100 or 30 years after Janeway or Bartter, Healthwatch helps avoid 'flying blind'.

PubMed

Cornélissen, Germaine; Halberg, Franz; Bakken, Earl; Singh, Ram B; Otsuka, Kuniaki; Tomlinson, Brian; Delcourt, Alain; Toussaint, Guy; Bathina, Srilakshmi; Schwartzkopff, Othild; Wang, Zhengrong; Tarquini, Roberto; Perfetto, Federico; Pantaleoni, Giancarlo; Jozsa, Rita; Delmore, Patrick A; Nolley, Ellis

2004-10-01

Longitudinal records of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) around the clock for days, weeks, months, years, and even decades obtained by manual self-measurements (during waking) and/or automatically by ambulatory monitoring reveal, in addition to well-known large within-day variation, also considerable day-to-day variability in most people, whether normotensive or hypertensive. As a first step, the circadian rhythm is considered along with gender differences and changes as a function of age to derive time-specified reference values (chronodesms), while reference values accumulate to also account for the circaseptan variation. Chronodesms serve for the interpretation of single measurements and of circadian and other rhythm parameters. Refined diagnoses can thus be obtained, namely MESOR-hypertension when the chronome-adjusted mean value (MESOR) of BP is above the upper limit of acceptability, excessive pulse pressure (EPP) when the difference in MESOR between the systolic (S) and diastolic (D) BP is too large, CHAT (circadian hyper-amplitude tension) when the circadian BP amplitude is excessive, DHRV (decreased heart rate variability) when the standard deviation (SD) of HR is below the acceptable range, and/or ecphasia when the overall high values recurring each day occur at an odd time (a condition also contributing to the risk associated with 'non-dipping'). A non-parametric approach consisting of a computer comparison of the subject's profile with the time-varying limits of acceptability further serves as a guide to optimize the efficacy of any needed treatment by timing its administration (chronotherapy) and selecting a treatment schedule best suited to normalize abnormal patterns in BP and/or HR. The merit of the proposed chronobiological approach to BP screening, diagnosis and therapy (chronotheranostics) is assessed in the light of outcome studies. Elevated risk associated with abnormal patterns of BP and/or HR variability, even when most if not all measurements lie within the range of acceptable values, becomes amenable to treatment as a critical step toward prevention (prehabilitation) to reduce the need for rehabilitation (the latter often after costly surgical intervention).

Cyclicity of Suicides May Be Modulated by Internal or External - 11-Year Cycles: An Example of Suicide Rates in Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimitrov, B. D.; Atanassova, P. A.; Rachkova, M. I.

2009-12-01

Multicomponent cyclicity in monthly suicides (periods T = 18, 46 and 198 months) was found and close similarity with heliogeophysical activity (HGA) suggested by Dimitrov in 1999. The current report aimed at scrutinizing the results on suicide annual cyclicity (seasonality) in Slovenia as reported by Oravecz et al in 2007 as well as at analyzing suicide data from Finland in this regard. We postulated that: (i) trans-year (12-24 months) or far-trans-year long-term cycles of suicides might interfere with their seasonality; and (ii) associations to environmental factors with alike cyclicity (e.g. HGA, temperature) could exist. Annual suicide incidence from Oulu, Finland over years 1987-1999 was analyzed. Annual data on solar activity (sunspot index Rz or Wolf number), planetary geomagnetic activity (aa-index) and local daily mean temperatures were used. The exploration of underlying chronomes (time structures) was done by periodogram regression analysis with trigonometric approximation. We analyzed temporal dynamics, revealed cyclicity, decomposed and reconstructed significant cycles and correlated the time series data. Suicide seasonality in Slovenia during the years 1971-2002 (n=384 months, peak May-June) was considered and, although some discrepancies and methodological weaknesses were suspected, we further hypothesized about trans-year and/or longer (far-transyear) cyclic components. Suicide incidence data from Finland indicated that the 12.5-year cyclic component (or trend) was almost parallel (coherent) to the cyclic heliogeophysical parameters and similar to local decreasing temperature dynamics. Also, 8-year and 24.5-year cycles were revealed. A correlation between the 12.5-year suicide cycle and 11-year solar cycle was found (R=0.919, p=0.000009). Above findings on cyclicity and temporal correlations of suicides with cyclic environmental factors, even being still preliminary, might not only allow for further more specific analyses. They might also corroborate to improved forecasting and prevention and confer a better understanding of suicide dynamics and aetiology.

Association of salivary cortisol with chronomics of 24 hours ambulatory blood pressure/heart rate among night shift workers.

PubMed

Anjum, B; Verma, N S; Tiwari, S; Singh, R; Mahdi, A A; Singh, R B; Singh, R K

2011-08-01

Recent studies indicate a circadian rhythm in blood pressure and heart rate and its association with various neurotransmitters. In the present study, we examine the circadian nature of blood pressure/heart rate and salivary cortisol in night shift workers and whether these circadian changes produced by night shifts are reversible. Sixteen healthy nurses of both genders, aged 20-40 years, performing day and night shift duties, were randomly selected out of 22 who volunteered for this study. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was done in all the subjects and salivary cortisol levels were analyzed during both day and night shift duties. There were clinically significant changes in the Acrophase of blood pressure and cortisol levels, indicating ecphasia (odd timing of systolic blood pressure) individually during night as well as day shifts. However, this pattern was statistically not significant. A reverse pattern of Acrophase was observed in 8 out of 16 subjects when they were posted on day shift. No significant change was found in midline estimating statistics of rhythm (MESOR) of blood pressure values. Changes in Double amplitude (Predictable change) were observed in 8 subjects during night shifts as well as in 7 subjects during day shifts. However, the pattern was not similar and night workers had an altered circadian pattern in the night as well as during day shifts. Changes in Double amplitude, Acrophase and Salivary cortisol were found during night as well as day shifts but these changes were not statistically significant (p > 0.05) due to incomplete recovery during day shifts (changes again seen when they came back to day shifts). Salivary cortisol levels were lowest in early morning, increased at midnight and further increased in the afternoon during night shifts along with ecphasia. It is possible that nurses working the night shift felt more tired due to the altered circadian cycle.

Effect of gender, age, diet and smoking status on chronomics of circulating plasma lipid components in healthy Indians.

PubMed

Singh, Ranjana; Sharma, Sumita; Singh, Rajesh K; Mahdi, Abbas A; Singh, Raj K; Lee Gierke, Cathy; Cornelissen, Germaine

2016-08-01

Circulating lipid components were studied under near-normal tropical conditions (around Lucknow) in 162 healthy volunteers - mostly medical students, staff members and members of their families (103 males and 59 females; 7 to 75y), subdivided into 4 age groups: A (7-20y; N=42), B (21-40y; N=60), C (41-60y; N=35) and D (61-75y; N=25). Blood samples were collected from each subject every 6h for 24h (4 samples). Plasma was separated and total cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, phospholipids and total lipids were measured spectrophotometrically. Data from each subject were analyzed by cosinor. We examined by multiple-analysis of variance how the MESOR (Midline Estimating Statistic Of Rhythm, a rhythm-adjusted mean) and the circadian amplitude of these variables is affected by gender, age, diet (vegetarian vs. omnivore), and smoking status. In addition to effects of gender and age, diet and smoking were found to affect the MESOR of circulating plasma lipid components in healthy Indians residing in northern India. Age also affected the circadian amplitude of these variables. These results indicate the possibility of using non-pharmacological interventions to improve a patient's metabolic profile before prescribing medication under near normal tropical conditions. They also add information that may help refine cut-off values in the light of factors shown here to affect blood lipids. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

32 CFR 701.53 - FOIA fee schedule.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... human time) and machine time. (1) Human time. Human time is all the time spent by humans performing the...) Machine time. Machine time involves only direct costs of the central processing unit (CPU), input/output... exist to calculate CPU time, no machine costs can be passed on to the requester. When CPU calculations...

32 CFR 701.53 - FOIA fee schedule.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... human time) and machine time. (1) Human time. Human time is all the time spent by humans performing the...) Machine time. Machine time involves only direct costs of the central processing unit (CPU), input/output... exist to calculate CPU time, no machine costs can be passed on to the requester. When CPU calculations...

32 CFR 518.20 - Collection of fees and fee rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...; individual time (hereafter referred to as human time), and machine time. (i) Human time. Human time is all the time spent by humans performing the necessary tasks to prepare the job for a machine to execute..., programmer, database administrator, or action officer). (ii) Machine time. Machine time involves only direct...

32 CFR 518.20 - Collection of fees and fee rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...; individual time (hereafter referred to as human time), and machine time. (i) Human time. Human time is all the time spent by humans performing the necessary tasks to prepare the job for a machine to execute..., programmer, database administrator, or action officer). (ii) Machine time. Machine time involves only direct...

32 CFR 518.20 - Collection of fees and fee rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...; individual time (hereafter referred to as human time), and machine time. (i) Human time. Human time is all the time spent by humans performing the necessary tasks to prepare the job for a machine to execute..., programmer, database administrator, or action officer). (ii) Machine time. Machine time involves only direct...

32 CFR 701.53 - FOIA fee schedule.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... human time) and machine time. (1) Human time. Human time is all the time spent by humans performing the...) Machine time. Machine time involves only direct costs of the central processing unit (CPU), input/output... exist to calculate CPU time, no machine costs can be passed on to the requester. When CPU calculations...

Analysis of Timing Control Mechanism of Utterance and Body Motion Using Dialogue between Human and Communication Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takasugi, Shoji; Yamamoto, Tomohito; Muto, Yumiko; Abe, Hiroyuki; Miyake, Yoshihiro

The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of timing control of utterance and body motion in human-robot interaction. Our previous study has already revealed the correlation of timing of utterance and body motion in human-human communication. Here we proposed a timing control model based on our previous research and estimated its influence to realize human-like communication using a questionnaire method. The results showed that the difference of effectiveness between the communication with the timing control model and that without it was observed. In addition, elderly people evaluated the communication with timing control much higher than younger people. These results show not only the importance of timing control of utterance and body motion in human communication but also its effectiveness for realizing human-like human-robot interaction.

How long did it last? You would better ask a human

PubMed Central

Lacquaniti, Francesco; Carrozzo, Mauro; d’Avella, Andrea; La Scaleia, Barbara; Moscatelli, Alessandro; Zago, Myrka

2014-01-01

In the future, human-like robots will live among people to provide company and help carrying out tasks in cooperation with humans. These interactions require that robots understand not only human actions, but also the way in which we perceive the world. Human perception heavily relies on the time dimension, especially when it comes to processing visual motion. Critically, human time perception for dynamic events is often inaccurate. Robots interacting with humans may want to see the world and tell time the way humans do: if so, they must incorporate human-like fallacy. Observers asked to judge the duration of brief scenes are prone to errors: perceived duration often does not match the physical duration of the event. Several kinds of temporal distortions have been described in the specialized literature. Here we review the topic with a special emphasis on our work dealing with time perception of animate actors versus inanimate actors. This work shows the existence of specialized time bases for different categories of targets. The time base used by the human brain to process visual motion appears to be calibrated against the specific predictions regarding the motion of human figures in case of animate motion, while it can be calibrated against the predictions of motion of passive objects in case of inanimate motion. Human perception of time appears to be strictly linked with the mechanisms used to control movements. Thus, neural time can be entrained by external cues in a similar manner for both perceptual judgments of elapsed time and in motor control tasks. One possible strategy could be to implement in humanoids a unique architecture for dealing with time, which would apply the same specialized mechanisms to both perception and action, similarly to humans. This shared implementation might render the humanoids more acceptable to humans, thus facilitating reciprocal interactions. PMID:24478694

How long did it last? You would better ask a human.

PubMed

Lacquaniti, Francesco; Carrozzo, Mauro; d'Avella, Andrea; La Scaleia, Barbara; Moscatelli, Alessandro; Zago, Myrka

2014-01-01

In the future, human-like robots will live among people to provide company and help carrying out tasks in cooperation with humans. These interactions require that robots understand not only human actions, but also the way in which we perceive the world. Human perception heavily relies on the time dimension, especially when it comes to processing visual motion. Critically, human time perception for dynamic events is often inaccurate. Robots interacting with humans may want to see the world and tell time the way humans do: if so, they must incorporate human-like fallacy. Observers asked to judge the duration of brief scenes are prone to errors: perceived duration often does not match the physical duration of the event. Several kinds of temporal distortions have been described in the specialized literature. Here we review the topic with a special emphasis on our work dealing with time perception of animate actors versus inanimate actors. This work shows the existence of specialized time bases for different categories of targets. The time base used by the human brain to process visual motion appears to be calibrated against the specific predictions regarding the motion of human figures in case of animate motion, while it can be calibrated against the predictions of motion of passive objects in case of inanimate motion. Human perception of time appears to be strictly linked with the mechanisms used to control movements. Thus, neural time can be entrained by external cues in a similar manner for both perceptual judgments of elapsed time and in motor control tasks. One possible strategy could be to implement in humanoids a unique architecture for dealing with time, which would apply the same specialized mechanisms to both perception and action, similarly to humans. This shared implementation might render the humanoids more acceptable to humans, thus facilitating reciprocal interactions.

Reinventing Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Technology Teacher, 2004

2004-01-01

What do planet Earth, a swinging pendulum, a quartz crystal, and a Cesium atom have in common? They have all been used by humans to measure time. They represent humanity's progress through time in measuring time itself. But what is it, really, that humans set out to measure? Before time could be measured, somebody had to decide what to actually…

Comparison of the effectiveness of some common animal data scaling techniques in estimating human radiation dose

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

Sparks, R.B.; Aydogan, B.

In the development of new radiopharmaceuticals, animal studies are typically performed to get a first approximation of the expected radiation dose in humans. This study evaluates the performance of some commonly used data extrapolation techniques to predict residence times in humans using data collected from animals. Residence times were calculated using animal and human data, and distributions of ratios of the animal results to human results were constructed for each extrapolation method. Four methods using animal data to predict human residence times were examined: (1) using no extrapolation, (2) using relative organ mass extrapolation, (3) using physiological time extrapolation, andmore » (4) using a combination of the mass and time methods. The residence time ratios were found to be log normally distributed for the nonextrapolated and extrapolated data sets. The use of relative organ mass extrapolation yielded no statistically significant change in the geometric mean or variance of the residence time ratios as compared to using no extrapolation. Physiologic time extrapolation yielded a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.01, paired t test) in the geometric mean of the residence time ratio from 0.5 to 0.8. Combining mass and time methods did not significantly improve the results of using time extrapolation alone. 63 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.« less

Circadian and extracircadian exploration during daytime hours of circulating corticosterone and other endocrine chronomes.

PubMed

Jozsa, R; Olah, A; Cornélissen, G; Csernus, V; Otsuka, K; Zeman, M; Nagy, G; Kaszaki, J; Stebelova, K; Csokas, N; Pan, W; Herold, M; Bakken, E E; Halberg, F

2005-10-01

During 7 consecutive days, blood and several tissues were collected during daytime working hours only, three times per day at 4-h intervals from inbred Wistar rats, which had been previously standardized for 1 month in two rooms on a regimen of 12 h of light (L) alternating with 12 h of darkness (LD12:12). In one room, lights were on from 09:00 to 21:00 and in the other room, lights were on from 21:00 to 09:00 (DL12:12; reversed lighting regimen). This setup provides a convenient design to study circadian and extracircadian variations over long (e.g., 7-day) spans. Prior checking of certain circadian rhythms in animals reared in the room on reversed lighting (DL) as compared with animals in the usual (LD) regimen provided evidence that the 180 degrees phase-shift had occurred. These measurements were limited to the circadian (and not extended to infradian) variation. As marker rhythm, the core temperature of a subsample of rats was measured every 4 h around the clock (by night as well as by day) before the start of the 7-day sampling. An antiphase of the circadian rhythm in core temperature was thus demonstrated between rats in the LD vs. DL rooms. A sex difference in core temperature was also found in each room. A reversed rhythm in animals kept in DL and an antiphase between rats kept in DL vs. LD was again shown for the circulating corticosterone rhythm documented in subsamples of 8 animals of each sex sampled around the clock during the first approximately 1.5 day of the 7-day sampling. The findings were in keeping with the proposition that sampling rats at three timepoints 4 h apart during daytime from two rooms on opposite lighting regimens allows the assessment of circadian changes, the daytime samples from animals kept on the reversed lighting regimen accounting for the samples that would have to be obtained by night from animals kept in the room with the usual lighting regimen. During the 7-day-long follow-up, circadian and extracircadian spectral components were mapped for serum corticosterone, taking into account the large day-to-day variability. A third check on the synchronization of the animals to their respective lighting regimen was a comparison (and a good agreement) between studies carried out earlier on the same variables and the circadian results obtained on core temperature and serum corticosterone in this study as a whole. The present study happened to start on the day of the second extremum of a moderate double magnetic storm. The study of any associations of corticosterone with the storm is beyond our scope herein, as are the results on circulating prolactin, characterized by a greater variability and a larger sex difference than corticosterone. Sex differences and extracircadian aspects of prolactin and endothelin determined in the same samples are reported elsewhere, as are results on melatonin. Prior studies on melatonin were confirmed insofar as a circadian profile is concerned by sampling on two antiphasic lighting regimens, as also reported elsewhere. Accordingly, a circadian map for the rat will eventually be extended by the result of this study and aligned with other maps with the qualification of the unassessed contribution in this study of a magnetic storm.

Generation times in wild chimpanzees and gorillas suggest earlier divergence times in great ape and human evolution

PubMed Central

Langergraber, Kevin E.; Prüfer, Kay; Rowney, Carolyn; Boesch, Christophe; Crockford, Catherine; Fawcett, Katie; Inoue, Eiji; Inoue-Muruyama, Miho; Mitani, John C.; Muller, Martin N.; Robbins, Martha M.; Schubert, Grit; Stoinski, Tara S.; Viola, Bence; Watts, David; Wittig, Roman M.; Wrangham, Richard W.; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Pääbo, Svante; Vigilant, Linda

2012-01-01

Fossils and molecular data are two independent sources of information that should in principle provide consistent inferences of when evolutionary lineages diverged. Here we use an alternative approach to genetic inference of species split times in recent human and ape evolution that is independent of the fossil record. We first use genetic parentage information on a large number of wild chimpanzees and mountain gorillas to directly infer their average generation times. We then compare these generation time estimates with those of humans and apply recent estimates of the human mutation rate per generation to derive estimates of split times of great apes and humans that are independent of fossil calibration. We date the human–chimpanzee split to at least 7–8 million years and the population split between Neanderthals and modern humans to 400,000–800,000 y ago. This suggests that molecular divergence dates may not be in conflict with the attribution of 6- to 7-million-y-old fossils to the human lineage and 400,000-y-old fossils to the Neanderthal lineage. PMID:22891323

Time-and Concentration-Dependent Cytotoxicity of Ricin in Human Lung Epithelial Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-01

lectin, ricin communis agglutinin, which is not directly cytotoxic but does have an affinity for red blood cells and can lead to agglutination and...Time- and Concentration-Dependent Cytotoxicity of Ricin in Human Lung Epithelial Cells Sharmaine Ramasamy and David Proll Human...Disease Control (CDC) Select Agent List. Using human small airway epithelial cells , this is the first study to investigate the time- and dose-dependent

Real-time stylistic prediction for whole-body human motions.

PubMed

Matsubara, Takamitsu; Hyon, Sang-Ho; Morimoto, Jun

2012-01-01

The ability to predict human motion is crucial in several contexts such as human tracking by computer vision and the synthesis of human-like computer graphics. Previous work has focused on off-line processes with well-segmented data; however, many applications such as robotics require real-time control with efficient computation. In this paper, we propose a novel approach called real-time stylistic prediction for whole-body human motions to satisfy these requirements. This approach uses a novel generative model to represent a whole-body human motion including rhythmic motion (e.g., walking) and discrete motion (e.g., jumping). The generative model is composed of a low-dimensional state (phase) dynamics and a two-factor observation model, allowing it to capture the diversity of motion styles in humans. A real-time adaptation algorithm was derived to estimate both state variables and style parameter of the model from non-stationary unlabeled sequential observations. Moreover, with a simple modification, the algorithm allows real-time adaptation even from incomplete (partial) observations. Based on the estimated state and style, a future motion sequence can be accurately predicted. In our implementation, it takes less than 15 ms for both adaptation and prediction at each observation. Our real-time stylistic prediction was evaluated for human walking, running, and jumping behaviors. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An exploration of the perception of time from the perspective of the Science of Unitary Human Beings.

PubMed

Ring, Marcia E

2009-01-01

What is time? The science of unitary human beings describes pandimensional reality as a domain without spatial or temporal attributes. As part of this pandimensional reality, unitary human beings experience time as passing, and involving the past, present, and future. The theory of accelerating evolution describes changes in human and environmental energy fields that are always accelerating and are manifested as differences in the experience of time as being slow, fast, and still. Time, be it measured or experienced, has no meaning in and of itself, but can only be understood in terms of the ever-evolving life process.

Divergent fates of the medical humanities in psychiatry and internal medicine: should psychiatry be rehumanized?

PubMed

Rutherford, Bret R; Hellerstein, David J

2008-01-01

To determine the degree to which the medical humanities have been integrated into the fields of internal medicine and psychiatry, the authors assessed the presence of medical humanities articles in selected psychiatry and internal medicine journals from 1950 to 2000. The journals searched were the three highest-ranking psychiatry and internal medicine journals on the Institute for Scientific Information's Impact Factor rankings that were published in English and aimed at a clinical audience. Operationalized criteria defining the medical humanities allowed the percentage of text in the selected journals constituting medical humanities to be quantified. Journals were hand searched at 10-year intervals from 1950 to 2000. Mixed effects models were used to describe the change in medical humanities over time. The percentage of text within psychiatry journals meeting the criteria for medical humanities declined from a peak of 17% in 1970 to a low of 2% in 2000, while the percentage of humanities articles in internal medicine journals roughly doubled from 5% to 11% over the same time period. A linear model increasing over time best fit the medical humanities in the internal medicine journals, while a cubic model decreasing over time best fit the psychiatry humanities data. Humanities articles in medical journals had a greater breadth and diversity than those in psychiatry journals. Medical humanities publications dramatically decreased over time in psychiatry journals while they more than doubled in internal medicine journals. These data suggest the need for further empirical research and discussion of the potential roles of the humanities in psychiatry.

Influence of Pause Duration and Nod Response Timing in Dialogue between Human and Communication Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takasugi, Shoji; Yoshida, Shohei; Okitsu, Kengo; Yokoyama, Masanori; Yamamoto, Tomohito; Miyake, Yoshihiro

The purpose of this study is to clarify the influence from timing of utterance and body motion in dialogue between human and robot. We controlled pause duration and nod response timing in robot-side, and analyzed impression of communication in human-side by using Scheffe's Paired Comparison method. The results revealed that the impression of communication significantly modified by changing the pause duration and nod response timing. And, timing pattern of the impression altered diversely in elderly people than in younger, indicating that elderly generation uses various timing control mechanisms. From these results, it was suggested that timing control and impression of communication are mutually influenced, and this mechanism is thought to be useful to realize human-robot communication system for elderly generation.

Comparative thermometric coagulation studies of plasmas from normal outbred Swiss Webster mice and persons.

PubMed

Tsang, V C; Wyatt, C R; Damian, R T

1979-06-01

The functional capabilities of a thermometric clot-timer have been demonstrated in a comparative study of human and mouse plasma coagulation. The influence of some variables on coagulation times of mouse and human plasmas were examined in activated partial thromboplastin time, one-stage prothrombin time, and Russell's viper venom time assays. Mouse plasma coagulation times were generally shorter and more reproducible than those of human plasma. Optimal assay conditions are also described.

32 CFR 286.29 - Collection of fees and fee rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... consists of two parts; individual time (hereafter referred to as human time), and machine time. (i) Human... support, operator, programmer, database administrator, or action officer). (ii) Machine time. Machine time... the time of providing the documents to the requester or recipient when the requester specifically...

32 CFR 286.29 - Collection of fees and fee rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... consists of two parts; individual time (hereafter referred to as human time), and machine time. (i) Human... support, operator, programmer, database administrator, or action officer). (ii) Machine time. Machine time... the time of providing the documents to the requester or recipient when the requester specifically...

32 CFR 286.29 - Collection of fees and fee rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... consists of two parts; individual time (hereafter referred to as human time), and machine time. (i) Human... support, operator, programmer, database administrator, or action officer). (ii) Machine time. Machine time... the time of providing the documents to the requester or recipient when the requester specifically...

Modeling bursts and heavy tails in human dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vázquez, Alexei; Oliveira, João Gama; Dezsö, Zoltán; Goh, Kwang-Il; Kondor, Imre; Barabási, Albert-László

2006-03-01

The dynamics of many social, technological and economic phenomena are driven by individual human actions, turning the quantitative understanding of human behavior into a central question of modern science. Current models of human dynamics, used from risk assessment to communications, assume that human actions are randomly distributed in time and thus well approximated by Poisson processes. Here we provide direct evidence that for five human activity patterns, such as email and letter based communications, web browsing, library visits and stock trading, the timing of individual human actions follow non-Poisson statistics, characterized by bursts of rapidly occurring events separated by long periods of inactivity. We show that the bursty nature of human behavior is a consequence of a decision based queuing process: when individuals execute tasks based on some perceived priority, the timing of the tasks will be heavy tailed, most tasks being rapidly executed, while a few experiencing very long waiting times. In contrast, priority blind execution is well approximated by uniform interevent statistics. We discuss two queuing models that capture human activity. The first model assumes that there are no limitations on the number of tasks an individual can hadle at any time, predicting that the waiting time of the individual tasks follow a heavy tailed distribution P(τw)˜τw-α with α=3/2 . The second model imposes limitations on the queue length, resulting in a heavy tailed waiting time distribution characterized by α=1 . We provide empirical evidence supporting the relevance of these two models to human activity patterns, showing that while emails, web browsing and library visitation display α=1 , the surface mail based communication belongs to the α=3/2 universality class. Finally, we discuss possible extension of the proposed queuing models and outline some future challenges in exploring the statistical mechanics of human dynamics.

Modeling bursts and heavy tails in human dynamics.

PubMed

Vázquez, Alexei; Oliveira, João Gama; Dezsö, Zoltán; Goh, Kwang-Il; Kondor, Imre; Barabási, Albert-László

2006-03-01

The dynamics of many social, technological and economic phenomena are driven by individual human actions, turning the quantitative understanding of human behavior into a central question of modern science. Current models of human dynamics, used from risk assessment to communications, assume that human actions are randomly distributed in time and thus well approximated by Poisson processes. Here we provide direct evidence that for five human activity patterns, such as email and letter based communications, web browsing, library visits and stock trading, the timing of individual human actions follow non-Poisson statistics, characterized by bursts of rapidly occurring events separated by long periods of inactivity. We show that the bursty nature of human behavior is a consequence of a decision based queuing process: when individuals execute tasks based on some perceived priority, the timing of the tasks will be heavy tailed, most tasks being rapidly executed, while a few experiencing very long waiting times. In contrast, priority blind execution is well approximated by uniform interevent statistics. We discuss two queuing models that capture human activity. The first model assumes that there are no limitations on the number of tasks an individual can handle at any time, predicting that the waiting time of the individual tasks follow a heavy tailed distribution P(tau(w)) approximately tau(w)(-alpha) with alpha=3/2. The second model imposes limitations on the queue length, resulting in a heavy tailed waiting time distribution characterized by alpha=1. We provide empirical evidence supporting the relevance of these two models to human activity patterns, showing that while emails, web browsing and library visitation display alpha=1, the surface mail based communication belongs to the alpha=3/2 universality class. Finally, we discuss possible extension of the proposed queuing models and outline some future challenges in exploring the statistical mechanics of human dynamics.

Enteral Feeding with Human Milk Decreases Time to Discharge in Infants following Gastroschisis Repair.

PubMed

Gulack, Brian C; Laughon, Matthew M; Clark, Reese H; Burgess, Terrance; Robinson, Sybil; Muhammad, Abdurrauf; Zhang, Angela; Davis, Adrienne; Morton, Robert; Chu, Vivian H; Arnold, Christopher J; Hornik, Christoph P; Smith, P Brian

2016-03-01

To assess the effect of enteral feeding with human milk on the time from initiation of feeds to discharge after gastroschisis repair through review of a multi-institutional database. Infants who underwent gastroschisis repair between 1997 and 2012 with data recorded in the Pediatrix Medical Group Clinical Data Warehouse were categorized into 4 groups based on the percentage of days fed human milk out of the number of days fed enterally. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was performed to determine the adjusted effect of human milk on the time from initiation of feeds to discharge. Among 3082 infants, 659 (21%) were fed human milk on 0% of enteral feeding days, 766 (25%) were fed human milk on 1%-50% of enteral feeding days, 725 (24%) were fed human milk on 51%-99% of enteral feeding days, and 932 (30%) were fed human milk on 100% of enteral feeding days. Following adjustment, being fed human milk on 0% of enteral feeding days was associated with a significantly increased time to discharge compared with being fed human milk on 100% of enteral feeding days (hazard ratio [HR] for discharge per day, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.40-0.52). The same was found for infants fed human milk on 1%-50% of enteral feeding days (HR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.32-0.41) and for infants fed human milk on 51%-99% of enteral feeding days (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.46-0.57). The use of human milk for enteral feeding of infants following repair of gastroschisis significantly reduces the time to discharge from initiation of feeds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prisms to travel in time: Investigation of time-space association through prismatic adaptation effect on mental time travel.

PubMed

Anelli, Filomena; Ciaramelli, Elisa; Arzy, Shahar; Frassinetti, Francesca

2016-11-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that humans process time and space in similar veins. Humans represent time along a spatial continuum, and perception of temporal durations can be altered through manipulations of spatial attention by prismatic adaptation (PA). Here, we investigated whether PA-induced manipulations of spatial attention can also influence more conceptual aspects of time, such as humans' ability to travel mentally back and forward in time (mental time travel, MTT). Before and after leftward- and rightward-PA, participants projected themselves in the past, present or future time (i.e., self-projection), and, for each condition, determined whether a series of events were located in the past or the future with respect to that specific self-location in time (i.e., self-reference). The results demonstrated that leftward and rightward shifts of spatial attention facilitated recognition of past and future events, respectively. These findings suggest that spatial attention affects the temporal processing of the human self. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Animals May Not Be Stuck in Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zentall, T.R.

2005-01-01

Humans have the ability to mentally travel forward and back in time. They can retrieve vivid memories of past events (episodic memories) and can imagine the future (planning). Although it has been suggested that this is a uniquely human ability, the evidence for subjective time travel in humans is typically based on verbal report and elaboration.…

Stochastic simulation of human pulmonary blood flow and transit time frequency distribution based on anatomic and elasticity data.

PubMed

Huang, Wei; Shi, Jun; Yen, R T

2012-12-01

The objective of our study was to develop a computing program for computing the transit time frequency distributions of red blood cell in human pulmonary circulation, based on our anatomic and elasticity data of blood vessels in human lung. A stochastic simulation model was introduced to simulate blood flow in human pulmonary circulation. In the stochastic simulation model, the connectivity data of pulmonary blood vessels in human lung was converted into a probability matrix. Based on this model, the transit time of red blood cell in human pulmonary circulation and the output blood pressure were studied. Additionally, the stochastic simulation model can be used to predict the changes of blood flow in human pulmonary circulation with the advantage of the lower computing cost and the higher flexibility. In conclusion, a stochastic simulation approach was introduced to simulate the blood flow in the hierarchical structure of a pulmonary circulation system, and to calculate the transit time distributions and the blood pressure outputs.

Perspective: Economic Human Rights: The Time Has Come!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mittal, Anuradha

1998-01-01

Maintains that the high poverty levels in the United States implies that the goals of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) have not yet transformed the reality of U.S. citizens. Describes the national campaign called "Economic Human Rights: The Time Has Come!" that combats the violations of basic human rights like poverty.…

A comparison of human and machine translation of health promotion materials for public health practice: time, costs, and quality.

PubMed

Turner, Anne M; Bergman, Margo; Brownstein, Megumu; Cole, Kate; Kirchhoff, Katrin

2014-01-01

Most local public health departments serve limited English proficiency groups but lack sufficient resources to translate the health promotion materials that they produce into different languages. Machine translation (MT) with human postediting could fill this gap and work toward decreasing health disparities among non-English speakers. (1) To identify the time and costs associated with human translation (HT) of public health documents, (2) determine the time necessary for human postediting of MT, and (3) compare the quality of postedited MT and HT. A quality comparison of 25 MT and HT documents was performed with public health translators. The public health professionals involved were queried about the workflow, costs, and time for HT of 11 English public health documents over a 20-month period. Three recently translated documents of similar size and topic were then machine translated, the time for human postediting was recorded, and a blind quality analysis was performed. Seattle/King County, Washington. Public health professionals. (1) Estimated times for various HT tasks; (2) observed postediting times for MT documents; (3) actual costs for HT; and (4) comparison of quality ratings for HT and MT. Human translation via local health department methods took 17 hours to 6 days. While HT postediting words per minute ranged from 1.58 to 5.88, MT plus human postediting words per minute ranged from 10 to 30. The cost of HT ranged from $130 to $1220; MT required no additional costs. A quality comparison by bilingual public health professionals showed that MT and HT were equivalently preferred. MT with human postediting can reduce the time and costs of translating public health materials while maintaining quality similar to HT. In conjunction with postediting, MT could greatly improve the availability of multilingual public health materials.

Adding the Human Element to Ship Manoeuvring Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aarsæther, Karl Gunnar; Moan, Torgeir

Time-domain simulation of ship manoeuvring has been utilized in risk analysis to assess the effect of changes to the ship-lane, development in traffic volume and the associated risk. The process of ship manoeuvring in a wider socio-technical context consists of the technical systems, operational procedures, the human operators and support functions. Automated manoeuvring simulations without human operators in the simulation loop have often been preferred in simulation studies due to the low time required for simulations. Automatic control has represented the human element with little effort devoted to explain the relationship between the guidance and control algorithms and the human operator which they replace. This paper describes the development and application of a model for the human element for autonomous time-domain manoeuvring simulations. The method is applicable in the time-domain, modular and found to be capable of reproducing observed manoeuvre patterns, but limited to represent the intended behaviour.

Fractal analysis on human dynamics of library loans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Chao; Guo, Jin-Li; Zha, Yi-Long

2012-12-01

In this paper, the fractal characteristic of human behaviors is investigated from the perspective of time series constructed with the amount of library loans. The values of the Hurst exponent and length of non-periodic cycle calculated through rescaled range analysis indicate that the time series of human behaviors and their sub-series are fractal with self-similarity and long-range dependence. Then the time series are converted into complex networks by the visibility algorithm. The topological properties of the networks such as scale-free property and small-world effect imply that there is a close relationship among the numbers of repetitious behaviors performed by people during certain periods of time. Our work implies that there is intrinsic regularity in the human collective repetitious behaviors. The conclusions may be helpful to develop some new approaches to investigate the fractal feature and mechanism of human dynamics, and provide some references for the management and forecast of human collective behaviors.

Comparing the effect of topical application of human milk and dry cord care on umbilical cord separation time in healthy newborn infants.

PubMed

Aghamohammadi, Azar; Zafari, Mandana; Moslemi, Leila

2012-06-01

Comparing the effect of topical human milk application and dry cord care on cord separation time. This research was a randomized clinical trial study on 130 singleton and mature newborns. Newborns were placed randomly in groups of topical application of human milk and dry cord care. The umbilical separation time was compared in the two groups. Data was analyzed by SPSS software. Independent Samples t-Test, χ(2), Fisher were used in this study. Median time of cord separation in human milk application group (150.95±28.68 hours) was significantly shorter than dry cord care group (180.93±37.42 hours) (P<0.001). Topical application of human milk on the remaining part of the cord reduces the cord separation time and it can be used as an easy, cheap and non invasive way for cord care.

Real-time multiple human perception with color-depth cameras on a mobile robot.

PubMed

Zhang, Hao; Reardon, Christopher; Parker, Lynne E

2013-10-01

The ability to perceive humans is an essential requirement for safe and efficient human-robot interaction. In real-world applications, the need for a robot to interact in real time with multiple humans in a dynamic, 3-D environment presents a significant challenge. The recent availability of commercial color-depth cameras allow for the creation of a system that makes use of the depth dimension, thus enabling a robot to observe its environment and perceive in the 3-D space. Here we present a system for 3-D multiple human perception in real time from a moving robot equipped with a color-depth camera and a consumer-grade computer. Our approach reduces computation time to achieve real-time performance through a unique combination of new ideas and established techniques. We remove the ground and ceiling planes from the 3-D point cloud input to separate candidate point clusters. We introduce the novel information concept, depth of interest, which we use to identify candidates for detection, and that avoids the computationally expensive scanning-window methods of other approaches. We utilize a cascade of detectors to distinguish humans from objects, in which we make intelligent reuse of intermediary features in successive detectors to improve computation. Because of the high computational cost of some methods, we represent our candidate tracking algorithm with a decision directed acyclic graph, which allows us to use the most computationally intense techniques only where necessary. We detail the successful implementation of our novel approach on a mobile robot and examine its performance in scenarios with real-world challenges, including occlusion, robot motion, nonupright humans, humans leaving and reentering the field of view (i.e., the reidentification challenge), human-object and human-human interaction. We conclude with the observation that the incorporation of the depth information, together with the use of modern techniques in new ways, we are able to create an accurate system for real-time 3-D perception of humans by a mobile robot.

Feedbacks in Human-Landscape Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Anne; Florsheim, Joan L.; Wohl, Ellen; Collins, Brian D.

2014-01-01

This article identifies key questions and challenges for geomorphologists in investigating coupled feedbacks in human-landscape systems. While feedbacks occur in the absence of human influences, they are also altered by human activity. Feedbacks are a key element to understanding human-influenced geomorphic systems in ways that extend our traditional approach of considering humans as unidirectional drivers of change. Feedbacks have been increasingly identified in Earth-environmental systems, with studies of coupled human-natural systems emphasizing ecological phenomena in producing emerging concepts for social-ecological systems. Enormous gaps or uncertainties in knowledge remain with respect to understanding impact-feedback loops within geomorphic systems with significant human alterations, where the impacted geomorphic systems in turn affect humans. Geomorphology should play an important role in public policy by identifying the many diffuse and subtle feedbacks of both local- and global-scale processes. This role is urgent, while time may still be available to mitigate the impacts that limit the sustainability of human societies. Challenges for geomorphology include identification of the often weak feedbacks that occur over varied time and space scales ranging from geologic time to single isolated events and very short time periods, the lack of available data linking impact with response, the identification of multiple thresholds that trigger feedback mechanisms, the varied tools and metrics needed to represent both physical and human processes, and the need to collaborate with social scientists with expertise in the human causes of geomorphic change, as well as the human responses to such change.

The Concept of Time in Rehabilitation and Psychosocial Adaptation to Chronic Illness and Disability: Part I

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livneh, Hanoch

2012-01-01

Human fascination with the concept of time can be traced to antiquity. Time has been viewed as fundamental to all human experience, and efforts to understand its nature, structure, and relationship to the human experience have generated a burgeoning body of literature, over the past two millennia, among philosophers, astronomers, physicists, and…

Evaluating the Human Damage of Tsunami at Each Time Frame in Aggregate Units Based on GPS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogawa, Y.; Akiyama, Y.; Kanasugi, H.; Shibasaki, R.; Kaneda, H.

2016-06-01

Assessments of the human damage caused by the tsunami are required in order to consider disaster prevention at such a regional level. Hence, there is an increasing need for the assessments of human damage caused by earthquakes. However, damage assessments in japan currently usually rely on static population distribution data, such as statistical night time population data obtained from national census surveys. Therefore, human damage estimation that take into consideration time frames have not been assessed yet. With these backgrounds, the objectives of this study are: to develop a method for estimating the population distribution of the for each time frame, based on location positioning data observed with mass GPS loggers of mobile phones, to use a evacuation and casualties models for evaluating human damage due to the tsunami, and evaluate each time frame by using the data developed in the first objective, and 3) to discuss the factors which cause the differences in human damage for each time frame. By visualizing the results, we clarified the differences in damage depending on time frame, day and area. As this study enables us to assess damage for any time frame in and high resolution, it will be useful to consider provision for various situations when an earthquake may hit, such as during commuting hours or working hours and week day or holiday.

The temporal change in the cortical activations due to salty and sweet tastes in humans: fMRI and time-intensity sensory evaluation.

PubMed

Nakamura, Yuko; Goto, Tazuko K; Tokumori, Kenji; Yoshiura, Takashi; Kobayashi, Koji; Nakamura, Yasuhiko; Honda, Hiroshi; Ninomiya, Yuzo; Yoshiura, Kazunori

2012-04-18

It remains unclear how the cerebral cortex of humans perceives taste temporally, and whether or not such objective data about the brain show a correlation with the current widely used conventional methods of taste-intensity sensory evaluation. The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in the time-intensity profile between salty and sweet tastes in the human brain. The time-intensity profiles of functional MRI (fMRI) data of the human taste cortex were analyzed using finite impulse response analysis for a direct interpretation in terms of the peristimulus time signal. Also, time-intensity sensory evaluations for tastes were performed under the same condition as fMRI to confirm the reliability of the temporal profile in the fMRI data. The time-intensity profile for the brain activations due to a salty taste changed more rapidly than those due to a sweet taste in the human brain cortex and was also similar to the time-intensity sensory evaluation, confirming the reliability of the temporal profile of the fMRI data. In conclusion, the time-intensity profile using finite impulse response analysis for fMRI data showed that there was a temporal difference in the neural responses between salty and sweet tastes over a given period of time. This indicates that there might be taste-specific temporal profiles of activations in the human brain.

Understanding the effect of vector dynamics in epidemic models using center manifold analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocha, Filipe; Aguiar, Maíra; Souza, Max; Stollenwerk, Nico

2012-09-01

In vector borne diseases the human hosts' epidemiology often acts on a much slower time scales than the one of the mosquitos which transmit the disease as a vector from human to human, due to their vastly different life cycles. We investigate in a model with susceptible (S), infected (I) and recovered (R) humans and susceptible (U) and infected (V) mosquitoes in how far the fast time scale of the mosquito epidemiology can be slaved by the slower human epidemiology, so that for the understanding of human disease data mainly the dynamics of the human time scale is essential and only slightly perturbed by the mosquito dynamics. This analysis of the SIRUV model is qualitatively in agreement with a previously investigated simpler SISUV model, hence a feature of vector-borne diseases in general.

Complexity of heart rate fluctuations in near-term sheep and human fetuses during sleep.

PubMed

Frank, Birgit; Frasch, Martin G; Schneider, Uwe; Roedel, Marcus; Schwab, Matthias; Hoyer, Dirk

2006-10-01

We investigated how the complexity of fetal heart rate fluctuations (fHRF) is related to the sleep states in sheep and human fetuses. The complexity as a function of time scale for fetal heart rate data for 7 sheep and 27 human fetuses was estimated in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep by means of permutation entropy and the associated Kullback-Leibler entropy. We found that in humans, fHRF complexity is higher in non-REM than REM sleep, whereas in sheep this relationship is reversed. To show this relation, choice of the appropriate time scale is crucial. In sheep fetuses, we found differences in the complexity of fHRF between REM and non-REM sleep only for larger time scales (above 2.5 s), whereas in human fetuses the complexity was clearly different between REM and non-REM sleep over the whole range of time scales. This may be due to inherent time scales of complexity, which reflect species-specific functions of the autonomic nervous system. Such differences have to be considered when animal data are translated to the human situation.

Human blood metabolite timetable indicates internal body time

PubMed Central

Kasukawa, Takeya; Sugimoto, Masahiro; Hida, Akiko; Minami, Yoichi; Mori, Masayo; Honma, Sato; Honma, Ken-ichi; Mishima, Kazuo; Soga, Tomoyoshi; Ueda, Hiroki R.

2012-01-01

A convenient way to estimate internal body time (BT) is essential for chronotherapy and time-restricted feeding, both of which use body-time information to maximize potency and minimize toxicity during drug administration and feeding, respectively. Previously, we proposed a molecular timetable based on circadian-oscillating substances in multiple mouse organs or blood to estimate internal body time from samples taken at only a few time points. Here we applied this molecular-timetable concept to estimate and evaluate internal body time in humans. We constructed a 1.5-d reference timetable of oscillating metabolites in human blood samples with 2-h sampling frequency while simultaneously controlling for the confounding effects of activity level, light, temperature, sleep, and food intake. By using this metabolite timetable as a reference, we accurately determined internal body time within 3 h from just two anti-phase blood samples. Our minimally invasive, molecular-timetable method with human blood enables highly optimized and personalized medicine. PMID:22927403

A NEW METHOD OF LONGITUDINAL DIARY ASSEMBLY FOR HUMAN EXPOSURE MODELING

EPA Science Inventory

Human exposure time-series modeling requires longitudinal time-activity diaries to evaluate the sequence of concentrations encountered, and hence, pollutant exposure for the simulated individuals. However, most of the available data on human activities are from cross-sectional su...

Human fecal source identification with real-time quantitative PCR

EPA Science Inventory

Waterborne diseases represent a significant public health risk worldwide, and can originate from contact with water contaminated with human fecal material. We describe a real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) method that targets a Bacteroides dori human-associated genetic marker for...

Scaling-laws of human broadcast communication enable distinction between human, corporate and robot Twitter users.

PubMed

Tavares, Gabriela; Faisal, Aldo

2013-01-01

Human behaviour is highly individual by nature, yet statistical structures are emerging which seem to govern the actions of human beings collectively. Here we search for universal statistical laws dictating the timing of human actions in communication decisions. We focus on the distribution of the time interval between messages in human broadcast communication, as documented in Twitter, and study a collection of over 160,000 tweets for three user categories: personal (controlled by one person), managed (typically PR agency controlled) and bot-controlled (automated system). To test our hypothesis, we investigate whether it is possible to differentiate between user types based on tweet timing behaviour, independently of the content in messages. For this purpose, we developed a system to process a large amount of tweets for reality mining and implemented two simple probabilistic inference algorithms: 1. a naive Bayes classifier, which distinguishes between two and three account categories with classification performance of 84.6% and 75.8%, respectively and 2. a prediction algorithm to estimate the time of a user's next tweet with an R(2) ≈ 0.7. Our results show that we can reliably distinguish between the three user categories as well as predict the distribution of a user's inter-message time with reasonable accuracy. More importantly, we identify a characteristic power-law decrease in the tail of inter-message time distribution by human users which is different from that obtained for managed and automated accounts. This result is evidence of a universal law that permeates the timing of human decisions in broadcast communication and extends the findings of several previous studies of peer-to-peer communication.

Scaling-Laws of Human Broadcast Communication Enable Distinction between Human, Corporate and Robot Twitter Users

PubMed Central

Tavares, Gabriela; Faisal, Aldo

2013-01-01

Human behaviour is highly individual by nature, yet statistical structures are emerging which seem to govern the actions of human beings collectively. Here we search for universal statistical laws dictating the timing of human actions in communication decisions. We focus on the distribution of the time interval between messages in human broadcast communication, as documented in Twitter, and study a collection of over 160,000 tweets for three user categories: personal (controlled by one person), managed (typically PR agency controlled) and bot-controlled (automated system). To test our hypothesis, we investigate whether it is possible to differentiate between user types based on tweet timing behaviour, independently of the content in messages. For this purpose, we developed a system to process a large amount of tweets for reality mining and implemented two simple probabilistic inference algorithms: 1. a naive Bayes classifier, which distinguishes between two and three account categories with classification performance of 84.6% and 75.8%, respectively and 2. a prediction algorithm to estimate the time of a user's next tweet with an . Our results show that we can reliably distinguish between the three user categories as well as predict the distribution of a user's inter-message time with reasonable accuracy. More importantly, we identify a characteristic power-law decrease in the tail of inter-message time distribution by human users which is different from that obtained for managed and automated accounts. This result is evidence of a universal law that permeates the timing of human decisions in broadcast communication and extends the findings of several previous studies of peer-to-peer communication. PMID:23843945

Causes of Climate and Environmental Changes: The Need for Environmental-Friendly Education Policy in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nwankwoala, H. N. L.

2015-01-01

Man cannot naturally be detached from his environment. From time to time, changes in climate and environmental conditions occur as a result of natural and human factors. Obviously, the natural factors are almost beyond human control. But, the human factors are to a very large extent under human control. Thus, this paper tried to discover natural…

Delay effects in the human sensory system during balancing.

PubMed

Stepan, Gabor

2009-03-28

Mechanical models of human self-balancing often use the Newtonian equations of inverted pendula. While these mathematical models are precise enough on the mechanical side, the ways humans balance themselves are still quite unexplored on the control side. Time delays in the sensory and motoric neural pathways give essential limitations to the stabilization of the human body as a multiple inverted pendulum. The sensory systems supporting each other provide the necessary signals for these control tasks; but the more complicated the system is, the larger delay is introduced. Human ageing as well as our actual physical and mental state affects the time delays in the neural system, and the mechanical structure of the human body also changes in a large range during our lives. The human balancing organ, the labyrinth, and the vision system essentially adapted to these relatively large time delays and parameter regions occurring during balancing. The analytical study of the simplified large-scale time-delayed models of balancing provides a Newtonian insight into the functioning of these organs that may also serve as a basis to support theories and hypotheses on balancing and vision.

The origin of bursts and heavy tails in human dynamics.

PubMed

Barabási, Albert-László

2005-05-12

The dynamics of many social, technological and economic phenomena are driven by individual human actions, turning the quantitative understanding of human behaviour into a central question of modern science. Current models of human dynamics, used from risk assessment to communications, assume that human actions are randomly distributed in time and thus well approximated by Poisson processes. In contrast, there is increasing evidence that the timing of many human activities, ranging from communication to entertainment and work patterns, follow non-Poisson statistics, characterized by bursts of rapidly occurring events separated by long periods of inactivity. Here I show that the bursty nature of human behaviour is a consequence of a decision-based queuing process: when individuals execute tasks based on some perceived priority, the timing of the tasks will be heavy tailed, with most tasks being rapidly executed, whereas a few experience very long waiting times. In contrast, random or priority blind execution is well approximated by uniform inter-event statistics. These finding have important implications, ranging from resource management to service allocation, in both communications and retail.

Superior In vivo Transduction of Human Hepatocytes Using Engineered AAV3 Capsid.

PubMed

Vercauteren, Koen; Hoffman, Brad E; Zolotukhin, Irene; Keeler, Geoffrey D; Xiao, Jing W; Basner-Tschakarjan, Etiena; High, Katherine A; Ertl, Hildegund Cj; Rice, Charles M; Srivastava, Arun; de Jong, Ype P; Herzog, Roland W

2016-06-01

Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors are currently being tested in multiple clinical trials for liver-directed gene transfer to treat the bleeding disorders hemophilia A and B and metabolic disorders. The optimal viral capsid for transduction of human hepatocytes has been under active investigation, but results across various models are inconsistent. We tested in vivo transduction in "humanized" mice. Methods to quantitate percent AAV transduced human and murine hepatocytes in chimeric livers were optimized using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy with image analysis. Distinct transduction efficiencies were noted following peripheral vein administration of a self-complementary vector expressing a gfp reporter gene. An engineered AAV3 capsid with two amino acid changes, S663V+T492V (AAV3-ST), showed best efficiency for human hepatocytes (~3-times, ~8-times, and ~80-times higher than for AAV9, AAV8, and AAV5, respectively). AAV5, 8, and 9 were more efficient in transducing murine than human hepatocytes. AAV8 yielded the highest transduction rate of murine hepatocytes, which was 19-times higher than that for human hepatocytes. In summary, our data show substantial differences among AAV serotypes in transduction of human and mouse hepatocytes, are the first to report on AAV5 in humanized mice, and support the use of AAV3-based vectors for human liver gene transfer.

45 CFR 1176.1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES PART-TIME CAREER EMPLOYMENT § 1176.1 General. (a) Purpose. Many individuals in... National Endowment for the Humanities will operate a part-time career employment program, consistent with...

Were Rivers Flowing across the Sahara During the Last Interglacial? Implications for Human Migration through Africa

PubMed Central

Coulthard, Tom J.; Ramirez, Jorge A.; Barton, Nick; Rogerson, Mike; Brücher, Tim

2013-01-01

Human migration north through Africa is contentious. This paper uses a novel palaeohydrological and hydraulic modelling approach to test the hypothesis that under wetter climates c.100,000 years ago major river systems ran north across the Sahara to the Mediterranean, creating viable migration routes. We confirm that three of these now buried palaeo river systems could have been active at the key time of human migration across the Sahara. Unexpectedly, it is the most western of these three rivers, the Irharhar river, that represents the most likely route for human migration. The Irharhar river flows directly south to north, uniquely linking the mountain areas experiencing monsoon climates at these times to temperate Mediterranean environments where food and resources would have been abundant. The findings have major implications for our understanding of how humans migrated north through Africa, for the first time providing a quantitative perspective on the probabilities that these routes were viable for human habitation at these times. PMID:24040347

Human values and beliefs and concern about climate change: a Bayesian longitudinal analysis.

PubMed

Prati, Gabriele; Pietrantoni, Luca; Albanesi, Cinzia

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of human values on beliefs and concern about climate change using a longitudinal design and Bayesian analysis. A sample of 298 undergraduate/master students filled out the same questionnaire on two occasions at an interval of 2 months. The questionnaire included measures of beliefs and concern about climate change (i.e., perceived consequences, risk perception, and skepticism) and human values (i.e., the Portrait Values Questionnaire). After controlling for gender and the respective baseline score, universalism at Time 1 was associated with higher levels of perceived consequences of climate change and lower levels of climate change skepticism. Self-direction at Time 1 predicted Time 2 climate change risk perception and perceived consequences of climate change. Hedonism at Time 1 was associated with Time 2 climate change risk perception. The other human values at Time 1 were not associated with any of the measures of beliefs and concern about climate change at Time 2. The results of this study suggest that a focus on universalism and self-direction values seems to be a more successful approach to stimulate public engagement with climate change than a focus on other human values.

Dual Extended Kalman Filter for the Identification of Time-Varying Human Manual Control Behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Popovici, Alexandru; Zaal, Peter M. T.; Pool, Daan M.

2017-01-01

A Dual Extended Kalman Filter was implemented for the identification of time-varying human manual control behavior. Two filters that run concurrently were used, a state filter that estimates the equalization dynamics, and a parameter filter that estimates the neuromuscular parameters and time delay. Time-varying parameters were modeled as a random walk. The filter successfully estimated time-varying human control behavior in both simulated and experimental data. Simple guidelines are proposed for the tuning of the process and measurement covariance matrices and the initial parameter estimates. The tuning was performed on simulation data, and when applied on experimental data, only an increase in measurement process noise power was required in order for the filter to converge and estimate all parameters. A sensitivity analysis to initial parameter estimates showed that the filter is more sensitive to poor initial choices of neuromuscular parameters than equalization parameters, and bad choices for initial parameters can result in divergence, slow convergence, or parameter estimates that do not have a real physical interpretation. The promising results when applied to experimental data, together with its simple tuning and low dimension of the state-space, make the use of the Dual Extended Kalman Filter a viable option for identifying time-varying human control parameters in manual tracking tasks, which could be used in real-time human state monitoring and adaptive human-vehicle haptic interfaces.

Learning rational temporal eye movement strategies.

PubMed

Hoppe, David; Rothkopf, Constantin A

2016-07-19

During active behavior humans redirect their gaze several times every second within the visual environment. Where we look within static images is highly efficient, as quantified by computational models of human gaze shifts in visual search and face recognition tasks. However, when we shift gaze is mostly unknown despite its fundamental importance for survival in a dynamic world. It has been suggested that during naturalistic visuomotor behavior gaze deployment is coordinated with task-relevant events, often predictive of future events, and studies in sportsmen suggest that timing of eye movements is learned. Here we establish that humans efficiently learn to adjust the timing of eye movements in response to environmental regularities when monitoring locations in the visual scene to detect probabilistically occurring events. To detect the events humans adopt strategies that can be understood through a computational model that includes perceptual and acting uncertainties, a minimal processing time, and, crucially, the intrinsic costs of gaze behavior. Thus, subjects traded off event detection rate with behavioral costs of carrying out eye movements. Remarkably, based on this rational bounded actor model the time course of learning the gaze strategies is fully explained by an optimal Bayesian learner with humans' characteristic uncertainty in time estimation, the well-known scalar law of biological timing. Taken together, these findings establish that the human visual system is highly efficient in learning temporal regularities in the environment and that it can use these regularities to control the timing of eye movements to detect behaviorally relevant events.

Identification of human operator performance models utilizing time series analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holden, F. M.; Shinners, S. M.

1973-01-01

The results of an effort performed by Sperry Systems Management Division for AMRL in applying time series analysis as a tool for modeling the human operator are presented. This technique is utilized for determining the variation of the human transfer function under various levels of stress. The human operator's model is determined based on actual input and output data from a tracking experiment.

A Comparison of Human and Machine Translation of Health Promotion Materials for Public Health Practice: Time, Costs, and Quality

PubMed Central

Turner, Anne M.; Bergman, Margo; Brownstein, Megumu; Cole, Kate; Kirchhoff, Katrin

2017-01-01

Context Most local public health departments serve limited English proficiency groups but lack sufficient resources to translate the health promotion materials that they produce into different languages. Machine translation (MT) with human postediting could fill this gap and work toward decreasing health disparities among non–English speakers. Objectives (1) To identify the time and costs associated with human translation (HT) of public health documents, (2) determine the time necessary for human postediting of MT, and (3) compare the quality of postedited MT and HT. Design A quality comparison of 25 MT and HT documents was performed with public health translators. The public health professionals involved were queried about the workflow, costs, and time for HT of 11 English public health documents over a 20-month period. Three recently translated documents of similar size and topic were then machine translated, the time for human postediting was recorded, and a blind quality analysis was performed. Setting Seattle/King County, Washington. Participants Public health professionals. Main Outcome Measures (1) Estimated times for various HT tasks; (2) observed postediting times for MT documents; (3) actual costs for HT; and (4) comparison of quality ratings for HT and MT. Results Human translation via local health department methods took 17 hours to 6 days. While HT postediting words per minute ranged from 1.58 to 5.88, MT plus human postediting words per minute ranged from 10 to 30. The cost of HT ranged from $130 to $1220; MT required no additional costs. A quality comparison by bilingual public health professionals showed that MT and HT were equivalently preferred. Conclusions MT with human postediting can reduce the time and costs of translating public health materials while maintaining quality similar to HT. In conjunction with postediting, MT could greatly improve the availability of multilingual public health materials. PMID:24084391

Human Endothelial Cells: Use of Heparin in Cloning and Long-Term Serial Cultivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thornton, Susan C.; Mueller, Stephen N.; Levine, Elliot M.

1983-11-01

Endothelial cells from human blood vessels were cultured in vitro, with doubling times of 17 to 21 hours for 42 to 79 population doublings. Cloned human endothelial cell strains were established for the first time and had similar proliferative capacities. This vigorous cell growth was achieved by addition of heparin to culture medium containing reduced concentrations of endothelial cell growth factor. The routine cloning and long-term culture of human endothelial cells will facilitate studying the human endothelium in vitro.

Human Milk-Treatment and Quality of Banked Human Milk.

PubMed

Picaud, Jean-Charles; Buffin, Rachel

2017-03-01

The aim of human milk banks is to deliver safe and high quality donor human milk. Treatment of human milk has to destroy most microorganisms while preserving immunological and nutrient components, which is obtained when using low time low temperature pasteurization. However it destroys bile-simulated lipase, reduces lactoferrin, lysozyme, immunoglobulins, and bactericidal capacity of human milk. New methods are under investigation such as high temperature short time pasteurization, high pressure processing, or ultraviolet irradiation. They have been tested in experimental conditions and there are promising results, but they have to be tested in real conditions in human milk bank. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Yellowstone grizzly bear mortality, human habituation, and whitebark pine seed crops

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mattson, David J.; Blanchard, Bonnie M.; Knight, Richard R.

1992-01-01

The Yellowstone grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) population may be extirpated during the next 100-200 years unless mortality rates stabilize and remain at acceptable low levels. Consequently, we analyzed relationships between Yellowstone grizzly bear mortality and frequency of human habituation among bears and size of the whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) seed crop. During years of large seed crops, bears used areas within 5 km of roads and 8 km of developments half as intensively as during years of small seed crops because whitebark pine's high elevation distribution is typically remote from human facilities. On average, management trappings of bears were 6.2 times higher, mortality of adult females 2.3 times higher, and mortality of subadult males 3.3 times higher during years of small seed crops. We hypothesize that high mortality of adult females and subadult males during small seed crop years was a consequence of their tendency to range closest (of all sex-age cohorts) to human facilities; they also had a higher frequency of human habituation compared with adult males. We also hypothesize that low morality among subadult females during small seed crop years was a result of fewer energetic stressors compared with adult females and greater familiarity with their range compared with subadult males; mortality was low even though they ranged close to humans and exhibited a high frequency of human habituation. Human-habituated and food-conditioned bears were 2.9 times as likely to range within 4 km of developments and 3.1 times as often killed by humans compared with nonhabituated bears. We argue that destruction of habituated bears that use native foods near humans results in a decline in the overall ability of bears to use available habitat; and that the number and extent of human facilities in occupied grizzly bear habitat needs to be minimized unless habituated bears are preserved and successful ways to manage the associated risks to humans are developed.

mtDNA variation predicts population size in humans and reveals a major Southern Asian chapter in human prehistory.

PubMed

Atkinson, Quentin D; Gray, Russell D; Drummond, Alexei J

2008-02-01

The relative timing and size of regional human population growth following our expansion from Africa remain unknown. Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity carries a legacy of our population history. Given a set of sequences, we can use coalescent theory to estimate past population size through time and draw inferences about human population history. However, recent work has challenged the validity of using mtDNA diversity to infer species population sizes. Here we use Bayesian coalescent inference methods, together with a global data set of 357 human mtDNA coding-region sequences, to infer human population sizes through time across 8 major geographic regions. Our estimates of relative population sizes show remarkable concordance with the contemporary regional distribution of humans across Africa, Eurasia, and the Americas, indicating that mtDNA diversity is a good predictor of population size in humans. Plots of population size through time show slow growth in sub-Saharan Africa beginning 143-193 kya, followed by a rapid expansion into Eurasia after the emergence of the first non-African mtDNA lineages 50-70 kya. Outside Africa, the earliest and fastest growth is inferred in Southern Asia approximately 52 kya, followed by a succession of growth phases in Northern and Central Asia (approximately 49 kya), Australia (approximately 48 kya), Europe (approximately 42 kya), the Middle East and North Africa (approximately 40 kya), New Guinea (approximately 39 kya), the Americas (approximately 18 kya), and a second expansion in Europe (approximately 10-15 kya). Comparisons of relative regional population sizes through time suggest that between approximately 45 and 20 kya most of humanity lived in Southern Asia. These findings not only support the use of mtDNA data for estimating human population size but also provide a unique picture of human prehistory and demonstrate the importance of Southern Asia to our recent evolutionary past.

Human Factors Plan for Maritime Safety

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-02-01

35 IV. PLAN FOR MARITIME HUMAN FACTORS .............................. 36 4.1 PROGRAM AREA RELATIONSHIPS AND TIMING ................... 36 4.2...RESOURCES ................................................. 40 4.3 HUMAN FACTORS COORDINATING COMMITTEE .................. 40 4.4 INDUSTRY RELATIONSHIPS ...The specific work described by the solution proposals, the relationships between these classes of solution, the timing and resources required for

Dynamic Human-Computer Collaboration in Real-time Unmanned Vehicle Scheduling

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

Rarely play games Play games once a month Weekly gamer A few times a week gamer Daily gamer Types of games played: 9. Rate...Algorithm, Alchemy , or Apostasy?," International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, vol. 52, pp. 203-216, 2000. [52] J.-M. Hoc, "From Human

Integrated Human-Robotic Missions to the Moon and Mars: Mission Operations Design Implications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishkin, Andrew; Lee, Young; Korth, David; LeBlanc, Troy

2007-01-01

For most of the history of space exploration, human and robotic programs have been independent, and have responded to distinct requirements. The NASA Vision for Space Exploration calls for the return of humans to the Moon, and the eventual human exploration of Mars; the complexity of this range of missions will require an unprecedented use of automation and robotics in support of human crews. The challenges of human Mars missions, including roundtrip communications time delays of 6 to 40 minutes, interplanetary transit times of many months, and the need to manage lifecycle costs, will require the evolution of a new mission operations paradigm far less dependent on real-time monitoring and response by an Earthbound operations team. Robotic systems and automation will augment human capability, increase human safety by providing means to perform many tasks without requiring immediate human presence, and enable the transfer of traditional mission control tasks from the ground to crews. Developing and validating the new paradigm and its associated infrastructure may place requirements on operations design for nearer-term lunar missions. The authors, representing both the human and robotic mission operations communities, assess human lunar and Mars mission challenges, and consider how human-robot operations may be integrated to enable efficient joint operations, with the eventual emergence of a unified exploration operations culture.

Integrated Human-Robotic Missions to the Moon and Mars: Mission Operations Design Implications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korth, David; LeBlanc, Troy; Mishkin, Andrew; Lee, Young

2006-01-01

For most of the history of space exploration, human and robotic programs have been independent, and have responded to distinct requirements. The NASA Vision for Space Exploration calls for the return of humans to the Moon, and the eventual human exploration of Mars; the complexity of this range of missions will require an unprecedented use of automation and robotics in support of human crews. The challenges of human Mars missions, including roundtrip communications time delays of 6 to 40 minutes, interplanetary transit times of many months, and the need to manage lifecycle costs, will require the evolution of a new mission operations paradigm far less dependent on real-time monitoring and response by an Earthbound operations team. Robotic systems and automation will augment human capability, increase human safety by providing means to perform many tasks without requiring immediate human presence, and enable the transfer of traditional mission control tasks from the ground to crews. Developing and validating the new paradigm and its associated infrastructure may place requirements on operations design for nearer-term lunar missions. The authors, representing both the human and robotic mission operations communities, assess human lunar and Mars mission challenges, and consider how human-robot operations may be integrated to enable efficient joint operations, with the eventual emergence of a unified exploration operations culture.

Aging and Circadian Rhythms

PubMed Central

Duffy, Jeanne F.; Zitting, Kirsi-Marja; Chinoy, Evan D.

2015-01-01

Aging is associated with numerous changes, including changes in sleep timing, duration, and quality. The circadian timing system interacts with a sleep-wake homeostatic system to regulate human sleep, including sleep timing and structure. Here, we review key features of the human circadian timing system, age-related changes in the circadian timing system, and how those changes may contribute to the observed alterations in sleep. PMID:26568120

45 CFR 1176.4 - Establishing and converting part-time positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES PART-TIME CAREER EMPLOYMENT § 1176.4 Establishing and converting part-time positions. Position management and other internal reviews...-time positions. Criteria listed in § 1176.3 may be used during these reviews. If a decision is made to...

Transit time affects the community stability of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species in an in vitro model of human colonic microbiotia.

PubMed

Rodes, Laetitia; Paul, Arghya; Coussa-Charley, Michael; Al-Salami, Hani; Tomaro-Duchesneau, Catherine; Fakhoury, Marc; Prakash, Satya

2011-12-01

Retention time, which is analogous to transit time, is an index for bacterial stability in the intestine. Its consideration is of particular importance to optimize the delivery of probiotic bacteria in order to improve treatment efficacy. This study aims to investigate the effect of retention time on Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria stability using an established in vitro human colon model. Three retention times were used: 72, 96, and 144 h. The effect of retention time on cell viability of different bacterial populations was analyzed with bacterial plate counts and PCR. The proportions of intestinal Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, Enterococci, Staphylococci and Clostridia populations, analyzed by plate counts, were found to be the same as that in human colonic microbiota. Retention time in the human colon affected the stability of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria communities, with maximum stability observed at 144 h. Therefore, retention time is an important parameter that influences bacterial stability in the colonic microbiota. Future clinical studies on probiotic bacteria formulations should take into consideration gastrointestinal transit parameters to improve treatment efficacy.

Are non-human primates capable of rhythmic entrainment? Evidence for the gradual audiomotor evolution hypothesis.

PubMed

Merchant, Hugo; Honing, Henkjan

2013-01-01

We propose a decomposition of the neurocognitive mechanisms that might underlie interval-based timing and rhythmic entrainment. Next to reviewing the concepts central to the definition of rhythmic entrainment, we discuss recent studies that suggest rhythmic entrainment to be specific to humans and a selected group of bird species, but, surprisingly, is not obvious in non-human primates. On the basis of these studies we propose the gradual audiomotor evolution hypothesis that suggests that humans fully share interval-based timing with other primates, but only partially share the ability of rhythmic entrainment (or beat-based timing). This hypothesis accommodates the fact that non-human primates (i.e., macaques) performance is comparable to humans in single interval tasks (such as interval reproduction, categorization, and interception), but show differences in multiple interval tasks (such as rhythmic entrainment, synchronization, and continuation). Furthermore, it is in line with the observation that macaques can, apparently, synchronize in the visual domain, but show less sensitivity in the auditory domain. And finally, while macaques are sensitive to interval-based timing and rhythmic grouping, the absence of a strong coupling between the auditory and motor system of non-human primates might be the reason why macaques cannot rhythmically entrain in the way humans do.

Comparison of Urban Human Movements Inferring from Multi-Source Spatial-Temporal Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Rui; Tu, Wei; Cao, Jinzhou; Li, Qingquan

2016-06-01

The quantification of human movements is very hard because of the sparsity of traditional data and the labour intensive of the data collecting process. Recently, much spatial-temporal data give us an opportunity to observe human movement. This research investigates the relationship of city-wide human movements inferring from two types of spatial-temporal data at traffic analysis zone (TAZ) level. The first type of human movement is inferred from long-time smart card transaction data recording the boarding actions. The second type of human movement is extracted from citywide time sequenced mobile phone data with 30 minutes interval. Travel volume, travel distance and travel time are used to measure aggregated human movements in the city. To further examine the relationship between the two types of inferred movements, the linear correlation analysis is conducted on the hourly travel volume. The obtained results show that human movements inferred from smart card data and mobile phone data have a correlation of 0.635. However, there are still some non-ignorable differences in some special areas. This research not only reveals the citywide spatial-temporal human dynamic but also benefits the understanding of the reliability of the inference of human movements with big spatial-temporal data.

Probabilistic risk assessment for a loss of coolant accident in McMaster Nuclear Reactor and application of reliability physics model for modeling human reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Taesung

A probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) was conducted for a loss of coolant accident, (LOCA) in the McMaster Nuclear Reactor (MNR). A level 1 PRA was completed including event sequence modeling, system modeling, and quantification. To support the quantification of the accident sequence identified, data analysis using the Bayesian method and human reliability analysis (HRA) using the accident sequence evaluation procedure (ASEP) approach were performed. Since human performance in research reactors is significantly different from that in power reactors, a time-oriented HRA model (reliability physics model) was applied for the human error probability (HEP) estimation of the core relocation. This model is based on two competing random variables: phenomenological time and performance time. The response surface and direct Monte Carlo simulation with Latin Hypercube sampling were applied for estimating the phenomenological time, whereas the performance time was obtained from interviews with operators. An appropriate probability distribution for the phenomenological time was assigned by statistical goodness-of-fit tests. The human error probability (HEP) for the core relocation was estimated from these two competing quantities: phenomenological time and operators' performance time. The sensitivity of each probability distribution in human reliability estimation was investigated. In order to quantify the uncertainty in the predicted HEPs, a Bayesian approach was selected due to its capability of incorporating uncertainties in model itself and the parameters in that model. The HEP from the current time-oriented model was compared with that from the ASEP approach. Both results were used to evaluate the sensitivity of alternative huinan reliability modeling for the manual core relocation in the LOCA risk model. This exercise demonstrated the applicability of a reliability physics model supplemented with a. Bayesian approach for modeling human reliability and its potential usefulness of quantifying model uncertainty as sensitivity analysis in the PRA model.

Collection of human reaction times and supporting health related data for analysis of cognitive and physical performance.

PubMed

Brůha, Petr; Mouček, Roman; Vacek, Vítězslav; Šnejdar, Pavel; Černá, Kateřina; Řehoř, Petr

2018-04-01

Smoking, excessive drinking, overeating and physical inactivity are well-established risk factors decreasing human physical performance. Moreover, epidemiological work has identified modifiable lifestyle factors, such as poor diet and physical and cognitive inactivity that are associated with the risk of reduced cognitive performance. Definition, collection and annotation of human reaction times and suitable health related data and metadata provides researchers with a necessary source for further analysis of human physical and cognitive performance. The collection of human reaction times and supporting health related data was obtained from two groups comprising together 349 people of all ages - the visitors of the Days of Science and Technology 2016 held on the Pilsen central square and members of the Mensa Czech Republic visiting the neuroinformatics lab at the University of West Bohemia. Each provided dataset contains a complete or partial set of data obtained from the following measurements: hands and legs reaction times, color vision, spirometry, electrocardiography, blood pressure, blood glucose, body proportions and flexibility. It also provides a sufficient set of metadata (age, gender and summary of the participant's current life style and health) to allow researchers to perform further analysis. This article has two main aims. The first aim is to provide a well annotated collection of human reaction times and health related data that is suitable for further analysis of lifestyle and human cognitive and physical performance. This data collection is complemented with a preliminarily statistical evaluation. The second aim is to present a procedure of efficient acquisition of human reaction times and supporting health related data in non-lab and lab conditions.

Antioxidant capacity of human blood plasma and human urine: simultaneous evaluation of the ORAC index and ascorbic acid concentration employing pyrogallol red as probe.

PubMed

Torres, P; Galleguillos, P; Lissi, E; López-Alarcón, C

2008-10-15

The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methodology has been employed to estimate the antioxidant capacity of human blood plasma and human urine using pyrogallol red (ORAC-PGR) as target molecule. Uric acid, reduced glutathione, human serum albumin, and ascorbic acid (ASC) inhibited the consumption of pyrogallol red, but only ASC generated an induction time. Human blood plasma and human urine protected efficiently pyrogallol red. In these assays, both biological fluids generated neat induction times that were removed by ascorbate oxidase. From these results, ORAC-PGR method could be proposed as a simple alternative to evaluate an ORAC index and, simultaneously, to estimate the concentration of ascorbic acid in human blood plasma or human urine.

Evidence for a bimodal distribution in human communication.

PubMed

Wu, Ye; Zhou, Changsong; Xiao, Jinghua; Kurths, Jürgen; Schellnhuber, Hans Joachim

2010-11-02

Interacting human activities underlie the patterns of many social, technological, and economic phenomena. Here we present clear empirical evidence from Short Message correspondence that observed human actions are the result of the interplay of three basic ingredients: Poisson initiation of tasks and decision making for task execution in individual humans as well as interaction among individuals. This interplay leads to new types of interevent time distribution, neither completely Poisson nor power-law, but a bimodal combination of them. We show that the events can be separated into independent bursts which are generated by frequent mutual interactions in short times following random initiations of communications in longer times by the individuals. We introduce a minimal model of two interacting priority queues incorporating the three basic ingredients which fits well the distributions using the parameters extracted from the empirical data. The model can also embrace a range of realistic social interacting systems such as e-mail and letter communications when taking the time scale of processing into account. Our findings provide insight into various human activities both at the individual and network level. Our analysis and modeling of bimodal activity in human communication from the viewpoint of the interplay between processes of different time scales is likely to shed light on bimodal phenomena in other complex systems, such as interevent times in earthquakes, rainfall, forest fire, and economic systems, etc.

Evidence for a bimodal distribution in human communication

PubMed Central

Wu, Ye; Zhou, Changsong; Xiao, Jinghua; Kurths, Jürgen; Schellnhuber, Hans Joachim

2010-01-01

Interacting human activities underlie the patterns of many social, technological, and economic phenomena. Here we present clear empirical evidence from Short Message correspondence that observed human actions are the result of the interplay of three basic ingredients: Poisson initiation of tasks and decision making for task execution in individual humans as well as interaction among individuals. This interplay leads to new types of interevent time distribution, neither completely Poisson nor power-law, but a bimodal combination of them. We show that the events can be separated into independent bursts which are generated by frequent mutual interactions in short times following random initiations of communications in longer times by the individuals. We introduce a minimal model of two interacting priority queues incorporating the three basic ingredients which fits well the distributions using the parameters extracted from the empirical data. The model can also embrace a range of realistic social interacting systems such as e-mail and letter communications when taking the time scale of processing into account. Our findings provide insight into various human activities both at the individual and network level. Our analysis and modeling of bimodal activity in human communication from the viewpoint of the interplay between processes of different time scales is likely to shed light on bimodal phenomena in other complex systems, such as interevent times in earthquakes, rainfall, forest fire, and economic systems, etc. PMID:20959414

Improved HF183 quantitative real-time PCR assay for characterization of human fecal pollution in ambient surface water samples

EPA Science Inventory

Real-time quantitative PCR assays that target the human-associated HF183 bacterial cluster are considered to be some of the top performing methods for the characterization of human fecal pollution in ambient surface waters. In response, the United States Environmental Protectio...

A Human Fecal Contamination Score for Ranking Recreational Sites using the HF183/BacR287 Quantitative Real-Time PCR Method

EPA Science Inventory

Human fecal pollution of recreational waters remains a public health concern worldwide. As a result, there is a growing interest in the application of human-associated fecal source identification quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technologies for water quality research and manag...

Chapter 9: Curating xylaria

Treesearch

Alex Wiedenhoeft

2014-01-01

Wood is perhaps the quintessential material used in most human cultures. In prehistoric times, it was employed, either directly or indirectly, to provide most human needs: warmth, shelter, and nearly all manner of tools suitable for procuring food, water and security (Beeckman, 2003). In modern times it continues to play important roles in human cultures (Radkau, 2012...

A human fecal contamination index for ranking impaired recreational watersusing the HF183 quantitative real-time PCR method

EPA Science Inventory

Human fecal pollution of surface water remains a public health concern worldwide. As a result, there is a growing interest in the application of human-associated fecal source identification quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technologies for recreational water quality risk managem...

Human milk consumption and full enteral feeding among infants who weigh

PubMed

Sisk, Paula M; Lovelady, Cheryl A; Gruber, Kenneth J; Dillard, Robert G; O'Shea, T Michael

2008-06-01

Establishing enteral feeding is an important goal in the care of very low birth weight infants. In such infants, receipt of >/=50 mL/kg per day human milk during hospitalization has been associated with shorter time to full enteral feeding. The objective of this study was to determine whether high proportions (>/=50%) of human milk during feeding advancement are associated with shorter time to full enteral feeding and improved feeding tolerance. This was a prospective cohort study of very low birth weight infants (n = 127) who were grouped into low (<50%; n = 34) and high (>/=50%; n = 93) human milk consumption groups according to their human milk proportion of enteral feeding during the time of feeding advancement. The primary outcomes of interest were ages at which 100 and 150 mL/kg per day enteral feedings were achieved. The high human milk group reached 100 mL/kg per day enteral feeding 4.5 days faster than the low human milk group. The high human milk group reached 150 mL/kg per day enteral feeding 5 days faster than the low human milk group. After adjustment for gestational age, gender, and respiratory distress syndrome, times to reach 100 and 150 mL/kg per day were significantly shorter for those in the high human milk group. Infants in the high human milk group had a greater number of stools per day; other indicators of feeding tolerance were not statistically different. In infants who weighed

45 CFR 1176.1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES PART-TIME CAREER EMPLOYMENT § 1176.1 General. (a) Purpose. Many individuals in... of a standard workweek. Permanent part-time employment also provides benefits to other individuals in... National Endowment for the Humanities will operate a part-time career employment program, consistent with...

Personhood status of the human zygote, embryo, fetus.

PubMed

Miklavcic, John Janez; Flaman, Paul

2017-05-01

The fields of biology, medicine, and embryology have described the developmental milestones of humans throughout gestation in great detail. It is less clear as to when humans are recognized as people, persons, or beings with rights that are protected by legislation. The practice of law is irrevocably intertwined with that of ethical conduct; and the time at which a human life is considered a person has implications that extend to health care, legislation on abortion, and autonomy of individuals. This article reviews the economical position that fertilization is the moment that personhood of the conceptus begins. Alternate positions proposing that personhood begins at other possible times after fertilization are presented and contrasted to the economical hypothesis. Summary : This article is an original work critically analyzing the various arguments for human personhood at fertilization and thereafter. The various positions on human personhood are compared and contrasted herein. The time of the human lifespan at which personhood is conferred has important implications for health care, legislation, and personal autonomy.

Resolving human object recognition in space and time

PubMed Central

Cichy, Radoslaw Martin; Pantazis, Dimitrios; Oliva, Aude

2014-01-01

A comprehensive picture of object processing in the human brain requires combining both spatial and temporal information about brain activity. Here, we acquired human magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses to 92 object images. Multivariate pattern classification applied to MEG revealed the time course of object processing: whereas individual images were discriminated by visual representations early, ordinate and superordinate category levels emerged relatively later. Using representational similarity analysis, we combine human fMRI and MEG to show content-specific correspondence between early MEG responses and primary visual cortex (V1), and later MEG responses and inferior temporal (IT) cortex. We identified transient and persistent neural activities during object processing, with sources in V1 and IT., Finally, human MEG signals were correlated to single-unit responses in monkey IT. Together, our findings provide an integrated space- and time-resolved view of human object categorization during the first few hundred milliseconds of vision. PMID:24464044

Evidence in Support of the Independent Channel Model Describing the Sensorimotor Control of Human Stance Using a Humanoid Robot

PubMed Central

Pasma, Jantsje H.; Assländer, Lorenz; van Kordelaar, Joost; de Kam, Digna; Mergner, Thomas; Schouten, Alfred C.

2018-01-01

The Independent Channel (IC) model is a commonly used linear balance control model in the frequency domain to analyze human balance control using system identification and parameter estimation. The IC model is a rudimentary and noise-free description of balance behavior in the frequency domain, where a stable model representation is not guaranteed. In this study, we conducted firstly time-domain simulations with added noise, and secondly robot experiments by implementing the IC model in a real-world robot (PostuRob II) to test the validity and stability of the model in the time domain and for real world situations. Balance behavior of seven healthy participants was measured during upright stance by applying pseudorandom continuous support surface rotations. System identification and parameter estimation were used to describe the balance behavior with the IC model in the frequency domain. The IC model with the estimated parameters from human experiments was implemented in Simulink for computer simulations including noise in the time domain and robot experiments using the humanoid robot PostuRob II. Again, system identification and parameter estimation were used to describe the simulated balance behavior. Time series, Frequency Response Functions, and estimated parameters from human experiments, computer simulations, and robot experiments were compared with each other. The computer simulations showed similar balance behavior and estimated control parameters compared to the human experiments, in the time and frequency domain. Also, the IC model was able to control the humanoid robot by keeping it upright, but showed small differences compared to the human experiments in the time and frequency domain, especially at high frequencies. We conclude that the IC model, a descriptive model in the frequency domain, can imitate human balance behavior also in the time domain, both in computer simulations with added noise and real world situations with a humanoid robot. This provides further evidence that the IC model is a valid description of human balance control. PMID:29615886

Evidence in Support of the Independent Channel Model Describing the Sensorimotor Control of Human Stance Using a Humanoid Robot.

PubMed

Pasma, Jantsje H; Assländer, Lorenz; van Kordelaar, Joost; de Kam, Digna; Mergner, Thomas; Schouten, Alfred C

2018-01-01

The Independent Channel (IC) model is a commonly used linear balance control model in the frequency domain to analyze human balance control using system identification and parameter estimation. The IC model is a rudimentary and noise-free description of balance behavior in the frequency domain, where a stable model representation is not guaranteed. In this study, we conducted firstly time-domain simulations with added noise, and secondly robot experiments by implementing the IC model in a real-world robot (PostuRob II) to test the validity and stability of the model in the time domain and for real world situations. Balance behavior of seven healthy participants was measured during upright stance by applying pseudorandom continuous support surface rotations. System identification and parameter estimation were used to describe the balance behavior with the IC model in the frequency domain. The IC model with the estimated parameters from human experiments was implemented in Simulink for computer simulations including noise in the time domain and robot experiments using the humanoid robot PostuRob II. Again, system identification and parameter estimation were used to describe the simulated balance behavior. Time series, Frequency Response Functions, and estimated parameters from human experiments, computer simulations, and robot experiments were compared with each other. The computer simulations showed similar balance behavior and estimated control parameters compared to the human experiments, in the time and frequency domain. Also, the IC model was able to control the humanoid robot by keeping it upright, but showed small differences compared to the human experiments in the time and frequency domain, especially at high frequencies. We conclude that the IC model, a descriptive model in the frequency domain, can imitate human balance behavior also in the time domain, both in computer simulations with added noise and real world situations with a humanoid robot. This provides further evidence that the IC model is a valid description of human balance control.

45 CFR 1176.7 - Publicizing vacancies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... HUMANITIES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES PART-TIME CAREER EMPLOYMENT § 1176.7 Publicizing vacancies. When applicants from outside the Federal service are desired, part-time vacanies may be publicized...

Could Trends in Time Children Spend with Parents Help Explain the Black-White Gap in Human Capital? Evidence from the American Time Use Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patterson, Richard W.

2017-01-01

It is widely believed that the time children spend with parents significantly impacts human capital formation. If time varies significantly between black and white children, this may help explain the large racial gap in test scores and wages. In this study, I use data from the American Time Use Survey to examine the patterns in the time black and…

An Alu-based, MGB Eclipse real-time PCR method for quantitation of human DNA in forensic samples.

PubMed

Nicklas, Janice A; Buel, Eric

2005-09-01

The forensic community needs quick, reliable methods to quantitate human DNA in crime scene samples to replace the laborious and imprecise slot blot method. A real-time PCR based method has the possibility of allowing development of a faster and more quantitative assay. Alu sequences are primate-specific and are found in many copies in the human genome, making these sequences an excellent target or marker for human DNA. This paper describes the development of a real-time Alu sequence-based assay using MGB Eclipse primers and probes. The advantages of this assay are simplicity, speed, less hands-on-time and automated quantitation, as well as a large dynamic range (128 ng/microL to 0.5 pg/microL).

Multiscale Modeling of Human-Water Interactions: The Role of Time-Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bloeschl, G.; Sivapalan, M.

2015-12-01

Much of the interest in hydrological modeling in the past decades revolved around resolving spatial variability. With the rapid changes brought about by human impacts on the hydrologic cycle, there is now an increasing need to refocus on time dependency. We present a co-evolutionary view of hydrologic systems, in which every part of the system including human systems, co-evolve, albeit at different rates. The resulting coupled human-nature system is framed as a dynamical system, characterized by interactions of fast and slow time scales and feedbacks between environmental and social processes. This gives rise to emergent phenomena such as the levee effect, adaptation to change and system collapse due to resource depletion. Changing human values play a key role in the emergence of these phenomena and should therefore be considered as internal to the system in a dynamic way. The co-evolutionary approach differs from the traditional view of water resource systems analysis as it allows for path dependence, multiple equilibria, lock-in situations and emergent phenomena. The approach may assist strategic water management for long time scales through facilitating stakeholder participation, exploring the possibility space of alternative futures, and helping to synthesise the observed dynamics of different case studies. Future research opportunities include the study of how changes in human values are connected to human-water interactions, historical analyses of trajectories of system co-evolution in individual places and comparative analyses of contrasting human-water systems in different climate and socio-economic settings. Reference Sivapalan, M. and G. Blöschl (2015) Time Scale Interactions and the Co-evolution of Humans and Water. Water Resour. Res., 51, in press.

World, Time And Anxiety. Heidegger's Existential Analytic And Psychiatry.

PubMed

Brencio, Francesca

2014-01-01

Martin Heidegger was one of the most influential but also criticized philosophers of the XX century. With Being and Time 1927 he sets apart his existential analytic from psychology as well as from anthropology and from the other human sciences that deny the ontological foundation, overcoming the Cartesian dualism in search of the ontological unit of an articulated multiplicity, as human being is. Heidegger's Dasein Analytic defines the fundamental structures of human being such as being-in-the-world, a unitary structure that discloses the worldhood of the world; the modes of being (Seinsweisen), such as fear (Furcht) and anxiety (Angst); and the relationship between existence and time. In his existential analytic, anxiety is one of the fundamental moods (Grundbefindlichkeit) and it plays a pivotal role in the relationship of Dasein with time and world. The paper firstly focuses on the modes of being, underlining the importance of anxiety for the constitution of human being; secondly, it shows the relationship between anxiety and the world, and anxiety and time: rejecting both the Aristotelian description of time, as a sequence of moments that informs our common understanding of time, and the Augustine's mental account of inner time, Heidegger considers temporality under a transcendental point of view. Temporality is ek-static, it is a process through which human being comes toward and back to itself, letting itself encounter the world and the entities. The transcendental interpretation of time provided by Heidegger may give its important contribution to psychopathology.

Statistical Properties of Longitudinal Time-Activity Data for Use in Human Exposure Modeling

EPA Science Inventory

Understanding the longitudinal properties of the time spent in different locations and activities is important in characterizing human exposure to pollutants. The results of a four-season longitudinal time-activity diary study in eight working adults are presented, with the goal ...

Real-Time Monitoring and Prediction of the Pilot Vehicle System (PVS) Closed-Loop Stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Tanmay Kumar

Understanding human control behavior is an important step for improving the safety of future aircraft. Considerable resources are invested during the design phase of an aircraft to ensure that the aircraft has desirable handling qualities. However, human pilots exhibit a wide range of control behaviors that are a function of external stimulus, aircraft dynamics, and human psychological properties (such as workload, stress factor, confidence, and sense of urgency factor). This variability is difficult to address comprehensively during the design phase and may lead to undesirable pilot-aircraft interaction, such as pilot-induced oscillations (PIO). This creates the need to keep track of human pilot performance in real-time to monitor the pilot vehicle system (PVS) stability. This work focused on studying human pilot behavior for the longitudinal axis of a remotely controlled research aircraft and using human-in-the-loop (HuIL) simulations to obtain information about the human controlled system (HCS) stability. The work in this dissertation is divided into two main parts: PIO analysis and human control model parameters estimation. To replicate different flight conditions, this study included time delay and elevator rate limiting phenomena, typical of actuator dynamics during the experiments. To study human control behavior, this study employed the McRuer model for single-input single-output manual compensatory tasks. McRuer model is a lead-lag controller with time delay which has been shown to adequately model manual compensatory tasks. This dissertation presents a novel technique to estimate McRuer model parameters in real-time and associated validation using HuIL simulations to correctly predict HCS stability. The McRuer model parameters were estimated in real-time using a Kalman filter approach. The estimated parameters were then used to analyze the stability of the closed-loop HCS and verify them against the experimental data. Therefore, the main contribution of this dissertation is the design of an unscented Kalman filter-based algorithm to estimate McRuer model parameters in real time, and a framework to validate this algorithm for single-input single-output manual compensatory tasks to predict instabilities.

Learning dictionaries of sparse codes of 3D movements of body joints for real-time human activity understanding.

PubMed

Qi, Jin; Yang, Zhiyong

2014-01-01

Real-time human activity recognition is essential for human-robot interactions for assisted healthy independent living. Most previous work in this area is performed on traditional two-dimensional (2D) videos and both global and local methods have been used. Since 2D videos are sensitive to changes of lighting condition, view angle, and scale, researchers begun to explore applications of 3D information in human activity understanding in recently years. Unfortunately, features that work well on 2D videos usually don't perform well on 3D videos and there is no consensus on what 3D features should be used. Here we propose a model of human activity recognition based on 3D movements of body joints. Our method has three steps, learning dictionaries of sparse codes of 3D movements of joints, sparse coding, and classification. In the first step, space-time volumes of 3D movements of body joints are obtained via dense sampling and independent component analysis is then performed to construct a dictionary of sparse codes for each activity. In the second step, the space-time volumes are projected to the dictionaries and a set of sparse histograms of the projection coefficients are constructed as feature representations of the activities. Finally, the sparse histograms are used as inputs to a support vector machine to recognize human activities. We tested this model on three databases of human activities and found that it outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms. Thus, this model can be used for real-time human activity recognition in many applications.

Recurrence plots and recurrence quantification analysis of human motion data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Josiński, Henryk; Michalczuk, Agnieszka; Świtoński, Adam; Szczesna, Agnieszka; Wojciechowski, Konrad

2016-06-01

The authors present exemplary application of recurrence plots, cross recurrence plots and recurrence quantification analysis for the purpose of exploration of experimental time series describing selected aspects of human motion. Time series were extracted from treadmill gait sequences which were recorded in the Human Motion Laboratory (HML) of the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Bytom, Poland by means of the Vicon system. Analysis was focused on the time series representing movements of hip, knee, ankle and wrist joints in the sagittal plane.

Research on human physiological parameters intelligent clothing based on distributed Fiber Bragg Grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Changyun; Shi, Boya; Li, Hongqiang

2008-12-01

A human physiological parameters intelligent clothing is researched with FBG sensor technology. In this paper, the principles and methods of measuring human physiological parameters including body temperature and heart rate in intelligent clothing with distributed FBG are studied, the mathematical models of human physiological parameters measurement are built; the processing method of body temperature and heart rate detection signals is presented; human physiological parameters detection module is designed, the interference signals are filtered out, and the measurement accuracy is improved; the integration of the intelligent clothing is given. The intelligent clothing can implement real-time measurement, processing, storage and output of body temperature and heart rate. It has accurate measurement, portability, low cost, real-time monitoring, and other advantages. The intelligent clothing can realize the non-contact monitoring between doctors and patients, timely find the diseases such as cancer and infectious diseases, and make patients get timely treatment. It has great significance and value for ensuring the health of the elders and the children with language dysfunction.

Finding the Beat: From Socially Coordinated Vocalizations in Songbirds to Rhythmic Entrainment in Humans.

PubMed

Benichov, Jonathan I; Globerson, Eitan; Tchernichovski, Ofer

2016-01-01

Humans and oscine songbirds share the rare capacity for vocal learning. Songbirds have the ability to acquire songs and calls of various rhythms through imitation. In several species, birds can even coordinate the timing of their vocalizations with other individuals in duets that are synchronized with millisecond-accuracy. It is not known, however, if songbirds can perceive rhythms holistically nor if they are capable of spontaneous entrainment to complex rhythms, in a manner similar to humans. Here we review emerging evidence from studies of rhythm generation and vocal coordination across songbirds and humans. In particular, recently developed experimental methods have revealed neural mechanisms underlying the temporal structure of song and have allowed us to test birds' abilities to predict the timing of rhythmic social signals. Surprisingly, zebra finches can readily learn to anticipate the calls of a "vocal robot" partner and alter the timing of their answers to avoid jamming, even in reference to complex rhythmic patterns. This capacity resembles, to some extent, human predictive motor response to an external beat. In songbirds, this is driven, at least in part, by the forebrain song system, which controls song timing and is essential for vocal learning. Building upon previous evidence for spontaneous entrainment in human and non-human vocal learners, we propose a comparative framework for future studies aimed at identifying shared mechanism of rhythm production and perception across songbirds and humans.

Effects of human activity of breeding American Oystercatchers, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sabine, J.B.; Meyers, J.M.; Moore, C.T.; Schweitzer, Sara H.

2008-01-01

Abstract.-Increased human use of coastal areas threatens the United States population of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus), a species of special concern. Biologists often attribute its low numbers and reproductive success to human disturbance, but the mechanism by which human presence reduces reproductive success is not well understood. During the 2003 and 2004 breeding seasons, 32 nesting attempts of American Oystercatchers were studied on Cumberland Island National Seashore (CINS). Behavior was examined with and without human activity in the area to determine how human activity affected behavior. The oystercatchers' behavioral responses (proportion time) were analyzed with and without human or intraspecific disturbances using mixed models regression analysis. Proportions of time human activities were present (137 m and vehicular activity should be minimized at current levels or less.

A real-time architecture for time-aware agents.

PubMed

Prouskas, Konstantinos-Vassileios; Pitt, Jeremy V

2004-06-01

This paper describes the specification and implementation of a new three-layer time-aware agent architecture. This architecture is designed for applications and environments where societies of humans and agents play equally active roles, but interact and operate in completely different time frames. The architecture consists of three layers: the April real-time run-time (ART) layer, the time aware layer (TAL), and the application agents layer (AAL). The ART layer forms the underlying real-time agent platform. An original online, real-time, dynamic priority-based scheduling algorithm is described for scheduling the computation time of agent processes, and it is shown that the algorithm's O(n) complexity and scalable performance are sufficient for application in real-time domains. The TAL layer forms an abstraction layer through which human and agent interactions are temporally unified, that is, handled in a common way irrespective of their temporal representation and scale. A novel O(n2) interaction scheduling algorithm is described for predicting and guaranteeing interactions' initiation and completion times. The time-aware predicting component of a workflow management system is also presented as an instance of the AAL layer. The described time-aware architecture addresses two key challenges in enabling agents to be effectively configured and applied in environments where humans and agents play equally active roles. It provides flexibility and adaptability in its real-time mechanisms while placing them under direct agent control, and it temporally unifies human and agent interactions.

A late wake time phase delays the human dim light melatonin rhythm.

PubMed

Burgess, Helen J; Eastman, Charmane I

2006-03-13

Short sleep/dark durations, due to late bedtimes or early wake times or both, are common in modern society. We have previously shown that a series of days with a late bedtime phase delays the human dim light melatonin rhythm, as compared to a series of days with an early bedtime, despite a fixed wake time. Here we compared the effect of an early versus late wake time with a fixed bedtime on the human dim light melatonin rhythm. Fourteen healthy subjects experienced 2 weeks of short 6h nights with an early wake time fixed at their habitual weekday wake time and 2 weeks of long 9 h nights with a wake time that occurred 3h later than the early wake time, in counterbalanced order. We found that after 2 weeks with the late wake time, the dim light melatonin onset delayed by 2.4 h and the dim light melatonin offset delayed by 2.6 h (both p < 0.001), as compared to after 2 weeks with the early wake time. These results highlight the substantial influence that wake time, likely via the associated morning light exposure, has on the timing of the human circadian clock. Furthermore, the results suggest that when people truncate their sleep by waking early their circadian clocks phase advance and when people wake late their circadian clocks phase delay.

45 CFR 1176.4 - Establishing and converting part-time positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Establishing and converting part-time positions. 1176.4 Section 1176.4 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES PART-TIME CAREER EMPLOYMENT...

a Three-Step Spatial-Temporal Clustering Method for Human Activity Pattern Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, W.; Li, S.; Xu, S.

2016-06-01

How people move in cities and what they do in various locations at different times form human activity patterns. Human activity pattern plays a key role in in urban planning, traffic forecasting, public health and safety, emergency response, friend recommendation, and so on. Therefore, scholars from different fields, such as social science, geography, transportation, physics and computer science, have made great efforts in modelling and analysing human activity patterns or human mobility patterns. One of the essential tasks in such studies is to find the locations or places where individuals stay to perform some kind of activities before further activity pattern analysis. In the era of Big Data, the emerging of social media along with wearable devices enables human activity data to be collected more easily and efficiently. Furthermore, the dimension of the accessible human activity data has been extended from two to three (space or space-time) to four dimensions (space, time and semantics). More specifically, not only a location and time that people stay and spend are collected, but also what people "say" for in a location at a time can be obtained. The characteristics of these datasets shed new light on the analysis of human mobility, where some of new methodologies should be accordingly developed to handle them. Traditional methods such as neural networks, statistics and clustering have been applied to study human activity patterns using geosocial media data. Among them, clustering methods have been widely used to analyse spatiotemporal patterns. However, to our best knowledge, few of clustering algorithms are specifically developed for handling the datasets that contain spatial, temporal and semantic aspects all together. In this work, we propose a three-step human activity clustering method based on space, time and semantics to fill this gap. One-year Twitter data, posted in Toronto, Canada, is used to test the clustering-based method. The results show that the approximate 55% spatiotemporal clusters distributed in different locations can be eventually grouped as the same type of clusters with consideration of semantic aspect.

A Circuit Model of Real Time Human Body Hydration.

PubMed

Asogwa, Clement Ogugua; Teshome, Assefa K; Collins, Stephen F; Lai, Daniel T H

2016-06-01

Changes in human body hydration leading to excess fluid losses or overload affects the body fluid's ability to provide the necessary support for healthy living. We propose a time-dependent circuit model of real-time human body hydration, which models the human body tissue as a signal transmission medium. The circuit model predicts the attenuation of a propagating electrical signal. Hydration rates are modeled by a time constant τ, which characterizes the individual specific metabolic function of the body part measured. We define a surrogate human body anthropometric parameter θ by the muscle-fat ratio and comparing it with the body mass index (BMI), we find theoretically, the rate of hydration varying from 1.73 dB/min, for high θ and low τ to 0.05 dB/min for low θ and high τ. We compare these theoretical values with empirical measurements and show that real-time changes in human body hydration can be observed by measuring signal attenuation. We took empirical measurements using a vector network analyzer and obtained different hydration rates for various BMI, ranging from 0.6 dB/min for 22.7 [Formula: see text] down to 0.04 dB/min for 41.2 [Formula: see text]. We conclude that the galvanic coupling circuit model can predict changes in the volume of the body fluid, which are essential in diagnosing and monitoring treatment of body fluid disorder. Individuals with high BMI would have higher time-dependent biological characteristic, lower metabolic rate, and lower rate of hydration.

Human aging, finite lives and the idealization of clocks.

PubMed

Baars, Jan

2017-04-01

Aging and time are interconnected because aging is basically living seen in a temporal perspective. This makes 'time' an important concept in trying to explain aging. However, throughout modernity time has increasingly been identified as clock time: perfectly fit to measure 'age' as time since birth but failing to explain 'age' as an indicator of aging processes and even less adequate to grasp the lived time of human beings. Moreover, the clock as a cultural idol of instrumentalist perfection has led to approaching human aging in terms of maintenance and repair, inspiring a neglect and depreciation of human vulnerability. The instrumentalist culture of late modern society, including its health cure system, has difficulties to relate to the elusive but inevitable limitations of finite life. This tendency is supported by outspoken approaches in biogerontology indulging in perspectives of infinite human lives; a message that is eagerly consumed by the mass media. Moreover, as most people can be expected to survive into old age, thinking about finitude is easily postponed and reserved for those who are 'really old'. Instead of reducing aging to the opposite or mere continuation of vital adulthood, it should be seen as something with a potentially broad and deep significance: a process of learning to live a finite life.

A blueprint for a Human Epigenome Project: the AACR Human Epigenome Workshop.

PubMed

Jones, Peter A; Martienssen, Robert

2005-12-15

Epigenetic processes control the packaging and function of the human genome and contribute to normal and pathologic states, including cancer. The time is ripe to undertake an international effort to identify all the chemical changes and relationships between chromatin constituents that provide function to the genetic code. A timely workshop of leading experts, convened by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), confirmed that the technology is at hand to begin defining human epigenomes at high resolution.

Epidemic characteristics, high-risk townships and space-time clusters of human brucellosis in Shanxi Province of China, 2005-2014.

PubMed

Chen, Qiulan; Lai, Shengjie; Yin, Wenwu; Zhou, Hang; Li, Yu; Mu, Di; Li, Zhongjie; Yu, Hongjie; Yang, Weizhong

2016-12-19

Brucellosis, one of the world's most important zoonosis, has been re-emerging in China. Shanxi Province, located in northern China, where husbandry development has been accelerated in recent years, has a rather high incidence of human brucellosis but drew little attention from the researchers. This study aimed to describe the changing epidemiology of human brucellosis in Shanxi Province from 2005 to 2014 and explore high-risk towns and space-time clusters for elucidating the necessity of decentralizing disease control resource to township level in epidemic regions, particularly in hotspot areas. We extracted data from the Chinese National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting System to describe the incidence and spatiotemporal distribution of human brucellosis in Shanxi Province. Geographic information system was used to identify townships at high risk for the disease. Space-Time Scan Statistic was applied to detect the space-time clusters of human brucellosis during the past decade. From 2005 to 2014, a total of 50,002 cases of human brucellosis were recorded in Shanxi, with a male-to-female ratio of 3.9:1. The reported incidence rate increased dramatically from 7.0/100,000 in 2005 to 23.5/100,000 in 2014, with an average annual increase of 14.5%. There were still 33.8% cases delaying diagnosis in 2014. The proportion of the affected towns increased from 31.5% in 2005 to 82.5% in 2014. High-risk towns spread from the north to the center and then south of Shanxi Province, which were basins and adjacent highlands suitable for livestock cultivation. During the past decade, there were 55 space-time clusters of human brucellosis detected in high risk towns; the clusters could happen in any season. Some clusters' location maintained stable over time. During the last decade, Shanxi province's human brucellosis epidemic had been aggravated and high-risk areas concentrated in some towns located in basins and adjacent highlands. Space-time clusters existed and some located steadily over time. Quite a few cases still missed timely diagnosis. Greater resources should be allocated and decentralized to mitigate the momentum of rise and improve the accessibility of prompt diagnosis treatment in the high-risk townships.

Comparison of Salmonella enteritidis phage types isolated from layers and humans in Belgium in 2005.

PubMed

Welby, Sarah; Imberechts, Hein; Riocreux, Flavien; Bertrand, Sophie; Dierick, Katelijne; Wildemauwe, Christa; Hooyberghs, Jozef; Van der Stede, Yves

2011-08-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the available results for Belgium of the European Union coordinated monitoring program (2004/665 EC) on Salmonella in layers in 2005, as well as the results of the monthly outbreak reports of Salmonella Enteritidis in humans in 2005 to identify a possible statistical significant trend in both populations. Separate descriptive statistics and univariate analysis were carried out and the parametric and/or non-parametric hypothesis tests were conducted. A time cluster analysis was performed for all Salmonella Enteritidis phage types (PTs) isolated. The proportions of each Salmonella Enteritidis PT in layers and in humans were compared and the monthly distribution of the most common PT, isolated in both populations, was evaluated. The time cluster analysis revealed significant clusters during the months May and June for layers and May, July, August, and September for humans. PT21, the most frequently isolated PT in both populations in 2005, seemed to be responsible of these significant clusters. PT4 was the second most frequently isolated PT. No significant difference was found for the monthly trend evolution of both PT in both populations based on parametric and non-parametric methods. A similar monthly trend of PT distribution in humans and layers during the year 2005 was observed. The time cluster analysis and the statistical significance testing confirmed these results. Moreover, the time cluster analysis showed significant clusters during the summer time and slightly delayed in time (humans after layers). These results suggest a common link between the prevalence of Salmonella Enteritidis in layers and the occurrence of the pathogen in humans. Phage typing was confirmed to be a useful tool for identifying temporal trends.

Human grooming in comparative perspective: People in six small-scale societies groom less but socialize just as much as expected for a typical primate.

PubMed

Jaeggi, Adrian V; Kramer, Karen L; Hames, Raymond; Kiely, Evan J; Gomes, Cristina; Kaplan, Hillard; Gurven, Michael

2017-04-01

Grooming has important utilitarian and social functions in primates but little is known about grooming and its functional analogues in traditional human societies. We compare human grooming to typical primate patterns to test its hygienic and social functions. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses were used to derive expected human grooming time given the potential associations between grooming, group size, body size, terrestriality, and several climatic variables across 69 primate species. This was compared against observed times dedicated to grooming, other hygienic behavior, and conversation among the Maya, Pumé, Sanöma, Tsimane', Yanomamö, and Ye'kwana (mean number of behavioral scans = 23,514). Expected grooming time for humans was 4% (95% Credible Interval = 0.07%-14%), similar to values observed in primates, based largely on terrestriality and phylogenetic signal (mean λ = 0.56). No other covariates strongly associated with grooming across primates. Observed grooming time across societies was 0.8%, lower than 89% of the expected values. However, the observed times dedicated to any hygienic behavior (3.0%) or "vocal grooming," that is conversation (7.3%), fell within the expected range. We found (i) that human grooming may be a (recent) phylogenetic outlier when defined narrowly as parasite removal but not defined broadly as personal hygiene, (ii) there was no support for thermoregulatory functions of grooming, and (iii) no support for the "vocal grooming" hypothesis of language having evolved as a less time-consuming means of bonding. Thus, human grooming reflects decreased hygienic needs, but similar social needs compared to primate grooming. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Attitudes of Infertile Couples, Fertility Clinic Staff and Researchers toward Personhood of The Human Embryo in Iran

PubMed Central

Kayssan, Marjaneh; Dolatian, Mahrokh; Omani Samani, Reza; Maroufizadeh, Saman

2017-01-01

Objective After the introduction of assisted reproductive techniques, human embryos were officially introduced into laboratories and now thousands of them are cryopreserved in such settings. Embryonic stem cells and the future application of such cells in the treatment of disease opened the door to further research on human embryos. These developments raise many ethical issues, some of which have religious aspects. The main question is: what is the embryo? Should we consider it a human being? Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes towards the personhood of the embryo. Materials and Methods In this cross sectional study, 203 infertile patients (n=406), 54 clinic staff and 49 embryo researchers, selected using convenience sampling at the Royan Institute, completed a questionnaire on personhood of human embryo. The questionnaire had been developed following qualitative research and had satisfied face and content validity tests. Results At the pre-implantation stage the majority of participants in all three groups considered the human embryo as "not a human being". Also, at the post-implantation stage of development, the majority of infertile couples and clinic staff considered the embryo as "not a human being" but, half the researchers (51%) considered the embryo in this stage as a "potential human". Half of the infertile couples considered the human fetus before ensoulment time (19th week of pregnancy according to the Shiite Islamic scholars) as "not-human being", while more than half of researchers (55.1%) considered it as a "potential human". Conclusion Ensoulment time is a major and important border for personhood. Most infertile couples and clinic staff consider the human embryo as "not a human being" but majority of all study participants considered the human fetus to be a complete human after ensoulment time. PMID:28670524

Human Performance on Visually Presented Traveling Salesperson Problems with Varying Numbers of Nodes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dry, Matthew; Lee, Michael D.; Vickers, Douglas; Hughes, Peter

2006-01-01

We investigated the properties of the distribution of human solution times for Traveling Salesperson Problems (TSPs) with increasing numbers of nodes. New experimental data are presented that measure solution times for carefully chosen representative problems with 10, 20, . . . 120 nodes. We compared the solution times predicted by the convex hull…

Utilizing a Human Factors Nursing Worksystem Improvement Framework to Increase Nurses' Time at the Bedside and Enhance Safety.

PubMed

Probst, C Adam; Carter, Megan; Cadigan, Caton; Dalcour, Cortney; Cassity, Cindy; Quinn, Penny; Williams, Tiana; Montgomery, Donna Cook; Wilder, Claudia; Xiao, Yan

2017-02-01

The aim of this study is to increase nurses' time for direct patient care and improve safety via a novel human factors framework for nursing worksystem improvement. Time available for direct patient care influences outcomes, yet worksystem barriers prevent nurses adequate time at the bedside. A novel human factors framework was developed for worksystem improvement in 3 units at 2 facilities. Objectives included improving nurse efficiency as measured by time-and-motion studies, reducing missing medications and subsequent trips to medication rooms and improving medication safety. Worksystem improvement resulted in time savings of 16% to 32% per nurse per 12-hour shift. Requests for missing medications dropped from 3.2 to 1.3 per day. Nurse medication room trips were reduced by 30% and nurse-reported medication errors fell from a range of 1.2 to 0.8 and 6.3 to 4.0 per month. An innovative human factors framework for nursing worksystem improvement provided practical and high priority targets for interventions that significantly improved the nursing worksystem.

The Role of Time-Scales in Socio-hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blöschl, Günter; Sivapalan, Murugesu

2016-04-01

Much of the interest in hydrological modeling in the past decades revolved around resolving spatial variability. With the rapid changes brought about by human impacts on the hydrologic cycle, there is now an increasing need to refocus on time dependency. We present a co-evolutionary view of hydrologic systems, in which every part of the system including human systems, co-evolve, albeit at different rates. The resulting coupled human-nature system is framed as a dynamical system, characterized by interactions of fast and slow time scales and feedbacks between environmental and social processes. This gives rise to emergent phenomena such as the levee effect, adaptation to change and system collapse due to resource depletion. Changing human values play a key role in the emergence of these phenomena and should therefore be considered as internal to the system in a dynamic way. The co-evolutionary approach differs from the traditional view of water resource systems analysis as it allows for path dependence, multiple equilibria, lock-in situations and emergent phenomena. The approach may assist strategic water management for long time scales through facilitating stakeholder participation, exploring the possibility space of alternative futures, and helping to synthesise the observed dynamics of different case studies. Future research opportunities include the study of how changes in human values are connected to human-water interactions, historical analyses of trajectories of system co-evolution in individual places and comparative analyses of contrasting human-water systems in different climate and socio-economic settings. Reference Sivapalan, M. and G. Blöschl (2015) Time scale interactions and the coevolution of humans and water. Water Resour. Res., 51, 6988-7022, doi:10.1002/2015WR017896.

Delayed system response times affect immediate physiology and the dynamics of subsequent button press behavior.

PubMed

Kohrs, Christin; Hrabal, David; Angenstein, Nicole; Brechmann, André

2014-11-01

System response time research is an important issue in human-computer interactions. Experience with technical devices and general rules of human-human interactions determine the user's expectation, and any delay in system response time may lead to immediate physiological, emotional, and behavioral consequences. We investigated such effects on a trial-by-trial basis during a human-computer interaction by measuring changes in skin conductance (SC), heart rate (HR), and the dynamics of button press responses. We found an increase in SC and a deceleration of HR for all three delayed system response times (0.5, 1, 2 s). Moreover, the data on button press dynamics was highly informative since subjects repeated a button press with more force in response to delayed system response times. Furthermore, the button press dynamics could distinguish between correct and incorrect decisions and may thus even be used to infer the uncertainty of a user's decision. Copyright © 2014 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

The Martian: Examining Human Physical Judgments across Virtual Gravity Fields.

PubMed

Ye, Tian; Qi, Siyuan; Kubricht, James; Zhu, Yixin; Lu, Hongjing; Zhu, Song-Chun

2017-04-01

This paper examines how humans adapt to novel physical situations with unknown gravitational acceleration in immersive virtual environments. We designed four virtual reality experiments with different tasks for participants to complete: strike a ball to hit a target, trigger a ball to hit a target, predict the landing location of a projectile, and estimate the flight duration of a projectile. The first two experiments compared human behavior in the virtual environment with real-world performance reported in the literature. The last two experiments aimed to test the human ability to adapt to novel gravity fields by measuring their performance in trajectory prediction and time estimation tasks. The experiment results show that: 1) based on brief observation of a projectile's initial trajectory, humans are accurate at predicting the landing location even under novel gravity fields, and 2) humans' time estimation in a familiar earth environment fluctuates around the ground truth flight duration, although the time estimation in unknown gravity fields indicates a bias toward earth's gravity.

Vigilance and Activity Time-Budget Adjustments of Wintering Hooded Cranes, Grus monacha, in Human-Dominated Foraging Habitats

PubMed Central

Li, Chunlin; Zhou, Lizhi; Xu, Li; Zhao, Niannian; Beauchamp, Guy

2015-01-01

Due to loss and degradation of natural wetlands, waterbirds increasingly rely on surrounding human-dominated habitats to obtain food. Quantifying vigilance patterns, investigating the trade-off among various activities, and examining the underlying mechanisms will help us understand how waterbirds adapt to human-caused disturbances. During two successive winters (November-February of 2012–13 and 2013–14), we studied the hooded crane, Grus monacha, in the Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve (NNR), China, to investigate how the species responds to human disturbances through vigilance and activity time-budget adjustments. Our results showed striking differences in the behavior of the cranes when foraging in the highly disturbed rice paddy fields found in the buffer zone compared with the degraded natural wetlands in the core area of the NNR. Time spent vigilant decreased with flock size and cranes spent more time vigilant in the human-dominated buffer zone. In the rice paddy fields, the birds were more vigilant but also fed more at the expense of locomotion and maintenance activities. Adult cranes spent more time vigilant and foraged less than juveniles. We recommend habitat recovery in natural wetlands and community co-management in the surrounding human-dominated landscape for conservation of the hooded crane and, generally, for the vast numbers of migratory waterbirds wintering in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River floodplain. PMID:25768111

Vigilance and activity time-budget adjustments of wintering hooded cranes, Grus monacha, in human-dominated foraging habitats.

PubMed

Li, Chunlin; Zhou, Lizhi; Xu, Li; Zhao, Niannian; Beauchamp, Guy

2015-01-01

Due to loss and degradation of natural wetlands, waterbirds increasingly rely on surrounding human-dominated habitats to obtain food. Quantifying vigilance patterns, investigating the trade-off among various activities, and examining the underlying mechanisms will help us understand how waterbirds adapt to human-caused disturbances. During two successive winters (November-February of 2012-13 and 2013-14), we studied the hooded crane, Grus monacha, in the Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve (NNR), China, to investigate how the species responds to human disturbances through vigilance and activity time-budget adjustments. Our results showed striking differences in the behavior of the cranes when foraging in the highly disturbed rice paddy fields found in the buffer zone compared with the degraded natural wetlands in the core area of the NNR. Time spent vigilant decreased with flock size and cranes spent more time vigilant in the human-dominated buffer zone. In the rice paddy fields, the birds were more vigilant but also fed more at the expense of locomotion and maintenance activities. Adult cranes spent more time vigilant and foraged less than juveniles. We recommend habitat recovery in natural wetlands and community co-management in the surrounding human-dominated landscape for conservation of the hooded crane and, generally, for the vast numbers of migratory waterbirds wintering in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River floodplain.

Walking, running, and resting under time, distance, and average speed constraints: optimality of walk-run-rest mixtures.

PubMed

Long, Leroy L; Srinivasan, Manoj

2013-04-06

On a treadmill, humans switch from walking to running beyond a characteristic transition speed. Here, we study human choice between walking and running in a more ecological (non-treadmill) setting. We asked subjects to travel a given distance overground in a given allowed time duration. During this task, the subjects carried, and could look at, a stopwatch that counted down to zero. As expected, if the total time available were large, humans walk the whole distance. If the time available were small, humans mostly run. For an intermediate total time, humans often use a mixture of walking at a slow speed and running at a higher speed. With analytical and computational optimization, we show that using a walk-run mixture at intermediate speeds and a walk-rest mixture at the lowest average speeds is predicted by metabolic energy minimization, even with costs for transients-a consequence of non-convex energy curves. Thus, sometimes, steady locomotion may not be energy optimal, and not preferred, even in the absence of fatigue. Assuming similar non-convex energy curves, we conjecture that similar walk-run mixtures may be energetically beneficial to children following a parent and animals on long leashes. Humans and other animals might also benefit energetically from alternating between moving forward and standing still on a slow and sufficiently long treadmill.

Walking, running, and resting under time, distance, and average speed constraints: optimality of walk–run–rest mixtures

PubMed Central

Long, Leroy L.; Srinivasan, Manoj

2013-01-01

On a treadmill, humans switch from walking to running beyond a characteristic transition speed. Here, we study human choice between walking and running in a more ecological (non-treadmill) setting. We asked subjects to travel a given distance overground in a given allowed time duration. During this task, the subjects carried, and could look at, a stopwatch that counted down to zero. As expected, if the total time available were large, humans walk the whole distance. If the time available were small, humans mostly run. For an intermediate total time, humans often use a mixture of walking at a slow speed and running at a higher speed. With analytical and computational optimization, we show that using a walk–run mixture at intermediate speeds and a walk–rest mixture at the lowest average speeds is predicted by metabolic energy minimization, even with costs for transients—a consequence of non-convex energy curves. Thus, sometimes, steady locomotion may not be energy optimal, and not preferred, even in the absence of fatigue. Assuming similar non-convex energy curves, we conjecture that similar walk–run mixtures may be energetically beneficial to children following a parent and animals on long leashes. Humans and other animals might also benefit energetically from alternating between moving forward and standing still on a slow and sufficiently long treadmill. PMID:23365192

Combination of Light and Melatonin Time Cues for Phase Advancing the Human Circadian Clock

PubMed Central

Burke, Tina M.; Markwald, Rachel R.; Chinoy, Evan D.; Snider, Jesse A.; Bessman, Sara C.; Jung, Christopher M.; Wright, Kenneth P.

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: Photic and non-photic stimuli have been shown to shift the phase of the human circadian clock. We examined how photic and non-photic time cues may be combined by the human circadian system by assessing the phase advancing effects of one evening dose of exogenous melatonin, alone and in combination with one session of morning bright light exposure. Design: Randomized placebo-controlled double-blind circadian protocol. The effects of four conditions, dim light (∼1.9 lux, ∼0.6 Watts/m2)-placebo, dim light-melatonin (5 mg), bright light (∼3000 lux, ∼7 Watts/m2)-placebo, and bright light-melatonin on circadian phase was assessed by the change in the salivary dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) prior to and following treatment under constant routine conditions. Melatonin or placebo was administered 5.75 h prior to habitual bedtime and 3 h of bright light exposure started 1 h prior to habitual wake time. Setting: Sleep and chronobiology laboratory environment free of time cues. Participants: Thirty-six healthy participants (18 females) aged 22 ± 4 y (mean ± SD). Results: Morning bright light combined with early evening exogenous melatonin induced a greater phase advance of the DLMO than either treatment alone. Bright light alone and melatonin alone induced similar phase advances. Conclusion: Information from light and melatonin appear to be combined by the human circadian clock. The ability to combine circadian time cues has important implications for understanding fundamental physiological principles of the human circadian timing system. Knowledge of such principles is important for designing effective countermeasures for phase-shifting the human circadian clock to adapt to jet lag, shift work, and for designing effective treatments for circadian sleep-wakefulness disorders. Citation: Burke TM; Markwald RR; Chinoy ED; Snider JA; Bessman SC; Jung CM; Wright Jr KP. Combination of light and melatonin time cues for phase advancing the human circadian clock. SLEEP 2013;36(11):1617-1624. PMID:24179293

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells suppress MHC class II expression on rat vascular endothelium and prolong survival time of cardiac allograft

PubMed Central

Qiu, Ying; Yun, Mark M; Han, Xia; Zhao, Ruidong; Zhou, Erxia; Yun, Sheng

2014-01-01

Background: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs) have low immunogenicity and immune regulation. To investigate immunomodulatory effects of human UC-MSCs on MHC class II expression and allograft, we transplanted heart of transgenic rats with MHC class II expression on vascular endothelium. Methods: UC-MSCs were obtained from human umbilical cords and confirmed with flow cytometry analysis. Transgenic rat line was established using the construct of human MHC class II transactivator gene (CIITA) under mouse ICAM-2 promoter control. The induced MHC class II expression on transgenic rat vascular endothelial cells (VECs) was assessed with immunohistological staining. And the survival time of cardiac allograft was compared between the recipients with and without UC-MSC transfusion. Results: Flow cytometry confirmed that the human UC-MSCs were positive for CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105, CD271, and negative for CD34 and HLA-DR. Repeated infusion of human UC-MSCs reduced MHC class II expression on vascular endothelia of transplanted hearts, and increased survival time of allograft. The UC-MSCs increased regulatory cytokines IL10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and suppressed proinflammatory cytokines IL2 and IFN-γ in vivo. The UC-MSC culture supernatant had similar effects on cytokine expression, and decreased lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. Conclusions: Repeated transfusion of the human UC-MSCs reduced MHC class II expression on vascular endothelia and prolonged the survival time of rat cardiac allograft. PMID:25126177

Understanding Differences in the Body Burden–Age Relationships of Bioaccumulating Contaminants Based on Population Cross Sections versus Individuals

PubMed Central

Quinn, Cristina L.

2012-01-01

Background: Body burdens of persistent bioaccumulative contaminants estimated from the cross-sectional biomonitoring of human populations are often plotted against age. Such relationships have previously been assumed to reflect the role of age in bioaccumulation. Objectives: We used a mechanistic modeling approach to reproduce concentration-versus-age relationships and investigate factors that influence them. Method: CoZMoMAN is an environmental fate and human food chain bioaccumulation model that estimates time trends in human body burdens in response to time-variant environmental emissions. Trends of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener 153 concentrations versus age for population cross sections were estimated using simulated longitudinal data for individual women born at different times. The model was also used to probe the influence of partitioning and degradation properties, length of emissions, and model assumptions regarding lipid content and liver metabolism on concentration–age trends of bioaccumulative and persistent contaminants. Results: Body burden–age relationships for population cross sections and individuals over time are not equivalent. The time lapse between the peak in emissions and sample collection for biomonitoring is the most influential factor controlling the shape of concentration–age trends for chemicals with human metabolic half-lives longer than 1 year. Differences in observed concentration–age trends for PCBs and polybrominated diphenyl ethers are consistent with differences in emission time trends and human metabolic half-lives. Conclusions: Bioaccumulation does not monotonically increase with age. Our model suggests that the main predictors of cross-sectional body burden trends with age are the amount of time elapsed after peak emissions and the human metabolic and environmental degradation rates. PMID:22472302

5 CFR 9701.523 - Official time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY-OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT) DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Labor-Management Relations § 9701.523 Official time. (a) Any employee representing an...

Velocity Field Measurements of Human Coughing Using Time Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, T.; Marr, D. R.; Higuchi, H.; Glauser, M. N.

2003-11-01

Quantitative fluid mechanics analysis of human coughing has been carried out using new Time Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (TRPIV). The study involves measurement of velocity vector time-histories and velocity profiles. It is focused on the average normal human coughing. Some work in the past on cough mechanics has involved measurement of flow rates, tidal volumes and sub-glottis pressure. However, data of unsteady velocity vector field of the exiting highly time-dependent jets is not available. In this study, human cough waveform data are first acquired in vivo using conventional respiratory instrumentation for various volunteers of different gender/age groups. The representative waveform is then reproduced with a coughing/breathing simulator (with or without a manikin) for TRPIV measurements and analysis. The results of this study would be useful not only for designing of indoor air quality and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, but also for devising means of protection against infectious diseases.

Judgment in crossing a road between objects coming in the opposite lane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumiya, Kazumichi; Kaneko, Hirohiko

2008-05-01

When cars are oncoming in the opposite lane of a road, a driver is able to judge whether his/her car can cross the road at an intersection without a collision with the oncoming cars. We developed a model for the human judgment used to cross a road between oncoming objects. In the model, in order to make the judgment to cross the road, the human visual system compares the time interval it takes for an oncoming object to pass the observer with the time interval it takes for the observer to cross the road. We conducted a psychophysical experiment to test the model prediction. The result showed that human performance is in good agreement with the theoretical consequence provided by the model, suggesting that the human visual system uses not only the visually timed information of the approaching object but also the timed information of self-action for the judgment about crossing the road.

A review and assessment of land-use change models: dynamics of space, time, and human choice

Treesearch

Chetan Agarwal; Glen M. Green; J. Morgan Grove; Tom P. Evans; Charles M. Schweik

2002-01-01

A review of different types of land-use change models incorporating human processes. Presents a framework to compare land-use change models in terms of scale (both spatial and temporal) and complexity, and how well they incorporate space, time, and human decisionmaking. Examines a summary set of 250 relevant citations and develops a bibliography of 136 papers. From...

Evaluation of human dynamic balance in Grassmann manifold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michalczuk, Agnieszka; Wereszczyński, Kamil; Mucha, Romualda; Świtoński, Adam; Josiński, Henryk; Wojciechowski, Konrad

2017-07-01

The authors present an application of Grassmann manifold to the evaluation of human dynamic balance based on the time series representing movements of hip, knee and ankle joints in the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes. Time series were extracted from gait sequences which were recorded in the Human Motion Laboratory (HML) of the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Bytom, Poland using the Vicon system.

From Human Factors to Human Actors to Human Crafters: A Meta-Design Inspired Participatory Framework for Designing in Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maceli, Monica Grace

2012-01-01

Meta-design theory emphasizes that system designers can never anticipate all future uses of their system at design time, when systems are being developed. Rather, end users shape their environments in response to emerging needs at use time. Meta-design theory suggests that systems should therefore be designed to adapt to future conditions in the…

Unfolding large-scale online collaborative human dynamics

PubMed Central

Zha, Yilong; Zhou, Tao; Zhou, Changsong

2016-01-01

Large-scale interacting human activities underlie all social and economic phenomena, but quantitative understanding of regular patterns and mechanism is very challenging and still rare. Self-organized online collaborative activities with a precise record of event timing provide unprecedented opportunity. Our empirical analysis of the history of millions of updates in Wikipedia shows a universal double–power-law distribution of time intervals between consecutive updates of an article. We then propose a generic model to unfold collaborative human activities into three modules: (i) individual behavior characterized by Poissonian initiation of an action, (ii) human interaction captured by a cascading response to previous actions with a power-law waiting time, and (iii) population growth due to the increasing number of interacting individuals. This unfolding allows us to obtain an analytical formula that is fully supported by the universal patterns in empirical data. Our modeling approaches reveal “simplicity” beyond complex interacting human activities. PMID:27911766

Mental time travel and the shaping of the human mind

PubMed Central

Suddendorf, Thomas; Addis, Donna Rose; Corballis, Michael C.

2009-01-01

Episodic memory, enabling conscious recollection of past episodes, can be distinguished from semantic memory, which stores enduring facts about the world. Episodic memory shares a core neural network with the simulation of future episodes, enabling mental time travel into both the past and the future. The notion that there might be something distinctly human about mental time travel has provoked ingenious attempts to demonstrate episodic memory or future simulation in non-human animals, but we argue that they have not yet established a capacity comparable to the human faculty. The evolution of the capacity to simulate possible future events, based on episodic memory, enhanced fitness by enabling action in preparation of different possible scenarios that increased present or future survival and reproduction chances. Human language may have evolved in the first instance for the sharing of past and planned future events, and, indeed, fictional ones, further enhancing fitness in social settings. PMID:19528013

Is preterm birth a human-specific syndrome?

PubMed Central

Phillips, Julie Baker; Abbot, Patrick; Rokas, Antonis

2015-01-01

Human preterm birth (PTB), a multifactorial syndrome affecting offspring born before 37 completed weeks of gestation, is the leading cause of newborn death worldwide. Remarkably, the degree to which early parturition contributes to mortality in other placental mammals remains unclear. To gain insights on whether PTB is a human-specific syndrome, we examined within- and between-species variation in gestation length across placental mammals and the impact of early parturition on offspring fitness. Within species, gestation length is normally distributed, and all species appear to occasionally give birth before the ‘optimal’ time. Furthermore, human gestation length, like that of many mammalian species, scales proportionally to body mass, suggesting that this trait, like many others, is constrained by body size. Premature humans suffer from numerous cognitive impairments, but little is known of cognitive impairments in other placental mammals. Human gestation differs in the timing of the ‘brain growth spurt’, where unlike many mammals, including closely related primates, the trajectory of human brain growth directly overlaps with the parturition time window. Thus, although all mammals experience early parturition, the fitness costs imposed by the cognitive impairments may be unique to our species. Describing PTB broadly in mammals opens avenues for comparative studies on the physiological and genetic regulators of birth timing as well as the development of new mammalian models of the disease. PMID:26077822

The Digital Humanities as a Humanities Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Svensson, Patrik

2012-01-01

This article argues that the digital humanities can be seen as a humanities project in a time of significant change in the academy. The background is a number of scholarly, educational and technical challenges, the multiple epistemic traditions linked to the digital humanities, the potential reach of the field across and outside the humanities,…

Humane Education: An Overview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitlock, Eileen S.; Westerlund, Stuart R.

This booklet traces the historical development of human education as it has been instilled into the young people of America from colonial times to the present and provides a future prognosis of humaneness in the schools. Humane education promotes humane behavior and is an important part of the humane movement in the United States, although until…

Night-time lights as a proxy of human pressure on freshwater resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceola, Serena; Montanari, Alberto; Laio, Francesco

2017-04-01

The presence and availability of freshwater resources at the global scale control the dynamics and the biodiversity of river ecosystems, as well as the human development and the security of people and economies. The increasing human pressure on freshwater is known to potentially drive significant alterations on both ecohydrological and social dynamics. To date, a spatially-detailed snapshot (i.e. single in time) analysis of human water security and river biodiversity threats revealed that the majority of the world's population and river ecosystems are exposed to high levels of endangerment. However, the temporal evolution of these effects at the global scale is still unexplored. To this aim, moving from the recent progress on remote sensing techniques, we employed yearly averaged night-time light images available from 1992 to 2013 as a proxy of anthropogenic presence and activity and we investigated how threats to human water security and river biodiversity evolved in time in 405 major river basins. Our results show a consistent correlation between nightlights and ecohydrological and threats, providing innovative support for freshwater resources management.

The dynamic influence of human resources on evidence-based intervention sustainability and population outcomes: an agent-based modeling approach.

PubMed

McKay, Virginia R; Hoffer, Lee D; Combs, Todd B; Margaret Dolcini, M

2018-06-05

Sustaining evidence-based interventions (EBIs) is an ongoing challenge for dissemination and implementation science in public health and social services. Characterizing the relationship among human resource capacity within an agency and subsequent population outcomes is an important step to improving our understanding of how EBIs are sustained. Although human resource capacity and population outcomes are theoretically related, examining them over time within real-world experiments is difficult. Simulation approaches, especially agent-based models, offer advantages that complement existing methods. We used an agent-based model to examine the relationships among human resources, EBI delivery, and population outcomes by simulating provision of an EBI through a hypothetical agency and its staff. We used data from existing studies examining a widely implemented HIV prevention intervention to inform simulation design, calibration, and validity. Once we developed a baseline model, we used the model as a simulated laboratory by systematically varying three human resource variables: the number of staff positions, the staff turnover rate, and timing in training. We tracked the subsequent influence on EBI delivery and the level of population risk over time to describe the overall and dynamic relationships among these variables. Higher overall levels of human resource capacity at an agency (more positions) led to more extensive EBI delivery over time and lowered population risk earlier in time. In simulations representing the typical human resource investments, substantial influences on population risk were visible after approximately 2 years and peaked around 4 years. Human resources, especially staff positions, have an important impact on EBI sustainability and ultimately population health. A minimum level of human resources based on the context (e.g., size of the initial population and characteristics of the EBI) is likely needed for an EBI to have a meaningful impact on population outcomes. Furthermore, this model demonstrates how ABMs may be leveraged to inform research design and assess the impact of EBI sustainability in practice.

Plasticity of the Intrinsic Period of the Human Circadian Timing System

PubMed Central

Scheer, Frank A.J.L.; Wright, Kenneth P.; Kronauer, Richard E.; Czeisler, Charles A.

2007-01-01

Human expeditions to Mars will require adaptation to the 24.65-h Martian solar day-night cycle (sol), which is outside the range of entrainment of the human circadian pacemaker under lighting intensities to which astronauts are typically exposed. Failure to entrain the circadian time-keeping system to the desired rest-activity cycle disturbs sleep and impairs cognitive function. Furthermore, differences between the intrinsic circadian period and Earth's 24-h light-dark cycle underlie human circadian rhythm sleep disorders, such as advanced sleep phase disorder and non-24-hour sleep-wake disorders. Therefore, first, we tested whether exposure to a model-based lighting regimen would entrain the human circadian pacemaker at a normal phase angle to the 24.65-h Martian sol and to the 23.5-h day length often required of astronauts during short duration space exploration. Second, we tested here whether such prior entrainment to non-24-h light-dark cycles would lead to subsequent modification of the intrinsic period of the human circadian timing system. Here we show that exposure to moderately bright light (∼450 lux; ∼1.2 W/m2) for the second or first half of the scheduled wake episode is effective for entraining individuals to the 24.65-h Martian sol and a 23.5-h day length, respectively. Estimations of the circadian periods of plasma melatonin, plasma cortisol, and core body temperature rhythms collected under forced desynchrony protocols revealed that the intrinsic circadian period of the human circadian pacemaker was significantly longer following entrainment to the Martian sol as compared to following entrainment to the 23.5-h day. The latter finding of after-effects of entrainment reveals for the first time plasticity of the period of the human circadian timing system. Both findings have important implications for the treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders and human space exploration. PMID:17684566

Unprocessed real-time imaging of vitreoretinal surgical maneuvers using a microscope-integrated spectral-domain optical coherence tomography system.

PubMed

Hahn, Paul; Migacz, Justin; O'Connell, Rachelle; Izatt, Joseph A; Toth, Cynthia A

2013-01-01

We have recently developed a microscope-integrated spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (MIOCT) device towards intrasurgical cross-sectional imaging of surgical maneuvers. In this report, we explore the capability of MIOCT to acquire real-time video imaging of vitreoretinal surgical maneuvers without post-processing modifications. Standard 3-port vitrectomy was performed in human during scheduled surgery as well as in cadaveric porcine eyes. MIOCT imaging of human subjects was performed in healthy normal volunteers and intraoperatively at a normal pause immediately following surgical manipulations, under an Institutional Review Board-approved protocol, with informed consent from all subjects. Video MIOCT imaging of live surgical manipulations was performed in cadaveric porcine eyes by carefully aligning B-scans with instrument orientation and movement. Inverted imaging was performed by lengthening of the reference arm to a position beyond the choroid. Unprocessed MIOCT imaging was successfully obtained in healthy human volunteers and in human patients undergoing surgery, with visualization of post-surgical changes in unprocessed single B-scans. Real-time, unprocessed MIOCT video imaging was successfully obtained in cadaveric porcine eyes during brushing of the retina with the Tano scraper, peeling of superficial retinal tissue with intraocular forceps, and separation of the posterior hyaloid face. Real-time inverted imaging enabled imaging without complex conjugate artifacts. MIOCT is capable of unprocessed imaging of the macula in human patients undergoing surgery and of unprocessed, real-time, video imaging of surgical maneuvers in model eyes. These capabilities represent an important step towards development of MIOCT for efficient, real-time imaging of manipulations during human surgery.

Human Dose-Response Data for Francisella tularensis and a Dose- and Time-Dependent Mathematical Model of Early-Phase Fever Associated with Tularemia After Inhalation Exposure.

PubMed

McClellan, Gene; Coleman, Margaret; Crary, David; Thurman, Alec; Thran, Brandolyn

2018-04-25

Military health risk assessors, medical planners, operational planners, and defense system developers require knowledge of human responses to doses of biothreat agents to support force health protection and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) defense missions. This article reviews extensive data from 118 human volunteers administered aerosols of the bacterial agent Francisella tularensis, strain Schu S4, which causes tularemia. The data set includes incidence of early-phase febrile illness following administration of well-characterized inhaled doses of F. tularensis. Supplemental data on human body temperature profiles over time available from de-identified case reports is also presented. A unified, logically consistent model of early-phase febrile illness is described as a lognormal dose-response function for febrile illness linked with a stochastic time profile of fever. Three parameters are estimated from the human data to describe the time profile: incubation period or onset time for fever; rise time of fever; and near-maximum body temperature. Inhaled dose-dependence and variability are characterized for each of the three parameters. These parameters enable a stochastic model for the response of an exposed population through incorporation of individual-by-individual variability by drawing random samples from the statistical distributions of these three parameters for each individual. This model provides risk assessors and medical decisionmakers reliable representations of the predicted health impacts of early-phase febrile illness for as long as one week after aerosol exposures of human populations to F. tularensis. © 2018 Society for Risk Analysis.

A Human Factors Analysis of EVA Time Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pate, Dennis W.

1997-01-01

Human Factors Engineering (HFE) is a discipline whose goal is to engineer a safer, more efficient interface between humans and machines. HFE makes use of a wide range of tools and techniques to fulfill this goal. One of these tools is known as motion and time study, a technique used to develop time standards for given tasks. During the summer of 1995, a human factors motion and time study was initiated with the goals of developing a database of EVA task times and developing a method of utilizing the database to predict how long an EVA should take. Initial development relied on the EVA activities performed during the STS-61 (Hubble) mission. The first step of the study was to become familiar with EVA's, the previous task-time studies, and documents produced on EVA's. After reviewing these documents, an initial set of task primitives and task-time modifiers was developed. Data was collected from videotaped footage of two entire STS-61 EVA missions and portions of several others, each with two EVA astronauts. Feedback from the analysis of the data was used to further refine the primitives and modifiers used. The project was continued during the summer of 1996, during which data on human errors was also collected and analyzed. Additional data from the STS-71 mission was also collected. Analysis of variance techniques for categorical data was used to determine which factors may affect the primitive times and how much of an effect they have. Probability distributions for the various task were also generated. Further analysis of the modifiers and interactions is planned.

An Effective Division of Labor Between Human and Robotic Agents Performing a Cooperative Assembly Task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rehnmark, Fredrik; Bluethmann, William; Rochlis, Jennifer; Huber, Eric; Ambrose, Robert

2003-01-01

NASA's Human Space Flight program depends heavily on spacewalks performed by human astronauts. These so-called extra-vehicular activities (EVAs) are risky, expensive and complex. Work is underway to develop a robotic astronaut's assistant that can help reduce human EVA time and workload by delivering human-like dexterous manipulation capabilities to any EVA worksite. An experiment is conducted to evaluate human-robot teaming strategies in the context of a simplified EVA assembly task in which Robonaut, a collaborative effort with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an anthropomorphic robot works side-by-side with a human subject. Team performance is studied in an effort to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each teaming configuration and to recommend an appropriate division of labor. A shared control approach is developed to take advantage of the complementary strengths of the human teleoperator and robot, even in the presence of significant time delay.

40 CFR 281.37 - Financial responsibility for UST systems containing petroleum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... action and third-party claims in a timely manner to protect human health and the environment; (2) Owners... and third-party claims in a timely manner to protect human health and the environment; (3) Owners and...

40 CFR 281.37 - Financial responsibility for UST systems containing petroleum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... action and third-party claims in a timely manner to protect human health and the environment; (2) Owners... and third-party claims in a timely manner to protect human health and the environment; (3) Owners and...

40 CFR 281.37 - Financial responsibility for UST systems containing petroleum.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... action and third-party claims in a timely manner to protect human health and the environment; (2) Owners... and third-party claims in a timely manner to protect human health and the environment; (3) Owners and...

Forming Human-Robot Teams Across Time and Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hambuchen, Kimberly; Burridge, Robert R.; Ambrose, Robert O.; Bluethmann, William J.; Diftler, Myron A.; Radford, Nicolaus A.

2012-01-01

NASA pushes telerobotics to distances that span the Solar System. At this scale, time of flight for communication is limited by the speed of light, inducing long time delays, narrow bandwidth and the real risk of data disruption. NASA also supports missions where humans are in direct contact with robots during extravehicular activity (EVA), giving a range of zero to hundreds of millions of miles for NASA s definition of "tele". . Another temporal variable is mission phasing. NASA missions are now being considered that combine early robotic phases with later human arrival, then transition back to robot only operations. Robots can preposition, scout, sample or construct in advance of human teammates, transition to assistant roles when the crew are present, and then become care-takers when the crew returns to Earth. This paper will describe advances in robot safety and command interaction approaches developed to form effective human-robot teams, overcoming challenges of time delay and adapting as the team transitions from robot only to robots and crew. The work is predicated on the idea that when robots are alone in space, they are still part of a human-robot team acting as surrogates for people back on Earth or in other distant locations. Software, interaction modes and control methods will be described that can operate robots in all these conditions. A novel control mode for operating robots across time delay was developed using a graphical simulation on the human side of the communication, allowing a remote supervisor to drive and command a robot in simulation with no time delay, then monitor progress of the actual robot as data returns from the round trip to and from the robot. Since the robot must be responsible for safety out to at least the round trip time period, the authors developed a multi layer safety system able to detect and protect the robot and people in its workspace. This safety system is also running when humans are in direct contact with the robot, so it involves both internal fault detection as well as force sensing for unintended external contacts. The designs for the supervisory command mode and the redundant safety system will be described. Specific implementations were developed and test results will be reported. Experiments were conducted using terrestrial analogs for deep space missions, where time delays were artificially added to emulate the longer distances found in space.

Microbial succession in an inflated lunar/Mars analog habitat during a 30-day human occupation.

PubMed

Mayer, Teresa; Blachowicz, Adriana; Probst, Alexander J; Vaishampayan, Parag; Checinska, Aleksandra; Swarmer, Tiffany; de Leon, Pablo; Venkateswaran, Kasthuri

2016-06-02

For potential future human missions to the Moon or Mars and sustained presence in the International Space Station, a safe enclosed habitat environment for astronauts is required. Potential microbial contamination of closed habitats presents a risk for crewmembers due to reduced human immune response during long-term confinement. To make future habitat designs safer for crewmembers, lessons learned from characterizing analogous habitats is very critical. One of the key issues is that how human presence influences the accumulation of microorganisms in the closed habitat. Molecular technologies, along with traditional microbiological methods, were utilized to catalog microbial succession during a 30-day human occupation of a simulated inflatable lunar/Mars habitat. Surface samples were collected at different time points to capture the complete spectrum of viable and potential opportunistic pathogenic bacterial population. Traditional cultivation, propidium monoazide (PMA)-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assays were employed to estimate the cultivable, viable, and metabolically active microbial population, respectively. Next-generation sequencing was used to elucidate the microbial dynamics and community profiles at different locations of the habitat during varying time points. Statistical analyses confirm that occupation time has a strong influence on bacterial community profiles. The Day 0 samples (before human occupation) have a very different microbial diversity compared to the later three time points. Members of Proteobacteria (esp. Oxalobacteraceae and Caulobacteraceae) and Firmicutes (esp. Bacillaceae) were most abundant before human occupation (Day 0), while other members of Firmicutes (Clostridiales) and Actinobacteria (esp. Corynebacteriaceae) were abundant during the 30-day occupation. Treatment of samples with PMA (a DNA-intercalating dye for selective detection of viable microbial population) had a significant effect on the microbial diversity compared to non-PMA-treated samples. Statistical analyses revealed a significant difference in community structure of samples over time, particularly of the bacteriomes existing before human occupation of the habitat (Day 0 sampling) and after occupation (Day 13, Day 20, and Day 30 samplings). Actinobacteria (mainly Corynebacteriaceae) and Firmicutes (mainly Clostridiales Incertae Sedis XI and Staphylococcaceae) were shown to increase over the occupation time period. The results of this study revealed a strong relationship between human presence and succession of microbial diversity in a closed habitat. Consequently, it is necessary to develop methods and tools for effective maintenance of a closed system to enable safe human habitation in enclosed environments on Earth and beyond.

A human factors analysis of EVA time requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pate, D. W.

1996-01-01

Human Factors Engineering (HFE), also known as Ergonomics, is a discipline whose goal is to engineer a safer, more efficient interface between humans and machines. HFE makes use of a wide range of tools and techniques to fulfill this goal. One of these tools is known as motion and time study, a technique used to develop time standards for given tasks. A human factors motion and time study was initiated with the goal of developing a database of EVA task times and a method of utilizing the database to predict how long an ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA) should take. Initial development relied on the EVA activities performed during the STS-61 mission (Hubble repair). The first step of the analysis was to become familiar with EVAs and with the previous studies and documents produced on EVAs. After reviewing these documents, an initial set of task primitives and task time modifiers was developed. Videotaped footage of STS-61 EVAs were analyzed using these primitives and task time modifiers. Data for two entire EVA missions and portions of several others, each with two EVA astronauts, was collected for analysis. Feedback from the analysis of the data will be used to further refine the primitives and task time modifiers used. Analysis of variance techniques for categorical data will be used to determine which factors may, individually or by interactions, effect the primitive times and how much of an effect they have.

New perspectives on evolutionary medicine: the relevance of microevolution for human health and disease.

PubMed

Rühli, Frank Jakobus; Henneberg, Maciej

2013-04-29

Evolutionary medicine (EM) is a growing field focusing on the evolutionary basis of human diseases and their changes through time. To date, the majority of EM studies have used pure theories of hominin macroevolution to explain the present-day state of human health. Here, we propose a different approach by addressing more empirical and health-oriented research concerning past, current and future microevolutionary changes of human structure, functions and pathologies. Studying generation-to-generation changes of human morphology that occurred in historical times, and still occur in present-day populations under the forces of evolution, helps to explain medical conditions and warns clinicians that their current practices may influence future humans. Also, analyzing historic tissue specimens such as mummies is crucial in order to address the molecular evolution of pathogens, of the human genome, and their coadaptations.

Posterior Cricoarytenoid Muscle Dynamics in Canines and Humans

PubMed Central

Chhetri, Dinesh K.; Neubauer, Juergen; Sofer, Elazar

2015-01-01

Objective The posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscle is the sole abductor of the glottis and serves important functions during respiration, phonation, cough, and sniff. The present study examines vocal fold abduction dynamics during PCA muscle activation. Study Design Basic science study using an in vivo canine model and human subjects. Methods In four canines and five healthy humans vocal fold abduction time was measured using high speed video recording. In the canines, PCA muscle activation was achieved using graded stimulation of the PCA nerve branch. The human subjects performed coughing and sniffing tasks. High speed video and audio signals were concurrently recorded. Results In the canines the vocal fold moved posteriorly, laterally, and superiorly during abduction. Average time to reach 10%, 50% and 90% abduction was 23, 50, and 100 ms with low stimulation, 24, 58, and 129 ms with medium stimulation, and 21, 49, and 117 ms with high level stimulation. In the humans, 100% abduction times for coughing and sniffing tasks were 79 and 193 ms, respectively. Conclusion The PCA abduction times in canines are within the range in humans. The results also further support the notion that PCA muscles are fully active during cough. Level of Evidence N/A (Animal studies and basic research) PMID:24781959

A NEW METHOD OF LONGITUDINAL DIARY ASSEMBLY FOR EXPOSURE MODELING

EPA Science Inventory

Many stochastic human exposure models require the construction of longitudinal time-activity diaries to evaluate the time sequence of concentrations encountered, and hence, the pollutant exposure for the simulated individuals. However, most of the available data on human activiti...

Radiation equivalent dose simulations for long-term interplanetary flights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobynde, M. I.; Drozdov, A.; Shprits, Y. Y.

2016-12-01

Cosmic particle radiation is a limiting factor for the human interplanetary flights. The unmanned flights inside heliosphere and human flights inside of magnetosphere tend to become a routine procedure, whereas there have been only few shot term human flights out of it (Apollo missions 1969-1972) with maximum duration less than a month. Long-term human flights set much higher requirements to the radiation shielding, primarily because of long exposition to cosmic radiation. Inside the helosphere there are two main sources of cosmic radiation: galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and soalr particle events (SPE). GCR come from the outside of heliosphere forming a background of overall radiation that affects the spacecraft. The intensity of GCR is varied according to solar activity, increasing with solar activity decrease and backward, with the modulation time (time between nearest maxima) of 11 yeas. SPE are shot term events, comparing to GCR modulation time, but particle fluxes are much more higher. The probability of SPE increases with the increase of solar activity. Time dependences of the intensity of these two components encourage looking for a time window of flight, when intensity and effect of GCR and SPE would be minimized. Combining GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations with time dependent model of GCR spectra and data on SPE spectra we show the time dependence of the radiation dose in an anthropomorphic human phantom inside the shielding capsule. Different types of particles affect differently on the human providing more or less harm to the tissues. We use quality factors to recalculate absorbed dose into biological equivalent dose, which give more information about risks for astronaut's health. Incident particles provide a large amount of secondary particles while propagating through the shielding capsule. We try to find an optimal combination of shielding material and thickness, that will effectively decrease the incident particle energy, at the same time minimizing flow of secondary induced particles and minimizing most harmful particle types flows.

Preliminary study on the time-related changes of the infrared thermal images of the human body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ziru; Zhang, Xusheng; Lin, Gang; Chen, Zhigang

2009-08-01

It is of great importance to study the manifestations and the influencing factors of the time-related changes of infrared thermal images (ITI) of human body since the variable body surface temperature distribution seriously affected the application of ITI in medicine. In this paper, manifestations of time-related changes of the ITI of human body from three double-blind randomized trials and their correlation with meteorological factors (e.g. temperature, pressure, humidity, cold front passage and tropical cyclone landing) were studied. The trials were placebo or drug controlled studying the influences of Chinese medicine health food (including Shengsheng capsule with immunity adjustment function, Shengan capsule with sleep improvement function and Shengyi capsule with the function of helping to decrease serum lipid) on the ITI of human body. In the first thirty-six days of the trials images were scanned every six days and image data in the seven observation time spots (including the 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36 day of the trial) were used for the time-related study. For every subject the scanned time was fixed in the day within two hours. The ITI features which could reflect the functions of the health foods were studied. The indexes of the features were relative magnitude (temperature difference between the viewing area and the reference area). Results showed that the variation tendencies of the trial group and control group were basically the same in placebo controlled trials and some of the long-term effects of Chinese medicine health food could be reflected significantly in certain time spots in the first thirty-six days. Time-related changes of the ITI of human body were closely related with meteorological factors but there were other influencing factors still need to be studied. As the ITI of human body could reflect the influences of Chinese medicine health foods and are closely related with meteorology, there are bright prospects for the application of ITI in health monitor.

Interevent time distributions of human multi-level activity in a virtual world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mryglod, O.; Fuchs, B.; Szell, M.; Holovatch, Yu.; Thurner, S.

2015-02-01

Studying human behavior in virtual environments provides extraordinary opportunities for a quantitative analysis of social phenomena with levels of accuracy that approach those of the natural sciences. In this paper we use records of player activities in the massive multiplayer online game Pardus over 1238 consecutive days, and analyze dynamical features of sequences of actions of players. We build on previous work where temporal structures of human actions of the same type were quantified, and provide an empirical understanding of human actions of different types. This study of multi-level human activity can be seen as a dynamic counterpart of static multiplex network analysis. We show that the interevent time distributions of actions in the Pardus universe follow highly non-trivial distribution functions, from which we extract action-type specific characteristic 'decay constants'. We discuss characteristic features of interevent time distributions, including periodic patterns on different time scales, bursty dynamics, and various functional forms on different time scales. We comment on gender differences of players in emotional actions, and find that while males and females act similarly when performing some positive actions, females are slightly faster for negative actions. We also observe effects on the age of players: more experienced players are generally faster in making decisions about engaging in and terminating enmity and friendship, respectively.

40 CFR 230.76 - Actions affecting human use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Actions affecting human use. 230.76... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.76 Actions affecting human use. Minimization of adverse effects on human use... aquatic areas; (c) Timing the discharge to avoid the seasons or periods when human recreational activity...

40 CFR 230.76 - Actions affecting human use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Actions affecting human use. 230.76... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.76 Actions affecting human use. Minimization of adverse effects on human use... aquatic areas; (c) Timing the discharge to avoid the seasons or periods when human recreational activity...

40 CFR 230.76 - Actions affecting human use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Actions affecting human use. 230.76... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.76 Actions affecting human use. Minimization of adverse effects on human use... aquatic areas; (c) Timing the discharge to avoid the seasons or periods when human recreational activity...

40 CFR 230.76 - Actions affecting human use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Actions affecting human use. 230.76... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.76 Actions affecting human use. Minimization of adverse effects on human use... aquatic areas; (c) Timing the discharge to avoid the seasons or periods when human recreational activity...

40 CFR 230.76 - Actions affecting human use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Actions affecting human use. 230.76... Minimize Adverse Effects § 230.76 Actions affecting human use. Minimization of adverse effects on human use... aquatic areas; (c) Timing the discharge to avoid the seasons or periods when human recreational activity...

Risk factors for human-directed canine aggression in a referral level clinical population.

PubMed

Lord, M; Casey, R A; Loftus, B A; Blackwell, E J

2017-07-07

Risk factors for human-directed aggression were investigated using retrospective analysis of data from a referral-level clinical behaviour population in the UK. A sample of 200 cases involving human-directed canine aggression and 200 control cases involving no instance of human-directed aggression were selected at random from a population of 746 cases. The final model suggested that clinical cases with human-directed aggression were significantly younger than those presenting with other undesired behaviours (P=0.008) and that male dogs were 1.4 times more likely to be aggressive towards human beings than female dogs (P=0.019). Dogs were 1.7 times more likely to be aggressive towards people if they had attended more than five puppy classes than if they had never attended puppy class (P=0.015) and that dogs were 2.8 times more likely to be aggressive towards human beings if there was another dog between 0 months and 24 months of age in the home (P=0.004). These factors only account for 7 per cent to 10 per cent of the variance between the human-directed aggression population and the control population, but factors such as attendance at puppy classes and numbers of dogs in the household suggest the need for longitudinal studies to investigate temporal relationships.

Precise chronology of differentiation of developing human primary dentition.

PubMed

Hu, Xuefeng; Xu, Shan; Lin, Chensheng; Zhang, Lishan; Chen, YiPing; Zhang, Yanding

2014-02-01

While correlation of developmental stage with embryonic age of the human primary dentition has been well documented, the available information regarding the differentiation timing of the primary teeth was largely based on the observation of initial mineralization and varies significantly. In this study, we aimed to document precise differentiation timing of the developing human primary dentition. We systematically examined the expression of odontogenic differentiation markers along with the formation of mineralized tissue in each developing maxillary and mandibular teeth from human embryos with well-defined embryonic age. We show that, despite that all primary teeth initiate development at the same time, odontogenic differentiation begins in the maxillary incisors at the 15th week and in the mandibular incisors at the 16th week of gestation, followed by the canine, the first primary premolar, and the second primary premolar at a week interval sequentially. Despite that the mandibular primary incisors erupt earlier than the maxillary incisors, this distal to proximal sequential differentiation of the human primary dentition coincides in general with the sequence of tooth eruption. Our results provide an accurate chronology of odontogenic differentiation of the developing human primary dentition, which could be used as reference for future studies of human tooth development.

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

PubMed

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

2007-03-01

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

Developmental and Cognitive Perspectives on Humans' Sense of the Times of Past and Future Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, W.J.

2005-01-01

Mental time travel in human adults includes a sense of when past events occurred and future events are expected to occur. Studies with adults and children reveal that a number of distinct psychological processes contribute to a temporally differentiated sense of the past and future. Adults possess representations of multiple time patterns, and…

Remembering the Past and Thinking about the Future: Is It Really about Time?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eacott, Madeline J.; Easton, Alexander

2012-01-01

In this paper we discuss some literature relating to episodic memory, future episodic thinking and mental time travel in humans and non-human animals. We discuss the concept of mental time travel and argue that the concept relies on subjective phenomena such as consciousness and on this basis is not useful when studying episodic memory and future…

21 CFR 316.23 - Timing of requests for orphan-drug designation; designation of already approved drugs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) A sponsor may request orphan-drug designation at any time in the drug development process prior to... 21 Food and Drugs 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Timing of requests for orphan-drug designation..., DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS FOR HUMAN USE ORPHAN DRUGS Designation of an Orphan...

Time Orientation and Human Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-01

Work with Computing Systems 2004. H.M. Khalid, M.G. Helander, A.W. Yeo (Editors) . Kuala Lumpur: Damai Sciences. 1 Time Orientation and Human...Multi-tasking. 1 . Introduction With increased globalization, understanding the various cultures and people’s attitudes and behaviours is crucial...reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching

Human impacts on riparian ecosystems of the Middle Rio Grande Valley during historic times

Treesearch

Frank E. Wozniak

1996-01-01

The development of irrigation agriculture in historic times has profoundly impacted riparian ecosystems in the Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico. A vital relationship has existed between water resources and settlement in the semi-arid Southwest since prehistoric times. Levels of technology have influenced human generated changes in the riparian ecosystems of the...

Theorizing Time in Abortion Law and Human Rights

PubMed Central

Erdman, Joanna N.

2017-01-01

Abstract The legal regulation of abortion by gestational age, or length of pregnancy, is a relatively undertheorized dimension of abortion and human rights. Yet struggles over time in abortion law, and its competing representations and meanings, are ultimately struggles over ethical and political values, authority and power, the very stakes that human rights on abortion engage. This article focuses on three struggles over time in abortion and human rights law: those related to morality, health, and justice. With respect to morality, the article concludes that collective faith and trust should be placed in the moral judgment of those most affected by the passage of time in pregnancy and by later abortion—pregnant women. With respect to health, abortion law as health regulation should be evidence-based to counter the stigma of later abortion, which leads to overregulation and access barriers. With respect to justice, in recognizing that there will always be a need for abortion services later in pregnancy, such services should be safe, legal, and accessible without hardship or risk. At the same time, justice must address the structural conditions of women’s capacity to make timely decisions about abortion, and to access abortion services early in pregnancy. PMID:28630539

Theorizing Time in Abortion Law and Human Rights.

PubMed

Erdman, Joanna N

2017-06-01

The legal regulation of abortion by gestational age, or length of pregnancy, is a relatively undertheorized dimension of abortion and human rights. Yet struggles over time in abortion law, and its competing representations and meanings, are ultimately struggles over ethical and political values, authority and power, the very stakes that human rights on abortion engage. This article focuses on three struggles over time in abortion and human rights law: those related to morality, health, and justice. With respect to morality, the article concludes that collective faith and trust should be placed in the moral judgment of those most affected by the passage of time in pregnancy and by later abortion-pregnant women. With respect to health, abortion law as health regulation should be evidence-based to counter the stigma of later abortion, which leads to overregulation and access barriers. With respect to justice, in recognizing that there will always be a need for abortion services later in pregnancy, such services should be safe, legal, and accessible without hardship or risk. At the same time, justice must address the structural conditions of women's capacity to make timely decisions about abortion, and to access abortion services early in pregnancy.

Refined methods to evaluate the in vivo hemostatic function and viability of transfused human platelets in rabbit models.

PubMed

Watanabe, Naohide; Nogawa, Masayuki; Ishiguro, Mariko; Maruyama, Hitomi; Shiba, Masayuki; Satake, Masahiro; Eto, Koji; Handa, Makoto

2017-08-01

To bridge the gap between in vitro function and clinical efficacy of platelet (PLT) transfusion products, reliable in vivo PLT functional assays for hemostasis and survival in animal models are required. However, there are no standardized methods for assessing the in vivo quality of transfused human PLTs. Plasma-depleted human PLT concentrates (PCs; Day 3, Day 5, Day 7, Day 10, and damaged) were transfused into busulfan-induced rabbits with thrombocytopenia with prolonged bleeding times 1 day after treatment with ethyl palmitate (EP) to block their reticuloendothelial systems. The hemostatic effect of PC transfusion was evaluated by the ear fine vein bleeding time. For the in vivo survival assay, splenectomized EP-treated rabbits were transfused with human PCs, and viability of the human PLTs in the rabbits was determined by flow cytometry using human PLT-specific antibodies and Trucount tubes. The hemostatic effect of PCs was slightly reduced with increasing storage periods for early time points, but more dramatically reduced for later time points. PLT survival was similar after 3 and 7 days of storage, but PLTs stored for 10 days showed significantly poorer survival than those stored only 3 days. Our new and improved protocol for in vivo assessment of transfused PLTs is sufficiently sensitive to detect subtle changes in hemostatic function and viability of human PLTs transfused into rabbit models. This protocol could contribute to preclinical in vivo functional assessment and clinical quality assurance of emerging novel PLT products such as cultured cell-derived human PLTs. © 2017 AABB.

On avian influenza epidemic models with time delay.

PubMed

Liu, Sanhong; Ruan, Shigui; Zhang, Xinan

2015-12-01

After the outbreak of the first avian influenza A virus (H5N1) in Hong Kong in 1997, another avian influenza A virus (H7N9) crossed the species barrier in mainland China in 2013 and 2014 and caused more than 400 human cases with a death rate of nearly 40%. In this paper, we take account of the incubation periods of avian influenza A virus and construct a bird-to-human transmission model with different time delays in the avian and human populations combining the survival probability of the infective avian and human populations at the latent time. By analyzing the dynamical behavior of the model, we obtain a threshold value for the prevalence of avian influenza and investigate local and global asymptotical stability of equilibria of the system.

The effects of self-selected light-dark cycles and social constraints on human sleep and circadian timing: a modeling approach.

PubMed

Skeldon, Anne C; Phillips, Andrew J K; Dijk, Derk-Jan

2017-03-27

Why do we go to sleep late and struggle to wake up on time? Historically, light-dark cycles were dictated by the solar day, but now humans can extend light exposure by switching on artificial lights. We use a mathematical model incorporating effects of light, circadian rhythmicity and sleep homeostasis to provide a quantitative theoretical framework to understand effects of modern patterns of light consumption on the human circadian system. The model shows that without artificial light humans wakeup at dawn. Artificial light delays circadian rhythmicity and preferred sleep timing and compromises synchronisation to the solar day when wake-times are not enforced. When wake-times are enforced by social constraints, such as work or school, artificial light induces a mismatch between sleep timing and circadian rhythmicity ('social jet-lag'). The model implies that developmental changes in sleep homeostasis and circadian amplitude make adolescents particularly sensitive to effects of light consumption. The model predicts that ameliorating social jet-lag is more effectively achieved by reducing evening light consumption than by delaying social constraints, particularly in individuals with slow circadian clocks or when imposed wake-times occur after sunrise. These theory-informed predictions may aid design of interventions to prevent and treat circadian rhythm-sleep disorders and social jet-lag.

Consolidated Human Activity Database (CHAD) for use in human exposure and health studies and predictive models

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA scientists have compiled detailed data on human behavior from 22 separate exposure and time-use studies into CHAD. The database includes more than 54,000 individual study days of detailed human behavior.

Three Experiments Examining the Use of Electroencephalogram,Event-Related Potentials, and Heart-Rate Variability for Real-Time Human-Centered Adaptive Automation Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Parasuraman, Raja; Freeman, Frederick G.; Scerbo, Mark W.; Mikulka, Peter J.; Pope, Alan T.

2003-01-01

Adaptive automation represents an advanced form of human-centered automation design. The approach to automation provides for real-time and model-based assessments of human-automation interaction, determines whether the human has entered into a hazardous state of awareness and then modulates the task environment to keep the operator in-the-loop , while maintaining an optimal state of task engagement and mental alertness. Because adaptive automation has not matured, numerous challenges remain, including what the criteria are, for determining when adaptive aiding and adaptive function allocation should take place. Human factors experts in the area have suggested a number of measures including the use of psychophysiology. This NASA Technical Paper reports on three experiments that examined the psychophysiological measures of event-related potentials, electroencephalogram, and heart-rate variability for real-time adaptive automation. The results of the experiments confirm the efficacy of these measures for use in both a developmental and operational role for adaptive automation design. The implications of these results and future directions for psychophysiology and human-centered automation design are discussed.

Metaproteomics Reveals Functional Shifts in Microbial and Human Proteins During Infant Gut Colonization Case

DOE PAGES

Young, Jacque C.; Pan, Chongle; Adams, Rachel M.; ...

2015-01-01

The microbial colonization of the human gastrointestinal tract plays an important role in establishing health and homeostasis. However, the time-dependent functional signatures of microbial and human proteins during early colonization of the gut have yet to be determined. Thus, we employed shotgun proteomics to simultaneously monitor microbial and human proteins in fecal samples from a preterm infant during the first month of life. Microbial community complexity and functions increased over time, with compositional changes that were consistent with previous metagenomic and rRNA gene data indicating three distinct colonization phases. Overall microbial community functions were established relatively early in development andmore » remained stable. Human proteins detected included those responsible for epithelial barrier function and antimicrobial activity. Some neutrophil-derived proteins increased in abundance early in the study period, suggesting activation of the innate immune system. Moreover, abundances of cytoskeletal and mucin proteins increased later in the time course, suggestive of subsequent adjustment to the increased microbial load. Our study provides the first snapshot of coordinated human and microbial protein expression in the infant gut during early development.« less

Human papilloma virus vaccine associated uveitis.

PubMed

Holt, Henry D; Hinkle, David M; Falk, Naomi S; Fraunfelder, Frederick T; Fraunfelder, Frederick W

2014-03-01

To report a possible association between human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination and uveitis. Spontaneous reports from the National Registry of Drug-Induced Ocular Side effects, World Health Organization and Food and Drug Administration were collected on uveitis associated with human papilloma virus vaccination. A MEDLINE search was performed using keywords "uveitis," "iritis," "iridocyclitis," "human papilloma virus," "Cervarix", and "Gardasil." Data garnered from spontaneous reports included the age, gender, adverse drug reaction (ADR), date of administration, concomitant administration of other vaccinations, time until onset of ADR, other systemic reactions, and dechallenge and rechallenge data. A total of 24 case reports of uveitis associated with human papilloma virus vaccination were identified, all cases were female, and the median age was 17. Median time from HPV vaccination to reported ADR was 30 days (range 0-476 days). According to World Health Organization criteria, the relationship between human papilloma virus vaccination and uveitis is "possible." Causality assessments are based on the time relationship of drug administration, uveitis development and re-challenge data. Clinicians should be aware of a possible bilateral uveitis and papillitis following HPV vaccination.

Influence of Permeant Lipophilicity on Permeation Across Human Sclera

PubMed Central

Wen, He; Li, S. Kevin

2010-01-01

Purpose The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of permeant lipophilicity on permeant uptake into and transport across human sclera for transscleral delivery. Methods Model permeants with a wide range of lipophilicities were selected and studied with human sclera. Uptake experiments were carried out to measure permeant partitioning into the sclera. Transport experiments were performed in side-by-side diffusion cells, and the permeability coefficients and transport lag times of the permeants across the sclera were evaluated. Results Permeants with higher lipophilicity showed higher partition coefficients to human sclera, and the apparent transport lag time also increased significantly as the permeant lipophilicity increased. No correlation between the permeability coefficients and lipophilicity of the model permeants was observed in this study with human sclera. A hypothesis on the different findings between the present and previous studies was proposed. Conclusions Permeants with higher lipophilicity exhibited stronger binding to human sclera and would therefore lead to larger permeant partitioning to the sclera and longer transport lag time. The steady-state permeability coefficients of the permeants were not significantly affected by permeant lipophilicity. PMID:20734114

Visualizing Human Migration Trhough Space and Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zambotti, G.; Guan, W.; Gest, J.

2015-07-01

Human migration has been an important activity in human societies since antiquity. Since 1890, approximately three percent of the world's population has lived outside of their country of origin. As globalization intensifies in the modern era, human migration persists even as governments seek to more stringently regulate flows. Understanding this phenomenon, its causes, processes and impacts often starts from measuring and visualizing its spatiotemporal patterns. This study builds a generic online platform for users to interactively visualize human migration through space and time. This entails quickly ingesting human migration data in plain text or tabular format; matching the records with pre-established geographic features such as administrative polygons; symbolizing the migration flow by circular arcs of varying color and weight based on the flow attributes; connecting the centroids of the origin and destination polygons; and allowing the user to select either an origin or a destination feature to display all flows in or out of that feature through time. The method was first developed using ArcGIS Server for world-wide cross-country migration, and later applied to visualizing domestic migration patterns within China between provinces, and between states in the United States, all through multiple years. The technical challenges of this study include simplifying the shapes of features to enhance user interaction, rendering performance and application scalability; enabling the temporal renderers to provide time-based rendering of features and the flow among them; and developing a responsive web design (RWD) application to provide an optimal viewing experience. The platform is available online for the public to use, and the methodology is easily adoptable to visualizing any flow, not only human migration but also the flow of goods, capital, disease, ideology, etc., between multiple origins and destinations across space and time.

42 CFR 137.227 - How much time does the Secretary have to act on a waiver request?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... HUMAN SERVICES INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNANCE Regulation Waiver § 137.227 How much time does the Secretary have to act on a waiver request? The Secretary...

Heat Inactivation of Human Pathogens on Catfish

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food (NACMCF) determined that the cooking (time/temperature) for finfish would be different than for meat products and identified a need for time/temperature requirements to assure the thermal inactivation of the human pathogens: Sa...

Combination of light and melatonin time cues for phase advancing the human circadian clock.

PubMed

Burke, Tina M; Markwald, Rachel R; Chinoy, Evan D; Snider, Jesse A; Bessman, Sara C; Jung, Christopher M; Wright, Kenneth P

2013-11-01

Photic and non-photic stimuli have been shown to shift the phase of the human circadian clock. We examined how photic and non-photic time cues may be combined by the human circadian system by assessing the phase advancing effects of one evening dose of exogenous melatonin, alone and in combination with one session of morning bright light exposure. Randomized placebo-controlled double-blind circadian protocol. The effects of four conditions, dim light (∼1.9 lux, ∼0.6 Watts/m(2))-placebo, dim light-melatonin (5 mg), bright light (∼3000 lux, ∼7 Watts/m(2))-placebo, and bright light-melatonin on circadian phase was assessed by the change in the salivary dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) prior to and following treatment under constant routine conditions. Melatonin or placebo was administered 5.75 h prior to habitual bedtime and 3 h of bright light exposure started 1 h prior to habitual wake time. Sleep and chronobiology laboratory environment free of time cues. Thirty-six healthy participants (18 females) aged 22 ± 4 y (mean ± SD). Morning bright light combined with early evening exogenous melatonin induced a greater phase advance of the DLMO than either treatment alone. Bright light alone and melatonin alone induced similar phase advances. Information from light and melatonin appear to be combined by the human circadian clock. The ability to combine circadian time cues has important implications for understanding fundamental physiological principles of the human circadian timing system. Knowledge of such principles is important for designing effective countermeasures for phase-shifting the human circadian clock to adapt to jet lag, shift work, and for designing effective treatments for circadian sleep-wakefulness disorders.

The Whorfian time warp: Representing duration through the language hourglass.

PubMed

Bylund, Emanuel; Athanasopoulos, Panos

2017-07-01

How do humans construct their mental representations of the passage of time? The universalist account claims that abstract concepts like time are universal across humans. In contrast, the linguistic relativity hypothesis holds that speakers of different languages represent duration differently. The precise impact of language on duration representation is, however, unknown. Here, we show that language can have a powerful role in transforming humans' psychophysical experience of time. Contrary to the universalist account, we found language-specific interference in a duration reproduction task, where stimulus duration conflicted with its physical growth. When reproducing duration, Swedish speakers were misled by stimulus length, and Spanish speakers were misled by stimulus size/quantity. These patterns conform to preferred expressions of duration magnitude in these languages (Swedish: long/short time; Spanish: much/small time). Critically, Spanish-Swedish bilinguals performing the task in both languages showed different interference depending on language context. Such shifting behavior within the same individual reveals hitherto undocumented levels of flexibility in time representation. Finally, contrary to the linguistic relativity hypothesis, language interference was confined to difficult discriminations (i.e., when stimuli varied only subtly in duration and growth), and was eliminated when linguistic cues were removed from the task. These results reveal the malleable nature of human time representation as part of a highly adaptive information processing system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Human Life History Evolution Explains Dissociation between the Timing of Tooth Eruption and Peak Rates of Root Growth

PubMed Central

Dean, M. Christopher; Cole, Tim J.

2013-01-01

We explored the relationship between growth in tooth root length and the modern human extended period of childhood. Tooth roots provide support to counter chewing forces and so it is advantageous to grow roots quickly to allow teeth to erupt into function as early as possible. Growth in tooth root length occurs with a characteristic spurt or peak in rate sometime between tooth crown completion and root apex closure. Here we show that in Pan troglodytes the peak in root growth rate coincides with the period of time teeth are erupting into function. However, the timing of peak root velocity in modern humans occurs earlier than expected and coincides better with estimates for tooth eruption times in Homo erectus. With more time to grow longer roots prior to eruption and smaller teeth that now require less support at the time they come into function, the root growth spurt no longer confers any advantage in modern humans. We suggest that a prolonged life history schedule eventually neutralised this adaptation some time after the appearance of Homo erectus. The root spurt persists in modern humans as an intrinsic marker event that shows selection operated, not primarily on tooth tissue growth, but on the process of tooth eruption. This demonstrates the overarching influence of life history evolution on several aspects of dental development. These new insights into tooth root growth now provide an additional line of enquiry that may contribute to future studies of more recent life history and dietary adaptations within the genus Homo. PMID:23342167

Beyond the Humanism/Posthumanism Debate: The Educational Implications of Said's Critical, Humane Praxis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chatelier, Stephen

2017-01-01

The late Edward Said sought to place critique and, indeed, self-critique at the heart of humanism. While the posthuman critiques surrounding the (im)possibility of humanism in postmodern times tend to focus on human autonomy, rationality, and essentialism, Stephen Chatelier here explores the idea that Said's writing on humanism could help us shift…

See You See Me: the Role of Eye Contact in Multimodal Human-Robot Interaction.

PubMed

Xu, Tian Linger; Zhang, Hui; Yu, Chen

2016-05-01

We focus on a fundamental looking behavior in human-robot interactions - gazing at each other's face. Eye contact and mutual gaze between two social partners are critical in smooth human-human interactions. Therefore, investigating at what moments and in what ways a robot should look at a human user's face as a response to the human's gaze behavior is an important topic. Toward this goal, we developed a gaze-contingent human-robot interaction system, which relied on momentary gaze behaviors from a human user to control an interacting robot in real time. Using this system, we conducted an experiment in which human participants interacted with the robot in a joint attention task. In the experiment, we systematically manipulated the robot's gaze toward the human partner's face in real time and then analyzed the human's gaze behavior as a response to the robot's gaze behavior. We found that more face looks from the robot led to more look-backs (to the robot's face) from human participants and consequently created more mutual gaze and eye contact between the two. Moreover, participants demonstrated more coordinated and synchronized multimodal behaviors between speech and gaze when more eye contact was successfully established and maintained.

75 FR 44800 - National Human Genome Research Institute; Notice of Closed Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health National Human Genome... for Human Genome Research. The meeting will be closed to the public in accordance with the provisions... Committee: National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research. Date: August 18, 2010. Time: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m...

40 CFR 26.1601 - EPA review of proposed human research.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false EPA review of proposed human research... OF HUMAN SUBJECTS Review of Proposed and Completed Human Research § 26.1601 EPA review of proposed human research. (a) EPA shall review all protocols submitted under § 26.1125 in a timely manner. With...

40 CFR 26.1601 - EPA review of proposed human research.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false EPA review of proposed human research... OF HUMAN SUBJECTS Review of Proposed and Completed Human Research § 26.1601 EPA review of proposed human research. (a) EPA shall review all protocols submitted under § 26.1125 in a timely manner. With...

40 CFR 26.1601 - EPA review of proposed human research.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false EPA review of proposed human research... OF HUMAN SUBJECTS Review of Proposed and Completed Human Research § 26.1601 EPA review of proposed human research. (a) EPA shall review all protocols submitted under § 26.1125 in a timely manner. With...

Incorporating Human Rights into the College Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ledbetter, Pat

This paper recounts development of a community college humanities course titled Human Rights/Human Wrongs: The History, Philosophy, Law, Art, and Literature of the Human Rights Movement. The author argues that a special focus, interdisciplinary course provides a broader base for exploring and understanding most of the pressing issues of our time.…

Fear of the human 'super predator' reduces feeding time in large carnivores.

PubMed

Smith, Justine A; Suraci, Justin P; Clinchy, Michael; Crawford, Ayana; Roberts, Devin; Zanette, Liana Y; Wilmers, Christopher C

2017-06-28

Large carnivores' fear of the human 'super predator' has the potential to alter their feeding behaviour and result in human-induced trophic cascades. However, it has yet to be experimentally tested if large carnivores perceive humans as predators and react strongly enough to have cascading effects on their prey. We conducted a predator playback experiment exposing pumas to predator (human) and non-predator control (frog) sounds at puma feeding sites to measure immediate fear responses to humans and the subsequent impacts on feeding. We found that pumas fled more frequently, took longer to return, and reduced their overall feeding time by more than half in response to hearing the human 'super predator'. Combined with our previous work showing higher kill rates of deer in more urbanized landscapes, this study reveals that fear is the mechanism driving an ecological cascade from humans to increased puma predation on deer. By demonstrating that the fear of humans can cause a strong reduction in feeding by pumas, our results support that non-consumptive forms of human disturbance may alter the ecological role of large carnivores. © 2017 The Author(s).

Progressive Recruitment of Mesenchymal Progenitors Reveals a Time-Dependent Process of Cell Fate Acquisition in Mouse and Human Nephrogenesis.

PubMed

Lindström, Nils O; De Sena Brandine, Guilherme; Tran, Tracy; Ransick, Andrew; Suh, Gio; Guo, Jinjin; Kim, Albert D; Parvez, Riana K; Ruffins, Seth W; Rutledge, Elisabeth A; Thornton, Matthew E; Grubbs, Brendan; McMahon, Jill A; Smith, Andrew D; McMahon, Andrew P

2018-06-04

Mammalian nephrons arise from a limited nephron progenitor pool through a reiterative inductive process extending over days (mouse) or weeks (human) of kidney development. Here, we present evidence that human nephron patterning reflects a time-dependent process of recruitment of mesenchymal progenitors into an epithelial nephron precursor. Progressive recruitment predicted from high-resolution image analysis and three-dimensional reconstruction of human nephrogenesis was confirmed through direct visualization and cell fate analysis of mouse kidney organ cultures. Single-cell RNA sequencing of the human nephrogenic niche provided molecular insights into these early patterning processes and predicted developmental trajectories adopted by nephron progenitor cells in forming segment-specific domains of the human nephron. The temporal-recruitment model for nephron polarity and patterning suggested by direct analysis of human kidney development provides a framework for integrating signaling pathways driving mammalian nephrogenesis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New perspectives on evolutionary medicine: the relevance of microevolution for human health and disease

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Evolutionary medicine (EM) is a growing field focusing on the evolutionary basis of human diseases and their changes through time. To date, the majority of EM studies have used pure theories of hominin macroevolution to explain the present-day state of human health. Here, we propose a different approach by addressing more empirical and health-oriented research concerning past, current and future microevolutionary changes of human structure, functions and pathologies. Studying generation-to-generation changes of human morphology that occurred in historical times, and still occur in present-day populations under the forces of evolution, helps to explain medical conditions and warns clinicians that their current practices may influence future humans. Also, analyzing historic tissue specimens such as mummies is crucial in order to address the molecular evolution of pathogens, of the human genome, and their coadaptations. PMID:23627943

The effects of HIV/AIDS on economic growth and human capitals: a panel study evidence from Asian countries.

PubMed

Roy, Shongkour

2014-01-01

Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) affects economic growths by reducing the human capitals are among the most poorly understood aspect of the AIDS epidemic. This article analyzes the effects of the prevalence of HIV and full-blown AIDS on a country's human capitals and economic growths. Using a fixed effect model for panel data 1990-2010 from the Asia, I explored the dynamic relationships among HIV/AIDS, economic growths, and human capitals within countries over time. The econometric effects concerned that HIV/AIDS plays an important role in the field of economic growths and it is measured as a change in real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and human capitals. The modeling results for the Asian countries indicates HIV/AIDS prevalence that has a hurtful effect on GDP per capita by reducing human capitals within countries over time.

The Human Placenta Project: Placental Structure, Development, and Function in Real Time

PubMed Central

Guttmacher, Alan E.; Maddox, Yvonne T.; Spong, Catherine Y.

2014-01-01

Despite its crucial role in the health of both the fetus and the pregnant woman, the placenta is the least understood human organ. Since a growing body of evidence also underscores the importance of placental development in the lifelong health of both mother and offspring, this lack of knowledge about placental structure and function is particularly concerning. Given modern approaches and technologies and the ability to develop new methods, we propose a coordinated “Human Placenta Project,” with the ultimate goal of understanding human placental structure, development, and function in real time. PMID:24661567

The precision of locomotor odometry in humans.

PubMed

Durgin, Frank H; Akagi, Mikio; Gallistel, Charles R; Haiken, Woody

2009-03-01

Two experiments measured the human ability to reproduce locomotor distances of 4.6-100 m without visual feedback and compared distance production with time production. Subjects were not permitted to count steps. It was found that the precision of human odometry follows Weber's law that variability is proportional to distance. The coefficients of variation for distance production were much lower than those measured for time production for similar durations. Gait parameters recorded during the task (average step length and step frequency) were found to be even less variable suggesting that step integration could be the basis for non-visual human odometry.

Transmission dynamics and elimination potential of zoonotic tuberculosis in morocco

PubMed Central

Justus Bless, Philipp; Crump, Lisa; Lohmann, Petra; Laager, Mirjam; Chitnis, Nakul; Zinsstag, Jakob

2017-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is an endemic zoonosis in Morocco caused by Mycobacterium bovis, which infects many domestic animals and is transmitted to humans through consumption of raw milk or from contact with infected animals. The prevalence of BTB in Moroccan cattle is estimated at 18%, and 33% at the individual and the herd level respectively, but the human M. bovis burden needs further clarification. The current control strategy based on test and slaughter should be improved through local context adaptation taking into account a suitable compensation in order to reduce BTB prevalence in Morocco and decrease the disease burden in humans and animals. We established a simple compartmental deterministic mathematical model for BTB transmission in cattle and humans to provide a general understanding of BTB, in particular regarding transmission to humans. Differential equations were used to model the different pathways between the compartments for cattle and humans. Scenarios of test and slaughter were simulated to determine the effects of varying the proportion of tested animals (p) on the time to elimination of BTB (individual animal prevalence of less than one in a thousand) in cattle and humans. The time to freedom from disease ranged from 75 years for p = 20% to 12 years for p = 100%. For p > 60% the time to elimination was less than 20 years. The cumulated cost was largely stable: for p values higher than 40%, cost ranged from 1.47 to 1.60 billion euros with a time frame of 12 to 32 years to reach freedom from disease. The model simulations also suggest that using a 2mm cut off instead of a 4mm cut off in the Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Tuberculin skin test (SICCT) would result in cheaper and quicker elimination programs. This analysis informs Moroccan bovine tuberculosis control policy regarding time frame, range of cost and levels of intervention. However, further research is needed to clarify the national human-bovine tuberculosis ratio in Morocco. PMID:28152056

Transmission dynamics and elimination potential of zoonotic tuberculosis in morocco.

PubMed

Abakar, Mahamat Fayiz; Yahyaoui Azami, Hind; Justus Bless, Philipp; Crump, Lisa; Lohmann, Petra; Laager, Mirjam; Chitnis, Nakul; Zinsstag, Jakob

2017-02-01

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is an endemic zoonosis in Morocco caused by Mycobacterium bovis, which infects many domestic animals and is transmitted to humans through consumption of raw milk or from contact with infected animals. The prevalence of BTB in Moroccan cattle is estimated at 18%, and 33% at the individual and the herd level respectively, but the human M. bovis burden needs further clarification. The current control strategy based on test and slaughter should be improved through local context adaptation taking into account a suitable compensation in order to reduce BTB prevalence in Morocco and decrease the disease burden in humans and animals. We established a simple compartmental deterministic mathematical model for BTB transmission in cattle and humans to provide a general understanding of BTB, in particular regarding transmission to humans. Differential equations were used to model the different pathways between the compartments for cattle and humans. Scenarios of test and slaughter were simulated to determine the effects of varying the proportion of tested animals (p) on the time to elimination of BTB (individual animal prevalence of less than one in a thousand) in cattle and humans. The time to freedom from disease ranged from 75 years for p = 20% to 12 years for p = 100%. For p > 60% the time to elimination was less than 20 years. The cumulated cost was largely stable: for p values higher than 40%, cost ranged from 1.47 to 1.60 billion euros with a time frame of 12 to 32 years to reach freedom from disease. The model simulations also suggest that using a 2mm cut off instead of a 4mm cut off in the Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Tuberculin skin test (SICCT) would result in cheaper and quicker elimination programs. This analysis informs Moroccan bovine tuberculosis control policy regarding time frame, range of cost and levels of intervention. However, further research is needed to clarify the national human-bovine tuberculosis ratio in Morocco.

Evaluation of Optical Sonography for Real-Time Breast Imaging and Biopsy Guidance

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-08-01

supported through images of target standards and subjective validation using images of human anatomy . Keywords: Diffractive Energy Imaging...real-time imaging technology that uses the principles of acoustical holography to produce unique images of the human anatomy . The ADI technology is

REAL-TIME MODELING OF MOTOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS FOR ESTIMATING HUMAN EXPOSURES NEAR ROADWAYS

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Exposure Research Laboratory is developing a real-time model of motor vehicle emissions to improve the methodology for modeling human exposure to motor vehicle emissions. The overall project goal is to develop ...

Timing, timing, timing: Fast decoding of object information from intracranial field potentials in human visual cortex

PubMed Central

Liu, Hesheng; Agam, Yigal; Madsen, Joseph R.; Kreiman, Gabriel

2010-01-01

Summary The difficulty of visual recognition stems from the need to achieve high selectivity while maintaining robustness to object transformations within hundreds of milliseconds. Theories of visual recognition differ in whether the neuronal circuits invoke recurrent feedback connections or not. The timing of neurophysiological responses in visual cortex plays a key role in distinguishing between bottom-up and top-down theories. Here we quantified at millisecond resolution the amount of visual information conveyed by intracranial field potentials from 912 electrodes in 11 human subjects. We could decode object category information from human visual cortex in single trials as early as 100 ms post-stimulus. Decoding performance was robust to depth rotation and scale changes. The results suggest that physiological activity in the temporal lobe can account for key properties of visual recognition. The fast decoding in single trials is compatible with feed-forward theories and provides strong constraints for computational models of human vision. PMID:19409272

Stochastic analysis of epidemics on adaptive time varying networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotnis, Bhushan; Kuri, Joy

2013-06-01

Many studies investigating the effect of human social connectivity structures (networks) and human behavioral adaptations on the spread of infectious diseases have assumed either a static connectivity structure or a network which adapts itself in response to the epidemic (adaptive networks). However, human social connections are inherently dynamic or time varying. Furthermore, the spread of many infectious diseases occur on a time scale comparable to the time scale of the evolving network structure. Here we aim to quantify the effect of human behavioral adaptations on the spread of asymptomatic infectious diseases on time varying networks. We perform a full stochastic analysis using a continuous time Markov chain approach for calculating the outbreak probability, mean epidemic duration, epidemic reemergence probability, etc. Additionally, we use mean-field theory for calculating epidemic thresholds. Theoretical predictions are verified using extensive simulations. Our studies have uncovered the existence of an “adaptive threshold,” i.e., when the ratio of susceptibility (or infectivity) rate to recovery rate is below the threshold value, adaptive behavior can prevent the epidemic. However, if it is above the threshold, no amount of behavioral adaptations can prevent the epidemic. Our analyses suggest that the interaction patterns of the infected population play a major role in sustaining the epidemic. Our results have implications on epidemic containment policies, as awareness campaigns and human behavioral responses can be effective only if the interaction levels of the infected populace are kept in check.

Quantifying human-environment interactions using videography in the context of infectious disease transmission.

PubMed

Julian, Timothy R; Bustos, Carla; Kwong, Laura H; Badilla, Alejandro D; Lee, Julia; Bischel, Heather N; Canales, Robert A

2018-05-08

Quantitative data on human-environment interactions are needed to fully understand infectious disease transmission processes and conduct accurate risk assessments. Interaction events occur during an individual's movement through, and contact with, the environment, and can be quantified using diverse methodologies. Methods that utilize videography, coupled with specialized software, can provide a permanent record of events, collect detailed interactions in high resolution, be reviewed for accuracy, capture events difficult to observe in real-time, and gather multiple concurrent phenomena. In the accompanying video, the use of specialized software to capture humanenvironment interactions for human exposure and disease transmission is highlighted. Use of videography, combined with specialized software, allows for the collection of accurate quantitative representations of human-environment interactions in high resolution. Two specialized programs include the Virtual Timing Device for the Personal Computer, which collects sequential microlevel activity time series of contact events and interactions, and LiveTrak, which is optimized to facilitate annotation of events in real-time. Opportunities to annotate behaviors at high resolution using these tools are promising, permitting detailed records that can be summarized to gain information on infectious disease transmission and incorporated into more complex models of human exposure and risk.

Radiocarbon dating uncertainty and the reliability of the PEWMA method of time-series analysis for research on long-term human-environment interaction

PubMed Central

Carleton, W. Christopher; Campbell, David

2018-01-01

Statistical time-series analysis has the potential to improve our understanding of human-environment interaction in deep time. However, radiocarbon dating—the most common chronometric technique in archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research—creates challenges for established statistical methods. The methods assume that observations in a time-series are precisely dated, but this assumption is often violated when calibrated radiocarbon dates are used because they usually have highly irregular uncertainties. As a result, it is unclear whether the methods can be reliably used on radiocarbon-dated time-series. With this in mind, we conducted a large simulation study to investigate the impact of chronological uncertainty on a potentially useful time-series method. The method is a type of regression involving a prediction algorithm called the Poisson Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (PEMWA). It is designed for use with count time-series data, which makes it applicable to a wide range of questions about human-environment interaction in deep time. Our simulations suggest that the PEWMA method can often correctly identify relationships between time-series despite chronological uncertainty. When two time-series are correlated with a coefficient of 0.25, the method is able to identify that relationship correctly 20–30% of the time, providing the time-series contain low noise levels. With correlations of around 0.5, it is capable of correctly identifying correlations despite chronological uncertainty more than 90% of the time. While further testing is desirable, these findings indicate that the method can be used to test hypotheses about long-term human-environment interaction with a reasonable degree of confidence. PMID:29351329

Radiocarbon dating uncertainty and the reliability of the PEWMA method of time-series analysis for research on long-term human-environment interaction.

PubMed

Carleton, W Christopher; Campbell, David; Collard, Mark

2018-01-01

Statistical time-series analysis has the potential to improve our understanding of human-environment interaction in deep time. However, radiocarbon dating-the most common chronometric technique in archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research-creates challenges for established statistical methods. The methods assume that observations in a time-series are precisely dated, but this assumption is often violated when calibrated radiocarbon dates are used because they usually have highly irregular uncertainties. As a result, it is unclear whether the methods can be reliably used on radiocarbon-dated time-series. With this in mind, we conducted a large simulation study to investigate the impact of chronological uncertainty on a potentially useful time-series method. The method is a type of regression involving a prediction algorithm called the Poisson Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (PEMWA). It is designed for use with count time-series data, which makes it applicable to a wide range of questions about human-environment interaction in deep time. Our simulations suggest that the PEWMA method can often correctly identify relationships between time-series despite chronological uncertainty. When two time-series are correlated with a coefficient of 0.25, the method is able to identify that relationship correctly 20-30% of the time, providing the time-series contain low noise levels. With correlations of around 0.5, it is capable of correctly identifying correlations despite chronological uncertainty more than 90% of the time. While further testing is desirable, these findings indicate that the method can be used to test hypotheses about long-term human-environment interaction with a reasonable degree of confidence.

New procyanidin B3-human salivary protein complexes by mass spectrometry. Effect of salivary protein profile, tannin concentration, and time stability.

PubMed

Perez-Gregorio, Maria Rosa; Mateus, Nuno; De Freitas, Victor

2014-10-15

Several factors could influence the tannin-protein interaction such as the human salivary protein profile, the tannin tested, and the tannin/protein ratio. The goal of this study aims to study the effect of different salivas (A, B, and C) and different tannin concentrations (0.5 and 1 mg/mL) on the interaction process as well as the complex's stability over time. This study is focused on the identification of new procyanidin B3-human salivary protein complexes. Thus, 48 major B3-human salivary protein aggregates were identified regardless of the saliva and tannin concentration tested. A higher number of aggregates was found at lower tannin concentration. Moreover, the number of protein moieties involved in the aggregation process was higher when the tannin concentration was also higher. The selectivity of the different groups of proteins to bind tannin was also confirmed. It was also verified that the B3-human salivary protein complexes formed evolved over time.

Human Trafficking of Minors and Childhood Adversity in Florida.

PubMed

Reid, Joan A; Baglivio, Michael T; Piquero, Alex R; Greenwald, Mark A; Epps, Nathan

2017-02-01

To examine the link between human trafficking of minors and childhood adversity. We compared the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and cumulative childhood adversity (ACE score) among a sample of 913 juvenile justice-involved boys and girls in Florida for whom the Florida child abuse hotline accepted human trafficking abuse reports between 2009 and 2015 with those of a matched sample. ACE composite scores were higher and 6 ACEs indicative of child maltreatment were more prevalent among youths who had human trafficking abuse reports. Sexual abuse was the strongest predictor of human trafficking: the odds of human trafficking was 2.52 times greater for girls who experienced sexual abuse, and there was a 8.21 times greater risk for boys who had histories of sexual abuse. Maltreated youths are more susceptible to exploitation in human trafficking. Sexual abuse in connection with high ACE scores may serve as a key predictor of exploitation in human trafficking for both boys and girls.

Machinability of some dentin simulating materials.

PubMed

Möllersten, L

1985-01-01

Machinability in low speed drilling was investigated for pure aluminium, Frasaco teeth, ivory, plexiglass and human dentin. The investigation was performed in order to find a suitable test material for drilling experiments using paralleling instruments. A material simulating human dentin in terms of cuttability at low drilling speeds was sought. Tests were performed using a specially designed apparatus. Holes to a depth of 2 mm were drilled with a twist drill using a constant feeding force. The time required was registered. The machinability of the materials tested was determined by direct comparison of the drilling times. As regards cuttability, first aluminium and then ivory were found to resemble human dentin most closely. By comparing drilling time variances the homogeneity of the materials tested was estimated. Aluminium, Frasaco teeth and plexiglass demonstrated better homogeneity than ivory and human dentin.

45 CFR 1176.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Definitions. 1176.2 Section 1176.2 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES PART-TIME CAREER EMPLOYMENT § 1176.2 Definitions. (a) Part-time employment...

Hydrocortisone-induced anti-inflammatory effects in immature human enterocytes depend on the timing of exposure.

PubMed

Rautava, Samuli; Walker, W Allan; Lu, Lei

2016-06-01

The immature human gut has a propensity to exaggerated inflammatory responses that are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Prenatal exposure to corticosteroids has been reported to reduce the risk of NEC, while postnatal dexamethasone treatment is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. The aim of this study was to investigate the direct role of hydrocortisone in gene expression patterns and inflammatory responses in immature human enterocytes. Time-dependent hydrocortisone effects in nontransformed primary human fetal intestinal epithelial cell line H4 were investigated by cDNA microarray. Fetal intestinal organ culture and cell culture experiments were conducted. Inflammatory responses were induced by stimulation with IL-1β and TNF-α with and without hydrocortisone. IL-8 and IL-6 expression and secretion were measured as functional readout. Here we report time-dependent hydrocortisone-induced changes in gene expression patterns detected by cDNA microarray. Hydrocortisone significantly attenuated IL-1β-induced inflammatory responses in the immature human gut when administered at the time of the proinflammatory insult: IL-1β-induced IL-8 and IL-6 secretion in the fetal ileum as well as H4 cells were significantly reduced. Hydrocortisone also inhibited IL-8 secretion in response to TNF-α. In contrast, TNF-α-induced IL-8 secretion was not reduced in cells treated with hydrocortisone for 48 h before stimulation. Our observations provide a physiological basis for understanding the differential clinical effects of corticosteroids in the immature human gut depending on the timing of treatment. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Hydrocortisone-induced anti-inflammatory effects in immature human enterocytes depend on the timing of exposure

PubMed Central

Rautava, Samuli; Lu, Lei

2016-01-01

The immature human gut has a propensity to exaggerated inflammatory responses that are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Prenatal exposure to corticosteroids has been reported to reduce the risk of NEC, while postnatal dexamethasone treatment is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. The aim of this study was to investigate the direct role of hydrocortisone in gene expression patterns and inflammatory responses in immature human enterocytes. Time-dependent hydrocortisone effects in nontransformed primary human fetal intestinal epithelial cell line H4 were investigated by cDNA microarray. Fetal intestinal organ culture and cell culture experiments were conducted. Inflammatory responses were induced by stimulation with IL-1β and TNF-α with and without hydrocortisone. IL-8 and IL-6 expression and secretion were measured as functional readout. Here we report time-dependent hydrocortisone-induced changes in gene expression patterns detected by cDNA microarray. Hydrocortisone significantly attenuated IL-1β-induced inflammatory responses in the immature human gut when administered at the time of the proinflammatory insult: IL-1β-induced IL-8 and IL-6 secretion in the fetal ileum as well as H4 cells were significantly reduced. Hydrocortisone also inhibited IL-8 secretion in response to TNF-α. In contrast, TNF-α-induced IL-8 secretion was not reduced in cells treated with hydrocortisone for 48 h before stimulation. Our observations provide a physiological basis for understanding the differential clinical effects of corticosteroids in the immature human gut depending on the timing of treatment. PMID:27056727

Sensing Super-position: Visual Instrument Sensor Replacement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maluf, David A.; Schipper, John F.

2006-01-01

The coming decade of fast, cheap and miniaturized electronics and sensory devices opens new pathways for the development of sophisticated equipment to overcome limitations of the human senses. This project addresses the technical feasibility of augmenting human vision through Sensing Super-position using a Visual Instrument Sensory Organ Replacement (VISOR). The current implementation of the VISOR device translates visual and other passive or active sensory instruments into sounds, which become relevant when the visual resolution is insufficient for very difficult and particular sensing tasks. A successful Sensing Super-position meets many human and pilot vehicle system requirements. The system can be further developed into cheap, portable, and low power taking into account the limited capabilities of the human user as well as the typical characteristics of his dynamic environment. The system operates in real time, giving the desired information for the particular augmented sensing tasks. The Sensing Super-position device increases the image resolution perception and is obtained via an auditory representation as well as the visual representation. Auditory mapping is performed to distribute an image in time. The three-dimensional spatial brightness and multi-spectral maps of a sensed image are processed using real-time image processing techniques (e.g. histogram normalization) and transformed into a two-dimensional map of an audio signal as a function of frequency and time. This paper details the approach of developing Sensing Super-position systems as a way to augment the human vision system by exploiting the capabilities of the human hearing system as an additional neural input. The human hearing system is capable of learning to process and interpret extremely complicated and rapidly changing auditory patterns. The known capabilities of the human hearing system to learn and understand complicated auditory patterns provided the basic motivation for developing an image-to-sound mapping system.

Recent African origin of modern humans revealed by complete sequences of hominoid mitochondrial DNAs.

PubMed Central

Horai, S; Hayasaka, K; Kondo, R; Tsugane, K; Takahata, N

1995-01-01

We analyzed the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of three humans (African, European, and Japanese), three African apes (common and pygmy chimpanzees, and gorilla), and one orangutan in an attempt to estimate most accurately the substitution rates and divergence times of hominoid mtDNAs. Nonsynonymous substitutions and substitutions in RNA genes have accumulated with an approximately clock-like regularity. From these substitutions and under the assumption that the orangutan and African apes diverged 13 million years ago, we obtained a divergence time for humans and chimpanzees of 4.9 million years. This divergence time permitted calibration of the synonymous substitution rate (3.89 x 10(-8)/site per year). To obtain the substitution rate in the displacement (D)-loop region, we compared the three human mtDNAs and measured the relative abundance of substitutions in the D-loop region and at synonymous sites. The estimated substitution rate in the D-loop region was 7.00 x 10(-8)/site per year. Using both synonymous and D-loop substitutions, we inferred the age of the last common ancestor of the human mtDNAs as 143,000 +/- 18,000 years. The shallow ancestry of human mtDNAs, together with the observation that the African sequence is the most diverged among humans, strongly supports the recent African origin of modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens. PMID:7530363

Progenitor cell dose determines the pace and completeness of engraftment in a xenograft model for cord blood transplantation

PubMed Central

Liu, Congxiao; Chen, Benny J.; DeOliveira, Divinomar; Sempowski, Gregory D.; Chao, Nelson J.

2010-01-01

Two critical concerns in clinical cord blood transplantation are the initial time to engraftment and the subsequent restoration of immune function. These studies measured the impact of progenitor cell dose on both the pace and strength of hematopoietic reconstitution by transplanting nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency/interleukin-2 receptor-gamma–null (NSγ) mice with lineage-depleted aldehyde dehydrogenase-bright CD34+ human cord blood progenitors. The progress of each transplant was monitored over an extended time course by repeatedly analyzing the peripheral blood for human hematopoietic cells. In vivo human hematopoietic development was complete. After long-term transplantation assays (≥ 19 weeks), human T-cell development was documented within multiple tissues in 16 of 32 NSγ mice. Human T-cell differentiation was active within NSγ thymuses, as documented by the presence of CD4+ CD8+ T-cell progenitors as well as T-cell receptor excision circles. It is important to note that although myeloid and B-cell engraftment was detected as early as 4 weeks after transplantation, human T-cell development was exclusively late onset. High progenitor cell doses were associated with a robust human hematopoietic chimerism that accelerated both initial time to engraftment and subsequent T-cell development. At lower progenitor cell doses, the chimerism was weak and the human hematopoietic lineage development was frequently incomplete. PMID:20833978

Energy monitoring system based on human activity in the workplace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustafa, Nur Hanim; Husain, Mohd Nor; Aziz, Mohamad Zoinol Abidin Abdul; Othman, Mohd Azlishah; Malek, Fareq

2015-05-01

Human behaviors always related to day routine activities in a smart house directly give the significant factor to manage energy usage in human life. An Addition that, the factor will contribute to the best efficiency of the system. This paper will focus on the monitoring efficiency based on duration time in office hours around 8am until 5pm which depend on human behavior at working place. Besides that, the correlation coefficient method is used to show the relation between energy consumption and energy saving based on the total hours of time energy spent. In future, the percentages of energy monitoring system usage will be increase to manage energy saving based on human behaviors. This scenario will help to see the human activity in the workplace in order to get the energy saving and support world green environment.

Infant discrimination of humanoid robots

PubMed Central

Matsuda, Goh; Ishiguro, Hiroshi; Hiraki, Kazuo

2015-01-01

Recently, extremely humanlike robots called “androids” have been developed, some of which are already being used in the field of entertainment. In the context of psychological studies, androids are expected to be used in the future as fully controllable human stimuli to investigate human nature. In this study, we used an android to examine infant discrimination ability between human beings and non-human agents. Participants (N = 42 infants) were assigned to three groups based on their age, i.e., 6- to 8-month-olds, 9- to 11-month-olds, and 12- to 14-month-olds, and took part in a preferential looking paradigm. Of three types of agents involved in the paradigm—a human, an android modeled on the human, and a mechanical-looking robot made from the android—two at a time were presented side-by-side as they performed a grasping action. Infants’ looking behavior was measured using an eye tracking system, and the amount of time spent focusing on each of three areas of interest (face, goal, and body) was analyzed. Results showed that all age groups predominantly looked at the robot and at the face area, and that infants aged over 9 months watched the goal area for longer than the body area. There was no difference in looking times and areas focused on between the human and the android. These findings suggest that 6- to 14-month-olds are unable to discriminate between the human and the android, although they can distinguish the mechanical robot from the human. PMID:26441772

Understanding Human Motion Skill with Peak Timing Synergy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ueno, Ken; Furukawa, Koichi

The careful observation of motion phenomena is important in understanding the skillful human motion. However, this is a difficult task due to the complexities in timing when dealing with the skilful control of anatomical structures. To investigate the dexterity of human motion, we decided to concentrate on timing with respect to motion, and we have proposed a method to extract the peak timing synergy from multivariate motion data. The peak timing synergy is defined as a frequent ordered graph with time stamps, which has nodes consisting of turning points in motion waveforms. A proposed algorithm, PRESTO automatically extracts the peak timing synergy. PRESTO comprises the following 3 processes: (1) detecting peak sequences with polygonal approximation; (2) generating peak-event sequences; and (3) finding frequent peak-event sequences using a sequential pattern mining method, generalized sequential patterns (GSP). Here, we measured right arm motion during the task of cello bowing and prepared a data set of the right shoulder and arm motion. We successfully extracted the peak timing synergy on cello bowing data set using the PRESTO algorithm, which consisted of common skills among cellists and personal skill differences. To evaluate the sequential pattern mining algorithm GSP in PRESTO, we compared the peak timing synergy by using GSP algorithm and the one by using filtering by reciprocal voting (FRV) algorithm as a non time-series method. We found that the support is 95 - 100% in GSP, while 83 - 96% in FRV and that the results by GSP are better than the one by FRV in the reproducibility of human motion. Therefore we show that sequential pattern mining approach is more effective to extract the peak timing synergy than non-time series analysis approach.

Modeling of human operator dynamics in simple manual control utilizing time series analysis. [tracking (position)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agarwal, G. C.; Osafo-Charles, F.; Oneill, W. D.; Gottlieb, G. L.

1982-01-01

Time series analysis is applied to model human operator dynamics in pursuit and compensatory tracking modes. The normalized residual criterion is used as a one-step analytical tool to encompass the processes of identification, estimation, and diagnostic checking. A parameter constraining technique is introduced to develop more reliable models of human operator dynamics. The human operator is adequately modeled by a second order dynamic system both in pursuit and compensatory tracking modes. In comparing the data sampling rates, 100 msec between samples is adequate and is shown to provide better results than 200 msec sampling. The residual power spectrum and eigenvalue analysis show that the human operator is not a generator of periodic characteristics.

Ecosystem Collapse in Pleistocene Australia and a Human Role in Megafaunal Extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Gifford H.; Fogel, Marilyn L.; Magee, John W.; Gagan, Michael K.; Clarke, Simon J.; Johnson, Beverly J.

2005-07-01

Most of Australia's largest mammals became extinct 50,000 to 45,000 years ago, shortly after humans colonized the continent. Without exceptional climate change at that time, a human cause is inferred, but a mechanism remains elusive. A 140,000-year record of dietary δ13C documents a permanent reduction in food sources available to the Australian emu, beginning about the time of human colonization; a change replicated at three widely separated sites and in the marsupial wombat. We speculate that human firing of landscapes rapidly converted a drought-adapted mosaic of trees, shrubs, and nutritious grasslands to the modern fire-adapted desert scrub. Animals that could adapt survived; those that could not, became extinct.

Human Exploration using Real-Time Robotic Operations (HERRO): A space exploration strategy for the 21st century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, George R.; Landis, Geoffrey A.; Oleson, Steven R.

2012-11-01

This paper presents an exploration strategy for human missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the Moon that combines the best features of human and robotic spaceflight. This "Human Exploration using Real-time Robotic Operations" (HERRO) strategy refrains from placing humans on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars in the near-term. Rather, it focuses on sending piloted spacecraft and crews into orbit around Mars and other exploration targets of interest, and conducting astronaut exploration of the surfaces using telerobots and remotely-controlled systems. By eliminating the significant communications delay or "latency" with Earth due to the speed of light limit, teleoperation provides scientists real-time control of rovers and other sophisticated instruments. This in effect gives them a "virtual presence" on planetary surfaces, and thus expands the scientific return at these destinations. HERRO mitigates several of the major issues that have hindered the progress of human spaceflight beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by: (1) broadening the range of destinations for near-term human missions; (2) reducing cost and risk through less complexity and fewer man-rated elements; (3) offering benefits of human-equivalent in-situ cognition, decision-making and field-work on planetary bodies; (4) providing a simpler approach to returning samples from Mars and planetary surfaces; and (5) facilitating opportunities for international collaboration through contribution of diverse robotic systems. HERRO provides a firm justification for human spaceflight—one that expands the near-term capabilities of scientific exploration while providing the space transportation infrastructure needed for eventual human landings in the future.

Workload Capacity: A Response Time-Based Measure of Automation Dependence.

PubMed

Yamani, Yusuke; McCarley, Jason S

2016-05-01

An experiment used the workload capacity measure C(t) to quantify the processing efficiency of human-automation teams and identify operators' automation usage strategies in a speeded decision task. Although response accuracy rates and related measures are often used to measure the influence of an automated decision aid on human performance, aids can also influence response speed. Mean response times (RTs), however, conflate the influence of the human operator and the automated aid on team performance and may mask changes in the operator's performance strategy under aided conditions. The present study used a measure of parallel processing efficiency, or workload capacity, derived from empirical RT distributions as a novel gauge of human-automation performance and automation dependence in a speeded task. Participants performed a speeded probabilistic decision task with and without the assistance of an automated aid. RT distributions were used to calculate two variants of a workload capacity measure, COR(t) and CAND(t). Capacity measures gave evidence that a diagnosis from the automated aid speeded human participants' responses, and that participants did not moderate their own decision times in anticipation of diagnoses from the aid. Workload capacity provides a sensitive and informative measure of human-automation performance and operators' automation dependence in speeded tasks. © 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Detection of Human Fatigue

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-08-05

research (Lacey, 1974; Jennings, 1992; van der Molen , 2000; Somsen, 2004) using principally fixed foreperiod reaction time tasks demonstrated that in...U.S. Department of Transportation DOT/FAA/AM-99/28. Somsen R.J., Jennings J.R., Van der Molen M.W. (Nov 2004). The cardiac cycle time effect revisited...Temporal dynamics of the central-vagal modulation of heart rate in human reaction time tasks. Psychophysiology. 41(6), pp. 941-953. Van der Molen , M

Expert Performance and Time Pressure: Implications for Automation Failures in Aviation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-30

Sciences , 7, 454-459. Fitts, P. M. (Ed.), (1951). Human engineering for an effective air navigation and control system. Washington, DC: National...expert performance. Implications for the aviation domain are discussed. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Decision Making , Time Pressure, Error, Situational Awareness...automation interaction has been a challenge for human factors for quite some time and its relevance continues to grow (e.g., Bainbridge, 1983; de Winter

Single Laboratory Comparison of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assays for the Detection of Human Fecal Pollution

EPA Science Inventory

There are numerous quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) methods available to detect and enumerate human fecal pollution in ambient waters. Each assay employs distinct primers and/or probes and many target different genes and microorganisms leading to potential variations in method ...

REAL-TIME MODELING AND MEASUREMENT OF MOBILE SOURCE POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS FOR ESTIMATING HUMAN EXPOSURES IN COMMUNITIES NEAR ROADWAYS

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) is pursuing a project to improve the methodology for real-time site specific modeling of human exposure to pollutants from motor vehicles. The overall project goal is to deve...

Data Acceptance Criteria for Standardized Human-Associated Fecal Source Identification Quantitative Real-Time PCR Methods

EPA Science Inventory

There is a growing interest in the application of human-associated fecal sourceidentification quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technologies for water quality management. The transition from a research tool to a standardized protocol requires a high degree of confidence in data q...

The effects of self-selected light-dark cycles and social constraints on human sleep and circadian timing: a modeling approach

PubMed Central

Skeldon, Anne C.; Phillips, Andrew J. K.; Dijk, Derk-Jan

2017-01-01

Why do we go to sleep late and struggle to wake up on time? Historically, light-dark cycles were dictated by the solar day, but now humans can extend light exposure by switching on artificial lights. We use a mathematical model incorporating effects of light, circadian rhythmicity and sleep homeostasis to provide a quantitative theoretical framework to understand effects of modern patterns of light consumption on the human circadian system. The model shows that without artificial light humans wakeup at dawn. Artificial light delays circadian rhythmicity and preferred sleep timing and compromises synchronisation to the solar day when wake-times are not enforced. When wake-times are enforced by social constraints, such as work or school, artificial light induces a mismatch between sleep timing and circadian rhythmicity (‘social jet-lag’). The model implies that developmental changes in sleep homeostasis and circadian amplitude make adolescents particularly sensitive to effects of light consumption. The model predicts that ameliorating social jet-lag is more effectively achieved by reducing evening light consumption than by delaying social constraints, particularly in individuals with slow circadian clocks or when imposed wake-times occur after sunrise. These theory-informed predictions may aid design of interventions to prevent and treat circadian rhythm-sleep disorders and social jet-lag. PMID:28345624

Physiological effects of light on the human circadian pacemaker

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shanahan, T. L.; Czeisler, C. A.

2000-01-01

The physiology of the human circadian pacemaker and its influence and on the daily organization of sleep, endocrine and behavioral processes is an emerging interest in science and medicine. Understanding the development, organization and fundamental properties underlying the circadian timing system may provide insight for the application of circadian principles to the practice of clinical medicine, both diagnostically (interpretation of certain clinical tests are dependent on time of day) and therapeutically (certain pharmacological responses vary with the time of day). The light-dark cycle is the most powerful external influence acting upon the human circadian pacemaker. It has been shown that timed exposure to light can both synchronize and reset the phase of the circadian pacemaker in a predictable manner. The emergence of detectable circadian rhythmicity in the neonatal period is under investigation (as described elsewhere in this issue). Therefore, the pattern of light exposure provided in the neonatal intensive care setting has implications. One recent study identified differences in both amount of sleep time and weight gain in infants maintained in a neonatal intensive care environment that controlled the light-dark cycle. Unfortunately, neither circadian phase nor the time of day has been considered in most clinical investigations. Further studies with knowledge of principles characterizing the human circadian timing system, which governs a wide array of physiological processes, are required to integrate these findings with the practice of clinical medicine.

Real-time PCR for the early detection and quantification of Coxiella burnetii as an alternative to the murine bioassay.

PubMed

Howe, Gerald B; Loveless, Bonnie M; Norwood, David; Craw, Philip; Waag, David; England, Marilyn; Lowe, John R; Courtney, Bernard C; Pitt, M Louise; Kulesh, David A

2009-01-01

Real-time PCR was used to analyze archived blood from non-human primates (NHP) and fluid samples originating from a well-controlled Q fever vaccine efficacy trial. The PCR targets were the IS1111 element and the com1 gene of Coxiella burnetii. Data from that previous study were used to evaluate real-time PCR as an alternative to the use of sero-conversion by mouse bioassay for both quantification and early detection of C. burnetii bacteria. Real-time PCR and the mouse bioassay exhibited no statistical difference in quantifying the number of microorganisms delivered in the aerosol challenge dose. The presence of C. burnetii in peripheral blood of non-human primates was detected by real-time PCR as early after exposure as the mouse bioassay with results available within hours instead of weeks. This study demonstrates that real-time PCR has the ability to replace the mouse bioassay to measure dosage and monitor infection of C. burnetii in a non-human primate model.

Exploiting Human Resource Requirements to Infer Human Movement Patterns for Use in Modelling Disease Transmission Systems: An Example from Eastern Province, Zambia.

PubMed

Alderton, Simon; Noble, Jason; Schaten, Kathrin; Welburn, Susan C; Atkinson, Peter M

2015-01-01

In this research, an agent-based model (ABM) was developed to generate human movement routes between homes and water resources in a rural setting, given commonly available geospatial datasets on population distribution, land cover and landscape resources. ABMs are an object-oriented computational approach to modelling a system, focusing on the interactions of autonomous agents, and aiming to assess the impact of these agents and their interactions on the system as a whole. An A* pathfinding algorithm was implemented to produce walking routes, given data on the terrain in the area. A* is an extension of Dijkstra's algorithm with an enhanced time performance through the use of heuristics. In this example, it was possible to impute daily activity movement patterns to the water resource for all villages in a 75 km long study transect across the Luangwa Valley, Zambia, and the simulated human movements were statistically similar to empirical observations on travel times to the water resource (Chi-squared, 95% confidence interval). This indicates that it is possible to produce realistic data regarding human movements without costly measurement as is commonly achieved, for example, through GPS, or retrospective or real-time diaries. The approach is transferable between different geographical locations, and the product can be useful in providing an insight into human movement patterns, and therefore has use in many human exposure-related applications, specifically epidemiological research in rural areas, where spatial heterogeneity in the disease landscape, and space-time proximity of individuals, can play a crucial role in disease spread.

Phase-shifting human circadian rhythms: influence of sleep timing, social contact and light exposure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duffy, J. F.; Kronauer, R. E.; Czeisler, C. A.

1996-01-01

1. Both the timing of behavioural events (activity, sleep and social interactions) and the environmental light-dark cycle have been reported to contribute to entrainment of human circadian rhythms to the 24 h day. Yet, the relative contribution of those putative behavioural synchronizers to that of light exposure remains unclear. 2. To investigate this, we inverted the schedule of rest, sedentary activity and social contact of thirty-two young men either with or without exposure to bright light. 3. On this inverted schedule, the endogenous component of the core temperature rhythm of subjects who were exposed to bright light showed a significant phase shift, demonstrating that they were adapting to the new schedule. In contrast, the core temperature rhythm of subjects who were not exposed to bright light moved on average 0.2 h later per day and after 10 days had not significantly adapted to the new schedule. 4. The direction of phase shift in the groups exposed to bright light was dependent on the time of bright light exposure, while control subjects drifted to a later hour regardless of the timing of their schedule of sleep timing, social contact and meals. 5. These results support the concept that the light-dark cycle is the most important synchronizer of the human circadian system. They suggest that inversion of the sleep-wake, rest-activity and social contact cycles provides relatively minimal drive for resetting the human circadian pacemaker. 6. These data indicate that interventions designed to phase shift human circadian rhythms for adjustment to time zone changes or altered work schedules should focus on properly timed light exposure.

Real-time face and gesture analysis for human-robot interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallhoff, Frank; Rehrl, Tobias; Mayer, Christoph; Radig, Bernd

2010-05-01

Human communication relies on a large number of different communication mechanisms like spoken language, facial expressions, or gestures. Facial expressions and gestures are one of the main nonverbal communication mechanisms and pass large amounts of information between human dialog partners. Therefore, to allow for intuitive human-machine interaction, a real-time capable processing and recognition of facial expressions, hand and head gestures are of great importance. We present a system that is tackling these challenges. The input features for the dynamic head gestures and facial expressions are obtained from a sophisticated three-dimensional model, which is fitted to the user in a real-time capable manner. Applying this model different kinds of information are extracted from the image data and afterwards handed over to a real-time capable data-transferring framework, the so-called Real-Time DataBase (RTDB). In addition to the head and facial-related features, also low-level image features regarding the human hand - optical flow, Hu-moments are stored into the RTDB for the evaluation process of hand gestures. In general, the input of a single camera is sufficient for the parallel evaluation of the different gestures and facial expressions. The real-time capable recognition of the dynamic hand and head gestures are performed via different Hidden Markov Models, which have proven to be a quick and real-time capable classification method. On the other hand, for the facial expressions classical decision trees or more sophisticated support vector machines are used for the classification process. These obtained results of the classification processes are again handed over to the RTDB, where other processes (like a Dialog Management Unit) can easily access them without any blocking effects. In addition, an adjustable amount of history can be stored by the RTDB buffer unit.

Physical attraction to reliable, low variability nervous systems: Reaction time variability predicts attractiveness.

PubMed

Butler, Emily E; Saville, Christopher W N; Ward, Robert; Ramsey, Richard

2017-01-01

The human face cues a range of important fitness information, which guides mate selection towards desirable others. Given humans' high investment in the central nervous system (CNS), cues to CNS function should be especially important in social selection. We tested if facial attractiveness preferences are sensitive to the reliability of human nervous system function. Several decades of research suggest an operational measure for CNS reliability is reaction time variability, which is measured by standard deviation of reaction times across trials. Across two experiments, we show that low reaction time variability is associated with facial attractiveness. Moreover, variability in performance made a unique contribution to attractiveness judgements above and beyond both physical health and sex-typicality judgements, which have previously been associated with perceptions of attractiveness. In a third experiment, we empirically estimated the distribution of attractiveness preferences expected by chance and show that the size and direction of our results in Experiments 1 and 2 are statistically unlikely without reference to reaction time variability. We conclude that an operating characteristic of the human nervous system, reliability of information processing, is signalled to others through facial appearance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Following Human Footsteps: Proposal of a Decision Theory Based on Human Behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahmud, Faisal

2011-01-01

Human behavior is a complex nature which depends on circumstances and decisions varying from time to time as well as place to place. The way a decision is made either directly or indirectly related to the availability of the options. These options though appear at random nature, have a solid directional way for decision making. In this paper, a decision theory is proposed which is based on human behavior. The theory is structured with model sets that will show the all possible combinations for making a decision, A virtual and simulated environment is considered to show the results of the proposed decision theory

Forbearance for fluoxetine: do monoaminergic antidepressants require a number of years to reach maximum therapeutic effect in humans?

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Paul J

2014-07-01

It is of high clinical interest to better understand the timecourse through which psychiatric drugs produce their beneficial effects. While a rough estimate of the time lag between initiating monoaminergic antidepressant therapy and the onset of therapeutic effect in depressed subjects is two weeks, much less is known about when these drugs reach maximum effect. This paper briefly examines studies that directly address this question through long-term antidepressant administration to humans, while also putting forth a simple theoretical approach for estimating the time required for monoaminergic antidepressants to reach maximum therapeutic effect in humans. The theory invokes a comparison between speed of antidepressant drug response in humans and in rodents, focusing on the apparently greater speed in rodents. The principal argument is one of proportions, comparing earliest effects of these drugs in rodents and humans, versus their time to reach maximum effect in these organisms. If the proportionality hypothesis is even coarsely accurate, then applying these values or to some degree their ranges to the hypothesis, may suggest that monoaminergic antidepressants require a number of years to reach maximum effect in humans, at least in some individuals.

The Need for a Harmonized Repository for Next-Generation Human Activity Data

EPA Science Inventory

Multi-tiered human time-activity-location data can inform many efforts to describe human exposures to air pollutants and other chemicals on a range of temporal and spatial scales. In the last decade, EPA's Consolidated Human Activity Database (CHAD) has served as a harmonized rep...

76 FR 63664 - Meetings of Humanities Panel

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-13

... NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES Meetings of Humanities Panel AGENCY: The... assistance under the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, including..., 2011. Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Location: Room 421. Program: This meeting will review applications for Art...

40 CFR 26.1101 - To what does this subpart apply?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... HUMAN SUBJECTS Basic Ethical Requirements for Third-Party Human Research for Pesticides Involving... initiated after April 7, 2006 involving intentional exposure of a human subject if, at any time prior to... additional protections for human subjects. (e) This subpart does not affect any State or local laws or...

40 CFR 26.1101 - To what does this subpart apply?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... HUMAN SUBJECTS Basic Ethical Requirements for Third-Party Human Research for Pesticides Involving... initiated after April 7, 2006 involving intentional exposure of a human subject if, at any time prior to... additional protections for human subjects. (e) This subpart does not affect any State or local laws or...

On the Limits of the Human in the Curriculum Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Oliveira, Thiago Ranniery Moreira; Lopes, Danielle Bastos

2016-01-01

Humanism and the concept of the human that informs pedagogical discourse have been increasingly questioned by what has been called "post-human times." In this paper, we situate Paulo Freire's (1970) "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," and Nathan Snaza and John Weaver's (2014) "Posthumanism and Educational Research" within…

76 FR 60933 - Proposal Review Panel for Human Resource Development; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-30

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Proposal Review Panel for Human Resource Development; Notice of..., Proposal Review Panel Human Resource Development ( 1199). Date/Time: October 17, 2011; 5 p.m. to 10 p.m... Meeting: Part-Open. Contact Person: Kelly Mack, Division of Human Resource Development, Room 815, National...

76 FR 60934 - Proposal Review Panel for Human Resource Development; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-30

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Proposal Review Panel for Human Resource Development; Notice of...; Proposal Review Panel Human Resource Development ( 1199). Date/Time: November 1, 2011; 5 p.m. to 10 p.m...: Part-Open. Contact Person: Kelly Mack, Division of Human Resource Development, Room 815, National...

Regulation of 1-alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 induced by sulfur mustard (HD) on human skin cells.

PubMed

Arroyo, Carmen M; Kan, Robert K; Burman, Damon L; Kahler, David W; Nelson, Marian R; Corun, Charlene M; Guzman, Juanita J; Broomfield, Clarence A

2003-05-01

The regulatory effects of the active form of vitamin D, 1-alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1-alpha, 25 (OH)2D3) were assessed on the cytokine and chemokine secretion induced by sulfur mustard on human skin fibroblasts and human epidermal keratinocytes. Stimulation of human skin fibroblasts with sulfur mustard (10(-4) M for 24 hr at 37 degrees ) resulted in approximately a 5 times increase in the secretion of interleukin-6 and over a 10 times increase for interleukin-8, which was inhibited by 1-alpha, 25 (OH)2D3, at

Human push capability.

PubMed

Barnett, Ralph L; Liber, Theodore

2006-02-22

Use of unassisted human push capability arises from time to time in the areas of crowd and animal control, the security of locked doors, the integrity of railings, the removal of tree stumps and entrenched vehicles, the manoeuvering of furniture, and athletic pursuits such as US football or wrestling. Depending on the scenario, human push capability involves strength, weight, weight distribution, push angle, footwear/floor friction, and the friction between the upper body and the pushed object. Simple models are used to establish the relationships among these factors.

Ocean Engineering Studies Compiled 1991. Volume 7. Acrylic Windows- Diverse Design Features and Types of Service

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

acrylic plastic windows in chambers for human occupancy, the design stress should not exceed 800 psi (i.e., conversion factor of 20). 3. installed...pressure vessels for human occupancy Is 10 yr based on the conserva- tive assumption that in that length of time even stressed acrylic in a tropioal...the Safety Standard for Pressure Ves- sels for Human Oc-upancy (ASME PVHO-1 Safety Standard). Since that time, this ASME Safety Standard has

Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of human brain tumors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcu, Laura; Thompson, Reid C.; Garde, Smita; Sedrak, Mark; Black, Keith L.; Yong, William H.

2002-05-01

Fluorescence spectroscopy of the endogenous emission of brain tumors has been researched as a potentially important method for the intraoperative localization of brain tumor margins. In this study, we investigate the use of time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) for demarcation of primary brain tumors by studying the time-resolved spectra of gliomas of different histologic grades. Time-resolved fluorescence (3 ns, 337 nm excitation) from excised human brain tumor show differences between the time-resolved emission of malignant glioma and normal brain tissue (gray and white matter). Our findings suggest that brain tumors can be differentiated from normal brain tissue based upon unique time-resolved fluorescence signature.

Estimation of Time-Varying Pilot Model Parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaal, Peter M. T.; Sweet, Barbara T.

2011-01-01

Human control behavior is rarely completely stationary over time due to fatigue or loss of attention. In addition, there are many control tasks for which human operators need to adapt their control strategy to vehicle dynamics that vary in time. In previous studies on the identification of time-varying pilot control behavior wavelets were used to estimate the time-varying frequency response functions. However, the estimation of time-varying pilot model parameters was not considered. Estimating these parameters can be a valuable tool for the quantification of different aspects of human time-varying manual control. This paper presents two methods for the estimation of time-varying pilot model parameters, a two-step method using wavelets and a windowed maximum likelihood estimation method. The methods are evaluated using simulations of a closed-loop control task with time-varying pilot equalization and vehicle dynamics. Simulations are performed with and without remnant. Both methods give accurate results when no pilot remnant is present. The wavelet transform is very sensitive to measurement noise, resulting in inaccurate parameter estimates when considerable pilot remnant is present. Maximum likelihood estimation is less sensitive to pilot remnant, but cannot detect fast changes in pilot control behavior.

Human Time-Frequency Acuity Beats the Fourier Uncertainty Principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oppenheim, Jacob N.; Magnasco, Marcelo O.

2013-01-01

The time-frequency uncertainty principle states that the product of the temporal and frequency extents of a signal cannot be smaller than 1/(4π). We study human ability to simultaneously judge the frequency and the timing of a sound. Our subjects often exceeded the uncertainty limit, sometimes by more than tenfold, mostly through remarkable timing acuity. Our results establish a lower bound for the nonlinearity and complexity of the algorithms employed by our brains in parsing transient sounds, rule out simple “linear filter” models of early auditory processing, and highlight timing acuity as a central feature in auditory object processing.

Human Factors Considerations in System Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, C. M. (Editor); Vanbalen, P. M. (Editor); Moe, K. L. (Editor)

1983-01-01

Human factors considerations in systems design was examined. Human factors in automated command and control, in the efficiency of the human computer interface and system effectiveness are outlined. The following topics are discussed: human factors aspects of control room design; design of interactive systems; human computer dialogue, interaction tasks and techniques; guidelines on ergonomic aspects of control rooms and highly automated environments; system engineering for control by humans; conceptual models of information processing; information display and interaction in real time environments.

Simplified human model and pedestrian simulation in the millimeter-wave region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Junghwan; Kim, Seok; Lee, Tae-Yun; Ka, Min-Ho

2016-02-01

The 24 GHz and 77 GHz radar sensors have been studied as a strong candidate for advanced driver assistance systems(ADAS) because of their all-weather capability and accurate range and radial velocity measuring scheme. However, developing a reliable pedestrian recognition system hasmany obstacles due to the inaccurate and non-trivial radar responses at these high frequencies and the many combinations of clothes and accessories. To overcome these obstacles, many researchers used electromagnetic (EM) simulation to characterize the radar scattering response of a human. However, human simulation takes so long time because of the electrically huge size of a human in the millimeter-wave region. To reduce simulation time, some researchers assumed the skin of a human is the perfect electric conductor (PEC) and have simulated the PEC human model using physical optics (PO) algorithm without a specific explanation about how the human body could be modeled with PEC. In this study, the validity of the assumption that the surface of the human body is considered PEC in the EM simulation is verified, and the simulation result of the dry skin human model is compared with that of the PEC human model.

The Cost of Accumulating Evidence in Perceptual Decision Making

PubMed Central

Drugowitsch, Jan; Moreno-Bote, Rubén; Churchland, Anne K.; Shadlen, Michael N.; Pouget, Alexandre

2012-01-01

Decision making often involves the accumulation of information over time, but acquiring information typically comes at a cost. Little is known about the cost incurred by animals and humans for acquiring additional information from sensory variables, due, for instance, to attentional efforts. Through a novel integration of diffusion models and dynamic programming, we were able to estimate the cost of making additional observations per unit of time from two monkeys and six humans in a reaction time random dot motion discrimination task. Surprisingly, we find that, the cost is neither zero nor constant over time, but for the animals and humans features a brief period in which it is constant but increases thereafter. In addition, we show that our theory accurately matches the observed reaction time distributions for each stimulus condition, the time-dependent choice accuracy both conditional on stimulus strength and independent of it, and choice accuracy and mean reaction times as a function of stimulus strength. The theory also correctly predicts that urgency signals in the brain should be independent of the difficulty, or stimulus strength, at each trial. PMID:22423085

Ad hoc committee on global climate issues: Annual report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gerhard, L.C.; Hanson, B.M.B.

2000-01-01

The AAPG Ad Hoc Committee on Global Climate Issues has studied the supposition of human-induced climate change since the committee's inception in January 1998. This paper details the progress and findings of the committee through June 1999. At that time there had been essentially no geologic input into the global climate change debate. The following statements reflect the current state of climate knowledge from the geologic perspective as interpreted by the majority of the committee membership. The committee recognizes that new data could change its conclusions. The earth's climate is constantly changing owing to natural variability in earth processes. Natural climate variability over recent geological time is greater than reasonable estimates of potential human-induced greenhouse gas changes. Because no tool is available to test the supposition of human-induced climate change and the range of natural variability is so great, there is no discernible human influence on global climate at this time.

A marker-free system for the analysis of movement disabilities.

PubMed

Legrand, L; Marzani, F; Dusserre, L

1998-01-01

A major step toward improving the treatments of disabled persons may be achieved by using motion analysis equipment. We are developing such a system. It allows the analysis of plane human motion (e.g. gait) without using the tracking of markers. The system is composed of one fixed camera which acquires an image sequence of a human in motion. Then the treatment is divided into two steps: first, a large number of pixels belonging to the boundaries of the human body are extracted at each acquisition time. Secondly, a two-dimensional model of the human body, based on tapered superquadrics, is successively matched with the sets of pixels previously extracted; a specific fuzzy clustering process is used for this purpose. Moreover, an optical flow procedure gives a prediction of the model location at each acquisition time from its location at the previous time. Finally we present some results of this process applied to a leg in motion.

Time-specific ecological niche modeling predicts spatial dynamics of vector insects and human dengue cases.

PubMed

Peterson, A Townsend; Martínez-Campos, Carmen; Nakazawa, Yoshinori; Martínez-Meyer, Enrique

2005-09-01

Numerous human diseases-malaria, dengue, yellow fever and leishmaniasis, to name a few-are transmitted by insect vectors with brief life cycles and biting activity that varies in both space and time. Although the general geographic distributions of these epidemiologically important species are known, the spatiotemporal variation in their emergence and activity remains poorly understood. We used ecological niche modeling via a genetic algorithm to produce time-specific predictive models of monthly distributions of Aedes aegypti in Mexico in 1995. Significant predictions of monthly mosquito activity and distributions indicate that predicting spatiotemporal dynamics of disease vector species is feasible; significant coincidence with human cases of dengue indicate that these dynamics probably translate directly into transmission of dengue virus to humans. This approach provides new potential for optimizing use of resources for disease prevention and remediation via automated forecasting of disease transmission risk.

Human task animation from performance models and natural language input

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esakov, Jeffrey; Badler, Norman I.; Jung, Moon

1989-01-01

Graphical manipulation of human figures is essential for certain types of human factors analyses such as reach, clearance, fit, and view. In many situations, however, the animation of simulated people performing various tasks may be based on more complicated functions involving multiple simultaneous reaches, critical timing, resource availability, and human performance capabilities. One rather effective means for creating such a simulation is through a natural language description of the tasks to be carried out. Given an anthropometrically-sized figure and a geometric workplace environment, various simple actions such as reach, turn, and view can be effectively controlled from language commands or standard NASA checklist procedures. The commands may also be generated by external simulation tools. Task timing is determined from actual performance models, if available, such as strength models or Fitts' Law. The resulting action specification are animated on a Silicon Graphics Iris workstation in real-time.

Performance Assessment of Human and Cattle Associated Quantitative Real-time PCR Assays - slides

EPA Science Inventory

The presentation overview is (1) Single laboratory performance assessment of human- and cattle associated PCR assays and (2) A Field Study: Evaluation of two human fecal waste management practices in Ohio watershed.

Human gut microbiome: the second genome of human body.

PubMed

Zhu, Baoli; Wang, Xin; Li, Lanjuan

2010-08-01

The human body is actually a super-organism that is composed of 10 times more microbial cells than our body cells. Metagenomic study of the human microbiome has demonstrated that there are 3.3 million unique genes in human gut, 150 times more genes than our own genome, and the bacterial diversity analysis showed that about 1000 bacterial species are living in our gut and a majority of them belongs to the divisions of Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes. In addition, most people share a core microbiota that comprises 50-100 bacterial species when the frequency of abundance at phylotype level is not considered, and a core microbiome harboring more than 6000 functional gene groups is present in the majority of human gut surveyed till now. Gut bacteria are not only critical for regulating gut metabolism, but also important for host immune system as revealed by animal studies.

Human history and deep time in nineteenth-century British sciences: An introduction.

PubMed

Sera-Shriar, Efram

2015-06-01

The historicisation of humans was a major endeavour in nineteenth-century Britain, and one that led to wide-ranging debates involving a variety of disciplinary approaches, new and old. Within the context of science and medicine these discussions centred on the issues of human origins and evolution. Did the various races living throughout the world develop from a single location, or were their physical and social differences evidence for their separate genesis? Which disciplinary tradition offered the best method for tracing human development? Was it even possible to trace that development, or had too much time passed since the dawn of humans? Furthermore, who had the authority to speak about these matters? This special issue will examine these core questions and introduce some of the ways that researchers attempted to historicise humans within the context of nineteenth-century British sciences. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new methodology for estimating nuclear casualties as a function of time.

PubMed

Zirkle, Robert A; Walsh, Terri J; Disraelly, Deena S; Curling, Carl A

2011-09-01

The Human Response Injury Profile (HRIP) nuclear methodology provides an estimate of casualties occurring as a consequence of nuclear attacks against military targets for planning purposes. The approach develops user-defined, time-based casualty and fatality estimates based on progressions of underlying symptoms and their severity changes over time. This paper provides a description of the HRIP nuclear methodology and its development, including inputs, human response and the casualty estimation process.

An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment for Upper-Level Forensic Science, Biochemistry, or Molecular Biology Courses: Human DNA Amplification Using STR Single Locus Primers by Real-Time PCR with SYBR Green Detection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elkins, Kelly M.; Kadunc, Raelynn E.

2012-01-01

In this laboratory experiment, real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) was conducted using published human TPOX single-locus DNA primers for validation and various student-designed short tandem repeat (STR) primers for Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) loci. SYBR Green was used to detect the amplification of the expected amplicons. The…

Continuous, real-time bioimaging of chemical bioavailability and toxicology using autonomously bioluminescent human cell lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Tingting; Close, Dan M.; Webb, James D.; Price, Sarah L.; Ripp, Steven A.; Sayler, Gary S.

2013-05-01

Bioluminescent imaging is an emerging biomedical surveillance strategy that uses external cameras to detect in vivo light generated in small animal models of human physiology or in vitro light generated in tissue culture or tissue scaffold mimics of human anatomy. The most widely utilized of reporters is the firefly luciferase (luc) gene; however, it generates light only upon addition of a chemical substrate, thus only generating intermittent single time point data snapshots. To overcome this disadvantage, we have demonstrated substrate-independent bioluminescent imaging using an optimized bacterial bioluminescence (lux) system. The lux reporter produces bioluminescence autonomously using components found naturally within the cell, thereby allowing imaging to occur continuously and in real-time over the lifetime of the host. We have validated this technology in human cells with demonstrated chemical toxicological profiling against exotoxin exposures at signal strengths comparable to existing luc systems (~1.33 × 107 photons/second). As a proof-in-principle demonstration, we have engineered breast carcinoma cells to express bioluminescence for real-time screening of endocrine disrupting chemicals and validated detection of 17β-estradiol (EC50 = ~ 10 pM). These and other applications of this new reporter technology will be discussed as potential new pathways towards improved models of target chemical bioavailability, toxicology, efficacy, and human safety.

Audiovisual material as educational innovation strategy to reduce anxiety response in students of human anatomy.

PubMed

Casado, María Isabel; Castaño, Gloria; Arráez-Aybar, Luis Alfonso

2012-08-01

This study presents the design, effect and utility of using audiovisual material containing real images of dissected human cadavers as an innovative educational strategy (IES) in the teaching of Human Anatomy. The goal is to familiarize students with the practice of dissection and to transmit the importance and necessity of this discipline, while modulating their anxiety. The study included 303 first-year Human Anatomy students, randomly assigned to two groups (Traditional and Educational Innovation). Their state of anxiety was measured using the State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory. Repeated measures ANOVA with between-subject factors was applied. The between-subject factor was Educational Innovation (EI). Two levels were established for this factor. The within-subject factor was Time, four levels being considered here. The results show that the effects of the Educational Innovation factor, Time factor and EI × Time interaction were statistically significant. These results provide an additional element of efficacy to the use of videos as an IES. That is, the use of video material as an introduction into an anxiety-provoking situation which resembles real-life viewing and interaction with human cadavers for the first time significantly diminishes the anticipatory reaction of dread against which novel students have not had the opportunity to develop any cognitive strategy of emotional control.

Space and time scales in human-landscape systems.

PubMed

Kondolf, G Mathias; Podolak, Kristen

2014-01-01

Exploring spatial and temporal scales provides a way to understand human alteration of landscape processes and human responses to these processes. We address three topics relevant to human-landscape systems: (1) scales of human impacts on geomorphic processes, (2) spatial and temporal scales in river restoration, and (3) time scales of natural disasters and behavioral and institutional responses. Studies showing dramatic recent change in sediment yields from uplands to the ocean via rivers illustrate the increasingly vast spatial extent and quick rate of human landscape change in the last two millennia, but especially in the second half of the twentieth century. Recent river restoration efforts are typically small in spatial and temporal scale compared to the historical human changes to ecosystem processes, but the cumulative effectiveness of multiple small restoration projects in achieving large ecosystem goals has yet to be demonstrated. The mismatch between infrequent natural disasters and individual risk perception, media coverage, and institutional response to natural disasters results in un-preparedness and unsustainable land use and building practices.

R/S analysis of reaction time in Neuron Type Test for human activity in civil aviation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hong-Yan; Kang, Ming-Cui; Li, Jing-Qiang; Liu, Hai-Tao

2017-03-01

Human factors become the most serious problem leading to accidents of civil aviation, which stimulates the design and analysis of Neuron Type Test (NTT) system to explore the intrinsic properties and patterns behind the behaviors of professionals and students in civil aviation. In the experiment, normal practitioners' reaction time sequences, collected from NTT, exhibit log-normal distribution approximately. We apply the χ2 test to compute the goodness-of-fit by transforming the time sequence with Box-Cox transformation to cluster practitioners. The long-term correlation of different individual practitioner's time sequence is represented by the Hurst exponent via Rescaled Range Analysis, also named by Range/Standard deviation (R/S) Analysis. The different Hurst exponent suggests the existence of different collective behavior and different intrinsic patterns of human factors in civil aviation.

Chorusing, synchrony, and the evolutionary functions of rhythm.

PubMed

Ravignani, Andrea; Bowling, Daniel L; Fitch, W Tecumseh

2014-01-01

A central goal of biomusicology is to understand the biological basis of human musicality. One approach to this problem has been to compare core components of human musicality (relative pitch perception, entrainment, etc.) with similar capacities in other animal species. Here we extend and clarify this comparative approach with respect to rhythm. First, whereas most comparisons between human music and animal acoustic behavior have focused on spectral properties (melody and harmony), we argue for the central importance of temporal properties, and propose that this domain is ripe for further comparative research. Second, whereas most rhythm research in non-human animals has examined animal timing in isolation, we consider how chorusing dynamics can shape individual timing, as in human music and dance, arguing that group behavior is key to understanding the adaptive functions of rhythm. To illustrate the interdependence between individual and chorusing dynamics, we present a computational model of chorusing agents relating individual call timing with synchronous group behavior. Third, we distinguish and clarify mechanistic and functional explanations of rhythmic phenomena, often conflated in the literature, arguing that this distinction is key for understanding the evolution of musicality. Fourth, we expand biomusicological discussions beyond the species typically considered, providing an overview of chorusing and rhythmic behavior across a broad range of taxa (orthopterans, fireflies, frogs, birds, and primates). Finally, we propose an "Evolving Signal Timing" hypothesis, suggesting that similarities between timing abilities in biological species will be based on comparable chorusing behaviors. We conclude that the comparative study of chorusing species can provide important insights into the adaptive function(s) of rhythmic behavior in our "proto-musical" primate ancestors, and thus inform our understanding of the biology and evolution of rhythm in human music and language.

Assessment of frailty in aged dogs.

PubMed

Hua, Julie; Hoummady, Sara; Muller, Claude; Pouchelon, Jean-Louis; Blondot, Marc; Gilbert, Caroline; Desquilbet, Loic

2016-12-01

OBJECTIVE To define a frailty-related phenotype-a clinical syndrome associated with the aging process in humans-in aged dogs and to investigate its association with time to death. ANIMALS 116 aged guide dogs. PROCEDURES Dogs underwent a clinical geriatric assessment (CGA) and were followed to either time of death or the study cutoff date. A 5-component clinical definition of a frailty phenotype was derived from clinical items included in a geriatric health evaluation scoresheet completed by veterinarians during the CGA. Univariate (via Kaplan-Meier curves) and multivariate (via Cox proportional hazards models) survival analyses were used to investigate associations of the 5 CGA components with time to death. RESULTS 76 dogs died, and the median time from CGA to death was 4.4 years. Independent of age at the time of CGA, dogs that had ≥ 2 of the 5 components (n = 10) were more likely to die during the follow-up period, compared with those that had 1 or no components (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.9 [95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 10.9]). After further adjustments for subclinical or clinical diseases and routine biomarkers, the adjusted hazard ratio remained significant. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that signs of frailty appeared to be a risk factor for death in dogs. The concept of frailty in dogs requires further development. IMPACT FOR HUMAN MEDICINE The concept of frailty, as defined for humans, seems transposable to dogs. Given that they share humans' environments and develop several age-related diseases similar to those in humans, dogs may be useful for the study of environmental or age-related risk factors for frailty in humans.

45 CFR 1310.14 - Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery. 1310.14 Section 1310.14 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) OFFICE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN...

Single Laboratory Comparison of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assays for the Detection of Human Fecal Pollution - Poster

EPA Science Inventory

There are numerous quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) methods available to detect and enumerate human fecal pollution in ambient waters. Each assay employs distinct primers and/or probes and many target different genes and microorganisms leading to potential variations in method p...

Understanding Sequoia sempervirens

Treesearch

Emily E. Burns

2017-01-01

Humans have no doubt observed the coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl., in wonder for thousands of years. It is no small task to seek understanding of a species whose sheer size cannot readily be assessed from the ground and whose generation time can exceed that of humans by 100 times. Fortunately, the scientific method has provided a...

The Atlantic Slave Trade--The Full Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stern, Sheldon M.

2005-01-01

Slavery and slave trading have been part of human history since ancient times. All peoples, races, regions, and religions have at one time or another participated in human slavery. Historian Sheldon M. Stern has found, however, that state U.S. history standards, curricula, and the media often promote the divisive misconception that slavery was…

REAL-TIME AND INTEGRATED MEASUREMENT OF POTENTIAL HUMAN EXPOSURE TO PARTICLE-BOUND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS) FROM AIRCRAFT EXHAUST

EPA Science Inventory

Real-time monitors and low-volume air samplers were used to measure the potential human exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations during various flight-related and ground-support activities of C-130H aircraft at an Air National Guard base. Three...

The Effect of Amount and Timing of Human Resources Data on Subsystem Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meister, David; And Others

Human resources data (HRD) inputs often fail to influence system development. This study investigated the possibility that these inputs are sometimes deficient in quantity or timing. In addition, the effect upon design of different personnel quality and quantity requirements was analyzed. Equipment and HRD inputs which were produced during actual…

45 CFR 1310.14 - Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery. 1310.14 Section 1310.14 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) OFFICE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN...

45 CFR 1310.14 - Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery. 1310.14 Section 1310.14 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) OFFICE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN...

Time in Language, Language in Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Wolfgang

2008-01-01

Many millenia ago, a number of genetic changes endowed the human species with the remarkable capacity: (1) to construct highly complex systems of expressions--human languages; (2) to copy such systems, once created, from other members of the species; and (3) to use them for communicative and perhaps other purposes. This capacity is not uniform; it…

High-resolution ultrashort echo time (UTE) imaging on human knee with AWSOS sequence at 3.0 T.

PubMed

Qian, Yongxian; Williams, Ashley A; Chu, Constance R; Boada, Fernando E

2012-01-01

To demonstrate the technical feasibility of high-resolution (0.28-0.14 mm) ultrashort echo time (UTE) imaging on human knee at 3T with the acquisition-weighted stack of spirals (AWSOS) sequence. Nine human subjects were scanned on a 3T MRI scanner with an 8-channel knee coil using the AWSOS sequence and isocenter positioning plus manual shimming. High-resolution UTE images were obtained on the subject knees at TE = 0.6 msec with total acquisition time of 5.12 minutes for 60 slices at an in-plane resolution of 0.28 mm and 10.24 minutes for 40 slices at an in-plane resolution of 0.14 mm. Isocenter positioning, manual shimming, and the 8-channel array coil helped minimize image distortion and achieve high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). It is technically feasible on a clinical 3T MRI scanner to perform UTE imaging on human knee at very high spatial resolutions (0.28-0.14 mm) within reasonable scan time (5-10 min) using the AWSOS sequence. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human biodistribution and dosimetry of [18F]nifene, an α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor PET tracer.

PubMed

Betthauser, Tobey J; Hillmer, Ansel T; Lao, Patrick J; Ehlerding, Emily; Mukherjee, Jogeshwar; Stone, Charles K; Christian, Bradley T

2017-12-01

The α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) system is implicated in many neuropsychiatric pathologies. [ 18 F]Nifene is a positron emission tomography (PET) ligand that has shown promise for in vivo imaging of the α4β2* nAChR system in preclinical models and humans. This work establishes the radiation burden associated with [ 18 F]nifene PET scans in humans. Four human subjects (2M, 2F) underwent whole-body PET/CT scans to determine the human biodistribution of [ 18 F]nifene. Source organs were identified and time-activity-curves (TACs) were extracted from the PET time-series. Dose estimates were calculated for each subject using OLINDA/EXM v1.1. [ 18 F]Nifene was well tolerated by all subjects with no adverse events reported. The mean whole-body effective dose was 28.4±3.8 mSv/MBq without bladder voiding, and 22.6±1.9 mSv/MBq with hourly micturition. The urinary bladder radiation dose limited the maximum injected dose for a single scan to 278 MBq without urinary bladder voiding, and 519 MBq with hourly voiding. [ 18 F]Nifene is a safe PET radioligand for imaging the α4β2* nAChR system in humans. This works presents human internal dosimetry for [ 18 F]nifene in humans for the first time. These results facilitate safe development of future [ 18 F]nifene studies to image the α4β2* nAChR system in humans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step - human agency, hydrological processes and time in socio-hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ertsen, M. W.; Murphy, J. T.; Purdue, L. E.; Zhu, T.

2013-11-01

When simulating social action in modeling efforts, as in socio-hydrology, an issue of obvious importance is how to ensure that social action by human agents is well-represented in the analysis and the model. Generally, human decision-making is either modeled on a yearly basis or lumped together as collective social structures. Both responses are problematic, as human decision making is more complex and organizations are the result of human agency and cannot be used as explanatory forces. A way out of the dilemma how to include human agency is to go to the largest societal and environmental clustering possible: society itself and climate, with time steps of years or decades. In the paper, the other way out is developed: to face human agency squarely, and direct the modeling approach to the human agency of individuals and couple this with the lowest appropriate hydrological level and time step. This approach is supported theoretically by the work of Bruno Latour, the French sociologist and philosopher. We discuss irrigation archaeology, as it is in this discipline that the issues of scale and explanatory force are well discussed. The issue is not just what scale to use: it is what scale matters. We argue that understanding the arrangements that permitted the management of irrigation over centuries, requires modeling and understanding the small-scale, day-to-day operations and personal interactions upon which they were built. This effort, however, must be informed by the longer-term dynamics as these provide the context within which human agency, is acted out.

Human action recognition based on kinematic similarity in real time

PubMed Central

Chen, Longting; Luo, Ailing; Zhang, Sicong

2017-01-01

Human action recognition using 3D pose data has gained a growing interest in the field of computer robotic interfaces and pattern recognition since the availability of hardware to capture human pose. In this paper, we propose a fast, simple, and powerful method of human action recognition based on human kinematic similarity. The key to this method is that the action descriptor consists of joints position, angular velocity and angular acceleration, which can meet the different individual sizes and eliminate the complex normalization. The angular parameters of joints within a short sliding time window (approximately 5 frames) around the current frame are used to express each pose frame of human action sequence. Moreover, three modified KNN (k-nearest-neighbors algorithm) classifiers are employed in our method: one for achieving the confidence of every frame in the training step, one for estimating the frame label of each descriptor, and one for classifying actions. Additional estimating of the frame’s time label makes it possible to address single input frames. This approach can be used on difficult, unsegmented sequences. The proposed method is efficient and can be run in real time. The research shows that many public datasets are irregularly segmented, and a simple method is provided to regularize the datasets. The approach is tested on some challenging datasets such as MSR-Action3D, MSRDailyActivity3D, and UTD-MHAD. The results indicate our method achieves a higher accuracy. PMID:29073131

Intermittent control: a computational theory of human control.

PubMed

Gawthrop, Peter; Loram, Ian; Lakie, Martin; Gollee, Henrik

2011-02-01

The paradigm of continuous control using internal models has advanced understanding of human motor control. However, this paradigm ignores some aspects of human control, including intermittent feedback, serial ballistic control, triggered responses and refractory periods. It is shown that event-driven intermittent control provides a framework to explain the behaviour of the human operator under a wider range of conditions than continuous control. Continuous control is included as a special case, but sampling, system matched hold, an intermittent predictor and an event trigger allow serial open-loop trajectories using intermittent feedback. The implementation here may be described as "continuous observation, intermittent action". Beyond explaining unimodal regulation distributions in common with continuous control, these features naturally explain refractoriness and bimodal stabilisation distributions observed in double stimulus tracking experiments and quiet standing, respectively. Moreover, given that human control systems contain significant time delays, a biological-cybernetic rationale favours intermittent over continuous control: intermittent predictive control is computationally less demanding than continuous predictive control. A standard continuous-time predictive control model of the human operator is used as the underlying design method for an event-driven intermittent controller. It is shown that when event thresholds are small and sampling is regular, the intermittent controller can masquerade as the underlying continuous-time controller and thus, under these conditions, the continuous-time and intermittent controller cannot be distinguished. This explains why the intermittent control hypothesis is consistent with the continuous control hypothesis for certain experimental conditions.

Information-Velocity Metric for the Flow of Information through an Organization: Application to Decision Support

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-17

pyramid. Hh represents the amount of human-to- human communication that limits v(info). Hh represents a traditional but inefficient, unscalable, and...Equa- tion (20) weights evenly improved efficiency of sharing information (by moving away from tradi- tional human-to- human communication methods and...the right time. The second line of equation (20) implies that human-to- human communication methods are inefficient and unscalable. For example, an

Comparative lytic efficacy of rt-PA and ultrasound in porcine versus human clots.

PubMed

Huang, Shenwen; Shekhar, Himanshu; Holland, Christy K

2017-01-01

Porcine thrombi are employed routinely in preclinical models of ischemic stroke. In this study, we examined the differential lytic susceptibility of porcine and human whole blood clots with and without the use of microbubbles and ultrasound (US) as an adjuvant. An in vitro system equipped with time-lapse microscopy was used to evaluate recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (rt-PA) lysis of porcine and human clots in the same species or cross species plasma. Human and porcine whole blood clots were treated with rt-PA and an echo contrast agent, Definity®, and exposed to intermittent 120 kHz US. The rt-PA lytic efficacy observed for porcine clots in porcine plasma was 22 times lower than for human clots in human plasma reported previously. Further, porcine clots did not exhibit increased lysis with adjuvant Definity® and US exposure. However, the rt-PA lytic susceptibility of the porcine clots in human plasma was similar to that of human clots in human plasma. Human clots perfused with porcine plasma did not respond to rt-PA, but adjuvant use of Definity® and US enhanced lysis. These results reveal considerable differences in lytic susceptibility of porcine clots and human clots to rt-PA. The use of porcine clot models to test new human thrombolytic therapies may necessitate modulation of coagulation and thrombolytic factors to reflect human hemostasis accurately.

Enteral Feeding With Human Milk Decreases Time to Discharge in Infants Following Gastroschisis Repair

PubMed Central

Gulack, Brian C.; Laughon, Matthew M.; Clark, Reese H.; Burgess, Terrance; Robinson, Sybil; Muhammad, Abdurrauf; Zhang, Angela; Davis, Adrienne; Morton, Robert; Chu, Vivian H.; Arnold, Christopher J.; Hornik, Christoph P.; Smith, P. Brian

2015-01-01

Objective We reviewed a multi-institutional database to assess the effect of enteral feeding with human milk on duration from initiation of feeds to discharge after gastroschisis repair. Study design Infants who had gastroschisis repair between 1997 and 2012 with data recorded in the Pediatrix Medical Group Clinical Data Warehouse were categorized into 4 groups based on the percentage of days they were fed human milk out of the number of days they were fed enterally. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was performed to determine the adjusted effect of human milk on duration from initiation of feeds to discharge. Results Of 3082 infants, 659 (21%) were fed human milk on 0% of enteral feeding days, 766 (25%) on 1–50% of enteral feeding days, 725 (24%) on 51–99% of enteral feeding days, and 932 (30%) on 100% of enteral feeding days. Following adjustment, being fed human milk on 0% of enteral feeding days was associated with a significantly increased time to discharge compared with being fed human milk on 100% of enteral feeding days (HR for discharge per day: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.40–0.52). The same was found for infants fed human milk on 1–50% of enteral feeding days (HR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.32–0.41) and for infants fed human milk on 51–99% of enteral feeding days (HR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.46–0.57). Conclusion The use of human milk for enteral feeding of infants following repair of gastroschisis significantly reduces the time to discharge from initiation of feeds. PMID:26703875

Comparison of the behavior of normal factor IX and the factor IX Bm variant Hilo in the prothrombin time test using tissue factors from bovine, human, and rabbit sources.

PubMed

Lefkowitz, J B; Monroe, D M; Kasper, C K; Roberts, H R

1993-07-01

A subset of hemophilia B patients have a prolonged bovine-brain prothrombin time. These CRM+ patients are classified as having hemophilia Bm. The prolongation of the prothrombin time has been reported only with bovine brain (referred to as ox brain in some literature) as the source of thromboplastin; prothrombin times determined with thromboplastin from rabbit brain or human brain are not reported to be prolonged. Factor IX from a hemophilia Bm patient (factor IX Hilo) was isolated. The activity of factor IX Hilo was compared to that of normal factor IX in prothrombin time assays when the thromboplastin source was of bovine, rabbit, or human origin. Factor IX, either normal or Hilo, prolonged a prothrombin time regardless of the tissue factor source. However, unless thromboplastin was from a bovine source, this prolongation required high concentrations of factor IX. Further, factor IX normal was as effective as factor IX Hilo in prolonging the prothrombin time when rabbit or human thromboplastin was used. With bovine thromboplastin, factor IX Hilo was significantly better than factor IX normal at prolonging the prothrombin time. The amount of prolongation was dependent on the amount of factor IX Hilo added. In addition, the prolongation was dependent on the concentration of factor X present in the sample. The prothrombin time changed as much as 20 seconds when the factor X concentration was varied from 50% to 150% to normal (fixed concentration of factor IX Hilo). These results demonstrate the difficulty of classifying the severity of a hemophilia Bm patient based on the bovine brain prothrombin time unless both the factor IX and factor X concentrations are known.

Understanding human dynamics in microblog posting activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhihong; Zhang, Yubao; Wang, Hui; Li, Pei

2013-02-01

Human activity patterns are an important issue in behavior dynamics research. Empirical evidence indicates that human activity patterns can be characterized by a heavy-tailed inter-event time distribution. However, most researchers give an understanding by only modeling the power-law feature of the inter-event time distribution, and those overlooked non-power-law features are likely to be nontrivial. In this work, we propose a behavior dynamics model, called the finite memory model, in which humans adaptively change their activity rates based on a finite memory of recent activities, which is driven by inherent individual interest. Theoretical analysis shows a finite memory model can properly explain various heavy-tailed inter-event time distributions, including a regular power law and some non-power-law deviations. To validate the model, we carry out an empirical study based on microblogging activity from thousands of microbloggers in the Celebrity Hall of the Sina microblog. The results show further that the model is reasonably effective. We conclude that finite memory is an effective dynamics element to describe the heavy-tailed human activity pattern.

Tensor body: real-time reconstruction of the human body and avatar synthesis from RGB-D.

PubMed

Barmpoutis, Angelos

2013-10-01

Real-time 3-D reconstruction of the human body has many applications in anthropometry, telecommunications, gaming, fashion, and other areas of human-computer interaction. In this paper, a novel framework is presented for reconstructing the 3-D model of the human body from a sequence of RGB-D frames. The reconstruction is performed in real time while the human subject moves arbitrarily in front of the camera. The method employs a novel parameterization of cylindrical-type objects using Cartesian tensor and b-spline bases along the radial and longitudinal dimension respectively. The proposed model, dubbed tensor body, is fitted to the input data using a multistep framework that involves segmentation of the different body regions, robust filtering of the data via a dynamic histogram, and energy-based optimization with positive-definite constraints. A Riemannian metric on the space of positive-definite tensor splines is analytically defined and employed in this framework. The efficacy of the presented methods is demonstrated in several real-data experiments using the Microsoft Kinect sensor.

Robotics-based synthesis of human motion.

PubMed

Khatib, O; Demircan, E; De Sapio, V; Sentis, L; Besier, T; Delp, S

2009-01-01

The synthesis of human motion is a complex procedure that involves accurate reconstruction of movement sequences, modeling of musculoskeletal kinematics, dynamics and actuation, and characterization of reliable performance criteria. Many of these processes have much in common with the problems found in robotics research. Task-based methods used in robotics may be leveraged to provide novel musculoskeletal modeling methods and physiologically accurate performance predictions. In this paper, we present (i) a new method for the real-time reconstruction of human motion trajectories using direct marker tracking, (ii) a task-driven muscular effort minimization criterion and (iii) new human performance metrics for dynamic characterization of athletic skills. Dynamic motion reconstruction is achieved through the control of a simulated human model to follow the captured marker trajectories in real-time. The operational space control and real-time simulation provide human dynamics at any configuration of the performance. A new criteria of muscular effort minimization has been introduced to analyze human static postures. Extensive motion capture experiments were conducted to validate the new minimization criterion. Finally, new human performance metrics were introduced to study in details an athletic skill. These metrics include the effort expenditure and the feasible set of operational space accelerations during the performance of the skill. The dynamic characterization takes into account skeletal kinematics as well as muscle routing kinematics and force generating capacities. The developments draw upon an advanced musculoskeletal modeling platform and a task-oriented framework for the effective integration of biomechanics and robotics methods.

Nature, Humans, and the Coastal Zone.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, H. Jesse

1990-01-01

Considers the interface of humans and seacoasts over time. Explains how coastal zones are formed and human attempts to defend against sea level changes. Charts the percentage of major world cities that also are ports. Postulates how the greenhouse effect could influence sea level, examining potential human responses to changes in coastal zones.…

Teaching Human Rights through Global Education to Teachers in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadruddin, Munir Moosa

2017-01-01

Pakistan is home to religious and cultural ideologies that greatly support the values of human rights. Nevertheless, the multilayered philosophies of human rights in Pakistan have at times heightened clashes and bred a culture of tension among higher education learners. Ideological filters in national education policies have removed human rights…

The Burden and Beauty of the Humanities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClay, Wilfred M.

2010-01-01

Stanley Fish wrote a column for the "New York Times" entitled "Will the Humanities Save US?" Here, Fish asserted that the humanities can't save humans, and in fact they don't really "do" anything, other than give pleasure to "those who enjoy them." This sustained shrug elicited a blast of energetic and…

A framework for the use of agent based modeling to simulate inter- and intraindividual variation in human behaviors

EPA Science Inventory

Simulation of human behavior in exposure modeling is a complex task. Traditionally, inter-individual variation in human activity has been modeled by drawing from a pool of single day time-activity diaries such as the US EPA Consolidated Human Activity Database (CHAD). Here, an ag...

Human ecology and ethnology [chapter 3

Treesearch

Frank E. Wozniak

1995-01-01

The relationship of humans with Middle Rio Grande Basin ecosystems is complex. In historic times, humans had a critical role in the evolution of environmental landscapes and ecosystems throughout the Middle Rio Grande Basin. The relationship of humans with the land is based on and regulated by resource availability, environmental conditions, levels of technological...

Glycolysis in Panc-1 human pancreatic cancer cells is inhibited by everolimus.

PubMed

Liu, Ling; Gong, Liansheng; Zhang, Yangde; Li, Nianfeng

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects and molecular mechanisms of everolimus on Panc-1 human pancreatic cancer cells. Panc-1 human pancreatic cancer cells were treated with everolimus (10 μg/ml) at selected time points (6, 12 and 24 h). Cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT and flow cytometric analyses. The glycolytic activity was determined by measuring the activity of the key enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and lactate production. The activity of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling was measured by western blotting. The expression of genes, including hexokinase 2 (HK2) and microRNA-143 (miR-143), was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The administration of everolimus time-dependently inhibited proliferation and glycolysis and induced apoptosis in the Panc-1 human pancreatic cancer cells. As the time of treatment with everolimus increased, the mTOR signaling activity decreased, indicated by lower phosphorylation levels of S6 kinase; however, the phosphorylation levels of mTOR barely changed. Moreover, our data showed an everolimus-induced increase in miR-143 and decrease in HK2 in Panc-1 cells in a time-dependent manner. In conclusion, the current study indicates a novel role of everolimus in its antitumor effect as an inhibitor of glycolysis in Panc-1 human pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, our data highlights the significance of exploring the mechanisms of everolimus and miR-143 in malignant tumors.

Sex Differences in Rhythmic Preferences in the Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus): A Comparative Study with Humans

PubMed Central

Hoeschele, Marisa; Bowling, Daniel L.

2016-01-01

A variety of parrot species have recently gained attention as members of a small group of non-human animals that are capable of coordinating their movements in time with a rhythmic pulse. This capacity is highly developed in humans, who display unparalleled sensitivity to musical beats and appear to prefer rhythmically organized sounds in their music. Do parrots also exhibit a preference for rhythmic over arrhythmic sounds? Here, we presented humans and budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) – a small parrot species that have been shown to be able to align movements with a beat – with rhythmic and arrhythmic sound patterns in an acoustic place preference paradigm. Both species were allowed to explore an environment for 5 min. We quantified how much time they spent in proximity to rhythmic vs. arrhythmic stimuli. The results show that humans spent more time with rhythmic stimuli, and also preferred rhythmic stimuli when directly asked in a post-test survey. Budgerigars did not show any such overall preferences. However, further examination of the budgerigar results showed an effect of sex, such that male budgerigars spent more time with arrthymic stimuli, and female budgerigars spent more time with rhythmic stimuli. Our results support the idea that rhythmic information is interesting to budgerigars. We suggest that future investigations into the temporal characteristics of naturalistic social behaviors in budgerigars, such as courtship vocalizations and head-bobbing displays, may help explain the sex difference we observed. PMID:27757099

Time-lapse recordings of human corneal epithelial healing.

PubMed

Hardarson, Thorir; Hanson, Charles; Claesson, Margareta; Stenevi, Ulf

2004-04-01

The aim of this study was to design an experimental set-up for the study of human corneal epithelial wound healing in a controlled in vitro situation. A time-lapse set-up was used. This allowed for pictures to be captured with a magnification ranging from x 80 to x 1800. Pictures were captured at 1-min intervals during the observation period, which lasted up to 4 days. Human corneal tissue was obtained from the Eye Bank or from surgery. A small, rounded lesion was produced in the corneal epithelium with a miniature drill. The specimens were placed in a mini-incubator; the camera focused on the epithelial lesion and continuously observed using the time-lapse set-up. The healing process of human corneal epithelium could be followed for several days. The initial healing response could be divided into a slow, a rapid and a consolidating phase. The first two phases lasted about 12 hours, and by then, epithelial cells covered the lesion. Depending on the origin of the tissue and the placement of the lesion, variations in the healing response could be seen. The time-lapse technique makes it possible to study epithelial wound healing over time at the cellular level. Data collected in this way can fill the gap between in vivo studies, where, by nature, human wound healing studies are restricted, and cell culture techniques, where cellular responses in many cases differ from the in vivo situation.

Dog Breed Differences in Visual Communication with Humans.

PubMed

Konno, Akitsugu; Romero, Teresa; Inoue-Murayama, Miho; Saito, Atsuko; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2016-01-01

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have developed a close relationship with humans through the process of domestication. In human-dog interactions, eye contact is a key element of relationship initiation and maintenance. Previous studies have suggested that canine ability to produce human-directed communicative signals is influenced by domestication history, from wolves to dogs, as well as by recent breed selection for particular working purposes. To test the genetic basis for such abilities in purebred dogs, we examined gazing behavior towards humans using two types of behavioral experiments: the 'visual contact task' and the 'unsolvable task'. A total of 125 dogs participated in the study. Based on the genetic relatedness among breeds subjects were classified into five breed groups: Ancient, Herding, Hunting, Retriever-Mastiff and Working). We found that it took longer time for Ancient breeds to make an eye-contact with humans, and that they gazed at humans for shorter periods of time than any other breed group in the unsolvable situation. Our findings suggest that spontaneous gaze behavior towards humans is associated with genetic similarity to wolves rather than with recent selective pressure to create particular working breeds.

A study of a steering system algorithm for pleasure boats based on stability analysis of a human-machine system model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, Fujio; Toyama, Shigehiro; Ishiduki, Souta; Seta, Hiroaki

2016-09-01

Maritime accidents of small ships continue to increase in number. One of the major factors is poor manoeuvrability of the Manual Hydraulic Steering Mechanism (MHSM) in common use. The manoeuvrability can be improved by using the Electronic Control Steering Mechanism (ECSM). This paper conducts stability analyses of a pleasure boat controlled by human models in view of path following on a target course, in order to establish design guidelines for the ECSM. First, to analyse the stability region, the research derives the linear approximated model in a planar global coordinate system. Then, several human models are assumed to develop closed-loop human-machine controlled systems. These human models include basic proportional, derivative, integral and time-delay actions. The stability analysis simulations for those human-machine systems are carried out. The results show that the stability region tends to spread as a ship's velocity increases in the case of the basic proportional human model. The derivative action and time-delay action of human models are effective in spreading the stability region in their respective ranges of frontal gazing points.

Arterial flow regulator enables transplantation and growth of human fetal kidneys in rats.

PubMed

Chang, N K; Gu, J; Gu, S; Osorio, R W; Concepcion, W; Gu, E

2015-06-01

Here we introduce a novel method of transplanting human fetal kidneys into adult rats. To overcome the technical challenges of fetal-to-adult organ transplantation, we devised an arterial flow regulator (AFR), consisting of a volume adjustable saline-filled cuff, which enables low-pressure human fetal kidneys to be transplanted into high-pressure adult rat hosts. By incrementally withdrawing saline from the AFR over time, blood flow entering the human fetal kidney was gradually increased until full blood flow was restored 30 days after transplantation. Human fetal kidneys were shown to dramatically increase in size and function. Moreover, rats which had all native renal mass removed 30 days after successful transplantation of the human fetal kidney were shown to have a mean survival time of 122 days compared to 3 days for control rats that underwent bilateral nephrectomy without a prior human fetal kidney transplant. These in vivo human fetal kidney models may serve as powerful platforms for drug testing and discovery. © Copyright 2015 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Pig and guinea pig skin as surrogates for human in vitro penetration studies: a quantitative review.

PubMed

Barbero, Ana M; Frasch, H Frederick

2009-02-01

Both human and animal skin in vitro models are used to predict percutaneous penetration in humans. The objective of this review is a quantitative comparison of permeability and lag time measurements between human and animal skin, including an evaluation of the intra and inter species variability. We limit our focus to domestic pig and rodent guinea pig skin as surrogates for human skin, and consider only studies in which both animal and human penetration of a given chemical were measured jointly in the same lab. When the in vitro permeability of pig and human skin were compared, the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (r) was 0.88 (P<0.0001), with an intra species average coefficient of variation of skin permeability of 21% for pig and 35% for human, and an inter species average coefficient of variation of 37% for the set of studied compounds (n=41). The lag times of pig skin and human skin did not correlate (r=0.35, P=0.26). When the in vitro permeability of guinea pig and human skin were compared, r=0.96 (P<0.0001), with an average intra species coefficient of variation of 19% for guinea pig and 24% for human, and an inter species coefficient of variation of permeability of 41% for the set of studied compounds (n=15). Lag times of guinea pig and human skin correlated (r=0.90, P<0.0001, n=12). When permeability data was not reported a factor of difference (FOD) of animal to human skin was calculated for pig skin (n=50) and guinea pig skin (n=25). For pig skin, 80% of measurements fell within the range 0.3

Hand hygiene compliance rates: Fact or fiction?

PubMed

McLaws, Mary-Louise; Kwok, Yen Lee Angela

2018-05-16

The mandatory national hand hygiene program requires Australian public hospitals to use direct human auditing to establish compliance rates. To establish the magnitude of the Hawthorne effect, we compared direct human audit rates with concurrent automated surveillance rates. A large tertiary Australian teaching hospital previously trialed automated surveillance while simultaneously performing mandatory human audits for 20 minutes daily on a medical and a surgical ward. Subtracting automated surveillance rates from human audit rates provided differences in percentage points (PPs) for each of the 3 quarterly reporting periods for 2014 and 2015. Direct human audit rates for the medical ward were inflated by an average of 55 PPs in 2014 and 64 PPs in 2015, 2.8-3.1 times higher than automated surveillance rates. The rates for the surgical ward were inflated by an average of 32 PPs in 2014 and 31 PPs in 2015, 1.6 times higher than automated surveillance rates. Over the 6 mandatory reporting quarters, human audits collected an average of 255 opportunities, whereas automation collected 578 times more data, averaging 147,308 opportunities per quarter. The magnitude of the Hawthorne effect on direct human auditing was not trivial and produced highly inflated compliance rates. Mandatory compliance necessitates accuracy that only automated surveillance can achieve, whereas daily hand hygiene ambassadors or reminder technology could harness clinicians' ability to hyperrespond to produce habitual compliance. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TGF-β2, a Protective Intestinal Cytokine, Is Abundant in Maternal Human Milk and Human-Derived Fortifiers but Not in Donor Human Milk

PubMed Central

Reeves, Aaron A.; Johnson, Marney C.; Vasquez, Margarita M.; Maheshwari, Akhil

2013-01-01

Abstract Objective: This study compared cytokines (in particular transforming growth factor [TGF]-β2) and lactoferrin in maternal human milk (MHM), human-derived milk fortifier (HDMF), and donor human milk (DHM). Materials and Methods: MHM was randomly collected from breastfeeding mothers who had no infectious illness at the time of milk expression. HDMF and DHM were products derived from human milk processed by Holder pasteurization. MHM samples were collected at different times (early/late) and gestations (preterm/term). Lactoferrin was analyzed by western blotting, and cytokines were quantified using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Significance was determined using analysis of variance. Results: In the 164 samples analyzed, TGF-β2 concentrations in HDMF and preterm MHM (at all collection times) were fivefold higher than in DHM (p<0.05). Early preterm MHM had levels of interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-18, 11-fold higher than DHM (p<0.05). IL-6 in DHM was 0.3% of the content found in MHM. IL-18 was fourfold higher in early MHM versus late MHM regardless of gestational age (p<0.05). Lactoferrin concentration in DHM was 6% of that found in MHM. Conclusions: Pasteurization decreases concentrations of most cytokines and lactoferrin in DHM. TGF-β2, a protective intestinal cytokine, has comparable concentrations in HDMF to MHM despite pasteurization. PMID:23869537

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

Jeong, Sang Hoon; Kim, Jae Hwan; Yi, Sang Min

Quantum dots (QDs) are rapidly emerging as an important class of nanoparticles (NPs) with potential applications in medicine. However, little is known about penetration of QDs through human skin. This study investigated skin penetration of QDs in both in vivo and in vitro human skin. Using the tape stripping method, this study demonstrates for the first time that QDs can actually penetrate through the stratum corneum (SC) of human skin. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy diverse X-ray (EDX) analysis showed accumulation of QDs in the SC of a human skin equivalent model (HSEM) after dermal exposure to QDs. Thesemore » findings suggest possible transdermal absorption of QDs after dermal exposure over a relatively long period of time.« less

Light-induced suppression of endogenous circadian amplitude in humans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jewett, Megan; Czeisler, Charles A.; Kronauer, Richard E.

1991-01-01

A recent demonstration that the phase of the human circadian pacemaker could be inverted using an unconventional three-cycle stimulus has led to an investigation of whether critically timed exposure to a more moderate stimulus could drive that oscillator toward its singularity, a phaseless position at which the amplitude of circadian oscillation is zero. It is reported here that exposure of humans to fewer cycles of bright light, centered around the time at which the human circadian pacemaker is most sensitive to light-induced phase shifts, can markedly attenuate endogenous cicadian amplitude. In some cases this results in an apparent loss of rhythmicity, as expected to occur in the region of singularity.

Understanding human activity patterns based on space-time-semantics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wei; Li, Songnian

2016-11-01

Understanding human activity patterns plays a key role in various applications in an urban environment, such as transportation planning and traffic forecasting, urban planning, public health and safety, and emergency response. Most existing studies in modeling human activity patterns mainly focus on spatiotemporal dimensions, which lacks consideration of underlying semantic context. In fact, what people do and discuss at some places, inferring what is happening at the places, cannot be simple neglected because it is the root of human mobility patterns. We believe that the geo-tagged semantic context, representing what individuals do and discuss at a place and a specific time, drives a formation of specific human activity pattern. In this paper, we aim to model human activity patterns not only based on space and time but also with consideration of associated semantics, and attempt to prove a hypothesis that similar mobility patterns may have different motivations. We develop a spatiotemporal-semantic model to quantitatively express human activity patterns based on topic models, leading to an analysis of space, time and semantics. A case study is conducted using Twitter data in Toronto based on our model. Through computing the similarities between users in terms of spatiotemporal pattern, semantic pattern and spatiotemporal-semantic pattern, we find that only a small number of users (2.72%) have very similar activity patterns, while the majority (87.14%) show different activity patterns (i.e., similar spatiotemporal patterns and different semantic patterns, similar semantic patterns and different spatiotemporal patterns, or different in both). The population of users that has very similar activity patterns is decreased by 56.41% after incorporating semantic information in the corresponding spatiotemporal patterns, which can quantitatively prove the hypothesis.

Alexandria's Eastern Harbor, Egypt: Pollen, microscopic charcoal, and the transition from natural to human-modified basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanley, J.-D.; Bernhardt, C.E.

2010-01-01

Pollen and microscopic charcoal examined in Holocene sediment core samples record major environmental modifications affecting Alexandria's Eastern Harbor through time. We assess whether such changes on Egypt's coastal margin were influenced primarily by natural, or natural plus human, or primarily human factors. We focus on (1) the times when pollen assemblages and microscopic charcoal content changed in the core, (2) how they changed, and (3) why this occurred. The analysis takes into account the core's stratigraphy, regional climate variability, human history, and local archaeological record. Four pollenmicroscopic charcoal zones are identified. The earliest change occurred at ca. 6000 YBP, during Egypt's earlier Predynastic (Neolithic) period, coinciding with a lithologic break from sand to muddy sand. Pollen during this time indicates a transition to a much drier climate rather than effects of human activity. The second change in pollen occurred 3600-2900 YBP, during a period of continued aridity with no lithologic variation in this core interval. Pollen (cereal taxa, agricultural weeds, grape) and a sharp increase in microscopic charcoal indicate that human activity became prevalent at least 700 y before Alexander the Great's arrival in this region, and these results highlight the transition from a largely natural climatecontrolled environment to one influenced by both climate and anthropogenic activity. The third shift up-core in pollen assemblages is dated at ca. 2300 YBP, at the boundary between a sand and mud unit. It coincides with construction by the Ptolemies of the Heptastadion between Alexandria and Pharos Island. From this time onward, harbor sediment in the nearly enclosed catchment basin indicates a near-continuous record of dominant proximal human activity. ?? 2010 Coastal Education and Research Foundation.

Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for Terbinafine in Rats and Humans

PubMed Central

Hosseini-Yeganeh, Mahboubeh; McLachlan, Andrew J.

2002-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) model capable of describing and predicting terbinafine concentrations in plasma and tissues in rats and humans. A PB-PK model consisting of 12 tissue and 2 blood compartments was developed using concentration-time data for tissues from rats (n = 33) after intravenous bolus administration of terbinafine (6 mg/kg of body weight). It was assumed that all tissues except skin and testis tissues were well-stirred compartments with perfusion rate limitations. The uptake of terbinafine into skin and testis tissues was described by a PB-PK model which incorporates a membrane permeability rate limitation. The concentration-time data for terbinafine in human plasma and tissues were predicted by use of a scaled-up PB-PK model, which took oral absorption into consideration. The predictions obtained from the global PB-PK model for the concentration-time profile of terbinafine in human plasma and tissues were in close agreement with the observed concentration data for rats. The scaled-up PB-PK model provided an excellent prediction of published terbinafine concentration-time data obtained after the administration of single and multiple oral doses in humans. The estimated volume of distribution at steady state (Vss) obtained from the PB-PK model agreed with the reported value of 11 liters/kg. The apparent volume of distribution of terbinafine in skin and adipose tissues accounted for 41 and 52%, respectively, of the Vss for humans, indicating that uptake into and redistribution from these tissues dominate the pharmacokinetic profile of terbinafine. The PB-PK model developed in this study was capable of accurately predicting the plasma and tissue terbinafine concentrations in both rats and humans and provides insight into the physiological factors that determine terbinafine disposition. PMID:12069977

Multi-frequency time-difference complex conductivity imaging of canine and human lungs using the KHU Mark1 EIT system.

PubMed

Kuen, Jihyeon; Woo, Eung Je; Seo, Jin Keun

2009-06-01

We evaluated the performance of the lately developed electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system KHU Mark1 through time-difference imaging experiments of canine and human lungs. We derived a multi-frequency time-difference EIT (mftdEIT) image reconstruction algorithm based on the concept of the equivalent homogeneous complex conductivity. Imaging experiments were carried out at three different frequencies of 10, 50 and 100 kHz with three different postures of right lateral, sitting (or prone) and left lateral positions. For three normal canine subjects, we controlled the ventilation using a ventilator at three tidal volumes of 100, 150 and 200 ml. Three human subjects were asked to breath spontaneously at a normal tidal volume. Real- and imaginary-part images of the canine and human lungs were reconstructed at three frequencies and three postures. Images showed different stages of breathing cycles and we could interpret them based on the understanding of the proposed mftdEIT image reconstruction algorithm. Time series of images were further analyzed by using the functional EIT (fEIT) method. Images of human subjects showed the gravity effect on air distribution in two lungs. In the canine subjects, the morphological change seems to dominate the gravity effect. We could also observe that two different types of ventilation should have affected the results. The KHU Mark1 EIT system is expected to provide reliable mftdEIT images of the human lungs. In terms of the image reconstruction algorithm, it would be worthwhile including the effects of three-dimensional current flows inside the human thorax. We suggest clinical trials of the KHU Mark1 for pulmonary applications.

Science fiction and human enhancement: radical life-extension in the movie 'In Time' (2011).

PubMed

Roduit, Johann A R; Eichinger, Tobias; Glannon, Walter

2018-03-20

The ethics of human enhancement has been a hotly debated topic in the last 15 years. In this debate, some advocate examining science fiction stories to elucidate the ethical issues regarding the current phenomenon of human enhancement. Stories from science fiction seem well suited to analyze biomedical advances, providing some possible case studies. Of particular interest is the work of screenwriter Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, S1m0ne, In Time, and Good Kill), which often focuses on ethical questions raised by the use of new technologies. Examining the movie In Time (2011), the aim of this paper is to show how science fiction can contribute to the ethical debate of human enhancement. In Time provides an interesting case study to explore what could be some of the consequences of radical life-extension technologies. In this paper, we will show how arguments regarding radical life-extension portrayed in this particular movie differ from what is found in the scientific literature. We will see how In Time gives flesh to arguments defending or rejecting radical life-extension. It articulates feelings of unease, alienation and boredom associated with this possibility. Finally, this article will conclude that science fiction movies in general, and In Time in particular, are a valuable resource for a broad and comprehensive debate about our coming future.

Real-time 3D human pose recognition from reconstructed volume via voxel classifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, ByungIn; Choi, Changkyu; Han, Jae-Joon; Lee, Changkyo; Kim, Wonjun; Suh, Sungjoo; Park, Dusik; Kim, Junmo

2014-03-01

This paper presents a human pose recognition method which simultaneously reconstructs a human volume based on ensemble of voxel classifiers from a single depth image in real-time. The human pose recognition is a difficult task since a single depth camera can capture only visible surfaces of a human body. In order to recognize invisible (self-occluded) surfaces of a human body, the proposed algorithm employs voxel classifiers trained with multi-layered synthetic voxels. Specifically, ray-casting onto a volumetric human model generates a synthetic voxel, where voxel consists of a 3D position and ID corresponding to the body part. The synthesized volumetric data which contain both visible and invisible body voxels are utilized to train the voxel classifiers. As a result, the voxel classifiers not only identify the visible voxels but also reconstruct the 3D positions and the IDs of the invisible voxels. The experimental results show improved performance on estimating the human poses due to the capability of inferring the invisible human body voxels. It is expected that the proposed algorithm can be applied to many fields such as telepresence, gaming, virtual fitting, wellness business, and real 3D contents control on real 3D displays.

How Health Humanities Will Save the Life of the Humanities.

PubMed

Klugman, Craig M

2017-12-01

In the last decade, the humanities have been shrinking in number of students, percent of faculty, and in number of degrees awarded. Humanities students also earn lower salaries than their STEM-prepared peers. At the same time, the health humanities have been in ascendance over the last fifteen years. The number of majors, minors and certificates has increased 266% in that time frame, attracting large numbers of students and preparing future patients, lay caregivers, and health care providers to interact with a complicated and dehumanized medical system. In 1982, British philosopher and educator Stephen Toulmin declared that medicine saved philosophy from irrelevance and possibly extinction. I propose that the health humanities can serve a similar function to stave off the decline of the broader humanities. The health humanities can (1) model an applied approach for the broader humanities to attract student interest; (2) develop students' capacity for critical reading, writing and reflection about health and medicine in society, practice, and their own lives and (3) inoculate all students against the influence of medicine, whether through preparing pre-health students to navigate the hidden medical curriculum or preparing future patients to navigate the health care system.

We’re All in This Together | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... research has been done on animals or from human autopsies. Live humans are needed to study the brain over time, ... and updating information, participants help researchers understand the human brain as it ages. Here’s how to register: ...

The ‘hit’ phenomenon: a mathematical model of human dynamics interactions as a stochastic process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishii, Akira; Arakaki, Hisashi; Matsuda, Naoya; Umemura, Sanae; Urushidani, Tamiko; Yamagata, Naoya; Yoshida, Narihiko

2012-06-01

A mathematical model for the ‘hit’ phenomenon in entertainment within a society is presented as a stochastic process of human dynamics interactions. The model uses only the advertisement budget time distribution as an input, and word-of-mouth (WOM), represented by posts on social network systems, is used as data to make a comparison with the calculated results. The unit of time is days. The WOM distribution in time is found to be very close to the revenue distribution in time. Calculations for the Japanese motion picture market based on the mathematical model agree well with the actual revenue distribution in time.

Detecting electroporation by assessing the time constants in the exponential response of human skin to voltage controlled impulse electrical stimulation.

PubMed

Bîrlea, Sinziana I; Corley, Gavin J; Bîrlea, Nicolae M; Breen, Paul P; Quondamatteo, Fabio; OLaighin, Gearóid

2009-01-01

We propose a new method for extracting the electrical properties of human skin based on the time constant analysis of its exponential response to impulse stimulation. As a result of this analysis an adjacent finding has arisen. We have found that stratum corneum electroporation can be detected using this analysis method. We have observed that a one time-constant model is appropriate for describing the electrical properties of human skin at low amplitude applied voltages (<30V), and a two time-constant model best describes skin electrical properties at higher amplitude applied voltages (>30V). Higher voltage amplitudes (>30V) have been proven to create pores in the skin's stratum corneum which offer a new, lower resistance, pathway for the passage of current through the skin. Our data shows that when pores are formed in the stratum corneum they can be detected, in-vivo, due to the fact that a second time constant describes current flow through them.

Statistical Analysis of Human Body Movement and Group Interactions in Response to Music

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desmet, Frank; Leman, Marc; Lesaffre, Micheline; de Bruyn, Leen

Quantification of time series that relate to physiological data is challenging for empirical music research. Up to now, most studies have focused on time-dependent responses of individual subjects in controlled environments. However, little is known about time-dependent responses of between-subject interactions in an ecological context. This paper provides new findings on the statistical analysis of group synchronicity in response to musical stimuli. Different statistical techniques were applied to time-dependent data obtained from an experiment on embodied listening in individual and group settings. Analysis of inter group synchronicity are described. Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) and Cross Correlation Function (CCF) were found to be valid methods to estimate group coherence of the resulting movements. It was found that synchronicity of movements between individuals (human-human interactions) increases significantly in the social context. Moreover, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that the type of music is the predominant factor in both the individual and the social context.

Timing of target discrimination in human frontal eye fields.

PubMed

O'Shea, Jacinta; Muggleton, Neil G; Cowey, Alan; Walsh, Vincent

2004-01-01

Frontal eye field (FEF) neurons discharge in response to behaviorally relevant stimuli that are potential targets for saccades. Distinct visual and motor processes have been dissociated in the FEF of macaque monkeys, but little is known about the visual processing capacity of FEF in humans. We used double-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation [(d)TMS] to investigate the timing of target discrimination during visual conjunction search. We applied dual TMS pulses separated by 40 msec over the right FEF and vertex. These were applied in five timing conditions to sample separate time windows within the first 200 msec of visual processing. (d)TMS impaired search performance, reflected in reduced d' scores. This effect was limited to a time window between 40 and 80 msec after search array onset. These parameters correspond with single-cell activity in FEF that predicts monkeys' behavioral reports on hit, miss, false alarm, and correct rejection trials. Our findings demonstrate a crucial early role for human FEF in visual target discrimination that is independent of saccade programming.

The NASA Smart Probe Project for real-time multiple microsensor tissue recognition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, Russell J.; Mah, Robert W.

2003-01-01

BACKGROUND: Remote surgery requires automated sensors, effectors and sensor-effector communication. The NASA Smart Probe Project has focused on the sensor aspect. METHODS: The NASA Smart Probe uses neural networks and data from multiple microsensors for a unique tissue signature in real time. Animal and human trials use several probe configurations: (1) 8-microsensor probe (2.5 mm in diameter) for rodent studies (normal and subcutaneous mammary tumor tissues), and (2) 21-gauge needle probe with 3 spectroscopic fibers and an impedance microelectrode for breast cancer diagnosis in humans. Multisensor data are collected in real time (update 100 times/s) using PCs. RESULTS: Human data (collected by NASA licensee BioLuminate) from 15 women undergoing breast biopsy distinguished normal tissue from both benign tumors and breast carcinoma. Tumor margins and necrosis are rapidly detected. CONCLUSION: Real-time tissue identification is achievable. Potential applications, including probes incorporating nanoelectrode arrays, are presented. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel.

[Study of the relationship between human quality and reliability].

PubMed

Long, S; Wang, C; Wang, L i; Yuan, J; Liu, H; Jiao, X

1997-02-01

To clarify the relationship between human quality and reliability, 1925 experiments in 20 subjects were carried out to study the relationship between disposition character, digital memory, graphic memory, multi-reaction time and education level and simulated aircraft operation. Meanwhile, effects of task difficulty and enviromental factor on human reliability were also studied. The results showed that human quality can be predicted and evaluated through experimental methods. The better the human quality, the higher the human reliability.

A real-time Global Warming Index.

PubMed

Haustein, K; Allen, M R; Forster, P M; Otto, F E L; Mitchell, D M; Matthews, H D; Frame, D J

2017-11-13

We propose a simple real-time index of global human-induced warming and assess its robustness to uncertainties in climate forcing and short-term climate fluctuations. This index provides improved scientific context for temperature stabilisation targets and has the potential to decrease the volatility of climate policy. We quantify uncertainties arising from temperature observations, climate radiative forcings, internal variability and the model response. Our index and the associated rate of human-induced warming is compatible with a range of other more sophisticated methods to estimate the human contribution to observed global temperature change.

On the Time Course of Synchronization Patterns of Neuronal Discharges in the Human Brain during Cognitive Tasks

PubMed Central

Brázdil, Milan; Janeček, Jiří; Klimeš, Petr; Mareček, Radek; Roman, Robert; Jurák, Pavel; Chládek, Jan; Daniel, Pavel; Rektor, Ivan; Halámek, Josef; Plešinger, Filip; Jirsa, Viktor

2013-01-01

Using intracerebral EEG recordings in a large cohort of human subjects, we investigate the time course of neural cross-talk during a simple cognitive task. Our results show that human brain dynamics undergo a characteristic sequence of synchronization patterns across different frequency bands following a visual oddball stimulus. In particular, an initial global reorganization in the delta and theta bands (2–8 Hz) is followed by gamma (20–95 Hz) and then beta band (12–20 Hz) synchrony. PMID:23696809

Brainstem auditory evoked responses in man. 1: Effect of stimulus rise-fall time and duration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hecox, K.; Squires, N.; Galambos, R.

1975-01-01

Short latency (under 10 msec) evoked responses elicited by bursts of white noise were recorded from the scalp of human subjects. Response alterations produced by changes in the noise burst duration (on-time) inter-burst interval (off-time), and onset and offset shapes are reported and evaluated. The latency of the most prominent response component, wave V, was markedly delayed with increases in stimulus rise-time but was unaffected by changes in fall-time. The amplitude of wave V was insensitive to changes in signal rise-and-fall times, while increasing signal on-time produced smaller amplitude responses only for sufficiently short off-times. It is concluded that wave V of the human auditory brainstem evoked response is solely an onset response.

Comparison of the AdvanSure human papillomavirus screening real-time PCR, the Abbott RealTime High Risk human papillomavirus test, and the Hybrid Capture human papillomavirus DNA test for the detection of human papillomavirus.

PubMed

Hwang, Yusun; Lee, Miae

2012-05-01

We evaluated the performance of various commercial assays for the molecular detection of human papillomavirus (HPV); the recently developed AdvanSure HPV Screening real-time PCR assay (AdvanSure PCR) and the Abbott RealTime High Risk HPV PCR assay (Abbott PCR) were compared with the Hybrid Capture 2 HPV DNA Test (HC2). All 3 tests were performed on 177 samples, and any sample that showed a discrepancy in any of the 3 tests was genotyped using INNO-LiPA HPV genotyping and/or sequencing. On the basis of these results, we obtained a consensus HPV result, and the performance of each test was evaluated. We also evaluated high-risk HPV 16/18 detection by using the 2 real-time PCR assays. Among the 177 samples, 65 were negative and 75 were positive in all 3 assays; however, the results of the 3 assays with 37 samples were discrepant. Compared with the consensus HPV result, the sensitivities and specificities of HC2, AdvanSure PCR, and Abbott PCR were 97.6%, 91.7%, and 86.9% and 83.9%, 98.8%, and 100.0%, respectively. For HPV type 16/18 detection, the concordance rate between the AdvanSure PCR and Abbott PCR assays was 98.3%; however, 3 samples were discrepant (positive in AdvanSure PCR and negative in Abbott PCR) and were confirmed as HPV type 16 by INNO-LiPA genotyping and/or sequencing. For HPV detection, the AdvanSure HPV Screening real-time PCR assay and the Abbott PCR assay are less sensitive but more specific than the HC2 assay, but can simultaneously differentiate type 16/18 HPV from other types.

Human Kinematics of Cochlear Implant Surgery: An Investigation of Insertion Micro-Motions and Speed Limitations.

PubMed

Kesler, Kyle; Dillon, Neal P; Fichera, Loris; Labadie, Robert F

2017-09-01

Objectives Document human motions associated with cochlear implant electrode insertion at different speeds and determine the lower limit of continuous insertion speed by a human. Study Design Observational. Setting Academic medical center. Subjects and Methods Cochlear implant forceps were coupled to a frame containing reflective fiducials, which enabled optical tracking of the forceps' tip position in real time. Otolaryngologists (n = 14) performed mock electrode insertions at different speeds based on recommendations from the literature: "fast" (96 mm/min), "stable" (as slow as possible without stopping), and "slow" (15 mm/min). For each insertion, the following metrics were calculated from the tracked position data: percentage of time at prescribed speed, percentage of time the surgeon stopped moving forward, and number of direction reversals (ie, going from forward to backward motion). Results Fast insertion trials resulted in better adherence to the prescribed speed (45.4% of the overall time), no motion interruptions, and no reversals, as compared with slow insertions (18.6% of time at prescribed speed, 15.7% stopped time, and an average of 18.6 reversals per trial). These differences were statistically significant for all metrics ( P < .01). The metrics for the fast and stable insertions were comparable; however, stable insertions were performed 44% slower on average. The mean stable insertion speed was 52 ± 19.3 mm/min. Conclusion Results indicate that continuous insertion of a cochlear implant electrode at 15 mm/min is not feasible for human operators. The lower limit of continuous forward insertion is 52 mm/min on average. Guidelines on manual insertion kinematics should consider this practical limit of human motion.

An Accuracy--Response Time Capacity Assessment Function that Measures Performance against Standard Parallel Predictions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townsend, James T.; Altieri, Nicholas

2012-01-01

Measures of human efficiency under increases in mental workload or attentional limitations are vital in studying human perception, cognition, and action. Assays of efficiency as workload changes have typically been confined to either reaction times (RTs) or accuracy alone. Within the realm of RTs, a nonparametric measure called the "workload…

Human Capital: Opportunities To Improve Executive Agencies' Hiring Processes. Report to Congressional Requesters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

General Accounting Office, Washington, DC.

Current federal hiring problems result in processes that do not meet the needs of (1) agencies in achieving their missions, (2) managers in filling positions, and (3) applicants for a timely, efficient, transparent, and merit-based process. Federal human resources directors from the 24 major federal departments and agencies found time-to-hire a…

Detection of Human Cytomegalovirus DNA by Real-Time Quantitative PCR

PubMed Central

Nitsche, Andreas; Steuer, Nina; Schmidt, Christian Andreas; Landt, Olfert; Ellerbrok, Heinz; Pauli, Georg; Siegert, Wolfgang

2000-01-01

A real-time PCR assay was developed to quantify human cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA. This assay was used to demonstrate a higher CMV DNA load in plasma of bone marrow transplant patients than in that of blood donors. The CMV load was higher in CMV antigen-positive patients than in antigen-negative patients. PMID:10878073

Beliefs and Perceptions about the Future: A Measurement of Future Time Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Husman, Jenefer; Shell, Duane F.

2008-01-01

Human's ability to consider the future, willingness to make sacrifices in the present to obtain something better in the future has been a significant part of our success as a species (Suddendorf, T., & Corballis, M. C. (1997). "Mental time travel and the evolution of the human mind." "Genetic, social, and general psychology monographs" 123,…

Time-lapse cinematography of the capillary tube cell migration inhibition test.

PubMed

Bray, M A

1980-01-01

The kinetics of human and guinea pig cell migration inhibition have been studied using time-lapse cinematography of cells migrating from capillary tubes. Guinea pig and human cells exhibit markedly different kinetics in the absence of inhibitors. Specific antigen causes a dose-related inhibition of migration for up to 60 h using guinea pig cells and a peak of inhibition after 18 h using the human leucocyte system. The timing of measurement of maximum activity more critical for the latter test. The kinetics of lymphokine generation have been examined and the migration inhibitory activity of the plant mitogen (PHA), a Kurloff cell product and a continuous cell line supernatant have been compared with the inhibitory profiles of lymphokine preparations and specific antigen.

[Estimation of time detection limit for human cytochrome b in females of Lutzomyia evansi].

PubMed

Vergara, José Gabriel; Verbel-Vergara, Daniel; Montesino, Ana Milena; Pérez-Doria, Alveiro; Bejarano, Eduar Elías

2017-03-29

Molecular biology techniques have allowed a better knowledge of sources of blood meals in vector insects. However, the usefulness of these techniques depends on both the quantity of ingested blood and the digestion process in the insect. To identify the time limit for detection of the human cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene in experimentally fed females of Lutzomyia evansi. Eight groups of L. evansi females were fed on human blood and sacrificed at intervals of 24 hours post-ingestion. Total DNA was extracted from each female and a segment of 358 bp of Cyt b was amplified. In order to eliminate false positives, amplification products were subjected to a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The human Cyt b gene segment was detected in 86% (49/57) of the females of L. evansi, from 0 to 168 hours after blood ingestion. In 7% (4/57) of the individuals we amplified insect DNA, while in the remaining 7%, the band of interest was not amplified. We did not find any statistical differences between groups of females sacrificed at different times post-blood meal regarding the amplification of the human Cyt b gene segment or the number of samples amplified. The human Cyt b gene segment was detectable in L. evansi females up to 168 hours after blood ingestion.

Surface analytical studies of maxillofacial implants: influence of the preoperational treatment and the human body on the surface properties of retrieved implants.

PubMed

Kiss, Gábor; Sebők, Béla; Szabó, Péter J; Joób, Arpád F; Szabó, György

2014-05-01

In the present work, surface analytical investigation of unimplanted as well as retrieved pyrolytic carbon-covered carbon/carbon composite implants and Ti osteosynthesis plates is reported. The Ti plates were covered by a 200-nm-thick, anodically and thermally formed TiO2 layer. Our results suggest that although the oxide layer on the Ti miniplates remained stable during the time spent in the human body, there is still material transport between the implant and the human body. In case of the carbon/carbon composite implants, damage of the carbon fibers constituting the material was found on one side of the sterile implant and attributed to the manufacturing process. The NaCl crystals originally present on the surface of the sterile material disappeared during the time spent in the human body. As a result of the interaction with the human body, a new surface layer (mainly constituted of carbon) appeared on the implant. The results indicate that both the time spent in the human organism and the preparation of the implants before operation can have detectable effects on the investigated surface properties. Surface analytical investigations could therefore provide information not only about the biocompatibility of these materials but also about the effect of their treatment before operation.

Reduction of animal suffering in rabies vaccine potency testing by introduction of humane endpoints.

PubMed

Takayama-Ito, Mutsuyo; Lim, Chang-Kweng; Nakamichi, Kazuo; Kakiuchi, Satsuki; Horiya, Madoka; Posadas-Herrera, Guillermo; Kurane, Ichiro; Saijo, Masayuki

2017-03-01

Potency controls of inactivated rabies vaccines for human use are confirmed by the National Institutes of Health challenge test in which lethal infection with severe neurological symptoms should be observed in approximately half of the mice inoculated with the rabies virus. Weight loss, decreased body temperature, and the presence of rabies-associated neurological signs have been proposed as humane endpoints. The potential for reduction of animal suffering by introducing humane endpoints in the potency test for inactivated rabies vaccine for human use was investigated. The clinical signs were scored and body weight was monitored. The average times to death following inoculation were 10.49 and 10.99 days post-inoculation (dpi) by the potency and challenge control tests, respectively, whereas the average times to showing Score-2 signs (paralysis, trembling, and coma) were 6.26 and 6.55 dpi, respectively. Body weight loss of more than 15% appeared at 5.82 and 6.42 dpi. The data provided here support the introduction of obvious neuronal signs combined with a body weight loss of ≥15% as a humane endpoint to reduce the time of animal suffering by approximately 4 days. Copyright © 2017 International Alliance for Biological Standardization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamical aspects of behavior generation under constraints

PubMed Central

Harter, Derek; Achunala, Srinivas

2007-01-01

Dynamic adaptation is a key feature of brains helping to maintain the quality of their performance in the face of increasingly difficult constraints. How to achieve high-quality performance under demanding real-time conditions is an important question in the study of cognitive behaviors. Animals and humans are embedded in and constrained by their environments. Our goal is to improve the understanding of the dynamics of the interacting brain–environment system by studying human behaviors when completing constrained tasks and by modeling the observed behavior. In this article we present results of experiments with humans performing tasks on the computer under variable time and resource constraints. We compare various models of behavior generation in order to describe the observed human performance. Finally we speculate on mechanisms how chaotic neurodynamics can contribute to the generation of flexible human behaviors under constraints. PMID:19003514

Energy monitoring based on human activity in the workplace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustafa, N. H.; Husain, M. N.; Abd Aziz, M. Z. A.; Othman, M. A.; Malek, F.

2014-04-01

Human behavior is the most important factor in order to manage energy usage. Nowadays, smart house technology offers a better quality of life by introducing automated appliance control and assistive services. However, human behaviors will contribute to the efficiency of the system. This paper will focus on monitoring efficiency based on duration time in office hours around 8am until 5pm which depend on human behavior atb the workplace. Then, the correlation coefficient method is used to show the relation between energy consumption and energy saving based on the total hours of time energy spent. In future, the percentages of energy monitoring system usage will be increase to manage energy in efficient ways based on human behaviours. This scenario will lead to the positive impact in order to achieve the energy saving in the building and support the green environment.

Detection of Histoplasma capsulatum from clinical specimens by cycling probe-based real-time PCR and nested real-time PCR.

PubMed

Muraosa, Yasunori; Toyotome, Takahito; Yahiro, Maki; Watanabe, Akira; Shikanai-Yasuda, Maria Aparecida; Kamei, Katsuhiko

2016-05-01

We developed new cycling probe-based real-time PCR and nested real-time PCR assays for the detection of Histoplasma capsulatum that were designed to detect the gene encoding N-acetylated α-linked acidic dipeptidase (NAALADase), which we previously identified as an H. capsulatum antigen reacting with sera from patients with histoplasmosis. Both assays specifically detected the DNAs of all H. capsulatum strains but not those of other fungi or human DNA. The limited of detection (LOD) of the real-time PCR assay was 10 DNA copies when using 10-fold serial dilutions of the standard plasmid DNA and 50 DNA copies when using human serum spiked with standard plasmid DNA. The nested real-time PCR improved the LOD to 5 DNA copies when using human serum spiked with standard plasmid DNA, which represents a 10-fold higher than that observed with the real-time PCR assay. To assess the ability of the two assays to diagnose histoplasmosis, we analyzed a small number of clinical specimens collected from five patients with histoplasmosis, such as sera (n = 4), formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue (n = 4), and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) (n = 1). Although clinical sensitivity of the real-time PCR assay was insufficiently sensitive (33%), the nested real-time PCR assay increased the clinical sensitivity (77%), suggesting it has a potential to be a useful method for detecting H. capsulatum DNA in clinical specimens. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Human Systems Integration in Expeditionary Medical Treatment Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

mental models and situation awareness Human Factors Engineering, Personnel, and Safety / Occupational Health The following issue is associated with...domains are human factors engineering, manpower, personnel, training, safety and occupational health , survivability, habitability, and environment...certain responsibilities to less-qualified personnel. Human error is a particularly sensitive topic across all sectors of health care, but the time

Impaired Performance Criteria and Human Helplessness: Time to Give Up?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jankovic, Irwin N.; And Others

The view that humans fail to solve certain types of problems because they are helpless and passive originated from a series of studies with animals; subsequent research attempted to replicate the findings of the learned helplessness behavior with humans. In an attempt to replicate and extend the Hiroto and Seligman (1975) study of humans exposed…

Human Rights: Unfolding of the American Tradition. Report No. 8403.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Public Affairs (Dept. of State), Washington, DC.

Excerpts from 100 speeches, essays, and legal documents dating from classical times to the present illustrate the record of human rights discussion over the centuries. The compilation was made in 1968 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The readings indicate that human rights initially meant freedom from a…

Past and future patterns of freshwater mussel extinctions in North America during the Holocene

Treesearch

Wendell R. Haag

2009-01-01

Humans have had profound impacts on the ecology of North America both before and since colonization by Europeans. Modern-day human impacts extend to nearly every type of habitat, but evidence for pre-Columbian human impacts is limited almost exclusively to terrestrial ecosystems. In pre-Columbian times, human activities, especially...

Characterization of preferential flow pathways in a siliciclastic aquifer system using human enteric viruses and groundwater geochemistry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Human enteric viruses have been recognized as an emerging groundwater contaminant and are found only in human waste. In urban environments the most likely source of human waste is from sanitary sewers. Determining the travel time for near-surface contaminants to reach deep public supply wells is i...

Restyling the Humanities Curriculum of Higher Education for Posthuman Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siddiqui, Jamila R.

2016-01-01

The future viability of the humanities in higher education has been broadly debated. Yet, most of these debates are missing an important consideration. The humanities' object of study is the human, an object that some would argue has been replaced in our onto-epistemological systems by the posthuman. In her 2013 book, "The Posthuman,"…

Does Human Capital Matter? A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Human Capital and Firm Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crook, T. Russell; Todd, Samuel Y.; Combs, James G.; Woehr, David J.; Ketchen, David J., Jr.

2011-01-01

Theory at both the micro and macro level predicts that investments in superior human capital generate better firm-level performance. However, human capital takes time and money to develop or acquire, which potentially offsets its positive benefits. Indeed, extant tests appear equivocal regarding its impact. To clarify what is known, we…

Enumeration of Objects and Substances in Non-Human Primates: Experiments with Brown Lemurs ("Eulemur Fulvus")

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahajan, Neha; Barnes, Jennifer L.; Blanco, Marissa; Santos, Laurie R.

2009-01-01

Both human infants and adult non-human primates share the capacity to track small numbers of objects across time and occlusion. The question now facing developmental and comparative psychologists is whether similar mechanisms give rise to this capacity across the two populations. Here, we explore whether non-human primates' object tracking…

Modeling human tracking error in several different anti-tank systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleinman, D. L.

1981-01-01

An optimal control model for generating time histories of human tracking errors in antitank systems is outlined. Monte Carlo simulations of human operator responses for three Army antitank systems are compared. System/manipulator dependent data comparisons reflecting human operator limitations in perceiving displayed quantities and executing intended control motions are presented. Motor noise parameters are also discussed.

76 FR 27651 - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development; Notice of Closed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-12

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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-04

... National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Notice of Meeting Pursuant to section 10(a) of the... National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council. The meeting will be open to the public as... and Human Development Council NACHHD Subcommittee on Planning and Policy. Date: January 13, 2012. Time...

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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-23

... National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); Notice of Meeting Pursuant to the NIH... National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will host a meeting to enable public... Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dates and Times: March 7, 2012, at 3 p.m...

Equal Educational Opportunity Workshop for Human Rights Workers at the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Human Rights Workers, Seattle, Washington, October 3-7, 1971. Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

NCRIEEO Newsletter, 1972

1972-01-01

The Equal Educational Opportunity Workshop for Human Rights Workers focused on the theme "Equal Educational Opportunity--What Does It Mean to the Human Rights Worker? A Deep Examination of Professional Commitment." Most school systems and educational institutions have human rights specialists devoting staff time and resources to race and…

An overview of the recent outbreaks of the avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) virus in the human.

PubMed

Tang, Ren-Bin; Chen, Hui-Lan

2013-05-01

Since the first human infection with influenza A (H7N9) viruses have been identified in Shanghai on March 31, 2013, the latest variant of the avian flu virus has spread across four Chinese provinces recently. Human infections with avian influenza are rare and this is the first time that human infection with a low pathogenic avian influenza A virus has been associated with fatal outcome. To date (May 5(th), 2013), China had reported 128 confirmed H7N9 infections in human, among 27 died. Most reported cases have severe respiratory illness resulting in severe pneumonia and in some cases have died. No evidence of sustained human-to -humans at this time, however, there is one family cluster with two confirmed cases for which human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out. Recent evidence showed that the gene sequences of this novel H7N9 virus is primarily zoonotic and may be better adapted than other avian influenza viruses to infect human. Effective global infection control is urgently needed, and further surveillance and analyses should be undertaken to identify the source and mode of transmission of these viruses. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

See You See Me: the Role of Eye Contact in Multimodal Human-Robot Interaction

PubMed Central

XU, TIAN (LINGER); ZHANG, HUI; YU, CHEN

2016-01-01

We focus on a fundamental looking behavior in human-robot interactions – gazing at each other’s face. Eye contact and mutual gaze between two social partners are critical in smooth human-human interactions. Therefore, investigating at what moments and in what ways a robot should look at a human user’s face as a response to the human’s gaze behavior is an important topic. Toward this goal, we developed a gaze-contingent human-robot interaction system, which relied on momentary gaze behaviors from a human user to control an interacting robot in real time. Using this system, we conducted an experiment in which human participants interacted with the robot in a joint attention task. In the experiment, we systematically manipulated the robot’s gaze toward the human partner’s face in real time and then analyzed the human’s gaze behavior as a response to the robot’s gaze behavior. We found that more face looks from the robot led to more look-backs (to the robot’s face) from human participants and consequently created more mutual gaze and eye contact between the two. Moreover, participants demonstrated more coordinated and synchronized multimodal behaviors between speech and gaze when more eye contact was successfully established and maintained. PMID:28966875

Resilience vs soft crisis: dynamic risk assessment in complex hybrid systems. Case history of Ginosa (Taranto, Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parisi, Alessandro; Argentiero, Ilenia; Fidelibus, Maria Dolores; Pellicani, Roberta; Spilotro, Giuseppe

2017-04-01

Considering a natural system without human-induced modifications, its resilience can be altered by many natural drivers (e.g. geological characteristics, climate) and their spatial modifications over time. Therefore, natural hazardous phenomena could shift natural system over tipping points in an easier or more difficult way. So long as natural system does not involve human settlements or transport infrastructures, natural system risk assessment could not be a basic topic. Nowadays, human activities have modified many natural systems forming, as a result, hybrid systems (both human and natural), in which natural and human-induced drivers modify hybrid systems vulnerability in order to decrease or increase their resilience: scientists define this new age Anthropocene. In this context, dynamic risk assessment of hybrid systems is required in order to avoid disaster when hazardous phenomena occur, but it is a quite complex issue. In fact, soft crisis emerging signals are difficult to identify because of wrong risk perception and lack of communication. Furthermore, natural and human-induced modifications are rarely registered and supervised by governments, so it is fairly difficult defining how systems resilience changes over time. Inhabitants of Ginosa (Taranto, South of Italy) had modified many old rock dwellings over thousand years since the Middle Ages. Indeed, they had built up three-storey houses on three hypogeum levels of rock dwellings along the ravine. The Matrice street collapse in Ginosa is an example of how natural and human-induced spatial modifications over time had led a soft crisis to evolve in a disaster, fortunately without fatalities. This research aim is to revisit events before the Matrice street collapse on the 21st January 2014. The will is to define the relationship between the hybrid system resilience and soft crisis variation over time and how human and natural drivers were involved in the shift.

Human impact on the planet: an earth system science perspective and ethical considerations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Richard S.

2002-01-01

The modern Earth Narrative, the scientific story of the 4.5 billion-year natural and human history of the Earth, has emerged from the solid foundation of two factual concepts: Deep (or Geologic) Time and Biological Evolution. spread acceptance of the Earth Narrative is critically important as we begin the third millennium, because it provides a clear understanding of the growing impact of human population growth and associated activities on the Earth System, especially the negative impact on Earth?s biosphere. It is important for humans to realize that we are but one of 4,500 species of mammals that exist on Earth and that we are but one species in the estimated 30 to 100 million species that form the complex biosphere. We also need to recognize that all species exist within the physical limits imposed by the geosphere. We are totally dependent on the biosphere for food, oxygen, and other necessities of life. mans are one of the latest results of biological evolution operating over a long period of Geologic Time. We find ourselves on Earth, after 4.5 billion years of Earth history by chance, not by design. Humans have become so successful at modifying their environment that many of the natural limitations on the expansion of populations of our fellow animals have been overcome by technological and cultural innovations. According to Peter Raven, ?Humans, at a current population of 6 billion [expected to nearly double by 2050], are consuming or wasting about 50 percent of the total net biological productivity on land and 50 percent of the available supply of freshwater. The overwhelming and expanding human presence leaves less and less room in the environment for other biota.? st century will be a pivotal time in the fate of Earth?s biosphere. Whereas human modification of the geosphere will slowly recover over time, human changes to the biosphere are a far more consequential matter? extinction of a species is forever! Will humans effectively use our new knowledge of natural and human history to stop further degradation of Earth?s ecosystems and extinction of its biota? The fate of the biosphere, including humanity, depends on a reaffirmation by all humans of all cultures and religions of the global importance of a planet-wide conservation of the Earth?s biotic heritage. For the world?s religions it means elevation of stewardship of the Earth to a moral imperative and a goal of complete preservation of the Earth?s biotic inheritance, one which is based on a Do No Harm ethic.

I Reach Faster When I See You Look: Gaze Effects in Human-Human and Human-Robot Face-to-Face Cooperation.

PubMed

Boucher, Jean-David; Pattacini, Ugo; Lelong, Amelie; Bailly, Gerrard; Elisei, Frederic; Fagel, Sascha; Dominey, Peter Ford; Ventre-Dominey, Jocelyne

2012-01-01

Human-human interaction in natural environments relies on a variety of perceptual cues. Humanoid robots are becoming increasingly refined in their sensorimotor capabilities, and thus should now be able to manipulate and exploit these social cues in cooperation with their human partners. Previous studies have demonstrated that people follow human and robot gaze, and that it can help them to cope with spatially ambiguous language. Our goal is to extend these findings into the domain of action, to determine how human and robot gaze can influence the speed and accuracy of human action. We report on results from a human-human cooperation experiment demonstrating that an agent's vision of her/his partner's gaze can significantly improve that agent's performance in a cooperative task. We then implement a heuristic capability to generate such gaze cues by a humanoid robot that engages in the same cooperative interaction. The subsequent human-robot experiments demonstrate that a human agent can indeed exploit the predictive gaze of their robot partner in a cooperative task. This allows us to render the humanoid robot more human-like in its ability to communicate with humans. The long term objectives of the work are thus to identify social cooperation cues, and to validate their pertinence through implementation in a cooperative robot. The current research provides the robot with the capability to produce appropriate speech and gaze cues in the context of human-robot cooperation tasks. Gaze is manipulated in three conditions: Full gaze (coordinated eye and head), eyes hidden with sunglasses, and head fixed. We demonstrate the pertinence of these cues in terms of statistical measures of action times for humans in the context of a cooperative task, as gaze significantly facilitates cooperation as measured by human response times.

Spread spectrum time-resolved diffuse optical measurement system for enhanced sensitivity in detecting human brain activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehta, Kalpesh; Hasnain, Ali; Zhou, Xiaowei; Luo, Jianwen; Penney, Trevor B.; Chen, Nanguang

2017-04-01

Diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) and imaging methods have been widely applied to noninvasive detection of brain activity. We have designed and implemented a low cost, portable, real-time one-channel time-resolved DOS system for neuroscience studies. Phantom experiments were carried out to test the performance of the system. We further conducted preliminary human experiments and demonstrated that enhanced sensitivity in detecting neural activity in the cortex could be achieved by the use of late arriving photons.

Developmental regulation of DNA replication timing at the human beta globin locus.

PubMed

Simon, I; Tenzen, T; Mostoslavsky, R; Fibach, E; Lande, L; Milot, E; Gribnau, J; Grosveld, F; Fraser, P; Cedar, H

2001-11-01

The human beta globin locus replicates late in most cell types, but becomes early replicating in erythroid cells. Using FISH to map DNA replication timing around the endogenous beta globin locus and by applying a genetic approach in transgenic mice, we have demonstrated that both the late and early replication states are controlled by regulatory elements within the locus control region. These results also show that the pattern of replication timing is set up by mechanisms that work independently of gene transcription.

The Pace of Cultural Evolution

PubMed Central

Perreault, Charles

2012-01-01

Today, humans inhabit most of the world’s terrestrial habitats. This observation has been explained by the fact that we possess a secondary inheritance mechanism, culture, in addition to a genetic system. Because it is assumed that cultural evolution occurs faster than biological evolution, humans can adapt to new ecosystems more rapidly than other animals. This assumption, however, has never been tested empirically. Here, I compare rates of change in human technologies to rates of change in animal morphologies. I find that rates of cultural evolution are inversely correlated with the time interval over which they are measured, which is similar to what is known for biological rates. This correlation explains why the pace of cultural evolution appears faster when measured over recent time periods, where time intervals are often shorter. Controlling for the correlation between rates and time intervals, I show that (1) cultural evolution is faster than biological evolution; (2) this effect holds true even when the generation time of species is controlled for; and (3) culture allows us to evolve over short time scales, which are normally accessible only to short-lived species, while at the same time allowing for us to enjoy the benefits of having a long life history. PMID:23024804

Human Rights Event Detection from Heterogeneous Social Media Graphs.

PubMed

Chen, Feng; Neill, Daniel B

2015-03-01

Human rights organizations are increasingly monitoring social media for identification, verification, and documentation of human rights violations. Since manual extraction of events from the massive amount of online social network data is difficult and time-consuming, we propose an approach for automated, large-scale discovery and analysis of human rights-related events. We apply our recently developed Non-Parametric Heterogeneous Graph Scan (NPHGS), which models social media data such as Twitter as a heterogeneous network (with multiple different node types, features, and relationships) and detects emerging patterns in the network, to identify and characterize human rights events. NPHGS efficiently maximizes a nonparametric scan statistic (an aggregate measure of anomalousness) over connected subgraphs of the heterogeneous network to identify the most anomalous network clusters. It summarizes each event with information such as type of event, geographical locations, time, and participants, and provides documentation such as links to videos and news reports. Building on our previous work that demonstrates the utility of NPHGS for civil unrest prediction and rare disease outbreak detection, we present an analysis of human rights events detected by NPHGS using two years of Twitter data from Mexico. NPHGS was able to accurately detect relevant clusters of human rights-related tweets prior to international news sources, and in some cases, prior to local news reports. Analysis of social media using NPHGS could enhance the information-gathering missions of human rights organizations by pinpointing specific abuses, revealing events and details that may be blocked from traditional media sources, and providing evidence of emerging patterns of human rights violations. This could lead to more timely, targeted, and effective advocacy, as well as other potential interventions.

Comparative lytic efficacy of rt-PA and ultrasound in porcine versus human clots

PubMed Central

Shekhar, Himanshu; Holland, Christy K.

2017-01-01

Introduction Porcine thrombi are employed routinely in preclinical models of ischemic stroke. In this study, we examined the differential lytic susceptibility of porcine and human whole blood clots with and without the use of microbubbles and ultrasound (US) as an adjuvant. Materials and methods An in vitro system equipped with time-lapse microscopy was used to evaluate recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (rt-PA) lysis of porcine and human clots in the same species or cross species plasma. Human and porcine whole blood clots were treated with rt-PA and an echo contrast agent, Definity®, and exposed to intermittent 120 kHz US. Results and conclusions The rt-PA lytic efficacy observed for porcine clots in porcine plasma was 22 times lower than for human clots in human plasma reported previously. Further, porcine clots did not exhibit increased lysis with adjuvant Definity® and US exposure. However, the rt-PA lytic susceptibility of the porcine clots in human plasma was similar to that of human clots in human plasma. Human clots perfused with porcine plasma did not respond to rt-PA, but adjuvant use of Definity® and US enhanced lysis. These results reveal considerable differences in lytic susceptibility of porcine clots and human clots to rt-PA. The use of porcine clot models to test new human thrombolytic therapies may necessitate modulation of coagulation and thrombolytic factors to reflect human hemostasis accurately. PMID:28545055

Brain development in rodents and humans: Identifying benchmarks of maturation and vulnerability to injury across species

PubMed Central

Semple, Bridgette D.; Blomgren, Klas; Gimlin, Kayleen; Ferriero, Donna M.; Noble-Haeusslein, Linda J.

2013-01-01

Hypoxic-ischemic and traumatic brain injuries are leading causes of long-term mortality and disability in infants and children. Although several preclinical models using rodents of different ages have been developed, species differences in the timing of key brain maturation events can render comparisons of vulnerability and regenerative capacities difficult to interpret. Traditional models of developmental brain injury have utilized rodents at postnatal day 7–10 as being roughly equivalent to a term human infant, based historically on the measurement of post-mortem brain weights during the 1970s. Here we will examine fundamental brain development processes that occur in both rodents and humans, to delineate a comparable time course of postnatal brain development across species. We consider the timing of neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, gliogenesis, oligodendrocyte maturation and age-dependent behaviors that coincide with developmentally regulated molecular and biochemical changes. In general, while the time scale is considerably different, the sequence of key events in brain maturation is largely consistent between humans and rodents. Further, there are distinct parallels in regional vulnerability as well as functional consequences in response to brain injuries. With a focus on developmental hypoxicischemic encephalopathy and traumatic brain injury, this review offers guidelines for researchers when considering the most appropriate rodent age for the developmental stage or process of interest to approximate human brain development. PMID:23583307

The scaling law of human travel - A message from George

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brockmann, Dirk; Hufnagel, Lars

The dispersal of individuals of a species is the key driving force of various spatiotemporal phenomena which occur on geographical scales. It can synchronize populations of interacting species, stabilize them, and diversify gene pools.1-3 The geographic spread of human infectious diseases such as influenza, measles and the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is essentially promoted by human travel which occurs on many length scales and is sustained by a variety of means of trans-portation4-8. In the light of increasing international trade, intensified human traffic, and an imminent influenza A pandemic the knowledge of dynamical and statistical properties of human dispersal is of fundamental importance and acute. 7,9,10 A quantitative statistical theory for human travel and concomitant reliable forecasts would substantially improve and extend existing prevention strategies. Despite its crucial role, a quantitative assessment of human dispersal remains elusive and the opinion that humans disperse diffusively still prevails in many models. 11 In this chapter we will report on a recently developed technique which permits a solid and quantitative assessment of human dispersal on geographical scales.12 The key idea is to infer the statistical properties of human travel by analysing the geographic circulation of individual bank notes for which comprehensive datasets are collected at online bill-tracking websites. The analysis shows that the distribution of traveling distances decays as a power law, indicating that the movement of bank notes is reminiscent of superdiffusive, scale free random walks known as Lévy flights.13 Secondly, the probability of remaining in a small, spatially confined region for a time T is dominated by heavy tails which attenuate superdiffusive dispersal. We will show that the dispersal of bank notes can be described on many spatiotemporal scales by a two parameter continuous time random walk (CTRW) model to a surprising accuracy. We will provide a brief introduction to continuous time random walk theory14 and will show that human disperal is an ambivalent, effectively superdiffusive process.

Circadian analysis of large human populations: inferences from the power grid.

PubMed

Stowie, Adam C; Amicarelli, Mario J; Crosier, Caitlin J; Mymko, Ryan; Glass, J David

2015-03-01

Few, if any studies have focused on the daily rhythmic nature of modern industrialized populations. The present study utilized real-time load data from the U.S. Pacific Northwest electrical power grid as a reflection of human operative household activity. This approach involved actigraphic analyses of continuously streaming internet data (provided in 5 min bins) from a human subject pool of approximately 43 million primarily residential users. Rhythm analyses reveal striking seasonal and intra-week differences in human activity patterns, largely devoid of manufacturing and automated load interference. Length of the diurnal activity period (alpha) is longer during the spring than the summer (16.64 h versus 15.98 h, respectively; p < 0.01). As expected, significantly more activity occurs in the solar dark phase during the winter than during the summer (6.29 h versus 2.03 h, respectively; p < 0.01). Interestingly, throughout the year a "weekend effect" is evident, where morning activity onset occurs approximately 1 h later than during the work week (5:54 am versus 6:52 am, respectively; p < 0.01). This indicates a general phase-delaying response to the absence of job-related or other weekday morning arousal cues, substantiating a preference or need to sleep longer on weekends. Finally, a shift in onset time can be seen during the transition to Day Light Saving Time, but not the transition back to Standard Time. The use of grid power load as a means for human actimetry assessment thus offers new insights into the collective diurnal activity patterns of large human populations.

Timescales of Massive Human Entrainment

PubMed Central

Fusaroli, Riccardo; Perlman, Marcus; Mislove, Alan; Paxton, Alexandra; Matlock, Teenie; Dale, Rick

2015-01-01

The past two decades have seen an upsurge of interest in the collective behaviors of complex systems composed of many agents entrained to each other and to external events. In this paper, we extend the concept of entrainment to the dynamics of human collective attention. We conducted a detailed investigation of the unfolding of human entrainment—as expressed by the content and patterns of hundreds of thousands of messages on Twitter—during the 2012 US presidential debates. By time-locking these data sources, we quantify the impact of the unfolding debate on human attention at three time scales. We show that collective social behavior covaries second-by-second to the interactional dynamics of the debates: A candidate speaking induces rapid increases in mentions of his name on social media and decreases in mentions of the other candidate. Moreover, interruptions by an interlocutor increase the attention received. We also highlight a distinct time scale for the impact of salient content during the debates: Across well-known remarks in each debate, mentions in social media start within 5–10 seconds after it occurs; peak at approximately one minute; and slowly decay in a consistent fashion across well-known events during the debates. Finally, we show that public attention after an initial burst slowly decays through the course of the debates. Thus we demonstrate that large-scale human entrainment may hold across a number of distinct scales, in an exquisitely time-locked fashion. The methods and results pave the way for careful study of the dynamics and mechanisms of large-scale human entrainment. PMID:25880357

Human-computer interaction in multitask situations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rouse, W. B.

1977-01-01

Human-computer interaction in multitask decisionmaking situations is considered, and it is proposed that humans and computers have overlapping responsibilities. Queueing theory is employed to model this dynamic approach to the allocation of responsibility between human and computer. Results of simulation experiments are used to illustrate the effects of several system variables including number of tasks, mean time between arrivals of action-evoking events, human-computer speed mismatch, probability of computer error, probability of human error, and the level of feedback between human and computer. Current experimental efforts are discussed and the practical issues involved in designing human-computer systems for multitask situations are considered.

Incomplete lineage sorting patterns among human, chimpanzee, and orangutan suggest recent orangutan speciation and widespread selection

PubMed Central

Hobolth, Asger; Dutheil, Julien Y.; Hawks, John; Schierup, Mikkel H.; Mailund, Thomas

2011-01-01

We search the complete orangutan genome for regions where humans are more closely related to orangutans than to chimpanzees due to incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) in the ancestor of human and chimpanzees. The search uses our recently developed coalescent hidden Markov model (HMM) framework. We find ILS present in ∼1% of the genome, and that the ancestral species of human and chimpanzees never experienced a severe population bottleneck. The existence of ILS is validated with simulations, site pattern analysis, and analysis of rare genomic events. The existence of ILS allows us to disentangle the time of isolation of humans and orangutans (the speciation time) from the genetic divergence time, and we find speciation to be as recent as 9–13 million years ago (Mya; contingent on the calibration point). The analyses provide further support for a recent speciation of human and chimpanzee at ∼4 Mya and a diverse ancestor of human and chimpanzee with an effective population size of about 50,000 individuals. Posterior decoding infers ILS for each nucleotide in the genome, and we use this to deduce patterns of selection in the ancestral species. We demonstrate the effect of background selection in the common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees. In agreement with predictions from population genetics, ILS was found to be reduced in exons and gene-dense regions when we control for confounding factors such as GC content and recombination rate. Finally, we find the broad-scale recombination rate to be conserved through the complete ape phylogeny. PMID:21270173

Temporal patterns of human and canine Giardia infection in the United States: 2003-2009.

PubMed

Mohamed, Ahmed S; Levine, Michael; Camp, Joseph W; Lund, Elisabeth; Yoder, Jonathan S; Glickman, Larry T; Moore, George E

2014-02-01

Giardia protozoa have been suspected to be of zoonotic transmission, including transmission from companion animals such as pet dogs to humans. Patterns of infection have been previously described for dogs and humans, but such investigations have used different time periods and locations for these two species. Our objective was to describe and compare the overall trend and seasonality of Giardia species infection among dogs and humans in the United States from 2003 through 2009 in an ecological study using public health surveillance data and medical records of pet dogs visiting a large nationwide private veterinary hospital. Canine data were obtained from all dogs visiting Banfield hospitals in the United States with fecal test results for Giardia species, from January 2003 through December 2009. Incidence data of human cases from the same time period were obtained from the CDC. Descriptive time plots, a seasonal trend decomposition (STL) procedure, and seasonal autoregressive moving-average (SARIMA) models were used to assess the temporal characteristics of Giardia infection in the two species. Canine incidence showed a gradual decline from 2003 to 2009 with no significant/distinct regular seasonal component. By contrast, human incidence showed a stable annual rate with a significant regular seasonal cycle, peaking in August and September. Different temporal patterns in human and canine Giardia cases observed in this study suggest that the epidemiological disease processes underlying both series might be different, and Giardia transmission between humans and their companion dogs seems uncommon. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step - human agency, hydrological processes and time in socio-hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ertsen, M. W.; Murphy, J. T.; Purdue, L. E.; Zhu, T.

2014-04-01

When simulating social action in modeling efforts, as in socio-hydrology, an issue of obvious importance is how to ensure that social action by human agents is well-represented in the analysis and the model. Generally, human decision-making is either modeled on a yearly basis or lumped together as collective social structures. Both responses are problematic, as human decision-making is more complex and organizations are the result of human agency and cannot be used as explanatory forces. A way out of the dilemma of how to include human agency is to go to the largest societal and environmental clustering possible: society itself and climate, with time steps of years or decades. In the paper, another way out is developed: to face human agency squarely, and direct the modeling approach to the agency of individuals and couple this with the lowest appropriate hydrological level and time step. This approach is supported theoretically by the work of Bruno Latour, the French sociologist and philosopher. We discuss irrigation archaeology, as it is in this discipline that the issues of scale and explanatory force are well discussed. The issue is not just what scale to use: it is what scale matters. We argue that understanding the arrangements that permitted the management of irrigation over centuries requires modeling and understanding the small-scale, day-to-day operations and personal interactions upon which they were built. This effort, however, must be informed by the longer-term dynamics, as these provide the context within which human agency is acted out.

The impact of serum incubation time on IgM/IgG binding to porcine aortic endothelial cells.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhongqiang; Gao, Bingsi; Zhao, Chengjiang; Long, Cassandra; Qi, Haizhi; Ezzelarab, Mohamed; Cooper, David Kc; Hara, Hidetaka

2017-07-01

The results of the assay for measuring anti-non-Gal antibodies (which affect pig xenograft survival) in recipients are important. Serum incubation time and concentration may be important factors in the extent of antibody binding to the graft. The aim of this in vitro study was to determine the optimal incubation time and serum concentration for measuring anti-non-Gal antibody binding to porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs). Pooled human, naive, and sensitized baboon sera were incubated with wild-type, α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout (GTKO), and GTKO/human CD55 pAECs. IgM/IgG binding to pAECs after varying serum incubation times (0.5, 1, 2, and 3 hour) and concentrations (5, 10, 20, and 40 μL) was determined by flow cytometry. An increase in incubation time from 30 minutes to 2 hour was associated with increases in anti-non-Gal IgM/IgG binding to GTKO and GTKO/hCD55 pAECs of pooled human, naive and sensitized baboon sera (P<.05). Pooled human serum showed a significant increase in anti-non-Gal IgM (1.5 times) and a minimal increase in anti-non-Gal IgG antibody binding. IgM/IgG binding of sensitized baboon serum to GTKO pAECs after 2-hour incubation was 1.5 times and 2 times greater than after 30-minutes incubation, respectively, whereas naïve baboon sera showed minimal (non-significant) increase in anti-non-Gal IgM/IgG antibody binding. With 2-hour incubation, increasing the serum concentration from 5 μL to 20 μL significantly increased antibody binding to non-Gal antigens in pooled human and sensitized baboon serum. With naïve baboon serum, only IgG was significantly increased. Increasing the serum incubation time contributed to improve the sensitivity of detecting anti-non-Gal antibodies, without affecting cell viability in vitro. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Generation and characteristics of human Sertoli cell line immortalized by overexpression of human telomerase

PubMed Central

Wen, Liping; Yuan, Qingqing; Sun, Min; Niu, Minghui; Wang, Hong; Fu, Hongyong; Zhou, Fan; Yao, Chencheng; Wang, Xiaobo; Li, Zheng; He, Zuping

2017-01-01

Sertoli cells are required for normal spermatogenesis and they can be reprogrammed to other types of functional cells. However, the number of primary Sertoli cells is rare and human Sertoli cell line is unavailable. In this study, we have for the first time reported a stable human Sertoli cell line, namely hS1 cells, by overexpression of human telomerase. The hS1 cells expressed a number of hallmarks for human Sertoli cells, including SOX9, WT1, GDNF, SCF, BMP4, BMP6, GATA4, and VIM, and they were negative for 3β-HSD, SMA, and VASA. Higher levels of AR and FSHR were observed in hS1 cells compared to primary human Sertoli cells. Microarray analysis showed that 70.4% of global gene profiles of hS1 cells were similar to primary human Sertoli cells. Proliferation assay demonstrated that hS1 cells proliferated rapidly and they could be passaged for more than 30 times in 6 months. Neither Y chromosome microdeletion nor tumorgenesis was detected in this cell line and 90% normal karyotypes existed in hS1 cells. Collectively, we have established the first human Sertoli cell line with phenotype of primary human Sertoli cells, an unlimited proliferation potential and high safety, which could offer sufficient human Sertoli cells for basic research as well as reproductive and regenerative medicine. PMID:28152522

Combined effect of whole-body vibration and ambient lighting on human discomfort, heart rate, and reaction time.

PubMed

Monazzam, Mohammad Reza; Shoja, Esmaeil; Zakerian, Seyed Abolfazl; Foroushani, Abbas Rahimi; Shoja, Mohsen; Gharaee, Masoumeh; Asgari, Amin

2018-07-01

This study aimed to investigate the effect of whole-body vibration and ambient lighting, as well as their combined effect on human discomfort, heart rate, and reaction time in laboratory conditions. 44 men were recruited with an average age of 25.4 ± 1.9 years. Each participant was subjected to 12 experimental steps, each step lasting five minutes for four different vibration accelerations in X, Y, and Z axes at a fixed frequency; three different lighting intensities of 50, 500, and 1000 lx were also considered. At each step, a visual computerized reaction test was taken from subjects and their heart rate recorded by pulse oximeter. In addition, the discomfort rate of subjects was measured using Borg scale. Increasing vibration acceleration significantly increased the discomfort rate and heart beat but not the reaction time. Lack of lighting caused more discomfort in the subjects, but there was no significant correlation between lighting intensity with heart rate and reaction time. The results also showed that the combined effect of vibration and lighting had no significant effect on any of the discomfort, heart rate, and reaction time variables. Whole-body vibration is an important factor in the development of human subjective and physiological reactions compared to lighting. Therefore, consideration of the level of vibration to which an individual is exposed in workplaces subject to vibration plays an important role in reducing the level of human discomfort, but its interaction with ambient lighting does not have a significant effect on human subjective and physiological responses.

Development of Dynamic Spatial Video Camera (DSVC) for 4D observation, analysis and modeling of human body locomotion.

PubMed

Suzuki, Naoki; Hattori, Asaki; Hayashibe, Mitsuhiro; Suzuki, Shigeyuki; Otake, Yoshito

2003-01-01

We have developed an imaging system for free and quantitative observation of human locomotion in a time-spatial domain by way of real time imaging. The system is equipped with 60 computer controlled video cameras to film human locomotion from all angles simultaneously. Images are installed into the main graphic workstation and translated into a 2D image matrix. Observation of the subject from optional directions is able to be performed by selecting the view point from the optimum image sequence in this image matrix. This system also possesses a function to reconstruct 4D models of the subject's moving human body by using 60 images taken from all directions at one particular time. And this system also has the capability to visualize inner structures such as the skeletal or muscular systems of the subject by compositing computer graphics reconstructed from the MRI data set. We are planning to apply this imaging system to clinical observation in the area of orthopedics, rehabilitation and sports science.

The Effects of Soil Texture on the Ability of Human Remains Detection Dogs to Detect Buried Human Remains.

PubMed

Alexander, Michael B; Hodges, Theresa K; Wescott, Daniel J; Aitkenhead-Peterson, Jacqueline A

2016-05-01

Despite technological advances, human remains detection (HRD) dogs still remain one of the best tools for locating clandestine graves. However, soil texture may affect the escape of decomposition gases and therefore the effectiveness of HDR dogs. Six nationally credentialed HRD dogs (three HRD only and three cross-trained) were evaluated on novel buried human remains in contrasting soils, a clayey and a sandy soil. Search time and accuracy were compared for the clayey soil and sandy soil to assess odor location difficulty. Sandy soil (p < 0.001) yielded significantly faster trained response times, but no significant differences were found in performance accuracy between soil textures or training method. Results indicate soil texture may be significant factor in odor detection difficulty. Prior knowledge of soil texture and moisture may be useful for search management and planning. Appropriate adjustments to search segment sizes, sweep widths and search time allotment depending on soil texture may optimize successful detection. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Role of activity in human dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, T.; Kiet, H. A. T.; Kim, B. J.; Wang, B.-H.; Holme, P.

2008-04-01

The human society is a very complex system; still, there are several non-trivial, general features. One type of them is the presence of power-law-distributed quantities in temporal statistics. In this letter, we focus on the origin of power laws in rating of movies. We present a systematic empirical exploration of the time between two consecutive ratings of movies (the interevent time). At an aggregate level, we find a monotonous relation between the activity of individuals and the power law exponent of the interevent time distribution. At an individual level, we observe a heavy-tailed distribution for each user, as well as a negative correlation between the activity and the width of the distribution. We support these findings by a similar data set from mobile phone text-message communication. Our results demonstrate a significant role of the activity of individuals on the society-level patterns of human behavior. We believe this is a common character in the interest-driven human dynamics, corresponding to (but different from) the universality classes of task-driven dynamics.

Laetoli footprints reveal bipedal gait biomechanics different from those of modern humans and chimpanzees

PubMed Central

Demes, Brigitte; Richmond, Brian G.

2016-01-01

Bipedalism is a key adaptation that shaped human evolution, yet the timing and nature of its evolution remain unclear. Here we use new experimentally based approaches to investigate the locomotor mechanics preserved by the famous Pliocene hominin footprints from Laetoli, Tanzania. We conducted footprint formation experiments with habitually barefoot humans and with chimpanzees to quantitatively compare their footprints to those preserved at Laetoli. Our results show that the Laetoli footprints are morphologically distinct from those of both chimpanzees and habitually barefoot modern humans. By analysing biomechanical data that were collected during the human experiments we, for the first time, directly link differences between the Laetoli and modern human footprints to specific biomechanical variables. We find that the Laetoli hominin probably used a more flexed limb posture at foot strike than modern humans when walking bipedally. The Laetoli footprints provide a clear snapshot of an early hominin bipedal gait that probably involved a limb posture that was slightly but significantly different from our own, and these data support the hypothesis that important evolutionary changes to hominin bipedalism occurred within the past 3.66 Myr. PMID:27488647

Neandertals made the first specialized bone tools in Europe

PubMed Central

Soressi, Marie; McPherron, Shannon P.; Lenoir, Michel; Dogandžić, Tamara; Goldberg, Paul; Jacobs, Zenobia; Maigrot, Yolaine; Martisius, Naomi L.; Miller, Christopher E.; Rendu, William; Richards, Michael; Skinner, Matthew M.; Steele, Teresa E.; Talamo, Sahra; Texier, Jean-Pierre

2013-01-01

Modern humans replaced Neandertals ∼40,000 y ago. Close to the time of replacement, Neandertals show behaviors similar to those of the modern humans arriving into Europe, including the use of specialized bone tools, body ornaments, and small blades. It is highly debated whether these modern behaviors developed before or as a result of contact with modern humans. Here we report the identification of a type of specialized bone tool, lissoir, previously only associated with modern humans. The microwear preserved on one of these lissoir is consistent with the use of lissoir in modern times to obtain supple, lustrous, and more impermeable hides. These tools are from a Neandertal context proceeding the replacement period and are the oldest specialized bone tools in Europe. As such, they are either a demonstration of independent invention by Neandertals or an indication that modern humans started influencing European Neandertals much earlier than previously believed. Because these finds clearly predate the oldest known age for the use of similar objects in Europe by anatomically modern humans, they could also be evidence for cultural diffusion from Neandertals to modern humans. PMID:23940333

A human factors methodology for real-time support applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, E. D.; Vanbalen, P. M.; Mitchell, C. M.

1983-01-01

A general approach to the human factors (HF) analysis of new or existing projects at NASA/Goddard is delineated. Because the methodology evolved from HF evaluations of the Mission Planning Terminal (MPT) and the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite Mission Operations Room (ERBS MOR), it is directed specifically to the HF analysis of real-time support applications. Major topics included for discussion are the process of establishing a working relationship between the Human Factors Group (HFG) and the project, orientation of HF analysts to the project, human factors analysis and review, and coordination with major cycles of system development. Sub-topics include specific areas for analysis and appropriate HF tools. Management support functions are outlined. References provide a guide to sources of further information.

Evaluation of Flow Biosensor Technology in a Chronically-Instrumented Non-Human Primate Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koenig, S. C.; Reister, C.; Schaub, J.; Muniz, G.; Ferguson, T.; Fanton, J. W.

1995-01-01

The Physiology Research Branch of Brooks AFB conducts both human and non-human primate experiments to determine the effects of microgravity and hypergravity on the cardiovascular system and to indentify the particular mechanisms that invoke these responses. Primary investigative research efforts in a non-human primate model require the calculation of total peripheral resistance (TPR), systemic arterial compliance (SAC), and pressure-volume loop characteristics. These calculations require beat-to-beat measurement of aortic flow. We have evaluated commercially available electromagnetic (EMF) and transit-time flow measurement techniques. In vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that the average error of these techniques is less than 25 percent for EMF and less than 10 percent for transit-time.

Insights into human evolution from ancient and contemporary microbiome studies

PubMed Central

Schnorr, Stephanie L; Sankaranarayanan, Krithivasan; Lewis, Cecil M; Warinner, Christina

2017-01-01

Over the past decade, human microbiome research has energized the study of human evolution through a complete shift in our understanding of what it means to be human. The microbiome plays a pivotal role in human biology, performing key functions in digestion, mood and behavior, development and immunity, and a range of acute and chronic diseases. It is therefore critical to understand its evolution and changing ecology through time. Here we review recent findings on the microbiota of diverse human populations, non-human primates, and past human populations and discuss the implications of this research in formulating a deeper evolutionary understanding of the human holobiont. PMID:27507098

Developing a Renewable Energy Awareness Scale for Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgil, Inci; Secken, Nilgun; Yucel, A. Seda; Ozyalcin Oskay, Ozge; Yavuz, Soner; Ural, Evrim

2006-01-01

In times when human beings used to live in a natural environment, their needs were also provided for by natural resources. With the increase in population over time, human beings started to look for new resources willing to get "the most" and "the fastest". Just like the invention of steam, first, they increased the density of the resources and…

A Sphere of Resonance for Networked Learning in the "Non-Places" of Our Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Sarah

2015-01-01

The logic of "time" in modern capitalist society appears to be a fixed concept. Time dictates human activity with a regularity, which as long ago as 1944, George Woodcock referred to as "The Tyranny of the Clock". Seventy years on, Hartmut Rosa suggests humans no longer maintain speed to achieve something new, but simply to…

Life Expectancy and Human Capital Investments: Evidence from Maternal Mortality Declines. NBER Working Paper No. 13947

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayachandran, Seema; Lleras-Muney, Adriana

2008-01-01

Longer life expectancy should encourage human capital accumulation, since a longer time horizon increases the value of investments that pay out over time. Previous work has been unable to determine the empirical importance of this life-expectancy effect due to the difficulty of isolating it from other effects of health on education. We examine a…

75 FR 19980 - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development; Notice of Closed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-16

... Institute of Child Health and Human Development Special Emphasis Panel; Gene Therapy for Urea Cycle Disorders. Date: April 30, 2010. Time: 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Agenda: To review and evaluate grant applications... prior to the meeting due to the timing limitations imposed by the review and funding cycle. (Catalogue...

45 CFR 1310.14 - Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery. 1310.14 Section 1310.14 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) OFFICE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES, HEAD START PROGRAM HEAD...

45 CFR 1310.14 - Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Inspection of new vehicles at the time of delivery. 1310.14 Section 1310.14 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) OFFICE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES, HEAD START PROGRAM HEAD...

Hierarchical Aligned Cluster Analysis for Temporal Clustering of Human Motion.

PubMed

Zhou, Feng; De la Torre, Fernando; Hodgins, Jessica K

2013-03-01

Temporal segmentation of human motion into plausible motion primitives is central to understanding and building computational models of human motion. Several issues contribute to the challenge of discovering motion primitives: the exponential nature of all possible movement combinations, the variability in the temporal scale of human actions, and the complexity of representing articulated motion. We pose the problem of learning motion primitives as one of temporal clustering, and derive an unsupervised hierarchical bottom-up framework called hierarchical aligned cluster analysis (HACA). HACA finds a partition of a given multidimensional time series into m disjoint segments such that each segment belongs to one of k clusters. HACA combines kernel k-means with the generalized dynamic time alignment kernel to cluster time series data. Moreover, it provides a natural framework to find a low-dimensional embedding for time series. HACA is efficiently optimized with a coordinate descent strategy and dynamic programming. Experimental results on motion capture and video data demonstrate the effectiveness of HACA for segmenting complex motions and as a visualization tool. We also compare the performance of HACA to state-of-the-art algorithms for temporal clustering on data of a honey bee dance. The HACA code is available online.

Real-time deformation of human soft tissues: A radial basis meshless 3D model based on Marquardt's algorithm.

PubMed

Zhou, Jianyong; Luo, Zu; Li, Chunquan; Deng, Mi

2018-01-01

When the meshless method is used to establish the mathematical-mechanical model of human soft tissues, it is necessary to define the space occupied by human tissues as the problem domain and the boundary of the domain as the surface of those tissues. Nodes should be distributed in both the problem domain and on the boundaries. Under external force, the displacement of the node is computed by the meshless method to represent the deformation of biological soft tissues. However, computation by the meshless method consumes too much time, which will affect the simulation of real-time deformation of human tissues in virtual surgery. In this article, the Marquardt's Algorithm is proposed to fit the nodal displacement at the problem domain's boundary and obtain the relationship between surface deformation and force. When different external forces are applied, the deformation of soft tissues can be quickly obtained based on this relationship. The analysis and discussion show that the improved model equations with Marquardt's Algorithm not only can simulate the deformation in real-time but also preserve the authenticity of the deformation model's physical properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dilemmas and Hopes for Human Rights Education: Curriculum and Learning in International Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tibbitts, Felisa; Katz, Susan Roberta

2017-01-01

Human rights education (HRE), like the wider international human rights project, is a bold attempt to influence laws and state policies, while at the same time inspiring people to connect human rights to their everyday lives. In terms of incorporating HRE within the formal education sector, HRE is dependent upon the good will of state actors. To…

Education in Responsibility in Order to Secure Human Rights in Times of Crisis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrigan, Michaël

2014-01-01

Education in and awareness about human rights is generally seen as one of the less contentious elements of citizenship education. However, it would seem that, for the concept of human rights to have a real impact in today's world, theoretical knowledge of human rights standards should be complemented by an understanding of the ethical concept of…

77 FR 61419 - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development; Notice of Closed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-09

... National Institute of Child Health & Human Development; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d... Institute of Child Health and Human Development Special Emphasis Panel. Date: October 30, 2012. Time: 3:00 p... Institute Of Child Health And Human Development, NIH, 6100 Executive Blvd., Room 5B01, Bethesda, MD 20892...

Timing of Influenza A(H5N1) in Poultry and Humans and Seasonal Influenza Activity Worldwide, 2004–2013

PubMed Central

Durand, Lizette O.; Glew, Patrick; Gross, Diane; Kasper, Matthew; Trock, Susan; Kim, Inkyu K.; Bresee, Joseph S.; Donis, Ruben; Uyeki, Timothy M.; Widdowson, Marc-Alain

2015-01-01

Co-circulation of influenza A(H5N1) and seasonal influenza viruses among humans and animals could lead to co-infections, reassortment, and emergence of novel viruses with pandemic potential. We assessed the timing of subtype H5N1 outbreaks among poultry, human H5N1 cases, and human seasonal influenza in 8 countries that reported 97% of all human H5N1 cases and 90% of all poultry H5N1 outbreaks. In these countries, most outbreaks among poultry (7,001/11,331, 62%) and half of human cases (313/625, 50%) occurred during January–March. Human H5N1 cases occurred in 167 (45%) of 372 months during which outbreaks among poultry occurred, compared with 59 (10%) of 574 months that had no outbreaks among poultry. Human H5N1 cases also occurred in 59 (22%) of 267 months during seasonal influenza periods. To reduce risk for co-infection, surveillance and control of H5N1 should be enhanced during January–March, when H5N1 outbreaks typically occur and overlap with seasonal influenza virus circulation. PMID:25625302

Human care system for heart-rate and human-movement trajectory in home and its application to detect mental disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hata, Yutaka; Kanazawa, Seigo; Endo, Maki; Tsuchiya, Naoki; Nakajima, Hiroshi

2012-06-01

This paper proposes a heart rate monitoring system for detecting autonomic nervous system by the heart rate variability using an air pressure sensor to diagnose mental disease. Moreover, we propose a human behavior monitoring system for detecting the human trajectory in home by an infrared camera. In day and night times, the human behavior monitoring system detects the human movement in home. The heart rate monitoring system detects the heart rate in bed in night time. The air pressure sensor consists of a rubber tube, cushion cover and pressure sensor, and it detects the heart rate by setting it to bed. It unconstraintly detects the RR-intervals; thereby the autonomic nervous system can be assessed. The autonomic nervous system analysis can examine the mental disease. While, the human behavior monitoring system obtains distance distribution image by an infrared camera. It classifies adult, child and the other object from distance distribution obtained by the camera, and records their trajectories. This behavior, i.e., trajectory in home, strongly corresponds to cognitive disorders. Thus, the total system can detect mental disease and cognitive disorders by uncontacted sensors to human body.

The elephant brain in numbers

PubMed Central

Herculano-Houzel, Suzana; Avelino-de-Souza, Kamilla; Neves, Kleber; Porfírio, Jairo; Messeder, Débora; Mattos Feijó, Larissa; Maldonado, José; Manger, Paul R.

2014-01-01

What explains the superior cognitive abilities of the human brain compared to other, larger brains? Here we investigate the possibility that the human brain has a larger number of neurons than even larger brains by determining the cellular composition of the brain of the African elephant. We find that the African elephant brain, which is about three times larger than the human brain, contains 257 billion (109) neurons, three times more than the average human brain; however, 97.5% of the neurons in the elephant brain (251 billion) are found in the cerebellum. This makes the elephant an outlier in regard to the number of cerebellar neurons compared to other mammals, which might be related to sensorimotor specializations. In contrast, the elephant cerebral cortex, which has twice the mass of the human cerebral cortex, holds only 5.6 billion neurons, about one third of the number of neurons found in the human cerebral cortex. This finding supports the hypothesis that the larger absolute number of neurons in the human cerebral cortex (but not in the whole brain) is correlated with the superior cognitive abilities of humans compared to elephants and other large-brained mammals. PMID:24971054

Human dignity: a philosophical and theological approach.

PubMed

Tomasević, Luka

2010-09-01

We all use the term "human dignity" both often and gladly. This term exists also in legislation, such as declarations and constitutions of some countries, beginning from UNESCO, WHO, Council of Europe, and they all have the same inspiration to achieve the same goal: protection of human dignity. Human dignity seems as a principle connected with the protection of life itself, protection of health, and is also connected with research. But, today it is far more difficult to determine the meaning of this term and on what grounds it is based. Is human dignity something objective or is it grounded on cultural values that vary throughout history? Is the primary finding of human dignity in its self-determination against the power of the community, i.e. state? What do philosophy, and Christian theology have to say on dignity and what are the bioethical implications of our time? The author first introduces us to the development of the meaning of the term "human dignity", starting from the pre-Christian time, through the Christian perception of person and one's dignity, philosophical notion and grounds of human dignity, to then give the idea of dignity according to bioethical standards.

Dog Breed Differences in Visual Communication with Humans

PubMed Central

Konno, Akitsugu; Romero, Teresa; Inoue-Murayama, Miho; Saito, Atsuko; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2016-01-01

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have developed a close relationship with humans through the process of domestication. In human-dog interactions, eye contact is a key element of relationship initiation and maintenance. Previous studies have suggested that canine ability to produce human-directed communicative signals is influenced by domestication history, from wolves to dogs, as well as by recent breed selection for particular working purposes. To test the genetic basis for such abilities in purebred dogs, we examined gazing behavior towards humans using two types of behavioral experiments: the ‘visual contact task’ and the ‘unsolvable task’. A total of 125 dogs participated in the study. Based on the genetic relatedness among breeds subjects were classified into five breed groups: Ancient, Herding, Hunting, Retriever-Mastiff and Working). We found that it took longer time for Ancient breeds to make an eye-contact with humans, and that they gazed at humans for shorter periods of time than any other breed group in the unsolvable situation. Our findings suggest that spontaneous gaze behavior towards humans is associated with genetic similarity to wolves rather than with recent selective pressure to create particular working breeds. PMID:27736990

Perception of animacy in dogs and humans.

PubMed

Abdai, Judit; Ferdinandy, Bence; Terencio, Cristina Baño; Pogány, Ákos; Miklósi, Ádám

2017-06-01

Humans have a tendency to perceive inanimate objects as animate based on simple motion cues. Although animacy is considered as a complex cognitive property, this recognition seems to be spontaneous. Researchers have found that young human infants discriminate between dependent and independent movement patterns. However, quick visual perception of animate entities may be crucial to non-human species as well. Based on general mammalian homology, dogs may possess similar skills to humans. Here, we investigated whether dogs and humans discriminate similarly between dependent and independent motion patterns performed by geometric shapes. We projected a side-by-side video display of the two patterns and measured looking times towards each side, in two trials. We found that in Trial 1, both dogs and humans were equally interested in the two patterns, but in Trial 2 of both species, looking times towards the dependent pattern decreased, whereas they increased towards the independent pattern. We argue that dogs and humans spontaneously recognized the specific pattern and habituated to it rapidly, but continued to show interest in the 'puzzling' pattern. This suggests that both species tend to recognize inanimate agents as animate relying solely on their motions. © 2017 The Author(s).

Yet another time about time … Part I: An essay on the phenomenology of physical time.

PubMed

Simeonov, Plamen L

2015-12-01

This paper presents yet another personal reflection on one the most important concepts in both science and the humanities: time. This elusive notion has been not only bothering philosophers since Plato and Aristotle. It goes throughout human history embracing all analytical and creative (anthropocentric) disciplines. Time has been a central theme in physical and life sciences, philosophy, psychology, music, art and many more. This theme is known with a vast body of knowledge across different theories and categories. What has been explored concerns its nature (rational, irrational, arational), appearances/qualia, degrees, dimensions and scales of conceptualization (internal, external, fractal, discrete, continuous, mechanical, quantum, local, global, etc.). Of particular interest have been parameters of time such as duration ranges, resolutions, modes (present, now, past, future), varieties of tenses (e.g. present perfect, present progressive, etc.) and some intuitive, but also fancy phenomenological characteristics such as "arrow", "stream", "texture", "width", "depth", "density", even "scent". Perhaps the most distinct characteristic of this fundamental concept is the absolute time constituting the flow of consciousness according to Husserl, the reflection of pure (human) nature without having the distinction between exo and endo. This essay is a personal reflection upon time in modern physics and phenomenological philosophy. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Human-centric predictive model of task difficulty for human-in-the-loop control tasks

PubMed Central

Majewicz Fey, Ann

2018-01-01

Quantitatively measuring the difficulty of a manipulation task in human-in-the-loop control systems is ill-defined. Currently, systems are typically evaluated through task-specific performance measures and post-experiment user surveys; however, these methods do not capture the real-time experience of human users. In this study, we propose to analyze and predict the difficulty of a bivariate pointing task, with a haptic device interface, using human-centric measurement data in terms of cognition, physical effort, and motion kinematics. Noninvasive sensors were used to record the multimodal response of human user for 14 subjects performing the task. A data-driven approach for predicting task difficulty was implemented based on several task-independent metrics. We compare four possible models for predicting task difficulty to evaluated the roles of the various types of metrics, including: (I) a movement time model, (II) a fusion model using both physiological and kinematic metrics, (III) a model only with kinematic metrics, and (IV) a model only with physiological metrics. The results show significant correlation between task difficulty and the user sensorimotor response. The fusion model, integrating user physiology and motion kinematics, provided the best estimate of task difficulty (R2 = 0.927), followed by a model using only kinematic metrics (R2 = 0.921). Both models were better predictors of task difficulty than the movement time model (R2 = 0.847), derived from Fitt’s law, a well studied difficulty model for human psychomotor control. PMID:29621301

A review of the evidence for a human role in the extinction of Australian megafauna and an alternative interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wroe, Stephen; Field, Judith

2006-11-01

Arguments that megafaunal extinctions in Australia were anthropogenically mediated have focused on establishing terminal appearance ages. This approach has been underpinned by three principle tenets: (1) if megafauna disappeared before significant climate change, but after human colonisation, then it can be inferred that extinctions were human mediated; (2) climate change within the last glacial cycle was unremarkable relative to previous cycles; and (3) all or most Pleistocene megafauna were present when people arrived on the continent. We review the evidence for human causation and note mounting evidence suggesting that the last 400-300 ka in Australia has been characterised by escalating aridity and climatic variability, culminating in the breach of a hydrological threshold within the last glacial cycle. Only 21 species (35%) of megafauna whose disappearance has been attributed to human activity are known to have persisted after the Penultimate Glacial Maximum, a time of undoubtedly severe climate change. Thus, 39 species of megafauna (65%) cannot be reliably placed within 85,000 years of firm evidence for human arrival, ca 50-43 ka. At most eight species (13%) were clearly present at this time. Four or more persisted until the onset of full glacial conditions at ca 30 ka. We argue for a falsifiable model of staggered extinction in which most megafaunal extinctions predated human arrival and with the influence of people as a minor superimposition on broader trends in train since middle Pleistocene times.

The human dynamic clamp as a paradigm for social interaction.

PubMed

Dumas, Guillaume; de Guzman, Gonzalo C; Tognoli, Emmanuelle; Kelso, J A Scott

2014-09-02

Social neuroscience has called for new experimental paradigms aimed toward real-time interactions. A distinctive feature of interactions is mutual information exchange: One member of a pair changes in response to the other while simultaneously producing actions that alter the other. Combining mathematical and neurophysiological methods, we introduce a paradigm called the human dynamic clamp (HDC), to directly manipulate the interaction or coupling between a human and a surrogate constructed to behave like a human. Inspired by the dynamic clamp used so productively in cellular neuroscience, the HDC allows a person to interact in real time with a virtual partner itself driven by well-established models of coordination dynamics. People coordinate hand movements with the visually observed movements of a virtual hand, the parameters of which depend on input from the subject's own movements. We demonstrate that HDC can be extended to cover a broad repertoire of human behavior, including rhythmic and discrete movements, adaptation to changes of pacing, and behavioral skill learning as specified by a virtual "teacher." We propose HDC as a general paradigm, best implemented when empirically verified theoretical or mathematical models have been developed in a particular scientific field. The HDC paradigm is powerful because it provides an opportunity to explore parameter ranges and perturbations that are not easily accessible in ordinary human interactions. The HDC not only enables to test the veracity of theoretical models, it also illuminates features that are not always apparent in real-time human social interactions and the brain correlates thereof.

Postmortem succession of gut microbial communities in deceased human subjects

PubMed Central

Hauther, Kathleen A.

2017-01-01

The human microbiome has demonstrated an importance for the health and functioning in living individuals. However, the fate of the microbiome after death is less understood. In addition to a better understanding of microbe-mediated decomposition processes, postmortem succession of human-associated microbial communities has been suggested as a possible forensic tool for estimating time since death, or postmortem interval (PMI). The objective of our study was to document postmortem changes in human gut bacterial communities. Gut microflora were repeatedly sampled from the caeca of cadavers as they decayed under natural environmental conditions. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that over time, bacterial richness significantly increased (rs = 0.449) while diversity decreased (rs =  − 0.701). The composition of gut bacterial communities changed in a similar manner over time towards a common decay community. OTUs belonging to Bacteroidales (Bacteroides, Parabacteroides) significantly declined while Clostridiales (Clostridium, Anaerosphaera) and the fly-associated Gammaproteobacteria Ignatzschineria and Wohlfahrtiimonas increased. Our examination of human caeca microflora in decomposing cadavers adds to the growing literature on postmortem microbial communities, which will ultimately contribute to a better understanding of decomposition processes. PMID:28626612

The activity ratio of 228Th to 228Ra in bone tissue of recently deceased humans: a new dating method in forensic examinations.

PubMed

Zinka, Bettina; Kandlbinder, Robert; Schupfner, Robert; Haas, Gerald; Wolfbeis, Otto S; Graw, Matthias

2012-01-01

Reliable determination of time since death in human skeletons or single bones often is limited by methodically difficulties. Determination of the specific activity ratio of natural radionuclides, in particular of 232Th (Thorium), 228Th and 228Ra (Radium) seems to be a new appropriate method to calculate the post mortem interval. These radionuclides are incorporated by any human being, mainly from food. So with an individual's death the uptake of radionuclides ends. But the decay of 232Th produces 228Ra and 228Th due to its decay series, whereas 228Th is continuously built up in the human's bones. Thus, it can be concluded that in all deceased humans at different times after death different activity ratios of 228Th to 228Ra will develop in bone. According to this fact it should be possible to calculate time since death of an individual by first analysing the specific activities of 228Th and 228Ra in bones of deceased and then determining the 228Th/228Ra activity ratio, which can be assigned to a certain post-mortem interval.

An improved real time image detection system for elephant intrusion along the forest border areas.

PubMed

Sugumar, S J; Jayaparvathy, R

2014-01-01

Human-elephant conflict is a major problem leading to crop damage, human death and injuries caused by elephants, and elephants being killed by humans. In this paper, we propose an automated unsupervised elephant image detection system (EIDS) as a solution to human-elephant conflict in the context of elephant conservation. The elephant's image is captured in the forest border areas and is sent to a base station via an RF network. The received image is decomposed using Haar wavelet to obtain multilevel wavelet coefficients, with which we perform image feature extraction and similarity match between the elephant query image and the database image using image vision algorithms. A GSM message is sent to the forest officials indicating that an elephant has been detected in the forest border and is approaching human habitat. We propose an optimized distance metric to improve the image retrieval time from the database. We compare the optimized distance metric with the popular Euclidean and Manhattan distance methods. The proposed optimized distance metric retrieves more images with lesser retrieval time than the other distance metrics which makes the optimized distance method more efficient and reliable.

Real-time implementation of an interactive jazz accompaniment system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, Nikhil

Modern computational algorithms and digital signal processing (DSP) are able to combine with human performers without forced or predetermined structure in order to create dynamic and real-time accompaniment systems. With modern computing power and intelligent algorithm layout and design, it is possible to achieve more detailed auditory analysis of live music. Using this information, computer code can follow and predict how a human's musical performance evolves, and use this to react in a musical manner. This project builds a real-time accompaniment system to perform together with live musicians, with a focus on live jazz performance and improvisation. The system utilizes a new polyphonic pitch detector and embeds it in an Ableton Live system - combined with Max for Live - to perform elements of audio analysis, generation, and triggering. The system also relies on tension curves and information rate calculations from the Creative Artificially Intuitive and Reasoning Agent (CAIRA) system to help understand and predict human improvisation. These metrics are vital to the core system and allow for extrapolated audio analysis. The system is able to react dynamically to a human performer, and can successfully accompany the human as an entire rhythm section.

Developmental trajectory of time perspective: From children to older adults.

PubMed

Chen, Tao; Liu, Lu-Lu; Cui, Ji-Fang; Chen, Xing-Jie; Wang, Ya

2016-12-01

Time perspective is a fundamental dimension of the psychological time construct, with a pervasive and powerful influence on human behavior. However, the developmental trajectory of time perspective across a human lifespan remains unclear. The current study aimed to portray the developmental trajectory of all dimensions of time perspectives from children to older adults in a large sample. A total of 1,901 individuals (aged 9-84 years) completed measures of time perspective. They were then divided into five age groups: children, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults. Results suggested that each time perspective showed a unique developmental pattern across the lifespan. Moreover, perceived economic situation and education were related to some dimensions of time perspective. © 2016 The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Spectral convergence in tapping and physiological fluctuations: coupling and independence of 1/f noise in the central and autonomic nervous systems

PubMed Central

Rigoli, Lillian M.; Holman, Daniel; Spivey, Michael J.; Kello, Christopher T.

2014-01-01

When humans perform a response task or timing task repeatedly, fluctuations in measures of timing from one action to the next exhibit long-range correlations known as 1/f noise. The origins of 1/f noise in timing have been debated for over 20 years, with one common explanation serving as a default: humans are composed of physiological processes throughout the brain and body that operate over a wide range of timescales, and these processes combine to be expressed as a general source of 1/f noise. To test this explanation, the present study investigated the coupling vs. independence of 1/f noise in timing deviations, key-press durations, pupil dilations, and heartbeat intervals while tapping to an audiovisual metronome. All four dependent measures exhibited clear 1/f noise, regardless of whether tapping was synchronized or syncopated. 1/f spectra for timing deviations were found to match those for key-press durations on an individual basis, and 1/f spectra for pupil dilations matched those in heartbeat intervals. Results indicate a complex, multiscale relationship among 1/f noises arising from common sources, such as those arising from timing functions vs. those arising from autonomic nervous system (ANS) functions. Results also provide further evidence against the default hypothesis that 1/f noise in human timing is just the additive combination of processes throughout the brain and body. Our findings are better accommodated by theories of complexity matching that begin to formalize multiscale coordination as a foundation of human behavior. PMID:25309389

Response of the human vestibulo-ocular reflex system to constant angular acceleration. I. Theoretical study.

PubMed

Boumans, L J; Rodenburg, M; Maas, A J

1983-01-01

The response of the human vestibulo-ocular reflex system to a constant angular acceleration is calculated using a second order model with an adaptation term. After first reaching a maximum the peracceleratory response declines. When the stimulus duration is long the decay is mainly governed by the adaptation time constant Ta, which enables to reliably estimate this time constant. In the postacceleratory period of constant velocity there is a reversal in response. The magnitude and the time course of the per- and postacceleratory response are calculated for various values of the cupular time constant T1, the adaptation time constant Ta, and the stimulus duration, thus enabling their influence to be assessed.

Analyzing the effects of human-aware motion planning on close-proximity human-robot collaboration.

PubMed

Lasota, Przemyslaw A; Shah, Julie A

2015-02-01

The objective of this work was to examine human response to motion-level robot adaptation to determine its effect on team fluency, human satisfaction, and perceived safety and comfort. The evaluation of human response to adaptive robotic assistants has been limited, particularly in the realm of motion-level adaptation. The lack of true human-in-the-loop evaluation has made it impossible to determine whether such adaptation would lead to efficient and satisfying human-robot interaction. We conducted an experiment in which participants worked with a robot to perform a collaborative task. Participants worked with an adaptive robot incorporating human-aware motion planning and with a baseline robot using shortest-path motions. Team fluency was evaluated through a set of quantitative metrics, and human satisfaction and perceived safety and comfort were evaluated through questionnaires. When working with the adaptive robot, participants completed the task 5.57% faster, with 19.9% more concurrent motion, 2.96% less human idle time, 17.3% less robot idle time, and a 15.1% greater separation distance. Questionnaire responses indicated that participants felt safer and more comfortable when working with an adaptive robot and were more satisfied with it as a teammate than with the standard robot. People respond well to motion-level robot adaptation, and significant benefits can be achieved from its use in terms of both human-robot team fluency and human worker satisfaction. Our conclusion supports the development of technologies that could be used to implement human-aware motion planning in collaborative robots and the use of this technique for close-proximity human-robot collaboration.

Global Night-Time Lights for Observing Human Activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hipskind, Stephen R.; Elvidge, Chris; Gurney, K.; Imhoff, Mark; Bounoua, Lahouari; Sheffner, Edwin; Nemani, Ramakrishna R.; Pettit, Donald R.; Fischer, Marc

2011-01-01

We present a concept for a small satellite mission to make systematic, global observations of night-time lights with spatial resolution suitable for discerning the extent, type and density of human settlements. The observations will also allow better understanding of fine scale fossil fuel CO2 emission distribution. The NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey recommends more focus on direct observations of human influence on the Earth system. The most dramatic and compelling observations of human presence on the Earth are the night light observations taken by the Defence Meteorological System Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS). Beyond delineating the footprint of human presence, night light data, when assembled and evaluated with complementary data sets, can determine the fine scale spatial distribution of global fossil fuel CO2 emissions. Understanding fossil fuel carbon emissions is critical to understanding the entire carbon cycle, and especially the carbon exchange between terrestrial and oceanic systems.

Multi-tasking arbitration and behaviour design for human-interactive robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Yuichi; Onishi, Masaki; Hosoe, Shigeyuki; Luo, Zhiwei

2013-05-01

Robots that interact with humans in household environments are required to handle multiple real-time tasks simultaneously, such as carrying objects, collision avoidance and conversation with human. This article presents a design framework for the control and recognition processes to meet these requirements taking into account stochastic human behaviour. The proposed design method first introduces a Petri net for synchronisation of multiple tasks. The Petri net formulation is converted to Markov decision processes and processed in an optimal control framework. Three tasks (safety confirmation, object conveyance and conversation) interact and are expressed by the Petri net. Using the proposed framework, tasks that normally tend to be designed by integrating many if-then rules can be designed in a systematic manner in a state estimation and optimisation framework from the viewpoint of the shortest time optimal control. The proposed arbitration method was verified by simulations and experiments using RI-MAN, which was developed for interactive tasks with humans.

The genomics of selection in dogs and the parallel evolution between dogs and humans.

PubMed

Wang, Guo-dong; Zhai, Weiwei; Yang, He-chuan; Fan, Ruo-xi; Cao, Xue; Zhong, Li; Wang, Lu; Liu, Fei; Wu, Hong; Cheng, Lu-guang; Poyarkov, Andrei D; Poyarkov, Nikolai A; Tang, Shu-sheng; Zhao, Wen-ming; Gao, Yun; Lv, Xue-mei; Irwin, David M; Savolainen, Peter; Wu, Chung-I; Zhang, Ya-ping

2013-01-01

The genetic bases of demographic changes and artificial selection underlying domestication are of great interest in evolutionary biology. Here we perform whole-genome sequencing of multiple grey wolves, Chinese indigenous dogs and dogs of diverse breeds. Demographic analysis show that the split between wolves and Chinese indigenous dogs occurred 32,000 years ago and that the subsequent bottlenecks were mild. Therefore, dogs may have been under human selection over a much longer time than previously concluded, based on molecular data, perhaps by initially scavenging with humans. Population genetic analysis identifies a list of genes under positive selection during domestication, which overlaps extensively with the corresponding list of positively selected genes in humans. Parallel evolution is most apparent in genes for digestion and metabolism, neurological process and cancer. Our study, for the first time, draws together humans and dogs in their recent genomic evolution.

A Distributed Simulation Facility to Support Human Factors Research in Advanced Air Transportation Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amonlirdviman, Keith; Farley, Todd C.; Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Ladik, John F.; Sherer, Dana Z.

1998-01-01

A distributed real-time simulation of the civil air traffic environment developed to support human factors research in advanced air transportation technology is presented. The distributed environment is based on a custom simulation architecture designed for simplicity and flexibility in human experiments. Standard Internet protocols are used to create the distributed environment, linking all advanced cockpit simulator, all Air Traffic Control simulator, and a pseudo-aircraft control and simulation management station. The pseudo-aircraft control station also functions as a scenario design tool for coordinating human factors experiments. This station incorporates a pseudo-pilot interface designed to reduce workload for human operators piloting multiple aircraft simultaneously in real time. The application of this distributed simulation facility to support a study of the effect of shared information (via air-ground datalink) on pilot/controller shared situation awareness and re-route negotiation is also presented.

Intraoperative intravital microscopy permits the study of human tumour vessels

PubMed Central

Fisher, Daniel T.; Muhitch, Jason B.; Kim, Minhyung; Doyen, Kurt C.; Bogner, Paul N.; Evans, Sharon S.; Skitzki, Joseph J.

2016-01-01

Tumour vessels have been studied extensively as they are critical sites for drug delivery, anti-angiogenic therapies and immunotherapy. As a preclinical tool, intravital microscopy (IVM) allows for in vivo real-time direct observation of vessels at the cellular level. However, to date there are no reports of intravital high-resolution imaging of human tumours in the clinical setting. Here we report the feasibility of IVM examinations of human malignant disease with an emphasis on tumour vasculature as the major site of tumour-host interactions. Consistent with preclinical observations, we show that patient tumour vessels are disorganized, tortuous and ∼50% do not support blood flow. Human tumour vessel diameters are larger than predicted from immunohistochemistry or preclinical IVM, and thereby have lower wall shear stress, which influences delivery of drugs and cellular immunotherapies. Thus, real-time clinical imaging of living human tumours is feasible and allows for detection of characteristics within the tumour microenvironment. PMID:26883450

Human brain detects short-time nonlinear predictability in the temporal fine structure of deterministic chaotic sounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itoh, Kosuke; Nakada, Tsutomu

2013-04-01

Deterministic nonlinear dynamical processes are ubiquitous in nature. Chaotic sounds generated by such processes may appear irregular and random in waveform, but these sounds are mathematically distinguished from random stochastic sounds in that they contain deterministic short-time predictability in their temporal fine structures. We show that the human brain distinguishes deterministic chaotic sounds from spectrally matched stochastic sounds in neural processing and perception. Deterministic chaotic sounds, even without being attended to, elicited greater cerebral cortical responses than the surrogate control sounds after about 150 ms in latency after sound onset. Listeners also clearly discriminated these sounds in perception. The results support the hypothesis that the human auditory system is sensitive to the subtle short-time predictability embedded in the temporal fine structure of sounds.

WiFi-Based Real-Time Calibration-Free Passive Human Motion Detection.

PubMed

Gong, Liangyi; Yang, Wu; Man, Dapeng; Dong, Guozhong; Yu, Miao; Lv, Jiguang

2015-12-21

With the rapid development of WLAN technology, wireless device-free passive human detection becomes a newly-developing technique and holds more potential to worldwide and ubiquitous smart applications. Recently, indoor fine-grained device-free passive human motion detection based on the PHY layer information is rapidly developed. Previous wireless device-free passive human detection systems either rely on deploying specialized systems with dense transmitter-receiver links or elaborate off-line training process, which blocks rapid deployment and weakens system robustness. In the paper, we explore to research a novel fine-grained real-time calibration-free device-free passive human motion via physical layer information, which is independent of indoor scenarios and needs no prior-calibration and normal profile. We investigate sensitivities of amplitude and phase to human motion, and discover that phase feature is more sensitive to human motion, especially to slow human motion. Aiming at lightweight and robust device-free passive human motion detection, we develop two novel and practical schemes: short-term averaged variance ratio (SVR) and long-term averaged variance ratio (LVR). We realize system design with commercial WiFi devices and evaluate it in typical multipath-rich indoor scenarios. As demonstrated in the experiments, our approach can achieve a high detection rate and low false positive rate.

WiFi-Based Real-Time Calibration-Free Passive Human Motion Detection †

PubMed Central

Gong, Liangyi; Yang, Wu; Man, Dapeng; Dong, Guozhong; Yu, Miao; Lv, Jiguang

2015-01-01

With the rapid development of WLAN technology, wireless device-free passive human detection becomes a newly-developing technique and holds more potential to worldwide and ubiquitous smart applications. Recently, indoor fine-grained device-free passive human motion detection based on the PHY layer information is rapidly developed. Previous wireless device-free passive human detection systems either rely on deploying specialized systems with dense transmitter-receiver links or elaborate off-line training process, which blocks rapid deployment and weakens system robustness. In the paper, we explore to research a novel fine-grained real-time calibration-free device-free passive human motion via physical layer information, which is independent of indoor scenarios and needs no prior-calibration and normal profile. We investigate sensitivities of amplitude and phase to human motion, and discover that phase feature is more sensitive to human motion, especially to slow human motion. Aiming at lightweight and robust device-free passive human motion detection, we develop two novel and practical schemes: short-term averaged variance ratio (SVR) and long-term averaged variance ratio (LVR). We realize system design with commercial WiFi devices and evaluate it in typical multipath-rich indoor scenarios. As demonstrated in the experiments, our approach can achieve a high detection rate and low false positive rate. PMID:26703612

Towards an understanding of the link between environmental emissions and human body burdens of PCBs using CoZMoMAN.

PubMed

Breivik, Knut; Czub, Gertje; McLachlan, Michael S; Wania, Frank

2010-01-01

Different factors affect how organic contaminants released into the environment over time distribute and accumulate, enter various food-chains, and potentially cause toxic effects in wildlife and humans. A sound chemical risk assessment thus requires the determination of the quantitative relationship between emissions and human exposure. This study aimed to assess the extent of the quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the link between environmental emissions and human body burdens for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the western part of the Baltic Sea drainage basin and to identify any remaining knowledge gaps. An integrated, non-steady state model calculating human body burden from environmental emissions (CoZMoMAN) was created by linking the multi-compartment environmental fate model CoZMo-POP 2 with the human food chain bioaccumulation model ACC-HUMAN. CoZMoMAN predicted concentrations of seven PCB congeners in 11 key model compartments to typically within a factor of 2 to 4 of measured values, although larger discrepancies are noted for soils and humans. We conclude that whereas the most important processes which link emissions of PCBs to human body burdens are quite well understood in this region, some critical knowledge gaps related to the time trend of historical emissions remain to be addressed.

Attitudes to animal euthanasia do not correlate with acceptance of human euthanasia or suicide.

PubMed

Ogden, U; Kinnison, T; May, S A

2012-08-18

Several reasons have been suggested for the elevated risk of suicide experienced by those in the veterinary profession. The current study aimed to investigate possible links between veterinarians' attitudes to 'convenience' or non-justified animal euthanasia and attitudes towards human euthanasia and suicide. Veterinary students and graduates had a negative attitude towards convenience animal euthanasia, but their attitudes changed over time (pre-clinical studies, clinical studies and recently graduated). A greater tolerance to euthanasia was displayed in the later years of study and post qualification - primarily by males. Attitudes towards both human euthanasia and suicide, however, remained stable over time and indicated on average a neutral stance. No correlations were found between attitudes to convenience euthanasia and either human euthanasia or suicide, suggesting a tolerance to convenience euthanasia of animals does not lead to desensitisation in valuing human life and a changed attitude to human euthanasia or suicide, or vice versa. Attitudes to human euthanasia and suicide were predictably correlated, perhaps suggesting an overarching attitude towards control over human death. The results of the current study throw into question the argument that it is the changes in attitudes to animal life that affect veterinarian's attitudes to human life and contribute to the high suicide rate.

Human rights in the world of the genetic revolution.

PubMed

Castro-Rios, A

1999-01-01

The Biotechnological Revolution provides enormous possibilities to human development (nutrition, medicine, industry), while at the same time, creates social-ethical apprehensions due to the dangers to Human Rights that an improper use could generate. In this respect, Human Rights are presented as the "religion" of our time: accepted by all, although not equally practised. These rights, classified in the Universal Declaration of the United Nations, are the terms which society uses to ponder the ethical peformance of individuals and organizations. Harmonisation between Biotechnology and Human Rights should be based on a continuous social debate in which the principles that contribute to the respect of the human's essential nature should arise. As a starting point, considerations concerning the repercussions which the different genetic techniques have on each of the individually considered Human Rights, i.e. on dignity, equality, freedom, the right to health, to intimacy or to a worthy environment should be developed. Moreover, an international vision of the problem should be imposed since it should be remembered that initiatives that avoid attacks on Human Rights are either taken internationally or are condemned to failure. The following work was not written to give practical solutions to ethical conflicts but simply to consider some of the aspects which can create controversy in the search for a coherent future for human nature.

NIH Human Microbiome Project defines normal bacterial makeup of the body

Cancer.gov

Microbes inhabit just about every part of the human body, living on the skin, in the gut, and up the nose. Sometimes they cause sickness, but most of the time, microorganisms live in harmony with their human hosts, providing vital functions essential for

Where to put things? Spatial land management to sustain biodiversity and economic returns

EPA Science Inventory

Expanding human population and economic growth have led to large-scale conversion of natural habitat to human-dominated landscapes with consequent large-scale declines in biodiversity. Conserving biodiversity, while at the same time meeting expanding human needs, is an issue of u...

A review of methodological factors in performance assessments of time-varying aircraft noise effects. [with annotated bibliography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coates, G. D.; Alluisi, E. A.; Adkins, C. J., Jr.

1977-01-01

Literature on the effects of general noise on human performance is reviewed in an attempt to identify (1) those characteristics of noise that have been found to affect human performance; (2) those characteristics of performance most likely to be affected by the presence of noise, and (3) those characteristics of the performance situation typically associated with noise effects. Based on the characteristics identified, a theoretical framework is proposed that will permit predictions of possible effects of time-varying aircraft-type noise on complex human performance. An annotated bibliography of 50 articles is included.

Antimicrobial and antiviral effect of high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization applied to human milk.

PubMed

Terpstra, Fokke G; Rechtman, David J; Lee, Martin L; Hoeij, Klaske Van; Berg, Hijlkeline; Van Engelenberg, Frank A C; Van't Wout, Angelica B

2007-03-01

In the United States, concerns over the transmission of infectious diseases have led to donor human milk generally being subjected to pasteurization prior to distribution and use. The standard method used by North American milk banks is Holder pasteurization (63 degrees C for 30 minutes). The authors undertook an experiment to validate the effects of a high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization process (72 degrees C for 16 seconds) on the bioburden of human milk. It was concluded that HTST is effective in the elimination of bacteria as well as of certain important pathogenic viruses.

Comparison of functional aspects of the coagulation cascade in human and sea turtle plasmas.

PubMed

Soslau, Gerald; Wallace, Bryan; Vicente, Catherine; Goldenberg, Seth J; Tupis, Todd; Spotila, James; George, Robert; Paladino, Frank; Whitaker, Brent; Violetta, Gary; Piedra, Rotney

2004-08-01

Functional hemostatic pathways are critical for the survival of all vertebrates and have been evolving for more than 400 million years. The overwhelming majority of studies of hemostasis in vertebrates have focused on mammals with very sparse attention paid to reptiles. There have been virtually no studies of the coagulation pathway in sea turtles whose ancestors date back to the Jurassic period. Sea turtles are often exposed to rapidly altered environmental conditions during diving periods. This may reduce their blood pH during prolonged hypoxic dives. This report demonstrates that five species of turtles possess only one branch of the mammalian coagulation pathway, the extrinsic pathway. Mixing studies of turtle plasmas with human factor-deficient plasmas indicate that the intrinsic pathway factors VIII and IX are present in turtle plasma. These two factors may play a significant role in supporting the extrinsic pathway by feedback loops. The intrinsic factors, XI and XII are not detected which would account for the inability of reagents to induce coagulation via the intrinsic pathway in vitro. The analysis of two turtle factors, factor II (prothrombin) and factor X, demonstrates that they are antigenically/functionally similar to the corresponding human factors. The turtle coagulation pathway responds differentially to both pH and temperature relative to each turtle species and relative to human samples. The coagulation time (prothrombin time) increases as the temperature decreases between 37 and 15 degrees C. The increased time follows a linear relationship, with similar slopes for loggerhead, Kemps ridley and hawksbill turtles as well as for human samples. Leatherback turtle samples show a dramatic nonlinear increased time below 23 degrees C, and green turtle sample responses were similar but less dramatic. All samples also showed increased prothrombin times as the pH decreased from 7.8 to 6.4, except for three turtle species. The prothrombin times decreased, to varying extents, in a linear fashion relative to reduced pH with the rate of change greatest in leatherbacks>green>loggerhead turtles. All studies were conducted with reagents developed for human samples which would impact on the quantitative results with the turtle samples, but are not likely to alter the qualitative results. These comparative studies of the coagulation pathway in sea turtles and humans could enhance our knowledge of structure/function relationships and evolution of coagulation factors.

Properties of single NMDA receptor channels in human dentate gyrus granule cells

PubMed Central

Lieberman, David N; Mody, Istvan

1999-01-01

Cell-attached single-channel recordings of NMDA channels were carried out in human dentate gyrus granule cells acutely dissociated from slices prepared from hippocampi surgically removed for the treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The channels were activated by l-aspartate (250–500 nm) in the presence of saturating glycine (8 μm). The main conductance was 51 ± 3 pS. In ten of thirty granule cells, clear subconductance states were observed with a mean conductance of 42 ± 3 pS, representing 8 ± 2% of the total openings. The mean open times varied from cell to cell, possibly owing to differences in the epileptogenicity of the tissue of origin. The mean open time was 2.70 ± 0.95 ms (range, 1.24–4.78 ms). In 87% of the cells, three exponential components were required to fit the apparent open time distributions. In the remaining neurons, as in control rat granule cells, two exponentials were sufficient. Shut time distributions were fitted by five exponential components. The average numbers of openings in bursts (1.74 ± 0.09) and clusters (3.06 ± 0.26) were similar to values obtained in rodents. The mean burst (6.66 ± 0.9 ms), cluster (20.1 ± 3.3 ms) and supercluster lengths (116.7 ± 17.5 ms) were longer than those in control rat granule cells, but approached the values previously reported for TLE (kindled) rats. As in rat NMDA channels, adjacent open and shut intervals appeared to be inversely related to each other, but it was only the relative areas of the three open time constants that changed with adjacent shut time intervals. The long openings of human TLE NMDA channels resembled those produced by calcineurin inhibitors in control rat granule cells. Yet the calcineurin inhibitor FK-506 (500 nm) did not prolong the openings of human channels, consistent with a decreased calcineurin activity in human TLE. Many properties of the human NMDA channels resemble those recorded in rat hippocampal neurons. Both have similar slope conductances, five exponential shut time distributions, complex groupings of openings, and a comparable number of openings per grouping. Other properties of human TLE NMDA channels correspond to those observed in kindling; the openings are considerably long, requiring an additional exponential component to fit their distributions, and inhibition of calcineurin is without effect in prolonging the openings. PMID:10373689

Ultrasonication and the quality of human milk: variation of power and time of exposure.

PubMed

Christen, Lukas; Lai, Ching Tat; Hartmann, Peter E

2012-08-01

Donor human milk is pasteurized to prevent the potential risk of the transmission of pathogens to preterm infants. Currently, Holder pasteurization (human milk held at 62·5°C for 30 min) is used in most human milk banks, but has the disadvantage that it results in excessive inactivation of important bioactive components. Power-ultrasound (20-100 kHz) is an emerging technology for the preservation of foods and could be an alternative method for the treatment of human milk. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different ultrasound settings on the elimination of Escherichia coli and the retention of bile salt stimulated lipase (BSSL) activity. Ultrasonication with a constant power decreased Esch. coli viability exponentially over time until the processing temperature increased to sub-pasteurization level to between 51·4 and 58·5°C, then a log10 1·3 decrease was observed (P<0·05). BSSL activity decreased to 91% until a temperature of 51·4°C and then it decreased to 8% between 51·4 and 64·9°C. Ultrasonication with a constant energy and various power and exposure times showed the highest temperature (53·7°C) when treated with the longest exposure time and lowest ultrasound-power (276 s at 3·62 W) compared with 37·6°C for 39 s at 25·64 W. The findings predict that the viability of Esch. coli could be reduced by log10 5 with a minimal loss of activity of BSSL by applying 13·8 kJ of energy in 12 ml of human milk using high ultrasound power over a short exposure time to ensure that the temperature remains below the critical level for protein denaturation. Alternatively, the use of lower power settings such as the 26 W used in the present studies would require a cooling system to ensure the human milk BSSL was protected against temperature denaturation.

Effects of age, season, gender and urban-rural status on time-activity: CanadianHuman Activity Pattern Survey 2 (CHAPS 2).

PubMed

Matz, Carlyn J; Stieb, David M; Davis, Karelyn; Egyed, Marika; Rose, Andreas; Chou, Benedito; Brion, Orly

2014-02-19

Estimation of population exposure is a main component of human health risk assessment for environmental contaminants. Population-level exposure assessments require time-activity pattern distributions in relation to microenvironments where people spend their time. Societal trends may have influenced time-activity patterns since previous Canadian data were collected 15 years ago. The Canadian Human Activity Pattern Survey 2 (CHAPS 2) was a national survey conducted in 2010-2011 to collect time-activity information from Canadians of all ages. Five urban and two rural locations were sampled using telephone surveys. Infants and children, key groups in risk assessment activities, were over-sampled. Survey participants (n = 5,011) provided time-activity information in 24-hour recall diaries and responded to supplemental questionnaires concerning potential exposures to specific pollutants, dwelling characteristics, and socio-economic factors. Results indicated that a majority of the time was spent indoors (88.9%), most of which was indoors at home, with limited time spent outdoors (5.8%) or in a vehicle (5.3%). Season, age, gender and rurality were significant predictors of time activity patterns. Compared to earlier data, adults reported spending more time indoors at home and adolescents reported spending less time outdoors, which could be indicative of broader societal trends. These findings have potentially important implications for assessment of exposure and risk. The CHAPS 2 data also provide much larger sample sizes to allow for improved precision and are more representative of infants, children and rural residents.

Simultaneous detection, typing and quantitation of oncogenic human papillomavirus by multiplex consensus real-time PCR.

PubMed

Jenkins, Andrew; Allum, Anne-Gry; Strand, Linda; Aakre, Randi Kersten

2013-02-01

A consensus multiplex real-time PCR test (PT13-RT) for the oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 66 is described. The test targets the L1 gene. Analytical sensitivity is between 4 and 400 GU (genomic units) in the presence of 500 ng of human DNA, corresponding to 75,000 human cells. HPV types are grouped into multiplex groups of 3 or 4 resulting in the use of 4 wells per sample and permitting up to 24 samples per run (including controls) in a standard 96-well real-time PCR instrument. False negative results are avoided by (a) measuring sample DNA concentration to control that sufficient cellular material is present and (b) including HPV type 6 as a homologous internal control in order to detect PCR inhibition or competition from other (non-oncogenic) HPV types. Analysis time from refrigerator to report is 8 h, including 2.5 h hands-on time. Relative to the HC2 test, the sensitivity and specificity were respectively 98% and 83%, the lower specificity being attributable to the higher analytical sensitivity of PT13-RT. To assess type determination comparison was made with a reversed line-blot test. Type concordance was high (κ=0.79) with discrepancies occurring mostly in multiple-positive samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced constitutive invasion activity in human nontumorigenic keratinocytes exposed to a low level of barium for a long time.

PubMed

Thang, Nguyen D; Yajima, Ichiro; Ohnuma, Shoko; Ohgami, Nobutaka; Kumasaka, Mayuko Y; Ichihara, Gaku; Kato, Masashi

2015-02-01

We have recently demonstrated that exposure to barium for a short time (≤4 days) and at a low level (5 µM = 687 µg/L) promotes invasion of human nontumorigenic HaCaT cells, which have characteristics similar to those of normal keratinocytes, suggesting that exposure to barium for a short time enhances malignant characteristics. Here we examined the effect of exposure to low level of barium for a long time, a condition mimicking the exposure to barium through well water, on malignant characteristics of HaCaT keratinocytes. Constitutive invasion activity, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) protein expression and activity, and matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14) protein expression in primary cultured normal human epidermal keratinocytes, HaCaT keratinocytes, and HSC5 and A431 human squamous cell carcinoma cells were augmented following an increase in malignancy grade of the cells. Constitutive invasion activity, FAK phosphorylation, and MMP14 expression levels of HaCaT keratinocytes after treatment with 5 µM barium for 4 months were significantly higher than those of control untreated HaCaT keratinocytes. Taken together, our results suggest that exposure to a low level of barium for a long time enhances constitutive malignant characteristics of HaCaT keratinocytes via regulatory molecules (FAK and MMP14) for invasion. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A new protocol for functional analysis of adipogenesis using reverse transfection technology and time-lapse video microscopy.

PubMed

Grönniger, Elke; Wessel, Sonja; Kühn, Sonja Christin; Söhle, Jörn; Wenck, Horst; Stäb, Franz; Winnefeld, Marc

2010-07-01

Since the worldwide increase in obesity represents a growing challenge for healthcare systems, research focusing on fat cell metabolism has become a focal point of interest. Here, we describe a small interfering RNA (siRNA)-technology-based screening method to study fat cell differentiation in human primary preadipocytes that could be further developed towards an automated middle-throughput screening procedure. First, we established optimal conditions for the reverse transfection of human primary preadipocytes demonstrating that an efficient reverse transfection of preadipocytes is technically feasible. Aligning the processes of reverse transfection and fat cell differentiation utilizing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma)-siRNA, we showed that preadipocyte differentiation was suppressed by knock-down of PPAR gamma, the key regulator of fat cell differentiation. The use of fluorescently labelled fatty acids in combination with fluorescence time-lapse microscopy over a longer period of time enabled us to quantify the PPAR gamma phenotype. Additionally, our data demonstrate that reverse transfection of human cultured preadipocytes with TIP60 (HIV-1 Tat-interacting protein 60)-siRNA lead to a TIP60 knock-down and subsequently inhibits fat cell differentiation, suggesting a role of this protein in human adipogenesis. In conclusion, we established a protocol that allows for an efficient functional and time-dependent analysis by quantitative time-lapse microscopy to identify novel adipogenesis-associated genes.

Real-time human-robot interaction underlying neurorobotic trust and intent recognition.

PubMed

Bray, Laurence C Jayet; Anumandla, Sridhar R; Thibeault, Corey M; Hoang, Roger V; Goodman, Philip H; Dascalu, Sergiu M; Bryant, Bobby D; Harris, Frederick C

2012-08-01

In the past three decades, the interest in trust has grown significantly due to its important role in our modern society. Everyday social experience involves "confidence" among people, which can be interpreted at the neurological level of a human brain. Recent studies suggest that oxytocin is a centrally-acting neurotransmitter important in the development and alteration of trust. Its administration in humans seems to increase trust and reduce fear, in part by directly inhibiting the amygdala. However, the cerebral microcircuitry underlying this mechanism is still unknown. We propose the first biologically realistic model for trust, simulating spiking neurons in the cortex in a real-time human-robot interaction simulation. At the physiological level, oxytocin cells were modeled with triple apical dendrites characteristic of their structure in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. As trust was established in the simulation, this architecture had a direct inhibitory effect on the amygdala tonic firing, which resulted in a willingness to exchange an object from the trustor (virtual neurorobot) to the trustee (human actor). Our software and hardware enhancements allowed the simulation of almost 100,000 neurons in real time and the incorporation of a sophisticated Gabor mechanism as a visual filter. Our brain was functional and our robotic system was robust in that it trusted or distrusted a human actor based on movement imitation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The preterm infant stomach actively degrades milk proteins with increasing breakdown across digestion time.

PubMed

Demers-Mathieu, Veronique; Qu, Yunyao; Underwood, Mark A; Dallas, David C

2018-06-01

This study investigated the effect of time post-ingestion on gastric digestion and gastric hormones after feeding preterm infants unfortified and fortified human milk. Human milk and infant gastric samples were collected from 14 preterm (23-32 weeks birth gestational age) mother-infant pairs within 7-98 days postnatal age. Gastric samples were collected one, two and three hours after beginning of feeding. Samples were analysed for pH, proteolysis, general protease activity and the concentrations of pepsin, gastrin and gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP). One-way ANOVA with repeated measures followed by Tukey's multiple comparisons test was used. Gastric pH was significantly decreased after each hour in the preterm infant stomach from one to three hours postprandial. Proteolysis increased significantly from human milk to gastric contents at one, two and three hours postprandial (by 62, 131% and 181%, p < 0.05). General protease activity increased significantly by 58% from human milk to the gastric contents at two hours postprandial. GRP was present in human milk, whereas gastrin was produced in the infant stomach. Although preterm infants may digest human milk proteins to a lesser extent than term infants, we demonstrated that the preterm infant stomach actively degrades milk proteins with increasing breakdown over digestion time. ©2018 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

AC field exposure study: human exposure to 60-Hz electric fields

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

Silva, J.M.

1985-04-01

The objective of this study was to develop a method of estimating human exposure to the 60 Hz electric fields created by transmission lines. The Activity Systems Model simulates human activities in a variety of situations where exposure to electric fields is possible. The model combines maps of electric fields, activity maps, and experimentally determined activity factors to provide histograms of time spent in electric fields of various strengths in the course of agricultural, recreational, and domestic activities. For corroboration, the study team measured actual human exposure at locations across the United States near transmission lines ranging in voltage frommore » 115 to 1200 kV. The data were collected with a specially designed vest that measures exposure. These data demonstrate the accuracy of the exposure model presented in this report and revealed that most exposure time is spent in fields of magnitudes similar to many household situations. The report provides annual exposure estimates for human activities near transmission lines and in the home and compares them with exposure data from typical laboratory animal experiments. For one exposure index, the cumulative product of time and electric field, exposure during some of the laboratory animal experiments is two to four orders of magnitude greater than cumulative exposure for a human during one year of outdoor work on a farm crossed by a transmission line.« less

Real-time segmentation of burst suppression patterns in critical care EEG monitoring

PubMed Central

Westover, M. Brandon; Shafi, Mouhsin M.; Ching, ShiNung; Chemali, Jessica J.; Purdon, Patrick L.; Cash, Sydney S.; Brown, Emery N.

2014-01-01

Objective Develop a real-time algorithm to automatically discriminate suppressions from non-suppressions (bursts) in electroencephalograms of critically ill adult patients. Methods A real-time method for segmenting adult ICU EEG data into bursts and suppressions is presented based on thresholding local voltage variance. Results are validated against manual segmentations by two experienced human electroencephalographers. We compare inter-rater agreement between manual EEG segmentations by experts with inter-rater agreement between human vs automatic segmentations, and investigate the robustness of segmentation quality to variations in algorithm parameter settings. We further compare the results of using these segmentations as input for calculating the burst suppression probability (BSP), a continuous measure of depth-of-suppression. Results Automated segmentation was comparable to manual segmentation, i.e. algorithm-vs-human agreement was comparable to human-vs-human agreement, as judged by comparing raw EEG segmentations or the derived BSP signals. Results were robust to modest variations in algorithm parameter settings. Conclusions Our automated method satisfactorily segments burst suppression data across a wide range adult ICU EEG patterns. Performance is comparable to or exceeds that of manual segmentation by human electroencephalographers. Significance Automated segmentation of burst suppression EEG patterns is an essential component of quantitative brain activity monitoring in critically ill and anesthetized adults. The segmentations produced by our algorithm provide a basis for accurate tracking of suppression depth. PMID:23891828

Real-time segmentation of burst suppression patterns in critical care EEG monitoring.

PubMed

Brandon Westover, M; Shafi, Mouhsin M; Ching, Shinung; Chemali, Jessica J; Purdon, Patrick L; Cash, Sydney S; Brown, Emery N

2013-09-30

Develop a real-time algorithm to automatically discriminate suppressions from non-suppressions (bursts) in electroencephalograms of critically ill adult patients. A real-time method for segmenting adult ICU EEG data into bursts and suppressions is presented based on thresholding local voltage variance. Results are validated against manual segmentations by two experienced human electroencephalographers. We compare inter-rater agreement between manual EEG segmentations by experts with inter-rater agreement between human vs automatic segmentations, and investigate the robustness of segmentation quality to variations in algorithm parameter settings. We further compare the results of using these segmentations as input for calculating the burst suppression probability (BSP), a continuous measure of depth-of-suppression. Automated segmentation was comparable to manual segmentation, i.e. algorithm-vs-human agreement was comparable to human-vs-human agreement, as judged by comparing raw EEG segmentations or the derived BSP signals. Results were robust to modest variations in algorithm parameter settings. Our automated method satisfactorily segments burst suppression data across a wide range adult ICU EEG patterns. Performance is comparable to or exceeds that of manual segmentation by human electroencephalographers. Automated segmentation of burst suppression EEG patterns is an essential component of quantitative brain activity monitoring in critically ill and anesthetized adults. The segmentations produced by our algorithm provide a basis for accurate tracking of suppression depth. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The shaping of human diversity: filters, boundaries and transitions

PubMed Central

Mirazón Lahr, Marta

2016-01-01

The evolution of modern humans was a complex process, involving major changes in levels of diversity through time. The fossils and stone tools that record the spatial distribution of our species in the past form the backbone of our evolutionary history, and one that allows us to explore the different processes—cultural and biological—that acted to shape the evolution of different populations in the face of major climate change. Those processes created a complex palimpsest of similarities and differences, with outcomes that were at times accelerated by sharp demographic and geographical fluctuations. The result is that the population ancestral to all modern humans did not look or behave like people alive today. This has generated questions regarding the evolution of human universal characters, as well as the nature and timing of major evolutionary events in the history of Homo sapiens. The paucity of African fossils remains a serious stumbling block for exploring some of these issues. However, fossil and archaeological discoveries increasingly clarify important aspects of our past, while breakthroughs from genomics and palaeogenomics have revealed aspects of the demography of Late Quaternary Eurasian hominin groups and their interactions, as well as those between foragers and farmers. This paper explores the nature and timing of key moments in the evolution of human diversity, moments in which population collapse followed by differential expansion of groups set the conditions for transitional periods. Five transitions are identified (i) at the origins of the species, 240–200 ka; (ii) at the time of the first major expansions, 130–100 ka; (iii) during a period of dispersals, 70–50 ka; (iv) across a phase of local/regional structuring of diversity, 45–25 ka; and (v) during a phase of significant extinction of hunter–gatherer diversity and expansion of particular groups, such as farmers and later societies (the Holocene Filter), 15–0 ka. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’. PMID:27298471

Micro-Computed Tomography Evaluation of Human Fat Grafts in Nude Mice

PubMed Central

Chung, Michael T.; Hyun, Jeong S.; Lo, David D.; Montoro, Daniel T.; Hasegawa, Masakazu; Levi, Benjamin; Januszyk, Michael; Longaker, Michael T.

2013-01-01

Background Although autologous fat grafting has revolutionized the field of soft tissue reconstruction and augmentation, long-term maintenance of fat grafts is unpredictable. Recent studies have reported survival rates of fat grafts to vary anywhere between 10% and 80% over time. The present study evaluated the long-term viability of human fat grafts in a murine model using a novel imaging technique allowing for in vivo volumetric analysis. Methods Human fat grafts were prepared from lipoaspirate samples using the Coleman technique. Fat was injected subcutaneously into the scalp of 10 adult Crl:NU-Foxn1nu CD-1 male mice. Micro-computed tomography (CT) was performed immediately following injection and then weekly thereafter. Fat volume was rendered by reconstructing a three-dimensional (3D) surface through cubic-spline interpolation. Specimens were also harvested at various time points and sections were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), for macrophages using CD68 and for the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1). Finally, samples were explanted at 8- and 12-week time points to validate calculated micro-CT volumes. Results Weekly CT scanning demonstrated progressive volume loss over the time course. However, volumetric analysis at the 8- and 12-week time points stabilized, showing an average of 62.2% and 60.9% survival, respectively. Gross analysis showed the fat graft to be healthy and vascularized. H&E analysis and staining for CD68 showed minimal inflammatory reaction with viable adipocytes. Immunohistochemical staining with anti-human CB1 antibodies confirmed human origin of the adipocytes. Conclusions Studies assessing the fate of autologous fat grafts in animals have focused on nonimaging modalities, including histological and biochemical analyses, which require euthanasia of the animals. In this study, we have demonstrated the ability to employ micro-CT for 3D reconstruction and volumetric analysis of human fat grafts in a mouse model. Importantly, this model provides a platform for subsequent study of fat manipulation and soft tissue engineering. PMID:22916732

Time of day and eating behaviors are associated with the composition and function of the human gastrointestinal microbiota.

PubMed

Kaczmarek, Jennifer L; Musaad, Salma Ma; Holscher, Hannah D

2017-11-01

Background: Preclinical research has shown that the gastrointestinal microbiota exhibits circadian rhythms and that the timing of food consumption can affect the composition and function of gut microbes. However, there is a dearth of knowledge on these relations in humans. Objective: We aimed to determine whether human gastrointestinal microbes and bacterial metabolites were associated with time of day or behavioral factors, including eating frequency, percentage of energy consumed early in the day, and overnight-fast duration. Design: We analyzed 77 fecal samples collected from 28 healthy men and women. Fecal DNA was extracted and sequenced to determine the relative abundances of bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy was used to assess short-chain fatty acid concentrations. Eating frequency, percentage of energy consumed before 1400, and overnight-fast duration were determined from dietary records. Data were analyzed by linear mixed models or generalized linear mixed models, which controlled for fiber intake, sex, age, body mass index, and repeated sampling within each participant. Each OTU and metabolite were tested as the outcome in a separate model. Results: Acetate, propionate, and butyrate concentrations decreased throughout the day ( P = 0.006, 0.04, and 0.002, respectively). Thirty-five percent of bacterial OTUs were associated with time. In addition, relations were observed between gut microbes and eating behaviors, including eating frequency, early energy consumption, and overnight-fast duration. Conclusions: These results indicate that the human gastrointestinal microbiota composition and function vary throughout the day, which may be related to the circadian biology of the human body, the microbial community itself, or human eating behaviors. Behavioral factors, including timing of eating and overnight-fast duration, were also predictive of bacterial abundances. Longitudinal intervention studies are needed to determine causality of these biological and behavioral relations. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01925560. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Time, Memory, and Consciousness a View from the Brain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markowitsch, Hans J.

2005-10-01

Memory can be defined as mental time traveling. Seen in this way, memory provides the glue which combines different time episodes and leads to a coherent view of one's own person. The importance of time becomes apparent in a neuroscientific comparison of animals and human beings. All kinds of animals have biorhythms -- times when they sleep, prefer or avoid sex, or move to warmer places. Mammalian brains have a number of time sensitive structures damage to which alters a subject's behavior to his or her environment. For human beings, damage to certain brain regions may alter the sense of time and consciousness of time in quite different ways. Furthermore, brain damage, drugs, or psychiatric disturbances may lead to an impaired perception of time, sometimes leading to major positive or negative accelerations in time perception. An impaired time perception alters consciousness and awareness of oneself. A proper synchronized action of time perception, brain activation, memory processing, and autonoetic (self-aware) consciousness provides the bases of an integrated personality.

Trends of geographic inequalities in the distribution of human resources in healthcare system: the case of Iran.

PubMed

Sefiddashti, Sara Emamgholipour; Arab, Mohammad; Ghazanfari, Sadegh; Kazemi, Zhila; Rezaei, Satar; Karyani, Ali Kazemi

2016-07-01

Considering the scarcity of skilled workers in the health sector, the appropriate distribution of human resources in this sector is very important for improving people's health. Having information about the degree of equality in the distribution of health human resources and their time trends is necessary for better planning and efficient use of these resources. The aim of this study was to determine the trend of inequality in the allocation of human resources in the health sector in Tehran between 2007 and 2013. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Tehran Province in Iran. The inequality in the distribution of human resources (specialists, general practitioners, pharmacists, paramedics, dentists, nurses and community health workers (Behvarz)) in 10 cities in Tehran Province was investigated using the Gini coefficient and the dissimilarity index. The time trend of inequality was examined by regression analysis. The required data were collected from the statistical yearbook of the Iran Statistics Center (ISC). The highest value of the Gini coefficient (GC) was related to nurses (GC = 0.291) in 2007. The highest value of the Gini coefficient was related to nurses and Behvarzs in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The distribution of specialists had the highest inequality in 2010 (GC = 0.298), 2011 (GC = 0.300) and 2013 (GC = 0.316). General practitioners had the lowest Gini coefficient for 2007, 2008 and 2012. Nurses for 2009 and Behvarzs for 2010, 2011 and 2013 had the lowest value of Gini coefficient. The dissimilarity indexes for specialists and general practitioners were 26.64 and 8.72 in 2013, respectively. The means of this index for included resources were 31.35, 18.27, 16.91, 22.32, 15.82, 26.74, and 24.33, respectively. The time trend analysis showed that the coefficient of time was positive for all of the human resources, except Behvarzes, and only the coefficient of general practitioners was statistically significant ( p<0.01). Over time, inequalities in the distribution of resources in the health sector have been increasing. By developing the private sector and considering the trend of this sector to operate in the more developed regions, health policy makers should continually evaluate the distribution of human resources, and they should arrange a specific plan for the allocation of human resources in the health sector.

[The establishment and application of the method with virus concentration and detection in drinking water].

PubMed

Ye, Xiao-yan; Xiao, Wen-qing; Huang, Xia-ning; Zhang, Yong-lu; Cao, Yu-guang; Gu, Kang-ding

2012-07-01

This study aimed to construct an effective method to concentrate and detect virus in drinking water, and human adenovirus pollution status in actual water samples was monitored by constructed method. The concentration efficient of NanoCeram filter for the first concentration with source water and drinking water and the concentration efficient of the different concentrations of PEG 8000 for the second concentration were assessed by spiking f₂ bacteriophage into water samples. The standard of human adenovirus for real-time PCR was constructed by T-A clone. The plasmid obtained was identified through sequence analyzing and consistency check comparing to target gene fragment was conducted by using blast algorithm. Then, real-time PCR was constructed to quantify the concentration of human adenovirus using the plasmid as standard. Water samples were concentrated by using NanoCeram filter on the spot and then concentrated for the second time by PEG/NaCl in 2011. The DNA of concentrated samples were extracted for the quantification of human adenovirus in real-time PCR subsequently to monitor the pollution of human adenovirus in water. For the first concentration by NanoCeram filter, the recovery rates were (51.63 ± 26.60)% in source water and (50.27 ± 14.35)% in treated water, respectively. For the second concentration, the highest recovery rate was reached to (90.09 ± 10.50)% at the concentration of 0.13 kg/L of PEG 8000. The sequence identity score of standard of adenovirus for real time PCR and adenovirus gene was 99%, implying that it can be successfully used to quantification with human adenovirus. The levels of human adenovirus in the water samples sampled in 2011 ranged from 4.13×10³ to 2.20×10⁶ copies/L in source water, while range from 5.57×10² to 7.52×10⁵ copies/L in treated water and the removal efficiency range was (75.49 ± 11.71)%. NanoCeram filers combined with PEG/NaCl was an effective method to concentrate virus in aquatic environment. There was a large number of human adenovirus in source water, and it is not sufficient to remove them thoroughly through conventional water treatment processes.

Medical management of ectopic pregnancy with single-dose and 2-dose methotrexate protocols: human chorionic gonadotropin trends and patient outcomes.

PubMed

Mergenthal, Michelle C; Senapati, Suneeta; Zee, Jarcy; Allen-Taylor, Lynne; Whittaker, Paul G; Takacs, Peter; Sammel, Mary D; Barnhart, Kurt T

2016-11-01

Ectopic pregnancy, although rare, is an important cause of female morbidity and mortality and early, effective treatment is critical. Systemic methotrexate has become widely accepted as a safe and effective alternative to surgery in the stable patient. As the number and timing of methotrexate doses differ in the 3 main medical treatment regimens, one might expect trends in serum human chorionic gonadotropin and time to resolution to vary depending on protocol. Furthermore, human chorionic gonadotropin trends and time to resolution may predict ultimate treatment success. This study hypothesized that the 2-dose methotrexate protocol would be associated with a faster initial decline in serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels and a shorter time to resolution compared to the single-dose protocol. A prospective multicenter cohort study included clinical data from women who received medical management for ectopic pregnancy. Rates of human chorionic gonadotropin change and successful pregnancy resolution were assessed. Propensity score modeling addressed confounding by indication, the potential for differential assignment of patients with better prognosis to the single-dose methotrexate protocol. In all, 162 ectopic pregnancies were in the final analysis; 114 (70%) were treated with the single-dose methotrexate and 48 (30%) with the 2-dose protocol. Site, race, ethnicity, and reported pain level were associated with differential protocol allocation (P < .001, P = .011, P < .001, and P = .035, respectively). Women had similar initial human chorionic gonadotropin levels in either protocol but the mean rate of decline of human chorionic gonadotropin from day 0 (day of administration of first dose of methotrexate) to day 7 was significantly more rapid in women who received the single-dose protocol compared to those treated with the 2-dose protocol (mean change -31.3% vs -10.4%, P = .037, adjusted for propensity score and site). The 2 protocols had no significant differences in success rate or time to resolution. In a racially and geographically diverse group of women, the single- and double-dose methotrexate protocols had comparable outcomes. The more rapid human chorionic gonadotropin initial decline in the single-dose group suggested these patients were probably at lower risk for ectopic rupture than those getting the 2-dose protocol. A prospective randomized controlled design is needed to remove confounding by indication. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Psychological time, definition and challenges].

PubMed

Droit-Volet, Sylvie

2012-10-01

Psychological time comprises different forms of time. Each form of time corresponds to different psychological mechanisms. The human being is subject to distortions of time under the effect of emotions. The effectiveness of social interaction depends on our aptitude to synchronise ourselves with others.

77 FR 56875 - Meetings of Humanities Panel

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-14

... Resources grant program on the subject of Art History, submitted to the Division of Preservation and Access... of Art History, submitted to the Division of Public Programs. 14. Date: October 30, 2012. Time: 8:30... NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES Meetings of Humanities Panel AGENCY: National...

Humanities in the Primary School--Philosophical Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eaude, Tony

2017-01-01

Drawing on a range of philosophical traditions, this article argues that the humanities are essential aspects of the development of the whole child. The humanities help children to understand themselves and other people in relation to place, time, belief, identity and culture and to become empathetic, thoughtful and critical citizens. Learning the…

Human Intelligence: All Humans, All Minds, All the Time

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-01

CNSNews.com Staff, March 16, 2006. The lack of an independent Operational Test & Evaluation Agency (OTEA) has been a back- burner issue since Chuck Spin- ney...trapped in a bubble with industrial era carpetbaggers. From Small is Beautiful: Eco - nomics As If People Mattered to Human Scale to ELECTION 2008

Adoption of Internet2 in a Southwestern University: Human Resources Concerns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendoza-Diaz, Noemi V.; Dooley, Larry M.; Dooley, Kim E.

2007-01-01

Human Resources are often times challenged by the integration of new technologies (Benson, Johnson, & Kichinke, 2002). Universities pose a unique challenge since they reluctantly adapt to changes (Torraco & Hoover, 2005; Watkins 2005). This is a dissertation study of the human resource concerns about adopting Internet2 in a…

10 CFR 63.321 - Individual protection standard for human intrusion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... determine the earliest time after disposal that the waste package would degrade sufficiently that a human... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Individual protection standard for human intrusion. 63.321 Section 63.321 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES...

10 CFR 63.321 - Individual protection standard for human intrusion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... determine the earliest time after disposal that the waste package would degrade sufficiently that a human... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Individual protection standard for human intrusion. 63.321 Section 63.321 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES...

10 CFR 63.321 - Individual protection standard for human intrusion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... determine the earliest time after disposal that the waste package would degrade sufficiently that a human... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Individual protection standard for human intrusion. 63.321 Section 63.321 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES...

10 CFR 63.321 - Individual protection standard for human intrusion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... determine the earliest time after disposal that the waste package would degrade sufficiently that a human... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Individual protection standard for human intrusion. 63.321 Section 63.321 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES...

10 CFR 63.321 - Individual protection standard for human intrusion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... determine the earliest time after disposal that the waste package would degrade sufficiently that a human... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Individual protection standard for human intrusion. 63.321 Section 63.321 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES...

Building the Capacity to Innovate: The Role of Human Capital. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Andrew; Courvisanos, Jerry; Tuck, Jacqueline; McEachern, Steven

2012-01-01

This report examines the link between human resource management practices and innovation. It is based on a conceptual framework in which "human resource stimuli measures"--work organisation, working time, areas of training and creativity--feed into innovative capacity or innovation. Of course, having innovative capacity does not…

40 CFR 264.15 - General inspection requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... human health. The owner or operator must conduct these inspections often enough to identify problems in time to correct them before they harm human health or the environment. (b)(1) The owner or operator... important to preventing, detecting, or responding to environmental or human health hazards. (2) He must keep...

40 CFR 264.15 - General inspection requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... human health. The owner or operator must conduct these inspections often enough to identify problems in time to correct them before they harm human health or the environment. (b)(1) The owner or operator... important to preventing, detecting, or responding to environmental or human health hazards. (2) He must keep...

40 CFR 264.15 - General inspection requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... human health. The owner or operator must conduct these inspections often enough to identify problems in time to correct them before they harm human health or the environment. (b)(1) The owner or operator... important to preventing, detecting, or responding to environmental or human health hazards. (2) He must keep...

40 CFR 264.15 - General inspection requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... human health. The owner or operator must conduct these inspections often enough to identify problems in time to correct them before they harm human health or the environment. (b)(1) The owner or operator... important to preventing, detecting, or responding to environmental or human health hazards. (2) He must keep...

Portraits of Human Greatness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saint Anselm's Coll., Manchester, NH.

Examined is the Humanities Program at St. Anselm College, a two-year program of readings and lectures ordered chronologically from ancient to contemporary times--from the age of Classical Greek thought and the Old Testament to the twentieth century. The first year of the Humanities Program is organized in eight units on general modes of…

Vitamin concentrations in human milk vary with time within feed, circadian rhythm, and single-dose supplementation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Importance: Human milk is the subject of many nutrition studies but methods for representative sample collection are not established. Our recently improved, validated methods for analyzing micronutrients in human milk now enable systematic study of factors affecting their concentration. Objective...

4 CFR 83.16 - Administrative review of request for amendment of record.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... to the Assistant Comptroller General for Human Resources, U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441... the Assistant Comptroller General for Human Resources can this time limit be extended. Any extension... Human Resources also refuses to amend the record in accordance with the request, the individual will be...

Human Rights, Diversity, and Citizenship Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, James A.

2009-01-01

The 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a propitious time for educators to examine its implications for educating citizens in multicultural nation states. The author argues that students must experience democratic classrooms and schools that reflect their cultures and identities to internalize human rights values,…

77 FR 75198 - Meetings of Humanities Panel

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-19

... INFORMATION section for meeting dates. ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Library of Congress, Thomas... 37, 10117 Berlin, Germany. This meeting will discuss applications for the NEH/DFG Bilateral Digital Humanities Program, submitted to the Office of Digital Humanities. 2. Date: January 25, 2013. Time: 8:30 a.m...

Does Every Research Library Need a Digital Humanities Center?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffner, Jennifer; Erway, Ricky

2014-01-01

The digital humanities (DH) are attracting considerable attention and funding at the same time that this nascent field is striving for an identity. Some research libraries are making significant investments by creating digital humanities centers. However, questions about whether such investments are warranted persist across the cultural heritage…

Complex Systems and Human Performance Modeling

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

human communication patterns can be implemented in a task network modeling tool. Although queues are a basic feature in many task network modeling...time. MODELING COMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIOR Barabasi (2010) argues that human communication patterns are “bursty”; that is, the inter-event arrival...Having implemented the methods advocated by Clauset et al. in C3TRACE, we have grown more confident that the human communication data discussed above

77 FR 43344 - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Notice of Closed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-24

... National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d... Health and Human Development Special Emphasis Panel; ZHD1 DSR-Z 42 2. Date: August 8, 2012. Time: 1:30 p... Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 5B01, Bethesda, MD...

Final Report: The Human Microbiome as a Multipurpose Biomarker

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-23

Office P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 microbiome, biomarker, microbial forensics, microbial ecology , identifiability REPORT...temporal variation in the ecology of the human microbiome, this work demonstrated the feasibility of microbiome-based identifiability for the first time...a result with important ethical implications for microbiome study design. In order to construct metagenomic codes that are stable over time, we

Estrogen Receptor Mutants/Variants in Human Breast Cancer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-12-01

average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,gathering and maintaining the data needed...Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188...we identified, for the first time , the expression of exon deleted progesterone receptor (PR) mRNAs in both normal and neoplastic human breast tissues

Dynamic modeling and optimization for space logistics using time-expanded networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, Koki; de Weck, Olivier L.; Hoffman, Jeffrey A.; Shishko, Robert

2014-12-01

This research develops a dynamic logistics network formulation for lifecycle optimization of mission sequences as a system-level integrated method to find an optimal combination of technologies to be used at each stage of the campaign. This formulation can find the optimal transportation architecture considering its technology trades over time. The proposed methodologies are inspired by the ground logistics analysis techniques based on linear programming network optimization. Particularly, the time-expanded network and its extension are developed for dynamic space logistics network optimization trading the quality of the solution with the computational load. In this paper, the methodologies are applied to a human Mars exploration architecture design problem. The results reveal multiple dynamic system-level trades over time and give recommendation of the optimal strategy for the human Mars exploration architecture. The considered trades include those between In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and propulsion technologies as well as the orbit and depot location selections over time. This research serves as a precursor for eventual permanent settlement and colonization of other planets by humans and us becoming a multi-planet species.

Decoding the time-course of object recognition in the human brain: From visual features to categorical decisions.

PubMed

Contini, Erika W; Wardle, Susan G; Carlson, Thomas A

2017-10-01

Visual object recognition is a complex, dynamic process. Multivariate pattern analysis methods, such as decoding, have begun to reveal how the brain processes complex visual information. Recently, temporal decoding methods for EEG and MEG have offered the potential to evaluate the temporal dynamics of object recognition. Here we review the contribution of M/EEG time-series decoding methods to understanding visual object recognition in the human brain. Consistent with the current understanding of the visual processing hierarchy, low-level visual features dominate decodable object representations early in the time-course, with more abstract representations related to object category emerging later. A key finding is that the time-course of object processing is highly dynamic and rapidly evolving, with limited temporal generalisation of decodable information. Several studies have examined the emergence of object category structure, and we consider to what degree category decoding can be explained by sensitivity to low-level visual features. Finally, we evaluate recent work attempting to link human behaviour to the neural time-course of object processing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Real-time in vivo imaging of human lymphatic system using an LED-based photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuniyil Ajith Singh, Mithun; Agano, Toshitaka; Sato, Naoto; Shigeta, Yusuke; Uemura, Tetsuji

2018-02-01

Non-invasive in vivo imaging of lymphatic system is of paramount importance for analyzing the functions of lymphatic vessels, and for investigating their contribution to metastasis. Recently, we introduced a multi-wavelength real-time LED-based photoacoustic/ultrasound system (AcousticX). In this work, for the first time, we demonstrate that AcousticX is capable of real-time imaging of human lymphatic system. Results demonstrate the capability of this system to image vascular and lymphatic vessels simultaneously. This could potentially provide detailed information regarding the interconnected roles of lymphatic and vascular systems in various diseases, therefore fostering the growth of therapeutic interventions.

Time reversibility of intracranial human EEG recordings in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Heyden, M. J.; Diks, C.; Pijn, J. P. M.; Velis, D. N.

1996-02-01

Intracranial electroencephalograms from patients suffering from mesial temporal lobe epilepsy were tested for time reversibility. If the recorded time series is irreversible, the input of the recording system cannot be a realisation of a linear Gaussian random process. We confirmed experimentally that the measurement equipment did not introduce irreversibility in the recorded output when the input was a realisation of a linear Gaussian random process. In general, the non-seizure recordings are reversible, whereas the seizure recordings are irreversible. These results suggest that time reversibility is a useful property for the characterisation of human intracranial EEG recordings in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

Temporal dynamics of online petitions.

PubMed

Böttcher, Lucas; Woolley-Meza, Olivia; Brockmann, Dirk

2017-01-01

Online petitions are an important avenue for direct political action, yet the dynamics that determine when a petition will be successful are not well understood. Here we analyze the temporal characteristics of online-petition signing behavior in order to identify systematic differences between popular petitions, which receive a high volume of signatures, and unpopular ones. We find that, in line with other temporal characterizations of human activity, the signing process is typically non-Poissonian and non-homogeneous in time. However, this process exhibits anomalously high memory for human activity, possibly indicating that synchronized external influence or contagion play and important role. More interestingly, we find clear differences in the characteristics of the inter-event time distributions depending on the total number of signatures that petitions receive, independently of the total duration of the petitions. Specifically, popular petitions that attract a large volume of signatures exhibit more variance in the distribution of inter-event times than unpopular petitions with only a few signatures, which could be considered an indication that the former are more bursty. However, petitions with large signature volume are less bursty according to measures that consider the time ordering of inter-event times. Our results, therefore, emphasize the importance of accounting for time ordering to characterize human activity.

Real-time classification of auditory sentences using evoked cortical activity in humans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, David A.; Leonard, Matthew K.; Chang, Edward F.

2018-06-01

Objective. Recent research has characterized the anatomical and functional basis of speech perception in the human auditory cortex. These advances have made it possible to decode speech information from activity in brain regions like the superior temporal gyrus, but no published work has demonstrated this ability in real-time, which is necessary for neuroprosthetic brain-computer interfaces. Approach. Here, we introduce a real-time neural speech recognition (rtNSR) software package, which was used to classify spoken input from high-resolution electrocorticography signals in real-time. We tested the system with two human subjects implanted with electrode arrays over the lateral brain surface. Subjects listened to multiple repetitions of ten sentences, and rtNSR classified what was heard in real-time from neural activity patterns using direct sentence-level and HMM-based phoneme-level classification schemes. Main results. We observed single-trial sentence classification accuracies of 90% or higher for each subject with less than 7 minutes of training data, demonstrating the ability of rtNSR to use cortical recordings to perform accurate real-time speech decoding in a limited vocabulary setting. Significance. Further development and testing of the package with different speech paradigms could influence the design of future speech neuroprosthetic applications.

Fellow travellers: Working memory and mental time travel in rodents.

PubMed

Dere, Ekrem; Dere, Dorothea; de Souza Silva, Maria Angelica; Huston, Joseph P; Zlomuzica, Armin

2017-03-19

The impairment of mental time travel is a severe cognitive symptom in patients with brain lesions and a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. Whether animals are also able to mentally travel in time both forward and backward is still a matter of debate. In this regard, we have proposed a continuum of mental time travel abilities across different animal species, with humans being the species with the ability to perform most sophisticated forms of mental time travel. In this review and perspective article, we delineate a novel approach to understand the evolution, characteristics and function of human and animal mental time travel. Furthermore, we propose a novel approach to measure mental time travel in rodents in a comprehensive manner using a test battery composed of well-validated and easy applicable tests. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Quantitative Modeling of Human-Environment Interactions in Preindustrial Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sommer, Philipp S.; Kaplan, Jed O.

2017-04-01

Quantifying human-environment interactions and anthropogenic influences on the environment prior to the Industrial revolution is essential for understanding the current state of the earth system. This is particularly true for the terrestrial biosphere, but marine ecosystems and even climate were likely modified by human activities centuries to millennia ago. Direct observations are however very sparse in space and time, especially as one considers prehistory. Numerical models are therefore essential to produce a continuous picture of human-environment interactions in the past. Agent-based approaches, while widely applied to quantifying human influence on the environment in localized studies, are unsuitable for global spatial domains and Holocene timescales because of computational demands and large parameter uncertainty. Here we outline a new paradigm for the quantitative modeling of human-environment interactions in preindustrial time that is adapted to the global Holocene. Rather than attempting to simulate agency directly, the model is informed by a suite of characteristics describing those things about society that cannot be predicted on the basis of environment, e.g., diet, presence of agriculture, or range of animals exploited. These categorical data are combined with the properties of the physical environment in coupled human-environment model. The model is, at its core, a dynamic global vegetation model with a module for simulating crop growth that is adapted for preindustrial agriculture. This allows us to simulate yield and calories for feeding both humans and their domesticated animals. We couple this basic caloric availability with a simple demographic model to calculate potential population, and, constrained by labor requirements and land limitations, we create scenarios of land use and land cover on a moderate-resolution grid. We further implement a feedback loop where anthropogenic activities lead to changes in the properties of the physical environment, e.g., through soil erosion.

Ultra-Rapid Categorization of Fourier-Spectrum Equalized Natural Images: Macaques and Humans Perform Similarly

PubMed Central

Girard, Pascal; Koenig-Robert, Roger

2011-01-01

Background Comparative studies of cognitive processes find similarities between humans and apes but also monkeys. Even high-level processes, like the ability to categorize classes of object from any natural scene under ultra-rapid time constraints, seem to be present in rhesus macaque monkeys (despite a smaller brain and the lack of language and a cultural background). An interesting and still open question concerns the degree to which the same images are treated with the same efficacy by humans and monkeys when a low level cue, the spatial frequency content, is controlled. Methodology/Principal Findings We used a set of natural images equalized in Fourier spectrum and asked whether it is still possible to categorize them as containing an animal and at what speed. One rhesus macaque monkey performed a forced-choice saccadic task with a good accuracy (67.5% and 76% for new and familiar images respectively) although performance was lower than with non-equalized images. Importantly, the minimum reaction time was still very fast (100 ms). We compared the performances of human subjects with the same setup and the same set of (new) images. Overall mean performance of humans was also lower than with original images (64% correct) but the minimum reaction time was still short (140 ms). Conclusion Performances on individual images (% correct but not reaction times) for both humans and the monkey were significantly correlated suggesting that both species use similar features to perform the task. A similar advantage for full-face images was seen for both species. The results also suggest that local low spatial frequency information could be important, a finding that fits the theory that fast categorization relies on a rapid feedforward magnocellular signal. PMID:21326600

Gestation age dependent transfer of human immunoglobulins across placenta in timed-pregnant guinea pigs.

PubMed

Xu, Yanqun; Ma, Li; Norton, Malgorzata G; Stuart, Christine; Zhao, Zhong; Toibero, Denise; Dahlen, Shelby; Zhong, Lilin; Zhang, Pei; Struble, Evi B

2015-12-01

When administered during pregnancy, antibodies and other biologic drugs that contain the Fc part of the IgG molecule can traverse the placenta. Although it is generally accepted that the FcRn receptor mediates this process, gaps remain in our understanding of underlying details in humans and in common laboratory animal species. We expanded our previous studies in timed-pregnant guinea pigs to both measure the transport of human (h) IgG at earlier gestation ages in vivo and evaluate FcRn function in vitro using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Madin-Darby canine kidney cells (MDCK) that express guinea pig (gp) FcRn. In timed-pregnant guinea pigs both the average concentration of hIgG in the fetus and its ratio to maternal hIgG concentration increase exponentially with gestation age. Thus, hIgG fetal:maternal concentration ratios increase from an average of 1% to 3%, 17%, and 76% on GD ∼26, 35, 46, and 54, respectively. In vitro, gpFcRn immobilized on a solid surface can bind hIgG and gpIgG preparations in a similar manner. All engineered human Fc isotype-specific constructs were internalized by MDCK-gpFcRn cells at significant levels. While not significant, their recycling and hIgG transcytosis by this cell line also trend higher than background controls. Pregnant guinea pigs exhibit similarities with humans in the degree and timing of transplacental transfer as well as the ability of their FcRn to bind and internalize hIgG in vitro. Further studies are needed to guide building appropriate systems for the evaluation of FcRn mediated function of human immunoglobulin therapies. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Impacts of environment on human diseases: a web service for the human exposome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karssenberg, Derek; Vaartjes, Ilonca; Kamphuis, Carlijn; Strak, Maciek; Schmitz, Oliver; Soenario, Ivan; de Jong, Kor

2017-04-01

The exposome is the totality of human environmental exposures from conception onwards. Identifying the contribution of the exposome to human diseases and health is a key issue in health research. Examples include the effect of air pollution exposure on cardiovascular diseases, the impact of disease vectors (mosquitos) and surface hydrology exposure on malaria, and the effect of fast food restaurant exposure on obesity. Essential to health research is to disentangle the effects of the exposome and genome on health. Ultimately this requires quantifying the totality of all human exposures, for each individual in the studied human population. This poses a massive challenge to geoscientists, as environmental data are required at a high spatial and temporal resolution, with a large spatial and temporal coverage representing the area inhabited by the population studied and the time span representing several decades. Then, these data need to be combined with space-time paths of individuals to calculate personal exposures for each individual in the population. The Global and Geo Health Data Centre is taking this challenge by providing a web service capable of enriching population data with exposome information. Our web service can generate environmental information either from archived national (up to 5 m spatial and 1 h temporal resolution) and global environmental information or generated on the fly using environmental models running as microservices. On top of these environmental data services runs an individual exposure service enabling health researchers to select different spatial and temporal aggregation methods and to upload space-time paths of individuals. These are then enriched with personal exposures and eventually returned to the user. We illustrate the service in an example of individual exposures to air pollutants calculated from hyper resolution air pollution data and various approaches to estimate space-time paths of individuals.

Effects of human recreation on the incubation behavior of American Oystercatchers

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGowan, C.P.; Simons, T.R.

2006-01-01

Human recreational disturbance and its effects on wildlife demographics and behavior is an increasingly important area of research. We monitored the nesting success of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) in coastal North Carolina in 2002 and 2003. We also used video monitoring at nests to measure the response of incubating birds to human recreation. We counted the number of trips per hour made by adult birds to and from the nest, and we calculated the percent time that adults spent incubating. We asked whether human recreational activities (truck, all-terrain vehicle [ATV], and pedestrian traffic) were correlated with parental behavioral patterns. Eleven a priori models of nest survival and behavioral covariates were evaluated using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) to see whether incubation behavior influenced nest survival. Factors associated with birds leaving their nests (n = 548) included ATV traffic (25%), truck traffic (17%), pedestrian traffic (4%), aggression with neighboring oystercatchers or paired birds exchanging incubation duties (26%), airplane traffic (1%) and unknown factors (29%). ATV traffic was positively associated with the rate of trips to and away from the nest (??1 = 0.749, P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with percent time spent incubating (??1 = -0.037, P = 0.025). Other forms of human recreation apparently had little effect on incubation behaviors. Nest survival models incorporating the frequency of trips by adults to and from the nest, and the percentage of time adults spent incubating, were somewhat supported in the AIC analyses. A low frequency of trips to and from the nest and, counter to expectations, low percent time spent incubating were associated with higher daily nest survival rates. These data suggest that changes in incubation behavior might be one mechanism by which human recreation affects the reproductive success of American Oystercatchers.

Validation of in vitro assays in three-dimensional human dermal constructs.

PubMed

Idrees, Ayesha; Chiono, Valeria; Ciardelli, Gianluca; Shah, Siegfried; Viebahn, Richard; Zhang, Xiang; Salber, Jochen

2018-05-01

Three-dimensional cell culture systems are urgently needed for cytocompatibility testing of biomaterials. This work aimed at the development of three-dimensional in vitro dermal skin models and their optimization for cytocompatibility evaluation. Initially "murine in vitro dermal construct" based on L929 cells was generated, leading to the development of "human in vitro dermal construct" consisting of normal human dermal fibroblasts in rat tail tendon collagen type I. To assess the viability of the cells, different assays CellTiter-Blue ® , RealTime-Glo ™ MT, and CellTiter-Glo ® (Promega) were evaluated to optimize the best-suited assay to the respective cell type and three-dimensional system. Z-stack imaging (Live/Dead and Phalloidin/DAPI-Promokine) was performed to visualize normal human dermal fibroblasts inside matrix revealing filopodia-like morphology and a uniform distribution of normal human dermal fibroblasts in matrix. CellTiter-Glo was found to be the optimal cell viability assay among those analyzed. CellTiter-Blue reagent affected the cell morphology of normal human dermal fibroblasts (unlike L929), suggesting an interference with cell biological activity, resulting in less reliable viability data. On the other hand, RealTime-Glo provided a linear signal only with a very low cell density, which made this assay unsuitable for this system. CellTiter-Glo adapted to three-dimensional dermal construct by optimizing the "shaking time" to enhance the reagent penetration and maximum adenosine triphosphate release, indicating 2.4 times higher viability value by shaking for 60 min than for 5 min. In addition, viability results showed that cells were viable inside the matrix. This model would be further advanced with more layers of skin to make a full thickness model.

Scaling behavior of online human activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhi-Dan; Cai, Shi-Min; Huang, Junming; Fu, Yan; Zhou, Tao

2012-11-01

The rapid development of the Internet technology enables humans to explore the web and record the traces of online activities. From the analysis of these large-scale data sets (i.e., traces), we can get insights about the dynamic behavior of human activity. In this letter, the scaling behavior and complexity of human activity in the e-commerce, such as music, books, and movies rating, are comprehensively investigated by using the detrended fluctuation analysis technique and the multiscale entropy method. Firstly, the interevent time series of rating behaviors of these three types of media show similar scaling properties with exponents ranging from 0.53 to 0.58, which implies that the collective behaviors of rating media follow a process embodying self-similarity and long-range correlation. Meanwhile, by dividing the users into three groups based on their activities (i.e., rating per unit time), we find that the scaling exponents of the interevent time series in the three groups are different. Hence, these results suggest that a stronger long-range correlations exist in these collective behaviors. Furthermore, their information complexities vary in the three groups. To explain the differences of the collective behaviors restricted to the three groups, we study the dynamic behavior of human activity at the individual level, and find that the dynamic behaviors of a few users have extremely small scaling exponents associated with long-range anticorrelations. By comparing the interevent time distributions of four representative users, we can find that the bimodal distributions may bring forth the extraordinary scaling behaviors. These results of the analysis of the online human activity in the e-commerce may not only provide insight into its dynamic behaviors but may also be applied to acquire potential economic interest.

Chorusing, synchrony, and the evolutionary functions of rhythm

PubMed Central

Ravignani, Andrea; Bowling, Daniel L.; Fitch, W. Tecumseh

2014-01-01

A central goal of biomusicology is to understand the biological basis of human musicality. One approach to this problem has been to compare core components of human musicality (relative pitch perception, entrainment, etc.) with similar capacities in other animal species. Here we extend and clarify this comparative approach with respect to rhythm. First, whereas most comparisons between human music and animal acoustic behavior have focused on spectral properties (melody and harmony), we argue for the central importance of temporal properties, and propose that this domain is ripe for further comparative research. Second, whereas most rhythm research in non-human animals has examined animal timing in isolation, we consider how chorusing dynamics can shape individual timing, as in human music and dance, arguing that group behavior is key to understanding the adaptive functions of rhythm. To illustrate the interdependence between individual and chorusing dynamics, we present a computational model of chorusing agents relating individual call timing with synchronous group behavior. Third, we distinguish and clarify mechanistic and functional explanations of rhythmic phenomena, often conflated in the literature, arguing that this distinction is key for understanding the evolution of musicality. Fourth, we expand biomusicological discussions beyond the species typically considered, providing an overview of chorusing and rhythmic behavior across a broad range of taxa (orthopterans, fireflies, frogs, birds, and primates). Finally, we propose an “Evolving Signal Timing” hypothesis, suggesting that similarities between timing abilities in biological species will be based on comparable chorusing behaviors. We conclude that the comparative study of chorusing species can provide important insights into the adaptive function(s) of rhythmic behavior in our “proto-musical” primate ancestors, and thus inform our understanding of the biology and evolution of rhythm in human music and language. PMID:25346705

Reishi Mushroom

MedlinePlus

... may be used for viruses, such as the human papilloma virus (HPV), genital herpes, and cold sores. ... time needed for cold sores to heal. HPV (Human papilloma virus). Early research shows that taking a ...

Development of real-time motion capture system for 3D on-line games linked with virtual character

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jong Hyeong; Ryu, Young Kee; Cho, Hyung Suck

2004-10-01

Motion tracking method is being issued as essential part of the entertainment, medical, sports, education and industry with the development of 3-D virtual reality. Virtual human character in the digital animation and game application has been controlled by interfacing devices; mouse, joysticks, midi-slider, and so on. Those devices could not enable virtual human character to move smoothly and naturally. Furthermore, high-end human motion capture systems in commercial market are expensive and complicated. In this paper, we proposed a practical and fast motion capturing system consisting of optic sensors, and linked the data with 3-D game character with real time. The prototype experiment setup is successfully applied to a boxing game which requires very fast movement of human character.