improve its economic viability.

Synoptic environment associated with heavy rainfall events on the coastland of Northeast Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, P. T.; Lima, K. C.; Silva, C. M. Santos e.

2013-07-01

Northeast Brazil (NEB) has an extensive coastal area, often hit by natural disasters that bring many social and economic losses. The objective of this work was to study the synoptic environment associated with a heavy rainfall event (HRE) on the coastland of NEB. We used daily rainfall data for coastal area of NEB between the states of Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia, divided into two subregions: north and south coastland. This data was obtained from the hydrometeorological network managed by the Agência Nacional de Águas and the daily data reanalysis from the ERAInterim. For the selection of HRE the technique of quantiles was used, thus defined HRE where at least one rain gauge recorded rainfall above 95th percentile. The interannual distribution of events showed occurrence maximum in La Niña years and minimal in El Niño years. The results suggest that the HRE were formed mainly due to the action of upper-level cyclonic vortex, in hight levels, and due to the action to South Atlantic convergence zone, in low levels.

Diffusion Mechanisms of Ag atom in ZnO crystal: A First Principles Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masoumi, Saeed; Noori, Amirreza; Nadimi, Ebrahim

2017-12-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is currently under intensive investigation, as a result of its various applications in micro, nano and optoelectronics. However, a stable and reproducible p-type doping of ZnO is still a main challenging issue. Group IB elements such as Au, Cu and Ag, are promising candidates for p-type doping. Particularly, Ag atoms has been shown to be able to easily diffuse through the crystal structure of ZnO and lead to the p-type doping of the host crystal. However, the current understanding of Ag defects and their mobility in the ZnO crystal is still not fully explored. In this work, we report the results of our first-principles calculations based on density functional theory for Ag defects, particularly the interstitial and substitutional defects in ZnO crystal. Defect formation energies are calculated in different charged states as a function of Fermi energy in order to clarify the p-type behaviour of Ag-doped ZnO. We also investigate the diffusion behaviour and migration paths of Ag in ZnO crystal in the framework of density functional theory applying climbing image (CI) nudged elastic band method (NEB).

PREFACE: NEB 15 - Recent Developments in Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papakostas, Taxiarchis; Pliakis, Demetrios A.

2013-08-01

In June 20-23 2012 the Technological Institute of Crete in Chania hosted the organization of the conference 'Recent Developments in Gravity, NEB15', arranged biennially by the Greek Society for Relativity and Cosmology (http://www.hsrgc.gr/). The talks ranged over Classical and Quantum Gravity and Cosmology, Holography, Black Hole Theory, Relativistic Astrophysics, Mathematical and Numerical Relativity. These proceedings include contributions from speakers of the conference. T Papakostas and D Pliakis, as members of the local organizing committee, wish to express their gratitude to all the participants of the conference for the warm atmosphere they created.

Somatic cell count-based selection reduces susceptibility to energy shortage during early lactation in a sheep model.

PubMed

Bouvier-Muller, J; Allain, C; Enjalbert, F; Farizon, Y; Portes, D; Foucras, G; Rupp, R

2018-03-01

During the transition from late gestation to early lactation ruminants experience a negative energy balance (NEB), which is considered to increase susceptibility to mammary infections. Our previous study in 2 divergent lines of sheep selected for high and low somatic cell score (SCS) suggested an association between the response to NEB and genetic susceptibility to mastitis. Forty-eight early-lactation primiparous dairy ewes from the 2 SCS genetic lines were allocated to 2 homogeneous subgroups-an NEB group, which was energy restricted and received 60% of the energy requirements for 15 d, and a control-fed group-to obtain 4 balanced groups of 12 ewes: high-SCS positive energy balance, low-SCS positive energy balance, high-SCS NEB, and low-SCS NEB. High-SCS ewes showed greater weight loss and increased plasmatic concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate and nonesterified fatty acids than low-SCS ewes when confronted with an induced NEB. The aim of this study was to further characterize this interaction by combining transcriptomic and phenotypic data with a generalized partial least squares discriminant analysis using mixOmics package framework. A preliminary analysis using 3 blocks of phenotypes (fatty acids, weight and production, blood metabolites) revealed a high correlation between fat-to-protein ratio, β-hydroxybutyrate, and nonesterified fatty acids concentrations with milk long-chain fatty acid yields. These phenotypes allowed good discrimination of the energy-restricted high-SCS ewes and confirmed a high level of adipose tissue mobilization in this group. A second analysis, which included RNA-seq data, revealed high correlations between the long-chain fatty acid yields in milk and PDK4, CPT1A, SLC25A20, KLF10, and KLF11 expression, highlighting the relationship between mobilization of body reserves and enhanced fatty acids utilization for energy production in blood cells. Finally, analysis of milk composition measured in 1,025 ewes from the 2 genetic lines over 10 yr confirmed significant higher fat-to-protein ratio in high-SCS ewes in early lactation. Altogether, our results strongly confirmed a genetic link between susceptibility to mastitis and metabolic adaptation to energy shortage. Improving genetic resistance to mastitis using SCS should be accompanied by a favorable effect on the response to metabolic stress, especially in highly stressful early lactation. Moreover, this study suggests that the fat-to-protein ratio could be used as a low-cost tool for monitoring energy balance and ketosis during this critical phase of lactation. The Authors. Published by FASS Inc. and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Influence of energy balance on the antimicrobial peptides S100A8 and S100A9 in the endometrium of the post-partum dairy cow.

PubMed

Swangchan-Uthai, Theerawat; Chen, Qiusheng; Kirton, Sally E; Fenwick, Mark A; Cheng, Zhangrui; Patton, Joe; Fouladi-Nashta, Ali A; Wathes, D Claire

2013-05-01

Uterine inflammation occurs after calving in association with extensive endometrial remodelling and bacterial contamination. If the inflammation persists, it leads to reduced fertility. Chronic endometritis is highly prevalent in high-yielding cows that experience negative energy balance (NEB) in early lactation. This study investigated the effect of NEB on the antimicrobial peptides S100A8 and S100A9 in involuting uteri collected 2 weeks post partum. Holstein-Friesian cows (six per treatment) were randomly allocated to two interventions designed to produce mild or severe NEB (MNEB and SNEB) status. Endometrial samples were examined histologically, and the presence of neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes and natural killer cells was confirmed using haematoxylin and eosin and immunostaining. SNEB cows had greater signs of uterine inflammation. Samples of previously gravid uterine horn were used to localise S100A8 and S100A9 by immunohistochemistry. Both S100 proteins were present in bovine endometrium with strong staining in epithelial and stromal cells and in infiltrated leucocytes. Immunostaining was significantly higher in SNEB cows along with increased numbers of segmented neutrophils. These results suggest that the metabolic changes of a post-partum cow suffering from NEB delay uterine involution and promote a chronic state of inflammation. We show that upregulation of S100A8 and S100A9 is clearly a key component of the early endometrial response to uterine infection. Further studies are warranted to link the extent of this response after calving to the likelihood of cows developing endometritis and to their subsequent fertility.

Transgenic mice expressing mutant Pinin exhibit muscular dystrophy, nebulin deficiency and elevated expression of slow-type muscle fiber genes

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

Wu, Hsu-Pin; Hsu, Shu-Yuan; Wu, Wen-Ai

Highlights: •Pnn CCD domain functions as a dominant negative mutant regulating Pnn expression and function. •Pnn CCD mutant Tg mice have a muscle wasting phenotype during development and show dystrophic histological features. •Pnn mutant muscles are susceptible to slow fiber type gene transition and NEB reduction. •The Tg mouse generated by overexpression of the Pnn CCD domain displays many characteristics resembling NEB{sup +/−} mice. -- Abstract: Pinin (Pnn) is a nuclear speckle-associated SR-like protein. The N-terminal region of the Pnn protein sequence is highly conserved from mammals to insects, but the C-terminal RS domain-containing region is absent in lower species.more » The N-terminal coiled-coil domain (CCD) is, therefore, of interest not only from a functional point of view, but also from an evolutionarily standpoint. To explore the biological role of the Pnn CCD in a physiological context, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing Pnn mutant in skeletal muscle. We found that overexpression of the CCD reduces endogenous Pnn expression in cultured cell lines as well as in transgenic skeletal muscle fibers. Pnn mutant mice exhibited reduced body mass and impaired muscle function during development. Mutant skeletal muscles show dystrophic histological features with muscle fibers heavily loaded with centrally located myonuclei. Expression profiling and pathway analysis identified over-representation of genes in gene categories associated with muscle contraction, specifically those related to slow type fiber. In addition nebulin (NEB) expression level is repressed in Pnn mutant skeletal muscle. We conclude that Pnn downregulation in skeletal muscle causes a muscular dystrophic phenotype associated with NEB deficiency and the CCD domain is incapable of replacing full length Pnn in terms of functional capacity.« less

Influence of energy balance on the antimicrobial peptides S100A8 and S100A9 in the endometrium of the post-partum dairy cow

PubMed Central

Swangchan-Uthai, Theerawat; Chen, Qiusheng; Kirton, Sally E; Fenwick, Mark A; Cheng, Zhangrui; Patton, Joe; Fouladi-Nashta, Ali A; Wathes, D Claire

2013-01-01

Uterine inflammation occurs after calving in association with extensive endometrial remodelling and bacterial contamination. If the inflammation persists, it leads to reduced fertility. Chronic endometritis is highly prevalent in high-yielding cows that experience negative energy balance (NEB) in early lactation. This study investigated the effect of NEB on the antimicrobial peptides S100A8 and S100A9 in involuting uteri collected 2 weeks post partum. Holstein-Friesian cows (six per treatment) were randomly allocated to two interventions designed to produce mild or severe NEB (MNEB and SNEB) status. Endometrial samples were examined histologically, and the presence of neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes and natural killer cells was confirmed using haematoxylin and eosin and immunostaining. SNEB cows had greater signs of uterine inflammation. Samples of previously gravid uterine horn were used to localise S100A8 and S100A9 by immunohistochemistry. Both S100 proteins were present in bovine endometrium with strong staining in epithelial and stromal cells and in infiltrated leucocytes. Immunostaining was significantly higher in SNEB cows along with increased numbers of segmented neutrophils. These results suggest that the metabolic changes of a post-partum cow suffering from NEB delay uterine involution and promote a chronic state of inflammation. We show that upregulation of S100A8 and S100A9 is clearly a key component of the early endometrial response to uterine infection. Further studies are warranted to link the extent of this response after calving to the likelihood of cows developing endometritis and to their subsequent fertility. PMID:23533291

Quantification of Al2O3 nanoparticles in human cell lines applying inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (neb-ICP-MS, LA-ICP-MS) and flow cytometry-based methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böhme, Steffi; Stärk, Hans-Joachim; Meißner, Tobias; Springer, Armin; Reemtsma, Thorsten; Kühnel, Dana; Busch, Wibke

2014-09-01

In order to quantify and compare the uptake of aluminum oxide nanoparticles of three different sizes into two human cell lines (skin keratinocytes (HaCaT) and lung epithelial cells (A549)), three analytical methods were applied: digestion followed by nebulization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (neb-ICP-MS), direct laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS), and flow cytometry. Light and electron microscopy revealed an accumulation and agglomeration of all particle types within the cell cytoplasm, whereas no particles were detected in the cell nuclei. The internalized Al2O3 particles exerted no toxicity in the two cell lines after 24 h of exposure. The smallest particles with a primary particle size ( x BET) of 14 nm (Alu1) showed the lowest sedimentation velocity within the cell culture media, but were calculated to have settled completely after 20 h. Alu2 ( x BET = 111 nm) and Alu3 ( x BET = 750 nm) were calculated to reach the cell surface after 7 h and 3 min, respectively. The internal concentrations determined with the different methods lay in a comparable range of 2-8 µg Al2O3/cm2 cell layer, indicating the suitability of all methods to quantify the nanoparticle uptake. Nevertheless, particle size limitations of analytical methods using optical devices were demonstrated for LA-ICP-MS and flow cytometry. Furthermore, the consideration and comparison of particle properties as parameters for particle internalization revealed the particle size and the exposure concentration as determining factors for particle uptake.

A computational ab initio study of surface diffusion of sulfur on the CdTe (111) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naderi, Ebadollah; Ghaisas, S. V.

2016-08-01

In order to discern the formation of epitaxial growth of CdS shell over CdTe nanocrystals, kinetics related to the initial stages of the growth of CdS on CdTe is investigated using ab-initio methods. We report diffusion of sulfur adatom on the CdTe (111) A-type (Cd-terminated) and B-type (Te-terminated) surfaces within the density functional theory (DFT). The barriers are computed by applying the climbing Nudge Elastic Band (c-NEB) method. From the results surface hopping emerges as the major mode of diffusion. In addition, there is a distinct contribution from kick-out type diffusion in which a CdTe surface atom is kicked out from its position and is replaced by the diffusing sulfur atom. Also, surface vacancy substitution contributes to the concomitant dynamics. There are sites on the B- type surface that are competitively close in terms of the binding energy to the lowest energy site of epitaxy on the surface. The kick-out process is more likely for B-type surface where a Te atom of the surface is displaced by a sulfur adatom. Further, on the B-type surface, subsurface migration of sulfur is indicated. Furthermore, the binding energies of S on CdTe reveal that on the A-type surface, epitaxial sites provide relatively higher binding energies and barriers than on B-type.

A computational ab initio study of surface diffusion of sulfur on the CdTe (111) surface

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

Naderi, Ebadollah, E-mail: enaderi42@gmail.com; Ghaisas, S. V.

2016-08-15

In order to discern the formation of epitaxial growth of CdS shell over CdTe nanocrystals, kinetics related to the initial stages of the growth of CdS on CdTe is investigated using ab-initio methods. We report diffusion of sulfur adatom on the CdTe (111) A-type (Cd-terminated) and B-type (Te-terminated) surfaces within the density functional theory (DFT). The barriers are computed by applying the climbing Nudge Elastic Band (c-NEB) method. From the results surface hopping emerges as the major mode of diffusion. In addition, there is a distinct contribution from kick-out type diffusion in which a CdTe surface atom is kicked outmore » from its position and is replaced by the diffusing sulfur atom. Also, surface vacancy substitution contributes to the concomitant dynamics. There are sites on the B- type surface that are competitively close in terms of the binding energy to the lowest energy site of epitaxy on the surface. The kick-out process is more likely for B-type surface where a Te atom of the surface is displaced by a sulfur adatom. Further, on the B-type surface, subsurface migration of sulfur is indicated. Furthermore, the binding energies of S on CdTe reveal that on the A-type surface, epitaxial sites provide relatively higher binding energies and barriers than on B-type.« less

A NEW METHOD OF PEAK DETECTION FOR ANALYSIS OF COMPREHENSIVE TWO-DIMENSIONAL GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS SPECTROMETRY DATA.

PubMed

Kim, Seongho; Ouyang, Ming; Jeong, Jaesik; Shen, Changyu; Zhang, Xiang

2014-06-01

We develop a novel peak detection algorithm for the analysis of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOF MS) data using normal-exponential-Bernoulli (NEB) and mixture probability models. The algorithm first performs baseline correction and denoising simultaneously using the NEB model, which also defines peak regions. Peaks are then picked using a mixture of probability distribution to deal with the co-eluting peaks. Peak merging is further carried out based on the mass spectral similarities among the peaks within the same peak group. The algorithm is evaluated using experimental data to study the effect of different cut-offs of the conditional Bayes factors and the effect of different mixture models including Poisson, truncated Gaussian, Gaussian, Gamma, and exponentially modified Gaussian (EMG) distributions, and the optimal version is introduced using a trial-and-error approach. We then compare the new algorithm with two existing algorithms in terms of compound identification. Data analysis shows that the developed algorithm can detect the peaks with lower false discovery rates than the existing algorithms, and a less complicated peak picking model is a promising alternative to the more complicated and widely used EMG mixture models.

Stacking stability of MoS2 bilayer: An ab initio study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Peng; Guo, Huai-Hong; Yang, Teng; Zhang, Zhi-Dong

2014-10-01

The study of the stacking stability of bilayer MoS2 is essential since a bilayer has exhibited advantages over single layer MoS2 in many aspects for nanoelectronic applications. We explored the relative stability, optimal sliding path between different stacking orders of bilayer MoS2, and (especially) the effect of inter-layer stress, by combining first-principles density functional total energy calculations and the climbing-image nudge-elastic-band (CI-NEB) method. Among five typical stacking orders, which can be categorized into two kinds (I: AA, AB and II: AA', AB', A'B), we found that stacking orders with Mo and S superposing from both layers, such as AA' and AB, is more stable than the others. With smaller computational efforts than potential energy profile searching, we can study the effect of inter-layer stress on the stacking stability. Under isobaric condition, the sliding barrier increases by a few eV/(ucGPa) from AA' to AB', compared to 0.1 eV/(ucGPa) from AB to [AB]. Moreover, we found that interlayer compressive stress can help enhance the transport properties of AA'. This study can help understand why inter-layer stress by dielectric gating materials can be an effective means to improving MoS2 on nanoelectronic applications.

Influence of energy balance on the somatotrophic axis and matrix metalloproteinase expression in the endometrium of the postpartum dairy cow

PubMed Central

Wathes, D Claire; Cheng, Zhangrui; Fenwick, Mark A; Fitzpatrick, Richard; Patton, Joe

2011-01-01

Postpartum dairy cows enter a period of negative energy balance (NEB) associated with low circulating IGF1, during which the uterus must undergo extensive repair following calving. This study investigated the effects of NEB on expression of IGF family members and related genes in the involuting uterus. Cows were allocated to two treatments using differential feeding and milking regimes to produce mild NEB or severe NEB (SNEB). Uterine endometrial samples collected 2 weeks post partum were analysed by quantitative PCR. The expression of IGF-binding protein 4 (IGFBP4) mRNA increased in the endometrium of SNEB cows, with trends towards increased IGFBP1 and reduced IGFBP6 expression. There were no significant differences between treatments in mRNA expression of IGF1, IGF2 or of any hormone receptor studied, but significant correlations across all cows in the expression levels of groups of receptors suggested common regulatory mechanisms: type 1 IGF receptor (IGF1R), IGF2R and insulin receptor (INSR); GHR with ESR1; and ESR2 with NR3C1. The expression of IGF1R and INSR also positively correlated with the circulating urea concentration. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important in tissue remodelling and can affect IGF signalling via interaction with IGFBPs. The expression levels of MMP1, MMP3, MMP9 and MMP13 mRNAs all showed major upregulation in the endometrium of cows in SNEB and all except MMP9 were highly correlated with expression of IGFBP4. Alpha(2)-HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) and PDK4, two genes implicated in insulin resistance, were also highly expressed in SNEB. These results suggest that cows in SNEB experience alterations to the IGF and insulin signalling pathways in the postpartum endometrium. This may affect the rate of tissue repair with a possible negative impact on subsequent fertility. PMID:21123519

OVERVIEW OF EXAMINATION STANDARDS AND EVALUATION PROCESS CONDUCTED BY OUT-SOURCED UNIVERSITIES BY PAKISTAN MEDICAL AND DENTAL COUNCIL FOR FOREIGN QUALIFIED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS IN PAKISTAN.

PubMed

Khan, Samina Mohsin; Mahmood, Raja Amjad

2016-01-01

Pakistani nationals that obtained foreign basic/additional medical/dental qualifications need to be registered with Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to serve in health delivery system after qualifying the National Examination Board (NEB) conducted by the outsourced universities. The aim was to analyse the results and the factors that influence the NEB examinations held for accreditation conducted by different universities from the year 2010 to 2015. The register based data was collected from the NEB section of PMDC for examinations conducted in the year 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The format of the examination comprises three parts that include Step I, II based on written assessment composed of both multiple choice and subjective questions. Step III is designed for oral assessment, i.e., viva voce. All these examination were held in Islamabad conducted by the outsourced universities. The percentage of candidates that has passed all the examinations, Step I, II & III held by various universities varies across the universities. Further, the percentage of passed candidate remains low in Step I & II as compared to candidates passed in Step III. Overall the result of Step III shows a wide gradient that ranges from 50% to 98% among the different universities. Likewise, the lowest percentage of passing candidates in Step I and Step II remains 4% and 9% respectively as compared to 50% in Step III. There is a wide gradient in the results of NEB examination among universities due to lack of uniformity and standardization of assessment process. In addition, with regards to the approach of examination venue, the faced issues include lack of accessibility and cost effectiveness. The PMDC needs to institutionalize a robust and vigorous accreditation system equipped with inbuilt evaluation indicators that should steer to devise strategies to improve the accreditation process.

Characterization of slowly inactivating KV{alpha} current in rabbit pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies: effects of hypoxia and nicotine.

PubMed

Fu, Xiao Wen; Nurse, Colin; Cutz, Ernest

2007-10-01

Pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies (NEB) form innervated cell clusters that express voltage-activated currents and function as airway O(2) sensors. We investigated A-type K(+) currents in NEB cells using neonatal rabbit lung slice preparation. The whole cell K(+) current was slowly inactivating with activation threshold of approximately -30 mV. This current was blocked approximately 27% by blood-depressing substance I (BDS-I; 3 microM), a selective blocker of Kv3.4 subunit, and reduced approximately 20% by tetraethylammonium (TEA; 100 microM). The BDS-I-sensitive component had an average peak value of 189 +/- 14 pA and showed fast inactivation kinetics that could be fitted by one-component exponential function with a time constant of (tau1) 77 +/- 10 ms. This Kv slowly inactivating current was also blocked by heteropodatoxin-2 (HpTx-2; 0.2 microM), a blocker of Kv4 subunit. The HpTx-2-sensitive current had an average peak value of 234 +/- 23 pA with a time constant (tau) 82 +/- 11 ms. Hypoxia (Po(2) = 15-20 mmHg) inhibited the slowly inactivating K(+) current by approximately 47%, during voltage steps from -30 to +30 mV, and no further inhibition occurred when TEA was combined with hypoxia. Nicotine at concentrations of 50 and 100 microM suppressed the slowly inactivating K(+) current by approximately 24 and approximately 40%, respectively. This suppression was not reversed by mecamylamine suggesting a direct effect of nicotine on these K(+) channels. In situ hybridization experiments detected expression of mRNAs for Kv3.4 and Kv4.3 subunits, while double-label immunofluorescence confirmed membrane localization of respective channel proteins in NEB cells. These studies suggest that the hypoxia-sensitive current in NEB cells is carried by slowly inactivating A-type K(+) channels, which underlie their oxygen-sensitive potassium currents, and that exposure to nicotine may directly affect their function, contributing to smoking-related lung disease.

Atmospheric waves and dynamics beneath Jupiter's clouds from radio wavelength observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cosentino, Richard G.; Butler, Bryan; Sault, Bob; Morales-Juberías, Raúl; Simon, Amy; de Pater, Imke

2017-08-01

We observed Jupiter at wavelengths near 2 cm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in February 2015. These frequencies are mostly sensitive to variations in ammonia abundance and probe between ∼ 0.5 - 2.0 bars of pressure in Jupiter's atmosphere; within and below the visible cloud deck which has its base near 0.7 bars. The resultant observed data were projected into a cylindrical map of the planet with spatial resolution of ∼1500 km at the equator. We have examined the data for atmospheric waves and observed a prominent bright belt of radio hotspot features near 10°N, likely connected to the same equatorial wave associated with the 5-μm hotspots. We conducted a passive tracer power spectral wave analysis for the entire map and latitude regions corresponding to eastward and westward jets and compare our results to previous studies. The power spectra analysis revealed that the atmosphere sampled in our observation (excluding the NEB region) is in a 2-D turbulent regime and its dynamics are predominately governed by the shallow water equations. The Great Red Spot (GRS) is also very prominent and has a noticeable meridional asymmetry and we compare it, and nearby storms, with optical images. We find that the meridional radio profile has a global north-south hemisphere distinction and find correlations of it to optical intensity banding and to shear zones of the zonal wind profile over select regions of latitude. Amateur optical images taken before and after our observation complemented the radio wavelength map to investigate dynamics of the equatorial region in Jupiter's atmosphere. We find that two radio hotspots at 2 cm are well correlated with optical plumes in the NEB, additionally revealing they are not the same 5 μm hotspot features correlated with optical dark patches between adjacent plumes. This analysis exploits the VLA's upgraded sensitivity and explores the opportunities now possible when studying gas giants, especially atmospheric dynamics of layers beneath upper level clouds.

Atmospheric Waves and Dynamics Beneath Jupiters Clouds from Radio Wavelength Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cosentino, Richard G.; Butler, Bryan; Sault, Bob; Morales-Juberias, Raul; Simon, Amy; De Pater, Imke

2017-01-01

We observed Jupiter at wavelengths near 2 cm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in February 2015. These frequencies are mostly sensitive to variations in ammonia abundance and probe between approx. 0.5- 2.0 bars of pressure in Jupiters atmosphere; within and below the visible cloud deck which has its base near 0.7 bars. The resultant observed data were projected into a cylindrical map of the planet with spatial resolution of approx. 1500 km at the equator. We have examined the data for atmospheric waves and observed a prominent bright belt of radio hotspot features near 10 N, likely connected to the same equatorial wave associated with the 5-m hotspots. We conducted a passive tracer power spectral wave analysis for the entire map and latitude regions corresponding to eastward and westward jets and compare our results to previous studies. The power spectra analysis revealed that the atmosphere sampled in our observation (excluding the NEB region) is in a 2-D turbulent regime and its dynamics are predominately governed by the shallow water equations. The Great Red Spot (GRS) is also very prominent and has a noticeable meridional asymmetry and we compare it, and nearby storms, with optical images. We find that the meridional radio profile has a global north-south hemisphere distinction and find correlations of it to optical intensity banding and to shear zones of the zonal wind profile over select regions of latitude. Amateur optical images taken before and after our observation complemented the radio wave- length map to investigate dynamics of the equatorial region in Jupiters atmosphere. We find that two radio hotspots at 2 cm are well correlated with optical plumes in the NEB, additionally revealing they are not the same 5 m hotspot features correlated with optical dark patches between adjacent plumes. This analysis exploits the VLAs upgraded sensitivity and explores the opportunities now possible when studying gas giants, especially atmospheric dynamics of layers beneath upper level clouds.

A NEW METHOD OF PEAK DETECTION FOR ANALYSIS OF COMPREHENSIVE TWO-DIMENSIONAL GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS SPECTROMETRY DATA*

PubMed Central

Kim, Seongho; Ouyang, Ming; Jeong, Jaesik; Shen, Changyu; Zhang, Xiang

2014-01-01

We develop a novel peak detection algorithm for the analysis of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOF MS) data using normal-exponential-Bernoulli (NEB) and mixture probability models. The algorithm first performs baseline correction and denoising simultaneously using the NEB model, which also defines peak regions. Peaks are then picked using a mixture of probability distribution to deal with the co-eluting peaks. Peak merging is further carried out based on the mass spectral similarities among the peaks within the same peak group. The algorithm is evaluated using experimental data to study the effect of different cut-offs of the conditional Bayes factors and the effect of different mixture models including Poisson, truncated Gaussian, Gaussian, Gamma, and exponentially modified Gaussian (EMG) distributions, and the optimal version is introduced using a trial-and-error approach. We then compare the new algorithm with two existing algorithms in terms of compound identification. Data analysis shows that the developed algorithm can detect the peaks with lower false discovery rates than the existing algorithms, and a less complicated peak picking model is a promising alternative to the more complicated and widely used EMG mixture models. PMID:25264474

Pulmonary serotonin and histamine in experimental asbestosis

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

Keith, I.M.; Day, R.; Lemaire, S.

1986-03-01

Adult male Wistar rats were treated once with tracheal instillation of 5 mg Crysotile B asbestos fibers in 0.5 ml saline under ketamine/xylaxine anesthesia. Control rats (n = 37) received 0.5 ml saline. Test and control rats were killed at 7 and 14 d., and 1, 3 and 6 mo. post instillation. Serotonin (5-HT) was quantitated in lung tissue homogenate from all rats using HPLC and electrochemical detection. Among rats killed at 1, 3 and 6 mo., lung tissue histamine-o-phthaldialdehyde complex was quantitated using reverse phase HPLC coupled to a fluorometric detector. Furthermore, 5-HT was quantitated in the cytoplasm ofmore » grouped (NEB) and individual (NEC) neuroendocrine cells and in mast cells using formaldehyde-vapor-induced fluorescence and microspectrofluorometry, and mast cell numbers were determined. Test rats had higher pulmonary 5-HT and histamine levels than controls at 1, 3 and 6 mo. Test rats also had higher cellular 5-HT compared to controls in NEB's at 1 mo., but not in NECs, and tended to have higher 5-HT-levels in mast cells at 6 mo. Mast cell numbers were higher among tests at 1 and 3 mo. The authors results suggest that NEBs may contribute to the early asbestos induced rise in 5-HT, and that the major source of 5-HT and histamine is from the increased numbers of mast cells.« less

Amphiastral Mitotic Spindle Assembly in Vertebrate Cells Lacking Centrosomes

PubMed Central

Hornick, Jessica E.; Mader, Christopher C.; Tribble, Emily K.; Bagne, Cydney C.; Vaughan, Kevin T.; Shaw, Sidney L.; Hinchcliffe, Edward H.

2011-01-01

Summary The role of centrosomes/centrioles during mitotic spindle assembly in vertebrates remains controversial. In cell-free extracts and experimentally derived acentrosomal cells, randomly oriented microtubules (MTs) self-organize around mitotic chromosomes and assemble anastral spindles [1, 2, 3]. However, vertebrate somatic cells normally assemble a connected pair of polarized, astral MT arrays – termed an amphiaster (“a star on both sides” [4]) – that is formed by the splitting and separation of the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) well before nuclear envelope breakdown (NEB) [5]. Whether amphiaster formation requires splitting of duplicated centrosomes is not known. We found that when centrosomes were removed from living vertebrate cells early in their cell cycle, an acentriolar MTOC re-assembled, and prior to NEB, a functional amphiastral spindle formed. Cytoplasmic dynein, dynactin, and pericentrin are all recruited to the interphase aMTOC, and the activity of kinesin-5 is needed for amphiaster formation. Mitosis proceeded on time and these karyoplasts divided in two. However, ~35% of aMTOCs failed to split/separate before NEB, and these entered mitosis with persistent monastral spindles. The chromatin-mediated RAN-GTP pathway could not restore bipolarity to monastral spindles, and these cells exited mitosis as single daughters. Our data reveal the novel finding that MTOC separation and amphiaster formation does not absolutely require the centrosome, but in its absence, the fidelity of bipolar spindle assembly is highly compromised. PMID:21439826

Effect of formulation and baking conditions on the structure and development of non-enzymatic browning in biscuit models using images.

PubMed

Leiva-Valenzuela, Gabriel A; Quilaqueo, Marcela; Lagos, Daniela; Estay, Danilo; Pedreschi, Franco

2018-04-01

The aim of this research was to determine the effect of composition (dietary fiber = DF, fat = F, and gluten = G) and baking time on the target microstructural parameters that were observed using images of potato and wheat starch biscuits. Microstructures were studied Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Non-enzymatic browning (NEB) was assessed using color image analysis. Texture and moisture analysis was performed to have a better understanding of the baking process. Analysis of images revealed that the starch granules retained their native form at the end of baking, suggesting their in complete gelatinization. Granules size was similar at several different baking times, with an average equivalent diameter of 9 and 27 µm for wheat and potato starch, respectively. However, samples with different levels of DF and G increased circularity during baking to more than 30%, and also increasing hardness. NEB developed during baking, with the maximum increase observed between 13 and 19 min. This was reflected in decreased luminosity (L*) values due to a decrease in moisture levels. After 19 min, luminosity did not vary significantly. The ingredients that are used, as well as their quantities, can affect sample L* values. Therefore, choosing the correct ingredients and quantities can lead to different microstructures in the biscuits, with varying amounts of NEB products.

Effects of different electrical brain stimulation protocols on subcomponents of motor skill learning.

PubMed

Prichard, George; Weiller, Cornelius; Fritsch, Brita; Reis, Janine

2014-01-01

Noninvasive electrical brain stimulation (NEBS) with transcranial direct current (tDCS) or random noise stimulation (tRNS) applied to the primary motor cortex (M1) can augment motor learning. We tested whether different types of stimulation alter particular aspects of learning a tracing task over three consecutive days, namely skill acquisition (online/within session effects) or consolidation (offline/between session effects). Motor training on a tracing task over three consecutive days was combined with different types and montages of stimulation (tDCS, tRNS). Unilateral M1 stimulation using tRNS as well as unilateral and bilateral M1 tDCS all enhanced motor skill learning compared to sham stimulation. In all groups, this appeared to be driven by online effects without an additional offline effect. Unilateral tDCS resulted in large skill gains immediately following the onset of stimulation, while tRNS exerted more gradual effects. Control stimulation of the right temporal lobe did not enhance skill learning relative to sham. The mechanisms of action of tDCS and tRNS are likely different. Hence, the time course of skill improvement within sessions could point to specific and temporally distinct interactions with the physiological process of motor skill learning. Exploring the parameters of NEBS on different tasks and in patients with brain injury will allow us to maximize the benefits of NEBS for neurorehabilitation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Investigating the structural impact of S311C mutation in DRD2 receptor by molecular dynamics & docking studies.

PubMed

Podder, Avijit; Pandey, Deeksha; Latha, N

2016-04-01

Dopamine receptors (DR) are neuronal cell surface proteins that mediate the action of neurotransmitter dopamine in brain. Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) that belongs to G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) family is a major therapeutic target for of various neurological and psychiatric disorders in human. The third inter cellular loop (ICL3) in DRD2 is essential for coupling G proteins and several signaling scaffold proteins. A mutation in ICL3 can interfere with this binding interface, thereby altering the DRD2 signaling. In this study we have examined the deleterious effect of serine to cysteine mutation at position 311 (S311C) in the ICL3 region that is implicated in diseases like schizophrenia and alcoholism. An in silico structure modeling approach was employed to determine the wild type (WT) and mutant S311C structures of DRD2, scaffold proteins - Gαi/o and NEB2. Protein-ligand docking protocol was exercised to predict the interactions of natural agonist dopamine with both the WT and mutant structures of DRD2. Besides, atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to provide insights into essential dynamics of the systems-unbound and dopamine bound DRD2 (WT and mutant) and three independent simulations for Gαi, Gαo and NEB2 systems. To provide information on intra-molecular arrangement of the structures, a comprehensive residue interactions network of both dopamine bound WT and mutant DRD2 protein were studied. We also employed a protein-protein docking strategy to find the interactions of scaffold proteins - Gαi/o and NEB2 with both dopamine bound WT and mutant structures of DRD2. We observed a marginal effect of the mutation in dopamine binding mechanism on the trajectories analyzed. However, we noticed a significant structural alteration of the mutant receptor which affects Gαi/o and NEB2 binding that can be causal for malfunctioning in cAMP-dependent signaling and Ca(+) homeostasis in the brain dopaminergic system leading to neuropsychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

Detecting drought and human-induced land degradation using time series trend analysis in Northeastern Brazil drylands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariano, D. A.; Costa dos Santos, C. A.; Wardlow, B.

2017-12-01

Land degradation (LD) is one of the most catastrophic outcomes of long-lasting drought events and anthropogenic activities. Assessing climate and human-induced impacts on land can provide information for decision makers to mitigate the effects associated to thereof. The Northeastern region of Brazil (NEB) is the most populous dryland on the planet, making it a highly vulnerable ecosystem especially when considering the lingering drought that started in 2012. The present work consisted on detecting trends in biomass [gross primary productivity (GPP)] and albedo anomalies as indicators of land degradation in NEB. Both GPP and albedo data were derived from MODIS/Terra sensor at 8-day temporal and 500m spatial resolutions. For precipitation z-scores, we relied on CHIRPS-v2 10-day temporal and 5km spatial resolution data. For detecting trends, we applied linear regressions on time series of MODIS GPP and albedo images. Trend analysis was performed for the periods ranging from 2002-2012 (no severe droughts) and 2002-2016 (includes the last drought). The first analysis highlights the human-induced LD whereas the last detected drought induced LD. About 4.5% of the area undergone human-induced degradation whereas drought was responsible for 13%, although, not mutually exclusive. As reported in the literature and official data, grazing intensification was the main driver for human-induced LD. GPP trends were more pronounced and had a stronger signal than albedo, thus, is considered more efficient on mapping LD. Finally, the effects of LD on evapotranspiration anomalies [evaporative stress index (ESI)] were assessed as a way to link it to the hydrological cycle. GPP and ET relations are very site-specific; thus, we found that these variables are highly correlated in regions where LD was intense. We conclude that, in fact, drought led to severe LD in NEB and, the degradation cycle has a positive feedback derived from ET reduction resulting in an increased net moisture deficit. The study warns of the desertification risk that NEB is facing and the need for the authorities to take action to stop these trends.

Kinetic barriers for Cd and Te adatoms on Cd and Te terminated CdTe (111) surface using ab initio simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naderi, Ebadollah; Nanavati, Sachin P.; Majumder, Chiranjib; Ghaisas, S. V.

2014-03-01

In the present work we have calculated using density functional theory (DFT), diffusion barrier potentials on both the CdTe (111) surfaces, Cd terminated (A-type) & Te terminated (B-type). We employ nudge elastic band method (NEB) for obtaining the barrier potentials. The barrier is computed for Cd and for Te adatoms on both A-type and B-type surfaces. We report two energetically favourable positions along the normal to the surface, one above and other below the surface. The one above the surface has binding energy slightly more the one below. According to the results of this work, binding energy (in all cases) for adatoms are reasonable and close to experimental data. The barrier potential for hopping adatoms (Cd and Te) on both the surfaces is less than 0.35 eV. Apart from these most probable sites, there are other at least two sites on both the types of surfaces which are meta stable. We have also computed barriers for hopping to and from these meta stable positions. The present results can shade light on the defect formation mechanism in CdTe thin films during growth. The authors would like to thank C-DAC for the computing time on its PARAM series of supercomputers and DST Govt. of India, for partial funding.

A Lagrangian Identification of the Main Sources of Moisture Affecting Northeastern Brazil during Its Pre-Rainy and Rainy Seasons

PubMed Central

Drumond, Anita; Nieto, Raquel; Trigo, Ricardo; Ambrizzi, Tercio; Souza, Everaldo; Gimeno, Luis

2010-01-01

This work examines the sources of moisture affecting the semi-arid Brazilian Northeast (NEB) during its pre-rainy and rainy season (JFMAM) through a Lagrangian diagnosis method. The FLEXPART model identifies the humidity contributions to the moisture budget over a region through the continuous computation of changes in the specific humidity along back or forward trajectories up to 10 days period. The numerical experiments were done for the period that spans between 2000 and 2004 and results were aggregated on a monthly basis. Results show that besides a minor local recycling component, the vast majority of moisture reaching NEB area is originated in the south Atlantic basin and that the nearby wet Amazon basin bears almost no impact. Moreover, although the maximum precipitation in the “Poligono das Secas” region (PS) occurs in March and the maximum precipitation associated with air parcels emanating from the South Atlantic towards PS is observed along January to March, the highest moisture contribution from this oceanic region occurs slightly later (April). A dynamical analysis suggests that the maximum precipitation observed in the PS sector does not coincide with the maximum moisture supply probably due to the combined effect of the Walker and Hadley cells in inhibiting the rising motions over the region in the months following April. PMID:20585458

Multi-slice nanostructured WS2@rGO with enhanced Li-ion battery performance and a comprehensive mechanistic investigation.

PubMed

Li, Honglin; Yu, Ke; Fu, Hao; Guo, Bangjun; Lei, Xiang; Zhu, Ziqiang

2015-11-28

A thin nanoslice structured WS2@reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite was successfully fabricated by a facile hydrothermal synthesis method. The layered structure and morphology of the composite were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The WS2@rGO composite structure demonstrated significantly enhanced rate capability performance in comparison with pristine WS2 when used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The composite demonstrated a capacity of 565 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles when cycled at 0.1 A g(-1) and it could still deliver a stable capacity of about 337 mA h g(-1) at 2 A g(-1). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement showed that the synergistic effect between WS2 and rGO could remarkably reduce the contact resistance and improve the corresponding electrochemical performances. In order to analyze and interpret the corresponding results from a theoretically sound perspective, first principles calculations was further performed to investigate the corresponding inner mechanisms of pristine WS2 and WS2@graphene composite. The nudged elastic band (NEB) method was used to investigate the diffusion properties of Li in the different structures. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and Young's modulus calculation were further employed to explore the stability and mechanical properties of the two structures for the first time. These new perspectives pave the way for the design and fabrication of graphene-TMDs based composites as the next generation of LIB anode materials with high power density and cycling stability.

First-principles study on alkali-metal effect of Li, Na, and K in CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, Tsuyoshi; Kawabata, Atsuhito; Wada, Takahiro

2015-08-01

The substitution energies and migration energies of the alkali metal atoms of Li, Na, and K in CuInSe2 (CIS) and CuGaSe2 (CGS) were investigated by first-principles calculations. The substitution energies of Li, Na, and K atoms in CIS and CGS were calculated for two different cationic atom positions of Cu and In/Ga in the chalcopyrite unit cell. In CIS and CGS, the substitution energies of NaCu are much lower than those of NaIn and NaGa. The substitution energies of the LiCu atoms in CIS and CGS are lower than those of NaCu, while the substitution energies of KCu atoms in CIS and CGS are much higher than those of NaCu. Therefore, it is difficult to form KCu in CIS and CGS. The migration energies of Li, Na, and K atoms in CIS and CGS are obtained by a combination of the linear and quadratic synchronous transit (LST/QST) methods and the nudged elastic band (NEB) method. The theoretical migration energies of a Na atom at the Cu site to the nearest Cu vacancy (NaCu → VCu) in CIS and CGS are much lower than those of (CuCu → VCu) in CIS and CGS. The mechanism underlying the alkali metal effect of Li, Na, and K in the CIGS film during the post-deposition treatment of LiF, NaF, and KF is discussed on the basis of the calculated substitution and migration energies.

Efficient approach to include molecular polarizations using charge and atom dipole response kernels to calculate free energy gradients in the QM/MM scheme.

PubMed

Asada, Toshio; Ando, Kanta; Sakurai, Koji; Koseki, Shiro; Nagaoka, Masataka

2015-10-28

An efficient approach to evaluate free energy gradients (FEGs) within the quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) framework has been proposed to clarify reaction processes on the free energy surface (FES) in molecular assemblies. The method is based on response kernel approximations denoted as the charge and the atom dipole response kernel (CDRK) model that include explicitly induced atom dipoles. The CDRK model was able to reproduce polarization effects for both electrostatic interactions between QM and MM regions and internal energies in the QM region obtained by conventional QM/MM methods. In contrast to charge response kernel (CRK) models, CDRK models could be applied to various kinds of molecules, even linear or planer molecules, without using imaginary interaction sites. Use of the CDRK model enabled us to obtain FEGs on QM atoms in significantly reduced computational time. It was also clearly demonstrated that the time development of QM forces of the solvated propylene carbonate radical cation (PC˙(+)) provided reliable results for 1 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, which were quantitatively in good agreement with expensive QM/MM results. Using FEG and nudged elastic band (NEB) methods, we found two optimized reaction paths on the FES for decomposition reactions to generate CO2 molecules from PC˙(+), whose reaction is known as one of the degradation mechanisms in the lithium-ion battery. Two of these reactions proceed through an identical intermediate structure whose molecular dipole moment is larger than that of the reactant to be stabilized in the solvent, which has a high relative dielectric constant. Thus, in order to prevent decomposition reactions, PC˙(+) should be modified to have a smaller dipole moment along two reaction paths.

Adipose tissue remodeling in late-lactation dairy cows during feed-restriction-induced negative energy balance.

PubMed

Contreras, G Andres; Thelen, Kyan; Schmidt, Sarah E; Strieder-Barboza, Clarissa; Preseault, Courtney L; Raphael, William; Kiupel, Matti; Caron, John; Lock, Adam L

2016-12-01

Excessive rates of demand lipolysis in the adipose tissue (AT) during periods of negative energy balance (NEB) are associated with increased susceptibility to disease and limited lactation performance. Lipolysis induces a remodeling process within AT that is characterized by an inflammatory response, cellular proliferation, and changes in the extracellular matrix (ECMT). The adipose tissue macrophage (ATM) is a key component of the inflammatory response. Infiltration of ATM-forming cellular aggregates was demonstrated in transition cows, suggesting that ATM trafficking and phenotype changes may be associated with disease. However, it is currently unknown if ATM infiltration occurs in dairy cows only during NEB states related to the transition period or also during NEB-induced lipolysis at other stages of lactation. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in ATM trafficking and inflammatory phenotypes, and the expression of genetic markers of AT remodeling in healthy late-lactation cows during feed restriction-induced NEB. After a 14-d (d -14 to d -1) preliminary period, Holstein cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 feeding protocols, ad libitum (AL) or feed restriction (FR), for 4 d (d 1-4). Caloric intake was reduced in FR to achieve a targeted energy balance of -15 Mcal/d of net energy for lactation. Omental and subcutaneous AT samples were collected laparoscopically to harvest stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells on d -3 and 4. The FR induced a NEB of -14.1±0.62 Mcal/d of net energy for lactation, whereas AL cows remained in positive energy balance (3.2±0.66 Mcal/d of NE L ). The FR triggered a lipolytic response reflected in increased plasma nonesterified fatty acids (0.65±0.05 mEq/L on d 4), enhanced phosphorylation of hormone sensitive lipase, and reduced adipocyte diameter. Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that on d 4, FR cows had increased numbers of CD172a + , an ATM (M1 and M2) surface marker, cells in SVF that were localized in aggregates. However, FR did not alter the number of SVF cells expressing M1 markers (CD14 and CD11c) or M2 markers (CD11b and CD163). This finding contrasts with the predominately M1 phenotype observed previously in ATM from clinically diseased cows. No changes were observed in the expression of ECMT-related or cell proliferation markers. In summary, an acute 4-d lipolytic stimulus in late-lactation dairy cows led to ATM infiltration with minimal changes in inflammatory phenotype and no changes in ECMT. These results underscore that physiological changes related to parturition, the onset of lactation, extended periods of lipolysis, or a combination of these can induce intense AT remodeling with enhanced ATM inflammatory phenotype expression that may impair the metabolic function of AT in transition dairy cattle. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Midwest Transportation Consortium : 2006-2007 annual report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-01-01

Introduction: The Midwest Transportation Consortium (MTC) began year 8 by having the funding it receives from the Research and Innovative Technology Administration doubled, and by losing its regional grant to a consortium led by the University of Neb...

REBASE--a database for DNA restriction and modification: enzymes, genes and genomes.

PubMed

Roberts, Richard J; Vincze, Tamas; Posfai, Janos; Macelis, Dana

2015-01-01

REBASE is a comprehensive and fully curated database of information about the components of restriction-modification (RM) systems. It contains fully referenced information about recognition and cleavage sites for both restriction enzymes and methyltransferases as well as commercial availability, methylation sensitivity, crystal and sequence data. All genomes that are completely sequenced are analyzed for RM system components, and with the advent of PacBio sequencing, the recognition sequences of DNA methyltransferases (MTases) are appearing rapidly. Thus, Type I and Type III systems can now be characterized in terms of recognition specificity merely by DNA sequencing. The contents of REBASE may be browsed from the web http://rebase.neb.com and selected compilations can be downloaded by FTP (ftp.neb.com). Monthly updates are also available via email. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Jupiters North Equatorial Belt Expansion and Thermal Wave Activity Ahead of Junos Arrival.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fletcher, L. N.; Orton, G. S.; Sinclair, J. A.; Donnelly, P.; Melin, H.; Rogers, J. H.; Greathouse, T. K.; Kasaba, Y.; Fujiyoshi, T.; Sato, T. M.;

Mutation-specific effects on thin filament length in thin filament myopathy.

PubMed

Winter, Josine M de; Joureau, Barbara; Lee, Eun-Jeong; Kiss, Balázs; Yuen, Michaela; Gupta, Vandana A; Pappas, Christopher T; Gregorio, Carol C; Stienen, Ger J M; Edvardson, Simon; Wallgren-Pettersson, Carina; Lehtokari, Vilma-Lotta; Pelin, Katarina; Malfatti, Edoardo; Romero, Norma B; Engelen, Baziel G van; Voermans, Nicol C; Donkervoort, Sandra; Bönnemann, C G; Clarke, Nigel F; Beggs, Alan H; Granzier, Henk; Ottenheijm, Coen A C

2016-06-01

Thin filament myopathies are among the most common nondystrophic congenital muscular disorders, and are caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins that are associated with the skeletal muscle thin filament. Mechanisms underlying muscle weakness are poorly understood, but might involve the length of the thin filament, an important determinant of force generation. We investigated the sarcomere length-dependence of force, a functional assay that provides insights into the contractile strength of muscle fibers as well as the length of the thin filaments, in muscle fibers from 51 patients with thin filament myopathy caused by mutations in NEB, ACTA1, TPM2, TPM3, TNNT1, KBTBD13, KLHL40, and KLHL41. Lower force generation was observed in muscle fibers from patients of all genotypes. In a subset of patients who harbor mutations in NEB and ACTA1, the lower force was associated with downward shifted force-sarcomere length relations, indicative of shorter thin filaments. Confocal microscopy confirmed shorter thin filaments in muscle fibers of these patients. A conditional Neb knockout mouse model, which recapitulates thin filament myopathy, revealed a compensatory mechanism; the lower force generation that was associated with shorter thin filaments was compensated for by increasing the number of sarcomeres in series. This allowed muscle fibers to operate at a shorter sarcomere length and maintain optimal thin-thick filament overlap. These findings might provide a novel direction for the development of therapeutic strategies for thin filament myopathy patients with shortened thin filament lengths. Ann Neurol 2016;79:959-969. © 2016 American Neurological Association.

Thermal Structure of Jupiter's Infrared Hotspots and Plumes in the Northern Equatorial Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fletcher, Leigh N.; Orton, Glenn S.; Rogers, John H.; Greathouse, Thomas K.; Momary, Thomas W.; Giles, Rohini Sara; Melin, Henrik; Sinclair, James; Irwin, Patrick Gerard Joseph; Vedovato, Marco

2016-10-01

The most prominent features of Jupiter's northern equatorial region are the visibly dark, 5-µm-bright 'hotspots' that move rapidly eastward on the southern edge of the North Equatorial Belt (NEB, Allison 1990, doi:10.1016/0019-1035(90)90069-L). We combine high-resolution thermal-infrared (5-20 µm) imaging from VLT/VISIR and IRTF/SpeX with spatially resolved spectroscopy from IRTF/TEXES to examine the thermal and chemical conditions in the equatorial region during the 2015-2016 apparition. The high spatial resolution permits the first detailed cross-comparison of thermal and visible-albedo conditions within the hotspots. We find that: (i) cloud-clearing within the hotspots creates 8.6-µm bright patches that are broader and more diffuse than their 5-µm counterparts; (ii) cloudy, cool cells ("plumes") in the northern Equatorial Zone are ammonia-rich and dark in the 5- and 8-12 µm range; (iii) the hotspots sometimes demonstrate a westward tilt with altitude in the 0.1-0.8 bar region (Fletcher et al., 2016, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2016.06.008); and (iv) blue-grey streaks on the southeastern edges of these ammonia-rich cells are also cloud free and bright at 5-12 µm. This regular longitudinal pattern of cloudy cells and cloud-free hotspots is consistent with condensation of NH3-rich air as it ascends in cells, and subsidence of dry, volatile-depleted air in the hotspots. The westward tilt of the NEB hotspots with height that was detected in 2014 (but not in 2016) supports the equatorial Rossby-wave hypothesis for the NEB pattern. This equatorial wave is distinct from those in the upper troposphere during the 2015-16 NEB expansion event (Orton et al., DPS/EPSC 2016). The cells and hotspots observed in the thermal-IR are the same type as those detected at near-IR wavelengths by Galileo/NIMS (Baines et al. 2002, doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6901) and in the radio, probing the deep atmosphere (de Pater et al., 2016, doi:10.1126/science.aaf2210), suggesting a coherent structure over tens of kilometres of altitude. Regular infrared tracking of the plume and hotspot locations will be used to aid interpretation of Juno observations.

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

Franzen, K.; Kim, M.; Liang, H.

This report contains a detailed summary of all work performed to date. Task 10 involves a comprehensive review of drying theory. Proposed mass transfer mechanisms include liquid and vapor diffusion, capillary flow, surface diffusion, hydrodynamic flow, and evaporation/condensation processes. Pasta was chosen as a model system in this project since it is macroscopically homogenous and can be made under controlled conditions. Task 11 involves experimental drying studies. A high pressure drying apparatus is available for studies related to the revision of the fundamental drying model. The dryer will require two major modifications for the planned tests: installation of a pressuremore » control valve and recirculation of exhaust gas. A tray dryer was used to measure the shrinkage coefficient of nonfat milk, and will be used for further tests on nonfat milk, as well as whey and tomato puree. A method of economic analysis regarding use of mechanical vapor recompression is presented. Task 12 involves food quality studies. A model of nonenzymatic browning (NEB) was developed based on NEB in skim milk samples containing 3.5--50% moisture, exposed to temperatures of 35--130{degrees}C. The browning rate was zero order after a lag period, and the temperature dependence fit an Arrhenius relation. The critical moisture occurs between 4% and 11% moisture. Task 13 addresses recommendations and strategies for dryer design and control. Moisture sensors were reviewed with specific reference to their on-line applicability. The IR sensor was found to be the most promising. Task 14 examined moisture mobility and interaction in foods. The BET adsorption method using nitrogen gas was applied to pasta, skim milk and egg albumin systems. The data obtained do not show good reproducibility, possibly due to an inadequate sample size. The possibility of using water vapor adsorption will be studied in future experiments. 210 refs., 30 figs., 22 tabs. (MHB)« less

PREFACE: Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perivolaropoulos, Leandros; Kanti, Panagiota

2011-03-01

The 14th conference in the series "Recent Developments in Gravity" was organized by the Theoretical Physics group of the Department of Physics, University of Ioannina, Greece. NEB-XIV (NEB-14) took place in Ioannina, Greece, from 8-11 June, 2010 at the Grand Serai Hotel. The abstracts of all the talks, along with other details of the meeting, are to be found on the website of the conference http://neb14.physics.uoi.gr/index.htm. The NEB series (initials from the Greek: Νɛώτɛρɛς Εξɛλίξɛις στην Βαρύτητα) is a series of meetings initiated in 1984 in Crete by the late Professor Vassilis Xanthopoulos and a group of Greek relativists. Since then this meeting has been held every other year at various cities in Greece, organized by different groups of Greek relativists and cosmologists. This was the third time it was organized at Ioannina (the other two times were in 1988 and 2000). It was our pleasure to see that the international participation in these meetings has been rising constantly during the last few years and NEB-14 continued this tradition. The Conference was attended by a total of 106 participants, with 62 of them from Institutions outside of Greece. We had 20 plenary session invited speakers (15 of whom were of international origin), 42 parallel session talks and 2 posters. The topics that are traditionally covered by the NEB conference series are: Cosmology (Dark Energy, Dark Matter, CMB etc) Gravitational Waves Alternative Theories of Gravity Relativistic Astrophysics Mathematical Relativity Quantum Gravity During the present conference, the following variety of topics were addressed through the participants' talks and posters: mainstream and alternative models of dark energy and dark matter, construction and testing of new cosmological models, alternative (either 4-dimensional or higher-dimensional) theories of gravity and their predictions, the interplay of gravity with gauge theories, properties of astrophysical and miniature black holes and other massive astrophysical objects, cosmological perturbation spectra, modeling of astrophysical and cosmological observables via alternative theories, attempts to build a consistent quantum gravity theory. We chose to place the emphasis in this meeting on subjects related to Observational and Theoretical Cosmology due to the rapid recent development of these research areas. Our goal was to provide a stimulating environment for the presentation and discussion of the most recent cutting-edge research results in cosmology and classical and quantum gravity. We believe that this goal was achieved and we hope that the next meeting that will take place at Chania (Crete) in 2012 (NEB-15) will further raise the standards of this series. Special thanks are due to the invited and keynote speakers for providing exciting talks and to all the participants for presenting interesting contributions and initiating fruitful discussions. We would also like to thank the Organizing Committee and the Scientific Committee for their valuable contributions to the organization of the meeting. Finally we would like to thank our main sponsors - the University of Ioannina, the Academy of Athens, the National Bank of Greece and the 'Prokos' Bookstore - for providing financial support and making this meeting possible. Last but not least, we are grateful to the European Research and Training Network "UniverseNet" (MRTN-CT-2006035863-1) for providing the funds for the publication of the proceedings of our meeting. The EditorsLeandros PerivolaropoulosPanagiota Kanti The Organizing Committee:L Perivolaropoulos (Ioannina) (Chair)P Kanti (Ioannina) (Co-Chair)C Kolasis (Ioannina)N Stergioulas (Thessaloniki)K Kokkotas (Thessaloniki, Tuebingen)D Papadopoulos (Thessaloniki)M Plionis (Athens)S Basilakos (Athens)E Vagenas (Athens)S Nesseris (Niels Bohr)N Pappas (Ioannina) The Scientific Committee:A Ashtekar (Penn-State)N Batakis (Ioannina)D Christodoulou (ETH)G Contopoulos (Academy of Athens)C Frenk (University of Durham)V Frolov (Alberta) The Plenary Invited Speakers:Prof. J A Font (University of Valencia)Prof. V Frolov (University of Alberta)Prof. R Gregory (University of Durham)Prof. O Lahav (UCL London)Prof. D Psaltis (University of Arizona )Prof. S Sarkar (University of Oxford)Prof. J Sola (Barcelona University)Prof. R Woodard (University of Florida) Keynote speakers:Prof. I Bakas (University of Patras)Prof. K Dimopoulos (University of Lancaster)Prof. D Giannios (Princeton University)Prof. N Mavromatos (Kings College, London)Prof. D Polarski (University Montpellier II)Prof. M Sakellariadou (Kings College, London)Prof. T Sotiriou (University of Cambridge)Prof. N Tetradis (University of Athens)Prof. C Tsagas (University of Thessaloniki)

Nebulin deficiency in adult muscle causes sarcomere defects and muscle-type-dependent changes in trophicity: novel insights in nemaline myopathy

PubMed Central

Li, Frank; Buck, Danielle; De Winter, Josine; Kolb, Justin; Meng, Hui; Birch, Camille; Slater, Rebecca; Escobar, Yael Natelie; Smith, John E.; Yang, Lin; Konhilas, John; Lawlor, Michael W.; Ottenheijm, Coen; Granzier, Henk L.

2015-01-01

Nebulin is a giant filamentous protein that is coextensive with the actin filaments of the skeletal muscle sarcomere. Nebulin mutations are the main cause of nemaline myopathy (NEM), with typical adult patients having low expression of nebulin, yet the roles of nebulin in adult muscle remain poorly understood. To establish nebulin's functional roles in adult muscle, we studied a novel conditional nebulin KO (Neb cKO) mouse model in which nebulin deletion was driven by the muscle creatine kinase (MCK) promotor. Neb cKO mice are born with high nebulin levels in their skeletal muscles, but within weeks after birth nebulin expression rapidly falls to barely detectable levels Surprisingly, a large fraction of the mice survive to adulthood with low nebulin levels (<5% of control), contain nemaline rods and undergo fiber-type switching toward oxidative types. Nebulin deficiency causes a large deficit in specific force, and mechanistic studies provide evidence that a reduced fraction of force-generating cross-bridges and shortened thin filaments contribute to the force deficit. Muscles rich in glycolytic fibers upregulate proteolysis pathways (MuRF-1, Fbxo30/MUSA1, Gadd45a) and undergo hypotrophy with smaller cross-sectional areas (CSAs), worsening their force deficit. Muscles rich in oxidative fibers do not have smaller weights and can even have hypertrophy, offsetting their specific-force deficit. These studies reveal nebulin as critically important for force development and trophicity in adult muscle. The Neb cKO phenocopies important aspects of NEM (muscle weakness, oxidative fiber-type predominance, variable trophicity effects, nemaline rods) and will be highly useful to test therapeutic approaches to ameliorate muscle weakness. PMID:26123491

The relationship between Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 and characteristic parameters related to energy balance in dairy cows.

PubMed

Xu, Chuang; Xu, Qiushi; Chen, Yuanyuan; Yang, Wei; Xia, Cheng; Yu, Hongjiang; Zhu, Kuilin; Shen, Taiyu; Zhang, Ziyang

2015-10-24

Negative energy balance (NEB) is a common pathological foundation of ketosis and fatty liver. Liver and fat tissue are the major organs of lipid metabolism and take part in modulating lipid oxidative capacity and energy demands, which is also a key metabolic pathway that regulates NEB develop during perinatal period. Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) is a recently discovered protein hormone that plays an important and specific regulating role in adipose lipid metabolism and liver gluconeogenesis for human and mouse. Our aim is to investigate the variation and relationship between serum FGF-21 concentration and characteristic parameters related to negative energy balance in different energy metabolism state. In this research, five non-pregnant, non-lactating Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were randomly allocated into two groups. The interventions were a controlled-energy diet (30% of maintenance energy requirements) and a moderate-energy diet (120% of predicted energy requirements) that lasted for the duration of the experiment. We measured biochemical parameters, serum FGF-21, leptin and insulin levels by commercial ELISA kits. The results showed that serum FGF-21 levels were significantly higher in both groups treated with a controlled-energy diet, while FGF-21 levels in both groups treated with moderate-energy diet were low. FGF-21 levels exhibited a significant positive correlation with serum leptin levels, while an inverse relationship was found between FGF-21 and blood glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate acid (BHBA) levels. An increase in FGF-21 levels after a controlled-energy diet treatment may contribute to a positive metabolic effect which could result in a new theoretical and practical basis for the preventive strategy of dairy cows with NEB.

Prepartum and postpartum nutritional management to optimize fertility in high-yielding dairy cows in confined TMR systems.

PubMed

Drackley, J K; Cardoso, F C

2014-05-01

The 6 to 8-week period centered on parturition, known as the transition or periparturient period, is critical to welfare and profitability of individual cows. Fertility of high-producing cows is compromised by difficult transitions. Deficiencies in either nutritional or non-nutritional management increase risk for periparturient metabolic disorders and infectious diseases, which decrease subsequent fertility. A primary factor impeding fertility is the extent of negative energy balance (NEB) early postpartum, which may inhibit timing of first ovulation, return to cyclicity, and oocyte quality. In particular, pronounced NEB during the first 10 days to 2 weeks (the time of greatest occurrence of health problems) is critical for later reproductive efficiency. Avoiding over-conditioning and preventing cows from over-consuming energy relative to their requirements in late gestation result in higher dry matter intake (DMI) and less NEB after calving. A pooled statistical analysis of previous studies in our group showed that days to pregnancy are decreased (by 10 days) by controlling energy intake to near requirements of cows before calving compared with allowing cows to over-consume energy. To control energy intake, total mixed rations (TMR) must be well balanced for metabolizable protein, minerals and vitamins yet limit total DM consumed, and cows must uniformly consume the TMR without sorting. Dietary management to maintain blood calcium and rumen health around and after calving also are important. Opportunities may exist to further improve energy status in fresh cows. Recent research to manipulate the glucogenic to lipogenic balance and the essential fatty acid content of tissues are intriguing. High-producing cows that adapt successfully to lactation can have high reproductive efficiency, and nutritional management of the transition period both pre- and post-calving must facilitate that adaptation.

The Effect of Seasonal Thermal Stress on Lipid Mobilisation, Antioxidant Status and Reproductive Performance in Dairy Cows.

PubMed

Turk, R; Podpečan, O; Mrkun, J; Flegar-Meštrić, Z; Perkov, S; Zrimšek, P

2015-08-01

Heat stress is a major factor contributing to low fertility of dairy cows with a great economic impact in dairy industry. Heat-stressed dairy cows usually have reduced nutrient intake, resulting in a higher degree of negative energy balance (NEB). The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonal thermal effect on lipid metabolism, antioxidant activity and reproductive performance in dairy cows. Thirty-two healthy dairy heifers were included in the study. According to the ambient temperature, animals were divided into two groups: winter (N = 14) and summer season (N = 18). Metabolic parameters, paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity and total antioxidant status (TAS) were monitored at the time of insemination (basal values) and from 1 week before until 8 weeks after calving. Number of services per conception and calving-to-conception (CC) interval were calculated from the farm recording data. Serum triglyceride, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations were significantly increased after calving in summer compared to winter, indicating higher degree of NEB in cows during summer. PON1 activity was significantly decreased after calving in both summer and winter group. TAS concentration was significantly lower in summer than that in winter. A significantly higher number of services were needed for conception in summer compared to winter, and CC interval was significantly longer in summer than that in winter as well. Additionally, reproductive performance significantly correlated with the severity of NEB, suggesting that lipid mobilization and lower antioxidant status contributed to poor reproduction ability in dairy cows during hot months. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Co-management of domestic wastewater and food waste: A life cycle comparison of alternative food waste diversion strategies.

PubMed

Becker, Adilson M; Yu, Kevin; Stadler, Lauren B; Smith, Adam L

2017-01-01

Food waste is increasingly viewed as a resource that should be diverted from landfills. This study used life cycle assessment to compare co-management of food waste and domestic wastewater using anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) against conventional activated sludge (CAS) and high rate activated sludge (HRAS) with three disposal options for food waste: landfilling (LF), anaerobic digestion (AD), and composting (CP). Based on the net energy balance (NEB), AnMBR and HRAS/AD were the most attractive scenarios due to cogeneration of produced biogas. However, cogeneration negatively impacted carcinogenics, non-carcinogenics, and ozone depletion, illustrating unavoidable tradeoffs between energy recovery from biogas and environmental impacts. Fugitive emissions of methane severely increased global warming impacts of all scenarios except HRAS/AD with AnMBR particularly affected by effluent dissolved methane emissions. AnMBR was also most sensitive to food waste diversion participation, with 40% diversion necessary to achieve a positive NEB at the current state of development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pesticide distributions in surface water: The distribution of pesticide concentrations at two study sites points to herbicides that may affect management of public water supplies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stamer, J.K.; Wieczorek, M.E.

1996-01-01

Distributions of concentrations of 46 pesticides were documented from May 1992 through March 1994 for Maple Creek near Nickerson, Neb., and Platte River at Louisville, Neb. As their source of public water supplies, Lincoln and the western part of Omaha withdraw groundwater from the adjacent alluvium near the Platte River site, which is hydraulically connected to the Platte River. Organonitrogen herbicides dominated the pesticide distributions at each site. Variations in the distributions of pesticides at the two sites partly reflect differences in land use and land management practices. Diazinon, an insecticide used in urban areas, was commonly detected at the Platte River site but not at the Maple Creek site. Of the 46 pesticides analyzed at the Platte River site, the herbicides atrazine and alachlor were more likely to exceed their respective maximum contaminant levels of 3.0 and 2.0 pg/L; cyanazine was more likely to exceed the health advisory level of 1.0 ??g/L.

Distance Education Clearinghouse Web Site.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Kate; Martin, Sara

A World Wide Web site, developed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Information Services staff and funded by a NEB*SAT (Nebraska's multiple channel satellite and optical fiber educational telecommunications network) grant, provides a clearinghouse of distance education, Internet, and Web page development information that is useful to librarians and…

Quantifying resistance to isoxaflutole and mesotrione and investigating their interaction with metribuzin applied postemergence in Amaranthus tuberculatus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous research reported resistance to mesotrione (MES) and other 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicides in waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus). Experiments were conducted to quantify resistance levels to MES and isoxaflutole (IFT) in NEB (for Nebraska HPPD-resistant) and...

PREFACE: 12th Conference on Recent Developments in Gravity (NEB XII)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christodoulakis, Theodosios; Vagenas, Elias C.

2007-06-01

Continuing the 24 year old tradition, one of the Greek relativistic groups, this time the Relativity Group of the Physics Department of the University of Athens, organized the 12th Conference of the series "Recent Developments in Gravity" (NEB XII). This time NEB took place at Nafplio, Greece, from Thursday 29 June to Sunday 2 July, 2006. The Conference was attended by more than 100 participants, more than 50% of whom were relativists from abroad (both Greek and other nationalities). This signifies a tendency of the last few Conferences to open up the Greek Relativity Conference to the international scientific community. Actually, many notable members of the relativistic community all over the globe showed particular interest in coming to Nafplio, and spend four relaxed days in a nice sunny and historical place, presenting the results of their more recent work and discussing it with colleagues and students from Greece. The NEB XII Conference covered various aspects of gravitational physics: Relativistic Astrophysics, Mathematical Relativity, Quantum Gravity, and Cosmology. Although the program was rather heavy and for the first time we had parallel sessions running in the afternoons, the wonderful weather (apart from the last afternoon when it rained heavily) and the beauty of Nafplio helped the organizers offer the participants a warm, pleasant, and creative time. According to most attendees, their impression was more than good, not only with respect to the hospitable environment, but with respect to the high level of talks as well. We hope the next Conference, which will be organized by the Relativity Group of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the summer of 2008, will raise the standards of the Conference even higher, thus further establishing our Conference as a notable Conference in the Relativistic community all over the world. Finally, we would like to thank the Gravitational Physics Section of the European Physical Society (GPS/EPS), ILIAS/ENTApP, the Hellenic Ministry for Education and Religion, Athens University and ETHNIKI Insurance Co. that financially supported the Conference. We also thank the members of the Local Organizing Committee and the International Scientific Committee. Editors Theodosios I Christodoulakis Elias C Vagenas International Scientific Committee Kokkotas, K (University of Thessaloniki, Greece) Schäfer, G (University of Jena, Germany) Zanelli, J (CECS, Chile) Local Organizing Committee Christodoulakis, T I (University of Athens) Chairman Apostolatos, T (University of Athens) Stavrinos, P (University of Athens) Grammenos, T (University of Thessaly) Zoupas, A (University of Athens and University of Thessaly) Vagenas, E C (University of Athens)

Simulated Extreme Prepitation Indices over Northeast Brasil in Current Climate and Future Scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wender Santiago Marinho, Marcos; Araújo Costa, Alexandre; Cassain Sales, Domingo; Oliveira Guimarães, Sullyandro; Mariano da Silva, Emerson; das Chagas Vasconcelos Júnior, Francisco

2013-04-01

In this study, we analyzed extreme precipitation indices, for present and future modeled climates over Northeast of Brazil (NEB), from CORDEX simulations over the domain of Tropical Americas. The period for the model validation was from 1989-2007, using data from the European Center (ECWMF) Reanalysis, ERA-INTERIM, as input to drive the regional model (RAMS 6.0). Reanalysis data were assimilated via both lateral boundaries and the entire domain (a much weaker "central nudging"). Six indices of extreme precipitation were calculated over NEB: the average number of days above 10, 20 and 30 mm in one year (R10, R20, R30), the number of consecutive dry days (CDD), the number of consecutive wet days (CWD) and the maximum rainfall in five consecutive days (RX5). Those indices were compared against two independent databases: MERRA (Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications) and TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission). After validation, climate simulations were performed for the present climate (1985-2005) and short-term (2015-2035), mid-term (2045-2065) and long-term (2079 to 2099) future climates for two scenarios: RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, nesting RAMS into HadGEM2-ES global model (a participant of CMIP5). Along with the indices, we also calculated Probability Distribution Functions (PDFs) to study the behavior of daily precipitation in the present and by the end of the 21st century (2079 to 2099) to assess possible changes under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. The regional model is capable of representing relatively well the extreme precipitation indices for current climate, but there is some difficulties in performing a proper validation since the observed databases disagree significantly. Future projections show significant changes in most extreme indices. Rnn generally tend to increase, especially under RCP8.5. More significant changes are projected for the long-term period, under RCP8.5, which shows a pronounced R30 enhancement over northern states. CDD tends to decrease over most of NEB in the short but this trend is reverted toward the end of the century in both scenarios with a significant increase in the duration of the dry season over Northwestern and Eastern NEB (exceeding 50 days over certain areas), whereas projected CWD changes are smaller. Rx5 shows a general increasing trend especially in the long term period,under RCP8.5.

Upgradation and modernization of eye banking services: Integrating tradition with innovative policies and current best practices

PubMed Central

Tandon, Radhika; Singh, Archita; Gupta, Noopur; Vanathi, M; Gupta, Vivek

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review the history and evolution of the National Eye Bank (NEB) and analyze the impact over the years and report the outcome of the invested resources. Methods: Review of archival material, records, project reports, policy and procedures' manuals, and publications was done. Descriptive and analytical processing of data obtained was undertaken. Parameters evaluated included total collection, transplantation, utilization rates of donor cornea, changing trends over time in terms of numbers and duration of recipients waiting, impactful research translated into changes in standard operating protocols, new facilities, and subsequent effects on numbers or quality assurance measures and overview of major achievements. Periodic situational analysis with contextual relevance and interpretation of outcomes was done pertaining to national goals and international standards. Results: The NEB and cornea services have played a key leadership role in furthering the development of eye banking and corneal transplantation services. The contribution extends beyond routine patient care to education, training, generation of resources, advocacy, and policymaking. In quantifiable terms, the overall performance has steadily increased over the years. Major contributions include training of doctors, eye bank staff and corneal surgeons, introduction of innovative techniques for corneal transplantation, setting of national standards for eye banking and provision of preservation media, customized corneal, and ocular surface cell replacement therapy in collaboration with other departments and institutes. Conclusion: The eye banking and corneal transplantation facilities have evolved with time providing quality services, modernized as appropriate with updated knowledge and incorporating technological advances supported by the systematic evidence-based approach. PMID:28345565

Identification and validation of nebulized aerosol devices for sputum induction

PubMed Central

Davidson, Warren J; Dennis, John; The, Stephanie; Litoski, Belinda; Pieron, Cora; Leigh, Richard

2014-01-01

Induced sputum cell count measurement has proven reliability for evaluating airway inflammation in patients with asthma and other airway diseases. Although the use of nebulizer devices for sputum induction is commonplace, they are generally labelled as single-patient devices by the manufacturer and, therefore, cannot be used for multiple patients in large clinical sputum induction programs due to infect ion-control requirements. Accordingly, this study investigated the aerosol characteristics of alternative devices that could be used in such programs. BACKGROUND: Induced sputum cell counts are a noninvasive and reliable method for evaluating the presence, type and degree of airway inflammation in patients with asthma. Currently, standard nebulizer devices used for sputum induction in multiple patients are labelled as single-patient devices by the manufacturer, which conflicts with infection prevention and control requirements. As such, these devices cannot feasibly be used in a clinical sputum induction program. Therefore, there is a need to identify alternative nebulizer devices that are either disposable or labelled for multi-patient use. OBJECTIVE: To apply validated rigorous, scientific testing methods to identify and validate commercially available nebulizer devices appropriate for use in a clinical sputum induction program. METHODS: Measurement of nebulized aerosol output and size for the selected nebulizer designs followed robust International Organization for Standardization methods. Sputum induction using two of these nebulizers was successfully performed on 10 healthy adult subjects. The cytotechnologist performing sputum cell counts was blinded to the type of nebulizer used. RESULTS: The studied nebulizers had variable aerosol outputs. The AeroNeb Solo (Aerogen, Ireland), Omron NE-U17 (Omron, Japan) and EASYneb II (Flaem Nuova, Italy) systems were found to have similar measurements of aerosol size. There was no significant difference in induced sputum cell results between the AeroNeb Solo and EASYneb II devices. DISCUSSION: There is a need for rigorous, scientific evaluation of nebulizer devices for clinical applications, including sputum induction, for measurement of cell counts. CONCLUSION: The present study was the most comprehensive analysis of different nebulizer devices for sputum induction to measure cell counts, and provides a framework for appropriate evaluation of nebulizer devices for induced sputum testing. PMID:24288700

DefenseLink Feature: Travels with Mullen

Science.gov Websites

Publications Websites Employees 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games Games Provide Therapy, Fun for Disabled pool at the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Omaha, Neb. Department of Veterans Affairs photo Wheelchair Games. Story Tyler Wilson, a disabled veteran from Thornton, Colo., takes aim during the archery

Defense Threat Reduction Agency > About > Locations

Science.gov Websites

Air Force Base, Ca. Mercury, Nev. Albuquerque, N.M. White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Omaha, Neb . (USSTRATCOM) Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. National Capital Region Georgia Azerbaijan Armenia Japan Republic of , Md. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Albuquerque, N.M. White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Mercury, Nev. Travis

Alegent's new Internet News Center. Reporters receive CD by way of introduction.

PubMed

Botvin, Judith D

2004-01-01

Alegent Health, Omaha, Neb., revised its News Center page on alegent.com, last September, with the idea of making information easy to find, easy to use, and available 24-7. The hospital then promoted the news center by means of an attractive direct mail piece containing an introductory CD.

Non-enzymatic browning kinetics analysed through water-solids interactions and water mobility in dehydrated potato.

PubMed

Acevedo, Nuria C; Schebor, Carolina; Buera, Pilar

2008-06-01

Non-enzymatic browning (NEB) development was studied in dehydrated potato at 70°C. It was related to the macroscopic and molecular properties and to water-solid interactions over a wide range of water activities. Time resolved (1)H NMR, thermal transitions and water sorption isotherms were evaluated. Although non-enzymatic browning could be detected in the glassy state; colour development was higher in the supercooled state. The reaction rate increased up to a water content of 26g/100g of solids (aw=0.84) and then decreased at higher water contents, concomitantly with the increase of water proton mobility. The joint analyses of NEB kinetics, water sorption isotherm and proton relaxation behaviour made it evident that the point at which the reaction rate decreased, after a maximum value, could be related to the appearance of highly mobile water. The results obtained in this work indicate that the prediction of chemical reaction kinetics can be performed through the integrated analysis of water sorption, water and solids mobility and the physical state of the matrix. Copyright © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Non-enzymatic browning due to storage is reduced by using clarified lemon juice as acidifier in industrial-scale production of canned peach halves.

PubMed

Saura, Domingo; Vegara, Salud; Martí, Nuria; Valero, Manuel; Laencina, José

2017-06-01

Non-enzymatic browning (NEB) in canned peach halves in syrup during storage was investigated. Absorbance at 420 nm ( A 420 ), colorimetric parameters (CIE Lab , TCD and La / b ), fructose, glucose and sucrose, total sugar, organic acids, ascorbic acid (AA), dehydroascorbic acid, and 2,3-diketogulonic acid were used to estimate the extent of NEB during 1 year of storage at 30 °C and the relationships between each of these parameters and A 420 were established. The investigation was carried out to explore the possibility of replacing the E330 commonly used as acidifier by turbid or clarified lemon juice (TLJ or CLJ) to obtain a product having good nutrition with better retention of quality. The a , La / b , glucose and fructose were positively correlated with A 420 and all proved to be good indicators of browning development. Overall results showed that replacement of acidifier E330 with CLJ for controlling pH in canned peach halves in syrup had some advantages.

Inhaled Colistin in Patients with Bronchiectasis and Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection

PubMed Central

Foweraker, Juliet E.; Wilkinson, Peter; Kenyon, Robert F.; Bilton, Diana

2014-01-01

Rationale: Chronic infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa is associated with an increased exacerbation frequency, a more rapid decline in lung function, and increased mortality in patients with bronchiectasis. Objectives: To perform a randomized placebo-controlled study assessing the efficacy and safety of inhaled colistin in patients with bronchiectasis and chronic P. aeruginosa infection. Methods: Patients with bronchiectasis and chronic P. aeruginosa infection were enrolled within 21 days of completing a course of antipseudomonal antibiotics for an exacerbation. Participants were randomized to receive colistin (1 million IU; n = 73) or placebo (0.45% saline; n = 71) via the I-neb twice a day, for up to 6 months. Measurements and Main Results: The primary endpoint was time to exacerbation. Secondary endpoints included time to exacerbation based on adherence recorded by the I-neb, P. aeruginosa bacterial density, quality of life, and safety parameters. All analyses were on the intention-to-treat population. Median time (25% quartile) to exacerbation was 165 (42) versus 111 (52) days in the colistin and placebo groups, respectively (P = 0.11). In adherent patients (adherence quartiles 2–4), the median time to exacerbation was 168 (65) versus 103 (37) days in the colistin and placebo groups, respectively (P = 0.038). P. aeruginosa density was reduced after 4 (P = 0.001) and 12 weeks (P = 0.008) and the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire total score was improved after 26 weeks (P = 0.006) in the colistin versus placebo patients, respectively. There were no safety concerns. Conclusions: Although the primary endpoint was not reached, this study shows that inhaled colistin is a safe and effective treatment in adherent patients with bronchiectasis and chronic P. aeruginosa infection. Clinical trial registered with http://www.isrctn.org/ (ISRCTN49790596) PMID:24625200

78 FR 49512 - Clean Water Act Class II: Proposed Administrative Settlement, Penalty Assessment and Opportunity...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-14

....gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means the EPA will not know your identity or... request exemptions in accordance with Ala. Admin. Code r. 335-3-14- 01(1) and (5). Respondent operated... Title 129 of Neb. Admin. Code 17-001.01. Respondent operated an emergency generator at its facility...

Impact of Breakfasts (with or without Eggs) on Body Weight Regulation and Blood Lipids in University Students over a 14-Week Semester

PubMed Central

Rueda, Janice M.; Khosla, Pramod

2013-01-01

The effects of breakfast type on body weight and blood lipids were evaluated in university freshman. Seventy-three subjects were instructed to consume a breakfast with eggs (Egg Breakfast, EB, n = 39) or without (Non-Egg Breakfast, NEB, n = 34), five times/week for 14 weeks. Breakfast composition, anthropometric measurements and blood lipids were measured at multiple times. During the study, mean weight change was 1.6 ± 5.3 lbs (0.73 ± 2.41 kg), but there was no difference between groups. Both groups consumed similar calories for breakfast at all time-points. The EB group consumed significantly more calories at breakfast from protein, total fat and saturated fat, but significantly fewer calories from carbohydrate at every time-point. Cholesterol consumption at breakfast in the EB group was significantly higher than the NEB group at all time points. Breakfast food choices (other than eggs) were similar between groups. Blood lipids were similar between groups at all time points, indicating that the additional 400 mg/day of dietary cholesterol did not negatively impact blood lipids. PMID:24352089

Cost analysis of the built environment: the case of bike and pedestrian trials in Lincoln, Neb.

PubMed

Wang, Guijing; Macera, Caroline A; Scudder-Soucie, Barbara; Schmid, Tom; Pratt, Michael; Buchner, David; Heath, Gregory

2004-04-01

We estimated the annual cost of bike and pedestrian trails in Lincoln, Neb, using construction and maintenance costs provided by the Department of Parks and Recreation of Nebraska. We obtained the number of users of 5 trails from a 1998 census report. The annual construction cost of each trail was calculated by using 3%, 5%, and 10% discount rates for a period of useful life of 10, 30, and 50 years. The average cost per mile and per user was calculated. Trail length averaged 3.6 miles (range = 1.6-4.6 miles). Annual cost in 2002 dollars ranged from 25,762 to 248,479 (mean = 124,927; median = 171,064). The cost per mile ranged from 5735 to 54,017 (mean = 35,355; median = 37,994). The annual cost per user was 235 (range = 83-592), whereas per capita annual medical cost of inactivity was 622. Construction of trails fits a wide range of budgets and may be a viable health amenity for most communities. To increase trail cost-effectiveness, efforts to decrease cost and increase the number of users should be considered.

Role of anaerobic fungi in wheat straw degradation and effects of plant feed additives on rumen fermentation parameters in vitro.

PubMed

Dagar, S S; Singh, N; Goel, N; Kumar, S; Puniya, A K

2015-01-01

In the present study, rumen microbial groups, i.e. total rumen microbes (TRM), total anaerobic fungi (TAF), avicel enriched bacteria (AEB) and neutral detergent fibre enriched bacteria (NEB) were evaluated for wheat straw (WS) degradability and different fermentation parameters in vitro. Highest WS degradation was shown for TRM, followed by TAF, NEB and least by AEB. Similar patterns were observed with total gas production and short chain fatty acid profiles. Overall, TAF emerged as the most potent individual microbial group. In order to enhance the fibrolytic and rumen fermentation potential of TAF, we evaluated 18 plant feed additives in vitro. Among these, six plant additives namely Albizia lebbeck, Alstonia scholaris, Bacopa monnieri, Lawsonia inermis, Psidium guajava and Terminalia arjuna considerably improved WS degradation by TAF. Further evaluation showed A. lebbeck as best feed additive. The study revealed that TAF plays a significant role in WS degradation and their fibrolytic activities can be improved by inclusion of A. lebbeck in fermentation medium. Further studies are warranted to elucidate its active constituents, effect on fungal population and in vivo potential in animal system.

Diffusion of Cd and Te adatoms on CdTe(111) surfaces: A computational study using density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naderi, Ebadollah; Nanavati, Sachin; Majumder, Chiranjib; Ghaisas, S. V.

2015-01-01

CdTe is one of the most promising semiconductor for thin-film based solar cells. Here we report a computational study of Cd and Te adatom diffusion on the CdTe (111) A-type (Cd terminated) and B-type (Te terminated) surfaces and their migration paths. The atomic and electronic structure calculations are performed under the DFT formalism and climbing Nudge Elastic Band (cNEB) method has been applied to evaluate the potential barrier of the Te and Cd diffusion. In general the minimum energy site on the surface is labeled as Aa site. In case of Te and Cd on B-type surface, the sub-surface site (a site just below the top surface) is very close in energy to the A site. This is responsible for the subsurface accumulation of adatoms and therefore, expected to influence the defect formation during growth. The diffusion process of adatoms is considered from Aa (occupied) to Aa (empty) site at the nearest distance. We have explored three possible migration paths for the adatom diffusion. The adatom surface interaction is highly dependent on the type of the surface. Typically, Te interaction with both type (5.2 eV for A-type and 3.8 eV for B-type) is stronger than Cd interactions(2.4 eV for B-type and 0.39 eV for A-type). Cd interaction with the A-type surface is very weak. The distinct behavior of the A-type and B-type surfaces perceived in our study explain the need of maintaining the A-type surface during growth for smooth and stoichiometric growth.

Influence of Structural Heterogeneity on Diffusion of CH4 and CO2 in Silicon Carbide-Derived Nanoporous Carbon

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

We investigate the influence of structural heterogeneity on the transport properties of simple gases in a Hybrid Reverse Monte Carlo (HRMC) constructed model of silicon carbide-derived carbon (SiC-DC). The energy landscape of the system is determined based on free energy analysis of the atomistic model. The overall energy barriers of the system for different gases are computed along with important properties, such as Henry constant and differential enthalpy of adsorption at infinite dilution, and indicate hydrophobicity of the SiC-DC structure and its affinity for CO2 and CH4 adsorption. We also study the effect of molecular geometry, pore structure and energy heterogeneity considering different hopping scenarios for diffusion of CO2 and CH4 through ultramicropores using the Nudged Elastic Band (NEB) method. It is shown that the energy barrier of a hopping molecule is very sensitive to the shape of the pore entry. We provide evidence for the influence of structural heterogeneity on self-diffusivity of methane and carbon dioxide using molecular dynamics simulation, based on a maximum in the variation of self-diffusivity with loading. A comparison of the MD simulation results with self-diffusivities from quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements and, with macroscopic uptake-based low-density transport coefficients, reveals the existence of internal barriers not captured in MD simulation and QENS experiments. Nevertheless, the simulation and macroscopic uptake-based diffusion coefficients agree within a factor of 2–3, indicating that our HRMC model structure captures most of the important energy barriers affecting the transport of CH4 in the nanostructure of SiC-DC. PMID:24932319

Influence of Structural Heterogeneity on Diffusion of CH4 and CO2 in Silicon Carbide-Derived Nanoporous Carbon.

PubMed

Farmahini, Amir H; Shahtalebi, Ali; Jobic, Hervé; Bhatia, Suresh K

2014-06-05

We investigate the influence of structural heterogeneity on the transport properties of simple gases in a Hybrid Reverse Monte Carlo (HRMC) constructed model of silicon carbide-derived carbon (SiC-DC). The energy landscape of the system is determined based on free energy analysis of the atomistic model. The overall energy barriers of the system for different gases are computed along with important properties, such as Henry constant and differential enthalpy of adsorption at infinite dilution, and indicate hydrophobicity of the SiC-DC structure and its affinity for CO 2 and CH 4 adsorption. We also study the effect of molecular geometry, pore structure and energy heterogeneity considering different hopping scenarios for diffusion of CO 2 and CH 4 through ultramicropores using the Nudged Elastic Band (NEB) method. It is shown that the energy barrier of a hopping molecule is very sensitive to the shape of the pore entry. We provide evidence for the influence of structural heterogeneity on self-diffusivity of methane and carbon dioxide using molecular dynamics simulation, based on a maximum in the variation of self-diffusivity with loading. A comparison of the MD simulation results with self-diffusivities from quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements and, with macroscopic uptake-based low-density transport coefficients, reveals the existence of internal barriers not captured in MD simulation and QENS experiments. Nevertheless, the simulation and macroscopic uptake-based diffusion coefficients agree within a factor of 2-3, indicating that our HRMC model structure captures most of the important energy barriers affecting the transport of CH 4 in the nanostructure of SiC-DC.

Atomistic Details of the Associative Phosphodiester Cleavage in Human Ribonuclease H

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

Elsasser, Brigitta M.; Fels, Gregor

2010-07-30

During translation of the genetic information of DNA into proteins, mRNA is synthesized by RNA polymerase and after the transcription process degraded by RNase H. The endoribonuclease RNase H is a member of the nucleotidyl-transferase (NT) superfamily and is known to hydrolyze the phosphodiester bonds of RNA which is hybridized to DNA. Retroviral RNase H is part of the viral reverse transcriptase enzyme that is indispensable for the proliferation of retroviruses, such as HIV. Inhibitors of this enzyme could therefore provide new drugs against diseases like AIDS. In our study we investigated the molecular mechanism of RNA cleavage by humanmore » RNase H using a comprehensive high level DFT/B3LYP QM/MM theoretical method for the calculation of the stationary points and nudged elastic band (NEB) and free energy calculations to identify the transition state structures, the rate limiting step and the reaction barrier. Our calculations reveal that the catalytic mechanism proceeds in two steps and that the nature of the nucleophile is a water molecule. In the first step, the water attack on the scissile phosphorous is followed by a proton transfer from the water to the O2P oxygen and a trigonal bipyramidal pentacoordinated phosphorane is formed. Subsequently, in the second step the proton is shuttled to the O30 oxygen to generate the product state. During the reaction mechanism two Mg2+ ions support the formation of a stable associated in-line SN2-type phosphorane intermediate. Our calculated energy barrier of 19.3 kcal mol*1 is in excellent agreement with experimental findings (20.5 kcal mol*1). These results may contribute to the clarification and understanding of the RNase H reaction mechanism and of further enzymes from the RNase family.« less

Dissociation and reconstruction of double-decker bis(phthalocyaninato) terbium(III) complex (TbPc2) on Pd(001): A theoretical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Heng; Hu, Yujie; Wang, Hao; Jiang, Bo; Xu, Xuechun; Cai, Yingxiang

2017-01-01

The study of molecule dissociation is helpful to disclose the nature of chemical bonds and to extend molecular functions. The double-decker bis(phthalocyaninato) terbium(III) complex (TbPc2) is a promising single-molecule magnet (SMM) which exhibits potential applications in spin-devices. In this study, we investigate the dissociation and reconstruction of TbPc2 on Pd(001) surface. The results show that a single TbPc2 adsorbed on Pd(001) tends to split into Pc/Pd(001)+TbPc. However, the TbPc/Pd(001)+Pc might also be observed in an experimental study due to only a slight difference in their dissociation energy. The TbPc2 molecules on Pd(001) will form a (5×3) reconstruction which is different from the (3×4) reconstruction of PbPc on Pd(001). If the TbPc2 molecules with (5×3) reconstruction is dissociated, this reconstruction will be inherited by its daughter molecules due to strong molecule-substrate interaction. In addition, nudged elastic band (NEB) calculation shows that Tb-down is the stable state of TbPc/Pd(001) and Tb-up is a metastable state. The transition between two states might be utilized to realize TbPc's switch or storage functions.

Nebhydro: Sharing Geospatial Data to Supportwater Management in Nebraska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamble, B.; Irmak, A.; Hubbard, K.; Deogun, J.; Dvorak, B.

2012-12-01

Recent advances in web-enabled geographical technologies have the potential to make a dramatic impact on development of highly interactive spatial applications on the web for visualization of large-scale geospatial data by water resources and irrigation scientists. Spatial and point scale water resources data visualization are an emerging and challenging application domain. Query based visual explorations of geospatial hydrological data can play an important role in stimulating scientific hypotheses and seeking causal relationships among hydro variables. The Nebraska Hydrological Information System (NebHydro) utilizes ESRI's ArcGIS server technology to increase technological awareness among farmers, irrigation managers and policy makers. Web-based geospatial applications are an effective way to expose scientific hydrological datasets to the research community and the public. NebHydro uses Adobe Flex technology to offer an online visualization and data analysis system for presentation of social and economic data. Internet mapping services is an integrated product of GIS and Internet technologies; it is a favored solution to achieve the interoperability of GIS. The development of Internet based GIS services in the state of Nebraska showcases the benefits of sharing geospatial hydrological data among agencies, resource managers and policy makers. Geospatial hydrological Information (Evapotranspiration from Remote Sensing, vegetation indices (NDVI), USGS Stream gauge data, Climatic data etc.) is generally generated through model simulation (METRIC, SWAP, Linux, Python based scripting etc). Information is compiled into and stored within object oriented relational spatial databases using a geodatabase information model that supports the key data types needed by applications including features, relationships, networks, imagery, terrains, maps and layers. The system provides online access, querying, visualization, and analysis of the hydrological data from several sources at one place. The study indicates that internet GIS, developed using advanced technologies, provides valuable education potential to users in hydrology and irrigation engineering and suggests that such a system can support advanced hydrological data access and analysis tools to improve utility of data in operations. Keywords: Hydrological Information System, NebHydro, Water Management, data sharing, data visualization, ArcGIS server.

Giove 2005 - 06: rapporto osservativo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamoli, G.

2007-08-01

Jupiter was observed and photographed at visible and near-IR wavelenghts. White spots at 59°S, a train of SSTCAWOs, oval BA turned orange, followed by a dark STB sector, relevant mid-SEB outbreak, big equatorial festoons and produced a massive EB, NEB extended beyond 20°N, NNTBs jetstream was active, a methan image showed a bright S. Polar Hood, a fainter N. one and a large and dark NTB

The Bell Curve Revisited: Testing Controversial Hypotheses with Molecular Genetic Data

PubMed Central

Conley, Dalton; Domingue, Benjamin

2017-01-01

In 1994, the publication of Herrnstein’s and Murray’s The Bell Curve resulted in a social science maelstrom of responses. In the present study, we argue that Herrnstein’s and Murray’s assertions were made prematurely, on their own terms, given the lack of data available to test the role of genotype in the dynamics of achievement and attainment in U.S. society. Today, however, the scientific community has access to at least one dataset that is nationally representative and has genome-wide molecular markers. We deploy those data from the Health and Retirement Study in order to test the core series of propositions offered by Herrnstein and Murray in 1994. First, we ask whether the effect of genotype is increasing in predictive power across birth cohorts in the middle twentieth century. Second, we ask whether assortative mating on relevant genotypes is increasing across the same time period. Finally, we ask whether educational genotypes are increasingly predictive of fertility (number ever born [NEB]) in tandem with the rising (negative) association of educational outcomes and NEB. The answers to these questions are mostly no; while molecular genetic markers can predict educational attainment, we find little evidence for the proposition that we are becoming increasingly genetically stratified. PMID:29130056

Non-Invasive Electrical Brain Stimulation Montages for Modulation of Human Motor Function.

PubMed

Curado, Marco; Fritsch, Brita; Reis, Janine

2016-02-04

Non-invasive electrical brain stimulation (NEBS) is used to modulate brain function and behavior, both for research and clinical purposes. In particular, NEBS can be applied transcranially either as direct current stimulation (tDCS) or alternating current stimulation (tACS). These stimulation types exert time-, dose- and in the case of tDCS polarity-specific effects on motor function and skill learning in healthy subjects. Lately, tDCS has been used to augment the therapy of motor disabilities in patients with stroke or movement disorders. This article provides a step-by-step protocol for targeting the primary motor cortex with tDCS and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), a specific form of tACS using an electrical current applied randomly within a pre-defined frequency range. The setup of two different stimulation montages is explained. In both montages the emitting electrode (the anode for tDCS) is placed on the primary motor cortex of interest. For unilateral motor cortex stimulation the receiving electrode is placed on the contralateral forehead while for bilateral motor cortex stimulation the receiving electrode is placed on the opposite primary motor cortex. The advantages and disadvantages of each montage for the modulation of cortical excitability and motor function including learning are discussed, as well as safety, tolerability and blinding aspects.

Growth and condition of juvenile chum and pink salmon in the northeastern Bering Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wechter, Melissa E.; Beckman, Brian R.; Andrews, Alexander G., III; Beaudreau, Anne H.; McPhee, Megan V.

2017-01-01

As the Arctic continues to warm, abundances of juvenile Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the northern Bering Sea are expected to increase. However, information regarding the growth and condition of juvenile salmon in these waters is limited. The first objective of this study was to describe relationships between size, growth, and condition of juvenile chum (O. keta) and pink (O. gorbuscha) salmon and environmental conditions using data collected in the northeastern Bering Sea (NEBS) from 2003-2007 and 2009-2012. Salmon collected at stations with greater bottom depths and cooler sea-surface temperature (SST) were longer, reflecting their movement further offshore out of the warmer Alaska Coastal Water mass, as the season progressed. Energy density, after accounting for fish length, followed similar relationships with SST and bottom depth while greater condition (weight-length residuals) was associated with warm SST and shallower stations. We used insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations as an indicator of relative growth rate for fishes sampled in 2009-2012 and that found fish exhibited higher IGF-1 concentrations in 2010-2012 than in 2009, although these differences were not clearly attributable to environmental conditions. Our second objective was to compare size and condition of juvenile chum and pink salmon in the NEBS between warm and cool spring thermal regimes of the southeastern Bering Sea (SEBS). This comparison was based on a hypothesis informed by the strong role of sea-ice retreat in the spring for production dynamics in the SEBS and prevailing northward currents, suggesting that feeding conditions in the NEBS may be influenced by production in the SEBS. We found greater length (both species) and condition (pink salmon) in years with warm thermal regimes; however, both of these responses changed more rapidly with day of year in years with cool springs. Finally, we compared indicators of energy allocation between even and odd brood-year stocks of juvenile pink salmon, finding support for the idea that the even-year stock allocates more energy to storage, as opposed to growth, than does the odd-year stock. Over all, our results support the idea that sea-ice dynamics influence energy allocation and growth of juvenile salmon in the northern Bering Sea and provide a foundation for further understanding of how environmental conditions influence juvenile salmon at the northern edge of their range.

Ab initio and kinetic Monte Carlo study of lithium diffusion in LiSi, Li12Si7, Li13Si5 and Li15Si4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Janghyuk; Lee, Byeongchan; Cho, Maenghyo; Cho, Kyeongjae

2016-10-01

The kinetics of lithium atoms in various Li-Si binary compounds are investigated using density functional theory calculations and kinetic Monte Carlo calculations. The values of the Li migration energy barriers are identified by NEB calculations with vacancy-mediated, interstitial and exchange migration mechanisms in crystalline LiSi, Li12Si7, Li13Si4, and Li15Si4. A comparison of these NEB results shows that the vacancy-mediated Li migration is identified as the dominant diffusion mechanisms in Li-Si compounds. The diffusion coefficients of Li in Li-Si compounds at room temperature are determined by KMC simulation. From the KMC results, the recalculated migration energy barriers in LiSi, Li12Si7, Li13Si4, and Li15Si4 correspond to 0.306, 0.301, 0.367 and 0.320 eV, respectively. Compared to the Li migration energy barrier of 0.6 eV in crystalline Si, the drastic reduction in the Li migration energy barriers in the lithiated silicon indicates that the initial lithiation of the Si anode is the rate-limiting step. Furthermore, it is also found that Si migration is possible in Li-rich configurations. On the basis of these findings, the underlying mechanisms of kinetics on the atomic scale details are elucidated.

Fourteen-Day Subchronic Oral Toxicity Study of 4-Nitrophenyl Methyl (Phenyl) Phosphinate in Male and Female Rats.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-09-01

gavage for 14 days. Neb±rops les and histological examinations were performed on all animals. Urinalysis, standard hematological measurements and an...activity. The only compound related effects found in the histological examinations were gross changes in the digestive system in one or more male rats at...rats (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16 of the LD^) were used. Rats were dosed daily by gastric gavage for 14 dayg. Necropsies and histological examinations gire

Afghan National Engineer Brigade: Despite U.S. Training Efforts, the Brigade is Incapable of Operating Independently

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

training—army staff on leave for holidays, political events, low literacy levels, and security concerns—also delayed NEB training. In addition, a Joint...establish a training program, has no literacy program, and needs coalition in the lead on all aspects of construction.” Table 1 - USFOR-A’s Assessment...due to holidays, political events, low literacy levels, and security concerns, which were beyond USFOR-A’s control. Although USFOR-A had 1 year

Elucidating the real-time Ag nanoparticle growth on α-Ag2WO4 during electron beam irradiation: experimental evidence and theoretical insights.

PubMed

Pereira, Wyllamanney da Silva; Andrés, Juan; Gracia, Lourdes; San-Miguel, Miguel A; da Silva, Edison Z; Longo, Elson; Longo, Valeria M

2015-02-21

Why and how Ag is formed when electron beam irradiation takes place on α-Ag2WO4 in a vacuum transmission electron microscopy chamber? To find an answer, the atomic-scale mechanisms underlying the formation and growth of Ag on α-Ag2WO4 have been investigated by detailed in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) studies, density functional theory based calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. The growth process at different times, chemical composition, size distribution and element distribution were analyzed in depth at the nanoscale level using FE-SEM, operated at different voltages (5, 10, 15, and 20 kV), and TEM with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) characterization. The size of Ag nanoparticles covers a wide range of values. Most of the Ag particles are in the 20-40 nm range. The nucleation and formation of Ag on α-Ag2WO4 is a result of structural and electronic changes in the AgOx (x = 2,4, 6, and 7) clusters used as constituent building blocks of this material, consistent with metallic Ag formation. First principle calculations point out that Ag-3 and Ag-4-fold coordinated centers, located in the sub-surface of the (100) surface, are the most energetically favorable to undergo the diffusion process to form metallic Ag. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and the nudged elastic band (NEB) method were used to investigate the minimum energy pathways of these Ag atoms from positions in the first slab layer to outward sites on the (100) surface of α-Ag2WO4. The results point out that the injection of electrons decreases the activation barrier for this diffusion step and this unusual behavior results from the presence of a lower energy barrier process.

Postaragonite phases of CaCO3 at lower mantle pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Dean; Lawler, Keith V.; Martinez-Canales, Miguel; Daykin, Austin W.; Fussell, Zachary; Smith, G. Alexander; Childs, Christian; Smith, Jesse S.; Pickard, Chris J.; Salamat, Ashkan

2018-01-01

The stability, structure, and properties of carbonate minerals at lower mantle conditions have significant impact on our understanding of the global carbon cycle and the composition of the interior of the Earth. In recent years there has been significant interest in the behavior of carbonates at lower mantle conditions, specifically in their carbon hybridization, which has relevance for the storage of carbon within the deep mantle. Using high-pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell coupled with direct laser heating of CaCO3 using a CO2 laser, we identify a crystalline phase of the material above 40 GPa—corresponding to a lower mantle depth of around 1000 km—which has first been predicted by ab initio structure predictions. The observed s p2 carbon hybridized species at 40 GPa is monoclinic with P 21/c symmetry and is stable up to 50 GPa, above which it transforms into a structure which cannot be indexed by existing known phases. A combination of ab initio random structure search (AIRSS) and quasiharmonic approximation (QHA) calculations are used to re-explore the relative phase stabilities of the rich phase diagram of CaCO3. Nudged elastic band (NEB) calculations are used to investigate the reaction mechanisms between relevant crystal phases of CaCO3 and we postulate that the mineral is capable of undergoing s p2-s p3 hybridization change purely in the P 21/c structure—forgoing the accepted postaragonite P m m n structure.

Variation in the Water and Ammonia Abundance in Jupiter’s North Equatorial Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bjoraker, Gordon L.; de Pater, Imke; Wong, Michael H.; Adamkovics, Mate; Hewagama, Tilak; Orton, Glenn

2017-10-01

We used iSHELL on NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility and NIRSPEC on the Keck telescope concurrent with Juno perijoves 4-6 between February and May 2017 to obtain 5-micron spectra of Jupiter. Here we will focus on observations of the North Equatorial Belt. Spectrally resolved line profiles of CH3D, NH3, and H2O probe the 1 to 8-bar level of Jupiter’s troposphere. This overlaps with the weighting functions for several channels of Juno’s microwave radiometer. The profile of the CH3D lines at 4.66 microns is very broad in Hot Spots due to collisions with up to 8 bars of H2, where unit optical depth occurs due to collision-induced H2 opacity. The extreme width of these CH3D features implies that the Hot Spots that we observed do not have significant cloud opacity for P > 2 bars. We will discuss the abundance of NH3 and gaseous H2O within Hot Spots and other regions near the longitude of perijove for each Juno encounter. We had dry nights on Mauna Kea and a sufficient Doppler shift to detect H2O. We will compare line wings to derive H2O profiles in the 2 to 6-bar region. NEB Hot Spots are depleted in NH3 with respect to adjacent regions, especially for P < 2 bars. NEB Hot Spots are highly depleted in H2O for P < 5 bars.

Real-time sono-photoacoustic imaging of gold nanoemulsions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnal, Bastien; Wei, Chen-Wei; Perez, Camilo; Lombardo, Michael; Pelivanov, Ivan M.; Pozzo, Danilo; O'Donnell, Matthew

2015-03-01

Phase transition contrast agents were first introduced in ultrasound (US) in the form of perfluorocarbon droplets. When their size is reduced to the nanoscale, surface tension dominates their stability and high pressure is required to vaporize them using long US emissions at high frequencies. Our group recently showed that nanoemulsion beads (100-300 nm) coated with gold nanopsheres could be used as non-linear contrast agents. Beads can be vaporized with light only, inducing stronger photoacoustic signals by increasing thermal expansion. A photoacoustic cavitation threshold study (US: 1.2 MHz, Laser 750 nm and 10-ns pulse) shows that the vaporization thresholds of NEB-GNS can be greatly reduced using simultaneous light and US excitations. The resulting signal is driven only by the pressure amplitude for a fluence higher than 2.4 mJ/cm2. At diagnostic exposures, it is possible to capture very high signals from the vaporized beads at concentrations reduced to 10 pM with optical absorption smaller than 0.01 cm-1. A real-time imaging mode selectively isolating vaporization signals was implemented on a Verasonics system. A linear US probe (L74, 3 MHz) launched short US bursts before light was emitted from the laser. Vaporization of NEB-GNS resulted in a persistent 30-dB signal enhancement compared to a dye with the same absorption. Specific vaporization signals were retrieved in phantom experiments with US scatterers. This technique, called sonophotoacoustics, has great potential for targeted molecular imaging and therapy using compact nanoprobes with potentially high-penetrability into tissue.

Overfeeding Dairy Cattle During Late-Pregnancy Alters Hepatic PPARα-Regulated Pathways Including Hepatokines: Impact on Metabolism and Peripheral Insulin Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Khan, M Jawad; Jacometo, Carolina B; Graugnard, Daniel E; Corrêa, Marcio N; Schmitt, Eduardo; Cardoso, Felipe; Loor, Juan J

2014-01-01

Hepatic metabolic gene networks were studied in dairy cattle fed control (CON, 1.34 Mcal/kg) or higher energy (overfed (OVE), 1.62 Mcal/kg) diets during the last 45 days of pregnancy. A total of 57 target genes encompassing PPARα-targets/co-regulators, hepatokines, growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) axis, lipogenesis, and lipoprotein metabolism were evaluated on −14, 7, 14, and 30 days around parturition. OVE versus CON cows were in more negative energy balance (NEB) postpartum and had greater serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), and liver triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations. Milk synthesis rate did not differ. Liver from OVE cows responded to postpartal NEB by up-regulating expression of PPARα-targets in the fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis pathways, along with gluconeogenic genes. Hepatokines (fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4)) and apolipoprotein A-V (APOA5) were up-regulated postpartum to a greater extent in OVE than CON. OVE led to greater blood insulin prepartum, lower NEFA:insulin, and greater lipogenic gene expression suggesting insulin sensitivity was not impaired. A lack of change in APOB, MTTP, and PNPLA3 coupled with upregulation of PLIN2 postpartum in cows fed OVE contributed to TAG accumulation. Postpartal responses in NEFA and FGF21 with OVE support a role of this hepatokine in diminishing adipose insulin sensitivity. PMID:24737933

Giove 2003-2004: rapporto osservativo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamoli, Gianluigi

2005-08-01

The planet was monitored from 2003 September 19 to 2004 August 7, with plenty of digital images and a few visual observations. Undulations in latitude were shown by many belts, with SSTB, STB and NNTB spiralling so as to overpose parallel to themselves after a turn. Bright SPH and an SPB were recorded in the SPR, with spots discernible to about 60°S. The SSTZ anti-cyclonic white ovals were prominent, so as oval BA, well visible amidst dark SSTB/STB features; it was reached by a prograding STB dark sector. A dark STZ spot surpassed the GRS and then became a diagonal streak. The GRS was pale red, with a darker S. edge and a central condensation, followed by the usual train of white spots in SEB. This belt had much structure, with white SEBZ, a central dark component and projections on both edges. EZ was 3/4 veiled and EB was systematically S. of the equator; NEBs activity consisted of the usual festoons, often distorted through the Zone by the wind speed shear, and prominent blue bars on the edge of the belt. The NEB N. edge underwent a new Northern expansion in April; its barges were few and faint, while Roger's Z bay decelerated. A continuous NTrB was present, with NTB very faint; they were blue, while NNTB had a warm hue and the NNTBs jetstream was very active. Many faint belt sectors were recorded N. of it, with spots to about 60°N.

Correnti atmosferiche su Giove

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamoli, Gianluigi

2006-06-01

UAI observations are presented concerning the surveillance of Jupiter's atmospheric currents by means of digital images. General statistics are derived about the latitude and speed of individual spots and currents in the period 2000-04, compared with the Voyager wind profile. Attention is drawn to the wind shear present at distinct latitudes, namely on the South edge of the SEB, across the NTB and across the NEB. Especially interesting were the 2003 remnants of the disappearing NTB, which showed a motion intermediate between the NTC and the NTBs jet streams. Vorticity was derived in all cases.

Variants in Nebulin (NEB) Are Linked to the Development of Familial Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma in Basset Hounds

PubMed Central

Ahram, Dina F.; Grozdanic, Sinisa D.; Kecova, Helga; Henkes, Arjen; Collin, Rob W. J.; Kuehn, Markus H.

2015-01-01

Several dog breeds are susceptible to developing primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG), which suggests a genetic basis for the disease. We have identified a four-generation Basset Hound pedigree with characteristic autosomal recessive PACG that closely recapitulates PACG in humans. Our aim is to utilize gene mapping and whole exome sequencing approaches to identify PACG-causing sequence variants in the Basset. Extensive clinical phenotyping of all pedigree members was conducted. SNP-chip genotyping was carried out in 9 affected and 15 unaffected pedigree members. Two-point and multipoint linkage analyses of genome-wide SNP data were performed using Superlink-Online SNP-1.1 and a locus was mapped to chromosome 19q with a maximum LOD score of 3.24. The locus contains 12 Ensemble predicted canine genes and is syntenic to a region on chromosome 2 in the human genome. Using exome-sequencing analysis, a possibly damaging, non-synonymous variant in the gene Nebulin (NEB) was found to segregate with PACG which alters a phylogenetically conserved Lysine residue. The association of this variants with PACG was confirmed in a secondary cohort of unrelated Basset Hounds (p = 3.4 × 10-4, OR = 15.3 for homozygosity). Nebulin, a protein that promotes the contractile function of sarcomeres, was found to be prominently expressed in the ciliary muscles of the anterior segment. Our findings may provide insight into the molecular mechanisms that underlie PACG. The phenotypic similarities of disease presentation in dogs and humans may enable the translation of findings made in this study to patients with PACG. PMID:25938837

Variants in Nebulin (NEB) Are Linked to the Development of Familial Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma in Basset Hounds.

PubMed

Ahram, Dina F; Grozdanic, Sinisa D; Kecova, Helga; Henkes, Arjen; Collin, Rob W J; Kuehn, Markus H

2015-01-01

Several dog breeds are susceptible to developing primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG), which suggests a genetic basis for the disease. We have identified a four-generation Basset Hound pedigree with characteristic autosomal recessive PACG that closely recapitulates PACG in humans. Our aim is to utilize gene mapping and whole exome sequencing approaches to identify PACG-causing sequence variants in the Basset. Extensive clinical phenotyping of all pedigree members was conducted. SNP-chip genotyping was carried out in 9 affected and 15 unaffected pedigree members. Two-point and multipoint linkage analyses of genome-wide SNP data were performed using Superlink-Online SNP-1.1 and a locus was mapped to chromosome 19q with a maximum LOD score of 3.24. The locus contains 12 Ensemble predicted canine genes and is syntenic to a region on chromosome 2 in the human genome. Using exome-sequencing analysis, a possibly damaging, non-synonymous variant in the gene Nebulin (NEB) was found to segregate with PACG which alters a phylogenetically conserved Lysine residue. The association of this variants with PACG was confirmed in a secondary cohort of unrelated Basset Hounds (p = 3.4 × 10-4, OR = 15.3 for homozygosity). Nebulin, a protein that promotes the contractile function of sarcomeres, was found to be prominently expressed in the ciliary muscles of the anterior segment. Our findings may provide insight into the molecular mechanisms that underlie PACG. The phenotypic similarities of disease presentation in dogs and humans may enable the translation of findings made in this study to patients with PACG.

Upgradation and modernization of eye banking services: Integrating tradition with innovative policies and current best practices.

PubMed

Tandon, Radhika; Singh, Archita; Gupta, Noopur; Vanathi, M; Gupta, Vivek

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study is to review the history and evolution of the National Eye Bank (NEB) and analyze the impact over the years and report the outcome of the invested resources. Review of archival material, records, project reports, policy and procedures' manuals, and publications was done. Descriptive and analytical processing of data obtained was undertaken. Parameters evaluated included total collection, transplantation, utilization rates of donor cornea, changing trends over time in terms of numbers and duration of recipients waiting, impactful research translated into changes in standard operating protocols, new facilities, and subsequent effects on numbers or quality assurance measures and overview of major achievements. Periodic situational analysis with contextual relevance and interpretation of outcomes was done pertaining to national goals and international standards. The NEB and cornea services have played a key leadership role in furthering the development of eye banking and corneal transplantation services. The contribution extends beyond routine patient care to education, training, generation of resources, advocacy, and policymaking. In quantifiable terms, the overall performance has steadily increased over the years. Major contributions include training of doctors, eye bank staff and corneal surgeons, introduction of innovative techniques for corneal transplantation, setting of national standards for eye banking and provision of preservation media, customized corneal, and ocular surface cell replacement therapy in collaboration with other departments and institutes. The eye banking and corneal transplantation facilities have evolved with time providing quality services, modernized as appropriate with updated knowledge and incorporating technological advances supported by the systematic evidence-based approach.

Influence of negative energy balance on cyclicity and fertility in the high producing dairy cow.

PubMed

Wathes, D C; Fenwick, M; Cheng, Z; Bourne, N; Llewellyn, S; Morris, D G; Kenny, D; Murphy, J; Fitzpatrick, R

2007-09-01

The peripartum period is of critical importance to subsequent health and fertility. Most cows enter a state of negative energy balance (NEB) associated with many metabolic changes which have carry over effects on the resumption and normality of estrous cyclicity and the success of subsequent inseminations. A dataset on 500 lactations explored the relationships between metabolic traits measured before and after calving with fertility. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that longer calving to conception intervals were associated with altered profiles of IGF-I, urea and body condition score. These relationships between metabolic profiles and fertility differed between first lactation cows (which are still growing but produce less milk) and mature animals. Early postpartum the liver undergoes extensive biochemical and morphological modifications to adapt to NEB, the uterus is extensively remodeled and must clear bacterial infections, and the ovary must resume ovulatory cycles. RNA isolated from liver and uterine tissues harvested 2 weeks postpartum from cows in mild (MNEB) and severe (SNEB) energy balance was used to screen the Affymetrix 23K bovine microarray. In liver, SNEB resulted in differential expression of key genes involved in lipid catabolism, gluconeogenesis, and the synthesis and stability of IGF-I. This was accompanied by reduced systemic concentrations of IGF-I which is likely to impact on ovarian function and early embryo development. Within endometrium, cows in SNEB showed histological evidence for higher levels of inflammation and the microarray analysis identified groups of differentially expressed genes involved in tissue remodeling and immune response. This may delay uterine repair after calving, likely contributing to the observed reduction in fertility.

THE FMOS-COSMOS SURVEY OF STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT z ∼ 1.6. I. Hα-BASED STAR FORMATION RATES AND DUST EXTINCTION

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

Kashino, D.; Sugiyama, N.; Silverman, J. D.

We present the first results from a near-IR spectroscopic survey of the COSMOS field, using the Fiber Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Subaru telescope, designed to characterize the star-forming galaxy population at 1.4 < z < 1.7. The high-resolution mode is implemented to detect Hα in emission between 1.6-1.8 μm with f {sub Hα} ∼> 4 × 10{sup –17} erg cm{sup –2} s{sup –1}. Here, we specifically focus on 271 sBzK-selected galaxies that yield a Hα detection thus providing a redshift and emission line luminosity to establish the relation between star formation rate and stellar mass. With further J-band spectroscopy formore » 89 of these, the level of dust extinction is assessed by measuring the Balmer decrement using co-added spectra. We find that the extinction (0.6 ∼< A {sub Hα} ∼< 2.5) rises with stellar mass and is elevated at high masses compared to low-redshift galaxies. Using this subset of the spectroscopic sample, we further find that the differential extinction between stellar and nebular emission E {sub star}(B – V)/E {sub neb}(B – V) is 0.7-0.8, dissimilar to that typically seen at low redshift. After correcting for extinction, we derive an Hα-based main sequence with a slope (0.81 ± 0.04) and normalization similar to previous studies at these redshifts.« less

Thermomagnetic Stability in Pseudo Single Domain Grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagy, Lesleis; Williams, Wyn; Muxworthy, Adrian; Fabian, Karl; Conbhuí, Pádraig Ó.

2016-04-01

The reliability of paleomagnetic remanences are well understood for fine grains of magnetite that are single-domain (SD, uniformly magnetized). In particular Néel's theory [1] outlined the thermal energies required to block and unblock magnetic remanences. This lead to determination of thermal stability for magnetization in fine grains as outlined in Pullaiah et. al. [2] and a comprehensive understanding of SD paleomagnetic recordings. It has been known for some time that single domain magnetite is possible only in the grain size range 30 - 80nm, which may only account for a small fraction of the grain size distribution in any rock sample. Indeed rocks are often dominated by grains in the pseudo single domain (PSD) size range, at approximately 80 - 1000nm. Toward the top end of this range multi-domain features begin to dominate. In order to determine thermomagnetic stability in PSD grains we need to identify the energy barriers between all possible pairs of local energy minima (LEM) domain states as a function of both temperature and grain size. We have attempted to do this using the nudged elastic band (NEB) method [3] which searches for minimum energy paths between any given pair of LEM states. Using this technique we have determined, for the first time, complete thermomagnetic stability curves for PSD magnetite. The work presented is at a preliminary stage. However it can be shown that PSD grains of magnetite with simple geometries (e.g. cubes or cuboctahedra) have very few low energy transition paths and the stability is likely to be similar to that observed for SD grains (as expected form experimental observations). The results will provide a basis for a much more rigorous understanding of the fidelity of paleomagnetic signals in assemblages of PSD grains and their ability to retain ancient recordings of the geomagnetic field. References: [1] Néel, Louis. "Théorie du traînage magnétique des ferromagnétiques en grains fins avec applications aux terres cuites." Ann. géophys 5.2 (1949): 99-136. [2] Pullaiah, G., et al. "Magnetization changes caused by burial and uplift." Earth and Planetary Science Letters 28.2 (1975): 133-143. [3] D. Sheppard, R. Terrell, and G. Henkelman, "Optimization methods for finding minimum energy paths", J. Chem. Phys. 128, 134106 (2008).

High flow rate development: process optimization using megasonic immersion development (MID)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Courboin, Daniel; Choi, Jong Woo; Jung, Sang Hyun; Baek, Seung Hee; Kim, Lee Ju

2004-12-01

In previous study the high impact of development by-products on Critical Dimension (CD) through the microloading effect has been demonstrated for a Novolak resist. In this paper, through further tests involving Chemically Amplified Resist (CAR) and Novolak resist, the microloading effect of development is characterized and tentative mechanism is presented. Megasonic Immersion Development (MID), a high flow rate development technique similar to the Proximity Gap Suction Development (PGSD), was used and compared with spin spray development and puddle development. On TOK IP3600, a Novolak resist, we have explored a wide range of process conditions with MID. Developer temperature was varied from 5°C to 40°C with TMAH developer concentration of 1.9% and 2.38% resulting in an isofocal dose range of 90mJ to 190mJ. Exposure Focus Matrix (EFM) with a specific microloading pattern and resist cross sections were performed. The best conditions are quite far from the standard process advised by the resist supplier. Very nice standing wave profile was obtained at high temperature development. On CAR, JEOL 9000MVII, a 50kV e-beam vector scan tool, and ETEC ALTA 4300, a DUV raster scan tool, were used with different develop process techniques including MID. FujiFilm Arch FEP-171 positive CAR and Sumitomo NEB-22 negative CAR were used on 50kV writing tool. Sumitomo PEK-130 was used on DUV writing tool. FEP-171 and PEK-1300 show microloading effect on high density patterns but not NEB-22. MID shows also improved reproduction of develop features in the chrome and a 20% improvement of CD uniformity. The results of this study seem to indicate that a closer look in their development process is needed for 90nm and 65nm technologies.

KSC-07pd2044

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-03

OFFUTT FIELD, NEB. -- The shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, and its piggyback passenger Atlantis are captured in the light of a full moon after landing at Offutt Field on the ferry flight from California to Florida. Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California to end mission STS-117. Touchdown was at 8:27 a.m. EDT. The SCA is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. The return to KSC began July 1 and took three days after stops across the country for fuel. The last stop was at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky. Weather conditions over the last leg postponed the return trip until July 3. Photo credit: NASA/Casey Wood

Monte Carlo Simulations of the Dissolution of Borosilicate and Aluminoborosilicate Glasses in Dilute Aqueous Solutions

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

Kerisit, Sebastien N.; Pierce, Eric M.

The aim of this study was to provide atomic-level insights into the dissolution behavior of borosilicate and aluminoborosilicate glasses to complement and help interpret previous experimental work on the NeB glass series studied by Pierce et al. [Pierce E. M., Reed L. R., Shaw W. J., McGrail B. P., Icenhower J. P., Windisch C. F., Cordova E. A. and Broady J. (2010) Experimental determination of the effect of the ratio of B/Al on glass dissolution along the nepheline (NaAlSiO4) - Malinkoite (NaBSiO4) join. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 74, 2634-2654]. The composition of these glasses was 50 mol% SiO2 - 25 mol%more » Na2O - (25-x) mol% Al2O3 - x mol% B2O3, with x varying from 0 to 20 mol%. In the first part of this work, the different structural features of these glasses (e.g., presence of non-bridging oxygens, partition of boron between trigonal and tetrahedral bonding environments, and formation of boroxol rings), identified in the study of Pierce et al., were implemented in the Monte Carlo program. Their effects on the dissolution of borosilicate and aluminosilicate glasses were then evaluated individually and led to the following conclusions. (1) The dependence of the dissolution rate on the amount of non-bridging oxygens was found to be linear at all Si/B ratios and the accelerating effect of non-bridging oxygens was shown to increase with increasing Si/B ratio. (2) The formation of boroxol rings and of clusters of boroxol rings resulted in an increase of the dissolution rate at all Si/B ratios and, again, the extent of the rate increase was strongly dependent on the Si/B ratio. (3) For aluminosilicate glasses, the implementation of the aluminum avoidance rule was found to increase the rate of dissolution relative to that obtained for a random distribution. In the second part of this work, Monte Carlo simulations were performed to model the dissolution of the NeB glasses in dilute conditions. One of the conclusions that emerged from the study of Pierce et al. was that either the rupture of the Al-O bonds or that of the Si-O bonds was the rate-limiting step controlling the dissolution of the NeB glasses. The Monte Carlo simulations carried out in this work enabled us to refine this conclusion. Indeed, the simulations showed that, at low B/Al ratios, the rupture of both Al-O-Si and Si-O-Si linkages contributed to the dissolution rate whereas, at high B/Al ratios, the dissolution rate was independent of the rupture of Al-O-Si linkages and was controlled by S1 sites (silicon sites at the glass-water interface with one bond to nearest-neighbor sites) and dissolution via detachment of clusters.« less

Assessment of Thematic Mapper Band-to-band Registration by the Block Correlation Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Card, D. H.; Wrigley, R. C.; Mertz, F. C.; Hall, J. R.

1984-01-01

The design of the Thematic Mapper (TM) multispectral radiometer makes it susceptible to band-to-band misregistration. To estimate band-to-band misregistration a block correlation method is employed. This method is chosen over other possible techniques (band differencing and flickering) because quantitative results are produced. The method correlates rectangular blocks of pixels from one band against blocks centered on identical pixels from a second band. The block pairs are shifted in pixel increments both vertically and horizontally with respect to each other and the correlation coefficient for each shift position is computed. The displacement corresponding to the maximum correlation is taken as the best estimate of registration error for each block pair. Subpixel shifts are estimated by a bi-quadratic interpolation of the correlation values surrounding the maximum correlation. To obtain statistical summaries for each band combination post processing of the block correlation results performed. The method results in estimates of registration error that are consistent with expectations.

Estimating landslide losses - preliminary results of a seven-State pilot project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Highland, Lynn M.

2006-01-01

Introduction: In 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program provided funding for seven State geological surveys to report on the status of landslide investigation strategies in each of their States, and to suggest improved ways to approach the tracking of landslides, their effects, losses associated with the landslides, and hazard mitigation strategies. Each State was to provide a draft report suggesting innovative ways to track landslides, and to participate in subsequent workshops. A workshop was convened in June 2003 in Lincoln, Neb., to discuss the results and future strategies on how best to incorporate the seven pilot projects into one methodology that all of the 50 States could adopt. The seven individual reports produced by the State surveys are published here to put forth a forum for discussion of the varying methods of tracking landslides. The goal is to eventually adopt a single, universally applied methodology to track landslides that will provide a consistent framework for collecting data on landslide damage and economic impact. Participating States include: California (James Davis, Jack McMillan); Kentucky (Jim Cobb, John Kiefer, John Rockaway); Nebraska (Mark Kuzila, Duane Eversoll); Ohio (Thomas Berg, Jon Rockaway), Oregon (John Beaulieu, Yumei Wang, Renee Summers, Jon Hofmeister); Pennsylvania (Jay Parrish, Helen Delano); Utah (Richard Allis, Francis Ashland). The USGS personnel involved in the planning and meeting facilitation are Paula Gori, Peter Lyttle, and John Pallister. The general USGS strategy to address landslide loss reduction was developed with input from State geological surveys, the engineering-geology consulting community, and academic investigators. The strategy was reviewed by the National Research Council, 2004), is summarized in USGS Circular 1244 (Spiker and Gori, 2003) and is endorsed by the AASG. This pilot study, conducted by seven State geological surveys, examines the feasibility of collecting accurate and reliable information on economic losses associated with landslides. Each State survey examined the availability, distribution, and inherent uncertainties of economic loss data in their study areas. Their results provide the basis for identifying the most fruitful methods of collecting landslide loss data nationally, using methods that are consistent and provide common goals. These results can enhance and establish the future directions of scientific investigation priorities by convincingly documenting landslide risks and consequences that are universal throughout the 50 States. This report is organized as follows: A general summary of the pilot project history, goals, and preliminary conclusions from the Lincoln, Neb. workshop are presented first. Internet links are then provided for each State report, which appear on the internet in PDF format and which have been placed at the end of this open-file report. A reference section follows the reports, and, lastly, an Appendix of categories of landslide loss and sources of loss information is included for the reader's information. Please note: The Oregon Geological Survey has also submitted a preliminary report on indirect loss estimation methodology, which is also linked with the others. Each State report is unique and presented in the form in which it was submitted, having been independently peer reviewed by each respective State survey. As such, no universal 'style' or format has been adopted as there have been no decisions on which inventory methods will be recommended to the 50 states, as of this writing. The reports are presented here as information for decision makers, and for the record; although several reports provide recommendations on inventory methods that could be adopted nationwide, currently no decisions have been made on adopting a uniform methodology for the States.

Band selection method based on spectrum difference in targets of interest in hyperspectral imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaohan; Yang, Guang; Yang, Yongbo; Huang, Junhua

2016-10-01

While hyperspectral data shares rich spectrum information, it has numbers of bands with high correlation coefficients, causing great data redundancy. A reasonable band selection is important for subsequent processing. Bands with large amount of information and low correlation should be selected. On this basis, according to the needs of target detection applications, the spectral characteristics of the objects of interest are taken into consideration in this paper, and a new method based on spectrum difference is proposed. Firstly, according to the spectrum differences of targets of interest, a difference matrix which represents the different spectral reflectance of different targets in different bands is structured. By setting a threshold, the bands satisfying the conditions would be left, constituting a subset of bands. Then, the correlation coefficients between bands are calculated and correlation matrix is given. According to the size of the correlation coefficient, the bands can be set into several groups. At last, the conception of normalized variance is used on behalf of the information content of each band. The bands are sorted by the value of its normalized variance. Set needing number of bands, and the optimum band combination solution can be get by these three steps. This method retains the greatest degree of difference between the target of interest and is easy to achieve by computer automatically. Besides, false color image synthesis experiment is carried out using the bands selected by this method as well as other 3 methods to show the performance of method in this paper.

System and method for progressive band selection for hyperspectral images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Kevin (Inventor)

2013-01-01

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for progressive band selection for hyperspectral images. A system having module configured to control a processor to practice the method calculates a virtual dimensionality of a hyperspectral image having multiple bands to determine a quantity Q of how many bands are needed for a threshold level of information, ranks each band based on a statistical measure, selects Q bands from the multiple bands to generate a subset of bands based on the virtual dimensionality, and generates a reduced image based on the subset of bands. This approach can create reduced datasets of full hyperspectral images tailored for individual applications. The system uses a metric specific to a target application to rank the image bands, and then selects the most useful bands. The number of bands selected can be specified manually or calculated from the hyperspectral image's virtual dimensionality.

The abundance and distribution of water vapor in Jupiter's atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bjoraker, Gordon L.; Larson, Harold P.; Kunde, Virgil G.

1986-01-01

The atmospheric transmission window between 1800 and 2250 cm(-1) in Jupiter's atmosphere was observed from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) and by the infrared spectrometer (IRIS) on Voyager. The vertical distribution of H2O was derived for the 1 to 6 bar portion of Jupiter's troposphere. The spatial variation of H2O was measured using IRIS spectra of the Hot Spots in the North and South Equatorial Belts, the Equatorial Zone, and for an average of the North and South Tropical Zones. The H2O column abundance above the 4 bar level is the same in the zones as in the SEB Hot Spots, about 20 cm-amagat. The NEB Hot Spots are desiccated by a factor of 3 with respect to the rest of Jupiter. For an average between -40 to 40 deg latitude, the H2O mole fraction, qH2O, is saturated for P less than 2 bars, qH2O = 4x10 to the -6 in the 2 to 4 bar range and it increases to 3x10 to the -5 at 6 bars. A similar vertical profile applies to the spatially resolved zone and belt spectra, except that H2O falls off more rapidly at P less than 4 bars in the NEB Hot Spots. The massive H2O cloud at 5 bars, T = 273 K, proposed in solar composition models, is inconsistent with the observations. Instead, a thin H2O ice cloud would form at 2 bars, T = 200 K. The O/H ratio in Jupiter, inferred from H2O measurements in both belts and zones at 6 bars, is depleted by a factor of 50 with respect to the Sun. The implications for the origin of Jupiter of globally depleted O/H, but enhanced C/H and N/H, are discussed.

IGF-1 attenuates LPS induced pro-inflammatory cytokines expression in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) granulosa cells.

PubMed

Onnureddy, K; Ravinder; Onteru, Suneel Kumar; Singh, Dheer

2015-03-01

Interaction between immune and endocrine system is a diverse process influencing cellular function and homeostasis in animals. Negative energy balance (NEB) during postpartum period in dairy animals usually suppresses these systems resulting in reproductive tract infection and infertility. These negative effects could be due to competition among endocrine and immune signaling pathways for common signaling molecules. The present work studied the effect of IGF-1 (50 ng/ml) on LPS (1 μg/ml) mediated pro-inflammatory cytokine expression (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6) and aromatase (CYP19A1) genes' expressions as well as proliferation of buffalo granulosa cells. The crosstalk between LPS and IGF-1 was also demonstrated through studying the activities of downstream signaling molecules (ERK1/2, Akt, NF-κB) by western blot and immunostaining. Gene expression analysis showed that IGF-1 significantly reduced the LPS induced expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6. LPS alone inhibited the CYP19A1 expression. However, co-treatment with IGF-1 reversed the inhibitory effect of LPS on CYP19A1 expression. LPS alone did not affect granulosa cell proliferation, but co-treatment with IGF-1, and IGF-1 alone enhanced the proliferation. Western blot results demonstrated that LPS caused the nuclear translocation of the NF-κB and increased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Akt maximum at 15 min and 60 min, respectively. Nonetheless, co-treatment with IGF-1 delayed LPS induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 (peak at 120 min), while promoting early Akt phosphorylation (peak at 5 min) with no effect on NF-κB translocation. Overall, IGF-1 delayed and reversed the effects of LPS, suggesting that high IGF-1 levels may combat infection during critical periods like NEB in postpartum dairy animals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Chandra planetary nebula survey (CHANPLANS). II. X-ray emission from compact planetary nebulae

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

Freeman, M.; Kastner, J. H.; Montez, R. Jr.

2014-10-20

We present results from the most recent set of observations obtained as part of the Chandra X-ray observatory Planetary Nebula Survey (CHANPLANS), the first comprehensive X-ray survey of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the solar neighborhood (i.e., within ∼1.5 kpc of the Sun). The survey is designed to place constraints on the frequency of appearance and range of X-ray spectral characteristics of X-ray-emitting PN central stars and the evolutionary timescales of wind-shock-heated bubbles within PNe. CHANPLANS began with a combined Cycle 12 and archive Chandra survey of 35 PNe. CHANPLANS continued via a Chandra Cycle 14 Large Program which targeted allmore » (24) remaining known compact (R {sub neb} ≲ 0.4 pc), young PNe that lie within ∼1.5 kpc. Results from these Cycle 14 observations include first-time X-ray detections of hot bubbles within NGC 1501, 3918, 6153, and 6369, and point sources in HbDs 1, NGC 6337, and Sp 1. The addition of the Cycle 14 results brings the overall CHANPLANS diffuse X-ray detection rate to ∼27% and the point source detection rate to ∼36%. It has become clearer that diffuse X-ray emission is associated with young (≲ 5 × 10{sup 3} yr), and likewise compact (R {sub neb} ≲ 0.15 pc), PNe with closed structures and high central electron densities (n{sub e} ≳ 1000 cm{sup –3}), and is rarely associated with PNe that show H{sub 2} emission and/or pronounced butterfly structures. Hb 5 is one such exception of a PN with a butterfly structure that hosts diffuse X-ray emission. Additionally, two of the five new diffuse X-ray detections (NGC 1501 and NGC 6369) host [WR]-type central stars, supporting the hypothesis that PNe with central stars of [WR]-type are likely to display diffuse X-ray emission.« less

The band gap properties of the three-component semi-infinite plate-like LRPC by using PWE/FE method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Denghui; Wang, Jianchun

2018-06-01

This paper applies coupled plane wave expansion and finite element (PWE/FE) method to calculate the band structure of the proposed three-component semi-infinite plate-like locally resonant phononic crystal (LRPC). In order to verify the accuracy of the result, the band structure calculated by PWE/FE method is compared to that calculated by the traditional finite element (FE) method, and the frequency range of the band gap in the band structure is compared to that of the attenuation in the transmission power spectrum. Numerical results and further analysis demonstrate that a band gap is opened by the coupling between the dominant vibrations of the rubber layer and the matrix modes. In addition, the influences of the geometry parameters on the band gap are studied and understood with the help of the simple “base-spring-mass” model, the influence of the viscidity of rubber layer on the band gap is also investigated.

Dendrometer bands made easy: Using modified cable ties to measure incremental growth of trees1

PubMed Central

Anemaet, Evelyn R.; Middleton, Beth A.

2013-01-01

• Premise of the study: Dendrometer bands are a useful way to make sequential repeated measurements of tree growth, but traditional dendrometer bands can be expensive, time consuming, and difficult to construct in the field. An alternative to the traditional method of band construction is to adapt commercially available materials. This paper describes how to construct and install dendrometer bands using smooth-edged, stainless steel, cable tie banding and attachable rollerball heads. • Methods and Results: As a performance comparison, both traditional and cable tie dendrometer bands were installed on baldcypress trees at the National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, by both an experienced and a novice worker. Band installation times were recorded, and growth of the trees as estimated by the two band types was measured after approximately one year, demonstrating equivalence of the two methods. • Conclusions: This efficient approach to dendrometer band construction can help advance the knowledge of long-term tree growth in ecological studies. PMID:25202589

Correction of Atmospheric Haze in RESOURCESAT-1 LISS-4 MX Data for Urban Analysis: AN Improved Dark Object Subtraction Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustak, S.

2013-09-01

The correction of atmospheric effects is very essential because visible bands of shorter wavelength are highly affected by atmospheric scattering especially of Rayleigh scattering. The objectives of the paper is to find out the haze values present in the all spectral bands and to correct the haze values for urban analysis. In this paper, Improved Dark Object Subtraction method of P. Chavez (1988) is applied for the correction of atmospheric haze in the Resoucesat-1 LISS-4 multispectral satellite image. Dark object Subtraction is a very simple image-based method of atmospheric haze which assumes that there are at least a few pixels within an image which should be black (% reflectance) and such black reflectance termed as dark object which are clear water body and shadows whose DN values zero (0) or Close to zero in the image. Simple Dark Object Subtraction method is a first order atmospheric correction but Improved Dark Object Subtraction method which tends to correct the Haze in terms of atmospheric scattering and path radiance based on the power law of relative scattering effect of atmosphere. The haze values extracted using Simple Dark Object Subtraction method for Green band (Band2), Red band (Band3) and NIR band (band4) are 40, 34 and 18 but the haze values extracted using Improved Dark Object Subtraction method are 40, 18.02 and 11.80 for aforesaid bands. Here it is concluded that the haze values extracted by Improved Dark Object Subtraction method provides more realistic results than Simple Dark Object Subtraction method.

Accurate determination of the valence band edge in hard x-ray photoemission spectra using GW theory

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

Lischner, Johannes, E-mail: jlischner597@gmail.com; Department of Physics and Department of Materials and the Thomas Young Centre for Theory and Simulation of Materials, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ; Nemšák, Slavomír

We introduce a new method for determining accurate values of the valence-band maximum in x-ray photoemission spectra. Specifically, we align the sharpest peak in the valence-band region of the experimental spectrum with the corresponding feature of a theoretical valence-band density of states curve from ab initio GW theory calculations. This method is particularly useful for soft and hard x-ray photoemission studies of materials with a mixture of valence-band characters, where strong matrix element effects can render standard methods for extracting the valence-band maximum unreliable. We apply our method to hydrogen-terminated boron-doped diamond, which is a promising substrate material for novelmore » solar cell devices. By carrying out photoemission experiments with variable light polarizations, we verify the accuracy of our analysis and the general validity of the method.« less

Direct optical band gap measurement in polycrystalline semiconductors: A critical look at the Tauc method

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

Dolgonos, Alex; Mason, Thomas O.; Poeppelmeier, Kenneth R., E-mail: krp@northwestern.edu

2016-08-15

The direct optical band gap of semiconductors is traditionally measured by extrapolating the linear region of the square of the absorption curve to the x-axis, and a variation of this method, developed by Tauc, has also been widely used. The application of the Tauc method to crystalline materials is rooted in misconception–and traditional linear extrapolation methods are inappropriate for use on degenerate semiconductors, where the occupation of conduction band energy states cannot be ignored. A new method is proposed for extracting a direct optical band gap from absorption spectra of degenerately-doped bulk semiconductors. This method was applied to pseudo-absorption spectramore » of Sn-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} (ITO)—converted from diffuse-reflectance measurements on bulk specimens. The results of this analysis were corroborated by room-temperature photoluminescence excitation measurements, which yielded values of optical band gap and Burstein–Moss shift that are consistent with previous studies on In{sub 2}O{sub 3} single crystals and thin films. - Highlights: • The Tauc method of band gap measurement is re-evaluated for crystalline materials. • Graphical method proposed for extracting optical band gaps from absorption spectra. • The proposed method incorporates an energy broadening term for energy transitions. • Values for ITO were self-consistent between two different measurement methods.« less

Solving large-scale dynamic systems using band Lanczos method in Rockwell NASTRAN on CRAY X-MP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gupta, V. K.; Zillmer, S. D.; Allison, R. E.

1986-01-01

The improved cost effectiveness using better models, more accurate and faster algorithms and large scale computing offers more representative dynamic analyses. The band Lanczos eigen-solution method was implemented in Rockwell's version of 1984 COSMIC-released NASTRAN finite element structural analysis computer program to effectively solve for structural vibration modes including those of large complex systems exceeding 10,000 degrees of freedom. The Lanczos vectors were re-orthogonalized locally using the Lanczos Method and globally using the modified Gram-Schmidt method for sweeping rigid-body modes and previously generated modes and Lanczos vectors. The truncated band matrix was solved for vibration frequencies and mode shapes using Givens rotations. Numerical examples are included to demonstrate the cost effectiveness and accuracy of the method as implemented in ROCKWELL NASTRAN. The CRAY version is based on RPK's COSMIC/NASTRAN. The band Lanczos method was more reliable and accurate and converged faster than the single vector Lanczos Method. The band Lanczos method was comparable to the subspace iteration method which was a block version of the inverse power method. However, the subspace matrix tended to be fully populated in the case of subspace iteration and not as sparse as a band matrix.

Hyperspectral interventional imaging for enhanced tissue visualization and discrimination combining band selection methods.

PubMed

Nouri, Dorra; Lucas, Yves; Treuillet, Sylvie

2016-12-01

Hyperspectral imaging is an emerging technology recently introduced in medical applications inasmuch as it provides a powerful tool for noninvasive tissue characterization. In this context, a new system was designed to be easily integrated in the operating room in order to detect anatomical tissues hardly noticed by the surgeon's naked eye. Our LCTF-based spectral imaging system is operative over visible, near- and middle-infrared spectral ranges (400-1700 nm). It is dedicated to enhance critical biological tissues such as the ureter and the facial nerve. We aim to find the best three relevant bands to create a RGB image to display during the intervention with maximal contrast between the target tissue and its surroundings. A comparative study is carried out between band selection methods and band transformation methods. Combined band selection methods are proposed. All methods are compared using different evaluation criteria. Experimental results show that the proposed combined band selection methods provide the best performance with rich information, high tissue separability and short computational time. These methods yield a significant discrimination between biological tissues. We developed a hyperspectral imaging system in order to enhance some biological tissue visualization. The proposed methods provided an acceptable trade-off between the evaluation criteria especially in SWIR spectral band that outperforms the naked eye's capacities.

Intermediate-phase method for computing the natural band offset between two materials with dissimilar structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Hui-Jun; Zhang, Yue-Yu; Chen, Shi-You; Xiang, Hong-Jun; Gong, Xin-Gao

2018-06-01

The band offset between different semiconductors is an important physical quantity determining carrier transport properties near the interface in heterostructure devices. Computation of the natural band offset is a longstanding challenge. We propose an intermediate-phase method to predict the natural band offset between two structures with different symmetry, for which the superlattice model cannot be directly constructed. With this method and the intermediate phases obtained by our searching algorithm, we successfully calculate the natural band offsets for two representative systems: (i) zinc-blende CdTe and wurtzite CdS and (ii) diamond and graphite. The calculation shows that the valence band maximum (VBM) of zinc-blende CdTe lies 0.71 eV above that of wurtzite CdS, close to the result 0.76 eV obtained by the three-step method. For the natural band offset between diamond and graphite which could not be computed reliably with any superlattice methods, our calculation shows that the Fermi level of graphite lies 1.51 eV above the VBM of diamond using an intermediate phase. This method, under the assumption that the transitivity rule is valid, can be used to calculate the band offsets between any semiconductors with different symmetry on condition that the intermediate phase is reasonably designed.

Band excitation method applicable to scanning probe microscopy

DOEpatents

Jesse, Stephen [Knoxville, TN; Kalinin, Sergei V [Knoxville, TN

2010-08-17

Methods and apparatus are described for scanning probe microscopy. A method includes generating a band excitation (BE) signal having finite and predefined amplitude and phase spectrum in at least a first predefined frequency band; exciting a probe using the band excitation signal; obtaining data by measuring a response of the probe in at least a second predefined frequency band; and extracting at least one relevant dynamic parameter of the response of the probe in a predefined range including analyzing the obtained data. The BE signal can be synthesized prior to imaging (static band excitation), or adjusted at each pixel or spectroscopy step to accommodate changes in sample properties (adaptive band excitation). An apparatus includes a band excitation signal generator; a probe coupled to the band excitation signal generator; a detector coupled to the probe; and a relevant dynamic parameter extractor component coupled to the detector, the relevant dynamic parameter extractor including a processor that performs a mathematical transform selected from the group consisting of an integral transform and a discrete transform.

Band excitation method applicable to scanning probe microscopy

DOEpatents

Jesse, Stephen; Kalinin, Sergei V

2013-05-28

Methods and apparatus are described for scanning probe microscopy. A method includes generating a band excitation (BE) signal having finite and predefined amplitude and phase spectrum in at least a first predefined frequency band; exciting a probe using the band excitation signal; obtaining data by measuring a response of the probe in at least a second predefined frequency band; and extracting at least one relevant dynamic parameter of the response of the probe in a predefined range including analyzing the obtained data. The BE signal can be synthesized prior to imaging (static band excitation), or adjusted at each pixel or spectroscopy step to accommodate changes in sample properties (adaptive band excitation). An apparatus includes a band excitation signal generator; a probe coupled to the band excitation signal generator; a detector coupled to the probe; and a relevant dynamic parameter extractor component coupled to the detector, the relevant dynamic parameter extractor including a processor that performs a mathematical transform selected from the group consisting of an integral transform and a discrete transform.

Optimized hyperspectral band selection using hybrid genetic algorithm and gravitational search algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Aizhu; Sun, Genyun; Wang, Zhenjie

2015-12-01

The serious information redundancy in hyperspectral images (HIs) cannot contribute to the data analysis accuracy, instead it require expensive computational resources. Consequently, to identify the most useful and valuable information from the HIs, thereby improve the accuracy of data analysis, this paper proposed a novel hyperspectral band selection method using the hybrid genetic algorithm and gravitational search algorithm (GA-GSA). In the proposed method, the GA-GSA is mapped to the binary space at first. Then, the accuracy of the support vector machine (SVM) classifier and the number of selected spectral bands are utilized to measure the discriminative capability of the band subset. Finally, the band subset with the smallest number of spectral bands as well as covers the most useful and valuable information is obtained. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, studies conducted on an AVIRIS image against two recently proposed state-of-the-art GSA variants are presented. The experimental results revealed the superiority of the proposed method and indicated that the method can indeed considerably reduce data storage costs and efficiently identify the band subset with stable and high classification precision.

Adakite-gabbro-anorthosite magmatism at the final (576-546 Ma) development stage of the Neoproterozoic active margin in the south-west of the Siberian craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernikovskaya, A. E.; Vernikovsky, V. A.; Matushkin, N. Yu.; Kadilnikov, P. I.; Romanova, I. V.; Larionov, A. N.

2017-12-01

In the late Neoproterozoic a prolonged active continental margin mode dominated the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton. Based on results of geological, petrological-geochemical, U-Th-Pb and Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr isotope investigations, for the first time we established that on the final evolution stage of this margin 576-546 Ma, intrusions of adakites and gabbro-anorthosites of the Zimoveyniy massif were emplaced in the South Yenisei Ridge. These new data indicate genetic relationships of the studied adakites and host NEB-metabasites. The formation of adakites could have been due to a crustal or a mantle-crustal source in a setting of transform sliding of lithospheric plates after the subduction stopped.

Investigation of e-beam sensitive negative-tone chemically amplified resists for binary mask making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irmscher, Mathias; Berger, Lothar; Beyer, Dirk; Butschke, Joerg; Dress, Peter; Hoffmann, Thomas; Hudek, Peter; Koepernik, Corinna; Tschinkl, Martin; Voehringer, Peter

2003-08-01

Negative-tone chemically amplified resists MES-EN1G (JSR), FEN-270 (Fujifilm ARCH), EN-024M (TOK) and NEB-22 (Sumitomo) were evaluated for binary mask making. The investigations were performed on an advanced tool set comprising a 50kV e-beam writer Leica SB350, a Steag Hamatech hot/cool plate module APB5000, a Steag Hamatech developer ASP5000, an UNAXIS MASK ETCHER III and a SEM LEO1560 with integrated CD measurement option. We investigated and compared the evaluated resists in terms of resolution, e-beam sensitivity, resist profile, post exposure bake sensitivity, CD-uniformity, line edge roughness, pattern fidelity and etch resistance. Furthermore, the influence of post coating delay and post exposure delay in vacuum and air was determined.

Developing a nutrition and health education program for primary schools in Zambia.

PubMed

Sherman, Jane; Muehlhoff, Ellen

2007-01-01

School-based health and nutrition interventions in developing countries aim at improving children's nutrition and learning ability. In addition to the food and health inputs, children need access to education that is relevant to their lives, of good quality, and effective in its approach. Based on evidence from the Zambia Nutrition Education in Basic Schools (NEBS) project, this article examines whether and to what extent school-based health and nutrition education can contribute directly to improving the health and nutrition behaviors of school children. Initial results suggest that gains in awareness, knowledge and behavior can be achieved among children and their families with an actively implemented classroom program backed by teacher training and parent involvement, even in the absence of school-based nutrition and health services.

[Evaluation of four dark object atmospheric correction methods based on ZY-3 CCD data].

PubMed

Guo, Hong; Gu, Xing-fa; Xie, Yong; Yu, Tao; Gao, Hai-liang; Wei, Xiang-qin; Liu, Qi-yue

2014-08-01

The present paper performed the evaluation of four dark-object subtraction(DOS) atmospheric correction methods based on 2012 Inner Mongolia experimental data The authors analyzed the impacts of key parameters of four DOS methods when they were applied to ZY-3 CCD data The results showed that (1) All four DOS methods have significant atmospheric correction effect at band 1, 2 and 3. But as for band 4, the atmospheric correction effect of DOS4 is the best while DOS2 is the worst; both DOS1 and DOS3 has no obvious atmospheric correction effect. (2) The relative error (RE) of DOS1 atmospheric correction method is larger than 10% at four bands; The atmospheric correction effect of DOS2 works the best at band 1(AE (absolute error)=0.0019 and RE=4.32%) and the worst error appears at band 4(AE=0.0464 and RE=19.12%); The RE of DOS3 is about 10% for all bands. (3) The AE of atmospheric correction results for DOS4 method is less than 0. 02 and the RE is less than 10% for all bands. Therefore, the DOS4 method provides the best accuracy of atmospheric correction results for ZY-3 image.

An enhanced narrow-band imaging method for the microvessel detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Feng; Song, Enmin; Liu, Hong; Wan, Youming; Zhu, Jun; Hung, Chih-Cheng

2018-02-01

A medical endoscope system combined with the narrow-band imaging (NBI), has been shown to be a superior diagnostic tool for early cancer detection. The NBI can reveal the morphologic changes of microvessels in the superficial cancer. In order to improve the conspicuousness of microvessel texture, we propose an enhanced NBI method to improve the conspicuousness of endoscopic images. To obtain the more conspicuous narrow-band images, we use the edge operator to extract the edge information of the narrow-band blue and green images, and give a weight to the extracted edges. Then, the weighted edges are fused with the narrow-band blue and green images. Finally, the displayed endoscopic images are reconstructed with the enhanced narrow-band images. In addition, we evaluate the performance of enhanced narrow-band images with different edge operators. Experimental results indicate that the Sobel and Canny operators achieve the best performance of all. Compared with traditional NBI method of Olympus company, our proposed method has more conspicuous texture of microvessel.

A comparison of sputum induction methods: ultrasonic vs compressed-air nebulizer and hypertonic vs isotonic saline inhalation.

PubMed

Loh, L C; Eg, K P; Puspanathan, P; Tang, S P; Yip, K S; Vijayasingham, P; Thayaparan, T; Kumar, S

2004-03-01

Airway inflammation can be demonstrated by the modem method of sputum induction using ultrasonic nebulizer and hypertonic saline. We studied whether compressed-air nebulizer and isotonic saline which are commonly available and cost less, are as effective in inducing sputum in normal adult subjects as the above mentioned tools. Sixteen subjects underwent weekly sputum induction in the following manner: ultrasonic nebulizer (Medix Sonix 2000, Clement Clarke, UK) using hypertonic saline, ultrasonic nebulizer using isotonic saline, compressed-air nebulizer (BestNeb, Taiwan) using hypertonic saline, and compressed-air nebulizer using isotonic saline. Overall, the use of an ultrasonic nebulizer and hypertonic saline yielded significantly higher total sputum cell counts and a higher percentage of cell viability than compressed-air nebulizers and isotonic saline. With the latter, there was a trend towards squamous cell contaminations. The proportion of various sputum cell types was not significantly different between the groups, and the reproducibility in sputum macrophages and neutrophils was high (Intraclass correlation coefficient, r [95%CI]: 0.65 [0.30-0.91] and 0.58 [0.22-0.89], p < 0.001). Overall changes in median FEV, were small and comparable between all groups. Induction using ultrasonic nebulizers together with hypertonic saline was generally less well tolerated than compressed-air nebulizers and isotonic saline. We conclude that in normal subjects, although both nebulizers and saline types can induce sputum with reproducible cellular profile, ultrasonic nebulizers and hypertonic saline are more effective but less well tolerated.

An adaptive band selection method for dimension reduction of hyper-spectral remote sensing image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhijie; Yu, Hui; Wang, Chen-sheng

2014-11-01

Hyper-spectral remote sensing data can be acquired by imaging the same area with multiple wavelengths, and it normally consists of hundreds of band-images. Hyper-spectral images can not only provide spatial information but also high resolution spectral information, and it has been widely used in environment monitoring, mineral investigation and military reconnaissance. However, because of the corresponding large data volume, it is very difficult to transmit and store Hyper-spectral images. Hyper-spectral image dimensional reduction technique is desired to resolve this problem. Because of the High relation and high redundancy of the hyper-spectral bands, it is very feasible that applying the dimensional reduction method to compress the data volume. This paper proposed a novel band selection-based dimension reduction method which can adaptively select the bands which contain more information and details. The proposed method is based on the principal component analysis (PCA), and then computes the index corresponding to every band. The indexes obtained are then ranked in order of magnitude from large to small. Based on the threshold, system can adaptively and reasonably select the bands. The proposed method can overcome the shortcomings induced by transform-based dimension reduction method and prevent the original spectral information from being lost. The performance of the proposed method has been validated by implementing several experiments. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can reduce the dimensions of hyper-spectral image with little information loss by adaptively selecting the band images.

Iliotibial band friction syndrome

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Published articles on iliotibial band friction syndrome have been reviewed. These articles cover the epidemiology, etiology, anatomy, pathology, prevention, and treatment of the condition. This article describes (1) the various etiological models that have been proposed to explain iliotibial band friction syndrome; (2) some of the imaging methods, research studies, and clinical experiences that support or call into question these various models; (3) commonly proposed treatment methods for iliotibial band friction syndrome; and (4) the rationale behind these methods and the clinical outcome studies that support their efficacy. PMID:21063495

Temperature-dependent internal photoemission probe for band parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lao, Yan-Feng; Perera, A. G. Unil

2012-11-01

The temperature-dependent characteristic of band offsets at the heterojunction interface was studied by an internal photoemission (IPE) method. In contrast to the traditional Fowler method independent of the temperature (T), this method takes into account carrier thermalization and carrier/dopant-induced band-renormalization and band-tailing effects, and thus measures the band-offset parameter at different temperatures. Despite intensive studies in the past few decades, the T dependence of this key band parameter is still not well understood. Re-examining a p-type doped GaAs emitter/undoped AlxGa1-xAs barrier heterojunction system disclosed its previously ignored T dependency in the valence-band offset, with a variation up to ˜-10-4 eV/K in order to accommodate the difference in the T-dependent band gaps between GaAs and AlGaAs. Through determining the Fermi energy level (Ef), IPE is able to distinguish the impurity (IB) and valence bands (VB) of extrinsic semiconductors. One important example is to determine Ef of dilute magnetic semiconductors such as GaMnAs, and to understand whether it is in the IB or VB.

Molecular insights into the mechanisms of liver-associated diseases in early-lactating dairy cows: hypothetical role of endoplasmic reticulum stress.

PubMed

Ringseis, R; Gessner, D K; Eder, K

2015-08-01

The transition period represents the most critical period in the productive life of high-yielding dairy cows due to both metabolic and inflammatory stimuli, which challenge the liver and predispose dairy cows to develop liver-associated diseases such as fatty liver and ketosis. Despite the fact that all high-yielding dairy cows are affected by marked metabolic stress due to a severe negative energy balance (NEB) during early lactation, not all cows develop liver-associated diseases. Although the reason for this is largely unknown, this indicates that the capacity of the liver to cope with metabolic and inflammatory challenges varies between individual high-yielding dairy cows. Convincing evidence exists that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a key role in the development of fatty liver, and it has been recently shown that ER stress occurs in the liver of high-yielding dairy cows. This indicates that ER stress may be involved in the development of liver-associated diseases in dairy cows. The present review shows that the liver of dairy cows during early lactation is exposed to several metabolic and inflammatory challenges, such as non-esterified fatty acids, tumour necrosis factor α, interleukin-1β, reactive oxygen species and lipopolysaccharides, which are known inducers of ER stress. Thus, ER stress may represent a molecular basis for fatty liver development and account for the frequent occurrence of fatty liver and ketosis in high-yielding dairy cows. Interindividual differences between dairy cows in the activation of hepatic stress response pathways, such as nuclear factor E2-related factor 2, which is activated during ER stress and reduces the sensitivity of tissues to oxidative and inflammatory damage, might provide an explanation at the molecular level for differences in the capacity to cope with pathological inflammatory challenges during early lactation and the susceptibility to develop liver-associated diseases between early-lactating dairy cows with similar NEB and milk yield. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

The Relationships between Tropical Pacific and Atlantic SST and Northeast Brazil Monthly Precipitation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertacchi Uvo, Cintia; Repelli, Carlos A.; Zebiak, Stephen E.; Kushnir, Yochanan

1998-04-01

The monthly patterns of northeast Brazil (NEB) precipitation are analyzed in relation to sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, using singular value decomposition. It is found that the relationships between precipitation and SST in both basins vary considerably throughout the rainy season (February-May). In January, equatorial Pacific SST is weakly correlated with precipitation in small areas of southern NEB, but Atlantic SST shows no significant correlation with regional precipitation. In February, Pacific SST is not well related to precipitation, but south equatorial Atlantic SST is positively correlated with precipitation over the northern Nordeste, the latter most likely reflecting an anomalously early (or late) southward migration of the ITCZ precipitation zone. During March, equatorial Pacific SST is negatively correlated with Nordeste precipitation, but no consistent relationship between precipitation and Atlantic SST is found. Atlantic SST-precipitation correlations for April and May are the strongest found among all months or either ocean. Precipitation in the Nordeste is positively correlated with SST in the south tropical Atlantic and negatively correlated with SST in the north tropical Atlantic. These relationships are strong enough to determine the structure of the seasonal mean SST-precipitation correlations, even though the corresponding patterns for the earlier months of the season are quite different. Pacific SST-precipitation correlations for April and May are similar to those for March. Extreme wet (dry) years for the Nordeste occur when both Pacific and Atlantic SST patterns for April and May occur simultaneously. A separate analysis reinforces previous findings in showing that SST in the tropical Pacific and the northern tropical Atlantic are positively correlated and that tropical Pacific-south Atlantic correlations are negligible.Time-lagged analyses show the potential for forecasting either seasonal mean or monthly precipitation patterns with some degree of skill. In some instances, individual monthly mean SST versus seasonal mean (February-May) precipitation relationships differ considerably from the corresponding monthly SST versus monthly precipitation relationships. It is argued that the seasonal mean relationships result from the relatively strong monthly relationships toward the end of the season, combined with the considerable persistence of SST in both oceans.

Greenhouse gas emissions and reactive nitrogen releases during the life-cycles of staple food production in China and their mitigation potential.

PubMed

Xia, Longlong; Ti, Chaopu; Li, Bolun; Xia, Yongqiu; Yan, Xiaoyuan

2016-06-15

Life-cycle analysis of staple food (rice, flour and corn-based fodder) production and assessments of the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) and reactive nitrogen (Nr) releases, from environmental and economic perspectives, help to develop effective mitigation options. However, such evaluations have rarely been executed in China. We evaluated the GHG and Nr releases per kilogram of staple food production (carbon and Nr footprints) and per unit of net economic benefit (CO2-NEB and Nr-NEB), and explored their mitigation potential. Carbon footprints of food production in China were obviously higher than those in some developed countries. There was a high spatial variation in the footprints, primarily attributable to differences in synthetic N use (or CH4 emissions) per unit of food production. Provincial carbon footprints had a significant linear relationship with Nr footprints, attributed to large contribution of N fertilizer use to both GHG and Nr releases. Synthetic N fertilizer applications and CH4 emissions dominated the carbon footprints, while NH3 volatilization and N leaching were the main contributors to the Nr footprints. About 564 (95% uncertainty range: 404-701) TgCO2eqGHG and 10 (7.4-12.4) Tg Nr-N were released every year during 2001-2010 from staple food production. This caused the total damage costs of 325 (70-555) billion ¥, equivalent to nearly 1.44% of the Gross Domestic Product of China. Moreover, the combined damage costs and economic input costs, accounted for 66%-80% of the gross economic benefit generated from food production. A reduction of 92.7TgCO2eqyr(-1) and 2.2TgNr-Nyr(-1) could be achieved by reducing synthetic N inputs by 20%, increasing grain yields by 5% and implementing off-season application of straw and mid-season drainage practices for rice cultivation. In order to realize these scenarios, an ecological compensation scheme should be established to incentivize farmers to gradually adopt knowledge-based managements. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thin filament length in the cardiac sarcomere varies with sarcomere length but is independent of titin and nebulin.

PubMed

Kolb, Justin; Li, Frank; Methawasin, Mei; Adler, Maya; Escobar, Yael-Natalie; Nedrud, Joshua; Pappas, Christopher T; Harris, Samantha P; Granzier, Henk

2016-08-01

Thin filament length (TFL) is an important determinant of the force-sarcomere length (SL) relation of cardiac muscle. However, the various mechanisms that control TFL are not well understood. Here we tested the previously proposed hypothesis that the actin-binding protein nebulin contributes to TFL regulation in the heart by using a cardiac-specific nebulin cKO mouse model (αMHC Cre Neb cKO). Atrial myocytes were studied because nebulin expression has been reported to be most prominent in this cell type. TFL was measured in right and left atrial myocytes using deconvolution optical microscopy and staining for filamentous actin with phalloidin and for the thin filament pointed-end with an antibody to the capping protein Tropomodulin-1 (Tmod1). Results showed that TFLs in Neb cKO and littermate control mice were not different. Thus, deletion of nebulin in the heart does not alter TFL. However, TFL was found to be ~0.05μm longer in the right than in the left atrium and Tmod1 expression was increased in the right atrium. We also tested the hypothesis that the length of titin's spring region is a factor controlling TFL by studying the Rbm20(ΔRRM) mouse which expresses titins that are ~500kDa (heterozygous mice) and ~1000kDa (homozygous mice) longer than in control mice. Results revealed that TFL was not different in Rbm20(ΔRRM) mice. An unexpected finding in all genotypes studied was that TFL increased as sarcomeres were stretched (~0.1μm per 0.35μm of SL increase). This apparent increase in TFL reached a maximum at a SL of ~3.0μm where TFL was ~1.05μm. The SL dependence of TFL was independent of chemical fixation or the presence of cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C). In summary, we found that in cardiac myocytes TFL varies with SL in a manner that is independent of the size of titin or the presence of nebulin. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Relationships between luteal activity, fertility, blood metabolites and body condition score in multiparous Estonian Holstein dairy cows under different management.

PubMed

Samarütel, Jaak; Waldmann, Andres; Ling, Katri; Jaakson, Hanno; Kaart, Tanel; Leesmäe, Andres; Kärt, Olav

2008-11-01

The objective was to compare the relationships between luteal activity and fertility, and relate these parameters to metabolic indices and body condition changes in multiparous Estonian Holstein cows on two commercial dairy farms under different management and levels of production and nutrition (higher, H, n=54 (71 lactations) and lower, L, n=39 (39 lactations)). For statistical analysis cows were categorized according to their milk progesterone (P4) profiles as follows: normal ovarian function; delayed start of cyclicity (DC) (interval from calving to first luteal response (P45 ng/ml up to and more than 50 d respectively, followed by regular cyclicity); cessation of luteal activity (prolonged interluteal interval, P4<5 ng/ml, with a duration of 14 d between two adjacent luteal phases); prolonged luteal activity (P4 levels 5 ng/ml for 20 d without preceding insemination). The Mixed procedure of the SAS system was used to compare milk production traits, blood metabolites (ketone bodies, non-esterified fatty acids, total cholesterol) and aspartate aminotransferase, body condition scores (BCS) and fertility parameters between the two farms, and also fertility parameters between the farms within P4 categories. Differences in milk fat/protein ratio, ketone body levels and BCS indicated a deeper negative energy balance (NEB) during the first month after calving on farm L. On both farms nearly 50% of the recently calved dairy cows suffered from ovarian dysfunction during the post-partum period. Delayed start of cyclicity was the most prevalent abnormal P4 profile, 25% and 28% on farms H and L, respectively. Prolonged luteal activity accounted for one-third of atypical ovarian patterns on farm H, and cessation of luteal activity on farm L. On farm L, DC cows had lower BCS values from day 10 to day 90 after calving compared with normal cows (P<0.01) and cows lost more BCS (1.2 units) during the 40 d after calving than normal resumption cows (0.75 units; P<0.05). On farm H with moderate NEB the delayed start of ovulation post partum did not impair subsequent reproductive performance.

Band excitation method applicable to scanning probe microscopy

DOEpatents

Jesse, Stephen; Kalinin, Sergei V.

2015-08-04

Scanning probe microscopy may include a method for generating a band excitation (BE) signal and simultaneously exciting a probe at a plurality of frequencies within a predetermined frequency band based on the excitation signal. A response of the probe is measured across a subset of frequencies of the predetermined frequency band and the excitation signal is adjusted based on the measured response.

Band excitation method applicable to scanning probe microscopy

DOEpatents

Jesse, Stephen; Kalinin, Sergei V.

2017-01-03

Scanning probe microscopy may include a method for generating a band excitation (BE) signal and simultaneously exciting a probe at a plurality of frequencies within a predetermined frequency band based on the excitation signal. A response of the probe is measured across a subset of frequencies of the predetermined frequency band and the excitation signal is adjusted based on the measured response.

Spectral transformation of ASTER and Landsat TM bands for lithological mapping of Soghan ophiolite complex, south Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pournamdari, Mohsen; Hashim, Mazlan; Pour, Amin Beiranvand

2014-08-01

Spectral transformation methods, including correlation coefficient (CC) and Optimum Index Factor (OIF), band ratio (BR) and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to ASTER and Landsat TM bands for lithological mapping of Soghan ophiolitic complex in south of Iran. The results indicated that the methods used evidently showed superior outputs for detecting lithological units in ophiolitic complexes. CC and OIF methods were used to establish enhanced Red-Green-Blue (RGB) color combination bands for discriminating lithological units. A specialized band ratio (4/1, 4/5, 4/7 in RGB) was developed using ASTER bands to differentiate lithological units in ophiolitic complexes. The band ratio effectively detected serpentinite dunite as host rock of chromite ore deposits from surrounding lithological units in the study area. Principal component images derived from first three bands of ASTER and Landsat TM produced well results for lithological mapping applications. ASTER bands contain improved spectral characteristics and higher spatial resolution for detecting serpentinite dunite in ophiolitic complexes. The developed approach used in this study offers great potential for lithological mapping using ASTER and Landsat TM bands, which contributes in economic geology for prospecting chromite ore deposits associated with ophiolitic complexes.

Dendrometer bands made easy: using modified cable ties to measure incremental growth of trees

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anemaet, Evelyn R.; Middleton, Beth A.

2013-01-01

Dendrometer bands are a useful way to make sequential repeated measurements of tree growth, but traditional dendrometer bands can be expensive, time consuming, and difficult to construct in the field. An alternative to the traditional method of band construction is to adapt commercially available materials. This paper describes how to construct and install dendrometer bands using smooth-edged, stainless steel, cable tie banding and attachable rollerball heads. As a performance comparison, both traditional and cable tie dendrometer bands were installed on baldcypress trees at the National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, by both an experienced and a novice worker. Band installation times were recorded, and growth of the trees as estimated by the two band types was measured after approximately one year, demonstrating equivalence of the two methods. This efficient approach to dendrometer band construction can help advance the knowledge of long-term tree growth in ecological studies.

Comparison of sEMG processing methods during whole-body vibration exercise.

PubMed

Lienhard, Karin; Cabasson, Aline; Meste, Olivier; Colson, Serge S

2015-12-01

The objective was to investigate the influence of surface electromyography (sEMG) processing methods on the quantification of muscle activity during whole-body vibration (WBV) exercises. sEMG activity was recorded while the participants performed squats on the platform with and without WBV. The spikes observed in the sEMG spectrum at the vibration frequency and its harmonics were deleted using state-of-the-art methods, i.e. (1) a band-stop filter, (2) a band-pass filter, and (3) spectral linear interpolation. The same filtering methods were applied on the sEMG during the no-vibration trial. The linear interpolation method showed the highest intraclass correlation coefficients (no vibration: 0.999, WBV: 0.757-0.979) with the comparison measure (unfiltered sEMG during the no-vibration trial), followed by the band-stop filter (no vibration: 0.929-0.975, WBV: 0.661-0.938). While both methods introduced a systematic bias (P < 0.001), the error increased with increasing mean values to a higher degree for the band-stop filter. After adjusting the sEMG(RMS) during WBV for the bias, the performance of the interpolation method and the band-stop filter was comparable. The band-pass filter was in poor agreement with the other methods (ICC: 0.207-0.697), unless the sEMG(RMS) was corrected for the bias (ICC ⩾ 0.931, %LOA ⩽ 32.3). In conclusion, spectral linear interpolation or a band-stop filter centered at the vibration frequency and its multiple harmonics should be applied to delete the artifacts in the sEMG signals during WBV. With the use of a band-stop filter it is recommended to correct the sEMG(RMS) for the bias as this procedure improved its performance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A probabilistic union model with automatic order selection for noisy speech recognition.

PubMed

Jancovic, P; Ming, J

2001-09-01

A critical issue in exploiting the potential of the sub-band-based approach to robust speech recognition is the method of combining the sub-band observations, for selecting the bands unaffected by noise. A new method for this purpose, i.e., the probabilistic union model, was recently introduced. This model has been shown to be capable of dealing with band-limited corruption, requiring no knowledge about the band position and statistical distribution of the noise. A parameter within the model, which we call its order, gives the best results when it equals the number of noisy bands. Since this information may not be available in practice, in this paper we introduce an automatic algorithm for selecting the order, based on the state duration pattern generated by the hidden Markov model (HMM). The algorithm has been tested on the TIDIGITS database corrupted by various types of additive band-limited noise with unknown noisy bands. The results have shown that the union model equipped with the new algorithm can achieve a recognition performance similar to that achieved when the number of noisy bands is known. The results show a very significant improvement over the traditional full-band model, without requiring prior information on either the position or the number of noisy bands. The principle of the algorithm for selecting the order based on state duration may also be applied to other sub-band combination methods.

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band (LAGB) Migration - Endoscopic Treatment Modalities.

PubMed

Klimczak, Tomasz; Szewczyk, Tomasz; Janczak, Przemysław; Jurałowicz, Piotr

2016-12-01

Laparoscopic adjustible gastric binding (LAGB) is one of most common surgical methods of treating obesity. Gastric band migration (erosion) is a typical LAGB complication, with a frequency of about 1-4%. The aim of the study was to present the possibilities of endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of this complication. The study was carried out in the Department of Gastroenterological, Oncological and General Surgery in Łódź. Between 2008 and 2015, 450 gastric bands were implanted using the laparoscopic technique in 318 (71%) women and 132 (29%) men. In this period 7 cases of band migration were diagnosed - 3 cases in men (2.3%) and 4 cases in women (1.3%), what presents 1.56% of general number of complications. Five out of 7 eroded bands were qualified for endoscopic removal. Four out of 5 qualified eroded bands were removed using the gastric band cutting technique. In one case we used the musculo-mucosal incision technique. In order to diagnose early perforations all patients underwent control passage examinations with oral contrast (gastrografin) 3-6 hours after the procedure. All 5 out of 5 qualified eroded gastric bands were successfully removed with the endoscopic method, which gives 100% success rate in own material. Two endoscopic methods were used: 1) endoscopic gastric band cutting, 2) endoscopic musculo-mucosal incision. Endoscopy gives a possibility of instant diagnosis of gastric band migration and early minimally invasive treatment. One of our endoscopic methods of removing the bands by making several incisions of the musculo-mucosal plicae has not yet been described in professional medical literature.

The narrow pass band filter of tunable 1D phononic crystals with a dielectric elastomer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Liang-Yu; Wu, Mei-Ling; Chen, Lien-Wen

2009-01-01

In this paper, we study the defect bands of a 1D phononic crystal consisting of aluminum (Al) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) layers with a dielectric elastomer (DE) defect layer. The plane wave expansion (PWE) method and supercell calculation are used to calculate the band structure and the defect bands. The transmission spectra are obtained using the finite element method (FEM). Since the thickness of the dielectric elastomer defect layer is controlled by applying an electric voltage, the frequencies of the defect bands can be tuned. A narrow pass band filter can be developed and designed by using the dielectric elastomer.

A novel endoscopic fluorescent band ligation method for tumor localization.

PubMed

Hyun, Jong Hee; Kim, Seok-Ki; Kim, Kwang Gi; Kim, Hong Rae; Lee, Hyun Min; Park, Sunup; Kim, Sung Chun; Choi, Yongdoo; Sohn, Dae Kyung

2016-10-01

Accurate tumor localization is essential for minimally invasive surgery. This study describes the development of a novel endoscopic fluorescent band ligation method for the rapid and accurate identification of tumor sites during surgery. The method utilized a fluorescent rubber band, made of indocyanine green (ICG) and a liquid rubber solution mixture, as well as a near-infrared fluorescence laparoscopic system with a dual light source using a high-powered light-emitting diode (LED) and a 785-nm laser diode. The fluorescent rubber bands were endoscopically placed on the mucosae of porcine stomachs and colons. During subsequent conventional laparoscopic stomach and colon surgery, the fluorescent bands were assayed using the near-infrared fluorescence laparoscopy system. The locations of the fluorescent clips were clearly identified on the fluorescence images in real time. The system was able to distinguish the two or three bands marked on the mucosal surfaces of the stomach and colon. Resection margins around the fluorescent bands were sufficient in the resected specimens obtained during stomach and colon surgery. These novel endoscopic fluorescent bands could be rapidly and accurately localized during stomach and colon surgery. Use of these bands may make possible the excision of exact target sites during minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery.

Fast algorithm for spectral mixture analysis of imaging spectrometer data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schouten, Theo E.; Klein Gebbinck, Maurice S.; Liu, Z. K.; Chen, Shaowei

1996-12-01

Imaging spectrometers acquire images in many narrow spectral bands but have limited spatial resolution. Spectral mixture analysis (SMA) is used to determine the fractions of the ground cover categories (the end-members) present in each pixel. In this paper a new iterative SMA method is presented and tested using a 30 band MAIS image. The time needed for each iteration is independent of the number of bands, thus the method can be used for spectrometers with a large number of bands. Further a new method, based on K-means clustering, for obtaining endmembers from image data is described and compared with existing methods. Using the developed methods the available MAIS image was analyzed using 2 to 6 endmembers.

An investigation of the decontamination of Siqveland matrix bands.

PubMed

Whitworth, C L; Davies, K; Palmer, N O A; Martin, M V

2007-02-24

This study investigated blood contamination of artificially and clinically contaminated Siqveland matrix bands and retainers. A modified version of the recognised Kastle-Meyer test for blood was used to compare the efficacy of enzymatic agents, a washer-disinfector and an instrument washer for pre-sterilisation cleaning of Siqveland matrix bands and retainers. Assembled Siqveland matrix bands were contaminated either artificially with horse blood or clinically during dental treatment. Contaminated assembled matrix bands and retainers were subjected to immersion in an enzymatic agent, automated processing in a washer-disinfector or instrument washer, or a combination of pre-soaking and automatic cleaning. Residual blood contamination from each band and retainer was measured and compared to the volume of blood recovered from an unprocessed control group of contaminated assembled matrix bands or retainers. Residual blood was recovered from every clinically contaminated assembled Siqveland matrix band and retainer. The volume of blood recovered from assembled Siqveland matrix bands ranged from 0.13-7.1 microl and from retainers, following removal of the matrix band, from 0.001-1.523 microl. The most effective method of pre-sterilisation cleaning for artificially contaminated assembled matrix bands was processing in the washer-disinfector. Conversely, the most effective method for cleaning clinically contaminated assembled matrix bands and retainers was pre-soaking in an enzymatic agent followed by a heavy-duty cycle in an instrument washer. It is not possible to clean assembled Siqveland matrix bands using any method currently available to dental practitioners. Matrix bands should be discarded after use on one patient. Once the band is removed, all detectable blood can be removed from the retainer by pre-soaking in an enzymatic detergent followed by processing in an instrument washer.

Heterostructures with diffused interfaces: Luminescent technique for ascertainment of band alignment type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramkin, D. S.; Gutakovskii, A. K.; Shamirzaev, T. S.

2018-03-01

The experimental ascertainment of band alignment type for semiconductor heterostructures with diffused interfaces is discussed. A method based on the analysis of the spectral shift of photoluminescence (PL) band with excitation density (Pex) that takes into account state filling and band bending effects on the PL band shift is developed. It is shown that the shift of PL band maximum position is proportional to ℏωmax ˜ (Ue + Uh).ln(Pex) + b.Pex1/3, where Ue (Uh) are electron (hole) Urbach energy tail, and parameter b characterizes the effect of band bending or is equal to zero for heterostructures with type-II or type-I band alignment, respectively. The method was approved with InAs/AlAs, GaAs/AlAs, GaSb/AlAs, and AlSb/AlAs heterostructures containing quantum wells.

Resolution of the Band Gap Prediction Problem for Materials Design

DOE PAGES

Crowley, Jason M.; Tahir-Kheli, Jamil; Goddard, William A.

2016-03-04

An important property with any new material is the band gap. Standard density functional theory methods grossly underestimate band gaps. This is known as the band gap problem. Here in this paper, we show that the hybrid B3PW91 density functional returns band gaps with a mean absolute deviation (MAD) from experiment of 0.22 eV over 64 insulators with gaps spanning a factor of 500 from 0.014 to 7 eV. The MAD is 0.28 eV over 70 compounds with gaps up to 14.2 eV, with a mean error of -0.03 eV. To benchmark the quality of the hybrid method, we comparedmore » the hybrid method to the rigorous GW many-body perturbation theory method. Surprisingly, the MAD for B3PW91 is about 1.5 times smaller than the MAD for GW. Furthermore, B3PW91 is 3-4 orders of magnitude faster computationally. Hence, B3PW91 is a practical tool for predicting band gaps of materials before they are synthesized and represents a solution to the band gap prediction problem.« less

Method of manufacturing flexible metallic photonic band gap structures, and structures resulting therefrom

DOEpatents

Gupta, Sandhya; Tuttle, Gary L.; Sigalas, Mihail; McCalmont, Jonathan S.; Ho, Kai-Ming

2001-08-14

A method of manufacturing a flexible metallic photonic band gap structure operable in the infrared region, comprises the steps of spinning on a first layer of dielectric on a GaAs substrate, imidizing this first layer of dielectric, forming a first metal pattern on this first layer of dielectric, spinning on and imidizing a second layer of dielectric, and then removing the GaAs substrate. This method results in a flexible metallic photonic band gap structure operable with various filter characteristics in the infrared region. This method may be used to construct multi-layer flexible metallic photonic band gap structures. Metal grid defects and dielectric separation layer thicknesses are adjusted to control filter parameters.

Spatial Mutual Information Based Hyperspectral Band Selection for Classification

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The amount of information involved in hyperspectral imaging is large. Hyperspectral band selection is a popular method for reducing dimensionality. Several information based measures such as mutual information have been proposed to reduce information redundancy among spectral bands. Unfortunately, mutual information does not take into account the spatial dependency between adjacent pixels in images thus reducing its robustness as a similarity measure. In this paper, we propose a new band selection method based on spatial mutual information. As validation criteria, a supervised classification method using support vector machine (SVM) is used. Experimental results of the classification of hyperspectral datasets show that the proposed method can achieve more accurate results. PMID:25918742

Finite element method analysis of band gap and transmission of two-dimensional metallic photonic crystals at terahertz frequencies.

PubMed

Degirmenci, Elif; Landais, Pascal

2013-10-20

Photonic band gap and transmission characteristics of 2D metallic photonic crystals at THz frequencies have been investigated using finite element method (FEM). Photonic crystals composed of metallic rods in air, in square and triangular lattice arrangements, are considered for transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations. The modes and band gap characteristics of metallic photonic crystal structure are investigated by solving the eigenvalue problem over a unit cell of the lattice using periodic boundary conditions. A photonic band gap diagram of dielectric photonic crystal in square lattice array is also considered and compared with well-known plane wave expansion results verifying our FEM approach. The photonic band gap designs for both dielectric and metallic photonic crystals are consistent with previous studies obtained by different methods. Perfect match is obtained between photonic band gap diagrams and transmission spectra of corresponding lattice structure.

Biomechanical evaluation of three different fixation methods of the Chevron osteotomy of the olecranon: an analysis with Roentgen Stereophotogrammatic Analysis.

PubMed

Wagener, Marc L; Driesprong, Marco; Heesterbeek, Petra J C; Verdonschot, Nico; Eygendaal, Denise

2013-08-01

In this study three different methods for fixating the Chevron osteotomy of the olecranon are evaluated. Transcortical fixed Kirschner wires with a tension band, a large cancellous screw with a tension band, and a large cancellous screw alone are compared using Roentgen Stereophotogrammatic Analysis (RSA). The different fixation methods were tested in 17 cadaver specimens by applying increasing repetitive force to the triceps tendon. Forces applied were 200N, 350N, and 500N. Translation and rotation of the osteotomy were recorded using Roentgen Stereophotogrammatic Analysis. Both the fixations with a cancellous screw with tension band and with bi-cortical placed Kirschner wires with a tension band provide enough stability to withstand the forces of normal daily use. Since fixation with a cancellous screw with tension band is a fast and easy method and is related to minimal soft tissue damage this method can preferably be used for fixation of a Chevron osteotomy of the olecranon. © 2013.

RefMoB, a Reflectivity Feature Model-Based Automated Method for Measuring Four Outer Retinal Hyperreflective Bands in Optical Coherence Tomography

PubMed Central

Ross, Douglas H.; Clark, Mark E.; Godara, Pooja; Huisingh, Carrie; McGwin, Gerald; Owsley, Cynthia; Litts, Katie M.; Spaide, Richard F.; Sloan, Kenneth R.; Curcio, Christine A.

2015-01-01

Purpose. To validate a model-driven method (RefMoB) of automatically describing the four outer retinal hyperreflective bands revealed by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT), for comparison with histology of normal macula; to report thickness and position of bands, particularly band 2 (ellipsoid zone [EZ], commonly called IS/OS). Methods. Foveal and superior perifoveal scans of seven SDOCT volumes of five individuals aged 28 to 69 years with healthy maculas were used (seven eyes for validation, five eyes for measurement). RefMoB determines band thickness and position by a multistage procedure that models reflectivities as a summation of Gaussians. Band thickness and positions were compared with those obtained by manual evaluators for the same scans, and compared with an independent published histological dataset. Results. Agreement among manual evaluators was moderate. Relative to manual evaluation, RefMoB reported reduced thickness and vertical shifts in band positions in a band-specific manner for both simulated and empirical data. In foveal and perifoveal scans, band 1 was thick relative to the anatomical external limiting membrane, band 2 aligned with the outer one-third of the anatomical IS ellipsoid, and band 3 (IZ, interdigitation of retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors) was cleanly delineated. Conclusions. RefMoB is suitable for automatic description of the location and thickness of the four outer retinal hyperreflective bands. Initial results suggest that band 2 aligns with the outer ellipsoid, thus supporting its recent designation as EZ. Automated and objective delineation of band 3 will help investigations of structural biomarkers of dark-adaptation changes in aging. PMID:26132776

Multi-band transmission color filters for multi-color white LEDs based visible light communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qixia; Zhu, Zhendong; Gu, Huarong; Chen, Mengzhu; Tan, Qiaofeng

2017-11-01

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based visible light communication (VLC) can provide license-free bands, high data rates, and high security levels, which is a promising technique that will be extensively applied in future. Multi-band transmission color filters with enough peak transmittance and suitable bandwidth play a pivotal role for boosting signal-noise-ratio in VLC systems. In this paper, multi-band transmission color filters with bandwidth of dozens nanometers are designed by a simple analytical method. Experiment results of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) tri-band color filters demonstrate the effectiveness of the multi-band transmission color filters and the corresponding analytical method.

All-dielectric metamaterial frequency selective surface based on spatial arrangement ceramic resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Liyang; Wang, Jun; Feng, Mingde; Ma, Hua; Wang, Jiafu; Du, Hongliang; Qu, Shaobo

In this paper, we demonstrate a method of designing all-dielectric metamaterial frequency selective surface (FSS) with ceramic resonators in spatial arrangement. Compared with the traditional way, spatial arrangement provides a flexible way to handle the permutation and combination of different ceramic resonators. With this method, the resonance response can be adjusted easily to achieve pass/stop band effects. As an example, a stop band spatial arrangement all-dielectric metamaterial FSS is designed. Its working band is in 11.65-12.23GHz. By adjusting permittivity and geometrical parameters of ceramic resonators, we can easily modulate the resonances, band pass or band stop characteristic, as well as the working band.

Passive Fetal Heart Monitoring System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuckerwar, Allan J. (Inventor); Mowrey, Dennis L. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A fetal heart monitoring system and method for detecting and processing acoustic fetal heart signals transmitted by different signal transmission modes. One signal transmission mode, the direct contact mode, occurs in a first frequency band when the fetus is in direct contact with the maternal abdominal wall. Another signal transmission mode, the fluid propagation mode, occurs in a second frequency band when the fetus is in a recessed position with no direct contact with the maternal abdominal wall. The second frequency band is relatively higher than the first frequency band. The fetal heart monitoring system and method detect and process acoustic fetal heart signals that are in the first frequency band and in the second frequency band.

ISM band to U-NII band frequency transverter and method of frequency transversion

DOEpatents

Stepp, Jeffrey David [Grandview, MO; Hensley, Dale [Grandview, MO

2006-04-04

A frequency transverter (10) and method for enabling bi-frequency dual-directional transfer of digitally encoded data on an RF carrier by translating between a crowded or otherwise undesirable first frequency band, such as the 2.4 GHz ISM band, and a less-crowded or otherwise desirable second frequency band, such as the 5.0 GHz-6.0 GHz U-NII band. In a preferred embodiment, the transverter (10) connects between an existing data radio (11) and its existing antenna (30), and comprises a bandswitch (12); an input RF isolating device (14); a transmuter (16); a converter (18); a dual output local oscillator (20); an output RF isolating device (22); and an antenna (24) tuned to the second frequency band. The bandswitch (12) allows for bypassing the transverter (10), thereby facilitating its use with legacy systems. The transmuter (14) and converter (16) are adapted to convert to and from, respectively, the second frequency band.

ISM band to U-NII band frequency transverter and method of frequency transversion

DOEpatents

Stepp, Jeffrey David [Grandview, MO; Hensley, Dale [Grandview, MO

2006-09-12

A frequency transverter (10) and method for enabling bi-frequency dual-directional transfer of digitally encoded data on an RF carrier by translating between a crowded or otherwise undesirable first frequency band, such as the 2.4 GHz ISM band, and a less-crowded or otherwise desirable second frequency band, such as the 5.0 GHz 6.0 GHz U-NII band. In a preferred embodiment, the transverter (10) connects between an existing data radio (11) and its existing antenna (30), and comprises a bandswitch (12); an input RF isolating device (14); a transmuter (16); a converter (18); a dual output local oscillator (20); an output RF isolating device (22); and an antenna (24) tuned to the second frequency band. The bandswitch (12) allows for bypassing the transverter (10), thereby facilitating its use with legacy systems. The transmuter (14) and converter (16) are adapted to convert to and from, respectively, the second frequency band.

Wavelet filter analysis of local atmospheric pressure effects in the long-period tidal bands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, X.-G.; Liu, L. T.; Ducarme, B.; Hsu, H. T.; Sun, H.-P.

2006-11-01

It is well known that local atmospheric pressure variations obviously affect the observation of short-period Earth tides, such as diurnal tides, semi-diurnal tides and ter-diurnal tides, but local atmospheric pressure effects on the long-period Earth tides have not been studied in detail. This is because the local atmospheric pressure is believed not to be sufficient for an effective pressure correction in long-period tidal bands, and there are no efficient methods to investigate local atmospheric effects in these bands. The usual tidal analysis software package, such as ETERNA, Baytap-G and VAV, cannot provide detailed pressure admittances for long-period tidal bands. We propose a wavelet method to investigate local atmospheric effects on gravity variations in long-period tidal bands. This method constructs efficient orthogonal filter bank with Daubechies wavelets of high vanishing moments. The main advantage of the wavelet filter bank is that it has excellent low frequency response and efficiently suppresses instrumental drift of superconducting gravimeters (SGs) without using any mathematical model. Applying the wavelet method to the 13-year continuous gravity observations from SG T003 in Brussels, Belgium, we filtered 12 long-period tidal groups into eight narrow frequency bands. Wavelet method demonstrates that local atmospheric pressure fluctuations are highly correlated with the noise of SG measurements in the period band 4-40 days with correlation coefficients higher than 0.95 and local atmospheric pressure variations are the main error source for the determination of the tidal parameters in these bands. We show the significant improvement of long-period tidal parameters provided by wavelet method in term of precision.

Discovering Optimum Method to Extract Depth Information for Nearshore Coastal Waters from SENTINEL-2A - Case Study: Nayband Bay, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabiri, K.

2017-09-01

The capabilities of Sentinel-2A imagery to determine bathymetric information in shallow coastal waters were examined. In this regard, two Sentinel-2A images (acquired on February and March 2016 in calm weather and relatively low turbidity) were selected from Nayband Bay, located in the northern Persian Gulf. In addition, a precise and accurate bathymetric map for the study area were obtained and used for both calibrating the models and validating the results. Traditional linear and ratio transform techniques, as well as a novel integrated method, were employed to determine depth values. All possible combinations of the three bands (Band 2: blue (458-523 nm), Band 3: green (543-578 nm), and Band 4: red (650-680 nm), spatial resolution: 10 m) have been considered (11 options) using the traditional linear and ratio transform techniques, together with 10 model options for the integrated method. The accuracy of each model was assessed by comparing the determined bathymetric information with field measured values. The correlation coefficients (R2), and root mean square errors (RMSE) for validation points were calculated for all models and for two satellite images. When compared with the linear transform method, the method employing ratio transformation with a combination of all three bands yielded more accurate results (R2Mac = 0.795, R2Feb = 0.777, RMSEMac = 1.889 m, and RMSEFeb =2.039 m). Although most of the integrated transform methods (specifically the method including all bands and band ratios) have yielded the highest accuracy, these increments were not significant, hence the ratio transformation has selected as optimum method.

Numerical simulation of systems of shear bands in ductile metal with inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plohr, Jeeyeon

2017-06-01

We develop a method for numerical simulations of high strain-rate loading of mesoscale samples of ductile metal with inclusions. Because of its small-scale inhomogeneity, the composite material is prone to localized shear deformation. This method employs the Generalized Method of Cells to ensure that the micro mechanical behavior of the metal and inclusions is reflected properly in the behavior of the composite at the mesoscale. To find the effective plastic strain rate when shear bands are present, we extend and apply the analytic and numerical analysis of shear bands of Glimm, Plohr, and Sharp. Our tests of the method focus on the stress/strain response in uniaxial-strain flow, both compressive and tensile, of depleted uranium metal containing silicon carbide inclusions. In results, we verify the elevated temperature and thermal softening at shear bands in our simulations of pure DU and DU/SiC composites. We also note that in composites, due the asymmetry caused by the inclusions, shear band form at different times in different subcells. In particular, in the subcells near inclusions, shear band form much earlier than they do in pure DU.

Description of alternating-parity bands within the dinuclear-system model

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

Shneidman, T. M.; Adamian, G. G., E-mail: adamian@theor.jinr.ru; Antonenko, N. V.

2016-11-15

A cluster approach is used to describe ground-state-based alternating-parity bands in even–even nuclei and to study the band-termination mechanism. A method is proposed for testing the cluster nature of alternating-parity bands.

A comparison of change detection methods using multispectral scanner data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Seevers, Paul M.; Jones, Brenda K.; Qiu, Zhicheng; Liu, Yutong

1994-01-01

Change detection methods were investigated as a cooperative activity between the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, People's Republic of China. Subtraction of band 2, band 3, normalized difference vegetation index, and tasseled cap bands 1 and 2 data from two multispectral scanner images were tested using two sites in the United States and one in the People's Republic of China. A new statistical method also was tested. Band 2 subtraction gives the best results for detecting change from vegetative cover to urban development. The statistical method identifies areas that have changed and uses a fast classification algorithm to classify the original data of the changed areas by land cover type present for each image date.

[Mahalanobis distance based hyperspectral characteristic discrimination of leaves of different desert tree species].

PubMed

Lin, Hai-jun; Zhang, Hui-fang; Gao, Ya-qi; Li, Xia; Yang, Fan; Zhou, Yan-fei

2014-12-01

The hyperspectral reflectance of Populus euphratica, Tamarix hispida, Haloxylon ammodendron and Calligonum mongolicum in the lower reaches of Tarim River and Turpan Desert Botanical Garden was measured by using the HR-768 field-portable spectroradiometer. The method of continuum removal, first derivative reflectance and second derivative reflectance were used to deal with the original spectral data of four tree species. The method of Mahalanobis Distance was used to select the bands with significant differences in the original spectral data and transform spectral data to identify the different tree species. The progressive discrimination analyses were used to test the selective bands used to identify different tree species. The results showed that The Mahalanobis Distance method was an effective method in feature band extraction. The bands for identifying different tree species were most near-infrared bands. The recognition accuracy of four methods was 85%, 93.8%, 92.4% and 95.5% respectively. Spectrum transform could improve the recognition accuracy. The recognition accuracy of different research objects and different spectrum transform methods were different. The research provided evidence for desert tree species classification, monitoring biodiversity and the analysis of area in desert by using large scale remote sensing method.

Research on low-frequency band gap property of a hybrid phononic crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Yake; Yao, Hong; Du, Jun; Zhao, Jingbo; Chao, Ding; Wang, Benchi

2018-05-01

A hybrid phononic crystal has been investigated. The characteristic frequency of XY mode, transmission loss and displacement vector have been calculated by the finite element method. There are Bragg scattering band gap and local resonance band gap in the band structures. We studied the influence factors of band gap. There are many flat bands in the eigenfrequencies curve. There are many flat bands in the curve. The band gap covers a large range in low frequency. The band gaps cover more than 95% below 3000 Hz.

Comparison of band model calculations of upper atmospheric cooling rates for the 15-micrometer carbon dioxide band

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boughner, R. E.

1985-01-01

Within the atmosphere of the earth, absorption and emission of thermal radiation by the 15-micron CO2 bands are the largest contributors to infrared cooling rates in the stratosphere. Various techniques for calculating cooling rates due to these bands have been described. These techniques can be classified into one of two categories, including 'exact' or line-by-line calculations and other methods. The latter methods are based on broad band emissivity and band absorptance formulations. The present paper has the objective to present comparisons of the considered computational approaches. It was found that the best agreement with the exact line-by-line calculations of Fels and Schwarzkopf (1981) could be obtained by making use of a new Doppler band model which is described in the appendix of the paper.

MANUFACTURING METHODS FOR PHASE SHIFTERS.

DTIC Science & Technology

MANUFACTURING), (*PHASE SHIFT CIRCUITS, FERRITES, GARNET , DIGITAL SYSTEMS, X BAND, C BAND, S BAND, RADAR EQUIPMENT, MAGNETIC MATERIALS, YTTRIUM COMPOUNDS, GADOLINIUM COMPOUNDS, ALUMINUM COMPOUNDS, IRON COMPOUNDS, OXIDES.

Adaptive sparsest narrow-band decomposition method and its applications to rolling element bearing fault diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Junsheng; Peng, Yanfeng; Yang, Yu; Wu, Zhantao

2017-02-01

Enlightened by ASTFA method, adaptive sparsest narrow-band decomposition (ASNBD) method is proposed in this paper. In ASNBD method, an optimized filter must be established at first. The parameters of the filter are determined by solving a nonlinear optimization problem. A regulated differential operator is used as the objective function so that each component is constrained to be a local narrow-band signal. Afterwards, the signal is filtered by the optimized filter to generate an intrinsic narrow-band component (INBC). ASNBD is proposed aiming at solving the problems existed in ASTFA. Gauss-Newton type method, which is applied to solve the optimization problem in ASTFA, is irreplaceable and very sensitive to initial values. However, more appropriate optimization method such as genetic algorithm (GA) can be utilized to solve the optimization problem in ASNBD. Meanwhile, compared with ASTFA, the decomposition results generated by ASNBD have better physical meaning by constraining the components to be local narrow-band signals. Comparisons are made between ASNBD, ASTFA and EMD by analyzing simulation and experimental signals. The results indicate that ASNBD method is superior to the other two methods in generating more accurate components from noise signal, restraining the boundary effect, possessing better orthogonality and diagnosing rolling element bearing fault.

A comparison of the usefulness of canonical analysis, principal components analysis, and band selection for extraction of features from TMS data for landcover analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyd, R. K.; Brumfield, J. O.; Campbell, W. J.

1984-01-01

Three feature extraction methods, canonical analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), and band selection, have been applied to Thematic Mapper Simulator (TMS) data in order to evaluate the relative performance of the methods. The results obtained show that CA is capable of providing a transformation of TMS data which leads to better classification results than provided by all seven bands, by PCA, or by band selection. A second conclusion drawn from the study is that TMS bands 2, 3, 4, and 7 (thermal) are most important for landcover classification.

Virtual screening of a milk peptide database for the identification of food-derived antimicrobial peptides.

PubMed

Liu, Yufang; Eichler, Jutta; Pischetsrieder, Monika

2015-11-01

Milk provides a wide range of bioactive substances, such as antimicrobial peptides and proteins. Our study aimed to identify novel antimicrobial peptides naturally present in milk. The components of an endogenous bovine milk peptide database were virtually screened for charge, amphipathy, and predicted secondary structure. Thus, 23 of 248 screened peptides were identified as candidates for antimicrobial effects. After commercial synthesis, their antimicrobial activities were determined against Escherichia coli NEB5α, E. coli ATCC25922, and Bacillus subtilis ATCC6051. In the tested concentration range (<2 mM), bacteriostatic activity of 14 peptides was detected including nine peptides inhibiting both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The most effective fragment was TKLTEEEKNRLNFLKKISQRYQKFΑLPQYLK corresponding to αS2 -casein151-181 , with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4.0 μM against B. subtilis ATCC6051, and minimum inhibitory concentrations of 16.2 μM against both E. coli strains. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed conformational changes of most active peptides in a membrane-mimic environment, transitioning from an unordered to α-helical structure. Screening of food peptide databases by prediction tools is an efficient method to identify novel antimicrobial food-derived peptides. Milk-derived antimicrobial peptides may have potential use as functional food ingredients and help to understand the molecular mechanisms of anti-infective milk effects. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Voigt deconvolution method and its applications to pure oxygen absorption spectrum at 1270 nm band.

PubMed

Al-Jalali, Muhammad A; Aljghami, Issam F; Mahzia, Yahia M

2016-03-15

Experimental spectral lines of pure oxygen at 1270 nm band were analyzed by Voigt deconvolution method. The method gave a total Voigt profile, which arises from two overlapping bands. Deconvolution of total Voigt profile leads to two Voigt profiles, the first as a result of O2 dimol at 1264 nm band envelope, and the second from O2 monomer at 1268 nm band envelope. In addition, Voigt profile itself is the convolution of Lorentzian and Gaussian distributions. Competition between thermal and collisional effects was clearly observed through competition between Gaussian and Lorentzian width for each band envelope. Voigt full width at half-maximum height (Voigt FWHM) for each line, and the width ratio between Lorentzian and Gaussian width (ΓLΓG(-1)) have been investigated. The following applied pressures were at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 bar, while the temperatures were at 298 K, 323 K, 348 K, and 373 K range. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Improved Pansharpening Method for Misaligned Panchromatic and Multispectral Data

PubMed Central

Jing, Linhai; Tang, Yunwei; Ding, Haifeng

2018-01-01

Numerous pansharpening methods were proposed in recent decades for fusing low-spatial-resolution multispectral (MS) images with high-spatial-resolution (HSR) panchromatic (PAN) bands to produce fused HSR MS images, which are widely used in various remote sensing tasks. The effect of misregistration between MS and PAN bands on quality of fused products has gained much attention in recent years. An improved method for misaligned MS and PAN imagery is proposed, through two improvements made on a previously published method named RMI (reduce misalignment impact). The performance of the proposed method was assessed by comparing with some outstanding fusion methods, such as adaptive Gram-Schmidt and generalized Laplacian pyramid. Experimental results show that the improved version can reduce spectral distortions of fused dark pixels and sharpen boundaries between different image objects, as well as obtain similar quality indexes with the original RMI method. In addition, the proposed method was evaluated with respect to its sensitivity to misalignments between MS and PAN bands. It is certified that the proposed method is more robust to misalignments between MS and PAN bands than the other methods. PMID:29439502

An Improved Pansharpening Method for Misaligned Panchromatic and Multispectral Data.

PubMed

Li, Hui; Jing, Linhai; Tang, Yunwei; Ding, Haifeng

2018-02-11

Numerous pansharpening methods were proposed in recent decades for fusing low-spatial-resolution multispectral (MS) images with high-spatial-resolution (HSR) panchromatic (PAN) bands to produce fused HSR MS images, which are widely used in various remote sensing tasks. The effect of misregistration between MS and PAN bands on quality of fused products has gained much attention in recent years. An improved method for misaligned MS and PAN imagery is proposed, through two improvements made on a previously published method named RMI (reduce misalignment impact). The performance of the proposed method was assessed by comparing with some outstanding fusion methods, such as adaptive Gram-Schmidt and generalized Laplacian pyramid. Experimental results show that the improved version can reduce spectral distortions of fused dark pixels and sharpen boundaries between different image objects, as well as obtain similar quality indexes with the original RMI method. In addition, the proposed method was evaluated with respect to its sensitivity to misalignments between MS and PAN bands. It is certified that the proposed method is more robust to misalignments between MS and PAN bands than the other methods.

31. WEST TO PARTS AND TOOLS LOCATED DIRECTLY OPPOSITE FROM ...

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

31. WEST TO PARTS AND TOOLS LOCATED DIRECTLY OPPOSITE FROM THE BLACKSMITH SHOP AREA IN THE NORTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE FACTORY. ON THE FLOOR AT THE LEFT SIDE IS A MANUAL PIPE THREADER FOR LARGE-DIAMETER PIPE (AS DROP PIPE IN WELLS FOR WATER SYSTEMS). BENEATH THE BENCH ARE UNMACHINED NEW OLD STOCK MAIN CASTINGS FOR ELI WINDMILLS, TOGETHER WITH A USED MAIN SHAFT/WHEEL HUB/CRANK PLATE ASSEMBLY WITH 1920S-1930S OIL RESERVOIR FROM ELI WINDMILL. THE CIRCULAR CASTING WITH CRESCENT-SHAPED PATTERNS IS A PORTION OF THE CAM MECHANISM FROM A 'WESTERN GEARED GEARLESS' WINDMILL MADE BY THE WESTERN LAND ROLLER CO., HASTINGS, NEB. TO THE RIGHT ON THE BENCH IS A GEARED TIRE BENDER USED TO GIVE CURVATURE TO WHEEL RIMS OF ELI WINDMILLS. IN THE BACKGROUND ARE ... - Kregel Windmill Company Factory, 1416 Central Avenue, Nebraska City, Otoe County, NE

Band structures in coupled-cluster singles-and-doubles Green's function (GFCCSD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furukawa, Yoritaka; Kosugi, Taichi; Nishi, Hirofumi; Matsushita, Yu-ichiro

2018-05-01

We demonstrate that the coupled-cluster singles-and-doubles Green's function (GFCCSD) method is a powerful and prominent tool drawing the electronic band structures and the total energies, which many theoretical techniques struggle to reproduce. We have calculated single-electron energy spectra via the GFCCSD method for various kinds of systems, ranging from ionic to covalent and van der Waals, for the first time: the one-dimensional LiH chain, one-dimensional C chain, and one-dimensional Be chain. We have found that the bandgap becomes narrower than in HF due to the correlation effect. We also show that the band structures obtained from the GFCCSD method include both quasiparticle and satellite peaks successfully. Besides, taking one-dimensional LiH as an example, we discuss the validity of restricting the active space to suppress the computational cost of the GFCCSD method. We show that the calculated results without bands that do not contribute to the chemical bonds are in good agreement with full-band calculations. With the GFCCSD method, we can calculate the total energies and spectral functions for periodic systems in an explicitly correlated manner.

An improved discriminative filter bank selection approach for motor imagery EEG signal classification using mutual information.

PubMed

Kumar, Shiu; Sharma, Alok; Tsunoda, Tatsuhiko

2017-12-28

Common spatial pattern (CSP) has been an effective technique for feature extraction in electroencephalography (EEG) based brain computer interfaces (BCIs). However, motor imagery EEG signal feature extraction using CSP generally depends on the selection of the frequency bands to a great extent. In this study, we propose a mutual information based frequency band selection approach. The idea of the proposed method is to utilize the information from all the available channels for effectively selecting the most discriminative filter banks. CSP features are extracted from multiple overlapping sub-bands. An additional sub-band has been introduced that cover the wide frequency band (7-30 Hz) and two different types of features are extracted using CSP and common spatio-spectral pattern techniques, respectively. Mutual information is then computed from the extracted features of each of these bands and the top filter banks are selected for further processing. Linear discriminant analysis is applied to the features extracted from each of the filter banks. The scores are fused together, and classification is done using support vector machine. The proposed method is evaluated using BCI Competition III dataset IVa, BCI Competition IV dataset I and BCI Competition IV dataset IIb, and it outperformed all other competing methods achieving the lowest misclassification rate and the highest kappa coefficient on all three datasets. Introducing a wide sub-band and using mutual information for selecting the most discriminative sub-bands, the proposed method shows improvement in motor imagery EEG signal classification.

Methodology for processing pressure traces used as inputs for combustion analyses in diesel engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rašić, Davor; Vihar, Rok; Žvar Baškovič, Urban; Katrašnik, Tomaž

2017-05-01

This study proposes a novel methodology for designing an optimum equiripple finite impulse response (FIR) filter for processing in-cylinder pressure traces of a diesel internal combustion engine, which serve as inputs for high-precision combustion analyses. The proposed automated workflow is based on an innovative approach of determining the transition band frequencies and optimum filter order. The methodology is based on discrete Fourier transform analysis, which is the first step to estimate the location of the pass-band and stop-band frequencies. The second step uses short-time Fourier transform analysis to refine the estimated aforementioned frequencies. These pass-band and stop-band frequencies are further used to determine the most appropriate FIR filter order. The most widely used existing methods for estimating the FIR filter order are not effective in suppressing the oscillations in the rate- of-heat-release (ROHR) trace, thus hindering the accuracy of combustion analyses. To address this problem, an innovative method for determining the order of an FIR filter is proposed in this study. This method is based on the minimization of the integral of normalized signal-to-noise differences between the stop-band frequency and the Nyquist frequency. Developed filters were validated using spectral analysis and calculation of the ROHR. The validation results showed that the filters designed using the proposed innovative method were superior compared with those using the existing methods for all analyzed cases. Highlights • Pressure traces of a diesel engine were processed by finite impulse response (FIR) filters with different orders • Transition band frequencies were determined with an innovative method based on discrete Fourier transform and short-time Fourier transform • Spectral analyses showed deficiencies of existing methods in determining the FIR filter order • A new method of determining the FIR filter order for processing pressure traces was proposed • The efficiency of the new method was demonstrated by spectral analyses and calculations of rate-of-heat-release traces

A Multispectral Image Creating Method for a New Airborne Four-Camera System with Different Bandpass Filters

PubMed Central

Li, Hanlun; Zhang, Aiwu; Hu, Shaoxing

2015-01-01

This paper describes an airborne high resolution four-camera multispectral system which mainly consists of four identical monochrome cameras equipped with four interchangeable bandpass filters. For this multispectral system, an automatic multispectral data composing method was proposed. The homography registration model was chosen, and the scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) and random sample consensus (RANSAC) were used to generate matching points. For the difficult registration problem between visible band images and near-infrared band images in cases lacking manmade objects, we presented an effective method based on the structural characteristics of the system. Experiments show that our method can acquire high quality multispectral images and the band-to-band alignment error of the composed multiple spectral images is less than 2.5 pixels. PMID:26205264

A simple method for the detection of PM2.5 air pollutions using MODIS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Yoshinobu

2016-05-01

In recent years, PM2.5 air pollution is a social and transboundary environmental issue with the rapid economic growth in many countries. As PM2.5 is small and includes various ingredients, the detection of PM2.5 air pollutions by using satellite data is difficult compared with the detection of dust and sandstorms. In this paper, we examine various images (i.e., single-band images, band-difference images, RGB composite color images) to find a good method for detecting PM2.5 air pollutions by using MODIS data. A good method for the detection of PM2.5 air pollution is {R, G, B = band10, band9, T11}, where T11 is the brightness temperature of band31. In this composite color image, PM2.5 air pollutions are represented by light purple or pink color. This proposed method is simpler than the method by Nagatani et al. (2013), and is useful to grasp the distribution of PM2.5 air pollutions in the wide area (e.g., from China and India to Japan). By comparing AVI image with the image by proposed method, DSS and PM2.5 air pollutions can be classified.

Analysis of resonance response performance of C-band antenna using parasitic element.

PubMed

Zaman, M R; Islam, M T; Misran, N; Mandeep, J S

2014-01-01

Analysis of the resonance response improvement of a planar C-band (4-8 GHz) antenna is proposed using parasitic element method. This parasitic element based method is validated for change in the active and parasitic antenna elements. A novel dual-band antenna for C-band application covering 5.7 GHz and 7.6 GHz is designed and fabricated. The antenna is composed of circular parasitic element with unequal microstrip lines at both sides and a rectangular partial ground plane. A fractional bandwidth of 13.5% has been achieved from 5.5 GHz to 6.3 GHz (WLAN band) for the lower band. The upper band covers from 7.1 GHz to 8 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 12%. A gain of 6.4 dBi is achieved at the lower frequency and 4 dBi is achieved at the upper frequency. The VSWR of the antenna is less than 2 at the resonance frequency.

Analysis and machine mapping of the distribution of band recoveries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cowardin, L.M.

1977-01-01

A method of calculating distance and bearing from banding site to recovery location based on the solution of a spherical triangle is presented. X and Y distances on an ordinate grid were applied to computer plotting of recoveries on a map. The advantages and disadvantages of tables of recoveries by State or degree block, axial lines, and distance of recovery from banding site for presentation and comparison of the spatial distribution of band recoveries are discussed. A special web-shaped partition formed by concentric circles about the point of banding and great circles at 30-degree intervals through the point of banding has certain advantages over other methods. Comparison of distributions by means of a X? contingency test is illustrated. The statistic V = X?/N can be used as a measure of difference between two distributions of band recoveries and its possible use is illustrated as a measure of the degree of migrational homing.

Bands dispersion and charge transfer in β-BeH2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trivedi, D. K.; Galav, K. L.; Joshi, K. B.

2018-04-01

Predictive capabilities of ab-initio method are utilised to explore bands dispersion and charge transfer in β-BeH2. Investigations are carried out using the linear combination of atomic orbitals method at the level of density functional theory. The crystal structure and related parameters are settled by coupling total energy calculations with the Murnaghan equation of state. Electronic bands dispersion from PBE-GGA is reported. The PBE-GGA, and PBE0 hybrid functional, show that β-BeH2 is a direct gap semiconductor with 1.18 and 2.40 eV band gap. The band gap slowly decreases with pressure and beyond l00 GPa overlap of conduction and valence bands at the r point is observed. Charge transfer is studied by means of Mullikan population analysis.

Analysis of Vibration and Noise of Construction Machinery Based on Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition and Spectral Correlation Analysis Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuebiao; Zhou, Yiqi; Yu, Gang; Lu, Dan

In order to analyze the effect of engine vibration on cab noise of construction machinery in multi-frequency bands, a new method based on ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and spectral correlation analysis is proposed. Firstly, the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) of vibration and noise signals were obtained by EEMD method, and then the IMFs which have the same frequency bands were selected. Secondly, we calculated the spectral correlation coefficients between the selected IMFs, getting the main frequency bands in which engine vibration has significant impact on cab noise. Thirdly, the dominated frequencies were picked out and analyzed by spectral analysis method. The study result shows that the main frequency bands and dominated frequencies in which engine vibration have serious impact on cab noise can be identified effectively by the proposed method, which provides effective guidance to noise reduction of construction machinery.

Cross Correlation versus Normalized Mutual Information on Image Registration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tan, Bin; Tilton, James C.; Lin, Guoqing

2016-01-01

This is the first study to quantitatively assess and compare cross correlation and normalized mutual information methods used to register images in subpixel scale. The study shows that the normalized mutual information method is less sensitive to unaligned edges due to the spectral response differences than is cross correlation. This characteristic makes the normalized image resolution a better candidate for band to band registration. Improved band-to-band registration in the data from satellite-borne instruments will result in improved retrievals of key science measurements such as cloud properties, vegetation, snow and fire.

47 CFR 0.241 - Authority delegated.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... individual database managers; and to perform other functions as needed for the administration of the TV bands... database functions for unlicensed devices operating in the television broadcast bands (TV bands) as set... methods that will be used to designate TV bands database managers, to designate these database managers...

Optical band gap of thermally deposited Ge-S-Ga thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rana, Anjli; Heera, Pawan; Singh, Bhanu Pratap; Sharma, Raman

2018-05-01

Thin films of Ge20S80-xGax glassy alloy, obtained from melt quenching technique, were deposited on the glass substrate by thermal evaporation technique under a high vacuum conditions (˜ 10-5 Torr). Absorption spectrum fitting method (ASF) is employed to obtain the optical band gap from absorption spectra. This method requires only the measurement of the absorption spectrum of the sample. The width of the band tail was also determined. Optical band gap computed from absorption spectra is found to decrease with an increase in Ga content. The evaluated optical band gap (Eg) is in well agreement with the theoretically predicted Eg and obtained from transmission spectra.

Exploration of faint absorption bands in the reflectance spectra of the asteroids by method of optimal smoothing: Vestoids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shestopalov, D. I.; McFadden, L. A.; Golubeva, L. F.

2007-04-01

An optimization method of smoothing noisy spectra was developed to investigate faint absorption bands in the visual spectral region of reflectance spectra of asteroids and the compositional information derived from their analysis. The smoothing algorithm is called "optimal" because the algorithm determines the best running box size to separate weak absorption bands from the noise. The method is tested for its sensitivity to identifying false features in the smoothed spectrum, and its correctness of forecasting real absorption bands was tested with artificial spectra simulating asteroid reflectance spectra. After validating the method we optimally smoothed 22 vestoid spectra from SMASS1 [Xu, Sh., Binzel, R.P., Burbine, T.H., Bus, S.J., 1995. Icarus 115, 1-35]. We show that the resulting bands are not telluric features. Interpretation of the absorption bands in the asteroid spectra was based on the spectral properties of both terrestrial and meteorite pyroxenes. The bands located near 480, 505, 530, and 550 nm we assigned to spin-forbidden crystal field bands of ferrous iron, whereas the bands near 570, 600, and 650 nm are attributed to the crystal field bands of trivalent chromium and/or ferric iron in low-calcium pyroxenes on the asteroids' surface. While not measured by microprobe analysis, Fe 3+ site occupancy can be measured with Mössbauer spectroscopy, and is seen in trace amounts in pyroxenes. We believe that trace amounts of Fe 3+ on vestoid surfaces may be due to oxidation from impacts by icy bodies. If that is the case, they should be ubiquitous in the asteroid belt wherever pyroxene absorptions are found. Pyroxene composition of four asteroids of our set is determined from the band position of absorptions at 505 and 1000 nm, implying that there can be orthopyroxenes in all range of ferruginosity on the vestoid surfaces. For the present we cannot unambiguously interpret of the faint absorption bands that are seen in the spectra of 4005 Dyagilev, 4038 Kristina, 4147 Lennon, and 5143 Heracles. Probably there are other spectrally active materials along with pyroxenes on the surfaces of these asteroids.

Cold Episodes, Their Precursors and Teleconnections in the Central Peruvian Andes (1958-2009)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulca, J. C.; Vuille, M. F.; Trasmonte, G.; Silva, Y.; Takahashi, K.

2014-12-01

The Mantaro valley (MV) is located in the central Peruvian Andes. Occasionally, cold episodes are observed during the austral summer (January-March), which strongly damage crops. However, little is known about the causes and impacts of such cold episodes in the MV. The main goal of this study is thus to characterize cold episodes in the MV and assess their large-scale circulation and teleconnections over South America (SA) during austral summer. To identify cold events in the MV daily minimum temperature for the period 1958-2009 from Huayao station, located within the MV was used. We defined a cold episode as the period when daily minimum temperature drops below the 10-percentile for at least one day. Several gridded reanalysis and satellite products were used to characterize the large-scale circulation, cloud cover and rainfall over SA associated with these events for same period. Cold episodes in the MV are associated with positive OLR anomalies, which extend over much of the central Andes, indicating reduced convective cloud cover during these extremes, but also affirm the large-scale nature of these events. At the same time, northeastern Brazil (NEB) registers negative OLR anomalies, strong convective activity and enhanced cloud cover because displacement of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) toward the northeast of its climatologic position. Further, it is associated with a weakening of the Bolivian High - Nordeste Low (BH-NL) system at upper levels, but also influenced by a low-level migratory high-pressure center develops at 30°S, 50°W; propagating from mid- to low latitudes as part of an extratropical Rossby wave train. In conclusion, cold episodes in the MV appear to be caused by radiative cooling associated with reduced cloudiness, rather than cold air advection. The reduced cloud cover in turn results from a robust large-scale pattern of westerly wind anomalies over central Peruvian Andes, inhibiting moisture influx, convective activity and hence cloud formation. At the same time NEB registers strong convective activity and enhanced cloud cover. This dipole is caused by a weakening of BH-NL system at upper levels, which is associated with a low-level migratory high-pressure center, propagating from mid- to low latitudes as part of an extratropical Rossby wave train.

(W7860)Monte Carlo Simulations of the Dissolution of Borosilicate and Aluminoborosilicate

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

Kerisit, Sebastien; Pierce, Eric M

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to provide atomic-level insights into the dissolution behavior of borosilicate and aluminoborosilicate glasses in dilute aqueous solutions. In the first part of this work, the effects of different structural features, such as the presence of non-bridging oxygens (NBO) or the formation of boroxol rings, on glass dissolution were evaluated separately and led to the following conclusions. (1) The dependence of the dissolution rate on the amount of NBO was found to be linear at all Si/B ratios and the accelerating effect of NBO was shown to increase with increasing Si/B ratio. (2) The formationmore » of boroxol rings and of clusters of boroxol rings resulted in an increase of the dissolution rate at all Si/B ratios and, again, the extent of the rate increase was strongly dependent on the Si/B ratio. (3) For aluminosilicate glasses, the implementation of the aluminum avoidance rule was found to increase the rate of dissolution relative to that obtained for a random distribution. In the second part of this work, the dissolution of the NeB glasses studied by Pierce et al. [Pierce E. M., Reed L. R., Shaw W. J., McGrail B. P., Icenhower J. P., Windisch C. F., Cordova E. A. and Broady J. (2010) Experimental determination of the effect of the ratio of B/Al on glass dissolution along the nepheline (NaAlSiO4) - Malinkoite (NaBSiO4) join. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 74, 2634-2654] was modeled in dilute aqueous solutions. Pierce et al. concluded from their study that either the rupture of the Al-O bonds or that of the Si O bonds was the rate-limiting step controlling the dissolution of the NeB glasses. The simulations refined this conclusion and showed that, at low B/Al ratios, the rupture of both Al O Si and Si O Si linkages contributed to the dissolution rate whereas, at high B/Al ratios, the dissolution rate was independent of the rupture of Al-O-Si linkages and was controlled by S1 sites (silicon sites at the glass-water interface with one connection to nearest-neighbor sites) and dissolution via detachment of clusters.« less

Field emission analysis of band bending in donor/acceptor heterojunction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Yingjie; Li, Shuai; Wang, Guiwei; Zhao, Tianjiao; Zhang, Gengmin

2016-06-01

The donor/acceptor heterojunction plays an important role in organic solar cells. An investigation of band bending in the donor/acceptor heterojunction is helpful in analysis of the charge transport behavior and for the improvement of the device performance. In this work, we report an approach for detection of band bending in a donor/acceptor heterojunction that has been prepared on a small and sharp tungsten tip. In situ field emission measurements are performed after the deposition process, and a linear Fowler-Nordheim plot is obtained from the fresh organic film surface. The thickness-dependent work function is then measured in the layer-by-layer deposited heterojunction. Several different types of heterojunction (zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc)/C60, copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)/3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic bisbenzimidazole, and CuPc/C60) are fabricated and analyzed. The different charge transfer directions in the heterojunctions are distinguished by field emission measurements. The calculation method used to determine the band bending is then discussed in detail. A triple layer heterojunction (C60/ZnPc/CuPc) is also analyzed using this method. A small amount of band bending is measured in the outer CuPc layer. This method provides an independent reference method for determination of the band bending in an organic heterojunction that will complement photoemission spectroscopy and current-voltage measurement methods.

An application of computer image-processing and filmy replica technique to the copper electroplating method of stress analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiura, M.; Seika, M.

1994-02-01

In this study, a new technique to measure the density of slip-bands automatically is developed, namely, a TV image of the slip-bands observed through a microscope is directly processed by an image-processing system using a personal computer and an accurate value of the density of slip-bands is measured quickly. In the case of measuring the local stresses in machine parts of large size with the copper plating foil, the direct observation of slip-bands through an optical microscope is difficult. In this study, to facilitate a technique close to the direct microscopic observation of slip-bands in the foil attached to a large-sized specimen, the replica method using a platic film of acetyl cellulose is applied to replicate the slip-bands in the attached foil.

Sea Ice Detection Based on an Improved Similarity Measurement Method Using Hyperspectral Data.

PubMed

Han, Yanling; Li, Jue; Zhang, Yun; Hong, Zhonghua; Wang, Jing

2017-05-15

Hyperspectral remote sensing technology can acquire nearly continuous spectrum information and rich sea ice image information, thus providing an important means of sea ice detection. However, the correlation and redundancy among hyperspectral bands reduce the accuracy of traditional sea ice detection methods. Based on the spectral characteristics of sea ice, this study presents an improved similarity measurement method based on linear prediction (ISMLP) to detect sea ice. First, the first original band with a large amount of information is determined based on mutual information theory. Subsequently, a second original band with the least similarity is chosen by the spectral correlation measuring method. Finally, subsequent bands are selected through the linear prediction method, and a support vector machine classifier model is applied to classify sea ice. In experiments performed on images of Baffin Bay and Bohai Bay, comparative analyses were conducted to compare the proposed method and traditional sea ice detection methods. Our proposed ISMLP method achieved the highest classification accuracies (91.18% and 94.22%) in both experiments. From these results the ISMLP method exhibits better performance overall than other methods and can be effectively applied to hyperspectral sea ice detection.

Sea Ice Detection Based on an Improved Similarity Measurement Method Using Hyperspectral Data

PubMed Central

Han, Yanling; Li, Jue; Zhang, Yun; Hong, Zhonghua; Wang, Jing

2017-01-01

Hyperspectral remote sensing technology can acquire nearly continuous spectrum information and rich sea ice image information, thus providing an important means of sea ice detection. However, the correlation and redundancy among hyperspectral bands reduce the accuracy of traditional sea ice detection methods. Based on the spectral characteristics of sea ice, this study presents an improved similarity measurement method based on linear prediction (ISMLP) to detect sea ice. First, the first original band with a large amount of information is determined based on mutual information theory. Subsequently, a second original band with the least similarity is chosen by the spectral correlation measuring method. Finally, subsequent bands are selected through the linear prediction method, and a support vector machine classifier model is applied to classify sea ice. In experiments performed on images of Baffin Bay and Bohai Bay, comparative analyses were conducted to compare the proposed method and traditional sea ice detection methods. Our proposed ISMLP method achieved the highest classification accuracies (91.18% and 94.22%) in both experiments. From these results the ISMLP method exhibits better performance overall than other methods and can be effectively applied to hyperspectral sea ice detection. PMID:28505135

Investigation of Atmospheric Effects on Retrieval of Sun-Induced Fluorescence Using Hyperspectral Imagery.

PubMed

Ni, Zhuoya; Liu, Zhigang; Li, Zhao-Liang; Nerry, Françoise; Huo, Hongyuan; Sun, Rui; Yang, Peiqi; Zhang, Weiwei

2016-04-06

Significant research progress has recently been made in estimating fluorescence in the oxygen absorption bands, however, quantitative retrieval of fluorescence data is still affected by factors such as atmospheric effects. In this paper, top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiance is generated by the MODTRAN 4 and SCOPE models. Based on simulated data, sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the sensitivities of four indicators-depth_absorption_band, depth_nofs-depth_withfs, radiance and Fs/radiance-to atmospheric parameters (sun zenith angle (SZA), sensor height, elevation, visibility (VIS) and water content) in the oxygen absorption bands. The results indicate that the SZA and sensor height are the most sensitive parameters and that variations in these two parameters result in large variations calculated as the variation value/the base value in the oxygen absorption depth in the O₂-A and O₂-B bands (111.4% and 77.1% in the O₂-A band; and 27.5% and 32.6% in the O₂-B band, respectively). A comparison of fluorescence retrieval using three methods (Damm method, Braun method and DOAS) and SCOPE Fs indicates that the Damm method yields good results and that atmospheric correction can improve the accuracy of fluorescence retrieval. Damm method is the improved 3FLD method but considering atmospheric effects. Finally, hyperspectral airborne images combined with other parameters (SZA, VIS and water content) are exploited to estimate fluorescence using the Damm method and 3FLD method. The retrieval fluorescence is compared with the field measured fluorescence, yielding good results (R² = 0.91 for Damm vs. SCOPE SIF; R² = 0.65 for 3FLD vs. SCOPE SIF). Five types of vegetation, including ailanthus, elm, mountain peach, willow and Chinese ash, exhibit consistent associations between the retrieved fluorescence and field measured fluorescence.

Investigation of Atmospheric Effects on Retrieval of Sun-Induced Fluorescence Using Hyperspectral Imagery

PubMed Central

Ni, Zhuoya; Liu, Zhigang; Li, Zhao-Liang; Nerry, Françoise; Huo, Hongyuan; Sun, Rui; Yang, Peiqi; Zhang, Weiwei

2016-01-01

Significant research progress has recently been made in estimating fluorescence in the oxygen absorption bands, however, quantitative retrieval of fluorescence data is still affected by factors such as atmospheric effects. In this paper, top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiance is generated by the MODTRAN 4 and SCOPE models. Based on simulated data, sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the sensitivities of four indicators—depth_absorption_band, depth_nofs-depth_withfs, radiance and Fs/radiance—to atmospheric parameters (sun zenith angle (SZA), sensor height, elevation, visibility (VIS) and water content) in the oxygen absorption bands. The results indicate that the SZA and sensor height are the most sensitive parameters and that variations in these two parameters result in large variations calculated as the variation value/the base value in the oxygen absorption depth in the O2-A and O2-B bands (111.4% and 77.1% in the O2-A band; and 27.5% and 32.6% in the O2-B band, respectively). A comparison of fluorescence retrieval using three methods (Damm method, Braun method and DOAS) and SCOPE Fs indicates that the Damm method yields good results and that atmospheric correction can improve the accuracy of fluorescence retrieval. Damm method is the improved 3FLD method but considering atmospheric effects. Finally, hyperspectral airborne images combined with other parameters (SZA, VIS and water content) are exploited to estimate fluorescence using the Damm method and 3FLD method. The retrieval fluorescence is compared with the field measured fluorescence, yielding good results (R2 = 0.91 for Damm vs. SCOPE SIF; R2 = 0.65 for 3FLD vs. SCOPE SIF). Five types of vegetation, including ailanthus, elm, mountain peach, willow and Chinese ash, exhibit consistent associations between the retrieved fluorescence and field measured fluorescence. PMID:27058542

Core-shifts and proper-motion constraints in the S5 polar cap sample at the 15 and 43 GHz bands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abellán, F. J.; Martí-Vidal, I.; Marcaide, J. M.; Guirado, J. C.

2018-06-01

We have studied a complete radio sample of active galactic nuclei with the very-long-baseline-interferometry (VLBI) technique and for the first time successfully obtained high-precision phase-delay astrometry at Q band (43 GHz) from observations acquired in 2010. We have compared our astrometric results with those obtained with the same technique at U band (15 GHz) from data collected in 2000. The differences in source separations among all the source pairs observed in common at the two epochs are compatible at the 1σ level between U and Q bands. With the benefit of quasi-simultaneous U and Q band observations in 2010, we have studied chromatic effects (core-shift) at the radio source cores with three different methods. The magnitudes of the core-shifts are of the same order (about 0.1 mas) for all methods. However, some discrepancies arise in the orientation of the core-shifts determined through the different methods. In some cases these discrepancies are due to insufficient signal for the method used. In others, the discrepancies reflect assumptions of the methods and could be explained by curvatures in the jets and departures from conical jets.

Breath alcohol test

MedlinePlus

... a glass tube. The tube is filled with bands of yellow crystals. The bands in the tube change colors (from yellow to ... Results Mean With the balloon method: 1 green band means that the blood-alcohol level is 0. ...

Increasing the Robustness of the Sheet Metal Forming Simulation by the Prediction of the Forming Limit Band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banabic, D.; Vos, M.; Paraianu, L.; Jurco, P.

2007-05-01

The experimental research on the formability of metal sheets has shown that there is a significant dispersion of the limit strains in an area delimited by two curves: a lower curve (LFLC) and an upper one (UFLC). The region between the two curves defines the so-called Forming Limit Band (FLB). So far, this forming band has only been determined experimentally. In this paper the authors suggested a method to predict the Forming Limit Band. The proposed method is illustrated on the AA6111-T43 aluminium alloy.

Low-energy yield spectroscopy determination of band offsets: application to the epitaxial Ge/Si(100) heterostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Gaspare, L.; Capellini, G.; Chudoba, C.; Sebastiani, M.; Evangelisti, F.

1996-09-01

We apply a new experimental method for determining band lineups at the Ge/Si(100) heterostructure. This method uses a modern version of an old spectroscopy: the photoelectric yield spectroscopy excited with photons in the near UV range. It is shown that both substrate and overlayer valence-band tops can be identified in the yield spectrum, thus allowing a direct and precise determination of the band lineup. We find an offset of 0.36 ± 0.02 eV for heterojunctions whose overlayers were grown according to the Stranski-Krastanov mechanism.

Low-Energy Yield Spectroscopy as a Novel Technique for Determining Band Offsets: Application to the c-Si\\(100\\)/a-Si:H Heterostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebastiani, M.; di Gaspare, L.; Capellini, G.; Bittencourt, C.; Evangelisti, F.

1995-10-01

We present a new experimental method for determining band lineups at the semiconductor heterojunctions and apply it to the c-Si100/a-Si:H heterostructure. This method uses a modern version of an old spectroscopy: the photoelectric yield spectroscopy excited with photons in the near UV range. It is shown that both substrate and overlayer valence-band tops can be identified in the yield spectrum due to the high escape depth and the high dynamical range of the technique, thus allowing a direct and precise determination of the band lineup. A value of ΔEV = 0.44+/-0.02 eV was found for the valence band discontinuity.

Hypothesis testing for band size detection of high-dimensional banded precision matrices.

PubMed

An, Baiguo; Guo, Jianhua; Liu, Yufeng

2014-06-01

Many statistical analysis procedures require a good estimator for a high-dimensional covariance matrix or its inverse, the precision matrix. When the precision matrix is banded, the Cholesky-based method often yields a good estimator of the precision matrix. One important aspect of this method is determination of the band size of the precision matrix. In practice, crossvalidation is commonly used; however, we show that crossvalidation not only is computationally intensive but can be very unstable. In this paper, we propose a new hypothesis testing procedure to determine the band size in high dimensions. Our proposed test statistic is shown to be asymptotically normal under the null hypothesis, and its theoretical power is studied. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of our testing procedure.

Convex Banding of the Covariance Matrix

PubMed Central

Bien, Jacob; Bunea, Florentina; Xiao, Luo

2016-01-01

We introduce a new sparse estimator of the covariance matrix for high-dimensional models in which the variables have a known ordering. Our estimator, which is the solution to a convex optimization problem, is equivalently expressed as an estimator which tapers the sample covariance matrix by a Toeplitz, sparsely-banded, data-adaptive matrix. As a result of this adaptivity, the convex banding estimator enjoys theoretical optimality properties not attained by previous banding or tapered estimators. In particular, our convex banding estimator is minimax rate adaptive in Frobenius and operator norms, up to log factors, over commonly-studied classes of covariance matrices, and over more general classes. Furthermore, it correctly recovers the bandwidth when the true covariance is exactly banded. Our convex formulation admits a simple and efficient algorithm. Empirical studies demonstrate its practical effectiveness and illustrate that our exactly-banded estimator works well even when the true covariance matrix is only close to a banded matrix, confirming our theoretical results. Our method compares favorably with all existing methods, in terms of accuracy and speed. We illustrate the practical merits of the convex banding estimator by showing that it can be used to improve the performance of discriminant analysis for classifying sound recordings. PMID:28042189

Convex Banding of the Covariance Matrix.

PubMed

Bien, Jacob; Bunea, Florentina; Xiao, Luo

2016-01-01

We introduce a new sparse estimator of the covariance matrix for high-dimensional models in which the variables have a known ordering. Our estimator, which is the solution to a convex optimization problem, is equivalently expressed as an estimator which tapers the sample covariance matrix by a Toeplitz, sparsely-banded, data-adaptive matrix. As a result of this adaptivity, the convex banding estimator enjoys theoretical optimality properties not attained by previous banding or tapered estimators. In particular, our convex banding estimator is minimax rate adaptive in Frobenius and operator norms, up to log factors, over commonly-studied classes of covariance matrices, and over more general classes. Furthermore, it correctly recovers the bandwidth when the true covariance is exactly banded. Our convex formulation admits a simple and efficient algorithm. Empirical studies demonstrate its practical effectiveness and illustrate that our exactly-banded estimator works well even when the true covariance matrix is only close to a banded matrix, confirming our theoretical results. Our method compares favorably with all existing methods, in terms of accuracy and speed. We illustrate the practical merits of the convex banding estimator by showing that it can be used to improve the performance of discriminant analysis for classifying sound recordings.

Crystal plasticity modelling of shear band deformation and its effect on the formability of Mg-3Al-1Zn sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shuai-Feng; Song, Hong-Wu; Zhang, Shi-Hong

2017-09-01

Shear bands is a kind of typical microstructure in magnesium alloy which has drawn much attention during recent years. The formation of shear bands during the isothermal differential speed rolling of Mg-3Al-1Zn sheets is analysed by experimental methods. In addition, results of Erichsen and tensile tests indicate that the shear bands have an obvious effect on the anisotropic fracture behaviour and formability of magnesium alloy. A represent volume element (RVE) method combined with crystal plasticity model is established to investigate the effect of shear bands on the anisotropic fracture behaviours systematically by considering the grain size, texture, width, and tilted angle. The simulation results disclose the above factors can induce discontinuous strain and stress between the shear band regions (SBRs) and non-shear band regions (NSBRs), but the grain size and tilted angle have much bigger effect than that of texture and width, leading to the fracture at the interface SBR and NSBR.

Analysis of Resonance Response Performance of C-Band Antenna Using Parasitic Element

PubMed Central

Islam, M. T.; Misran, N.; Mandeep, J. S.

2014-01-01

Analysis of the resonance response improvement of a planar C-band (4–8 GHz) antenna is proposed using parasitic element method. This parasitic element based method is validated for change in the active and parasitic antenna elements. A novel dual-band antenna for C-band application covering 5.7 GHz and 7.6 GHz is designed and fabricated. The antenna is composed of circular parasitic element with unequal microstrip lines at both sides and a rectangular partial ground plane. A fractional bandwidth of 13.5% has been achieved from 5.5 GHz to 6.3 GHz (WLAN band) for the lower band. The upper band covers from 7.1 GHz to 8 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 12%. A gain of 6.4 dBi is achieved at the lower frequency and 4 dBi is achieved at the upper frequency. The VSWR of the antenna is less than 2 at the resonance frequency. PMID:24895643

Method for determining shear direction using liquid crystal coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reda, Daniel C.

1995-01-01

A method is provided for determining shear direction wherein a beam of white light is directed onto the surface of a liquid crystal coating to cause the white light to be dispersed (reflected) from the surface in a spectrum having bands of different colors in a fixed spatial 2 (angular) sequence. The system is calibrated by locating an observer, e.g., a video and movie camera, such that a particular color band (preferably at or near the center of the reflected spectrum) is observed to thereby provide a reference color band. Because the application of shear causes either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the reflected spectrum dependent on the direction of the shear, a determination is then made of the reflected color band observed by the observer when the surface of the liquid crystal is subjected to shear to thereby determine the direction of the shear based on the directional (rotation) relation of the observed color band with respect to the reference color band in the spatial sequence of color bands.

The properties of optimal two-dimensional phononic crystals with different material contrasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zong-Fa; Wu, Bin; He, Cun-Fu

2016-09-01

By modifying the spatial distribution of constituent material phases, phononic crystals (PnCs) can be designed to exhibit band gaps within which sound and vibration cannot propagate. In this paper, the developed topology optimization method (TOM), based on genetic algorithms (GAs) and the finite element method (FEM), is proposed to design two-dimensional (2D) solid PnC structures composed of two contrasting elastic materials. The PnCs have the lowest order band gap that is the third band gap for the coupled mode, the first band gap for the shear mode or the XY 34 Z band gap for the mixed mode. Moreover, the effects of the ratios of contrasting material properties on the optimal layout of unit cells and the corresponding phononic band gaps (PBGs) are investigated. The results indicate that the topology of the optimal PnCs and corresponding band gaps varies with the change of material contrasts. The law can be used for the rapid design of desired PnC structures.

Numerical simulation of systems of shear bands in ductile metal with inclusions

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

Plohr, JeeYeon N., E-mail: jplohr@lanl.gov; Plohr, Bradley J.

2016-02-15

We develop a method for numerical simulations of high strain-rate loading of mesoscale samples of ductile metal with inclusions. Because of its small-scale inhomogeneity, the composite material is prone to localized shear deformation (adiabatic shear bands). This method employs the Generalized Method of Cells of Paley and Aboudi [Mech. Materials, vol. 14, pp. 127–139, 1992] to ensure that the micro mechanical behavior of the metal and inclusions is reflected properly in the behavior of the composite at the mesoscale. To find the effective plastic strain rate when shear bands are present, we extend and apply the analytic and numerical analysismore » of shear bands of Glimm, Plohr, and Sharp [Mech. Materials, vol. 24, pp. 31–41, 1996]. Our tests of the method focus on the stress/strain response in uniaxial-strain flow, both compressive and tensile, of depleted uranium metal containing silicon carbide inclusions. We use the Preston-Tonks-Wallace viscoplasticity model [J. Appl. Phys., vol. 93, pp. 211–220, 2003], which applies to the high strain-rate regime of an isotropic viscoplastic solid. In results, we verify the elevated temperature and thermal softening at shear bands in our simulations of pure DU and DU/SiC composites. We also note that in composites, due the asymmetry caused by the inclusions, shear band form at different times in different subcells. In particular, in the subcells near inclusions, shear band form much earlier than they do in pure DU.« less

Numerical simulation of systems of shear bands in ductile metal with inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plohr, JeeYeon N.; Plohr, Bradley J.

2016-02-01

We develop a method for numerical simulations of high strain-rate loading of mesoscale samples of ductile metal with inclusions. Because of its small-scale inhomogeneity, the composite material is prone to localized shear deformation (adiabatic shear bands). This method employs the Generalized Method of Cells of Paley and Aboudi [Mech. Materials, vol. 14, pp. 127-139, 1992] to ensure that the micro mechanical behavior of the metal and inclusions is reflected properly in the behavior of the composite at the mesoscale. To find the effective plastic strain rate when shear bands are present, we extend and apply the analytic and numerical analysis of shear bands of Glimm, Plohr, and Sharp [Mech. Materials, vol. 24, pp. 31-41, 1996]. Our tests of the method focus on the stress/strain response in uniaxial-strain flow, both compressive and tensile, of depleted uranium metal containing silicon carbide inclusions. We use the Preston-Tonks-Wallace viscoplasticity model [J. Appl. Phys., vol. 93, pp. 211-220, 2003], which applies to the high strain-rate regime of an isotropic viscoplastic solid. In results, we verify the elevated temperature and thermal softening at shear bands in our simulations of pure DU and DU/SiC composites. We also note that in composites, due the asymmetry caused by the inclusions, shear band form at different times in different subcells. In particular, in the subcells near inclusions, shear band form much earlier than they do in pure DU.

Neck-band retention for Canada geese in the Mississippi (USA) flyway

USGS Publications Warehouse

Samuel, M.D.; Weiss, N.T.; Rusch, D.H.; Craven, S.R.; Trost, R.E.; Caswell, F.D.

1990-01-01

We used capture, harvest, and observation histories of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) banded in the Mississippi flyway, 1974-88, to examine the problem of neck-band retention. Methods for the analysis of survival data were used to estimate rates of neck-band retention and to evaluate factors associated with neck-band loss. Sex, age of bird at banding, rivet use, and neck-band type significantly influenced neck-band retention. For most of the resulting cohorts (e.g., sex, age, rivet, and neck-band type categories), neck-band retention rates decreased through time. We caution against using small samples or data collected during short-term studies to determine retention rates. We suggest that observation data be used in neck-band retention studies to increase the efficiency of estimating retention time.

Polarization of skylight in the O(2)A band: effects of aerosol properties.

PubMed

Boesche, Eyk; Stammes, Piet; Preusker, Réne; Bennartz, Ralf; Knap, Wouter; Fischer, Juergen

2008-07-01

Motivated by several observations of the degree of linear polarization of skylight in the oxygen A (O(2)A) band that do not yet have a quantitative explanation, we analyze the influence of aerosol altitude, microphysics, and optical thickness on the degree of linear polarization of the zenith skylight in the spectral region of the O(2)A band, between 755 to 775 nm. It is shown that the degree of linear polarization inside the O(2)A band is particularly sensitive to aerosol altitude. The sensitivity is strongest for aerosols within the troposphere and depends also on their microphysical properties and optical thickness. The polarization of the O(2)A band can be larger than the polarization of the continuum, which typically occurs for strongly polarizing aerosols in an elevated layer, or smaller, which typically occurs for depolarizing aerosols or cirrus clouds in an elevated layer. We show that in the case of a single aerosol layer in the atmosphere a determination of the aerosol layer altitude may be obtained. Furthermore, we show limitations of the aerosol layer altitude determination in case of multiple aerosol layers. To perform these simulations we developed a fast method for multiple scattering radiative transfer calculations in gaseous absorption bands including polarization. The method is a combination of doubling-adding and k-binning methods. We present an error estimation of this method by comparing with accurate line-by-line radiative transfer simulations. For the Motivated by several observations of the degree of linear polarization of skylight in the oxygen A (O(2)A) band that do not yet have a quantitative explanation, we analyze the influence of aerosol altitude, microphysics, and optical thickness on the degree of linear polarization of the zenith skylight in the spectral region of the O(2)A band, between 755 to 775 nm. It is shown that the degree of linear polarization inside the O(2)A band is particularly sensitive to aerosol altitude. The sensitivity is strongest for aerosols within the troposphere and depends also on their microphysical properties and optical thickness. The polarization of the O(2)A band can be larger than the polarization of the continuum, which typically occurs for strongly polarizing aerosols in an elevated layer, or smaller, which typically occurs for depolarizing aerosols or cirrus clouds in an elevated layer. We show that in the case of a single aerosol layer in the atmosphere a determination of the aerosol layer altitude may be obtained. Furthermore, we show limitations of the aerosol layer altitude determination in case of multiple aerosol layers. To perform these simulations we developed a fast method for multiple scattering radiative transfer calculations in gaseous absorption bands including polarization. The method is a combination of doubling-adding and k-binning methods. We present an error estimation of this method by comparing with accurate line-by-line radiative transfer simulations. For the O(2)A band, the errors in the degree of linear polarization are less than 0.11% for transmitted light, and less than 0.31% for reflected light. band, the errors in the degree of linear polarization are less than 0.11% for transmitted light, and less than 0.31% for reflected light.

A new method for the determination of optical band gap and the nature of optical transitions in semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souri, Dariush; Tahan, Zahra Esmaeili

2015-05-01

A new method (named as DASF: Derivation of absorption spectrum fitting) is proposed for the determination of optical band gap and the nature of optical transitions in semiconductors; this method only requires the measurement of the absorbance spectrum of the sample, avoiding any needs to film thickness or any other parameters. In this approach, starting from absorption spectrum fitting (ASF) procedure and by the first derivation of the absorbance spectrum, the optical band gap and then the type of optical transition can be determined without any presumption about the nature of transition. DASF method was employed on (60-x)V2O5-40TeO2-xAg2O glassy systems (hereafter named as TVAgx), in order to confirm the validity of this new method. For the present glasses, the DASF results were compared with the results of ASF procedure for, confirming a very good agreement between these approaches. These glasses were prepared by using the melt quenching and blowing methods to obtain bulk and film samples, respectively. Results show that the optical band gap variation for TVAgx glasses can be divided into two regions, 0 ≤ x ≤ 20 and 20 ≤ x ≤ 40 mol%. The optical band gap has a maximum value equal to 2.72 eV for x = 40 and the minimum value equal to 2.19 eV for x = 40. Also, some physical quantities such as the width of the band tails (Urbach energy), glass density, molar volume, and optical basicity were reported for the under studied glasses.

Comparison between Ultroid and rubber band ligation in treatment of internal hemorrhoids.

PubMed

Azizi, Rasoul; Rabani-Karizi, Behzad; Taghipour, Mohammad Ali

2010-01-01

Hemorrhoid is one of the most common surgical diseases and different methods are available for its treatment. This study is a comparison between two methods of treatment of internal hemorrhoid, Monopolar low voltage instrument (Ultroid) and Rubber Band Ligation. This method has been carried out prospectively in which 50 patients who were treated with rubber band ligation and 50 patients with Ultroid were compared according to the incidence of complications, post-operative pain and treatment response. According to this study complete success rate with Ultroid was 82% and partial success rate was 10% and no response to treatment was seen in 8%. In Rubber Band method the complete response rate was 94% (P=0.2). With Ultroid, 74% of patient reported no postoperative pain, 24% reported mild and moderate pain and 2% of patients complained of severe pain. With Rubber band ligation, 72% of patients reported no post-operative pain, 26% reported mild and moderate pain and 1% complained of severe pain (P=0.00). Rubber Band ligation and Ultroid are both considered as outpatient procedures for treatment of hemorrhoids. Both methods are mostly used for grade 1, 2 and sometime grade 3 hemorrhoids. In Ultroid method the operator is required to hold the probe for a period of time, and in most cases, the surgeon should spend between 20-25 minutes for the coagulation of three piles. Some surgeons do not have patience for this modality of internal hemorrhoid treatment. In this study we achieved acceptable results comparable with those of other techniques.

Hyperspectral image compressing using wavelet-based method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Hui; Zhang, Zhi-jie; Lei, Bo; Wang, Chen-sheng

2017-10-01

Hyperspectral imaging sensors can acquire images in hundreds of continuous narrow spectral bands. Therefore each object presented in the image can be identified from their spectral response. However, such kind of imaging brings a huge amount of data, which requires transmission, processing, and storage resources for both airborne and space borne imaging. Due to the high volume of hyperspectral image data, the exploration of compression strategies has received a lot of attention in recent years. Compression of hyperspectral data cubes is an effective solution for these problems. Lossless compression of the hyperspectral data usually results in low compression ratio, which may not meet the available resources; on the other hand, lossy compression may give the desired ratio, but with a significant degradation effect on object identification performance of the hyperspectral data. Moreover, most hyperspectral data compression techniques exploits the similarities in spectral dimensions; which requires bands reordering or regrouping, to make use of the spectral redundancy. In this paper, we explored the spectral cross correlation between different bands, and proposed an adaptive band selection method to obtain the spectral bands which contain most of the information of the acquired hyperspectral data cube. The proposed method mainly consist three steps: First, the algorithm decomposes the original hyperspectral imagery into a series of subspaces based on the hyper correlation matrix of the hyperspectral images between different bands. And then the Wavelet-based algorithm is applied to the each subspaces. At last the PCA method is applied to the wavelet coefficients to produce the chosen number of components. The performance of the proposed method was tested by using ISODATA classification method.

Using spectral imaging for the analysis of abnormalities for colorectal cancer: When is it helpful?

PubMed

Awan, Ruqayya; Al-Maadeed, Somaya; Al-Saady, Rafif

2018-01-01

The spectral imaging technique has been shown to provide more discriminative information than the RGB images and has been proposed for a range of problems. There are many studies demonstrating its potential for the analysis of histopathology images for abnormality detection but there have been discrepancies among previous studies as well. Many multispectral based methods have been proposed for histopathology images but the significance of the use of whole multispectral cube versus a subset of bands or a single band is still arguable. We performed comprehensive analysis using individual bands and different subsets of bands to determine the effectiveness of spectral information for determining the anomaly in colorectal images. Our multispectral colorectal dataset consists of four classes, each represented by infra-red spectrum bands in addition to the visual spectrum bands. We performed our analysis of spectral imaging by stratifying the abnormalities using both spatial and spectral information. For our experiments, we used a combination of texture descriptors with an ensemble classification approach that performed best on our dataset. We applied our method to another dataset and got comparable results with those obtained using the state-of-the-art method and convolutional neural network based method. Moreover, we explored the relationship of the number of bands with the problem complexity and found that higher number of bands is required for a complex task to achieve improved performance. Our results demonstrate a synergy between infra-red and visual spectrum by improving the classification accuracy (by 6%) on incorporating the infra-red representation. We also highlight the importance of how the dataset should be divided into training and testing set for evaluating the histopathology image-based approaches, which has not been considered in previous studies on multispectral histopathology images.

Using spectral imaging for the analysis of abnormalities for colorectal cancer: When is it helpful?

PubMed Central

Al-Maadeed, Somaya; Al-Saady, Rafif

2018-01-01

The spectral imaging technique has been shown to provide more discriminative information than the RGB images and has been proposed for a range of problems. There are many studies demonstrating its potential for the analysis of histopathology images for abnormality detection but there have been discrepancies among previous studies as well. Many multispectral based methods have been proposed for histopathology images but the significance of the use of whole multispectral cube versus a subset of bands or a single band is still arguable. We performed comprehensive analysis using individual bands and different subsets of bands to determine the effectiveness of spectral information for determining the anomaly in colorectal images. Our multispectral colorectal dataset consists of four classes, each represented by infra-red spectrum bands in addition to the visual spectrum bands. We performed our analysis of spectral imaging by stratifying the abnormalities using both spatial and spectral information. For our experiments, we used a combination of texture descriptors with an ensemble classification approach that performed best on our dataset. We applied our method to another dataset and got comparable results with those obtained using the state-of-the-art method and convolutional neural network based method. Moreover, we explored the relationship of the number of bands with the problem complexity and found that higher number of bands is required for a complex task to achieve improved performance. Our results demonstrate a synergy between infra-red and visual spectrum by improving the classification accuracy (by 6%) on incorporating the infra-red representation. We also highlight the importance of how the dataset should be divided into training and testing set for evaluating the histopathology image-based approaches, which has not been considered in previous studies on multispectral histopathology images. PMID:29874262

Theoretical Prediction of the Forming Limit Band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banabic, D.; Vos, M.; Paraianu, L.; Jurco, P.

2007-04-01

Forming Limit Band (FLB) is a very useful tool to improve the sheet metal forming simulation robustness. Until now, the study of the FLB was only experimental. This paper presents the first attempt to model the FLB. The authors have established an original method for predicting the two margins of the limit band. The method was illustrated on the AA6111-T43 aluminum alloy. A good agreement with the experiments has been obtained.

Evaluating the virulence and longevity of non-woven fiber bands impregnated with Metarhizium anisopliae against the Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Treesearch

Ryan P. Shanley; Melody Keena; Micheal M. Wheeler; Jarrod Leland; Ann E. Hajek

2009-01-01

Fiber bands impregnated with entomopathogenic fungi (=fungal bands) provide an effective method for controlling the invasive Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). In this study we investigated the effective longevity of fungal bands for use against A. glabripennis, using...

Design of tree structured matched wavelet for HRV signals of menstrual cycle.

PubMed

Rawal, Kirti; Saini, B S; Saini, Indu

2016-07-01

An algorithm is presented for designing a new class of wavelets matched to the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) signals of the menstrual cycle. The proposed wavelets are used to find HRV variations between phases of menstrual cycle. The method finds the signal matching characteristics by minimising the shape feature error using Least Mean Square method. The proposed filter banks are used for the decomposition of the HRV signal. For reconstructing the original signal, the tree structure method is used. In this approach, decomposed sub-bands are selected based upon their energy in each sub-band. Thus, instead of using all sub-bands for reconstruction, sub-bands having high energy content are used for the reconstruction of signal. Thus, a lower number of sub-bands are required for reconstruction of the original signal which shows the effectiveness of newly created filter coefficients. Results show that proposed wavelets are able to differentiate HRV variations between phases of the menstrual cycle accurately than standard wavelets.

Band-structure calculations of noble-gas and alkali halide solids using accurate Kohn-Sham potentials with self-interaction correction

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

Li, Y.; Krieger, J.B.; Norman, M.R.

1991-11-15

The optimized-effective-potential (OEP) method and a method developed recently by Krieger, Li, and Iafrate (KLI) are applied to the band-structure calculations of noble-gas and alkali halide solids employing the self-interaction-corrected (SIC) local-spin-density (LSD) approximation for the exchange-correlation energy functional. The resulting band gaps from both calculations are found to be in fair agreement with the experimental values. The discrepancies are typically within a few percent with results that are nearly the same as those of previously published orbital-dependent multipotential SIC calculations, whereas the LSD results underestimate the band gaps by as much as 40%. As in the LSD---and it ismore » believed to be the case even for the exact Kohn-Sham potential---both the OEP and KLI predict valence-band widths which are narrower than those of experiment. In all cases, the KLI method yields essentially the same results as the OEP.« less

Band-gap analysis of a novel lattice with a hierarchical periodicity using the spectral element method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhijing; Li, Fengming; Zhang, Chuanzeng

2018-05-01

Inspired by the hierarchical structures of butterfly wing surfaces, a new kind of lattice structures with a two-order hierarchical periodicity is proposed and designed, and the band-gap properties are investigated by the spectral element method (SEM). The equations of motion of the whole structure are established considering the macro and micro periodicities of the system. The efficiency of the SEM is exploited in the modeling process and validated by comparing the results with that of the finite element method (FEM). Based on the highly accurate results in the frequency domain, the dynamic behaviors of the proposed two-order hierarchical structures are analyzed. An original and interesting finding is the existence of the distinct macro and micro stop-bands in the given frequency domain. The mechanisms for these two types of band-gaps are also explored. Finally, the relations between the hierarchical periodicities and the different types of the stop-bands are investigated by analyzing the parametrical influences.

GEOS-2 C-band radar system project. Spectral analysis as related to C-band radar data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Work performed on spectral analysis of data from the C-band radars tracking GEOS-2 and on the development of a data compaction method for the GEOS-2 C-band radar data is described. The purposes of the spectral analysis study were to determine the optimum data recording and sampling rates for C-band radar data and to determine the optimum method of filtering and smoothing the data. The optimum data recording and sampling rate is defined as the rate which includes an optimum compromise between serial correlation and the effects of frequency folding. The goal in development of a data compaction method was to reduce to a minimum the amount of data stored, while maintaining all of the statistical information content of the non-compacted data. A digital computer program for computing estimates of the power spectral density function of sampled data was used to perform the spectral analysis study.

Mapping biomedical concepts onto the human genome by mining literature on chromosomal aberrations

PubMed Central

Van Vooren, Steven; Thienpont, Bernard; Menten, Björn; Speleman, Frank; Moor, Bart De; Vermeesch, Joris; Moreau, Yves

2007-01-01

Biomedical literature provides a rich but unstructured source of associations between chromosomal regions and biomedical concepts. By mining MEDLINE abstracts, we annotate the human genome at the level of cytogenetic bands. Our method creates a set of chromosomal aberration maps that associate cytogenetic bands to biomedical concepts from a variety of controlled vocabularies, including disease, dysmorphology, anatomy, development and Gene Ontology branches. The association between a band (e.g. 4p16.3) and a concept (e.g. microcephaly) is assessed by the statistical overrepresentation of this concept in the abstracts relating to this band. Our method is validated using existing genome annotation resources and known chromosomal aberration maps and is further illustrated through a case study on heart disease. Our chromosomal aberration maps provide diagnostics support to clinical geneticists, aid cytogeneticists to interpret and report cytogenetic findings and support researchers interested in human gene function. The method is available as a web application, aBandApart, at http://www.esat.kuleuven.be/abandapart/. PMID:17403693

A Survey Study of U.S. Collegiate and K-12 Steel Band Directors' Attitudes Relating to Steel Band Curriculum and Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haskett, Brandon L.

2016-01-01

Steel bands were introduced into U.S. schools and universities during the 1950s and 1960s. There are now more than 600 U.S. school and university steel bands. The range of teaching methods and repertoire choices must be examined to more fully understand the variety of steel band traditions present in K-12 schools and universities. U.S. steel band…

Implementation of a Smeared Crack Band Model in a Micromechanics Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pineda, Evan J.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Waas, Anthony M.; Arnold, Steven M.

2012-01-01

The smeared crack band theory is implemented within the generalized method of cells and high-fidelity generalized method of cells micromechanics models to capture progressive failure within the constituents of a composite material while retaining objectivity with respect to the size of the discretization elements used in the model. An repeating unit cell containing 13 randomly arranged fibers is modeled and subjected to a combination of transverse tension/compression and transverse shear loading. The implementation is verified against experimental data (where available), and an equivalent finite element model utilizing the same implementation of the crack band theory. To evaluate the performance of the crack band theory within a repeating unit cell that is more amenable to a multiscale implementation, a single fiber is modeled with generalized method of cells and high-fidelity generalized method of cells using a relatively coarse subcell mesh which is subjected to the same loading scenarios as the multiple fiber repeating unit cell. The generalized method of cells and high-fidelity generalized method of cells models are validated against a very refined finite element model.

Dispersion Corrected Structural Properties and Quasiparticle Band Gaps of Several Organic Energetic Solids.

PubMed

Appalakondaiah, S; Vaitheeswaran, G; Lebègue, S

2015-06-18

We have performed ab initio calculations for a series of energetic solids to explore their structural and electronic properties. To evaluate the ground state volume of these molecular solids, different dispersion correction methods were accounted in DFT, namely the Tkatchenko-Scheffler method (with and without self-consistent screening), Grimme's methods (D2, D3(BJ)), and the vdW-DF method. Our results reveal that dispersion correction methods are essential in understanding these complex structures with van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding. The calculated ground state volumes and bulk moduli show that the performance of each method is not unique, and therefore a careful examination is mandatory for interpreting theoretical predictions. This work also emphasizes the importance of quasiparticle calculations in predicting the band gap, which is obtained here with the GW approximation. We find that the obtained band gaps are ranging from 4 to 7 eV for the different compounds, indicating their insulating nature. In addition, we show the essential role of quasiparticle band structure calculations to correlate the gap with the energetic properties.

Method and apparatus for acoustically monitoring the flow of suspended solid particulate matter

DOEpatents

Roach, Paul D.; Raptis, Apostolos C.

1982-01-01

A method and apparatus for monitoring char flow in a coal gasifier system cludes flow monitor circuits which measure acoustic attenuation caused by the presence of char in a char line and provide a char flow/no flow indication and an indication of relative char density. The flow monitor circuits compute the ratio of signals in two frequency bands, a first frequency band representative of background noise, and a second higher frequency band in which background noise is attenuated by the presence of char. Since the second frequency band contains higher frequencies, the ratio can be used to provide a flow/no flow indication. The second band can also be selected so that attenuation is monotonically related to particle concentration, providing a quantitative measure of char concentration.

Local surface curvature analysis based on reflection estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Qinglin; Laligant, Olivier; Fauvet, Eric; Zakharova, Anastasia

2015-07-01

In this paper, we propose a novel reflection based method to estimate the local orientation of a specular surface. For a calibrated scene with a fixed light band, the band is reflected by the surface to the image plane of a camera. Then the local geometry between the surface and reflected band is estimated. Firstly, in order to find the relationship relying the object position, the object surface orientation and the band reflection, we study the fundamental theory of the geometry between a specular mirror surface and a band source. Then we extend our approach to the spherical surface with arbitrary curvature. Experiments are conducted with mirror surface and spherical surface. Results show that our method is able to obtain the local surface orientation merely by measuring the displacement and the form of the reflection.

Comparison of infrared coagulation and rubber band ligation for first and second degree haemorrhoids: a randomised prospective clinical trial.

PubMed Central

Templeton, J L; Spence, R A; Kennedy, T L; Parks, T G; Mackenzie, G; Hanna, W A

1983-01-01

One hundred and thirty seven previously untreated out-patients with first and second degree haemorrhoids were allocated at random to treatment by infrared coagulation (n=66) or rubber band ligation (n=71). Complete follow up was obtained in 122 patients (60 who had undergone infrared coagulation (group 1), and 62 rubber band ligation (group 2)) at periods from three months to one year after completion of treatment. Infrared coagulation produced a satisfactory outcome in 51 patients (85%): 34 were rendered asymptomatic and 17 improved. Rubber band ligation produced a satisfactory outcome in 57 patients (92%): 33 were rendered asymptomatic and 24 improved. Both methods were equally effective in first and second degree haemorrhoids. The incidence of side effects, particularly discomfort, during and after treatment was significantly higher in those treated by rubber band ligation (p less than 0.001). This appeared to be an appreciable deterrent to future patient compliance. The number of patients losing more than 24 hours from work was higher after rubber band ligation than after infrared coagulation. The number of treatments necessary to cure symptoms did not differ significantly between the two methods. Infrared coagulation was significantly faster than rubber band ligation (p less than 0.001). Infrared coagulation is a simple, fast, and effective outpatient method for the treatment of first and second degree haemorrhoids with fewer troublesome side effects and higher patient acceptability than rubber band ligation. PMID:6404471

Precision Lifetime Measurements Using the Recoil Distance Method

PubMed Central

Krücken, R.

2000-01-01

The recoil distance method (RDM) for the measurements of lifetimes of excited nuclear levels in the range from about 1 ps to 1000 ps is reviewed. The New Yale Plunger Device for RDM experiments is introduced and the Differential Decay Curve Method for their analysis is reviewed. Results from recent RDM experiments on SD bands in the mass-190 region, shears bands in the neutron deficient lead isotopes, and ground state bands in the mass-130 region are presented. Perspectives for the use of RDM measurements in the study of neutron-rich nuclei are discussed. PMID:27551587

Detecting Phycocynanin-Pigmented Microbes in Reflected Light

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vincent, Robert K.

2008-01-01

A recently invented method of measuring concentrations of phycocynanin-pigmented algae and bacteria in water is based on measurement of the spectrum of reflected sunlight. When present in sufficiently high concentrations, phycocynanin-pigmented microorganisms can be hazardous to the health of humans who use, and of animals that depend on, an affected body of water. The present method is intended to satisfy a need for a rapid, convenient means of detecting hazardous concentrations of phycocynanin-pigmented microorganisms. Rapid detection will speed up the issuance of public health warnings and performance of corrective actions. The method involves the measurement of light reflected from a body of water in at least two, but preferably five wavelength bands. In one version of the method, the five wavelength bands are bands 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the Thematic Mapper (TM) multispectral imaging instrument aboard the Landsat-7 satellite (see table). In principle, other wavelength bands indicative of phycocynanin could be used alternatively or in addition to these five. Moreover, although the method was originally intended specifically for processing Landsat- 7 TM data, it is equally applicable to processing of data from other satellite-borne instruments or from airborne, hand-held, buoy-mounted, tower-mounted, or otherwise mounted instruments that measure radiances of light reflected from water in the wavelength bands of interest.

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

Xing, Yingjie, E-mail: xingyj@pku.edu.cn; Li, Shuai; Wang, Guiwei

The donor/acceptor heterojunction plays an important role in organic solar cells. An investigation of band bending in the donor/acceptor heterojunction is helpful in analysis of the charge transport behavior and for the improvement of the device performance. In this work, we report an approach for detection of band bending in a donor/acceptor heterojunction that has been prepared on a small and sharp tungsten tip. In situ field emission measurements are performed after the deposition process, and a linear Fowler-Nordheim plot is obtained from the fresh organic film surface. The thickness-dependent work function is then measured in the layer-by-layer deposited heterojunction.more » Several different types of heterojunction (zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc)/C60, copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)/3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic bisbenzimidazole, and CuPc/C60) are fabricated and analyzed. The different charge transfer directions in the heterojunctions are distinguished by field emission measurements. The calculation method used to determine the band bending is then discussed in detail. A triple layer heterojunction (C60/ZnPc/CuPc) is also analyzed using this method. A small amount of band bending is measured in the outer CuPc layer. This method provides an independent reference method for determination of the band bending in an organic heterojunction that will complement photoemission spectroscopy and current-voltage measurement methods.« less

Optimizing spatial patterns with sparse filter bands for motor-imagery based brain-computer interface.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu; Zhou, Guoxu; Jin, Jing; Wang, Xingyu; Cichocki, Andrzej

2015-11-30

Common spatial pattern (CSP) has been most popularly applied to motor-imagery (MI) feature extraction for classification in brain-computer interface (BCI) application. Successful application of CSP depends on the filter band selection to a large degree. However, the most proper band is typically subject-specific and can hardly be determined manually. This study proposes a sparse filter band common spatial pattern (SFBCSP) for optimizing the spatial patterns. SFBCSP estimates CSP features on multiple signals that are filtered from raw EEG data at a set of overlapping bands. The filter bands that result in significant CSP features are then selected in a supervised way by exploiting sparse regression. A support vector machine (SVM) is implemented on the selected features for MI classification. Two public EEG datasets (BCI Competition III dataset IVa and BCI Competition IV IIb) are used to validate the proposed SFBCSP method. Experimental results demonstrate that SFBCSP help improve the classification performance of MI. The optimized spatial patterns by SFBCSP give overall better MI classification accuracy in comparison with several competing methods. The proposed SFBCSP is a potential method for improving the performance of MI-based BCI. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feature Transformation Detection Method with Best Spectral Band Selection Process for Hyper-spectral Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hai-Wen; McGurr, Mike; Brickhouse, Mark

2015-11-01

We present a newly developed feature transformation (FT) detection method for hyper-spectral imagery (HSI) sensors. In essence, the FT method, by transforming the original features (spectral bands) to a different feature domain, may considerably increase the statistical separation between the target and background probability density functions, and thus may significantly improve the target detection and identification performance, as evidenced by the test results in this paper. We show that by differentiating the original spectral, one can completely separate targets from the background using a single spectral band, leading to perfect detection results. In addition, we have proposed an automated best spectral band selection process with a double-threshold scheme that can rank the available spectral bands from the best to the worst for target detection. Finally, we have also proposed an automated cross-spectrum fusion process to further improve the detection performance in lower spectral range (<1000 nm) by selecting the best spectral band pair with multivariate analysis. Promising detection performance has been achieved using a small background material signature library for concept-proving, and has then been further evaluated and verified using a real background HSI scene collected by a HYDICE sensor.

Measuring the band structures of periodic beams using the wave superposition method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Junyi, L.; Ruffini, V.; Balint, D.

2016-11-01

Phononic crystals and elastic metamaterials are artificially engineered periodic structures that have several interesting properties, such as negative effective stiffness in certain frequency ranges. An interesting property of phononic crystals and elastic metamaterials is the presence of band gaps, which are bands of frequencies where elastic waves cannot propagate. The presence of band gaps gives this class of materials the potential to be used as vibration isolators. In many studies, the band structures were used to evaluate the band gaps. The presence of band gaps in a finite structure is commonly validated by measuring the frequency response as there are no direct methods of measuring the band structures. In this study, an experiment was conducted to determine the band structure of one dimension phononic crystals with two wave modes, such as a bi-material beam, using the frequency response at only 6 points to validate the wave superposition method (WSM) introduced in a previous study. A bi-material beam and an aluminium beam with varying geometry were studied. The experiment was performed by hanging the beams freely, exciting one end of the beams, and measuring the acceleration at consecutive unit cells. The measured transfer function of the beams agrees with the analytical solutions but minor discrepancies. The band structure was then determined using WSM and the band structure of one set of the waves was found to agree well with the analytical solutions. The measurements taken for the other set of waves, which are the evanescent waves in the bi-material beams, were inaccurate and noisy. The transfer functions at additional points of one of the beams were calculated from the measured band structure using WSM. The calculated transfer function agrees with the measured results except at the frequencies where the band structure was inaccurate. Lastly, a study of the potential sources of errors was also conducted using finite element modelling and the errors in the dispersion curve measured from the experiments were deduced to be a result of a combination of measurement noise, the different placement of the accelerometer with finite mass, and the torsional mode.

Band registration of tuneable frame format hyperspectral UAV imagers in complex scenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honkavaara, Eija; Rosnell, Tomi; Oliveira, Raquel; Tommaselli, Antonio

2017-12-01

A recent revolution in miniaturised sensor technology has provided markets with novel hyperspectral imagers operating in the frame format principle. In the case of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based remote sensing, the frame format technology is highly attractive in comparison to the commonly utilised pushbroom scanning technology, because it offers better stability and the possibility to capture stereoscopic data sets, bringing an opportunity for 3D hyperspectral object reconstruction. Tuneable filters are one of the approaches for capturing multi- or hyperspectral frame images. The individual bands are not aligned when operating a sensor based on tuneable filters from a mobile platform, such as UAV, because the full spectrum recording is carried out in the time-sequential principle. The objective of this investigation was to study the aspects of band registration of an imager based on tuneable filters and to develop a rigorous and efficient approach for band registration in complex 3D scenes, such as forests. The method first determines the orientations of selected reference bands and reconstructs the 3D scene using structure-from-motion and dense image matching technologies. The bands, without orientation, are then matched to the oriented bands accounting the 3D scene to provide exterior orientations, and afterwards, hyperspectral orthomosaics, or hyperspectral point clouds, are calculated. The uncertainty aspects of the novel approach were studied. An empirical assessment was carried out in a forested environment using hyperspectral images captured with a hyperspectral 2D frame format camera, based on a tuneable Fabry-Pérot interferometer (FPI) on board a multicopter and supported by a high spatial resolution consumer colour camera. A theoretical assessment showed that the method was capable of providing band registration accuracy better than 0.5-pixel size. The empirical assessment proved the performance and showed that, with the novel method, most parts of the band misalignments were less than the pixel size. Furthermore, it was shown that the performance of the band alignment was dependent on the spatial distance from the reference band.

Geometric flow control of shear bands by suppression of viscous sliding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagapuram, Dinakar; Viswanathan, Koushik; Mahato, Anirban; Sundaram, Narayan K.; M'Saoubi, Rachid; Trumble, Kevin P.; Chandrasekar, Srinivasan

2016-08-01

Shear banding is a plastic flow instability with highly undesirable consequences for metals processing. While band characteristics have been well studied, general methods to control shear bands are presently lacking. Here, we use high-speed imaging and micro-marker analysis of flow in cutting to reveal the common fundamental mechanism underlying shear banding in metals. The flow unfolds in two distinct phases: an initiation phase followed by a viscous sliding phase in which most of the straining occurs. We show that the second sliding phase is well described by a simple model of two identical fluids being sheared across their interface. The equivalent shear band viscosity computed by fitting the model to experimental displacement profiles is very close in value to typical liquid metal viscosities. The observation of similar displacement profiles across different metals shows that specific microstructure details do not affect the second phase. This also suggests that the principal role of the initiation phase is to generate a weak interface that is susceptible to localized deformation. Importantly, by constraining the sliding phase, we demonstrate a material-agnostic method-passive geometric flow control-that effects complete band suppression in systems which otherwise fail via shear banding.

Energy diffusion controlled reaction rate of reacting particle driven by broad-band noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, M. L.; Zhu, W. Q.

2007-10-01

The energy diffusion controlled reaction rate of a reacting particle with linear weak damping and broad-band noise excitation is studied by using the stochastic averaging method. First, the stochastic averaging method for strongly nonlinear oscillators under broad-band noise excitation using generalized harmonic functions is briefly introduced. Then, the reaction rate of the classical Kramers' reacting model with linear weak damping and broad-band noise excitation is investigated by using the stochastic averaging method. The averaged Itô stochastic differential equation describing the energy diffusion and the Pontryagin equation governing the mean first-passage time (MFPT) are established. The energy diffusion controlled reaction rate is obtained as the inverse of the MFPT by solving the Pontryagin equation. The results of two special cases of broad-band noises, i.e. the harmonic noise and the exponentially corrected noise, are discussed in details. It is demonstrated that the general expression of reaction rate derived by the authors can be reduced to the classical ones via linear approximation and high potential barrier approximation. The good agreement with the results of the Monte Carlo simulation verifies that the reaction rate can be well predicted using the stochastic averaging method.

A simplified model of all-sky artificial sky glow derived from VIIRS Day/Night band data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duriscoe, Dan M.; Anderson, Sharolyn J.; Luginbuhl, Christian B.; Baugh, Kimberly E.

2018-07-01

We present a simplified method using geographic analysis tools to predict the average artificial luminance over the hemisphere of the night sky, expressed as a ratio to the natural condition. The VIIRS Day/Night Band upward radiance data from the Suomi NPP orbiting satellite was used for input to the model. The method is based upon a relation between sky glow brightness and the distance from the observer to the source of upward radiance. This relationship was developed using a Garstang radiative transfer model with Day/Night Band data as input, then refined and calibrated with ground-based all-sky V-band photometric data taken under cloudless and low atmospheric aerosol conditions. An excellent correlation was found between observed sky quality and the predicted values from the remotely sensed data. Thematic maps of large regions of the earth showing predicted artificial V-band sky brightness may be quickly generated with modest computing resources. We have found a fast and accurate method based on previous work to model all-sky quality. We provide limitations to this method. The proposed model meets requirements needed by decision makers and land managers of an easy to interpret and understand metric of sky quality.

Intercomparison of attenuation correction algorithms for single-polarized X-band radars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lengfeld, K.; Berenguer, M.; Sempere Torres, D.

2018-03-01

Attenuation due to liquid water is one of the largest uncertainties in radar observations. The effects of attenuation are generally inversely proportional to the wavelength, i.e. observations from X-band radars are more affected by attenuation than those from C- or S-band systems. On the other hand, X-band radars can measure precipitation fields in higher temporal and spatial resolution and are more mobile and easier to install due to smaller antennas. A first algorithm for attenuation correction in single-polarized systems was proposed by Hitschfeld and Bordan (1954) (HB), but it gets unstable in case of small errors (e.g. in the radar calibration) and strong attenuation. Therefore, methods have been developed that restrict attenuation correction to keep the algorithm stable, using e.g. surface echoes (for space-borne radars) and mountain returns (for ground radars) as a final value (FV), or adjustment of the radar constant (C) or the coefficient α. In the absence of mountain returns, measurements from C- or S-band radars can be used to constrain the correction. All these methods are based on the statistical relation between reflectivity and specific attenuation. Another way to correct for attenuation in X-band radar observations is to use additional information from less attenuated radar systems, e.g. the ratio between X-band and C- or S-band radar measurements. Lengfeld et al. (2016) proposed such a method based isotonic regression of the ratio between X- and C-band radar observations along the radar beam. This study presents a comparison of the original HB algorithm and three algorithms based on the statistical relation between reflectivity and specific attenuation as well as two methods implementing additional information of C-band radar measurements. Their performance in two precipitation events (one mainly convective and the other one stratiform) shows that a restriction of the HB is necessary to avoid instabilities. A comparison with vertically pointing micro rain radars (MRR) reveals good performance of two of the methods based in the statistical k-Z-relation: FV and α. The C algorithm seems to be more sensitive to differences in calibration of the two systems and requires additional information from C- or S-band radars. Furthermore, a study of five months of radar observations examines the long-term performance of each algorithm. From this study conclusions can be drawn that using additional information from less attenuated radar systems lead to best results. The two algorithms that use this additional information eliminate the bias caused by attenuation and preserve the agreement with MRR observations.

Synthesis of High-Frequency Ground Motion Using Information Extracted from Low-Frequency Ground Motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwaki, A.; Fujiwara, H.

2012-12-01

Broadband ground motion computations of scenario earthquakes are often based on hybrid methods that are the combinations of deterministic approach in lower frequency band and stochastic approach in higher frequency band. Typical computation methods for low-frequency and high-frequency (LF and HF, respectively) ground motions are the numerical simulations, such as finite-difference and finite-element methods based on three-dimensional velocity structure model, and the stochastic Green's function method, respectively. In such hybrid methods, LF and HF wave fields are generated through two different methods that are completely independent of each other, and are combined at the matching frequency. However, LF and HF wave fields are essentially not independent as long as they are from the same event. In this study, we focus on the relation among acceleration envelopes at different frequency bands, and attempt to synthesize HF ground motion using the information extracted from LF ground motion, aiming to propose a new method for broad-band strong motion prediction. Our study area is Kanto area, Japan. We use the K-NET and KiK-net surface acceleration data and compute RMS envelope at four frequency bands: 0.5-1.0 Hz, 1.0-2.0 Hz, 2.0-4.0 Hz, .0-8.0 Hz, and 8.0-16.0 Hz. Taking the ratio of the envelopes of adjacent bands, we find that the envelope ratios have stable shapes at each site. The empirical envelope-ratio characteristics are combined with low-frequency envelope of the target earthquake to synthesize HF ground motion. We have applied the method to M5-class earthquakes and a M7 target earthquake that occurred in the vicinity of Kanto area, and successfully reproduced the observed HF ground motion of the target earthquake. The method can be applied to a broad band ground motion simulation for a scenario earthquake by combining numerically-computed low-frequency (~1 Hz) ground motion with the empirical envelope ratio characteristics to generate broadband ground motion. The strengths of the proposed method are that: 1) it is based on observed ground motion characteristics, 2) it takes full advantage of precise velocity structure model, and 3) it is simple and easy to apply.

High-spin structures in the 139Pr nucleus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeoh, E. Y.; Zhu, S. J.; Wang, J. G.; Xiao, Z. G.; Zhang, M.; Yan, W. H.; Wang, R. S.; Xu, Q.; Wu, X. G.; He, C. Y.; Li, G. S.; Zheng, Y.; Li, C. B.; Cao, X. P.; Hu, S. P.; Yao, S. H.; Yu, B. B.

2012-06-01

Background: 139Pr is located in a transitional region of neutron number close to the N=82 shell. The study of its high-spin states and collective bands is important for systematically understanding the nuclear structural characteristics in this region.Purpose: To investigate the high-spin levels and to search for oblate bands in 139Pr.Methods: The high-spin states of 139Pr have been studied via the reaction 124Sn(19F,4n) at a beam energy of 80 MeV. The experiment was carried out at the HI-13 Tandem Accelerator at the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE). The data analysis was done by using the γ-γ coincidence method.Results: The level scheme of 139Pr has been expanded with spin up to 45/2ℏ. A total of 39 new levels and 45 new transitions are identified. Four collective band structures at high-spin states have been newly established. From systematic analysis, one of the bands is proposed as a double decoupled band; two bands are proposed as oblate bands with γ˜-60∘; another band is suggested as an oblate-triaxial band with γ˜-90∘. The other characteristics for these bands are discussed.Conclusions: A new level scheme in 139Pr has been established and the collective bands at high spin have been identified. The result shows that the strong oblate shape-driving effect is caused by neutrons at the high-spin states in 139Pr.

Simplified procedure for computing the absorption of sound by the atmosphere

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-10-31

This paper describes a study that resulted in the development of a simplified : method for calculating attenuation by atmospheric-absorption for wide-band : sounds analyzed by one-third octave-band filters. The new method [referred to : herein as the...

Fatigue level estimation of monetary bills based on frequency band acoustic signals with feature selection by supervised SOM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teranishi, Masaru; Omatu, Sigeru; Kosaka, Toshihisa

Fatigued monetary bills adversely affect the daily operation of automated teller machines (ATMs). In order to make the classification of fatigued bills more efficient, the development of an automatic fatigued monetary bill classification method is desirable. We propose a new method by which to estimate the fatigue level of monetary bills from the feature-selected frequency band acoustic energy pattern of banking machines. By using a supervised self-organizing map (SOM), we effectively estimate the fatigue level using only the feature-selected frequency band acoustic energy pattern. Furthermore, the feature-selected frequency band acoustic energy pattern improves the estimation accuracy of the fatigue level of monetary bills by adding frequency domain information to the acoustic energy pattern. The experimental results with real monetary bill samples reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Comparison of the various methods for the direct calculation of the transmission functions of the 15-micron CO2 band with experimental data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

Various methods for calculating the transmission functions of the 15 micron CO2 band are described. The results of these methods are compared with laboratory measurements. It is found that program P4 provides the best agreement with experimental results on the average.

Calculation of the X-Ray emission K and L 2,3 bands of metallic magnesium and aluminum with allowance for multielectron effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovcharenko, R. E.; Tupitsyn, I. I.; Savinov, E. P.; Voloshina, E. N.; Dedkov, Yu. S.; Shulakov, A. S.

2014-01-01

A procedure is proposed to calculate the shape of the characteristic X-ray emission bands of metals with allowance for multielectron effects. The effects of the dynamic screening of a core vacancy by conduction electrons and the Auger effect in the valence band are taken into account. The dynamic screening of a core vacancy, which is known to be called the MND (Mahan-Nozeieres-De Dominics) effect, is taken into account by an ab initio band calculation of crystals using the PAW (projected augmented waves) method. The Auger effect is taken into account by a semiempirical method using the approximation of a quadratic dependence of the level width in the valence band on the difference between the level energy and the Fermi energy. The proposed calculation procedure is used to describe the X-ray emission K and L 2,3 bands of metallic magnesium and aluminum crystals. The calculated spectra agree well with the experimental bands both near the Fermi level and in the low-energy part of the spectra in all cases.

Selective Area Band Engineering of Graphene using Cobalt-Mediated Oxidation.

PubMed

Bazylewski, Paul F; Nguyen, Van Luan; Bauer, Robert P C; Hunt, Adrian H; McDermott, Eamon J G; Leedahl, Brett D; Kukharenko, Andrey I; Cholakh, Seif O; Kurmaev, Ernst Z; Blaha, Peter; Moewes, Alexander; Lee, Young Hee; Chang, Gap Soo

2015-10-21

This study reports a scalable and economical method to open a band gap in single layer graphene by deposition of cobalt metal on its surface using physical vapor deposition in high vacuum. At low cobalt thickness, clusters form at impurity sites on the graphene without etching or damaging the graphene. When exposed to oxygen at room temperature, oxygen functional groups form in proportion to the cobalt thickness that modify the graphene band structure. Cobalt/Graphene resulting from this treatment can support a band gap of 0.30 eV, while remaining largely undamaged to preserve its structural and electrical properties. A mechanism of cobalt-mediated band opening is proposed as a two-step process starting with charge transfer from metal to graphene, followed by formation of oxides where cobalt has been deposited. Contributions from the formation of both CoO and oxygen functional groups on graphene affect the electronic structure to open a band gap. This study demonstrates that cobalt-mediated oxidation is a viable method to introduce a band gap into graphene at room temperature that could be applicable in electronics applications.

Selective Area Band Engineering of Graphene using Cobalt-Mediated Oxidation

PubMed Central

Bazylewski, Paul F.; Nguyen, Van Luan; Bauer, Robert P.C.; Hunt, Adrian H.; McDermott, Eamon J. G.; Leedahl, Brett D.; Kukharenko, Andrey I.; Cholakh, Seif O.; Kurmaev, Ernst Z.; Blaha, Peter; Moewes, Alexander; Lee, Young Hee; Chang, Gap Soo

2015-01-01

This study reports a scalable and economical method to open a band gap in single layer graphene by deposition of cobalt metal on its surface using physical vapor deposition in high vacuum. At low cobalt thickness, clusters form at impurity sites on the graphene without etching or damaging the graphene. When exposed to oxygen at room temperature, oxygen functional groups form in proportion to the cobalt thickness that modify the graphene band structure. Cobalt/Graphene resulting from this treatment can support a band gap of 0.30 eV, while remaining largely undamaged to preserve its structural and electrical properties. A mechanism of cobalt-mediated band opening is proposed as a two-step process starting with charge transfer from metal to graphene, followed by formation of oxides where cobalt has been deposited. Contributions from the formation of both CoO and oxygen functional groups on graphene affect the electronic structure to open a band gap. This study demonstrates that cobalt-mediated oxidation is a viable method to introduce a band gap into graphene at room temperature that could be applicable in electronics applications. PMID:26486966

47 CFR 0.241 - Authority delegated.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... database functions for unlicensed devices operating in the television broadcast bands (TV bands) as set... methods that will be used to designate TV bands database managers, to designate these database managers; to develop procedures that these database managers will use to ensure compliance with the...

47 CFR 0.241 - Authority delegated.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... database functions for unlicensed devices operating in the television broadcast bands (TV bands) as set... methods that will be used to designate TV bands database managers, to designate these database managers; to develop procedures that these database managers will use to ensure compliance with the...

47 CFR 0.241 - Authority delegated.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... database functions for unlicensed devices operating in the television broadcast bands (TV bands) as set... methods that will be used to designate TV bands database managers, to designate these database managers; to develop procedures that these database managers will use to ensure compliance with the...

Filter bank canonical correlation analysis for implementing a high-speed SSVEP-based brain-computer interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiaogang; Wang, Yijun; Gao, Shangkai; Jung, Tzyy-Ping; Gao, Xiaorong

2015-08-01

Objective. Recently, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) has been widely used in steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) due to its high efficiency, robustness, and simple implementation. However, a method with which to make use of harmonic SSVEP components to enhance the CCA-based frequency detection has not been well established. Approach. This study proposed a filter bank canonical correlation analysis (FBCCA) method to incorporate fundamental and harmonic frequency components to improve the detection of SSVEPs. A 40-target BCI speller based on frequency coding (frequency range: 8-15.8 Hz, frequency interval: 0.2 Hz) was used for performance evaluation. To optimize the filter bank design, three methods (M1: sub-bands with equally spaced bandwidths; M2: sub-bands corresponding to individual harmonic frequency bands; M3: sub-bands covering multiple harmonic frequency bands) were proposed for comparison. Classification accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR) of the three FBCCA methods and the standard CCA method were estimated using an offline dataset from 12 subjects. Furthermore, an online BCI speller adopting the optimal FBCCA method was tested with a group of 10 subjects. Main results. The FBCCA methods significantly outperformed the standard CCA method. The method M3 achieved the highest classification performance. At a spelling rate of ˜33.3 characters/min, the online BCI speller obtained an average ITR of 151.18 ± 20.34 bits min-1. Significance. By incorporating the fundamental and harmonic SSVEP components in target identification, the proposed FBCCA method significantly improves the performance of the SSVEP-based BCI, and thereby facilitates its practical applications such as high-speed spelling.

Lab-on-a-chip and SDS-PAGE analysis of hemolymph protein profile from Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) infected with entomopathogenic nematode and fungus.

PubMed

Golo, Patrícia Silva; Dos Santos, Alessa Siqueira de Oliveira; Monteiro, Caio Marcio Oliveira; Perinotto, Wendell Marcelo de Souza; Quinelato, Simone; Camargo, Mariana Guedes; de Sá, Fillipe Araujo; Angelo, Isabele da Costa; Martins, Marta Fonseca; Prata, Marcia Cristina de Azevedo; Bittencourt, Vânia Rita Elias Pinheiro

2016-09-01

In the present study, lab-on-a-chip electrophoresis (LoaC) was suggested as an alternative method to the conventional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions (SDS-PAGE) to analyze raw cell-free tick hemolymph. Rhipicephalus microplus females were exposed to the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae senso latu IBCB 116 strain and/or to the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis indica LPP1 strain. Hemolymph from not exposed or exposed ticks was collected 16 and 24 h after exposure and analyze by SDS-PAGE or LoaC. SDS-PAGE yielded 15 bands and LoaC electrophoresis 17 bands. Despite the differences in the number of bands, when the hemolymph protein profiles of exposed or unexposed ticks were compared in the same method, no suppressing or additional bands were detected among the treatments regardless the method (i.e., SDS-PAGE or chip electrophoresis using the Protein 230 Kit®). The potential of LoaC electrophoresis to detect protein bands from tick hemolymph was considered more efficient in comparison to the detection obtained using the traditional SDS-PAGE method, especially when it comes to protein subunits heavier than 100 KDa. LoaC electrophoresis provided a very good reproducibility, and is much faster than the conventional SDS-PAGE method, which requires several hours for one analysis. Despite both methods can be used to analyze tick hemolymph composition, LoaC was considered more suitable for cell-free hemolymph protein separation and detection. LoaC hemolymph band percent data reported changes in key proteins (i.e., HeLp and vitellogenin) exceptionally important for tick embryogenesis. This study reported, for the first time, tick hemolymph protein profile using LoaC.

Targeted Re-Sequencing Emulsion PCR Panel for Myopathies: Results in 94 Cases.

PubMed

Punetha, Jaya; Kesari, Akanchha; Uapinyoying, Prech; Giri, Mamta; Clarke, Nigel F; Waddell, Leigh B; North, Kathryn N; Ghaoui, Roula; O'Grady, Gina L; Oates, Emily C; Sandaradura, Sarah A; Bönnemann, Carsten G; Donkervoort, Sandra; Plotz, Paul H; Smith, Edward C; Tesi-Rocha, Carolina; Bertorini, Tulio E; Tarnopolsky, Mark A; Reitter, Bernd; Hausmanowa-Petrusewicz, Irena; Hoffman, Eric P

2016-05-27

Molecular diagnostics in the genetic myopathies often requires testing of the largest and most complex transcript units in the human genome (DMD, TTN, NEB). Iteratively targeting single genes for sequencing has traditionally entailed high costs and long turnaround times. Exome sequencing has begun to supplant single targeted genes, but there are concerns regarding coverage and needed depth of the very large and complex genes that frequently cause myopathies. To evaluate efficiency of next-generation sequencing technologies to provide molecular diagnostics for patients with previously undiagnosed myopathies. We tested a targeted re-sequencing approach, using a 45 gene emulsion PCR myopathy panel, with subsequent sequencing on the Illumina platform in 94 undiagnosed patients. We compared the targeted re-sequencing approach to exome sequencing for 10 of these patients studied. We detected likely pathogenic mutations in 33 out of 94 patients with a molecular diagnostic rate of approximately 35%. The remaining patients showed variants of unknown significance (35/94 patients) or no mutations detected in the 45 genes tested (26/94 patients). Mutation detection rates for targeted re-sequencing vs. whole exome were similar in both methods; however exome sequencing showed better distribution of reads and fewer exon dropouts. Given that costs of highly parallel re-sequencing and whole exome sequencing are similar, and that exome sequencing now takes considerably less laboratory processing time than targeted re-sequencing, we recommend exome sequencing as the standard approach for molecular diagnostics of myopathies.

Understanding the adsorptive interactions of arsenate-iron nanoparticles with curved fullerene-like sheets in activated carbon using a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics computational approach.

PubMed

Ha, Nguyen Ngoc; Cam, Le Minh; Ha, Nguyen Thi Thu; Goh, Bee-Min; Saunders, Martin; Jiang, Zhong-Tao; Altarawneh, Mohammednoor; Dlugogorski, Bogdan Z; El-Harbawi, Mohanad; Yin, Chun-Yang

2017-06-07

The prevalence of global arsenic groundwater contamination has driven widespread research on developing effective treatment systems including adsorption using various sorbents. The uptake of arsenic-based contaminants onto established sorbents such as activated carbon (AC) can be effectively enhanced via immobilization/impregnation of iron-based elements on the porous AC surface. Recent suggestions that AC pores structurally consist of an eclectic mix of curved fullerene-like sheets may affect the arsenic adsorption dynamics within the AC pores and is further complicated by the presence of nano-sized iron-based elements. We have therefore, attempted to shed light on the adsorptive interactions of arsenate-iron nanoparticles with curved fullerene-like sheets by using hybridized quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QMMM) calculations and microscopy characterization. It is found that, subsequent to optimization, chemisorption between HAsO 4 2- and the AC carbon sheet (endothermic process) is virtually non-existent - this observation is supported by experimental results. Conversely, the incorporation of iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) into the AC carbon sheet greatly facilitates chemisorption of HAsO 4 2- . Our calculation implies that iron carbide is formed at the junction between the iron and the AC interface and this tightly chemosorbed layer prevents detachment of the FeNPs on the AC surface. Other aspects including electronic structure/properties, carbon arrangement defects and rate of adsorptive interaction, which are determined using the Climbing-Image NEB method, are also discussed.

Assessment of Thematic Mapper band-to-band registration by the block correlation method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Card, D. H.; Wrigley, R. C.; Mertz, F. C.; Hall, J. R.

1983-01-01

Rectangular blocks of pixels from one band image were statistically correlated against blocks centered on identical pixels from a second band image. The block pairs were shifted in pixel increments both vertically and horizontally with respect to each other and the correlation coefficient to the maximum correlation was taken as the best estimate of registration error for each block pair. For the band combinations of the Arkansas scene studied, the misregistration of TM spectral bands within the noncooled focal plane lie well within the 0.2 pixel target specification. Misregistration between the middle IR bands is well within this specification also. The thermal IR band has an apparent misregistration with TM band 7 of approximately 3 pixels in each direction. The TM band 3 has a misregistration of approximately 0.2 pixel in the across-scan direction and 0.5 pixel in the along-scan direction, with both TM bands 5 and 7.

Assessment of Thematic Mapper Band-to-band Registration by the Block Correlation Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Card, D. H.; Wrigley, R. C.; Mertz, F. C.; Hall, J. R.

1985-01-01

Rectangular blocks of pixels from one band image were statistically correlated against blocks centered on identical pixels from a second band image. The block pairs were shifted in pixel increments both vertically and horizontally with respect to each other and the correlation coefficient to the maximum correlation was taken as the best estimate of registration error for each block pair. For the band combinations of the Arkansas scene studied, the misregistration of TM spectral bands within the noncooled focal plane lie well within the 0.2 pixel target specification. Misregistration between the middle IR bands is well within this specification also. The thermal IR band has an apparent misregistration with TM band 7 of approximately 3 pixels in each direction. The TM band 3 has a misregistration of approximately 0.2 pixel in the across-scan direction and 0.5 pixel in the along-scan direction, with both TM bands 5 and 7.

Vibration band gaps for elastic metamaterial rods using wave finite element method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nobrega, E. D.; Gautier, F.; Pelat, A.; Dos Santos, J. M. C.

2016-10-01

Band gaps in elastic metamaterial rods with spatial periodic distribution and periodically attached local resonators are investigated. New techniques to analyze metamaterial systems are using a combination of analytical or numerical method with wave propagation. One of them, called here wave spectral element method (WSEM), consists of combining the spectral element method (SEM) with Floquet-Bloch's theorem. A modern methodology called wave finite element method (WFEM), developed to calculate dynamic behavior in periodic acoustic and structural systems, utilizes a similar approach where SEM is substituted by the conventional finite element method (FEM). In this paper, it is proposed to use WFEM to calculate band gaps in elastic metamaterial rods with spatial periodic distribution and periodically attached local resonators of multi-degree-of-freedom (M-DOF). Simulated examples with band gaps generated by Bragg scattering and local resonators are calculated by WFEM and verified with WSEM, which is used as a reference method. Results are presented in the form of attenuation constant, vibration transmittance and frequency response function (FRF). For all cases, WFEM and WSEM results are in agreement, provided that the number of elements used in WFEM is sufficient to convergence. An experimental test was conducted with a real elastic metamaterial rod, manufactured with plastic in a 3D printer, without local resonance-type effect. The experimental results for the metamaterial rod with band gaps generated by Bragg scattering are compared with the simulated ones. Both numerical methods (WSEM and WFEM) can localize the band gap position and width very close to the experimental results. A hybrid approach combining WFEM with the commercial finite element software ANSYS is proposed to model complex metamaterial systems. Two examples illustrating its efficiency and accuracy to model an elastic metamaterial rod unit-cell using 1D simple rod element and 3D solid element are demonstrated and the results present good approximation to the experimental data.

Method and apparatus for acoustically monitoring the flow of suspended solid particulate matter. [Patent application; monitoring char flow in coal gasifier

DOEpatents

Roach, P.D.; Raptis, A.C.

1980-11-24

A method and apparatus for monitoring char flow in a coal gasifier system includes flow monitor circuits which measure acoustic attenuation caused by the presence of char in a char line and provides a char flow/no flow indication and an indication of relative char density. The flow monitor circuits compute the ratio of signals in two frequency bands, a first frequency band representative of background noise, and a second higher frequency band in which background noise is attenuated by the presence of char. Since the second frequency band contains higher frequencies, the ratio can be used to provide a flow/no flow indication. The second band can also be selected so that attenuation is monotonically related to particle concentration, providing a quantitative measure of char concentration.

A New Approach to Suppress the Effect of Machining Error for Waveguide Septum Circular Polarizer at 230 GHz Band in Radio Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasegawa, Yutaka; Harada, Ryohei; Tokuda, Kazuki; Kimura, Kimihiro; Ogawa, Hideo; Onishi, Toshikazu; Nishimura, Atsushi; Han, Johnson; Inoue, Makoto

2017-05-01

A new stepped septum-type waveguide circular polarizer (SST-CP) was developed to operate in the 230 GHz band for radio astronomy, especially submillimeter-band VLBI observations. For previously reported SST-CP models, the 230 GHz band is too high to achieve the design characteristics in manufactured devices because of unexpected machining errors. To realize a functional SST-CP that can operate in the submillimeter band, a new method was developed, in which the division surface is shifted from the top step of the septum to the second step from the top, and we simulated the expected machining error. The SST-CP using this method can compensate for specified machining errors and suppress serious deterioration. To verify the proposed method, several test pieces were manufactured, and their characteristics were measured using a VNA. These results indicated that the insertion losses were approximately 0.75 dB, and the input return losses and the crosstalk of the left- and right-hand circular polarization were greater than 20 dB at 220-245 GHz on 300 K. Moreover, a 230 GHz SST-CP was developed by the proposed method and installed in a 1.85-m radio telescope receiver systems, and then had used for scientific observations during one observation season without any problems. These achievements demonstrate the successful development of a 230 GHz SST-CP for radio astronomical observations. Furthermore, the proposed method can be applicable for observations in higher frequency bands, such as 345 GHz.

Extracting sensitive spectrum bands of rapeseed using multiscale multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Shan; Wang, Fang; Shen, Luming; Liao, Guiping; Wang, Lin

2017-03-01

Spectrum technology has been widely used in crop non-destructive testing diagnosis for crop information acquisition. Since spectrum covers a wide range of bands, it is of critical importance to extract the sensitive bands. In this paper, we propose a methodology to extract the sensitive spectrum bands of rapeseed using multiscale multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis. Our obtained sensitive bands are relatively robust in the range of 534 nm-574 nm. Further, by using the multifractal parameter (Hurst exponent) of the extracted sensitive bands, we propose a prediction model to forecast the Soil and plant analyzer development values ((SPAD), often used as a parameter to indicate the chlorophyll content) and an identification model to distinguish the different planting patterns. Three vegetation indices (VIs) based on previous work are used for comparison. Three evaluation indicators, namely, the root mean square error, the correlation coefficient, and the relative error employed in the SPAD values prediction model all demonstrate that our Hurst exponent has the best performance. Four rapeseed compound planting factors, namely, seeding method, planting density, fertilizer type, and weed control method are considered in the identification model. The Youden indices calculated by the random decision forest method and the K-nearest neighbor method show that our Hurst exponent is superior to other three Vis, and their combination for the factor of seeding method. In addition, there is no significant difference among the five features for other three planting factors. This interesting finding suggests that the transplanting and the direct seeding would make a big difference in the growth of rapeseed.

An algebraic equation solution process formulated in anticipation of banded linear equations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1971-01-01

A general method for the solution of large, sparsely banded, positive-definite, coefficient matrices is presented. The goal in developing the method was to produce an efficient and reliable solution process and to provide the user-programmer with a p...

The infrared bands Pechan prism axis parallel detection method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiang, Hua; Ji, Ming; He, Yu-lan; Wang, Nan-xi; Chang, Wei-jun; Wang, Ling; Liu, Li

2017-02-01

In this paper, we put forward a new method to adjust the air gap of the total reflection air gap of the infrared Pechan prism. The adjustment of the air gap in the air gap of the Pechan prism directly affects the parallelism of the optical axis, so as to affect the consistency of the optical axis of the infrared system. The method solves the contradiction between the total reflection and the high transmission of the infrared wave band, and promotes the engineering of the infrared wave band. This paper puts forward the method of adjusting and controlling, which can ensure the full reflection and high penetration of the light, and also can accurately measure the optical axis of the optical axis of the different Pechan prism, and can achieve the precision of the level of the sec. For Pechan prism used in the infrared band image de rotation, make the product to realize miniaturization, lightweight plays an important significance.

A Minimum Spanning Forest Based Method for Noninvasive Cancer Detection with Hyperspectral Imaging

PubMed Central

Pike, Robert; Lu, Guolan; Wang, Dongsheng; Chen, Zhuo Georgia; Fei, Baowei

2016-01-01

Goal The purpose of this paper is to develop a classification method that combines both spectral and spatial information for distinguishing cancer from healthy tissue on hyperspectral images in an animal model. Methods An automated algorithm based on a minimum spanning forest (MSF) and optimal band selection has been proposed to classify healthy and cancerous tissue on hyperspectral images. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier is trained to create a pixel-wise classification probability map of cancerous and healthy tissue. This map is then used to identify markers that are used to compute mutual information for a range of bands in the hyperspectral image and thus select the optimal bands. An MSF is finally grown to segment the image using spatial and spectral information. Conclusion The MSF based method with automatically selected bands proved to be accurate in determining the tumor boundary on hyperspectral images. Significance Hyperspectral imaging combined with the proposed classification technique has the potential to provide a noninvasive tool for cancer detection. PMID:26285052

FEM investigation of concrete silos damaged and reinforced externally with CFRP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kermiche, Sihem; Boussaid, Ouzine; Redjel, Bachir; Amirat, Abdelaziz

2018-03-01

The present work investigates the reinforcement of concrete wheat-grain silos under initial damage. The reinforcement is achieved by mounting bands of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) on the external walls of the silo. 4 modes of reinforcement are adapted according to the width of the band, the gap between two bands, the height of reinforcement and the number of layers achieved through banding. Analytical analyses were conducted using the Reimbert method and the Eurocode 1 Part 4 method, as well as numerically through the finite element software Abaqus. Results show that the normal pressure reaches a peak value when approaching the silo hopper. Initial damage in a concrete silo was first determined using a 3D geometrical model, while the damage analyses were conducted to optimize the CFRP reinforcement by mounting 2 CFRP bands close together above and below the cylinder-hopper joint. Increasing the number of banding layers could produce better performance as the damage was slightly decreased from 0.161 to 0.152 for 1 and 4 layers respectively.

Investigation of LANDSAT D Thematic Mapper geometric performance: Line to line and band to band registration. [Toulouse, France and Mississippi, U.S.A.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Begni, G.; BOISSIN; Desachy, M. J.; PERBOS

1984-01-01

The geometric accuray of LANDSAT TM raw data of Toulouse (France) raw data of Mississippi, and preprocessed data of Mississippi was examined using a CDC computer. Analog images were restituted on the VIZIR SEP device. The methods used for line to line and band to band registration are based on automatic correlation techniques and are widely used in automated image to image registration at CNES. Causes of intraband and interband misregistration are identified and statistics are given for both line to line and band to band misregistration.

Cellulose I crystallinity determination using FT-Raman spectroscopy : univariate and multivariate methods

Treesearch

Umesh P. Agarwal; Richard S. Reiner; Sally A. Ralph

2010-01-01

Two new methods based on FT–Raman spectroscopy, one simple, based on band intensity ratio, and the other using a partial least squares (PLS) regression model, are proposed to determine cellulose I crystallinity. In the simple method, crystallinity in cellulose I samples was determined based on univariate regression that was first developed using the Raman band...

Measuring the quantum geometric tensor in two-dimensional photonic and exciton-polariton systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bleu, O.; Solnyshkov, D. D.; Malpuech, G.

2018-05-01

We propose theoretically a method that allows to measure all the components of the quantum geometric tensor (the metric tensor and the Berry curvature) in a photonic system. The method is based on standard optical measurements. It applies to two-band systems, which can be mapped to a pseudospin, and to four-band systems, which can be described by two entangled pseudospins. We apply this method to several specific cases. We consider a 2D planar cavity with two polarization eigenmodes, where the pseudospin measurement can be performed via polarization-resolved photoluminescence. We also consider the s band of a staggered honeycomb lattice with polarization-degenerate modes (scalar photons), where the sublattice pseudospin can be measured by performing spatially resolved interferometric measurements. We finally consider the s band of a honeycomb lattice with polarized (spinor) photons as an example of a four-band model. We simulate realistic experimental situations in all cases. We find the photon eigenstates by solving the Schrödinger equation including pumping and finite lifetime, and then simulate the measurements to finally extract realistic mappings of the k-dependent tensor components.

Device and method for generating a beam of acoustic energy from a borehole, and applications thereof

DOEpatents

Vu, Cung Khac; Sinha, Dipen N; Pantea, Cristian; Nihei, Kurt T; Schmitt, Denis P; Skelt, Christopher

2013-10-01

In some aspects of the invention, a method of generating a beam of acoustic energy in a borehole is disclosed. The method includes generating a first broad-band acoustic pulse at a first broad-band frequency range having a first central frequency and a first bandwidth spread; generating a second broad-band acoustic pulse at a second broad-band frequency range different than the first frequency range having a second central frequency and a second bandwidth spread, wherein the first acoustic pulse and second acoustic pulse are generated by at least one transducer arranged on a tool located within the borehole; and transmitting the first and the second broad-band acoustic pulses into an acoustically non-linear medium, wherein the composition of the non-linear medium produces a collimated pulse by a non-linear mixing of the first and second acoustic pulses, wherein the collimated pulse has a frequency equal to the difference in frequencies between the first central frequency and the second central frequency and a bandwidth spread equal to the sum of the first bandwidth spread and the second bandwidth spread.

Retrieval of land cover information under thin fog in Landsat TM image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Yuchun

2008-04-01

Thin fog, which often appears in remote sensing image of subtropical climate region, has resulted in the low image quantity and bad image mapping. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the image processing method to retrieve land cover information under thin fog. In this paper, the Landsat TM image near the Taihu Lake that is in the subtropical climate zone of China was used as an example, and the workflow and method used to retrieve the land cover information under thin fog have been built based on ENVI software and a single TM image. The basic step covers three parts: 1) isolating the thin fog area in image according to the spectral difference of different bands; 2) retrieving the visible band information of different land cover types under thin fog from the near-infrared bands according to the relationships between near-infrared bands and visible bands of different land cover types in the area without fog; 3) image post-process. The result showed that the method in the paper is easy and suitable, and can be used to improve the quantity of TM image mapping more effectively.

On-Ramp: Improving students' understanding of lock-in amplifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeVore, Seth; Singh, Chandralekha; Levy, Jeremy

2013-03-01

A lock-in amplifier is a powerful and versatile instrument which is used frequently in condensed matter physics research. However, many students struggle with the basics of a lock-in amplifier and they have difficulty in interpreting the data obtained with this device in diverse applications. To improve students' understanding, we are developing an ``On-Ramp'' tutorial based on physics education research which makes use of a computer simulation of a lock-in amplifier. During the development of the tutorial we interviewed several faculty members and graduate students. The tutorial is based on a field-tested approach in which students realize their difficulties after predicting the outcome of experiments that use a lock-in amplifier; students can check their predictions using simulations. The tutorial then guides students toward a coherent understanding of the basics of a lock-in amplifier. This poster will discuss the development and assessment process. This work is supported by NSF NEB (DMR-1124131) and NSF (PHY-1202909).

Paradigms and public policies on drought in northeast Brazil: a historical perspective.

PubMed

Campos, José Nilson B

2015-05-01

This paper describes the evolution of drought-related public policies in Northeast Brazil (NEB). Using a historical approach, we show that the evolution of public policy has not been characterized by abrupt shifts, but has instead been shaped through debates between renowned intellectuals. The resulting public policies formed a hydrological infrastructure that delivers clean water needed for robust economic activity. However, outcomes of the 2012-2013 drought show that populations that depend on rain fed agriculture are as vulnerable to drought as they were at the start of the 20th century. Although government, social, and emergency programs have aided drought victims, drought analysts agree that rain fed agriculture has remained vulnerable since drought policies were first formulated. Drought policies formulate integrated water resources management (IWRM) strategies that are geared toward supplying safe drinking water, and debates surrounding the IWRM paradigm have been affected by outcomes of major international events such as the World Water Forum.

Methods of making wind turbine rotor blades

DOEpatents

Livingston, Jamie T.; Burke, Arthur H. E.; Bakhuis, Jan Willem; Van Breugel, Sjef; Billen, Andrew

2008-04-01

A method of manufacturing a root portion of a wind turbine blade includes, in an exemplary embodiment, providing an outer layer of reinforcing fibers including at least two woven mats of reinforcing fibers, providing an inner layer of reinforcing fibers including at least two woven mats of reinforcing fibers, and positioning at least two bands of reinforcing fibers between the inner and outer layers, with each band of reinforcing fibers including at least two woven mats of reinforcing fibers. The method further includes positioning a mat of randomly arranged reinforcing fibers between each pair of adjacent bands of reinforcing fibers, introducing a polymeric resin into the root potion of the wind turbine blade, infusing the resin through the outer layer, the inner layer, each band of reinforcing fibers, and each mat of random reinforcing fibers, and curing the resin to form the root portion of the wind turbine blade.

Phase quantification by X-ray photoemission valence band analysis applied to mixed phase TiO2 powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breeson, Andrew C.; Sankar, Gopinathan; Goh, Gregory K. L.; Palgrave, Robert G.

2017-11-01

A method of quantitative phase analysis using valence band X-ray photoelectron spectra is presented and applied to the analysis of TiO2 anatase-rutile mixtures. The valence band spectra of pure TiO2 polymorphs were measured, and these spectral shapes used to fit valence band spectra from mixed phase samples. Given the surface sensitive nature of the technique, this yields a surface phase fraction. Mixed phase samples were prepared from high and low surface area anatase and rutile powders. In the samples studied here, the surface phase fraction of anatase was found to be linearly correlated with photocatalytic activity of the mixed phase samples, even for samples with very different anatase and rutile surface areas. We apply this method to determine the surface phase fraction of P25 powder. This method may be applied to other systems where a surface phase fraction is an important characteristic.

a Band Selection Method for High Precision Registration of Hyperspectral Image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, H.; Li, X.

2018-04-01

During the registration of hyperspectral images and high spatial resolution images, too much bands in a hyperspectral image make it difficult to select bands with good registration performance. Terrible bands are possible to reduce matching speed and accuracy. To solve this problem, an algorithm based on Cram'er-Rao lower bound theory is proposed to select good matching bands in this paper. The algorithm applies the Cram'er-Rao lower bound theory to the study of registration accuracy, and selects good matching bands by CRLB parameters. Experiments show that the algorithm in this paper can choose good matching bands and provide better data for the registration of hyperspectral image and high spatial resolution image.

Theoretical prediction of the band offsets at the ZnO/anatase TiO2 and GaN/ZnO heterojunctions using the self-consistent ab initio DFT/GGA-1/2 method.

PubMed

Fang, D Q; Zhang, S L

2016-01-07

The band offsets of the ZnO/anatase TiO2 and GaN/ZnO heterojunctions are calculated using the density functional theory/generalized gradient approximation (DFT/GGA)-1/2 method, which takes into account the self-energy corrections and can give an approximate description to the quasiparticle characteristics of the electronic structure of semiconductors. We present the results of the ionization potential (IP)-based and interfacial offset-based band alignments. In the interfacial offset-based band alignment, to get the natural band offset, we use the surface calculations to estimate the change of reference level due to the interfacial strain. Based on the interface models and GGA-1/2 calculations, we find that the valence band maximum and conduction band minimum of ZnO, respectively, lie 0.64 eV and 0.57 eV above those of anatase TiO2, while lie 0.84 eV and 1.09 eV below those of GaN, which agree well with the experimental data. However, a large discrepancy exists between the IP-based band offset and the calculated natural band offset, the mechanism of which is discussed. Our results clarify band alignment of the ZnO/anatase TiO2 heterojunction and show good agreement with the GW calculations for the GaN/ZnO heterojunction.

Method for producing a thin sample band in a microchannel device

DOEpatents

Griffiths, Stewart K [Livermore, CA; Nilson, Robert H [Cardiff, CA

2004-08-03

The present invention improves the performance of microchannel systems for chemical and biological synthesis and analysis by providing a method and apparatus for producing a thin band of a species sample. Thin sample bands improve the resolution of microchannel separation processes, as well as many other processes requiring precise control of sample size and volume. The new method comprises a series of steps in which a species sample is manipulated by controlled transport through a junction formed at the intersection of four or more channels. A sample is first inserted into the end of one of these channels in the vicinity of the junction. Next, this sample is thinned by transport across the junction one or more times. During these thinning steps, flow enters the junction through one of the channels and exists through those remaining, providing a divergent flow field that progressively stretches and thins the band with each traverse of the junction. The thickness of the resulting sample band may be smaller than the channel width. Moreover, the thickness of the band may be varied and controlled by altering the method alone, without modification to the channel or junction geometries. The invention is applicable to both electroosmotic and electrophoretic transport, to combined electrokinetic transport, and to some special cases in which bulk fluid transport is driven by pressure gradients. It is further applicable to channels that are open, filled with a gel or filled with a porous or granular material.

Improved target detection by IR dual-band image fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adomeit, U.; Ebert, R.

2009-09-01

Dual-band thermal imagers acquire information simultaneously in both the 8-12 μm (long-wave infrared, LWIR) and the 3-5 μm (mid-wave infrared, MWIR) spectral range. Compared to single-band thermal imagers they are expected to have several advantages in military applications. These advantages include the opportunity to use the best band for given atmospheric conditions (e. g. cold climate: LWIR, hot and humid climate: MWIR), the potential to better detect camouflaged targets and an improved discrimination between targets and decoys. Most of these advantages have not yet been verified and/or quantified. It is expected that image fusion allows better exploitation of the information content available with dual-band imagers especially with respect to detection of targets. We have developed a method for dual-band image fusion based on the apparent temperature differences in the two bands. This method showed promising results in laboratory tests. In order to evaluate its performance under operational conditions we conducted a field trial in an area with high thermal clutter. In such areas, targets are hardly to detect in single-band images because they vanish in the clutter structure. The image data collected in this field trial was used for a perception experiment. This perception experiment showed an enhanced target detection range and reduced false alarm rate for the fused images compared to the single-band images.

High-frequency tone-pip-evoked otoacoustic emissions in chinchillas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegel, Jonathan H.; Charaziak, Karolina K.

2015-12-01

We measured otoacoustic emissions in anesthetized chinchillas evoked by short (1 ms) high-frequency (4 kHz) tone-pips (TEOAE) using either a compression or suppression method to separate the stimulus from the emission. Both methods revealed consistent features of the TEOAEs. The main spectral band of the emission generally corresponded to the spectrum of the stimulus, exhibiting a group delay similar to that of SFOAEs [9]. However, a second spectral band below 1.5 kHz, clearly separated from the low-frequency cut-off frequency of the stimulus spectrum, corresponded to an amplitude modulation of the waveform of the TEOAE. The group delay of this low-frequency band was similar to that of the main band near the probe frequency. The average level and group delay of the main band declined monotonically when revealed as the suppressor frequency was raised above the probe. The low-frequency band was more sensitive than the main band to shifts in compound action potential thresholds near the probe frequency induced by acute exposure to intense tones. Taken together, the experiments indicate that both the main and low-frequency bands of the TEOAE are generated primarily near the cochlear region maximally stimulated by the probe, but that significant contributions arise over a large region even more basal.

A novel theoretical model for the temperature dependence of band gap energy in semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, Peiji; Li, Weiguo; Zhang, Xianhe; Zhang, Xuyao; Deng, Yong; Kou, Haibo

2017-10-01

We report a novel theoretical model without any fitting parameters for the temperature dependence of band gap energy in semiconductors. This model relates the band gap energy at the elevated temperature to that at the arbitrary reference temperature. As examples, the band gap energies of Si, Ge, AlN, GaN, InP, InAs, ZnO, ZnS, ZnSe and GaAs at temperatures below 400 K are calculated and are in good agreement with the experimental results. Meanwhile, the band gap energies at high temperatures (T  >  400 K) are predicted, which are greater than the experimental results, and the reasonable analysis is carried out as well. Under low temperatures, the effect of lattice expansion on the band gap energy is very small, but it has much influence on the band gap energy at high temperatures. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the effect of lattice expansion at high temperatures, and the method considering the effect of lattice expansion has also been given. The model has distinct advantages compared with the widely quoted Varshni’s semi-empirical equation from the aspect of modeling, physical meaning and application. The study provides a convenient method to determine the band gap energy under different temperatures.

Segmentation of prostate from ultrasound images using level sets on active band and intensity variation across edges.

PubMed

Li, Xu; Li, Chunming; Fedorov, Andriy; Kapur, Tina; Yang, Xiaoping

2016-06-01

In this paper, the authors propose a novel efficient method to segment ultrasound images of the prostate with weak boundaries. Segmentation of the prostate from ultrasound images with weak boundaries widely exists in clinical applications. One of the most typical examples is the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Accurate segmentation of the prostate boundaries from ultrasound images plays an important role in many prostate-related applications such as the accurate placement of the biopsy needles, the assignment of the appropriate therapy in cancer treatment, and the measurement of the prostate volume. Ultrasound images of the prostate are usually corrupted with intensity inhomogeneities, weak boundaries, and unwanted edges, which make the segmentation of the prostate an inherently difficult task. Regarding to these difficulties, the authors introduce an active band term and an edge descriptor term in the modified level set energy functional. The active band term is to deal with intensity inhomogeneities and the edge descriptor term is to capture the weak boundaries or to rule out unwanted boundaries. The level set function of the proposed model is updated in a band region around the zero level set which the authors call it an active band. The active band restricts the authors' method to utilize the local image information in a banded region around the prostate contour. Compared to traditional level set methods, the average intensities inside∖outside the zero level set are only computed in this banded region. Thus, only pixels in the active band have influence on the evolution of the level set. For weak boundaries, they are hard to be distinguished by human eyes, but in local patches in the band region around prostate boundaries, they are easier to be detected. The authors incorporate an edge descriptor to calculate the total intensity variation in a local patch paralleled to the normal direction of the zero level set, which can detect weak boundaries and avoid unwanted edges in the ultrasound images. The efficiency of the proposed model is demonstrated by experiments on real 3D volume images and 2D ultrasound images and comparisons with other approaches. Validation results on real 3D TRUS prostate images show that the authors' model can obtain a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 94.03% ± 1.50% and a sensitivity of 93.16% ± 2.30%. Experiments on 100 typical 2D ultrasound images show that the authors' method can obtain a sensitivity of 94.87% ± 1.85% and a DSC of 95.82% ± 2.23%. A reproducibility experiment is done to evaluate the robustness of the proposed model. As far as the authors know, prostate segmentation from ultrasound images with weak boundaries and unwanted edges is a difficult task. A novel method using level sets with active band and the intensity variation across edges is proposed in this paper. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is more efficient and accurate.

Segmentation of prostate from ultrasound images using level sets on active band and intensity variation across edges

PubMed Central

Li, Xu; Li, Chunming; Fedorov, Andriy; Kapur, Tina; Yang, Xiaoping

2016-01-01

Purpose: In this paper, the authors propose a novel efficient method to segment ultrasound images of the prostate with weak boundaries. Segmentation of the prostate from ultrasound images with weak boundaries widely exists in clinical applications. One of the most typical examples is the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Accurate segmentation of the prostate boundaries from ultrasound images plays an important role in many prostate-related applications such as the accurate placement of the biopsy needles, the assignment of the appropriate therapy in cancer treatment, and the measurement of the prostate volume. Methods: Ultrasound images of the prostate are usually corrupted with intensity inhomogeneities, weak boundaries, and unwanted edges, which make the segmentation of the prostate an inherently difficult task. Regarding to these difficulties, the authors introduce an active band term and an edge descriptor term in the modified level set energy functional. The active band term is to deal with intensity inhomogeneities and the edge descriptor term is to capture the weak boundaries or to rule out unwanted boundaries. The level set function of the proposed model is updated in a band region around the zero level set which the authors call it an active band. The active band restricts the authors’ method to utilize the local image information in a banded region around the prostate contour. Compared to traditional level set methods, the average intensities inside∖outside the zero level set are only computed in this banded region. Thus, only pixels in the active band have influence on the evolution of the level set. For weak boundaries, they are hard to be distinguished by human eyes, but in local patches in the band region around prostate boundaries, they are easier to be detected. The authors incorporate an edge descriptor to calculate the total intensity variation in a local patch paralleled to the normal direction of the zero level set, which can detect weak boundaries and avoid unwanted edges in the ultrasound images. Results: The efficiency of the proposed model is demonstrated by experiments on real 3D volume images and 2D ultrasound images and comparisons with other approaches. Validation results on real 3D TRUS prostate images show that the authors’ model can obtain a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 94.03% ± 1.50% and a sensitivity of 93.16% ± 2.30%. Experiments on 100 typical 2D ultrasound images show that the authors’ method can obtain a sensitivity of 94.87% ± 1.85% and a DSC of 95.82% ± 2.23%. A reproducibility experiment is done to evaluate the robustness of the proposed model. Conclusions: As far as the authors know, prostate segmentation from ultrasound images with weak boundaries and unwanted edges is a difficult task. A novel method using level sets with active band and the intensity variation across edges is proposed in this paper. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is more efficient and accurate. PMID:27277056

P and n-type microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material including band gap widening elements, devices utilizing same

DOEpatents

Guha, Subhendu; Ovshinsky, Stanford R.

1988-10-04

An n-type microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material including a band gap widening element; a method of fabricating p-type microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material including a band gap widening element; and electronic and photovoltaic devices incorporating said n-type and p-type materials.

Infrared and Visible Image Fusion Based on Different Constraints in the Non-Subsampled Shearlet Transform Domain.

PubMed

Huang, Yan; Bi, Duyan; Wu, Dongpeng

2018-04-11

There are many artificial parameters when fuse infrared and visible images, to overcome the lack of detail in the fusion image because of the artifacts, a novel fusion algorithm for infrared and visible images that is based on different constraints in non-subsampled shearlet transform (NSST) domain is proposed. There are high bands and low bands of images that are decomposed by the NSST. After analyzing the characters of the bands, fusing the high level bands by the gradient constraint, the fused image can obtain more details; fusing the low bands by the constraint of saliency in the images, the targets are more salient. Before the inverse NSST, the Nash equilibrium is used to update the coefficient. The fused images and the quantitative results demonstrate that our method is more effective in reserving details and highlighting the targets when compared with other state-of-the-art methods.

Low-frequency band gap of locally resonant phononic crystals with a dual-base plate.

PubMed

Zuo, Shuguang; Huang, Haidong; Wu, Xudong; Zhang, Minghai; Ni, Tianxin

2018-03-01

To achieve a wider band gap and a lower cut-on frequency, a locally resonant phononic crystal (LRPC) with a dual-base plate is investigated in this paper. Compared with the LRPC with a single plate, the band structure of the LRPC with a dual-base plate is calculated using the method of plane wave expansion and verified by the finite element method. According to the analysis of the band curves of the LRPC with a dual-base plate, the mechanisms are explained. Next, the influences of the thickness of the plates, the stiffness of the springs, the mass of resonators, and the lattice constant are also investigated. The results show that the structural asymmetry between the upper and the lower plate is conducive to reducing the cut-on frequency and broadening the band gap effectively. The results indicate a different approach for the application of LRPC in vibration and noise control.

The solution of radiative transfer problems in molecular bands without the LTE assumption by accelerated lambda iteration methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kutepov, A. A.; Kunze, D.; Hummer, D. G.; Rybicki, G. B.

1991-01-01

An iterative method based on the use of approximate transfer operators, which was designed initially to solve multilevel NLTE line formation problems in stellar atmospheres, is adapted and applied to the solution of the NLTE molecular band radiative transfer in planetary atmospheres. The matrices to be constructed and inverted are much smaller than those used in the traditional Curtis matrix technique, which makes possible the treatment of more realistic problems using relatively small computers. This technique converges much more rapidly than straightforward iteration between the transfer equation and the equations of statistical equilibrium. A test application of this new technique to the solution of NLTE radiative transfer problems for optically thick and thin bands (the 4.3 micron CO2 band in the Venusian atmosphere and the 4.7 and 2.3 micron CO bands in the earth's atmosphere) is described.

Infrared and Visible Image Fusion Based on Different Constraints in the Non-Subsampled Shearlet Transform Domain

PubMed Central

Huang, Yan; Bi, Duyan; Wu, Dongpeng

2018-01-01

There are many artificial parameters when fuse infrared and visible images, to overcome the lack of detail in the fusion image because of the artifacts, a novel fusion algorithm for infrared and visible images that is based on different constraints in non-subsampled shearlet transform (NSST) domain is proposed. There are high bands and low bands of images that are decomposed by the NSST. After analyzing the characters of the bands, fusing the high level bands by the gradient constraint, the fused image can obtain more details; fusing the low bands by the constraint of saliency in the images, the targets are more salient. Before the inverse NSST, the Nash equilibrium is used to update the coefficient. The fused images and the quantitative results demonstrate that our method is more effective in reserving details and highlighting the targets when compared with other state-of-the-art methods. PMID:29641505

Relative importance of temporal information in various frequency regions for consonant identification in quiet and in noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apoux, Frédéric; Bacon, Sid P.

2004-09-01

The relative importance of temporal information in broad spectral regions for consonant identification was assessed in normal-hearing listeners. For the purpose of forcing listeners to use primarily temporal-envelope cues, speech sounds were spectrally degraded using four-noise-band vocoder processing. Frequency-weighting functions were determined using two methods. The first method consisted of measuring the intelligibility of speech with a hole in the spectrum either in quiet or in noise. The second method consisted of correlating performance with the randomly and independently varied signal-to-noise ratio within each band. Results demonstrated that all bands contributed equally to consonant identification when presented in quiet. In noise, however, both methods indicated that listeners consistently placed relatively more weight upon the highest frequency band. It is proposed that the explanation for the difference in results between quiet and noise relates to the shape of the modulation spectra in adjacent frequency bands. Overall, the results suggest that normal-hearing listeners use a common listening strategy in a given condition. However, this strategy may be influenced by the competing sounds, and thus may vary according to the context. Some implications of the results for cochlear implantees and hearing-impaired listeners are discussed.

Radiometric Cross-Calibration of the HJ-1B IRS in the Thermal Infrared Spectral Band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, K.

2012-12-01

The natural calamities occur continually, environment pollution and destruction in a severe position on the earth presently, which restricts societal and economic development. The satellite remote sensing technology has an important effect on improving surveillance ability of environment pollution and natural calamities. The radiometric calibration is precondition of quantitative remote sensing; which accuracy decides quality of the retrieval parameters. Since the China Environment Satellite (HJ-1A/B) has been launched successfully on September 6th, 2008, it has made an important role in the economic development of China. The satellite has four infrared bands; and one of it is thermal infrared. With application fields of quantitative remote sensing in china, finding appropriate calibration method becomes more and more important. Many kinds of independent methods can be used to do the absolute radiometric calibration. In this paper, according to the characteristic of thermal infrared channel of HJ-1B thermal infrared multi-spectral camera, the thermal infrared spectral band of HJ-1B IRS was calibrated using cross-calibration methods based on MODIS data. Firstly, the corresponding bands of the two sensors were obtained. Secondly, the MONDTRAN was run to analyze the influences of different spectral response, satellite view zenith angle, atmosphere condition and temperature on the match factor. In the end, their band match factor was calculated in different temperature, considering the dissimilar band response of the match bands. Seven images of Lake Qinghai in different time were chosen as the calibration data. On the basis of radiance of MODIS and match factor, the IRS radiance was calculated. And then the calibration coefficients were obtained by linearly regressing the radiance and the DN value. We compared the result of this cross-calibration with that of the onboard blackbody calibration, which consistency was good.The maximum difference of brightness temperature between HJ-1B IRS band4 and MODIS band 31 is less than 1 K. Therefore cross-calibration is a rapid and financial way to get calibration coefficients of HJ-1B, however, the matched factor calculation method need further research in order to further improve cross-calibration precision.

A piecewise probabilistic regression model to decode hand movement trajectories from epidural and subdural ECoG signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrokhi, Behraz; Erfanian, Abbas

2018-06-01

Objective. The primary concern of this study is to develop a probabilistic regression method that would improve the decoding of the hand movement trajectories from epidural ECoG as well as from subdural ECoG signals. Approach. The model is characterized by the conditional expectation of the hand position given the ECoG signals. The conditional expectation of the hand position is then modeled by a linear combination of the conditional probability density functions defined for each segment of the movement. Moreover, a spatial linear filter is proposed for reducing the dimension of the feature space. The spatial linear filter is applied to each frequency band of the ECoG signals and extract the features with highest decoding performance. Main results. For evaluating the proposed method, a dataset including 28 ECoG recordings from four adult Japanese macaques is used. The results show that the proposed decoding method outperforms the results with respect to the state of the art methods using this dataset. The relative kinematic information of each frequency band is also investigated using mutual information and decoding performance. The decoding performance shows that the best performance was obtained for high gamma bands from 50 to 200 Hz as well as high frequency ECoG band from 200 to 400 Hz for subdural recordings. However, the decoding performance was decreased for these frequency bands using epidural recordings. The mutual information shows that, on average, the high gamma band from 50 to 200 Hz and high frequency ECoG band from 200 to 400 Hz contain significantly more information than the average of the rest of the frequency bands ≤ft( p<0.001 \\right) for both subdural and epidural recordings. The results of high resolution time-frequency analysis show that ERD/ERS patterns in all frequency bands could reveal the dynamics of the ECoG responses during the movement. The onset and offset of the movement can be clearly identified by the ERD/ERS patterns. Significance. Reliable decoding the kinematic information from the brain signals paves the way for robust control of external devices.

Simplified methods for calculating photodissociation rates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shimazaki, T.; Ogawa, T.; Farrell, B. C.

1977-01-01

Simplified methods for calculating the transmission of solar UV radiation and the dissociation coefficients of various molecules are compared. A significant difference sometimes appears in calculations of the individual band, but the total transmission and the total dissociation coefficients integrated over the entire SR (solar radiation) band region agree well between the methods. The ambiguities in the solar flux data affect the calculated dissociation coefficients more strongly than does the method. A simpler method is developed for the purpose of reducing the computation time and computer memory size necessary for storing coefficients of the equations. The new method can reduce the computation time by a factor of more than 3 and the memory size by a factor of more than 50 compared with the Hudson-Mahle method, and yet the result agrees within 10 percent (in most cases much less) with the original Hudson-Mahle results, except for H2O and CO2. A revised method is necessary for these two molecules, whose absorption cross sections change very rapidly over the SR band spectral range.

Genetic diversity analysis of tree peony germplasm using iPBS markers.

PubMed

Duan, Y B; Guo, D L; Guo, L L; Wei, D F; Hou, X G

2015-07-06

We examined the genetic diversity of 10 wild species (populations) and 55 varieties of tree peony using inter-primer binding site (iPBS) markers. From a total of 36 iPBS primers, 16 were selected based on polymorphic amplification. The number of bands amplified by each primer ranged from 9 to 19, with an average of 12.88 bands per primer. The length of bands ranged from 100 to 2000 bp, concentrated at 200 to 1800 bp. Sixteen primers amplified 206 bands in total, of which 173 bands were polymorphic with a polymorphism ratio of 83.98%. Each primer amplified 10.81 polymorphic bands on average. The data were then used to construct a phylogenetic tree using unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean methods. Clustering analysis showed that the genetic relationships among the varieties were not only related to the genetic background or geographic origin, but also to the flowering phase, flower color, and flower type. Our data also indicated that iPBS markers were useful tools for classifying tree peony germplasms and for tree peony breeding, and the specific bands were helpful for molecular identification of tree peony varieties.

Calculation of optical band gaps of a-Si:H thin films by ellipsometry and UV-Vis spectrophotometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Yijiao; Li, Wei; Wu, Maoyang; Fu, Junwei; Jiang, Yadong

2010-10-01

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films doped with Phosphorus (P) and Nitrogen (N) were deposited by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD). The optical band gaps of the thin films obtained through either changing the gas pressure (P-doped only) or adulterating nitrogen concentration (with fixed P content) were investigated by means of Ellipsometric and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, respectively. Tauc formula was used in calculating the optical band gaps of the thin films in both methods. The results show that Ellipsometry and UV-Vis spectrophotometry can be applied in the research of the optical properties of a-Si:H thin films experimentally. Both methods reflect the variation law of the optical band gaps caused by CVD process parameters, i.e., the optical band gap of the a-Si:H thin films is increased with the rise of the gas pressure or the nitrogen concentration respectively. The difference in optical band gaps of the doped a-Si:H thin films calculated by Ellipsometry or UV-Vis spectrophotometry are not so great that they both can be used to measure the optical band gaps of the thin films in practical applications.

System and method for monitoring cellular activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bearman, Gregory H. (Inventor); Fraser, Scott E. (Inventor); Lansford, Russell D. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

A system and method for monitoring cellular activity in a cellular specimen. According to one embodiment, a plurality of excitable markers are applied to the specimen. A multi-photon laser microscope is provided to excite a region of the specimen and cause fluorescence to be radiated from the region. The radiating fluorescence is processed by a spectral analyzer to separate the fluorescence into respective wavelength bands. The respective bands of fluorescence are then collected by an array of detectors, with each detector receiving a corresponding one of the wavelength bands.

System and method for monitoring cellular activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bearman, Gregory H. (Inventor); Fraser, Scott E. (Inventor); Lansford, Russell D. (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A system and method for monitoring cellular activity in a cellular specimen. According to one embodiment, a plurality of excitable markers are applied to the specimen. A multi-photon laser microscope is provided to excite a region of the specimen and cause fluorescence to be radiated from the region. The radiating fluorescence is processed by a spectral analyzer to separate the fluorescence into respective wavelength bands. The respective bands of fluorescence are then collected by an array of detectors, with each detector receiving a corresponding one of the wavelength bands.

Determination of optical band gap of powder-form nanomaterials with improved accuracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahsan, Ragib; Khan, Md. Ziaur Rahman; Basith, Mohammed Abdul

2017-10-01

Accurate determination of a material's optical band gap lies in the precise measurement of its absorption coefficients, either from its absorbance via the Beer-Lambert law or diffuse reflectance spectrum via the Kubelka-Munk function. Absorption coefficients of powder-form nanomaterials calculated from absorbance spectrum do not match those calculated from diffuse reflectance spectrum, implying the inaccuracy of the traditional optical band gap measurement method for such samples. We have modified the Beer-Lambert law and the Kubelka-Munk function with proper approximations for powder-form nanomaterials. Applying the modified method for powder-form nanomaterial samples, both absorbance and diffuse reflectance spectra yield exactly the same absorption coefficients and therefore accurately determine the optical band gap.

Real time system design of motor imagery brain-computer interface based on multi band CSP and SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Li; Li, Xiaoqin; Bian, Yan

2018-04-01

Motion imagery (MT) is an effective method to promote the recovery of limbs in patients after stroke. Though an online MT brain computer interface (BCT) system, which apply MT, can enhance the patient's participation and accelerate their recovery process. The traditional method deals with the electroencephalogram (EEG) induced by MT by common spatial pattern (CSP), which is used to extract information from a frequency band. Tn order to further improve the classification accuracy of the system, information of two characteristic frequency bands is extracted. The effectiveness of the proposed feature extraction method is verified by off-line analysis of competition data and the analysis of online system.

Double-resolution electron holography with simple Fourier transform of fringe-shifted holograms.

PubMed

Volkov, V V; Han, M G; Zhu, Y

2013-11-01

We propose a fringe-shifting holographic method with an appropriate image wave recovery algorithm leading to exact solution of holographic equations. With this new method the complex object image wave recovered from holograms appears to have much less traditional artifacts caused by the autocorrelation band present practically in all Fourier transformed holograms. The new analytical solutions make possible a double-resolution electron holography free from autocorrelation band artifacts and thus push the limits for phase resolution. The new image wave recovery algorithm uses a popular Fourier solution of the side band-pass filter technique, while the fringe-shifting holographic method is simple to implement in practice. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Comparison of Two Capillary Gel Electrophoresis Systems for Clostridium difficile Ribotyping, Using a Panel of Ribotype 027 Isolates and Whole-Genome Sequences as a Reference Standard

PubMed Central

Xiao, Meng; Kong, Fanrong; Jin, Ping; Wang, Qinning; Xiao, Kelin; Jeoffreys, Neisha; James, Gregory

2012-01-01

PCR ribotyping is the most commonly used Clostridium difficile genotyping method, but its utility is limited by lack of standardization. In this study, we analyzed four published whole genomes and tested an international collection of 21 well-characterized C. difficile ribotype 027 isolates as the basis for comparison of two capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE)-based ribotyping methods. There were unexpected differences between the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (ISR) allelic profiles of the four ribotype 027 genomes, but six bands were identified in all four and a seventh in three genomes. All seven bands and another, not identified in any of the whole genomes, were found in all 21 isolates. We compared sequencer-based CGE (SCGE) with three different primer pairs to the Qiagen QIAxcel CGE (QCGE) platform. Deviations from individual reference/consensus band sizes were smaller for SCGE (0 to 0.2 bp) than for QCGE (4.2 to 9.5 bp). Compared with QCGE, SCGE more readily distinguished bands of similar length (more discriminatory), detected bands of larger size and lower intensity (more sensitive), and assigned band sizes more accurately and reproducibly, making it more suitable for standardization. Specifically, QCGE failed to identify the largest ISR amplicon. Based on several criteria, we recommend the primer set 16S-USA/23S-USA for use in a proposed standard SCGE method. Similar differences between SCGE and QCGE were found on testing of 14 isolates of four other C. difficile ribotypes. Based on our results, ISR profiles based on accurate sequencer-based band lengths would be preferable to agarose gel-based banding patterns for the assignment of ribotypes. PMID:22692737

Development of softcopy environment for primary color banding visibility assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Byungseok; Pizlo, Zygmunt; Allebach, Jan P.

2008-01-01

Fine-pitch banding is one of the most unwanted artifacts in laser electrophotographic (EP) printers. It is perceived as a quasiperiodic fluctuation in the process direction. Therefore, it is essential for printer vendors to know how banding is perceived by humans in order to improve print quality. Monochrome banding has been analyzed and assessed by many researchers; but there is no literature that deals with the banding of color laser printers as measured from actual prints. The study of color banding is complicated by the fact that the color banding signal is physically defined in a three-dimensional color space, while banding perception is described in a one-dimensional sense such as more banding or less banding. In addition, the color banding signal arises from the independent contributions of the four primary colorant banding signals. It is not known how these four distinct signals combine to give rise to the perception of color banding. In this paper, we develop a methodology to assess the banding visibility of the primary colorant cyan based on human visual perception. This is our first step toward studying the more general problem of color banding in combinations of two or more colorants. According to our method, we print and scan the cyan test patch, and extract the banding profile as a one dimensional signal so that we can freely adjust the intensity of banding. Thereafter, by exploiting the pulse width modulation capability of the laser printer, the extracted banding profile is used to modulate a pattern consisting of periodic lines oriented in the process direction, to generate extrinsic banding. This avoids the effect of the halftoning algorithm on the banding. Furthermore, to conduct various banding assessments more efficiently, we also develop a softcopy environment that emulates a hardcopy image on a calibrated monitor, which requires highly accurate device calibration throughout the whole system. To achieve the same color appearance as the hardcopy, we perform haploscopic matching experiments that allow each eye to independently adapt to different viewing conditions; and we find an appearance mapping function in the adapted XYZ space. Finally, to validate the accuracy of the softcopy environment, we conduct a banding matching experiment at three different banding levels by the memory matching method, and confirm that our softcopy environment produces the same banding perception as the hardcopy. In addition, we perform two more separate psychophysical experiments to measure the differential threshold of the intrinsic banding in both the hardcopy and softcopy environments, and confirm that the two thresholds are statistically identical. The results show that with our target printer, human subjects can see a just noticeable difference with a 9% reduction in the banding magnitude for the cyan colorant.

Investigations of the lower and middle atmosphere at the Arecibo Observatory and a description of the new VHF radar project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rottger, J.; Ierkic, H. M.; Zimmerman, R. K.; Hagen, J.

1986-01-01

The atmospheric science research at the Arecibo Observatory is performed by means of (active) radar methods and (passive) optical methods. The active methods utilize the 430 NHz radar, the S-band radar on 2380 MHz, and a recently constructed Very High Frequency (VHF) radar. The passive methods include measurements of the mesopause temperature by observing the rotational emissions from OH-bands. The VHF radar design is discussed.

A first generation cytogenetic ideogram for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) based on multiple chromosome banding techniques

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gray, B.A.; Zori, Roberto T.; McGuire, P.M.; Bonde, R.K.

2002-01-01

Detailed chromosome studies were conducted for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) utilizing primary chromosome banding techniques (G- and Q-banding). Digital microscopic imaging methods were employed and a standard G-banded karyotype was constructed for both sexes. Based on chromosome banding patterns and measurements obtained in these studies, a standard karyotype and ideogram are proposed. Characterization of additional cytogenetic features of this species by supplemental chromosome banding techniques, C-banding (constitutive heterochromatin), Ag-NOR staining (nucleolar organizer regions), and DA/DAPI staining, was also performed. These studies provide detailed cytogenetic data for T. manatus latirostris, which could enhance future genetic mapping projects and interspecific and intraspecific genomic comparisons by techniques such as zoo-FISH.

Band gap structures for 2D phononic crystals with composite scatterer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Xiao-qiao; Li, Tuan-jie; Zhang, Jia-long; Zhang, Zhen; Tang, Ya-qiong

2018-05-01

We investigated the band gap structures in two-dimensional phononic crystals with composite scatterer. The composite scatterers are composed of two materials (Bragg scattering type) or three materials (locally resonance type). The finite element method is used to calculate the band gap structure, eigenmodes and transmission spectrum. The variation of the location and width of band gap are also investigated as a function of material ratio in the scatterer. We have found that the change trends the widest band gap of the two phononic crystals are different as the material ratio changing. In addition to this, there are three complete band gaps at most for the Bragg-scattering-type phononic crystals in the first six bands; however, the locally resonance-type phononic crystals exist only two complete band gap at most in the first six bands. The gap-tuning effect can be controlled by the material ratio in the scatterer.

Opening complete band gaps in two dimensional locally resonant phononic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xiaoling; Wang, Longqi

2018-05-01

Locally resonant phononic crystals (LRPCs) which have low frequency band gaps attract a growing attention in both scientific and engineering field recently. Wide complete locally resonant band gaps are the goal for researchers. In this paper, complete band gaps are achieved by carefully designing the geometrical properties of the inclusions in two dimensional LRPCs. The band structures and mechanisms of different types of models are investigated by the finite element method. The translational vibration patterns in both the in-plane and out-of-plane directions contribute to the full band gaps. The frequency response of the finite periodic structures demonstrate the attenuation effects in the complete band gaps. Moreover, it is found that the complete band gaps can be further widened and lowered by increasing the height of the inclusions. The tunable properties by changing the geometrical parameters provide a good way to open wide locally resonant band gaps.

Probing dynamic behavior of electric fields and band diagrams in complex semiconductor heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turkulets, Yury; Shalish, Ilan

2018-01-01

Modern bandgap engineered electronic devices are typically made of multi-semiconductor multi-layer heterostructures that pose a major challenge to silicon-era characterization methods. As a result, contemporary bandgap engineering relies mostly on simulated band structures that are hardly ever verified experimentally. Here, we present a method that experimentally evaluates bandgap, band offsets, and electric fields, in complex multi-semiconductor layered structures, and it does so simultaneously in all the layers. The method uses a modest optical photocurrent spectroscopy setup at ambient conditions. The results are analyzed using a simple model for electro-absorption. As an example, we apply the method to a typical GaN high electron mobility transistor structure. Measurements under various external electric fields allow us to experimentally construct band diagrams, not only at equilibrium but also under any other working conditions of the device. The electric fields are then used to obtain the charge carrier density and mobility in the quantum well as a function of the gate voltage over the entire range of operating conditions of the device. The principles exemplified here may serve as guidelines for the development of methods for simultaneous characterization of all the layers in complex, multi-semiconductor structures.

50 CFR 21.22 - Banding or marking permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... address of the public, scientific, or educational institution to which any specimens will be donated that... official numbered leg bands issued by the Service. The use of any other band, clip, dye, or other method of... public scientific or educational institution, birds killed or found dead as a result of the permittee's...

50 CFR 21.22 - Banding or marking permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... address of the public, scientific, or educational institution to which any specimens will be donated that... official numbered leg bands issued by the Service. The use of any other band, clip, dye, or other method of... public scientific or educational institution, birds killed or found dead as a result of the permittee's...

50 CFR 21.22 - Banding or marking permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... address of the public, scientific, or educational institution to which any specimens will be donated that... official numbered leg bands issued by the Service. The use of any other band, clip, dye, or other method of... public scientific or educational institution, birds killed or found dead as a result of the permittee's...

CCSDS - SFCG Efficient Modulation Methods Study at NASA/JPL - Phase 4: Interference Susceptibility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, W.; Yan, T. Y.; Gray, A.; Lee, D.

1999-01-01

Susceptibility to two types of interfering signals was requested by the SFCG: a pure carrier (single frequency tone)and wide-band RFI (characteristics unspecified). Selecting a broad-band interfering signal is diffuclt because it should represent the types of interference to be found in the space science service bands.

50 CFR 21.22 - Banding or marking permits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... address of the public, scientific, or educational institution to which any specimens will be donated that... official numbered leg bands issued by the Service. The use of any other band, clip, dye, or other method of... public scientific or educational institution, birds killed or found dead as a result of the permittee's...

Uniaxial strain on graphene: Raman spectroscopy study and band-gap opening.

PubMed

Ni, Zhen Hua; Yu, Ting; Lu, Yun Hao; Wang, Ying Ying; Feng, Yuan Ping; Shen, Ze Xiang

2008-11-25

Graphene was deposited on a transparent and flexible substrate, and tensile strain up to approximately 0.8% was loaded by stretching the substrate in one direction. Raman spectra of strained graphene show significant red shifts of 2D and G band (-27.8 and -14.2 cm(-1) per 1% strain, respectively) because of the elongation of the carbon-carbon bonds. This indicates that uniaxial strain has been successfully applied on graphene. We also proposed that, by applying uniaxial strain on graphene, tunable band gap at K point can be realized. First-principle calculations predicted a band-gap opening of approximately 300 meV for graphene under 1% uniaxial tensile strain. The strained graphene provides an alternative way to experimentally tune the band gap of graphene, which would be more efficient and more controllable than other methods that are used to open the band gap in graphene. Moreover, our results suggest that the flexible substrate is ready for such a strain process, and Raman spectroscopy can be used as an ultrasensitive method to determine the strain.

Enhancing the performance of tungsten doped InZnO thin film transistors via sequential ambient annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Hyun-Woo; Song, Aeran; Kwon, Sera; Choi, Dukhyun; Kim, Younghak; Jun, Byung-Hyuk; Kim, Han-Ki; Chung, Kwun-Bum

2018-03-01

This study suggests a sequential ambient annealing process as an excellent post-treatment method to enhance the device performance and stability of W (tungsten) doped InZnO thin film transistors (WIZO-TFTs). Sequential ambient annealing at 250 °C significantly enhanced the device performance and stability of WIZO-TFTs, compared with other post-treatment methods, such as air ambient annealing and vacuum ambient annealing at 250 °C. To understand the enhanced device performance and stability of WIZO-TFT with sequential ambient annealing, we investigate the correlations between device performance and stability and electronic structures, such as band alignment, a feature of the conduction band, and band edge states below the conduction band. The enhanced performance of WIZO-TFTs with sequential ambient annealing is related to the modification of the electronic structure. In addition, the dominant mechanism responsible for the enhanced device performance and stability of WIZO-TFTs is considered to be a change in the shallow-level and deep-level band edge states below the conduction band.

Comparison of eigensolvers for symmetric band matrices.

PubMed

Moldaschl, Michael; Gansterer, Wilfried N

2014-09-15

We compare different algorithms for computing eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a symmetric band matrix across a wide range of synthetic test problems. Of particular interest is a comparison of state-of-the-art tridiagonalization-based methods as implemented in Lapack or Plasma on the one hand, and the block divide-and-conquer (BD&C) algorithm as well as the block twisted factorization (BTF) method on the other hand. The BD&C algorithm does not require tridiagonalization of the original band matrix at all, and the current version of the BTF method tridiagonalizes the original band matrix only for computing the eigenvalues. Avoiding the tridiagonalization process sidesteps the cost of backtransformation of the eigenvectors. Beyond that, we discovered another disadvantage of the backtransformation process for band matrices: In several scenarios, a lot of gradual underflow is observed in the (optional) accumulation of the transformation matrix and in the (obligatory) backtransformation step. According to the IEEE 754 standard for floating-point arithmetic, this implies many operations with subnormal (denormalized) numbers, which causes severe slowdowns compared to the other algorithms without backtransformation of the eigenvectors. We illustrate that in these cases the performance of existing methods from Lapack and Plasma reaches a competitive level only if subnormal numbers are disabled (and thus the IEEE standard is violated). Overall, our performance studies illustrate that if the problem size is large enough relative to the bandwidth, BD&C tends to achieve the highest performance of all methods if the spectrum to be computed is clustered. For test problems with well separated eigenvalues, the BTF method tends to become the fastest algorithm with growing problem size.

Nondestructive detection of pork quality based on dual-band VIS/NIR spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wenxiu; Peng, Yankun; Li, Yongyu; Tang, Xiuying; Liu, Yuanyuan

2015-05-01

With the continuous development of living standards and the relative change of dietary structure, consumers' rising and persistent demand for better quality of meat is emphasized. Colour, pH value, and cooking loss are important quality attributes when evaluating meat. To realize nondestructive detection of multi-parameter of meat quality simultaneously is popular in production and processing of meat and meat products. The objectives of this research were to compare the effectiveness of two bands for rapid nondestructive and simultaneous detection of pork quality attributes. Reflectance spectra of 60 chilled pork samples were collected from a dual-band visible/near-infrared spectroscopy system which covered 350-1100 nm and 1000-2600 nm. Then colour, pH value and cooking loss were determined by standard methods as reference values. Standard normal variables transform (SNVT) was employed to eliminate the spectral noise. A spectrum connection method was put forward for effective integration of the dual-band spectrum to make full use of the whole efficient information. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and Principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to establish prediction models using based on single-band spectrum and dual-band spectrum, respectively. The experimental results showed that the PLSR model based on dual-band spectral information was superior to the models based on single band spectral information with lower root means quare error (RMSE) and higher accuracy. The PLSR model based on dual-band (use the overlapping part of first band) yielded the best prediction result with correlation coefficient of validation (Rv) of 0.9469, 0.9495, 0.9180, 0.9054 and 0.8789 for L*, a*, b*, pH value and cooking loss, respectively. This mainly because dual-band spectrum can provide sufficient and comprehensive information which reflected the quality attributes. Data fusion from dual-band spectrum could significantly improve pork quality parameters prediction performance. The research also indicated that multi-band spectral information fusion has potential to comprehensively evaluate other quality and safety attributes of pork.

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

Leistedt, Boris; Hogg, David W., E-mail: boris.leistedt@nyu.edu, E-mail: david.hogg@nyu.edu

We present a new method for inferring photometric redshifts in deep galaxy and quasar surveys, based on a data-driven model of latent spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and a physical model of photometric fluxes as a function of redshift. This conceptually novel approach combines the advantages of both machine learning methods and template fitting methods by building template SEDs directly from the spectroscopic training data. This is made computationally tractable with Gaussian processes operating in flux–redshift space, encoding the physics of redshifts and the projection of galaxy SEDs onto photometric bandpasses. This method alleviates the need to acquire representative training datamore » or to construct detailed galaxy SED models; it requires only that the photometric bandpasses and calibrations be known or have parameterized unknowns. The training data can consist of a combination of spectroscopic and deep many-band photometric data with reliable redshifts, which do not need to entirely spatially overlap with the target survey of interest or even involve the same photometric bands. We showcase the method on the i -magnitude-selected, spectroscopically confirmed galaxies in the COSMOS field. The model is trained on the deepest bands (from SUBARU and HST ) and photometric redshifts are derived using the shallower SDSS optical bands only. We demonstrate that we obtain accurate redshift point estimates and probability distributions despite the training and target sets having very different redshift distributions, noise properties, and even photometric bands. Our model can also be used to predict missing photometric fluxes or to simulate populations of galaxies with realistic fluxes and redshifts, for example.« less

Bi-directional evolutionary optimization for photonic band gap structures

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

Meng, Fei; School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075; Huang, Xiaodong, E-mail: huang.xiaodong@rmit.edu.au

2015-12-01

Toward an efficient and easy-implement optimization for photonic band gap structures, this paper extends the bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) method for maximizing photonic band gaps. Photonic crystals are assumed to be periodically composed of two dielectric materials with the different permittivity. Based on the finite element analysis and sensitivity analysis, BESO starts from a simple initial design without any band gap and gradually re-distributes dielectric materials within the unit cell so that the resulting photonic crystal possesses a maximum band gap between two specified adjacent bands. Numerical examples demonstrated the proposed optimization algorithm can successfully obtain the band gapsmore » from the first to the tenth band for both transverse magnetic and electric polarizations. Some optimized photonic crystals exhibit novel patterns markedly different from traditional designs of photonic crystals.« less

A novel method to detect shadows on multispectral images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daǧlayan Sevim, Hazan; Yardımcı ćetin, Yasemin; Özışık Başkurt, Didem

2016-10-01

Shadowing occurs when the direct light coming from a light source is obstructed by high human made structures, mountains or clouds. Since shadow regions are illuminated only by scattered light, true spectral properties of the objects are not observed in such regions. Therefore, many object classification and change detection problems utilize shadow detection as a preprocessing step. Besides, shadows are useful for obtaining 3D information of the objects such as estimating the height of buildings. With pervasiveness of remote sensing images, shadow detection is ever more important. This study aims to develop a shadow detection method on multispectral images based on the transformation of C1C2C3 space and contribution of NIR bands. The proposed method is tested on Worldview-2 images covering Ankara, Turkey at different times. The new index is used on these 8-band multispectral images with two NIR bands. The method is compared with methods in the literature.

Application of Rubber Band with Hooks on Both Ends for Vagus Nerve Stimulator Implantation.

PubMed

Hosoyama, Hiroshi; Hanaya, Ryosuke; Otsubo, Toshiaki; Sato, Masanori; Kashida, Yumi; Sugata, Sei; Katagiri, Masaya; Iida, Koji; Arita, Kazunori

2018-03-01

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a valuable therapeutic option for many types of drug-resistant epilepsy. Muscle hooks and carotid endarterectomy rings have been used for cervical delamination preceding the implantation of stimulation electrodes. The attachment on both sides of a rubber band of Kamiyama-style hanging needles, as are used for scalp and dural retraction during craniotomy, yields a useful tool for VNS implantation. Here we report our experience with this method. We present our method using a rubber band plus hooks and a review of 21 consecutive patients who underwent VNS implantation using our rubber band-plus-hooks method. None of the 21 patients experienced intraoperative or perioperative complications. Hooks placed in connective tissue around the common carotid artery and jugular vein raised the vagus nerve by elevating the carotid sheath. A single surgeon was able to perform all cervical manipulations under a surgical microscope. The average operation time in this series of 21 patients was 137 minutes. The use of hooks attached to both sides of a rubber band rendered VNS implantation safer by lifting the vagus nerve and standardizing the procedure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design of an S band narrow-band bandpass BAW filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yang; Zhao, Kun-li; Han, Chao

2017-11-01

An S band narrowband bandpass filter BAW with center frequency 2.460 GHz, bandwidth 41MHz, band insertion loss - 1.154 dB, the passband ripple 0.9 dB, the out of band rejection about -42.5dB@2.385 GHz; -45.5dB@2.506 GHz was designed for potential UAV measurement and control applications. According to the design specifications, the design is as follows: each FBAR's stack was designed in BAW filter by using Mason model. Each FBAR's shape was designed with the method of apodization electrode. The layout of BAW filter was designed. The acoustic-electromagnetic cosimulation model was built to validate the performance of the designed BAW filter. The presented design procedure is a common one, and there are two characteristics: 1) an A and EM co-simulation method is used for the final BAW filter performance validation in the design stage, thus ensures over-optimistic designs by the bare 1D Mason model are found and rejected in time; 2) An in-house developed auto-layout method is used to get compact BAW filter layout, which simplifies iterative error-and-try work here and output necessary in-plane geometry information to the A and EM cosimulation model.

An improved dark-object subtraction technique for atmospheric scattering correction of multispectral data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chavez, P.S.

1988-01-01

Digital analysis of remotely sensed data has become an important component of many earth-science studies. These data are often processed through a set of preprocessing or "clean-up" routines that includes a correction for atmospheric scattering, often called haze. Various methods to correct or remove the additive haze component have been developed, including the widely used dark-object subtraction technique. A problem with most of these methods is that the haze values for each spectral band are selected independently. This can create problems because atmospheric scattering is highly wavelength-dependent in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum and the scattering values are correlated with each other. Therefore, multispectral data such as from the Landsat Thematic Mapper and Multispectral Scanner must be corrected with haze values that are spectral band dependent. An improved dark-object subtraction technique is demonstrated that allows the user to select a relative atmospheric scattering model to predict the haze values for all the spectral bands from a selected starting band haze value. The improved method normalizes the predicted haze values for the different gain and offset parameters used by the imaging system. Examples of haze value differences between the old and improved methods for Thematic Mapper Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 are 40.0, 13.0, 12.0, 8.0, 5.0, and 2.0 vs. 40.0, 13.2, 8.9, 4.9, 16.7, and 3.3, respectively, using a relative scattering model of a clear atmosphere. In one Landsat multispectral scanner image the haze value differences for Bands 4, 5, 6, and 7 were 30.0, 50.0, 50.0, and 40.0 for the old method vs. 30.0, 34.4, 43.6, and 6.4 for the new method using a relative scattering model of a hazy atmosphere. ?? 1988.

Research on local resonance and Bragg scattering coexistence in phononic crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Yake; Yao, Hong; Du, Jun; Zhao, Jingbo; Jiang, Jiulong

2017-04-01

Based on the finite element method (FEM), characteristics of the local resonance band gap and the Bragg scattering band gap of two periodically-distributed vibrator structures are studied. Conditions of original anti-resonance generation are theoretically derived. The original anti-resonance effect leads to localization of vibration. Factors which influence original anti-resonance band gap are analyzed. The band gap width and the mass ratio between two vibrators are closely correlated to each other. Results show that the original anti-resonance band gap has few influencing factors. In the locally resonant structure, the Bragg scattering band gap is found. The mass density of the elastic medium and the elasticity modulus have an important impact on the Bragg band gap. The coexistence of the two mechanisms makes the band gap larger. The band gap covered 90% of the low frequencies below 2000 Hz. All in all, the research could provide references for studying the low-frequency and broad band gap of phononic crystal.

Comparative study on Ga1-xZnxN1-yOy oxynitride synthesized by different techniques for application in photocatalytic hydrogen production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menon, Sumithra Sivadas; Baskar, K.; Singh, Shubra

2017-06-01

Hydrogen evolution by overall water splitting has emerged as a potential method for green energy generation due to the introduction of highly efficient photocatalysts active under visible region of spectra. In the present work, we focus on a comparative study of the properties of Ga1-xZnxN1-yOy oxynitride samples synthesized by two techniques and their effect on the sample properties. The samples were prepared by both traditional nitridation technique and solution combustion method. Room temperature photoluminescence studies revealed the introduction of additional energy levels above the valence band which in turns broadens the valence band and subsequently reduces the band gap. The band gap narrowing was further confirmed using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (VB-XPS). It was also realized from VB XPS that the reduction of band gap in both the samples was due to upshift of valence band without affecting the conduction band. The presence of disorder activated modes in the samples was examined using temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy. In this work we corroborate the theoretical prediction reported by Al-Jassim et. al that the bandgap narrowing mechanism in ZnO rich solid solution and GaN rich solid solution is asymmetric and a significant bandgap reduction could be observed for ZnO rich solid solution than GaN rich.

Energy band gap and optical transition of metal ion modified double crossover DNA lattices.

PubMed

Dugasani, Sreekantha Reddy; Ha, Taewoo; Gnapareddy, Bramaramba; Choi, Kyujin; Lee, Junwye; Kim, Byeonghoon; Kim, Jae Hoon; Park, Sung Ha

2014-10-22

We report on the energy band gap and optical transition of a series of divalent metal ion (Cu(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), and Co(2+)) modified DNA (M-DNA) double crossover (DX) lattices fabricated on fused silica by the substrate-assisted growth (SAG) method. We demonstrate how the degree of coverage of the DX lattices is influenced by the DX monomer concentration and also analyze the band gaps of the M-DNA lattices. The energy band gap of the M-DNA, between the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), ranges from 4.67 to 4.98 eV as judged by optical transitions. Relative to the band gap of a pristine DNA molecule (4.69 eV), the band gap of the M-DNA lattices increases with metal ion doping up to a critical concentration and then decreases with further doping. Interestingly, except for the case of Ni(2+), the onset of the second absorption band shifts to a lower energy until a critical concentration and then shifts to a higher energy with further increasing the metal ion concentration, which is consistent with the evolution of electrical transport characteristics. Our results show that controllable metal ion doping is an effective method to tune the band gap energy of DNA-based nanostructures.

The Noisiness of Low Frequency Bands of Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawton, B. W.

1975-01-01

The relative noisiness of low frequency 1/3-octave bands of noise was examined. The frequency range investigated was bounded by the bands centered at 25 and 200 Hz, with intensities ranging from 50 to 95 db (SPL). Thirty-two subjects used a method of adjustment technique, producing comparison band intensities as noisy as 100 and 200 Hz standard bands at 60 and 72 db. The work resulted in contours of equal noisiness for 1/3-octave bands, ranging in intensity from approximately 58 to 86 db (SPL). These contours were compared with the standard equal noisiness contours; in the region of overlap, between 50 and 200 Hz, the agreement was good.

Progressive Band Selection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Kevin; Chang, Chein-I

2009-01-01

Progressive band selection (PBS) reduces spectral redundancy without significant loss of information, thereby reducing hyperspectral image data volume and processing time. Used onboard a spacecraft, it can also reduce image downlink time. PBS prioritizes an image's spectral bands according to priority scores that measure their significance to a specific application. Then it uses one of three methods to select an appropriate number of the most useful bands. Key challenges for PBS include selecting an appropriate criterion to generate band priority scores, and determining how many bands should be retained in the reduced image. The image's Virtual Dimensionality (VD), once computed, is a reasonable estimate of the latter. We describe the major design details of PBS and test PBS in a land classification experiment.

Quantum-confinement effects on conduction band structure of rectangular cross-sectional GaAs nanowires

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

Tanaka, H., E-mail: tanaka@semicon.kuee.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Morioka, N.; Mori, S.

2014-02-07

The conduction band structure and electron effective mass of GaAs nanowires with various cross-sectional shapes and orientations were calculated by two methods, a tight-binding method and an effective mass equation taking the bulk full-band structure into account. The effective mass of nanowires increases as the cross-sectional size decreases, and this increase in effective mass depends on the orientations and substrate faces of nanowires. Among [001], [110], and [111]-oriented rectangular cross-sectional GaAs nanowires, [110]-oriented nanowires with wider width along the [001] direction showed the lightest effective mass. This dependence originates from the anisotropy of the Γ valley of bulk GaAs. Themore » relationship between effective mass and bulk band structure is discussed.« less

Genetic diversity analysis of Chrysopidae family (Insecta, Neuroptera) via molecular markers.

PubMed

Yari, Kheirollah; Mirmoayedi, Alinaghi; Marami, Marzieh; Kazemi, Elham; Kahrizi, Danial

2014-09-01

In entomology, improvement of molecular methods would be beneficial tools for accurate identification and detecting the genetic diversity of insect species to discover a corroborative evidence for the traditional classification based on morphology. The aim of this study was focused on RAPD-PCR method for distinguishing the genetic diversity between eight species of Chrysopidae family. In current research, many specimens were collected in different locations of Tehran province (Iran), between them 24 specimens were identified. The wing venation, male genitalia and other morphological characters were used for identification and also the sexing of species was recognized with study of external genitalia. Then, the DNA was extracted with CTAB method. The RAPD-PCR method was carried out with twenty random primers. The agarose gel electrophoresis was used for separation of the PCR products. Based on electrophoresis results, 133 bands were amplified and between them, 126 bands were poly-morph and others were mono-morph. Also, among the applied primers, the primers OPA02 with 19 bands and OPA03 with 8 bands were amplified the maximum and minimum of bands, respectively. The results showed that 80.35 and 73.21 % of genetic similarity existed between Chrysopa pallens-Chrysopa dubitans, and between the Chrysoperla kolthoffi and Chrysoperla carnea, respectively. The minimum (45.53 %) of genetic similarity was observed between C. kolthoffi and C. dubitans, and the maximum (0.80 %) was seen between C. pallens and C. dubitans.

No effect of forearm band and extensor strengthening exercises for the treatment of tennis elbow: a prospective randomised study.

PubMed

Luginbühl, Rolf; Brunner, Florian; Schneeberger, Alberto G

2008-01-01

The objective of this prospective randomised study was to analyse the effect of the forearm support band and of strengthening exercises for the treatment of tennis elbow. Twenty-nine patients with 30 tennis elbows were randomised into 3 groups of treatment: (I) forearm support band, (II) strengthening exercises and (III) both methods. The patients had a standardised examination at their first visit, and then after 6 weeks, 3 months and 1 year. At the latest follow-up, there was a significant improvement of the symptoms compared to before treatment (p<0.0001), considering all patients independently of the methods of treatment. However, no differences in the scores were found between the 3 groups of treatment (p=0.27), indicating that no beneficial influence was found either for the strengthening exercises or for the forearm support band. Improvement seems to occur with time, independent of the method of treatment used.

Molecular structure, natural bond analysis, vibrational and electronic spectra, surface enhanced Raman scattering and Mulliken atomic charges of the normal modes of [Mn(DDTC)2] complex.

PubMed

Téllez S, Claudio A; Costa, Anilton C; Mondragón, M A; Ferreira, Glaucio B; Versiane, O; Rangel, J L; Lima, G Müller; Martin, A A

2016-12-05

Theoretical and experimental bands have been assigned for the Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman spectra of the bis(diethyldithiocarbamate)Mn(II) complex, [Mn(DDTC)2]. The calculations have been based on the DFT/B3LYP method, second derivative spectra and band deconvolution analysis. The UV-vis experimental spectra were measured in acetonitrile solution, and the calculated electronic spectrum was obtained using the TD/B3LYP method with 6-311G(d, p) basis set for all atoms. Charge transfer bands and those d-d spin forbidden were assigned in the UV-vis spectrum. The natural bond orbital analysis was carried out using the DFT/B3LYP method and the Mn(II) hybridization leading to the planar geometry of the framework was discussed. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was also performed. Mulliken charges of the normal modes were obtained and related to the SERS enhanced bands. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Angular dependent XPS study of surface band bending on Ga-polar n-GaN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Rong; Liu, Tong; Zhao, Yanfei; Zhu, Yafeng; Huang, Zengli; Li, Fangsen; Liu, Jianping; Zhang, Liqun; Zhang, Shuming; Dingsun, An; Yang, Hui

2018-05-01

Surface band bending and composition of Ga-polar n-GaN with different surface treatments were characterized by using angular dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Upward surface band bending of varying degree was observed distinctly upon to the treatment methods. Besides the nitrogen vacancies, we found that surface states of oxygen-containing absorbates (O-H component) also contribute to the surface band bending, which lead the Fermi level pined at a level further closer to the conduction band edge on n-GaN surface. The n-GaN surface with lower surface band bending exhibits better linear electrical properties for Ti/GaN Ohmic contacts. Moreover, the density of positively charged surface states could be derived from the values of surface band bending.

Effect of synthesis method on structure, band gap and surface morphology of delafossite oxides, CuAlO2 and CuFeO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Aadil Abass; Azam, Ameer

2018-04-01

In this research work we have reported the synthesis of two different delafossites, CuAlO2 and CuFeO2 by two different synthesis methods viz hydrothermal method and the combustion method. The effect of synthesis on structure, band gap and morphology of the synthesized delafossites was carried out using various techniques. The phase and structure of the synthesized delafossites were studied and confirmed using X-ray diffraction and the crystallite size was calculated. FTIR measurements showed the presence of different stretching modes and functional groups in the synthesized oxides. The surface morphology was studied using the scanning electron microscopy. The band gap of the synthesized delafossite oxides was found to be in the range of 2.8 and 3.3 eV.

Modified tension band wiring of medial malleolar ankle fractures.

PubMed

Georgiadis, G M; White, D B

1995-02-01

Twenty-two displaced medial malleolar ankle fractures that were treated surgically using the modified tension band method of Cleak and Dawson were retrospectively reviewed at an average follow-up of 25 months. The technique involves the use of a screw to anchor a figure-of-eight wire. There were no malreductions and all fractures healed. Problems with the technique included technical errors with hardware placement, medial ankle pain, and asymptomatic wire migration. Despite this, modified tension band wiring remains an acceptable method for fixation of selected displaced medial malleolar fractures. It is especially suited for small fracture fragments and osteoporotic bone.

Numerical investigation of the flat band Bloch modes in a 2D photonic crystal with Dirac cones

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Peng; Fietz, Chris; Tassin, Philippe; ...

2015-04-14

A numerical method combining complex-k band calculations and absorbing boundary conditions for Bloch waves is presented. We use this method to study photonic crystals with Dirac cones. We demonstrate that the photonic crystal behaves as a zero-index medium when excited at normal incidence, but that the zero-index behavior is lost at oblique incidence due to excitation of modes on the flat band. We also investigate the formation of monomodal and multimodal cavity resonances inside the photonic crystals, and the physical origins of their different line-shape features.

Direct band gap measurement of Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S){sub 2} thin films using high-resolution reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy

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

Heo, Sung; College of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Cheoncheon-dong 300, Jangan-gu, Suwon 440-746; Lee, Hyung-Ik

2015-06-29

To investigate the band gap profile of Cu(In{sub 1−x},Ga{sub x})(Se{sub 1−y}S{sub y}){sub 2} of various compositions, we measured the band gap profile directly as a function of in-depth using high-resolution reflection energy loss spectroscopy (HR-REELS), which was compared with the band gap profile calculated based on the auger depth profile. The band gap profile is a double-graded band gap as a function of in-depth. The calculated band gap obtained from the auger depth profile seems to be larger than that by HR-REELS. Calculated band gaps are to measure the average band gap of the spatially different varying compositions with respectmore » to considering its void fraction. But, the results obtained using HR-REELS are to be affected by the low band gap (i.e., out of void) rather than large one (i.e., near void). Our findings suggest an analytical method to directly determine the band gap profile as function of in-depth.« less

Improved spatial coverage for brain 3D PRESS MRSI by automatic placement of outer-volume suppression saturation bands.

PubMed

Ozhinsky, Eugene; Vigneron, Daniel B; Nelson, Sarah J

2011-04-01

To develop a technique for optimizing coverage of brain 3D (1) H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) by automatic placement of outer-volume suppression (OVS) saturation bands (sat bands) and to compare the performance for point-resolved spectroscopic sequence (PRESS) MRSI protocols with manual and automatic placement of sat bands. The automated OVS procedure includes the acquisition of anatomic images from the head, obtaining brain and lipid tissue maps, calculating optimal sat band placement, and then using those optimized parameters during the MRSI acquisition. The data were analyzed to quantify brain coverage volume and data quality. 3D PRESS MRSI data were acquired from three healthy volunteers and 29 patients using protocols that included either manual or automatic sat band placement. On average, the automatic sat band placement allowed the acquisition of PRESS MRSI data from 2.7 times larger brain volumes than the conventional method while maintaining data quality. The technique developed helps solve two of the most significant problems with brain PRESS MRSI acquisitions: limited brain coverage and difficulty in prescription. This new method will facilitate routine clinical brain 3D MRSI exams and will be important for performing serial evaluation of response to therapy in patients with brain tumors and other neurological diseases. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Optimal Resonant Band Demodulation Based on an Improved Correlated Kurtosis and Its Application in Bearing Fault Diagnosis

PubMed Central

Chen, Xianglong; Zhang, Bingzhi; Feng, Fuzhou; Jiang, Pengcheng

2017-01-01

The kurtosis-based indexes are usually used to identify the optimal resonant frequency band. However, kurtosis can only describe the strength of transient impulses, which cannot differentiate impulse noises and repetitive transient impulses cyclically generated in bearing vibration signals. As a result, it may lead to inaccurate results in identifying resonant frequency bands, in demodulating fault features and hence in fault diagnosis. In view of those drawbacks, this manuscript redefines the correlated kurtosis based on kurtosis and auto-correlative function, puts forward an improved correlated kurtosis based on squared envelope spectrum of bearing vibration signals. Meanwhile, this manuscript proposes an optimal resonant band demodulation method, which can adaptively determine the optimal resonant frequency band and accurately demodulate transient fault features of rolling bearings, by combining the complex Morlet wavelet filter and the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. Analysis of both simulation data and experimental data reveal that the improved correlated kurtosis can effectively remedy the drawbacks of kurtosis-based indexes and the proposed optimal resonant band demodulation is more accurate in identifying the optimal central frequencies and bandwidth of resonant bands. Improved fault diagnosis results in experiment verified the validity and advantage of the proposed method over the traditional kurtosis-based indexes. PMID:28208820

Non-invasive detection of language-related prefrontal high gamma band activity with beamforming MEG.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Hiroaki; Hasegawa, Yuka; Araki, Toshihiko; Sugata, Hisato; Yanagisawa, Takufumi; Yorifuji, Shiro; Hirata, Masayuki

2017-10-27

High gamma band (>50 Hz) activity is a key oscillatory phenomenon of brain activation. However, there has not been a non-invasive method established to detect language-related high gamma band activity. We used a 160-channel whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) system equipped with superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) gradiometers to non-invasively investigate neuromagnetic activities during silent reading and verb generation tasks in 15 healthy participants. Individual data were divided into alpha (8-13 Hz), beta (13-25 Hz), low gamma (25-50 Hz), and high gamma (50-100 Hz) bands and analysed with the beamformer method. The time window was consecutively moved. Group analysis was performed to delineate common areas of brain activation. In the verb generation task, transient power increases in the high gamma band appeared in the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) at the 550-750 ms post-stimulus window. We set a virtual sensor on the left MFG for time-frequency analysis, and high gamma event-related synchronization (ERS) induced by a verb generation task was demonstrated at 650 ms. In contrast, ERS in the high gamma band was not detected in the silent reading task. Thus, our study successfully non-invasively measured language-related prefrontal high gamma band activity.

Effect of thermal stresses on frequency band structures of elastic metamaterial plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Ying; Yu, Kaiping; Yang, Linyun; Zhao, Rui; Shi, Xiaotian; Tian, Kuo

2018-01-01

We investigate the effect of thermal stresses on the band structure of elastic metamaterial plates by developing a useful finite-element based method. The thermal field is assumed to be uniform throughout the whole plate. Specifically, we find that the stiffness matrix of plate element is comprised of elastic and thermal stresses parts, which can be regarded as a linear function of temperature difference. We additionally demonstrate that the relative magnitudes between elastic properties and thermal stresses will lead to nonlinear effects on frequency band structures based on two different types of metamaterial plates made of single and double inclusions of square plates, respectively. Then, we validate the proposed approach by comparing the band structures with the frequency response curves obtained in finite periodic structures. We conduct sensitivity analysis and discuss in-depth the sensitivities of band structures with respect to temperature difference to quantitatively investigate the effect of thermal stresses on each band. In addition, the coupled effects of thermal stresses and temperature-dependent material properties on the band structure of Aluminum/silicone rubber plate have also been discussed. The proposed method and new findings in this paper extends the ability of existing metamaterial plates by enabling tunability over a wide range of frequencies in thermal environments.

A comparison of performance of automatic cloud coverage assessment algorithm for Formosat-2 image using clustering-based and spatial thresholding methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Kuo-Hsien

2012-11-01

Formosat-2 image is a kind of high-spatial-resolution (2 meters GSD) remote sensing satellite data, which includes one panchromatic band and four multispectral bands (Blue, Green, Red, near-infrared). An essential sector in the daily processing of received Formosat-2 image is to estimate the cloud statistic of image using Automatic Cloud Coverage Assessment (ACCA) algorithm. The information of cloud statistic of image is subsequently recorded as an important metadata for image product catalog. In this paper, we propose an ACCA method with two consecutive stages: preprocessing and post-processing analysis. For pre-processing analysis, the un-supervised K-means classification, Sobel's method, thresholding method, non-cloudy pixels reexamination, and cross-band filter method are implemented in sequence for cloud statistic determination. For post-processing analysis, Box-Counting fractal method is implemented. In other words, the cloud statistic is firstly determined via pre-processing analysis, the correctness of cloud statistic of image of different spectral band is eventually cross-examined qualitatively and quantitatively via post-processing analysis. The selection of an appropriate thresholding method is very critical to the result of ACCA method. Therefore, in this work, We firstly conduct a series of experiments of the clustering-based and spatial thresholding methods that include Otsu's, Local Entropy(LE), Joint Entropy(JE), Global Entropy(GE), and Global Relative Entropy(GRE) method, for performance comparison. The result shows that Otsu's and GE methods both perform better than others for Formosat-2 image. Additionally, our proposed ACCA method by selecting Otsu's method as the threshoding method has successfully extracted the cloudy pixels of Formosat-2 image for accurate cloud statistic estimation.

Utilizing gamma band to improve mental task based brain-computer interface design.

PubMed

Palaniappan, Ramaswamy

2006-09-01

A common method for designing brain-computer Interface (BCI) is to use electroencephalogram (EEG) signals extracted during mental tasks. In these BCI designs, features from EEG such as power and asymmetry ratios from delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands have been used in classifying different mental tasks. In this paper, the performance of the mental task based BCI design is improved by using spectral power and asymmetry ratios from gamma (24-37 Hz) band in addition to the lower frequency bands. In the experimental study, EEG signals extracted during five mental tasks from four subjects were used. Elman neural network (ENN) trained by the resilient backpropagation algorithm was used to classify the power and asymmetry ratios from EEG into different combinations of two mental tasks. The results indicated that ((1) the classification performance and training time of the BCI design were improved through the use of additional gamma band features; (2) classification performances were nearly invariant to the number of ENN hidden units or feature extraction method.

Pansharpening on the Narrow Vnir and SWIR Spectral Bands of SENTINEL-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaiopoulos, A. D.; Karantzalos, K.

2016-06-01

In this paper results from the evaluation of several state-of-the-art pansharpening techniques are presented for the VNIR and SWIR bands of Sentinel-2. A procedure for the pansharpening is also proposed which aims at respecting the closest spectral similarities between the higher and lower resolution bands. The evaluation included 21 different fusion algorithms and three evaluation frameworks based both on standard quantitative image similarity indexes and qualitative evaluation from remote sensing experts. The overall analysis of the evaluation results indicated that remote sensing experts disagreed with the outcomes and method ranking from the quantitative assessment. The employed image quality similarity indexes and quantitative evaluation framework based on both high and reduced resolution data from the literature didn't manage to highlight/evaluate mainly the spatial information that was injected to the lower resolution images. Regarding the SWIR bands none of the methods managed to deliver significantly better results than a standard bicubic interpolation on the original low resolution bands.

A new mathematical formulation of the line-by-line method in case of weak line overlapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ishov, Alexander G.; Krymova, Natalie V.

1994-01-01

A rigorous mathematical proof is presented for multiline representation on the equivalent width of a molecular band which consists in the general case of n overlapping spectral lines. The multiline representation includes a principal term and terms of minor significance. The principal term is the equivalent width of the molecular band consisting of the same n nonoverlapping spectral lines. The terms of minor significance take into consideration the overlapping of two, three and more spectral lines. They are small in case of the weak overlapping of spectral lines in the molecular band. The multiline representation can be easily generalized for optically inhomogeneous gas media and holds true for combinations of molecular bands. If the band lines overlap weakly the standard formulation of line-by-line method becomes too labor-consuming. In this case the multiline representation permits line-by-line calculations to be performed more effectively. Other useful properties of the multiline representation are pointed out.

Multicolor emission from intermediate band semiconductor ZnO 1-xSe x

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

Welna, M.; Baranowski, M.; Linhart, W. M.

Photoluminescence and photomodulated reflectivity measurements of ZnOSe alloys are used to demonstrate a splitting of the valence band due to the band anticrossing interaction between localized Se states and the extended valence band states of the host ZnO matrix. A strong multiband emission associated with optical transitions from the conduction band to lower E - and upper E + valence subbands has been observed at room temperature. The composition dependence of the optical transition energies is well explained by the electronic band structure calculated using the kp method combined with the band anticrossing model. The observation of the multiband emissionmore » is possible because of relatively long recombination lifetimes. Longer than 1 ns lifetimes for holes photoexcited to the lower valence subband offer a potential of using the alloy as an intermediate band semiconductor for solar power conversion applications.« less

Multicolor emission from intermediate band semiconductor ZnO 1-xSe x

DOE PAGES

Welna, M.; Baranowski, M.; Linhart, W. M.; ...

2017-03-13

Photoluminescence and photomodulated reflectivity measurements of ZnOSe alloys are used to demonstrate a splitting of the valence band due to the band anticrossing interaction between localized Se states and the extended valence band states of the host ZnO matrix. A strong multiband emission associated with optical transitions from the conduction band to lower E - and upper E + valence subbands has been observed at room temperature. The composition dependence of the optical transition energies is well explained by the electronic band structure calculated using the kp method combined with the band anticrossing model. The observation of the multiband emissionmore » is possible because of relatively long recombination lifetimes. Longer than 1 ns lifetimes for holes photoexcited to the lower valence subband offer a potential of using the alloy as an intermediate band semiconductor for solar power conversion applications.« less

Electronic structure investigation of MoS2 and MoSe2 using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and ab initio band structure studies.

PubMed

Mahatha, S K; Patel, K D; Menon, Krishnakumar S R

2012-11-28

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and ab initio band structure calculations have been used to study the detailed valence band structure of molybdenite, MoS(2) and MoSe(2). The experimental band structure obtained from ARPES has been found to be in good agreement with the theoretical calculations performed using the linear augmented plane wave (LAPW) method. In going from MoS(2) to MoSe(2), the dispersion of the valence bands decreases along both k(parallel) and k(perpendicular), revealing the increased two-dimensional character which is attributed to the increasing interlayer distance or c/a ratio in these compounds. The width of the valence band and the band gap are also found to decrease, whereas the valence band maxima shift towards the higher binding energy from MoS(2) to MoSe(2).

Band structure engineering strategies of metal oxide semiconductor nanowires and related nanostructures: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piyadasa, Adimali; Wang, Sibo; Gao, Pu-Xian

2017-07-01

The electronic band structure of a solid state semiconductor determines many of its physical and chemical characteristics such as electrical, optical, physicochemical, and catalytic activity. Alteration or modification of the band structure could lead to significant changes in these physical and chemical characteristics, therefore we introduce new mechanisms of creating novel solid state materials with interesting properties. Over the past three decades, research on band structure engineering has allowed development of various methods to modify the band structure of engineered materials. Compared to bulk counterparts, nanostructures generally exhibit higher band structure modulation capabilities due to the quantum confinement effect, prominent surface effect, and higher strain limit. In this review we will discuss various band structure engineering strategies in semiconductor nanowires and other related nanostructures, mostly focusing on metal oxide systems. Several important strategies of band structure modulation are discussed in detail, such as doping, alloying, straining, interface and core-shell nanostructuring.

Band gap narrowing in n-type and p-type 3C-, 2H-, 4H-, 6H-SiC, and Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persson, C.; Lindefelt, U.; Sernelius, B. E.

1999-10-01

Doping-induced energy shifts of the conduction band minimum and the valence band maximum have been calculated for n-type and p-type 3C-, 2H-, 4H-, 6H-SiC, and Si. The narrowing of the fundamental band gap and of the optical band gap are presented as functions of ionized impurity concentration. The calculations go beyond the common parabolic treatments of the ground state energy dispersion by using energy dispersion and overlap integrals from band structure calculations. The nonparabolic valence band curvatures influence strongly the energy shifts especially in p-type materials. The utilized method is based on a zero-temperature Green's function formalism within the random phase approximation with local field correction according to Hubbard. We have parametrized the shifts of the conduction and the valence bands and made comparisons with recently published results from a semi-empirical model.

Single-Band and Dual-Band Infrared Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ting, David Z. (Inventor); Gunapala, Sarath D. (Inventor); Soibel, Alexander (Inventor); Nguyen, Jean (Inventor); Khoshakhlagh, Arezou (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Bias-switchable dual-band infrared detectors and methods of manufacturing such detectors are provided. The infrared detectors are based on a back-to-back heterojunction diode design, where the detector structure consists of, sequentially, a top contact layer, a unipolar hole barrier layer, an absorber layer, a unipolar electron barrier, a second absorber, a second unipolar hole barrier, and a bottom contact layer. In addition, by substantially reducing the width of one of the absorber layers, a single-band infrared detector can also be formed.

Single-Band and Dual-Band Infrared Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ting, David Z. (Inventor); Gunapala, Sarath D. (Inventor); Soibel, Alexander (Inventor); Nguyen, Jean (Inventor); Khoshakhlagh, Arezou (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Bias-switchable dual-band infrared detectors and methods of manufacturing such detectors are provided. The infrared detectors are based on a back-to-back heterojunction diode design, where the detector structure consists of, sequentially, a top contact layer, a unipolar hole barrier layer, an absorber layer, a unipolar electron barrier, a second absorber, a second unipolar hole barrier, and a bottom contact layer. In addition, by substantially reducing the width of one of the absorber layers, a single-band infrared detector can also be formed.

Rubber band as external assist device to provide simple grip for quadriplegic patients.

PubMed

Pham, H N; Noble, C N; Hentz, V R

1988-08-01

The rubber band as an external assist device provides an effective grip for the hand of high spinal cord injury quadriplegic patients. This technique can also be useful for preoperative patients who are undergoing physical and occupational therapy or to assess patients' needs for surgery. The rubber band as an adaptive device is preferred because of its availability, low visibility, and ease of application. We attempt to provide a more standardized method of the rubber band technique and to popularize it.

A general methodology for maximum likelihood inference from band-recovery data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conroy, M.J.; Williams, B.K.

1984-01-01

A numerical procedure is described for obtaining maximum likelihood estimates and associated maximum likelihood inference from band- recovery data. The method is used to illustrate previously developed one-age-class band-recovery models, and is extended to new models, including the analysis with a covariate for survival rates and variable-time-period recovery models. Extensions to R-age-class band- recovery, mark-recapture models, and twice-yearly marking are discussed. A FORTRAN program provides computations for these models.

Period-dependent source rupture behavior of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake estimated by multi period-band Bayesian waveform inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubo, H.; Asano, K.; Iwata, T.; Aoi, S.

2014-12-01

Previous studies for the period-dependent source characteristics of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake (e.g., Koper et al., 2011; Lay et al., 2012) were based on the short and long period source models using different method. Kubo et al. (2013) obtained source models of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake using multi period-bands waveform data by a common inversion method and discussed its period-dependent source characteristics. In this study, to achieve more in detail spatiotemporal source rupture behavior of this event, we introduce a new fault surface model having finer sub-fault size and estimate the source models in multi period-bands using a Bayesian inversion method combined with a multi-time-window method. Three components of velocity waveforms at 25 stations of K-NET, KiK-net, and F-net of NIED are used in this analysis. The target period band is 10-100 s. We divide this period band into three period bands (10-25 s, 25-50 s, and 50-100 s) and estimate a kinematic source model in each period band using a Bayesian inversion method with MCMC sampling (e.g., Fukuda & Johnson, 2008; Minson et al., 2013, 2014). The parameterization of spatiotemporal slip distribution follows the multi-time-window method (Hartzell & Heaton, 1983). The Green's functions are calculated by the 3D FDM (GMS; Aoi & Fujiwara, 1999) using a 3D velocity structure model (JIVSM; Koketsu et al., 2012). The assumed fault surface model is based on the Pacific plate boundary of JIVSM and is divided into 384 subfaults of about 16 * 16 km^2. The estimated source models in multi period-bands show the following source image: (1) First deep rupture off Miyagi at 0-60 s toward down-dip mostly radiating relatively short period (10-25 s) seismic waves. (2) Shallow rupture off Miyagi at 45-90 s toward up-dip with long duration radiating long period (50-100 s) seismic wave. (3) Second deep rupture off Miyagi at 60-105 s toward down-dip radiating longer period seismic waves then that of the first deep rupture. (4) Deep rupture off Fukushima at 90-135 s. The dominant-period difference of the seismic-wave radiation between two deep ruptures off Miyagi may result from the mechanism that small-scale heterogeneities on the fault are removed by the first rupture. This difference can be also interpreted by the concept of multi-scale dynamic rupture (Ide & Aochi, 2005).

Comparison of two methods for the detection of oligoclonal bands in a large number of clinically isolated syndrome and multiple sclerosis patients.

PubMed

Andlovic, Aljoša; Babič, Maša; Accetto, Slavko; Rot, Uroš

2012-07-01

A novel oligoclonal band (OB) assay which consists of isoelectric focusing (IEF) and IgG immunodetection by alkaline phosphatase-labeled anti IgG antibody was reported to be very sensitive. It also accurately predicted conversion to MS in patients with CIS. The aim of our study was to compare sensitivity of a novel and the standard procedure with peroxidase immunodetection in a large number of CIS and MS patients. OB were determined in serum and CSF samples in 161 patients (104 females), 47 with CIS and 114 with MS with median age 38 years (range 19-68) using both methods. Eighty-three percent of patients had CSF OB with the standard and 89% with the novel method. Median number of OB was 5 (range 0-17) with the peroxidase and 8 (range 0-18) with the alkaline phosphatase method; p = 0.001. Twenty-one percent of patients had ≥ 10 OB with the standard and 37% with the novel method of the detection; p = 0.021. Subjective impression of band clarity showed that 20% of patients had sharper and stronger bands when the peroxidase and 65% when the alkaline phosphatase method was used; p<0.0001. The alkaline phosphatase method is more sensitive than the peroxidase method and at the same time cheaper, easy to perform and less time consuming. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Properties of Outer Retinal Band Three Investigated With Adaptive-Optics Optical Coherence Tomography

PubMed Central

Jonnal, Ravi S.; Gorczynska, Iwona; Migacz, Justin V.; Azimipour, Mehdi; Zawadzki, Robert J.; Werner, John S.

2017-01-01

Purpose Optical coherence tomography's (OCT) third outer retinal band has been attributed to the zone of interdigitation between RPE cells and cone outer segments. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the structure of this band with adaptive optics (AO)-OCT. Methods Using AO-OCT, images were obtained from two subjects. Axial structure was characterized by measuring band 3 thickness and separation between bands 2 and 3 in segmented cones. Lateral structure was characterized by correlation of band 3 with band 2 and comparison of their power spectra. Band thickness and separation were also measured in a clinical OCT image of one subject. Results Band 3 thickness ranged from 4.3 to 6.4 μm. Band 2 correlations ranged between 0.35 and 0.41 and power spectra of both bands confirmed peak frequencies that agree with histologic density measurements. In clinical images, band 3 thickness was between 14 and 19 μm. Measurements of AO-OCT of interband distance were lower than our corresponding clinical OCT measurements. Conclusions Band 3 originates from a structure with axial extent similar to a single surface. Correlation with band 2 suggests an origin within the cone photoreceptor. These two observations indicate that band 3 corresponds predominantly to cone outer segment tips (COST). Conventional OCT may overestimate both the thickness of band 3 and outer segment length. PMID:28877320

A novel baseline-correction method for standard addition based derivative spectra and its application to quantitative analysis of benzo(a)pyrene in vegetable oil samples.

PubMed

Li, Na; Li, Xiu-Ying; Zou, Zhe-Xiang; Lin, Li-Rong; Li, Yao-Qun

2011-07-07

In the present work, a baseline-correction method based on peak-to-derivative baseline measurement was proposed for the elimination of complex matrix interference that was mainly caused by unknown components and/or background in the analysis of derivative spectra. This novel method was applicable particularly when the matrix interfering components showed a broad spectral band, which was common in practical analysis. The derivative baseline was established by connecting two crossing points of the spectral curves obtained with a standard addition method (SAM). The applicability and reliability of the proposed method was demonstrated through both theoretical simulation and practical application. Firstly, Gaussian bands were used to simulate 'interfering' and 'analyte' bands to investigate the effect of different parameters of interfering band on the derivative baseline. This simulation analysis verified that the accuracy of the proposed method was remarkably better than other conventional methods such as peak-to-zero, tangent, and peak-to-peak measurements. Then the above proposed baseline-correction method was applied to the determination of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) in vegetable oil samples by second-derivative synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. The satisfactory results were obtained by using this new method to analyze a certified reference material (coconut oil, BCR(®)-458) with a relative error of -3.2% from the certified BaP concentration. Potentially, the proposed method can be applied to various types of derivative spectra in different fields such as UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy.

Multispectral and Panchromatic used Enhancement Resolution and Study Effective Enhancement on Supervised and Unsupervised Classification Land – Cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salman, S. S.; Abbas, W. A.

2018-05-01

The goal of the study is to support analysis Enhancement of Resolution and study effect on classification methods on bands spectral information of specific and quantitative approaches. In this study introduce a method to enhancement resolution Landsat 8 of combining the bands spectral of 30 meters resolution with panchromatic band 8 of 15 meters resolution, because of importance multispectral imagery to extracting land - cover. Classification methods used in this study to classify several lands -covers recorded from OLI- 8 imagery. Two methods of Data mining can be classified as either supervised or unsupervised. In supervised methods, there is a particular predefined target, that means the algorithm learn which values of the target are associated with which values of the predictor sample. K-nearest neighbors and maximum likelihood algorithms examine in this work as supervised methods. In other hand, no sample identified as target in unsupervised methods, the algorithm of data extraction searches for structure and patterns between all the variables, represented by Fuzzy C-mean clustering method as one of the unsupervised methods, NDVI vegetation index used to compare the results of classification method, the percent of dense vegetation in maximum likelihood method give a best results.

Microleakage under orthodontic bands cemented with nano-hydroxyapatite-modified glass ionomer.

PubMed

Enan, Enas T; Hammad, Shaza M

2013-11-01

To estimate the in vivo effect of nano-hydroxyapatite (HA) modification of banding glass-ionomer cement on microleakage under orthodontic bands. Eighty noncarious premolars scheduled for extraction in 20 orthodontic patients were randomly divided into four groups. Grouping was based on the ratio of nano-HA (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% by weight) added to the luting glass-ionomer cement (GIC) Ketac-Cem, which was used for cementation of prefabricated micro-etched orthodontic bands. Dye penetration method was used for microleakage evaluation at the cement-band and cement-enamel interfaces. Statistical evaluation was performed with a Kruskal-Wallis test and a Mann-Whitney U-test, and a Bonferroni-adjusted significance level was calculated. Bands cemented with conventional GIC showed the highest microleakage scores in comparison to those cemented with nano-HA-modified GIC. No significant difference was found between teeth banded with 10% and 15% modified GIC. Modification of the banding GIC with 15% nano-HA revealed a positive effect on reducing microleakage around orthodontic bands.

Change in optimum genetic algorithm solution with changing band discontinuities and band widths of electrically conducting copolymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Avneet; Bakhshi, A. K.

2010-04-01

The interest in copolymers stems from the fact that they present interesting electronic and optical properties leading to a variety of technological applications. In order to get a suitable copolymer for a specific application, genetic algorithm (GA) along with negative factor counting (NFC) method has recently been used. In this paper, we study the effect of change in the ratio of conduction band discontinuity to valence band discontinuity (Δ Ec/Δ Ev) on the optimum solution obtained from GA for model binary copolymers. The effect of varying bandwidths on the optimum GA solution is also investigated. The obtained results show that the optimum solution changes with varying parameters like band discontinuity and band width of constituent homopolymers. As the ratio Δ Ec/Δ Ev increases, band gap of optimum solution decreases. With increasing band widths of constituent homopolymers, the optimum solution tends to be dependent on the component with higher band gap.

A new time-frequency method for identification and classification of ball bearing faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attoui, Issam; Fergani, Nadir; Boutasseta, Nadir; Oudjani, Brahim; Deliou, Adel

2017-06-01

In order to fault diagnosis of ball bearing that is one of the most critical components of rotating machinery, this paper presents a time-frequency procedure incorporating a new feature extraction step that combines the classical wavelet packet decomposition energy distribution technique and a new feature extraction technique based on the selection of the most impulsive frequency bands. In the proposed procedure, firstly, as a pre-processing step, the most impulsive frequency bands are selected at different bearing conditions using a combination between Fast-Fourier-Transform FFT and Short-Frequency Energy SFE algorithms. Secondly, once the most impulsive frequency bands are selected, the measured machinery vibration signals are decomposed into different frequency sub-bands by using discrete Wavelet Packet Decomposition WPD technique to maximize the detection of their frequency contents and subsequently the most useful sub-bands are represented in the time-frequency domain by using Short Time Fourier transform STFT algorithm for knowing exactly what the frequency components presented in those frequency sub-bands are. Once the proposed feature vector is obtained, three feature dimensionality reduction techniques are employed using Linear Discriminant Analysis LDA, a feedback wrapper method and Locality Sensitive Discriminant Analysis LSDA. Lastly, the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System ANFIS algorithm is used for instantaneous identification and classification of bearing faults. In order to evaluate the performances of the proposed method, different testing data set to the trained ANFIS model by using different conditions of healthy and faulty bearings under various load levels, fault severities and rotating speed. The conclusion resulting from this paper is highlighted by experimental results which prove that the proposed method can serve as an intelligent bearing fault diagnosis system.

Optimization of advanced Wiener estimation methods for Raman reconstruction from narrow-band measurements in the presence of fluorescence background

PubMed Central

Chen, Shuo; Ong, Yi Hong; Lin, Xiaoqian; Liu, Quan

2015-01-01

Raman spectroscopy has shown great potential in biomedical applications. However, intrinsically weak Raman signals cause slow data acquisition especially in Raman imaging. This problem can be overcome by narrow-band Raman imaging followed by spectral reconstruction. Our previous study has shown that Raman spectra free of fluorescence background can be reconstructed from narrow-band Raman measurements using traditional Wiener estimation. However, fluorescence-free Raman spectra are only available from those sophisticated Raman setups capable of fluorescence suppression. The reconstruction of Raman spectra with fluorescence background from narrow-band measurements is much more challenging due to the significant variation in fluorescence background. In this study, two advanced Wiener estimation methods, i.e. modified Wiener estimation and sequential weighted Wiener estimation, were optimized to achieve this goal. Both spontaneous Raman spectra and surface enhanced Raman spectra were evaluated. Compared with traditional Wiener estimation, two advanced methods showed significant improvement in the reconstruction of spontaneous Raman spectra. However, traditional Wiener estimation can work as effectively as the advanced methods for SERS spectra but much faster. The wise selection of these methods would enable accurate Raman reconstruction in a simple Raman setup without the function of fluorescence suppression for fast Raman imaging. PMID:26203387

Data-driven, Interpretable Photometric Redshifts Trained on Heterogeneous and Unrepresentative Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leistedt, Boris; Hogg, David W.

2017-03-01

We present a new method for inferring photometric redshifts in deep galaxy and quasar surveys, based on a data-driven model of latent spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and a physical model of photometric fluxes as a function of redshift. This conceptually novel approach combines the advantages of both machine learning methods and template fitting methods by building template SEDs directly from the spectroscopic training data. This is made computationally tractable with Gaussian processes operating in flux-redshift space, encoding the physics of redshifts and the projection of galaxy SEDs onto photometric bandpasses. This method alleviates the need to acquire representative training data or to construct detailed galaxy SED models; it requires only that the photometric bandpasses and calibrations be known or have parameterized unknowns. The training data can consist of a combination of spectroscopic and deep many-band photometric data with reliable redshifts, which do not need to entirely spatially overlap with the target survey of interest or even involve the same photometric bands. We showcase the method on the I-magnitude-selected, spectroscopically confirmed galaxies in the COSMOS field. The model is trained on the deepest bands (from SUBARU and HST) and photometric redshifts are derived using the shallower SDSS optical bands only. We demonstrate that we obtain accurate redshift point estimates and probability distributions despite the training and target sets having very different redshift distributions, noise properties, and even photometric bands. Our model can also be used to predict missing photometric fluxes or to simulate populations of galaxies with realistic fluxes and redshifts, for example.

Determination of a natural valence-band offset - The case of HgTe and CdTe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, C. K.; Spicer, W. E.

1987-01-01

A method to determine a natural valence-band offset (NVBO), i.e., the change in the valence-band maximum energy which is intrinsic to the bulk band structures of semiconductors is proposed. The HgTe-CdTe system is used as an example in which it is found that the valence-band maximum of HgTe lies 0.35 + or - 0.06 eV above that of CdTe. The NVBO of 0.35 eV is in good agreement with the X-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurement of the heterojunction offset. The procedure to determine the NVBO between semiconductors, and its implication on the heterojunction band lineup and the electronic structures of semiconductor alloys, are discussed.

Design and analysis of coplanar waveguide triple-band antenna based on defected ground structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Hong; Chen, Wanli; Xia, Xinsheng; Qi, Peng; Sun, Quanling

2017-11-01

A kind of coplanar waveguide triple-band antenna based on defected ground structure is proposed, which has novel structure. Three batches with different frequency band are constructed by utilizing line combination, overlapping, and symmetry method. Stop band signals among three frequency bands are effectively suppressed by slots with different structures. More satisfactory impedance matching is realized by means of changing slot structure and improving return-loss. The presented antenna can operates simultaneously in various systems such as 3G / 4G wireless communication, Bluetooth, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, Wireless LAN. Test results show that the antenna has good radiation and gain in its working frequency band, and that it has great application potentials.

Acoustic band gaps of the woodpile sonic crystal with the simple cubic lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Liang-Yu; Chen, Lien-Wen

2011-02-01

This study theoretically and experimentally investigates the acoustic band gap of a three-dimensional woodpile sonic crystal. Such crystals are built by blocks or rods that are orthogonally stacked together. The adjacent layers are perpendicular to each other. The woodpile structure is embedded in air background. Their band structures and transmission spectra are calculated using the finite element method with a periodic boundary condition. The dependence of the band gap on the width of the stacked rods is discussed. The deaf bands in the band structure are observed by comparing with the calculated transmission spectra. The experimental transmission spectra for the Γ-X and Γ-X' directions are also presented. The calculated results are compared with the experimental results.

Developing Twenty-First Century Competencies through the Arts: A Case Study of A High Performing Secondary School Band in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Leonard

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the development of "21st Century Competencies" (21CC) through the secondary school band programme. The researcher used ethnographic research methods to document the lived musical experiences of students from a high performing secondary school band in Singapore, captured the voices of the…

Electron band structure of the high pressure cubic phase of AlH3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Hongliang; Zarifi, Niliffar; Yim, Wai-Leung; Tse, J. S.

2012-07-01

The electronic band structure of the cubic Pm3n phase of AlH3 stable above 100 GPa is examined with semi-local, Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson local density approximation (TB-mBJLDA), screened hybrid density functionals and GW methods. The shift of the conduction band to higher energy with increasing pressure is predicted by all methods. However, there are significant differences in detail band structure. In the pressure range from 90 to160 GPa, semi-local, hybrid functional and TB-mBJLDA calculations predicted that AlH3 is a poor metal. In comparison, GW calculations show a gap opening at 160 GPa and AlH3 becomes a small gap semi-conductor. From the trends of the calculated band shifts, it can be concluded that the favourable conditions leading to the nesting of Fermi surfaces predicted by semi-local calculation have disappeared if the exchange term is included. The results highlight the importance of the correction to the exchange energy on the band structure of hydrogen dominant dense metal hydrides at high pressure hydrides and may help to rationalize the absence of superconductivity in AlH3 from experimental measurements.

Design and implementation of a hybrid sub-band acoustic echo canceller (AEC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Mingsian R.; Yang, Cheng-Ken; Hur, Ker-Nan

2009-04-01

An efficient method is presented for implementing an acoustic echo canceller (AEC) that makes use of hybrid sub-band approach. The hybrid system is comprised of a fixed processor and an adaptive filter in each sub-band. The AEC aims at reducing the echo resulting from the acoustic feedback in loudspeaker-enclosure-microphone (LEM) systems such as teleconferencing and hands-free systems. In order to cancel the acoustical echo efficiently, various processing architectures including fixed filters, hybrid processors, and sub-band structure are investigated. A double-talk detector is incorporated into the proposed AEC to prevent the adaptive filter from diverging in double-talk situations. A de-correlation filter is also used alongside sub-band processing in order to enhance the performance and efficiency of AEC. All algorithms are implemented and verified on the platform of a fixed-point digital signal processor (DSP). The AECs are evaluated in terms of cancellation performance and computation complexity. In addition, listening tests are conducted to assess the subjective performance of the AECs. From the results, the proposed hybrid sub-band AEC was found to be the most effective among all methods in terms of echo reduction and timbral quality.

Effect of conduction band non-parabolicity on the optical gain of quantum cascade lasers based on the effective two-band finite difference method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Gookbin; Kim, Jungho

2017-09-01

We theoretically investigate the effect of conduction band non-parabolicity (NPB) on the optical gain spectrum of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) using the effective two-band finite difference method. Based on the effective two-band model to consider the NPB effect in the multiple quantum wells (QWs), the wave functions and confined energies of electron states are calculated in two different active-region structures, which correspond to three-QW single-phonon and four-QW double-phonon resonance designs. In addition, intersubband optical dipole moments and polar-optical-phonon scattering times are calculated and compared without and with the conduction band NPB effect. Finally, the calculation results of optical gain spectra are compared in the two QCL structures having the same peak gain wavelength of 8.55 μm. The gain peaks are greatly shifted to longer wavelengths and the overall gain magnitudes are slightly reduced when the NPB effect is considered. Compared with the three-QW active-region design, the redshift of the peak gain is more prominent in the four-QW active-region design, which makes use of higher electronic states for the lasing transition.

Method of fabricating n-type and p-type microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material including band gap widening elements

DOEpatents

Guha, Subhendu; Ovshinsky, Stanford R.

1990-02-02

A method of fabricating doped microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material which includes a band gap widening element through a glow discharge deposition process by subjecting a precursor mixture which includes a diluent gas to an a.c. glow discharge in the absence of a magnetic field of sufficient strength to induce electron cyclotron resonance.

"Stand by Me": A Mixed Methods Study of a Collegiate Marching Band Members' Intragroup Beliefs throughout a Performance Season

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Wendy K.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate intragroup beliefs regarding participation in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II marching band throughout the university's American football season. Fifty-three undergraduates from an urban midwestern university elected one of two options: (1) focus group only or…

Turboprop and rotary-wing aircraft flight parameter estimation using both narrow-band and broadband passive acoustic signal-processing methods.

PubMed

Ferguson, B G; Lo, K W

2000-10-01

Flight parameter estimation methods for an airborne acoustic source can be divided into two categories, depending on whether the narrow-band lines or the broadband component of the received signal spectrum is processed to estimate the flight parameters. This paper provides a common framework for the formulation and test of two flight parameter estimation methods: one narrow band, the other broadband. The performances of the two methods are evaluated by applying them to the same acoustic data set, which is recorded by a planar array of passive acoustic sensors during multiple transits of a turboprop fixed-wing aircraft and two types of rotary-wing aircraft. The narrow-band method, which is based on a kinematic model that assumes the source travels in a straight line at constant speed and altitude, requires time-frequency analysis of the acoustic signal received by a single sensor during each aircraft transit. The broadband method is based on the same kinematic model, but requires observing the temporal variation of the differential time of arrival of the acoustic signal at each pair of sensors that comprises the planar array. Generalized cross correlation of each pair of sensor outputs using a cross-spectral phase transform prefilter provides instantaneous estimates of the differential times of arrival of the signal as the acoustic wavefront traverses the array.

Calculating the trap density of states in organic field-effect transistors from experiment: A comparison of different methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalb, Wolfgang L.; Batlogg, Bertram

2010-01-01

The spectral density of localized states in the band gap of pentacene (trap DOS) was determined with a pentacene-based thin-film transistor from measurements of the temperature dependence and gate-voltage dependence of the contact-corrected field-effect conductivity. Several analytical methods to calculate the trap DOS from the measured data were used to clarify, if the different methods lead to comparable results. We also used computer simulations to further test the results from the analytical methods. Most methods predict a trap DOS close to the valence-band edge that can be very well approximated by a single exponential function with a slope in the range of 50-60 meV and a trap density at the valence-band edge of ≈2×1021eV-1cm-3 . Interestingly, the trap DOS is always slightly steeper than exponential. An important finding is that the choice of the method to calculate the trap DOS from the measured data can have a considerable effect on the final result. We identify two specific simplifying assumptions that lead to significant errors in the trap DOS. The temperature dependence of the band mobility should generally not be neglected. Moreover, the assumption of a constant effective accumulation-layer thickness leads to a significant underestimation of the slope of the trap DOS.

Range side lobe inversion for chirp-encoded dual-band tissue harmonic imaging.

PubMed

Shen, Che-Chou; Peng, Jun-Kai; Wu, Chi

2014-02-01

Dual-band (DB) harmonic imaging is performed by transmitting and receiving at both fundamental band (f0) and second-harmonic band (2f0). In our previous work, particular chirp excitation has been developed to increase the signal- to-noise ratio in DB harmonic imaging. However, spectral overlap between the second-order DB harmonic signals results in range side lobes in the pulse compression. In this study, a novel range side lobe inversion (RSI) method is developed to alleviate the level of range side lobes from spectral overlap. The method is implemented by firing an auxiliary chirp to change the polarity of the range side lobes so that the range side lobes can be suppressed in the combination of the original chirp and the auxiliary chirp. Hydrophone measurements show that the RSI method reduces the range side lobe level (RSLL) and thus increases the quality of pulse compression in DB harmonic imaging. With the signal bandwidth of 60%, the RSLL decreases from -23 dB to -36 dB and the corresponding compression quality improves from 78% to 94%. B-mode images also indicate that the magnitude of range side lobe is suppressed by 7 dB when the RSI method is applied.

Exploiting LF/MF signals of opportunity for lower ionospheric remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higginson-Rollins, Marc A.; Cohen, Morris B.

2017-08-01

We introduce a method to diagnose and track the D region ionosphere (60-100 km). This region is important for long-distance terrestrial communication and is impacted by a variety of geophysical phenomena, but it is traditionally very difficult to detect. Modern remote sensing methods used to study the D region are predominately near the very low frequency (VLF, 3-30 kHz) band, with some work also done in the high-frequency and very high frequency bands (HF/VHF, 3-300 MHz). However, the frequency band between VLF and HF has been largely ignored as a diagnostic tool for the ionosphere. In this paper, we evaluate the use of 300 kHz radio reflections as a diagnostic tool for characterizing the D region of the ionosphere. We present radio receiver data, analyze diurnal trends in the signal from these transmitters, and identify ionospheric disturbances impacting LF/MF propagation. We find that 300 kHz remote sensing may allow a unique method for D region diagnostics compared to both the VLF and HF/VHF frequency bands, due to a more direct ionospheric reflection coefficient calculation method with high temporal resolution without the use of forward modeling.

Apparatus for producing a thin sample band in a microchannel system

DOEpatents

Griffiths, Stewart K [Livermore, CA; Nilson, Robert H [Cardiff, CA

2008-05-13

The present invention improves the performance of microchannel systems for chemical and biological synthesis and analysis by providing a method and apparatus for producing a thin band of a species sample. Thin sample bands improve the resolution of microchannel separation processes, as well as many other processes requiring precise control of sample size and volume. The new method comprises a series of steps in which a species sample is manipulated by controlled transport through a junction formed at the intersection of four or more channels. A sample is first inserted into the end of one of these channels in the vicinity of the junction. Next, this sample is thinned by transport across the junction one or more times. During these thinning steps, flow enters the junction through one of the channels and exists through those remaining, providing a divergent flow field that progressively stretches and thins the band with each traverse of the junction. The thickness of the resulting sample band may be smaller than the channel width. Moreover, the thickness of the band may be varied and controlled by altering the method alone, without modification to the channel or junction geometries. The invention is applicable to both electroosmotic and electrophoretic transport, to combined electrokinetic transport, and to some special cases in which bulk fluid transport is driven by pressure gradients. It is further applicable to channels that are open, filled with a gel or filled with a porous or granular material.

Robust and adaptive band-to-band image transform of UAS miniature multi-lens multispectral camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jhan, Jyun-Ping; Rau, Jiann-Yeou; Haala, Norbert

2018-03-01

Utilizing miniature multispectral (MS) or hyperspectral (HS) cameras by mounting them on an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) has the benefits of convenience and flexibility to collect remote sensing imagery for precision agriculture, vegetation monitoring, and environment investigation applications. Most miniature MS cameras adopt a multi-lens structure to record discrete MS bands of visible and invisible information. The differences in lens distortion, mounting positions, and viewing angles among lenses mean that the acquired original MS images have significant band misregistration errors. We have developed a Robust and Adaptive Band-to-Band Image Transform (RABBIT) method for dealing with the band co-registration of various types of miniature multi-lens multispectral cameras (Mini-MSCs) to obtain band co-registered MS imagery for remote sensing applications. The RABBIT utilizes modified projective transformation (MPT) to transfer the multiple image geometry of a multi-lens imaging system to one sensor geometry, and combines this with a robust and adaptive correction (RAC) procedure to correct several systematic errors and to obtain sub-pixel accuracy. This study applies three state-of-the-art Mini-MSCs to evaluate the RABBIT method's performance, specifically the Tetracam Miniature Multiple Camera Array (MiniMCA), Micasense RedEdge, and Parrot Sequoia. Six MS datasets acquired at different target distances and dates, and locations are also applied to prove its reliability and applicability. Results prove that RABBIT is feasible for different types of Mini-MSCs with accurate, robust, and rapid image processing efficiency.

Doping effects in InN/GaN short-period quantum well structures-Theoretical studies based on density functional methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strak, Pawel; Kempisty, Pawel; Sakowski, Konrad; Krukowski, Stanislaw

2014-09-01

Density functional theory studies were conducted to determine an influence of the carrier concentration on the optical and electronic properties of InN/GaN superlattice system. The oscillator strength values, energy gaps and the band profiles were obtained. The band profiles were found to be strongly affected for technically possible heavy n-type doping while for p-type doping the carrier influence, both screening and band shift, is negligible. Blue shift of the transition energy between conduction band minima and valence band maxima was observed for high concentrations of both type carriers.

Resonant enhancement of band-to-band tunneling in in-plane MoS2/WS2 heterojunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, Tatsuya; Mori, Nobuya

2018-04-01

The band-to-band (BTB) tunneling current J through in-plane MoS2/WS2 heterojunctions is calculated by the nonequilibrium Green function method combined with tight-binding approximation. Types A and B of band configurations are considered. For type-A (type-B) heterojunctions, a potential notch exists (or is absent) at the heterointerface. Both type-A and type-B MoS2/WS2 heterojunctions can support a higher BTB current than MoS2 and WS2 homojunctions. For type-A heterojunctions, the resonant enhancement of J occurs resulting in a significantly higher BTB tunneling current.

Microwave time delays for the dual L-C-band feed system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, J.

1989-01-01

A new dual-frequency feed system at Goldstone is designed to receive the Phobos spacecraft signal at L-band (1668 + or - 40 MHz) and transmit to the spacecraft at C-band (5008.75 + or - 5.00 MHz) simultaneously. Hence, calculations of the time delay from the C-band range calibration coupler to the phase center of the L-C dual feed and back to the L-band range calibration coupler are required to correct the range measurements. Time delays of the elements in the dual-frequency feed system are obtained mostly from computer calculations and partly from experimental measurements. The method used and results obtained are described.

NiO: correlated band structure of a charge-transfer insulator.

PubMed

Kunes, J; Anisimov, V I; Skornyakov, S L; Lukoyanov, A V; Vollhardt, D

2007-10-12

The band structure of the prototypical charge-transfer insulator NiO is computed by using a combination of an ab initio band structure method and the dynamical mean-field theory with a quantum Monte-Carlo impurity solver. Employing a Hamiltonian which includes both Ni d and O p orbitals we find excellent agreement with the energy bands determined from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. This brings an important progress in a long-standing problem of solid-state theory. Most notably we obtain the low-energy Zhang-Rice bands with strongly k-dependent orbital character discussed previously in the context of low-energy model theories.

Classical and numerical approaches to determining V-section band clamp axial stiffness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrans, Simon M.; Khodabakhshi, Goodarz; Muller, Matthias

2015-01-01

V-band clamp joints are used in a wide range of applications to connect circular flanges, for ducts, pipes and the turbocharger housing. Previous studies and research on V-bands are either purely empirical or analytical with limited applicability on the variety of V-band design and working conditions. In this paper models of the V-band are developed based on the classical theory of solid mechanics and the finite element method to study the behaviour of theV-bands under axial loading conditions. The good agreement between results from the developed FEA and the classical model support the suitability of the latter to modelV-band joints with diameters greater than 110mm under axial loading. The results from both models suggest that the axial stiffness for thisV-band cross section reaches a peak value for V-bands with radius of approximately 150 mmacross a wide range of coefficients of friction. Also, it is shown that the coefficient of friction and the wedge angle have a significant effect on the axial stiffness of V-bands.

Photonic band structures solved by a plane-wave-based transfer-matrix method.

PubMed

Li, Zhi-Yuan; Lin, Lan-Lan

2003-04-01

Transfer-matrix methods adopting a plane-wave basis have been routinely used to calculate the scattering of electromagnetic waves by general multilayer gratings and photonic crystal slabs. In this paper we show that this technique, when combined with Bloch's theorem, can be extended to solve the photonic band structure for 2D and 3D photonic crystal structures. Three different eigensolution schemes to solve the traditional band diagrams along high-symmetry lines in the first Brillouin zone of the crystal are discussed. Optimal rules for the Fourier expansion over the dielectric function and electromagnetic fields with discontinuities occurring at the boundary of different material domains have been employed to accelerate the convergence of numerical computation. Application of this method to an important class of 3D layer-by-layer photonic crystals reveals the superior convergency of this different approach over the conventional plane-wave expansion method.

Progressive Failure of a Unidirectional Fiber-Reinforced Composite Using the Method of Cells: Discretization Objective Computational Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pineda, Evan J.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Waas, Anthony M.; Arnold, Steven M.

2012-01-01

The smeared crack band theory is implemented within the generalized method of cells and high-fidelity generalized method of cells micromechanics models to capture progressive failure within the constituents of a composite material while retaining objectivity with respect to the size of the discretization elements used in the model. An repeating unit cell containing 13 randomly arranged fibers is modeled and subjected to a combination of transverse tension/compression and transverse shear loading. The implementation is verified against experimental data (where available), and an equivalent finite element model utilizing the same implementation of the crack band theory. To evaluate the performance of the crack band theory within a repeating unit cell that is more amenable to a multiscale implementation, a single fiber is modeled with generalized method of cells and high-fidelity generalized method of cells using a relatively coarse subcell mesh which is subjected to the same loading scenarios as the multiple fiber repeating unit cell. The generalized method of cells and high-fidelity generalized method of cells models are validated against a very refined finite element model.

Super-resolution reconstruction of hyperspectral images.

PubMed

Akgun, Toygar; Altunbasak, Yucel; Mersereau, Russell M

2005-11-01

Hyperspectral images are used for aerial and space imagery applications, including target detection, tracking, agricultural, and natural resource exploration. Unfortunately, atmospheric scattering, secondary illumination, changing viewing angles, and sensor noise degrade the quality of these images. Improving their resolution has a high payoff, but applying super-resolution techniques separately to every spectral band is problematic for two main reasons. First, the number of spectral bands can be in the hundreds, which increases the computational load excessively. Second, considering the bands separately does not make use of the information that is present across them. Furthermore, separate band super-resolution does not make use of the inherent low dimensionality of the spectral data, which can effectively be used to improve the robustness against noise. In this paper, we introduce a novel super-resolution method for hyperspectral images. An integral part of our work is to model the hyperspectral image acquisition process. We propose a model that enables us to represent the hyperspectral observations from different wavelengths as weighted linear combinations of a small number of basis image planes. Then, a method for applying super resolution to hyperspectral images using this model is presented. The method fuses information from multiple observations and spectral bands to improve spatial resolution and reconstruct the spectrum of the observed scene as a combination of a small number of spectral basis functions.

High-Performance Anti-Retransmission Deception Jamming Utilizing Range Direction Multiple Input and Multiple Output (MIMO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).

PubMed

Wang, Ruijia; Chen, Jie; Wang, Xing; Sun, Bing

2017-01-09

Retransmission deception jamming seriously degrades the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) detection efficiency and can mislead SAR image interpretation by forming false targets. In order to suppress retransmission deception jamming, this paper proposes a novel multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) SAR structure range direction MIMO SAR, whose multiple channel antennas are vertical to the azimuth. First, based on the multiple channels of range direction MIMO SAR, the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) linear frequency modulation (LFM) signal was adopted as the transmission signal of each channel, which is defined as a sub-band signal. This sub-band signal corresponds to the transmission channel. Then, all of the sub-band signals are modulated with random initial phases and concurrently transmitted. The signal form is more complex and difficult to intercept. Next, the echoes of the sub-band signal are utilized to synthesize a wide band signal after preprocessing. The proposed method will increase the signal to interference ratio and peak amplitude ratio of the signal to resist retransmission deception jamming. Finally, well-focused SAR imagery is obtained using a conventional imaging method where the retransmission deception jamming strength is degraded and defocused. Simulations demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method.

High-Performance Anti-Retransmission Deception Jamming Utilizing Range Direction Multiple Input and Multiple Output (MIMO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

PubMed Central

Wang, Ruijia; Chen, Jie; Wang, Xing; Sun, Bing

2017-01-01

Retransmission deception jamming seriously degrades the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) detection efficiency and can mislead SAR image interpretation by forming false targets. In order to suppress retransmission deception jamming, this paper proposes a novel multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) SAR structure range direction MIMO SAR, whose multiple channel antennas are vertical to the azimuth. First, based on the multiple channels of range direction MIMO SAR, the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) linear frequency modulation (LFM) signal was adopted as the transmission signal of each channel, which is defined as a sub-band signal. This sub-band signal corresponds to the transmission channel. Then, all of the sub-band signals are modulated with random initial phases and concurrently transmitted. The signal form is more complex and difficult to intercept. Next, the echoes of the sub-band signal are utilized to synthesize a wide band signal after preprocessing. The proposed method will increase the signal to interference ratio and peak amplitude ratio of the signal to resist retransmission deception jamming. Finally, well-focused SAR imagery is obtained using a conventional imaging method where the retransmission deception jamming strength is degraded and defocused. Simulations demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method. PMID:28075367

Measurement of the surface wavelength distribution of narrow-band radiation by a colorimetric method

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

Kraiskii, A V; Mironova, T V; Sultanov, T T

2010-09-10

A method is suggested for determining the wavelength of narrow-band light from a digital photograph of a radiating surface. The digital camera used should be appropriately calibrated. The accuracy of the wavelength measurement is better than 1 nm. The method was tested on the yellow doublet of mercury spectrum and on the adjacent continuum of the incandescent lamp radiation spectrum. By means of the method suggested the homogeneity of holographic sensor swelling was studied in stationary and transient cases. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

New method for the extraction of bulk channel mobility and flat-band voltage in junctionless transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, Dae-Young; Park, So Jeong; Mouis, Mireille; Barraud, Sylvain; Kim, Gyu-Tae; Ghibaudo, Gérard

2013-11-01

A new and simple method for the extraction of electrical parameters in junctionless transistors (JLTs) is presented. The bulk channel mobility (μbulk) and flat-band voltage (Vfb) were successfully extracted from the new method, based on a linear dependence between the inverse of transconductance squared (1/gm2) vs gate voltage in the partially depleted operation regime (Vth < Vg < Vfb). The validity of the new method is also proved by 2D numerical simulation and newly defined Maserjian's-like function for gm of JLT devices.

LASER APPLICATIONS AND OTHER TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS: Measurement of the surface wavelength distribution of narrow-band radiation by a colorimetric method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraiskii, A. V.; Mironova, T. V.; Sultanov, T. T.

2010-09-01

A method is suggested for determining the wavelength of narrow-band light from a digital photograph of a radiating surface. The digital camera used should be appropriately calibrated. The accuracy of the wavelength measurement is better than 1 nm. The method was tested on the yellow doublet of mercury spectrum and on the adjacent continuum of the incandescent lamp radiation spectrum. By means of the method suggested the homogeneity of holographic sensor swelling was studied in stationary and transient cases.

Wave-function-based approach to quasiparticle bands: Insight into the electronic structure of c-ZnS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoyanova, A.; Hozoi, L.; Fulde, P.; Stoll, H.

2011-05-01

Ab initio wave-function-based methods are employed for the study of quasiparticle energy bands of zinc-blende ZnS, with focus on the Zn 3d “semicore” states. The relative energies of these states with respect to the top of the S 3p valence bands appear to be poorly described as compared to experimental values not only within the local density approximation (LDA), but also when many-body corrections within the GW approximation are applied to the LDA or LDA + U mean-field solutions [T. Miyake, P. Zhang, M. L. Cohen, and S. G. Louie, Phys. Rev. BPRBMDO1098-012110.1103/PhysRevB.74.245213 74, 245213 (2006)]. In the present study, we show that for the accurate description of the Zn 3d states a correlation treatment based on wave-function methods is needed. Our study rests on a local Hamiltonian approach which rigorously describes the short-range polarization and charge redistribution effects around an extra hole or electron placed into the valence respective conduction bands of semiconductors and insulators. The method also facilitates the computation of electron correlation effects beyond relaxation and polarization. The electron correlation treatment is performed on finite clusters cut off the infinite system. The formalism makes use of localized Wannier functions and embedding potentials derived explicitly from prior periodic Hartree-Fock calculations. The on-site and nearest-neighbor charge relaxation lead to corrections of several eV to the Hartree-Fock band energies and gap. Corrections due to long-range polarization are of the order of 1.0 eV. The dispersion of the Hartree-Fock bands is only slightly affected by electron correlations. We find the Zn 3d “semicore” states to lie ~9.0 eV below the top of the S 3p valence bands, in very good agreement with values from valence-band x-ray photoemission.

Band structure analysis of leaky Bloch waves in 2D phononic crystal plates.

PubMed

Mazzotti, Matteo; Miniaci, Marco; Bartoli, Ivan

2017-02-01

A hybrid Finite Element-Plane Wave Expansion method is presented for the band structure analysis of phononic crystal plates with two dimensional lattice that are in contact with acoustic half-spaces. The method enables the computation of both real (propagative) and imaginary (attenuation) components of the Bloch wavenumber at any given frequency. Three numerical applications are presented: a benchmark dispersion analysis for an oil-loaded Titanium isotropic plate, the band structure analysis of a water-loaded Tungsten slab with square cylindrical cavities and a phononic crystal plate composed of Aurum cylinders embedded in an epoxy matrix. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automatic allograft bone selection through band registration and its application to distal femur.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu; Qiu, Lei; Li, Fengzan; Zhang, Qing; Zhang, Li; Niu, Xiaohui

2017-09-01

Clinical reports suggest that large bone defects could be effectively restored by allograft bone transplantation, where allograft bone selection acts an important role. Besides, there is a huge demand for developing the automatic allograft bone selection methods, as the automatic methods could greatly improve the management efficiency of the large bone banks. Although several automatic methods have been presented to select the most suitable allograft bone from the massive allograft bone bank, these methods still suffer from inaccuracy. In this paper, we propose an effective allograft bone selection method without using the contralateral bones. Firstly, the allograft bone is globally aligned to the recipient bone by surface registration. Then, the global alignment is further refined through band registration. The band, defined as the recipient points within the lifted and lowered cutting planes, could involve more local structure of the defected segment. Therefore, our method could achieve robust alignment and high registration accuracy of the allograft and recipient. Moreover, the existing contour method and surface method could be unified into one framework under our method by adjusting the lift and lower distances of the cutting planes. Finally, our method has been validated on the database of distal femurs. The experimental results indicate that our method outperforms the surface method and contour method.

The Model Experiments and Finite Element Analysis on Deformation and Failure by Excavation of Grounds in Foregoing-roof Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sotokoba, Yasumasa; Okajima, Kenji; Iida, Toshiaki; Tanaka, Tadatsugu

We propose the trenchless box culvert construction method to construct box culverts in small covering soil layers while keeping roads or tracks open. When we use this construction method, it is necessary to clarify deformation and shear failure by excavation of grounds. In order to investigate the soil behavior, model experiments and elasto-plactic finite element analysis were performed. In the model experiments, it was shown that the shear failure was developed from the end of the roof to the toe of the boundary surface. In the finite element analysis, a shear band effect was introduced. Comparing the observed shear bands in model experiments with computed maximum shear strain contours, it was found that the observed direction of the shear band could be simulated reasonably by the finite element analysis. We may say that the finite element method used in this study is useful tool for this construction method.

Approximate Solution Methods for Spectral Radiative Transfer in High Refractive Index Layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siegel, R.; Spuckler, C. M.

1994-01-01

Some ceramic materials for high temperature applications are partially transparent for radiative transfer. The refractive indices of these materials can be substantially greater than one which influences internal radiative emission and reflections. Heat transfer behavior of single and laminated layers has been obtained in the literature by numerical solutions of the radiative transfer equations coupled with heat conduction and heating at the boundaries by convection and radiation. Two-flux and diffusion methods are investigated here to obtain approximate solutions using a simpler formulation than required for exact numerical solutions. Isotropic scattering is included. The two-flux method for a single layer yields excellent results for gray and two band spectral calculations. The diffusion method yields a good approximation for spectral behavior in laminated multiple layers if the overall optical thickness is larger than about ten. A hybrid spectral model is developed using the two-flux method in the optically thin bands, and radiative diffusion in bands that are optically thick.

Computation of infrared cooling rates in the water vapor bands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, M. D.; Arking, A.

1978-01-01

A fast but accurate method for calculating the infrared radiative terms due to water vapor has been developed. It makes use of the far wing approximation to scale transmission along an inhomogeneous path to an equivalent homogeneous path. Rather than using standard conditions for scaling, the reference temperatures and pressures are chosen in this study to correspond to the regions where cooling is most significant. This greatly increased the accuracy of the new method. Compared to line by line calculations, the new method has errors up to 4% of the maximum cooling rate, while a commonly used method based upon the Goody band model (Rodgers and Walshaw, 1966) introduces errors up to 11%. The effect of temperature dependence of transmittance has also been evaluated; the cooling rate errors range up to 11% when the temperature dependence is ignored. In addition to being more accurate, the new method is much faster than those based upon the Goody band model.

Low-bias flat band-stop filter based on velocity modulated gaussian graphene superlattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sattari-Esfahlan, S. M.; Shojaei, S.

2018-05-01

Transport properties of biased planar Gaussian graphene superlattice (PGGSL) with Fermi velocity barrier is investigated by transfer matrix method (TMM). It is observed that enlargement of bias voltage over miniband width breaks the miniband to WSLs leads to suppressing resonant tunneling. Transmission spectrum shows flat wide stop-band property controllable by external bias voltage with stop-band width of near 200 meV. The simulations demonstrate that strong velocity barriers prevent tunneling of Dirac electrons leading to controllable enhancement of stop-band width. By increasing ratio of Fermi velocity in barriers to wells υc stop-band width increase. As wide transmission stop-band width (BWT) of filter is tunable from 40 meV to 340 meV is obtained by enhancing ratio of υc from 0.2 to 1.5, respectively. Proposed structure suggests easy tunable wide band-stop electronic filter with a modulated flat stop-band characteristic by height of electrostatic barrier and structural parameters. Robust sensitivity of band width to velocity barrier intensity in certain bias voltages and flat band feature of proposed filter may be opens novel venue in GSL based flat band low noise filters and velocity modulation devices.

Banding of NMR-derived Methyl Order Parameters: Implications for Protein Dynamics

PubMed Central

Sharp, Kim A.; Kasinath, Vignesh; Wand, A. Joshua

2014-01-01

Our understanding of protein folding, stability and function has begun to more explicitly incorporate dynamical aspects. Nuclear magnetic resonance has emerged as a powerful experimental method for obtaining comprehensive site-resolved insight into protein motion. It has been observed that methyl-group motion tends to cluster into three “classes” when expressed in terms of the popular Lipari-Szabo model-free squared generalized order parameter. Here the origins of the three classes or bands in the distribution of order parameters are examined. As a first step, a Bayesian based approach, which makes no a priori assumption about the existence or number of bands, is developed to detect the banding of O2axis values derived either from NMR experiments or molecular dynamics simulations. The analysis is applied to seven proteins with extensive molecular dynamics simulations of these proteins in explicit water to examine the relationship between O2 and fine details of the motion of methyl bearing side chains. All of the proteins studied display banding, with some subtle differences. We propose a very simple yet plausible physical mechanism for banding. Finally, our Bayesian method is used to analyze the measured distributions of methyl group motions in the catabolite activating protein and several of its mutants in various liganded states and discuss the functional implications of the observed banding to protein dynamics and function. PMID:24677353

HMM for hyperspectral spectrum representation and classification with endmember entropy vectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arabi, Samir Y. W.; Fernandes, David; Pizarro, Marco A.

2015-10-01

The Hyperspectral images due to its good spectral resolution are extensively used for classification, but its high number of bands requires a higher bandwidth in the transmission data, a higher data storage capability and a higher computational capability in processing systems. This work presents a new methodology for hyperspectral data classification that can work with a reduced number of spectral bands and achieve good results, comparable with processing methods that require all hyperspectral bands. The proposed method for hyperspectral spectra classification is based on the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) associated to each Endmember (EM) of a scene and the conditional probabilities of each EM belongs to each other EM. The EM conditional probability is transformed in EM vector entropy and those vectors are used as reference vectors for the classes in the scene. The conditional probability of a spectrum that will be classified is also transformed in a spectrum entropy vector, which is classified in a given class by the minimum ED (Euclidian Distance) among it and the EM entropy vectors. The methodology was tested with good results using AVIRIS spectra of a scene with 13 EM considering the full 209 bands and the reduced spectral bands of 128, 64 and 32. For the test area its show that can be used only 32 spectral bands instead of the original 209 bands, without significant loss in the classification process.

Effect of Spindle Parameters of Woodworking Band Saw on the AE Value of Crack Band Saw Blade in Compound Material Processing (1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Jin-gui; Jiang, Zhao-fang; Luo, Lai-peng

2017-04-01

Taking the MJ3210A motion band saw as the research object, the AE value of the band saw blade vibration was obtained by analyzing the VIBSYS vibration signal acquisition and analysis software system in Beijing, and the change of the AE value of the band saw and the crack was found out. The experimental results show that in the MJ3210A sports car sawing machine, the band saw blade with width of 130 mm is used, and the AE value of the cracked band saw blade is well in the high band saw blade AE value. Under the best working condition of the band saw, the band saw blade AE If the value exceeds 104.7 dB (A) above, it means that the band saw blade has at least one crack length greater than 1.38 mm for the crack defect and the need to replace the band saw blade in time. Different species with saw blade of the AE value is different, white pine wood minimum, the largest oak wood; according to a variety of wood processing AE instrument value to determine the band saw blade crack to the situation; so as to fully rational use of band saw blade, The failure and the degree of development to find a new method.

A novel combination of PBG cell for achieving HPF, BPF, and LPF in an electro-optic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsao, Shyh-Lin; Lee, Wen-Ching

2004-10-01

In this paper, a novel Frequency Division Multiplexer (FDM) using Photonic Band Gap (PBG) cell combination concept circuit is proposed for achieving a 3-band FDM. The preliminary 3-band FDM structure is the combination of three PBG cells. The observable frequency response experimental results are presented. We also simulate and measure all the scattering parameters for the novel 3-band FDM. The disclosed method in this paper demonstrates the possibility for applying photonic bandgap structure in designing a frequency division device.

Atomistic full-quantum transport model for zigzag graphene nanoribbon-based structures: Complex energy-band method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chun-Nan; Luo, Win-Jet; Shyu, Feng-Lin; Chung, Hsien-Ching; Lin, Chiun-Yan; Wu, Jhao-Ying

2018-01-01

Using a non-equilibrium Green’s function framework in combination with the complex energy-band method, an atomistic full-quantum model for solving quantum transport problems for a zigzag-edge graphene nanoribbon (zGNR) structure is proposed. For transport calculations, the mathematical expressions from the theory for zGNR-based device structures are derived in detail. The transport properties of zGNR-based devices are calculated and studied in detail using the proposed method.

Three-dimensional ordered particulate structures: Method to retrieve characteristics from photonic band gap data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miskevich, Alexander A.; Loiko, Valery A.

2015-01-01

A method to retrieve characteristics of ordered particulate structures, such as photonic crystals, is proposed. It is based on the solution of the inverse problem using data on the photonic band gap (PBG). The quasicrystalline approximation (QCA) of the theory of multiple scattering of waves and the transfer matrix method (TMM) are used. Retrieval of the refractive index of particles is demonstrated. Refractive indices of the artificial opal particles are estimated using the published experimental data.

Water Vapor Measurement and Compensation in the Near and Mid-infrared with the Keck Interferometer Nuller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koresko, Chris D.; Colavita, Mark M.; Serabyn, Eugene; Booth, Andrew; Garcia, Jean I.

2006-01-01

A viewgraph presentation describing the methods, motivation and methods for water vapor measurement with the Keck interferometer near and mid infrared radiation band is shown. The topics include: 1) Motivation: Why measure H2O?; 2) Method: How do we measure H2O?; 3) Data: Phase and Group Delays for the K and N Bands; 4) Predicted and Actual Nband Phase and Dispersion; and 5) Validation of Atmospheric Turbulence Models with KI Data.

Post-Katrina Land-Cover, Elevation, and Volume Change Assessment along the South Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, U.S.A.

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

was greater than 1 or less than 0. The second was a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ( NDVI ) band ratio between a near-infrared band (738 nm) and...separation methods worked well, neither produced perfect results. Ultimately, the NDVI method was chosen because it could also be used to further...In addition, it is a broadly tested method often used to identify and measure vegetation (Tucker, 1979). The NDVI result was also used to separate

Attenuation and velocity dispersion in the exploration seismic frequency band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Langqiu

In an anelastic medium, seismic waves are distorted by attenuation and velocity dispersion, which depend on petrophysical properties of reservoir rocks. The effective attenuation and velocity dispersion is a combination of intrinsic attenuation and apparent attenuation due to scattering, transmission response, and data acquisition system. Velocity dispersion is usually neglected in seismic data processing partly because of insufficient observations in the exploration seismic frequency band. This thesis investigates the methods of measuring velocity dispersion in the exploration seismic frequency band and interprets the velocity dispersion data in terms of petrophysical properties. Broadband, uncorrelated vibrator data are suitable for measuring velocity dispersion in the exploration seismic frequency band, and a broad bandwidth optimizes the observability of velocity dispersion. Four methods of measuring velocity dispersion in uncorrelated vibrator VSP data are investigated, which are the sliding window crosscorrelation (SWCC) method, the instantaneous phase method, the spectral decomposition method, and the cross spectrum method. Among them, the SWCC method is a new method and has satisfactory robustness, accuracy, and efficiency. Using the SWCC method, velocity dispersion is measured in the uncorrelated vibrator VSP data from three areas with different geological settings, i.e., Mallik gas hydrate zone, McArthur River uranium mines, and Outokumpu crystalline rocks. The observed velocity dispersion is fitted to a straight line with respect to log frequency for a constant (frequency-independent) Q value. This provides an alternative method for calculating Q. A constant Q value does not directly link to petrophysical properties. A modeling study is implemented for the Mallik and McArthur River data to interpret the velocity dispersion observations in terms of petrophysical properties. The detailed multi-parameter petrophysical reservoir models are built according to the well logs; the models' parameters are adjusted by fitting the synthetic data to the observed data. In this way, seismic attenuation and velocity dispersion provide new insight into petrophysics properties at the Mallik and McArthur River sites. Potentially, observations of attenuation and velocity dispersion in the exploration seismic frequency band can improve the deconvolution process for vibrator data, Q-compensation, near-surface analysis, and first break picking for seismic data.

Band positions of Rutile surfaces and the possibility of water splitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esch, Tobit R.; Bredow, Thomas

2017-11-01

It is well known that both the band gap and the band edge positions of oxide semiconductors are important for the photocatalytic water splitting. In this study, we show that different surface terminations of the same crystalline solid lead to considerable variations of the band gaps and band edges. As an example, we investigate the low-index surfaces of rutile TiO2. A series of hybrid methods based on the PBE exchange-correlation functional, PBE0, HSE06 and HISS, are employed to study the effect of long-range exchange on the electronic properties. In aqueous solution, the oxide particles employed in photocatalysis are fully covered with water molecules. We therefore study the influence of molecularly and dissociatively adsorbed water on the band positions. It is found that water adsorption leads to significant shifts of the band edge positions due to changes of the electrostatic potential at the surface atom positions.

Ultra-wide acoustic band gaps in pillar-based phononic crystal strips

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

Coffy, Etienne, E-mail: etienne.coffy@femto-st.fr; Lavergne, Thomas; Addouche, Mahmoud

2015-12-07

An original approach for designing a one dimensional phononic crystal strip with an ultra-wide band gap is presented. The strip consists of periodic pillars erected on a tailored beam, enabling the generation of a band gap that is due to both Bragg scattering and local resonances. The optimized combination of both effects results in the lowering and the widening of the main band gap, ultimately leading to a gap-to-midgap ratio of 138%. The design method used to improve the band gap width is based on the flattening of phononic bands and relies on the study of the modal energy distributionmore » within the unit cell. The computed transmission through a finite number of periods corroborates the dispersion diagram. The strong attenuation, in excess of 150 dB for only five periods, highlights the interest of such ultra-wide band gap phononic crystal strips.« less

Dual-Band Operation of a Microstrip Patch Antenna on a Duroid 5870 Substrate for Ku- and K-Bands

PubMed Central

Islam, M. M.; Islam, M. T.; Faruque, M. R. I.

2013-01-01

The dual-band operation of a microstrip patch antenna on a Duroid 5870 substrate for Ku- and K-bands is presented. The fabrication of the proposed antenna is performed with slots and a Duroid 5870 dielectric substrate and is excited by a 50 Ω microstrip transmission line. A high-frequency structural simulator (HFSS) is used which is based on the finite element method (FEM) in this research. The measured impedance bandwidth (2 : 1 VSWR) achieved is 1.07 GHz (15.93 GHz–14.86 GHz) on the lower band and 0.94 GHz (20.67–19.73 GHz) on the upper band. A stable omnidirectional radiation pattern is observed in the operating frequency band. The proposed prototype antenna behavior is discussed in terms of the comparisons of the measured and simulated results. PMID:24385878

Dual-band operation of a microstrip patch antenna on a Duroid 5870 substrate for Ku- and K-bands.

PubMed

Islam, M M; Islam, M T; Faruque, M R I

2013-01-01

The dual-band operation of a microstrip patch antenna on a Duroid 5870 substrate for Ku- and K-bands is presented. The fabrication of the proposed antenna is performed with slots and a Duroid 5870 dielectric substrate and is excited by a 50 Ω microstrip transmission line. A high-frequency structural simulator (HFSS) is used which is based on the finite element method (FEM) in this research. The measured impedance bandwidth (2 : 1 VSWR) achieved is 1.07 GHz (15.93 GHz-14.86 GHz) on the lower band and 0.94 GHz (20.67-19.73 GHz) on the upper band. A stable omnidirectional radiation pattern is observed in the operating frequency band. The proposed prototype antenna behavior is discussed in terms of the comparisons of the measured and simulated results.

Band structure of an electron in a kind of periodic potentials with singularities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hai, Kuo; Yu, Ning; Jia, Jiangping

2018-06-01

Noninteracting electrons in some crystals may experience periodic potentials with singularities and the governing Schrödinger equation cannot be defined at the singular points. The band structure of a single electron in such a one-dimensional crystal has been calculated by using an equivalent integral form of the Schrödinger equation. Both the perturbed and exact solutions are constructed respectively for the cases of a general singular weak-periodic system and its an exactly solvable version, Kronig-Penney model. Any one of them leads to a special band structure of the energy-dependent parameter, which results in an effective correction to the previous energy-band structure and gives a new explanation for forming the band structure. The used method and obtained results could be a valuable aid in the study of energy bands in solid-state physics, and the new explanation may trigger investigation to different physical mechanism of electron band structures.

Accurate band-to-band registration of AOTF imaging spectrometer using motion detection technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Pengwei; Zhao, Huijie; Jin, Shangzhong; Li, Ningchuan

2016-05-01

This paper concerns the problem of platform vibration induced band-to-band misregistration with acousto-optic imaging spectrometer in spaceborne application. Registrating images of different bands formed at different time or different position is difficult, especially for hyperspectral images form acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) imaging spectrometer. In this study, a motion detection method is presented using the polychromatic undiffracted beam of AOTF. The factors affecting motion detect accuracy are analyzed theoretically, and calculations show that optical distortion is an easily overlooked factor to achieve accurate band-to-band registration. Hence, a reflective dual-path optical system has been proposed for the first time, with reduction of distortion and chromatic aberration, indicating the potential of higher registration accuracy. Consequently, a spectra restoration experiment using additional motion detect channel is presented for the first time, which shows the accurate spectral image registration capability of this technique.

Hybrid method to predict the resonant frequencies and to characterise dual band proximity coupled microstrip antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varma, Ruchi; Ghosh, Jayanta

2018-06-01

A new hybrid technique, which is a combination of neural network (NN) and support vector machine, is proposed for designing of different slotted dual band proximity coupled microstrip antennas. Slots on the patch are employed to produce the second resonance along with size reduction. The proposed hybrid model provides flexibility to design the dual band antennas in the frequency range from 1 to 6 GHz. This includes DCS (1.71-1.88 GHz), PCS (1.88-1.99 GHz), UMTS (1.92-2.17 GHz), LTE2300 (2.3-2.4 GHz), Bluetooth (2.4-2.485 GHz), WiMAX (3.3-3.7 GHz), and WLAN (5.15-5.35 GHz, 5.725-5.825 GHz) bands applications. Also, the comparative study of this proposed technique is done with the existing methods like knowledge based NN and support vector machine. The proposed method is found to be more accurate in terms of % error and root mean square % error and the results are in good accord with the measured values.

Band-gap engineering and comparative investigation of Ti2Nb10O29 photocatalysts obtained by Various synthetic routes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Meiling; Zhu, Hekai; Fang, Minghao; Huang, Zhaohui; Liu, Yan'gai; Wu, Xiaowen

2018-03-01

Ti2Nb10O29 photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by three different methods. Ti2Nb10O29 fabricated by the solvothermal method (ST-TNO) exhibited unique microspheres compared to the larger irregular particles observed for the samples annealed in air (Air-TNO) and Ar (Ar-TNO). X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) results revealed that a partial reduction process from Ti4+ into Ti3+ occurs in Ar-TNO, because of the introduction of oxygen defects. Ar-TNO exhibited visible-light absorption with a band gap of 2.85 eV, while the absorption edges of Air-TNO and ST-TNO were approximately 400 nm. Under UV light irradiation (λ < 420 nm), Ar-TNO exhibited a photocatalytic activity 2.1 times greater than that of Air-TNO, corresponding to the highest activity. The results indicated that the preparation method is crucial for determining the band gap and photocatalytic activity of semiconductors. Moreover, the novel semiconductor photocatalyst can be further applied for constructing the heterojunction and designing the band structure.

Tight-binding analysis of Si and GaAs ultrathin bodies with subatomic wave-function resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Yaohua P.; Povolotskyi, Michael; Kubis, Tillmann; Boykin, Timothy B.; Klimeck, Gerhard

2015-08-01

Empirical tight-binding (ETB) methods are widely used in atomistic device simulations. Traditional ways of generating the ETB parameters rely on direct fitting to bulk experiments or theoretical electronic bands. However, ETB calculations based on existing parameters lead to unphysical results in ultrasmall structures like the As-terminated GaAs ultrathin bodies (UTBs). In this work, it is shown that more transferable ETB parameters with a short interaction range can be obtained by a process of mapping ab initio bands and wave functions to ETB models. This process enables the calibration of not only the ETB energy bands but also the ETB wave functions with corresponding ab initio calculations. Based on the mapping process, ETB models of Si and GaAs are parameterized with respect to hybrid functional calculations. Highly localized ETB basis functions are obtained. Both the ETB energy bands and wave functions with subatomic resolution of UTBs show good agreement with the corresponding hybrid functional calculations. The ETB methods can then be used to explain realistically extended devices in nonequilibrium that cannot be tackled with ab initio methods.

Nanoscale measurements of unoccupied band dispersion in few-layer graphene.

PubMed

Jobst, Johannes; Kautz, Jaap; Geelen, Daniël; Tromp, Rudolf M; van der Molen, Sense Jan

2015-11-26

The properties of any material are fundamentally determined by its electronic band structure. Each band represents a series of allowed states inside a material, relating electron energy and momentum. The occupied bands, that is, the filled electron states below the Fermi level, can be routinely measured. However, it is remarkably difficult to characterize the empty part of the band structure experimentally. Here, we present direct measurements of unoccupied bands of monolayer, bilayer and trilayer graphene. To obtain these, we introduce a technique based on low-energy electron microscopy. It relies on the dependence of the electron reflectivity on incidence angle and energy and has a spatial resolution ∼10 nm. The method can be easily applied to other nanomaterials such as van der Waals structures that are available in small crystals only.

Multi-orbit tight binding calculations for spin transfer torque in magnetic tunneling junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Chun-Yeol; Han, Jae-Ho; Lee, Hyun-Woo

2012-04-01

We investigate the spin transfer torque (STT) with multi-orbit tight binding model in the magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs). So far, most of the theoretical works based on the non-equilibrium Keldysh Green's function method employ a single band model for the simplicity, except a few first principle studies. Even though the single band model captures main physics of STT in MTJ, multi-band calculation reveals new features of the STT that depend on band parameters, such as insulator bandgap, inter-band hopping energy of the ferromagnetic layer. We find that the sign change of perpendicular torkance with bandgap of the insulator layer, and when we allow the inter-band hopping, the bias dependences of perpendicular STT are dramatically changed, while no noticeable changes in parallel STT are found.

Development, validation, and comparison of ICA-based gradient artifact reduction algorithms for simultaneous EEG-spiral in/out and echo-planar fMRI recordings

PubMed Central

Ryali, S; Glover, GH; Chang, C; Menon, V

2009-01-01

EEG data acquired in an MRI scanner are heavily contaminated by gradient artifacts that can significantly compromise signal quality. We developed two new methods based on Independent Component Analysis (ICA) for reducing gradient artifacts from spiral in-out and echo-planar pulse sequences at 3T, and compared our algorithms with four other commonly used methods: average artifact subtraction (Allen et al. 2000), principal component analysis (Niazy et al. 2005), Taylor series (Wan et al. 2006) and a conventional temporal ICA algorithm. Models of gradient artifacts were derived from simulations as well as a water phantom and performance of each method was evaluated on datasets constructed using visual event-related potentials (ERPs) as well as resting EEG. Our new methods recovered ERPs and resting EEG below the beta band (< 12.5 Hz) with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR > 4). Our algorithms outperformed all of these methods on resting EEG in the theta- and alpha-bands (SNR > 4); however, for all methods, signal recovery was modest (SNR ~ 1) in the beta-band and poor (SNR < 0.3) in the gamma-band and above. We found that the conventional ICA algorithm performed poorly with uniformly low SNR (< 0.1). Taken together, our new ICA-based methods offer a more robust technique for gradient artifact reduction when scanning at 3T using spiral in-out and echo-planar pulse sequences. We provide new insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each method using a unified subspace framework. PMID:19580873

Simulate the volcanic radiation features in medium wave infrared channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Cailan; Jiang, Shan; Liu, Fengyi; Hu, Yong

2015-10-01

There are different scales and intensities of the volcanic eruption in the world every year. Existing medium wave infrared (MWI) remote sensing channels are often at atmospheric window in 3-5μm, lack of water vapor and carbon dioxide(CO2) absorption channels data, such as 2.2μm, 2.7μm and so on, however the 2.7μm absorption bands can be used as volcanoes, forest fires and other hot target identification. In order to obtain the high-temperature targets (HTT)radiation features, such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires in the water vapor absorption channels, Firstly, the HTT should be identified from the existing bands based on the temperature differences between the objects and the surrounding environment. Then, the HTT radiation features were simulated, and the correlation between the radiations of different bands were established with statistical analysis method. The HTT reorganization from remote sensing data, radiation characteristics simulation in different atmospheric models were described, then the bands transformed models were set up. The volcanic HTT radiation characteristics were simulated in wavelength 2.7μm and 4.433-4.498μm (band 24 of MODIS) based on the known bands of 3.55 -3.93μm (band 3 of FengYun-3 Visible and Infrared Scanning Radiometer (VIRR)). The simulated results were tested by the volcanic HTT radiation characteristics with 4.433-4.498μm by known bands of MODIS image and the simulated 4.433-4.498μm image. The causes of errors generated were analyzed. The study methods were useful to the new remote sensor bands imaging characteristics simulation analysis.

Reflectance Prediction Modelling for Residual-Based Hyperspectral Image Coding

PubMed Central

Xiao, Rui; Gao, Junbin; Bossomaier, Terry

2016-01-01

A Hyperspectral (HS) image provides observational powers beyond human vision capability but represents more than 100 times the data compared to a traditional image. To transmit and store the huge volume of an HS image, we argue that a fundamental shift is required from the existing “original pixel intensity”-based coding approaches using traditional image coders (e.g., JPEG2000) to the “residual”-based approaches using a video coder for better compression performance. A modified video coder is required to exploit spatial-spectral redundancy using pixel-level reflectance modelling due to the different characteristics of HS images in their spectral and shape domain of panchromatic imagery compared to traditional videos. In this paper a novel coding framework using Reflectance Prediction Modelling (RPM) in the latest video coding standard High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) for HS images is proposed. An HS image presents a wealth of data where every pixel is considered a vector for different spectral bands. By quantitative comparison and analysis of pixel vector distribution along spectral bands, we conclude that modelling can predict the distribution and correlation of the pixel vectors for different bands. To exploit distribution of the known pixel vector, we estimate a predicted current spectral band from the previous bands using Gaussian mixture-based modelling. The predicted band is used as the additional reference band together with the immediate previous band when we apply the HEVC. Every spectral band of an HS image is treated like it is an individual frame of a video. In this paper, we compare the proposed method with mainstream encoders. The experimental results are fully justified by three types of HS dataset with different wavelength ranges. The proposed method outperforms the existing mainstream HS encoders in terms of rate-distortion performance of HS image compression. PMID:27695102

Ab-initio study on electronic properties of rocksalt SnAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babariya, Bindiya; Vaghela, M. V.; Gajjar, P. N.

2018-05-01

Within the frame work of Local Density Approximation of Exchange and Correlation, ab-initio method of density functional theory with Abinit code is used to compute electronic energy band structure, density of States and charge density of SnAs in rocksalt phase. Our result after optimization for lattice constant agrees with experimental value within 0.59% deviation. The computed electronic energy bands in high symmetry directions Γ→K→X→Γ→L→X→W→L→U shown metallic nature. The lowest band in the electronic band structure is showing band-gap approximately 1.70 eV from next higher band and no crossing between lowest two bands are seen. The density of states revels p-p orbit hybridization between Sn and As atoms. The spherical contour around Sn and As in the charge density plot represent partly ionic and partly covalent bonding. Fermi surface topology is the resultant effect of the single band crossing along L direction at Ef.

Alkali-metal induced band structure deformation investigated by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, S.; Feng, B.; Arita, M.; Someya, T.; Chen, W.-C.; Takayama, A.; Iimori, T.; Namatame, H.; Taniguchi, M.; Cheng, C.-M.; Tang, S.-J.; Komori, F.; Matsuda, I.

2018-04-01

Alkali-metal adsorption on the surface of materials is widely used for in situ surface electron doping, particularly for observing unoccupied band structures by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). However, the effects of alkali-metal atoms on the resulting band structures have yet to be fully investigated, owing to difficulties in both experiments and calculations. Here, we combine ARPES measurements on cesium-adsorbed ultrathin bismuth films with first-principles calculations of the electronic charge densities and demonstrate a simple method to evaluate alkali-metal induced band deformation. We reveal that deformation of bismuth surface bands is directly correlated with vertical charge-density profiles at each electronic state of bismuth. In contrast, a change in the quantized bulk bands is well described by a conventional rigid-band-shift picture. We discuss these two aspects of the band deformation holistically, considering spatial distributions of the electronic states and cesium-bismuth hybridization, and provide a prescription for applying alkali-metal adsorption to a wide range of materials.

Feasibility of quasi-random band model in evaluating atmospheric radiance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tiwari, S. N.; Mirakhur, N.

1980-01-01

The use of the quasi-random band model in evaluating upwelling atmospheric radiation is investigated. The spectral transmittance and total band adsorptance are evaluated for selected molecular bands by using the line by line model, quasi-random band model, exponential sum fit method, and empirical correlations, and these are compared with the available experimental results. The atmospheric transmittance and upwelling radiance were calculated by using the line by line and quasi random band models and were compared with the results of an existing program called LOWTRAN. The results obtained by the exponential sum fit and empirical relations were not in good agreement with experimental results and their use cannot be justified for atmospheric studies. The line by line model was found to be the best model for atmospheric applications, but it is not practical because of high computational costs. The results of the quasi random band model compare well with the line by line and experimental results. The use of the quasi random band model is recommended for evaluation of the atmospheric radiation.

Quasiparticle band structure of rocksalt-CdO determined using maximally localized Wannier functions.

PubMed

Dixit, H; Lamoen, D; Partoens, B

2013-01-23

CdO in the rocksalt structure is an indirect band gap semiconductor. Thus, in order to determine its band gap one needs to calculate the complete band structure. However, in practice, the exact evaluation of the quasiparticle band structure for the large number of k-points which constitute the different symmetry lines in the Brillouin zone can be an extremely demanding task compared to the standard density functional theory (DFT) calculation. In this paper we report the full quasiparticle band structure of CdO using a plane-wave pseudopotential approach. In order to reduce the computational effort and time, we make use of maximally localized Wannier functions (MLWFs). The MLWFs offer a highly accurate method for interpolation of the DFT or GW band structure from a coarse k-point mesh in the irreducible Brillouin zone, resulting in a much reduced computational effort. The present paper discusses the technical details of the scheme along with the results obtained for the quasiparticle band gap and the electron effective mass.

A Continental Rifting Event in Tanzania Revealed by Envisat and ALOS InSAR Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyen, A. M.; Marinkovic, P. S.; Wauthier, C.; d'Oreye, N.; Hanssen, R. F.

2008-11-01

From July to September 2007 a series of moderate earthquakes struck the area South of the Gelai volcano, located on the Eastern branch of the East African Rift (North Tanzania). Most deformation patterns detected by InSAR in these period are very complex, impeding proper interpretation. To decrease the complexity of the models of the deformation, this study proposes two strategies of combining data from different tracks and sensors. In a first stage a method is proposed to correct unwrapping errors in C-band using the much more coherent L-band data. Furthermore, a modeling optimization method is explored, which aims at the decomposition of the deformation in smaller temporal baselines, by means of creating new, artificial interferograms and the use of models. Due to the higher coherence level and fewer phase cycles in L-band, the deformation interpretation is facilitated but model residual interpretation has become more difficult compared to C-band.

Thermally induced effect on sub-band gap absorption in Ag doped CdSe thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Jagdish; Sharma, Kriti; Bharti, Shivani; Tripathi, S. K.

2015-05-01

Thin films of Ag doped CdSe have been prepared by thermal evaporation using inert gas condensation (IGC) method taking Argon as inert gas. The prepared thin films are annealed at 363 K for one hour. The sub-band gap absorption spectra in the as deposited and annealed thin films have been studied using constant photocurrent method (CPM). The absorption coefficient in the sub-band gap region is described by an Urbach tail in both as deposited and annealed thin films. The value of Urbach energy and number density of trap states have been calculated from the absorption coefficient in the sub-band gap region which have been found to increase after annealing treatment indicating increase in disorderness in the lattice. The energy distribution of the occupied density of states below Fermi level has also been studied using derivative procedure of absorption coefficient.

Micro Ring Grating Spectrometer with Adjustable Aperture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R. (Inventor); Choi, Sang H. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A spectrometer includes a micro-ring grating device having coaxially-aligned ring gratings for diffracting incident light onto a target focal point, a detection device for detecting light intensity, one or more actuators, and an adjustable aperture device defining a circular aperture. The aperture circumscribes a target focal point, and directs a light to the detection device. The aperture device is selectively adjustable using the actuators to select a portion of a frequency band for transmission to the detection device. A method of detecting intensity of a selected band of incident light includes directing incident light onto coaxially-aligned ring gratings of a micro-ring grating device, and diffracting the selected band onto a target focal point using the ring gratings. The method includes using an actuator to adjust an aperture device and pass a selected portion of the frequency band to a detection device for measuring the intensity of the selected portion.

[Combined G-banded karyotyping and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities in fetuses with congenital heart defects].

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Xie, Jiansheng; Geng, Qian; Xu, Zhiyong; Wu, Weiqin; Luo, Fuwei; Li, Suli; Wang, Qin; Chen, Wubin; Tan, Hongxi; Zhang, Hu

2017-02-10

To assess the value of G-banded karyotyping in combination with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) as a tool for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities in fetuses with congenital heart defects. The combined method was used to analyze 104 fetuses with heart malformations identified by ultrasonography. Abnormal findings were confirmed with chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). Nineteen (18%) fetuses were found to harbor chromosomal aberrations by G-banded karyotyping and MLPA. For 93 cases, CMA has detected abnormalities in 14 cases including 10 pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs) and 4 CNVs of uncertain significance (VOUS). MLPA was able to detect all of the pathogenic CNVs and 1 VOUS CNV. Combined use of G-banded karyotyping and MLPA is a rapid, low-cost and effective method to detect chromosomal abnormalities in fetuses with various heart malformations.

Single-band upconversion nanoprobes for multiplexed simultaneous in situ molecular mapping of cancer biomarkers.

PubMed

Zhou, Lei; Wang, Rui; Yao, Chi; Li, Xiaomin; Wang, Chengli; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Xu, Congjian; Zeng, Aijun; Zhao, Dongyuan; Zhang, Fan

2015-04-24

The identification of potential diagnostic markers and target molecules among the plethora of tumour oncoproteins for cancer diagnosis requires facile technology that is capable of quantitatively analysing multiple biomarkers in tumour cells and tissues. Diagnostic and prognostic classifications of human tumours are currently based on the western blotting and single-colour immunohistochemical methods that are not suitable for multiplexed detection. Herein, we report a general and novel method to prepare single-band upconversion nanoparticles with different colours. The expression levels of three biomarkers in breast cancer cells were determined using single-band upconversion nanoparticles, western blotting and immunohistochemical technologies with excellent correlation. Significantly, the application of antibody-conjugated single-band upconversion nanoparticle molecular profiling technology can achieve the multiplexed simultaneous in situ biodetection of biomarkers in breast cancer cells and tissue specimens and produce more accurate results for the simultaneous quantification of proteins present at low levels compared with classical immunohistochemical technology.

Method of improving a digital image

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jobson, Daniel J. (Inventor); Woodell, Glenn A. (Inventor); Rahman, Zia-ur (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A method of improving a digital image is provided. The image is initially represented by digital data indexed to represent positions on a display. The digital data is indicative of an intensity value I.sub.i (x,y) for each position (x,y) in each i-th spectral band. The intensity value for each position in each i-th spectral band is adjusted to generate an adjusted intensity value for each position in each i-th spectral band in accordance with ##EQU1## where S is the number of unique spectral bands included in said digital data, W.sub.n is a weighting factor and * denotes the convolution operator. Each surround function F.sub.n (x,y) is uniquely scaled to improve an aspect of the digital image, e.g., dynamic range compression, color constancy, and lightness rendition. The adjusted intensity value for each position in each i-th spectral band is filtered with a common function and then presented to a display device. For color images, a novel color restoration step is added to give the image true-to-life color that closely matches human observation.

Surface acoustic waves in acoustic superlattice lithium niobate coated with a waveguide layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, G. Y.; Du, J. K.; Huang, B.; Jin, Y. A.; Xu, M. H.

2017-04-01

The effects of the waveguide layer on the band structure of Rayleigh waves are studied in this work based on a one-dimensional acoustic superlattice lithium niobate substrate coated with a waveguide layer. The present phononic structure is formed by the periodic domain-inverted single crystal that is the Z-cut lithium niobate substrate with a waveguide layer on the upper surface. The plane wave expansion method (PWE) is adopted to determine the band gap behavior of the phononic structure and validated by the finite element method (FEM). The FEM is also used to investigate the transmission of Rayleigh waves in the phononic structure with the interdigital transducers by means of the commercial package COMSOL. The results show that, although there is a homogeneous waveguide layer on the surface, the band gap of Rayleigh waves still exist. It is also found that increasing the thickness of the waveguide layer, the band width narrows and the band structure shifts to lower frequency. The present approach can be taken as an efficient tool in designing of phononic structures with waveguide layer.

Nondestructive Evaluation of One-Dimensional Periodic Structures by Transmission of Laser-Excited Wide-Band Acoustic Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karabutov, A. A.; Kozhushko, V. V.; Pelivanov, I. M.; Podymova, N. B.

2001-03-01

The propagation of ultrasound in a one-dimensional model and actual periodic structures (PSs) is studied experimentally by the method of optoacoustic spectroscopy based on the laser thermooptical excitation and wide-band piezodetection of short acoustic pulses. It is shown that the ultrasound transmission spectrum of a PS has stop and pass bands, and the greater the number of layers in the PSs, the deeper the stop bands. The case where the thickness, density, and ultrasound velocity of one or several layers in the PS are modified is studied in detail. In this case, a narrow local maximum of ultrasound transmission appears in the stop band, whose location depends considerably on the position of the "defective" layer in the PS. The experimental data obtained coincide well with the theoretical calculation. The nondestructive evaluation of actual PSs consisting of two epoxy-glued identical aluminum plates is carried out by the optoacoustic method. Such materials are widely used in aircraft industry. It is shown that the ultrasound transmission spectrum for these materials depends considerably on the thickness of the epoxy-glue layer.

Bands selection and classification of hyperspectral images based on hybrid kernels SVM by evolutionary algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yan-Yan; Li, Dong-Sheng

2016-01-01

The hyperspectral images(HSI) consist of many closely spaced bands carrying the most object information. While due to its high dimensionality and high volume nature, it is hard to get satisfactory classification performance. In order to reduce HSI data dimensionality preparation for high classification accuracy, it is proposed to combine a band selection method of artificial immune systems (AIS) with a hybrid kernels support vector machine (SVM-HK) algorithm. In fact, after comparing different kernels for hyperspectral analysis, the approach mixed radial basis function kernel (RBF-K) with sigmoid kernel (Sig-K) and applied the optimized hybrid kernels in SVM classifiers. Then the SVM-HK algorithm used to induce the bands selection of an improved version of AIS. The AIS was composed of clonal selection and elite antibody mutation, including evaluation process with optional index factor (OIF). Experimental classification performance was on a San Diego Naval Base acquired by AVIRIS, the HRS dataset shows that the method is able to efficiently achieve bands redundancy removal while outperforming the traditional SVM classifier.

Effects of optical band gap energy, band tail energy and particle shape on photocatalytic activities of different ZnO nanostructures prepared by a hydrothermal method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klubnuan, Sarunya; Suwanboon, Sumetha; Amornpitoksuk, Pongsaton

2016-03-01

The dependence of the crystallite size and the band tail energy on the optical properties, particle shape and oxygen vacancy of different ZnO nanostructures to catalyse photocatalytic degradation was investigated. The ZnO nanoplatelets and mesh-like ZnO lamellae were synthesized from the PEO19-b-PPO3 modified zinc acetate dihydrate using aqueous KOH and CO(NH2)2 solutions, respectively via a hydrothermal method. The band tail energy of the ZnO nanostructures had more influence on the band gap energy than the crystallite size. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue increased as a function of the irradiation time, the amount of oxygen vacancy and the intensity of the (0 0 0 2) plane. The ZnO nanoplatelets exhibited a better photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue than the mesh-like ZnO lamellae due to the migration of the photoelectrons and holes to the (0 0 0 1) and (0 0 0 -1) planes, respectively under the internal electric field, that resulted in the enhancement of the photocatalytic activities.

A technique for the reduction of banding in Landsat Thematic Mapper Images

USGS Publications Warehouse

Helder, Dennis L.; Quirk, Bruce K.; Hood, Joy J.

1992-01-01

The radiometric difference between forward and reverse scans in Landsat thematic mapper (TM) images, referred to as "banding," can create problems when enhancing the image for interpretation or when performing quantitative studies. Recent research has led to the development of a method that reduces the banding in Landsat TM data sets. It involves passing a one-dimensional spatial kernel over the data set. This kernel is developed from the statistics of the banding pattern and is based on the Wiener filter. It has been implemented on both a DOS-based microcomputer and several UNIX-based computer systems. The algorithm has successfully reduced the banding in several test data sets.

Band gap opening in α-graphyne by adsorption of organic molecule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majidi, R.; Karami, A. R.

2014-09-01

The lack of a band gap limits the application of graphyne in nanoelectronic devices. We have investigated possibility of opening a band gap in α-graphyne by adsorption of tetracyanoethylene. The electronic property of α-graphyne in the presence of different numbers of tetracyanoethylene has been studied using density functional theory. It is found that charge is transferred from graphyne sheet to tetracyanoethylene molecules. In the presence of this electron acceptor molecule, a semimetal α-graphyne shows semiconducting property. The energy band gap at the Dirac point is enhanced by increasing the number of tetracyanoethylene. Our results provide a simple method to create and control the band gap in α-graphyne.