The effects of injected solution temperature on intravenous regional anaesthesia.

PubMed

Paul, D L; Logan, M R; Wildsmith, J A

1988-05-01

Ten healthy volunteers received three standard Bier's blocks. Prilocaine 0.5%, 40 ml was injected at a solution temperature of 0 degrees C, 22 degrees C or 37 degrees C. Recordings were made of sensory block, motor block, intravenous pressure, limb temperature and pain on injection. There were no differences between the three treatments in the rate of development or in the quality of block but there was a significant difference in the comfort of injection. Cold solutions caused most, and warm solutions least discomfort.

Prevalence of dental fluorosis among primary school children in rural areas of Karera Block, Madhya Pradesh.

PubMed

Narwaria, Y S; Saksena, D N

2013-09-01

To determine prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in school going children of ten villages of Karera block of Shivpuri District, Madhya Pradesh. Fluoride ion concentration was measured in ten hand pump and two wells waters with a fluoride meter (ORION model 720). For the study total 750 school children were selected from ten government primary schools of ten rural villages. The survey was conducted during the period of November 2007 through December 2009. The dental and oral examination was done by two trained dentists. The occurrence and severity of dental fluorosis was recorded using Dean's index. Drinking water sources considered for study were hand pumps, and wells. Out of 750 children surveyed, 341 were found affected with dental fluorosis. The boys had greater prevalence (46.75%) as compared to girls (42.18%). Dental fluorosis, as assessed by Dean's Index shows that 20.8% children had grade I, 19.47% grade II, 5.2% grade III. Overall, 45.46% of the sample showed some grades of dental fluorosis. In all the 144 water samples from ten villages fluoride level was higher than permissible limits. The boys had greater prevalence of dental fluorosis over the girls.

[Complete atrioventricular block in Duchenne muscular dystrophy].

PubMed

Kuru, Satoshi; Tanahashi, Tamotsu; Matsumoto, Shinjirou; Kitamura, Tetsuya; Konagaya, Masaaki

2012-01-01

We report a case of complete atrioventricular (AV) block in a 40-year-old patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). While he was bed-ridden and required mechanical ventilation, his cardiac involvement was mild. He had the deletion of exon 45-52 in the dystrophin gene. He underwent transient complete AV block and came to require pacemaker implantation due to recurrence of complete AV block ten days after the first attack. Electrophysiological study revealed mild prolonged AH and HV interval. Although DMD patients with AV block have been rarely reported so far, attention should be paid to AV block for patients who prolonged their lives.

Instructional Guide for Vocational Welding. V & TECC Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg. Div. of Vocational-Technical Education.

This trade and industrial curriculum guide for welding is designed for vocational welding programs that provide 960 hours of instruction. The introductory section provides a statement of welding philosophy, objectives, block time schedule, and recommended facilities and equipment. Following the introductory section, ten blocks of instruction are…

Module performance and failure analysis area: Flat-plate solar array project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tornstrom, E.

1984-01-01

A redesign of the initial (Group I) Mobile Solar Block V module was done and documented. Manufacturing experience and accelerated test data from Group I formed the basis for the redesign. Ten Block V Group II modules were submitted for evaluation and the results are presented.

Lectin-functionalized poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-block-poly(vinyldimethyl azlactone) surface supports for high avidity microbial capture

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

Hansen, Ryan R; Hinestrosa Salazar, Juan P; Shubert, Katherine R

2013-01-01

Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) play a critical and dynamic role in shaping the interactions between microbial community members and their local environment. The capture of targeted microbes using surface immobilized lectins that recognize specific extracellular oligosaccharide moieties offers a non-destructive method for functional characterization based on EPS content. In this report, we evaluate the use of the block co-polymer, poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-block-4,4-dimethyl-2-vinylazlactone (PGMA-b-PVDMA), as a surface support for lectin-specific microbial capture. Arrays of circular polymer supports ten micron in diameter were generated on silicon substrates to provide discrete, covalent coupling sites for Triticum vulgare and Lens culinaris lectins. These supports promoted microbemore » adhesion and colony formation in a lectin-specific manner. Silicon posts with similar topography containing only physisorbed lectins showed significantly less activity. These results demonstrate that micropatterned PGMA-b-PVDMA supports provide a unique platform for microbial capture and screening based on EPS content by combining high avidity lectin surfaces with three-dimensional topography.« less

Deep tissue afferents, but not cutaneous afferents, mediate transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation-Induced antihyperalgesia.

PubMed

Radhakrishnan, Rajan; Sluka, Kathleen A

2005-10-01

In this study we investigated the involvement of cutaneous versus knee joint afferents in the antihyperalgesia produced by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) by differentially blocking primary afferents with local anesthetics. Hyperalgesia was induced in rats by inflaming one knee joint with 3% kaolin-carrageenan and assessed by measuring paw withdrawal latency to heat before and 4 hours after injection. Skin surrounding the inflamed knee joint was anesthetized using an anesthetic cream (EMLA). Low (4 Hz) or high (100 Hz) frequency TENS was then applied to the anesthetized skin. In another group, 2% lidocaine gel was injected into the inflamed knee joint, and low or high frequency TENS was applied. Control experiments were done using vehicles. In control and EMLA groups, both low and high frequency TENS completely reversed hyperalgesia. However, injection of lidocaine into the knee joint prevented antihyperalgesia produced by both low and high frequency TENS. Recordings of cord dorsum potentials showed that both low and high frequency TENS at sensory intensity activates only large diameter afferent fibers. Increasing intensity to twice the motor threshold recruits Adelta afferent fibers. Furthermore, application of EMLA cream to the skin reduces the amplitude of the cord dorsum potential by 40% to 70% for both high and low frequency TENS, confirming a loss of large diameter primary afferent input after EMLA is applied to the skin. Thus, inactivation of joint afferents, but not cutaneous afferents, prevents the antihyperalgesia effects of TENS. We conclude that large diameter primary afferent fibers from deep tissue are required and that activation of cutaneous afferents is not sufficient for TENS-induced antihyperalgesia. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is an accepted clinical modality used for pain relief. It is generally believed that TENS analgesia is caused mainly by cutaneous afferent activation. In this study by differentially blocking cutaneous and deep tissue primary afferents, we show that the activation of large diameter primary afferents from deep somatic tissues, and not cutaneous afferents, are pivotal in causing TENS analgesia.

Creating a Beautiful Mess: Ten Essential Play Experiences for a Joyous Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadzikowski, Ann

2015-01-01

When children play, they often create a mess, but what a beautiful mess it is! "Creating a Beautiful Mess" describes the ten most important play experiences all children enjoy and how these experiences support learning, creativity, and social connections. These broad categories of play include building with blocks, pretending and make…

[Regional nerve block in facial surgery].

PubMed

Gramkow, Christina; Sørensen, Jesper

2008-02-11

Regional nerve blocking techniques offer a suitable alternative to local infiltration anaesthesia for facial soft tissue-surgery. Moreover, they present several advantages over general anaesthesia, including smoother recovery, fewer side effects, residual analgesia into the postoperative period, earlier discharge from the recovery room and reduced costs. The branches of the trigeminal nerve and the sensory nerves originating from the upper cervical plexus can be targeted at several anatomical locations. We summarize current knowledge on facial nerve block techniques and recommend ten nerve blocks providing efficient anaesthesia for the entire head and upper-neck region.

Does discontinuation of desflurane at the time of neostigmine administration speed recovery from cisatracurium block compared to that with a propofol-based technique?

PubMed

Kirkegaard-Nielsen, H; Caldwell, J E; Abengochea, A; Berry, P D; Heier, T

2001-05-01

Volatile anaesthetics are known to influence the effect of neostigmine as an antagonist of neuromuscular block. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether discontinuation of desflurane at the time of neostigmine administration shortens reversal time from cisatracurium block, compared to that with a propofol-based anaesthesia. Ten volunteers were studied twice. For one study, anaesthesia was induced with alfentanil and propofol and maintained with nitrous oxide 70% and propofol 150 microg. kg-1. min-1. For the other study, experimental conditions were replicated except that desflurane 6% was administered and the dose of propofol was only 50 microg. kg-1. min-1. The evoked mechanical response of the adductor pollicis to train-of-four (TOF) stimulation was recorded. Neuromuscular block was induced with cisatracurium 0.2 mg. kg-1. When the magnitude of the first TOF response (T1) had recovered to 10%, the block was antagonized with neostigmine 70 microg. kg-1. At this time, propofol was decreased to 50 microg. kg-1. min-1, or the desflurane was discontinued. There were no significant differences between the two techniques of anaesthesia in the rate of neostigmine-induced recovery of the TOF ratio. The times (mean+/-SD) to achieve TOF ratios of 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9 were (propofol first, desflurane second) 6.1+/-2.2 and 6.5+/-1.6 min; 10.4+/-4.2 and 9.6+/-2.7 min; 17.1+/-6.9 and 21.0+/-13.0 min, respectively. Discontinuing desflurane does not speed neostigmine-induced recovery from cisatracurium neuromuscular block, when compared to that during propofol-based anaesthesia.

Geography of cretaceous extinctions: Data base development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raup, D. M.

1991-01-01

Data bases built from the source literature are plagued by problems of data quality. Unless the data acquisition is done by experts, working slowly, the data base may contain so much garbage that true signals and patterns cannot be detected. On the other hand, high quality data bases develop so slowly that satisfactory statistical analysis may never be possible due to the small sample sizes. Results of a test are presented of the opposite strategy: rapid data acquisition by non-experts with minimal control on data quality. A published list of 186 species and genera of fossil invertibrates of the latest Cretaceous Age (Maestrichtian) were located through a random search of the paleobiological and geological literature. The geographic location for each faunal list was then transformed electronically to Maestrichtian latitude and longitude and the lists were further digested to identify the genera occurring in each ten-degree, latitude-longitude block. The geographical lists were clustered using the Otsuka similarity coefficient and a standard unweight-pair-group method. The resulting clusters are remarkably consistent geographically, indicating that a strong biogeographic signal is visible despite low-quality data. A further test evaluated the geographic pattern of end-Cretaceaous extinctions. All genera in the data base were compared with Sepkoski's compendium of time ranges of genera to determine which of the reported genera survived the Cretaceous mass extinction. In turn, extinction rates for the ten-degree, latitude-longitude blocks were mapped. The resulting distribution is readily interpretable as a robust pattern of the geography of the mass extinction. The study demonstrates that a low-quality data base, built rapidly, can provide a basis for meaningful analysis of past biotic events.

Improved ultrasonic standard reference blocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eitzen, D. G.

1975-01-01

A program to improve the quality, reproducibility and reliability of nondestructive testing through the development of improved ASTM-type ultrasonic reference standards is described. Reference blocks of aluminum, steel, and titanium alloys were considered. Equipment representing the state-of-the-art in laboratory and field ultrasonic equipment was obtained and evaluated. Some RF and spectral data on ten sets of ultrasonic reference blocks were taken as part of a task to quantify the variability in response from nominally identical blocks. Techniques for residual stress, preferred orientation, and microstructural measurements were refined and are applied to a reference block rejected by the manufacturer during fabrication in order to evaluate the effect of metallurgical condition on block response.

Biorefineries for the production of top building block chemicals and their derivatives.

PubMed

Choi, Sol; Song, Chan Woo; Shin, Jae Ho; Lee, Sang Yup

2015-03-01

Due to the growing concerns on the climate change and sustainability on petrochemical resources, DOE selected and announced the bio-based top 12 building blocks and discussed the needs for developing biorefinery technologies to replace the current petroleum based industry in 2004. Over the last 10 years after its announcement, many studies have been performed for the development of efficient technologies for the bio-based production of these chemicals and derivatives. Now, ten chemicals among these top 12 chemicals, excluding the l-aspartic acid and 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, have already been commercialized or are close to commercialization. In this paper, we review the current status of biorefinery development for the production of these platform chemicals and their derivatives. In addition, current technological advances on industrial strain development for the production of platform chemicals using micro-organisms will be covered in detail with case studies on succinic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid as examples. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Sensation Thresholds in Patients with Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: An Observational Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moharic, Metka

2010-01-01

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is one of the therapies for painful neuropathy. Its analgesic mechanisms probably involve the gate control theory, the physiological block and the endogenous pain inhibitory system. The aim of the study was to determine whether TENS improves small fibre function diminished because of painful…

Quick Strike Reconnaissance/Reconnaissance Reporting Facility (QSR/RRF) Rapid Exploitation Orientation

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-12-01

Interpretation Conditions) Two techniques available to the Q!;)? inl~erpreter that can effect both stimulus and response variables are data 1bwIre preparation and...material included: 2-16 o Textual data composition for each training block, o Viewgraph construction, o AN/AAD-5 imagery annotation, "mock-up," and...o Construction of instruction Block Training Packets 2.2.2.1. Textual Data Composition Each training block of instruction was researched and writ-ten

Improved ultrasonic standard reference blocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eitzen, D. G.; Sushinsky, G. F.; Chwirut, D. J.; Bechtoldt, C. J.; Ruff, A. W.

1976-01-01

A program to improve the quality, reproducibility and reliability of nondestructive testing through the development of improved ASTM-type ultrasonic reference standards is described. Reference blocks of aluminum, steel, and titanium alloys are to be considered. Equipment representing the state-of-the-art in laboratory and field ultrasonic equipment was obtained and evaluated. RF and spectral data on ten sets of ultrasonic reference blocks have been taken as part of a task to quantify the variability in response from nominally identical blocks. Techniques for residual stress, preferred orientation, and micro-structural measurements were refined and are applied to a reference block rejected by the manufacturer during fabrication in order to evaluate the effect of metallurgical condition on block response. New fabrication techniques for reference blocks are discussed and ASTM activities are summarized.

Sustainability and Long Term-Tenure: Lion Trophy Hunting in Tanzania

PubMed Central

Brink, Henry; Skinner, Kirsten; Leader-Williams, Nigel

2016-01-01

It is argued that trophy hunting of large, charismatic mammal species can have considerable conservation benefits but only if undertaken sustainably. Social-ecological theory suggests such sustainability only results from developing governance systems that balance financial and biological requirements. Here we use lion (Panthera leo) trophy hunting data from Tanzania to investigate how resource ownership patterns influence hunting revenue and offtake levels. Tanzania contains up to half of the global population of free-ranging lions and is also the main location for lion trophy hunting in Africa. However, there are concerns that current hunting levels are unsustainable. The lion hunting industry in Tanzania is run by the private sector, although the government leases each hunting block to companies, enforces hunting regulation, and allocates them a species-specific annual quota per block. The length of these leases varies and theories surrounding property rights and tenure suggest hunting levels would be less sustainable in blocks experiencing a high turnover of short-term leases. We explored this issue using lion data collected from 1996 to 2008 in the Selous Game Reserve (SGR), the most important trophy hunting destination in Tanzania. We found that blocks in SGR with the highest lion hunting offtake were also those that experienced the steepest declines in trophy offtake. In addition, we found this high hunting offtake and the resultant offtake decline tended to be in blocks under short-term tenure. In contrast, lion hunting levels in blocks under long-term tenure matched more closely the recommended sustainable offtake of 0.92 lions per 1000 km2. However, annual financial returns were higher from blocks under short-term tenure, providing $133 per km2 of government revenue as compared to $62 per km2 from long-term tenure blocks. Our results provide evidence for the importance of property rights in conservation, and support calls for an overhaul of the system in Tanzania by developing competitive market-based approaches for block allocation based on long-term tenure of ten years. PMID:27648566

Sustainability and Long Term-Tenure: Lion Trophy Hunting in Tanzania.

PubMed

Brink, Henry; Smith, Robert J; Skinner, Kirsten; Leader-Williams, Nigel

2016-01-01

It is argued that trophy hunting of large, charismatic mammal species can have considerable conservation benefits but only if undertaken sustainably. Social-ecological theory suggests such sustainability only results from developing governance systems that balance financial and biological requirements. Here we use lion (Panthera leo) trophy hunting data from Tanzania to investigate how resource ownership patterns influence hunting revenue and offtake levels. Tanzania contains up to half of the global population of free-ranging lions and is also the main location for lion trophy hunting in Africa. However, there are concerns that current hunting levels are unsustainable. The lion hunting industry in Tanzania is run by the private sector, although the government leases each hunting block to companies, enforces hunting regulation, and allocates them a species-specific annual quota per block. The length of these leases varies and theories surrounding property rights and tenure suggest hunting levels would be less sustainable in blocks experiencing a high turnover of short-term leases. We explored this issue using lion data collected from 1996 to 2008 in the Selous Game Reserve (SGR), the most important trophy hunting destination in Tanzania. We found that blocks in SGR with the highest lion hunting offtake were also those that experienced the steepest declines in trophy offtake. In addition, we found this high hunting offtake and the resultant offtake decline tended to be in blocks under short-term tenure. In contrast, lion hunting levels in blocks under long-term tenure matched more closely the recommended sustainable offtake of 0.92 lions per 1000 km2. However, annual financial returns were higher from blocks under short-term tenure, providing $133 per km2 of government revenue as compared to $62 per km2 from long-term tenure blocks. Our results provide evidence for the importance of property rights in conservation, and support calls for an overhaul of the system in Tanzania by developing competitive market-based approaches for block allocation based on long-term tenure of ten years.

The Northern hardwood forest ecosystem: ten years of recovery from clearcutting

Treesearch

J.W. Hornbeck; C.W. Martin; R.S. Pierce; F.H. Bormann; G.E. Likens; J.S. Eaton; J.S. Eaton

1987-01-01

Two even-age management systems, progressive strip cutting and block clearcutting, have been studied since 1970 on small watersheds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. In the strip cutting, all merchantable trees were harvested in a series of three strips over 4 years (1970-74). In the block clearcutting, all trees were harvested in a single...

Astronaut William Readdy on flight deck wearing sun glasses

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-09-15

STS051-16-012 (12-22 Sept 1993) --- On Discovery's forward flight deck, astronaut William F. Readdy, pilot, wears shades to block out bright sunshine. Much of the sunshine that normally would be coming through forward windows is blocked by an array of portable computers. Readdy was joined by four other NASA astronauts for almost ten full days in space.

Development and Validation of a New Air Carrier Block Time Prediction Model and Methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litvay, Robyn Olson

Commercial airline operations rely on predicted block times as the foundation for critical, successive decisions that include fuel purchasing, crew scheduling, and airport facility usage planning. Small inaccuracies in the predicted block times have the potential to result in huge financial losses, and, with profit margins for airline operations currently almost nonexistent, potentially negate any possible profit. Although optimization techniques have resulted in many models targeting airline operations, the challenge of accurately predicting and quantifying variables months in advance remains elusive. The objective of this work is the development of an airline block time prediction model and methodology that is practical, easily implemented, and easily updated. Research was accomplished, and actual U.S., domestic, flight data from a major airline was utilized, to develop a model to predict airline block times with increased accuracy and smaller variance in the actual times from the predicted times. This reduction in variance represents tens of millions of dollars (U.S.) per year in operational cost savings for an individual airline. A new methodology for block time prediction is constructed using a regression model as the base, as it has both deterministic and probabilistic components, and historic block time distributions. The estimation of the block times for commercial, domestic, airline operations requires a probabilistic, general model that can be easily customized for a specific airline’s network. As individual block times vary by season, by day, and by time of day, the challenge is to make general, long-term estimations representing the average, actual block times while minimizing the variation. Predictions of block times for the third quarter months of July and August of 2011 were calculated using this new model. The resulting, actual block times were obtained from the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (Airline On-time Performance Data, 2008-2011) for comparison and analysis. Future block times are shown to be predicted with greater accuracy, without exception and network-wide, for a major, U.S., domestic airline.

Characteristics of ten tropical hardwoods from certified forests in Bolivia. Part II, Natural durability to decay fungi

Treesearch

Regis B. Miller; Alex C. Wiedenhoeft; R. Sam Williams; Willy Stockman; Frederick Green

2003-01-01

The natural durability of 10 lesser known, commercially available Bolivian hardwoods to decay fungi was evaluated using a modified ASTM soil-block analysis for 12 weeks. The blocks were then retested for an additional 12 weeks to determine their level of decay resistance, as determined by percentage of weight loss. Astronium urundeuva, Caesalpinia cf. pluviosa,...

Ten-year response of a forest bird community to an operational herbicide-shelterwood treatment in Allegheny hardwoods

Treesearch

Scott H. Stoleson; Todd E. Ristau; David S. deCalesta; Stephen B. Horsley

2011-01-01

Use of herbicides in forestry to direct successional trajectories has raised concerns over possible direct or indirect effects on non-target organisms. We studied the response of forest birds to an operational application of glyphosate and sulfometuron methyl herbicides, using a randomized block design in which half of each 8 ha block received herbicide and the other...

A biomechanical study comparing a raft of 3.5 mm cortical screws with 6.5 mm cancellous screws in depressed tibial plateau fractures.

PubMed

Patil, Sunit; Mahon, Andrew; Green, Sarah; McMurtry, Ian; Port, Andrew

2006-06-01

There has been a recent trend towards using a raft of small diameter 3.5mm cortical screws for supporting depressed tibial plateau fractures (Schatzker type III). Our aim was to compare the biomechanical properties of a raft of 3.5 mm cortical screws with that of 6.5 mm cancellous screws in a synthetic bone model. Ten rigid polyurethane foam (sawbone) blocks, with a density simulating osteoporotic bone and ten blocks with a density simulating normal density bone were obtained. A Schatzker type III fracture was created in each block. The fracture fragments were then elevated and supported using two 6.5 mm cancellous screws in ten blocks and four 3.5 mm cortical screws in the remaining. The fractures were loaded using a Lloyd testing machine. The mean force needed to produce a depression of 5 mm was 700.8 N with the four-screw construct and 512.4 N with the two-screw construct in the osteoporotic model. This difference was highly statistically significant (p = 0.009). The mean force required to produce the same depression was 1878.2 N with the two-screw construct and 1938.2 N with the four-screw construct in the non-osteoporotic model. Though the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.42), an increased fragmentation of the synthetic bone fragments was noticed with the two-screw construct but not with the four-screw construct. A raft of four 3.5 mm cortical screws is biomechanically stronger than two 6.5 mm cancellous screws in resisting axial compression in osteoporotic bone.

Phanerozoic strike-slip faulting in the continental interior platform of the United States: Examples from the Laramide Orogen, midcontinent, and Ancestral Rocky Mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marshak, S.; Nelson, W.J.; McBride, J.H.

2003-01-01

The continental interior platform of the United States is that part of the North American craton where a thin veneer of Phanerozoic strata covers Precambrian crystalline basement. N- to NE-trending and W- to NW-trending fault zones, formed initially by Proterozoic/Cambrian rifting, break the crust of the platform into rectilinear blocks. These zones were reactivated during the Phanerozoic, most notably in the late Palaeozoic Ancestral Rockies event and the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Laramide orogeny - some remain active today. Dip-slip reactivation can be readily recognized in cross section by offset stratigraphic horizons and monoclinal fault-propagation folds. Strike-slip displacement is hard to document because of poor exposure. Through offset palaeochannels, horizontal slip lineations, and strain at fault bends locally demonstrate strike-slip offset, most reports of strike-slip movements for interior-platform faults are based on occurrence of map-view belts of en echelon faults and anticlines. Each belt overlies a basement-penetrating master fault, which typically splays upwards into a flower structure. In general, both strike-slip and dip-slip components of displacement occur in the same fault zone, so some belts of en echelon structures occur on the flanks of monoclinal folds. Thus, strike-slip displacement represents the lateral components of oblique fault reactivation: dip-slip and strike-slip components are the same order of magnitude (tens of metres to tens of kilometres). Effectively, faults with strike-slip components of displacement act as transfers accommodating jostling of rectilinear crustal blocks. In this context, the sense of slip on an individual strike-slip fault depends on block geometry, not necessarily on the trajectory of regional ??1. Strike-slip faulting in the North American interior differs markedly from that of southern and central Eurasia, possibly because of a contrast in lithosphere strength. Weak Eurasia strained significantly during the Alpine-Himalayan collision, forcing crustal blocks to undergo significant lateral escape. The strong North American craton strained relatively little during collisional-convergent orogeny, so crustal blocks underwent relatively small displacements.

Paravertebral Block: An Improved Method of Pain Control in Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage

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

Culp, William C., E-mail: culpwilliamc@uams.edu; McCowan, Timothy C.; DeValdenebro, Miguel

Background and Purpose. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage remains a painful procedure in many cases despite the routine use of large amounts of intravenous sedation. We present a feasibility study of thoracic paravertebral blocks in an effort to reduce pain during and following the procedure and reduce requirements for intravenous sedation. Methods. Ten consecutive patients undergoing biliary drainage procedures received fluoroscopically guided paravertebral blocks and then had supplemental intravenous sedation as required to maintain patient comfort. Levels T8-T9 and T9-T10 on the right were targeted with 10-20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine. Sedation requirements and pain levels were recorded. Results. Ten biliarymore » drainage procedures in 8 patients were performed for malignancy in 8 cases and for stones in 2. The mean midazolam use was 1.13 mg IV, and the mean fentanyl requirement was 60.0 {mu}g IV in the block patients. Two episodes of hypotension, which responded promptly to volume replacement, may have been related to the block. No serious complications were encountered. The mean pain score when traversing the chest wall, liver capsule, and upon entering the bile ducts was 0.1 on a scale of 0 to 10, with 1 patient reporting a pain level of 1 and 9 reporting 0. The mean peak pain score, encountered when manipulating at the common bile duct level or when addressing stones there, was 5.4 and ranged from 0 to 10. Conclusions. Thoracic paravertebral block with intravenous sedation supplementation appears to be a feasible method of pain control during biliary interventions.« less

Block copolymer self-assembly derived ultrafiltration membranes: From science to start-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiesner, Ulrich

In the last ten years a novel method to generate asymmetric ultrafiltration membranes has been established. It is based on the combination of block copolymer self-assembly with non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) and is now referred to as SNIPS. NIPS as an industry proven method for the formation of phase inversion membranes opening a pathway to scale up and commercialization of these membranes. The combination of NIPS with block copolymer self-assembly leads to asymmetric membranes with narrow pore size distributions in the top surface layer (so called isoporous membranes) as well as high pore densities, thereby potentially combining high resolution with high flux in membrane separation processes. Such membranes have potential applications in the biopharmaceutical industry where a large fraction of the costs are currently associated with time-consuming non-membrane based separation processes. This talk will describe a family of isoporous ultrafiltration membranes based on the self-assembly behavior of an ABC triblock terpolymer which has led to the formation of a start-up company out of Cornell University. After introduction of the SNIPS process in general, and its application to such ABC triblock terpolymers in particular, open scientific questions associated with the formation mechanisms of the top surface separation layer in such membranes is discussed, which is at the heart of enabling high performance separation behavior. Furthermore, challenges translating scientific work into industrial settings are highlighted.

Analgesic efficacy of transversus abdominis plane block in neonates and early infants for colostomy and reversal of colostomy.

PubMed

Chen, Chee Kean; Teo, Shu Ching; Phui, Vui Eng; Saman, Mat Ariffin

2015-01-01

The application of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in paediatric population is gaining popularity among anaesthetists. We present a case series of ultrasound-guided TAP block in ten neonate and infants undergoing colostomy and reversal of stoma. Classical TAP as described by Hebbard was carried out and a maximum dosage of 1ml/kg of 0.25% levobupivacaine was injected. Pain score was assessed using Neonatal Infant Pain Scale for 24 hours. In all patients, the block was successful with minimal hemodynamic changes intraoperatively and no additional systemic analgesia was needed intraoperative and immediate postoperatively. Ultrasound-guided TAP block has an important role in providing safe and effective analgesia for colostomy creation and reversal of stoma surgeries in paediatric population.

Evaluating small-body landing hazards due to blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernst, C.; Rodgers, D.; Barnouin, O.; Murchie, S.; Chabot, N.

2014-07-01

Introduction: Landed missions represent a vital stage of spacecraft exploration of planetary bodies. Landed science allows for a wide variety of measurements essential to unraveling the origin and evolution of a body that are not possible remotely, including but not limited to compositional measurements, microscopic grain characterization, and the physical properties of the regolith. To date, two spacecraft have performed soft landings on the surface of a small body. In 2001, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission performed a controlled descent and landing on (433) Eros following the completion of its mission [1]; in 2005, the Hayabusa spacecraft performed two touch-and-go maneuvers at (25143) Itokawa [2]. Both landings were preceded by rendezvous spacecraft reconnaissance, which enabled selection of a safe landing site. Three current missions have plans to land on small bodies (Rosetta, Hayabusa 2, and OSIRIS-REx); several other mission concepts also include small-body landings. Small-body landers need to land at sites having slopes and block abundances within spacecraft design limits. Due to the small scale of the potential hazards, it can be difficult or impossible to fully characterize a landing surface before the arrival of the spacecraft at the body. Although a rendezvous mission phase can provide global reconnaissance from which a landing site can be chosen, reasonable a priori assurance that a safe landing site exists is needed to validate the design approach for the spacecraft. Method: Many robotic spacecraft have landed safely on the Moon and Mars. Images of these landing sites, as well as more recent, extremely high-resolution orbital datasets, have enabled the comparison of orbital block observations to the smaller blocks that pose hazards to landers. Analyses of the Surveyor [3], Viking 1 and 2, Mars Pathfinder, Phoenix, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity landing sites [4--8] have indicated that for a reasonable difference in size (a factor of several to ten), the size-frequency distribution of blocks can be modeled, allowing extrapolation from large block distributions to estimate small block densities. From that estimate, the probability of a lander encountering hazardous blocks can be calculated for a given lander design. Such calculations are used routinely to vet candidate sites for Mars landers [5--8]. Application to Small Bodies: To determine whether a similar approach will work for small bodies, we must determine if the large and small block populations can be linked. To do so, we analyze the comprehensive block datasets for the intermediate-sized Eros [9,10] and the small Itokawa [11,12]. Global and local block size-frequency distributions for Eros and Itokawa have power-law slopes on the order of -3 and match reasonably well between larger block sizes (from lower-resolution images) and smaller block sizes (from higher-resolution images). Although absolute block densities differ regionally on each asteroid, the slopes match reasonably well between Itokawa and Eros, with the geologic implications of this result discussed in [10]. For Eros and Itokawa, the approach of extending the size-frequency distribution from large, tens-of-meter-sized blocks down to small, tens-of-centimeter-sized blocks using a power-law fit to the large population yields reasonable estimates of small block populations. It is important to note that geologic context matters for the absolute block density --- if the global counts include multiple geologic settings, they will not directly extend to local areas containing only one setting [10]. A small number of high-resolution images of Phobos are sufficient for measuring blocks. These images are concentrated in the area outside of Stickney crater, which is thought to be the source of most of the observed blocks [13]. Block counts by Thomas et al. [13] suggest a power-law slope similar to those of Eros [9] and Itokawa global counts, with the absolute density of blocks similar to that of global Eros. Because blocks tend to be more numerous proximal to large, young craters (e.g., Stickney on Phobos, Shoemaker on Eros), the block density across most of Phobos is likely to be lower than that observed in the available high-resolution images. We suggest that a power-law extrapolation of Eros or Phobos large-block distributions provides upper limits for assessing the block landing hazards faced by a Phobos lander.

Block the Buzzing, Bites, and Bumps: Preventing Mosquito-Borne Illnesses

MedlinePlus

... Ten Mosquito Facts West Nile Virus Dengue Fever Malaria Zika Virus Infection Zika Virus Information and Resources References The live attenuated dengue vaccine TV003 elicits complete protection against dengue in a ...

Least Median of Squares Filtering of Locally Optimal Point Matches for Compressible Flow Image Registration

PubMed Central

Castillo, Edward; Castillo, Richard; White, Benjamin; Rojo, Javier; Guerrero, Thomas

2012-01-01

Compressible flow based image registration operates under the assumption that the mass of the imaged material is conserved from one image to the next. Depending on how the mass conservation assumption is modeled, the performance of existing compressible flow methods is limited by factors such as image quality, noise, large magnitude voxel displacements, and computational requirements. The Least Median of Squares Filtered Compressible Flow (LFC) method introduced here is based on a localized, nonlinear least squares, compressible flow model that describes the displacement of a single voxel that lends itself to a simple grid search (block matching) optimization strategy. Spatially inaccurate grid search point matches, corresponding to erroneous local minimizers of the nonlinear compressible flow model, are removed by a novel filtering approach based on least median of squares fitting and the forward search outlier detection method. The spatial accuracy of the method is measured using ten thoracic CT image sets and large samples of expert determined landmarks (available at www.dir-lab.com). The LFC method produces an average error within the intra-observer error on eight of the ten cases, indicating that the method is capable of achieving a high spatial accuracy for thoracic CT registration. PMID:22797602

Automatic graph-cut based segmentation of bones from knee magnetic resonance images for osteoarthritis research.

PubMed

Ababneh, Sufyan Y; Prescott, Jeff W; Gurcan, Metin N

2011-08-01

In this paper, a new, fully automated, content-based system is proposed for knee bone segmentation from magnetic resonance images (MRI). The purpose of the bone segmentation is to support the discovery and characterization of imaging biomarkers for the incidence and progression of osteoarthritis, a debilitating joint disease, which affects a large portion of the aging population. The segmentation algorithm includes a novel content-based, two-pass disjoint block discovery mechanism, which is designed to support automation, segmentation initialization, and post-processing. The block discovery is achieved by classifying the image content to bone and background blocks according to their similarity to the categories in the training data collected from typical bone structures. The classified blocks are then used to design an efficient graph-cut based segmentation algorithm. This algorithm requires constructing a graph using image pixel data followed by applying a maximum-flow algorithm which generates a minimum graph-cut that corresponds to an initial image segmentation. Content-based refinements and morphological operations are then applied to obtain the final segmentation. The proposed segmentation technique does not require any user interaction and can distinguish between bone and highly similar adjacent structures, such as fat tissues with high accuracy. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated by testing it on 376 MR images from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) database. This database included a selection of single images containing the femur and tibia from 200 subjects with varying levels of osteoarthritis severity. Additionally, a full three-dimensional segmentation of the bones from ten subjects with 14 slices each, and synthetic images with background having intensity and spatial characteristics similar to those of bone are used to assess the robustness and consistency of the developed algorithm. The results show an automatic bone detection rate of 0.99 and an average segmentation accuracy of 0.95 using the Dice similarity index. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Upscaling of Hydraulic Conductivity using the Double Constraint Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Rawy, Mustafa; Zijl, Wouter; Batelaan, Okke

2013-04-01

The mathematics and modeling of flow through porous media is playing an increasingly important role for the groundwater supply, subsurface contaminant remediation and petroleum reservoir engineering. In hydrogeology hydraulic conductivity data are often collected at a scale that is smaller than the grid block dimensions of a groundwater model (e.g. MODFLOW). For instance, hydraulic conductivities determined from the field using slug and packer tests are measured in the order of centimeters to meters, whereas numerical groundwater models require conductivities representative of tens to hundreds of meters of grid cell length. Therefore, there is a need for upscaling to decrease the number of grid blocks in a groundwater flow model. Moreover, models with relatively few grid blocks are simpler to apply, especially when the model has to run many times, as is the case when it is used to assimilate time-dependent data. Since the 1960s different methods have been used to transform a detailed description of the spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity to a coarser description. In this work we will investigate a relatively simple, but instructive approach: the Double Constraint Method (DCM) to identify the coarse-scale conductivities to decrease the number of grid blocks. Its main advantages are robustness and easy implementation, enabling to base computations on any standard flow code with some post processing added. The inversion step of the double constraint method is based on a first forward run with all known fluxes on the boundary and in the wells, followed by a second forward run based on the heads measured on the phreatic surface (i.e. measured in shallow observation wells) and in deeper observation wells. Upscaling, in turn is inverse modeling (DCM) to determine conductivities in coarse-scale grid blocks from conductivities in fine-scale grid blocks. In such a way that the head and flux boundary conditions applied to the fine-scale model are also honored at the coarse-scale. Exemplification will be presented for the Kleine Nete catchment, Belgium. As a result we identified coarse-scale conductivities while decreasing the number of grid blocks with the advantage that a model run costs less computation time and requires less memory space. In addition, ranking of models was investigated.

Geometrical appearance and spatial arrangement of structural blocks of the Malan loess in NW China: implications for the formation of loess columns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yanrong; Zhang, Tao; Zhang, Yongbo; Xu, Qiang

2018-06-01

Loess, as one of the main Quaternary deposits, covers approximately 6% of the land surface of the Earth. Although loess is loose and fragile, loess columns are popular and they can stand stably for hundreds of years, thereby forming a spectacular landform. The formation of such special column-shaped soil structures is puzzling, and the underlying fundamentals remain unclear. The present study focuses on quantifying and examining the geometrical shape and spatial alignment of structural blocks of the Malan loess at different locations in the Loess Plateau of China. The structural blocks under investigation include clay- and silt-sized particles, aggregates, fragments, lumps, and columns, which vary in size from microns to tens of meters. Regardless of their size, the structural blocks of the Malan loess are found to be similar in shape, i.e., elongated with a length-to-width ratio of approximately 2.6. The aggregates, fragments, lumps, columns, and macropores between aggregates exhibit strong concentration in the vertical or subvertical alignment. These phenomena imply that the Malan loess is anisotropic and it is composed of a combination of vertically aligned strong units and vertically aligned weak segments. Based on this, "vertiloess" structure is proposed to denote this combination. The vertiloess structure prevents horizontal erosion, but favors spalling, peeling, toppling, falling and cracking-sliding of vertical loess pieces, thereby forming loess columns.

Production of lunar fragmental material by meteoroid impact.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marcus, A. H.

1973-01-01

The rate of production of new fragmental lunar surface material is derived theoretically on the hypothesis that such material is excavated from a bedrock layer by meteoroid impacts. An overlaying regolith effectively shields the bedrock layer from small impacts, reducing the production rate of centimeter-sized and smaller blocks by a large factor. Logarithmic production rate curves for centimeter to motor-sized blocks are nonlinear for any regolith from centimeters to tens of meters in thickness, with small blocks relatively much less frequent for thicker (older) regoliths, suggesting the possibility of a statistical reverse bedding. Modest variations in the exponents of scaling laws for crater depth-diameter ratio and maximum block-diameter to crater diameter ratio are shown to have significant effects on the production rates. The production rate increases slowly with increasing size of the largest crater affecting the region.

Graphene oxide: surface activity and two-dimensional assembly.

PubMed

Kim, Franklin; Cote, Laura J; Huang, Jiaxing

2010-05-04

Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising precursor for preparing graphene-based composites and electronics applications. Like graphene, GO is essentially one-atom thick but can be as wide as tens of micrometers, resulting in a unique type of material building block, characterized by two very different length scales. Due to this highly anisotropic structure, the collective material properties are highly dependent on how these sheets are assembled. Therefore, understanding and controlling the assembly behavior of GO has become an important subject of research. In this Research News article the surface activity of GO and how it can be employed to create two-dimensional assemblies over large areas is discussed.

Aspects of GPU perfomance in algorithms with random memory access

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashkovsky, Alexander V.; Shershnev, Anton A.; Vashchenkov, Pavel V.

2017-10-01

The numerical code for solving the Boltzmann equation on the hybrid computational cluster using the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method showed that on Tesla K40 accelerators computational performance drops dramatically with increase of percentage of occupied GPU memory. Testing revealed that memory access time increases tens of times after certain critical percentage of memory is occupied. Moreover, it seems to be the common problem of all NVidia's GPUs arising from its architecture. Few modifications of the numerical algorithm were suggested to overcome this problem. One of them, based on the splitting the memory into "virtual" blocks, resulted in 2.5 times speed up.

Accelerating Multiple Compound Comparison Using LINGO-Based Load-Balancing Strategies on Multi-GPUs

PubMed Central

Lin, Chun-Yuan; Wang, Chung-Hung; Hung, Che-Lun; Lin, Yu-Shiang

2015-01-01

Compound comparison is an important task for the computational chemistry. By the comparison results, potential inhibitors can be found and then used for the pharmacy experiments. The time complexity of a pairwise compound comparison is O(n 2), where n is the maximal length of compounds. In general, the length of compounds is tens to hundreds, and the computation time is small. However, more and more compounds have been synthesized and extracted now, even more than tens of millions. Therefore, it still will be time-consuming when comparing with a large amount of compounds (seen as a multiple compound comparison problem, abbreviated to MCC). The intrinsic time complexity of MCC problem is O(k 2 n 2) with k compounds of maximal length n. In this paper, we propose a GPU-based algorithm for MCC problem, called CUDA-MCC, on single- and multi-GPUs. Four LINGO-based load-balancing strategies are considered in CUDA-MCC in order to accelerate the computation speed among thread blocks on GPUs. CUDA-MCC was implemented by C+OpenMP+CUDA. CUDA-MCC achieved 45 times and 391 times faster than its CPU version on a single NVIDIA Tesla K20m GPU card and a dual-NVIDIA Tesla K20m GPU card, respectively, under the experimental results. PMID:26491652

Accelerating Multiple Compound Comparison Using LINGO-Based Load-Balancing Strategies on Multi-GPUs.

PubMed

Lin, Chun-Yuan; Wang, Chung-Hung; Hung, Che-Lun; Lin, Yu-Shiang

2015-01-01

Compound comparison is an important task for the computational chemistry. By the comparison results, potential inhibitors can be found and then used for the pharmacy experiments. The time complexity of a pairwise compound comparison is O(n (2)), where n is the maximal length of compounds. In general, the length of compounds is tens to hundreds, and the computation time is small. However, more and more compounds have been synthesized and extracted now, even more than tens of millions. Therefore, it still will be time-consuming when comparing with a large amount of compounds (seen as a multiple compound comparison problem, abbreviated to MCC). The intrinsic time complexity of MCC problem is O(k (2) n (2)) with k compounds of maximal length n. In this paper, we propose a GPU-based algorithm for MCC problem, called CUDA-MCC, on single- and multi-GPUs. Four LINGO-based load-balancing strategies are considered in CUDA-MCC in order to accelerate the computation speed among thread blocks on GPUs. CUDA-MCC was implemented by C+OpenMP+CUDA. CUDA-MCC achieved 45 times and 391 times faster than its CPU version on a single NVIDIA Tesla K20m GPU card and a dual-NVIDIA Tesla K20m GPU card, respectively, under the experimental results.

Bone remodeling in onlay beta-tricalcium phosphate and coral grafts to rat calvaria: microcomputerized tomography analysis.

PubMed

Anavi, Yakir; Avishai, Gal; Calderon, Shlomo; Allon, Dror M

2011-08-01

This study was conducted to establish the efficiency of microcomputerized tomography (micro-CT) in detection of trabecular bone remodeling of onlay grafts in a rodent calvaria model, and to compare bone remodeling after onlay grafts with beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) or coral calcium carbonate. Ten rats received calvarial onlay blocks-5 with TCP and 5 with coral calcium carbonate. The grafts were fixed with a titanium miniplate screw and were covered with a collagen resorbable membrane. Three months after surgery, the calvaria were segmented, and a serial 3-dimensional micro-CT scan of the calvarium and grafted bone block at 16-micrometer resolution was performed. Image analysis software was used to calculate the percentage of newly formed bone from the total block size. Newly formed bone was present adjacent to the calvarium and screw in all specimens. The mean area of newly formed bone of the total block size ranged from 34.67%-38.34% in the TCP blocks, and from 32.41%-34.72% in the coral blocks. In the TCP blocks, bone remodeling was found to be slightly higher than in the coral blocks. Micro-CT appears to be a precise, reproducible, specimen-nondestructive method of analysis of bone formation in onlay block grafts to rat calvaria.

A feasibility study on smartphone accelerometer-based recognition of household activities and influence of smartphone position.

PubMed

Della Mea, Vincenzo; Quattrin, Omar; Parpinel, Maria

2017-12-01

Obesity and physical inactivity are the most important risk factors for chronic diseases. The present study aimed at (i) developing and testing a method for classifying household activities based on a smartphone accelerometer; (ii) evaluating the influence of smartphone position; and (iii) evaluating the acceptability of wearing a smartphone for activity recognition. An Android application was developed to record accelerometer data and calculate descriptive features on 5-second time blocks, then classified with nine algorithms. Household activities were: sitting, working at the computer, walking, ironing, sweeping the floor, going down stairs with a shopping bag, walking while carrying a large box, and climbing stairs with a shopping bag. Ten volunteers carried out the activities for three times, each one with a smartphone in a different position (pocket, arm, and wrist). Users were then asked to answer a questionnaire. 1440 time blocks were collected. Three algorithms demonstrated an accuracy greater than 80% for all smartphone positions. While for some subjects the smartphone was uncomfortable, it seems that it did not really affect activity. Smartphones can be used to recognize household activities. A further development is to measure metabolic equivalent tasks starting from accelerometer data only.

Ancient ice islands in salt lakes of the Central Andes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hurlbert, S.H.; Chang, Cecily C.Y.

1984-01-01

Massive blocks of freshwater ice and frozen sediments protrude from shallow, saline lakes in the Andes of southwestern Bolivia and northeastern Chile. These ice islands range up to 1.5 kilometers long, stand up to 7 meters above the water surface, and may extend out tens of meters and more beneath the unfrozen lake sediments. The upper surfaces of the islands are covered with dry white sediments, mostly aragonite or calcite. The ice blocks may have formed by freezing of the fresh pore water of lake sediments during the "little ice age." The largest blocks are melting rapidly because of possibly recent increases in geothermal heat flux through the lake bottom and undercutting by warm saline lake water during the summer.

Teneurin-4 promotes cellular protrusion formation and neurite outgrowth through focal adhesion kinase signaling

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Nobuharu; Numakawa, Tadahiro; Chou, Joshua; de Vega, Susana; Mizuniwa, Chihiro; Sekimoto, Kaori; Adachi, Naoki; Kunugi, Hiroshi; Arikawa-Hirasawa, Eri; Yamada, Yoshihiko; Akazawa, Chihiro

2014-01-01

Teneurin-4 (Ten-4), a transmembrane protein, is highly expressed in the central nervous system; however, its cellular and molecular function in neuronal differentiation remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the function of Ten-4 in neurite outgrowth. Ten-4 expression was induced during neurite outgrowth of the neuroblastoma cell line Neuro-2a. Ten-4 protein was localized at the neurite growth cones. Knockdown of Ten-4 expression in Neuro-2a cells decreased the formation of the filopodia-like protrusions and the length of individual neurites. Conversely, overexpression of Ten-4 promoted filopodia-like protrusion formation. In addition, knockdown and overexpression of Ten-4 reduced and elevated the activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Rho-family small GTPases, Cdc42 and Rac1, key molecules for the membranous protrusion formation downstream of FAK, respectively. Inhibition of the activation of FAK and neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP), which is a downstream regulator of FAK and Cdc42, blocked protrusion formation by Ten-4 overexpression. Further, Ten-4 colocalized with phosphorylated FAK in the filopodia-like protrusion regions. Together, our findings show that Ten-4 is a novel positive regulator of cellular protrusion formation and neurite outgrowth through the FAK signaling pathway.—Suzuki, N., Numakawa, T., Chou, J., de Vega, S., Mizuniwa, C., Sekimoto, K., Adachi, N., Kunugi, H., Arikawa-Hirasawa, E., Yamada, Y., Akazawa, C. Teneurin-4 promotes cellular protrusion formation and neurite outgrowth through focal adhesion kinase signaling. PMID:24344332

Effect of Anconeus Muscle Blocking on Elbow Kinematics: Electromyographic, Inertial Sensors and Finite Element Study.

PubMed

Miguel-Andres, Israel; Alonso-Rasgado, Teresa; Walmsley, Alan; Watts, Adam C

2017-03-01

The specific contribution of the anconeus muscle to elbow function is still uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the effect on elbow kinematics and kinetics of blocking anconeus using lidocaine. Ten healthy volunteers performed experimental trials involving flexion-extension and supination-pronation movements in horizontal and sagittal planes. Inertial sensors and surface electromyography were used to record elbow kinematics and kinetics and electrical activity from the anconeus, biceps and triceps brachii before and after blocking anconeus. Moreover, a finite element model of the elbow was created to further investigate the contribution of anconeus to elbow kinematics. The electrical activity results from the trials before blocking clearly indicated that activity of anconeus was increased during extension, suggesting that it behaves as an extensor. However, blocking anconeus had no effect on the elbow kinematics and kinetics, including the angular velocity, net torque and power of the joint. The electrical activity of the biceps and triceps brachii did not alter significantly following anconeus blocking. These results suggest that anconeus is a weak extensor, and the relative small contribution of anconeus to extension before blocking was compensated by triceps brachii. The finite element results indicated that anconeus does not contribute significantly to elbow kinematics.

Scaling a Single Attribute: A Methodological Study of Conservation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofmann, Richard J.; Trepanier, Mary

1975-01-01

This study was designed to assess the acquisition of conservation of number on equal addition tasks through scalogram analysis to determine if this analysis defines a scale or continuum. Ten block tasks administered to 85 kindergarten children validated Piaget's theory that cognitive development is sequential and continuous. (Author/ED)

Rectus sheath and transversus abdominis plane blocks in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

PubMed

Hamill, James K; Rahiri, Jamie-Lee; Liley, Andrew; Hill, Andrew G

2016-04-01

The role of rectus sheath blocks (RSB) and transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks in pediatric surgery has not been well established. We aimed to determine if RSB and TAP blocks decrease postoperative pain and improve recovery in children. Duplicate searching of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, and trial registries databases by two reviewers. Included were randomized trials in children on RSB or TAP block in abdominal operations, excluding inguinal procedures. Independent duplicate data extraction and quality assessment using a standardized form. Ten trials met inclusion criteria (n = 599), RSB in five and TAP block in five. A linear mixed effects model on patient level data from three trials showed nerve blocks lowered morphine requirements 6-8 h after surgery, -0.03 mg · kg(-1) (95% CI -0.05, -0.002). Pooled analysis of summary data showed nerve blocks lowered 0-10 scale pain scores immediately after the operation, -0.7 (95% CI -1.3, -0.1); lowered 4-16 scale pain scores, -2.0 (95% CI -2.3, -1.7); and delayed the time to first rescue analgesia, 17 min (95% CI 1.3, 33). Quality assessment showed some studies at moderate to high risk of bias. Abdominal wall blocks reduce pain and opiate use in children. We advise cautious interpretation of the results given the heterogeneity of studies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Computing global minimizers to a constrained B-spline image registration problem from optimal l1 perturbations to block match data

PubMed Central

Castillo, Edward; Castillo, Richard; Fuentes, David; Guerrero, Thomas

2014-01-01

Purpose: Block matching is a well-known strategy for estimating corresponding voxel locations between a pair of images according to an image similarity metric. Though robust to issues such as image noise and large magnitude voxel displacements, the estimated point matches are not guaranteed to be spatially accurate. However, the underlying optimization problem solved by the block matching procedure is similar in structure to the class of optimization problem associated with B-spline based registration methods. By exploiting this relationship, the authors derive a numerical method for computing a global minimizer to a constrained B-spline registration problem that incorporates the robustness of block matching with the global smoothness properties inherent to B-spline parameterization. Methods: The method reformulates the traditional B-spline registration problem as a basis pursuit problem describing the minimal l1-perturbation to block match pairs required to produce a B-spline fitting error within a given tolerance. The sparsity pattern of the optimal perturbation then defines a voxel point cloud subset on which the B-spline fit is a global minimizer to a constrained variant of the B-spline registration problem. As opposed to traditional B-spline algorithms, the optimization step involving the actual image data is addressed by block matching. Results: The performance of the method is measured in terms of spatial accuracy using ten inhale/exhale thoracic CT image pairs (available for download at www.dir-lab.com) obtained from the COPDgene dataset and corresponding sets of expert-determined landmark point pairs. The results of the validation procedure demonstrate that the method can achieve a high spatial accuracy on a significantly complex image set. Conclusions: The proposed methodology is demonstrated to achieve a high spatial accuracy and is generalizable in that in can employ any displacement field parameterization described as a least squares fit to block match generated estimates. Thus, the framework allows for a wide range of image similarity block match metric and physical modeling combinations. PMID:24694135

Creating a transducer electronic datasheet using I2C serial EEPROM memory and PIC32-based microcontroller development board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croitoru, Bogdan; Tulbure, Adrian; Abrudean, Mihail; Secara, Mihai

2015-02-01

The present paper describes a software method for creating / managing one type of Transducer Electronic Datasheet (TEDS) according to IEEE 1451.4 standard in order to develop a prototype of smart multi-sensor platform (with up to ten different analog sensors simultaneously connected) with Plug and Play capabilities over ETHERNET and Wi-Fi. In the experiments were used: one analog temperature sensor, one analog light sensor, one PIC32-based microcontroller development board with analog and digital I/O ports and other computing resources, one 24LC256 I2C (Inter Integrated Circuit standard) serial Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) memory with 32KB available space and 3 bytes internal buffer for page writes (1 byte for data and 2 bytes for address). It was developed a prototype algorithm for writing and reading TEDS information to / from I2C EEPROM memories using the standard C language (up to ten different TEDS blocks coexisting in the same EEPROM device at once). The algorithm is able to write and read one type of TEDS: transducer information with standard TEDS content. A second software application, written in VB.NET platform, was developed in order to access the EEPROM sensor information from a computer through a serial interface (USB).

Thermal quantitative sensory testing to assess the sensory effects of three local anesthetic solutions in a randomized trial of interscalene blockade for shoulder surgery.

PubMed

Sermeus, Luc A; Hans, Guy H; Schepens, Tom; Bosserez, Nathalie M-L; Breebaart, Margaretha B; Smitz, Carine J; Vercauteren, Marcel P

2016-01-01

This study investigated whether quantitative sensory testing (QST) with thermal stimulations can quantitatively measure the characteristics of an ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block (US-ISB). This was a prospective randomized trial in patients scheduled for arthroscopic shoulder surgery under general anesthesia and US-ISB. Participants and observers were blinded for the study. We assigned the study participants to one of three groups: 0.5% levobupivacaine 15 mL, 0.5% levobupivacaine 15 mL with 1:200,000 epinephrine, and 0.75% ropivacaine 15 mL. We performed thermal QST within dermatomes C4, C5, C6, and C7 before infiltration and 30 min, six hours, ten hours, and 24 hr after performing the US-ISB. In addition, we used QST, a semi-objective quantitative testing method, to measure the onset, intensity, duration, extent, and functional recovery of the sensory block. We also measured detection thresholds for cold/warm sensations and cold/heat pain. Detection thresholds for all thermal sensations within the ipsilateral C4, C5, C6, and C7 dermatomes increased rapidly (indicating the development of a hypoesthetic state) and reached a steady state after 30 min. This lasted for approximately ten hours and returned to normal detection thresholds by 24 hr. There were no differences detected between the three groups at 24 hr when we compared warm sensation thresholds on one dermatome. Visual inspection of the pooled results per dermatome suggests the ability of QST to detect clinically relevant differences in block intensity per dermatome. Quantitative sensory testing can be useful as a method for detecting the presence and characteristics of regional anesthesia-induced sensory block and may be used for the evaluation of clinical protocols. The three local anesthetic solutions exhibited a similar anesthetic effect. The results support the use of QST to assess block characteristics quantitatively under clinical research conditions. This trial was registered at Clinicaltrals.gov, NCT02271867.

Sliding contact on the interface of elastic body and rigid surface using a single block Burridge-Knopoff model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amireghbali, A.; Coker, D.

2018-01-01

Burridge and Knopoff proposed a mass-spring model to explore interface dynamics along a fault during an earthquake. The Burridge and Knopoff (BK) model is composed of a series of blocks of equal mass connected to each other by springs of same stiffness. The blocks also are attached to a rigid driver via another set of springs that pulls them at a constant velocity against a rigid substrate. They studied dynamics of interface for an especial case with ten blocks and a specific set of fault properties. In our study effects of Coulomb and rate-state dependent friction laws on the dynamics of a single block BK model is investigated. The model dynamics is formulated as a system of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations in state-space form which lends itself to numerical integration methods, e.g. Runge-Kutta procedure for solution. The results show that the rate and state dependent friction law has the potential of triggering dynamic patterns that are different from those under Coulomb law.

First off the Blocks: Professional Experience and Learning for First-Year Preservice Physical and Health Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peralta, Louisa; Burns, Kellie

2012-01-01

Recent research focusing on professional experience has shifted towards understanding preservice teachers' learning. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the learning of preservice Physical and Health Education teachers throughout three progressively designed professional experiences. Ten volunteering first-year preservice teachers, who…

Effects of VDT workstation lighting conditions on operator visual workload.

PubMed

Lin, Chiuhsiang Joe; Feng, Wen-Yang; Chao, Chin-Jung; Tseng, Feng-Yi

2008-04-01

Industrial lighting covers a wide range of different characteristics of working interiors and work tasks. This study investigated the effects of illumination on visual workload in visual display terminal (VDT) workstation. Ten college students (5 males and 5 females) were recruited as participants to perform VDT signal detection tasks. A randomized block design was utilized with four light colors (red, blue, green and white), two ambient illumination levels (20 lux and 340 lux), with the subject as the block. The dependent variables were the change of critical fusion frequency (CFF), visual acuity, reaction time of targets detection, error rates, and rating scores in a subjective questionnaire. The study results showed that both visual acuity and the subjective visual fatigue were significantly affected by the color of light. The illumination had significant effect on CFF threshold change and reaction time. Subjects prefer to perform VDT task under blue and white lights than green and red. Based on these findings, the study discusses and suggests ways of color lighting and ambient illumination to promote operators' visual performance and prevent visual fatigue effectively.

Mechanical analysis of the dry stone walls built by the Incas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro, Jaime; Vallejo, Luis E.; Estrada, Nicolas

2017-06-01

In this paper, the retaining walls in the agricultural terraces built by the Incas are analyzed from a mechanical point of view. In order to do so, ten different walls from the Lower Agricultural Sector of Machu Picchu, Perú, were selected using images from Google Street View and Google Earth Pro. Then, these walls were digitalized and their mechanical stability was evaluated. Firstly, it was found that these retaining walls are characterized by two distinctive features: disorder and a block size distribution with a large size span, i.e., the particle size varies from blocks that can be carried by one person to large blocks weighing several tons. Secondly, it was found that, thanks to the large span of the block size distribution, the factor of safety of the Inca retaining walls is remarkably close to those that are recommended in modern geotechnical design standards. This suggests that these structures were not only functional but also highly optimized, probably as a result of a careful trial and error procedure.

Processing of form stimuli presented unilaterally in humans, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hopkins, William D.; Washburn, David A.; Rumbaugh, Duane M.

1990-01-01

Visual forms were unilaterally presented using a video-task paradigm to ten humans, chimpanzees, and two rhesus monkeys to determine whether hemispheric advantages existed in the processing of these stimuli. Both accuracy and reaction time served as dependent measures. For the chimpanzees, a significant right hemisphere advantage was found within the first three test sessions. The humans and monkeys failed to show a hemispheric advantage as determined by accuracy scores. Analysis of reaction time data revealed a significant left hemisphere advantage for the monkeys. A visual half-field x block interaction was found for the chimpanzees, with a significant left visual field advantage in block two, whereas a right visual field advantage was found in block four. In the human subjects, a left visual field advantage was found in block three when they used their right hands to respond. The results are discussed in relation to recent reports of hemispheric advantages for nonhuman primates.

Simultaneous Impacted Third Molar Extraction and Lateral Ramus Block Graft Harvest for Horizontal Ridge Augmentation: A Case Series.

PubMed

Deeb, George R; Laskin, Daniel M; Deeb, Janina Golob

2017-03-01

The purpose of this study was to confirm the efficiency of using a lateral ramus block graft taken at the time of impacted mandibular third molar removal for horizontal ridge augmentation and implant placement. Ten patients had grafts obtained from the lateral aspect of the mandible during impacted third molar removal and placed in areas of horizontal ridge deficiency. Measurements made on cone-beam computerized tomograms after 4 months showed gains of 2.7 to 3.5 mm and 16 implants were placed successfully. In patients with impacted third molars requiring dental implants, simultaneous harvest of a lateral block bone graft is an efficient way of obtaining bone for horizontal ridge augmentation. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Interface bond and compatibility between Mark II machining ceramic and vita VM9 veneering porcelain].

PubMed

Liu, Tian-Shuang; Li, Zhen-Chun; Chen, Xiao-Dong

2009-04-01

To investigate the interface bond and thermal compatibility between Mark II machining ceramic and Vita VM9 veneering porcelain. A bar shaped specimen (30 mm x 15 mm x 1 mm in size) of Mark II block was prepared, with 0.5 mm-deep notch (vertical to the long axis of specimen) at the middle of the bottom surface. The upper surface was veneered with 0.3 mm VM9 dentin base porcelain. Then the specimen was fractured from the notching site and the fracture surface was examined under scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron microprobe analyzer (EMPA) with electron beam of 1 microm in diameter. Another ten specimens (30 mm x 15 mm x 1.5 mm in size) were fabricated and the temperature of thermal shock resistance were tested. SEM observation showed tight bond between these two materials and EMPA results showed penetration of Al element from Mark II block into veneering porcelain and Ca element from veneering porcelain into Mark II block occurred after sintering baking. The average temperature of thermal shock resistance for specimens in this study was (194.0+/-10.3) degrees C. Cracks were mainly distributed in veneering porcelain. Chemical bond exists between the Mark II machining ceramic and Vita VM9 veneering porcelain, and there is good thermal compatibility between them.

An Evaluation of the Gap Sizes of 3-Unit Fixed Dental Prostheses Milled from Sintering Metal Blocks.

PubMed

Jung, Jae-Kwan

2017-01-01

This study assessed the clinical acceptability of sintering metal-fabricated 3-unit fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) based on gap sizes. Ten specimens were prepared on research models by milling sintering metal blocks or by the lost-wax technique (LWC group). Gap sizes were assessed at 12 points per abutment (premolar and molar), 24 points per specimen (480 points in a total in 20 specimens). The measured points were categorized as marginal, axial wall, and occlusal for assessment in a silicone replica. The silicone replica was cut through the mesiodistal and buccolingual center. The four sections were magnified at 160x, and the thickness of the light body silicone was measured to determine the gap size, and gap size means were compared. For the premolar part, the mean (standard deviation) gap size was nonsignificantly ( p = 0.139) smaller in the SMB group (68.6 ± 35.6  μ m) than in the LWC group (69.6 ± 16.9  μ m). The mean molar gap was nonsignificantly smaller ( p = 0.852) in the LWC (73.9 ± 25.6  μ m) than in the SMB (78.1 ± 37.4  μ m) group. The gap sizes were similar between the two groups. Because the gap sizes were within the previously proposed clinically accepted limit, FDPs prepared by sintered metal block milling are clinically acceptable.

An Evaluation of the Gap Sizes of 3-Unit Fixed Dental Prostheses Milled from Sintering Metal Blocks

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

This study assessed the clinical acceptability of sintering metal-fabricated 3-unit fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) based on gap sizes. Ten specimens were prepared on research models by milling sintering metal blocks or by the lost-wax technique (LWC group). Gap sizes were assessed at 12 points per abutment (premolar and molar), 24 points per specimen (480 points in a total in 20 specimens). The measured points were categorized as marginal, axial wall, and occlusal for assessment in a silicone replica. The silicone replica was cut through the mesiodistal and buccolingual center. The four sections were magnified at 160x, and the thickness of the light body silicone was measured to determine the gap size, and gap size means were compared. For the premolar part, the mean (standard deviation) gap size was nonsignificantly (p = 0.139) smaller in the SMB group (68.6 ± 35.6 μm) than in the LWC group (69.6 ± 16.9 μm). The mean molar gap was nonsignificantly smaller (p = 0.852) in the LWC (73.9 ± 25.6 μm) than in the SMB (78.1 ± 37.4 μm) group. The gap sizes were similar between the two groups. Because the gap sizes were within the previously proposed clinically accepted limit, FDPs prepared by sintered metal block milling are clinically acceptable. PMID:28246605

Transmission line pulse system for avalanche characterization of high power semiconductor devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riccio, Michele; Ascione, Giovanni; De Falco, Giuseppe; Maresca, Luca; De Laurentis, Martina; Irace, Andrea; Breglio, Giovanni

2013-05-01

Because of the increasing in power density of electronic devices for medium and high power application, reliabilty of these devices is of great interest. Understanding the avalanche behaviour of a power device has become very important in these last years because it gives an indication of the maximum energy ratings which can be seen as an index of the device ruggedness. A good description of this behaviour is given by the static IV blocking characteristc. In order to avoid self heating, very relevant in high power devices, very short pulses of current have to be used, whose value can change from few milliamps up to tens of amps. The most used method to generate short pulses is the TLP (Transmission Line Pulse) test, which is based on charging the equivalent capacitance of a transmission line to high value of voltage and subsequently discharging it onto a load. This circuit let to obtain very short square pulses but it is mostly used for evaluate the ESD capability of semiconductor and, in this environment, it generates pulses of low amplitude which are not high enough to characterize the avalanche behaviour of high power devices . Advanced TLP circuit able to generate high current are usually very expensive and often suffer of distorption of the output pulse. In this article is proposed a simple, low cost circuit, based on a boosted-TLP configuration, which is capable to produce very square pulses of about one hundreds of nanosecond with amplitude up to some tens of amps. A prototype is implemented which can produce pulses up to 20A of amplitude with 200 ns of duration which can characterize power devices up to 1600V of breakdown voltage. Usage of microcontroller based logic make the circuit very flexible. Results of SPICE simulation are provided, together with experimental results. To prove the effectiveness of the circuit, the I-V blocking characteristics of two commercial devices, namely a 600V PowerMOS and a 1200V Trench-IGBT, are measured at different operating temperature.

NMC OFFICE NOTE 29

Science.gov Websites

-character words in the report which | precedes the next category/counter group plus one. * | 46 - 47 in APPENDIX B. The last parameter in this group contains the total number of ten-character words in the report providing linkage from one report to the next when a roup of reports is blocked into a

Multiple Learning Strategies Project. Small Engine Repair Service. Regular Vocational. [Vol. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pitts, Jim; And Others

This instructional package is one of two designed for use by regular vocational students in the vocational area of small engine repair service. Contained in this document are forty-four learning modules organized into ten units: engine block; air cleaner; starters; fuel tanks; lines, filters, and pumps; carburetors; electrical; magneto systems;…

Mountain Plains Learning Experience Guide: Radio and T.V. Repair. Course: Television Repair.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arneson, R.; And Others

One of four individualized courses included in a radio and television repair, curriculum, this course focuses on trouble-shooting procedures for both black and white and color television equipment. The course is comprised of ten units: (1) Introduction to/and Block Diagrams of Television, (2) Television Audio Section Troubles, (3) Television Video…

Sticky trap and stem-tap sampling protocols for the Asian citrus psyllid (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sampling statistics were obtained to develop a sampling protocol for estimating numbers of adult Diaphorina citri in citrus using two different sampling methods: yellow sticky traps and stem–tap samples. A 4.0 ha block of mature orange trees was stratified into ten 0.4 ha strata and sampled using...

Ten Things to Consider When Teaching AP U.S. History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Libresco, Andrea S.

2013-01-01

This article describes 10 recommendations for creativity, higher-order thinking, and meaningful learning activities that can be used to guide teachers in constructing an engaging AP course: (1) Be on the committee that decides how students will be selected for AP; (2) Maximize time and connections through blocks of time with an English colleague;…

Spectral characteristics of speech with fixed jaw displacements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomon, Nancy P.; Makashay, Matthew J.; Munson, Benjamin

2004-05-01

During speech, movements of the mandible and the tongue are interdependent. For some research purposes, the mandible may be constrained to ensure independent tongue motion. To examine specific spectral characteristics of speech with different jaw positions, ten normal adults produced sentences with multiple instances of /t/, /s/, /squflg/, /i/, /ai/, and /squflgi/. Talkers produced stimuli with the jaw free to vary, and while gently biting on 2- and 5-mm bite blocks unilaterally. Spectral moments of /s/ and /squflg/ frication and /t/ bursts differed such that mean spectral energy decreased, and diffuseness and skewness increased with bite blocks. The specific size of the bite block had minimal effect on these results, which were most consistent for /s/. Formant analysis for the vocoids revealed lower F2 frequency in /i/ and at the end of the transition in /ai/ when bite blocks were used; F2 slope for diphthongs was not sensitive to differences in jaw position. Two potential explanations for these results involve the physical presence of the bite blocks in the lateral oral cavity, and the oromotor system's ability to compensate for fixed jaw displacements. [Work supported by NIDCD R03-DC06096.

The effect of low-speed drilling without irrigation on heat generation: an experimental study.

PubMed

Oh, Ji-Hyeon; Fang, Yiqin; Jeong, Seung-Mi; Choi, Byung-Ho

2016-02-01

In this study we evaluated heat generation during the low-speed drilling procedure without irrigation. Ten artificial bone blocks that were similar to human D1 bone were used in this study. The baseline temperature was 37.0℃. We drilled into 5 artificial bone blocks 60 times at the speed of 50 rpm without irrigation. As a control group, we drilled into an additional 5 artificial bone blocks 60 times at the speed of 1,500 rpm with irrigation. The temperature changes during diameter 2 mm drilling were measured using thermocouples. The mean maximum temperatures during drilling were 40.9℃ in the test group and 39.7℃ in the control group. Even though a statistically significant difference existed between the two groups, the low-speed drilling did not produce overheating. These findings suggest that low-speed drilling without irrigation may not lead to overheating during drilling.

Development blocks in innovation networks: The Swedish manufacturing industry, 1970-2007.

PubMed

Taalbi, Josef

2017-01-01

The notion of development blocks (Dahmén, 1950, 1991) suggests the co-evolution of technologies and industries through complementarities and the overcoming of imbalances. This study proposes and applies a methodology to analyse development blocks empirically. To assess the extent and character of innovational interdependencies between industries the study combines analysis of innovation biographies and statistical network analysis. This is made possible by using data from a newly constructed innovation output database for Sweden. The study finds ten communities of closely related industries in which innovation activity has been prompted by the emergence of technological imbalances or by the exploitation of new technological opportunities. The communities found in the Swedish network of innovation are shown to be stable over time and often characterized by strong user-supplier interdependencies. These findings serve to stress how historical imbalances and opportunities are key to understanding the dynamics of the long-run development of industries and new technologies.

Acoustic buffeting by infrasound in a low vibration facility.

PubMed

MacLeod, B P; Hoffman, J E; Burke, S A; Bonn, D A

2016-09-01

Measurement instruments and fabrication tools with spatial resolution on the atomic scale require facilities that mitigate the impact of vibration sources in the environment. One approach to protection from vibration in a building's foundation is to place the instrument on a massive inertia block, supported on pneumatic isolators. This opens the questions of whether or not a massive floating block is susceptible to acoustic forces, and how to mitigate the effects of any such acoustic buffeting. Here this is investigated with quantitative measurements of vibrations and sound pressure, together with finite element modeling. It is shown that a particular concern, even in a facility with multiple acoustic enclosures, is the excitation of the lowest fundamental acoustic modes of the room by infrasound in the low tens of Hz range, and the efficient coupling of the fundamental room modes to a large inertia block centered in the room.

40 CFR Table 2 to Subpart Dddd of... - Model Rule-Emission Limitations

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... part) Hydrogen chloride 62 parts per million by dry volume 3-run average (1 hour minimum sample time...) Sulfur dioxide 20 parts per million by dry volume 3-run average (1 hour minimum sample time per run...-8) or ASTM D6784-02 (Reapproved 2008).c Opacity 10 percent Three 1-hour blocks consisting of ten 6...

Effectiveness of an Attachment-Focused Manualized Intervention for Parents of Teens at Risk for Aggressive Behaviour: The Connect Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moretti, Marlene M.; Obsuth, Ingrid

2009-01-01

Aggressive, violent and antisocial behaviour in children and adolescents is a growing concern across the globe. Targeting parent-teen relationships is critical in reducing problem behaviour. "Connect" is a manualized ten-week program for parents or alternative caregivers of at-risk teens that focuses on the building blocks of secure attachment:…

Effects of probiotic fermented milk on biofilms, oral microbiota, and enamel.

PubMed

Lodi, Carolina Simonetti; Oliveira, Lidiane Viana; Brighenti, Fernanda Lourenção; Delbem, Alberto Carlos Botazzo; Martinhon, Cleide Cristina Rodrigues

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro and in vivo the effects of 2 brands of probiotic fermented milk on biofilms, oral microbiota, and enamel. For the in situ experiment, ten volunteers wore palatine devices containing four blocks of bovine dental enamel over 3 phases, during which 20% sucrose solution, Yakult® (Treatment A), and Batavito® (Treatment B) were dropped on the enamel blocks. Salivary microbial counts were obtained and biofilm samples were analyzed after each phase. For the in vivo experiment, the same ten volunteers drunk Yakult® (Treatment C) and Batavito® (Treatment D) in two phases. Saliva samples were collected for microbial analysis after each phase. The in situ study showed that in comparison with Treatment A, Treatment B resulted in fewer total cultivable anaerobes and facultative microorganisms in biofilms, higher final microhardness, lower percentage change in surface hardness, and smaller integrated subsurface enamel hardness. In the in vivo study, Treatment D resulted in a reduction in the counts of all microorganisms. The results suggested that the probiotic fermented milk Batavito®, but not Yakult®, reduced the amount of oral microorganisms and mineral loss in bovine enamel.

Effectiveness of fluorescence-based methods to detect in situ demineralization and remineralization on smooth surfaces.

PubMed

Moriyama, C M; Rodrigues, J A; Lussi, A; Diniz, M B

2014-01-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of fluorescence-based methods (DIAGNOdent, LF; DIAGNOdent pen, LFpen, and VistaProof fluorescence camera, FC) in detecting demineralization and remineralization on smooth surfaces in situ. Ten volunteers wore acrylic palatal appliances, each containing 6 enamel blocks that were demineralized for 14 days by exposure to a 20% sucrose solution and 3 of them were remineralized for 7 days with fluoride dentifrice. Sixty enamel blocks were evaluated at baseline, after demineralization and 30 blocks after remineralization by two examiners using LF, LFpen and FC. They were submitted to surface microhardness (SMH) and cross-sectional microhardness analysis. The integrated loss of surface hardness (ΔKHN) was calculated. The intraclass correlation coefficient for interexaminer reproducibility ranged from 0.21 (FC) to 0.86 (LFpen). SMH, LF and LFpen values presented significant differences among the three phases. However, FC fluorescence values showed no significant differences between the demineralization and remineralization phases. Fluorescence values for baseline, demineralized and remineralized enamel were, respectively, 5.4 ± 1.0, 9.2 ± 2.2 and 7.0 ± 1.5 for LF; 10.5 ± 2.0, 15.0 ± 3.2 and 12.5 ± 2.9 for LFpen, and 1.0 ± 0.0, 1.0 ± 0.1 and 1.0 ± 0.1 for FC. SMH and ΔKHN showed significant differences between demineralization and remineralization phases. There was a negative and significant correlation between SMH and LF and LFpen in the remineralization phase. In conclusion, LF and LFpen devices were effective in detecting demineralization and remineralization on smooth surfaces provoked in situ.

Extradural cold block for selective neurostimulation of the bladder: development of a new technique.

PubMed

Schumacher, S; Bross, S; Scheepe, J R; Seif, C; Jünemann, K P; Alken, P

1999-03-01

Cryotechnique for selective block of the urethral sphincter and simultaneous activation of the bladder was developed to achieve physiological micturition during sacral anterior root stimulation (SARS). In ten foxhounds SARS of S2 was carried out while extradurally both spinal nerves S2 were cooled down from positive 25C in a stepwise fashion until a sphincter block was observed. Subsequently, SARS of S2 was performed while the pudendal nerves were cooled down from + 15C. The effects of spinal and pudendal nerve cold block on the urethral sphincter and bladder during SARS and the recovery time were monitored by urodynamic investigation. A complete cold block of the urethral sphincter during spinal nerve cooling was achieved in all cases. During pudendal nerve cooling, the sphincter was completely blocked in two, and incompletely blocked in four dogs. Cold block temperature of the spinal nerves averaged +11.7C and of the pudendal nerves +6.2C. During SARS and spinal nerve cooling, an increase in intravesical pressure up to 13 cm. water was recognized, and recovery time was on average 6.6 minutes. Intravesical pressure remained unchanged during pudendal nerve cooling, with recovery time being less than 1 minute. The cold block was always reversible. Cryotechnique is an excellent method for selective and reversible block of the urethral sphincter during SARS to avoid detrusor-sphincter-dyssynergia. The application of cryotechnique in functional electrical stimulation leads to an improvement of quality of life in para- or tetraplegic patients because of selective nerve stimulation with optimization of micturition, standing, walking and grasping and does so without the necessity of surgical dorsal root rhizotomy.

Investigating the impact of atmospheric blocking on temperature extremes across Europe using an objective index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunner, Lukas; Steiner, Andrea; Sillmann, Jana

2017-04-01

Atmospheric blocking is a key contributor to European temperature extremes. It leads to stable, long-lasting weather patterns, which favor the development of cold and warm spells. The link between blocking and such temperature extremes differs significantly across Europe. In northern Europe a majority of warm spells are connected to blocking, while cold spells are suppressed during blocked conditions. In southern Europe the opposite picture arises with most cold spells occurring during blocking and warm spells suppressed. Building on earlier work by Brunner et al. (2017) this study aims at a better understanding of the connection between blocking and temperature extremes in Europe. We investigate cold and warm spells with and without blocking in observations from the European daily high-resolution gridded dataset (E-OBS) from 1979 to 2015. We use an objective extreme index (Russo et al. 2015) to identify and compare cold and warm spells across Europe. Our work is lead by the main question: Are cold/warm spells coinciding with blocking different from cold/warm spells during unblocked conditions in regard to duration, extend, or amplitude? Here we present our research question and the study setup, and show first results of our analysis on European temperature extremes. Brunner, L., G. Hegerl, and A. Steiner (2017): Connecting Atmospheric Blocking to European Temperature Extremes in Spring. J. Climate, 30, 585-594, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0518.1. Russo, S., J. Sillmann, and E. M. Fischer (2015): Top ten European heatwaves since 1950 and their occurrence in the coming decades. Environ. Res. Lett. 10.12, S. 124003. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/10/12/124003.

The effect of milling and postmilling procedures on the surface roughness of CAD/CAM materials.

PubMed

Mota, Eduardo Gonçalves; Smidt, Laura Nunes; Fracasso, Lisiane Martins; Burnett, Luiz Henrique; Spohr, Ana Maria

2017-11-12

The aim of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness and analyze the surface topography of five different CAD/CAM ceramics and one CAD/CAM composite resin for CEREC after milling and postmilling procedures. Blocks of the ceramics Mark II, IPS Empress CAD, IPS e.max CAD, Suprinity and Enamic, and blocks of the composite resin Lava Ultimate were milled at CEREC MCXL. Ten flat samples of each material were obtained. The surface roughness (Ra) test was performed before and after milling, crystallization, polishing, and glaze when indicated, followed by SEM and AFM analysis. Data were submitted to one-way ANOVA with repeated measures and the Tukey HSD test (α = 0.05). The milling step significantly increased the roughness of all the tested materials (P < .05). Lithium-based ceramics (IPS e.max CAD and Suprinity) were more suitable to roughness than the other tested materials (P < .05). The polishing methods were able to reduce roughness to baseline values, except for lithium-based ceramics. Glaze reduced significantly the roughness of lithium-based ceramics without a difference from the baseline. SEM and AFM images revealed that glazed surfaces are smoother than polished surfaces. All hard-milling CAD/CAM materials, that is, fully sintered, should be only hand polished. The glaze step can be suppressed resulting in time saving. However, the glaze step in soft-milling lithium disilicate is imperative. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bidirectional cross metathesis and ring-closing metathesis/ring opening of a C 2-symmetric building block: a strategy for the synthesis of decanolide natural products.

PubMed

Schmidt, Bernd; Kunz, Oliver

2013-01-01

Starting from the conveniently available ex-chiral pool building block (R,R)-hexa-1,5-diene-3,4-diol, the ten-membered ring lactones stagonolide E and curvulide A were synthesized using a bidirectional olefin-metathesis functionalization of the terminal double bonds. Key steps are (i) a site-selective cross metathesis, (ii) a highly diastereoselective extended tethered RCM to furnish a (Z,E)-configured dienyl carboxylic acid and (iii) a Ru-lipase-catalyzed dynamic kinetic resolution to establish the desired configuration at C9. Ring closure was accomplished by macrolactonization. Curvulide A was synthesized from stagonolide E through Sharpless epoxidation.

Chain exchange in triblock copolymer micelles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Jie; Lodge, Timothy; Bates, Frank

2015-03-01

Block polymer micelles offer a host of technological applications including drug delivery, viscosity modification, toughening of plastics, and colloidal stabilization. Molecular exchange between micelles directly influences the stability, structure and access to an equilibrium state in such systems and this property recently has been shown to be extraordinarily sensitive to the core block molecular weight in diblock copolymers. The dependence of micelle chain exchange dynamics on molecular architecture has not been reported. The present work conclusively addresses this issue using time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (TR-SANS) applied to complimentary S-EP-S and EP-S-EP triblock copolymers dissolved in squalane, a selective solvent for the EP blocks, where S and EP refer to poly(styrene) and poly(ethylenepropylene), respectively. Following the overall SANS intensity as a function of time from judiciously deuterium labelled polymer and solvent mixtures directly probes the rate of molecular exchange. Remarkably, the two triblocks display exchange rates that differ by approximately ten orders of magnitude, even though the solvophobic S blocks are of comparable size. This discovery is considered in the context of a model that successfully explains S-EP diblock exchange dynamics.

Facile phase transfer of gold nanorods and nanospheres stabilized with block copolymers

PubMed Central

Derikov, Yaroslav I; Shandryuk, Georgiy A; Talroze, Raisa V; Ezhov, Alexander A

2018-01-01

A fast route to transfer Au nanoparticles from aqueous to organic media is proposed based on the use of a high molecular mass diblock copolymer of styrene and 2-vinylpyridine for ligand exchange at the nanoparticle surface. The method enables the preparation of stable sols of Au nanorods with sizes of up to tens of nanometers or Au nanospheres in various organic solvents. By comparing the optical absorbance spectra of Au hydro- and organosols with the data of numerical simulations of the surface plasmon resonance, we find that nanoparticles do not aggregate and confirm the transmission electron microscopy data regarding their shape and size. The proposed approach can be effective in preparing hybrid composites without the use of strong thiol and amine surfactants. PMID:29527437

Anterior Chamber Air Bubble to Achieve Graft Attachment After DMEK: Is Bigger Always Better?

PubMed

Ćirković, Aleksandar; Beck, Christina; Weller, Julia M; Kruse, Friedrich E; Tourtas, Theofilos

2016-04-01

To analyze the influence of the size of the air bubble subsequent to Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) surgery on the rate of graft detachment and need for rebubbling, the incidence of pupillary block, and the observed endothelial cell loss. This is a single-center, retrospective, consecutive case series of 74 cases undergoing DMEK and fulfilling the inclusion criteria concerning the size of the air bubble at the end of surgery. Based on the medical records, patients were divided into 2 groups (n = 37, respectively). The first group had an air bubble with a volume of approximately 50% and the second group of approximately 80% of the anterior chamber (AC) volume, respectively. Patients who did not comply with instructions to remain in the supine position until complete resorption of AC air or cases in which difficulties in graft preparation (eg, radial breaks) occurred were excluded from data analysis. The central corneal thickness and endothelial cell density were measured 6 months after surgery. Ten of 37 patients (27.0%) in the 50% air bubble group and 3 of 37 patients (8.1%) in the 80% air bubble group needed 1 rebubbling procedure (P = 0.032). There was no difference between the groups after 6 months regarding endothelial cell density and central corneal thickness. No pupillary block was observed. Larger air bubbles of 80% anterior chamber volume decrease the risk of graft detachment after DMEK with no detrimental effect on the outcome and risk for pupillary block.

Perturbations in different forms of cost/benefit decision making induced by repeated amphetamine exposure.

PubMed

Floresco, Stan B; Whelan, Jennifer M

2009-08-01

Psychostimulant abuse has been linked to impairments in cost-benefit decision making. We assessed the effects of repeated amphetamine (AMPH) treatment in rodents on two distinct forms of decision making. Separate groups of rats were trained for 26 days on either a probabilistic (risk) or effort-discounting task, each consisting of four discrete blocks of ten choice trials. One lever always delivered a smaller reward (one or two pellets), whereas another lever delivered a four-pellet reward. For risk-discounting, the probability of receiving the larger reward decreased across trial blocks (100-12.5%), whereas on the effort task, four pellets could be obtained after a ratio of presses that increased across blocks (2-20). After training, rats received 15 saline or AMPH injections (escalating from 1 to 5 mg/kg) and were then retested during acute and long-term withdrawal. Repeated AMPH administration increased risky choice 2-3 weeks after drug exposure, whereas these treatments did not alter effort-based decision making in a separate group of animals. However, prior AMPH exposure sensitized the effects of acute AMPH on both forms of decision making, whereby lower doses were effective at inducing "risky" and "lazy" patterns of choice. Repeated AMPH exposure leads to relatively long-lasting increases in risky choice, as well as sensitization to the effects of acute AMPH on different forms of cost/benefit decision making. These findings suggest that maladaptive decision-making processes exhibited by psychostimulant abusers may be caused in part by repeated drug exposure.

Ultrasound-guided supraclavicular block: outcome of 510 consecutive cases.

PubMed

Perlas, Anahi; Lobo, Giovanni; Lo, Nick; Brull, Richard; Chan, Vincent W S; Karkhanis, Reena

2009-01-01

Supraclavicular brachial plexus block provides consistently effective anesthesia to the upper extremity. However, traditional nerve localization techniques may be associated with a high risk of pneumothorax. In the present study, we report block success and clinical outcome data from 510 consecutive patients who received an ultrasound-guided supraclavicular block for upper extremity surgery. After institutional review board approval, the outcome of 510 consecutive patients who received an ultrasound-guided supraclavicular block for upper extremity surgery was reviewed. Real-time ultrasound guidance was used with a high-frequency linear probe. The neurovascular structures were imaged on short axis, and the needle was inserted using an in-plane technique with either a medial-to-lateral or lateral-to-medial orientation. Five hundred ten ultrasound-guided supraclavicular blocks were performed (50 inpatients, 460 outpatients) by 47 different operators at different levels of training over a 24-month period. Successful surgical anesthesia was achieved in 94.6% of patients after a single attempt; 2.8% required local anesthetic supplementation of a single peripheral nerve territory; and 2.6% received an unplanned general anesthetic. No cases of clinically symptomatic pneumothorax developed. Complications included symptomatic hemidiaphragmatic paresis (1%), Horner syndrome (1%), unintended vascular punctures (0.4%), and transient sensory deficits (0.4%). Ultrasound-guided supraclavicular block is associated with a high rate of successful surgical anesthesia and a low rate of complications and thus may be a safe alternative for both inpatients and outpatients. Severe underlying respiratory disease and coagulopathy should remain a contraindication for this brachial plexus approach.

Comparison of success rates, learning curves, and inter-subject performance variability of robot-assisted and manual ultrasound-guided nerve block needle guidance in simulation.

PubMed

Morse, J; Terrasini, N; Wehbe, M; Philippona, C; Zaouter, C; Cyr, S; Hemmerling, T M

2014-06-01

This study focuses on a recently developed robotic nerve block system and its impact on learning regional anaesthesia skills. We compared success rates, learning curves, performance times, and inter-subject performance variability of robot-assisted vs manual ultrasound (US)-guided nerve block needle guidance. The hypothesis of this study is that robot assistance will result in faster skill acquisition than manual needle guidance. Five co-authors with different experience with nerve blocks and the robotic system performed both manual and robot-assisted, US-guided nerve blocks on two different nerves of a nerve phantom. Ten trials were performed for each of the four procedures. Time taken to move from a shared starting position till the needle was inserted into the target nerve was defined as the performance time. A successful block was defined as the insertion of the needle into the target nerve. Average performance times were compared using analysis of variance. P<0.05 was considered significant. Data presented as mean (standard deviation). All blocks were successful. There were significant differences in performance times between co-authors to perform the manual blocks, either superficial (P=0.001) or profound (P=0.0001); no statistical difference between co-authors was noted for the robot-assisted blocks. Linear regression indicated that the average decrease in time between consecutive trials for robot-assisted blocks of 1.8 (1.6) s was significantly (P=0.007) greater than the decrease for manual blocks of 0.3 (0.3) s. Robot assistance of nerve blocks allows for faster learning of needle guidance over manual positioning and reduces inter-subject performance variability. © The Author [2014]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Computer Recognition of Facial Profiles

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-08-01

facial recognition 20. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse side It necessary and Identify by block number) A system for the recognition of human faces from...21 2.6 Classification Algorithms ........... ... 32 III FACIAL RECOGNITION AND AUTOMATIC TRAINING . . . 37 3.1 Facial Profile Recognition...provide a fair test of the classification system. The work of Goldstein, Harmon, and Lesk [81 indicates, however, that for facial recognition , a ten class

Ten days of simulated live high:train low altitude training increases Hbmass in elite water polo players.

PubMed

Garvican-Lewis, Laura A; Clark, Sally A; Polglaze, Ted; McFadden, Greg; Gore, Christopher J

2013-12-01

Water polo requires high aerobic power to meet the demands of match play. Live high:train low (LHTL) may enhance aerobic capacity at sea level. Before the Olympics, the Australian women's water polo team utilised LHTL in an attempt to enhance aerobic fitness. Over 6 months, 11 players completed three normobaric LHTL exposures (block 1:11 days at 3000 m; block 2+3:9 days at 2500 m, 11 days normoxia, 10 days at 2800 m). Haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) was measured through carbon monoxide-rebreathing. Before each block, the relationship between Hbmass and water polo-specific aerobic fitness was investigated using the Multistage Shuttle Swim Test (MSST). Effect size statistics were adopted with likely, highly likely and almost certainly results being >75%, >95%, >99%, respectively. A Pearson product moment correlation was used to characterise the association between pooled data of Hbmass and MSST. Hbmass (mean ± SD, pre 721 ± 66 g) likely increased after block 1 and almost certainly after block 2+3 (% change; 90% confidence limits: block 1: 3.7%; 1.3-6.2%, block 2+3: 4.5%; 3.8-5.1%) and the net effect was almost certainly higher after block 2+3 than before block 1 (pre) by 8.5%; 7.3-9.7%. There was a very large correlation between Hbmass (g/kg) and MSST score (r=0.73). LHTL exposures of <2 weeks induced approximately 4% increase in Hbmass of water polo players. Extra Hbmass may increase aerobic power, but since match performance is nuanced by many factors it is impossible to ascertain whether the increased Hbmass contributed to Australia's Bronze medal.

MAGiX in the Chandra Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Townsley, Leisa

2016-09-01

Massive star-forming regions (MSFRs) are engines of change across the Galaxy, providing its ionization, fueling the hot ISM, and seeding spiral arms with tens of thousands of new stars. Galactic MSFRs are springboards for understanding their extragalactic counterparts, which provide the basis for star formation rate calibrations and form the building blocks of starburst galaxies. This archive program will extend Chandra's lexicon of the Galaxy's MSFRs with in-depth analysis of 16 complexes, studying star formation and evolution on scales of tenths to tens of parsecs, distances <1 to >10 kpc, and ages <1 to >15 Myr. It fuses a "Physics of the Cosmos" mission with "Cosmic Origins" science, bringing new insight into star formation and feedback through Chandra's unique X-ray perspective.

More MAGiX in the Chandra Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Townsley, Leisa

2017-09-01

Massive star-forming regions (MSFRs) are engines of change across the Galaxy, providing its ionization, fueling the hot ISM, and seeding spiral arms with tens of thousands of new stars. Resolvable MSFRs are microscopes for understanding their more distant extragalactic counterparts, which provide the basis for star formation rate calibrations and form the building blocks of starburst galaxies. This archive program will extend Chandra's lexicon of MSFRs with in-depth analysis of 16 complexes, studying star formation and evolution on scales of tenths to tens of parsecs, distances <1 to >50 kpc, and ages <1 to 25 Myr. It fuses a "Physics of the Cosmos" mission with "Cosmic Origins" science, bringing new insight into star formation and feedback through Chandra's unique X-ray perspective.

Role of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation in the management of trigeminal neuralgia.

PubMed

Singla, Sanju; Prabhakar, Vikram; Singla, Rajan Kumar

2011-07-01

Trigeminal neuralgia typically involves nerves supplying teeth, jaws and face of older females. Though the etiology is usually obscure, different treatment modalities have been tried for it viz. medicinal treatment, injection alcohol, peripheral neurectomy, rhizotomy, and microvascular decompression etc. Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is an emerging and promising option for management of such patients. The present study was designed with an aim to study the efficacy of TENS in management of trigeminal neuralgia. The study was conducted on 30 patients of trigeminal neuralgia confirmed by diagnostic nerve block. They were given bursts of TENS for 20-40 days over the path of the affected nerve and subsequently evaluated at 1 month and 3 month intervals by visual analogue scale (VAS), verbal pain scale (VPS), a functional outcome scales for main daily activities like sleep, chewing, talking, or washing face. The results showed that, on VAS, the score decreased from 8.9 (Pre TENS) to 3.1 at 1 month and 1.3 at 3 months, and on VPS, the score decreased from 3.5 (Pre TENS) to 1.2 at 1 month and 0.3 at 3 months. Similarly, a considerable decrease in scores was seen on functional outcome scale for different activities. No side effects like irritation or redness of skin were seen in any of the patients. Thus, TENS was found to be a safe, easily acceptable, and non-invasive outdoor patient department procedure for management of trigeminal neuralgia.

Evaluation of transversus abdominis plane block for renal transplant recipients - A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of published studies.

PubMed

Singh, Preet Mohinder; Borle, Anuradha; Makkar, Jeetinder Kaur; Trisha, Aanjan; Sinha, Aashish

2018-01-01

Patients undergoing renal transplant (RT) have altered drug/opioid pharmacokinetics. Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in renal transplant recipients has been recently evaluated for analgesic and opioid-sparing potential by many trials. The studies comparing TAP-block to conventional analgesic regimens for RT were searched. Comparisons were made for total opioids consumed (as morphine-equivalents) during the first postoperative 24-h (primary objective), intraoperative, and immediate-postoperative period. Pain scores and postoperative nausea-vomiting (PONV) were also evaluated. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was used to quantify the strength of analysis. Ten-trials with 258 and 237 patients in control and TAP-block group, respectively, were included. TAP-block decreased the 24-h (reported in 9-trials) opioid consumption by 14.61 ± 4.34 mg (reduction by 42.7%, random-effects, P < 0.001, I 2 = 97.82%). Sample size of the present analysis (472) was well past the required "information-size" variable (396) as per the TSA for a power of 85%. Intraoperative opioid consumption also decreased by 2.06 ± 0.63 mg (reduction of 27.8%) (random effects, P < 0.001, I 2 = 98.84%). Pain scores with TAP-block were significantly lower in both early and delayed postoperative phase. Odds ratio for PONV without TAP block was 1.99 ± 1.05 (Fixed-effects, P = 0.04, I 2 = 0%). Publication bias was likely (Egger's test, X-intercept=7.89, P < 0.05). TAP-block significantly lowers the intraoperative and cumulative postoperative 24-h opioid consumption in RT recipients. Persistent and better pain control is achieved when TAP-Block is used. Benefits of TAP block extend beyond the analgesic actions alone as it also decreases the 24-h incidence of postoperative nausea vomiting as well. The technique of the block needs standardization for RT recipients.

Sequin Form Board; Technical Report 20. Disadvantaged Children and Their First School Experiences. ETS-Head Start Longitudinal Study. Technical Report Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindstrom, David R.; Shipman, Virginia C.

The Seguin Form Board Test is used to assess visual discrimination and matching and eye-hand coordination. Previous analysis has shown the vactor loadings for the same scale to differ among age levels, so the test may be measuring different abilities at different age levels. Test materials consist of ten differently shaped wooden blocks and a…

Applying the Theory and Techniques of Situational Criminology to Counterinsurgency Operations: Reducing Insurgency Through Situational Prevention

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

the Los Angeles Police Department ( LAPD ) conducted an analysis of a ten-block area. This area had the highest rate of gang-related... LAPD Los Angeles Police Department NIJ National Institute for Justice OCDS Operation Cul-de-Sac PIRA Provisional Irish Republican...crime opportunities at any level will produce a change in criminal outcomes.”20 Therefore, altering the volume of insurgent

[Effects of long term mental arithmetic on physiological parameters, subjective indices and task performances].

PubMed

Yamada, Shimpei; Miyake, Shinji

2007-03-01

This study examined the effects of long term mental arithmetic on physiological parameters, subjective indices and task performances to investigate the psychophysiological changes induced by mental tasks. Fifteen male university students performed six successive trials of a ten-minute mental arithmetic task. They took a five-minute resting period before and after the tasks. CFF (Critical Flicker Fusion frequency) and subjective fatigue scores using a visual analog scale, POMS (Profiles of Mood States) and SFF (Subjective Feelings of Fatigue) were obtained after each task and resting period. The voices of participants who were instructed to speak five Japanese vowels ('a', 'i', 'u', 'e', 'o') were recorded after each block to investigate a chaotic property of vocal signals that is reported to be changed by fatigue. Subjective workload ratings were also obtained by the NASA-TLX (National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index) after the task. Physiological signals of ECG (Electrocardiogram), PTG (Photoelectric Plethysmogram), SCL (Skin Conductance Level), TBV (Tissue Blood Volume) and Respiration were recorded for all experimental blocks. The number of answers, correct rates and average levels of task difficulty for each ten-minute task were used as task performance indices. In this experiment, the task performance did not decrease, whereas subjective fatigue increased. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system was suggested by physiological parameters.

Efficiency of timing delays and electrode positions in optimization of biventricular pacing: a simulation study.

PubMed

Miri, Raz; Graf, Iulia M; Dössel, Olaf

2009-11-01

Electrode positions and timing delays influence the efficacy of biventricular pacing (BVP). Accordingly, this study focuses on BVP optimization, using a detailed 3-D electrophysiological model of the human heart, which is adapted to patient-specific anatomy and pathophysiology. The research is effectuated on ten heart models with left bundle branch block and myocardial infarction derived from magnetic resonance and computed tomography data. Cardiac electrical activity is simulated with the ten Tusscher cell model and adaptive cellular automaton at physiological and pathological conduction levels. The optimization methods are based on a comparison between the electrical response of the healthy and diseased heart models, measured in terms of root mean square error (E(RMS)) of the excitation front and the QRS duration error (E(QRS)). Intra- and intermethod associations of the pacing electrodes and timing delays variables were analyzed with statistical methods, i.e., t -test for dependent data, one-way analysis of variance for electrode pairs, and Pearson model for equivalent parameters from the two optimization methods. The results indicate that lateral the left ventricle and the upper or middle septal area are frequently (60% of cases) the optimal positions of the left and right electrodes, respectively. Statistical analysis proves that the two optimization methods are in good agreement. In conclusion, a noninvasive preoperative BVP optimization strategy based on computer simulations can be used to identify the most beneficial patient-specific electrode configuration and timing delays.

Perfusion index and plethysmographic variability index in patients with interscalene nerve catheters.

PubMed

Sebastiani, Anne; Philippi, Larissa; Boehme, Stefan; Closhen, Dorothea; Schmidtmann, Irene; Scherhag, Anton; Markstaller, Klaus; Engelhard, Kristin; Pestel, Gunther

2012-12-01

Interscalene nerve blocks provide adequate analgesia, but there are no objective criteria for early assessment of correct catheter placement. In the present study, pulse oximetry technology was used to evaluate changes in the perfusion index (PI) in both blocked and unblocked arms, and changes in the plethysmographic variability index (PVI) were evaluated once mechanical ventilation was instituted. The PI and PVI values were assessed using a Radical-7™ finger pulse oximetry device (Masimo Corp., Irvine, CA, USA) in both arms of 30 orthopedic patients who received an interscalene catheter at least 25 min before induction of general anesthesia. Data were evaluated at baseline, on application of local anesthetics; five, ten, and 15 min after onset of interscalene nerve blocks; after induction of general anesthesia; before and after a 500 mL colloid fluid challenge; and five minutes thereafter. In the 25 patients with successful blocks, the difference between the PI values in the blocked arm and the PI values in the contralateral arm increased within five minutes of the application of the local anesthetics (P < 0.05) and increased progressively until 15 min. After induction of general anesthesia, the PI increased in the unblocked arm while it remained relatively constant in the blocked arm, thus reducing the difference in the PI. A fluid challenge resulted in a decrease in PVI values in both arms. The perfusion index increases after successful interscalene nerve blockade and may be used as an indicator for successful block placement in awake patients. The PVI values before and after a fluid challenge can be useful to detect changes in preload, and this can be performed in both blocked and unblocked arms.

Defining the local nerve blocks for feline distal thoracic limb surgery: a cadaveric study

PubMed Central

Enomoto, Masataka; Lascelles, B Duncan X; Gerard, Mathew P

2016-01-01

Objectives Though controversial, onychectomy remains a commonly performed distal thoracic limb surgical procedure in cats. Peripheral nerve block techniques have been proposed in cats undergoing onychectomy but evidence of efficacy is lacking. Preliminary tests of the described technique using cadavers resulted in incomplete staining of nerves. The aim of this study was to develop nerve block methods based on cadaveric dissections and test these methods with cadaveric dye injections. Methods Ten pairs of feline thoracic limbs (n = 20) were dissected and superficial branches of the radial nerve (RSbr nn.), median nerve (M n.), dorsal branch of ulnar nerve (UDbr n.), superficial branch of palmar branch of ulnar nerve (UPbrS n.) and deep branch of palmar branch of ulnar nerve (UPbrDp n.) were identified. Based on these dissections, a four-point block was developed and tested using dye injections in another six pairs of feline thoracic limbs (n = 12). Using a 25 G × 5/8 inch needle and 1 ml syringe, 0.07 ml/kg methylene blue was injected at the site of the RSbr nn., 0.04 ml/kg at the injection site of the UDbr n., 0.08 ml/kg at the injection site of the M n. and UPbrS n., and 0.01 ml/kg at the injection site of the UPbrDp n. The length and circumference of each nerve that was stained was measured. Results Positive staining of all nerves was observed in 12/12 limbs. The lengths stained for RSbr nn., M n., UDbr n., UPbrS n. and UPbrDp n. were 34.9 ± 5.3, 26.4 ± 4.8, 29.2 ± 4.0, 39.1 ± 4.3 and 17.5 ± 3.3 mm, respectively. The nerve circumferences stained were 93.8 ± 15.5, 95.8 ± 9.7, 100 ± 0.0, 100 ± 0.0 and 93.8 ± 15.5%, respectively. Conclusions and relevance This described four-point injection method may be an effective perioperative analgesia technique for feline distal thoracic limb procedures. PMID:26250858

THE INFLUENCE OF LEXICAL FACTORS ON VOWEL DISTINCTIVENESS: EFFECTS OF JAW POSITIONING.

PubMed

Munson, Benjamin; Solomon, Nancy Pearl

2016-11-01

The phonetic characteristics of words are influenced by lexical characteristics, including word frequency and phonological neighborhood density (Baese-Berke & Goldrick, 2009; Wright, 2004). In our previous research, we replicated this effect with neurologically healthy young adults (Munson & Solomon, 2004). In research with the same set of participants, we showed that speech sounded less natural when produced with bite blocks than with an unconstrained jaw (Solomon, Makashay, & Munson, 2016). The current study combined these concepts to examine whether a bite-block perturbation exaggerated or reduced the effects of lexical factors on normal speech. Ten young adults produced more challenging lexical stimuli (i.e. infrequent words with many phonological neighbors) with shorter vowels and more disperse F1/F2 spaces than less challenging words (i.e. frequent words with few phonological neighbors). This difference was exaggerated when speaking with a 10-mm bite block, though the interaction between jaw positioning and lexical competition did not achieve statistical significance. Results indicate that talkers alter vowel characteristics in response both to biomechanical and linguistic demands, and that the effect of lexical characteristics is robust to the articulatory reorganization required for successful bite-block compensation.

A scalable parallel black oil simulator on distributed memory parallel computers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kun; Liu, Hui; Chen, Zhangxin

2015-11-01

This paper presents our work on developing a parallel black oil simulator for distributed memory computers based on our in-house parallel platform. The parallel simulator is designed to overcome the performance issues of common simulators that are implemented for personal computers and workstations. The finite difference method is applied to discretize the black oil model. In addition, some advanced techniques are employed to strengthen the robustness and parallel scalability of the simulator, including an inexact Newton method, matrix decoupling methods, and algebraic multigrid methods. A new multi-stage preconditioner is proposed to accelerate the solution of linear systems from the Newton methods. Numerical experiments show that our simulator is scalable and efficient, and is capable of simulating extremely large-scale black oil problems with tens of millions of grid blocks using thousands of MPI processes on parallel computers.

Association of SSTR2 Polymorphisms and Glucose Homeostasis Phenotypes

PubMed Central

Sutton, Beth S.; Palmer, Nicholette D.; Langefeld, Carl D.; Xue, Bingzhong; Proctor, Alexandria; Ziegler, Julie T.; Haffner, Steven M.; Norris, Jill M.; Bowden, Donald W.

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the influence of somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) polymorphisms on measures of glucose homeostasis in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Family Study (IRASFS). SSTR2 is a G-protein–coupled receptor that, in response to somatostatin, mediates inhibition of insulin, glucagon, and growth hormone release and thus may affect glucose homeostasis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the gene were chosen using a SNP density selection algorithm and genotyped on 1,425 Hispanic-American individuals from 90 families in the IRASFS. These families comprised two samples (set 1 and set 2), which were analyzed individually and as a combined set. Single SNP tests of association were performed for four glucose homeostasis measures—insulin sensitivity (SI), acute insulin response (AIR), disposition index (DI), and fasting blood glucose (FBG)—using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS The SSTR2 locus was encompassed by a single linkage disequilibrium (LD) block (D′ = 0.91–1.00; r2 = 0.09–0.97) that contained four of the ten SNPs evaluated. Within the SSTR2-containing LD block, evidence of association was observed in each of the two sets and in a combined analysis with decreased SI(βhomozygous = −0.16; Pmeta-analysis = 0.0024–0.0030), decreased DI (βhomozygous = −0.35 to −5.16; Pmeta-analysis = 0.0075–0.027), and increased FBG (βhomozygous = 2.30; Pmeta-analysis = 0.045). SNPs outside the SSTR2-containing LD block were not associated with measures of glucose homeostasis. CONCLUSIONS We observed evidence for association of SSTR2 polymorphisms with measures of glucose homeostasis. Thus, variants in SSTR2 may influence pathways of SIto modulate glucose homeostasis. PMID:19324939

[Emotional processing in patients with a dissocial personality disorder subtype "psychopathy" according to PCL-R].

PubMed

Weber, Tatjana; Sommer, Monika; Hajak, Göran; Müller, Jürgen

2004-11-01

Functional MRI was used to test the effects of the deficient emotional responsiveness of psychopathic patients on cognitive processes. We used a Simon-paradigm, in which ten healthy volunteers and ten patients with a diagnosis of "psychopathy" (defined by Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised) have to select their spatially defined responses on the basis of a nonspatial stimuli feature. For the emotion induction pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) were selected. At the beginning and intermediated by the Simon-paradigm blocks of positive, negative or neutral pictures were presented. Patients with "psychopathy" exhibited untypical activation patterns in amygdala and prefrontal regions during interferences between negative or positive stimulations and cognitive tasks. These results demonstrated disturbed regulation of emotion-cognition-interaction in "psychopathy" according to PCL-R.

Role of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation in the management of trigeminal neuralgia

PubMed Central

Singla, Sanju; Prabhakar, Vikram; Singla, Rajan Kumar

2011-01-01

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia typically involves nerves supplying teeth, jaws and face of older females. Though the etiology is usually obscure, different treatment modalities have been tried for it viz. medicinal treatment, injection alcohol, peripheral neurectomy, rhizotomy, and microvascular decompression etc. Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is an emerging and promising option for management of such patients. Aims and Design: The present study was designed with an aim to study the efficacy of TENS in management of trigeminal neuralgia. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 30 patients of trigeminal neuralgia confirmed by diagnostic nerve block. They were given bursts of TENS for 20-40 days over the path of the affected nerve and subsequently evaluated at 1 month and 3 month intervals by visual analogue scale (VAS), verbal pain scale (VPS), a functional outcome scales for main daily activities like sleep, chewing, talking, or washing face. Results: The results showed that, on VAS, the score decreased from 8.9 (Pre TENS) to 3.1 at 1 month and 1.3 at 3 months, and on VPS, the score decreased from 3.5 (Pre TENS) to 1.2 at 1 month and 0.3 at 3 months. Similarly, a considerable decrease in scores was seen on functional outcome scale for different activities. No side effects like irritation or redness of skin were seen in any of the patients. Conclusions: Thus, TENS was found to be a safe, easily acceptable, and non-invasive outdoor patient department procedure for management of trigeminal neuralgia. PMID:21897677

Student-centered integrated anatomy resource sessions at Alfaisal University.

PubMed

Cowan, Michèle; Arain, Nasir Nisar; Assale, Tawfic Samer Abu; Assi, Abdulelah Hassan; Albar, Raed Alwai; Ganguly, Paul K

2010-01-01

Alfaisal University is a new medical school in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that matriculates eligible students directly from high school and requires them to participate in a hybrid problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. PBL is a well-established student-centered approach, and the authors have sought to examine if a student-centered, integrated approach to learn human structures leads to positive perceptions of learning outcomes. Ten students were divided into four groups to rotate through wet and dry laboratory stations (integrated resource sessions, IRSs) that engaged them in imaging techniques, embryology, histology, gross anatomy (dissections and prosections), surface anatomy, and self-directed learning questions. All IRSs were primarily directed by students. During two second-semester organ system blocks, forty students responded to a structured questionnaire designed to poll students' perceptions of changes in their knowledge, skills, and attitudes as a result of IRS. The majority (60%) of students felt that the student-centered approach to learning enhanced their medical knowledge. Most students also felt that the IRS approach was advantageous for formulating clear learning objectives (55%) and in preparing for examinations (65%). Despite their positive feelings toward IRS, students did not view this learning approach as an adequate replacement for the knowledge gained from lectures and textbooks. Students' performance on objective structured practical examinations improved significantly for the two curricular blocks that included IRS compared with earlier non-IRS blocks. A student-centered approach to teach human structure in a hybrid PBL curriculum may enhance understanding of the basic sciences in first-year medical students.

DNA-programmable nanoparticle crystallization.

PubMed

Park, Sung Yong; Lytton-Jean, Abigail K R; Lee, Byeongdu; Weigand, Steven; Schatz, George C; Mirkin, Chad A

2008-01-31

It was first shown more than ten years ago that DNA oligonucleotides can be attached to gold nanoparticles rationally to direct the formation of larger assemblies. Since then, oligonucleotide-functionalized nanoparticles have been developed into powerful diagnostic tools for nucleic acids and proteins, and into intracellular probes and gene regulators. In contrast, the conceptually simple yet powerful idea that functionalized nanoparticles might serve as basic building blocks that can be rationally assembled through programmable base-pairing interactions into highly ordered macroscopic materials remains poorly developed. So far, the approach has mainly resulted in polymerization, with modest control over the placement of, the periodicity in, and the distance between particles within the assembled material. That is, most of the materials obtained thus far are best classified as amorphous polymers, although a few examples of colloidal crystal formation exist. Here, we demonstrate that DNA can be used to control the crystallization of nanoparticle-oligonucleotide conjugates to the extent that different DNA sequences guide the assembly of the same type of inorganic nanoparticle into different crystalline states. We show that the choice of DNA sequences attached to the nanoparticle building blocks, the DNA linking molecules and the absence or presence of a non-bonding single-base flexor can be adjusted so that gold nanoparticles assemble into micrometre-sized face-centred-cubic or body-centred-cubic crystal structures. Our findings thus clearly demonstrate that synthetically programmable colloidal crystallization is possible, and that a single-component system can be directed to form different structures.

Effect of Rho family GTP-binding proteins on Amoeba proteus.

PubMed

Kłopocka, W; Redowicz, M J

2003-03-01

While there is a number of studies on the effects of Rho GTPases on the actin-based cytoskeleton in higher eukaryotes, studies in protozoans are rather limited. The problem seems to be intriguing since the structure of protozoan cytoskeletons is distinct from most vertebrate cells. By blocking endogenous Rho family proteins of highly motile Amoeba proteus with C3 transferase and antibodies against human RhoA and Rac1, we tried to assess the in vivo role of these proteins in amoebae. In migrating amoebae, both proteins are concentrated in the cortical layer and seem to colocalize with filamentous actin. Endogenous Rac1, but not RhoA, is accumulated in the perinuclear cytoskeleton. Blocking Rac- or Rho-like proteins caused distinct and irreversible changes in the locomotive shape of the examined amoebae and significant inhibition of their migration. Amoebae microinjected with anti-Rac1 antibodies were contracted, shortened, and developed only few wide pseudopodia. More pronounced changes were observed in cells treated with anti-RhoA antibodies. They exhibited an atypical locomotion not leading to their effective displacement. After treatment with 50 microg of C3 transferase per ml, cells rapidly contracted and almost completely rounded up, became refractile with the granules beaten into a dense mass, detached from the surface and died. Ten times lower concentration of the enzyme caused similar changes as the inhibition of endogenous RhoA-like protein. These results indicate that Rho family-based regulation plays a key role in amoebic migration.

Fabrication and characterization of non-Brownian particle-based crystals.

PubMed

Lash, Melissa H; Fedorchak, Morgan V; Little, Steven R; McCarthy, Joseph J

2015-01-27

Particle-based crystals have been explored in the literature for applications in molecular electronics, photonics, sensors, and drug delivery. However, much of the research on these crystals has been focused on particles of nano- and submicrometer dimensions (so-called colloidal crystals) with limited attention directed toward building blocks with dimensions ranging from tens to hundreds of micrometers. This can be attributed, in part, to the fact that the underlying thermal effects in these larger systems typically cannot naturally overcome kinetic barriers at the meso- and macroscales so that many of the methods used for nanoscale particle assembly cannot be directly applied to larger components, as they become kinetically arrested in nonequilibrium states. In this work, ultrasonic agitation is being explored as a means of allowing large, non-Brownian microparticles (18-750 μm) to overcome the kinetic barriers to packing in the creation of close-packed, highly ordered, crystalline structures. In addition, we study how the energy input affects bulk particle behavior and describe several new ways to characterize particle-based crystals made from microparticles.

Magnetophysiologic and echocardiographic comparison of blocked atrial bigeminy and 2:1 atrioventricular block in the fetus.

PubMed

Wiggins, Delonia L; Strasburger, Janette F; Gotteiner, Nina L; Cuneo, Bettina; Wakai, Ronald T

2013-08-01

Blocked atrial bigeminy (BAB) and second-degree atrioventricular block with 2:1 conduction block (2:1 AVB) both present as ventricular bradycardia and can be difficult to distinguish by echocardiography. Since the prognosis and clinical management of these rhythms are different, an accurate diagnosis is essential. To identify magnetic and mechanical heart rate and rhythm parameters that could reliably distinguish BAB from 2:1 AVB. A retrospective study of ten BAB and seven 2:1 AVB subjects was performed, using fMCG and pulsed Doppler ultrasound. Distinguishing BAB from 2:1 AVB by using fMCG was relatively straightforward because in BAB the ectopic P wave (P') occurred early, resulting in a bigeminal (short-long) atrial rhythm. The normalized coupling interval of the ectopic beat (PP' of the blocked beat to PP of the conducted beat) was 0.29 ± 0.03. In contrast, the echocardiographic assessment of inflow-outflow gave a normalized mechanical coupling interval (AA'/AA) near 0.5, which made it difficult to distinguish BAB from 2:1 AVB. Heart rate distinguished most subjects with BAB from those with 2:1 AVB (82 ± 5.7 beats/min vs 69 ± 4.2 beats/min), but was not a completely reliable indicator. In most subjects, BAB alternated with sinus rhythm or other rhythms, resulting in complex heart rate and rhythm patterns. Fetal BAB and 2:1 AV block can be difficult to distinguish using echocardiography because in many fetuses with BAB the mechanical rhythm does not accurately reflect the magnetic rhythm. fMCG provides a more reliable means of making a differential diagnosis. Copyright © 2013 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Selective Absorption Mechanism for the Maintenance of Blocking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamazaki, Akira; Itoh, Hisanori

2010-05-01

Atmospheric blocking is one of the most influential phenomena in global atmospheric environments. The understanding of its dynamical processes is important to clarify weather extremes and the stratosphere-troposphere coupling and to extend forecast periods. In the dynamics of blocking, especially, its maintenance mechanism has been a stimulating topic for many meteorologists. About the maintenance mechanism of blocking, Shutts (1983) evaluated the effect of synoptic eddies in his numerical model and proposed the Eddy Straining Mechanism (hereafter, referred to as ESM). Using simple numerical models, he demonstrated that synoptic eddies strained in the north-south direction by blocking provide negative/positive vorticity to a blocking high/low and this vorticity forcing, i.e., the second-order flow maintains the blocking dipole structure against dissipation. Some pieces of evidence, however have shown that the ESM does not work well in several real cases of the block maintenance. For example, Arai and Mukougawa (2002) performed a similar experiment to Shutts (1983) and indicated the strong sensitivity of the ESM against a small meridional shift of the stormtrack (strictly speaking, wavemaker), or a small change of the size of high-frequency eddies. This is a very adverse constraint in the real atmosphere because the relative positions of blocking to the stormtrack tend to fluctuate from case to case so that they do not necessarily exist in the same latitude band. Thus, we propose a more realistic mechanism of the block maintenance named as the Selective Absorption Mechanism (hereafter referred to as SAM), in which a blocking anticyclone selectively and exclusively absorbs synoptic anticyclones. This mechanism is essentially the same mechanism as the Fujiwhara effect, which qualitatively explains that binary eddies with the same polarity merge and eddies with the opposite polarity separate. In this study, we verify the effectiveness of the SAM by observational analyses and simple numerical experiments. Ten episodes of blocking that occurred in the mid-North Pacific and the eastern North Atlantic between 1990 and 2005 are investigated. Trajectories of synoptic anticyclones and cyclones during blocking persistent periods are analyzed and show the selective absorption of anticyclonic eddies by the blocking highs. We also perform numerical experiments using the nonlinear barotropic vorticity equation on a beta-plane channel. The maintenance rate of blocking is quantitatively evaluated by using an areal averaged method. The result supports the block maintenance by the SAM. From the above two results, we can conclude that the SAM is more adaptive as the block maintenance mechanism than the ESM, because the essence of the SAM is absorption of eddies, not but eddy straining.

Evaluation of two-fold fully conditional specification multiple imputation for longitudinal electronic health record data

PubMed Central

Welch, Catherine A; Petersen, Irene; Bartlett, Jonathan W; White, Ian R; Marston, Louise; Morris, Richard W; Nazareth, Irwin; Walters, Kate; Carpenter, James

2014-01-01

Most implementations of multiple imputation (MI) of missing data are designed for simple rectangular data structures ignoring temporal ordering of data. Therefore, when applying MI to longitudinal data with intermittent patterns of missing data, some alternative strategies must be considered. One approach is to divide data into time blocks and implement MI independently at each block. An alternative approach is to include all time blocks in the same MI model. With increasing numbers of time blocks, this approach is likely to break down because of co-linearity and over-fitting. The new two-fold fully conditional specification (FCS) MI algorithm addresses these issues, by only conditioning on measurements, which are local in time. We describe and report the results of a novel simulation study to critically evaluate the two-fold FCS algorithm and its suitability for imputation of longitudinal electronic health records. After generating a full data set, approximately 70% of selected continuous and categorical variables were made missing completely at random in each of ten time blocks. Subsequently, we applied a simple time-to-event model. We compared efficiency of estimated coefficients from a complete records analysis, MI of data in the baseline time block and the two-fold FCS algorithm. The results show that the two-fold FCS algorithm maximises the use of data available, with the gain relative to baseline MI depending on the strength of correlations within and between variables. Using this approach also increases plausibility of the missing at random assumption by using repeated measures over time of variables whose baseline values may be missing. PMID:24782349

Pullout strength of bone-patellar tendon-bone allograft bone plugs: a comparison of cadaver tibia and rigid polyurethane foam.

PubMed

Barber, F Alan

2013-09-01

To compare the load-to-failure pullout strength of bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) allografts in human cadaver tibias and rigid polyurethane foam blocks. Twenty BPTB allografts were trimmed creating 25 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm tibial plugs. Ten-millimeter tunnels were drilled in 10 human cadaver tibias and 10 rigid polyurethane foam blocks. The BPTB anterior cruciate ligament allografts were inserted into these tunnels and secured with metal interference screws, with placement of 10 of each type in each material. After preloading (10 N), cyclic loading (500 cycles, 10 to 150 N at 200 mm/min) and load-to-failure testing (200 mm/min) were performed. The endpoints were ultimate failure load, cyclic loading elongation, and failure mode. No difference in ultimate failure load existed between grafts inserted into rigid polyurethane foam blocks (705 N) and those in cadaver tibias (669 N) (P = .69). The mean rigid polyurethane foam block elongation (0.211 mm) was less than that in tibial bone (0.470 mm) (P = .038), with a smaller standard deviation (0.07 mm for foam) than tibial bone (0.34 mm). All BPTB grafts successfully completed 500 cycles. The rigid polyurethane foam block showed less variation in test results than human cadaver tibias. Rigid polyurethane foam blocks provide an acceptable substitute for human cadaver bone tibia for biomechanical testing of BPTB allografts and offer near-equivalent results. Copyright © 2013 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

EnviroAtlas - Durham, NC - Domestic Water Use per Day by U.S. Census Block Group

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

As included in this EnviroAtlas dataset, the community domestic water use was calculated using locally available water use data per capita in gallons of water per day (GPD), distributed dasymetrically, and summarized by census block group. Domestic water use, as defined in this case, is intended to represent residential indoor and outdoor water use (e.g., cooking hygiene, landscaping, pools, etc.) for primary residences (i.e., excluding second homes and tourism rentals). For the purposes of this metric, these publicly-supplied estimates are also considered representative of local self-supplied water use. Specific to Durham, NC, the Division of Water Resources (DWR), part of the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources (NCDENR), has made local water supply plans centrally available online. All local governments are required to provide public water service. Community water systems with 1,000+ service connections or 3,000+ residents are required to prepare a local water supply plan. These plans include residential, also known as domestic, water usage. To account for variations due to weather, a ten-year average was calculated for Durham, Hillsborough, and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA), which supplies southeast Orange County, including Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The ten-year average included available data between 2000 and 2010. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. Envir

Biodegradable and thermosensitive monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid) hydrogel as a barrier for prevention of post-operative abdominal adhesion.

PubMed

Fu, Shao Zhi; Li, Zhi; Fan, Jun Ming; Meng, Xiao Hang; Shi, Kun; Qu, Ying; Yang, Ling Lin; Wu, Jing Bo; Fan, Juan; Luot, Feng; Qian, Zhi Yong

2014-03-01

Post-operative peritoneal adhesions are serious consequences of abdominal or pelvic surgery and cause severe bowel obstruction, chronic pelvic pain and infertility. In this study, a novel nano-hydrogel system based on a monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid) (MPEG-PLA) di-block copolymer was studied for its ability to prevent abdominal adhesion in rats. The MPEG-PLA hydrogel at a concentration of 40% (w/v) was injected and was able to adhere to defect sites at body temperature. The ability of the hydrogel to inhibit adhesion of post-operative tissues was evaluated by utilizing a rat model of abdominal sidewall-cecum abrasion. It was possible to heal wounded tissue through regeneration of neo-peritoneal tissues ten days after surgery. Our data showed that this hydrogel system is equally as effective as current commercialized anti-adhesive products.

Subwavelength grating enabled on-chip ultra-compact optical true time delay line

PubMed Central

Wang, Junjia; Ashrafi, Reza; Adams, Rhys; Glesk, Ivan; Gasulla, Ivana; Capmany, José; Chen, Lawrence R.

2016-01-01

An optical true time delay line (OTTDL) is a basic photonic building block that enables many microwave photonic and optical processing operations. The conventional design for an integrated OTTDL that is based on spatial diversity uses a length-variable waveguide array to create the optical time delays, which can introduce complexities in the integrated circuit design. Here we report the first ever demonstration of an integrated index-variable OTTDL that exploits spatial diversity in an equal length waveguide array. The approach uses subwavelength grating waveguides in silicon-on-insulator (SOI), which enables the realization of OTTDLs having a simple geometry and that occupy a compact chip area. Moreover, compared to conventional wavelength-variable delay lines with a few THz operation bandwidth, our index-variable OTTDL has an extremely broad operation bandwidth practically exceeding several tens of THz, which supports operation for various input optical signals with broad ranges of central wavelength and bandwidth. PMID:27457024

Subwavelength grating enabled on-chip ultra-compact optical true time delay line.

PubMed

Wang, Junjia; Ashrafi, Reza; Adams, Rhys; Glesk, Ivan; Gasulla, Ivana; Capmany, José; Chen, Lawrence R

2016-07-26

An optical true time delay line (OTTDL) is a basic photonic building block that enables many microwave photonic and optical processing operations. The conventional design for an integrated OTTDL that is based on spatial diversity uses a length-variable waveguide array to create the optical time delays, which can introduce complexities in the integrated circuit design. Here we report the first ever demonstration of an integrated index-variable OTTDL that exploits spatial diversity in an equal length waveguide array. The approach uses subwavelength grating waveguides in silicon-on-insulator (SOI), which enables the realization of OTTDLs having a simple geometry and that occupy a compact chip area. Moreover, compared to conventional wavelength-variable delay lines with a few THz operation bandwidth, our index-variable OTTDL has an extremely broad operation bandwidth practically exceeding several tens of THz, which supports operation for various input optical signals with broad ranges of central wavelength and bandwidth.

Revealing the Chemistry between Band Gap and Binding Energy for Lead-/Tin-Based Trihalide Perovskite Solar Cell Semiconductors.

PubMed

Varadwaj, Arpita; Varadwaj, Pradeep R; Yamashita, Koichi

2018-01-23

A relationship between reported experimental band gaps (solid) and DFT-calculated binding energies (gas) is established, for the first time, for each of the four ten-membered lead (or tin) trihalide perovskite solar cell semiconductor series examined in this study, including CH 3 NH 3 PbY 3 , CsPbY 3 , CH 3 NH 3 SnY 3 and CsSnY 3 (Y=I (3-x) Br x=1-3 , I (3-x) Cl x=1-3 , Br (3-x) Cl x=1-3 , and IBrCl). The relationship unequivocally provides a new dimension for the fundamental understanding of the optoelectronic features of solid-state solar cell thin films by using the 0 K gas-phase energetics of the corresponding molecular building blocks. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Performance Evaluation of Frequency Transform Based Block Classification of Compound Image Segmentation Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selwyn, Ebenezer Juliet; Florinabel, D. Jemi

2018-04-01

Compound image segmentation plays a vital role in the compression of computer screen images. Computer screen images are images which are mixed with textual, graphical, or pictorial contents. In this paper, we present a comparison of two transform based block classification of compound images based on metrics like speed of classification, precision and recall rate. Block based classification approaches normally divide the compound images into fixed size blocks of non-overlapping in nature. Then frequency transform like Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) are applied over each block. Mean and standard deviation are computed for each 8 × 8 block and are used as features set to classify the compound images into text/graphics and picture/background block. The classification accuracy of block classification based segmentation techniques are measured by evaluation metrics like precision and recall rate. Compound images of smooth background and complex background images containing text of varying size, colour and orientation are considered for testing. Experimental evidence shows that the DWT based segmentation provides significant improvement in recall rate and precision rate approximately 2.3% than DCT based segmentation with an increase in block classification time for both smooth and complex background images.

Obsessive-compulsive tendencies are associated with a focused information processing strategy.

PubMed

Soref, Assaf; Dar, Reuven; Argov, Galit; Meiran, Nachshon

2008-12-01

The study examined the hypothesis that obsessive-compulsive (OC) tendencies are related to a reliance on focused and serial rather than a parallel, speed-oriented information processing style. Ten students with high OC tendencies and 10 students with low OC tendencies performed the flanker task, in which they were required to quickly classify a briefly presented target letter (S or H) that was flanked by compatible (e.g., SSSSS) or incompatible (e.g., HHSHH) noise letters. Participants received 4 blocks of 100 trials each, two with 50% compatible trials and two with 80% compatible trials and were informed of the probability of compatible trials before the beginning of each block. As predicted, high OC participants, as compared to low OC participants, had slower overall reaction time (RT) and lower tendency for parallel processing (defined as incompatible trials RT minus compatible trials RT). Low, more than high OC participants tended to adjust their focused/parallel processing including a shift towards parallel processing in blocks with 80% compatible trials and in trials following compatible trials. Implications of these results to the cognitive theory and therapy of OCD are discussed.

Effect of four over-the-counter tooth-whitening products on enamel microhardness.

PubMed

Majeed, A; Grobler, S R; Moola, M H; Oberholzer, T G

2011-10-01

This in vitro study evaluated the effect of four over-the-counter tooth-whitening products on enamel microhardness. Fifty enamel blocks were prepared from extracted human molar teeth. The enamel surfaces were polished up to 1200 grit fineness and the specimens randomly divided into five groups. Enamel blocks were exposed to: Rapid White (n=10); Absolute White (n=10); Speed White (n=10) and White Glo (n=10) whitening products, according to the manufacturers' instructions. As control, ten enamel blocks were kept in artificial saliva at 37 degrees C without any treatment. Microhardness values were obtained before exposure (baseline) and after 1, 7 and 14-day treatment periods using a digital hardness tester with a Vickers diamond indenter. Data were analysed using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum Test, one-way ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer Multiple Comparison Test (p<0.05). Both Rapid White and Absolute White reduced enamel microhardness. Speed White increased the microhardness of enamel, while White Glo and artificial saliva had no effect on hardness. Over-the-counter tooth-whitening products might decrease enamel microhardness depending on the type of product.

Block-Based Connected-Component Labeling Algorithm Using Binary Decision Trees

PubMed Central

Chang, Wan-Yu; Chiu, Chung-Cheng; Yang, Jia-Horng

2015-01-01

In this paper, we propose a fast labeling algorithm based on block-based concepts. Because the number of memory access points directly affects the time consumption of the labeling algorithms, the aim of the proposed algorithm is to minimize neighborhood operations. Our algorithm utilizes a block-based view and correlates a raster scan to select the necessary pixels generated by a block-based scan mask. We analyze the advantages of a sequential raster scan for the block-based scan mask, and integrate the block-connected relationships using two different procedures with binary decision trees to reduce unnecessary memory access. This greatly simplifies the pixel locations of the block-based scan mask. Furthermore, our algorithm significantly reduces the number of leaf nodes and depth levels required in the binary decision tree. We analyze the labeling performance of the proposed algorithm alongside that of other labeling algorithms using high-resolution images and foreground images. The experimental results from synthetic and real image datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is faster than other methods. PMID:26393597

Spinal anesthesia: a comparison of procaine and lidocaine.

PubMed

Le Truong, H H; Girard, M; Drolet, P; Grenier, Y; Boucher, C; Bergeron, L

2001-05-01

To compare spinal procaine to spinal lidocaine with regard to their main clinical characteristics and incidence of transient radicular irritation (TRI). In this randomized, double-blind, prospective study, patients (two groups, n=30 each) received either 100 mg of lidocaine 5% in 7.5% glucose (Group L) or 100 mg of procaine 10% diluted with 1 ml cerebrospinal fluid (Group P). After spinal anesthesia, segmental level of sensory block was assessed by pinprick. Blood pressure and the height of the block were noted each minute for the first ten minutes, then every three minutes for the next 35 min and finally every five minutes until regression of the block to L4. Motor blockade was evaluated using the Bromage scale. To evaluate the presence of TRI, each patient was questioned 48 hr after surgery. Time to highest sensory level and to maximum number of segments blocked showed no difference between groups. Mean time for sensory regression to T10 and for regression of the motor block were shorter in Group P. Eighty minutes following injection, sensory levels were lower in Group P. Five patients had inadequate surgical anesthesia in Group P and only one in Group L. No patient in Group P had TRI (95% CI 10-12%) while eight (27%) in Group L did (95% CI 12-46%). Procaine 10% was associated with a clinical failure rate of 14.2%. This characteristic must be balanced against an absence of TRI, which occurs more frequently with the use of lidocaine 5%.

Radiological study to evaluate the spreading of two volumes (10 vs. 20ml) of radiological contrast in the block of cutaneous branches of intercostal nerves in medial axillary line (BRILMA) in a porcine experimental model.

PubMed

Varela, O; Melone, A; López-Menchaca, R; Sevilla, R; Callejo, D; López-Álvarez, S; Román Fernández, A; García, S; Mantilla, I; Zaballos, M

2018-06-07

Interfascial blocks of the thoracic wall are being developed as an alternative to central blocks in breast surgery. However, there are few studies that have evaluated the anatomical extension of the local anaesthetic. The objective of this study was to analyse, using fluoroscopy, the spreading of two volumes (10 vs. 20ml) of radiological contrast in the serratus-intercostal plane block in an experimental pig model. Ten Large-White breed pigs were selected to have a bilateral ultrasound serratus-intercostal plane block performed, with the administering of 10ml and 20ml of iopamidol in the right and left hemithorax, respectively. The spreading of contrast was analysed by fluoroscopy. The Spearman test correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between the administered volume and radiological spreading. A value of P<.05 was considered significant. Twenty anaesthetic blocks were performed, being able to analyse 18 of them. The administration of 10ml of contrast was associated with a mean spreading of 2.28±0.31 (95% CI; 2.01-2.54) intercostal spaces, while the administration of 20ml showed a spreading of 3±0.25 (95% CI; 2.81-3.18) intercostal spaces. There was a significant correlation between the injected volume and the spreading of the contrast (Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.81; P=.0001). The results showed a spreading of volume subject to the serratus-intercostal plane block, although not maintaining a 1:1 ratio. Doubling the volume increased the blocked segments by 31%. These findings, if corroborated in the clinical practice, would allow a more precise adjustment in the anaesthetic volume administered. Copyright © 2018 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Landslides triggered by the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harp, E.L.; Jibson, R.W.

1996-01-01

The 17 January 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake (Mw, = 6.7) triggered more than 11,000 landslides over an area of about 10,000 km2. Most of the landslides were concentrated in a 1000-km2 area that included the Santa Susana Mountains and the mountains north of the Santa Clara River valley. We mapped landslides triggered by the earthquake in the field and from 1:60,000-nominal-scale aerial photography provided by the U.S. Air Force and taken the morning of the earthquake; these mapped landslides were subsequently digitized and plotted in a GIS-based format. Most of the triggered landslides were shallow (1- to 5-m thick), highly disrupted falls and slides within weakly cemented Tertiary to Pleistocene clastic sediment. Average volumes of these types of landslides were less than 1000 m3, but many had volumes exceeding 100,000 m3. The larger disrupted slides commonly had runout paths of more than 50 m, and a few traveled as far as 200 m from the bases of steep parent slopes. Deeper (>5-m thick) rotational slumps and block slides numbered in the tens to perhaps hundreds, a few of which exceeded 100,000 m3 in volume. Most of these were reactivations of previously existing landslides. The largest single landslide triggered by the earthquake was a rotational slump/block slide having a volume of 8 ?? 106 m3. Analysis of the mapped landslide distribution with respect to variations in (1) landslide susceptibility and (2) strong shaking recorded by hundreds of instruments will form the basis of a seismic landslide hazard analysis of the Los Angeles area.

Greek marbles: determination of provenance by isotopic analysis.

PubMed

Craig, H; Craig, V

1972-04-28

A study has been made of carbon-13 and oxygen-18 variations in Greek marbles from the ancient quarry localities of Naxos, Paros, Mount Hymettus, and Mount Pentelikon. Parian, Hymettian, and Pentelic marbles can be clearly distinguished by the isotopic relationships; Naxian marbles fall into two groups characterized by different oxygen-18/oxygen-16 ratios. Ten archeological samples were also analyzed; the isotopic data indicate that the "Theseion" is made of Pentelic marble and a block in the Treasury of Siphnos at Delphi is probably Parian marble.

Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir. Archeological Survey and Reconnaissance within the Ten-Year Flood Pool. Part 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-01-01

Mk H imm—mmp mad IdiUltr by block numb*) ■ Whis is a report of an archeological survey and recommaissance conducted at the Harry S. Truman Dam and...Conference. Chomko, Stephen A. 1976 The Phillips Spring äite: Harry S. Truman Reservoir. Report to the Nations • Park Service, Illinois State Museum...Society. 1977 Archaeological test excavations in the Harry S. Truman Reservoir, Missouri: 1975. Report submitted to U. S. Army Corps of Engineers

Cultural Resources Survey, Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir Project, Missouri. Volume 4. The Archeological Survey

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-02-01

by block numb»r> Th« ten volumes report Che results of a cultural resources survey in the Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir Proiect, Henry, Benton...It has been emphasized throughout this report that a research oriented approach has been taken to the arche- ological survey of the Harry S...assess the reliability of the survey. This chapter has therefore had two purposes: (1) to report the findings of the archeological survey of the Harry

GENERAL VIEW, WEST SIDE OF UBER STREET FROM SUSQUEHANNA AVENUE, ...

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

GENERAL VIEW, WEST SIDE OF UBER STREET FROM SUSQUEHANNA AVENUE, LOOKING SOUTHWEST. THE PHILADELPHIA REAL ESTATE RECORD AND BUILDERS’ GUIDE ANNOUNCED IN AUGUST 1886 THAT A “COL. FLOOD” HAD “JUST FINISHED” THIRTY-TWO NINE AND TEN-ROOM HOUSES ON UBER STREET, SIXTEEN ON EACH SIDE ARRANGED IN EIGHT PAIRS OF TWO. WILLIS G. HALE WAS THE ARCHITECT USED FOR THE PROJECT. - 2100 Block North Uber Street (Houses), East & west sides between Diamond Street & Susquehanna Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

The Molecular Anatomy of PFDA Hepatotoxicity as Studied by Two- Dimensional Electrophoresis.

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-03

Available Copy 93 06 124 Page 3 INTRODUCTION Perfluoro -n-decanoic acid ( PFDA ) is a ten carbon straight-chain perfluorinated carboxylic acid whose surfactant...Rats were injected with a single intraperitoneal dose of 2, 20, 50, or 100 mg PFDA /kg body weight; 75, 100, 150 mg PFOA /kg (eight carbon analog); or 3...TERMS (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) FIELD IGROUP SUB-GROUP perfluoro -n-decanoic acid; two-dimensional electro- P

Rapid transitions between defect configurations in a block copolymer melt.

PubMed

Tsarkova, Larisa; Knoll, Armin; Magerle, Robert

2006-07-01

With in situ scanning force microscopy, we image the ordering of cylindrical microdomains in a thin film of a diblock copolymer melt. Tracking the evolution of individual defects reveals elementary steps of defect motion via interfacial undulations and repetitive transitions between distinct defect configurations on a time scale of tens of seconds. The velocity of these transitions suggests a cooperative movement of clusters of chains. The activation energy for the opening/closing of a connection between two cylinders is estimated.

Updated Starshade Technology Gap List

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crill, Brendan P.; Siegler, Nicholas

2017-01-01

NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) guides the development of technology that enables the direct imaging and characterization of exo-Earths in the habitable zone of their stars, for future space observatories. Here we present the Starshade portion of the 2017 ExEP Enabling Technology Gap List, an annual update to ExEP's list of of technology to be advanced in the next 1-5 years. A Starshade is an external occulter on an independent spacecraft, allowing a space telescope to achieve exo-Earth imaging contrast requirements by blocking starlight before it enters the telescope. Building and operating a Starshade requires new technology: the occulter is a structure tens of meters in diameter that must be positioned precisely at a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers from the telescope. We review the current state-of-the-art performance and the performance level that must be achieved for a Starshade.

Reimplantation of the resected tumour-bearing segment after recycling using liquid nitrogen for osteosarcoma.

PubMed

Abdel Rahman, Mohamed; Bassiony, Ayman; Shalaby, Hisham

2009-10-01

Reconstruction after en block resection of malignant tumours is still the subject of debate. We questioned the effectiveness of reconstruction by reimplanting the tumour-bearing segment after recycling in liquid nitrogen. Ten patients with osteosarcoma around the knee were included, with a mean age of 21 years. The operative technique included wide en bloc excision, debridement, and management of the resected segment with liquid nitrogen followed by reimplantation and internal fixation. At a mean follow-up of 4.5 years there was no local or systemic recurrence and the mean functional score was 82.4%. The frozen graft united proximally and distally in all but one patient in a period ranging from six to ten months. The effectiveness of this reconstruction technique in properly selected patients with osteosarcoma is comparable to other techniques of biological reconstruction with the added benefit of being simple, cheap and durable.

Block Copolymers: Synthesis and Applications in Nanotechnology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lou, Qin

This study is focused on the synthesis and study of (block) copolymers using reversible deactivation radical polymerizations (RDRPs), including atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. In particular, two primary areas of study are undertaken: (1) a proof-of-concept application of lithographic block copolymers, and (2) the mechanistic study of the deposition of titania into block copolymer templates for the production of well-ordered titania nanostructures. Block copolymers have the ability to undergo microphase separation, with an average size of each microphase ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers. As such, block copolymers have been widely considered for nanotechnological applications over the past two decades. The development of materials for various nanotechnologies has become an increasingly studied area as improvements in many applications, such as those found in the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries are constantly being sought. Significant growth in developments of new synthetic methods ( i.e. RDRPs) has allowed the production of block copolymers with molecular (and sometimes atomic) definition. In turn, this has greatly expanded the use of block copolymers in nanotechnology. Herein, we describe the synthesis of statistical and block copolymers of 193 nm photolithography methacrylate and acrylate resist monomers with norbornyl and adamantyl moieties using RAFT polymerization.. For these resist (block) copolymers, the phase separation behaviors were examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). End groups were removed from the polymers to avoid complications during the photolithography since RAFT end groups absorb visible light. Poly(glycidyl methacrylate-block-polystyrene) (PGMA-b-PS) was synthesize by ATRP and demonstrated that this block copolymer acts as both a lithographic UV (365 nm) photoresist and a self-assembly material. The PGMA segments can undergo cationic ring-opening crosslinking and can act as a negative-tone photoresist. The PGMA-b-PS thin films were also studied for phase separation with ˜25 nm patterns using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Poly(styrene-block-4-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) block copolymer thin films are shown to form perpendicular cylinder phase separated structures, and these may be used to template the formation of ordered titania nanostructures with sub-50 nm diameters on either silicon or indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates. A study of the mechanism of TiO2 formation within the P4VP cylinder phase was developed and tested. It was found that the titania nanostructure morphology is affected by pH and deposition temperatures, and successful deposition required the cross-linking of the P4VP phase in order to obtain individual nanostructures.

Efficacy of a vaccine and a direct-fed microbial against fecal shedding of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in a randomized pen-level field trial of commercial feedlot cattle.

PubMed

Cull, Charley A; Paddock, Zachary D; Nagaraja, T G; Bello, Nora M; Babcock, Abram H; Renter, David G

2012-09-21

Our primary objective was to determine the efficacy of a siderophore receptor and porin proteins-based vaccine (VAC) and a Lactobacillus acidophilus-based direct-fed microbial (DFM) against fecal shedding of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in commercial feedlot cattle fed a corn grain-based diet with 25% distiller's grains. Cattle projected to be on a finishing diet during the summer were randomly allocated into 40 study pens within ten blocks based on allocation dates. Blocks were complete; each of the four pens within a block was randomly assigned one treatment: control, VAC, DFM, or VAC+DFM. The DFM was fed (10⁶CFU/animal/day of Lactobacillus) throughout the study periods (84-88 days) and cattle were vaccinated at enrollment and again three weeks later. Fresh fecal samples (30/pen) from pen floors were collected weekly for four consecutive weeks (study days 52-77). Two concurrent culture procedures were used to enable estimates of E. coli O157:H7 shedding prevalence and prevalence of high shedders. From 4800 total samples, 1522 (31.7%) were positive for E. coli O157:H7 and 169 (3.5%) were considered high shedders. Pen-level linear mixed models were used for data analyses. There were no significant interactions among treatments and time of sampling. However, vaccinated pens had lower (P<0.01) overall prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 (model-adjusted mean ± SEM=17.4 ± 3.95%) and lower (P<0.01) prevalence of high shedders (0.95 ± 0.26%) than unvaccinated pens (37.0 ± 6.32% and 4.19 ± 0.81%, respectively). There was no evidence of a DFM effect on either measure of E. coli O157:H7 shedding. Results indicate that a two-dose regimen of the vaccine significantly reduces fecal prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 (vaccine efficacy of 53.0%) and prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 high shedders (vaccine efficacy of 77.3%) in commercial feedlot cattle reared in the summer on a finishing diet with 25% distiller's grains. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protein based Block Copolymers

PubMed Central

Rabotyagova, Olena S.; Cebe, Peggy; Kaplan, David L.

2011-01-01

Advances in genetic engineering have led to the synthesis of protein-based block copolymers with control of chemistry and molecular weight, resulting in unique physical and biological properties. The benefits from incorporating peptide blocks into copolymer designs arise from the fundamental properties of proteins to adopt ordered conformations and to undergo self-assembly, providing control over structure formation at various length scales when compared to conventional block copolymers. This review covers the synthesis, structure, assembly, properties, and applications of protein-based block copolymers. PMID:21235251

Directional filtering for block recovery using wavelet features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyun, Seung H.; Eom, Il K.; Kim, Yoo S.

2005-07-01

When images compressed with block-based compression techniques are transmitted over a noisy channel, unexpected block losses occur. Conventional methods that do not consider edge directions can cause blocked blurring artifacts. In this paper, we present a post-processing-based block recovery scheme using Haar wavelet features. The adaptive selection of neighboring blocks is performed based on the energy of wavelet subbands (EWS) and difference between DC values (DDC). The lost blocks are recovered by linear interpolation in the spatial domain using selected blocks. The method using only EWS performs well for horizontal and vertical edges, but not as well for diagonal edges. Conversely, only using DDC performs well for diagonal edges with the exception of line- or roof-type edge profiles. Therefore, we combine EWS and DDC for better results. The proposed directional recovery method is effective for the strong edge because exploit the varying neighboring blocks adaptively according to the edges and the directional information in the image. The proposed method outperforms the previous methods that used only fixed blocks.

Broadband high sound absorption from labyrinthine metasurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Huiting; Liu, Liu; Zhang, Chi; Hu, Xinhua

2018-04-01

Metamaterials are artificial structures which exhibit fascinating properties unreachable by traditional materials. Here, we report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of acoustic metasurfaces consisting of dead-end channels coiled in a 2D plane. It is found that when the area of the channel's cross section is about 1/10 of the area (4.3 cm × 4.3 cm) of the upper surface of the building block, the sound loss in channels approaches to a critical value, resulting in near-perfect absorption (A > 99%) at resonant frequency. When the building block contains ten channels with specially designed lengths, sound waves can be highly absorbed above a cutoff frequency fc (A > 90% for fc < f < 3fc). The wavelength at the cutoff frequency can be 7.1 times of the thickness of the metasurface. Our results could find applications in noise reduction and sound detection.

Natural supramolecular building blocks: from virus coat proteins to viral nanoparticles.

PubMed

Liu, Zhi; Qiao, Jing; Niu, Zhongwei; Wang, Qian

2012-09-21

Viruses belong to a fascinating class of natural supramolecular structures, composed of multiple copies of coat proteins (CPs) that assemble into different shapes with a variety of sizes from tens to hundreds of nanometres. Because of their advantages including simple/economic production, well-defined structural features, unique shapes and sizes, genetic programmability and robust chemistries, recently viruses and virus-like nanoparticles (VLPs) have been used widely in biomedical applications and materials synthesis. In this critical review, we highlight recent advances in the use of virus coat proteins (VCPs) and viral nanoparticles (VNPs) as building blocks in self-assembly studies and materials development. We first discuss the self-assembly of VCPs into VLPs, which can efficiently incorporate a variety of different materials as cores inside the viral protein shells. Then, the self-assembly of VNPs at surfaces or interfaces is summarized. Finally, we discuss the co-assembly of VNPs with different functional materials (178 references).

Results from the direct combination of satellite and gravimetric data. [orbit analysis and gravity anomalies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, R. H.

1974-01-01

Results have been obtained for the solution of 184 15-deg equal-area blocks directly from the analysis of satellite orbits, and from a combination of the satellite results with terrestrial gravity material. This test computation, made to verify the method, used 17,632 optical observations from ten satellites in 29 arcs averaging in length seven days. Analysis of the satellite results were made by comparing the solved for anomalies with the terrestrial anomaly set, and by developing the solved for anomalies into potential coefficients which were compared to the GEM 3 set of potential coefficients to degree 12. These comparisons indicated improvement in each solution as more arcs were added. The programs used in this solution can easily be used to solve for smaller size blocks and handle additional data types. The only limitation will be computer core availability and computer time.

A novel fractal image compression scheme with block classification and sorting based on Pearson's correlation coefficient.

PubMed

Wang, Jianji; Zheng, Nanning

2013-09-01

Fractal image compression (FIC) is an image coding technology based on the local similarity of image structure. It is widely used in many fields such as image retrieval, image denoising, image authentication, and encryption. FIC, however, suffers from the high computational complexity in encoding. Although many schemes are published to speed up encoding, they do not easily satisfy the encoding time or the reconstructed image quality requirements. In this paper, a new FIC scheme is proposed based on the fact that the affine similarity between two blocks in FIC is equivalent to the absolute value of Pearson's correlation coefficient (APCC) between them. First, all blocks in the range and domain pools are chosen and classified using an APCC-based block classification method to increase the matching probability. Second, by sorting the domain blocks with respect to APCCs between these domain blocks and a preset block in each class, the matching domain block for a range block can be searched in the selected domain set in which these APCCs are closer to APCC between the range block and the preset block. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme can significantly speed up the encoding process in FIC while preserving the reconstructed image quality well.

Program structure-based blocking

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

Bertolli, Carlo; Eichenberger, Alexandre E.; O'Brien, John K.

2017-09-26

Embodiments relate to program structure-based blocking. An aspect includes receiving source code corresponding to a computer program by a compiler of a computer system. Another aspect includes determining a prefetching section in the source code by a marking module of the compiler. Yet another aspect includes performing, by a blocking module of the compiler, blocking of instructions located in the prefetching section into instruction blocks, such that the instruction blocks of the prefetching section only contain instructions that are located in the prefetching section.

Assessing delay and lag in sagittal trunk control using a tracking task.

PubMed

Reeves, N Peter; Luis, Abraham; Chan, Elizabeth C; Sal Y Rosas, Victor G; Tanaka, Martin L

2018-05-17

Slower trunk muscle responses are linked to back pain and injury. Unfortunately, clinical assessments of spine function do not objectively evaluate this important attribute, which reflects speed of trunk control. Speed of trunk control can be parsed into two components: (1) delay, the time it takes to initiate a movement, and (2) lag, the time it takes to execute a movement once initiated. The goal of this study is to demonstrate a new approach to assess delay and lag in trunk control using a simple tracking task. Ten healthy subjects performed four blocks of six trials of trunk tracking in the sagittal plane. Delay and lag were estimated by modeling trunk control for predictable and unpredictable (control mode) trunk movements in flexion and extension (control direction) at movement amplitudes of 2°, 4°, and 6° (control amplitude). The main effect of control mode, direction, and amplitude of movement were compared between trial blocks to assess secondary influencers (e.g., fatigue). Only control mode was consistent across trial blocks with predictable movements being faster than unpredictable for both delay and lag. Control direction and amplitude effects on delay and lag were consistent across the first two trial blocks and less consistent in later blocks. Given the heterogeneity in the presentation of back pain, clinical assessment of trunk control should include different control modes, directions, and amplitudes. To reduce testing time and the influence of fatigue, we recommend six trials to assess trunk control. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Observation of nanometer-sized electro-active defects in insulating layers by fluorescence microscopy and electrochemistry.

PubMed

Renault, Christophe; Marchuk, Kyle; Ahn, Hyun S; Titus, Eric J; Kim, Jiyeon; Willets, Katherine A; Bard, Allen J

2015-06-02

We report a method to study electro-active defects in passivated electrodes. This method couples fluorescence microscopy and electrochemistry to localize and size electro-active defects. The method was validated by comparison with a scanning probe technique, scanning electrochemical microscopy. We used our method for studying electro-active defects in thin TiO2 layers electrodeposited on 25 μm diameter Pt ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs). The permeability of the TiO2 layer was estimated by measuring the oxidation of ferrocenemethanol at the UME. Blocking of current ranging from 91.4 to 99.8% was achieved. Electro-active defects with an average radius ranging between 9 and 90 nm were observed in these TiO2 blocking layers. The distribution of electro-active defects over the TiO2 layer is highly inhomogeneous and the number of electro-active defect increases for lower degree of current blocking. The interest of the proposed technique is the possibility to quickly (less than 15 min) image samples as large as several hundreds of μm(2) while being able to detect electro-active defects of only a few tens of nm in radius.

Block Copolymer Micelles for Photonic Fluids and Crystals.

PubMed

Poutanen, Mikko; Guidetti, Giulia; Gröschel, Tina I; Borisov, Oleg V; Vignolini, Silvia; Ikkala, Olli; Gröschel, Andre H

2018-04-24

Block copolymer micelles (BCMs) are self-assembled nanoparticles in solution with a collapsed core and a brush-like stabilizing corona typically in the size range of tens of nanometers. Despite being widely studied in various fields of science and technology, their ability to form structural colors at visible wavelength has not received attention, mainly due to the stringent length requirements of photonic lattices. Here, we describe the precision assembly of BCMs with superstretched corona, yet with narrow size distribution to qualify as building blocks for tunable and reversible micellar photonic fluids (MPFs) and micellar photonic crystals (MPCs). The BCMs form free-flowing MPFs with an average interparticle distance of 150-300 nm as defined by electrosteric repulsion arising from the highly charged and stretched corona. Under quiescent conditions, millimeter-sized MPCs with classical FCC lattice grow within the photonic fluid-medium upon refinement of the positional order of the BCMs. We discuss the generic properties of MPCs with special emphasis on surprisingly narrow reflected wavelengths with full width at half-maximum (fwhm) as small as 1 nm. We expect this concept to open a generic and facile way for self-assembled tunable micellar photonic structures.

Excitation-based and informational masking of a tonal signal in a four-tone masker.

PubMed

Leibold, Lori J; Hitchens, Jack J; Buss, Emily; Neff, Donna L

2010-04-01

This study examined contributions of peripheral excitation and informational masking to the variability in masking effectiveness observed across samples of multi-tonal maskers. Detection thresholds were measured for a 1000-Hz signal presented simultaneously with each of 25, four-tone masker samples. Using a two-interval, forced-choice adaptive task, thresholds were measured with each sample fixed throughout trial blocks for ten listeners. Average thresholds differed by as much as 26 dB across samples. An excitation-based model of partial loudness [Moore, B. C. J. et al. (1997). J. Audio Eng. Soc. 45, 224-237] was used to predict thresholds. These predictions accounted for a significant portion of variance in the data of several listeners, but no relation between the model and data was observed for many listeners. Moreover, substantial individual differences, on the order of 41 dB, were observed for some maskers. The largest individual differences were found for maskers predicted to produce minimal excitation-based masking. In subsequent conditions, one of five maskers was randomly presented in each interval. The difference in performance for samples with low versus high predicted thresholds was reduced in random compared to fixed conditions. These findings are consistent with a trading relation whereby informational masking is largest for conditions in which excitation-based masking is smallest.

Preemptive Analgesic Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on Postoperative Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Eidy, Mohammad; Fazel, Mohammad Reza; Janzamini, Monir; Haji Rezaei, Mostafa; Moravveji, Ali Reza

2016-04-01

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological analgesic method used to control different types of pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of preoperative TENS on post inguinal hernia repair pain. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed on 66 male patients with unilateral inguinal hernias who were admitted to the Shahid Beheshti hospital in Kashan, Iran, from April to October 2014. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling method and were assigned to intervention (n = 33) and control (n = 33) groups using permuted-block randomization. Patients in the intervention group were treated with TENS 1 hour before surgery, while the placebo was administered to patients in the control group. All of the patients underwent inguinal hernia repair by the Lichtenstein method, and pain intensity was evaluated at 2, 4, 6, and 12 hours after surgery using a visual analogue scale. Additionally, the amounts of analgesic administered by pump were calculated and compared between the two groups. The mean estimated postoperative pain intensity was 6.21 ± 1.63 in the intervention group and 5.45 ± 1.82 in the control group (P = 0.08). In the intervention group pain intensity at 2 and 4 hours after surgery were 3.54 ± 1.48 and 5.12 ± 1.41 (P < 0.001), respectively. In the control group these values were 4.0±1.5 and 4.76 ± 1.39 (P = 0.04), respectively. No significant differences were observed in mean pain intensities at 6 and 12 hours. TENS can reduce postoperative pain in the early hours after inguinal hernia repair surgery.

Preemptive Analgesic Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on Postoperative Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Eidy, Mohammad; Fazel, Mohammad Reza; Janzamini, Monir; Haji Rezaei, Mostafa; Moravveji, Ali Reza

2016-01-01

Background Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological analgesic method used to control different types of pain. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of preoperative TENS on post inguinal hernia repair pain. Patients and Methods This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed on 66 male patients with unilateral inguinal hernias who were admitted to the Shahid Beheshti hospital in Kashan, Iran, from April to October 2014. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling method and were assigned to intervention (n = 33) and control (n = 33) groups using permuted-block randomization. Patients in the intervention group were treated with TENS 1 hour before surgery, while the placebo was administered to patients in the control group. All of the patients underwent inguinal hernia repair by the Lichtenstein method, and pain intensity was evaluated at 2, 4, 6, and 12 hours after surgery using a visual analogue scale. Additionally, the amounts of analgesic administered by pump were calculated and compared between the two groups. Results The mean estimated postoperative pain intensity was 6.21 ± 1.63 in the intervention group and 5.45 ± 1.82 in the control group (P = 0.08). In the intervention group pain intensity at 2 and 4 hours after surgery were 3.54 ± 1.48 and 5.12 ± 1.41 (P < 0.001), respectively. In the control group these values were 4.0±1.5 and 4.76 ± 1.39 (P = 0.04), respectively. No significant differences were observed in mean pain intensities at 6 and 12 hours. Conclusions TENS can reduce postoperative pain in the early hours after inguinal hernia repair surgery. PMID:27275401

Teaching strategies and student achievement in high school block scheduled biology classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louden, Cynthia Knapp

The objectives of this study included determining whether teachers in block or traditionally scheduled biology classes (1) implement inquiry-based instruction more often or with different methods, (2) understand the concept of inquiry-based instruction as it is described in the National Science Standards, (3) have classes with significantly different student achievement, and (4) believe that their school schedule facilitates their use of inquiry-based instruction in the classroom. Biology teachers in block and non-block scheduled classes were interviewed, surveyed, and observed to determine the degree to which they implement inquiry-based instructional practices in their classrooms. State biology exams were used to indicate student achievement. Teachers in block scheduled and traditional classes used inquiry-based instruction with nearly the same frequency. Approximately 30% of all teachers do not understand the concept of inquiry-based instruction as described by the National Science Standards. No significant achievement differences between block and traditionally scheduled biology classes were found using ANCOVA analyses and a nonequivalent control-group quasi-experimental design. Using the same analysis techniques, significant achievement differences were found between biology classes with teachers who used inquiry-based instruction frequently and infrequently. Teachers in block schedules believed that their schedules facilitated inquiry-based instruction more than teachers in traditional schedules.

Lifetime Fluorescence and Raman Imaging for Detection of Wound Failure and Heterotopic Ossification

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

containing ten bandpass filters ( Semrock Fluorescence filters) centered at: 407nm, 434 nm, 465 nm, 494 nm, 520 nm, 542 nm, 572 nm, 605 nm, 652 nm, 676 nm...meat (~2 - 3 mm thickness), and a bottom piece (~8 mm). The system was built around an 852 nm tunable narrow-band optical filter ( Semrock , LL01-852...optical filters to block light that falls outside the detection band: 785 nm notch filter ( Semrock , NF03-785E-25), and a bandpass filter at 842 nm

Cultural Resources Survey, Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir Project, Missouri. Volume 9. Preliminary Studies of Early and Middle Archaic Components.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-02-01

masim y an Identify by block number,) The ten volumes report the results of a cultural resources survev in the Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir...UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA 1983 j .9!!: *. 1 REPORTS CF THE ’C". CULr.JPAL RESOURCES SURVEY HARRY S. TRUMAN DM AND PRESERVOIR PROJECT volume I...and Surficial Geology of the Harry S. Truman Reservoir Area, West Central Missouri, by R. A. Ward and T. L. Thompson, pp. 1-21 Part II: Report on

47 CFR 90.683 - EA-based SMR system operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... operate base stations using any of the base station frequencies identified in their spectrum block... use of frequencies identified in their spectrum block, including the provisions of § 90.619 relating... authorization for a previously authorized co-channel station within the EA licensee's spectrum block is...

47 CFR 90.683 - EA-based SMR system operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... operate base stations using any of the base station frequencies identified in their spectrum block... use of frequencies identified in their spectrum block, including the provisions of § 90.619 relating... authorization for a previously authorized co-channel station within the EA licensee's spectrum block is...

47 CFR 90.683 - EA-based SMR system operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... operate base stations using any of the base station frequencies identified in their spectrum block... use of frequencies identified in their spectrum block, including the provisions of § 90.619 relating... authorization for a previously authorized co-channel station within the EA licensee's spectrum block is...

Space technology for directly imaging and characterizing exo-Earths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crill, Brendan P.; Siegler, Nicholas

2017-09-01

The detection of Earth-like exoplanets in the habitable zone of their stars, and their spectroscopic characterization in a search for biosignatures, requires starlight suppression that exceeds the current best ground-based performance by orders of magnitude. The required planet/star brightness ratio of order 10-10 at visible wavelengths can be obtained by blocking stellar photons with an occulter, either externally (a starshade) or internally (a coronagraph) to the telescope system, and managing diffracted starlight, so as to directly image the exoplanet in reflected starlight. Coronagraph instruments require advancement in telescope aperture (either monolithic or segmented), aperture obscurations (obscured by secondary mirror and its support struts), and wavefront error sensitivity (e.g. line-of-sight jitter, telescope vibration, polarization). The starshade, which has never been used in a science application, benefits a mission by being decoupled from the telescope, allowing a loosening of telescope stability requirements. In doing so, it transfers the difficult technology from the telescope system to a large deployable structure (tens of meters to greater than 100 m in diameter) that must be positioned precisely at a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers from the telescope. We describe in this paper a roadmap to achieving the technological capability to search for biosignatures on an Earth-like exoplanet from a future space telescope. Two of these studies, HabEx and LUVOIR, include the direct imaging of Earth-sized habitable exoplanets as a central science theme.

A Possible Technology Development Path to Direct Imaging of Exo-Earths from Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegler, Nicholas

2018-01-01

We describe a possible roadmap to achieving the technological capability to search for biosignatures on an Earth-like exoplanet from a future space telescope. The detection of Earth-like exoplanets in the habitable zone of their stars, and their spectroscopic characterization in a search for biosignatures, requires starlight suppression that exceeds the current best ground-based performance by orders of magnitude. The required planet/star brightness ratio of order 1e-10 at visible wavelengths can be obtained by blocking stellar photons with an occulter, either externally (a starshade) or internally (a coronagraph) to the telescope system, and managing diffracted starlight, so as to directly image the exoplanet in reflected starlight. Coronagraph instruments require advancement in telescope aperture (either monolithic or segmented), aperture obscurations (obscured by secondary mirror and its support struts), and wavefront error sensitivity (e.g. line-of-sight jitter, telescope vibration, polarization). The starshade, which has never been used in a science application, benefits a mission by being decoupled from the telescope, allowing a loosening of telescope stability requirements. In doing so, it transfers the difficult technology from the telescope system to a large deployable structure (tens of meters to greater than ~ 100 m in diameter) that must be positioned precisely at a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers from the telescope. Two ongoing mission concept studies, HabEx and LUVOIR, include the direct imaging of Earth-sized habitable exoplanets as a central science theme.

Crustal block structure by GPS data using neural network in the Northern Tien Shan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostuk, A.; Carmenate, D.

2010-05-01

For over ten years regular GPS measurements have been carried out by Research Station RAS in the Central Asia. The results of these measurements have not only proved the conclusion that the Earth's crust meridional compression equals in total about 17 mm/year from the Tarim massif to the Kazakh shield, but have also allowed estimating deformation behavior in the region. As is known, deformation behavior of continental crust is an actively discussed issue. On the one hand, the Earth's crust is presented as a set of microplates (blocks) and deformation here is a result of shifting along the blocks boundaries, on the other hand, lithospheric deformation is distributed by volume and meets the rheological model of nonlinear viscous fluid. This work represents an attempt to detect the block structure of the surface of the Northern Tien Shan using GPS velocity fields. As a significant difference from analogous works, appears the vector field clustering with the help of neural network used as a classifier by many criteria that allows dividing input space into areas and using of all three components of GPS velocity. In this case, we use such a feature of neural networks as self-organization. Among the mechanisms of self-organization there are two main classes: self-organization based on the Hebb associative rule and the mechanism of neuronal competition based on the generalized Kohonen rule. In this case, we use an approach of self-organizing networks in which we take neuronal competition as an algorithm for their training. As a rule, these are single-layer networks where each neuron is connected to all components of m-dimensional input vector. GPS vectors of the Central Asian velocity field located within the territory of the Northern Tien Shan were used as input patterns. Measurements at GPS sites were fulfilled in 36 hour-long sessions by double-frequency receivers Trimble and Topcon. In so doing, measurement discreteness equaled 30 seconds; the data were processed by GAMITGLOBK programs. An overall period of measurements lasted from 1995 to 2005. Those GPS vectors were admitted to processing that had an estimated error no more than 1 mm per year for each of the three components. In general, an obtained cluster structure reflecting the block structure of the Earth's crust of the Northern Tien Shan is proved by the location of active faults. Certainly, the structure analysis of GPS velocity field is a rather complicated task that yet does not have a definite solution; however, obtained results indicate the possibility of using of neural networks for solving such a problem.

Single-stage plasma-based correlated energy spread compensation for ultrahigh 6D brightness electron beams

PubMed Central

Manahan, G. G.; Habib, A. F.; Scherkl, P.; Delinikolas, P.; Beaton, A.; Knetsch, A.; Karger, O.; Wittig, G.; Heinemann, T.; Sheng, Z. M.; Cary, J. R.; Bruhwiler, D. L.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Hidding, B.

2017-01-01

Plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration combines energy gains of tens of GeV m−1 with generation of ultralow emittance electron bunches, and opens a path towards 5D-brightness orders of magnitude larger than state-of-the-art. This holds great promise for compact accelerator building blocks and advanced light sources. However, an intrinsic by-product of the enormous electric field gradients inherent to plasma accelerators is substantial correlated energy spread—an obstacle for key applications such as free-electron-lasers. Here we show that by releasing an additional tailored escort electron beam at a later phase of the acceleration, when the witness bunch is relativistically stable, the plasma wave can be locally overloaded without compromising the witness bunch normalized emittance. This reverses the effective accelerating gradient, and counter-rotates the accumulated negative longitudinal phase space chirp of the witness bunch. Thereby, the energy spread is reduced by an order of magnitude, thus enabling the production of ultrahigh 6D-brightness beams. PMID:28580954

Optical beams with embedded vortices: building blocks for atom optics and quantum information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chattrapiban, N.; Arakelyan, I.; Mitra, S.; Hill, W. T., III

2006-05-01

Laser beams with embedded vortices, Bessel or Laguerre-Gaussian modes, provide a unique opportunity for creating elements for atom optics, entangling photons and, potentially, mediating novel quantum interconnects between photons and matter. High-order Bessel modes, for example, contain intensity voids and propagate nearly diffraction-free for tens of meters. These vortices can be exploited to produce dark channels oriented longitudinally (hollow beams) or transversely to the laser propagation direction. Such channels are ideal for generating networks or circuits to guide and manipulate cold neutral atoms, an essential requirement for realizing future applications associated with atom interferometry, atom lithography and even some neutral atom-based quantum computing architectures. Recently, we divided a thermal cloud of neutral atoms moving within a blue-detuned beam into two clouds with two different momenta by crossing two hollow beams. In this presentation, we will describe these results and discuss the prospects for extending the process to coherent ensembles of matter.

An integral-factorized implementation of the driven similarity renormalization group second-order multireference perturbation theory

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

Hannon, Kevin P.; Li, Chenyang; Evangelista, Francesco A., E-mail: francesco.evangelista@emory.edu

2016-05-28

We report an efficient implementation of a second-order multireference perturbation theory based on the driven similarity renormalization group (DSRG-MRPT2) [C. Li and F. A. Evangelista, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 11, 2097 (2015)]. Our implementation employs factorized two-electron integrals to avoid storage of large four-index intermediates. It also exploits the block structure of the reference density matrices to reduce the computational cost to that of second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory. Our new DSRG-MRPT2 implementation is benchmarked on ten naphthyne isomers using basis sets up to quintuple-ζ quality. We find that the singlet-triplet splittings (Δ{sub ST}) of the naphthyne isomers strongly depend onmore » the equilibrium structures. For a consistent set of geometries, the Δ{sub ST} values predicted by the DSRG-MRPT2 are in good agreements with those computed by the reduced multireference coupled cluster theory with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples.« less

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

Meikle, T.; Ballek, L.; Briggs, B.

This study investigates the cost effectiveness of three separate reclamation methods utilized in the long-term establishment of Big Sage (Artemisia tridentata va. wyomingensis). Direct seeding and planting with four cubic inch and ten cubic inch containerized stock were compared using five 36 square meter plots per treatment within a fenced randomized block. Seed plots were hand broadcast at a rate of 2 kilograms per hectare and mulched with certified weed-free wheat straw. Containerized stock plots were planted at a density of one per square meter. Controls with no seeding or planting were established to differentiate actual plant production/reproduction from seedmore » bank recruitment and migration from replaced topsoil and surrounding native areas. Stem density (stem/m{sup 2}), plant height (cm), and plant reproduction (seedlings/m{sup 2}) data will be gathered every spring and fall for three years (1994-1997). Final analysis of the data will relate establishment success to cost efficiency. This initial report on the study reviews only seedling establishment based on first year data.« less

Nanosheets of oxides and hydroxides: Ultimate 2D charge-bearing functional crystallites.

PubMed

Ma, Renzhi; Sasaki, Takayoshi

2010-12-01

A wide variety of cation-exchangeable layered transition metal oxides and their relatively rare counterparts, anion-exchangeable layered hydroxides, have been exfoliated into individual host layers, i.e., nanosheets. Exfoliation is generally achieved via a high degree of swelling, typically driven either by intercalation of bulky organic ions (quaternary ammonium cations, propylammonium cations, etc.) for the layered oxides or by solvation with organic solvents (formamide, butanol, etc.) for the hydroxides. Ultimate two-dimensional (2D) anisotropy for the nanosheets, with thickness of around one nanometer versus lateral size ranging from submicrometer to several tens of micrometers, allows them to serve either as an ideal quantum system for fundamental study or as a basic building block for functional assembly. The charge-bearing inorganic macromolecule-like nanosheets can be assembled or organized through various solution-based processing techniques (e.g., flocculation, electrostatic sequential deposition, or the Langmuir-Blodgett method) to produce a range of nanocomposites, multilayer nanofilms, and core-shell nanoarchitectures, which have great potential for electronic, magnetic, optical, photochemical, and catalytic applications.

Single-stage plasma-based correlated energy spread compensation for ultrahigh 6D brightness electron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manahan, G. G.; Habib, A. F.; Scherkl, P.; Delinikolas, P.; Beaton, A.; Knetsch, A.; Karger, O.; Wittig, G.; Heinemann, T.; Sheng, Z. M.; Cary, J. R.; Bruhwiler, D. L.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Hidding, B.

2017-06-01

Plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration combines energy gains of tens of GeV m-1 with generation of ultralow emittance electron bunches, and opens a path towards 5D-brightness orders of magnitude larger than state-of-the-art. This holds great promise for compact accelerator building blocks and advanced light sources. However, an intrinsic by-product of the enormous electric field gradients inherent to plasma accelerators is substantial correlated energy spread--an obstacle for key applications such as free-electron-lasers. Here we show that by releasing an additional tailored escort electron beam at a later phase of the acceleration, when the witness bunch is relativistically stable, the plasma wave can be locally overloaded without compromising the witness bunch normalized emittance. This reverses the effective accelerating gradient, and counter-rotates the accumulated negative longitudinal phase space chirp of the witness bunch. Thereby, the energy spread is reduced by an order of magnitude, thus enabling the production of ultrahigh 6D-brightness beams.

Friendly vertical housing: case of walk-up flat housing development in Yogyakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fosterharoldas Swasto, Deva

2018-03-01

In Yogyakarta Province, the local government have developed walk-up flats housing for more than ten years since the mid of the 2000s. Yogyakarta City and Sleman Regency was pioneering the construction with some blocks of flats in several locations. However, after this period, there is limited evaluation about the effectiveness of the occupancy. One of the issues is related to the sustainable housing development. Concerning this situation, it is proposed to examine how the development of walk-up flats housing in Yogyakarta City and Sleman Regency can be evaluated based on specific housing indicator, as a part of sustainable housing development concept. This paper would like to explore the phenomenon on how ‘friendly’ the flats is. The researcher will qualitatively asses variables from the walk-up flat cases in Yogyakarta City and Sleman Regency. The results suggested that the physical quality of the vertical housing situation could be enhanced to meet residents’ satisfaction.

Feasibility of blocking detection in observations from radio occultation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunner, Lukas; Steiner, Andrea Karin; Scherllin-Pirscher, Barbara; Jury, Martin

2015-04-01

Blocking describes an atmospheric situation in which the climatological westerly flow at mid latitudes is weakened or reversed. This is caused by a persistent high pressure system which can be stationary for several days to weeks. In the Northern Hemisphere blocking preferably occurs over the Atlantic/European and the Pacific regions. In recent years blocking has been under close scientific investigation due to its effect on weather extremes, triggering heat waves in summer and cold spells in winter. So far, scientific literature mainly focused on the investigation of blocking in reanalysis and global climate model data sets. However, blocking is underestimated in most climate models due to small-scale processes involved in its evolution. For a detection of blocking, most commonly applied methods are based on the computation of meridional geopotential height gradients at the 500 hPa level. Therefore measurements with adequate vertical, horizontal, and temporal resolution and coverage are required. We use an observational data set based on Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Occultation (RO) measurements fulfilling these requirements. RO is a relatively new, satellite based remote sensing technique, delivering profiles of atmospheric parameters such as geopotential height, pressure, and temperature. It is characterized by favorable properties like long-term stability, global coverage, and high vertical resolution. Our data set is based on the most recent WEGC RO retrieval. Here we report on a feasibility study for blocking detection and analysis in RO data for two exemplary blocking events: the blocking over Russia in summer 2010 and the blocking over Greenland in late winter 2013. For these two events about 700 RO measurements per day are available in the Northern Hemisphere. We will show that the measurement density and quality of RO observations are favorable for blocking analysis and can therefore contribute to blocking research.

Block-based scalable wavelet image codec

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Yiliang; Kuo, C.-C. Jay

1999-10-01

This paper presents a high performance block-based wavelet image coder which is designed to be of very low implementational complexity yet with rich features. In this image coder, the Dual-Sliding Wavelet Transform (DSWT) is first applied to image data to generate wavelet coefficients in fixed-size blocks. Here, a block only consists of wavelet coefficients from a single subband. The coefficient blocks are directly coded with the Low Complexity Binary Description (LCBiD) coefficient coding algorithm. Each block is encoded using binary context-based bitplane coding. No parent-child correlation is exploited in the coding process. There is also no intermediate buffering needed in between DSWT and LCBiD. The compressed bit stream generated by the proposed coder is both SNR and resolution scalable, as well as highly resilient to transmission errors. Both DSWT and LCBiD process the data in blocks whose size is independent of the size of the original image. This gives more flexibility in the implementation. The codec has a very good coding performance even the block size is (16,16).

The Effects of a Grouping by Tens Manipulative on Children's Strategy Use, Base Ten Understanding and Mathematical Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pagar, Dana

2013-01-01

Manipulatives have the potential to be powerful tools in helping children improve their number sense, develop advanced mathematical strategies, and build an understanding of the base ten number system. Physical manipulatives used in classrooms, however, are often not designed to promote efficient strategy use, such as counting on, and typically do…

A Novel Method for Block Size Forensics Based on Morphological Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Weiqi; Huang, Jiwu; Qiu, Guoping

Passive forensics analysis aims to find out how multimedia data is acquired and processed without relying on pre-embedded or pre-registered information. Since most existing compression schemes for digital images are based on block processing, one of the fundamental steps for subsequent forensics analysis is to detect the presence of block artifacts and estimate the block size for a given image. In this paper, we propose a novel method for blind block size estimation. A 2×2 cross-differential filter is first applied to detect all possible block artifact boundaries, morphological operations are then used to remove the boundary effects caused by the edges of the actual image contents, and finally maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE) is employed to estimate the block size. The experimental results evaluated on over 1300 nature images show the effectiveness of our proposed method. Compared with existing gradient-based detection method, our method achieves over 39% accuracy improvement on average.

The sizing of hamstring grafts for anterior cruciate reconstruction: intra- and inter-observer reliability.

PubMed

Dwyer, Tim; Whelan, Daniel B; Khoshbin, Amir; Wasserstein, David; Dold, Andrew; Chahal, Jaskarndip; Nauth, Aaron; Murnaghan, M Lucas; Ogilvie-Harris, Darrell J; Theodoropoulos, John S

2015-04-01

The objective of this study was to establish the intra- and inter-observer reliability of hamstring graft measurement using cylindrical sizing tubes. Hamstring tendons (gracilis and semitendinosus) were harvested from ten cadavers by a single surgeon and whip stitched together to create ten 4-strand hamstring grafts. Ten sports medicine surgeons and fellows sized each graft independently using either hollow cylindrical sizers or block sizers in 0.5-mm increments—the sizing technique used was applied consistently to each graft. Surgeons moved sequentially from graft to graft and measured each hamstring graft twice. Surgeons were asked to state the measured proximal (femoral) and distal (tibial) diameter of each graft, as well as the diameter of the tibial and femoral tunnels that they would drill if performing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using that graft. Reliability was established using intra-class correlation coefficients. Overall, both the inter-observer and intra-observer agreement were >0.9, demonstrating excellent reliability. The inter-observer reliability for drill sizes was also excellent (>0.9). Excellent correlation was seen between cylindrical sizing, and drill sizes (>0.9). Sizing of hamstring grafts by multiple surgeons demonstrated excellent intra-observer and intra-observer reliability, potentially validating clinical studies exploring ACL reconstruction outcomes by hamstring graft diameter when standard techniques are used. III.

Minimum Description Length Block Finder, a Method to Identify Haplotype Blocks and to Compare the Strength of Block Boundaries

PubMed Central

Mannila, H.; Koivisto, M.; Perola, M.; Varilo, T.; Hennah, W.; Ekelund, J.; Lukk, M.; Peltonen, L.; Ukkonen, E.

2003-01-01

We describe a new probabilistic method for finding haplotype blocks that is based on the use of the minimum description length (MDL) principle. We give a rigorous definition of the quality of a segmentation of a genomic region into blocks and describe a dynamic programming algorithm for finding the optimal segmentation with respect to this measure. We also describe a method for finding the probability of a block boundary for each pair of adjacent markers: this gives a tool for evaluating the significance of each block boundary. We have applied the method to the published data of Daly and colleagues. The results expose some problems that exist in the current methods for the evaluation of the significance of predicted block boundaries. Our method, MDL block finder, can be used to compare block borders in different sample sets, and we demonstrate this by applying the MDL-based method to define the block structure in chromosomes from population isolates. PMID:12761696

Minimum description length block finder, a method to identify haplotype blocks and to compare the strength of block boundaries.

PubMed

Mannila, H; Koivisto, M; Perola, M; Varilo, T; Hennah, W; Ekelund, J; Lukk, M; Peltonen, L; Ukkonen, E

2003-07-01

We describe a new probabilistic method for finding haplotype blocks that is based on the use of the minimum description length (MDL) principle. We give a rigorous definition of the quality of a segmentation of a genomic region into blocks and describe a dynamic programming algorithm for finding the optimal segmentation with respect to this measure. We also describe a method for finding the probability of a block boundary for each pair of adjacent markers: this gives a tool for evaluating the significance of each block boundary. We have applied the method to the published data of Daly and colleagues. The results expose some problems that exist in the current methods for the evaluation of the significance of predicted block boundaries. Our method, MDL block finder, can be used to compare block borders in different sample sets, and we demonstrate this by applying the MDL-based method to define the block structure in chromosomes from population isolates.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and Chelsea & Westminster TEN management protocol [corrected].

PubMed

de Sica-Chapman, A; Williams, G; Soni, N; Bunker, C B

2010-04-01

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare but life-threatening, allergic drug reaction. Skin blistering with epidermal and mucosal necrolysis with subsequent detachment from an inflamed underlying dermis is a hallmark of the condition. The pathogenesis of TEN is not well understood, accounting for controversies about its management and significant delay in initiating potentially beneficial therapy. There are no management protocols based on a robust evidence base. Prompt recognition of the diagnosis and consensus on early management initiatives are necessary in order to improve outcomes and survival in TEN. To date, TEN management has been directed at arresting the allergic reaction and treating the complications. We have identified a need for specific medical interventions to accelerate wound regeneration. This approach has not previously been adopted in the management of TEN. We observed that in two cases of severe TEN, dramatic re-epithelialization and recovery coincided with the introduction of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for neutropenia. We explain how addition of the G-CSF promotes recovery from TEN by enhanced bioregeneration of the damaged tissues through accelerated re-epithelialization. G-CSF has been used for severe neutropenia in TEN, but we recommend and explain why, as in our Chelsea and Westminster protocol, G-CSF should be considered in treating severe TEN irrespective of the severity of neutropenia.

Autonomic markers of emotional processing: skin sympathetic nerve activity in humans during exposure to emotionally charged images.

PubMed

Brown, Rachael; James, Cheree; Henderson, Luke A; Macefield, Vaughan G

2012-01-01

The sympathetic innervation of the skin primarily subserves thermoregulation, but the system has also been commandeered as a means of expressing emotion. While it is known that the level of skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA) is affected by anxiety, the majority of emotional studies have utilized the galvanic skin response as a means of inferring increases in SSNA. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the changes in SSNA when showing subjects neutral or emotionally charged images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). SSNA was recorded via tungsten microelectrodes inserted into cutaneous fascicles of the common peroneal nerve in ten subjects. Neutral images, positively charged images (erotica) or negatively charged images (mutilation) were presented in blocks of fifteen images of a specific type, each block lasting 2 min. Images of erotica or mutilation were presented in a quasi-random fashion, each block following a block of neutral images. Both images of erotica or images of mutilation caused significant increases in SSNA, but the increases in SSNA were greater for mutilation. The increases in SSNA were often coupled with sweat release and cutaneous vasoconstriction; however, these markers were not always consistent with the SSNA increases. We conclude that SSNA, comprising cutaneous vasoconstrictor and sudomotor activity, increases with both positively charged and negatively charged emotional images. Measurement of SSNA provides a more comprehensive assessment of sympathetic outflow to the skin than does the use of sweat release alone as a marker of emotional processing.

Bypass Flow Resistance in Prismatic Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactors

DOE PAGES

McEligot, Donald M.; Johnson, Richard W.

2016-12-20

Available computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions of pressure distributions in the vertical bypass flow between blocks in a prismatic gas-cooled reactor (GCR) have been analyzed to deduce apparent friction factors and loss coefficients for systems and network codes. We performed calculations for vertical gap spacings "s" of 2, 6 and 10 mm, horizontal gaps between the blocks of two mm and two flow rates, giving a range of gap Reynolds numbers Re Dh of about 40 to 5300. Laminar predictions of the fully-developed friction factor f fd were about three to ten per cent lower than the classical infinitely-wide channelmore » In the entry region, the local apparent friction factor was slightly higher than the classic idealized case but the hydraulic entry length L hy was approximately the same. The per cent reduction in flow resistance was greater than the per cent increase in flow area at the vertical corners of the blocks. The standard k-ϵ model was employed for flows expected to be turbulent. Its predictions of f fd and flow resistance were significantly higher than direct numerical simulations for the classic case; the value of L hy was about thirty gap spacings. Initial quantitative information for entry coefficients and loss coefficients for the expansion-contraction junctions between blocks is also presented. Our study demonstrates how CFD predictions can be employed to provide integral quantities needed in systems and network codes.« less

Bypass Flow Resistance in Prismatic Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactors

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

McEligot, Donald M.; Johnson, Richard W.

Available computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions of pressure distributions in the vertical bypass flow between blocks in a prismatic gas-cooled reactor (GCR) have been analyzed to deduce apparent friction factors and loss coefficients for systems and network codes. We performed calculations for vertical gap spacings "s" of 2, 6 and 10 mm, horizontal gaps between the blocks of two mm and two flow rates, giving a range of gap Reynolds numbers Re Dh of about 40 to 5300. Laminar predictions of the fully-developed friction factor f fd were about three to ten per cent lower than the classical infinitely-wide channelmore » In the entry region, the local apparent friction factor was slightly higher than the classic idealized case but the hydraulic entry length L hy was approximately the same. The per cent reduction in flow resistance was greater than the per cent increase in flow area at the vertical corners of the blocks. The standard k-ϵ model was employed for flows expected to be turbulent. Its predictions of f fd and flow resistance were significantly higher than direct numerical simulations for the classic case; the value of L hy was about thirty gap spacings. Initial quantitative information for entry coefficients and loss coefficients for the expansion-contraction junctions between blocks is also presented. Our study demonstrates how CFD predictions can be employed to provide integral quantities needed in systems and network codes.« less

To Know, or Not to Know - Why it is Important to Understand Both What we Know, and What We Don't Know, When Studying Our Air and Sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown-Steiner, B.

2017-12-01

I study the air and the sky, which can get really, really confusing. When you cup your hands and catch some air, you are holding many hundreds of hundreds of hundreds (do this about ten more times) of really tiny building blocks that keep hitting (and changing) one another every second of every day. We need some of these tiny building blocks to live and breathe, but there are many tiny building blocks that can hurt us - or even kill us. Right now, the way we live - how we make power, how we make food, how we get from place to place - adds a lot of bad building blocks to our air and our sky, and is changing our world in ways we do not really understand. As we learn more about the air and the sky, we get better at knowing how things are changing, but it is also really important to think about the things we do not know, and the things we do not understand. I study our air and our sky by thinking hard not only about the things that we know, but also about the things we do not know, and I try to use what I learn to help us make more sense out of the really confusing stuff. I want to share some of what I have learned with you.

The efficacy of techniques for the disinfection of artificial sub-surface dentinal caries lesions and their effect on demineralization and remineralization in vitro.

PubMed

Preston, K P; Higham, S M; Smith, P W

2007-06-01

The efficacy of three techniques for the disinfection of artificial sub-surface root caries lesions and their response to subsequent episodes of de- and remineralization was investigated quantitatively in vitro. Sub-surface dentinal lesions (n=20), cut into four experimental blocks and deliberately contaminated with Streptococcus mutans, were subject to either steam autoclaving (121 degrees C, 5min), gamma irradiation (4100Gy), immersion in 0.1% (w/v) thymol-distilled water solution (24h) or reserved as a control. Next, the lesions were incubated aerobically in sterile nutrient broth for 24h at 37 degrees C and resultant cultures plated onto blood agar and neutralisation agar. Ten blocks from each experimental group were then immersed in an acidic buffer solution or exposed to artificial saliva for 5 days. Baseline changes in the mineral content and distribution of the lesions were assessed by transverse microradiography (TMR). Micro-organisms were recovered from each control block and one block treated by gamma irradiation. Steam autoclaving and immersion in a thymol solution significantly decreased (p<0.05) the amount of mineral lost from the body of lesions subject to a further acid challenge. Mineral ion uptake by lesions exposed to artificial saliva was significantly increased (p<0.05) through disinfection by steam autoclaving. Gamma irradiation proved the most acceptable method for the disinfection of sub-surface root dentine lesions having the least adverse effect on demineralization and remineralization.

A Blocked Linear Method for Optimizing Large Parameter Sets in Variational Monte Carlo

DOE PAGES

Zhao, Luning; Neuscamman, Eric

2017-05-17

We present a modification to variational Monte Carlo’s linear method optimization scheme that addresses a critical memory bottleneck while maintaining compatibility with both the traditional ground state variational principle and our recently-introduced variational principle for excited states. For wave function ansatzes with tens of thousands of variables, our modification reduces the required memory per parallel process from tens of gigabytes to hundreds of megabytes, making the methodology a much better fit for modern supercomputer architectures in which data communication and per-process memory consumption are primary concerns. We verify the efficacy of the new optimization scheme in small molecule tests involvingmore » both the Hilbert space Jastrow antisymmetric geminal power ansatz and real space multi-Slater Jastrow expansions. Satisfied with its performance, we have added the optimizer to the QMCPACK software package, with which we demonstrate on a hydrogen ring a prototype approach for making systematically convergent, non-perturbative predictions of Mott-insulators’ optical band gaps.« less

Phylogenetics of Ogyges Kaup and the biogeography of Nuclear Central America (Coleoptera, Passalidae)

PubMed Central

Cano, Enio B.; Schuster, Jack C.; Morrone, Juan J.

2018-01-01

Abstract A phylogenetic morphological analysis of the genus Ogyges Kaup, distributed in Nuclear Central America, from Chiapas, Mexico, to northwestern Nicaragua was undertaken. Five species of Proculejus Kaup, distributed north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, were selected as outgroup. Ogyges was recovered as monophyletic with three species groups: championi, laevissimus, and crassulus. Each species group shows a distinct, generally allopatric distribution. The O. championi species group, with ten species, is distributed in the Maya block, more specifically in the mountainous system north of the Motozintla-Comaltitlán fault in Chiapas, and north of the dry valleys of the Cuilco and Motagua rivers in Guatemala. The two remaining species groups are distributed in the Chortis block. The O. laevissimus species group, including seven species, ranges mostly along the Pacific Volcanic Chain from Guatemala to El Salvador, and from southeastern Honduras to the northwestern area of Nicaragua. The O. crassulus species group, with ten species, is distributed from northeastern Guatemala (Merendón) to northern Honduras. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, the Motagua-Cuilco and Motozintla-Comaltitlán sutures zones in Chiapas and Guatemala, the lowland valleys of Colón and Comalí rivers between Nicaragua and Honduras (or, perhaps, the northern suture of the Siuna Terrane in Nicaragua), the Guayape fault system in Honduras, and the intricate dry valleys of Ulúa-Chamelecón-Olancho in Honduras, are hypothesized to have acted as barriers that affected the geographical distribution of Ogyges, as well as probably other montane organisms. PMID:29674874

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

Atmaram, G.H.; Ventre, G.G.; Maytrott, C.W.

This study evaluates the long-term effects of outdoor exposure and high voltage operation on the performance and reliability of flat-plate crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules. The photovoltaic modules selected for this study were employed in the arrays of grid-connected residential photovoltaic prototype systems for over ten years at the Southeast Regional Experiment Station (SE RES) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The modules included Mobil Ra-180 EFG ribbon silicon modules, Photowatt MU-7061 and ARCO 16-2000 single-crystal silicon modules with round cells. The Mobil and Photowatt modules were Block 5 generation, while the ARCO modules were Block 4 generation type. In all three typesmore » of photovoltaic modules (Mobil, Photowatt and ARCO), no significant power loss occurred over more than ten years of outdoor operation in the warm, humid and ocean-salt environments of coastal Florida. However, the wet insulation resistance values of a majority of the modules in all three types were lower than the values recommended in IEEE Standard 1262. This indicates potential future safety, reliability and lifetime related problems. The visual defects were more pronounced in the ARCO modules, which were manufactured in 1980 than in the Mobil and Photowatt modules, both of which were fabricated in 1983. The ARCO modules showed significant damage to the back surface tedlar in the form of tearing of the tedlar. All of the Mobil and most of the ARCO modules showed significant browning of the encapsulant, while only about half of the Photowatt modules showed significant encapsulant browning. The encapsulant discoloration generally did not appear to have any effect on the modules` power generation.« less

Submarine slumps, slides, and flows dominate sculpting of Beringian Margin, Alaska

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

Carlson, P.R.; Karl, H.A.; Edwards, B.D.

1990-06-01

The 1,400 km long Beringian margin is characterized by several very large submarine canyons and by a large oceanic plateau at the southern end. GLORIA sidescan-sonar imagery provides a perspective of this margin that is unattainable with conventional acoustic profiles. The broad coverage of GLORIA images emphasizes that, of all the sedimentary processes affecting this vast margin, mass movement is clearly the dominant shaping process. Styles of failure include mud and debris flows, slumps, and massive block slides, some covering areas greater than 1,500 km{sup 2}. GLORIA imagery and seismic-reflection profiles show evidence for a wide variety of slides andmore » slumps in the canyons of the northern margin, Navarin and Pervenets. The 100 km long shelf edge between these two canyons is characterized by a series of scalloped slide scars and incipient scars associated with blocks of sedimentary material, 1 to 2 km across. One of the largest single slide masses is a huge block tens of kilometers wide that occurs on the rise in the central part of the margin beyond the mouth of Zhemchug Canyon. Sliding of this block may have initiated the incision of the world's largest submarine canyon. The removal of this block accelerated headward erosion by retrograde failure until Zhemchug Canyon was cut back to a fault parallel to the shelf edge. Mass movement along the southern margin is widespread at the edges of Umnak Plateau. One mass failure, well-defined by GLORIA, is about 30 km wide and 55 km long. This and other slides along the plateau are associated with diapiric-like structures, suggesting relatively recent tectonism.« less

High-Performance Polymer Solar Cell with Single Active Material of Fully Conjugated Block Copolymer Composed of Wide-Band gap Donor and Narrow-Band gap Acceptor Blocks.

PubMed

Lee, Ji Hyung; Park, Chang Geun; Kim, Aesun; Kim, Hyung Jong; Kim, Youngseo; Park, Sungnam; Cho, Min Ju; Choi, Dong Hoon

2018-06-06

We synthesized a novel fully conjugated block copolymer, P3, in which a wide-band gap donor block (P1) was connected to a narrow-band gap acceptor block (P2). As P3 contains P1 block with a wide bandgap and P2 block with a narrow bandgap, it exhibits a very wide complementary absorption. Transient photoluminescence measurement using P3 dilute solution demonstrated intramolecular charge transfer between the P1 block and the P2 block, which was not observed in a P1/P2 blend solution. A P3 thin film showed complete PL quenching because the photoinduced inter-/intramolecular charge transfer states were effectively formed. This phenomenon can play an important role in the photovoltaic properties of P3-based polymer solar cells. A single active material polymer solar cell (SAMPSC) fabricated from P3 alone exhibited a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.87% with a high open-circuit voltage of 0.93 V and a short-circuit current of 8.26 mA/cm 2 , demonstrating a much better performance than a binary P1-/P2-based polymer solar cell (PCE = 1.14%). This result facilitates the possible improvement of the photovoltaic performance of SAMPSCs by inducing favorable nanophase segregation between p- and n blocks. In addition, owing to the high morphological stability of the block copolymer, excellent shelf-life was observed in a P3-based SAMPSC compared with a P1/P2-based PSC.

View southeast of caps for blocks for JFK; blocks are ...

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

View southeast of caps for blocks for JFK; blocks are used to support ship when it is repositioned to paint inaccessible areas masked by original support blocks. - Naval Base Philadelphia-Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Carpentry Shop, League Island, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

Induction of bovine polioencephalomalacia with a feeding system based on molasses and urea.

PubMed Central

Mella, C M; Perez-Oliva, O; Loew, F M

1976-01-01

Polioencephalomalacia (PEM), a disease first described in the United States and related to intensive beef production, appeared in Cuba coincident with the use of a new, molasses-urea-based diet to fatten bulls. Because the only experimental means so far of reproducing PEM has been with amprolium, a structural analog of thiamin, the present study attempted to induce the disease using the molasses-urea-based diet. Six Holstein bulls (200-300 kg) were studied during consumption of three successive diets: 1) commercial molasses-urea-restricted forage diet of Cuban feedlots, 2) a period in which forage was gradually withdrawn and 3) a forage-free diet composed only of molasses, urea and fish meal. PEM was reproduced in this way. At ten-day intervals, blood concentrations of glucose, lactate, pyruvate and urea were measured, as well as when clinical signs of PEM appeared. The signs, clinical course and lesions of the experimentally induced disease were comparable to those of field cases. The biochemical results suggested a block in pyruvate oxidation as in PEM elsewhere in the world. No evidence existed of urea intoxication. In addition, brain and liver concentration of total thiamin from field cases and normal animals were found to be similar. Images Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. Fig. 4. PMID:1000370

Preparation and in vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Silver-Bearing Degradable Polymeric Nanoparticles of Polyphosphoester-block-Poly(L-lactide)

PubMed Central

Lim, Young H.; Tiemann, Kristin M.; Heo, Gyu Seong; Wagers, Patrick O.; Rezenom, Yohannes H.; Zhang, Shiyi; Zhang, Fuwu; Youngs, Wiley J.; Hunstad, David A.; Wooley, Karen L.

2015-01-01

The development of well-defined polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) as delivery carriers for antimicrobials targeting human infectious diseases requires rational design of the polymer template, an efficient synthetic approach and fundamental understanding of the developed NPs, e.g., drug loading/release, particle stability, and other characteristics. Herein, we developed and evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial activity of silver-bearing, fully biodegradable and functional polymeric NPs. A series of degradable polymeric nanoparticles (dNPs), composed of phosphoester and L-lactide and designed specifically for silver loading into the hydrophilic shell and/or the hydrophobic core, were prepared as potential delivery carriers for three different types of silver-based antimicrobials – silver acetate or one of two silver carbene complexes (SCCs). Silver-loading capacities of the dNPs were not influenced by the hydrophilic block chain length, loading site (i.e., core or shell), or type of silver compound, but optimization of the silver feed ratio was crucial to maximize the silver loading capacity of dNPs, up to ca. 12% (w/w). The release kinetics of silver-bearing dNPs revealed 50% release at ca. 2.5–5.5 h depending on the type of silver compound. In addition, we undertook a comprehensive evaluation of the rates of hydrolytic or enzymatic degradability and performed structural characterization of the degradation products. Interestingly, packaging of the SCCs in the dNP-based delivery system improved minimum inhibitory concentrations up to 70%, compared with the SCCs alone, as measured in vitro against ten contemporary epidemic strains of Staphylococcus aureus and eight uropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli. We conclude that these dNP-based delivery systems may be beneficial for direct epithelial treatment and/or prevention of ubiquitous bacterial infections, including those of the skin and urinary tract. PMID:25621868

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation combined with task-related training improves lower limb functions in subjects with chronic stroke.

PubMed

Ng, Shamay S M; Hui-Chan, Christina W Y

2007-11-01

Previous studies have shown that repeated sensory inputs could enhance brain plasticity and cortical motor output. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether combining electrically induced sensory inputs through transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with task-related training (TRT) in a home-based program would augment voluntary motor output in chronic stroke survivors better than either treatment alone or no treatment. Eighty-eight patients with stroke were assigned randomly to receive a home-based program of (1) TENS, (2) TENS+TRT, (3) placebo TENS+TRT, or (4) no treatment (control) 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Outcome measurements included Composite Spasticity Scale, peak torques generated during maximum isometric voluntary contraction of ankle dorsiflexors and plantarflexors, and gait velocity recorded at baseline, after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, and 4 weeks after treatment ended. When compared with TENS, the combined TENS+TRT group showed significantly greater improvement in ankle dorsiflexion torque at follow-up and in ankle plantarflexion torque at week 2 and follow-up (P<0.01). When compared with placebo+TRT, the TENS+TRT group produced earlier and greater reduction of plantarflexor spasticity and improvement in ankle dorsiflexion torque at week 2 (P<0.01). When compared with all 3 groups, the TENS+TRT group showed significantly greater improvement in gait velocity (P<0.01). In patients with chronic stroke, 20 sessions of a combined TENS+TRT home-based program decreased plantarflexor spasticity, improved dorsiflexor and plantarflexor strength, and increased gait velocity significantly more than TENS alone, placebo+TRT, or no treatment. Such improvements can even be maintained 4 weeks after treatment ended.

Rockfall hazard assessment integrating probabilistic physically based rockfall source detection (Norddal municipality, Norway).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yugsi Molina, F. X.; Oppikofer, T.; Fischer, L.; Hermanns, R. L.; Taurisano, A.

2012-04-01

Traditional techniques to assess rockfall hazard are partially based on probabilistic analysis. Stochastic methods has been used for run-out analysis of rock blocks to estimate the trajectories that a detached block will follow during its fall until it stops due to kinetic energy loss. However, the selection of rockfall source areas is usually defined either by multivariate analysis or by field observations. For either case, a physically based approach is not used for the source area detection. We present an example of rockfall hazard assessment that integrates a probabilistic rockfall run-out analysis with a stochastic assessment of the rockfall source areas using kinematic stability analysis in a GIS environment. The method has been tested for a steep more than 200 m high rock wall, located in the municipality of Norddal (Møre og Romsdal county, Norway), where a large number of people are either exposed to snow avalanches, rockfalls, or debris flows. The area was selected following the recently published hazard mapping plan of Norway. The cliff is formed by medium to coarse-grained quartz-dioritic to granitic gneisses of Proterozoic age. Scree deposits product of recent rockfall activity are found at the bottom of the rock wall. Large blocks can be found several tens of meters away from the cliff in Sylte, the main locality in the Norddal municipality. Structural characterization of the rock wall was done using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point clouds in the software Coltop3D (www.terranum.ch), and results were validated with field data. Orientation data sets from the structural characterization were analyzed separately to assess best-fit probability density functions (PDF) for both dip angle and dip direction angle of each discontinuity set. A GIS-based stochastic kinematic analysis was then carried out using the discontinuity set orientations and the friction angle as random variables. An airborne laser scanning digital elevation model (ALS-DEM) with 1 m resolution was used for the analysis. Three failure mechanisms were analyzed: planar and wedge sliding, as well as toppling. Based on this kinematic analysis, areas where failure is feasible were used as source areas for run out analysis using Rockyfor3D v. 4.1 (www.ecorisq.org). The software calculates trajectories of single falling blocks in three dimensions using physically based algorithms developed under a stochastic approach. The ALS-DEM was down-scaled to 5 m resolution to optimize processing time. Results were compared with run-out simulations using Rockyfor3D with the whole rock wall as source area, and with maps of deposits generated from field observations and aerial photo interpretation. The results product of our implementation show a better correlation with field observations, and help to produce more accurate rock fall hazard assessment maps by a better definition of the source areas. It reduces the time processing for the analysis as well. The findings presented in this contribution are part of an effort to produce guidelines for natural hazard mapping in Norway. Guidelines will be used in upcoming years for hazard mapping in areas where larger groups of population are exposed to mass movements from steep slopes.

Dark-field microscopic image stitching method for surface defects evaluation of large fine optics.

PubMed

Liu, Dong; Wang, Shitong; Cao, Pin; Li, Lu; Cheng, Zhongtao; Gao, Xin; Yang, Yongying

2013-03-11

One of the challenges in surface defects evaluation of large fine optics is to detect defects of microns on surfaces of tens or hundreds of millimeters. Sub-aperture scanning and stitching is considered to be a practical and efficient method. But since there are usually few defects on the large aperture fine optics, resulting in no defects or only one run-through line feature in many sub-aperture images, traditional stitching methods encounter with mismatch problem. In this paper, a feature-based multi-cycle image stitching algorithm is proposed to solve the problem. The overlapping areas of sub-apertures are categorized based on the features they contain. Different types of overlapping areas are then stitched in different cycles with different methods. The stitching trace is changed to follow the one that determined by the features. The whole stitching procedure is a region-growing like process. Sub-aperture blocks grow bigger after each cycle and finally the full aperture image is obtained. Comparison experiment shows that the proposed method is very suitable to stitch sub-apertures that very few feature information exists in the overlapping areas and can stitch the dark-field microscopic sub-aperture images very well.

Functional requirements for reward-modulated spike-timing-dependent plasticity.

PubMed

Frémaux, Nicolas; Sprekeler, Henning; Gerstner, Wulfram

2010-10-06

Recent experiments have shown that spike-timing-dependent plasticity is influenced by neuromodulation. We derive theoretical conditions for successful learning of reward-related behavior for a large class of learning rules where Hebbian synaptic plasticity is conditioned on a global modulatory factor signaling reward. We show that all learning rules in this class can be separated into a term that captures the covariance of neuronal firing and reward and a second term that presents the influence of unsupervised learning. The unsupervised term, which is, in general, detrimental for reward-based learning, can be suppressed if the neuromodulatory signal encodes the difference between the reward and the expected reward-but only if the expected reward is calculated for each task and stimulus separately. If several tasks are to be learned simultaneously, the nervous system needs an internal critic that is able to predict the expected reward for arbitrary stimuli. We show that, with a critic, reward-modulated spike-timing-dependent plasticity is capable of learning motor trajectories with a temporal resolution of tens of milliseconds. The relation to temporal difference learning, the relevance of block-based learning paradigms, and the limitations of learning with a critic are discussed.

Theory of nucleosome corkscrew sliding in the presence of synthetic DNA ligands.

PubMed

Mohammad-Rafiee, Farshid; Kulić, Igor M; Schiessel, Helmut

2004-11-12

Histone octamers show a heat-induced mobility along DNA. Recent theoretical studies have established two mechanisms that are qualitatively and quantitatively compatible with in vitro experiments on nucleosome sliding: octamer repositioning through one-base-pair twist defects and through ten-base-pair bulge defects. A recent experiment demonstrated that the repositioning is strongly suppressed in the presence of minor-groove binding DNA ligands. In the present study, we give a quantitative theory for nucleosome repositioning in the presence of such ligands. We show that the experimentally observed octamer mobilities are consistent with the picture of bound ligands blocking the passage of twist defects through the nucleosome. This strongly supports the model of twist defects inducing a corkscrew motion of the nucleosome as the underlying mechanism of nucleosome sliding. We provide a theoretical estimate of the nucleosomal mobility without adjustable parameters, as a function of ligand concentration, binding affinity, binding site orientation, temperature and DNA anisotropy. Having this mobility in hand, we speculate on the interaction between a nucleosome and a transcribing RNA polymerase, and suggest a novel mechanism that might account for polymerase-induced nucleosome repositioning on short DNA templates.

Enhanced image fusion using directional contrast rules in fuzzy transform domain.

PubMed

Nandal, Amita; Rosales, Hamurabi Gamboa

2016-01-01

In this paper a novel image fusion algorithm based on directional contrast in fuzzy transform (FTR) domain is proposed. Input images to be fused are first divided into several non-overlapping blocks. The components of these sub-blocks are fused using directional contrast based fuzzy fusion rule in FTR domain. The fused sub-blocks are then transformed into original size blocks using inverse-FTR. Further, these inverse transformed blocks are fused according to select maximum based fusion rule for reconstructing the final fused image. The proposed fusion algorithm is both visually and quantitatively compared with other standard and recent fusion algorithms. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method generates better results than the other methods.

Electrical-power-system data base for consumables analysis. Volume 1: Electrical equipment list, activity blocks, and time lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pipher, M. D.; Green, P. A.; Wolfgram, D. F.

1975-01-01

A standardized data base is described which consists of a space shuttle electrical equipment list, activity blocks defining electrical equipment utilization, and activity-block time lines for specific mission analyses. Information is presented to facilitate utilization of the data base, to provide the basis for the electrical equipment utilization to enable interpretation of analyses based on the data contained herein.

Seamless contiguity method for parallel segmentation of remote sensing image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Geng; Wang, Guanghui; Yu, Mei; Cui, Chengling

2015-12-01

Seamless contiguity is the key technology for parallel segmentation of remote sensing data with large quantities. It can be effectively integrate fragments of the parallel processing into reasonable results for subsequent processes. There are numerous methods reported in the literature for seamless contiguity, such as establishing buffer, area boundary merging and data sewing. et. We proposed a new method which was also based on building buffers. The seamless contiguity processes we adopt are based on the principle: ensuring the accuracy of the boundary, ensuring the correctness of topology. Firstly, block number is computed based on data processing ability, unlike establishing buffer on both sides of block line, buffer is established just on the right side and underside of the line. Each block of data is segmented respectively and then gets the segmentation objects and their label value. Secondly, choose one block(called master block) and do stitching on the adjacent blocks(called slave block), process the rest of the block in sequence. Through the above processing, topological relationship and boundaries of master block are guaranteed. Thirdly, if the master block polygons boundaries intersect with buffer boundary and the slave blocks polygons boundaries intersect with block line, we adopt certain rules to merge and trade-offs them. Fourthly, check the topology and boundary in the buffer area. Finally, a set of experiments were conducted and prove the feasibility of this method. This novel seamless contiguity algorithm provides an applicable and practical solution for efficient segmentation of massive remote sensing image.

Custom-fit total knee arthroplasty: our initial experience in 32 knees.

PubMed

Bali, Kamal; Walker, Peter; Bruce, Warwick

2012-06-01

We share our initial experience of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using customized cutting block technology in 32 TKAs from May 2010 to March 2011. Ten of these patients had prior TKA done on the other side using conventional or navigation-assisted TKA. Customized cutting blocks were generated for each of the knee using preoperative magnetic resonance imaging of knee and long-leg weight-bearing radiographs. At 6 weeks, long-leg radiographs were obtained to evaluate the coronal alignment. There were no adverse intraoperative events. Twenty-nine of the 32 knees had a mechanical axis restored to within 3°° of neutral. Of 10 patients with prior TKA without custom-fit technology, the mean blood loss and the mean skin-to-skin time was found to be lower in knees that had undergone custom-fit TKA. We conclude that this technology can be safely used in most of the cases of osteoarthritis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Novel and efficient tag SNPs selection algorithms.

PubMed

Chen, Wen-Pei; Hung, Che-Lun; Tsai, Suh-Jen Jane; Lin, Yaw-Ling

2014-01-01

SNPs are the most abundant forms of genetic variations amongst species; the association studies between complex diseases and SNPs or haplotypes have received great attention. However, these studies are restricted by the cost of genotyping all SNPs; thus, it is necessary to find smaller subsets, or tag SNPs, representing the rest of the SNPs. In fact, the existing tag SNP selection algorithms are notoriously time-consuming. An efficient algorithm for tag SNP selection was presented, which was applied to analyze the HapMap YRI data. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve better performance than the existing tag SNP selection algorithms; in most cases, this proposed algorithm is at least ten times faster than the existing methods. In many cases, when the redundant ratio of the block is high, the proposed algorithm can even be thousands times faster than the previously known methods. Tools and web services for haplotype block analysis integrated by hadoop MapReduce framework are also developed using the proposed algorithm as computation kernels.

Ventana immunohistochemistry ALK (D5F3) detection of ALK expression in pleural effusion samples of lung adenocarcinoma.

PubMed

Wang, Zheng; Wu, Xiaonan; Shi, Yuankai; Han, Xiaohong; Cheng, Gang; Cui, Di; Li, Lin; Zhang, Yuhui; Mu, Xinlin; Zhang, Li; Yang, Li; Di, Jing; Yu, Qi; Liu, Dongge

2015-08-01

To evaluate the Ventana IHC ALK (D5F3) assay for detecting anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) protein expression in pleural effusion samples. Historical, selected (wild-type EGFR, K-RAS) pleural effusion cytologic blocks of lung adenocarcinoma samples (Study 1) and unselected lung adenocarcinoma pleural effusion cytologic blocks (Study 2) were tested by Ventana IHC ALK (D5F3) assay. Quantitative real-time-PCR was used to verify immunohistochemistry results. A total of 17 out of 100 (Study 1) and ten out of 104 (Study 2) pleural effusion samples were ALK expression positive by the Ventana IHC ALK (D5F3) assay. The ALK fusion results with immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time-PCR had a concordance rate of 87.5% (κ = 0.886; p < 0.001). The Ventana IHC ALK (D5F3) assay is a reliable tool for detecting ALK protein expression in pleural effusion samples.

A Descriptive Morphometric Approach of the Skull and Mandible of the Common Opossum (Didelphis Marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758) in the Caribbean and its Clinical Application during Regional Anaesthesia.

PubMed

Mohamed, Reda

2018-03-09

The aim of this study was to determine the morphometric values of the skull and the mandible of the common opossum from the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago. The skulls and mandibles were obtained from ten opossums captured for research purposes. The skulls and mandibles were prepared and cleaned using standard method. Some anatomical landmarks of the skulls and mandibles were identified and measured. The results were important for identification of the common opossum via comparison and discussion of our results with that of other marsupial species. Furthermore, the results had clinical importance with regard to regional nerve blocks of the infraorbital, inferior alveolar, and mental nerves for dental extraction and head surgery. This study concluded that by using the anatomical landmarks of the infraorbital and mental foramina it will be easier for the veterinarian surgeons during the application of local anesthetic agent for the infraorbital, inferior alveolar, and mental nerve blocks.

A Descriptive Morphometric Approach of the Skull and Mandible of the Common Opossum (Didelphis Marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758) in the Caribbean and its Clinical Application during Regional Anaesthesia

PubMed Central

Mohamed, Reda

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the morphometric values of the skull and the mandible of the common opossum from the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago. The skulls and mandibles were obtained from ten opossums captured for research purposes. The skulls and mandibles were prepared and cleaned using standard method. Some anatomical landmarks of the skulls and mandibles were identified and measured. The results were important for identification of the common opossum via comparison and discussion of our results with that of other marsupial species. Furthermore, the results had clinical importance with regard to regional nerve blocks of the infraorbital, inferior alveolar, and mental nerves for dental extraction and head surgery. This study concluded that by using the anatomical landmarks of the infraorbital and mental foramina it will be easier for the veterinarian surgeons during the application of local anesthetic agent for the infraorbital, inferior alveolar, and mental nerve blocks. PMID:29522485

In vitro evaluation of resonance frequency analysis values to different implant contact ratio and stiffness of surrounding material.

PubMed

Kwak, Mu-Seung; Kim, Seok-Gyu

2013-11-01

The present study was aimed to evaluate the influence of implant contact ratio and stiffness of implant-surrounding materials on the resonance frequency analysis (RFA) values. Seventy resin blocks that had the different amounts (100, 50, 30, 15%) of resin-implant contact (RIC) were fabricated. Ten silicone putty blocks with 100% silicone-implant contact were also made. The implants with Ø5.0 mm × 13.0 mm were placed on eighty specimen blocks. The RFA value was measured on the transducer that was connected to each implant by Osstell Mentor. Kruskal-Wallis and Scheffe's tests (α=.05) were done for statistical analysis. The control resin group with 100% RIC had the highest RFA value of 83.9, which was significantly different only from the resin group with 15% RIC among the resin groups. The silicone putty group with 100% contact had the lowest RFA value of 36.6 and showed statistically significant differences from the resin groups. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, there was no significant difference in the RFA values among the resin groups with different RIC's except when the RIC difference was more than 85%. A significant increase in the RFA value was observed related to the increase in stiffness of material around implant.

[Mechanisms and applications of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in analgesia].

PubMed

Tang, Zheng-Yu; Wang, Hui-Quan; Xia, Xiao-Lei; Tang, Yi; Peng, Wei-Wei; Hu, Li

2017-06-25

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), as a non-pharmacological and non-invasive analgesic therapy with low-cost, has been widely used to relieve pain in various clinical applications, by delivering current pulses to the skin area to activate the peripheral nerve fibers. Nevertheless, analgesia induced by TENS varied in the clinical practice, which could be caused by the fact that TENS with different stimulus parameters has different biological mechanisms in relieving pain. Therefore, to advance our understanding of TENS in various basic and clinical studies, we discussed (1) neurophysiological and biochemical mechanisms of TENS-induced analgesia; (2) relevant factors that may influence analgesic effects of TENS from the perspectives of stimulus parameters, including stimulated position, pulse parameters (current intensity, frequency, and pulse width), stimulus duration and used times in each day; and (3) applications of TENS in relieving clinical pain, including post-operative pain, chronic low back pain and labor pain. Finally, we propose that TENS may involve multiple and complex psychological neurophysiological mechanisms, and suggest that different analgesic effects of TENS with different stimulus parameters should be taken into consideration in clinical applications. In addition, to optimize analgesic effect, we recommend that individual-based TENS stimulation parameters should be designed by considering individual differences among patients, e.g., adaptively adjusting the stimulation parameters based on the dynamic ratings of patients' pain.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with an increased risk of heart block in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Mantovani, Alessandro; Rigolon, Riccardo; Pichiri, Isabella; Bonapace, Stefano; Morani, Giovanni; Zoppini, Giacomo; Bonora, Enzo; Targher, Giovanni

2017-01-01

Recent studies suggested that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiac tachyarrhythmias (mainly atrial fibrillation) in patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to examine whether an association also exists between NAFLD and heart block. We have retrospectively evaluated a hospital-based cohort of 751 patients with type 2 diabetes discharged from our Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology during years 2007-2014. Standard electrocardiograms were performed on all patients. Diagnosis of NAFLD was based on ultrasonography, whereas the severity of advanced hepatic fibrosis was based on the fibrosis (FIB)-4 score and other non-invasive fibrosis markers. Overall, 524 (69.8%) patients had NAFLD and 202 (26.9%) had heart block (defined as at least one block among first-degree atrio-ventricular block, second-degree block, third-degree block, left bundle branch block, right bundle branch block, left anterior hemi-block or left posterior hemi-block) on electrocardiograms. Patients with NAFLD had a remarkably higher prevalence of any persistent heart block than those without NAFLD (31.3% vs. 16.7%, p<0.001); this prevalence was particularly increased among those with higher FIB-4 score. NAFLD was associated with a threefold increased risk of prevalent heart block (adjusted-odds ratio 3.04, 95% CI 1.81-5.10), independently of age, sex, hypertension, prior ischemic heart disease, hemoglobin A1c, microvascular complication status, use of medications and other potentially confounding factors. In conclusion, this is the largest cross-sectional study to show that NAFLD and its severity are independently associated with an increased risk of prevalent heart block in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes.

An adaptive block-based fusion method with LUE-SSIM for multi-focus images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Jianing; Guo, Yongcai; Huang, Yukun

2016-09-01

Because of the lenses' limited depth of field, digital cameras are incapable of acquiring an all-in-focus image of objects at varying distances in a scene. Multi-focus image fusion technique can effectively solve this problem. Aiming at the block-based multi-focus image fusion methods, the problem that blocking-artifacts often occurs. An Adaptive block-based fusion method based on lifting undistorted-edge structural similarity (LUE-SSIM) is put forward. In this method, image quality metrics LUE-SSIM is firstly proposed, which utilizes the characteristics of human visual system (HVS) and structural similarity (SSIM) to make the metrics consistent with the human visual perception. Particle swarm optimization(PSO) algorithm which selects LUE-SSIM as the object function is used for optimizing the block size to construct the fused image. Experimental results on LIVE image database shows that LUE-SSIM outperform SSIM on Gaussian defocus blur images quality assessment. Besides, multi-focus image fusion experiment is carried out to verify our proposed image fusion method in terms of visual and quantitative evaluation. The results show that the proposed method performs better than some other block-based methods, especially in reducing the blocking-artifact of the fused image. And our method can effectively preserve the undistorted-edge details in focus region of the source images.

Inversion and Application of Muon Tomography Data for Cave Exploration in Budapest, Hungary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molnár, Gábor; Surányi, Gergely; Gábor Barnaföldi, Gergely; Oláh, László; Hamar, Gergö; Varga, Dezsö

2016-04-01

In this contribution we present a prospecting muon-tomograph and its application for cave exploration in Budapest, Hungary. The more than 50 years old basic idea behind muon tomography is the ability of muon particles, generated in the upper atmosphere to penetrate tens of meters into rocks with continuous attenuation before decay. This enables us placing a detector in a tunnel and measure muon fluxes from different directions and convert these fluxes to rock density data. The lightweight, 51x46x32 cm3 size, muon tomograph containing 5 detector layers was developed by Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Budapest, Hungary. A muon passing at least 4 of the 5 detector layers along one line are classified as unique muon detection. Its angular resolution is approximately 1 degree and it is effective up to 50 degrees off zenith. During the measurement campaign we installed the muon detector at seventeen locations along an abandoned, likely Cold War air raid shelter tunnel for 10-15 days at each location, collecting large set of events. The measured fluxes are converted to apparent density lengths (multiplication of rock densities by along path lengths) using an empirically tested relationship. For inverting measurements, a 3D block model of the subsurface was developed. It consisted of cuboids, with equal horizontal size, equal number in every line and in every row of the model. Additionally it consisted of blocks with different heights, equal number of blocks in every column. (Block height was constant in a column, but varied from column to column.) The heights of the blocks in a column were chosen, that top face of the uppermost blocks has an elevation defined by a Digital Elevation Model. Initially the density of every model blocks was set to a realistic value. We calculated the theoretical density length for every detector location and for a subset of flux measurement directions. We also calculated the partial derivatives of these theoretical density length values with respect to the densities of every model block. This is the Jacobian of the problem and these values were proportional to the path length in the respective block. A regularized least squares solution returns the corrections of the densities of the blocks. If the corrected density of a block is significantly smaller than the typical rock density of the subsurface, the block is dedicated as a cave. According to our results a supposed cave exists some 7 meters above the tunnel. This work has been supported by the Lendület Program of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (LP2013-60) and the OTKA NK-106119 grant. Gergely Gábor Barnaföld and Dezsö Varga thank for the support of the Bolyai Fellowship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Justice Delayed

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Abstract Tens of thousands of women were coercively sterilized in Czechoslovakia and its successor states. Romani women were particularly targeted for these measures. These practices stopped only in 2004, as a result of international pressure. Although some measures have been taken to ensure that these practices are not repeated, to date neither the Czech Republic nor Slovakia have completed the work of providing effective remedy to victims, as is their right. This article focusses on efforts in the Czech Republic. It concludes that, inter alia, an administrative mechanism is needed to provide financial compensation to victims, since the road to remedy via courts is effectively blocked. PMID:29302159

Cultural Resources Survey, Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir Project, Missouri. Volume 7. Archeological Test Excavations: 1975

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-02-01

Cultural Resources Survey, Harry S. Truman Dam 3 1 ,1rd Reservoir Projert, Missouri, Volumes I - X 6 PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER N/A 7. AUrHOR(*)Curtis H...A05TNACr ( towfs.e du e 81 f nevee" Old fdfliffV bw block niatber) The ten volumes report the results of a cultural resources survey in the Harry S...and Surf icial Geology of the Harry S. Truman Reservoir Area, West Central Missouri, by R. A. Ward and T. L. Thompson, pp. 1-21 part II: Report on

Optimizing Music Learning: Exploring How Blocked and Interleaved Practice Schedules Affect Advanced Performance.

PubMed

Carter, Christine E; Grahn, Jessica A

2016-01-01

Repetition is the most commonly used practice strategy by musicians. Although blocks of repetition continue to be suggested in the pedagogical literature, work in the field of cognitive psychology suggests that repeated events receive less processing, thereby reducing the potential for long-term learning. Motor skill learning and sport psychology research offer an alternative. Instead of using a blocked practice schedule, with practice completed on one task before moving on to the next task, an interleaved schedule can be used, in which practice is frequently alternated between tasks. This frequent alternation involves more effortful processing, resulting in increased long-term learning. The finding that practicing in an interleaved schedule leads to better retention than practicing in a blocked schedule has been labeled the "contextual interference effect." While the effect has been observed across a wide variety of fields, few studies have researched this phenomenon in a music-learning context, despite the broad potential for application to music practice. This study compared the effects of blocked and interleaved practice schedules on advanced clarinet performance in an ecologically valid context. Ten clarinetists were given one concerto exposition and one technical excerpt to practice in a blocked schedule (12 min per piece) and a second concerto exposition and technical excerpt to practice in an interleaved schedule (3 min per piece, alternating until a total of 12 min of practice were completed on each piece). Participants sight-read the four pieces prior to practice and performed them at the end of practice and again one day later. The sight-reading and two performance run-throughs of each piece were recorded and given to three professional clarinetists to rate using a percentage scale. Overall, whenever there was a ratings difference between the conditions, pieces practiced in the interleaved schedule were rated better than those in the blocked schedule, although results varied across raters. Participant questionnaires also revealed that the interleaved practice schedule had positive effects on factors such as goal setting, focus, and mistake identification. Taken together, these results suggest that an interleaved practice schedule may be a more effective practice strategy than continuous repetition in a music-learning context.

Optimizing Music Learning: Exploring How Blocked and Interleaved Practice Schedules Affect Advanced Performance

PubMed Central

Carter, Christine E.; Grahn, Jessica A.

2016-01-01

Repetition is the most commonly used practice strategy by musicians. Although blocks of repetition continue to be suggested in the pedagogical literature, work in the field of cognitive psychology suggests that repeated events receive less processing, thereby reducing the potential for long-term learning. Motor skill learning and sport psychology research offer an alternative. Instead of using a blocked practice schedule, with practice completed on one task before moving on to the next task, an interleaved schedule can be used, in which practice is frequently alternated between tasks. This frequent alternation involves more effortful processing, resulting in increased long-term learning. The finding that practicing in an interleaved schedule leads to better retention than practicing in a blocked schedule has been labeled the “contextual interference effect.” While the effect has been observed across a wide variety of fields, few studies have researched this phenomenon in a music-learning context, despite the broad potential for application to music practice. This study compared the effects of blocked and interleaved practice schedules on advanced clarinet performance in an ecologically valid context. Ten clarinetists were given one concerto exposition and one technical excerpt to practice in a blocked schedule (12 min per piece) and a second concerto exposition and technical excerpt to practice in an interleaved schedule (3 min per piece, alternating until a total of 12 min of practice were completed on each piece). Participants sight-read the four pieces prior to practice and performed them at the end of practice and again one day later. The sight-reading and two performance run-throughs of each piece were recorded and given to three professional clarinetists to rate using a percentage scale. Overall, whenever there was a ratings difference between the conditions, pieces practiced in the interleaved schedule were rated better than those in the blocked schedule, although results varied across raters. Participant questionnaires also revealed that the interleaved practice schedule had positive effects on factors such as goal setting, focus, and mistake identification. Taken together, these results suggest that an interleaved practice schedule may be a more effective practice strategy than continuous repetition in a music-learning context. PMID:27588014

Automatic extraction of blocks from 3D point clouds of fractured rock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Na; Kemeny, John; Jiang, Qinghui; Pan, Zhiwen

2017-12-01

This paper presents a new method for extracting blocks and calculating block size automatically from rock surface 3D point clouds. Block size is an important rock mass characteristic and forms the basis for several rock mass classification schemes. The proposed method consists of four steps: 1) the automatic extraction of discontinuities using an improved Ransac Shape Detection method, 2) the calculation of discontinuity intersections based on plane geometry, 3) the extraction of block candidates based on three discontinuities intersecting one another to form corners, and 4) the identification of "true" blocks using an improved Floodfill algorithm. The calculated block sizes were compared with manual measurements in two case studies, one with fabricated cardboard blocks and the other from an actual rock mass outcrop. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is accurate and overcomes the inaccuracies, safety hazards, and biases of traditional techniques.

Criminal Justice Systems. Block I: Law Enforcement. Block II: The Courts. Block III: Corrections. Block IV: Community Relations. Block V: Proficiency Skills. Block VI: Criminalistics. Instructor Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

This instructor guide together with a student guide comprise a set of curriculum materials on the criminal justice system. The instructor guide is a resource for planning and managing individualized, competency-based instruction in six major subject areas or blocks, which are further broken down into several units with some units having several…

Observing atmospheric blocking with GPS radio occultation - one decade of measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunner, Lukas; Steiner, Andrea

2017-04-01

Atmospheric blocking has received a lot of attention in recent years due to its impact on mid-latitude circulation and subsequently on weather extremes such as cold and warm spells. So far blocking studies have been based mainly on re-analysis data or model output. However, it has been shown that blocking frequency exhibits considerable inter-model spread in current climate models. Here we use one decade (2006 to 2016) of satellite-based observations from GPS radio occultation (RO) to analyze blocking in RO data building on work by Brunner et al. (2016). Daily fields on a 2.5°×2.5° longitude-latitude grid are calculated by applying an adequate gridding strategy to the RO measurements. For blocking detection we use a standard blocking detection algorithm based on 500 hPa geopotential height (GPH) gradients. We investigate vertically resolved atmospheric variables such as GPH, temperature, and water vapor before, during, and after blocking events to increase process understanding. Moreover, utilizing the coverage of the RO data set, we investigate global blocking frequencies. The main blocking regions in the northern and southern hemisphere are identified and the (vertical) atmospheric structure linked to blocking events is compared. Finally, an inter-comparison of results from RO data to different re-analyses, such as ERA-Interim, MERRA 2, and JRA-55, is presented. Brunner, L., A. K. Steiner, B. Scherllin-Pirscher, and M. W. Jury (2016): Exploring atmospheric blocking with GPS radio occultation observations. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4593-4604, doi:10.5194/acp-16-4593-2016.

21 CFR 520.1846 - Polyoxyethylene (23) lauryl ether blocks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Polyoxyethylene (23) lauryl ether blocks. 520.1846... Polyoxyethylene (23) lauryl ether blocks. (a) Specifications. Each molasses-based block contains 2.2 percent... (1 pound of block per 500 kilogram (1,100 pound) animal per day). (2) Indications for use. For...

Compressed normalized block difference for object tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yun; Zhang, Dengzhuo; Cai, Donglan; Zhou, Hao; Lan, Ge

2018-04-01

Feature extraction is very important for robust and real-time tracking. Compressive sensing provided a technical support for real-time feature extraction. However, all existing compressive tracking were based on compressed Haar-like feature, and how to compress many more excellent high-dimensional features is worth researching. In this paper, a novel compressed normalized block difference feature (CNBD) was proposed. For resisting noise effectively in a highdimensional normalized pixel difference feature (NPD), a normalized block difference feature extends two pixels in the original formula of NPD to two blocks. A CNBD feature can be obtained by compressing a normalized block difference feature based on compressive sensing theory, with the sparse random Gaussian matrix as the measurement matrix. The comparative experiments of 7 trackers on 20 challenging sequences showed that the tracker based on CNBD feature can perform better than other trackers, especially than FCT tracker based on compressed Haar-like feature, in terms of AUC, SR and Precision.

Novel Near-Lossless Compression Algorithm for Medical Sequence Images with Adaptive Block-Based Spatial Prediction.

PubMed

Song, Xiaoying; Huang, Qijun; Chang, Sheng; He, Jin; Wang, Hao

2016-12-01

To address the low compression efficiency of lossless compression and the low image quality of general near-lossless compression, a novel near-lossless compression algorithm based on adaptive spatial prediction is proposed for medical sequence images for possible diagnostic use in this paper. The proposed method employs adaptive block size-based spatial prediction to predict blocks directly in the spatial domain and Lossless Hadamard Transform before quantization to improve the quality of reconstructed images. The block-based prediction breaks the pixel neighborhood constraint and takes full advantage of the local spatial correlations found in medical images. The adaptive block size guarantees a more rational division of images and the improved use of the local structure. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm can efficiently compress medical images and produces a better peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) under the same pre-defined distortion than other near-lossless methods.

Quantum Image Steganography and Steganalysis Based On LSQu-Blocks Image Information Concealing Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A. AL-Salhi, Yahya E.; Lu, Songfeng

2016-08-01

Quantum steganography can solve some problems that are considered inefficient in image information concealing. It researches on Quantum image information concealing to have been widely exploited in recent years. Quantum image information concealing can be categorized into quantum image digital blocking, quantum image stereography, anonymity and other branches. Least significant bit (LSB) information concealing plays vital roles in the classical world because many image information concealing algorithms are designed based on it. Firstly, based on the novel enhanced quantum representation (NEQR), image uniform blocks clustering around the concrete the least significant Qu-block (LSQB) information concealing algorithm for quantum image steganography is presented. Secondly, a clustering algorithm is proposed to optimize the concealment of important data. Finally, we used Con-Steg algorithm to conceal the clustered image blocks. Information concealing located on the Fourier domain of an image can achieve the security of image information, thus we further discuss the Fourier domain LSQu-block information concealing algorithm for quantum image based on Quantum Fourier Transforms. In our algorithms, the corresponding unitary Transformations are designed to realize the aim of concealing the secret information to the least significant Qu-block representing color of the quantum cover image. Finally, the procedures of extracting the secret information are illustrated. Quantum image LSQu-block image information concealing algorithm can be applied in many fields according to different needs.

Trellises and Trellis-Based Decoding Algorithms for Linear Block Codes. Part 3; An Iterative Decoding Algorithm for Linear Block Codes Based on a Low-Weight Trellis Search

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Shu; Fossorier, Marc

1998-01-01

For long linear block codes, maximum likelihood decoding based on full code trellises would be very hard to implement if not impossible. In this case, we may wish to trade error performance for the reduction in decoding complexity. Sub-optimum soft-decision decoding of a linear block code based on a low-weight sub-trellis can be devised to provide an effective trade-off between error performance and decoding complexity. This chapter presents such a suboptimal decoding algorithm for linear block codes. This decoding algorithm is iterative in nature and based on an optimality test. It has the following important features: (1) a simple method to generate a sequence of candidate code-words, one at a time, for test; (2) a sufficient condition for testing a candidate code-word for optimality; and (3) a low-weight sub-trellis search for finding the most likely (ML) code-word.

Forced transport of thermal energy in magmatic and phreatomagmatic large volume ignimbrites: Paleomagnetic evidence from the Colli Albani volcano, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trolese, Matteo; Giordano, Guido; Cifelli, Francesca; Winkler, Aldo; Mattei, Massimo

2017-11-01

Few studies have detailed the thermal architecture of large-volume pyroclastic density current deposits, although such work has a clear importance for understanding the dynamics of eruptions of this magnitude. Here we examine the temperature of emplacement of large-volume caldera-forming ignimbrites related to magmatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions at the Colli Albani volcano, Italy, by using thermal remanent magnetization analysis on both lithic and juvenile clasts. Results show that all the magmatic ignimbrites were deposited at high temperature, between the maximum blocking temperature of the magnetic carrier (600-630 °C) and the glass transition temperature (about 710 °C). Temperature estimations for the phreatomagmatic ignimbrite range between 200 and 400 °C, with most of the clasts emplaced between 200 and 320 °C. Because all the investigated ignimbrites, magmatic and phreatomagmatic, share similar magma composition, volume and mobility, we attribute the temperature difference to magma-water interaction, highlighting its pronounced impact on thermal dissipation, even in large-volume eruptions. The homogeneity of the deposit temperature of each ignimbrite across its areal extent, which is maintained across topographic barriers, suggests that these systems are thermodynamically isolated from the external environment for several tens of kilometers. Based on these findings, we propose that these large-volume ignimbrites are dominated by the mass flux, which forces the lateral transport of mass, momentum, and thermal energy for distances up to tens of kilometers away from the vent. We conclude that spatial variation of the emplacement temperature can be used as a proxy for determining the degree of forced-convection flow.

Variation block-based genomics method for crop plants.

PubMed

Kim, Yul Ho; Park, Hyang Mi; Hwang, Tae-Young; Lee, Seuk Ki; Choi, Man Soo; Jho, Sungwoong; Hwang, Seungwoo; Kim, Hak-Min; Lee, Dongwoo; Kim, Byoung-Chul; Hong, Chang Pyo; Cho, Yun Sung; Kim, Hyunmin; Jeong, Kwang Ho; Seo, Min Jung; Yun, Hong Tai; Kim, Sun Lim; Kwon, Young-Up; Kim, Wook Han; Chun, Hye Kyung; Lim, Sang Jong; Shin, Young-Ah; Choi, Ik-Young; Kim, Young Sun; Yoon, Ho-Sung; Lee, Suk-Ha; Lee, Sunghoon

2014-06-15

In contrast with wild species, cultivated crop genomes consist of reshuffled recombination blocks, which occurred by crossing and selection processes. Accordingly, recombination block-based genomics analysis can be an effective approach for the screening of target loci for agricultural traits. We propose the variation block method, which is a three-step process for recombination block detection and comparison. The first step is to detect variations by comparing the short-read DNA sequences of the cultivar to the reference genome of the target crop. Next, sequence blocks with variation patterns are examined and defined. The boundaries between the variation-containing sequence blocks are regarded as recombination sites. All the assumed recombination sites in the cultivar set are used to split the genomes, and the resulting sequence regions are termed variation blocks. Finally, the genomes are compared using the variation blocks. The variation block method identified recurring recombination blocks accurately and successfully represented block-level diversities in the publicly available genomes of 31 soybean and 23 rice accessions. The practicality of this approach was demonstrated by the identification of a putative locus determining soybean hilum color. We suggest that the variation block method is an efficient genomics method for the recombination block-level comparison of crop genomes. We expect that this method will facilitate the development of crop genomics by bringing genomics technologies to the field of crop breeding.

Blocking of Goal-Location Learning Based on Shape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Tim; Wilson, Stuart P.; Wilson, Paul N.

2009-01-01

Using desktop, computer-simulated virtual environments (VEs), the authors conducted 5 experiments to investigate blocking of learning about a goal location based on Shape B as a consequence of preliminary training to locate that goal using Shape A. The shapes were large 2-dimensional horizontal figures on the ground. Blocking of spatial learning…

Does Block Scheduling Live Up to Its Promise?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCoy, Mary Helen S.; Taylor, Dianne L.

This paper examines how block scheduling affects teachers' perceptions of school climate. It is based on information taken from 21 high schools in a southern state that used 4X4 block scheduling. Data were collected through interviews, a survey instrument that measured teacher perceptions of climate, and focus groups. Based on results from the…

Incidence of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Nationwide Population-Based Study Using National Health Insurance Database in Korea.

PubMed

Yang, Min-Suk; Lee, Jin Yong; Kim, Jayeun; Kim, Gun-Woo; Kim, Byung-Keun; Kim, Ju-Young; Park, Heung-Woo; Cho, Sang-Heon; Min, Kyung-Up; Kang, Hye-Ryun

2016-01-01

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life-threatening diseases; however, it is hard to estimate their incidence due to the rarity of these diseases. We evaluated the incidence of SJS and TEN using a nationwide administrative database. We used a national medical insurance review system (Health Insurance Review and Assessment) database which contained the claim data of the entire nation from 2009 to 2013 to estimate the accurate incidence of SJS and TEN in Korea. The diagnostic codes of L511 (SJS) or L512 (TEN) from the International Classification of Diseases-10th revision were used to define the target study population. We also retrospectively followed up a 2011 SJS and TEN cohort for 24 months in order to assess the in-hospital mortality, related complications and total claims cost due to SJS and TEN. A total of 1,167 (938 SJS and 229 TEN) cases were newly diagnosed from 2010 to 2013. The age- and sex-standardized annual incidences estimated in this study were 3.96 to 5.03 in SJS and 0.94 to 1.45 in TEN per million. There was no significant change in annual incidence throughout the study periods. When analyzed by 10-year age groups, the annual incidence was the lowest in group 20-29 years and the highest in group 70 for both SJS and TEN. Based on the 2011 cohort analysis, the in-hospital mortality were 5.7 and 15.1% for SJS and TEN, respectively. The mortality increased with age, particularly, after 40 years of age. Among the complications related with SJS or TEN, ocular sequelae was the most common (43.1 and 43.4% of SJS and TEN patients, respectively) followed by urethral sequelae (5.7 and 9.4% of SJS and TEN patients, respectively). Overall, our data suggest that SJS, and TEN are infrequent but constantly arise throughout the years.

Reconstruction of a composite comparative map composed of ten legume genomes.

PubMed

Lee, Chaeyoung; Yu, Dongwoon; Choi, Hong-Kyu; Kim, Ryan W

2017-01-01

The Fabaceae (legume family) is the third largest and the second of agricultural importance among flowering plant groups. In this study, we report the reconstruction of a composite comparative map composed of ten legume genomes, including seven species from the galegoid clade ( Medicago truncatula , Medicago sativa , Lens culinaris, Pisum sativum , Lotus japonicus , Cicer arietinum , Vicia faba ) and three species from the phaseoloid clade ( Vigna radiata , Phaseolus vulgaris , Glycine max ). To accomplish this comparison, a total of 209 cross-species gene-derived markers were employed. The comparative analysis resulted in a single extensive genetic/genomic network composed of 93 chromosomes or linkage groups, from which 110 synteny blocks and other evolutionary events (e.g., 13 inversions) were identified. This comparative map also allowed us to deduce several large scale evolutionary events, such as chromosome fusion/fission, with which might explain differences in chromosome numbers among compared species or between the two clades. As a result, useful properties of cross-species genic markers were re-verified as an efficient tool for cross-species translation of genomic information, and similar approaches, combined with a high throughput bioinformatic marker design program, should be effective for applying the knowledge of trait-associated genes to other important crop species for breeding purposes. Here, we provide a basic comparative framework for the ten legume species, and expect to be usefully applied towards the crop improvement in legume breeding.

Distributed radiology clerkship for the core clinical year of medical school.

PubMed

Chew, Felix S

2002-11-01

The central role that diagnostic radiology has in the modern practice of medicine has not always been reflected in radiology's place in the curriculum. We developed a new radiology clerkship for undergraduate medical students during their core clinical year that was supported by Web technology. The assumptions underlying the design of the clerkship were that radiology is best learned from radiologists and that students are most receptive to learning radiology when it is related to concurrent patient care experiences. Beginning in May 2000, a required radiology clerkship experience was incorporated into the core clinical year at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The core clinical year was organized into three 16-week blocks of clerkships. Two or four independent half-day radiology tutorial sessions were included with each clerkship block, and attended by all students in the block (approximately 35 students), regardless of their specific clerkship assignments. There were ten different radiology tutorials, each given three times during the year as students rotated through the clerkship blocks. Thus, each student attended a radiology tutorial session every four to eight weeks during the year. The topics covered during the tutorials were correlated with the content of the clerkship blocks and included adult and pediatric chest radiology, adult and pediatric abdominal radiology, body CT, neuroradiology, obstetric ultrasound, gynecologic ultrasound, osteoporosis, adult and pediatric fractures, mammography, and cervical spine trauma. The tutorials included pre- and post-test, lectures, case presentations, and sometimes tours of the radiology department. The educational emphasis was on pragmatic case-based learning exercises, development of verbal and visual vocabulary, and learning when and where to seek more information. To provide continuity and organization, Web-based curriculum materials were designed and implemented as a component of the clerkship. The home page of the Web site provided the schedule, faculty names, attendance and grading policies, course overview, and links to individual tutorials. The pages for individual tutorials included educational objectives, glossary of radiology terminology relevant to the subject, lecture slides and handouts, and teaching cases. All students had laptop computers and access to the academic network, but did not use them during the actual tutorial sessions. Implementation of the radiology clerkship required extensive negotiation with directors of other clerkships so that students could be released from their other responsibilities in order to attend the radiology tutorials. The radiology clerkship format has proven to be complex in its administration, with faculty and students on different schedules commuting to the radiology lecture hall from various locations. Extensive use of e-mail and communication via the Web site have been instrumental in reminding faculty and students of upcoming sessions. Preliminary evaluations have indicated that students liked the radiology sessions and learned a great deal, but disliked the scheduling and the lack of continuity. An evaluation of the curriculum and its components is ongoing.

Peculiar Active-Tectonic Landscape Within the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion (Peloponnese, Greece)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, G. H.

2008-12-01

The Sanctuary of Zeus (Mt. Lykaion) lies in the Peloponnese within the Pindos fold and thrust belt. It is the object of investigation of the Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Survey (http://lykaionexcavation.org/). Mt. Lykaion is a thrust klippe, on the summit of which is an upper sanctuary marked by an ash altar, temenos, and column bases. Earliest objects recovered from the ash altar go back to 3000 BCE, leading Dr. David Romano (University of Pennsylvania), a principal leader of the project, to conclude that worship of divinities on the summit is ancient. Detailed structural geological mapping reveals one dimension of the "power" of the site. Crisscrossing the upper sanctuary are scree bands that mark the traces of active normal faults, which are expressions of tectonic stretching of the Aegean region. The scree bands, composed of cinder-block-sized limestone blocks, range up to 10 m in outcrop breadth, 100 m in length, and 5 m in thickness. Though discontinuous, most of the scree bands lie precisely on the traces of through-going faults, which cut and displace the sedimentary formations of the Pindos group. Some cut the thrust fault, whose elliptical trace defines the Lykaion klippe. What makes the scree bands of this active-tectonic landscape "peculiar" is that there are no cliffs from which the scree descends. Rather, the bands of scree occur along flanks of smooth, rounded hillslopes and ridges. The scree bands coincide with modest steps in the topography, ranging from tens of centimeters to several tens of meters. The specific bedrock formation where the bands are best developed is an Upper Cretaceous limestone whose average platy-bedding thickness (approximately 20 cm) matches closely the average joint spacing. The limestone has little mechanical integrity. It cannot support itself as a scarp footwall and instead collapses into a pile of scree, whose upper-surface inclination conforms to a stable angle of repose. Evidence of the contemporary nature of this faulting includes a scree band that nearly completely covers stone structures built by shepherds. Though the scree bands conceal surface ruptures, it is expected that trenching will determine that the scree cover may have preserved beneath it some expressions of surface rupture, and perhaps fault surfaces themselves.

Dealing with the health state 'dead' when using discrete choice experiments to obtain values for EQ-5D-5L heath states.

PubMed

Ramos-Goñi, Juan Manuel; Rivero-Arias, Oliver; Errea, María; Stolk, Elly A; Herdman, Michael; Cabasés, Juan Manuel

2013-07-01

To evaluate two different methods to obtain a dead (0)--full health (1) scale for EQ-5D-5L valuation studies when using discrete choice (DC) modeling. The study was carried out among 400 respondents from Barcelona who were representative of the Spanish population in terms of age, sex, and level of education. The DC design included 50 pairs of health states in five blocks. Participants were forced to choose between two EQ-5D-5L states (A and B). Two extra questions concerned whether A and B were considered worse than dead. Each participant performed ten choice exercises. In addition, values were collected using lead-time trade-off (lead-time TTO), for which 100 states in ten blocks were selected. Each participant performed five lead-time TTO exercises. These consisted of DC models offering the health state 'dead' as one of the choices--for which all participants' responses were used (DCdead)--and a model that included only the responses of participants who chose at least one state as worse than dead (WTD) (DCWTD). The study also estimated DC models rescaled with lead-time TTO data and a lead-time TTO linear model. The DC(dead) and DCWTD models produced relatively similar results, although the coefficients in the DCdead model were slightly lower. The DC model rescaled with lead-time TTO data produced higher utility decrements. Lead-time TTO produced the highest utility decrements. The incorporation of the state 'dead' in the DC models produces results in concordance with DC models that do not include 'dead'.

A Comparison of the Marginal and Internal Fit of Cobalt- Chromium Copings Fabricated by Two Different CAD/CAM Systems (CAD/ Milling, CAD/ Ceramill Sintron).

PubMed

Vojdani, Mahroo; Torabi, Kianoosh; Atashkar, Berivan; Heidari, Hossein; Torabi Ardakani, Mahshid

2016-12-01

Marginal fitness is the most important criteria for evaluation of the clinical acceptability of a cast restoration. Marginal gap which is due to cement solubility and plaque retention is potentially detrimental to both tooth and periodontal tissues. This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the marginal and internal fit of cobalt- chromium (Co-Cr) copings fabricated by two different CAD/CAM systems: (CAD/ milling and CAD/ Ceramill Sintron). We prepared one machined standard stainless steel master model with following dimensions: 7 mm height, 5mm diameter, 90˚ shoulder marginal finish line with 1 mm width, 10˚ convergence angle and anti-rotational surface on the buccal aspect of the die. There were 10 copings produced from hard presintered Co-Cr blocks according to CAD/ Milling technique and ten copings from soft non- presintered Co-Cr blocks according to CAD/ Ceramill Sintron technique. Marginal and internal accuracies of copings were documented by the replica technique. Replicas were examined at ten reference points under a digital microscope (230X). The Student's t-test was used for statistical analysis. p < 0.001 was considered significant. Statistically significant differences existed between the groups ( p < 0.001). The CAD/milling group (hard copings) had a mean marginal discrepancy (MD) of 104 µm, axial discrepancy (AD) of 23 µm and occlusal discrepancy of 130 µm. For CAD/ Ceramill Sintron group, these values were 195 µm (MD), 46 µm (AD), and 232 µm (OD). Internal total discrepancy (ITD) for the CAD/milling group was 77 µm, whereas for the CAD/Ceramill Sintron group was 143 µm. Hard presintered Co-Cr copings had significantly higher marginal and internal accuracies compared to the soft non-presintered copings.

Improving Sector Hash Carving with Rule-Based and Entropy-Based Non-Probative Block Filters

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

0x20 exceeds the histogram rule’s threshold of 256 instances of a single 4-byte value. The 0x20 bytes are part of an Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP...block consists of data separated by NULL bytes of padding. The histogram rule is triggered for the block because the block contains more than 256 4...sdash can reduce the rate of false positive matches. After characteristic features have been selected, the features are hashed using SHA -1, which creates

Text extraction method for historical Tibetan document images based on block projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Li-juan; Zhang, Xi-qun; Ma, Long-long; Wu, Jian

2017-11-01

Text extraction is an important initial step in digitizing the historical documents. In this paper, we present a text extraction method for historical Tibetan document images based on block projections. The task of text extraction is considered as text area detection and location problem. The images are divided equally into blocks and the blocks are filtered by the information of the categories of connected components and corner point density. By analyzing the filtered blocks' projections, the approximate text areas can be located, and the text regions are extracted. Experiments on the dataset of historical Tibetan documents demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Subsurface Implications of Spatially Variable Seafloor Character on the Atlantis Massif

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, J. A.; Tominaga, M.; Blackman, D. K.

2014-12-01

We documented and mapped the characteristics of the seafloor on the Atlantis Massif, an ocean core complex located at 30°N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Our goal is to investigate the implications of these surficial features, particularly whether their spatial variations might reflect subsurface lithology and geological processes. We utilized data collected during the MARVEL 2000 cruise AT3-60, specifically Alvin videos and rock samples, Argo II digital still photos, and TOBI/DSL-120 side-scan sonar mosaic. The Alvin dives studied occurred over the Central Dome and Eastern Block, which is interpreted as the hanging wall to the detachment that unroofed the dome. We also studied two Argo II dives located over the Central Dome, one over the Eastern Block, and one over the Western Shoulder of the southern dome. The TOBI/DSL-120 side-scan sonar followed a widespread, looped track providing near total coverage of the massif. We classified the character of the seafloor based on imagery, the acoustic reflectivity, and the basic composition of rock samples. To aid in our classification, we merged Argo II still images to produce photo-mosaics displaying tens of meters long transects. We then classified the seafloor as unconsolidated sediment, lithified sediment (a carbonate crust or cap), exposed bedrock, or rubble. To obtain a broader understanding of the Atlantis Massif, we analyzed the distribution of these classes of seafloor. Over the Central Dome and Western Shoulder, we found most seafloor classes present in notable amounts, with many individual areas dominated by a particular type.

Morphology and conductivity of PEO-based polymers having various end functional groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Ha Young; Mandal, Prithwiraj; Park, Moon Jeong

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based polymers have been considered most promising candidates of polymer electrolytes for lithium batteries owing to the high ionic conductivity of PEO/lithium salt complexes. This positive aspect prompted researchers to investigate PEO-containing block copolymers prepared by linking mechanically robust block to PEO covalently. Given that the microphase separation of block copolymers can affect both mechanical properties and ion transport properties, various strategies have been reported to tune the morphology of PEO-containing block copolymers. In the present study, we describe a simple means for modulating the morphologies of PEO-based block copolymers with an aim to improve ion transport properties. By varying terminal groups of PEO in block copolymers, the disordered morphology can be readily transformed into ordered lamellae or gyroid phases, depending on the type and number density of end group. In particular, the existence of terminal groups resulted in a large reduction in crystallinity of PEO chains and thereby increasing room temperature ionic conductivity.

A new in vivo screening model for posterior spinal bone formation: comparison of ten calcium phosphate ceramic material treatments.

PubMed

Wilson, Clayton E; Kruyt, Moyo C; de Bruijn, Joost D; van Blitterswijk, Clemens A; Oner, F Cumhur; Verbout, Abraham J; Dhert, Wouter J A

2006-01-01

This study presents a new screening model for evaluating the influence of multiple conditions on the initial process of bone formation in the posterior lumbar spine of a large animal. This model uses cages designed for placement on the decorticated transverse process of the goat lumbar spine. Five conduction channels per cage, each be defined by a different material treatment, are open to both the underlying bone and overlying soft tissue. The model was validated in ten adult Dutch milk goats, with each animal implanted with two cages containing a total of ten calcium phosphate material treatments according to a randomized complete block design. The ten calcium phosphate ceramic materials were created through a combination of material chemistry (BCP, TCP, HA), sintering temperature (low, medium, high), calcination and surface roughness treatments. To monitor the bone formation over time, fluorochrome markers were administered at 3, 5 and 7 weeks and the animals were sacrificed at 9 weeks after implantation. Bone formation in the conduction channels was investigated by histology and histomorphometry of non-decalcified sections using traditional light and epifluorescent microscopy. According to both observed and measured bone formation parameters, materials were ranked in order of increasing magnitude as follows: low sintering temperature BCP (rough and smooth) approximately medium sintering temperature BCP approximately = TCP > calcined low sintering temperature HA > non-calcined low sintering temperature HA > high sintering temperature BCP (rough and smooth) > high sintering temperature HA (calcined and non-calcined). These results agree closely with those obtained in previous studies of osteoconduction and bioactivity of ceramics thereby validating the screening model presented in this study.

Analysis of blocking probability for OFDM-based variable bandwidth optical network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Lei; Zhang, Jie; Zhao, Yongli; Lin, Xuefeng; Wu, Yuyao; Gu, Wanyi

2011-12-01

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has recently been proposed as a modulation technique. For optical networks, because of its good spectral efficiency, flexibility, and tolerance to impairments, optical OFDM is much more flexible compared to traditional WDM systems, enabling elastic bandwidth transmissions, and optical networking is the future trend of development. In OFDM-based optical network the research of blocking rate has very important significance for network assessment. Current research for WDM network is basically based on a fixed bandwidth, in order to accommodate the future business and the fast-changing development of optical network, our study is based on variable bandwidth OFDM-based optical networks. We apply the mathematical analysis and theoretical derivation, based on the existing theory and algorithms, research blocking probability of the variable bandwidth of optical network, and then we will build a model for blocking probability.

Adaptive block online learning target tracking based on super pixel segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Yue; Li, Jianzeng

2018-04-01

Video target tracking technology under the unremitting exploration of predecessors has made big progress, but there are still lots of problems not solved. This paper proposed a new algorithm of target tracking based on image segmentation technology. Firstly we divide the selected region using simple linear iterative clustering (SLIC) algorithm, after that, we block the area with the improved density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) clustering algorithm. Each sub-block independently trained classifier and tracked, then the algorithm ignore the failed tracking sub-block while reintegrate the rest of the sub-blocks into tracking box to complete the target tracking. The experimental results show that our algorithm can work effectively under occlusion interference, rotation change, scale change and many other problems in target tracking compared with the current mainstream algorithms.

[Construction of haplotype and haplotype block based on tag single nucleotide polymorphisms and their applications in association studies].

PubMed

Gu, Ming-liang; Chu, Jia-you

2007-12-01

Human genome has structures of haplotype and haplotype block which provide valuable information on human evolutionary history and may lead to the development of more efficient strategies to identify genetic variants that increase susceptibility to complex diseases. Haplotype block can be divided into discrete blocks of limited haplotype diversity. In each block, a small fraction of ptag SNPsq can be used to distinguish a large fraction of the haplotypes. These tag SNPs can be potentially useful for construction of haplotype and haplotype block, and association studies in complex diseases. There are two general classes of methods to construct haplotype and haplotype blocks based on genotypes on large pedigrees and statistical algorithms respectively. The author evaluate several construction methods to assess the power of different association tests with a variety of disease models and block-partitioning criteria. The advantages, limitations and applications of each method and the application in the association studies are discussed equitably. With the completion of the HapMap and development of statistical algorithms for addressing haplotype reconstruction, ideas of construction of haplotype based on combination of mathematics, physics, and computer science etc will have profound impacts on population genetics, location and cloning for susceptible genes in complex diseases, and related domain with life science etc.

The Research and Evaluation of Road Environment in the Block of City Based on 3-D Streetscape Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, L.; Ding, Y.; Ge, J.; Yang, H.; Feng, X.; Chen, P.

2018-04-01

This paper focus on the problem of the street environment of block unit, based on making clear the acquisition mode and characteristics of 3D streetscape data, the paper designs the assessment model of regional block unit based on 3D streetscape data. The 3D streetscape data with the aid of oblique photogrammetry surveying and mobile equipment, will greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of urban regional assessment, and expand the assessment scope. Based on the latest urban regional assessment model, with the street environment assessment model of the current situation, this paper analyzes the street form and street environment assessment of current situation in the typical area of Beijing. Through the street environment assessment of block unit, we found that in the megacity street environment assessment model of block unit based on 3D streetscape data has greatly help to improve the assessment efficiency and accuracy. At the same time, motor vehicle lane, green shade deficiency, bad railings and street lost situation is still very serious in Beijing, the street environment improvement of the block unit is still a heavy task. The research results will provide data support for urban fine management and urban design, and provide a solid foundation for the improvement of city image.

Single-stage plasma-based correlated energy spread compensation for ultrahigh 6D brightness electron beams

DOE PAGES

Manahan, Grace G.; Habib, A. F.; Scherkl, P.; ...

2017-06-05

Plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration combines energy gains of tens of GeV m –1 with generation of ultralow emittance electron bunches, and opens a path towards 5D-brightness orders of magnitude larger than state-of-the-art. This holds great promise for compact accelerator building blocks and advanced light sources. However, an intrinsic by-product of the enormous electric field gradients inherent to plasma accelerators is substantial correlated energy spread—an obstacle for key applications such as free-electron-lasers. Here we show that by releasing an additional tailored escort electron beam at a later phase of the acceleration, when the witness bunch is relativistically stable, the plasma wavemore » can be locally overloaded without compromising the witness bunch normalized emittance. Here, this reverses the effective accelerating gradient, and counter-rotates the accumulated negative longitudinal phase space chirp of the witness bunch. Thereby, the energy spread is reduced by an order of magnitude, thus enabling the production of ultrahigh 6D-brightness beams.« less

Fairness in optimizing bus-crew scheduling process.

PubMed

Ma, Jihui; Song, Cuiying; Ceder, Avishai Avi; Liu, Tao; Guan, Wei

2017-01-01

This work proposes a model considering fairness in the problem of crew scheduling for bus drivers (CSP-BD) using a hybrid ant-colony optimization (HACO) algorithm to solve it. The main contributions of this work are the following: (a) a valid approach for cases with a special cost structure and constraints considering the fairness of working time and idle time; (b) an improved algorithm incorporating Gamma heuristic function and selecting rules. The relationships of each cost are examined with ten bus lines collected from the Beijing Public Transport Holdings (Group) Co., Ltd., one of the largest bus transit companies in the world. It shows that unfair cost is indirectly related to common cost, fixed cost and extra cost and also the unfair cost approaches to common and fixed cost when its coefficient is twice of common cost coefficient. Furthermore, the longest time for the tested bus line with 1108 pieces, 74 blocks is less than 30 minutes. The results indicate that the HACO-based algorithm can be a feasible and efficient optimization technique for CSP-BD, especially with large scale problems.

Blocked inverted indices for exact clustering of large chemical spaces.

PubMed

Thiel, Philipp; Sach-Peltason, Lisa; Ottmann, Christian; Kohlbacher, Oliver

2014-09-22

The calculation of pairwise compound similarities based on fingerprints is one of the fundamental tasks in chemoinformatics. Methods for efficient calculation of compound similarities are of the utmost importance for various applications like similarity searching or library clustering. With the increasing size of public compound databases, exact clustering of these databases is desirable, but often computationally prohibitively expensive. We present an optimized inverted index algorithm for the calculation of all pairwise similarities on 2D fingerprints of a given data set. In contrast to other algorithms, it neither requires GPU computing nor yields a stochastic approximation of the clustering. The algorithm has been designed to work well with multicore architectures and shows excellent parallel speedup. As an application example of this algorithm, we implemented a deterministic clustering application, which has been designed to decompose virtual libraries comprising tens of millions of compounds in a short time on current hardware. Our results show that our implementation achieves more than 400 million Tanimoto similarity calculations per second on a common desktop CPU. Deterministic clustering of the available chemical space thus can be done on modern multicore machines within a few days.

SSE-based Thomas algorithm for quasi-block-tridiagonal linear equation systems, optimized for small dense blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnaś, Dawid; Bieniasz, Lesław K.

2017-07-01

We have recently developed a vectorized Thomas solver for quasi-block tridiagonal linear algebraic equation systems using Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) and Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) in operations on dense blocks [D. Barnaś and L. K. Bieniasz, Int. J. Comput. Meth., accepted]. The acceleration caused by vectorization was observed for large block sizes, but was less satisfactory for small blocks. In this communication we report on another version of the solver, optimized for small blocks of size up to four rows and/or columns.

Identification and characterization of ten new water gaps in seeds and fruits with physical dormancy and classification of water-gap complexes.

PubMed

Gama-Arachchige, N S; Baskin, J M; Geneve, R L; Baskin, C C

2013-07-01

Physical dormancy (PY) occurs in seeds or fruits of 18 angiosperm families and is caused by a water-impermeable palisade cell layer(s) in seed or fruit coats. Prior to germination, the seed or fruit coat of species with PY must become permeable in order to imbibe water. Breaking of PY involves formation of a small opening(s) (water gap) in a morpho-anatomically specialized area in seeds or fruits known as the water-gap complex. Twelve different water-gap regions in seven families have previously been characterized. However, the water-gap regions had not been characterized in Cucurbitaceae; clade Cladrastis of Fabaceae; subfamilies Bombacoideae, Brownlowioideae and Bythnerioideae of Malvaceae; Nelumbonaceae; subfamily Sapindoideae of Sapindaceae; Rhamnaceae; or Surianaceae. The primary aims of this study were to identify and describe the water gaps of these taxa and to classify all the known water-gap regions based on their morpho-anatomical features. Physical dormancy in 15 species was broken by exposing seeds or fruits to wet or dry heat under laboratory conditions. Water-gap regions of fruits and seeds were identified and characterized by use of microtome sectioning, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dye tracking and blocking experiments. Ten new water-gap regions were identified in seven different families, and two previously hypothesized regions were confirmed. Water-gap complexes consist of (1) an opening that forms after PY is broken; (2) a specialized structure that occludes the gap; and (3) associated specialized tissues. In some species, more than one opening is involved in the initial imbibition of water. Based on morpho-anatomical features, three basic water-gap complexes (Types-I, -II and -III) were identified in species with PY in 16 families. Depending on the number of openings involved in initial imbibition, the water-gap complexes were sub-divided into simple and compound. The proposed classification system enables understanding of the relationships between the water-gap complexes of taxonomically unrelated species with PY.

Degradable ketal-based block copolymer nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery: a systematic evaluation.

PubMed

Louage, Benoit; Zhang, Qilu; Vanparijs, Nane; Voorhaar, Lenny; Vande Casteele, Sofie; Shi, Yang; Hennink, Wim E; Van Bocxlaer, Jan; Hoogenboom, Richard; De Geest, Bruno G

2015-01-12

Low solubility of potent (anticancer) drugs is a major driving force for the development of noncytotoxic, stimuli-responsive nanocarriers, including systems based on amphiphilic block copolymers. In this regard, we investigated the potential of block copolymers based on 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and the acid-sensitive ketal-containing monomer (2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane-4-yl)methyl acrylate (DMDMA) to form responsive drug nanocarriers. Block copolymers were successfully synthesized by sequential reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, in which we combined a hydrophilic poly(HEA)x block with a (responsive) hydrophobic poly(HEAm-co-DMDMAn)y copolymer block. The DMDMA content of the hydrophobic block was systematically varied to investigate the influence of polymer design on physicochemical properties and in vitro biological performance. We found that a DMDMA content higher than 11 mol % is required for self-assembly behavior in aqueous medium. All particles showed colloidal stability in PBS at 37 °C for at least 4 days, with sizes ranging from 23 to 338 nm, proportional to the block copolymer DMDMA content. Under acidic conditions, the nanoparticles decomposed into soluble unimers, of which the decomposition rate was inversely proportional to the block copolymer DMDMA content. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy showed dose-dependent, active in vitro cellular uptake of the particles loaded with hydrophobic octadecyl rhodamine B chloride (R18). The block copolymers showed no intrinsic in vitro cytotoxicity, while loaded with paclitaxel (PTX), a significant decrease in cell viability was observed comparable or better than the two commercial PTX nanoformulations Abraxane and Genexol-PM at equal PTX dose. This systematic approach evaluated and showed the potential of these block copolymers as nanocarriers for hydrophobic drugs.

Health. Nevada Competency-Based Adult High School Diploma Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nevada Univ., Las Vegas. Coll. of Education.

This document is one of ten curriculum guides developed by the Nevada Competency-Based Adult High School Diploma (CBAHSD) Project. This curriculum guide on health is divided into ten topics. The topics included are Nutrition, Reproduction, Menstruation, Contraception, Alcohol Abuse, Tobacco, Immunization, Disease, Accident Prevention, and…

A home-based program of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and task-related trunk training improves trunk control in patients with stroke: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

PubMed

Chan, Bill K S; Ng, Shamay S M; Ng, Gabriel Y F

2015-01-01

Impaired trunk motor control is common after stroke. Combining transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with task-related trunk training (TRTT) has been shown to enhance the recovery of lower limb motor function. This study investigated whether combining TENS with TRTT would enhance trunk control after stroke. Methods. Thirty-seven subjects with stroke were recruited into a randomized controlled clinical trial. Subjects were randomly assigned to any one of the three 6-week home-based training groups: (1) TENS + TRTT, (2) placebo TENS + TRTT, or (3) control without active training. The outcome measures included isometric peak trunk flexion torque and extension torque; forward seated and lateral seated reaching distance to the affected and unaffected side; and Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS) scores. All outcome measures were assessed at baseline, after 3 and 6 weeks of training, and 4 weeks after training ended at follow-up. Both the TENS + TRTT and the placebo-TENS + TRTT groups had significantly greater improvements in isometric peak trunk flexion torque and extension torque, lateral seated reaching distance to affected and unaffected side, and TIS score than the control group after 3 weeks of training. The TENS + TRTT group had significantly greater and earlier improvement in its mean TIS score than the other 2 groups. Home-based TRTT is effective for improving trunk muscle strength, sitting functional reach and trunk motor control after stroke in subjects without somatosensory deficits. The addition of TENS to the trunk augments the effectiveness of the exercise in terms of TIS scores within the first 3 weeks of training. © The Author(s) 2014.

Thermoset coatings from epoxidized sucrose soyate and blocked, bio-based dicarboxylic acids.

PubMed

Kovash, Curtiss S; Pavlacky, Erin; Selvakumar, Sermadurai; Sibi, Mukund P; Webster, Dean C

2014-08-01

A new 100% bio-based thermosetting coating system was developed from epoxidized sucrose soyate crosslinked with blocked bio-based dicarboxylic acids. A solvent-free, green method was used to block the carboxylic acid groups and render the acids miscible with the epoxy resin. The thermal reversibility of this blocking allowed for the formulation of epoxy-acid thermoset coatings that are 100% bio-based. This was possible due to the volatility of the vinyl ethers under curing conditions. These systems have good adhesion to metal substrates and perform well under chemical and physical stress. Additionally, the hardness of the coating system is dependent on the chain length of the diacid used, making it tunable. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Imaging and chemical surface analysis of biomolecular functionalization of monolithically integrated on silicon Mach-Zehnder interferometric immunosensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajos, Katarzyna; Angelopoulou, Michailia; Petrou, Panagiota; Awsiuk, Kamil; Kakabakos, Sotirios; Haasnoot, Willem; Bernasik, Andrzej; Rysz, Jakub; Marzec, Mateusz M.; Misiakos, Konstantinos; Raptis, Ioannis; Budkowski, Andrzej

2016-11-01

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (imaging, micro-analysis) has been employed to evaluate biofunctionalization of the sensing arm areas of Mach-Zehnder interferometers monolithically integrated on silicon chips for the immunochemical (competitive) detection of bovine κ-casein in goat milk. Biosensor surfaces are examined after: modification with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane, application of multiple overlapping spots of κ-casein solutions, blocking with 100-times diluted goat milk, and reaction with monoclonal mouse anti-κ-casein antibodies in blocking solution. The areas spotted with κ-casein solutions of different concentrations are examined and optimum concentration providing homogeneous coverage is determined. Coverage of biosensor surfaces with biomolecules after each of the sequential steps employed in immunodetection is also evaluated with TOF-SIMS, supplemented by Atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Uniform molecular distributions are observed on the sensing arm areas after spotting with optimum κ-casein concentration, blocking and immunoreaction. The corresponding biomolecular compositions are determined with a Principal Component Analysis that distinguished between protein amino acids and milk glycerides, as well as between amino acids characteristic for Mabs and κ-casein, respectively. Use of the optimum conditions (κ-casein concentration) for functionalization of chips with arrays of ten Mach-Zehnder interferometers provided on-chips assays with dramatically improved both intra-chip response repeatability and assay detection sensitivity.

Characterization of neutralizing epitopes of varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein H.

PubMed

Akahori, Yasushi; Suzuki, Kazuhiro; Daikoku, Tohru; Iwai, Masae; Yoshida, Yoshihiro; Asano, Yoshizo; Kurosawa, Yoshikazu; Shiraki, Kimiyasu

2009-02-01

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) glycoprotein H (gH) is the major neutralization target of VZV, and its neutralizing epitope is conformational. Ten neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies to gH were used to map the epitopes by immunohistochemical analysis and were categorized into seven epitope groups. The combinational neutralization efficacy of two epitope groups was not synergistic. Each epitope was partially or completely resistant to concanavalin A blocking of the glycomoiety of gH, and their antibodies inhibited the cell-to-cell spread of infection. The neutralization epitope comprised at least seven independent protein portions of gH that served as the target to inhibit cell-to-cell spread.

Execution of a parallel edge-based Navier-Stokes solver on commodity graphics processor units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corral, Roque; Gisbert, Fernando; Pueblas, Jesus

2017-02-01

The implementation of an edge-based three-dimensional Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes solver for unstructured grids able to run on multiple graphics processing units (GPUs) is presented. Loops over edges, which are the most time-consuming part of the solver, have been written to exploit the massively parallel capabilities of GPUs. Non-blocking communications between parallel processes and between the GPU and the central processor unit (CPU) have been used to enhance code scalability. The code is written using a mixture of C++ and OpenCL, to allow the execution of the source code on GPUs. The Message Passage Interface (MPI) library is used to allow the parallel execution of the solver on multiple GPUs. A comparative study of the solver parallel performance is carried out using a cluster of CPUs and another of GPUs. It is shown that a single GPU is up to 64 times faster than a single CPU core. The parallel scalability of the solver is mainly degraded due to the loss of computing efficiency of the GPU when the size of the case decreases. However, for large enough grid sizes, the scalability is strongly improved. A cluster featuring commodity GPUs and a high bandwidth network is ten times less costly and consumes 33% less energy than a CPU-based cluster with an equivalent computational power.

Universal block diagram based modeling and simulation schemes for fractional-order control systems.

PubMed

Bai, Lu; Xue, Dingyü

2017-05-08

Universal block diagram based schemes are proposed for modeling and simulating the fractional-order control systems in this paper. A fractional operator block in Simulink is designed to evaluate the fractional-order derivative and integral. Based on the block, the fractional-order control systems with zero initial conditions can be modeled conveniently. For modeling the system with nonzero initial conditions, the auxiliary signal is constructed in the compensation scheme. Since the compensation scheme is very complicated, therefore the integrator chain scheme is further proposed to simplify the modeling procedures. The accuracy and effectiveness of the schemes are assessed in the examples, the computation results testify the block diagram scheme is efficient for all Caputo fractional-order ordinary differential equations (FODEs) of any complexity, including the implicit Caputo FODEs. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Impact of the Built Environment on Children's School Conduct Grades: The Role of Diversity of Use in a Hispanic Neighborhood

PubMed Central

Szapocznik, José; Lombard, Joanna; Martinez, Frank; Mason, Craig A.; Gorman-Smith, Deborah; Plater-Zyberk, Elizabeth; Brown, Scott C.; Spokane, Arnold

2013-01-01

A population-based study examined the relationship between diversity of use of the built environment and teacher reports of children's grades. Diversity of use of the built environment (i.e., proportion of a block that is residential, institutional, commercial and vacant) was assessed for all 403 city blocks in East Little Havana, Miami—a Hispanic neighborhood. Cluster analysis identified three block-types, based on diversity of use: Residential, Mixed-Use, and Commercial. Cross-classified hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the impact of diversity of use, school, gender, and year-in-school on academic and conduct grades for 2857 public school children who lived in these blocks. Contrary to popular belief, mixed-use blocks were associated with optimal outcomes. Specifically, follow-up analyses found that a youth living on a residential block had a 74% greater odds of being in the lowest 10% of conduct grades (conduct GPA <2.17) than a youth living on a mixed-use block. In fact, an analysis of the population attributable fraction suggests that if the risk associated with residential blocks could be reduced to the level of risk associated with mixed-use blocks, a 38% reduction in Conduct GPAs <2.17 could be achieved in the total population. These findings suggest that public policy targeting the built environment may be a mechanism for community-based interventions to enhance children's classroom conduct, and potentially related sequelae. PMID:16967342

Simulated Space Environment Effects on the Blocking Force of Silicone Adhesive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boeder, Paul; Mikatarian, Ron; Koontz, Steve; Albyn, Keith; Finckenor, Miria

2005-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) solar arrays utilize MD-944 diode tape to protect the underlying diodes in the solar array panel circuit and also provide thermal conditioning and mechanical support. The diode tape consists of silicone pressure sensitive adhesive (Dow Coming QC-7725) with a protective Kapton over-layer. On-orbit, the Kapton over-layer will erode under exposure to atomic oxygen (AO) and the underlying exposed silicone adhesive will ultimately convert, under additional AO exposure, to a glass like silicate. The current operational plan is to retract ISS solar array P6 and leave it stored under load for a long duration (6 months or more) during ISS assembly. With the Kapton over-layer eroded away, the exposed silicone adhesive must not cause the solar array to stick to itself or cause the solar array to fail during redeployment. Previous testing by Lockheed-Martin Space Systems (LMSS) characterized silicone blocking following exposure to low energy atomic oxygen (AO) in an asher facility, but this is believed to be conservative. An additional series of tests was performed by the Environmental Effects Group at MSFC under direction from the ISS Program Office Environments Team. This test series included high energy AO (5 eV), near ultraviolet (NUV) radiation and ionizing radiation, singly and in combination. Additional samples were exposed to thermal energy AO (<0.1 ev) for comparison to the LMSS tests. Diode tape samples were exposed to each environment constituent individually, put under preload for seven days and then the resulting blocking force was measured using a tensile machine. Additional samples were exposed to AO, NUV and electrons in series and then put under long term (three to ten months) preload to determine the effect of preload duration on the resulting blocking force of the silicone-to-silicone bond. Test results indicate that high energy AO, ultraviolet radiation and electron ionizing radiation exposure all reduce the blocking force for a silicone-to-silicone bond. AO exposure produces the most significant reduction in blocking force.

A versatile design for resonant guided-wave parametric down-conversion sources for quantum repeaters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brecht, Benjamin; Luo, Kai-Hong; Herrmann, Harald; Silberhorn, Christine

2016-05-01

Quantum repeaters—fundamental building blocks for long-distance quantum communication—are based on the interaction between photons and quantum memories. The photons must fulfil stringent requirements on central frequency, spectral bandwidth and purity in order for this interaction to be efficient. We present a design scheme for monolithically integrated resonant photon-pair sources based on parametric down-conversion in nonlinear waveguides, which facilitate the generation of such photons. We investigate the impact of different design parameters on the performance of our source. The generated photon spectral bandwidths can be varied between several tens of MHz up to around 1 GHz, facilitating an efficient coupling to different memories. The central frequency of the generated photons can be coarsely tuned by adjusting the pump frequency, poling period and sample temperature, and we identify stability requirements on the pump laser and sample temperature that can be readily fulfilled with off-the-shelf components. We find that our source is capable of generating high-purity photons over a wide range of photon bandwidths. Finally, the PDC emission can be frequency fine-tuned over several GHz by simultaneously adjusting the sample temperature and pump frequency. We conclude our study with demonstrating the adaptability of our source to different quantum memories.

A protein block based fold recognition method for the annotation of twilight zone sequences.

PubMed

Suresh, V; Ganesan, K; Parthasarathy, S

2013-03-01

The description of protein backbone was recently improved with a group of structural fragments called Structural Alphabets instead of the regular three states (Helix, Sheet and Coil) secondary structure description. Protein Blocks is one of the Structural Alphabets used to describe each and every region of protein backbone including the coil. According to de Brevern (2000) the Protein Blocks has 16 structural fragments and each one has 5 residues in length. Protein Blocks fragments are highly informative among the available Structural Alphabets and it has been used for many applications. Here, we present a protein fold recognition method based on Protein Blocks for the annotation of twilight zone sequences. In our method, we align the predicted Protein Blocks of a query amino acid sequence with a library of assigned Protein Blocks of 953 known folds using the local pair-wise alignment. The alignment results with z-value ≥ 2.5 and P-value ≤ 0.08 are predicted as possible folds. Our method is able to recognize the possible folds for nearly 35.5% of the twilight zone sequences with their predicted Protein Block sequence obtained by pb_prediction, which is available at Protein Block Export server.

Designing Technology for Children: Moving from the Computer into the Physical World with Electronic Blocks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyeth, Peta; Purchase, Helen

2002-01-01

Electronic Blocks are a new programming environment designed specifically for children between three and eight years of age. As such, the design of the Electronic Block environment is firmly based on principles of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education. Electronic Blocks are the physical embodiment of computer…

Quantization Distortion in Block Transform-Compressed Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boden, A. F.

1995-01-01

The popular JPEG image compression standard is an example of a block transform-based compression scheme; the image is systematically subdivided into block that are individually transformed, quantized, and encoded. The compression is achieved by quantizing the transformed data, reducing the data entropy and thus facilitating efficient encoding. A generic block transform model is introduced.

A Characterization of BIB Designs Based on v Treatments in Blocks of Size k Whose Number of Blocks is at Least vCk.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

Discrete Math . 6, 189-200. Foody, W. and A. Hedayat, (1977). On theory and applications of BIB designs with repeated blocks. Ann. Statist. 5, i •, 932...945. Corrections: Ann. Statist. 7 (1979). 925. van Lint, J.I1. and H.J. Ryser (1972). Block designs with repeated blocks. Discrete Math ., 3, 381-396

Second-degree atrioventricular block.

PubMed

Zipes, D P

1979-09-01

1) While it is possible only one type of second-degree AV block exists electrophysiologically, the available data do not justify such a conclusion and it would seem more appropriate to remain a "splitter," and advocate separation and definition of multiple mechanisms, than to be a "lumper," and embrace a unitary concept. 2) The clinical classification of type I and type II AV block, based on present scalar electrocardiographic criteria, for the most part accurately differentiates clinically important categories of patients. Such a classification is descriptive, but serves a useful function and should be preserved, taking into account the caveats mentioned above. The site of block generally determines the clinical course for the patient. For most examples of AV block, the type I and type II classification in present use is based on the site of block. Because block in the His-Purkinje system is preceded by small or nonmeasurable increments, it is called type II AV block; but the very fact that it is preceded by small increments is because it occurs in the His-Purkinje system. Similar logic can be applied to type I AV block in the AV node. Exceptions do occur. If the site of AV block cannot be distinguished with certainity from the scalar ECG, an electrophysiologic study will generally reveal the answer.

The effects of golf training in patients with stroke: a pilot study.

PubMed

Schachten, Tobias; Jansen, Petra

2015-05-01

Stroke is the most common neurological disease and the primary cause of lifelong disability in industrialized countries. Because of this it is important to investigate any kind of successful therapy. From the 24 recruited stroke patients who were between 23 and 72 years old, 14 patients were separated either in a golf training group (EG), or a social communication meeting (CG). Both groups met for one hour sessions, twice a week, for ten weeks. All participants completed assessment tests before and after the experimental period: cognitive tests measuring attention (Go/No-Go task), visual-spatial memory (Block-Tapping test) and mental rotation performance (MRT); a balance test (Berg Balance Scale), and an emotional well-being test (CES-D-Scale). The results show that both groups improved in the CES Scale, the block-tapping test and the balance test. In addition, stroke patients who received a golf training showed a significant improvement in the MRT comparing to the control group (CG). It is indicated that golf training can improve visual imagery ability in stroke patients, even late after stroke.

Identification and Reconfigurable Control of Impaired Multi-Rotor Drones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stepanyan, Vahram; Krishnakumar, Kalmanje; Bencomo, Alfredo

2016-01-01

The paper presents an algorithm for control and safe landing of impaired multi-rotor drones when one or more motors fail simultaneously or in any sequence. It includes three main components: an identification block, a reconfigurable control block, and a decisions making block. The identification block monitors each motor load characteristics and the current drawn, based on which the failures are detected. The control block generates the required total thrust and three axis torques for the altitude, horizontal position and/or orientation control of the drone based on the time scale separation and nonlinear dynamic inversion. The horizontal displacement is controlled by modulating the roll and pitch angles. The decision making algorithm maps the total thrust and three torques into the individual motor thrusts based on the information provided by the identification block. The drone continues the mission execution as long as the number of functioning motors provide controllability of it. Otherwise, the controller is switched to the safe mode, which gives up the yaw control, commands a safe landing spot and descent rate while maintaining the horizontal attitude.

Effects of withdrawal rate and starter block size on crystal orientation of a single crystal Ni-based superalloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezaei, M.; Kermanpur, A.; Sadeghi, F.

2018-03-01

Fabrication of single crystal (SC) Ni-based gas turbine blades with a minimum crystal misorientation has always been a challenge in gas turbine industry, due to its significant influence on high temperature mechanical properties. This paper reports an experimental investigation and numerical simulation of the SC solidification process of a Ni-based superalloy to study effects of withdrawal rate and starter block size on crystal orientation. The results show that the crystal misorientation of the sample with 40 mm starter block height is decreased with increasing withdrawal rate up to about 9 mm/min, beyond which the amount of misorientation is increased. It was found that the withdrawal rate, height of the starter block and temperature gradient are completely inter-dependent and indeed achieving a SC specimen with a minimum misorientation needs careful optimization of these process parameters. The height of starter block was found to have higher impact on crystal orientation compared to the withdrawal rate. A suitable withdrawal rate regime along with a sufficient starter block height was proposed to produce SC parts with the lowest misorientation.

A neural net based architecture for the segmentation of mixed gray-level and binary pictures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tabatabai, Ali; Troudet, Terry P.

1991-01-01

A neural-net-based architecture is proposed to perform segmentation in real time for mixed gray-level and binary pictures. In this approach, the composite picture is divided into 16 x 16 pixel blocks, which are identified as character blocks or image blocks on the basis of a dichotomy measure computed by an adaptive 16 x 16 neural net. For compression purposes, each image block is further divided into 4 x 4 subblocks; a one-bit nonparametric quantizer is used to encode 16 x 16 character and 4 x 4 image blocks; and the binary map and quantizer levels are obtained through a neural net segmentor over each block. The efficiency of the neural segmentation in terms of computational speed, data compression, and quality of the compressed picture is demonstrated. The effect of weight quantization is also discussed. VLSI implementations of such adaptive neural nets in CMOS technology are described and simulated in real time for a maximum block size of 256 pixels.

Durability of Bricks Coated with Red mud Based Geopolymer Paste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Smita; Basavanagowda, S. N.; Aswath, M. U.; Ranganath, R. V.

2016-09-01

The present study is undertaken to assess the durability of concrete blocks coated with red mud - fly ash based geopolymer paste. Concrete blocks of size 200 x 200 x 100mm were coated with geopolymer paste synthesized by varying the percentages of red mud and fly ash. Uncoated concrete blocks were also tested for the durability for comparison. In thermal resistance test, the blocks were subjected to 600°C for an hour whereas in acid resistance test, they were kept in 5% sulphuric acid solution for 4 weeks. The specimens were thereafter studied for surface degradation, strength loss and weight loss. Pastes with red mud percentage greater than 50% developed lot of shrinkage cracks. The blocks coated with 30% and 50% red mud paste showed better durability than the other blocks. The use of blocks coated with red mud - fly ash geopolymer paste improves the aesthetics, eliminates the use of plaster and improves the durability of the structure.

Interscalene brachial plexus blocks under general anesthesia in children: is this safe practice?: A report from the Pediatric Regional Anesthesia Network (PRAN).

PubMed

Taenzer, Andreas; Walker, Benjamin J; Bosenberg, Adrian T; Krane, Elliot J; Martin, Lynn D; Polaner, David M; Wolf, Christie; Suresh, Santhanam

2014-01-01

A practice advisory on regional anesthesia in children in 2008, published in this journal, supported the placement of regional blocks in children under general anesthesia (GA). Interscalene brachial plexus (IS) blocks were specifically excluded, based on case reports (level 3 evidence) of injury, which occurred predominantly in heavily sedated or anesthetized adult patients. Apart from case reports, there is a paucity of data that explore the safety of IS blocks placed in patients under GA, and the level of evidence available on which to base recommendations is limited. Querying the database of the Pediatric Regional Anesthesia Network (PRAN), we report on the incidence of postoperative neurological symptoms, local anesthetic systemic toxicity, and other reported adverse events in children receiving IS blocks under GA or sedated. A total of 518 interscalene blocks were performed, 390 under GA and 123 with the patient sedated or awake (5 cases had missing status); 472 of these were single injection, and 46 involved the placement of infusion catheters. Eighty-eight percent of blocks were placed with ultrasound guidance, 7.7% with no location device, and 2.5% with a nerve stimulator. No local anesthetic systemic toxicity, postoperative neurological symptoms, cardiovascular complications, or dural puncture was reported in this cohort. There were 1 vascular puncture and 1 postoperative infection. These negative results are compatible with 0 to 7.7/1000 events for each of these complications for IS blocks placed under GA. There was no paralysis, motor block, or sensory deficit beyond the expected block duration time. Analyzing interscalene blocks in children placed under GA, we identified no serious adverse events. The upper limit of the confidence interval for these events is similar to that in awake or sedated adults receiving IS blocks. Based on these prospectively collected data, placement of IS blocks under GA in children is no less safe than placement in awake adults, calling into question the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine advisory proscribing GA during IS block in pediatric patients.

Positive deviance--the West Bengal experience.

PubMed

Mustaphi, P; Dobe, M

2005-01-01

There are 11.1 million children in the age group 0-6 years in West Bengal. Of these, every second child under 3 years of age is underweight, more than four out of ten are stunted, and one out of eight are wasted. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme in West Bengal has 355 operational projects covering 53,064 operational anganwadi centers reaching out to more than four million beneficiaries--approximately half of whom are children in the age group 0-3 years. The Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) is trying to identify and replicate innovative, community-based, sustainable approaches. One such innovative initiative has been the "Keno Parbo Na" project based on the Positive Deviance (PD) approach which aims to reduce and prevent malnutrition among children under 3 years of age by focusing on local solutions and resources, local behaviors and practices. Behavior change is emphasized through participatory learning and community mobilization. The pilot phase of the project has been completed in two districts [Four blocks (2 in each District) and 32 villages/AWCs (8 in each block)] of West Bengal (Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas). The analysis of the project activities so far reveals that the issue of malnutrition and its prevention is now visible in the villages covered. Acceptance of desirable behavioral practices is observed within the community. A steady reduction in the moderate and severe level of malnutrition was noted across four districts. A general preponderance of girl children was noted at the entry stage indicating higher levels of severe and moderate malnutrition among girl children to begin with but also suggesting PD as an important strategy in reducing the gender gap in malnutrition. The boys gain in terms of nutritional status faster than the girls so in the intermediate phase malnourished girls are more in number. However, by the sixth / ninth round, as the malnutrition levels decline substantially, the gender gap tends to close.

The Effect of Conventional and Transparent Surgical Masks on Speech Understanding in Individuals with and without Hearing Loss.

PubMed

Atcherson, Samuel R; Mendel, Lisa Lucks; Baltimore, Wesley J; Patro, Chhayakanta; Lee, Sungmin; Pousson, Monique; Spann, M Joshua

2017-01-01

It is generally well known that speech perception is often improved with integrated audiovisual input whether in quiet or in noise. In many health-care environments, however, conventional surgical masks block visual access to the mouth and obscure other potential facial cues. In addition, these environments can be noisy. Although these masks may not alter the acoustic properties, the presence of noise in addition to the lack of visual input can have a deleterious effect on speech understanding. A transparent ("see-through") surgical mask may help to overcome this issue. To compare the effect of noise and various visual input conditions on speech understanding for listeners with normal hearing (NH) and hearing impairment using different surgical masks. Participants were assigned to one of three groups based on hearing sensitivity in this quasi-experimental, cross-sectional study. A total of 31 adults participated in this study: one talker, ten listeners with NH, ten listeners with moderate sensorineural hearing loss, and ten listeners with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Selected lists from the Connected Speech Test were digitally recorded with and without surgical masks and then presented to the listeners at 65 dB HL in five conditions against a background of four-talker babble (+10 dB SNR): without a mask (auditory only), without a mask (auditory and visual), with a transparent mask (auditory only), with a transparent mask (auditory and visual), and with a paper mask (auditory only). A significant difference was found in the spectral analyses of the speech stimuli with and without the masks; however, no more than ∼2 dB root mean square. Listeners with NH performed consistently well across all conditions. Both groups of listeners with hearing impairment benefitted from visual input from the transparent mask. The magnitude of improvement in speech perception in noise was greatest for the severe-to-profound group. Findings confirm improved speech perception performance in noise for listeners with hearing impairment when visual input is provided using a transparent surgical mask. Most importantly, the use of the transparent mask did not negatively affect speech perception performance in noise. American Academy of Audiology

SU-E-T-500: Initial Implementation of GPU-Based Particle Swarm Optimization for 4D IMRT Planning in Lung SBRT

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

Modiri, A; Hagan, A; Gu, X

Purpose 4D-IMRT planning, combined with dynamic MLC tracking delivery, utilizes the temporal dimension as an additional degree of freedom to achieve improved OAR-sparing. The computational complexity for such optimization increases exponentially with increase in dimensionality. In order to accomplish this task in a clinically-feasible time frame, we present an initial implementation of GPU-based 4D-IMRT planning based on particle swarm optimization (PSO). Methods The target and normal structures were manually contoured on ten phases of a 4DCT scan of a NSCLC patient with a 54cm3 right-lower-lobe tumor (1.5cm motion). Corresponding ten 3D-IMRT plans were created in the Eclipse treatment planning systemmore » (Ver-13.6). A vendor-provided scripting interface was used to export 3D-dose matrices corresponding to each control point (10 phases × 9 beams × 166 control points = 14,940), which served as input to PSO. The optimization task was to iteratively adjust the weights of each control point and scale the corresponding dose matrices. In order to handle the large amount of data in GPU memory, dose matrices were sparsified and placed in contiguous memory blocks with the 14,940 weight-variables. PSO was implemented on CPU (dual-Xeon, 3.1GHz) and GPU (dual-K20 Tesla, 2496 cores, 3.52Tflops, each) platforms. NiftyReg, an open-source deformable image registration package, was used to calculate the summed dose. Results The 4D-PSO plan yielded PTV coverage comparable to the clinical ITV-based plan and significantly higher OAR-sparing, as follows: lung Dmean=33%; lung V20=27%; spinal cord Dmax=26%; esophagus Dmax=42%; heart Dmax=0%; heart Dmean=47%. The GPU-PSO processing time for 14940 variables and 7 PSO-particles was 41% that of CPU-PSO (199 vs. 488 minutes). Conclusion Truly 4D-IMRT planning can yield significant OAR dose-sparing while preserving PTV coverage. The corresponding optimization problem is large-scale, non-convex and computationally rigorous. Our initial results indicate that GPU-based PSO with further software optimization can make such planning clinically feasible. This work was supported through funding from the National Institutes of Health and Varian Medical Systems.« less

The ability of multi-site, multi-depth sacral lateral branch blocks to anesthetize the sacroiliac joint complex.

PubMed

Dreyfuss, Paul; Henning, Troy; Malladi, Niriksha; Goldstein, Barry; Bogduk, Nikolai

2009-01-01

To determine the physiologic effectiveness of multi-site, multi-depth sacral lateral branch injections. Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Outpatient pain management center. Twenty asymptomatic volunteers. The dorsal innervation to the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) is from the L5 dorsal ramus and the S1-3 lateral branches. Multi-site, multi-depth lateral branch blocks were developed to compensate for the complex regional anatomy that limited the effectiveness of single-site, single-depth lateral branch injections. Bilateral multi-site, multi-depth lateral branch green dye injections and subsequent dissection on two cadavers revealed a 91% accuracy with this technique. Session 1: 20 asymptomatic subjects had a 25-g spinal needle probe their interosseous (IO) and dorsal sacroiliac (DSI) ligaments. The inferior dorsal SIJ was entered and capsular distension with contrast medium was performed. Discomfort had to occur with each provocation maneuver and a contained arthrogram was necessary to continue in the study. Session 2: 1 week later; computer randomized, double-blind multi-site, multi-depth lateral branch blocks injections were performed. Ten subjects received active (bupivicaine 0.75%) and 10 subjects received sham (normal saline) multi-site, multi-depth lateral branch injections. Thirty minutes later, provocation testing was repeated with identical methodology used in session 1. Presence or absence of pain for ligamentous probing and SIJ capsular distension. Seventy percent of the active group had an insensate IO and DSI ligaments, and inferior dorsal SIJ vs 0-10% of the sham group. Twenty percent of the active vs 10% of the sham group did not feel repeat capsular distension. Six of seven subjects (86%) retained the ability to feel repeat capsular distension despite an insensate dorsal SIJ complex. Multi-site, multi-depth lateral branch blocks are physiologically effective at a rate of 70%. Multi-site, multi-depth lateral branch blocks do not effectively block the intra-articular portion of the SIJ. There is physiological evidence that the intra-articular portion of the SIJ is innervated from both ventral and dorsal sources. Comparative multi-site, multi-depth lateral branch blocks should be considered a potentially valuable tool to diagnose extra-articular SIJ pain and determine if lateral branch radiofrequency neurotomy may assist one with SIJ pain.

Phenytoin-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis: Review and recommendations

PubMed Central

Al-Quteimat, Osama M.

2016-01-01

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a serious, life-threatening skin reaction characterized by severe exfoliation and destruction of the epidermis of the skin. In most TEN cases, drugs are believed to be the causative agent; antipsychotics, antiepileptics, and other medications such as sulfonamides are among the most common causes of drug-induced TEN. Phenytoin, a commonly prescribed medication for seizure, was found to cause TEN. Evidence-based treatment guidelines are lacking, so the best strategy is to identify and avoid potential risk factors and to provide intensive supportive care. The aim of this literature review is to focus on phenytoin-induced TEN, to explore the risk factors, and to highlight the possible treatment options once phenytoin-induced TEN is confirmed. PMID:27651708

Incorporating GIS building data and census housing statistics for sub-block-level population estimation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wu, S.-S.; Wang, L.; Qiu, X.

2008-01-01

This article presents a deterministic model for sub-block-level population estimation based on the total building volumes derived from geographic information system (GIS) building data and three census block-level housing statistics. To assess the model, we generated artificial blocks by aggregating census block areas and calculating the respective housing statistics. We then applied the model to estimate populations for sub-artificial-block areas and assessed the estimates with census populations of the areas. Our analyses indicate that the average percent error of population estimation for sub-artificial-block areas is comparable to those for sub-census-block areas of the same size relative to associated blocks. The smaller the sub-block-level areas, the higher the population estimation errors. For example, the average percent error for residential areas is approximately 0.11 percent for 100 percent block areas and 35 percent for 5 percent block areas.

The pH-dependent local anesthetic activity of diethylaminoethanol, a procaine metabolite.

PubMed

Butterworth, J F; Lief, P A; Strichartz, G R

1988-04-01

To test whether the products of procaine hydrolysis have local anesthetic actions resembling those of procaine, the authors compared the ability of procaine and its metabolites diethylaminoethanol (DEAE) and para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) to block compound action potentials in excised, desheathed frog and rat sciatic nerves. Studies were performed in solutions of impermeant buffers at pH 7.4 (corresponding to mammalian physiologic pH) and at pH 9.2 (close to the pKa of procaine and DEAE) to test for extracellular pH-dependent increases in drug permeation and potency. Both procaine and DEAE inhibited compound action potentials at pH 7.4 and 9.2 in a reversible and dose-dependent manner, and both were approximately ten-fold more potent at pH 9.2 than at pH 7.4, procaine inhibiting the action potential height by 50% at 0.15 mM (pH 9.2) and 1.1 mM (pH 7.4), DEAE at 4 mM (pH 9.2) and 70 mM (pH 7.4). In contrast, PABA at concentrations up to 25 mM and at either pH failed to inhibit compound action potentials, and did not modify the effects of DEAE when both drugs were given together. Procaine produced greater use-dependent block at the higher pH and at higher stimulation rates (100 Hz vs. 40 Hz); DEAE produced almost no use-dependent block. These observations suggest: 1) that DEAE might account for some of the neuropharmacologic activity of procaine in techniques that favor the accumulation of metabolites (such as those requiring large doses or prolonged infusions); and 2) that alkalinization of procaine and DEAE solutions appears to increase their potency for both resting and use-dependent block of action potentials.

Pain control after primary total knee replacement. A prospective randomised controlled trial of local infiltration versus single shot femoral nerve block.

PubMed

Ashraf, Anam; Raut, Videsh V; Canty, Stephen J; McLauchlan, George J

2013-10-01

We report a prospective blinded randomised trial of local infiltration versus femoral nerve block in patients undergoing primary total knee replacement (TKR), in accordance with the CONSORT statement 2010. Fifty patients in a teaching hospital were consented for the study. The study arms were intraoperative local anaesthesia (150ml 0.2% ropivacaine/1ml 1:1000 adrenaline/30mg ketolorac) and femoral nerve block (30ml 0.2% ropivacaine) with a primary outcome of pain score at 4h post operatively. Secondary outcomes were pain at 2h, pain scores before and after physiotherapy on day one, total opiate administered, time to physiotherapy goals and length of stay. Randomisation was by sealed envelope. The assessor was blinded and the patients partially blinded to the intervention. Ten patients were excluded, eight before randomisation. The trial is complete. Forty patients were analysed for the primary outcome measure. The local infiltration group had significantly lower pain scores at 4h post-operatively; mean [SD] score 2.1 [2.6] versus 6.8 [3.2], p<0.00001 and on post-operative day one prior to physiotherapy; mean score 2.4 [2.3] versus 4.4 [2.3], p<0.05. Total opiate use was also significantly lower in the local infiltration group; mean total 115 [50.3]mg versus 176.5 [103.5]mg, p<0.01. There was no difference in any other outcome. There were no harms as a result of either intervention. Intraoperative local infiltration gives superior pain relief compared to single shot femoral nerve block over the first 24h following primary TKR and minimises post-operative opiate use. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tectonic movements along the Anegada Passage derived from GPS Observations (2008-2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, H.; Wang, G.

2017-12-01

The Anegada Passage system, mainly includes the Virgin Islands Basin (VIB), Anegada Gap, and the Sombrero Basin, are located within the tectonically complex plate boundary zone between the North America and Caribbean plates. It separated the Puerto Rico and Northern Virgin Islands (PRNVI) block from St. Croix and Anguilla. Long-term seismic observations indicated that this region still faces high risk from earthquakes. This study used current GPS geodesy infrastructure in the Northeastern Caribbean region, which includes high densely GPS stations on PRNVI block and northern Lesser Antilles and a stable PRNVI reference frame (SPRNVIRF). Current GPS geodesy infrastructure in the PRVI region makes it possible to precisely delineate minor tectonic motions (1 to 2 mm/year) within the northeastern Caribbean region. The carrier phase Double-Difference (DD) and Precise Point Positioning (PPP) post-processing methods are both used to processing GPS data. Over ten years of GPS observations indicate that the St. Croix Island is moving away from the PRVI block toward southeast with a velocity of 1.8 ± 0.2 mm/year; there is not considerable relative motions between the Saint Martin Island and the PRVI block. The Saint Martin Island is located at the south side of the Anegada Gap. The GPS and seismic observations along the two sides of the Anegada passage suggest that the west segment (VIB) of the passage retains active, while the east segment is presently inactive. The Virgin Islands basin presently experiences left-lateral motion in a nearly east-west direction with a velocity of about 1.2 mm/year and an extension in a nearly north-south direction with a velocity of about 1.3 mm/year. The quantitative measurements derived from GPS observations would improve seismic hazard assessment in the Anegada Passage region.

Ganglion blocks as a treatment of pain: current perspectives

PubMed Central

Gunduz, Osman Hakan; Kenis-Coskun, Ozge

2017-01-01

The inputs from sympathetic ganglia have been known to be involved in the pathophysiology of various painful conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome, cancer pain of different origin, and coccygodynia. Sympathetic ganglia blocks are used to relieve patients who suffer from these conditions for over a century. Many numbers of local anesthetics such as bupivacaine or neurolytic agents such as alcohol can be chosen for a successful block. The agent is selected according to its duration of effect and the purpose of the injection. Most commonly used sympathetic blocks are stellate ganglion block, lumbar sympathetic block, celiac plexus block, superior hypogastric block, and ganglion Impar block. In this review, indications, methods, effectiveness, and complications of these blocks are discussed based on the data from the current literature. PMID:29276402

Adaptive bit plane quadtree-based block truncation coding for image compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shenda; Wang, Jin; Zhu, Qing

2018-04-01

Block truncation coding (BTC) is a fast image compression technique applied in spatial domain. Traditional BTC and its variants mainly focus on reducing computational complexity for low bit rate compression, at the cost of lower quality of decoded images, especially for images with rich texture. To solve this problem, in this paper, a quadtree-based block truncation coding algorithm combined with adaptive bit plane transmission is proposed. First, the direction of edge in each block is detected using Sobel operator. For the block with minimal size, adaptive bit plane is utilized to optimize the BTC, which depends on its MSE loss encoded by absolute moment block truncation coding (AMBTC). Extensive experimental results show that our method gains 0.85 dB PSNR on average compare to some other state-of-the-art BTC variants. So it is desirable for real time image compression applications.

Fabrication routes for one-dimensional nanostructures via block copolymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tharmavaram, Maithri; Rawtani, Deepak; Pandey, Gaurav

2017-05-01

Nanotechnology is the field which deals with fabrication of materials with dimensions in the nanometer range by manipulating atoms and molecules. Various synthesis routes exist for the one, two and three dimensional nanostructures. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have enabled the usage of block copolymers for the synthesis of such nanostructures. Block copolymers are versatile polymers with unique properties and come in many types and shapes. Their properties are highly dependent on the blocks of the copolymers, thus allowing easy tunability of its properties. This review briefly focusses on the use of block copolymers for synthesizing one-dimensional nanostructures especially nanowires, nanorods, nanoribbons and nanofibers. Template based, lithographic, and solution based approaches are common approaches in the synthesis of nanowires, nanorods, nanoribbons, and nanofibers. Synthesis of metal, metal oxides, metal oxalates, polymer, and graphene one dimensional nanostructures using block copolymers have been discussed as well.

A block-based algorithm for the solution of compressible flows in rotor-stator combinations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akay, H. U.; Ecer, A.; Beskok, A.

1990-01-01

A block-based solution algorithm is developed for the solution of compressible flows in rotor-stator combinations. The method allows concurrent solution of multiple solution blocks in parallel machines. It also allows a time averaged interaction at the stator-rotor interfaces. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the performance of the algorithm. The effect of the interaction between the stator and rotor is evaluated.

Phase-Quantized Block Noncoherent Communication

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-01

2828 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS, VOL. 61, NO. 7, JULY 2013 Phase-Quantized Block Noncoherent Communication Jaspreet Singh and Upamanyu...in a carrier asynchronous system. Specifically, we consider transmission over the block noncoherent additive white Gaussian noise channel, and...block noncoherent channel. Several results, based on the symmetry inherent in the channel model, are provided to characterize this transition density

Building to Scale: An Analysis of Web-Based Services in CIC (Big Ten) Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewey, Barbara I.

Advancing library services in large universities requires creative approaches for "building to scale." This is the case for CIC, Committee on Institutional Cooperation (Big Ten), libraries whose home institutions serve thousands of students, faculty, staff, and others. Developing virtual Web-based services is an increasingly viable…

Feature Analysis of Generalized Data Base Management Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conference on Data Systems Languages, Monroeville, PA. Systems Committee.

A more complete definition of the features offered in present day generalized data base management systems is provided by this second technical report of the CODASYL Systems Committee. In a tutorial format, each feature description is followed by either narrative information covering ten systems or by a table for all systems. The ten systems…

Literacy Teacher Preparation: Ten Truths Teacher Educators Need to Know

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis Lenski, Susan, Ed.; Grisham, Dana L., Ed.; Wold, Linda S., Ed.

2005-01-01

The quality of teacher preparation is frequently under public scrutiny. In this collection, experts in literacy teacher preparation offer ten truths--based on evidence, not ideology-- that support the ongoing positive efforts of teacher educators. In this book, the reader will find: A review of the existing knowledge base; Evidence of the improved…

Cryo-transmission electron microscopy structure of a gigadalton peptide fiber of de novo design

PubMed Central

Sharp, Thomas H.; Bruning, Marc; Mantell, Judith; Sessions, Richard B.; Thomson, Andrew R.; Zaccai, Nathan R.; Brady, R. Leo; Verkade, Paul; Woolfson, Derek N.

2012-01-01

Nature presents various protein fibers that bridge the nanometer to micrometer regimes. These structures provide inspiration for the de novo design of biomimetic assemblies, both to address difficulties in studying and understanding natural systems, and to provide routes to new biomaterials with potential applications in nanotechnology and medicine. We have designed a self-assembling fiber system, the SAFs, in which two small α-helical peptides are programmed to form a dimeric coiled coil and assemble in a controlled manner. The resulting fibers are tens of nm wide and tens of μm long, and, therefore, comprise millions of peptides to give gigadalton supramolecular structures. Here, we describe the structure of the SAFs determined to approximately 8 Å resolution using cryotransmission electron microscopy. Individual micrographs show clear ultrastructure that allowed direct interpretation of the packing of individual α-helices within the fibers, and the construction of a 3D electron density map. Furthermore, a model was derived using the cryotransmission electron microscopy data and side chains taken from a 2.3 Å X-ray crystal structure of a peptide building block incapable of forming fibers. This was validated using single-particle analysis techniques, and was stable in prolonged molecular-dynamics simulation, confirming its structural viability. The level of self-assembly and self-organization in the SAFs is unprecedented for a designed peptide-based material, particularly for a system of considerably reduced complexity compared with natural proteins. This structural insight is a unique high-resolution description of how α-helical fibrils pack into larger protein fibers, and provides a basis for the design and engineering of future biomaterials. PMID:22847414

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Selective Cage B-H Functionalization of o-Carboranes.

PubMed

Quan, Yangjian; Qiu, Zaozao; Xie, Zuowei

2018-02-26

Carboranes are a class of carbon-boron molecular clusters with unusual thermal and chemical stabilities. They have been proved as very useful building blocks in supramolecular design, optoelectronics, nanomaterials, boron neutron capture therapy agents and organometallic/coordination chemistry. Thus, the functionalization of o-carboranes has received growing interests. Over the past decades, most of the works in this area have been focused on cage carbon functionalization as the weakly acidic cage C-H proton can be readily deprotonated by strong bases. In sharp contrast, selective cage B-H activation/functionalization among chemically very similar ten B-H vertices is very challenging. Considering the differences in electron density of ten cage B-H bonds in o-carborane and the nature of transition metal complexes, we have tackled this selectivity issue by means of organometallic chemistry. Our strategy is as follows: using electron-rich transition metal catalysts for the functionalization of the most electron-deficient B(3,6)-H vertices (bonded to both cage CH vertices); using electron-deficient transition-metal catalysts for the functionalization of relatively electron-rich B(8,9,10,12)-H vertices (with no bonding to both cage CH vertices); and using the combination of directing groups and electrophilic transition metal catalysts for the functionalization of B(4,5,7,11)-H vertices (bonded to only one cage CH vertex). Successful applications of such a strategy result in the preparation of a large variety of cage B-functionalized carboranes in a regioselective and catalytic manner, which are inaccessible by other means. It is believed that as this field progresses, other cage B-functionalized carboranes are expected to be synthesized, and the results detailed in this concept article will further these efforts. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Atmospheric Blocking and Intercomparison of Objective Detection Methods: Flow Field Characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinheiro, M. C.; Ullrich, P. A.; Grotjahn, R.

2017-12-01

A number of objective methods for identifying and quantifying atmospheric blocking have been developed over the last couple of decades, but there is variable consensus on the resultant blocking climatology. This project examines blocking climatologies as produced by three different methods: two anomaly-based methods, and the geopotential height gradient method of Tibaldi and Molteni (1990). The results highlight the differences in blocking that arise from the choice of detection method, with emphasis on the physical characteristics of the flow field and the subsequent effects on the blocking patterns that emerge.

Precursory, Nucleation and Propagation of Ruptures Along Heterogeneously Loaded, Circular Experimental Faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reches, Z.; Zu, X.; Jeffers, J.

2017-12-01

We explored the evolution of dynamic rupture along a circular experimental fault composed of clear acrylic blocks. The ring-shaped fault surface has inner and outer diameters of 7.72 and 10.16 cm, respectively. An array of ten rossette strain-gauges is attached to the outer rim of one block that provide the 2D strain tensor in a plane normal to the fault. The 30 components of the gauges are monitored at 10^6 samples/second. One 3D miniature accelerometer is attached to the fault block. The initial asperities of the fault surface generated a non-uniform strain (=stress) distribution that was recorded, and indicated local deviations of ±30% from the mean stress. The mean normal stress was up to 3.5 MPa, the remotely applied velocity was up to .002 m/s, and the slip velocities during rupture were not measured. The rupture characteristics, namely propagation velocity and rupture front strain-field, were determined from strain-gauge outputs. The analysis of tens of stick-slip events revealed the following preliminary results: (1) The ruptures consistently nucleated at sites of high local strains (=stresses) that were formed by the pre-shear, normal stress loading. (2) The pre-rupture nucleation process was recognized a by temporal (< 0.1 s), local (<20 mm) reduction of the shear strain. (3) Commonly, the initiation of nucleation was associated with micro acoustic emissions, whereas the initiation of rupture was associated with intense acoustic activity. (4) Nucleation could occur quasi-simultaneously at two, highly stressed sites. (5) From the nucleation site, the ruptures propagated in two directions along the ring-shaped fault, and the collision between the two fronts led to rupture `shut-off'. (5) The strain-field of rupture fronts was well-recognized for ruptures propagating faster than 50 m/s, and the fastest fronts propagated at 1000 m/s. (7) It appears that the rupture front strain-field close to the nucleation site differs from the front strain-field far from nucleation site. (8) Post-shear examination of the fault surfaces revealed evidence of brittle wear of the acrylic including gouge formation, ploughing, and powder smearing. (9) Work in progress includes attempts to achieve faster dynamic ruptures, and the utilization of the existing monitoring system to rupture granite faults.

Markov prior-based block-matching algorithm for superdimension reconstruction of porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; He, Xiaohai; Teng, Qizhi; Feng, Junxi; Wu, Xiaohong

2018-04-01

A superdimension reconstruction algorithm is used for the reconstruction of three-dimensional (3D) structures of a porous medium based on a single two-dimensional image. The algorithm borrows the concepts of "blocks," "learning," and "dictionary" from learning-based superresolution reconstruction and applies them to the 3D reconstruction of a porous medium. In the neighborhood-matching process of the conventional superdimension reconstruction algorithm, the Euclidean distance is used as a criterion, although it may not really reflect the structural correlation between adjacent blocks in an actual situation. Hence, in this study, regular items are adopted as prior knowledge in the reconstruction process, and a Markov prior-based block-matching algorithm for superdimension reconstruction is developed for more accurate reconstruction. The algorithm simultaneously takes into consideration the probabilistic relationship between the already reconstructed blocks in three different perpendicular directions (x , y , and z ) and the block to be reconstructed, and the maximum value of the probability product of the blocks to be reconstructed (as found in the dictionary for the three directions) is adopted as the basis for the final block selection. Using this approach, the problem of an imprecise spatial structure caused by a point simulation can be overcome. The problem of artifacts in the reconstructed structure is also addressed through the addition of hard data and by neighborhood matching. To verify the improved reconstruction accuracy of the proposed method, the statistical and morphological features of the results from the proposed method and traditional superdimension reconstruction method are compared with those of the target system. The proposed superdimension reconstruction algorithm is confirmed to enable a more accurate reconstruction of the target system while also eliminating artifacts.

A pH- and temperature-responsive bioresorbable injectable hydrogel based on polypeptide block copolymers for the sustained delivery of proteins in vivo.

PubMed

Turabee, Md Hasan; Thambi, Thavasyappan; Duong, Huu Thuy Trang; Jeong, Ji Hoon; Lee, Doo Sung

2018-02-27

Sustained delivery of protein therapeutics is limited owing to the fragile nature of proteins. Despite its great potential, delivery of proteins without any loss of bioactivity remains a challenge in the use of protein therapeutics in the clinic. To surmount this shortcoming, we report a pH- and temperature-responsive in situ-forming injectable hydrogel based on comb-type polypeptide block copolymers for the controlled delivery of proteins. Polypeptide block copolymers, composed of hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG), temperature-responsive poly(γ-benzyl-l-glutamate) (PBLG), and pH-responsive oligo(sulfamethazine) (OSM), exhibit pH- and temperature-induced sol-to-gel transition behavior in aqueous solutions. Polypeptide block copolymers were synthesized by combining N-carboxyanhydride-based ring-opening polymerization and post-functionalization of the chain-end using N-hydroxy succinimide ester activated OSM. The physical properties of polypeptide-based hydrogels were tuned by varying the composition of temperature- and pH-responsive PBLG and OSM in block copolymers. Polypeptide block copolymers were non-toxic to human embryonic kidney cells at high concentrations (2000 μg mL -1 ). Subcutaneous administration of polypeptide block copolymer sols formed viscoelastic gel instantly at the back of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The in vivo gels exhibited sustained degradation and were found to be bioresorbable in 6 weeks without any noticeable inflammation at the injection site. Anionic characteristics of hydrogels allow efficient loading of a cationic model protein, lysozyme, through electrostatic interaction. Lysozyme-loaded polypeptide block copolymer sols readily formed a viscoelastic gel in vivo and sustained lysozyme release for at least a week. Overall, the results demonstrate an elegant approach to control the release of certain charged proteins and open a myriad of therapeutic possibilities in protein therapeutics.

Heat Capacity of Spider Silk-like Block Copolymers

PubMed Central

Huang, Wenwen; Krishnaji, Sreevidhya; Hu, Xiao; Kaplan, David; Cebe, Peggy

2012-01-01

We synthesized and characterized a new family of di-block copolymers based on the amino acid sequences of Nephila clavipes major ampulate dragline spider silk, having the form HABn and HBAn (n=1–3), comprising an alanine-rich hydrophobic block, A, a glycine-rich hydrophilic block, B, and a histidine tag, H. The reversing heat capacities, Cp(T), for temperatures below and above the glass transition, Tg, were measured by temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry. For the solid state, we then calculated the heat capacities of our novel block copolymers based on the vibrational motions of the constituent poly(amino acid)s, whose heat capacities are known or can be estimated from the ATHAS Data Bank. For the liquid state, the heat capacity was estimated by using the rotational and translational motions in the polymer chain. Excellent agreement was found between the measured and calculated values of the heat capacity, showing that this method can serve as a standard by which to assess the Cp for other biologically inspired block copolymers. The fraction of beta sheet crystallinity of spider silk block copolymers was also determined by using the predicted Cp, and was verified by wide angle X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The glass transition temperatures of spider silk block copolymer were fitted by Kwei’s equation and the results indicate that attractive interaction exists between the A-block and B-block. PMID:23869111

Morphing the feature-based multi-blocks of normative/healthy vertebral geometries to scoliosis vertebral geometries: development of personalized finite element models.

PubMed

Hadagali, Prasannaah; Peters, James R; Balasubramanian, Sriram

2018-03-01

Personalized Finite Element (FE) models and hexahedral elements are preferred for biomechanical investigations. Feature-based multi-block methods are used to develop anatomically accurate personalized FE models with hexahedral mesh. It is tedious to manually construct multi-blocks for large number of geometries on an individual basis to develop personalized FE models. Mesh-morphing method mitigates the aforementioned tediousness in meshing personalized geometries every time, but leads to element warping and loss of geometrical data. Such issues increase in magnitude when normative spine FE model is morphed to scoliosis-affected spinal geometry. The only way to bypass the issue of hex-mesh distortion or loss of geometry as a result of morphing is to rely on manually constructing the multi-blocks for scoliosis-affected spine geometry of each individual, which is time intensive. A method to semi-automate the construction of multi-blocks on the geometry of scoliosis vertebrae from the existing multi-blocks of normative vertebrae is demonstrated in this paper. High-quality hexahedral elements were generated on the scoliosis vertebrae from the morphed multi-blocks of normative vertebrae. Time taken was 3 months to construct the multi-blocks for normative spine and less than a day for scoliosis. Efforts taken to construct multi-blocks on personalized scoliosis spinal geometries are significantly reduced by morphing existing multi-blocks.

High-Throughput Epitope Binning Assays on Label-Free Array-Based Biosensors Can Yield Exquisite Epitope Discrimination That Facilitates the Selection of Monoclonal Antibodies with Functional Activity

PubMed Central

Abdiche, Yasmina Noubia; Miles, Adam; Eckman, Josh; Foletti, Davide; Van Blarcom, Thomas J.; Yeung, Yik Andy; Pons, Jaume; Rajpal, Arvind

2014-01-01

Here, we demonstrate how array-based label-free biosensors can be applied to the multiplexed interaction analysis of large panels of analyte/ligand pairs, such as the epitope binning of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In this application, the larger the number of mAbs that are analyzed for cross-blocking in a pairwise and combinatorial manner against their specific antigen, the higher the probability of discriminating their epitopes. Since cross-blocking of two mAbs is necessary but not sufficient for them to bind an identical epitope, high-resolution epitope binning analysis determined by high-throughput experiments can enable the identification of mAbs with similar but unique epitopes. We demonstrate that a mAb's epitope and functional activity are correlated, thereby strengthening the relevance of epitope binning data to the discovery of therapeutic mAbs. We evaluated two state-of-the-art label-free biosensors that enable the parallel analysis of 96 unique analyte/ligand interactions and nearly ten thousand total interactions per unattended run. The IBIS-MX96 is a microarray-based surface plasmon resonance imager (SPRi) integrated with continuous flow microspotting technology whereas the Octet-HTX is equipped with disposable fiber optic sensors that use biolayer interferometry (BLI) detection. We compared their throughput, versatility, ease of sample preparation, and sample consumption in the context of epitope binning assays. We conclude that the main advantages of the SPRi technology are its exceptionally low sample consumption, facile sample preparation, and unparalleled unattended throughput. In contrast, the BLI technology is highly flexible because it allows for the simultaneous interaction analysis of 96 independent analyte/ligand pairs, ad hoc sensor replacement and on-line reloading of an analyte- or ligand-array. Thus, the complementary use of these two platforms can expedite applications that are relevant to the discovery of therapeutic mAbs, depending upon the sample availability, and the number and diversity of the interactions being studied. PMID:24651868

Design, Explanation, and Evaluation of Training Model Structures Based on Learning Organization--In the Cement Industry with a Nominal Production Capacity of Ten Thousand Tons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahimian, Hamid; Kazemi, Mojtaba; Abbspour, Abbas

2017-01-01

This research aims to determine the effectiveness of training based on learning organization in the staff of cement industry with production capacity over ten thousand tons. The purpose of this study is to propose a training model based on learning organization. For this purpose, the factors of organizational learning were introduced by…

Ten Commandments Revisited: A Ten-Year Perspective on the Industrial Application of Formal Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowen, Jonathan P.; Hinchey, Michael G.

2005-01-01

Ten years ago, our 1995 paper Ten Commandments of Formal Methods suggested some guidelines to help ensure the success of a formal methods project. It proposed ten important requirements (or "commandments") for formal developers to consider and follow, based on our knowledge of several industrial application success stories, most of which have been reported in more detail in two books. The paper was surprisingly popular, is still widely referenced, and used as required reading in a number of formal methods courses. However, not all have agreed with some of our commandments, feeling that they may not be valid in the long-term. We re-examine the original commandments ten years on, and consider their validity in the light of a further decade of industrial best practice and experiences.

47 CFR 90.1425 - Resolution of disputes after grant of the upper 700 MHz D block license.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 700 MHz D block license. 90.1425 Section 90.1425 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... Partnership § 90.1425 Resolution of disputes after grant of the upper 700 MHz D block license. (a) The Public... Block licensee may at any time bring a complaint to the Commission based on a claim that another party...

Polymer-based platform for microfluidic systems

DOEpatents

Benett, William [Livermore, CA; Krulevitch, Peter [Pleasanton, CA; Maghribi, Mariam [Livermore, CA; Hamilton, Julie [Tracy, CA; Rose, Klint [Boston, MA; Wang, Amy W [Oakland, CA

2009-10-13

A method of forming a polymer-based microfluidic system platform using network building blocks selected from a set of interconnectable network building blocks, such as wire, pins, blocks, and interconnects. The selected building blocks are interconnectably assembled and fixedly positioned in precise positions in a mold cavity of a mold frame to construct a three-dimensional model construction of a microfluidic flow path network preferably having meso-scale dimensions. A hardenable liquid, such as poly (dimethylsiloxane) is then introduced into the mold cavity and hardened to form a platform structure as well as to mold the microfluidic flow path network having channels, reservoirs and ports. Pre-fabricated elbows, T's and other joints are used to interconnect various building block elements together. After hardening the liquid the building blocks are removed from the platform structure to make available the channels, cavities and ports within the platform structure. Microdevices may be embedded within the cast polymer-based platform, or bonded to the platform structure subsequent to molding, to create an integrated microfluidic system. In this manner, the new microfluidic platform is versatile and capable of quickly generating prototype systems, and could easily be adapted to a manufacturing setting.

Crustal block motion model and interplate coupling along Ecuador-Colombia trench based on GNSS observation network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, T.; Mora-Páez, H.; Peláez-Gaviria, J. R.; Kimura, H.; Sagiya, T.

2017-12-01

IntroductionEcuador-Colombia trench is located at the boundary between South-America plate, Nazca Plate and Caribrian plate. This region is very complexes such as subducting Caribrian plate and Nazca plate, and collision between Panama and northern part of the Andes mountains. The previous large earthquakes occurred along the subducting boundary of Nazca plate, such as 1906 (M8.8) and 1979 (M8.2). And also, earthquakes occurred inland, too. So, it is important to evaluate earthquake potentials for preparing huge damage due to large earthquake in near future. GNSS observation In the last decade, the GNSS observation was established in Columbia. The GNSS observation is called by GEORED, which is operated by servicing Geologico Colomiano. The purpose of GEORED is research of crustal deformation. The number of GNSS site of GEORED is consist of 60 continuous GNSS observation site at 2017 (Mora et al., 2017). The sampling interval of almost GNSS site is 30 seconds. These GNSS data were processed by PPP processing using GIPSY-OASYS II software. GEORED can obtain the detailed crustal deformation map in whole Colombia. In addition, we use 100 GNSS data at Ecuador-Peru region (Nocquet et al. 2014). Method We developed a crustal block movements model based on crustal deformation derived from GNSS observation. Our model considers to the block motion with pole location and angular velocity and the interplate coupling between each block boundaries, including subduction between the South-American plate and the Nazca plate. And also, our approach of estimation of crustal block motion and coefficient of interplate coupling are based on MCMC method. The estimated each parameter is obtained probably density function (PDF). Result We tested 11 crustal block models based on geological data, such as active fault trace at surface. The optimal number of crustal blocks is 11 for based on geological and geodetic data using AIC. We use optimal block motion model. And also, we estimate interplate coupling along the plate interface and rigid block motion. We can evaluate to contribution of elastic deformation and rigid motion. In result, weak plate coupling was found northern part of 3 degree in latitude. Almost crustal deformation are explained by rigid block motion.

Electrochemical oxygen pumps. Final CRADA report.

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

Carter, J. D.

2009-10-01

All tasks of the Work Plan of ISTC Project 2277p have been completed, thus: (1) techniques of chemical synthesis were developed for more than ten recipes of electrolyte based on cerium oxide doped with 20 mole% of gadolinium (CeGd)O{sub 2}, doped by more than 10 oxide systems including 6 recipes in addition to the Work Plan; (2) electric conductivity and mechanical strength of CeGd specimens with additions of oxide systems were performed, two candidate materials for the electrolyte of electrochemical oxygen pump (pure CeGd and CeGd doped by 0.2 wt% of a transition metal) were chosen; (3) extended studies ofmore » mechanical strength of candidate material specimens were performed at room temperature and at 400, 600, 800 C; (4) fixtures for determination of mechanical strength of tubes by external pressure above 40 atmospheres at temperature up to 700 C were developed and fabricated; and (5) technology of slip casting of tubes from pure (Ce,Gd)O{sub 2} and of (Ce,Gd)O{sub 2} doped by 0.2 wt% of a transition metal, withstanding external pressure of minimum 40 atmospheres at temperature up to 700 C was developed, a batch of tubes was sent for testing to Argonne National Laboratory; (6) technology of making nanopowder from pure (Ce,Gd)O{sub 2} was developed based on chemical synthesis and laser ablation techniques, a batch of nanopowder with the weight 1 kg was sent for testing to Argonne National Laboratory; (7) a business plan for establishing a company for making powders of materials for electrochemical oxygen pump was developed; and (8) major results obtained within the Project were reported at international conferences and published in the Russian journal Electrochemistry. In accordance with the Work Plan a business trip of the following project participants was scheduled for April 22-29, 2006, to Tonawanda, NY, USA: Manager Victor Borisov; Leader of technology development Gennady Studenikin; Leader of business planning Elena Zadorozhnaya; Leader of production Vasily Lepalovsky; and Translator Vladimir Litvinov. During this trip project participants were to discuss with the project Technical Monitor J.D. Carter and representative of Praxair Inc. J. Chen the results of project activities (prospects of transition metal-doped material application in oxygen pumps), as well as the prospects of cooperation with Praxair at the meeting with the company management in the following fields: (1) Deposition of thin films of oxide materials of complex composition on support by magnetron and ion sputtering, research of coatings properties; (2) Development of block-type structure technology (made of porous and dense ceramics) for oxygen pump. The block-type structure is promising because when the size of electrolyte block is 2 x 2 inches and assembly height is 10 inches (5 blocks connected together) the area of active surface is ca. 290 square inches (in case of 8 slots), that roughly corresponds to one tube with diameter 1 inch and height 100 inches. So performance of the system made of such blocks may be by a factor of two or three higher than that of tube-based system. However one month before the visit, J. Chen notified us of internal changes at Praxair and the cancellation of the visit to Tonawanda, NY. During consultations with the project Technical Monitor J.D. Carter and Senior Project Manager A. Taylor a decision was made to extend the project term by 2 quarters to prepare proposals for follow-on activities during this extension (development of block-type structures made of dense and porous oxide ceramics for electrochemical oxygen pumps) using the funds that were not used for the trip to the US.« less

Selecting elephant grass families and progenies to produce bioenergy through mixed models (REML/BLUP).

PubMed

Rodrigues, E V; Daher, R F; Dos Santos, A; Vivas, M; Machado, J C; Gravina, G do A; de Souza, Y P; Vidal, A K; Rocha, A Dos S; Freitas, R S

2017-05-18

Brazil has great potential to produce bioenergy since it is located in a tropical region that receives high incidence of solar energy and presents favorable climatic conditions for such purpose. However, the use of bioenergy in the country is below its productivity potential. The aim of the current study was to select full-sib progenies and families of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum S.) to optimize phenotypes relevant to bioenergy production through mixed models (REML/BLUP). The circulating diallel-based crossing of ten elephant grass genotypes was performed. An experimental design using the randomized block methodology, with three repetitions, was set to assess both the hybrids and the parents. Each plot comprised 14-m rows, 1.40 m spacing between rows, and 1.40 m spacing between plants. The number of tillers, plant height, culm diameter, fresh biomass production, dry biomass rate, and the dry biomass production were assessed. Genetic-statistical analyses were performed through mixed models (REML/BLUP). The genetic variance in the assessed families was explained through additive genetic effects and dominance genetic effects; the dominance variance was prevalent. Families such as Capim Cana D'África x Guaçu/I.Z.2, Cameroon x Cuba-115, CPAC x Cuba-115, Cameroon x Guaçu/I.Z.2, and IAC-Campinas x CPAC showed the highest dry biomass production. The family derived from the crossing between Cana D'África and Guaçu/I.Z.2 showed the largest number of potential individuals for traits such as plant height, culm diameter, fresh biomass production, dry biomass production, and dry biomass rate. The individual 5 in the family Cana D'África x Guaçu/I.Z.2, planted in blocks 1 and 2, showed the highest dry biomass production.

Flexibility in problem solving and tool use of kea and New Caledonian crows in a multi access box paradigm.

PubMed

Auersperg, Alice M I; von Bayern, Auguste M P; Gajdon, Gyula K; Huber, Ludwig; Kacelnik, Alex

2011-01-01

Parrots and corvids show outstanding innovative and flexible behaviour. In particular, kea and New Caledonian crows are often singled out as being exceptionally sophisticated in physical cognition, so that comparing them in this respect is particularly interesting. However, comparing cognitive mechanisms among species requires consideration of non-cognitive behavioural propensities and morphological characteristics evolved from different ancestry and adapted to fit different ecological niches. We used a novel experimental approach based on a Multi-Access-Box (MAB). Food could be extracted by four different techniques, two of them involving tools. Initially all four options were available to the subjects. Once they reached criterion for mastering one option, this task was blocked, until the subjects became proficient in another solution. The exploratory behaviour differed considerably. Only one (of six) kea and one (of five) NCC mastered all four options, including a first report of innovative stick tool use in kea. The crows were more efficient in using the stick tool, the kea the ball tool. The kea were haptically more explorative than the NCC, discovered two or three solutions within the first ten trials (against a mean of 0.75 discoveries by the crows) and switched more quickly to new solutions when the previous one was blocked. Differences in exploration technique, neophobia and object manipulation are likely to explain differential performance across the set of tasks. Our study further underlines the need to use a diversity of tasks when comparing cognitive traits between members of different species. Extension of a similar method to other taxa could help developing a comparative cognition research program.

Flexibility in Problem Solving and Tool Use of Kea and New Caledonian Crows in a Multi Access Box Paradigm

PubMed Central

Auersperg, Alice M. I.; von Bayern, Auguste M. P.; Gajdon, Gyula K.

2011-01-01

Parrots and corvids show outstanding innovative and flexible behaviour. In particular, kea and New Caledonian crows are often singled out as being exceptionally sophisticated in physical cognition, so that comparing them in this respect is particularly interesting. However, comparing cognitive mechanisms among species requires consideration of non-cognitive behavioural propensities and morphological characteristics evolved from different ancestry and adapted to fit different ecological niches. We used a novel experimental approach based on a Multi-Access-Box (MAB). Food could be extracted by four different techniques, two of them involving tools. Initially all four options were available to the subjects. Once they reached criterion for mastering one option, this task was blocked, until the subjects became proficient in another solution. The exploratory behaviour differed considerably. Only one (of six) kea and one (of five) NCC mastered all four options, including a first report of innovative stick tool use in kea. The crows were more efficient in using the stick tool, the kea the ball tool. The kea were haptically more explorative than the NCC, discovered two or three solutions within the first ten trials (against a mean of 0.75 discoveries by the crows) and switched more quickly to new solutions when the previous one was blocked. Differences in exploration technique, neophobia and object manipulation are likely to explain differential performance across the set of tasks. Our study further underlines the need to use a diversity of tasks when comparing cognitive traits between members of different species. Extension of a similar method to other taxa could help developing a comparative cognition research program. PMID:21687666

Can single molecule localization microscopy be used to map closely spaced RGD nanodomains?

PubMed Central

Nicovich, Philip R.; Soeriyadi, Alexander; Nieves, Daniel J.; Gooding, J. Justin; Gaus, Katharina

2017-01-01

Cells sense and respond to nanoscale variations in the distribution of ligands to adhesion receptors. This makes single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) an attractive tool to map the distribution of ligands on nanopatterned surfaces. We explore the use of SMLM spatial cluster analysis to detect nanodomains of the cell adhesion-stimulating tripeptide arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD). These domains were formed by the phase separation of block copolymers with controllable spacing on the scale of tens of nanometers. We first determined the topology of the block copolymer with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and then imaged the localization of individual RGD peptides with direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM). To compare the data, we analyzed the dSTORM data with DBSCAN (density-based spatial clustering application with noise). The ligand distribution and polymer topology are not necessary identical since peptides may attach to the polymer outside the nanodomains and/or coupling and detection of peptides within the nanodomains is incomplete. We therefore performed simulations to explore the extent to which nanodomains could be mapped with dSTORM. We found that successful detection of nanodomains by dSTORM was influenced by the inter-domain spacing and the localization precision of individual fluorophores, and less by non-specific absorption of ligands to the substratum. For example, under our imaging conditions, DBSCAN identification of nanodomains spaced further than 50 nm apart was largely independent of background localisations, while nanodomains spaced closer than 50 nm required a localization precision of ~11 nm to correctly estimate the modal nearest neighbor distance (NDD) between nanodomains. We therefore conclude that SMLM is a promising technique to directly map the distribution and nanoscale organization of ligands and would benefit from an improved localization precision. PMID:28723958

Modeling the influence of the VV delay for CRT on the electrical activation patterns in absence of conduction through the AV node

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, D. A.; Sebastián, Rafael; Plank, Gernot; Vigmond, Edward J.; Frangi, Alejandro F.

2008-03-01

From epidemiological studies, it has been shown that 0.2% of men and 0.1% of women suffer from a degree of atrioventricular (AV) block. In recent years, the palliative treatment for third degree AV block has included Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT). It was found that patients show more clinical improvement in the long term with CRT compared with single chamber devices. Still, an important group of patients does not improve their hemodynamic function as much as could be expected. A better understanding of the basis for optimizing the devices settings (among which the VV delay) will help to increase the number of responders. In this work, a finite element model of the left and right ventricles was generated using an atlas-based approach for their segmentation, which includes fiber orientation. The electrical activity was simulated with the electrophysiological solver CARP, using the Ten Tusscher et al. ionic model for the myocardium, and the DiFrancesco-Noble for Purkinje fibers. The model is representative of a patient without dilated or ischemic cardiomyopathy. The simulation results were analyzed for total activation times and latest activated regions at different VV delays and pre-activations (RV pre-activated, LV pre-activated). To optimize the solution, simulations are compared against the His-Purkinje network activation (normal physiological conduction), and interventricular septum activation (as collision point for the two wave fronts). The results were analyzed using Pearson's coefficient of correlation for point to point comparisons between simulation cases. The results of this study contribute to gain insight on the VV delay and how its adjustment might influence response to CRT and how it can be used to optimize the treatment.

Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on arterial stiffness and blood pressure in resistant hypertensive individuals: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Vilela-Martin, José Fernando; Giollo-Junior, Luiz Tadeu; Chiappa, Gaspar Rogério; Cipriano-Junior, Gerson; Vieira, Paulo José Cardoso; dos Santos Ricardi, Fábio; Paz-Landim, Manoel Ildefonso; de Andrade, Days Oliveira; Cestário, Elizabeth do Espírito Santo; Cosenso-Martin, Luciana Neves; Yugar-Toledo, Juan Carlos; Cipullo, José Paulo

2016-03-29

Resistant hypertension (RH) treatment requires an adequate and intense therapeutic approach. However, the results are not always satisfactory despite intensive treatment. Of the different pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of RH, sympathetic overstimulation and therapies that block the sympathetic system have been widely studied. These approaches, however, are invasive and expensive. Another possible approach is by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), a noninvasive method that modulates activity by using low-frequency transcutaneous electrical stimulation to inhibit primary afferent pathways. Thus, the current study will evaluate the effect of applying TENS in the cervicothoracic region of subjects with RH and will seek to develop a new low-cost and readily available therapy to treat this group of hypertensive individuals. This is a randomized, single blind (subject), parallel-assignment study controlled with a sham group and including participants aged 40 to 70 years with resistant hypertension. The trial has two arms: the treatment and control (sham group). The treatment group will be submitted to the stimulation procedure (TENS). The sham group will not be submitted to stimulation. The primary outcomes will be a reduction in the peripheral blood pressure and adverse events. The secondary outcomes will be a reduction the central blood pressure. The study will last 30 days. The sample size was calculated assuming an alpha error of 5 % to reject the null hypothesis with a statistical power of 80 %, thereby resulting in 28 participants per group (intervention versus sham). In recent decades, RH has become very common and costly. Adequate control requires several drugs, and in many cases, treatment is not successful. Sympathetic nervous system inhibition by renal denervation and central inhibition have significant effects in reducing BP; however, these treatments are costly and invasive. Another type of sympathetic nervous system inhibition can also be noninvasively achieved by electric current. Therefore, the application of TENS may be a new therapeutic option for treating resistant hypertensive individuals. Clinical Trials NCT02365974.

Tanacetum parthenium and Salix alba (Mig-RL) combination in migraine prophylaxis: a prospective, open-label study.

PubMed

Shrivastava, R; Pechadre, J C; John, G W

2006-01-01

Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew) has been used traditionally to treat migraine, and although its mechanism of action is not fully understood, serotonin 5-HT receptor blocking effects have been suggested. T. parthenium and Salix alba (white willow) either alone or in combination (Mig-RL) were recently shown to inhibit binding to 5-HT(2A/2C) receptors; T. parthenium failed to recognise 5-HT(1D) receptors, whereas S. alba or the combination did. It was hypothesised that S. alba in combination with T. parthenium may provide superior migraine prophylactic activity compared with T. parthenium alone. A prospective, open-label study was performed in 12 patients diagnosed with migraine without aura. Twelve weeks' treatment with T. parthenium 300 mg plus S. alba 300 mg (Mig-RL) twice daily was administered to determine the effects of therapy on migraine attack frequency (primary efficacy criterion), intensity and duration (secondary efficacy criteria), and quality of life, together with tolerability for patients. Attack frequency was reduced by 57.2% at 6 weeks (p < 0.029) and by 61.7% at 12 weeks (p < 0.025) in nine of ten patients, with 70% patients having a reduction of at least 50%. Attack intensity was reduced by 38.7% at 6 weeks (p < 0.005) and by 62.6% at 12 weeks (p < 0.004) in ten of ten patients, with 70% of patients having a reduction of at least 50%. Attack duration decreased by 67.2% at 6 weeks (p < 0.001) and by 76.2% at 12 weeks (p < 0.001) in ten of ten patients. Two patients were excluded for reasons unrelated to treatment. Self-assessed general health, physical performance, memory and anxiety also improved by the end of the study. Mig-RL treatment was well tolerated and no adverse events occurred. The remarkable efficacy of Mig-RL in not only reducing the frequency of migraine attacks but also their pain intensity and duration in this trial warrants further investigation of this therapy in a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled investigation involving a larger patient population.

Sequential and simultaneous SLAR block adjustment. [spline function analysis for mapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leberl, F.

1975-01-01

Two sequential methods of planimetric SLAR (Side Looking Airborne Radar) block adjustment, with and without splines, and three simultaneous methods based on the principles of least squares are evaluated. A limited experiment with simulated SLAR images indicates that sequential block formation with splines followed by external interpolative adjustment is superior to the simultaneous methods such as planimetric block adjustment with similarity transformations. The use of the sequential block formation is recommended, since it represents an inexpensive tool for satisfactory point determination from SLAR images.

Memory hierarchy using row-based compression

DOEpatents

Loh, Gabriel H.; O'Connor, James M.

2016-10-25

A system includes a first memory and a device coupleable to the first memory. The device includes a second memory to cache data from the first memory. The second memory includes a plurality of rows, each row including a corresponding set of compressed data blocks of non-uniform sizes and a corresponding set of tag blocks. Each tag block represents a corresponding compressed data block of the row. The device further includes decompression logic to decompress data blocks accessed from the second memory. The device further includes compression logic to compress data blocks to be stored in the second memory.

OWC with vortex beams in data center networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kupferman, Judy; Arnon, Shlomi

2017-10-01

Data centers are a key building block in the rapidly growing area of internet technology. A typical data center has tens of thousands of servers, and communication between them must be flexible and robust. Vortex light beams have orbital angular momentum and can provide a useful and flexible method for optical wireless communication in data centers. Vortex beams can be generated with orbital angular momentum but independent of polarization, and used in a multiplexed system. We propose a multiplexing vortex system to increase the communication capacity using optical wireless communication for data center networks. We then evaluate performance. This paper is intended for use as an engineering guideline for design of vortex multiplexing in data center applications.

[The effect of hypothyroidism on cardiac function in dogs].

PubMed

Stephan, I; Nolte, I; Hoppen, H O

2003-06-01

The thyroid hormones have direct and indirect effects on the heart. So it is possible that depression of left ventricular function is associated with hypothyroidism. This publication describes cardiac findings (auscultation, electrocardiography, echocardiography) in ten hypothyroid dogs. Low heart rates, reduced R-amplitudes and bradycardic arrhythmias (first and second-degree AV block) were found on the electrocardiogram before treatment. On the echocardiograms most of the dogs showed reduced contractillity and reduced left ventricular wall thickness. Seven dogs were reexamined after levothyroxine supplementation. Effects of treatment were increased heart rates and R-amplitudes as well as disappearance of the bradycardic arrhythmias in electrocardiographic examination. The echocardiographic examination showed increased contractility and increased left ventricular wall thickness.

The Compleat TRAIDsman.

DTIC Science & Technology

1969-09-01

uses a COMMON block of 663 cells . PLOTT works from a table of data, and assigns to each trace (up to 6 traces) a preset character. Once yoor data is...ALFA 000777 1 ~L P M A LP A U VU I 00) 󈧑 EL4 ’ I’LAC 4-43 FLIER slU.-r t;IINk fLIE" (5,LP.KONUA IlEI 335 50C k k LJ~C I~ N’.12 5 ExTEN, REVISION of...FLAG, PLACLD IN CumM"O. 753 C N3.0,0 AS RUN OAIE (IF BLANK* TAKEN FROM SYSTEM C DATE CELL ) ?SS C e1-63 13 EXECUTION TIME LIMIT IN MINUTES (IF ?b6 C

How to Store Energy Fast

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

Augustyn, Veronica; Ko, Jesse; Rauda, Iris

Representing the Molecularly Engineered Energy Materials (MEEM), this document is one of the entries in the Ten Hundred and One Word Challenge. As part of the challenge, the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers were invited to represent their science in images, cartoons, photos, words and original paintings, but any descriptions or words could only use the 1000 most commonly used words in the English language, with the addition of one word important to each of the EFRCs and the mission of DOE energy. The mission of MEEM, using inexpensive custom-designed molecular building blocks, aims to create revolutionary new materials withmore » self-assembled multi-scale architectures that will enable high performing energy generation and storage applications.« less

Fe3O4 nanoparticles: protein-mediated crystalline magnetic superstructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okuda, Mitsuhiro; Eloi, Jean-Charles; Jones, Sarah E. Ward; Sarua, Andrei; Richardson, Robert M.; Schwarzacher, Walther

2012-10-01

The synthesis of magnetic, monodisperse nanoparticles has attracted great interest in nanoelectronics and nanomedicine. Here we report the fabrication of pure magnetite nanoparticles, less than ten nanometers in size, using the cage-shaped protein apoferritin (Fe3O4-ferritin). Crystallizable proteins were obtained through careful successive separation methods, including a magnetic chromatography that enabled the effective separation of proteins, including a Fe3O4 nanoparticle (7.9 ± 0.8 nm), from empty ones. Macroscopic protein crystals allowed the fabrication of three-dimensional arrays of Fe3O4 nanoparticles with interparticle gaps controlled by dehydration, decreasing their magnetic susceptibilities and increasing their blocking temperatures through enhanced dipole-dipole interactions.

Progress towards synthetic chlorins with graded polarity, conjugatable substituents, and wavelength tunability

DOE PAGES

Ra, Doyoung; Gauger, Kelly A.; Muthukumaran, Kannan; ...

2015-04-01

Advances in chlorin synthetic chemistry now enable the de novo preparation of diverse chlorin-containing molecular architectures. Five distinct molecular designs have been explored here, including hydrophobic bioconjugatable (oxo)chlorins; a hydrophilic bioconjugatable chlorin; a trans-ethynyl/iodochlorin building block; a set of chlorins bearing electron-rich (methoxy, dimethylamino, methylthio) groups at the 3-position; and a set of ten 3,13-disubstituted chlorins chiefly bearing groups with extended π-moieties. Altogether 23 new chlorins (17 targets, 6 intermediates) have been prepared. Lastly, the challenge associated with molecular designs that encompass the combination of “hydrophilic, bioconjugatable and wavelength-tunable” chiefly resides in the nature of the hydrophilic unit.

Electrophysiological actions of somatostatin on the atrioventricular junction in sinus rhythm and reentry tachycardia.

PubMed Central

Webb, S C; Krikler, D M; Hendry, W G; Adrian, T E; Bloom, S R

1986-01-01

Because somatostatin, a neuroregulatory peptide, is found in abundance in the atria and atrioventricular node, its electrophysiological and antiarrhythmic properties were compared with those of verapamil in ten patients with paroxysmal atrioventricular tachycardia. During sinus rhythm, intravenous somatostatin slowed the heart rate whereas verapamil increased it. Though both agents prolonged atrioventricular conduction time and refractoriness, verapamil was more potent. They were equally effective at terminating reentry atrioventricular tachycardia, restoring sinus rhythm in six of seven patients. Whereas verapamil consistently blocked conduction in the atrioventricular node, somatostatin usually induced ventricular extrasystoles at the time of conversion. Somatostatin may have physiological importance in the neurohumoral control of cardiac impulse formation and conduction. PMID:2875723

Electrophysiological actions of somatostatin on the atrioventricular junction in sinus rhythm and reentry tachycardia.

PubMed

Webb, S C; Krikler, D M; Hendry, W G; Adrian, T E; Bloom, S R

1986-09-01

Because somatostatin, a neuroregulatory peptide, is found in abundance in the atria and atrioventricular node, its electrophysiological and antiarrhythmic properties were compared with those of verapamil in ten patients with paroxysmal atrioventricular tachycardia. During sinus rhythm, intravenous somatostatin slowed the heart rate whereas verapamil increased it. Though both agents prolonged atrioventricular conduction time and refractoriness, verapamil was more potent. They were equally effective at terminating reentry atrioventricular tachycardia, restoring sinus rhythm in six of seven patients. Whereas verapamil consistently blocked conduction in the atrioventricular node, somatostatin usually induced ventricular extrasystoles at the time of conversion. Somatostatin may have physiological importance in the neurohumoral control of cardiac impulse formation and conduction.

Textual blocks rectification method based on fast Hough transform analysis in identity documents recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezmaternykh, P. V.; Nikolaev, D. P.; Arlazarov, V. L.

2018-04-01

Textual blocks rectification or slant correction is an important stage of document image processing in OCR systems. This paper considers existing methods and introduces an approach for the construction of such algorithms based on Fast Hough Transform analysis. A quality measurement technique is proposed and obtained results are shown for both printed and handwritten textual blocks processing as a part of an industrial system of identity documents recognition on mobile devices.

Optimal Hydrophobicity in Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization-Based Protein Mimics Required for siRNA Internalization.

PubMed

deRonde, Brittany M; Posey, Nicholas D; Otter, Ronja; Caffrey, Leah M; Minter, Lisa M; Tew, Gregory N

2016-06-13

Exploring the role of polymer structure for the internalization of biologically relevant cargo, specifically siRNA, is of critical importance to the development of improved delivery reagents. Herein, we report guanidinium-rich protein transduction domain mimics (PTDMs) based on a ring-opening metathesis polymerization scaffold containing tunable hydrophobic moieties that promote siRNA internalization. Structure-activity relationships using Jurkat T cells and HeLa cells were explored to determine how the length of the hydrophobic block and the hydrophobic side chain compositions of these PTDMs impacted siRNA internalization. To explore the hydrophobic block length, two different series of diblock copolymers were synthesized: one series with symmetric block lengths and one with asymmetric block lengths. At similar cationic block lengths, asymmetric and symmetric PTDMs promoted siRNA internalization in the same percentages of the cell population regardless of the hydrophobic block length; however, with 20 repeat units of cationic charge, the asymmetric block length had greater siRNA internalization, highlighting the nontrivial relationships between hydrophobicity and overall cationic charge. To further probe how the hydrophobic side chains impacted siRNA internalization, an additional series of asymmetric PTDMs was synthesized that featured a fixed hydrophobic block length of five repeat units that contained either dimethyl (dMe), methyl phenyl (MePh), or diphenyl (dPh) side chains and varied cationic block lengths. This series was further expanded to incorporate hydrophobic blocks consisting of diethyl (dEt), diisobutyl (diBu), and dicyclohexyl (dCy) based repeat units to better define the hydrophobic window for which our PTDMs had optimal activity. High-performance liquid chromatography retention times quantified the relative hydrophobicities of the noncationic building blocks. PTDMs containing the MePh, diBu, and dPh hydrophobic blocks were shown to have superior siRNA internalization capabilities compared to their more and less hydrophobic counterparts, demonstrating a critical window of relative hydrophobicity for optimal internalization. This better understanding of how hydrophobicity impacts PTDM-induced internalization efficiencies will help guide the development of future delivery reagents.

Effects of a Preschool Mathematics Curriculum: Summative Research on the "Building Blocks" Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clements, Douglas H.; Sarama, Julie

2007-01-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of a preschool mathematics program based on a comprehensive model of developing research-based software and print curricula. Building Blocks, funded by the National Science Foundation, is a curriculum development project focused on creating research-based, technology-enhanced mathematics materials for pre-K…

Gaussian curvature analysis allows for automatic block placement in multi-block hexahedral meshing.

PubMed

Ramme, Austin J; Shivanna, Kiran H; Magnotta, Vincent A; Grosland, Nicole M

2011-10-01

Musculoskeletal finite element analysis (FEA) has been essential to research in orthopaedic biomechanics. The generation of a volumetric mesh is often the most challenging step in a FEA. Hexahedral meshing tools that are based on a multi-block approach rely on the manual placement of building blocks for their mesh generation scheme. We hypothesise that Gaussian curvature analysis could be used to automatically develop a building block structure for multi-block hexahedral mesh generation. The Automated Building Block Algorithm incorporates principles from differential geometry, combinatorics, statistical analysis and computer science to automatically generate a building block structure to represent a given surface without prior information. We have applied this algorithm to 29 bones of varying geometries and successfully generated a usable mesh in all cases. This work represents a significant advancement in automating the definition of building blocks.

14. DETAIL, TYPICAL CUT STONE MASONRY FACING BLOCKS, AT BASE ...

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

14. DETAIL, TYPICAL CUT STONE MASONRY FACING BLOCKS, AT BASE OF BRIDGE, FROM SOUTHEAST, SHOWING MASONS MARKS, MOORING RING, AND PORTION OF SUBMERGED TIMBER GRILLAGE - Boston Street Bridge, Spanning Harris Creek Sewer at Boston Street, Baltimore, Independent City, MD

Analysis of anticaries potential of pit and fissures sealants containing amorphous calcium phosphate using synchrotron microtomography.

PubMed

Delben, A C B; Cannon, M; Vieira, A E M; Basso, M D; Danelon, M; Santo, M R E; Stock, S R; Xiao, X; De Carlo, F

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the anticaries potential of pit and fissure sealants containing amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) by synchrotron microtomography. Bovine enamel blocks (4×4 mm; n=50) were selected through surface hardness (Knoop) analysis. Slabs were obtained through cross-sections taken 1 mm from the border of the enamel. Five indentations, spaced 100 μm apart, were made 300 μm from the border. Ten specimens were prepared for each tested material (Ultraseal XT plus TM, Aegis, Embrace, Vitremer and Experimental Sealant). The materials were randomly attached to the sectioned surfaces of the enamel blocks and fixed with sticky wax. The specimens were submitted to pH cycling. After that, the surface hardness (SH1) was determined, and the blocks were submitted to synchrotron microcomputed tomography analysis to calculate the mineral concentration (ΔgHAp cm(-3)) at different areas of the enamel. The comparison between the SH1 and ΔgHAp cm(-3) showed a correlation for all groups (r=0.840; p<0.001). The fluoride groups presented positive values of ΔgHAp cm(-3), indicating a mineral gain that was observed mainly in the outer part of the enamel. The ACP showed mineral loss in the outer enamel compared with fluoride groups, although it inhibited the demineralization in the deeper areas of enamel. The combination of two remineralizing agents (fluoride and ACP) was highly effective in preventing demineralization.

Grasping with the eyes of your hands: hapsis and vision modulate hand preference.

PubMed

Stone, Kayla D; Gonzalez, Claudia L R

2014-02-01

Right-hand preference has been demonstrated for visually guided reaching and grasping. Grasping, however, requires the integration of both visual and haptic cues. To what extent does vision influence hand preference for grasping? Is there a hand preference for haptically guided grasping? Two experiments were designed to address these questions. In Experiment 1, individuals were tested in a reaching-to-grasp task with vision (sighted condition) and with hapsis (blindfolded condition). Participants were asked to put together 3D models using building blocks scattered on a tabletop. The models were simple, composed of ten blocks of three different shapes. Starting condition (Vision-First or Hapsis-First) was counterbalanced among participants. Right-hand preference was greater in visually guided grasping but only in the Vision-First group. Participants who initially built the models while blindfolded (Hapsis-First group) used their right hand significantly less for the visually guided portion of the task. To investigate whether grasping using hapsis modifies subsequent hand preference, participants received an additional haptic experience in a follow-up experiment. While blindfolded, participants manipulated the blocks in a container for 5 min prior to the task. This additional experience did not affect right-hand use on visually guided grasping but had a robust effect on haptically guided grasping. Together, the results demonstrate first that hand preference for grasping is influenced by both vision and hapsis, and second, they highlight how flexible this preference could be when modulated by hapsis.

Basement structure based on gravity anomaly in the northern Noto peninsula, Central Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizubayashi, T.; Sawada, A.; Hamada, M.; Hiramatsu, Y.; Honda, R.

2012-12-01

Upper crustal block structures are usually defined by using surface information, such as geological and morphological data. The northern Noto Peninsula, central Japan, is divided into four geological block structures from tectonic geomorphologic perspectives (Ota and Hirakawa, 1979). This division is based on the surface crustal movement. To image the geological blocks three-dimensionally, it is necessary to construct a subsurface structure model. Gravity survey can clarify the detailed subsurface structure with dense gravity measurement. From the detailed Bouguer anomalies in the northwestern Noto Peninsula, Honda et al. (2008) suggested that the rupture size of the 2007 Noto Hanto earthquake was constrained by the geological block structures. Hiramatsu et al. (2008) also suggested the active faults on the seafloor, such as the source fault of the 2007 Noto Hanto earthquake plays a major role for the formation of the geological block structures. In this study, we analyze subsurface density structure based on the Bouguer anomaly and estimate the distribution of basement depth in the northern Noto Peninsula. We focus the relationship among the basement depth, the block structures and the active faults on the seafloor and discuss the block movement in the northern Noto Peninsula. We compiled the data measured and published previously (Gravity Database of Southwest Japan, 2001; Geological survey of Japan, 2004; Geographical survey institute of Japan, 2006; The Gravity Research Group in Southwest Japan, 2001; Komazawa and Okuma, 2010; Hokuriku electric power Co. Ltd., undisclosed) and calculated Bouguer anomaly in the northern Noto Peninsula. Based on this Bouguer anomaly, we analyzed subsurface density structures along 13 northeastern-southwestern profiles and 35 northwestern-southeastern profiles with the interval of 2 km using the two dimensional Talwani's method (Talwani et al., 1959). In the analysis, we assumed a density structure with four layers: basement (density is 2670kg/m3), Neocene volcanic rock (density is 2400kg/m3, or 2550kg/m3), Neocene sedimentary rock (density is 2200kg/m3), and Quaternary sedimentary rock (density is 1800kg/m3, or 1500kg/m3) (Honda et al., 2008). To compare our basement model to the geological block structures, we focus on a transition zone of the basement depth. We recognize that two of three geological block boundaries correspond to the transition zones. These boundaries also correspond to the boundary of active fault segments on the seafloor. Therefore, based on the relationship between the source fault of the 2007 Noto Hanto earthquake and the geological block, we suggest that the movement of those geological blocks is possibly controlled by the corresponding active fault segments. However, we find that the other block boundary doesn't correspond to the transition zone.

47 CFR 90.663 - MTA-based SMR system operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... stations using any frequency identified in their spectrum block anywhere within their authorized MTA... rules and international agreements that restrict use of frequencies identified in their spectrum block... for a previously authorized co-channel station within the MTA licensee's authorized spectrum block is...

47 CFR 90.663 - MTA-based SMR system operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... stations using any frequency identified in their spectrum block anywhere within their authorized MTA... rules and international agreements that restrict use of frequencies identified in their spectrum block... for a previously authorized co-channel station within the MTA licensee's authorized spectrum block is...

47 CFR 90.663 - MTA-based SMR system operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... stations using any frequency identified in their spectrum block anywhere within their authorized MTA... rules and international agreements that restrict use of frequencies identified in their spectrum block... for a previously authorized co-channel station within the MTA licensee's authorized spectrum block is...

47 CFR 90.663 - MTA-based SMR system operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... stations using any frequency identified in their spectrum block anywhere within their authorized MTA... rules and international agreements that restrict use of frequencies identified in their spectrum block... for a previously authorized co-channel station within the MTA licensee's authorized spectrum block is...

22. INTERIOR VIEW, BASEMENT UNDER NORTH ROOM OF MAIN BLOCK, ...

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

22. INTERIOR VIEW, BASEMENT UNDER NORTH ROOM OF MAIN BLOCK, VIEW OF NORTHWEST WALL SHOWING CORBELING BASE OF FIRST FLOOR CHIMNEY BLOCK WITH STOVE-PIPE HOLE, AND MORTISE AND TENON FRAMING FOR HEARTH BED - Clifton Farm, Off Baker Road, Frederick, Frederick County, MD

Two innovative solutions based on fibre concrete blocks designed for building substructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pazderka, J.; Hájek, P.

2017-09-01

Using of fibers in a high-strength concrete allows reduction of the dimensions of small precast concrete elements, which opens up new ways of solution for traditional construction details in buildings. The paper presents two innovative technical solutions for building substructure: The special shaped plinth block from fibre concrete and the fibre concrete elements for new technical solution of ventilated floor. The main advantages of plinth block from fibre concrete blocks (compared with standard plinth solutions) is: easier and faster assembly, higher durability and thanks to the air cavity between the vertical part of the block, the building substructure reduced moisture level of structures under the waterproofing layer and a comprehensive solution to the final surface of building plinth as well as the surface of adjacent terrain. The ventilated floor based on fibre concrete precast blocks is an attractive structural alternative for tackling the problem of increased moisture in masonry in older buildings, lacking a functional waterproof layer in the substructure.

Top Value Added Chemicals From Biomass: I. Results of Screening for Potential Candidates from Sugars and Synthesis Gas

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

Werpy, Todd A.; Holladay, John E.; White, James F.

2004-11-01

This report identifies twelve building block chemicals that can be produced from sugars via biological or chemical conversions. The twelve building blocks can be subsequently converted to a number of high-value bio-based chemicals or materials. Building block chemicals, as considered for this analysis, are molecules with multiple functional groups that possess the potential to be transformed into new families of useful molecules. The twelve sugar-based building blocks are 1,4-diacids (succinic, fumaric and malic), 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy propionic acid, aspartic acid, glucaric acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid, levulinic acid, 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, glycerol, sorbitol, and xylitol/arabinitol. In addition to building blocks, themore » report outlines the central technical barriers that are preventing the widespread use of biomass for products and chemicals.« less

Residential water demand model under block rate pricing: A case study of Beijing, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, H.; Yang, Z. F.

2009-05-01

In many cities, the inconsistency between water supply and water demand has become a critical problem because of deteriorating water shortage and increasing water demand. Uniform price of residential water cannot promote the efficient water allocation. In China, block water price will be put into practice in the future, but the outcome of such regulation measure is unpredictable without theory support. In this paper, the residential water is classified by the volume of water usage based on economic rules and block water is considered as different kinds of goods. A model based on extended linear expenditure system (ELES) is constructed to simulate the relationship between block water price and water demand, which provide theoretical support for the decision-makers. Finally, the proposed model is used to simulate residential water demand under block rate pricing in Beijing.

hERG blocking potential of acids and zwitterions characterized by three thresholds for acidity, size and reactivity.

PubMed

Nikolov, Nikolai G; Dybdahl, Marianne; Jónsdóttir, Svava Ó; Wedebye, Eva B

2014-11-01

Ionization is a key factor in hERG K(+) channel blocking, and acids and zwitterions are known to be less probable hERG blockers than bases and neutral compounds. However, a considerable number of acidic compounds block hERG, and the physico-chemical attributes which discriminate acidic blockers from acidic non-blockers have not been fully elucidated. We propose a rule for prediction of hERG blocking by acids and zwitterionic ampholytes based on thresholds for only three descriptors related to acidity, size and reactivity. The training set of 153 acids and zwitterionic ampholytes was predicted with a concordance of 91% by a decision tree based on the rule. Two external validations were performed with sets of 35 and 48 observations, respectively, both showing concordances of 91%. In addition, a global QSAR model of hERG blocking was constructed based on a large diverse training set of 1374 chemicals covering all ionization classes, externally validated showing high predictivity and compared to the decision tree. The decision tree was found to be superior for the acids and zwitterionic ampholytes classes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Methodological quality in randomised controlled trials of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation for pain: low fidelity may explain negative findings.

PubMed

Bennett, Michael I; Hughes, Nicola; Johnson, Mark I

2011-06-01

The benefits of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain relief have not been reliably established, as most systematic reviews find poor methodological quality in many studies. The paradox within the evidence base for TENS is that despite identified sources of bias that may lead to an overestimation of treatment effects, no benefits for TENS can be clearly demonstrated. Conventional assessments of quality assume a single direction of bias, and little work has been undertaken examining other directions of bias. Our hypothesis was that low fidelity in studies (bias leading to an underestimation of treatment effects) may account for inconclusive findings. We included 38 studies from 3 recently published Cochrane systematic reviews that examined TENS for acute, chronic, and cancer pain. We extracted data relating to treatment allocation, application of TENS and to the assessment of outcomes. We quantified these data and judged this against standardised assessment criteria using a "traffic light" approach based on the number of studies reaching the standard. We identified significant sources of potential bias in both directions in relation to study design and implementation fidelity that have not been quantified previously. Suboptimal dosing of TENS and inappropriate outcome assessment were particularly prevalent weaknesses indicating low fidelity. We propose criteria for judging directions of bias in future studies of TENS that may be adapted to assess other trials in which implementation fidelity is important, such as other nonpharmacological interventions for pain. Poor implementation fidelity was identified as a significant source of bias in systematic reviews of TENS studies and might explain lack of consistent treatment effects of TENS in pain. Here, criteria for assessing methodology are proposed for use in designing future clinical trials of TENS. Copyright © 2010 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Production of sludge-incorporated paver blocks for efficient waste management.

PubMed

Velumani, P; Senthilkumar, S

2018-06-01

Waste management plays a vital role in the reuse of industry wastes in to useful conversions. The treatment of effluents from the combined textile effluent treatment plant and hypo sludge from the paper industry results in sludge generation, which poses a huge challenge for its disposal. Therefore, an eco-friendly attempt is made to utilize them in the production of paver blocks. Paver blocks are construction units that have vast applications in street roads, walking paths, fuel stations, and so on. In this study, an innovative attempt has been made to manufacture paver blocks incorporating textile effluent treatment plant sludge and hypo sludge, to utilize them in suitable proportions. The effect of adding silica fume and polypropylene fibre in paver blocks has also been studied. Paver blocks containing sludge with different proportions were cast based on the recommendations in Indian Standards (IS) 15658, and the test results were compared with the nominal M20 grade and M30 grade paver blocks. The outcomes of the paver block combinations were studied and found to be an effective utilization of sludge with substantial cement replacement of up to 35%, resulting in effective waste management for specific industries. Presently, paver blocks are construction units that have vast application in street roads and other constructions like walking paths, fuel stations, and so on. Also, paver blocks possess easy maintenance during breakages. Based on this application, an innovative attempt has been made to manufacture paver blocks incorporating textile effluent treatment plant sludge and hypo sludge to utilize them in suitable proportions.

Behind the Curtain of the Beauty Pageant: An Investigation of U.S. News Undergraduate Business Program Rankings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Pam

2010-01-01

The undergraduate business program rankings in USNWR are based solely on peer assessments from deans and associate deans of AACSB accredited U.S. business schools. Often these reputation-based rankings are discounted and likened to a beauty pageant because the process lacks transparent input data. In this study, ten deans and ten associate…

Highly Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of COS-Based Block Copolymers by Using Organic Lewis Pairs.

PubMed

Yang, Jia-Liang; Cao, Xiao-Han; Zhang, Cheng-Jian; Wu, Hai-Lin; Zhang, Xing-Hong

2018-01-31

A one-pot synthesis of block copolymer with regioregular poly(monothiocarbonate) block is described via metal-free catalysis. Lewis bases such as guanidine, quaternary onium salts, and Lewis acid triethyl borane (TEB) were equivalently combined and used as the catalysts. By using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the macromolecular chain transfer agent (CTA), narrow polydispersity block copolymers were obtained from the copolymerization of carbonyl sulfide (COS) and propylene oxide (PO). The block copolymers had a poly(monothiocarbonate) block with perfect alternating degree and regioregularity. Unexpectedly, the addition of CTA to COS/PO copolymerization system could dramatically improve the turnover frequency (TOF) of PO (up to 240 h -1 ), higher than that of the copolymerization without CTA. In addition, the conversion of CTA could be up to 100% in most cases, as revealed by ¹H NMR spectra. Of consequence, the number-average molecular weights ( M n s) of the resultant block copolymers could be regulated by varying the feed ratio of CTA to PO. Oxygen-sulfur exchange reaction (O/S ER), which can generate randomly distributed thiocarbonate and carbonate units, was effectively suppressed in all of the cases in the presence of CTA, even at 80 °C. This work presents a versatile method for synthesizing sulfur-containing block copolymers through a metal-free route, providing an array of new block copolymers.

Cdk1 Regulates the Temporal Recruitment of Telomerase and Cdc13-Stn1-Ten1 Complex for Telomere Replication

PubMed Central

Liu, Chang-Ching; Gopalakrishnan, Veena; Poon, Lai-Fong; Yan, TingDong

2014-01-01

In budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), the cell cycle-dependent telomere elongation by telomerase is controlled by the cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1). The telomere length homeostasis is balanced between telomerase-unextendable and telomerase-extendable states that both require Cdc13. The recruitment of telomerase complex by Cdc13 promotes telomere elongation, while the formation of Cdc13-Stn1-Ten1 (CST) complex at the telomere blocks telomere elongation by telomerase. However, the cellular signaling that regulates the timing of the telomerase-extendable and telomerase-unextendable states is largely unknown. Phosphorylation of Cdc13 by Cdk1 promotes the interaction between Cdc13 and Est1 and hence telomere elongation. Here, we show that Cdk1 also phosphorylates Stn1 at threonine 223 and serine 250 both in vitro and in vivo, and these phosphorylation events are essential for the stability of the CST complexes at the telomeres. By controlling the timing of Cdc13 and Stn1 phosphorylations during cell cycle progression, Cdk1 regulates the temporal recruitment of telomerase complexes and CST complexes to the telomeres to facilitate telomere maintenance. PMID:24164896

Fuel cell electrodes

DOEpatents

Strmcnik, Dusan; Cuesta, Angel; Stamenkovic, Vojislav; Markovic, Nenad

2015-06-23

A process includes patterning a surface of a platinum group metal-based electrode by contacting the electrode with an adsorbate to form a patterned platinum group metal-based electrode including platinum group metal sites blocked with adsorbate molecules and platinum group metal sites which are not blocked.

Credit BG. Southeast and northeast facades of concrete block structure ...

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

Credit BG. Southeast and northeast facades of concrete block structure built in the late 1960s. It is now used to store miscellaneous equipment - Edwards Air Force Base, North Base, Liquid Oxygen Storage Facility, Second Street, Boron, Kern County, CA

Foale in Base Block with camera

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-11-03

STS086-405-008 (25 Sept-6 Oct 1997) --- Astronaut C. Michael Foale, sporting attire representing the STS-86 crew after four months aboard Russia?s Mir Space Station in Russian wear, operates a video camera in Mir?s Base Block Module. Photo credit: NASA

Assessment: efficacy of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation in the treatment of pain in neurologic disorders (an evidence-based review): report of the Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology.

PubMed

Dubinsky, Richard M; Miyasaki, Janis

2010-01-12

To determine if transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is efficacious in the treatment of pain in neurologic disorders. We performed a systematic literature search of Medline and the Cochrane Library from inception to April 2009. There are conflicting reports of TENS compared to sham TENS in the treatment of chronic low back pain, with 2 Class II studies showing benefit, but 2 Class I studies and another Class II study not showing benefit. Because the Class I studies are stronger evidence, TENS is established as ineffective for the treatment of chronic low back pain (2 Class I studies). TENS is probably effective in treating painful diabetic neuropathy (2 Class II studies). Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is not recommended for the treatment of chronic low back pain (Level A). TENS should be considered in the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy (Level B). Further research into the mechanism of action of TENS is needed, as well as more rigorous studies for determination of efficacy.

Precision aligned split V-block

DOEpatents

George, Irwin S.

1984-01-01

A precision aligned split V-block for holding a workpiece during a milling operation having an expandable frame for allowing various sized workpieces to be accommodated, is easily secured directly to the mill table and having key lugs in one base of the split V-block that assures constant alignment.

A deblocking algorithm based on color psychology for display quality enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Chia-Hung; Tseng, Wen-Yu; Huang, Kai-Lin

2012-12-01

This article proposes a post-processing deblocking filter to reduce blocking effects. The proposed algorithm detects blocking effects by fusing the results of Sobel edge detector and wavelet-based edge detector. The filtering stage provides four filter modes to eliminate blocking effects at different color regions according to human color vision and color psychology analysis. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has better subjective and objective qualities for H.264/AVC reconstructed videos when compared to several existing methods.

What is the evidence behind the evidence-base? The premature death of block-replace antithyroid drug regimens for Graves' disease.

PubMed

Razvi, Salman; Vaidya, Bijay; Perros, Petros; Pearce, Simon H S

2006-06-01

Block-replace and titration antithyroid drug regimens both give similar rates of medium- to long-term remission of hyperthyroid Graves' disease. Recent meta-analysis, however, has suggested that titration regimens may be preferable owing to a higher rate of adverse events seen in the block-replace arms of published comparative studies. This article critically re-evaluates the evidence upon which these meta-analyses were based. We suggest that there is little objective evidence that is pertinent to current clinical practice to separate block-replace from titration antithyroid drug regimens and that both remain satisfactory approaches to the medical management of hyperthyroid Graves' disease.

Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass - Volume I, Results of Screening for Potential Candidates from Sugars and Synthesis Gas

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

None

2004-08-01

This report identifies twelve building block chemicals that can be produced from sugars via biological or chemical conversions. The twelve building blocks can be subsequently converted to a number of high-value bio-based chemicals or materials. Building block chemicals, as considered for this analysis, are molecules with multiple functional groups that possess the potential to be transformed into new families of useful molecules. The twelve sugar-based building blocks are 1,4-diacids (succinic, fumaric and malic), 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy propionic acid, aspartic acid, glucaric acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid, levulinic acid, 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, glycerol, sorbitol, and xylitol/arabinitol.

Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass: Volume I -- Results of Screening for Potential Candidates from Sugars and Synthesis Gas

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

Werpy, T.; Petersen, G.

2004-08-01

This report identifies twelve building block chemicals that can be produced from sugars via biological or chemical conversions. The twelve building blocks can be subsequently converted to a number of high-value bio-based chemicals or materials. Building block chemicals, as considered for this analysis, are molecules with multiple functional groups that possess the potential to be transformed into new families of useful molecules. The twelve sugar-based building blocks are 1,4-diacids (succinic, fumaric and malic), 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy propionic acid, aspartic acid, glucaric acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid, levulinic acid, 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, glycerol, sorbitol, and xylitol/arabinitol.

Zero-block mode decision algorithm for H.264/AVC.

PubMed

Lee, Yu-Ming; Lin, Yinyi

2009-03-01

In the previous paper , we proposed a zero-block intermode decision algorithm for H.264 video coding based upon the number of zero-blocks of 4 x 4 DCT coefficients between the current macroblock and the co-located macroblock. The proposed algorithm can achieve significant improvement in computation, but the computation performance is limited for high bit-rate coding. To improve computation efficiency, in this paper, we suggest an enhanced zero-block decision algorithm, which uses an early zero-block detection method to compute the number of zero-blocks instead of direct DCT and quantization (DCT/Q) calculation and incorporates two adequate decision methods into semi-stationary and nonstationary regions of a video sequence. In addition, the zero-block decision algorithm is also applied to the intramode prediction in the P frame. The enhanced zero-block decision algorithm brings out a reduction of average 27% of total encoding time compared to the zero-block decision algorithm.

Microbial Communities in Long-Term, Water-Flooded Petroleum Reservoirs with Different in situ Temperatures in the Huabei Oilfield, China

PubMed Central

Tang, Yue-Qin; Li, Yan; Zhao, Jie-Yu; Chi, Chang-Qiao; Huang, Li-Xin; Dong, Han-Ping; Wu, Xiao-Lei

2012-01-01

The distribution of microbial communities in the Menggulin (MGL) and Ba19 blocks in the Huabei Oilfield, China, were studied based on 16S rRNA gene analysis. The dominant microbes showed obvious block-specific characteristics, and the two blocks had substantially different bacterial and archaeal communities. In the moderate-temperature MGL block, the bacteria were mainly Epsilonproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, and the archaea were methanogens belonging to Methanolinea, Methanothermobacter, Methanosaeta, and Methanocella. However, in the high-temperature Ba19 block, the predominant bacteria were Gammaproteobacteria, and the predominant archaea were Methanothermobacter and Methanosaeta. In spite of shared taxa in the blocks, differences among wells in the same block were obvious, especially for bacterial communities in the MGL block. Compared to the bacterial communities, the archaeal communities were much more conserved within blocks and were not affected by the variation in the bacterial communities. PMID:22432032

Blind image quality assessment via probabilistic latent semantic analysis.

PubMed

Yang, Xichen; Sun, Quansen; Wang, Tianshu

2016-01-01

We propose a blind image quality assessment that is highly unsupervised and training free. The new method is based on the hypothesis that the effect caused by distortion can be expressed by certain latent characteristics. Combined with probabilistic latent semantic analysis, the latent characteristics can be discovered by applying a topic model over a visual word dictionary. Four distortion-affected features are extracted to form the visual words in the dictionary: (1) the block-based local histogram; (2) the block-based local mean value; (3) the mean value of contrast within a block; (4) the variance of contrast within a block. Based on the dictionary, the latent topics in the images can be discovered. The discrepancy between the frequency of the topics in an unfamiliar image and a large number of pristine images is applied to measure the image quality. Experimental results for four open databases show that the newly proposed method correlates well with human subjective judgments of diversely distorted images.

β2-Adrenoceptors and non-β-adrenoceptors mediate effects of BRL37344 and clenbuterol on glucose uptake in soleus muscle: studies using knockout mice

PubMed Central

Ngala, Robert A; O'Dowd, Jacqueline; Wang, Steven J; Stocker, Claire; Cawthorne, Michael A; Arch, Jonathan RS

2009-01-01

Background and purpose: In previous work, 10 pM BRL37344 and 10 pM clenbuterol stimulated glucose uptake in mouse soleus muscle. Ten nM BRL37344 also stimulated uptake but 100 nM clenbuterol inhibited uptake. Antagonist studies suggested that the opposite effects of 10 nM BRL37344 and 100 nM clenbuterol are mediated by the β2-adrenoceptor. BRL37344 and clenbuterol have been studied in muscles that lack β3-, β2- or all three β-adrenoceptors. Effects of β-adrenoceptor antagonists on responses to the agonists have been studied further using muscles from wild-type mice. Experimental approach: Soleus muscles of wild-type or β-adrenoceptor knockout mice were incubated with 2-deoxy[1-14C]-glucose, and β-adrenoceptor ligands. Formation of 2-deoxy[1-14C]-glucose-6-phosphate was measured. Key results: Concentration–response relationships were similar for BRL37344 and clenbuterol in normal muscle and muscle lacking β3-adrenoceptors. Ten pM BRL37344 and clenbuterol stimulated glucose uptake in muscle lacking β2-adrenoceptors or all three β-adrenoceptors, but 10 nM BRL37344 did not stimulate uptake in either case, and 100 nM clenbuterol stimulated, rather than inhibited, uptake in muscle lacking β2-adrenoceptors. One hundred nM clenbuterol also stimulated glucose uptake in normal muscle when β2-adrenoceptors were blocked with ICI118551, and this was not prevented by antagonism of β1- or β3-adrenoceptors. Conclusions and implications: Ten nM BRL37344 and 100 nM clenbuterol have opposite effects on glucose uptake but both effects are mediated by the β2-adrenoceptor – apparently an example of agonist-directed signalling. Ten pM BRL37344, 10 pM clenbuterol and 100 nM clenbuterol in the presence of ICI118551 stimulate glucose uptake via β-adrenoceptor-independent mechanisms, demonstrating unknown properties for the agonists. PMID:19912225

A Comparison of the Marginal and Internal Fit of Cobalt- Chromium Copings Fabricated by Two Different CAD/CAM Systems (CAD/ Milling, CAD/ Ceramill Sintron)

PubMed Central

Vojdani, Mahroo; Torabi, Kianoosh; Atashkar, Berivan; Heidari, Hossein; Torabi Ardakani, Mahshid

2016-01-01

Statement of the Problem: Marginal fitness is the most important criteria for evaluation of the clinical acceptability of a cast restoration. Marginal gap which is due to cement solubility and plaque retention is potentially detrimental to both tooth and periodontal tissues. Purpose: This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the marginal and internal fit of cobalt- chromium (Co-Cr) copings fabricated by two different CAD/CAM systems: (CAD/ milling and CAD/ Ceramill Sintron). Materials and Method: We prepared one machined standard stainless steel master model with following dimensions: 7 mm height, 5mm diameter, 90˚ shoulder marginal finish line with 1 mm width, 10˚ convergence angle and anti-rotational surface on the buccal aspect of the die. There were 10 copings produced from hard presintered Co-Cr blocks according to CAD/ Milling technique and ten copings from soft non- presintered Co-Cr blocks according to CAD/ Ceramill Sintron technique. Marginal and internal accuracies of copings were documented by the replica technique. Replicas were examined at ten reference points under a digital microscope (230X). The Student's t-test was used for statistical analysis. p< 0.001 was considered significant. Results: Statistically significant differences existed between the groups (p< 0.001). The CAD/milling group (hard copings) had a mean marginal discrepancy (MD) of 104 µm, axial discrepancy (AD) of 23 µm and occlusal discrepancy of 130 µm. For CAD/ Ceramill Sintron group, these values were 195 µm (MD), 46 µm (AD), and 232 µm (OD). Internal total discrepancy (ITD) for the CAD/milling group was 77 µm, whereas for the CAD/Ceramill Sintron group was 143 µm. Conclusion: Hard presintered Co-Cr copings had significantly higher marginal and internal accuracies compared to the soft non-presintered copings. PMID:27942545

Homozygosity Mapping in Leber Congenital Amaurosis and Autosomal Recessive Retinitis Pigmentosa in South Indian Families

PubMed Central

Srilekha, Sundaramurthy; Arokiasamy, Tharigopala; Srikrupa, Natarajan N.; Umashankar, Vetrivel; Meenakshi, Swaminathan; Sen, Parveen; Kapur, Suman; Soumittra, Nagasamy

2015-01-01

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are retinal degenerative diseases which cause severe retinal dystrophy affecting the photoreceptors. LCA is predominantly inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and contributes to 5% of all retinal dystrophies; whereas RP is inherited by all the Mendelian pattern of inheritance and both are leading causes of visual impairment in children and young adults. Homozygosity mapping is an efficient strategy for mapping both known and novel disease loci in recessive conditions, especially in a consanguineous mating, exploiting the fact that the regions adjacent to the disease locus will also be homozygous by descent in such inbred children. Here we have studied eleven consanguineous LCA and one autosomal recessive RP (arRP) south Indian families to know the prevalence of mutations in known genes and also to know the involvement of novel loci, if any. Complete ophthalmic examination was done for all the affected individuals including electroretinogram, fundus photograph, fundus autofluorescence, and optical coherence tomography. Homozygosity mapping using Affymetrix 250K HMA GeneChip on eleven LCA families followed by screening of candidate gene(s) in the homozygous block identified mutations in ten families; AIPL1 – 3 families, RPE65- 2 families, GUCY2D, CRB1, RDH12, IQCB1 and SPATA7 in one family each, respectively. Six of the ten (60%) mutations identified are novel. Homozygosity mapping using Affymetrix 10K HMA GeneChip on the arRP family identified a novel nonsense mutation in MERTK. The mutations segregated within the family and was absent in 200 control chromosomes screened. In one of the eleven LCA families, the causative gene/mutation was not identified but many homozygous blocks were noted indicating that a possible novel locus/gene might be involved. The genotype and phenotype features, especially the fundus changes for AIPL1, RPE65, CRB1, RDH12 genes were as reported earlier. PMID:26147992

Homozygosity Mapping in Leber Congenital Amaurosis and Autosomal Recessive Retinitis Pigmentosa in South Indian Families.

PubMed

Srilekha, Sundaramurthy; Arokiasamy, Tharigopala; Srikrupa, Natarajan N; Umashankar, Vetrivel; Meenakshi, Swaminathan; Sen, Parveen; Kapur, Suman; Soumittra, Nagasamy

2015-01-01

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are retinal degenerative diseases which cause severe retinal dystrophy affecting the photoreceptors. LCA is predominantly inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and contributes to 5% of all retinal dystrophies; whereas RP is inherited by all the Mendelian pattern of inheritance and both are leading causes of visual impairment in children and young adults. Homozygosity mapping is an efficient strategy for mapping both known and novel disease loci in recessive conditions, especially in a consanguineous mating, exploiting the fact that the regions adjacent to the disease locus will also be homozygous by descent in such inbred children. Here we have studied eleven consanguineous LCA and one autosomal recessive RP (arRP) south Indian families to know the prevalence of mutations in known genes and also to know the involvement of novel loci, if any. Complete ophthalmic examination was done for all the affected individuals including electroretinogram, fundus photograph, fundus autofluorescence, and optical coherence tomography. Homozygosity mapping using Affymetrix 250K HMA GeneChip on eleven LCA families followed by screening of candidate gene(s) in the homozygous block identified mutations in ten families; AIPL1 - 3 families, RPE65- 2 families, GUCY2D, CRB1, RDH12, IQCB1 and SPATA7 in one family each, respectively. Six of the ten (60%) mutations identified are novel. Homozygosity mapping using Affymetrix 10K HMA GeneChip on the arRP family identified a novel nonsense mutation in MERTK. The mutations segregated within the family and was absent in 200 control chromosomes screened. In one of the eleven LCA families, the causative gene/mutation was not identified but many homozygous blocks were noted indicating that a possible novel locus/gene might be involved. The genotype and phenotype features, especially the fundus changes for AIPL1, RPE65, CRB1, RDH12 genes were as reported earlier.

A review on "A Novel Technique for Image Steganography Based on Block-DCT and Huffman Encoding"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Rig; Tuithung, Themrichon

2013-03-01

This paper reviews the embedding and extraction algorithm proposed by "A. Nag, S. Biswas, D. Sarkar and P. P. Sarkar" on "A Novel Technique for Image Steganography based on Block-DCT and Huffman Encoding" in "International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology, Volume 2, Number 3, June 2010" [3] and shows that the Extraction of Secret Image is Not Possible for the algorithm proposed in [3]. 8 bit Cover Image of size is divided into non joint blocks and a two dimensional Discrete Cosine Transformation (2-D DCT) is performed on each of the blocks. Huffman Encoding is performed on an 8 bit Secret Image of size and each bit of the Huffman Encoded Bit Stream is embedded in the frequency domain by altering the LSB of the DCT coefficients of Cover Image blocks. The Huffman Encoded Bit Stream and Huffman Table

Quasi-Block Copolymers Based on a General Polymeric Chain Stopper.

PubMed

Sanguramath, Rajashekharayya A; Nealey, Paul F; Shenhar, Roy

2016-07-11

Quasi-block copolymers (q-BCPs) are block copolymers consisting of conventional and supramolecular blocks, in which the conventional block is end-terminated by a functionality that interacts with the supramolecular monomer (a "chain stopper" functionality). A new design of q-BCPs based on a general polymeric chain stopper, which consists of polystyrene end-terminated with a sulfonate group (PS-SO3 Li), is described. Through viscosity measurements and a detailed diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy study, it is shown that PS-SO3 Li can effectively cap two types of model supramolecular monomers to form q-BCPs in solution. Furthermore, differential scanning calorimetry data and structural characterization of thin films by scanning force microscopy suggests the existence of the q-BCP architecture in the melt. The new design considerably simplifies the synthesis of polymeric chain stoppers; thus promoting the utilization of q-BCPs as smart, nanostructured materials. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Unmet needs in the management of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Torres-González, Francisco; Ibanez-Casas, Inmaculada; Saldivia, Sandra; Ballester, Dinarte; Grandón, Pamela; Moreno-Küstner, Berta; Xavier, Miguel; Gómez-Beneyto, Manuel

2014-01-01

Studies on unmet needs during the last decades have played a significant role in the development and dissemination of evidence-based community practices for persistent schizophrenia and other severe mental disorders. This review has thoroughly considered several blocks of unmet needs, which are frequently related to schizophrenic disorders. Those related to health have been the first block to be considered, in which authors have examined the frequent complications and comorbidities found in schizophrenia, such as substance abuse and dual diagnosis. A second block has been devoted to psychosocial and economic needs, especially within the field of recovery of the persistently mentally ill. Within this block, the effects of the current economic difficulties shown in recent literature have been considered as well. Because no patient is static, a third block has reviewed evolving needs according to the clinical staging model. The fourth block has been dedicated to integrated evidence-based interventions to improve the quality of life of persons with schizophrenia. Consideration of community care for those reluctant to maintain contact with mental health services has constituted the fifth block. Finally, authors have aggregated their own reflections regarding future trends. The number of psychosocial unmet needs is extensive. Vast research efforts will be needed to find appropriate ways to meet them, particularly regarding so-called existential needs, but many needs could be met only by applying existing evidence-based interventions. Reinforcing research on the implementation strategies and capacity building of professionals working in community settings might address this problem. The final aim should be based on the collaborative model of care, which rests on the performance of a case manager responsible for monitoring patient progress, providing assertive follow-up, teaching self-help strategies, and facilitating communication among the patient, family doctor, mental health specialist, and other specialists.

Unmet needs in the management of schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Torres-González, Francisco; Ibanez-Casas, Inmaculada; Saldivia, Sandra; Ballester, Dinarte; Grandón, Pamela; Moreno-Küstner, Berta; Xavier, Miguel; Gómez-Beneyto, Manuel

2014-01-01

Studies on unmet needs during the last decades have played a significant role in the development and dissemination of evidence-based community practices for persistent schizophrenia and other severe mental disorders. This review has thoroughly considered several blocks of unmet needs, which are frequently related to schizophrenic disorders. Those related to health have been the first block to be considered, in which authors have examined the frequent complications and comorbidities found in schizophrenia, such as substance abuse and dual diagnosis. A second block has been devoted to psychosocial and economic needs, especially within the field of recovery of the persistently mentally ill. Within this block, the effects of the current economic difficulties shown in recent literature have been considered as well. Because no patient is static, a third block has reviewed evolving needs according to the clinical staging model. The fourth block has been dedicated to integrated evidence-based interventions to improve the quality of life of persons with schizophrenia. Consideration of community care for those reluctant to maintain contact with mental health services has constituted the fifth block. Finally, authors have aggregated their own reflections regarding future trends. The number of psychosocial unmet needs is extensive. Vast research efforts will be needed to find appropriate ways to meet them, particularly regarding so-called existential needs, but many needs could be met only by applying existing evidence-based interventions. Reinforcing research on the implementation strategies and capacity building of professionals working in community settings might address this problem. The final aim should be based on the collaborative model of care, which rests on the performance of a case manager responsible for monitoring patient progress, providing assertive follow-up, teaching self-help strategies, and facilitating communication among the patient, family doctor, mental health specialist, and other specialists. PMID:24476630

Spectral Imaging from Uavs Under Varying Illumination Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakala, T.; Honkavaara, E.; Saari, H.; Mäkynen, J.; Kaivosoja, J.; Pesonen, L.; Pölönen, I.

2013-08-01

Rapidly developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have provided the remote sensing community with a new rapidly deployable tool for small area monitoring. The progress of small payload UAVs has introduced greater demand for light weight aerial payloads. For applications requiring aerial images, a simple consumer camera provides acceptable data. For applications requiring more detailed spectral information about the surface, a new Fabry-Perot interferometer based spectral imaging technology has been developed. This new technology produces tens of successive images of the scene at different wavelength bands in very short time. These images can be assembled in spectral data cubes with stereoscopic overlaps. On field the weather conditions vary and the UAV operator often has to decide between flight in sub optimal conditions and no flight. Our objective was to investigate methods for quantitative radiometric processing of images taken under varying illumination conditions, thus expanding the range of weather conditions during which successful imaging flights can be made. A new method that is based on insitu measurement of irradiance either in UAV platform or in ground was developed. We tested the methods in a precision agriculture application using realistic data collected in difficult illumination conditions. Internal homogeneity of the original image data (average coefficient of variation in overlapping images) was 0.14-0.18. In the corrected data, the homogeneity was 0.10-0.12 with a correction based on broadband irradiance measured in UAV, 0.07-0.09 with a correction based on spectral irradiance measurement on ground, and 0.05-0.08 with a radiometric block adjustment based on image data. Our results were very promising, indicating that quantitative UAV based remote sensing could be operational in diverse conditions, which is prerequisite for many environmental remote sensing applications.

Protograph LDPC Codes Over Burst Erasure Channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divsalar, Dariush; Dolinar, Sam; Jones, Christopher

2006-01-01

In this paper we design high rate protograph based LDPC codes suitable for binary erasure channels. To simplify the encoder and decoder implementation for high data rate transmission, the structure of codes are based on protographs and circulants. These LDPC codes can improve data link and network layer protocols in support of communication networks. Two classes of codes were designed. One class is designed for large block sizes with an iterative decoding threshold that approaches capacity of binary erasure channels. The other class is designed for short block sizes based on maximizing minimum stopping set size. For high code rates and short blocks the second class outperforms the first class.

Estimation of interplate coupling along Nankai trough considering the block motion model based on onland GNSS and seafloor GPS/A observation data using MCMC method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, H.; Ito, T.; Tadokoro, K.

2017-12-01

Introduction In southwest Japan, Philippine sea plate is subducting under the overriding plate such as Amurian plate, and mega interplate earthquakes has occurred at about 100 years interval. There is no occurrence of mega interplate earthquakes in southwest Japan, although it has passed about 70 years since the last mega interplate earthquakes: 1944 and 1946 along Nankai trough, meaning that the strain has been accumulated at plate interface. Therefore, it is essential to reveal the interplate coupling more precisely for predicting or understanding the mechanism of next occurring mega interplate earthquake. Recently, seafloor geodetic observation revealed the detailed interplate coupling distribution in expected source region of Nankai trough earthquake (e.g., Yokota et al. [2016]). In this study, we estimated interplate coupling in southwest Japan, considering block motion model and using seafloor geodetic observation data as well as onland GNSS observation data, based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. Method Observed crustal deformation is assumed that sum of rigid block motion and elastic deformation due to coupling at block boundaries. We modeled this relationship as a non-linear inverse problem that the unknown parameters are Euler pole of each block and coupling at each subfault, and solved them simultaneously based on MCMC method. Input data we used in this study are 863 onland GNSS observation data and 24 seafloor GPS/A observation data. We made some block division models based on the map of active fault tracing and selected the best model based on Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC): that is consist of 12 blocks. Result We find that the interplate coupling along Nankai trough has heterogeneous spatial distribution, strong at the depth of 0 to 20km at off Tokai region, and 0 to 30km at off Shikoku region. Moreover, we find that observed crustal deformation at off Tokai region is well explained by elastic deformation due to subducting Izu Micro Plate. We will present more details of our result, and discuss about not only interplate coupling but also rigid block motion, elastic deformation due to inland fault coupling, and resolution of estimated parameters.

Evolution of wear and friction along experimental faults

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boneh, Yeval; Chang, Jefferson C.; Lockner, David A.; Reches, Zeev

2014-01-01

We investigate the evolution of wear and friction along experimental faults composed of solid rock blocks. This evolution is analyzed through shear experiments along five rock types, and the experiments were conducted in a rotary apparatus at slip velocities of 0.002–0.97 m/s, slip distances from a few millimeters to tens of meters, and normal stress of 0.25–6.9 MPa. The wear and friction measurements and fault surface observations revealed three evolution phases: A) An initial stage (slip distances <50 mm) of wear by failure of isolated asperities associated with roughening of the fault surface; B) a running-in stage of slip distances of 1–3 m with intense wear-rate, failure of many asperities, and simultaneous reduction of the friction coefficient and wear-rate; and C) a steady-state stage that initiates when the fault surface is covered by a gouge layer, and during which both wear-rate and friction coefficient maintain quasi-constant, low levels. While these evolution stages are clearly recognizable for experimental faults made from bare rock blocks, our analysis suggests that natural faults “bypass” the first two stages and slip at gouge-controlled steady-state conditions.

High-power VCSEL systems and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moench, Holger; Conrads, Ralf; Deppe, Carsten; Derra, Guenther; Gronenborn, Stephan; Gu, Xi; Heusler, Gero; Kolb, Johanna; Miller, Michael; Pekarski, Pavel; Pollmann-Retsch, Jens; Pruijmboom, Armand; Weichmann, Ulrich

2015-03-01

Easy system design, compactness and a uniform power distribution define the basic advantages of high power VCSEL systems. Full addressability in space and time add new dimensions for optimization and enable "digital photonic production". Many thermal processes benefit from the improved control i.e. heat is applied exactly where and when it is needed. The compact VCSEL systems can be integrated into most manufacturing equipment, replacing batch processes using large furnaces and reducing energy consumption. This paper will present how recent technological development of high power VCSEL systems will extend efficiency and flexibility of thermal processes and replace not only laser systems, lamps and furnaces but enable new ways of production. High power VCSEL systems are made from many VCSEL chips, each comprising thousands of low power VCSELs. Systems scalable in power from watts to multiple ten kilowatts and with various form factors utilize a common modular building block concept. Designs for reliable high power VCSEL arrays and systems can be developed and tested on each building block level and benefit from the low power density and excellent reliability of the VCSELs. Furthermore advanced assembly concepts aim to reduce the number of individual processes and components and make the whole system even more simple and reliable.

"Transversus Abdominis Plane Blocks in Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction: Analysis of Pain, Narcotic Consumption, Length of Stay and Cost."

PubMed

Salibian, Ara A; Frey, Jordan D; Thanik, Vishal D; Karp, Nolan S; Choi, Mihye

2018-06-02

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks are increasingly being utilized in microvascular breast reconstruction. The implications of TAP blocks on specific reconstructive, patient and institutional outcomes remain to be fully elucidated. Patients undergoing abdominally-based microvascular breast reconstruction from 2015-2017 were reviewed. Length of stay, complications, narcotic consumption, donor-site pain and hospital expenses were compared between patients that did and those that did not receive TAP blocks with liposomal bupivacaine. Outcomes were subsequently compared in patients with elevated body mass index (BMI). Fifty patients (43.9%) received TAP blocks (27 [54.0%] under ultrasound guidance) and 64 patients (56.1%) did not. Patients with TAP blocks had significantly decreased oral and total narcotic consumption (p=0.0001 and p<0.0001, respectively) as well as significantly less donor-site pain (3.3 versus 4.3, p<0.0001). There was no significant difference in hospital expenses between the two cohorts ($21,531.53 versus $22,050.15 per patient, p=0.5659). Patients with BMI≥25 who received TAP blocks had a significantly decreased length of stay (3.8 versus 4.4 days, p=0.0345) as well as decreased narcotic consumption and postoperative pain compared to patients without TAP blocks. Patients with BMI<25 did not have a significant difference in postoperative pain, narcotic consumption or length of stay between the TAP versus no TAP block groups. TAP blocks with liposomal bupivacaine significantly reduce oral and total postoperative narcotic consumption as well as donor-site pain in all patients after abdominally-based microvascular breast reconstruction without increasing hospital expenses. TAP blocks additionally significantly decrease length of stay in patients with BMI≥25.

Grid Block Design Based on Monte Carlo Simulated Dosimetry, the Linear Quadratic and Hug–Kellerer Radiobiological Models

PubMed Central

Gholami, Somayeh; Nedaie, Hassan Ali; Longo, Francesco; Ay, Mohammad Reza; Dini, Sharifeh A.; Meigooni, Ali S.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The clinical efficacy of Grid therapy has been examined by several investigators. In this project, the hole diameter and hole spacing in Grid blocks were examined to determine the optimum parameters that give a therapeutic advantage. Methods: The evaluations were performed using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and commonly used radiobiological models. The Geant4 MC code was used to simulate the dose distributions for 25 different Grid blocks with different hole diameters and center-to-center spacing. The therapeutic parameters of these blocks, namely, the therapeutic ratio (TR) and geometrical sparing factor (GSF) were calculated using two different radiobiological models, including the linear quadratic and Hug–Kellerer models. In addition, the ratio of the open to blocked area (ROTBA) is also used as a geometrical parameter for each block design. Comparisons of the TR, GSF, and ROTBA for all of the blocks were used to derive the parameters for an optimum Grid block with the maximum TR, minimum GSF, and optimal ROTBA. A sample of the optimum Grid block was fabricated at our institution. Dosimetric characteristics of this Grid block were measured using an ionization chamber in water phantom, Gafchromic film, and thermoluminescent dosimeters in Solid Water™ phantom materials. Results: The results of these investigations indicated that Grid blocks with hole diameters between 1.00 and 1.25 cm and spacing of 1.7 or 1.8 cm have optimal therapeutic parameters (TR > 1.3 and GSF~0.90). The measured dosimetric characteristics of the optimum Grid blocks including dose profiles, percentage depth dose, dose output factor (cGy/MU), and valley-to-peak ratio were in good agreement (±5%) with the simulated data. Conclusion: In summary, using MC-based dosimetry, two radiobiological models, and previously published clinical data, we have introduced a method to design a Grid block with optimum therapeutic response. The simulated data were reproduced by experimental data. PMID:29296035

A label-free DNA hairpin biosensor for colorimetric detection of target with suitable functional DNA partners.

PubMed

Nie, Ji; Zhang, De-Wen; Tie, Cai; Zhou, Ying-Lin; Zhang, Xin-Xiang

2013-11-15

The combination of aptamer and peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme within a hairpin structure can form a functional DNA probe. The activities of both aptamer (as biorecognition element) and DNAzyme (as signal amplification element) are blocked via base pairing in the hairpin structure. The presence of target triggers the opening of the hairpin to form target/aptamer complex and releases G-quadruplex sequence which can generate amplified colorimetric signals. In this work, we elaborated a universal and simple procedure to design an efficient and sensitive hairpin probe with suitable functional DNA partners. A fill-in-the-blank process was developed for sequence design, and two key points including the pretreatment of the hairpin probe and the selection of suitable signal transducer sequence were proved to enhance the detection sensitivity. Cocaine was chosen as a model target for a proof of concept. A series of hairpins with different numbers of base pairs in the stem region were prepared. Hairpin-C10 with ten base pairs was screened out and a lowest detectable cocaine concentration of 5 μM by colorimetry was obtained. The proposed functional DNA hairpin showed good selectivity and satisfactory analysis in spiked biologic fluid. The whole "mix-and-measure" detection based on DNA hairpin without the need of immobilization and labeling was indicated to be time and labor saving. The strategy has potential to be transplanted into more smart hairpins toward other targets for general application in bioanalytical chemistry. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fluoroscopically Guided Diagnostic and Therapeutic Intra-Articular Sacroiliac Joint Injections: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Kennedy, David J; Engel, Andrew; Kreiner, D Scott; Nampiaparampil, Devi; Duszynski, Belinda; MacVicar, John

2015-08-01

To assess the validity of fluoroscopically guided diagnostic intra-articular injections of local anesthetic and effectiveness of intra-articular steroid injections in treating sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain. Systematic review. Ten reviewers independently assessed 45 publications on diagnostic validity or effectiveness of fluoroscopically guided intra-articular SIJ injections. For diagnostic injections, the primary outcome was validity; for therapeutic injections, analgesia. Secondary outcomes were also described. Of 45 articles reviewed, 39 yielded diagnostic data on physical exam findings, provocation tests, and SIJ injections for diagnosing SIJ pain, and 15 addressed therapeutic effectiveness. When confirmed by comparative local anesthetic blocks with a high degree of pain relief, no single physical exam maneuver predicts response to diagnostic injections. When at least three physical exam findings are present, sensitivity, and specificity increases significantly. The prevalence of SIJ pain is likely 20-30% among patients that have suspected SIJ pain based on history and physical examination. This estimate may be higher in certain subgroups such as the elderly and fusion patients. Two randomized controlled trials and multiple observational studies supported the effectiveness of therapeutic sacroiliac joint injections. Based on this literature, it is unclear whether image-guided intra-articular diagnostic injections of local anesthetic predict positive responses to therapeutic agents. The overall quality of evidence is moderate for the effectiveness of therapeutic SIJ injections. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A GRASS GIS Semi-Stochastic Model for Evaluating the Probability of Landslides Impacting Road Networks in Collazzone, Central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Faith E.; Santangelo, Michele; Marchesini, Ivan; Malamud, Bruce D.

2013-04-01

During a landslide triggering event, the tens to thousands of landslides resulting from the trigger (e.g., earthquake, heavy rainfall) may block a number of sections of the road network, posing a risk to rescue efforts, logistics and accessibility to a region. Here, we present initial results from a semi-stochastic model we are developing to evaluate the probability of landslides intersecting a road network and the network-accessibility implications of this across a region. This was performed in the open source GRASS GIS software, where we took 'model' landslides and dropped them on a 79 km2 test area region in Collazzone, Umbria, Central Italy, with a given road network (major and minor roads, 404 km in length) and already determined landslide susceptibilities. Landslide areas (AL) were randomly selected from a three-parameter inverse gamma probability density function, consisting of a power-law decay of about -2.4 for medium and large values of AL and an exponential rollover for small values of AL; the rollover (maximum probability) occurs at about AL = 400 m.2 The number of landslide areas selected for each triggered event iteration was chosen to have an average density of 1 landslide km-2, i.e. 79 landslide areas chosen randomly for each iteration. Landslides were then 'dropped' over the region semi-stochastically: (i) random points were generated across the study region; (ii) based on the landslide susceptibility map, points were accepted/rejected based on the probability of a landslide occurring at that location. After a point was accepted, it was assigned a landslide area (AL) and length to width ratio. Landslide intersections with roads were then assessed and indices such as the location, number and size of road blockage recorded. The GRASS-GIS model was performed 1000 times in a Monte-Carlo type simulation. Initial results show that for a landslide triggering event of 1 landslide km-2 over a 79 km2 region with 404 km of road, the number of road blockages ranges from 6 to 17, resulting in one road blockage every 24-67 km of roads. The average length of road blocked was 33 m. As we progress with model development and more sophisticated network analysis, we believe this semi-stochastic modelling approach will aid civil protection agencies to get a rough idea for the probability of road network potential damage (road block number and extent) as the result of different magnitude landslide triggering event scenarios.

The Breakdown: Hillslope Sources of Channel Blocks in Bedrock Landscapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selander, B.; Anderson, S. P.; Rossi, M.

2017-12-01

Block delivery from hillslopes is a poorly understood process that influences bedrock channel incision rates and shapes steep terrain. Previous studies demonstrate that hillslope sediment delivery rate and grain size increases with channel downcutting rate or fracture density (Attal et al., 2015, ESurf). However, blocks that exceed the competence of the channel can inhibit incision. In Boulder Creek, a bedrock channel in the Colorado Front Range, large boulders (>1 m diameter) are most numerous in the steepest channel reaches; their distribution seems to reflect autogenic channel-hillslope feedback between incision rate and block delivery (Shobe et al., 2016, GRL). It is clear that the processes, rates of production, and delivery of large blocks from hillslopes into channels are critical to our understanding of steep terrain evolution. Fundamental questions are 1) whether block production or block delivery is rate limiting, 2) what mechanisms release blocks, and 3) how block production and transport affect slope morphology. As a first step, we map rock outcrops on the granodiorite hillslopes lining Boulder Creek within Boulder Canyon using a high resolution DEM. Our algorithm uses high ranges of curvature values in conjunction with slopes steeper than the angle of repose to quickly identify rock outcrops. We field verified mapped outcrop and sediment-mantled locations on hillslopes above and below the channel knickzone. We find a greater abundance of exposed rock outcrops on steeper hillslopes in Boulder Canyon. Additionally, we find that channel reaches with large in-channel blocks are located at the base of hillslopes with large areas of exposed bedrock, while reaches lacking large in-channel blocks tend to be at the base of predominately soil mantled and forested hillslopes. These observations support the model of block delivery and channel incision of Shobe et al. (2016, GRL). Moreover, these results highlight the conundrum of how rapid channel incision is sustained if large blocks inhibit channel incision. This work points to the need to understand mechanisms of block release, the fate of released blocks, and how both processes influence the evolution of rocky hillslopes.

Super-pixel extraction based on multi-channel pulse coupled neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, GuangZhu; Hu, Song; Zhang, Liu; Zhao, JingJing; Fu, YunXia; Lei, BangJun

2018-04-01

Super-pixel extraction techniques group pixels to form over-segmented image blocks according to the similarity among pixels. Compared with the traditional pixel-based methods, the image descripting method based on super-pixel has advantages of less calculation, being easy to perceive, and has been widely used in image processing and computer vision applications. Pulse coupled neural network (PCNN) is a biologically inspired model, which stems from the phenomenon of synchronous pulse release in the visual cortex of cats. Each PCNN neuron can correspond to a pixel of an input image, and the dynamic firing pattern of each neuron contains both the pixel feature information and its context spatial structural information. In this paper, a new color super-pixel extraction algorithm based on multi-channel pulse coupled neural network (MPCNN) was proposed. The algorithm adopted the block dividing idea of SLIC algorithm, and the image was divided into blocks with same size first. Then, for each image block, the adjacent pixels of each seed with similar color were classified as a group, named a super-pixel. At last, post-processing was adopted for those pixels or pixel blocks which had not been grouped. Experiments show that the proposed method can adjust the number of superpixel and segmentation precision by setting parameters, and has good potential for super-pixel extraction.

Speechlessness in Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome: Cannabis-Based Medicines Improve Severe Vocal Blocking Tics in Two Patients

PubMed Central

Jakubovski, Ewgeni; Müller-Vahl, Kirsten

2017-01-01

We report the cases of two young German male patients with treatment-resistant Tourette syndrome (TS), who suffer from incapacitating stuttering-like speech disfluencies caused by vocal blocking tics and palilalia. Case 1: a 19-year old patient received medical cannabis at a dose of 1 × 0.1 g cannabis daily. Case 2: a 16-year old patient initially received dronabinol at a maximum dose of 22.4–33.6 mg daily. Both treatments provided significant symptom improvement of vocal blocking tics as well as of comorbid conditions and were well tolerated. Thus, cannabis-based medicine appears to be effective in treatment-resistant TS patients with vocal blocking tics. PMID:28796166

Speechlessness in Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome: Cannabis-Based Medicines Improve Severe Vocal Blocking Tics in Two Patients.

PubMed

Jakubovski, Ewgeni; Müller-Vahl, Kirsten

2017-08-10

We report the cases of two young German male patients with treatment-resistant Tourette syndrome (TS), who suffer from incapacitating stuttering-like speech disfluencies caused by vocal blocking tics and palilalia. Case 1: a 19-year old patient received medical cannabis at a dose of 1 × 0.1 g cannabis daily. Case 2: a 16-year old patient initially received dronabinol at a maximum dose of 22.4-33.6 mg daily. Both treatments provided significant symptom improvement of vocal blocking tics as well as of comorbid conditions and were well tolerated. Thus, cannabis-based medicine appears to be effective in treatment-resistant TS patients with vocal blocking tics.

Algorithms for the automatic generation of 2-D structured multi-block grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schoenfeld, Thilo; Weinerfelt, Per; Jenssen, Carl B.

1995-01-01

Two different approaches to the fully automatic generation of structured multi-block grids in two dimensions are presented. The work aims to simplify the user interactivity necessary for the definition of a multiple block grid topology. The first approach is based on an advancing front method commonly used for the generation of unstructured grids. The original algorithm has been modified toward the generation of large quadrilateral elements. The second method is based on the divide-and-conquer paradigm with the global domain recursively partitioned into sub-domains. For either method each of the resulting blocks is then meshed using transfinite interpolation and elliptic smoothing. The applicability of these methods to practical problems is demonstrated for typical geometries of fluid dynamics.

Block coals from Indiana: Inferences on changing depositional environment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mastalerz, Maria; Padgett, P.L.; Eble, C.F.

2000-01-01

Significant differences in coal petrography, palynology and coal quality were found between the Lower Block and Upper Block Coal Members (Brazil Formation, Pennsylvanian) in Daviess County, Indiana. The Lower Block Coal Member ranges in thickness from 51 to 74 cm and the Upper Block Coal Member ranges from 20 to 65 cm. Average sulfur content and ash yield of the Lower Block coal (0.98%, 7.65%) are lower than in the Upper Block coal. Megascopically, the coals show distinct differences. The Lower Block is a banded coal with numerous thin fusain horizons and a thin clay parting in the lower third of the seam. The Upper Block coal has a dulling-upward trend, with a bright clarain found at the base that grades into a clarain and then into a durain in the upper portion of the seam. Vitrinite content of the Lower Block coal ranges from 63% to 78%, with the highest vitrinite content found in the middle portion of the seam. In the Upper Block coal, vitrinite content ranges from 40% to 83%, with the highest values found in the lower part of the seam. Ash yield is higher in the upper part of the Upper Block coal, reaching up to 40%. The Lower Block coal is dominated by lycopod trees and tree ferns. The Upper Block coal shows marked differences in spore assemblages between lower and upper parts of the seam. The lower half is dominated by large lycopod trees and tree ferns, similar to the Lower Block coal. The upper half is dominated by small lycopods, mainly Densosporites and Radiizonates. These differences between the Lower Block and Upper Block Coal Members are significant correlation tools applicable to mining exploration and chronostratigraphy. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.Significant differences in coal petrography, palynology and coal quality were found between the Lower Block and Upper Block Coal Members (Brazil Formation, Pennsylvanian) in Daviess County, Indiana. The Lower Block Coal Member ranges in thickness from 51 to 74 cm and the Upper Block Coal Member ranges from 20 to 65 cm. Average sulfur content and ash yield of the Lower Block coal (0.98%, 7.65%) are lower than in the Upper Block coal. Megascopically, the coals show distinct differences. The Lower Block is a banded coal with numerous thin fusain horizons and a thin clay parting in the lower third of the seam. The Upper Block coal has a dulling-upward trend, with a bright clarain found at the base that grades into a clarain and then into a durain in the upper portion of the seam. Vitrinite content of the Lower Block coal ranges from 63% to 78%, with the highest vitrinite content found in the middle portion of the seam. In the Upper Block coal, vitrinite content ranges from 40% to 83%, with the highest values found in the lower part of the seam. Ash yield is higher in the upper part of the Upper Block coal, reaching up to 40%. The Lower Block coal is dominated by lycopod trees and tree ferns. The Upper Block coal shows marked differences in spore assemblages between lower and upper parts of the seam. The lower half is dominated by large lycopod trees and tree ferns, similar to the Lower Block coal. The upper half is dominated by small lycopods, mainly Densosporites and Radiizonates. These differences between the Lower Block and Upper Block Coal members are significant correlation tools applicable to mining exploration and chronostratigraphy.

The StreamCat Dataset: Accumulated Attributes for NHDPlusV2 (Version 2.1) Catchments Riparian Buffer for the Conterminous United States: 2010 US Census Housing Unit and Population Density

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This dataset represents the population and housing unit density within individual, local NHDPlusV2 catchments and upstream, contributing watersheds riparian buffers based on 2010 US Census data. Densities are calculated for every block group and watershed averages are calculated for every local NHDPlusV2 catchment(see Data Sources for links to NHDPlusV2 data and Census Data). This data set is derived from The TIGER/Line Files and related database (.dbf) files for the conterminous USA. It was downloaded as Block Group-Level Census 2010 SF1 Data in File Geodatabase Format (ArcGIS version 10.0). The landscape raster (LR) was produced based on the data compiled from the questions asked of all people and about every housing unit. The (block-group population / block group area) and (block-group housing units / block group area) were summarized by local catchment and by watershed to produce local catchment-level and watershed-level metrics as a continuous data type (see Data Structure and Attribute Information for a description).

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) improves the diabetic cytopathy (DCP) via up-regulation of CGRP and cAMP.

PubMed

Ding, Liucheng; Song, Tao; Yi, Chaoran; Huang, Yi; Yu, Wen; Ling, Lin; Dai, Yutian; Wei, Zhongqing

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanism of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on the diabetic cytopathy (DCP) in the diabetic bladder. A total of 45 rats were randomly divided into diabetes mellitus (DM)/TENS group (n=15), DM group (n=15) and control group (n=15). The rats in the DM/TENS and TENS groups were electronically stimulated (stimulating parameters: intensity-31 V, frequency-31 Hz, and duration of stimulation of 15 min) for three weeks. Bladder histology, urodynamics and contractile responses to field stimulation and carbachol were determined. The expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that contractile responses of the DM rats were ameliorated after 3 weeks of TENS. Furthermore, TENS significantly increased bladder wet weight, volume threshold for micturition and reduced PVR, V% and cAMP content of the bladder. The mRNA and protein levels of CGRP in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in the DM/TENS group were higher than those in the DM group. TENS also significantly up-regulated the cAMP content in the bladder body and base compared with diabetic rats. We conclude that TENS can significantly improve the urine contractility and ameliorate the feeling of bladder fullness in DM rats possibly via up-regulation of cAMP and CGRP in DRG.

Truncal blocks for perioperative pain management: a review of the literature and evolving techniques.

PubMed

Go, Ramon; Huang, Yolanda Y; Weyker, Paul D; Webb, Christopher Aj

2016-10-01

As the American healthcare system continues to evolve and reimbursement becomes tied to value-based incentive programs, perioperative pain management will become increasingly important. Regional anesthetic techniques are only one component of a successful multimodal pain regimen. In recent years, the use of peripheral and paraneuraxial blocks to provide chest wall and abdominal analgesia has gained popularity. When used within a multimodal regimen, truncal blocks may provide similar analgesia when compared with other regional anesthetic techniques. While there are other reviews that cover this topic, our review will also highlight the emerging role for serratus plane blocks, pectoral nerve blocks and quadratus lumborum blocks in providing thoracic and abdominal analgesia.

Retrofit Audits and Cost Estimates. A Look at Quality and Consistency

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

Eisenberg, L.; Shapiro, C.; Fleischer, W.

Retrofit NYC Block by Block is an outreach program targeting owners of one- to four-family homes, the most common building type in New York City, with more than 600,000 structures citywide. Administered by the Pratt Center for Community Development and implemented by four nonprofit, community-based organizations, Block by Block connects residents, businesses, and religious and civic organizations in predominantly low-and moderate-income neighborhoods with one or more of a half-dozen public and private financial incentive programs that facilitate energy-efficiency retrofits. This research project sought to evaluate the approach, effectiveness, and the energy use reductions accomplished by the Retrofit NYC: Block bymore » Block program.« less

Retrofit Audits and Cost Estimates: A Look at Quality and Consistency

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

Eisenberg, L.; Shapiro, C.; Fleischer, W.

Retrofit NYC Block by Block is an outreach program targeting owners of one- to four-family homes, the most common building type in New York City, with more than 600,000 structures citywide. Administered by the Pratt Center for Community Development and implemented by four nonprofit, community based organizations, Block by Block connects residents, businesses, and religious and civic organizations in predominantly low- and moderate-income neighborhoods with one or more of a half-dozen public and private financial incentive programs that facilitate energy-efficiency retrofits. This research project sought to evaluate the approach, effectiveness, and the energy use reductions accomplished by the Retrofit NYC:more » Block by Block program.« less

Application of Sensor Technology for the Efficient Positioningand Assembling of Ship Blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sangdon; SeongbaeEun; Jung, Jai Jin; Song, Hacheol

2010-09-01

This paper proposes the application of sensor technology to assemble ship blocks efficiently. A sensor-based monitoring system is designed and implemented to improve shipbuilding productivity by reducing the labor cost for the adjustment of adequate positioning between ship blocks during pre-erection or erection stage. For the real-time remote monitoring of relative distances between two ship blocks, sensor nodes are applied to measure the distances between corresponding target points on the blocks. Highly precise positioning data can be transferred to a monitoring server via wireless network, and analyzed to support the decision making which needs to determine the next construction process; further adjustment or seam welding between the ship blocks. The developed system is expected to put to practical use, and increase the productivity during ship blocks assembly.

Intensity matters: Therapist-dependent dose of spinal transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

PubMed

Serrano-Muñoz, Diego; Gómez-Soriano, Julio; Bravo-Esteban, Elisabeth; Vázquez-Fariñas, María; Taylor, Julian; Avendaño-Coy, Juan

2017-01-01

The intensity used during transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in both, clinical practice and research studies, is often based on subjective commands such as "strong but comfortable sensation". There is no consensus regarding the effectiveness dose of TENS. The objective was to determine the difference in the effect of spinal TENS on soleus H-reflex modulation when applied by two therapists instructed to apply the stimulation at a "strong but comfortable" intensity. Twenty healthy volunteers divided into two groups: Therapist 1 (n = 10) and Therapist 2 (n = 10). Both therapist applied spinal TENS and sham stimulation at the T10-12 spinal level for 40min in random order to each subject, at an intensity designed to produce a "strong but comfortable" sensation. To avoid habituation, the intensity was adjusted every 2min. Soleus H-reflex was recorded before, during, and 10min after TENS by an observer blinded to the stimulus applied. Despite the instruction to apply TENS at a "strong comfortable" level, a significant difference in current density was identified: Therapist 1 (0.67mA/cm2, SD 0.54) applied more than Therapist 2 (0.53mA/cm2, SD 0.57; p<0.001) at the onset of the intervention. Maximal peak-to-peak H-reflex amplitude was inhibited significantly more 10min following TENS applied by Therapist 1 (-0.15mV, SD 0.16) compared with Therapist 2 (0.04mV, SD 0.16; p = 0.03). Furthermore, current density significantly correlated with the inhibitory effect on peak-to-peak Soleus H-reflex amplitude 10 min after stimulation (Rho = -0.38; p = 0.04). TENS intensity dosage by the therapist based on the subjective perception of the participants alone is unreliable and requires objective standardization. In addition, higher current density TENS produced greater inhibition of the Soleus H-reflex.

Intensity matters: Therapist-dependent dose of spinal transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

PubMed Central

Bravo-Esteban, Elisabeth; Vázquez-Fariñas, María; Taylor, Julian

2017-01-01

The intensity used during transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in both, clinical practice and research studies, is often based on subjective commands such as “strong but comfortable sensation”. There is no consensus regarding the effectiveness dose of TENS. The objective was to determine the difference in the effect of spinal TENS on soleus H-reflex modulation when applied by two therapists instructed to apply the stimulation at a “strong but comfortable” intensity. Twenty healthy volunteers divided into two groups: Therapist 1 (n = 10) and Therapist 2 (n = 10). Both therapist applied spinal TENS and sham stimulation at the T10–12 spinal level for 40min in random order to each subject, at an intensity designed to produce a “strong but comfortable” sensation. To avoid habituation, the intensity was adjusted every 2min. Soleus H-reflex was recorded before, during, and 10min after TENS by an observer blinded to the stimulus applied. Despite the instruction to apply TENS at a “strong comfortable” level, a significant difference in current density was identified: Therapist 1 (0.67mA/cm2, SD 0.54) applied more than Therapist 2 (0.53mA/cm2, SD 0.57; p<0.001) at the onset of the intervention. Maximal peak-to-peak H-reflex amplitude was inhibited significantly more 10min following TENS applied by Therapist 1 (-0.15mV, SD 0.16) compared with Therapist 2 (0.04mV, SD 0.16; p = 0.03). Furthermore, current density significantly correlated with the inhibitory effect on peak-to-peak Soleus H-reflex amplitude 10 min after stimulation (Rho = -0.38; p = 0.04). TENS intensity dosage by the therapist based on the subjective perception of the participants alone is unreliable and requires objective standardization. In addition, higher current density TENS produced greater inhibition of the Soleus H-reflex. PMID:29244850

Origami-inspired building block and parametric design for mechanical metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Wei; Ma, Hua; Feng, Mingde; Yan, Leilei; Wang, Jiafu; Wang, Jun; Qu, Shaobo

2016-08-01

An origami-based building block of mechanical metamaterials is proposed and explained by introducing a mechanism model based on its geometry. According to our model, this origami mechanism supports response to uniaxial tension that depends on structure parameters. Hence, its mechanical properties can be tunable by adjusting the structure parameters. Experiments for poly lactic acid (PLA) samples were carried out, and the results are in good agreement with those of finite element analysis (FEA). This work may be useful for designing building blocks of mechanical metamaterials or other complex mechanical structures.

Monolithic LTCC seal frame and lid

DOEpatents

Krueger, Daniel S.; Peterson, Kenneth A.; Stockdale, Dave; Duncan, James Brent; Riggs, Bristen

2016-06-21

A method for forming a monolithic seal frame and lid for use with a substrate and electronic circuitry comprises the steps of forming a mandrel from a ceramic and glass based material, forming a seal frame and lid block from a ceramic and glass based material, creating a seal frame and lid by forming a compartment and a plurality of sidewalls in the seal frame and lid block, placing the seal frame and lid on the mandrel such that the mandrel fits within the compartment, and cofiring the seal frame and lid block.

Holographic entanglement and Poincaré blocks in three-dimensional flat space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hijano, Eliot; Rabideau, Charles

2018-05-01

We propose a covariant prescription to compute holographic entanglement entropy and Poincaré blocks (Global BMS blocks) in the context of three-dimensional Einstein gravity in flat space. We first present a prescription based on worldline methods in the probe limit, inspired by recent analog calculations in AdS/CFT. Building on this construction, we propose a full extrapolate dictionary and use it to compute holographic correlators and blocks away from the probe limit.

Passive forensics for copy-move image forgery using a method based on DCT and SVD.

PubMed

Zhao, Jie; Guo, Jichang

2013-12-10

As powerful image editing tools are widely used, the demand for identifying the authenticity of an image is much increased. Copy-move forgery is one of the tampering techniques which are frequently used. Most existing techniques to expose this forgery need to improve the robustness for common post-processing operations and fail to precisely locate the tampering region especially when there are large similar or flat regions in the image. In this paper, a robust method based on DCT and SVD is proposed to detect this specific artifact. Firstly, the suspicious image is divided into fixed-size overlapping blocks and 2D-DCT is applied to each block, then the DCT coefficients are quantized by a quantization matrix to obtain a more robust representation of each block. Secondly, each quantized block is divided non-overlapping sub-blocks and SVD is applied to each sub-block, then features are extracted to reduce the dimension of each block using its largest singular value. Finally, the feature vectors are lexicographically sorted, and duplicated image blocks will be matched by predefined shift frequency threshold. Experiment results demonstrate that our proposed method can effectively detect multiple copy-move forgery and precisely locate the duplicated regions, even when an image was distorted by Gaussian blurring, AWGN, JPEG compression and their mixed operations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity field distributions for segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis based on real human anatomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danilov, A. A.; Kramarenko, V. K.; Nikolaev, D. V.; Rudnev, S. G.; Salamatova, V. Yu; Smirnov, A. V.; Vassilevski, Yu V.

2013-04-01

In this work, an adaptive unstructured tetrahedral mesh generation technology is applied for simulation of segmental bioimpedance measurements using high-resolution whole-body model of the Visible Human Project man. Sensitivity field distributions for a conventional tetrapolar, as well as eight- and ten-electrode measurement configurations are obtained. Based on the ten-electrode configuration, we suggest an algorithm for monitoring changes in the upper lung area.

Evidence for attractors in English intonation.

PubMed

Braun, Bettina; Kochanski, Greg; Grabe, Esther; Rosner, Burton S

2006-06-01

Although the pitch of the human voice is continuously variable, some linguists contend that intonation in speech is restricted to a small, limited set of patterns. This claim is tested by asking subjects to mimic a block of 100 randomly generated intonation contours and then to imitate themselves in several successive sessions. The produced f0 contours gradually converge towards a limited set of distinct, previously recognized basic English intonation patterns. These patterns are "attractors" in the space of possible intonation English contours. The convergence does not occur immediately. Seven of the ten participants show continued convergence toward their attractors after the first iteration. Subjects retain and use information beyond phonological contrasts, suggesting that intonational phonology is not a complete description of their mental representation of intonation.

Ultrafast Self-Assembly of Sub-10 nm Block Copolymer Nanostructures by Solvent-Free High-Temperature Laser Annealing.

PubMed

Jiang, Jing; Jacobs, Alan G; Wenning, Brandon; Liedel, Clemens; Thompson, Michael O; Ober, Christopher K

2017-09-20

Laser spike annealing was applied to PS-b-PDMS diblock copolymers to induce short-time (millisecond time scale), high-temperature (300 to 700 °C) microphase segregation and directed self-assembly of sub-10 nm features. Conditions were identified that enabled uniform microphase separation in the time frame of tens of milliseconds. Microphase ordering improved with increased temperature and annealing time, whereas phase separation contrast was lost for very short annealing times at high temperature. PMMA brush underlayers aided ordering under otherwise identical laser annealing conditions. Good long-range order for sub-10 nm cylinder morphology was achieved using graphoepitaxy coupled with a 20 ms dwell laser spike anneal above 440 °C.

Macroscopic quantum tunneling escape of Bose-Einstein condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xinxin; Alcala, Diego A.; McLain, Marie A.; Maeda, Kenji; Potnis, Shreyas; Ramos, Ramon; Steinberg, Aephraim M.; Carr, Lincoln D.

2017-12-01

Recent experiments on macroscopic quantum tunneling reveal a nonexponential decay of the number of atoms trapped in a quasibound state behind a potential barrier. Through both experiment and theory, we demonstrate this nonexponential decay results from interactions between atoms. Quantum tunneling of tens of thousands of 87Rb atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensate is modeled by a modified Jeffreys-Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin model, taking into account the effective time-dependent barrier induced by the mean field. Three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii simulations corroborate a mean-field result when compared with experiments. However, with one-dimensional modeling using time-evolving block decimation, we present an effective renormalized mean-field theory that suggests many-body dynamics for which a bare mean-field theory may not apply.

System of cryogenic security of the superconducting accelerator of relativistic nuclei-nuclotron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agapov, N. N.; Lipchenko, V. I.; Mazarskij, V. L.; Makarov, L. G.; Sukhanova, A. K.

The system of cryogenic security of the Nuclotron (superconducting accelerator of relativistic nuclei) is described. The system consists of three helium liquefiers KGU-16004/5. Refrigeration in each liquefier is performed by three preliminary cool-down turboexpanders and a vapor-liquid turboexpander. In this case the refrigeration of the KGU-1600/4.5 liquefiers reaches 1700 W. The system of gas preparation is composed of driers operating at the surrounding temperature. Purification from the admixtures of oxygen, nitrogen, neon, hydrogen and other gases is carried out in low-temperature blocks built in the helium liquefiers KGU-1600/4.5. To store the helium, there are ten 20 cu m receivers under a pressure of 3MPA.

Research on manufacturing service behavior modeling based on block chain theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Gang; Zhang, Guangli; Liu, Ming; Yu, Shuqin; Liu, Yali; Zhang, Xu

2018-04-01

According to the attribute characteristics of processing craft, the manufacturing service behavior is divided into service attribute, basic attribute, process attribute, resource attribute. The attribute information model of manufacturing service is established. The manufacturing service behavior information is successfully divided into public and private domain. Additionally, the block chain technology is introduced, and the information model of manufacturing service based on block chain principle is established, which solves the problem of sharing and secreting information of processing behavior, and ensures that data is not tampered with. Based on the key pairing verification relationship, the selective publishing mechanism for manufacturing information is established, achieving the traceability of product data, guarantying the quality of processing quality.

Identification and characterization of ten new water gaps in seeds and fruits with physical dormancy and classification of water-gap complexes

PubMed Central

Gama-Arachchige, N. S.; Baskin, J. M.; Geneve, R. L.; Baskin, C. C.

2013-01-01

Background and Aims Physical dormancy (PY) occurs in seeds or fruits of 18 angiosperm families and is caused by a water-impermeable palisade cell layer(s) in seed or fruit coats. Prior to germination, the seed or fruit coat of species with PY must become permeable in order to imbibe water. Breaking of PY involves formation of a small opening(s) (water gap) in a morpho-anatomically specialized area in seeds or fruits known as the water-gap complex. Twelve different water-gap regions in seven families have previously been characterized. However, the water-gap regions had not been characterized in Cucurbitaceae; clade Cladrastis of Fabaceae; subfamilies Bombacoideae, Brownlowioideae and Bythnerioideae of Malvaceae; Nelumbonaceae; subfamily Sapindoideae of Sapindaceae; Rhamnaceae; or Surianaceae. The primary aims of this study were to identify and describe the water gaps of these taxa and to classify all the known water-gap regions based on their morpho-anatomical features. Methods Physical dormancy in 15 species was broken by exposing seeds or fruits to wet or dry heat under laboratory conditions. Water-gap regions of fruits and seeds were identified and characterized by use of microtome sectioning, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dye tracking and blocking experiments. Key Results Ten new water-gap regions were identified in seven different families, and two previously hypothesized regions were confirmed. Water-gap complexes consist of (1) an opening that forms after PY is broken; (2) a specialized structure that occludes the gap; and (3) associated specialized tissues. In some species, more than one opening is involved in the initial imbibition of water. Conclusions Based on morpho-anatomical features, three basic water-gap complexes (Types-I, -II and -III) were identified in species with PY in 16 families. Depending on the number of openings involved in initial imbibition, the water-gap complexes were sub-divided into simple and compound. The proposed classification system enables understanding of the relationships between the water-gap complexes of taxonomically unrelated species with PY. PMID:23649182

Substantial genome synteny preservation among woody angiosperm species: comparative genomics of Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) and plant reference genomes.

PubMed

Staton, Margaret; Zhebentyayeva, Tetyana; Olukolu, Bode; Fang, Guang Chen; Nelson, Dana; Carlson, John E; Abbott, Albert G

2015-10-05

Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) has emerged as a model species for the Fagaceae family with extensive genomic resources including a physical map, a dense genetic map and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for chestnut blight resistance. These resources enable comparative genomics analyses relative to model plants. We assessed the degree of conservation between the chestnut genome and other well annotated and assembled plant genomic sequences, focusing on the QTL regions of most interest to the chestnut breeding community. The integrated physical and genetic map of Chinese chestnut has been improved to now include 858 shared sequence-based markers. The utility of the integrated map has also been improved through the addition of 42,970 BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) end sequences spanning over 26 million bases of the estimated 800 Mb chestnut genome. Synteny between chestnut and ten model plant species was conducted on a macro-syntenic scale using sequences from both individual probes and BAC end sequences across the chestnut physical map. Blocks of synteny with chestnut were found in all ten reference species, with the percent of the chestnut physical map that could be aligned ranging from 10 to 39 %. The integrated genetic and physical map was utilized to identify BACs that spanned the three previously identified QTL regions conferring blight resistance. The clones were pooled and sequenced, yielding 396 sequence scaffolds covering 13.9 Mbp. Comparative genomic analysis on a microsytenic scale, using the QTL-associated genomic sequence, identified synteny from chestnut to other plant genomes ranging from 5.4 to 12.9 % of the genome sequences aligning. On both the macro- and micro-synteny levels, the peach, grape and poplar genomes were found to be the most structurally conserved with chestnut. Interestingly, these results did not strictly follow the expectation that decreased phylogenetic distance would correspond to increased levels of genome preservation, but rather suggest the additional influence of life-history traits on preservation of synteny. The regions of synteny that were detected provide an important tool for defining and cataloging genes in the QTL regions for advancing chestnut blight resistance research.

The Utilisation of Shredded PET as Aggregate Replacement for Interlocking Concrete Block

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mokhtar, M.; Kaamin, M.; Sahat, S.; Hamid, N. B.

2018-03-01

The consumption of plastic has grown substantially all over the world in recent years and this has created huge quantities of plastic-based waste. Plastic waste is now a serious environmental threat to the modern way of living, although steps were taken to reduce its consumption. This creates substantial garbage every day, which is much unhealthy. Plastic bottles such as Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was use as the partially component in this making of interlocking blocks concrete. This project investigates the strength and workability of the interlocking block concrete by replacing course aggregate with % PET. The suitability of recycled plastics (PET) as course aggregate in interlocking block concrete and its advantages are discussed here. Moreover, there were more benefits when using interlocking block than using conventional block such as it easy for construction because they are aligning, easy to place, high speed stacking and they offer more resistance to shear and buildings would be even stronger. Based on the test perform, the failure parameter were discussed .From the compressive strength test result, it shows that the strength of concrete block decreased with increased of PET used. From the results, it shows that higher compressive strength was found with 5% natural course aggregate replaced with PET compared to other percentages.

Sonoanatomy relevant for ultrasound-guided central neuraxial blocks via the paramedian approach in the lumbar region

PubMed Central

Karmakar, M K; Li, X; Kwok, W H; Ho, A M-H; Ngan Kee, W D

2012-01-01

Objectives The use of ultrasound to guide peripheral nerve blocks is now a well-established technique in regional anaesthesia. However, despite reports of ultrasound guided epidural access via the paramedian approach, there are limited data on the use of ultrasound for central neuraxial blocks, which may be due to a poor understanding of spinal sonoanatomy. The aim of this study was to define the sonoanatomy of the lumbar spine relevant for central neuraxial blocks via the paramedian approach. Methods The sonoanatomy of the lumbar spine relevant for central neuraxial blocks via the paramedian approach was defined using a “water-based spine phantom”, young volunteers and anatomical slices rendered from the Visible Human Project data set. Results The water-based spine phantom was a simple model to study the sonoanatomy of the osseous elements of the lumbar spine. Each osseous element of the lumbar spine, in the spine phantom, produced a “signature pattern” on the paramedian sagittal scans, which was comparable to its sonographic appearance in vivo. In the volunteers, despite the narrow acoustic window, the ultrasound visibility of the neuraxial structures at the L3/L4 and L4/L5 lumbar intervertebral spaces was good, and we were able to delineate the sonoanatomy relevant for ultrasound-guided central neuraxial blocks via the paramedian approach. Conclusion Using a simple water-based spine phantom, volunteer scans and anatomical slices from the Visible Human Project (cadaver) we have described the sonoanatomy relevant for ultrasound-guided central neuraxial blocks via the paramedian approach in the lumbar region. PMID:22010025

Side-chain amino-acid-based pH-responsive self-assembled block copolymers for drug delivery and gene transfer.

PubMed

Kumar, Sonu; Acharya, Rituparna; Chatterji, Urmi; De, Priyadarsi

2013-12-10

Developing safe and effective nanocarriers for multitype of delivery system is advantageous for several kinds of successful biomedicinal therapy with the same carrier. In the present study, we have designed amino acid biomolecules derived hybrid block copolymers which can act as a promising vehicle for both drug delivery and gene transfer. Two representative natural chiral amino acid-containing (l-phenylalanine and l-alanine) vinyl monomers were polymerized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process in the presence of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) based macro-chain transfer agents (mPEGn-CTA) for the synthesis of well-defined side-chain amino-acid-based amphiphilic block copolymers, monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(Boc-amino acid methacryloyloxyethyl ester) (mPEGn-b-P(Boc-AA-EMA)). The self-assembled micellar aggregation of these amphiphilic block copolymers were studied by fluorescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Potential applications of these hybrid polymers as drug carrier have been demonstrated in vitro by encapsulation of nile red dye or doxorubicin drug into the core of the micellar nanoaggregates. Deprotection of side-chain Boc- groups in the amphiphilic block copolymers subsequently transformed them into double hydrophilic pH-responsive cationic block copolymers having primary amino groups in the side-chain terminal. The DNA binding ability of these cationic block copolymers were further investigated by using agarose gel retardation assay and AFM. The in vitro cytotoxicity assay demonstrated their biocompatible nature and these polymers can serve as "smart" materials for promising bioapplications.

Ara h 1 CD4+ T cell epitope-based peptides: candidates for a peanut allergy therapeutic.

PubMed

Prickett, S R; Voskamp, A L; Phan, T; Dacumos-Hill, A; Mannering, S I; Rolland, J M; O'Hehir, R E

2013-06-01

Peanut allergy is a life-threatening condition; there is currently no cure. While whole allergen extracts are used for specific immunotherapy for many allergies, they can cause severe reactions and even fatalities in peanut allergy. To identify short, HLA-degenerate CD4(+) T cell epitope-based peptides of the major peanut allergen Ara h 1 that target allergen-specific T cells without causing IgE-mediated inflammatory cell activation, as candidates for safe peanut-specific immunotherapy. Ara h 1-specific CD4(+) T cell lines (TCL) were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of peanut-allergic subjects using CFSE-based methodology. T cell epitopes were identified using CFSE and thymidine-based proliferation assays. Epitope HLA-restriction was investigated using blocking antibodies, HLA-genotyping and epitope prediction algorithms. Functional peanut-specific IgE reactivity to peptides was assessed by basophil activation assay. A total of 145 Ara h 1-specific TCL were generated from 18 HLA-diverse peanut-allergic subjects. The TCL recognized 20-mer peptides throughout Ara h 1. Nine 20-mers containing the most frequently recognized epitopes were selected and their recognition confirmed in 18 additional peanut-allergic subjects. Ten core epitopes were mapped within these 20-mers. These were HLA-DQ and/or HLA-DR restricted, with each presented on at least two different HLA-molecules. Seven short (≤ 20 aa) non-basophil-reactive peptides encompassing all core epitopes were designed and validated in peanut-allergic donor PBMC T cell assays. Short CD4(+) T cell epitope-based Ara h 1 peptides were identified as novel candidates for a safe, T cell targeted peanut-specific immunotherapy for HLA-diverse populations. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Allocating operating room block time using historical caseload variability.

PubMed

Hosseini, Narges; Taaffe, Kevin M

2015-12-01

Operating room (OR) allocation and planning is one of the most important strategic decisions that OR managers face. The number of ORs that a hospital opens depends on the number of blocks that are allocated to the surgical groups, services, or individual surgeons, combined with the amount of open posting time (i.e., first come, first serve posting) that the hospital wants to provide. By allocating too few ORs, a hospital may turn away surgery demand whereas opening too many ORs could prove to be a costly decision. The traditional method of determining block frequency and size considers the average historical surgery demand for each group. However, given that there are penalties to the system for having too much or too little OR time allocated to a group, demand variability should play a role in determining the real OR requirement. In this paper we present an algorithm that allocates block time based on this demand variability, specifically accounting for both over-utilized time (time used beyond the block) and under-utilized time (time unused within the block). This algorithm provides a solution to the situation in which total caseload demand can be accommodated by the total OR resource set, in other words not in a capacity-constrained situation. We have found this scenario to be common among several regional healthcare providers with large OR suites and excess capacity. This algorithm could be used to adjust existing blocks or to assign new blocks to surgeons that did not previously have a block. We also have studied the effect of turnover time on the number of ORs that needs to be allocated. Numerical experiments based on real data from a large health-care provider indicate the opportunity to achieve over 2,900 hours of OR time savings through improved block allocations.

High-performance silicon photonic tri-state switch based on balanced nested Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

PubMed

Lu, Zeqin; Celo, Dritan; Mehrvar, Hamid; Bernier, Eric; Chrostowski, Lukas

2017-09-25

This work proposes a novel silicon photonic tri-state (cross/bar/blocking) switch, featuring high-speed switching, broadband operation, and crosstalk-free performance. The switch is designed based on a 2 × 2 balanced nested Mach-Zehnder interferometer structure with carrier injection phase tuning. As compared to silicon photonic dual-state (cross/bar) switches based on Mach-Zehnder interferometers with carrier injection phase tuning, the proposed switch not only has better performance in cross/bar switching but also provides an extra blocking state. The unique blocking state has a great advantage in applications of N × N switch fabrics, where idle switching elements in the fabrics can be configured to the blocking state for crosstalk suppression. According to our numerical experiments on a fully loaded 8 × 8 dilated Banyan switch fabric, the worst output crosstalk of the 8 × 8 switch can be dramatically suppressed by more than 50 dB, by assigning the blocking state to idle switching elements in the fabric. The results of this work can extend the functionality of silicon photonic switches and significantly improve the performance of on-chip N × N photonic switching technologies.

Polystyrene/wood composites and hydrophobic wood coatings from water-based hydrophilic-hydrophobic block copolymers

Treesearch

Marja-Leena Kosonen; Bo Wang; Gerard T. Caneba; Douglas J. Gardner; Tim G. Rials

2000-01-01

The combination of synthetic thermoplastic polymers and wood is normally problematic because wood surfaces are hydrophilic while typical thermoplastic polymers are hydrophobic. A possible solution is to use block copolymer coupling agents. In this work we show the use of a potentially useful synthetic method of producing hydrophilic-hydrophobic block copolymers as...

31 CFR 561.201 - CISADA-based sanctions on certain foreign financial institutions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (“IRGC”) whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to IEEPA are identified by a special reference to the “IRGC” at the end of their entries on the SDN List, in addition to the reference... blocked. For example, an affiliate of the IRGC whose property and interests in property are blocked...

Optimizing Balanced Incomplete Block Designs for Educational Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Linden, Wim J.; Veldkamp, Bernard P.; Carlson, James E.

2004-01-01

A popular design in large-scale educational assessments as well as any other type of survey is the balanced incomplete block design. The design is based on an item pool split into a set of blocks of items that are assigned to sets of "assessment booklets." This article shows how the problem of calculating an optimal balanced incomplete block…

Encoders for block-circulant LDPC codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, Kenneth; Dolinar, Sam; Thorpe, Jeremy

2005-01-01

In this paper, we present two encoding methods for block-circulant LDPC codes. The first is an iterative encoding method based on the erasure decoding algorithm, and the computations required are well organized due to the block-circulant structure of the parity check matrix. The second method uses block-circulant generator matrices, and the encoders are very similar to those for recursive convolutional codes. Some encoders of the second type have been implemented in a small Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and operate at 100 Msymbols/second.

Block copolymer adhesion promoters via ring-opening metathesis polymerization

DOEpatents

Kent, M.S.; Saunders, R.

1997-02-18

Coupling agents are disclosed based on functionalized block copolymers for bonding thermoset polymers to solid materials. These are polymers which possess at least two types of functional groups, one which is able to attach to and react with solid surfaces, and another which can react with a thermoset resin, which are incorporated as pendant groups in monomers distributed in blocks (typically two) along the backbone of the chain. The block copolymers in this invention are synthesized by living ring-opening metathesis polymerization. 18 figs.

Block copolymer adhesion promoters via ring-opening metathesis polymerization

DOEpatents

Kent, Michael S.; Saunders, Randall

1997-01-01

Coupling agents based on functionalized block copolymers for bonding thermoset polymers to solid materials. These are polymers which possess at least two types of functional groups, one which is able to attach to and react with solid surfaces, and another which can react with a thermoset resin, which are incorporated as pendant groups in monomers distributed in blocks (typically two) along the backbone of the chain. The block copolymers in this invention are synthesized by living ring-opening metathesis polymerization.

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1960-01-01

This photograph shows the Saturn-I first stage (S-1 stage) being transported to the test stand for a static test firing at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Soon after NASA began operations in October 1958, it was evident that sending people and substantial equipment beyond the Earth's gravitational field would require launch vehicles with weight-lifting capabilities far beyond any developed to that time. In early 1959, NASA accepted the proposal of Dr. Wernher von Braun for a multistage rocket, with a number of engines clustered in one or more of the stages to provide a large total thrust. The initiation of the Saturn launch vehicle program ultimately led to the study and preliminary plarning of many different configurations and resulted in production of three Saturn launch vehicles, the Saturn-I, Saturn I-B, and Saturn V. The Saturn family of launch vehicles began with the Saturn-I, a two-stage vehicle originally designated C-1. The research and development program was planned in two phases, or blocks: one for first stage development (Block I) and the second for both first and second stage development (Block-II). Saturn I had a low-earth-orbit payload capability of approximately 25,000 pounds. The design of the first stage (S-1 stage) used a cluster of propellant tanks containing liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene (RP-1), and eight H-1 engines, yielding a total thrust of 1,500,000 pounds. Of the ten Saturn-Is planned, the first eight were designed and built at the Marshall Space Flight Center, and the remaining two were built by the Chrysler Corporation.

Maternal and anaesthesia-related risk factors and incidence of spinal anaesthesia-induced hypotension in elective caesarean section: A multinomial logistic regression.

PubMed

Fakherpour, Atousa; Ghaem, Haleh; Fattahi, Zeinabsadat; Zaree, Samaneh

2018-01-01

Although spinal anaesthesia (SA) is nowadays the preferred anaesthesia technique for caesarean section (CS), it is associated with considerable haemodynamic effects, such as maternal hypotension. This study aimed to evaluate a wide range of variables (related to parturient and anaesthesia techniques) associated with the incidence of different degrees of SA-induced hypotension during elective CS. This prospective study was conducted on 511 mother-infant pairs, in which the mother underwent elective CS under SA. The data were collected through preset proforma containing three parts related to the parturient, anaesthetic techniques and a table for recording maternal blood pressure. It was hypothesized that some maternal (such as age) and anaesthesia-related risk factors (such as block height) were associated with occurance of SA-induced hypotension during elective CS. The incidence of mild, moderate and severe hypotension was 20%, 35% and 40%, respectively. Eventually, ten risk factors were found to be associated with hypotension, including age >35 years, body mass index ≥25 kg/m 2 , 11-20 kg weight gain, gravidity ≥4, history of hypotension, baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) <120 mmHg and baseline heart rate >100 beats/min in maternal modelling, fluid preloading ≥1000 ml, adding sufentanil to bupivacaine and sensory block height >T 4 in anaesthesia-related modelling ( P < 0.05). Age, body mass index, weight gain, gravidity, history of hypotension, baseline SBP and heart rate, fluid preloading, adding sufentanil to bupivacaine and sensory block hieght were the main risk factors identified in the study for SA-induced hypotension during CS.

1. NORTHWEST FRONT AND SOUTHWEST SIDE, SHOWING LOCATION OF BUILDING ...

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

1. NORTHWEST FRONT AND SOUTHWEST SIDE, SHOWING LOCATION OF BUILDING 0520 WEST OF FIRING CONTOL BLOCK HOUSE (BLDG. 0545), BETWEEN SLED TRACK AND CAMERA ACCESS ROAD. - Edwards Air Force Base, South Base Sled Track, Observation Block House, Station "O" area, east end of Sled Track, Lancaster, Los Angeles County, CA

Practical quantum private query of blocks based on unbalanced-state Bennett-Brassard-1984 quantum-key-distribution protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Chun-Yan; Gao, Fei; Wen, Qiao-Yan; Wang, Tian-Yin

2014-12-01

Until now, the only kind of practical quantum private query (QPQ), quantum-key-distribution (QKD)-based QPQ, focuses on the retrieval of a single bit. In fact, meaningful message is generally composed of multiple adjacent bits (i.e., a multi-bit block). To obtain a message from database, the user Alice has to query l times to get each ai. In this condition, the server Bob could gain Alice's privacy once he obtains the address she queried in any of the l queries, since each ai contributes to the message Alice retrieves. Apparently, the longer the retrieved message is, the worse the user privacy becomes. To solve this problem, via an unbalanced-state technique and based on a variant of multi-level BB84 protocol, we present a protocol for QPQ of blocks, which allows the user to retrieve a multi-bit block from database in one query. Our protocol is somewhat like the high-dimension version of the first QKD-based QPQ protocol proposed by Jacobi et al., but some nontrivial modifications are necessary.

Practical quantum private query of blocks based on unbalanced-state Bennett-Brassard-1984 quantum-key-distribution protocol

PubMed Central

Wei, Chun-Yan; Gao, Fei; Wen, Qiao-Yan; Wang, Tian-Yin

2014-01-01

Until now, the only kind of practical quantum private query (QPQ), quantum-key-distribution (QKD)-based QPQ, focuses on the retrieval of a single bit. In fact, meaningful message is generally composed of multiple adjacent bits (i.e., a multi-bit block). To obtain a message from database, the user Alice has to query l times to get each ai. In this condition, the server Bob could gain Alice's privacy once he obtains the address she queried in any of the l queries, since each ai contributes to the message Alice retrieves. Apparently, the longer the retrieved message is, the worse the user privacy becomes. To solve this problem, via an unbalanced-state technique and based on a variant of multi-level BB84 protocol, we present a protocol for QPQ of blocks, which allows the user to retrieve a multi-bit block from database in one query. Our protocol is somewhat like the high-dimension version of the first QKD-based QPQ protocol proposed by Jacobi et al., but some nontrivial modifications are necessary. PMID:25518810

Erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine (EHNA) blocks differentiation and maintains the expression of pluripotency markers in human embryonic stem cells.

PubMed

Burton, Peter; Adams, David R; Abraham, Achamma; Allcock, Robert W; Jiang, Zhong; McCahill, Angela; Gilmour, Jane; McAbney, John; Kaupisch, Alexandra; Kane, Nicole M; Baillie, George S; Baker, Andrew H; Milligan, Graeme; Houslay, Miles D; Mountford, Joanne C

2010-12-15

hESCs (human embryonic stem cells) have enormous potential for use in pharmaceutical development and therapeutics; however, to realize this potential, there is a requirement for simple and reproducible cell culture methods that provide adequate numbers of cells of suitable quality. We have discovered a novel way of blocking the spontaneous differentiation of hESCs in the absence of exogenous cytokines by supplementing feeder-free conditions with EHNA [erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine], an established inhibitor of ADA (adenosine deaminase) and cyclic nucleotide PDE2 (phosphodiesterase 2). hESCs maintained in feeder-free conditions with EHNA for more than ten passages showed no reduction in hESC-associated markers including NANOG, POU5F1 (POU domain class 5 transcription factor 1, also known as Oct-4) and SSEA4 (stage-specific embryonic antigen 4) compared with cells maintained in feeder-free conditions containing bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor). Spontaneous differentiation was reversibly suppressed by the addition of EHNA, but, upon removing EHNA, hESC populations underwent efficient spontaneous, multi-lineage and directed differentiation. EHNA also acts as a strong blocker of directed neuronal differentiation. Chemically distinct inhibitors of ADA and PDE2 lacked the capacity of EHNA to suppress hESC differentiation, suggesting that the effect is not driven by inhibition of either ADA or PDE2. Preliminary structure-activity relationship analysis found the differentiation-blocking properties of EHNA to reside in a pharmacophore comprising a close adenine mimetic with an extended hydrophobic substituent in the 8- or 9-position. We conclude that EHNA and simple 9-alkyladenines can block directed neuronal and spontaneous differentiation in the absence of exogenous cytokine addition, and may provide a useful replacement for bFGF in large-scale or cGMP-compliant processes.

The effect of multicolored machinable ceramics on the esthetics of all-ceramic crowns.

PubMed

Reich, Sven; Hornberger, Helga

2002-07-01

Computer-aided design/computer-assisted machining systems offer the possibility of fabricating restorations from one machinable ceramic block. Whether multishaded blocks improve esthetic results and are a viable alternative to individually stained ceramics has not been fully determined. The aim of this investigation was to examine the effect of multishaded blocks on the esthetic appearance of all-ceramic CEREC crowns and compare these crowns with single-shade and stained restorations. Ten subjects were included in this study. For each subject, 6 different crowns were milled with the use of a CEREC machine. One crown was milled from each of the following machinable ceramic materials: CEREC Vitablocs Mark II in classic colors; Vitablocs Mark II in 3D-Master colors; Vitablocs Mark II in either classic or 3D-Master colors, with additional staining; Megadenta Bloxx multishaded; Mark II experimental multilayer; and an experimental multilayer leucite ceramic. Three independent examiners assessed the esthetic appearance of crowns fabricated to match each subject's anterior tooth shade. A scale of 1 to 6 was used to score the shade match and esthetic adaptation of each crown, with 1 representing excellent characteristics and 3.5 serving as the threshold for clinical acceptability. The examiners' scores were averaged, and the mean values were analyzed with the Wilcoxon signed rank test (P

Origin and development of plains-type folds in the mid-continent (United States) during the late Paleozoic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merriam, D.F.

2005-01-01

Plains-type folds are local, subtle anticlines formed in the thin sedimentary package overlying a shallow, crystalline basement on the craton. They are small in areal extent (usually less than 1-3 km 2 [0.4-1.2 mi2]), and their amplitude increases with depth (usually tens of meters), which is mainly the result of differential compaction of sediments (usually clastic units) over tilted, rigid, basement fault blocks. The development of these structural features by continuous but intermittent movement of the basement fault blocks in the late Paleozoic in the United States mid-continent is substantiated by a record of stratigraphic and sedimentological evidence. The recurrent structural movement, which reflects adjustment to external stresses, is expressed by the change in thickness of stratigraphic units over the crest of the fold compared to the flanks. By plotting the change in thickness for different stratigraphic units of anticlines on different fault blocks, it is possible to determine the timing of movement of the blocks that reflect structural adjustment. These readjustments are confirmed by sedimentological evidence, such as convolute, soft-sediment deformation features and small intraformational faults. The stratigraphic interval change in thickness for numerous structures in the Cherokee, Forest City, and Salina basins and on the Nemaha anticline of the mid-continent United States was determined and compared for location and timing of the adjustments. Most of the adjustment occurred during and after time of deposition of the Permian-Pennsylvanian clastic units, which, in turn, reflect tectonic disturbance in adjacent areas, and the largest amount of movement on the plains-type structures occurred on those nearest and semiparallel to major positive features, such as the Nemaha anticline. Depending on the time of origin and development of plains-type folds, they may control the entrapment and occurrence of oil and gas. Copyright ??2005. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

"Parco Archeologico Storico Naturale delle Chiese Rupestri del Materano": geomorphological fragility and slope instability in a rupestrian-heritage rich area (Basilicata, south Italy).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francioso, R.; Sdao, F.; Tropeano, M.

2003-04-01

The Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research financed a research project about the study and the control of hydrogeological hazard of some sites belonging to the "Parco Archeologico Storico Naturale delle Chiese Rupestri del Materano"; the Park and the old city of Matera ("Sassi di Matera") was inserted in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1993. The studied sites ("Belvedere Chiese Rupestri" and "Iazzo dell'Ofra" localities) are located along the top of the walls of the deep canyon (locally called "Gravina di Matera" and deeper than 100 m) which characterizes the area. Several valuable medieval rupestrian hand-hewn rock churches and sanctuaries are present along the canyon walls. The canyon cut weak rocks (Plio-Pleistocene calcarenites, in which churches and sanctuaries are excavated) and the underlying well-stratified limestones (Cretaceous calcilutites). Both rocks are abundantly and strongly fractured and disjointed by several different joint sets, and, on the left wall of the "Gravina di Matera" canyon, they are characterized by a mainly dipping-slope attitude. Consequently, rock blocks of different sizes formed (up to some tens of m^3 in volume), and are characterized by low stability condition. The considerable acclivity of the walls and the defects and intense fracturing state of rocks, especially along the edge, cause rapid falls, topples and rockslides of the blocks. This geomorphological fragility, confirmed by wide-spread signs of potential instability and by several rock blocks fell in the stream, causes the diffuse and significant structural-failures processes that involve most of the very fine rupestrian heritages. Our study, after the geological and geomorphological description of the sites and the editing of thematic maps, concentrates on the determination the present-day slope instability conditions. Moreover, the study demonstrated the notable genetic relationship between jointing, slope instability and failure type of carbonate blocks. The main results of this geological and geomorphological studies and thematic maps will be reported and discussed.

Polybenzimidazole block copolymers for fuel cell: synthesis and studies of block length effects on nanophase separation, mechanical properties, and proton conductivity of PEM.

PubMed

Maity, Sudhangshu; Jana, Tushar

2014-05-14

A series of meta-polybenzimidazole-block-para-polybenzimidazole (m-PBI-b-p-PBI), segmented block copolymers of PBI, were synthesized with various structural motifs and block lengths by condensing the diamine terminated meta-PBI (m-PBI-Am) and acid terminated para-PBI (p-PBI-Ac) oligomers. NMR studies and existence of two distinct glass transition temperatures (Tg), obtained from dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) results, unequivocally confirmed the formation of block copolymer structure through the current polymerization methodology. Appropriate and careful selection of oligomers chain length enabled us to tailor the block length of block copolymers and also to make varieties of structural motifs. Increasingly distinct Tg peaks with higher block length of segmented block structure attributed the decrease in phase mixing between the meta-PBI and para-PBI blocks, which in turn resulted into nanophase segregated domains. The proton conductivities of proton exchange membrane (PEM) developed from phosphoric acid (PA) doped block copolymer membranes were found to be increasing substantially with increasing block length of copolymers even though PA loading of these membranes did not alter appreciably with varying block length. For example when molecular weight (Mn) of blocks were increased from 1000 to 5500 then the proton conductivities at 160 °C of resulting copolymers increased from 0.05 to 0.11 S/cm. Higher block length induced nanophase separation between the blocks by creating less morphological barrier within the block which facilitated the movement of the proton in the block and hence resulting higher proton conductivity of the PEM. The structural varieties also influenced the phase separation and proton conductivity. In comparison to meta-para random copolymers reported earlier, the current meta-para segmented block copolymers were found to be more suitable for PBI-based PEM.

Trellises and Trellis-Based Decoding Algorithms for Linear Block Codes. Part 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Shu

1998-01-01

Decoding algorithms based on the trellis representation of a code (block or convolutional) drastically reduce decoding complexity. The best known and most commonly used trellis-based decoding algorithm is the Viterbi algorithm. It is a maximum likelihood decoding algorithm. Convolutional codes with the Viterbi decoding have been widely used for error control in digital communications over the last two decades. This chapter is concerned with the application of the Viterbi decoding algorithm to linear block codes. First, the Viterbi algorithm is presented. Then, optimum sectionalization of a trellis to minimize the computational complexity of a Viterbi decoder is discussed and an algorithm is presented. Some design issues for IC (integrated circuit) implementation of a Viterbi decoder are considered and discussed. Finally, a new decoding algorithm based on the principle of compare-select-add is presented. This new algorithm can be applied to both block and convolutional codes and is more efficient than the conventional Viterbi algorithm based on the add-compare-select principle. This algorithm is particularly efficient for rate 1/n antipodal convolutional codes and their high-rate punctured codes. It reduces computational complexity by one-third compared with the Viterbi algorithm.

Light-emitting block copolymers composition, process and use

DOEpatents

Ferraris, John P.; Gutierrez, Jose J.

2006-11-14

Generally, and in one form, the present invention is a composition of light-emitting block copolymer. In another form, the present invention is a process producing a light-emitting block copolymers that intends polymerizing a first di(halo-methyl) aromatic monomer compound in the presence of an anionic initiator and a base to form a polymer and contacting a second di(halo-methyl) aromatic monomer compound with the polymer to form a homopolymer or block copolymer wherein the block copolymer is a diblock, triblock, or star polymer. In yet another form, the present invention is an electroluminescent device comprising a light-emitting block copolymer, wherein the electroluminescent device is to be used in the manufacturing of optical and electrical devices.

Convolutional neural network for road extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Junping; Ding, Yazhou; Feng, Fajie; Xiong, Baoyu; Cui, Weihong

2017-11-01

In this paper, the convolution neural network with large block input and small block output was used to extract road. To reflect the complex road characteristics in the study area, a deep convolution neural network VGG19 was conducted for road extraction. Based on the analysis of the characteristics of different sizes of input block, output block and the extraction effect, the votes of deep convolutional neural networks was used as the final road prediction. The study image was from GF-2 panchromatic and multi-spectral fusion in Yinchuan. The precision of road extraction was 91%. The experiments showed that model averaging can improve the accuracy to some extent. At the same time, this paper gave some advice about the choice of input block size and output block size.

The Land-Use and Land-Cover Change Analysis in Beijing Huairou in Last Ten Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Q.; Liu, G.; Tu, J.; Wang, Z.

2018-04-01

With eCognition software, the sample-based object-oriented classification method is used. Remote sensing images in Huairou district of Beijing had been classified using remote sensing images of last ten years. According to the results of image processing, the land use types in Huairou district of Beijing were analyzed in the past ten years, and the changes of land use types in Huairou district were obtained, and the reasons for its occurrence were analyzed.

Warfarin-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis in combination therapy of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis: a case report.

PubMed

Kasahara, Katsuaki; Gotoh, Yoshimitsu; Kuroyanagi, Yoshiyuki; Nagano, China

2017-07-14

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare life-threatening condition almost exclusively attributed to drugs. The main etiologic factors for TEN are sulphonamides, anticonvulsants, and antibiotics; however, there are no published reports of warfarin causing TEN. We present the case of a 3-year-old patient who developed TEN while receiving treatment for Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN). With multiple-drug therapy comprising prednisolone, mizoribine, dipyridamole, and warfarin, it is difficult to detect which drug is the causative agent. While in most cases, diagnosis of the causative drug is based on clinical history without a lymphocyte transformation test (LTT), we performed the test three times and identified the causative drug as warfarin at the late phase. We continued HSPN treatment without warfarin, and results showed good renal function without life-threatening complications. To our knowledge, this is the first report about TEN caused by warfarin. Repeated LTTs could be useful for identifying TEN-causative drugs even in the late phase.

Trellises and Trellis-Based Decoding Algorithms for Linear Block Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Shu

1998-01-01

A code trellis is a graphical representation of a code, block or convolutional, in which every path represents a codeword (or a code sequence for a convolutional code). This representation makes it possible to implement Maximum Likelihood Decoding (MLD) of a code with reduced decoding complexity. The most well known trellis-based MLD algorithm is the Viterbi algorithm. The trellis representation was first introduced and used for convolutional codes [23]. This representation, together with the Viterbi decoding algorithm, has resulted in a wide range of applications of convolutional codes for error control in digital communications over the last two decades. There are two major reasons for this inactive period of research in this area. First, most coding theorists at that time believed that block codes did not have simple trellis structure like convolutional codes and maximum likelihood decoding of linear block codes using the Viterbi algorithm was practically impossible, except for very short block codes. Second, since almost all of the linear block codes are constructed algebraically or based on finite geometries, it was the belief of many coding theorists that algebraic decoding was the only way to decode these codes. These two reasons seriously hindered the development of efficient soft-decision decoding methods for linear block codes and their applications to error control in digital communications. This led to a general belief that block codes are inferior to convolutional codes and hence, that they were not useful. Chapter 2 gives a brief review of linear block codes. The goal is to provide the essential background material for the development of trellis structure and trellis-based decoding algorithms for linear block codes in the later chapters. Chapters 3 through 6 present the fundamental concepts, finite-state machine model, state space formulation, basic structural properties, state labeling, construction procedures, complexity, minimality, and sectionalization of trellises. Chapter 7 discusses trellis decomposition and subtrellises for low-weight codewords. Chapter 8 first presents well known methods for constructing long powerful codes from short component codes or component codes of smaller dimensions, and then provides methods for constructing their trellises which include Shannon and Cartesian product techniques. Chapter 9 deals with convolutional codes, puncturing, zero-tail termination and tail-biting.Chapters 10 through 13 present various trellis-based decoding algorithms, old and new. Chapter 10 first discusses the application of the well known Viterbi decoding algorithm to linear block codes, optimum sectionalization of a code trellis to minimize computation complexity, and design issues for IC (integrated circuit) implementation of a Viterbi decoder. Then it presents a new decoding algorithm for convolutional codes, named Differential Trellis Decoding (DTD) algorithm. Chapter 12 presents a suboptimum reliability-based iterative decoding algorithm with a low-weight trellis search for the most likely codeword. This decoding algorithm provides a good trade-off between error performance and decoding complexity. All the decoding algorithms presented in Chapters 10 through 12 are devised to minimize word error probability. Chapter 13 presents decoding algorithms that minimize bit error probability and provide the corresponding soft (reliability) information at the output of the decoder. Decoding algorithms presented are the MAP (maximum a posteriori probability) decoding algorithm and the Soft-Output Viterbi Algorithm (SOVA) algorithm. Finally, the minimization of bit error probability in trellis-based MLD is discussed.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for the Control of Pain during Rehabilitation Following Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA): A Randomized, Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Rakel, Barbara; Zimmerman, M. Bridget; Geasland, Katharine; Embree, Jennie; Clark, Charles R; Noiseux, Nicolas O; Callaghan, John J; Herr, Keela; Walsh, Deirdre; Sluka, Kathleen A

2014-01-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of TENS in reducing pain and hyperalgesia and increasing function following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We hypothesized participants using TENS during rehabilitation exercises would: 1) report significantly lower pain during range-of-motion (ROM) and fast walking but not at rest; 2) have less hyperalgesia; and, 3) have better function than participants receiving Placebo-TENS or Standard Care. We also hypothesized that change in ROM pain would differ based on psychological characteristics (trait anxiety, pain catastrophizing and depression) and treatment group. This prospective, randomized study used intent-to-treat analyses on 317 subjects after primary, unilateral TKA. Assessors, blinded to treatment allocation, measured pain, function (ROM and gait speed), and hyperalgesia (quantitative sensory tests) postoperatively and 6 weeks after surgery. Analgesic intake, anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing were also assessed. TENS participants used it 1–2 times/day at 42 mA (on average) and had less pain postoperatively during active knee extension (p=0.019) and fast walking (p=0.006) than Standard Care participants. TENS and Placebo-TENS were not significantly different. TENS participants who scored low on anxiety and pain catastrophizing had a greater reduction in ROM pain at 6 weeks than those scoring high on these factors (p=0.002 and 0.03). Both TENS and Placebo-TENS participants had less postoperative mechanical hyperalgesia (p=0.03 – 0.01) than Standard Care participants. Supplementing pharmacologic analgesia with TENS during rehabilitation exercises reduces movement pain postoperatively but a placebo influence exists and the effect is gone by 6 weeks. Patients with low anxiety and pain catastrophizing may benefit most from TENS. PMID:25270585

Joint detection and tracking of size-varying infrared targets based on block-wise sparse decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Miao; Lin, Zaiping; Long, Yunli; An, Wei; Zhou, Yiyu

2016-05-01

The high variability of target size makes small target detection in Infrared Search and Track (IRST) a challenging task. A joint detection and tracking method based on block-wise sparse decomposition is proposed to address this problem. For detection, the infrared image is divided into overlapped blocks, and each block is weighted on the local image complexity and target existence probabilities. Target-background decomposition is solved by block-wise inexact augmented Lagrange multipliers. For tracking, label multi-Bernoulli (LMB) tracker tracks multiple targets taking the result of single-frame detection as input, and provides corresponding target existence probabilities for detection. Unlike fixed-size methods, the proposed method can accommodate size-varying targets, due to no special assumption for the size and shape of small targets. Because of exact decomposition, classical target measurements are extended and additional direction information is provided to improve tracking performance. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively suppress background clutters, detect and track size-varying targets in infrared images.

MedBlock: Efficient and Secure Medical Data Sharing Via Blockchain.

PubMed

Fan, Kai; Wang, Shangyang; Ren, Yanhui; Li, Hui; Yang, Yintang

2018-06-21

With the development of electronic information technology, electronic medical records (EMRs) have been a common way to store the patients' data in hospitals. They are stored in different hospitals' databases, even for the same patient. Therefore, it is difficult to construct a summarized EMR for one patient from multiple hospital databases due to the security and privacy concerns. Meanwhile, current EMRs systems lack a standard data management and sharing policy, making it difficult for pharmaceutical scientists to develop precise medicines based on data obtained under different policies. To solve the above problems, we proposed a blockchain-based information management system, MedBlock, to handle patients' information. In this scheme, the distributed ledger of MedBlock allows the efficient EMRs access and EMRs retrieval. The improved consensus mechanism achieves consensus of EMRs without large energy consumption and network congestion. In addition, MedBlock also exhibits high information security combining the customized access control protocols and symmetric cryptography. MedBlock can play an important role in the sensitive medical information sharing.

Synthesis of most polyene natural product motifs using just twelve building blocks and one coupling reaction

PubMed Central

Woerly, Eric M.; Roy, Jahnabi; Burke, Martin D.

2014-01-01

The inherent modularity of polypeptides, oligonucleotides, and oligosaccharides has been harnessed to achieve generalized building block-based synthesis platforms. Importantly, like these other targets, most small molecule natural products are biosynthesized via iterative coupling of bifunctional building blocks. This suggests that many small molecules also possess inherent modularity commensurate with systematic building block-based construction. Supporting this hypothesis, here we report that the polyene motifs found in >75% of all known polyene natural products can be synthesized using just 12 building blocks and one coupling reaction. Using the same general retrosynthetic algorithm and reaction conditions, this platform enabled the synthesis of a wide range of polyene frameworks covering all of this natural product chemical space, and first total syntheses of the polyene natural products asnipyrone B, physarigin A, and neurosporaxanthin β-D-glucopyranoside. Collectively, these results suggest the potential for a more generalized approach for making small molecules in the laboratory. PMID:24848233

Evolutionary Fuzzy Block-Matching-Based Camera Raw Image Denoising.

PubMed

Yang, Chin-Chang; Guo, Shu-Mei; Tsai, Jason Sheng-Hong

2017-09-01

An evolutionary fuzzy block-matching-based image denoising algorithm is proposed to remove noise from a camera raw image. Recently, a variance stabilization transform is widely used to stabilize the noise variance, so that a Gaussian denoising algorithm can be used to remove the signal-dependent noise in camera sensors. However, in the stabilized domain, the existed denoising algorithm may blur too much detail. To provide a better estimate of the noise-free signal, a new block-matching approach is proposed to find similar blocks by the use of a type-2 fuzzy logic system (FLS). Then, these similar blocks are averaged with the weightings which are determined by the FLS. Finally, an efficient differential evolution is used to further improve the performance of the proposed denoising algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed denoising algorithm effectively improves the performance of image denoising. Furthermore, the average performance of the proposed method is better than those of two state-of-the-art image denoising algorithms in subjective and objective measures.

Microfibres and macroscopic films from the coordination-driven hierarchical self-assembly of cylindrical micelles

PubMed Central

Lunn, David J.; Gould, Oliver E. C.; Whittell, George R.; Armstrong, Daniel P.; Mineart, Kenneth P.; Winnik, Mitchell A.; Spontak, Richard J.; Pringle, Paul G.; Manners, Ian

2016-01-01

Anisotropic nanoparticles prepared from block copolymers are of growing importance as building blocks for the creation of synthetic hierarchical materials. However, the assembly of these structural units is generally limited to the use of amphiphilic interactions. Here we report a simple, reversible coordination-driven hierarchical self-assembly strategy for the preparation of micron-scale fibres and macroscopic films based on monodisperse cylindrical block copolymer micelles. Coordination of Pd(0) metal centres to phosphine ligands immobilized within the soluble coronas of block copolymer micelles is found to induce intermicelle crosslinking, affording stable linear fibres comprised of micelle subunits in a staggered arrangement. The mean length of the fibres can be varied by altering the micelle concentration, reaction stoichiometry or aspect ratio of the micelle building blocks. Furthermore, the fibres aggregate on drying to form robust, self-supporting macroscopic micelle-based thin films with useful mechanical properties that are analogous to crosslinked polymer networks, but on a longer length scale. PMID:27538877

North-South contraction of the mojave block and strike-slip tectonics in southern california.

PubMed

Bartley, J M; Glazner, A F; Schermer, E R

1990-06-15

The Mojave block of southern California has undergone significant late Cenozoic north-south contraction. This previously unappreciated deformation may account for part of the discrepancy between neotectonic and plate-tectonic estimates of Pacific-North American plate motion, and for part of the Big Bend in the San Andreas fault. In the eastern Mojave block, contraction is superimposed on early Miocene crustal extension. In the western Mojave block, contractional folds and reverse faults have been mistaken for extensional structures. The three-dimensional complexity of the contractional structures may mean that rigid-block tectonic models of the region based primarily on paleomagnetic data are unreliable.

A pruning algorithm for Meta-blocking based on cumulative weight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fulin; Gao, Zhipeng; Niu, Kun

2017-08-01

Entity Resolution is an important process in data cleaning and data integration. It usually employs a blocking method to avoid the quadratic complexity work when scales to large data sets. Meta-blocking can perform better in the context of highly heterogeneous information spaces. Yet, its precision and efficiency still have room to improve. In this paper, we present a new pruning algorithm for Meta-Blocking. It can achieve a higher precision than the existing WEP algorithm at a small cost of recall. In addition, can reduce the runtime of the blocking process. We evaluate our proposed method over five real-world data sets.

The Route Analysis Based On Flight Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feriyanto, Nur; Saleh, Chairul; Fauzi, Achmad; Rachman Dzakiyullah, Nur; Riza Iwaputra, Kahfi

2016-02-01

Economic development effects use of air transportation since the business process in every aspect was increased. Many people these days was prefer using airplane because it can save time and money. This situation also effects flight routes, many airlines offer new routes to deal with competition. Managing flight routes is one of the problems that must be faced in order to find the efficient and effective routes. This paper investigates the best routes based on flight performance by determining the amount of block fuel for the Jakarta-Denpasar flight route. Moreover, in this work compares a two kinds of aircraft and tracks by calculating flight distance, flight time and block fuel. The result shows Jakarta-Denpasar in the Track II has effective and efficient block fuel that can be performed by Airbus 320-200 aircraft. This study can contribute to practice in making an effective decision, especially helping executive management of company due to selecting appropriate aircraft and the track in the flight plan based on the block fuel consumption for business operation.

The School Business Official: Ten Habits You'll Need To Succeed.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giambrone, William, Jr.

2001-01-01

Describes 10 habits school business officials need to succeed: organization, time management, delegation, planning, collaboration, personal development, creativity, empathy, ethos, and leadership. Based on book "The School Business Official: Ten Habits You'll Need To Succeed," published by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business…

Identification of Atmospheric Blocking Events and its Influence on Temperature and Precipitation Extremes in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richling, Andy; Rust, Henning W.; Bissolli, Peter; Ulbrich, Uwe

2017-04-01

Atmospheric blocking plays a crucial role in climate variability in the mid-latitudes. Especially meteorological extremes like heatwaves, cold spells and droughts are often related to persistent and stationary blocking events. For climate monitoring it is important to identify and characterise such blocking events as well as to analyse the relationship between blockings and meteorological extremes in a quantitative way. In this study we identify atmospheric blocking events and analyse the influence on temperature and precipitation extremes with statistical models. For the detection of atmospheric blocking events, we apply modified 2-dimensional versions of commonly used blocking indices suggested by Tibaldi and Molteni (1990) as well as Masato et al. (2013) on daily fields of 500hPa geopotential heights of the Era-Interim reanalysis dataset. A result is a list of blocking events with a multidimensional index characterising area, intensity, location and duration and maps of these parameters, which are intended to be used operationally for regular climate diagnostics at the German Meteorological Service. In addition, relationships between grid-point-base blocking frequency, intensity and location parameters and the number of daily temperature/precipitation extremes based on the E-OBS gridded dataset are investigated using general linear models on a monthly time scale. The number of counts as well as probabilities of occurrence of daily extremes within a certain calendar month will be analysed in this framework. G. Masato, B. J. Hoskins, and T. Woollings. Winter and Summer Northern Hemisphere Blocking in CMIP5 Models. J. Climate, 26:7044-7059, 2013a. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D- 12-00466.1. G. Masato, B. J. Hoskins, and T. Woollings. Wave-Breaking Characteristics of Northern Hemi- sphere Winter Blocking: A Two-Dimensional Approach. J. Climate, 26:4535-4549, 2013b. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00240.1. S. Tibaldi and F. Molteni. On the operational predictability of blocking. Tellus, 42A:343-365, 1990. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0870.1990.t01-2-00003.x.

A mixed molecular building block strategy for the design of nested polyhedron metal-organic frameworks.

PubMed

Tian, Dan; Chen, Qiang; Li, Yue; Zhang, Ying-Hui; Chang, Ze; Bu, Xian-He

2014-01-13

A mixed molecular building block (MBB) strategy for the synthesis of double-walled cage-based porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is presented. By means of this method, two isostructural porous MOFs built from unprecedented double-walled metal-organic octahedron were obtained by introducing two size-matching C3 -symmetric molecular building blocks with different rigidities. With their unique framework structures, these MOFs provide, to the best of our knowledge, the first examples of double-walled octahedron-based MOFs. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Three dimensional Origami-based metamaterial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamrava, Soroush; Mousanezhad, Davood; Ebrahimi, Hamid; Ghosh, Ranajay; Vaziri, Ashkan; High Performance Materials; Structures Labratory Team

We present a novel cellular metamaterial constructed from Origami building blocks based on Miura-ori fold. The proposed cellular metamaterial exhibits unusual properties some of which stemming from the inherent properties of its Origami building blocks, and others manifesting due to its unique geometrical construction and architecture. These properties include foldability with two fully-folded configurations, auxeticity (i.e., negative Poisson's ratio), bistability, and self-locking of Origami building blocks to construct load-bearing cellular metamaterials. The kinematics and force response of the cellular metamaterial during folding were studied to investigate the underlying mechanisms resulting in its unique properties using analytical modeling and experiments.

Icing Branch Current Research Activities in Icing Physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vargas, Mario

2009-01-01

Current development: A grid block transformation scheme which allows the input of grids in arbitrary reference frames, the use of mirror planes, and grids with relative velocities has been developed. A simple ice crystal and sand particle bouncing scheme has been included. Added an SLD splashing model based on that developed by William Wright for the LEWICE 3.2.2 software. A new area based collection efficiency algorithm will be incorporated which calculates trajectories from inflow block boundaries to outflow block boundaries. This method will be used for calculating and passing collection efficiency data between blade rows for turbo-machinery calculations.

A new routing enhancement scheme based on node blocking state advertisement in wavelength-routed WDM networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Peigang; Jin, Yaohui; Zhang, Chunlei; He, Hao; Hu, WeiSheng

2005-02-01

The increasing switching capacity brings the optical node with considerable complexity. Due to the limitation in cost and technology, an optical node is often designed with partial switching capability and partial resource sharing. It means that the node is of blocking to some extent, for example multi-granularity switching node, which in fact is a structure using pass wavelength to reduce the dimension of OXC, and partial sharing wavelength converter (WC) OXC. It is conceivable that these blocking nodes will have great effects on the problem of routing and wavelength assignment. Some previous works studied the blocking case, partial WC OXC, using complicated wavelength assignment algorithm. But the complexities of these schemes decide them to be not in practice in real networks. In this paper, we propose a new scheme based on the node blocking state advertisement to reduce the retry or rerouting probability and improve the efficiency of routing in the networks with blocking nodes. In the scheme, node blocking state are advertised to the other nodes in networks, which will be used for subsequent route calculation to find a path with lowest blocking probability. The performance of the scheme is evaluated using discrete event model in 14-node NSFNET, all the nodes of which employ a kind of partial sharing WC OXC structure. In the simulation, a simple First-Fit wavelength assignment algorithm is used. The simulation results demonstrate that the new scheme considerably reduces the retry or rerouting probability in routing process.

Double-porosity models for a fissured groundwater reservoir with fracture skin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moench, Allen F.

1984-01-01

Theories of flow to a well in a double-porosity groundwater reservoir are modified to incorporate effects of a thin layer of low-permeability material or fracture skin that may be present at fracture-block interfaces as a result of mineral deposition or alteration. The commonly used theory for flow in double- porosity formations that is based upon the assumption of pseudo–steady state block-to-fissure flow is shown to be a special case of the theory presented in this paper. The latter is based on the assumption of transient block-to-fissure flow with fracture skin. Under conditions where fracture skin has a hydraulic conductivity that is less than that of the matrix rock, it may be assumed to impede the interchange of fluid between the fissures and blocks. Resistance to flow at fracture-block interfaces tends to reduce spatial variation of hydraulic head gradients within the blocks. This provides theoretical justification for neglecting the divergence of flow in the blocks as required by the pseudo–steady state flow model. Coupled boundary value problems for flow to a well discharging at a constant rate were solved in the Laplace domain. Both slab-shaped and sphere-shaped blocks were considered, as were effects of well bore storage and well bore skin. Results obtained by numerical inversion were used to construct dimensionless-type curves that were applied to well test data, for a pumped well and for an observation well, from the fractured volcanic rock terrane of the Nevada Test Site.

Disaster management curricula: strategy to create doctors with disaster resilience in Aceh, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahyuniati, N.; Maulana, R.; Ichsan, I.

2017-02-01

Faculty of Medicine of Syiah Kuala University has one special block called Disaster Management block (the last block on the curricula) on Competency-Based Curriculum of Medical Sciences with the Problem-Based Learning method. This block has four credits, allocated seven weeks learning period including one week for evaluation. The placement of disaster management block in the 7th semester (last semester) aims to allow students to implement more easily the complete basic and clinical medical knowledge and then have it integrated with the management capabilities during adisaster. This article evaluates two components: 1) Disaster management module, by comparing the content of modules used in three different academic years, the academic year 2013/2014, 2014/2015 and 2015/2016, 2) The final grade, by comparing the final grade of disaster management block in 4 years (comparing students class of 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). The results revealed that on every academic year there were additions and strengthening of the material to ensure that students achieve a complete learning experience, and there was a slight increase in student’s grades where the number of students who receive grades A has increased while the number of students who receive grades E decreased.

Comparative Efficacies of Collagen-Based 3D Printed PCL/PLGA/β-TCP Composite Block Bone Grafts and Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Bone Substitute for Bone Regeneration.

PubMed

Hwang, Kyoung-Sub; Choi, Jae-Won; Kim, Jae-Hun; Chung, Ho Yun; Jin, Songwan; Shim, Jin-Hyung; Yun, Won-Soo; Jeong, Chang-Mo; Huh, Jung-Bo

2017-04-17

The purpose of this study was to compare bone regeneration and space maintaining ability of three-dimensional (3D) printed bone grafts with conventional biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP). After mixing polycaprolactone (PCL), poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) in a 4:4:2 ratio, PCL/PLGA/β-TCP particulate bone grafts were fabricated using 3D printing technology. Fabricated particulate bone grafts were mixed with atelocollagen to produce collagen-based PCL/PLGA/β-TCP composite block bone grafts. After formation of calvarial defects 8 mm in diameter, PCL/PLGA/β-TCP composite block bone grafts and BCP were implanted into bone defects of 32 rats. Although PCL/PLGA/β-TCP composite block bone grafts were not superior in bone regeneration ability compared to BCP, the results showed relatively similar performance. Furthermore, PCL/PLGA/β-TCP composite block bone grafts showed better ability to maintain bone defects and to support barrier membranes than BCP. Therefore, within the limitations of this study, PCL/PLGA/β-TCP composite block bone grafts could be considered as an alternative to synthetic bone grafts available for clinical use.

A time-domain decomposition iterative method for the solution of distributed linear quadratic optimal control problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinkenschloss, Matthias

2005-01-01

We study a class of time-domain decomposition-based methods for the numerical solution of large-scale linear quadratic optimal control problems. Our methods are based on a multiple shooting reformulation of the linear quadratic optimal control problem as a discrete-time optimal control (DTOC) problem. The optimality conditions for this DTOC problem lead to a linear block tridiagonal system. The diagonal blocks are invertible and are related to the original linear quadratic optimal control problem restricted to smaller time-subintervals. This motivates the application of block Gauss-Seidel (GS)-type methods for the solution of the block tridiagonal systems. Numerical experiments show that the spectral radii of the block GS iteration matrices are larger than one for typical applications, but that the eigenvalues of the iteration matrices decay to zero fast. Hence, while the GS method is not expected to convergence for typical applications, it can be effective as a preconditioner for Krylov-subspace methods. This is confirmed by our numerical tests.A byproduct of this research is the insight that certain instantaneous control techniques can be viewed as the application of one step of the forward block GS method applied to the DTOC optimality system.

Formation and Characterization of Anisotropic Block Copolymer Gels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liaw, Chya Yan; Joester, Derk; Burghardt, Wesley; Shull, Kenneth

2012-02-01

Cylindrical micelles formed from block copolymer solutions closely mimic biological fibers that are presumed to guide mineral formation during biosynthesis of hard tissues like bone. The goal of our work is to use acrylic block copolymers as oriented templates for studying mineral formation reactions in model systems where the structure of the underlying template is well characterized and reproducible. Self-consistent mean field theory is first applied to investigate the thermodynamically stable micellar morphologies as a function of temperature and block copolymer composition. Small-angle x-ray scattering, optical birefringence and shear rheometry are used to study the morphology development during thermal processing. Initial experiments are based on a thermally-reversible alcohol-soluble system that can be converted to an aqueous gel by hydrolysis of a poly(t-butyl methacrylate) block to a poly(methacrylic acid) block. Aligned cylindrical domains are formed in the alcohol-based system when shear is applied in an appropriate temperature regime, which is below the critical micelle temperature but above the temperature at which the relaxation time of the gels becomes too large. Processing strategies for producing the desired cylindrical morphologies are being developed that account for both thermodynamic and kinetic effects.

Photoconductivity enhancement and charge transport properties in ruthenium-containing block copolymer/carbon nanotube hybrids.

PubMed

Lo, Kin Cheung; Hau, King In; Chan, Wai Kin

2018-04-05

Functional polymer/carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrid materials can serve as a good model for light harvesting systems based on CNTs. This paper presents the synthesis of block copolymer/CNT hybrids and the characterization of their photocurrent responses by both experimental and computational approaches. A series of functional diblock copolymers was synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerizations for the dispersion and functionalization of CNTs. The block copolymers contain photosensitizing ruthenium complexes and modified pyrene-based anchoring units. The photocurrent responses of the polymer/CNT hybrids were measured by photoconductive atomic force microscopy (PCAFM), from which the experimental data were analyzed by vigorous statistical models. The difference in photocurrent response among different hybrids was correlated to the conformations of the hybrids, which were elucidated by molecular dynamics simulations, and the electronic properties of polymers. The photoresponse of the block copolymer/CNT hybrids can be enhanced by introducing an electron-accepting block between the photosensitizing block and the CNT. We have demonstrated that the application of a rigorous statistical methodology can unravel the charge transport properties of these hybrid materials and provide general guidelines for the design of molecular light harvesting systems.

Highly conductive side chain block copolymer anion exchange membranes.

PubMed

Wang, Lizhu; Hickner, Michael A

2016-06-28

Block copolymers based on poly(styrene) having pendent trimethyl styrenylbutyl ammonium (with four carbon ring-ionic group alkyl linkers) or benzyltrimethyl ammonium groups with a methylene bridge between the ring and ionic group were synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation radical (RAFT) polymerization as anion exchange membranes (AEMs). The C4 side chain polymer showed a 17% increase in Cl(-) conductivity of 33.7 mS cm(-1) compared to the benzyltrimethyl ammonium sample (28.9 mS cm(-1)) under the same conditions (IEC = 3.20 meq. g(-1), hydration number, λ = ∼7.0, cast from DMF/1-propanol (v/v = 3 : 1), relative humidity = 95%). As confirmed by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), the side chain block copolymers with tethered ammonium cations showed well-defined lamellar morphologies and a significant reduction in interdomain spacing compared to benzyltrimethyl ammonium containing block copolymers. The chemical stabilities of the block copolymers were evaluated under severe, accelerated conditions, and degradation was observed by (1)H NMR. The block copolymer with C4 side chain trimethyl styrenylbutyl ammonium motifs displayed slightly improved stability compared to that of a benzyltrimethyl ammonium-based AEM at 80 °C in 1 M NaOD aqueous solution for 30 days.

Late Triassic paleolatitude of the Qiangtang block: Implications for the closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Peiping; Ding, Lin; Li, Zhenyu; Lippert, Peter C.; Yang, Tianshui; Zhao, Xixi; Fu, Jiajun; Yue, Yahui

2015-08-01

To better constrain the Late Triassic paleolatitude of the Qiangtang block and the closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean, a combined paleomagnetic and zircon U/Pb geochronological study has been conducted on the Upper Triassic Jiapila Formation volcanic rocks on the northern edge of the Qiangtang block of Central Tibet (34.1°N, 92.4°E). These rocks are dated to 204-213 Ma. Progressive thermal or alternating field demagnetization successfully isolated stable characteristic remanent magnetizations (ChRM) that pass both the fold and reversal tests, consistent with a primary magnetization. These are the first volcanic-based paleomagnetic results from pre-Cretaceous rocks of the Qiangtang block that appear to average secular variation well enough to yield a reliable paleolatitude estimate. Based on our new paleomagnetic data from Upper Triassic lavas, we conclude that the Late Triassic pole of the Qiangtang block was located at 64.0°N, 174.7°E, with A95 = 6.6 ° (N = 29). We compile published paleomagnetic data from the Qiangtang block to calculate a Late Triassic latitude for the Qiangtang block at 31.7 ± 3.0°N. The central Paleo-Tethys Ocean basin was located between the North China (NCB) and Tarim blocks to the north and the Qiangtang block to the south during Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic. A comparison of published Early Triassic paleopole from the Qiangtang block with the coeval paleopoles from the NCB and Tarim indicates that the Paleo-Tethys Ocean could not have closed during the Early Triassic and that its width was approximately ∼32-38° latitude (∼3500-4200 km). However, the comparison of our new combined Late Triassic paleomagnetic result with the Late Triassic poles of the NCB and Tarim, as well as numerous geological observations, indicates that the closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean at the longitude of the Qiangtang block most likely occurred during the Late Triassic.

Mississippi Curriculum Framework for Brick, Block, and Stonemasonry (Program CIP: 46.0101--Mason and Tile Setter). Secondary Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mississippi Research and Curriculum Unit for Vocational and Technical Education, State College.

This document, which reflects Mississippi's statutory requirement that instructional programs be based on core curricula and performance-based assessment, contains outlines of the instructional units required in local instructional management plans and daily lesson plans for two secondary-level courses in brick, block, and stonemasonry: brick,…

I Scratch and Sense but Can I Program? An Investigation of Learning with a Block Based Programming Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpkins, N. K.

2014-01-01

This article reports an investigation into undergraduate student experiences and views of a visual or "blocks" based programming language and its environment. An additional and central aspect of this enquiry is to substantiate the perceived degree of transferability of programming skills learnt within the visual environment to a typical…

Programming Education with a Blocks-Based Visual Language for Mobile Application Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mihci, Can; Ozdener, Nesrin

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the impact upon academic success of the use of a reference block-based visual programming tool, namely the MIT App Inventor for Android, as an educational instrument for teaching object-oriented GUI-application development (CS2) concepts to students; who have previously completed a fundamental programming course…

A Study on Markerless AR-Based Infant Education System Using CBIR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Ji-Hoon; Kim, Seoksoo

Block play is widely known to be effective to help a child develop emotionally and physically based on learning by a sense of sight and touch. But block play can not expect to have learning effects through a sense of hearing. Therefore, in this study, such limitations are overcome by a method that recognizes an object made up of blocks, not a marker-based method generally used for an AR environment, a matching technology enabling an object to be perceived in every direction, and a technology combining images of the real world with 2D/3D images/pictures/sounds of a similar object. Also, an education system for children aged 3~5 is designed to implement markerless AR with the CBIR method.

Advances in metabolic pathway and strain engineering paving the way for sustainable production of chemical building blocks.

PubMed

Chen, Yun; Nielsen, Jens

2013-12-01

Bio-based production of chemical building blocks from renewable resources is an attractive alternative to petroleum-based platform chemicals. Metabolic pathway and strain engineering is the key element in constructing robust microbial chemical factories within the constraints of cost effective production. Here we discuss how the development of computational algorithms, novel modules and methods, omics-based techniques combined with modeling refinement are enabling reduction in development time and thus advance the field of industrial biotechnology. We further discuss how recent technological developments contribute to the development of novel cell factories for the production of the building block chemicals: adipic acid, succinic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compressed multi-block local binary pattern for object tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tianwen; Gao, Yun; Zhao, Lei; Zhou, Hao

2018-04-01

Both robustness and real-time are very important for the application of object tracking under a real environment. The focused trackers based on deep learning are difficult to satisfy with the real-time of tracking. Compressive sensing provided a technical support for real-time tracking. In this paper, an object can be tracked via a multi-block local binary pattern feature. The feature vector was extracted based on the multi-block local binary pattern feature, which was compressed via a sparse random Gaussian matrix as the measurement matrix. The experiments showed that the proposed tracker ran in real-time and outperformed the existed compressive trackers based on Haar-like feature on many challenging video sequences in terms of accuracy and robustness.

The blocking reagent optimization for the magnetoelastic biosensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Jiajia; Chai, Yating; Horikawa, Shin; Wikle, Howard C.; Wang, Feng'en; Du, Songtao; Chin, Bryan A.; Hu, Jing

2015-06-01

The wireless phage-based magnetoelastic (ME) biosensor has proven to be promising for real-time detection of pathogenic bacteria on fresh produces. The ME biosensor consists of a freestanding ME resonator as the signal transducer and filamentous phage as the biomolecular-recognition element, which can specifically bind to a pathogen of interest. Due to the Joule magnetostriction effect, the biosensors can be placed into mechanical resonance when subjected to a time-varying magnetic field alternating at the sensor's resonant frequency. Upon the attachment of the target pathogen, the mass of the biosensor increases, thereby decreasing its resonant frequency. This paper presents an investigation of blocking reagents immobilization for detecting Salmonella Typhimurium on fresh food surfaces. Three different blocking reagents (BSA, SuperBlock blocking buffer, and blocker BLOTTO) were used and compared. The optical microscope was used for bacterial cells binding observation. Student t-test was used to statistically analysis the experiment results. The results shows that SuperBlock blocking buffer and blocker BLOTTO have much better blocking performance than usually used BSA.

The Combination of RSA And Block Chiper Algorithms To Maintain Message Authentication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanti Tarigan, Sepri; Sartika Ginting, Dewi; Lumban Gaol, Melva; Lorensi Sitompul, Kristin

2017-12-01

RSA algorithm is public key algorithm using prime number and even still used today. The strength of this algorithm lies in the exponential process, and the factorial number into 2 prime numbers which until now difficult to do factoring. The RSA scheme itself adopts the block cipher scheme, where prior to encryption, the existing plaintext is divide in several block of the same length, where the plaintext and ciphertext are integers between 1 to n, where n is typically 1024 bit, and the block length itself is smaller or equal to log(n)+1 with base 2. With the combination of RSA algorithm and block chiper it is expected that the authentication of plaintext is secure. The secured message will be encrypted with RSA algorithm first and will be encrypted again using block chiper. And conversely, the chipertext will be decrypted with the block chiper first and decrypted again with the RSA algorithm. This paper suggests a combination of RSA algorithms and block chiper to secure data.

Phase response curves for models of earthquake fault dynamics

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

Franović, Igor, E-mail: franovic@ipb.ac.rs; Kostić, Srdjan; Perc, Matjaž

We systematically study effects of external perturbations on models describing earthquake fault dynamics. The latter are based on the framework of the Burridge-Knopoff spring-block system, including the cases of a simple mono-block fault, as well as the paradigmatic complex faults made up of two identical or distinct blocks. The blocks exhibit relaxation oscillations, which are representative for the stick-slip behavior typical for earthquake dynamics. Our analysis is carried out by determining the phase response curves of first and second order. For a mono-block fault, we consider the impact of a single and two successive pulse perturbations, further demonstrating how themore » profile of phase response curves depends on the fault parameters. For a homogeneous two-block fault, our focus is on the scenario where each of the blocks is influenced by a single pulse, whereas for heterogeneous faults, we analyze how the response of the system depends on whether the stimulus is applied to the block having a shorter or a longer oscillation period.« less

Kinetic control of block copolymer self-assembly into multicompartment and novel geometry nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yingchao; Wang, Xiaojun; Zhang, Ke; Wooley, Karen; Mays, Jimmy; Percec, Virgil; Pochan, Darrin

2012-02-01

Micelles with the segregation of hydrophobic blocks trapped in the same nanoparticle core have been produced through co-self-assembly of two block copolymers in THF/water dilute solution. The dissolution of two block copolymer sharing the same polyacrylic acid PAA blocks in THF undergoes consequent aggregation and phase separation through either slow water titration or quick water addition that triggers the micellar formation. The combination and comparison of the two water addition kinetic pathways are the keys of forming multicompartment structures at high water content. Importantly, the addition of organic diamine provides for acid-base complexation with the PAA side chains which, in turn, plays the key role of trapping unlike hydrophobic blocks from different block copolymers into one nanoparticle core. The kinetic control of solution assembly can be applied to other molecular systems such as dendrimers as well as other block copolymer molecules. Transmission electron microscopy, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, light scattering have been applied to characterize the micelle structures.

Revisit submergence of ice blocks in front of ice cover—an experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jun; Wu, Yi-fan; Sui, Jueyi

2018-04-01

The present paper studies the stabilities of ice blocks in front of an ice cover based on experiments carried out in laboratory by using four types of ice blocks with different dimensions. The forces acting on the ice blocks in front of the ice cover are analyzed. The critical criteria for the entrainment of ice blocks in front of the ice cover are established by considering the drag force caused by the flowing water, the collision force, and the hydraulic pressure force. Formula for determining whether or not an ice block will be entrained under the ice cover is derived. All three dimensions of the ice block are considered in the proposed formula. The velocities calculated by using the developed formula are compared with those of calculated by other formulas proposed by other researchers, as well as the measured flow velocities for the entrainment of ice blocks in laboratory. The fitting values obtained by using the derived formula agree well with the experimental results.

Single-molecule strong coupling at room temperature in plasmonic nanocavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chikkaraddy, Rohit; de Nijs, Bart; Benz, Felix; Barrow, Steven J.; Scherman, Oren A.; Rosta, Edina; Demetriadou, Angela; Fox, Peter; Hess, Ortwin; Baumberg, Jeremy J.

2016-07-01

Photon emitters placed in an optical cavity experience an environment that changes how they are coupled to the surrounding light field. In the weak-coupling regime, the extraction of light from the emitter is enhanced. But more profound effects emerge when single-emitter strong coupling occurs: mixed states are produced that are part light, part matter, forming building blocks for quantum information systems and for ultralow-power switches and lasers. Such cavity quantum electrodynamics has until now been the preserve of low temperatures and complicated fabrication methods, compromising its use. Here, by scaling the cavity volume to less than 40 cubic nanometres and using host-guest chemistry to align one to ten protectively isolated methylene-blue molecules, we reach the strong-coupling regime at room temperature and in ambient conditions. Dispersion curves from more than 50 such plasmonic nanocavities display characteristic light-matter mixing, with Rabi frequencies of 300 millielectronvolts for ten methylene-blue molecules, decreasing to 90 millielectronvolts for single molecules—matching quantitative models. Statistical analysis of vibrational spectroscopy time series and dark-field scattering spectra provides evidence of single-molecule strong coupling. This dressing of molecules with light can modify photochemistry, opening up the exploration of complex natural processes such as photosynthesis and the possibility of manipulating chemical bonds.

Preparation time and perceptions of Brazilian specialists and dental students regarding simulated root canals for endodontic teaching: a preliminary study.

PubMed

dos S Luz, Diandra; de S Ourique, Fernanda; Scarparo, Roberta K; Vier-Pelisser, Fabiana V; Morgental, Renata D; Waltrick, Silvana B G; de Figueiredo, José A P

2015-01-01

The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the desirability of alternative models of artificial teeth versus extracted natural teeth for use in preclinical dental education. Specifically, the study was designed to compare the preparation time and perceptions of difficulty of undergraduate dental students and endodontists in carrying out root canal preparations on resin models (both clear and opaque) and extracted natural teeth. Twenty participants-ten fifth-year students at a Brazilian dental school and ten endodontists with at least five years' experience in the specialty-performed root canal instrumentation on two samples of each model. Preparation times were recorded, and the participants completed a questionnaire about the anatomical and physical characteristics of these models. The results showed that the time required for performing endodontic procedures in the natural teeth was higher than in the alternative models. The perceptions of the students and specialists regarding some topics on the questionnaire were significantly different. The students had more positive opinions about artificial teeth made of opaque resin, while the specialists had more positive opinions about simulated root canals in clear resin blocks. This study suggests that neither of the alternative models fulfilled requirements to replace natural teeth in endodontic teaching; improvements are still necessary to accomplish this goal.

Auditory preferences of young children with and without hearing loss for meaningful auditory-visual compound stimuli.

PubMed

Zupan, Barbra; Sussman, Joan E

2009-01-01

Experiment 1 examined modality preferences in children and adults with normal hearing to combined auditory-visual stimuli. Experiment 2 compared modality preferences in children using cochlear implants participating in an auditory emphasized therapy approach to the children with normal hearing from Experiment 1. A second objective in both experiments was to evaluate the role of familiarity in these preferences. Participants were exposed to randomized blocks of photographs and sounds of ten familiar and ten unfamiliar animals in auditory-only, visual-only and auditory-visual trials. Results indicated an overall auditory preference in children, regardless of hearing status, and a visual preference in adults. Familiarity only affected modality preferences in adults who showed a strong visual preference to unfamiliar stimuli only. The similar degree of auditory responses in children with hearing loss to those from children with normal hearing is an original finding and lends support to an auditory emphasis for habilitation. Readers will be able to (1) Describe the pattern of modality preferences reported in young children without hearing loss; (2) Recognize that differences in communication mode may affect modality preferences in young children with hearing loss; and (3) Understand the role of familiarity in modality preferences in children with and without hearing loss.

A Phenomenological Study of an Indonesian Cohort Group's Transformative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Budiraharjo, Markus

2013-01-01

This study was set to investigate how a cohort of ten Indonesian teachers experienced transformations in their teaching professionalism upon receiving an assignment of instructional leadership training to other school leaders. These ten teachers, who came from three different Indonesian Jesuit high schools and one archdiocese-based educational…

Regional services in a research context: USDA Climate Hubs in the Agricultural Research Service

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ten USDA Climate Hubs were created in 2014 to develop and deliver science-based, region-specific information and technologies to better enable agricultural decision-making and management to promote resilient working landscapes. Of these ten Hubs, half are administered by USDA’s Agricultural Research...

Regional services in a research context: USDA climate hubs in the agricultural research service

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ten USDA Climate Hubs were created in 2014 to develop and deliver science-based, region-specific information and technologies to better enable agricultural decision-making and management. Of these ten Hubs, half are administered by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), an agency with historica...

The Role of the Instructional Technology Coach in Improving Elementary Teachers' Perceived Ability to Meet the National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Youngman, Shannon

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a site-based technology coach program over the course of three years on teachers' perceptions of their implementation of NETS-T in a Tennessee school system. The study was a causal comparative study in which ten elementary schools had a site-based technology coach and ten elementary schools…

Identifying single bases in a DNA oligomer with electron tunnelling.

PubMed

Huang, Shuo; He, Jin; Chang, Shuai; Zhang, Peiming; Liang, Feng; Li, Shengqin; Tuchband, Michael; Fuhrmann, Alexander; Ros, Robert; Lindsay, Stuart

2010-12-01

It has been proposed that single molecules of DNA could be sequenced by measuring the physical properties of the bases as they pass through a nanopore. Theoretical calculations suggest that electron tunnelling can identify bases in single-stranded DNA without enzymatic processing, and it was recently experimentally shown that tunnelling can sense individual nucleotides and nucleosides. Here, we report that tunnelling electrodes functionalized with recognition reagents can identify a single base flanked by other bases in short DNA oligomers. The residence time of a single base in a recognition junction is on the order of a second, but pulling the DNA through the junction with a force of tens of piconewtons would yield reading speeds of tens of bases per second.

Hemicellulose block copolymers made from woods for wide-range directed self-assembly lithography enabling wider range of applicable patterning size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morita, Kazuyo; Yamamoto, Kimiko

2017-03-01

Xylan, one of hemicellulose family, block copolymer was newly developed for wide-range directed self-assembly lithography (DSA). Xylan is higher hydrophilic material because of having many hydroxy groups in one molecule. It means that xylan block copolymer has a possibility of high-chi block copolymer. Generally, DSA is focused on microphase separation for smaller size with high-chi block copolymer and not well known for larger size. In this study, xylan block copolymer was confirmed enabling wider range of patterning size, from smaller size to larger size. The key of xylan block copolymer is a new molecular structure of block copolymer and sugar chain control technology. Sugar content is the important parameter for not only micro-phase separation property but also line edge roughness (LER) and defects. Based on the sugar control technology, wide-range (hp 8.3nm to 26nm L/S and CD 10nm to 51nm hole) DSA patterning was demonstrated. Additionally it was confirmed that xylan block copolymer is suitable for sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) process.

Soft magnetic characteristics of laminated magnetic block cores assembled with a high Bs nanocrystalline alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Atsushi; Inoue, Masaki; Tsukada, Kouhei; Fujisaki, Keisuke

2018-05-01

This paper focuses on an evaluation of core losses in laminated magnetic block cores assembled with a high Bs nanocrystalline alloy in high magnetic flux density region. To discuss the soft magnetic properties of the high Bs block cores, the comparison with amorphous (SA1) block cores is also performed. In the high Bs block core, both low core losses and high saturation flux densities Bs are satisfied in the low frequency region. Furthermore, in the laminated block core made of the high Bs alloy, the rate of increase of iron losses as a function of the magnetic flux density remains small up to around 1.6 T, which cannot be realized in conventional laminated block cores based on amorphous alloy. The block core made of the high Bs alloy exhibits comparable core loss with that of amorphous alloy core in the high-frequency region. Thus, it is expected that this laminated high Bs block core can achieve low core losses and high saturation flux densities in the high-frequency region.

Automatic Blocking Of QR and LU Factorizations for Locality

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

Yi, Q; Kennedy, K; You, H

2004-03-26

QR and LU factorizations for dense matrices are important linear algebra computations that are widely used in scientific applications. To efficiently perform these computations on modern computers, the factorization algorithms need to be blocked when operating on large matrices to effectively exploit the deep cache hierarchy prevalent in today's computer memory systems. Because both QR (based on Householder transformations) and LU factorization algorithms contain complex loop structures, few compilers can fully automate the blocking of these algorithms. Though linear algebra libraries such as LAPACK provides manually blocked implementations of these algorithms, by automatically generating blocked versions of the computations, moremore » benefit can be gained such as automatic adaptation of different blocking strategies. This paper demonstrates how to apply an aggressive loop transformation technique, dependence hoisting, to produce efficient blockings for both QR and LU with partial pivoting. We present different blocking strategies that can be generated by our optimizer and compare the performance of auto-blocked versions with manually tuned versions in LAPACK, both using reference BLAS, ATLAS BLAS and native BLAS specially tuned for the underlying machine architectures.« less

Optimized collectives using a DMA on a parallel computer

DOEpatents

Chen, Dong [Croton On Hudson, NY; Gabor, Dozsa [Ardsley, NY; Giampapa, Mark E [Irvington, NY; Heidelberger,; Phillip, [Cortlandt Manor, NY

2011-02-08

Optimizing collective operations using direct memory access controller on a parallel computer, in one aspect, may comprise establishing a byte counter associated with a direct memory access controller for each submessage in a message. The byte counter includes at least a base address of memory and a byte count associated with a submessage. A byte counter associated with a submessage is monitored to determine whether at least a block of data of the submessage has been received. The block of data has a predetermined size, for example, a number of bytes. The block is processed when the block has been fully received, for example, when the byte count indicates all bytes of the block have been received. The monitoring and processing may continue for all blocks in all submessages in the message.

Large volume serial section tomography by Xe Plasma FIB dual beam microscopy.

PubMed

Burnett, T L; Kelley, R; Winiarski, B; Contreras, L; Daly, M; Gholinia, A; Burke, M G; Withers, P J

2016-02-01

Ga(+) Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscopes (FIB-SEM) have revolutionised the level of microstructural information that can be recovered in 3D by block face serial section tomography (SST), as well as enabling the site-specific removal of smaller regions for subsequent transmission electron microscope (TEM) examination. However, Ga(+) FIB material removal rates limit the volumes and depths that can be probed to dimensions in the tens of microns range. Emerging Xe(+) Plasma Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscope (PFIB-SEM) systems promise faster removal rates. Here we examine the potential of the method for large volume serial section tomography as applied to bainitic steel and WC-Co hard metals. Our studies demonstrate that with careful control of milling parameters precise automated serial sectioning can be achieved with low levels of milling artefacts at removal rates some 60× faster. Volumes that are hundreds of microns in dimension have been collected using fully automated SST routines in feasible timescales (<24h) showing good grain orientation contrast and capturing microstructural features at the tens of nanometres to the tens of microns scale. Accompanying electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) maps show high indexing rates suggesting low levels of surface damage. Further, under high current Ga(+) FIB milling WC-Co is prone to amorphisation of WC surface layers and phase transformation of the Co phase, neither of which have been observed at PFIB currents as high as 60nA at 30kV. Xe(+) PFIB dual beam microscopes promise to radically extend our capability for 3D tomography, 3D EDX, 3D EBSD as well as correlative tomography. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Haplotype-based gene-gene interaction of bone morphogenetic protein 4 and interferon regulatory factor 6 in the etiology of non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate in a Chilean population.

PubMed

Blanco, Rafael; Colombo, Alicia; Pardo, Rosa; Suazo, José

2017-04-01

Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is the most common craniofacial birth defect in humans, the etiology of which can be dependent on the interactions of multiple genes. We previously reported haplotype associations for polymorphic variants of interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6), msh homeobox 1 (MSX1), bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), and transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGFB3) in Chile. Here, we analyzed the haplotype-based gene-gene interaction for markers of these genes and NSCL/P risk in the Chilean population. We genotyped 15 single nucleoptide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 152 Chilean patients and 164 controls. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks were determined using the Haploview software, and phase reconstruction was performed by the Phase program. Haplotype-based interactions were evaluated using the multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method. We detected two LD blocks composed of two SNPs from BMP4 (Block 1) and three SNPs from IRF6 (Block 2). Although MDR showed no statistical significance for the global interaction model involving these blocks, we found four combinations conferring a statistically significantly increased NSCL/P risk (Block 1-Block 2): T-T/T-G C-G-T/G-A-T; T-T/T-G C-G-C/C-G-C; T-T/T-G G-A-T/G-A-T; and T-T/C-G G-A-T/G-A-T. These findings may reflect the presence of a genomic region containing potential causal variants interacting in the etiology of NSCL/P and may contribute to disentangling the complex etiology of this birth defect. © 2017 Eur J Oral Sci.

A Smart Thermal Block Diagram Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsuyuki, Glenn; Miyake, Robert; Dodge, Kyle

2008-01-01

The presentation describes a Smart Thermal Block Diagram Tool. It is used by JPL's Team X in studying missions during the Pre-Phase A. It helps generate cost and mass estimates using proprietary data bases.

Basic performance evaluation of a Si-PM array-based LGSO phoswich DOI block detector for a high-resolution small animal PET system.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Seiichi

2013-07-01

The silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) is a promising photodetector for PET. However, it remains unclear whether Si-PM can be used for a depth-of-interaction (DOI) detector based on the decay time differences of the scintillator where pulse shape analysis is used. For clarification, we tested the Hamamatsu 4 × 4 Si-PM array (S11065-025P) combined with scintillators that used different decay times to develop DOI block detectors using the pulse shape analysis. First, Ce-doped Gd(2)SiO(5) (GSO) scintillators of 0.5 mol% Ce were arranged in a 4 × 4 matrix and were optically coupled to the center of each pixel of the Si-PM array for measurement of the energy resolution as well as its gain variations according to the temperature. Then two types of Ce-doped Lu(1.9)Gd(0.1)Si0(5) (LGSO) scintillators, 0.025 mol% Ce (decay time: ~31 ns) and 0.75 mol% Ce (decay time: ~46 ns), were optically coupled in the DOI direction, arranged in a 11 × 7 matrix, and optically coupled to a Si-PM array for testing of the possibility of a high-resolution DOI detector. The energy resolution of the Si-PM array-based GSO block detector was 18 ± 4.4 % FWHM for a Cs-137 gamma source (662 keV). Less than 1 mm crystals were clearly resolved in the position map of the LGSO DOI block detector. The peak-to-valley ratio (P/V) derived from the pulse shape spectra of the LGSO DOI block detector was 2.2. These results confirmed that Si-PM array-based DOI block detectors are promising for high-resolution small animal PET systems.

A Neurophysiological examination of quality of learning in a feedback-based learning task.

PubMed

Arbel, Yael; Wu, Hao

2016-12-01

The efficiency with which one processes external feedback contributes to the speed and quality of one's learning. Previous findings that the feedback related negativity (FRN) event related potential (ERP) is modulated by learning outcomes suggested that this ERP reflects the extent to which feedback is used by the learner to improve performance. To further test this suggestion, we measured whether the FRN and the fronto-central positivity (FCP) that follows it are modulated by learning slopes, and as a function of individual differences in learning outcomes. Participants were tasked with learning names (non-words) of 42 novel objects in a two-choice feedback-based visual learning task. The items were divided into three sets of 14 items, each presented in five learning blocks and a sixth test block. Individual learning slopes based on performance on the task, as well as FRN and FCP slopes based on positive and negative feedback related activation in each block were created for 53 participants. Our data pointed to an interaction between slopes of the FRN elicited by negative feedback and learning slopes, such that a sharper decrease in the amplitude of the FRN to negative feedback was associated with sharper learning slopes. We further examined the predictive power of the FRN and FCP elicited in the training blocks on the learning outcomes as measured by performance on the test blocks. We found that small FRN to negative feedback, large FRN to positive feedback, and large FCP to negative feedback in the first training block predicted better learning outcomes. These results add to the growing evidence that the processes giving rise to the FRN and FCP are sensitive to individual differences in the extent to which feedback is used for learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

RECALL: A Management Information Retrieval System for the Wang 2200

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-11-01

B-5. APPENDIX B TABLE B-l. VARIABLE DEFINITIONS Name Meaning Data base format R$(l-60) Page of blocks R1 Present block index within page RO...Present page index in memory R2 Number of blocks allowed in memory (60) R3 Last-used character index in present block R1* Number of sectors per page...5) Rl(l- 5) General CO BS(1- 15) L0 LS15 C csd- 12) Cl$(l -12) FOR cond i t ion Number of range pairs Starting record index Ending

Phase noise suppression for coherent optical block transmission systems: a unified framework.

PubMed

Yang, Chuanchuan; Yang, Feng; Wang, Ziyu

2011-08-29

A unified framework for phase noise suppression is proposed in this paper, which could be applied in any coherent optical block transmission systems, including coherent optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CO-OFDM), coherent optical single-carrier frequency-domain equalization block transmission (CO-SCFDE), etc. Based on adaptive modeling of phase noise, unified observation equations for different coherent optical block transmission systems are constructed, which lead to unified phase noise estimation and suppression. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposal is powerful in mitigating laser phase noise.

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

Lockwood, Jr., Neil; McLellan, Jason G; Crossley, Brian

The Resident Fish Stock Status above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams Project, commonly known as the Joint Stock Assessment Project (JSAP) is a management tool using ecosystem principles to manage artificial fish assemblages and native fish in altered environments existing in the Columbia River System above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams (blocked area). The three-phase approach of this project will enhance the fisheries resources of the blocked area by identifying data gaps, filling data gaps with research, and implementing management recommendations based on research results. The Blocked Area fisheries information housed in a central location will allow managersmore » to view the entire system while making decisions, rather than basing management decisions on isolated portions of the system. The JSAP (NWPPC program measure 10.8B.26) is designed and guided jointly by fisheries managers in the blocked area and the Columbia Basin blocked area management plan (1998). The initial year of the project (1997) identified the need for a central data storage and analysis facility, coordination with the StreamNet project, compilation of blocked area fisheries information, and a report on the ecological condition of the Spokane River System. These needs were addressed in 1998 by acquiring a central location with a data storage and analysis system, coordinating a pilot project with StreamNet, compiling fisheries distribution data throughout the blocked area, identifying data gaps based on compiled information, and researching the ecological condition of the Spokane River. In order to ensure that any additional information collected throughout the life of this project will be easily stored and manipulated by the central storage facility, it was necessary to develop standardized methodologies between the JSAP fisheries managers. The use of common collection and analytical tools is essential to the process of streamlining joint management decisions. In 1999 and 2000 the project began to address some of the identified data gaps, throughout the blocked area, with a variety of newly developed sampling projects, as well as, continuing with ongoing data collection of established projects.« less

Mechanical Testing of IN718 Lattice Block Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krause, David L.; Whittenberger, John D.; Kantzos, Pete T.; Hebsur, Mohan G.

2002-01-01

Lattice block construction produces a flat, structurally rigid panel composed of thin ligaments of material arranged in a three-dimensional triangulated truss-like structure. Low-cost methods of producing cast metallic lattice block panels are now available that greatly expand opportunities for using this unique material system in today's high-performance structures. Additional advances are being made in NASA's Ultra Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) program to extend the lattice block concept to superalloy materials. Advantages offered by this combination include high strength, light weight, high stiffness, and elevated temperature capabilities. Recently under UEET, the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 (IN718) was investment cast into lattice block panels with great success. To evaluate casting quality and lattice block architecture merit, individual ligaments, and structural subelement specimens were extracted from the panels. Tensile tests, structural compression, and bending strength tests were performed on these specimens. Fatigue testing was also completed for several bend test specimens. This paper first presents metallurgical and optical microscopy analysis of the castings. This is followed by mechanical test results for the tensile ligament tests and the subelement compression and bending strength tests, as well as for the fatigue tests that were performed. These tests generally showed comparable properties to base IN718 with the same heat treatment, and they underscored the benefits offered by lattice block materials. These benefits might be extended with improved architecture such as face sheets.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for the control of pain during rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty: A randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

PubMed

Rakel, Barbara A; Zimmerman, M Bridget; Geasland, Katharine; Embree, Jennie; Clark, Charles R; Noiseux, Nicolas O; Callaghan, John J; Herr, Keela; Walsh, Deirdre; Sluka, Kathleen A

2014-12-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in reducing pain and hyperalgesia and increasing function after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We hypothesized that participants using TENS during rehabilitation exercises would report significantly lower pain during range-of-motion (ROM) activity and fast walking but not at rest, would have less hyperalgesia, and would have better function than participants receiving placebo-TENS or standard care. We also hypothesized that change in ROM pain would differ based on psychological characteristics (trait anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and depression) and treatment group. This prospective, randomized study used intent-to-treat analyses in 317 participants after primary, unilateral TKA. Assessors, blinded to treatment allocation, measured pain, function (ROM and gait speed), and hyperalgesia (quantitative sensory tests) postoperatively and 6 weeks after surgery. Analgesic intake, anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing were also assessed. TENS participants used it 1 to 2 times per day at 42 mA (on average) and had less pain postoperatively during active knee extension (P=.019) and fast walking (P=.006) than standard care participants. TENS and placebo-TENS were not significantly different. TENS participants who scored low on anxiety and pain catastrophizing had a greater reduction in ROM pain at 6 weeks than those who scored high on these factors (P=.002 and P=.03). Both TENS and placebo-TENS participants had less postoperative mechanical hyperalgesia (P=.03-.01) than standard care participants. Supplementing pharmacologic analgesia with TENS during rehabilitation exercises reduces movement pain postoperatively, but a placebo influence exists and the effect is gone by 6 weeks. Patients with low anxiety and pain catastrophizing may benefit most from TENS. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Detection of Distinct Changes in Gene-expression Profiles in Specimens of Tumors and Transition Zones of Tenascin-positive/-negative Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PubMed

Zivicova, Veronika; Gal, Peter; Mifkova, Alzbeta; Novak, Stepan; Kaltner, Herbert; Kolar, Michal; Strnad, Hynek; Sachova, Jana; Hradilova, Miluse; Chovanec, Martin; Gabius, Hans-Joachim; Smetana, Karel; Fik, Zdenek

2018-03-01

Having previously initiated genome-wide expression profiling in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) for regions of the tumor, the margin of surgical resecate (MSR) and normal mucosa (NM), we here proceed with respective analysis of cases after stratification according to the expression status of tenascin (Ten). Tissue specimens of each anatomical site were analyzed by immunofluorescent detection of Ten, fibronectin (Fn) and galectin-1 (Gal-1) as well as by microarrays. Histopathological examination demonstrated that Ten + Fn + Gal-1 + co-expression occurs more frequently in samples of HNSCC (55%) than in NM (9%; p<0.01). Contrary, the Ten - Fn + Gal-1 - (45%) and Ten - Fn - Gal-1 - (39%) status occurred with significantly (p<0.01) higher frequency than in HNSCC (3% and 4%, respectively). In MSRs, different immunophenotypes were distributed rather equally (Ten + Fn + Gal-1 + =24%; Ten - Fn + Gal-1 - =36%; Ten - Fn - Gal-1 - =33%), differing to the results in tumors (p<0.05). Absence/presence of Ten was used for stratification of patients into cohorts without a difference in prognosis, to comparatively examine gene-activity signatures. Microarray analysis revealed i) expression of several tumor progression-associated genes in Ten + HNSCC tumors and ii) a strong up-regulation of gene expression assigned to lipid metabolism in MSRs of Ten - tumors, while NM profiles remained similar. The presented data reveal marked and specific changes in tumors and MSR specimens of HNSCC without a separation based on prognosis. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain relief after liposuction: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

da Silva, Milla Pompilio; Liebano, Richard Eloin; Rodrigues, Victor Ales; Abla, Luiz Eduardo Felipe; Ferreira, Lydia Masako

2015-04-01

Liposuction is a common cosmetic surgical procedure, which requires analgesia for postoperative pain. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been used for postoperative pain relief; however, there is no evidence of its effectiveness in liposuction patients and this is the focus of this paper. A prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was conducted with 42 adult patients who underwent liposuction. Patients were randomly allocated to either the TENS group (active TENS) or control group (sham TENS). All patients received morphine (0.1 mg/kg) and dipyrone 1 g immediately after surgery; TENS was delivered 2 h later. The primary outcome was pain intensity. Secondary outcomes were analgesic requirement, number and types of adverse effects of TENS, quality of pain, treatment success, and patient satisfaction. Postoperative pain was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the Brazilian version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (Br-MPQ). Patients in the TENS group reported significantly lower pain intensity (P < 0.001, effect size = 0.92) compared with those in the control group. TENS significantly decreased the consumption of analgesics in the postoperative period (P < 0.001). No withdrawals or adverse effects were observed in the TENS group, but 33.3% of patients in the control group reported drowsiness and nausea. About 95 and 38% of patients in the TENS and control groups, respectively, were satisfied with the analgesic treatment. The results indicate that TENS is effective as an adjunct to analgesics for pain relief after liposuction. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Object-based neglect in number processing

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Recent evidence suggests that neglect patients seem to have particular problems representing relatively smaller numbers corresponding to the left part of the mental number line. However, while this indicates space-based neglect for representational number space little is known about whether and - if so - how object-based neglect influences number processing. To evaluate influences of object-based neglect in numerical cognition, a group of neglect patients and two control groups had to compare two-digit numbers to an internally represented standard. Conceptualizing two-digit numbers as objects of which the left part (i.e., the tens digit should be specifically neglected) we were able to evaluate object-based neglect for number magnitude processing. Object-based neglect was indicated by a larger unit-decade compatibility effect actually reflecting impaired processing of the leftward tens digits. Additionally, faster processing of within- as compared to between-decade items provided further evidence suggesting particular difficulties in integrating tens and units into the place-value structure of the Arabic number system. In summary, the present study indicates that, in addition to the spatial representation of number magnitude, also the processing of place-value information of multi-digit numbers seems specifically impaired in neglect patients. PMID:23343126

There Once Was a 9-Block ...--A Middle-School Design for Probability and Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrahamson, Dor; Janusz, Ruth M.; Wilensky, Uri

2006-01-01

ProbLab is a probability-and-statistics unit developed at the Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University. Students analyze the combinatorial space of the 9-block, a 3-by-3 grid of squares, in which each square can be either green or blue. All 512 possible 9-blocks are constructed and assembled in a "bar…

Recurrence of 49-base decamers, nonomers, and octamers within mouse C mu gene of Ig heavy chain and its primordial building block.

PubMed Central

Yazaki, A; Ohno, S

1983-01-01

Within the published 2,168-base-long mouse C mu gene of Ig heavy chain consisting of four coding and four noncoding segments, 2 base decamers, 8 nonomers, and 39 octamers recurred. Recurring base heptamers (about 100) and hexamers (about 350) were simply too numerous to merit individual identification. In spite of extensive overlaps between these recurring base decamers to hexamers, they occupied nearly the entire length of mouse Ig C mu gene. As with other genes of the beta-sheet-forming beta 2-microglobulin family, the Ig C mu gene (flanking and intervening noncoding sequences included) is not a unique sequence but rather it is degenerate repeats of the 45-base-long primordial building-block sequence uniquely its own. This primordial building block must originally have specified the 15-amino-acid-residue-long primordial arm of beta-sheet-forming loops, the characteristics of the beta 2-microglobulin family of polypeptides. PMID:6403948

Bundle block adjustment of large-scale remote sensing data with Block-based Sparse Matrix Compression combined with Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Maoteng; Zhang, Yongjun; Zhou, Shunping; Zhu, Junfeng; Xiong, Xiaodong

2016-07-01

In recent years, new platforms and sensors in photogrammetry, remote sensing and computer vision areas have become available, such as Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV), oblique camera systems, common digital cameras and even mobile phone cameras. Images collected by all these kinds of sensors could be used as remote sensing data sources. These sensors can obtain large-scale remote sensing data which consist of a great number of images. Bundle block adjustment of large-scale data with conventional algorithm is very time and space (memory) consuming due to the super large normal matrix arising from large-scale data. In this paper, an efficient Block-based Sparse Matrix Compression (BSMC) method combined with the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient (PCG) algorithm is chosen to develop a stable and efficient bundle block adjustment system in order to deal with the large-scale remote sensing data. The main contribution of this work is the BSMC-based PCG algorithm which is more efficient in time and memory than the traditional algorithm without compromising the accuracy. Totally 8 datasets of real data are used to test our proposed method. Preliminary results have shown that the BSMC method can efficiently decrease the time and memory requirement of large-scale data.

Can CT-based patient-matched instrumentation achieve consistent rotational alignment in knee arthroplasty?

PubMed

Tibesku, C O; Innocenti, B; Wong, P; Salehi, A; Labey, L

2012-02-01

Long-term success of contemporary total knee replacements relies to a large extent on proper implant alignment. This study was undertaken to test whether specimen-matched cutting blocks based on computed axial tomography (CT) scans could provide accurate rotational alignment of the femoral component. CT scans of five fresh frozen full leg cadaver specimens, equipped with infrared reflective markers, were used to produce a specimen-matched femoral cutting block. Using those blocks, the bone cuts were made to implant a bi-compartmental femoral component. Rotational alignment of the components in the horizontal plane was determined using an optical measurement system and compared with all relevant rotational reference axes identified on the CT scans. Average rotational alignment for the bi-compartmental component in the horizontal plane was 1.9° (range 0°-6.3°; standard deviation 2.6°). One specimen that showed the highest deviation from the planned alignment also featured a completely degraded medial articular surface. The CT-based specimen-matched cutting blocks achieved good rotational alignment accuracy except for one specimen with badly damaged cartilage. In such cases, imaging techniques that visualize the cartilage layer might be more suitable to design cutting blocks, as they will provide a better fit and increased surface support.

Unsaturated hydraulic behaviour of a permeable pavement: Laboratory investigation and numerical analysis by using the HYDRUS-2D model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turco, Michele; Kodešová, Radka; Brunetti, Giuseppe; Nikodem, Antonín; Fér, Miroslav; Piro, Patrizia

2017-11-01

An adequate hydrological description of water flow in permeable pavement systems relies heavily on the knowledge of the unsaturated hydraulic properties of the construction materials. Although several modeling tools and many laboratory methods already exist in the literature to determine the hydraulic properties of soils, the importance of an accurate materials hydraulic description of the permeable pavement system, is increasingly recognized in the fields of urban hydrology. Thus, the aim of this study is to propose techniques/procedures on how to interpret water flow through the construction system using the HYDRUS model. The overall analysis includes experimental and mathematical procedures for model calibration and validation to assess the suitability of the HYDRUS-2D model to interpret the hydraulic behaviour of a lab-scale permeable pavement system. The system consists of three porous materials: a wear layer of porous concrete blocks, a bedding layers of fine gravel, and a sub-base layer of coarse gravel. The water regime in this system, i.e. outflow at the bottom and water contents in the middle of the bedding layer, was monitored during ten irrigation events of various durations and intensities. The hydraulic properties of porous concrete blocks and fine gravel described by the van Genuchten functions were measured using the clay tank and the multistep outflow experiments, respectively. Coarse gravel properties were set at literature values. In addition, some of the parameters (Ks of the concrete blocks layer, and α, n and Ks of the bedding layer) were optimized with the HYDRUS-2D model from water fluxes and soil water contents measured during irrigation events. The measured and modeled hydrographs were compared using the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) index (varied between 0.95 and 0.99) while the coefficient of determination R2 was used to assess the measured water content versus the modelled water content in the bedding layer (R2 = 0.81 ÷ 0.87) . The parameters were validated using the remaining sets of measurements resulting in NSE values greater than 0.90 (0.91 ÷ 0.99) and R2 between 0.63 and 0.91. Results have confirmed the applicability of HYDRUS-2D to describe correctly the hydraulic behaviour of the lab-scale system.

Free-roaming dog populations: a cost-benefit model for different management options, applied to Abruzzo, Italy.

PubMed

Høgåsen, H R; Er, C; Di Nardo, A; Dalla Villa, P

2013-11-01

Since 1991, Italian free-roaming dogs have been under government protection and euthanasia is restricted by law. Management measures are regulated at the regional level and include: kennelling, adoptions, conversion of stray dogs into block dogs, and population control of owned dogs. "Block dogs" are free-roaming dogs that have been collected by the veterinary services, microchipped, sterilised, vaccinated, and released under the responsibility of the local municipalities. The present paper describes a cost-benefit model for different management options and applies it to two provinces in Abruzzo, central Italy. The model considers welfare, nuisance and direct costs to the municipality. Welfare is quantified based on the expert opinions of 60 local veterinarians, who were asked to assign a score for each dog category according to the five freedoms: freedom from pain, physical discomfort, disease, fear, and freedom to express normal behaviour. Nuisance was assessed only for comparisons between management options, using the number of free-roaming dogs per inhabitant as a proxy indicator. A community dog population model was constructed to predict the effect of management on the different subpopulations of dogs during a ten-year period. It is a user-friendly deterministic model in Excel, easily adaptable to different communities to assess the impact of their dog management policy on welfare, nuisance and direct monetary cost. We present results for Teramo and Pescara provinces. Today's management system is compared to alternative models, which evaluate the effect of specific interventions. These include either a 10% yearly increase in kennel capacity, an increase in adoptions from kennels, a doubling of the capture of stray dogs, or a stabilisation of the owned dog population. Results indicate that optimal management decisions are complex because welfare, nuisance and monetary costs may imply conflicting interventions. Nevertheless, they clearly indicate that management actions that would act on dog ownership patterns to reduce the number of free-roaming dogs would have the most favourable outcomes. These include reducing the reproductive capacity of the owned dog population, stronger enforcement of mandatory dog identification, reducing abandonment and increasing adoptions. This would increase welfare and free resources for implementing public campaigns. Block dogs may be an important intermediary means to reduce stray dogs, but adoption would be preferable. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inter-rater agreement among orthodontists in a blocked experiment.

PubMed

Korn, E L; Baumrind, S

1985-01-01

Five orthodontists were asked to predict for 64 patients a particular dichotomous outcome of treatment based on pre-treatment X-ray films. The orthodontists rated the cases in blocks of size 4-6 with the knowledge of the number of positive outcomes in each block. We discuss the reasons why this blocked design is appropriate whenever clinicians are asked to rate cases which have not been randomly selected from a clinical practice similar to their own. We give a simple description of the inter-rater agreement for this type of blocked experiment as well as a procedure to test that the agreement is no better than that expected by random independent assignment.

Superalloy Lattice Block Developed for Use in Lightweight, High-Temperature Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hebsur, Mohan G.; Whittenberger, J. Daniel; Krause, David L.

2003-01-01

Successful development of advanced gas turbine engines for aircraft will require lightweight, high-temperature components. Currently titanium-aluminum- (TiAl) based alloys are envisioned for such applications because of their lower density (4 g/cm3) in comparison to superalloys (8.5 g/cm3), which have been utilized for hot turbine engine parts for over 50 years. However, a recently developed concept (lattice block) by JAMCORP, Inc., of Willmington, Massachusetts, would allow lightweight, high-temperature structures to be directly fabricated from superalloys and, thus, take advantage of their well-known, characterized properties. In its simplest state, lattice block is composed of thin ligaments arranged in a three dimensional triangulated trusslike configuration that forms a structurally rigid panel. Because lattice block can be fabricated by casting, correctly sized hardware is produced with little or no machining; thus very low cost manufacturing is possible. Together, the NASA Glenn Research Center and JAMCORP have extended their lattice block methodology for lower melting materials, such as Al alloys, to demonstrate that investment casting of superalloy lattice block is possible. This effort required advances in lattice block pattern design and assembly, higher temperature mold materials and mold fabrication technology, and foundry practice suitable for superalloys (ref. 1). Lattice block panels have been cast from two different Ni-base superalloys: IN 718, which is the most commonly utilized superalloy and retains its strength up to 650 C; and MAR M247, which possesses excellent mechanical properties to at least 1100 C. In addition to the open-cell lattice block geometry, same-sized lattice block panels containing a thin (1-mm-thick) solid face on one side have also been cast from both superalloys. The elevated-temperature mechanical properties of the open cell and face-sheeted superalloy lattice block panels are currently being examined, and the microstructure is being characterized in terms of casting defects. In addition, a small study (ref. 3) is being undertaken with GE Aircraft Engines to determine the suitability of superalloy lattice block for engine components.

A New Material Mapping Procedure for Quantitative Computed Tomography-Based, Continuum Finite Element Analyses of the Vertebra

PubMed Central

Unnikrishnan, Ginu U.; Morgan, Elise F.

2011-01-01

Inaccuracies in the estimation of material properties and errors in the assignment of these properties into finite element models limit the reliability, accuracy, and precision of quantitative computed tomography (QCT)-based finite element analyses of the vertebra. In this work, a new mesh-independent, material mapping procedure was developed to improve the quality of predictions of vertebral mechanical behavior from QCT-based finite element models. In this procedure, an intermediate step, called the material block model, was introduced to determine the distribution of material properties based on bone mineral density, and these properties were then mapped onto the finite element mesh. A sensitivity study was first conducted on a calibration phantom to understand the influence of the size of the material blocks on the computed bone mineral density. It was observed that varying the material block size produced only marginal changes in the predictions of mineral density. Finite element (FE) analyses were then conducted on a square column-shaped region of the vertebra and also on the entire vertebra in order to study the effect of material block size on the FE-derived outcomes. The predicted values of stiffness for the column and the vertebra decreased with decreasing block size. When these results were compared to those of a mesh convergence analysis, it was found that the influence of element size on vertebral stiffness was less than that of the material block size. This mapping procedure allows the material properties in a finite element study to be determined based on the block size required for an accurate representation of the material field, while the size of the finite elements can be selected independently and based on the required numerical accuracy of the finite element solution. The mesh-independent, material mapping procedure developed in this study could be particularly helpful in improving the accuracy of finite element analyses of vertebroplasty and spine metastases, as these analyses typically require mesh refinement at the interfaces between distinct materials. Moreover, the mapping procedure is not specific to the vertebra and could thus be applied to many other anatomic sites. PMID:21823740

Transport and Depositional Model for Large Country Rock Blocks Within the Searchlight Pluton, Southern Nevada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perrault, D. S.; Furbish, D. J.; Miller, C. F.

2006-05-01

Searchlight pluton, a steeply tilted, 10 km thick Miocene intrusion in the Colorado River Extensional Corridor, exposes a zone with abundant, 5-400 m long blocks of Proterozoic gneiss. Blocks are present within a pair of subparallel horizons that make up a 2 km-thick zone and extend about 6 km laterally away from the pluton's north margin slightly oblique to the initially subhorizontal boundary between the pluton's middle unit (granite) and lower unit (qtz monzonite). Blocks are a variety of Precambrian metasedimentary gneisses, granitic gneisses, and mylonites. Blocks are commonly polylithologic and well foliated, with long and intermediate dimensions parallel to both their own foliation and that of the granitic host. Their average aspect ratio is ~ 4:1. Blocks within these horizons are interpreted as stoped (detached country rock that experience gravity- induced displacement) based on several lines of evidence. First, the distribution and abundances of blocks are not consistent with an isolated panel of wall rock (screen). The zone is laterally discontinuous (local abundances vary from ~ 0-40 %); transects a gradational (cm-m scale) internal contact at a slightly oblique angle; and tapers away from the pluton's margin. Second, while block foliations are homoclinal and show fairly consistent attitudes from block to block, block foliations are discordant with wall rock foliations at the same stratigraphic level (adjacent north wall). Third, mush disturbance features such as schlieren and enhanced feldspar foliation beneath blocks suggest a downward compaction. We interpret the blocks to have been emplaced after wall collapse events. We are using scaled settling experiments to clarify how blocks move within viscous fluids and interact with crystal mushes. The experiments, involving tabular ceramic blocks with density ρ = 1.75-2.20 g cm-3 settling in shampoo (ρ = 1.02 g cm-3) with viscosity μ = 20.35 Pa s, are scaled to order-of-magnitude by the particle Reynolds number (Re ~ 10-2) based on a prototype spherical block of diameter ~ 50 m settling through a crystal free magma with the density (~ 2.25 g cm-3) and viscosity (~ 105 Pa s) of a granitic melt. With low Reynolds number settling, tabular blocks starting from arbitrary orientation tend to become aligned with their long dimension vertical. During alignment fluid shear is focused on the trailing part of the downward facing surface of the block, inducing a torque that tends to upright the block. Settling experiments also provide insights regarding how blocks might interact with mush/melt interfaces. Mushes at sufficiently high crystal content (>50%) stiffen rheologically. Stoped blocks settling on these interfaces may impart stresses that result in localized deformation of the mush (forming schlieren and/or compaction features). We moreover suggest that tabular blocks are deposited with their long axes horizontal at these interfaces; blocks with a geometry controlled by internal structures (e.g. foliation) would on average possess a subparallel alignment of both their geometric shape and internal structure. At sufficiently low Re, this realignment of a tabular block begins as it approaches a semi-rigid surface or interface and the leading fluid boundary layer interacts with the interface; the vertical speed of the block decreases and it begins to deflect and take on a lateral motion.

A rate-constrained fast full-search algorithm based on block sum pyramid.

PubMed

Song, Byung Cheol; Chun, Kang-Wook; Ra, Jong Beom

2005-03-01

This paper presents a fast full-search algorithm (FSA) for rate-constrained motion estimation. The proposed algorithm, which is based on the block sum pyramid frame structure, successively eliminates unnecessary search positions according to rate-constrained criterion. This algorithm provides the identical estimation performance to a conventional FSA having rate constraint, while achieving considerable reduction in computation.