Sample records for continuous overlapping net

  1. Micro-Pulse Lidar Signals: Uncertainty Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Welton, Ellsworth J.; Campbell, James R.; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Micro-pulse lidar (MPL) systems are small, autonomous, eye-safe lidars used for continuous observations of the vertical distribution of cloud and aerosol layers. Since the construction of the first MPL in 1993, procedures have been developed to correct for various instrument effects present in MPL signals. The primary instrument effects include afterpulse, laser-detector cross-talk, and overlap, poor near-range (less than 6 km) focusing. The accurate correction of both afterpulse and overlap effects are required to study both clouds and aerosols. Furthermore, the outgoing energy of the laser pulses and the statistical uncertainty of the MPL detector must also be correctly determined in order to assess the accuracy of MPL observations. The uncertainties associated with the afterpulse, overlap, pulse energy, detector noise, and all remaining quantities affecting measured MPL signals, are determined in this study. The uncertainties are propagated through the entire MPL correction process to give a net uncertainty on the final corrected MPL signal. The results show that in the near range, the overlap uncertainty dominates. At altitudes above the overlap region, the dominant source of uncertainty is caused by uncertainty in the pulse energy. However, if the laser energy is low, then during mid-day, high solar background levels can significantly reduce the signal-to-noise of the detector. In such a case, the statistical uncertainty of the detector count rate becomes dominant at altitudes above the overlap region.

  2. An Economical Analytical Equation for the Integrated Vertical Overlap of Cumulus and Stratus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Sungsu

    2018-03-01

    By extending the previously proposed heuristic parameterization, the author derived an analytical equation computing the overlap areas between the precipitation (or radiation) areas and the cloud areas in a cloud system consisting of cumulus and stratus. The new analytical equation is accurate and much more efficient than the previous heuristic equation, which suffers from the truncation error in association with the digitalization of the overlap areas. Global test simulations with the new analytical formula in an offline mode showed that the maximum cumulus overlap simulates more surface precipitation flux than the random cumulus overlap. On the other hand, the maximum stratus overlap simulates less surface precipitation flux than random stratus overlap, which is due to the increase in the evaporation rate of convective precipitation from the random to maximum stratus overlap. The independent precipitation approximation (IPA) marginally decreases the surface precipitation flux, implying that IPA works well with other parameterizations. In contrast to the net production rate of precipitation and surface precipitation flux that increase when the cumulus and stratus are maximally and randomly overlapped, respectively, the global mean net radiative cooling and longwave cloud radiative forcing (LWCF) increase when the cumulus and stratus are randomly overlapped. On the global average, the vertical cloud overlap exerts larger impacts on the precipitation flux than on the radiation flux. The radiation scheme taking the subgrid variability of water vapor between the cloud and clear portions into account substantially increases the global mean LWCF in tropical deep convection and midlatitude storm track regions.

  3. Differential Internalization Rates and Postendocytic Sorting of the Norepinephrine and Dopamine Transporters Are Controlled by Structural Elements in the N Termini*

    PubMed Central

    Vuorenpää, Anne; Jørgensen, Trine N.; Newman, Amy H.; Madsen, Kenneth L.; Scheinin, Mika

    2016-01-01

    The norepinephrine transporter (NET) mediates reuptake of synaptically released norepinephrine in central and peripheral noradrenergic neurons. The molecular processes governing availability of NET in the plasma membrane are poorly understood. Here we use the fluorescent cocaine analogue JHC 1-64, as well as several other approaches, to investigate the trafficking itinerary of NET in live noradrenergic neurons. Confocal imaging revealed extensive constitutive internalization of JHC 1-64-labeled NET in the neuronal somata, proximal extensions and presynaptic boutons. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate increased intracellular accumulation of JHC 1-64-labeled NET and caused a parallel reduction in uptake capacity. Internalized NET strongly colocalized with the “long loop” recycling marker Rab11, whereas less overlap was seen with the “short loop” recycling marker Rab4 and the late endosomal marker Rab7. Moreover, mitigating Rab11 function by overexpression of dominant negative Rab11 impaired NET function. Sorting of NET to the Rab11 recycling compartment was further supported by confocal imaging and reversible biotinylation experiments in transfected differentiated CATH.a cells. In contrast to NET, the dopamine transporter displayed markedly less constitutive internalization and limited sorting to the Rab11 recycling compartment in the differentiated CATH.a cells. Exchange of domains between the two homologous transporters revealed that this difference was determined by non-conserved structural elements in the intracellular N terminus. We conclude that NET displays a distinct trafficking itinerary characterized by continuous shuffling between the plasma membrane and the Rab11 recycling compartment and that the functional integrity of the Rab11 compartment is critical for maintaining proper presynaptic NET function. PMID:26786096

  4. netPICOmag: from Design to Network Implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schofield, I.; Connors, M.; Russell, C.

    2009-05-01

    netPICOmag is the successful conclusion of a design effort involving networking based on Rabbit microcontrollers, PIC microcontrollers, and pulsed magnetometer sensors. GPS timing allows both timestamping of data and the precision counting of the number of pulses produced by the sensor heads in one second. Power over Ethernet, use of DHCP, and broadcast of UDP packets mean a very simple local installation, with one wire leading to a relatively small integrated sensor package which is vertically placed in the ground. Although we continue to make improvements, including through investigating new sensor types, we regard the design as mature and well tested. Here we focus on the need for yet denser magnetometer networks, technological applications which become practical using sensitive yet inexpensive magnetometers, and deployment methods for large numbers of sensors. With careful calibration, netPICOmags overlap with research grade magnetometers. Without it, they still sensitively detect magnetic variations and can be used for an education or outreach program. Due to their low cost, such an application allows many students to be directly involved in gathering data that can be very relevant to them personally when they witness auroras.

  5. Effects of gill-net fishing on marine birds in a biological hotspot in the northwest Atlantic.

    PubMed

    Davoren, Gail K

    2007-08-01

    Marine biological hotspots, or areas where high abundances of species overlap in space and time, are ecologically important areas because energy flow through marine food webs, a key ecosystem process, is maximized in these areas. I investigated whether top predators aggregated at persistent spawning sites of a key forage fish species, capelin (Mallotus villosus), on the NE coast of Newfoundland during July and August 2000-2003. By examining the distributional patterns of top predators through ship-based surveys at multiple spatial and temporal scales, I found that the biomasses of birds-dominated by Common Murres (Uria aalge)-and mammals-dominated by whale species-were concentrated along the coast, with a biological hotspot forming near two persistent spawning sites of capelin in all years. The formation of this hotspot was well defined in space and time from middle of July to middle of August, likely coinciding with the spawning chronology of capelin. Within this hotspot, there was a high spatial and temporal overlap of Common Murres and gill nets set to capture Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). This resulted in breeding murres becoming entangled in gill nets while feeding on spawning capelin. Despite an acknowledged uncertainty of bycatch mortality, estimates for the larger regional-scale area (1936-4973 murres/year; 0.2-0.6% of the breeding population) underestimated mortality relative to estimates within the hotspot (3053-14054 murres/year; 0.4-1.7%). Although fishing effort for Atlantic cod has declined substantially since the groundfish moratorium in 1992, chronic, unnatural, and additive mortality through bycatch continues in coastal Newfoundland. Restricted use of gill nets within this and other biological hotspots during the capelin spawning period appears to be a straightforward application of the "ecological and biologically significant area" management framework in Canada's Oceans Act. This protection would minimize murre bycatch and maintain ecosystem integrity.

  6. Glucose-lowering effect and glycaemic variability of insulin glargine, insulin detemir and insulin lispro protamine in people with type 1 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Derosa, G; Franzetti, I; Querci, F; Romano, D; D'Angelo, A; Maffioli, P

    2015-06-01

    To compare, using a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, the effect on glycaemic variability of insulin glargine, detemir and lispro protamine. A total of 49 white people with type 1 diabetes, not well controlled by three times daily insulin lispro, taken for at least 2 months before study and on a stable dose, were enrolled. The study participants were randomized to add insulin glargine, detemir or lispro protamine, once daily, in the evening. We used a CGM system, the iPro Digital Recorder (Medtronic MiniMed, Northridge, CA, USA) for 1 week. Glycaemic control was assessed according to mean blood glucose values, the area under the glucose curve above 3.9 mmol/l (AUC(>3.9)) or above 10.0 mmol/l (AUC(>10.0)), and the percentage of time spent with glucose values >3.9 or >10.0 mmol/l. Intraday glycaemic variability was assessed using standard deviation (s.d.) values, the mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions and continuous overlapping of net glycaemic action. Day-to-day glycaemic variability was assessed using the mean of daily differences. The s.d. was found to be significantly lower with insulin lispro protamine and glargine compared with insulin detemir. AUC(>3.9) was higher and AUC(>10.0) was lower with insulin lispro protamine and glargine compared with detemir. The mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions and continuous overlapping net glycaemic action values were lower with insulin lispro protamine and glargine compared with detemir. In addition, the mean of daily differences was significantly lower with insulin lispro protamine and glargine compared with detemir. Fewer hypoglycaemic events were recorded during the night-time with insulin lispro protamine compared with glargine and detemir. The results suggest that insulin lispro protamine and glargine are more effective than detemir in reducing glycaemic variability and improving glycaemic control in people with type 1 diabetes. Insulin lispro protamine seems to lead to fewer hypoglycaemic events than other insulin regimens. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Coupled SPH-FV method with net vorticity and mass transfer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chiron, L.; Marrone, S.; Di Mascio, A.; Le Touzé, D.

    2018-07-01

    Recently, an algorithm for coupling a Finite Volume (FV) method, that discretize the Navier-Stokes equations on block structured Eulerian grids, with the weakly-compressible Lagrangian Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) was presented in [16]. The algorithm takes advantage of the SPH method to discretize flow regions close to free-surfaces and of the FV method to resolve the bulk flow and the wall regions. The continuity between the two solutions is guaranteed by overlapping zones. Here we extend the algorithm by adding the possibility to have: 1) net mass transfer between the SPH and FV sub-domains; 2) free-surface across the overlapping region. In this context, particle generation at common boundaries is required to prevent depletion or clustering of particles. This operation is not trivial, because consistency between the Lagrangian and Eulerian description of the flow must be retained to ensure mass conservation. We propose here a new coupling paradigm that extends the algorithm developed in [16] and renders it suitable to test cases where vorticity and free surface significantly pass from one domain to the other. On the SPH side, a novel technique for the creation/deletion of particle was developed. On the FV side, the information recovered from the SPH solver are exploited to improve free surface prediction in a fashion that resemble the Particle Level-Set algorithms. The combination of the two new features was tested and validated in a number of test cases where both vorticity and front evolution are important. Convergence and robustness of the algorithm are shown.

  8. The Development of Animal Behavior: From Lorenz to Neural Nets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bolhuis, Johan J.

    In the study of behavioral development both causal and functional approaches have been used, and they often overlap. The concept of ontogenetic adaptations suggests that each developmental phase involves unique adaptations to the environment of the developing animal. The functional concept of optimal outbreeding has led to further experimental evidence and theoretical models concerning the role of sexual imprinting in the evolutionary process of sexual selection. From a causal perspective it has been proposed that behavioral ontogeny involves the development of various kinds of perceptual, motor, and central mechanisms and the formation of connections among them. This framework has been tested for a number of complex behavior systems such as hunger and dustbathing. Imprinting is often seen as a model system for behavioral development in general. Recent advances in imprinting research have been the result of an interdisciplinary effort involving ethology, neuroscience, and experimental psychology, with a continual interplay between these approaches. The imprinting results are consistent with Lorenz' early intuitive suggestions and are also reflected in the architecture of recent neural net models.

  9. 26 CFR 1.584-6 - Net operating loss deduction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Net operating loss deduction. 1.584-6 Section 1.584-6 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Banking Institutions § 1.584-6 Net operating loss deduction. The net...

  10. Non-overlapping Neural Networks in Hydra vulgaris.

    PubMed

    Dupre, Christophe; Yuste, Rafael

    2017-04-24

    To understand the emergent properties of neural circuits, it would be ideal to record the activity of every neuron in a behaving animal and decode how it relates to behavior. We have achieved this with the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris, using calcium imaging of genetically engineered animals to measure the activity of essentially all of its neurons. Although the nervous system of Hydra is traditionally described as a simple nerve net, we surprisingly find instead a series of functional networks that are anatomically non-overlapping and are associated with specific behaviors. Three major functional networks extend through the entire animal and are activated selectively during longitudinal contractions, elongations in response to light, and radial contractions, whereas an additional network is located near the hypostome and is active during nodding. These results demonstrate the functional sophistication of apparently simple nerve nets, and the potential of Hydra and other basal metazoans as a model system for neural circuit studies. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Single-shot T2 mapping using overlapping-echo detachment planar imaging and a deep convolutional neural network.

    PubMed

    Cai, Congbo; Wang, Chao; Zeng, Yiqing; Cai, Shuhui; Liang, Dong; Wu, Yawen; Chen, Zhong; Ding, Xinghao; Zhong, Jianhui

    2018-04-24

    An end-to-end deep convolutional neural network (CNN) based on deep residual network (ResNet) was proposed to efficiently reconstruct reliable T 2 mapping from single-shot overlapping-echo detachment (OLED) planar imaging. The training dataset was obtained from simulations that were carried out on SPROM (Simulation with PRoduct Operator Matrix) software developed by our group. The relationship between the original OLED image containing two echo signals and the corresponding T 2 mapping was learned by ResNet training. After the ResNet was trained, it was applied to reconstruct the T 2 mapping from simulation and in vivo human brain data. Although the ResNet was trained entirely on simulated data, the trained network was generalized well to real human brain data. The results from simulation and in vivo human brain experiments show that the proposed method significantly outperforms the echo-detachment-based method. Reliable T 2 mapping with higher accuracy is achieved within 30 ms after the network has been trained, while the echo-detachment-based OLED reconstruction method took approximately 2 min. The proposed method will facilitate real-time dynamic and quantitative MR imaging via OLED sequence, and deep convolutional neural network has the potential to reconstruct maps from complex MRI sequences efficiently. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  12. A systems-genetics approach and data mining tool to assist in the discovery of genes underlying complex traits in Oryza sativa.

    PubMed

    Ficklin, Stephen P; Feltus, Frank Alex

    2013-01-01

    Many traits of biological and agronomic significance in plants are controlled in a complex manner where multiple genes and environmental signals affect the expression of the phenotype. In Oryza sativa (rice), thousands of quantitative genetic signals have been mapped to the rice genome. In parallel, thousands of gene expression profiles have been generated across many experimental conditions. Through the discovery of networks with real gene co-expression relationships, it is possible to identify co-localized genetic and gene expression signals that implicate complex genotype-phenotype relationships. In this work, we used a knowledge-independent, systems genetics approach, to discover a high-quality set of co-expression networks, termed Gene Interaction Layers (GILs). Twenty-two GILs were constructed from 1,306 Affymetrix microarray rice expression profiles that were pre-clustered to allow for improved capture of gene co-expression relationships. Functional genomic and genetic data, including over 8,000 QTLs and 766 phenotype-tagged SNPs (p-value < = 0.001) from genome-wide association studies, both covering over 230 different rice traits were integrated with the GILs. An online systems genetics data-mining resource, the GeneNet Engine, was constructed to enable dynamic discovery of gene sets (i.e. network modules) that overlap with genetic traits. GeneNet Engine does not provide the exact set of genes underlying a given complex trait, but through the evidence of gene-marker correspondence, co-expression, and functional enrichment, site visitors can identify genes with potential shared causality for a trait which could then be used for experimental validation. A set of 2 million SNPs was incorporated into the database and serve as a potential set of testable biomarkers for genes in modules that overlap with genetic traits. Herein, we describe two modules found using GeneNet Engine, one with significant overlap with the trait amylose content and another with significant overlap with blast disease resistance.

  13. A Systems-Genetics Approach and Data Mining Tool to Assist in the Discovery of Genes Underlying Complex Traits in Oryza sativa

    PubMed Central

    Ficklin, Stephen P.; Feltus, Frank Alex

    2013-01-01

    Many traits of biological and agronomic significance in plants are controlled in a complex manner where multiple genes and environmental signals affect the expression of the phenotype. In Oryza sativa (rice), thousands of quantitative genetic signals have been mapped to the rice genome. In parallel, thousands of gene expression profiles have been generated across many experimental conditions. Through the discovery of networks with real gene co-expression relationships, it is possible to identify co-localized genetic and gene expression signals that implicate complex genotype-phenotype relationships. In this work, we used a knowledge-independent, systems genetics approach, to discover a high-quality set of co-expression networks, termed Gene Interaction Layers (GILs). Twenty-two GILs were constructed from 1,306 Affymetrix microarray rice expression profiles that were pre-clustered to allow for improved capture of gene co-expression relationships. Functional genomic and genetic data, including over 8,000 QTLs and 766 phenotype-tagged SNPs (p-value < = 0.001) from genome-wide association studies, both covering over 230 different rice traits were integrated with the GILs. An online systems genetics data-mining resource, the GeneNet Engine, was constructed to enable dynamic discovery of gene sets (i.e. network modules) that overlap with genetic traits. GeneNet Engine does not provide the exact set of genes underlying a given complex trait, but through the evidence of gene-marker correspondence, co-expression, and functional enrichment, site visitors can identify genes with potential shared causality for a trait which could then be used for experimental validation. A set of 2 million SNPs was incorporated into the database and serve as a potential set of testable biomarkers for genes in modules that overlap with genetic traits. Herein, we describe two modules found using GeneNet Engine, one with significant overlap with the trait amylose content and another with significant overlap with blast disease resistance. PMID:23874666

  14. Linking netCDF Data with the Semantic Web - Enhancing Data Discovery Across Domains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Biard, J. C.; Yu, J.; Hedley, M.; Cox, S. J. D.; Leadbetter, A.; Car, N. J.; Druken, K. A.; Nativi, S.; Davis, E.

    2016-12-01

    Geophysical data communities are publishing large quantities of data across a wide variety of scientific domains which are overlapping more and more. Whilst netCDF is a common format for many of these communities, it is only one of a large number of data storage and transfer formats. One of the major challenges ahead is finding ways to leverage these diverse data sets to advance our understanding of complex problems. We describe a methodology for incorporating Resource Description Framework (RDF) triples into netCDF files called netCDF-LD (netCDF Linked Data). NetCDF-LD explicitly connects the contents of netCDF files - both data and metadata, with external web-based resources, including vocabularies, standards definitions, and data collections, and through them, a whole host of related information. This approach also preserves and enhances the self describing essence of the netCDF format and its metadata, whilst addressing the challenge of integrating various conventions into files. We present a case study illustrating how reasoning over RDF graphs can empower researchers to discover datasets across domain boundaries.

  15. Binding Sites Analyser (BiSA): Software for Genomic Binding Sites Archiving and Overlap Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Khushi, Matloob; Liddle, Christopher; Clarke, Christine L.; Graham, J. Dinny

    2014-01-01

    Genome-wide mapping of transcription factor binding and histone modification reveals complex patterns of interactions. Identifying overlaps in binding patterns by different factors is a major objective of genomic studies, but existing methods to archive large numbers of datasets in a personalised database lack sophistication and utility. Therefore we have developed transcription factor DNA binding site analyser software (BiSA), for archiving of binding regions and easy identification of overlap with or proximity to other regions of interest. Analysis results can be restricted by chromosome or base pair overlap between regions or maximum distance between binding peaks. BiSA is capable of reporting overlapping regions that share common base pairs; regions that are nearby; regions that are not overlapping; and average region sizes. BiSA can identify genes located near binding regions of interest, genomic features near a gene or locus of interest and statistical significance of overlapping regions can also be reported. Overlapping results can be visualized as Venn diagrams. A major strength of BiSA is that it is supported by a comprehensive database of publicly available transcription factor binding sites and histone modifications, which can be directly compared to user data. The documentation and source code are available on http://bisa.sourceforge.net PMID:24533055

  16. Inversion of very large matrices encountered in large scale problems of photogrammetry and photographic astrometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, D. C.

    1971-01-01

    The simultaneous adjustment of very large nets of overlapping plates covering the celestial sphere becomes computationally feasible by virtue of a twofold process that generates a system of normal equations having a bordered-banded coefficient matrix, and solves such a system in a highly efficient manner. Numerical results suggest that when a well constructed spherical net is subjected to a rigorous, simultaneous adjustment, the exercise of independently established control points is neither required for determinancy nor for production of accurate results.

  17. Net Venn - An integrated network analysis web platform for gene lists

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Many lists containing biological identifiers such as gene lists have been generated in various genomics projects. Identifying the overlap among gene lists can enable us to understand the similarities and differences between the datasets. Here, we present an interactome network-based web application...

  18. Interactions among resource partitioning, sampling effect, and facilitation on the biodiversity effect: a modeling approach.

    PubMed

    Flombaum, Pedro; Sala, Osvaldo E; Rastetter, Edward B

    2014-02-01

    Resource partitioning, facilitation, and sampling effect are the three mechanisms behind the biodiversity effect, which is depicted usually as the effect of plant-species richness on aboveground net primary production. These mechanisms operate simultaneously but their relative importance and interactions are difficult to unravel experimentally. Thus, niche differentiation and facilitation have been lumped together and separated from the sampling effect. Here, we propose three hypotheses about interactions among the three mechanisms and test them using a simulation model. The model simulated water movement through soil and vegetation, and net primary production mimicking the Patagonian steppe. Using the model, we created grass and shrub monocultures and mixtures, controlled root overlap and grass water-use efficiency (WUE) to simulate gradients of biodiversity, resource partitioning and facilitation. The presence of shrubs facilitated grass growth by increasing its WUE and in turn increased the sampling effect, whereas root overlap (resource partitioning) had, on average, no effect on sampling effect. Interestingly, resource partitioning and facilitation interacted so the effect of facilitation on sampling effect decreased as resource partitioning increased. Sampling effect was enhanced by the difference between the two functional groups in their efficiency in using resources. Morphological and physiological differences make one group outperform the other; once these differences were established further differences did not enhance the sampling effect. In addition, grass WUE and root overlap positively influence the biodiversity effect but showed no interactions.

  19. STITCHER 2.0: primer design for overlapping PCR applications

    PubMed Central

    O’Halloran, Damien M.; Uriagereka-Herburger, Isabel; Bode, Katrin

    2017-01-01

    Overlapping polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a common technique used by researchers in very diverse fields that enables the user to ‘stitch’ individual pieces of DNA together. Previously, we have reported a web based tool called STITCHER that provides a platform for researchers to automate the design of primers for overlapping PCR applications. Here we present STITCHER 2.0, which represents a substantial update to STITCHER. STITCHER 2.0 is a newly designed web tool that automates the design of primers for overlapping PCR. Unlike STITCHER, STITCHER 2.0 considers diverse algorithmic parameters, and returns multiple result files that include a facility for the user to draw their own primers as well as comprehensive visual guides to the user’s input, output, and designed primers. These result files provide greater control and insight during experimental design and troubleshooting. STITCHER 2.0 is freely available to all users without signup or login requirements and can be accessed at the following webpage: www.ohalloranlab.net/STITCHER2.html. PMID:28358011

  20. STITCHER 2.0: primer design for overlapping PCR applications.

    PubMed

    O'Halloran, Damien M; Uriagereka-Herburger, Isabel; Bode, Katrin

    2017-03-30

    Overlapping polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a common technique used by researchers in very diverse fields that enables the user to 'stitch' individual pieces of DNA together. Previously, we have reported a web based tool called STITCHER that provides a platform for researchers to automate the design of primers for overlapping PCR applications. Here we present STITCHER 2.0, which represents a substantial update to STITCHER. STITCHER 2.0 is a newly designed web tool that automates the design of primers for overlapping PCR. Unlike STITCHER, STITCHER 2.0 considers diverse algorithmic parameters, and returns multiple result files that include a facility for the user to draw their own primers as well as comprehensive visual guides to the user's input, output, and designed primers. These result files provide greater control and insight during experimental design and troubleshooting. STITCHER 2.0 is freely available to all users without signup or login requirements and can be accessed at the following webpage: www.ohalloranlab.net/STITCHER2.html.

  1. STITCHER: A web resource for high-throughput design of primers for overlapping PCR applications.

    PubMed

    O'Halloran, Damien M

    2015-06-01

    Overlapping PCR is routinely used in a wide number of molecular applications. These include stitching PCR fragments together, generating fluorescent transcriptional and translational fusions, inserting mutations, making deletions, and PCR cloning. Overlapping PCR is also used for genotyping by traditional PCR techniques and in detection experiments using techniques such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). STITCHER is a web tool providing a central resource for researchers conducting all types of overlapping PCR experiments with an intuitive interface for automated primer design that's fast, easy to use, and freely available online (http://ohalloranlab.net/STITCHER.html). STITCHER can handle both single sequence and multi-sequence input, and specific features facilitate numerous other PCR applications, including assembly PCR, adapter PCR, and primer walking. Field PCR, and in particular, LAMP, offers promise as an on site tool for pathogen detection in underdeveloped areas, and STITCHER includes off-target detection features for pathogens commonly targeted using LAMP technology.

  2. A Probabilistic Model of Global-Scale Seismology with Veith-Clawson Amplitude Corrections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arora, N. S.; Russell, S.

    2013-12-01

    We present a probabilistic generative model of global-scale seismology, NET-VISA, that is designed to address the event detection and location problem of seismic monitoring. The model is based on a standard Bayesian framework with prior probabilities for event generation and propagation as well as likelihoods of detection and arrival (or onset) parameters. The model is supplemented with a greedy search algorithm that iteratively improves the predicted bulletin with respect to the posterior probability. Our prior model incorporates both seismic theory and empirical observations as appropriate. For instance, we use empirical observations for the expected rates of earthquake at each point on the earth, while we use the Gutenberg-Richter law for the the expected magnitude distribution of these earthquakes. In this work, we describe an extension of our model where we include the Veith-Clawson (1972) amplitude decline curves in our empirically calibrated arrival amplitude model. While this change doesn't alter the overall event-detection results, we have chosen to keep the Veith-Clawson curves since they are more seismically accurate. We also describe a recent change to our search algorithm, whereby we now consider multiple hypotheses when we encounter a series of closely spaced arrivals which could be explained by either a single event or multiple co-located events. This change has led to a sharp improvement in our results on large after-shock sequences. We use the analyst-curated LEB bulletin or the REB bulletin, which is the published product of the IDC, as a reference and measure the overlap (percentage of reference events that are matched) and inconsistency (percentage of test bulletin events that don't match anything in the reference) of a one-to-one matching between the test and the reference bulletins. In the table below we show results for NET-VISA and SEL3, which is produced by the existing GA software, for the whole of 2009. These results show that NET-VISA, which is restricted to use arrivals with a 6 hour lag (in order to be comparable to SEL3), reduces the number of missed events by a factor of 2.5 while simultaneously reducing the rate of spurious events. Further, these "spurious" NET-VISA events, in fact, include many real events which are missed by the human analysts. When we compare the NET-VISA events, with arrivals from at least 3 stations (to be comparable to LEB), with NEIC events (in the ISC catalog) over the continental United States, as well as NNC events over Central Asia, we find that NET-VISA identifies 1.5 to 2 times the number of events that the IDC analysts find. Most of these additional events are in the 2--4 mb or ML range. Our experiments also confirm that NET-VISA accurately located each of the recent nuclear explosions to within 5 km of the LEB location. For large after-shock sequences, NET-VISA has been shown to be very efficient as well as accurate. For example on the Tohoku sequence (March 10 -- 14, 2011), NET-VISA (running time 2.57 days) had an overlap of 82.7 % with LEB and inconsistency of 26.8 % versus SEL3's overlap of 71.9 % and inconsistency of 40 %.

  3. A method of studying wild bird populations by mist-netting and banding

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stamm, D.D.; Davis, D.E.; Robbins, C.S.

    1960-01-01

    1. Progress is reported toward development of a method of bird-population study based on mist-netting and banding. A definite pattern of arrangement and schedule of operation are presented. 2. Nets were operated for a total of 4200 net-hours during which 966 captures were made (23.0 birds per 100 net-hours). A total of 431 adult breeding birds were banded and 38 per cent of them were recaptured. 3. A breeding bird census was made simultaneously in the same area by the Williams spot-mapping technique. 4. Estimates of population by recapture agreed closely with the spot-mappmg census. 5. Some birds are demonstrated to have overlapping home-ranges much larger than their singing territories. 6. Recruitment and net-shyness distort recapture estimates of population .but the method allows detection and assessment of their influence in the population dealt with here. 7. The method produced integrated information on population density and dynamics, movement and behavior. 8. The procedure is especially well adapted to studies of disease agents in bird populations. 9. A simple scheme for description of the habitat in terms of relative abundance and frequency of occurrence of tree species was used.

  4. 40 CFR 73.83 - Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE ALLOWANCE SYSTEM Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Reserve § 73.83 Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Secretary of Energy's action on net...

  5. 40 CFR 73.83 - Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE ALLOWANCE SYSTEM Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Reserve § 73.83 Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Secretary of Energy's action on net...

  6. 40 CFR 73.83 - Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE ALLOWANCE SYSTEM Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Reserve § 73.83 Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Secretary of Energy's action on net...

  7. 40 CFR 73.83 - Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE ALLOWANCE SYSTEM Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Reserve § 73.83 Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Secretary of Energy's action on net...

  8. 40 CFR 73.83 - Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE ALLOWANCE SYSTEM Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Reserve § 73.83 Secretary of Energy's action on net income neutrality applications. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Secretary of Energy's action on net...

  9. Climatic Forecasting of Net Infiltration at Yucca Montain Using Analogue Meteororological Data

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

    B. Faybishenko

    At Yucca Mountain, Nevada, future changes in climatic conditions will most likely alter net infiltration, or the drainage below the bottom of the evapotranspiration zone within the soil profile or flow across the interface between soil and the densely welded part of the Tiva Canyon Tuff. The objectives of this paper are to: (a) develop a semi-empirical model and forecast average net infiltration rates, using the limited meteorological data from analogue meteorological stations, for interglacial (present day), and future monsoon, glacial transition, and glacial climates over the Yucca Mountain region, and (b) corroborate the computed net-infiltration rates by comparing themmore » with the empirically and numerically determined groundwater recharge and percolation rates through the unsaturated zone from published data. In this paper, the author presents an approach for calculations of net infiltration, aridity, and precipitation-effectiveness indices, using a modified Budyko's water-balance model, with reference-surface potential evapotranspiration determined from the radiation-based Penman (1948) formula. Results of calculations show that net infiltration rates are expected to generally increase from the present-day climate to monsoon climate, to glacial transition climate, and then to the glacial climate. The forecasting results indicate the overlap between the ranges of net infiltration for different climates. For example, the mean glacial net-infiltration rate corresponds to the upper-bound glacial transition net infiltration, and the lower-bound glacial net infiltration corresponds to the glacial transition mean net infiltration. Forecasting of net infiltration for different climate states is subject to numerous uncertainties-associated with selecting climate analogue sites, using relatively short analogue meteorological records, neglecting the effects of vegetation and surface runoff and runon on a local scale, as well as possible anthropogenic climate changes.« less

  10. Decentralised control of continuous Petri nets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Liewei; Wang, Xu

    2017-05-01

    This paper focuses on decentralised control of systems modelled by continuous Petri nets, in which a target marking control problem is discussed. In some previous works, an efficient ON/OFF strategy-based minimum-time controller was developed. Nevertheless, the convergence is only proved for subclasses like Choice-Free nets. For a general net, the pre-conditions of applying the ON/OFF strategy are not given; therefore, the application scope of the method is unclear. In this work, we provide two sufficient conditions of applying the ON/OFF strategy-based controller to general nets. Furthermore, an extended algorithm for general nets is proposed, in which control laws are computed based on some limited information, without knowing the detailed structure of subsystems.

  11. Application of Petri net based analysis techniques to signal transduction pathways.

    PubMed

    Sackmann, Andrea; Heiner, Monika; Koch, Ina

    2006-11-02

    Signal transduction pathways are usually modelled using classical quantitative methods, which are based on ordinary differential equations (ODEs). However, some difficulties are inherent in this approach. On the one hand, the kinetic parameters involved are often unknown and have to be estimated. With increasing size and complexity of signal transduction pathways, the estimation of missing kinetic data is not possible. On the other hand, ODEs based models do not support any explicit insights into possible (signal-) flows within the network. Moreover, a huge amount of qualitative data is available due to high-throughput techniques. In order to get information on the systems behaviour, qualitative analysis techniques have been developed. Applications of the known qualitative analysis methods concern mainly metabolic networks. Petri net theory provides a variety of established analysis techniques, which are also applicable to signal transduction models. In this context special properties have to be considered and new dedicated techniques have to be designed. We apply Petri net theory to model and analyse signal transduction pathways first qualitatively before continuing with quantitative analyses. This paper demonstrates how to build systematically a discrete model, which reflects provably the qualitative biological behaviour without any knowledge of kinetic parameters. The mating pheromone response pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae serves as case study. We propose an approach for model validation of signal transduction pathways based on the network structure only. For this purpose, we introduce the new notion of feasible t-invariants, which represent minimal self-contained subnets being active under a given input situation. Each of these subnets stands for a signal flow in the system. We define maximal common transition sets (MCT-sets), which can be used for t-invariant examination and net decomposition into smallest biologically meaningful functional units. The paper demonstrates how Petri net analysis techniques can promote a deeper understanding of signal transduction pathways. The new concepts of feasible t-invariants and MCT-sets have been proven to be useful for model validation and the interpretation of the biological system behaviour. Whereas MCT-sets provide a decomposition of the net into disjunctive subnets, feasible t-invariants describe subnets, which generally overlap. This work contributes to qualitative modelling and to the analysis of large biological networks by their fully automatic decomposition into biologically meaningful modules.

  12. Application of Petri net based analysis techniques to signal transduction pathways

    PubMed Central

    Sackmann, Andrea; Heiner, Monika; Koch, Ina

    2006-01-01

    Background Signal transduction pathways are usually modelled using classical quantitative methods, which are based on ordinary differential equations (ODEs). However, some difficulties are inherent in this approach. On the one hand, the kinetic parameters involved are often unknown and have to be estimated. With increasing size and complexity of signal transduction pathways, the estimation of missing kinetic data is not possible. On the other hand, ODEs based models do not support any explicit insights into possible (signal-) flows within the network. Moreover, a huge amount of qualitative data is available due to high-throughput techniques. In order to get information on the systems behaviour, qualitative analysis techniques have been developed. Applications of the known qualitative analysis methods concern mainly metabolic networks. Petri net theory provides a variety of established analysis techniques, which are also applicable to signal transduction models. In this context special properties have to be considered and new dedicated techniques have to be designed. Methods We apply Petri net theory to model and analyse signal transduction pathways first qualitatively before continuing with quantitative analyses. This paper demonstrates how to build systematically a discrete model, which reflects provably the qualitative biological behaviour without any knowledge of kinetic parameters. The mating pheromone response pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae serves as case study. Results We propose an approach for model validation of signal transduction pathways based on the network structure only. For this purpose, we introduce the new notion of feasible t-invariants, which represent minimal self-contained subnets being active under a given input situation. Each of these subnets stands for a signal flow in the system. We define maximal common transition sets (MCT-sets), which can be used for t-invariant examination and net decomposition into smallest biologically meaningful functional units. Conclusion The paper demonstrates how Petri net analysis techniques can promote a deeper understanding of signal transduction pathways. The new concepts of feasible t-invariants and MCT-sets have been proven to be useful for model validation and the interpretation of the biological system behaviour. Whereas MCT-sets provide a decomposition of the net into disjunctive subnets, feasible t-invariants describe subnets, which generally overlap. This work contributes to qualitative modelling and to the analysis of large biological networks by their fully automatic decomposition into biologically meaningful modules. PMID:17081284

  13. Modeling of water treatment plant using timed continuous Petri nets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nurul Fuady Adhalia, H.; Subiono, Adzkiya, Dieky

    2017-08-01

    Petri nets represent graphically certain conditions and rules. In this paper, we construct a model of the Water Treatment Plant (WTP) using timed continuous Petri nets. Specifically, we consider that (1) the water pump always active and (2) the water source is always available. After obtaining the model, the flow through the transitions and token conservation laws are calculated.

  14. 26 CFR 1.9002-4 - Election to pay net increase in tax in installments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES General Actuarial Valuations § 1.9002-4 Election to pay net increase in tax in installments. (a) Election. If an election is made under section 4(a) of the Act and if... 26 Internal Revenue 13 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Election to pay net increase in tax in...

  15. Net-VISA used as a complement to standard software at the CTBTO: initial operational experience with next-generation software.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Le Bras, R. J.; Arora, N. S.; Kushida, N.; Kebede, F.; Feitio, P.; Tomuta, E.

    2017-12-01

    The International Monitoring System of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) has reached out to the broader scientific community through a series of conferences, the later one of which took place in June 2017 in Vienna, Austria. Stemming out of this outreach effort, after the inception of research and development efforts in 2009, the NET-VISA software, following a Bayesian modelling approach, has been elaborated to improve on the key step of automatic association of joint seismic, hydro-acoustic, and infrasound detections. When compared with the current operational system, it has been consistently shown on off-line tests to improve the overlap with the analyst-reviewed Reviewed Event Bulletin (REB) by ten percent for an average of 85% overlap, while the inconsistency rate is essentially the same at about 50%. Testing by analysts in realistic conditions on a few days of data has also demonstrated the software performance in finding additional events which qualify for publication in the REB. Starting in August 2017, the automatic events produced by the software will be reviewed by analysts at the CTBTO, and we report on the initial evaluation of this introduction into operations.

  16. The Next Spaceflight Solar Irradiance Sensor: TSIS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kopp, Greg; Pilewskie, Peter; Richard, Erik

    2016-05-01

    The Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS) will continue measurements of the solar irradiance with improved accuracies and stabilities over extant spaceflight instruments. The two TSIS solar-observing instruments include the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) and the Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) for measuring total- and spectral- solar-irradiance, respectively. The former provides the net energy powering the Earth’s climate system while the latter helps attribute where that energy is absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere and surface. Both spaceflight instruments are assembled and being prepared for integration on the International Space Station. With operations commencing in late 2017, the TSIS is intended to overlap with NASA’s ongoing SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) mission, which launched in 2003 and contains the first versions of both the TIM and SIM instruments, as well as with the TSI Calibration Transfer Experiment (TCTE), which began total solar irradiance measurements in 2013. We summarize the TSIS’s instrument improvements and intended solar-irradiance measurements.

  17. 26 CFR 1.857-5 - Net income and loss from prohibited transactions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    .... 1.857-5 Section 1.857-5 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-5 Net... than those provisions of part II of subchapter M which relate to prohibited transactions, no inference...

  18. 26 CFR 1.857-5 - Net income and loss from prohibited transactions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-5 Net... property. The 100-percent tax is imposed to preclude a real estate investment trust from retaining any... transaction, the activities of a real estate investment trust with respect to foreclosure property and its...

  19. 26 CFR 1.857-5 - Net income and loss from prohibited transactions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-5 Net... property. The 100-percent tax is imposed to preclude a real estate investment trust from retaining any... transaction, the activities of a real estate investment trust with respect to foreclosure property and its...

  20. 26 CFR 1.857-5 - Net income and loss from prohibited transactions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-5 Net... property. The 100-percent tax is imposed to preclude a real estate investment trust from retaining any... transaction, the activities of a real estate investment trust with respect to foreclosure property and its...

  1. Sub-Audible Speech Recognition Based upon Electromyographic Signals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jorgensen, Charles C. (Inventor); Agabon, Shane T. (Inventor); Lee, Diana D. (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    Method and system for processing and identifying a sub-audible signal formed by a source of sub-audible sounds. Sequences of samples of sub-audible sound patterns ("SASPs") for known words/phrases in a selected database are received for overlapping time intervals, and Signal Processing Transforms ("SPTs") are formed for each sample, as part of a matrix of entry values. The matrix is decomposed into contiguous, non-overlapping two-dimensional cells of entries, and neural net analysis is applied to estimate reference sets of weight coefficients that provide sums with optimal matches to reference sets of values. The reference sets of weight coefficients are used to determine a correspondence between a new (unknown) word/phrase and a word/phrase in the database.

  2. 26 CFR 1.857-2 - Real estate investment trust taxable income and net capital gain.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 9 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Real estate investment trust taxable income and... TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-2 Real estate investment trust taxable income and net capital gain. (a) Real estate investment trust...

  3. 26 CFR 1.857-2 - Real estate investment trust taxable income and net capital gain.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 9 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Real estate investment trust taxable income and... TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-2 Real estate investment trust taxable income and net capital gain. (a) Real estate investment trust...

  4. 26 CFR 1.857-2 - Real estate investment trust taxable income and net capital gain.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 9 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Real estate investment trust taxable income and... TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-2 Real estate investment trust taxable income and net capital gain. (a) Real estate investment trust...

  5. 26 CFR 1.857-2 - Real estate investment trust taxable income and net capital gain.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 9 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Real estate investment trust taxable income and... TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-2 Real estate investment trust taxable income and net capital gain. (a) Real estate investment trust...

  6. Development of the Navy Computer Adaptive Personality Scales (NCAPS)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-09-01

    Psychological Inventory (CPI) 20 Gough & Bradley (1996) Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) 11 Tellegen (1982) O*NET Work Styles 17 Borman...Force enlisted personnel. Social astuteness also has conceptual overlap with the CPI Psychological Mindedness scale. The CPI Psychological Mindedness...scale had internal consistency reliability of α = .62 (n = 6,000; 3,000 males and 3,000 females). The Psychological Mindedness scale had a 1- year

  7. Current Status and Future Prospect of K-NET and KiK-net

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aoi, S.; Kunugi, T.; Suzuki, W.; Nakamura, H.; Fujiwara, H.

    2014-12-01

    During 18 years since the deployment of K-NET following the Kobe earthquake, our attention has mainly focused on rapidity of the data collection and an unfailing and reliable observation. In this presentation, we review three generations of the instruments employed by K-NET and KiK-net from these two points of view.At beginning of the 2000's, we newly developed the second generation instruments (K-NET02, K-NET02A, KiK-net06) to replace the first generation instruments (K-NET95, SMAC-MDK) employed when the networks were constructed in the 1990's. These instruments have an automatic dial-out function. It takes typically 2-5 s to establish communication and a few seconds to send the pre-trigger data. After that, data is available typically within a 1.5 s delay. Not only waveform data but also strong motion indexes such as real-time intensity, PGA, PGV, PGD, and response spectra are continuously sent once a second.After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, we have developed the third generation instruments (K-NET11, KiK-net11) and have replaced almost half of the all stations country wide. Main improvement of this instrument is more unfailing and reliable observation. Because we have often experienced very large ground motions (e.g. 45 records exceeding gravity), the maximum measureable range was expanded from 2000 gal to 4000 gal for the second generation instrument, and to 8000 gal for the third. For the third generation instrument, in case of power failure, observation (including transmission of data) works for seven days thanks to the backup battery, while for the second generation instruments it works only for one day. By adding an oblique component to the three-component accelerometers, we could automatically distinguish shaking data from noise such as electric pulses which may cause a false alarm in EEW. Implementation to guarantee the continuity of observation under severe conditions such as during the Tohoku earthquake is very important, as well as a highly efficient observation. Owning to the drastic progress of information technologies, continuous observation has become technically and economically feasible and some of stations are experimentally equipped with a continuous communication line. Continuous observation offers very important information to help mitigating ongoing earthquake disasters.

  8. 47 CFR 69.608 - Carrier Common Line hypothetical net balance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Carrier Common Line hypothetical net balance. 69.608 Section 69.608 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER... net balance. The hypothetical net balance shall be equal to a Carrier Common Line revenue requirement...

  9. 47 CFR 69.608 - Carrier Common Line hypothetical net balance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Carrier Common Line hypothetical net balance. 69.608 Section 69.608 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER... net balance. The hypothetical net balance shall be equal to a Carrier Common Line revenue requirement...

  10. An advanced environment for hybrid modeling of biological systems based on modelica.

    PubMed

    Pross, Sabrina; Bachmann, Bernhard

    2011-01-20

    Biological systems are often very complex so that an appropriate formalism is needed for modeling their behavior. Hybrid Petri Nets, consisting of time-discrete Petri Net elements as well as continuous ones, have proven to be ideal for this task. Therefore, a new Petri Net library was implemented based on the object-oriented modeling language Modelica which allows the modeling of discrete, stochastic and continuous Petri Net elements by differential, algebraic and discrete equations. An appropriate Modelica-tool performs the hybrid simulation with discrete events and the solution of continuous differential equations. A special sub-library contains so-called wrappers for specific reactions to simplify the modeling process. The Modelica-models can be connected to Simulink-models for parameter optimization, sensitivity analysis and stochastic simulation in Matlab. The present paper illustrates the implementation of the Petri Net component models, their usage within the modeling process and the coupling between the Modelica-tool Dymola and Matlab/Simulink. The application is demonstrated by modeling the metabolism of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells.

  11. 26 CFR 1.904(g)-3 - Ordering rules for the allocation of net operating losses, net capital losses, U.S. source losses...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... of separate limitation losses, overall foreign losses, and overall domestic losses. 1.904(g)-3 Section 1.904(g)-3 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Income from Sources Without the United States § 1.904(g...

  12. 26 CFR 1.904(g)-3 - Ordering rules for the allocation of net operating losses, net capital losses, U.S. source losses...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... recapture of separate limitation losses, overall foreign losses, and overall domestic losses. 1.904(g)-3 Section 1.904(g)-3 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Income from Sources Without the United States § 1.904(g...

  13. 26 CFR 1.904(g)-3 - Ordering rules for the allocation of net operating losses, net capital losses, U.S. source losses...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... of separate limitation losses, overall foreign losses, and overall domestic losses. 1.904(g)-3 Section 1.904(g)-3 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Income from Sources Without the United States § 1.904(g...

  14. 26 CFR 1.904(g)-3 - Ordering rules for the allocation of net operating losses, net capital losses, U.S. source losses...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... recapture of separate limitation losses, overall foreign losses, and overall domestic losses. 1.904(g)-3 Section 1.904(g)-3 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Income from Sources Without the United States § 1.904(g...

  15. 47 CFR 69.610 - Other hypothetical net balances.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Other hypothetical net balances. 69.610 Section... (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Exchange Carrier Association § 69.610 Other hypothetical net balances. (a) The hypothetical net balance for an access element other than a Common Line element shall be computed as provided...

  16. 47 CFR 69.610 - Other hypothetical net balances.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Other hypothetical net balances. 69.610 Section... (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Exchange Carrier Association § 69.610 Other hypothetical net balances. (a) The hypothetical net balance for an access element other than a Common Line element shall be computed as provided...

  17. 29 CFR 1926.105 - Safety nets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 8 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safety nets. 1926.105 Section 1926.105 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment § 1926.105...

  18. CGBayesNets: Conditional Gaussian Bayesian Network Learning and Inference with Mixed Discrete and Continuous Data

    PubMed Central

    Weiss, Scott T.

    2014-01-01

    Bayesian Networks (BN) have been a popular predictive modeling formalism in bioinformatics, but their application in modern genomics has been slowed by an inability to cleanly handle domains with mixed discrete and continuous variables. Existing free BN software packages either discretize continuous variables, which can lead to information loss, or do not include inference routines, which makes prediction with the BN impossible. We present CGBayesNets, a BN package focused around prediction of a clinical phenotype from mixed discrete and continuous variables, which fills these gaps. CGBayesNets implements Bayesian likelihood and inference algorithms for the conditional Gaussian Bayesian network (CGBNs) formalism, one appropriate for predicting an outcome of interest from, e.g., multimodal genomic data. We provide four different network learning algorithms, each making a different tradeoff between computational cost and network likelihood. CGBayesNets provides a full suite of functions for model exploration and verification, including cross validation, bootstrapping, and AUC manipulation. We highlight several results obtained previously with CGBayesNets, including predictive models of wood properties from tree genomics, leukemia subtype classification from mixed genomic data, and robust prediction of intensive care unit mortality outcomes from metabolomic profiles. We also provide detailed example analysis on public metabolomic and gene expression datasets. CGBayesNets is implemented in MATLAB and available as MATLAB source code, under an Open Source license and anonymous download at http://www.cgbayesnets.com. PMID:24922310

  19. CGBayesNets: conditional Gaussian Bayesian network learning and inference with mixed discrete and continuous data.

    PubMed

    McGeachie, Michael J; Chang, Hsun-Hsien; Weiss, Scott T

    2014-06-01

    Bayesian Networks (BN) have been a popular predictive modeling formalism in bioinformatics, but their application in modern genomics has been slowed by an inability to cleanly handle domains with mixed discrete and continuous variables. Existing free BN software packages either discretize continuous variables, which can lead to information loss, or do not include inference routines, which makes prediction with the BN impossible. We present CGBayesNets, a BN package focused around prediction of a clinical phenotype from mixed discrete and continuous variables, which fills these gaps. CGBayesNets implements Bayesian likelihood and inference algorithms for the conditional Gaussian Bayesian network (CGBNs) formalism, one appropriate for predicting an outcome of interest from, e.g., multimodal genomic data. We provide four different network learning algorithms, each making a different tradeoff between computational cost and network likelihood. CGBayesNets provides a full suite of functions for model exploration and verification, including cross validation, bootstrapping, and AUC manipulation. We highlight several results obtained previously with CGBayesNets, including predictive models of wood properties from tree genomics, leukemia subtype classification from mixed genomic data, and robust prediction of intensive care unit mortality outcomes from metabolomic profiles. We also provide detailed example analysis on public metabolomic and gene expression datasets. CGBayesNets is implemented in MATLAB and available as MATLAB source code, under an Open Source license and anonymous download at http://www.cgbayesnets.com.

  20. RadNet Sampling and Analyses Schedules

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    RadNet air monitors operate continuously and samples of air, precipitation and drinking water and analyzed on a routine schedule. RadNet can send deployable monitors to any U.S. location in the case of a radiological emergency.

  1. The Seine Net--An Overlooked Environmental Testing Tool

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DuPont, Sidney I.

    1977-01-01

    Through seining individuals, families, camps, and schools can continuingly test the aquatic life just beyond the waterline. This article discusses the process of using a seine net and what can be found in the net. (NQ)

  2. Communication Avoiding and Overlapping for Numerical Linear Algebra

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-05-08

    future exascale systems, communication cost must be avoided or overlapped. Communication-avoiding 2.5D algorithms improve scalability by reducing...linear algebra problems to future exascale systems, communication cost must be avoided or overlapped. Communication-avoiding 2.5D algorithms improve...will continue to grow relative to the cost of computation. With exascale computing as the long-term goal, the community needs to develop techniques

  3. 26 CFR 1.642(d)-1 - Net operating loss deduction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Net operating loss deduction. 1.642(d)-1 Section... TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Estates, Trusts, and Beneficiaries § 1.642(d)-1 Net operating loss deduction. The net operating loss deduction allowed by section 172 is available to estates and trusts...

  4. 26 CFR 1.1402(a)-7 - Net operating loss deduction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Net operating loss deduction. 1.1402(a)-7...) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Tax on Self-Employment Income § 1.1402(a)-7 Net operating loss deduction. The deduction provided by section 172, relating to net operating losses sustained in years other...

  5. Simultaneous Spectrophotometric Determination of Rifampicin, Isoniazid and Pyrazinamide in a Single Step

    PubMed Central

    Asadpour-Zeynali, Karim; Saeb, Elhameh

    2016-01-01

    Three antituberculosis medications are investigated in this work consist of rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide. The ultra violet (UV) spectra of these compounds are overlapped, thus use of suitable chemometric methods are helpful for simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of them. A generalized version of net analyte signal standard addition method (GNASSAM) was used for determination of three antituberculosis medications as a model system. In generalized net analyte signal standard addition method only one standard solution was prepared for all analytes. This standard solution contains a mixture of all analytes of interest, and the addition of such solution to sample, causes increases in net analyte signal of each analyte which are proportional to the concentrations of analytes in added standards solution. For determination of concentration of each analyte in some synthetic mixtures, the UV spectra of pure analytes and each sample were recorded in the range of 210 nm-550 nm. The standard addition procedure was performed for each sample and the UV spectrum was recorded after each addition and finally the results were analyzed by net analyte signal method. Obtained concentrations show acceptable performance of GNASSAM in these cases. PMID:28243267

  6. 26 CFR 1.1374-2 - Net recognized built-in gain.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Net recognized built-in gain. 1.1374-2 Section 1... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Small Business Corporations and Their Shareholders § 1.1374-2 Net recognized built-in gain. (a) In general. An S corporation's net recognized built-in gain for any taxable year is the...

  7. 26 CFR 1.172-10 - Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Net operating losses of real estate investment... Corporations (continued) § 1.172-10 Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts. (a) Taxable years to which a loss may be carried. (1) A net operating loss sustained by a qualified real estate investment...

  8. 26 CFR 1.172-10 - Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 3 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Net operating losses of real estate investment... Corporations (continued) § 1.172-10 Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts. (a) Taxable years to which a loss may be carried. (1) A net operating loss sustained by a qualified real estate investment...

  9. 26 CFR 1.172-10 - Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 3 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Net operating losses of real estate investment... Corporations (continued) § 1.172-10 Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts. (a) Taxable years to which a loss may be carried. (1) A net operating loss sustained by a qualified real estate investment...

  10. 26 CFR 1.172-10 - Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 3 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Net operating losses of real estate investment... Corporations (continued) § 1.172-10 Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts. (a) Taxable years to which a loss may be carried. (1) A net operating loss sustained by a qualified real estate investment...

  11. PathNet: A Tool for Pathway Analysis Using Topological Information

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-24

    pathways through gene expression data facilitated the identification of a biological association between the AD pathway and ubiquitin- meditated proteolysis...expression data, as the genes connected by thick edges are modestly differentially expressed (thick connections to small circles). (C) Non-overlapping...HW, LaFerla FM: Alzheimer’s disease. N Engl J Med 2010, 362(4):329–344. 32. Malenka RC, Malinow R: Alzheimer’s disease: recollection of lost memories

  12. 26 CFR 1.857-5 - Net income and loss from prohibited transactions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    .... 1.857-5 Section 1.857-5 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-5 Net income and loss... than those provisions of part II of subchapter M which relate to prohibited transactions, no inference...

  13. 26 CFR 1.857-3 - Net income from foreclosure property.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-3 Net income from... computing real estate investment trust taxable income under section 857(b)(2). (d) Gross income not subject... estate investment trust has gain of $100 from the sale of an item of foreclosure property described in...

  14. 26 CFR 1.857-3 - Net income from foreclosure property.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-3 Net income from... computing real estate investment trust taxable income under section 857(b)(2). (d) Gross income not subject... estate investment trust has gain of $100 from the sale of an item of foreclosure property described in...

  15. 26 CFR 1.857-3 - Net income from foreclosure property.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-3 Net income from... computing real estate investment trust taxable income under section 857(b)(2). (d) Gross income not subject... estate investment trust has gain of $100 from the sale of an item of foreclosure property described in...

  16. 26 CFR 1.857-3 - Net income from foreclosure property.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-3 Net income from... computing real estate investment trust taxable income under section 857(b)(2). (d) Gross income not subject... estate investment trust has gain of $100 from the sale of an item of foreclosure property described in...

  17. Hebbian learning of hand-centred representations in a hierarchical neural network model of the primate visual system.

    PubMed

    Born, Jannis; Galeazzi, Juan M; Stringer, Simon M

    2017-01-01

    A subset of neurons in the posterior parietal and premotor areas of the primate brain respond to the locations of visual targets in a hand-centred frame of reference. Such hand-centred visual representations are thought to play an important role in visually-guided reaching to target locations in space. In this paper we show how a biologically plausible, Hebbian learning mechanism may account for the development of localized hand-centred representations in a hierarchical neural network model of the primate visual system, VisNet. The hand-centered neurons developed in the model use an invariance learning mechanism known as continuous transformation (CT) learning. In contrast to previous theoretical proposals for the development of hand-centered visual representations, CT learning does not need a memory trace of recent neuronal activity to be incorporated in the synaptic learning rule. Instead, CT learning relies solely on a Hebbian learning rule, which is able to exploit the spatial overlap that naturally occurs between successive images of a hand-object configuration as it is shifted across different retinal locations due to saccades. Our simulations show how individual neurons in the network model can learn to respond selectively to target objects in particular locations with respect to the hand, irrespective of where the hand-object configuration occurs on the retina. The response properties of these hand-centred neurons further generalise to localised receptive fields in the hand-centred space when tested on novel hand-object configurations that have not been explored during training. Indeed, even when the network is trained with target objects presented across a near continuum of locations around the hand during training, the model continues to develop hand-centred neurons with localised receptive fields in hand-centred space. With the help of principal component analysis, we provide the first theoretical framework that explains the behavior of Hebbian learning in VisNet.

  18. Hebbian learning of hand-centred representations in a hierarchical neural network model of the primate visual system

    PubMed Central

    Born, Jannis; Stringer, Simon M.

    2017-01-01

    A subset of neurons in the posterior parietal and premotor areas of the primate brain respond to the locations of visual targets in a hand-centred frame of reference. Such hand-centred visual representations are thought to play an important role in visually-guided reaching to target locations in space. In this paper we show how a biologically plausible, Hebbian learning mechanism may account for the development of localized hand-centred representations in a hierarchical neural network model of the primate visual system, VisNet. The hand-centered neurons developed in the model use an invariance learning mechanism known as continuous transformation (CT) learning. In contrast to previous theoretical proposals for the development of hand-centered visual representations, CT learning does not need a memory trace of recent neuronal activity to be incorporated in the synaptic learning rule. Instead, CT learning relies solely on a Hebbian learning rule, which is able to exploit the spatial overlap that naturally occurs between successive images of a hand-object configuration as it is shifted across different retinal locations due to saccades. Our simulations show how individual neurons in the network model can learn to respond selectively to target objects in particular locations with respect to the hand, irrespective of where the hand-object configuration occurs on the retina. The response properties of these hand-centred neurons further generalise to localised receptive fields in the hand-centred space when tested on novel hand-object configurations that have not been explored during training. Indeed, even when the network is trained with target objects presented across a near continuum of locations around the hand during training, the model continues to develop hand-centred neurons with localised receptive fields in hand-centred space. With the help of principal component analysis, we provide the first theoretical framework that explains the behavior of Hebbian learning in VisNet. PMID:28562618

  19. Application and API for Real-time Visualization of Ground-motions and Tsunami

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aoi, S.; Kunugi, T.; Suzuki, W.; Kubo, T.; Nakamura, H.; Azuma, H.; Fujiwara, H.

    2015-12-01

    Due to the recent progress of seismograph and communication environment, real-time and continuous ground-motion observation becomes technically and economically feasible. K-NET and KiK-net, which are nationwide strong motion networks operated by NIED, cover all Japan by about 1750 stations in total. More than half of the stations transmit the ground-motion indexes and/or waveform data in every second. Traditionally, strong-motion data were recorded by event-triggering based instruments with non-continues telephone line which is connected only after an earthquake. Though the data from such networks mainly contribute to preparations for future earthquakes, huge amount of real-time data from dense network are expected to directly contribute to the mitigation of ongoing earthquake disasters through, e.g., automatic shutdown plants and helping decision-making for initial response. By generating the distribution map of these indexes and uploading them to the website, we implemented the real-time ground motion monitoring system, Kyoshin (strong-motion in Japanese) monitor. This web service (www.kyoshin.bosai.go.jp) started in 2008 and anyone can grasp the current ground motions of Japan. Though this service provides only ground-motion map in GIF format, to take full advantage of real-time strong-motion data to mitigate the ongoing disasters, digital data are important. We have developed a WebAPI to provide real-time data and related information such as ground motions (5 km-mesh) and arrival times estimated from EEW (earthquake early warning). All response data from this WebAPI are in JSON format and are easy to parse. We also developed Kyoshin monitor application for smartphone, 'Kmoni view' using the API. In this application, ground motions estimated from EEW are overlapped on the map with the observed one-second-interval indexes. The application can playback previous earthquakes for demonstration or disaster drill. In mobile environment, data traffic and battery are limited and it is not practical to regularly visualize all the data. The application has automatic starting (pop-up) function triggered by EEW. Similar WebAPI and application for tsunami are being prepared using the pressure data recorded by dense offshore observation network (S-net), which is under construction along the Japan Trench.

  20. Biochemical Network Stochastic Simulator (BioNetS): software for stochastic modeling of biochemical networks.

    PubMed

    Adalsteinsson, David; McMillen, David; Elston, Timothy C

    2004-03-08

    Intrinsic fluctuations due to the stochastic nature of biochemical reactions can have large effects on the response of biochemical networks. This is particularly true for pathways that involve transcriptional regulation, where generally there are two copies of each gene and the number of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules can be small. Therefore, there is a need for computational tools for developing and investigating stochastic models of biochemical networks. We have developed the software package Biochemical Network Stochastic Simulator (BioNetS) for efficiently and accurately simulating stochastic models of biochemical networks. BioNetS has a graphical user interface that allows models to be entered in a straightforward manner, and allows the user to specify the type of random variable (discrete or continuous) for each chemical species in the network. The discrete variables are simulated using an efficient implementation of the Gillespie algorithm. For the continuous random variables, BioNetS constructs and numerically solves the appropriate chemical Langevin equations. The software package has been developed to scale efficiently with network size, thereby allowing large systems to be studied. BioNetS runs as a BioSpice agent and can be downloaded from http://www.biospice.org. BioNetS also can be run as a stand alone package. All the required files are accessible from http://x.amath.unc.edu/BioNetS. We have developed BioNetS to be a reliable tool for studying the stochastic dynamics of large biochemical networks. Important features of BioNetS are its ability to handle hybrid models that consist of both continuous and discrete random variables and its ability to model cell growth and division. We have verified the accuracy and efficiency of the numerical methods by considering several test systems.

  1. 26 CFR 1.172-10 - Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Net operating losses of real estate investment... (continued) § 1.172-10 Net operating losses of real estate investment trusts. (a) Taxable years to which a loss may be carried. (1) A net operating loss sustained by a qualified real estate investment trust (as...

  2. 26 CFR 1.367(b)-3T - Repatriation of foreign corporate assets in certain nonrecognition transactions (temporary).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... excess earnings and profits amount) shall be applied to reduce the net operating loss carryovers (if any... no net operating loss carryovers or capital loss carryovers. The all earnings and profits amount with... REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Effects on...

  3. Corn and soybean rotation under reduced tillage management: impacts on soil properties, yield, and net return

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A 4-yr field study was conducted from 2007 to 2010 at Stoneville, MS to examine the effects of rotating corn and soybean under reduced tillage conditions on soil properties, yields, and net return. The six rotation systems were continuous corn (CCCC), continuous soybean (SSSS), corn-soybean (CSCS),...

  4. Understanding the sources and effects of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear on marine turtles in northern Australia.

    PubMed

    Wilcox, Chris; Heathcote, Grace; Goldberg, Jennifer; Gunn, Riki; Peel, David; Hardesty, Britta Denise

    2015-02-01

    Globally, 6.4 million tons of fishing gear are lost in the oceans annually. This gear (i.e., ghost nets), whether accidently lost, abandoned, or deliberately discarded, threatens marine wildlife as it drifts with prevailing currents and continues to entangle marine organisms indiscriminately. Northern Australia has some of the highest densities of ghost nets in the world, with up to 3 tons washing ashore per kilometer of shoreline annually. This region supports globally significant populations of internationally threatened marine fauna, including 6 of the 7 extant marine turtles. We examined the threat ghost nets pose to marine turtles and assessed whether nets associated with particular fisheries are linked with turtle entanglement by analyzing the capture rates of turtles and potential source fisheries from nearly 9000 nets found on Australia's northern coast. Nets with relatively larger mesh and smaller twine sizes (e.g., pelagic drift nets) had the highest probability of entanglement for marine turtles. Net size was important; larger nets appeared to attract turtles, which further increased their catch rates. Our results point to issues with trawl and drift-net fisheries, the former due to the large number of nets and fragments found and the latter due to the very high catch rates resulting from the net design. Catch rates for fine-mesh gill nets can reach as high as 4 turtles/100 m of net length. We estimated that the total number of turtles caught by the 8690 ghost nets we sampled was between 4866 and 14,600, assuming nets drift for 1 year. Ghost nets continue to accumulate on Australia's northern shore due to both legal and illegal fishing; over 13,000 nets have been removed since 2005. This is an important and ongoing transboundary threat to biodiversity in the region that requires attention from the countries surrounding the Arafura and Timor Seas. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

  5. 12 CFR 235.6 - Prohibition on circumvention, evasion, and net compensation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... compensation. 235.6 Section 235.6 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF... net compensation. An issuer may not receive net compensation from a payment card network with respect... network with respect to electronic debit transactions or debit card-related activities, other than...

  6. 12 CFR 235.6 - Prohibition on circumvention, evasion, and net compensation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... compensation. 235.6 Section 235.6 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF... net compensation. An issuer may not receive net compensation from a payment card network with respect... network with respect to electronic debit transactions or debit card-related activities, other than...

  7. 12 CFR 235.6 - Prohibition on circumvention, evasion, and net compensation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... compensation. 235.6 Section 235.6 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF... net compensation. An issuer may not receive net compensation from a payment card network with respect... network with respect to electronic debit transactions or debit card-related activities, other than...

  8. The Scenario Analysis Tool Suite: A User’s Guide

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-01-01

    be exported at any stage and continued manually. The free, open-source integrated development environment (IDE) NetBeans [14] was used in the creation...and Technology Organisation, Australia. 14. Sun Microsystems & CollabNet (2008) NetBeans IDE 6.0, http://wwwnetbeans.org. 15. Tri, N., Boswell, S

  9. Real-time science and outreach from the UNOLS fleet via HiSeasNet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foley, S.; Berger, J.; Orcutt, J. A.; Brice, D.; Coleman, D. F.; Grabowski, E. M.

    2010-12-01

    The HiSeasNet satellite communications network has ben providing cost-effective, reliable, continuous Internet connectivity to the UNOLS oceanographic research fleet for nearly nine years. During that time, HiSeasNet has supported science and outreach programs with a variety of real-time interactions back to shore including videoconferencing, webcasting, shared whiteboards, and streaming high-definition video feeds. Solutions have varied in scale, cost, and capability. As real-time science and outreach becomes more common, experience with a variety of technologies continues to build, and more opportunities yet to explore.

  10. 26 CFR 1.996-8 - Effect of carryback of capital loss or net operating loss to prior DISC taxable year.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 10 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Effect of carryback of capital loss or net operating loss to prior DISC taxable year. 1.996-8 Section 1.996-8 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Domestic International Sales...

  11. 26 CFR 1.904(g)-3 - Ordering rules for the allocation of net operating losses, net capital losses, U.S. source losses...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... of separate limitation losses, overall foreign losses, and overall domestic losses. 1.904(g)-3 Section 1.904(g)-3 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Income from Sources Without the United States § 1.904(g)-3 Ordering...

  12. Islet Transplantation Provides Superior Glycemic Control With Less Hypoglycemia Compared With Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion or Multiple Daily Insulin Injections.

    PubMed

    Holmes-Walker, Deborah Jane; Gunton, Jenny E; Hawthorne, Wayne; Payk, Marlene; Anderson, Patricia; Donath, Susan; Loudovaris, Tom; Ward, Glenn M; Kay, Thomas Wh; OʼConnell, Philip J

    2017-06-01

    The aim was to compare efficacy of multiple daily injections (MDI), continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and islet transplantation to reduce hypoglycemia and glycemic variability in type 1 diabetes subjects with severe hypoglycemia. This was a within-subject, paired comparison of MDI and CSII and CSII with 12 months postislet transplantation in 10 type 1 diabetes subjects referred with severe hypoglycemia, suitable for islet transplantation. Individuals were assessed with HbA1c, Edmonton Hypoglycemia Score (HYPOscore), continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and in 8 subjects measurements of glucose variability using standard deviation of glucose (SD glucose) from CGM and continuous overlapping net glycemic action using a 4 hour interval (CONGA4). After changing from MDI to CSII before transplantation, 10 subjects reduced median HYPOscore from 2028 to 1085 (P < 0.05) and hypoglycemia events from 24 to 8 per patient-year (P < 0.05). While HbA1c, mean glucose and median percent time hypoglycemic on CGM were unchanged with CSII, SD glucose and CONGA4 reduced significantly (P < 0.05). At 12 months posttransplant 9 of 10 were C-peptide positive, (5 insulin independent). Twelve months postislet transplantation, there were significant reductions in all baseline parameters versus CSII, respectively, HbA1c (6.4% cf 8.2%), median HYPOscore (0 cf 1085), mean glucose (7.1 cf 8.6 mmol L), SD glucose (1.7 cf 3.2 mmol/L), and CONGA4 (1.6 cf 3.0). In subjects with severe hypoglycemia suitable for islet transplantation, CSII decreased hypoglycemia frequency and glycemic variability compared with MDI whereas islet transplantation resolved hypoglycemia and further improved glycemic variability regardless of insulin independence.

  13. First results from comparison of rainfall estimations by GPM IMERG with rainfall measurements from the WegenerNet high density network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oo, Sungmin; Foelsche, Ulrich; Kirchengast, Gottfried; Fuchsberger, Jürgen

    2016-04-01

    The research level products of the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG "Final" run datasets) were compared with rainfall measurements from the WegenerNet high density network as part of ground validation (GV) projects of GPM missions. The WegenerNet network comprises 151 ground level weather stations in an area of 15 km × 20 km in south-eastern Austria (Feldbach region, ˜46.93° N, ˜15.90° E) designed to serve as a long-term monitoring and validation facility for weather and climate research and applications. While the IMERG provides rainfall estimations every half hour at 0.1° resolution, the WegenerNet network measures rainfall every 5 minutes at around 2 km2 resolution and produces 200 m × 200 m gridded datasets. The study was conducted on the domain of the WegenerNet network; eight IMERG grids are overlapped with the network, two of which are entirely covered by the WegenerNet (40 and 39 stations in each grid). We investigated data from April to September of the years 2014 to 2015; the date of first two years after the launch of the GPM Core Observatory. Since the network has a flexibility to work with various spatial and temporal scales, the comparison could be conducted on average-points to pixel basis at both sub-daily and daily timescales. This presentation will summarize the first results of the comparison and future plans to explore the characteristics of errors in the IMERG datasets.

  14. Quasi-Steady-State Analysis based on Structural Modules and Timed Petri Net Predict System's Dynamics: The Life Cycle of the Insulin Receptor.

    PubMed

    Scheidel, Jennifer; Lindauer, Klaus; Ackermann, Jörg; Koch, Ina

    2015-12-17

    The insulin-dependent activation and recycling of the insulin receptor play an essential role in the regulation of the energy metabolism, leading to a special interest for pharmaceutical applications. Thus, the recycling of the insulin receptor has been intensively investigated, experimentally as well as theoretically. We developed a time-resolved, discrete model to describe stochastic dynamics and study the approximation of non-linear dynamics in the context of timed Petri nets. Additionally, using a graph-theoretical approach, we analyzed the structure of the regulatory system and demonstrated the close interrelation of structural network properties with the kinetic behavior. The transition invariants decomposed the model into overlapping subnetworks of various sizes, which represent basic functional modules. Moreover, we computed the quasi-steady states of these subnetworks and demonstrated that they are fundamental to understand the dynamic behavior of the system. The Petri net approach confirms the experimental results of insulin-stimulated degradation of the insulin receptor, which represents a common feature of insulin-resistant, hyperinsulinaemic states.

  15. 26 CFR 1.1502-21T - Net operating losses (temporary).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Net operating losses (temporary). 1.1502-21T...) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Computation of Consolidated Items § 1.1502-21T Net operating losses...)(B). (C) Partial waiver of carryback period for 2001 and 2002 losses—(1) Application. The acquiring...

  16. IM-TORNADO: a tool for comparison of 16S reads from paired-end libraries.

    PubMed

    Jeraldo, Patricio; Kalari, Krishna; Chen, Xianfeng; Bhavsar, Jaysheel; Mangalam, Ashutosh; White, Bryan; Nelson, Heidi; Kocher, Jean-Pierre; Chia, Nicholas

    2014-01-01

    16S rDNA hypervariable tag sequencing has become the de facto method for accessing microbial diversity. Illumina paired-end sequencing, which produces two separate reads for each DNA fragment, has become the platform of choice for this application. However, when the two reads do not overlap, existing computational pipelines analyze data from read separately and underutilize the information contained in the paired-end reads. We created a workflow known as Illinois Mayo Taxon Organization from RNA Dataset Operations (IM-TORNADO) for processing non-overlapping reads while retaining maximal information content. Using synthetic mock datasets, we show that the use of both reads produced answers with greater correlation to those from full length 16S rDNA when looking at taxonomy, phylogeny, and beta-diversity. IM-TORNADO is freely available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/imtornado and produces BIOM format output for cross compatibility with other pipelines such as QIIME, mothur, and phyloseq.

  17. Presentation of the results of a Bayesian automatic event detection and localization program to human analysts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kushida, N.; Kebede, F.; Feitio, P.; Le Bras, R.

    2016-12-01

    The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) has been developing and testing NET-VISA (Arora et al., 2013), a Bayesian automatic event detection and localization program, and evaluating its performance in a realistic operational mode. In our preliminary testing at the CTBTO, NET-VISA shows better performance than its currently operating automatic localization program. However, given CTBTO's role and its international context, a new technology should be introduced cautiously when it replaces a key piece of the automatic processing. We integrated the results of NET-VISA into the Analyst Review Station, extensively used by the analysts so that they can check the accuracy and robustness of the Bayesian approach. We expect the workload of the analysts to be reduced because of the better performance of NET-VISA in finding missed events and getting a more complete set of stations than the current system which has been operating for nearly twenty years. The results of a series of tests indicate that the expectations born from the automatic tests, which show an overall overlap improvement of 11%, meaning that the missed events rate is cut by 42%, hold for the integrated interactive module as well. New events are found by analysts, which qualify for the CTBTO Reviewed Event Bulletin, beyond the ones analyzed through the standard procedures. Arora, N., Russell, S., and Sudderth, E., NET-VISA: Network Processing Vertically Integrated Seismic Analysis, 2013, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 103, 709-729.

  18. Apparent annual survival estimates of tropical songbirds better reflect life history variation when based on intensive field methods

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Martin, Thomas E.; Riordan, Margaret M.; Repin, Rimi; Mouton, James C.; Blake, William M.

    2017-01-01

    AimAdult survival is central to theories explaining latitudinal gradients in life history strategies. Life history theory predicts higher adult survival in tropical than north temperate regions given lower fecundity and parental effort. Early studies were consistent with this prediction, but standard-effort netting studies in recent decades suggested that apparent survival rates in temperate and tropical regions strongly overlap. Such results do not fit with life history theory. Targeted marking and resighting of breeding adults yielded higher survival estimates in the tropics, but this approach is thought to overestimate survival because it does not sample social and age classes with lower survival. We compared the effect of field methods on tropical survival estimates and their relationships with life history traits.LocationSabah, Malaysian Borneo.Time period2008–2016.Major taxonPasseriformes.MethodsWe used standard-effort netting and resighted individuals of all social and age classes of 18 tropical songbird species over 8 years. We compared apparent survival estimates between these two field methods with differing analytical approaches.ResultsEstimated detection and apparent survival probabilities from standard-effort netting were similar to those from other tropical studies that used standard-effort netting. Resighting data verified that a high proportion of individuals that were never recaptured in standard-effort netting remained in the study area, and many were observed breeding. Across all analytical approaches, addition of resighting yielded substantially higher survival estimates than did standard-effort netting alone. These apparent survival estimates were higher than for temperate zone species, consistent with latitudinal differences in life histories. Moreover, apparent survival estimates from addition of resighting, but not from standard-effort netting alone, were correlated with parental effort as measured by egg temperature across species.Main conclusionsInclusion of resighting showed that standard-effort netting alone can negatively bias apparent survival estimates and obscure life history relationships across latitudes and among tropical species.

  19. Analysis of Phase-Type Stochastic Petri Nets With Discrete and Continuous Timing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, Robert L.; Goode, Plesent W. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    The Petri net formalism is useful in studying many discrete-state, discrete-event systems exhibiting concurrency, synchronization, and other complex behavior. As a bipartite graph, the net can conveniently capture salient aspects of the system. As a mathematical tool, the net can specify an analyzable state space. Indeed, one can reason about certain qualitative properties (from state occupancies) and how they arise (the sequence of events leading there). By introducing deterministic or random delays, the model is forced to sojourn in states some amount of time, giving rise to an underlying stochastic process, one that can be specified in a compact way and capable of providing quantitative, probabilistic measures. We formalize a new non-Markovian extension to the Petri net that captures both discrete and continuous timing in the same model. The approach affords efficient, stationary analysis in most cases and efficient transient analysis under certain restrictions. Moreover, this new formalism has the added benefit in modeling fidelity stemming from the simultaneous capture of discrete- and continuous-time events (as opposed to capturing only one and approximating the other). We show how the underlying stochastic process, which is non-Markovian, can be resolved into simpler Markovian problems that enjoy efficient solutions. Solution algorithms are provided that can be easily programmed.

  20. Gradient-based controllers for timed continuous Petri nets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lefebvre, Dimitri; Leclercq, Edouard; Druaux, Fabrice; Thomas, Philippe

    2015-07-01

    This paper is about control design for timed continuous Petri nets that are described as piecewise affine systems. In this context, the marking vector is considered as the state space vector, weighted marking of place subsets are defined as the model outputs and the model inputs correspond to multiplicative control actions that slow down the firing rate of some controllable transitions. Structural and functional sensitivity of the outputs with respect to the inputs are discussed in terms of Petri nets. Then, gradient-based controllers (GBC) are developed in order to adapt the control actions of the controllable transitions according to desired trajectories of the outputs.

  1. 26 CFR 1.665(a)-1A - Undistributed net income.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Treatment of Excess Distributions of Trusts Applicable to Taxable Years Beginning on Or After January 1, 1969 § 1.665(a)-1A Undistributed net income. (a) Domestic trusts. The term undistributed net income, in the case of a trust (other than a foreign trust created by a U.S. person) means...

  2. 48 CFR 52.247-11 - Net Weight-Household Goods or Office Furniture.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Net Weight-Household Goods or Office Furniture. 52.247-11 Section 52.247-11 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (CONTINUED) CLAUSES AND FORMS SOLICITATION PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 52.247-11 Net...

  3. Solar and Net Radiation for Estimating Potential Evaporation from Three Vegetation Canopies

    Treesearch

    D.M. Amatya; R.W. Skaggs; G.W. Cheschier; G.P. Fernandez

    2000-01-01

    Solar and net radiation data are frequent/y used in estimating potential evaporation (PE) from various vegetative surfaces needed for water balance and hydrologic modeling studies. Weather parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, and net radiation have been continuously monitored using automated sensors to estimate PE for...

  4. 21 CFR 701.13 - Declaration of net quantity of contents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) COSMETICS COSMETIC LABELING Package Form § 701.13 Declaration of net quantity of contents. (a) The label of a cosmetic in package form shall bear a declaration of the net quantity of contents. This... weight or measure. The statement shall be in terms of fluid measure if the cosmetic is liquid or in terms...

  5. Clock Controller For Ac Self-Timing Analysis Of Logic System

    DOEpatents

    Lo, Tinchee; Flanagan, John D.

    2004-05-18

    A clock controller and clock generating method are provided for AC self-test timing analysis of a logic system. The controller includes latch circuitry which receives a DC input signal at a data input, and a pair of continuous out-of-phase clock signals at capture and launch clock inputs thereof. The latch circuitry outputs two overlapping pulses responsive to the DC input signal going high. The two overlapping pulses are provided to waveform shaper circuitry which produces therefrom two non-overlapping pulses at clock speed of the logic system to be tested. The two non-overlapping pulses are a single pair of clock pulses which facilitate AC self-test timing analysis of the logic system.

  6. 26 CFR 1.904(g)-3T - Ordering rules for the allocation of net operating losses, net capital losses, U.S. source losses...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...(g)-3T Section 1.904(g)-3T Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Income from Sources Without the United States § 1.904(g)-3T.... The rules must be applied in the order set forth in paragraphs (b) through (g) of this section. (b...

  7. 29 CFR 778.302 - Computation of overtime due for overlapping workweeks.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ....302 Section 778.302 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION, DEPARTMENT... overlapping workweeks. (a) General rule. When the beginning of the workweek is changed, if the hours which fall within both “old” and “new” workweeks as explained in § 778.301 are hours in which the employee...

  8. Abundant plankton-sized microplastic particles in shelf waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

    PubMed

    Di Mauro, Rosana; Kupchik, Matthew J; Benfield, Mark C

    2017-11-01

    Accumulation of marine debris is a global problem that affects the oceans on multiple scales. The majority of floating marine debris is composed of microplastics: plastic particles up to 5 mm in diameter. With similar sizes and appearances to natural food items, these small fragments pose potential risks to many marine organisms including zooplankton and zooplanktivores. Semi-enclosed seas are reported to have high concentrations of microplastics, however, the distribution and concentration of microplastics in one such system, the Gulf of Mexico, remains unknown. Our study documented and characterized microplastics in continental shelf waters off the Louisiana coast in the northern Gulf of Mexico, using bongo nets, neuston nets, and Niskin bottles. Additionally, we compared the size distributions of microplastics and zooplankton collected using the nets. Plastics were manually sorted from the samples, documented, and measured using digital microscopy. Confirmation of putative plastics was carried out by hydrofluoric acid digestion and a subsample was analyzed using FTIR microscopy. Estimated concentrations of microplastics collected on the inner continental shelf during this study are among the highest reported globally. Total microplastic concentrations ranged from 4.8 to 8.2 particles m -3 and 5.0-18.4 particles m -3 for the bongo and neuston samples, respectively. Niskin bottles collected smaller plastic particles than the nets and indicated total microplastic concentrations (primarily fibers) from 6.0E4 - 15.7E4 particles m -3 . Microplastic concentrations were greater than the abundances of all but four of the five most abundant taxa from bongo nets and were not statistically different from the abundances of any of the most numerous taxa from neuston nets. Sizes of microplastics and zooplankton partially or completely overlapped, suggesting the potential for confusion with natural prey. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. 26 CFR 2.1-13 - Deposit of proceeds of sales or indemnities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2014-04-01 2013-04-01 true Deposit of proceeds of sales or indemnities. 2.1...) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) MARITIME CONSTRUCTION RESERVE FUND § 2.1-13 Deposit of proceeds of sales or... proceeds” of the sale, or the “net indemnity” for the loss. By “net proceeds” and “net indemnity” is meant...

  10. 26 CFR 2.1-13 - Deposit of proceeds of sales or indemnities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Deposit of proceeds of sales or indemnities. 2...) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) MARITIME CONSTRUCTION RESERVE FUND § 2.1-13 Deposit of proceeds of sales or... proceeds” of the sale, or the “net indemnity” for the loss. By “net proceeds” and “net indemnity” is meant...

  11. A neural network architecture for implementation of expert systems for real time monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramamoorthy, P. A.

    1991-01-01

    Since neural networks have the advantages of massive parallelism and simple architecture, they are good tools for implementing real time expert systems. In a rule based expert system, the antecedents of rules are in the conjunctive or disjunctive form. We constructed a multilayer feedforward type network in which neurons represent AND or OR operations of rules. Further, we developed a translator which can automatically map a given rule base into the network. Also, we proposed a new and powerful yet flexible architecture that combines the advantages of both fuzzy expert systems and neural networks. This architecture uses the fuzzy logic concepts to separate input data domains into several smaller and overlapped regions. Rule-based expert systems for time critical applications using neural networks, the automated implementation of rule-based expert systems with neural nets, and fuzzy expert systems vs. neural nets are covered.

  12. 40 CFR 403.15 - Net/Gross calculation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 403.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS GENERAL PRETREATMENT REGULATIONS FOR EXISTING AND NEW SOURCES OF POLLUTION § 403.15 Net/Gross... environmental degradation will result. [70 FR 60198, Oct. 14, 2005] ...

  13. Gulkana Glacier, Alaska-Mass balance, meteorology, and water measurements, 1997-2001

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    March, Rod S.; O'Neel, Shad

    2011-01-01

    The measured winter snow, maximum winter snow, net, and annual balances for 1997-2001 in the Gulkana Glacier basin are determined at specific points and over the entire glacier area using the meteorological, hydrological, and glaciological data. We provide descriptions of glacier geometry to aid in estimation of conventional and reference surface mass balances and descriptions of ice motion to aid in the understanding of the glacier's response to its changing geometry. These data provide annual estimates for area altitude distribution, equilibrium line altitude, and accumulation area ratio during the study interval. New determinations of historical area altitude distributions are given for 1900 and annually from 1966 to 2001. As original weather instrumentation is nearing the end of its deployment lifespan, we provide new estimates of overlap comparisons and precipitation catch efficiency. During 1997-2001, Gulkana Glacier showed a continued and accelerated negative mass balance trend, especially below the equilibrium line altitude where thinning was pronounced. Ice motion also slowed, which combined with the negative mass balance, resulted in glacier retreat under a warming climate. Average annual runoff augmentation by glacier shrinkage for 1997-2001 was 25 percent compared to the previous average of 13 percent, in accordance with the measured glacier volume reductions.

  14. Geology of the Gladys McCall geopressured-geothermal prospect, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

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

    John, C.J.

    The Gladys McCall prospect lies at the western edge of the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge about 88 km (55 mi) southeast of Lake Charles in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The test well is 4825 m (15,831 ft) deep and was drilled in 1981 under the U.S. Department of Energy geopressured-geothermal research program. The well was shut in at the end of October 1987 after it had produced over 27 million barrels of brine and 676 MMscf gas, without any significant pressure decline. The stratigraphic section seen in this test well consists of alternating sandstones and shales with about 350 m (1150 ft)more » of net sand between 4393 m (14,412 ft) and 4974 m (16,320 ft). The producing reservoir is bounded on the north and south by faults. The east-west dimension is poorly defined due to lack of deep well control. Eleven prospective production zones have been identified. The pressure maintenance and the continuous high brine yield from the reservoir may be due to laterally overlapping and connected sandstones, communication between overlying and/or underlying reservoirs, growth faults acting as passageways for brine, shale dewatering, or possible communication of zones behind the casing.« less

  15. Development of compact excimer lasers for remote sensing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laudenslager, J. B.; Mcdermid, I. S.; Pacala, T. J.

    1983-01-01

    The capabilities of excimer lasers for remote sensing applications are illustrated in a discussion of the development of a compact tunable XeCl excimer laser for the detection of atmospheric OH radicals. Following a brief review of the operating principles and advantages of excimer lasers, measurements of the wavelength dependence of the net small signal gain coefficient of a discharge excited XeCl laser are presented which demonstrate the overlap of several absorption lines of the A-X(0,0) transition of OH near 308 nm with the wavelengths of the XeCl laser. A range of continuous narrow bandwidth tunability of from 307.6 to 308.4 nm with only a 30 percent variation in output is reported for an XeCl laser used as a double-pass amplifier for a frequency-doubled dye laser, and measurements demonstrating the detection of laser-induced fluorescence from OH in a methane-oxygen flame are also noted. The design of an oscillator-amplifier excimer system comprising a corona-preionized, transverse-discharge oscillator and amplifier is then presented. Output energies of 12-15 mJ have been achieved in the regions where injection locking was established, with energies of 8-10 mJ elsewhere.

  16. Working With Socially and Medically Complex Patients: When Care Transitions Are Circular, Overlapping, and Continual Rather Than Linear and Finite.

    PubMed

    Roberts, Shauna R; Crigler, Jane; Ramirez, Cristina; Sisco, Deborah; Early, Gerald L

    2015-01-01

    The care coordination program described here evolved from 5 years of trial and learning related to how to best serve our high-cost, high-utilizing, chronically ill, urban core patient population. In addition to medical complexity, they have daily challenges characteristic of persons served by Safety-Net health systems. Many have unstable health insurance status. Others have insecure housing. A number of patients have a history of substance use and mental illness. Many have fractured social supports. Although some of the best-known care transition models have been successful in reducing rehospitalizations and cost among patients studied, these models were developed for a relatively high functioning patient population with social support. We describe a successful approach targeted at working with patients who require a more intense and lengthy care coordination intervention to self-manage and reduce the cost of caring for their medical conditions. Using a diverse team and a set of replicable processes, we have demonstrated statistically significant reduction in the use of hospital and emergency services. Our intervention leverages the strengths and resilience of patients, focuses on trust and self-management, and targets heterogeneous "high-utilizer" patients with medical and social complexity.

  17. Neuroendocrine Tumor-Targeted Upconversion Nanoparticle-Based Micelles for Simultaneous NIR-Controlled Combination Chemotherapy and Photodynamic Therapy, and Fluorescence Imaging.

    PubMed

    Chen, Guojun; Jaskula-Sztul, Renata; Esquibel, Corinne R; Lou, Irene; Zheng, Qifeng; Dammalapati, Ajitha; Harrison, April; Eliceiri, Kevin W; Tang, Weiping; Chen, Herbert; Gong, Shaoqin

    2017-02-23

    Although neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are slow growing, they are frequently metastatic at the time of discovery and no longer amenable to curative surgery, emphasizing the need for the development of other treatments. In this study, multifunctional upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)-based theranostic micelles are developed for NET-targeted and near-infrared (NIR)-controlled combination chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT), and bioimaging. The theranostic micelle is formed by individual UCNP functionalized with light-sensitive amphiphilic block copolymers poly(4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl methacrylate)-polyethylene glycol (PNBMA-PEG) and Rose Bengal (RB) photosensitizers. A hydrophobic anticancer drug, AB3, is loaded into the micelles. The NIR-activated UCNPs emit multiple luminescence bands, including UV, 540 nm, and 650 nm. The UV peaks overlap with the absorption peak of photocleavable hydrophobic PNBMA segments, triggering a rapid drug release due to the NIR-induced hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic transition of the micelle core and thus enabling NIR-controlled chemotherapy. RB molecules are activated via luminescence resonance energy transfer to generate 1 O 2 for NIR-induced PDT. Meanwhile, the 650 nm emission allows for efficient fluorescence imaging. KE108, a true pansomatostatin nonapeptide, as an NET-targeting ligand, drastically increases the tumoral uptake of the micelles. Intravenously injected AB3-loaded UCNP-based micelles conjugated with RB and KE108-enabling NET-targeted combination chemotherapy and PDT-induce the best antitumor efficacy.

  18. Introducing Overlapping Grain Boundaries in Chemical Vapor Deposited Hexagonal Boron Nitride Monolayer Films

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    We demonstrate the growth of overlapping grain boundaries in continuous, polycrystalline hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayer films via scalable catalytic chemical vapor deposition. Unlike the commonly reported atomically stitched grain boundaries, these overlapping grain boundaries do not consist of defect lines within the monolayer films but are composed of self-sealing bilayer regions of limited width. We characterize this overlapping h-BN grain boundary structure in detail by complementary (scanning) transmission electron microscopy techniques and propose a catalytic growth mechanism linked to the subsurface/bulk of the process catalyst and its boron and nitrogen solubilities. Our data suggest that the overlapping grain boundaries are comparatively resilient against deleterious pinhole formation associated with grain boundary defect lines and thus may reduce detrimental breakdown effects when polycrystalline h-BN monolayer films are used as ultrathin dielectrics, barrier layers, or separation membranes. PMID:28410557

  19. A finite element method with overlapping meshes for free-boundary axisymmetric plasma equilibria in realistic geometries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heumann, Holger; Rapetti, Francesca

    2017-04-01

    Existing finite element implementations for the computation of free-boundary axisymmetric plasma equilibria approximate the unknown poloidal flux function by standard lowest order continuous finite elements with discontinuous gradients. As a consequence, the location of critical points of the poloidal flux, that are of paramount importance in tokamak engineering, is constrained to nodes of the mesh leading to undesired jumps in transient problems. Moreover, recent numerical results for the self-consistent coupling of equilibrium with resistive diffusion and transport suggest the necessity of higher regularity when approximating the flux map. In this work we propose a mortar element method that employs two overlapping meshes. One mesh with Cartesian quadrilaterals covers the vacuum chamber domain accessible by the plasma and one mesh with triangles discretizes the region outside. The two meshes overlap in a narrow region. This approach gives the flexibility to achieve easily and at low cost higher order regularity for the approximation of the flux function in the domain covered by the plasma, while preserving accurate meshing of the geometric details outside this region. The continuity of the numerical solution in the region of overlap is weakly enforced by a mortar-like mapping.

  20. Estimation of net ecosystem carbon exchange for the conterminous United States by combining MODIS and AmeriFlux data

    Treesearch

    Jingfeng Xiao; Qianlai Zhuang; Dennis D. Baldocchi; Beverly E. Law; Andrew D. Richardson; Jiquan Chen; Ram Oren; Gegory Starr; Asko Noormets; Siyan Ma; Sashi B. Verma; Sonia Wharton; Steven C. Wofsy; Paul V. Bolstad; Sean P. Burns; David R. Cook; Peter S. Curtis; Bert G. Drake; Matthias Falk; MArc L. Fischer; David R. Foster; Lianhong Gu; Julian L. Hadley; David Y. Hollinger; Gabriel G. Katul; Marcy Litvak; Timothy Martin; Roser Matamala; Steve McNulty; Tilden P. Meyers; Russell K. Monson; J. William Munger; Walter C. Oechel; Kyaw Tha Paw U; Hans Peter Schmid; Russell L. Scott; Ge Sun; Andrew E. Suyker; Margaret S. Torn

    2008-01-01

    Eddy covariance flux towers provide continuous measurements of net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) for a wide range of climate and biome types. However, these measurements only represent the carbon fluxes at the scale of the tower footprint. To quantify the net exchange of carbon dioxide between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere for regions or continents,...

  1. 77 FR 50736 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; National Securities Clearing Corporation; Notice of Filing of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-22

    ... manner.\\8\\ \\5\\ CNS is an ongoing accounting system that nets today's Settling Trades with yesterday's... to be processed through NSCC's Continuous Net Settlement (``CNS'') system \\5\\ (and for CNS-eligible... 50737

  2. "When I sleep under the net, nothing bothers me; I sleep well and I'm happy": Senegal's culture of net use and how inconveniences to net use do not translate to net abandonment.

    PubMed

    Berthe, Sara; Loll, Dana; Faye, Sylvain L; Wone, Issa; Koenker, Hannah; Arnold, Bethany; Weber, Rachel

    2014-09-12

    Despite recent advances in the fight against the disease, malaria remains a serious threat to the health and well-being of populations in endemic countries. The use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) reduces contact between the vector and humans, thereby reducing transmission of the disease. LLINs have become an essential component of malaria control programmes worldwide. The Culture of Net Use study used qualitative and quantitative methods in a longitudinal and iterative design over two phases, in order to capture changes in net use over a year and a half period and covering both dry and rainy seasons. Data were collected from a total of 56 households in eight regions to understand variations due to geographical, cultural, and universal coverage differences. At the time of the data collection, the universal coverage campaign had been completed in six of the eight regions (Dakar and Thies excluded). Perceived barriers to use were primarily related to the characteristics of the net itself, include shape, insecticide, and a variety of minority responses, such as perceived lack of mosquito density and being unaccustomed to using nets. Insecticide-related complaints found that insecticide did not present a significant barrier to use, but was cited as a nuisance. Feelings of suffocation continued to be the most commonly cited nuisance. Respondents who favoured the use of insecticide on nets appeared to be more aware of the health and malaria prevention benefits of the insecticide than those who perceived it negatively. Despite prior evidence that barriers such as heat, shape, insecticide and perceived mosquito density contribute to non-use of LLINs in other countries, this study has shown that these factors are considered more as nuisances and that they do not consistently prevent the use of nets among respondents in Senegal. Of those who cited inconveniences with their nets, few were moved to stop using a net. Respondents from this study overcame these barriers and continue to value the importance of nets.

  3. 47 CFR 32.1500 - Other jurisdictional assets-net.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Other jurisdictional assets-net. 32.1500 Section 32.1500 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES UNIFORM SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES Instructions for Balance Sheet Accounts § 32...

  4. Window and Overlap Processing Effects on Power Estimates from Spectra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trethewey, M. W.

    2000-03-01

    Fast Fourier transform (FFT) spectral processing is based on the assumption of stationary ergodic data. In engineering practice, the assumption is often violated and non-stationary data processed. Data windows are commonly used to reduce leakage by decreasing the signal amplitudes near the boundaries of the discrete samples. With certain combinations of non-stationary signals and windows, the temporal weighting may attenuate important signal characteristics to adversely affect any subsequent processing. In other words, the window artificially reduces a significant section of the time signal. Consequently, spectra and overall power estimated from the affected samples are unreliable. FFT processing can be particularly problematic when the signal consists of randomly occurring transients superimposed on a more continuous signal. Overlap processing is commonly used in this situation to improve the estimates. However, the results again depend on the temporal character of the signal in relation to the window weighting. A worst-case scenario, a short-duration half sine pulse, is used to illustrate the relationship between overlap percentage and resulting power estimates. The power estimates are shown to depend on the temporal behaviour of the square of overlapped window segments. An analysis shows that power estimates may be obtained to within 0.27 dB for the following windows and overlap combinations: rectangular (0% overlap), Hanning (62.5% overlap), Hamming (60.35% overlap) and flat-top (82.25% overlap).

  5. Modeling of wastewater treatment system of car parks from petroleum products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Savdur, S. N.; Stepanova, Yu V.; Kodolova, I. A.; Fesina, E. L.

    2018-05-01

    The paper discusses the technological complex of wastewater treatment of car parks from petroleum products. Based on the review of the main modeling methods of discrete-continuous chemical and engineering processes, it substantiates expediency of using the theory of Petri nets (PN) for modeling the process of wastewater treatment of car parks from petroleum products. It is proposed to use a modification of Petri nets which is focused on modeling and analysis of discrete-continuous chemical and engineering processes by prioritizing transitions, timing marks in positions and transitions. A model in the form of modified Petri nets (MPN) is designed. A software package to control the process for wastewater treatment is designed by means of SCADA TRACE MODE.

  6. PollyNET - an emerging network of automated raman-polarizarion lidars for continuous aerosolprofiling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baars, Holger; Althausen, Dietrich; Engelmann, Ronny; Heese, Birgit; Ansmann, Albert; Wandinger, Ulla; Hofer, Julian; Skupin, Annett; Komppula, Mika; Giannakaki, Eleni; Filioglou, Maria; Bortoli, Daniele; Silva, Ana Maria; Pereira, Sergio; Stachlewska, Iwona S.; Kumala, Wojciech; Szczepanik, Dominika; Amiridis, Vassilis; Marinou, Eleni; Kottas, Michail; Mattis, Ina; Müller, Gerhard

    2018-04-01

    PollyNET is a network of portable, automated, and continuously measuring Ramanpolarization lidars of type Polly operated by several institutes worldwide. The data from permanent and temporary measurements sites are automatically processed in terms of optical aerosol profiles and displayed in near-real time at polly.tropos.de. According to current schedules, the network will grow by 3-4 systems during the upcoming 2-3 years and will then comprise 11 permanent stations and 2 mobile platforms.

  7. Coral-algae metabolism and diurnal changes in the CO2-carbonate system of bulk sea water.

    PubMed

    Jokiel, Paul L; Jury, Christopher P; Rodgers, Ku'ulei S

    2014-01-01

    Precise measurements were conducted in continuous flow seawater mesocosms located in full sunlight that compared metabolic response of coral, coral-macroalgae and macroalgae systems over a diurnal cycle. Irradiance controlled net photosynthesis (P net), which in turn drove net calcification (G net), and altered pH. P net exerted the dominant control on [CO3 (2-)] and aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) over the diel cycle. Dark calcification rate decreased after sunset, reaching zero near midnight followed by an increasing rate that peaked at 03:00 h. Changes in Ωarag and pH lagged behind G net throughout the daily cycle by two or more hours. The flux rate P net was the primary driver of calcification. Daytime coral metabolism rapidly removes dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from the bulk seawater and photosynthesis provides the energy that drives G net while increasing the bulk water pH. These relationships result in a correlation between G net and Ωarag, with Ωarag as the dependent variable. High rates of H(+) efflux continued for several hours following mid-day peak G net suggesting that corals have difficulty in shedding waste protons as described by the Proton Flux Hypothesis. DIC flux (uptake) followed P net and G net and dropped off rapidly following peak P net and peak G net indicating that corals can cope more effectively with the problem of limited DIC supply compared to the problem of eliminating H(+). Over a 24 h period the plot of total alkalinity (AT ) versus DIC as well as the plot of G net versus Ωarag revealed a circular hysteresis pattern over the diel cycle in the coral and coral-algae mesocosms, but not the macroalgae mesocosm. Presence of macroalgae did not change G net of the corals, but altered the relationship between Ωarag and G net. Predictive models of how future global changes will effect coral growth that are based on oceanic Ωarag must include the influence of future localized P net on G net and changes in rate of reef carbonate dissolution. The correlation between Ωarag and G net over the diel cycle is simply the response of the CO2-carbonate system to increased pH as photosynthesis shifts the equilibria and increases the [CO3 (2-)] relative to the other DIC components of [HCO3 (-)] and [CO2]. Therefore Ωarag closely tracked pH as an effect of changes in P net, which also drove changes in G net. Measurements of DIC flux and H(+) flux are far more useful than concentrations in describing coral metabolism dynamics. Coral reefs are systems that exist in constant disequilibrium with the water column.

  8. Defining Appropriate Use of Proton-Pump Inhibitors Among Medical Inpatients.

    PubMed

    Pappas, Matt; Jolly, Sanjay; Vijan, Sandeep

    2016-04-01

    Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used among medical inpatients, both for prophylaxis against upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and continuation of outpatient use. While PPIs reduce the risk of UGIB, they also appear to increase the risk of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Depending upon the underlying risks of these conditions and the changes in those risks with PPIs, use of proton-pump inhibitors may lead to a net benefit or net harm among medical inpatients. We aimed to determine the net impact of PPIs on hospital mortality among medical inpatients. A microsimulation model, using literature-derived estimates of the risks of UGIB, HAP, and CDI among medical inpatients, along with the changes in risk associated with PPI use for each of these outcomes. The primary outcome was change in inpatient mortality. Simulated general medical inpatients outside the intensive care unit (ICU). Change in overall mortality during hospitalization. New initiation of PPI therapy led to an increase in hospital mortality in about 90% of simulated patients. Continuation of outpatient PPI therapy on admission led to net increase in hospital mortality in 79% of simulated patients. Results were robust to both one-way and multivariate sensitivity analyses, with net harm occurring in at least two-thirds of patients in all scenarios. For the majority of medical inpatients outside the ICU, use of PPIs likely leads to a net increase in hospital mortality. Even in patients at particularly high risk of UGIB, only those at the very lowest risk of HCAP and CDI should be considered for prophylactic PPI use. Continuation of outpatient PPIs may also increase expected hospital mortality. Apart from patients with active UGIB, use of PPIs in hospitalized patients should be discouraged.

  9. A ribonucleotide Origin for Life - Fluctuation and Near-ideal Reactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yarus, Michael

    2013-02-01

    Oligoribonucleotides are potentially capable of Darwinian evolution - they may replicate and can express an independent chemical phenotype, as embodied in modern enzymatic cofactors. Using quantitative chemical kinetics on a sporadically fed ribonucleotide pool, unreliable supplies of unstable activated ribonucleotides A and B at low concentrations recurrently yield a replicating AB polymer with a potential chemical phenotype. Self-complementary replication in the pool occurs during a minority (here ≈ 35 %) of synthetic episodes that exploit coincidental overlaps between 4, 5 or 6 spikes of arbitrarily arriving substrates. Such uniquely productive synthetic episodes, in which near-ideal reaction sequences recur at random, account for most AB oligonucleotide synthesis, and therefore underlie the emergence of net replication under realistic primordial conditions. Because overlapping substrate spikes are unexpectedly frequent, and in addition, complex spike sequences appear disproportionately, a sporadically fed pool can host unexpectedly complex syntheses. Thus, primordial substrate fluctuations are not necessarily a barrier to Darwinism, but instead can facilitate early evolution.

  10. A ribonucleotide Origin for Life--fluctuation and near-ideal reactions.

    PubMed

    Yarus, Michael

    2013-02-01

    Oligoribonucleotides are potentially capable of Darwinian evolution - they may replicate and can express an independent chemical phenotype, as embodied in modern enzymatic cofactors. Using quantitative chemical kinetics on a sporadically fed ribonucleotide pool, unreliable supplies of unstable activated ribonucleotides A and B at low concentrations recurrently yield a replicating AB polymer with a potential chemical phenotype. Self-complementary replication in the pool occurs during a minority (here ≈ 35 %) of synthetic episodes that exploit coincidental overlaps between 4, 5 or 6 spikes of arbitrarily arriving substrates. Such uniquely productive synthetic episodes, in which near-ideal reaction sequences recur at random, account for most AB oligonucleotide synthesis, and therefore underlie the emergence of net replication under realistic primordial conditions. Because overlapping substrate spikes are unexpectedly frequent, and in addition, complex spike sequences appear disproportionately, a sporadically fed pool can host unexpectedly complex syntheses. Thus, primordial substrate fluctuations are not necessarily a barrier to Darwinism, but instead can facilitate early evolution.

  11. IM-TORNADO: A Tool for Comparison of 16S Reads from Paired-End Libraries

    PubMed Central

    Jeraldo, Patricio; Kalari, Krishna; Chen, Xianfeng; Bhavsar, Jaysheel; Mangalam, Ashutosh; White, Bryan; Nelson, Heidi; Kocher, Jean-Pierre; Chia, Nicholas

    2014-01-01

    Motivation 16S rDNA hypervariable tag sequencing has become the de facto method for accessing microbial diversity. Illumina paired-end sequencing, which produces two separate reads for each DNA fragment, has become the platform of choice for this application. However, when the two reads do not overlap, existing computational pipelines analyze data from read separately and underutilize the information contained in the paired-end reads. Results We created a workflow known as Illinois Mayo Taxon Organization from RNA Dataset Operations (IM-TORNADO) for processing non-overlapping reads while retaining maximal information content. Using synthetic mock datasets, we show that the use of both reads produced answers with greater correlation to those from full length 16S rDNA when looking at taxonomy, phylogeny, and beta-diversity. Availability and Implementation IM-TORNADO is freely available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/imtornado and produces BIOM format output for cross compatibility with other pipelines such as QIIME, mothur, and phyloseq. PMID:25506826

  12. Experiences with serial and parallel algorithms for channel routing using simulated annealing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brouwer, Randall Jay

    1988-01-01

    Two algorithms for channel routing using simulated annealing are presented. Simulated annealing is an optimization methodology which allows the solution process to back up out of local minima that may be encountered by inappropriate selections. By properly controlling the annealing process, it is very likely that the optimal solution to an NP-complete problem such as channel routing may be found. The algorithm presented proposes very relaxed restrictions on the types of allowable transformations, including overlapping nets. By freeing that restriction and controlling overlap situations with an appropriate cost function, the algorithm becomes very flexible and can be applied to many extensions of channel routing. The selection of the transformation utilizes a number of heuristics, still retaining the pseudorandom nature of simulated annealing. The algorithm was implemented as a serial program for a workstation, and a parallel program designed for a hypercube computer. The details of the serial implementation are presented, including many of the heuristics used and some of the resulting solutions.

  13. Catamaran Nets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    West Coast Netting, Inc.'s net of Hyperester twine, is made of three strands of fiber twisted together by a company-invented sophisticated twisting machine and process that maintain precisely the same tension on each strand. The resulting twine offers higher strength and improved abrasion resistance. The technology that created the Hyperester supertwine has found spinoff applications, first as an extra-efficient seine for tuna fishing, then as a capture net for law enforcement agencies. The newest one is as a deck for racing catamarans. Hyperester twine net has been used on most of the high performance racing catamarans of recent years, including the America's Cup Challenge boats. They are tough and hold up well in the continual exposure to sunlight and saltwater.

  14. 47 CFR 36.506 - Net current deferred operating income taxes-Account 4100, Net noncurrent deferred operating...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES JURISDICTIONAL SEPARATIONS...) Amounts in these accounts are maintained by plant account and are apportioned among the operations on the basis of the separations of the related plant accounts. ...

  15. MirandaNet: A Learning Community--A Community of Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cuthell, John

    2002-01-01

    Explains MirandaNet, a learning community of teachers and academics as agents of change who use information and communications technology to change their teaching and learning practice and to develop innovative models for continuing professional development. Discusses distributed cognition in an online community. (LRW)

  16. 47 CFR 36.506 - Net current deferred operating income taxes-Account 4100, Net noncurrent deferred operating...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES JURISDICTIONAL SEPARATIONS...) Amounts in these accounts are maintained by plant account and are apportioned among the operations on the basis of the separations of the related plant accounts. ...

  17. 12 CFR 252.155 - Methodologies and practices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... SYSTEM (CONTINUED) ENHANCED PRUDENTIAL STANDARDS (REGULATION YY) Company-Run Stress Test Requirements for....155 Methodologies and practices. (a) Potential impact on capital. In conducting a stress test under...) Losses, pre-provision net revenue, provision for loan and lease losses, and net income; and (2) The...

  18. 12 CFR 252.155 - Methodologies and practices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... SYSTEM (CONTINUED) ENHANCED PRUDENTIAL STANDARDS (REGULATION YY) Company-Run Stress Test Requirements for....155 Methodologies and practices. (a) Potential impact on capital. In conducting a stress test under...) Losses, pre-provision net revenue, provision for loan and lease losses, and net income; and (2) The...

  19. Traditional Pricing or Something Else?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Epple, John H.

    1980-01-01

    It is argued tha alternate pricing methods for college textbooks--including net pricing, net billing, and single copy order pricing--would be detrimental to college bookstores. Publishers are urged to continue with the traditional method, and other publisher practices that could help bookstore managers are suggested. (JMD)

  20. Case of a tumor comprising gastric cancer and duodenal neuroendocrine tumor

    PubMed Central

    Kaneko, Hiroaki; Miyake, Akio; Ishii, Yasuaki; Sue, Soichiro; Miwa, Haruo; Sasaki, Tomohiko; Tamura, Toshihide; Kondo, Masaaki; Maeda, Shin

    2016-01-01

    The present report describes a rare case of a tumor composed of early gastric cancer and a duodenal neuroendocrine tumor (NET). A 78-year-old woman underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy at a local institution for screening of the upper gastrointestinal tract which revealed a protruded tumor through the pyloric ring from the pyloric antrum. The tumor was too large to treat at the facility; consequently, she was referred to our hospital for further management. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy with tumor biopsy of the lesion revealed the diagnosis of early gastric cancer. Endoscopic submucosal dissection was performed with sufficient free margins in both vertical and horizontal directions. Histopathological findings showed NET confined to the submucosal layer and covered by well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical stainings showed that the two lesions existed continuously. While the possibility of a collision cancer was considered, it was suggested that the two lesions existed continuously. Finally, the tumor was diagnosed as gastric cancer composed of duodenal NET G1, with a lymphatic invasion of NET component. PMID:27688667

  1. Can net income from non-patient-care activities continue to save hospitals?

    PubMed

    Schuhmann, Thomas M

    2010-05-01

    A recent study found that U.S. hospitals are losing billions of dollars per year caring for patients. Hospitals have been able to offset patient care losses with substantial net income from sources not directly connected to patient care. However, this net income declined sharply with the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, resulting in a decline in overall hospital profitability and putting a cloud of uncertainty over future hospital profitability.

  2. Markov Chain Models for Stochastic Behavior in Resonance Overlap Regions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCarthy, Morgan; Quillen, Alice

    2018-01-01

    We aim to predict lifetimes of particles in chaotic zoneswhere resonances overlap. A continuous-time Markov chain model isconstructed using mean motion resonance libration timescales toestimate transition times between resonances. The model is applied todiffusion in the co-rotation region of a planet. For particles begunat low eccentricity, the model is effective for early diffusion, butnot at later time when particles experience close encounters to the planet.

  3. Understanding Adherence and Prescription Patterns Using Large-Scale Claims Data.

    PubMed

    Bjarnadóttir, Margrét V; Malik, Sana; Onukwugha, Eberechukwu; Gooden, Tanisha; Plaisant, Catherine

    2016-02-01

    Advanced computing capabilities and novel visual analytics tools now allow us to move beyond the traditional cross-sectional summaries to analyze longitudinal prescription patterns and the impact of study design decisions. For example, design decisions regarding gaps and overlaps in prescription fill data are necessary for measuring adherence using prescription claims data. However, little is known regarding the impact of these decisions on measures of medication possession (e.g., medication possession ratio). The goal of the study was to demonstrate the use of visualization tools for pattern discovery, hypothesis generation, and study design. We utilized EventFlow, a novel discrete event sequence visualization software, to investigate patterns of prescription fills, including gaps and overlaps, utilizing large-scale healthcare claims data. The study analyzes data of individuals who had at least two prescriptions for one of five hypertension medication classes: ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and diuretics. We focused on those members initiating therapy with diuretics (19.2%) who may have concurrently or subsequently take drugs in other classes as well. We identified longitudinal patterns in prescription fills for antihypertensive medications, investigated the implications of decisions regarding gap length and overlaps, and examined the impact on the average cost and adherence of the initial treatment episode. A total of 790,609 individuals are included in the study sample, 19.2% (N = 151,566) of whom started on diuretics first during the study period. The average age was 52.4 years and 53.1% of the population was female. When the allowable gap was zero, 34% of the population had continuous coverage and the average length of continuous coverage was 2 months. In contrast, when the allowable gap was 30 days, 69% of the population showed a single continuous prescription period with an average length of 5 months. The average prescription cost of the period of continuous coverage ranged from US$3.44 (when the maximum gap was 0 day) to US$9.08 (when the maximum gap was 30 days). Results were less impactful when considering overlaps. This proof-of-concept study illustrates the use of visual analytics tools in characterizing longitudinal medication possession. We find that prescription patterns and associated prescription costs are more influenced by allowable gap lengths than by definitions and treatment of overlap. Research using medication gaps and overlaps to define medication possession in prescription claims data should pay particular attention to the definition and use of gap lengths.

  4. Coral reef metabolism and carbon chemistry dynamics of a coral reef flat

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Albright, Rebecca; Benthuysen, Jessica; Cantin, Neal; Caldeira, Ken; Anthony, Ken

    2015-05-01

    Global carbon emissions continue to acidify the oceans, motivating growing concern for the ability of coral reefs to maintain net positive calcification rates. Efforts to develop robust relationships between coral reef calcification and carbonate parameters such as aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) aim to facilitate meaningful predictions of how reef calcification will change in the face of ocean acidification. Here we investigate natural trends in carbonate chemistry of a coral reef flat over diel cycles and relate these trends to benthic carbon fluxes by quantifying net community calcification and net community production. We find that, despite an apparent dependence of calcification on Ωarag seen in a simple pairwise relationship, if the dependence of net calcification on net photosynthesis is accounted for, knowing Ωarag does not add substantial explanatory value. This suggests that, over short time scales, the control of Ωarag on net calcification is weak relative to factors governing net photosynthesis.

  5. Fluid Stochastic Petri Nets: Theory, Applications, and Solution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Horton, Graham; Kulkarni, Vidyadhar G.; Nicol, David M.; Trivedi, Kishor S.

    1996-01-01

    In this paper we introduce a new class of stochastic Petri nets in which one or more places can hold fluid rather than discrete tokens. We define a class of fluid stochastic Petri nets in such a way that the discrete and continuous portions may affect each other. Following this definition we provide equations for their transient and steady-state behavior. We present several examples showing the utility of the construct in communication network modeling and reliability analysis, and discuss important special cases. We then discuss numerical methods for computing the transient behavior of such nets. Finally, some numerical examples are presented.

  6. HIV-Related Stigma and Overlapping Stigmas Towards People Living With HIV Among Health Care Trainees in Canada.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Anne C; Girard, Todd; McShane, Kelly E; Margolese, Shari; Hart, Trevor A

    2017-08-01

    HIV continues to be a stigmatized disease, despite significant advances in care and concerted effort to reduce discrimination, stereotypes, and prejudice. Living with HIV is often associated with a multitude of overlapping and intersecting experiences which can, in and of themselves, also be stigmatized, and which may exacerbate HIV-related stigma. The consequences of these stigmatizing experiences are particularly impactful when the stigmatizing individual is a health care provider, as this can influence access to and quality of care. The current study empirically investigates a model of overlapping stigmas (homophobia, racism, sexism, stigma against injection drug use and stigma against sex work) potentially held by health care provider trainees in Canada to determine how these constructs overlap and intersect, and to assess whether HIV-related stigma may have unique attributes. Understanding overlapping stigmas can help inform targeted, stigma-informed training for health care trainees in order to provide effective, compassionate care for people living with HIV.

  7. Neuroendocrine Tumor-Targeted Upconversion Nanoparticle-Based Micelles for Simultaneous NIR-Controlled Combination Chemotherapy and Photodynamic Therapy, and Fluorescence Imaging

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Guojun; Jaskula-Sztul, Renata; Esquibel, Corinne R.; Lou, Irene; Zheng, Qifeng; Dammalapati, Ajitha; Harrison, April; Eliceiri, Kevin W.; Tang, Weiping

    2017-01-01

    Although neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are slow growing, they are frequently metastatic at the time of discovery and no longer amenable to curative surgery, emphasizing the need for the development of other treatments. In this study, multifunctional upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)-based theranostic micelles are developed for NET-targeted and near-infrared (NIR)-controlled combination chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT), and bioimaging. The theranostic micelle is formed by individual UCNP functionalized with light-sensitive amphiphilic block copolymers poly(4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl methacrylate)-polyethylene glycol (PNBMA-PEG) and Rose Bengal (RB) photosensitizers. A hydrophobic anticancer drug, AB3, is loaded into the micelles. The NIR-activated UCNPs emit multiple luminescence bands, including UV, 540 nm, and 650 nm. The UV peaks overlap with the absorption peak of photocleavable hydrophobic PNBMA segments, triggering a rapid drug release due to the NIR-induced hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic transition of the micelle core and thus enabling NIR-controlled chemotherapy. RB molecules are activated via luminescence resonance energy transfer to generate 1O2 for NIR-induced PDT. Meanwhile, the 650 nm emission allows for efficient fluorescence imaging. KE108, a true pansomatostatin nonapeptide, as an NET-targeting ligand, drastically increases the tumoral uptake of the micelles. Intravenously injected AB3-loaded UCNP-based micelles conjugated with RB and KE108—enabling NET-targeted combination chemotherapy and PDT—induce the best antitumor efficacy. PMID:28989337

  8. Comparison of Patient Outcomes and Cost of Overlapping Versus Nonoverlapping Spine Surgery.

    PubMed

    Zygourakis, Corinna C; Sizdahkhani, Saman; Keefe, Malla; Lee, Janelle; Chou, Dean; Mummaneni, Praveen V; Ames, Christopher P

    2017-04-01

    Overlapping surgery recently has gained significant media attention, but there are limited data on its safety and efficacy. To date, there has been no analysis of overlapping surgery in the field of spine. Our goal was to compare overlapping versus nonoverlapping spine surgery patient outcomes and cost. A retrospective review was undertaken of 2319 spine surgeries (n = 848 overlapping; 1471 nonoverlapping) performed by 3 neurosurgery attendings from 2012 to 2015 at the University of California San Francisco. Collected variables included patient age, sex, insurance, American Society of Anesthesiology score, severity of illness, risk of mortality, procedure type, surgeon, day of surgery, source of transfer, admission type, overlapping versus nonoverlapping surgery (≥1 minute of overlapping procedure time), Medicare-Severity Diagnosis-Related Group, osteotomy, and presence of another attending/fellow/resident. Univariate, then multivariate mixed-effect models were used to evaluate the effect of the collected variables on the following outcomes: procedure time, estimated blood loss, length of stay, discharge status, 30-day mortality, 30-day unplanned readmission, unplanned return to OR, and total hospital cost. Urgent spine cases were more likely to be done in an overlapping fashion (all P < 0.01). After we adjusted for patient demographics, clinical indicators, and procedure characteristics, overlapping surgeries had longer procedure times (estimate = 26.17; P < 0.001) and lower rates of discharge to home (odds ratio 0.65; P < 0.001), but equivalent rates of 30-day mortality, readmission, return to the operating room, estimated blood loss, length of stay, and total hospital cost (all P = ns). Overlapping spine surgery may be performed safely at our institution, although continued monitoring of patient outcomes is necessary. Overlapping surgery does not lead to greater hospital costs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Test-retest reliability of a continuous glucose monitoring system in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Terada, Tasuku; Loehr, Sarah; Guigard, Emmanuel; McCargar, Linda J; Bell, Gordon J; Senior, Peter; Boulé, Normand G

    2014-08-01

    This study determined the test-retest reliability of a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) (iPro™2; Medtronic, Northridge, CA) under standardized conditions in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Fourteen individuals with T2D spent two nonconsecutive days in a calorimetry unit. On both days, meals, medication, and exercise were standardized. Glucose concentrations were measured continuously by CGMS, from which daily mean glucose concentration (GLU(mean)), time spent in hyperglycemia (t(>10.0 mmol/L)), and meal, exercise, and nocturnal mean glucose concentrations, as well as glycemic variability (SD(w), percentage coefficient of variation [%cv(w)], mean amplitude of glycemic excursions [MAGEc, MAGE(ave), and MAGE(abs.gos)], and continuous overlapping net glycemic action [CONGA(n)]) were estimated. Absolute and relative reliabilities were investigated using coefficient of variation (CV) and intraclass correlation, respectively. Relative reliability ranged from 0.77 to 0.95 (P<0.05) for GLU(mean) and meal, exercise, and nocturnal glycemia with CV ranging from 3.9% to 11.7%. Despite significant relative reliability (R=0.93; P<0.01), t(>10.0 mmol/L) showed larger CV (54.7%). Among the different glycemic variability measures, a significant between-day difference was observed in MAGEc, MAGE(ave), CONGA6, and CONGA12. The remaining measures (i.e., SD(w), %cv(w), MAGE(abs.gos), and CONGA1-4) indicated no between-day differences and significant relative reliability. In individuals with T2D, CGMS-estimated glycemic profiles were characterized by high relative and absolute reliability for both daily and shorter-term measurements as represented by GLUmean and meal, exercise, and nocturnal glycemia. Among the different methods to calculate glycemic variability, our results showed SD(w), %cv(w), MAGE(abs.gos), and CONGAn with n ≤ 4 were reliable measures. These results suggest the usefulness of CGMS in clinical trials utilizing repeated measured.

  10. Analysis, Design, and Prototyping Of Accounting Software for Navy Signal Intelligence Collection Systems Return On Investment Reporting

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-09-01

    The MasterNet project continued to expand in software and hardware complexity until its failure ( Szilagyi , n.d.). Despite all of the issues...were used for MasterNet ( Szilagyi , n.d.). Although executive management committed significant financial resources to MasterNet, Bank of America...implementation failure as well as project- management failure as a whole ( Szilagyi , n.d.). The lesson learned from this vignette is the importance of setting

  11. Method for Fabricating Composite Structures Using Continuous Press Forming

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farley, Gary L. (Inventor)

    1997-01-01

    A method for fabricating composite structures at a low-cost. moderate-to-high production rate. A first embodiment of the method includes employing a continuous press forming fabrication process. A second embodiment of the method includes employing a pultrusion process for obtaining composite structures. The methods include coating yarns with matrix material, weaving the yarn into fabric to produce a continuous fabric supply and feeding multiple layers of net-shaped fabrics having optimally oriented fibers into a debulking tool to form an undebulked preform. The continuous press forming fabrication process includes partially debulking the preform, cutting the partially debulked preform and debulking the partially debulked preform to form a net-shape. An electron-beam or similar technique then cures the structure. The pultrusion fabric process includes feeding the undebulked preform into a heated die and gradually debulking the undebulked preform. The undebulked preform in the heated die changes dimension until a desired cross-sectional dimension is achieved. This process further includes obtaining a net-shaped infiltrated uncured preform, cutting the uncured preform to a desired length and electron-beam curing (or similar technique) the uncured preform. These fabrication methods produce superior structures formed at higher production rates. resulting in lower cost and high structural performance.

  12. Intercity passenger rail : Amtrak's financial crisis threatens continued viability : statement of Phyllis F. Scheinberg

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-04-01

    Amtrak is still in a financial crisis despite the fact that its financial : performance (as measured by net losses)2 has improved over the last 2 : years. At the end of fiscal year 1994, Amtraks net loss was about $1.1 : billion (in 1996 dollars)....

  13. Trapped between two tails: trading off scientific uncertainties via climate targets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lemoine, Derek; McJeon, Haewon C.

    2013-09-01

    Climate change policies must trade off uncertainties about future warming, about the social and ecological impacts of warming, and about the cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We show that laxer carbon targets produce broader distributions for climate damages, skewed towards severe outcomes. However, if potential low-carbon technologies fill overlapping niches, then more stringent carbon targets produce broader distributions for the cost of reducing emissions, skewed towards high-cost outcomes. We use the technology-rich GCAM integrated assessment model to assess the robustness of 450 and 500 ppm carbon targets to each uncertain factor. The 500 ppm target provides net benefits across a broad range of futures. The 450 ppm target provides net benefits only when impacts are greater than conventionally assumed, when multiple technological breakthroughs lower the cost of abatement, or when evaluated with a low discount rate. Policy evaluations are more sensitive to uncertainty about abatement technology and impacts than to uncertainty about warming.

  14. Laser Metal Deposition as Repair Technology for a Gas Turbine Burner Made of Inconel 718

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petrat, Torsten; Graf, Benjamin; Gumenyuk, Andrey; Rethmeier, Michael

    Maintenance, repair and overhaul of components are of increasing interest for parts of high complexity and expensive manufacturing costs. In this paper a production process for laser metal deposition is presented, and used to repair a gas turbine burner of Inconel 718. Different parameters for defined track geometries were determined to attain a near net shape deposition with consistent build-up rate for changing wall thicknesses over the manufacturing process. Spot diameter, powder feed rate, welding velocity and laser power were changed as main parameters for a different track size. An optimal overlap rate for a constant layer height was used to calculate the best track size for a fitting layer width similar to the part dimension. Deviations in width and height over the whole build-up process were detected and customized build-up strategies for the 3D sequences were designed. The results show the possibility of a near net shape repair by using different track geometries with laser metal deposition.

  15. Niche partitioning among frugivorous fishes in response to fluctuating resources in the Amazonian floodplain forest.

    PubMed

    Correa, Sandra Bibiana; Winemiller, Kirk O

    2014-01-01

    In response to temporal changes in the quality and availability of food resources, consumers should adjust their foraging behavior in a manner that maximizes energy and nutrient intake and, when resources are limiting, minimizes dietary overlap with other consumers. Floodplains of the Amazon and its lowland tributaries are characterized by strong, yet predictable, hydrological seasonality, seasonal availability of fruits, seeds, and other food resources of terrestrial origin, and diverse assemblages of frugivorous fishes, including morphologically similar species of several characiform families. Here, we investigated how diets of frugivorous fishes in the Amazon change in response to fluctuations in food availability, and how this influences patterns of interspecific dietary overlap. We tested predictions from classical theories of foraging and resource competition by estimating changes in diet breadth and overlap across seasons. We monitored fruiting phenology to assess food availability, and surveyed local fish populations during three hydrological seasons in an oligotrophic river and an adjacent oxbow lake in the Colombian Amazon. We analyzed stomach contents and stable isotope data to evaluate temporal and interspecific relationships for dietary composition, breadth, and overlap. Diets of six species of characiform fishes representing three genera changed according to seasonal fluctuations in food availability, and patterns of diet breadth and interspecific overlap during the peak flood pulse were consistent with predictions of optimal foraging theory. During times of high fruit abundance, fishes consumed items to which their functional morphological traits seemed best adapted, potentially enhancing net energy and nutritional gains. As the annual flood pulse subsided and availability of forest food resources in aquatic habitats changed, there was not a consistent pattern of diet breadth expansion or compression. Nonetheless, shifts in both diet composition and stable isotope ratios of consumer tissues during this period resulted in trophic niche segregation in a pattern consistent with competition theory.

  16. Moon meteoritic seismic hum: Steady state prediction

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lognonne, P.; Feuvre, M.L.; Johnson, C.L.; Weber, R.C.

    2009-01-01

    We use three different statistical models describing the frequency of meteoroid impacts on Earth to estimate the seismic background noise due to impacts on the lunar surface. Because of diffraction, seismic events on the Moon are typically characterized by long codas, lasting 1 h or more. We find that the small but frequent impacts generate seismic signals whose codas overlap in time, resulting in a permanent seismic noise that we term the "lunar hum" by analogy with the Earth's continuous seismic background seismic hum. We find that the Apollo era impact detection rates and amplitudes are well explained by a model that parameterizes (1) the net seismic impulse due to the impactor and resulting ejecta and (2) the effects of diffraction and attenuation. The formulation permits the calculation of a composite waveform at any point on the Moon due to simulated impacts at any epicentral distance. The root-mean-square amplitude of this waveform yields a background noise level that is about 100 times lower than the resolution of the Apollo long-period seismometers. At 2 s periods, this noise level is more than 1000 times lower than the low noise model prediction for Earth's microseismic noise. Sufficiently sensitive seismometers will allow the future detection of several impacts per day at body wave frequencies. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

  17. Improving Reading Outcomes for Children with Learning Disabilities: Using Brief Experimental Analysis to Develop Parent-tutoring Interventions

    PubMed Central

    Gortmaker, Valerie J; Daly, Edward J; McCurdy, Merilee; Persampieri, Michael J; Hergenrader, Melanie

    2007-01-01

    The present study assessed the effects of summer parent tutoring on 3 children with learning disabilities using empirically derived reading interventions. Brief experimental analyses were used to identify customized reading fluency interventions. Parents were trained to use the intervention strategies with their children. Parents implemented the procedures during parent-tutoring sessions at home and results were measured continuously in high-word-overlap and low-word-overlap passages to determine whether generalization occurred. Parent and child satisfaction with the procedures was assessed. Results demonstrated generalized increases in reading fluency in both high-word-overlap and low-word-overlap passages as a function of parent tutoring. Also, acceptability ratings by children and their parents indicated that they viewed the interventions as acceptable and effective. Results are discussed in terms of structuring reading fluency interventions that promote generalization and maintenance of treatment effects. PMID:17624063

  18. Impact of exercise on diurnal and nocturnal markers of glycaemic variability and oxidative stress in obese individuals with type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance.

    PubMed

    Farabi, Sarah S; Carley, David W; Smith, Donald; Quinn, Lauretta

    2015-09-01

    We measured the effects of a single bout of exercise on diurnal and nocturnal oxidative stress and glycaemic variability in obese subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance versus obese healthy controls. Subjects (in random order) performed either a single 30-min bout of moderate-intensity exercise or remained sedentary for 30 min at two separate visits. To quantify glycaemic variability, standard deviation of glucose (measured by continuous glucose monitoring system) and continuous overlapping net glycaemic action of 1-h intervals (CONGA-1) were calculated for three 12-h intervals during each visit. Oxidative stress was measured by 15-isoprostane F(2t) levels in urine collections for matching 12-h intervals. Exercise reduced daytime glycaemic variability (ΔCONGA-1 = -12.62 ± 5.31 mg/dL, p = 0.04) and urinary isoprostanes (ΔCONGA-1 = -0.26 ± 0.12 ng/mg, p = 0.04) in the type 2 diabetes mellitus/impaired glucose tolerance group. Daytime exercise-induced change in urinary 15-isoprostane F(2t) was significantly correlated with both daytime standard deviation (r = 0.68, p = 0.03) and with subsequent overnight standard deviation (r = 0.73, p = 0.027) in the type 2 diabetes mellitus/impaired glucose tolerance group. Exercise significantly impacts the relationship between diurnal oxidative stress and nocturnal glycaemic variability in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus/impaired glucose tolerance. © The Author(s) 2015.

  19. "Shakespeare Reloaded": Teacher Professional Development within a Collaborative Learning Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brady, Linzy

    2009-01-01

    This paper describes an instance of continuing professional development and explores the contribution it might make to the ongoing international dialogue of professional development. It reviews the way features of the current debate on effective teaching, teacher learning and continuing professional development overlap and feed into each other and…

  20. Mass distribution of free insecticide-treated nets do not interfere with continuous net distribution in Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background To protect the most vulnerable groups from malaria (pregnant women and infants) the Tanzanian Government introduced a subsidy (voucher) scheme in 2004, on the basis of a public-private partnership. These vouchers are provided to pregnant women at their first antenatal care visit and mothers of infants at first vaccination. The vouchers are redeemed at registered retailers for a long-lasting insecticidal net against the payment of a modest top-up price. The present work analysed a large body of data from the Tanzanian National Voucher Scheme, focusing on interactions with concurrent mass distribution campaigns of free nets. Methods In an ecologic study involving all regions of Tanzania, voucher redemption data for the period 2007 2011, as well as data on potential determinants of voucher redemption were analysed. The four outcome variables were: pregnant woman and infant voucher redemption rates, use of treated bed nets by all household members and by under- five children. Each of the outcomes was regressed with selected determinants, using a generalized estimating equation model and accounting for regional data clustering. Results There was a consistent improvement in voucher redemption rates over the selected time period, with rates >80% in 2011. The major determinants of redemption rates were the top-up price paid by the voucher beneficiary, the retailer- clinic ratio, and socio-economic status. Improved redemption rates after 2009 were most likely due to reduced top-up prices (following a change in policy). Redemption rates were not affected by two major free net distribution campaigns. During this period, there was a consistent improvement in net use across all the regions, with rates of up to 75% in 2011. Conclusion The key components of the National Treated Nets Programme (NATNETS) seem to work harmoniously, leading to a high level of net use in the entire population. This calls for the continuation of this effort in Tanzania and for emulation by other countries with endemic malaria. PMID:24884786

  1. Mass distribution of free insecticide-treated nets do not interfere with continuous net distribution in Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Eze, Ikenna C; Kramer, Karen; Msengwa, Amina; Mandike, Renata; Lengeler, Christian

    2014-05-27

    To protect the most vulnerable groups from malaria (pregnant women and infants) the Tanzanian Government introduced a subsidy (voucher) scheme in 2004, on the basis of a public-private partnership. These vouchers are provided to pregnant women at their first antenatal care visit and mothers of infants at first vaccination. The vouchers are redeemed at registered retailers for a long-lasting insecticidal net against the payment of a modest top-up price. The present work analysed a large body of data from the Tanzanian National Voucher Scheme, focusing on interactions with concurrent mass distribution campaigns of free nets. In an ecologic study involving all regions of Tanzania, voucher redemption data for the period 2007-2011, as well as data on potential determinants of voucher redemption were analysed. The four outcome variables were: pregnant woman and infant voucher redemption rates, use of treated bed nets by all household members and by under- five children. Each of the outcomes was regressed with selected determinants, using a generalized estimating equation model and accounting for regional data clustering. There was a consistent improvement in voucher redemption rates over the selected time period, with rates >80% in 2011. The major determinants of redemption rates were the top-up price paid by the voucher beneficiary, the retailer- clinic ratio, and socio-economic status. Improved redemption rates after 2009 were most likely due to reduced top-up prices (following a change in policy). Redemption rates were not affected by two major free net distribution campaigns. During this period, there was a consistent improvement in net use across all the regions, with rates of up to 75% in 2011. The key components of the National Treated Nets Programme (NATNETS) seem to work harmoniously, leading to a high level of net use in the entire population. This calls for the continuation of this effort in Tanzania and for emulation by other countries with endemic malaria.

  2. Short and long term evaluation of the efficiency of PermaNet® 2.0 bed net against environmental factors and washing using bioassay tests

    PubMed Central

    Kayedi, Mohammad Hassan; Khamisabadi, Kiumars; Haghdoost, Ali Akbar; Kayedi, Zohreh; Fallahi, Shirzad; Abdali, Nargess

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to examine the resistance of PermaNet® 2.0 bed nets against repeated washing and environmental factors by using bioassay tests. After 5, 15 and 21 washings with detergents and by using bioassay tests, the resistance of 40 PermaNet® 2.0 bed nets was compared with that of 40 bed nets conventionally treated with one K-O tablet. To examine the long-term resistance, 31 PermaNet® 2.0 bed nets were also distributed among villagers, and were re-collected to perform bioassay tests after 1, 2 and 5 years. In the first phase of this study, the insecticidal effect of the conventionally-treated nets significantly decreased due to repeated washings (P < 0.001); however, it was not significant regarding PermaNet® 2.0 bed nets (P = 0.92 in continuous exposure and P = 0.12 in mortality tests). In the long-term phase of this study, the time required for knockdown of PermaNet® 2.0 increased over the first 2 years and then decreased. In addition, the mortality rate decreased over the first 2 years and then increased. In conclusion, it seems that the technique used by the manufacturer for impregnation of PermaNet® 2.0 bed nets has an acceptable efficiency in comparison with conventional techniques. PMID:28423093

  3. 21 CFR 201.51 - Declaration of net quantity of contents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL LABELING Labeling Requirements for Prescription Drugs and/or Insulin § 201.51 Declaration of net quantity of contents. (a) The label of a prescription or insulin-containing drug in package....). A statement of the liquid measure of the contents in the case of insulin-containing drugs shall be...

  4. 21 CFR 201.51 - Declaration of net quantity of contents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL LABELING Labeling Requirements for Prescription Drugs and/or Insulin § 201.51 Declaration of net quantity of contents. (a) The label of a prescription or insulin-containing drug in package....). A statement of the liquid measure of the contents in the case of insulin-containing drugs shall be...

  5. 21 CFR 201.51 - Declaration of net quantity of contents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL LABELING Labeling Requirements for Prescription Drugs and/or Insulin § 201.51 Declaration of net quantity of contents. (a) The label of a prescription or insulin-containing drug in package....). A statement of the liquid measure of the contents in the case of insulin-containing drugs shall be...

  6. 21 CFR 201.51 - Declaration of net quantity of contents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL LABELING Labeling Requirements for Prescription Drugs and/or Insulin § 201.51 Declaration of net quantity of contents. (a) The label of a prescription or insulin-containing drug in package....). A statement of the liquid measure of the contents in the case of insulin-containing drugs shall be...

  7. 21 CFR 201.51 - Declaration of net quantity of contents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL LABELING Labeling Requirements for Prescription Drugs and/or Insulin § 201.51 Declaration of net quantity of contents. (a) The label of a prescription or insulin-containing drug in package....). A statement of the liquid measure of the contents in the case of insulin-containing drugs shall be...

  8. 26 CFR 1.857-3 - Net income from foreclosure property.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.857-3 Net income from foreclosure... computing real estate investment trust taxable income under section 857(b)(2). (d) Gross income not subject... estate investment trust has gain of $100 from the sale of an item of foreclosure property described in...

  9. Gender and Power Issues in On-Line Learning Environments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Machanic, Mindy

    The Internet (Net) and World Wide Web (WWW) have developed a variety of cultures and communities. Although most early users of the Net (mostly males) were well-intentioned and well-mannered, their social conventions (some blatantly sexist, others in the nature of macho posturing) have continued in many online chat rooms and virtual gaming…

  10. 24 CFR 906.27 - Limitations applicable to net proceeds on the sale of a property acquired through a homeownership...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Limitations applicable to net... and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC...

  11. 77 FR 61033 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; National Securities Clearing Corporation; Order Approving Proposed...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-05

    ... an ongoing accounting system that nets each day's Settling Trades with the prior day's Closing... Continuous Net Settlement (``CNS'') system \\5\\ (and for CNS-eligible items that are designated to be... value through the CNS system. Non-CNS eligible items, however, are assigned a market value pursuant to...

  12. 50 CFR 660.405 - Prohibitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (CONTINUED) FISHERIES OFF WEST COAST STATES West Coast Salmon Fisheries § 660.405... unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (1) Take and retain or land salmon caught with a net in the fishery management area, except that a hand-held net may be used to bring hooked salmon on board a...

  13. 50 CFR 660.405 - Prohibitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (CONTINUED) FISHERIES OFF WEST COAST STATES West Coast Salmon Fisheries § 660.405... unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (1) Take and retain or land salmon caught with a net in the fishery management area, except that a hand-held net may be used to bring hooked salmon on board a...

  14. Dental Therapy: Evolving in Minnesota’s Safety Net

    PubMed Central

    Born, David; Nagy, Amanda

    2014-01-01

    Objectives. We identified Minnesota’s initial dental therapy employers and surveyed dental safety net providers’ perceptions of dental therapy. Methods. In July 2011, we surveyed 32 Minnesota dental safety net providers to assess their prospective views on dental therapy employment options. In October 2013, we used an employment scan to reveal characteristics of the early adopters of dental therapy. Results. Before the availability of licensed dental therapists, safety net dental clinic directors overwhelmingly (77%) supported dental therapy. As dental therapists have become licensed over the past 2 years, the early employers of dental therapists are safety net clinics. Conclusions. Although the concept of dental therapy remains controversial in Minnesota, it now has a firm foundation in the state’s safety net clinics. Dental therapists are being used in innovative and diverse ways, so, as dental therapy continues to evolve, further research to identify best practices for incorporating dental therapists into the oral health care team is needed. PMID:24825234

  15. Three case studies of the GasNet model in discrete domains.

    PubMed

    Santos, C L; de Oliveira, P P; Husbands, P; Souza, C R

    2001-06-01

    A new neural network model - the GasNet - has been recently reported in the literature, which, in addition to the traditional electric type, point-to-point communication between units, also uses communication through a diffilsable chemical modulator. Here we assess the applicability of this model in three different scenarios, the XOR problem, a food gathering task for a simulated robot, and a docking task for a virtual spaceship. All of them represent discrete domains, a contrast with the one where the GasNet was originally introduced, which had an essentially continuous nature. These scenarios are well-known benchmark problems from the literature and, since they exhibit varying degrees of complexity, they impose distinct performance demands on the GasNet. The experiments were primarily intended to better understand the model, by extending the original problem domain where GasNet was introduced. The results reported point at some difficulties with the current GasNet model.

  16. Snoopy--a unifying Petri net framework to investigate biomolecular networks.

    PubMed

    Rohr, Christian; Marwan, Wolfgang; Heiner, Monika

    2010-04-01

    To investigate biomolecular networks, Snoopy provides a unifying Petri net framework comprising a family of related Petri net classes. Models can be hierarchically structured, allowing for the mastering of larger networks. To move easily between the qualitative, stochastic and continuous modelling paradigms, models can be converted into each other. We get models sharing structure, but specialized by their kinetic information. The analysis and iterative reverse engineering of biomolecular networks is supported by the simultaneous use of several Petri net classes, while the graphical user interface adapts dynamically to the active one. Built-in animation and simulation are complemented by exports to various analysis tools. Snoopy facilitates the addition of new Petri net classes thanks to its generic design. Our tool with Petri net samples is available free of charge for non-commercial use at http://www-dssz.informatik.tu-cottbus.de/snoopy.html; supported operating systems: Mac OS X, Windows and Linux (selected distributions).

  17. A new application of continuous wavelet transform to overlapping chromatograms for the quantitative analysis of amiloride hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide in tablets by ultra-performance liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Dinç, Erdal; Büker, Eda

    2012-01-01

    A new application of continuous wavelet transform (CWT) to overlapping peaks in a chromatogram was developed for the quantitative analysis of amiloride hydrochloride (AML) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) in tablets. Chromatographic analysis was done by using an ACQUITY ultra-performance LC (UPLC) BEH C18 column (50 x 2.1 mm id, 1.7 pm particle size) and a mobile phase consisting of methanol-0.1 M acetic acid (21 + 79, v/v) at a constant flow rate of 0.3 mL/min with diode array detection at 274 nm. The overlapping chromatographic peaks of the calibration set consisting of AML and HCT mixtures were recorded rapidly by using an ACQUITY UPLC H-Class system. The overlapping UPLC data vectors of AML and HCT drugs and their samples were processed by CWT signal processing methods. The calibration graphs for AML and HCT were computed from the relationship between concentration and areas of chromatographic CWT peaks. The applicability and validity of the improved UPLC-CWT approaches were confirmed by recovery studies and the standard addition technique. The proposed UPLC-CWT methods were applied to the determination of AML and HCT in tablets. The experimental results indicated that the suggested UPLC-CWT signal processing provides accurate and precise results for industrial QC and quantitative evaluation of AML-HCT tablets.

  18. Study on launch scheme of space-net capturing system.

    PubMed

    Gao, Qingyu; Zhang, Qingbin; Feng, Zhiwei; Tang, Qiangang

    2017-01-01

    With the continuous progress in active debris-removal technology, scientists are increasingly concerned about the concept of space-net capturing system. The space-net capturing system is a long-range-launch flexible capture system, which has great potential to capture non-cooperative targets such as inactive satellites and upper stages. In this work, the launch scheme is studied by experiment and simulation, including two-step ejection and multi-point-traction analyses. The numerical model of the tether/net is based on finite element method and is verified by full-scale ground experiment. The results of the ground experiment and numerical simulation show that the two-step ejection and six-point traction scheme of the space-net system is superior to the traditional one-step ejection and four-point traction launch scheme.

  19. Study on launch scheme of space-net capturing system

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Qingbin; Feng, Zhiwei; Tang, Qiangang

    2017-01-01

    With the continuous progress in active debris-removal technology, scientists are increasingly concerned about the concept of space-net capturing system. The space-net capturing system is a long-range-launch flexible capture system, which has great potential to capture non-cooperative targets such as inactive satellites and upper stages. In this work, the launch scheme is studied by experiment and simulation, including two-step ejection and multi-point-traction analyses. The numerical model of the tether/net is based on finite element method and is verified by full-scale ground experiment. The results of the ground experiment and numerical simulation show that the two-step ejection and six-point traction scheme of the space-net system is superior to the traditional one-step ejection and four-point traction launch scheme. PMID:28877187

  20. Efficacy of long-lasting insecticidal nets in use in Macha, Zambia, against the local Anopheles arabiensis population.

    PubMed

    Norris, Laura C; Norris, Douglas E

    2011-08-31

    The mosquito Anopheles arabiensis is the primary vector of Plasmodium falciparum in Macha, Zambia. A major portion of Zambia's current malaria control programme relies on long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) with insecticides. Currently, the efficacy of these measures against An. arabiensis in Macha is unknown, and previous data has shown that An. arabiensis has continued to feed on human hosts, despite high ITN coverage. It is possible that this could be due to either decreased efficacy of ITNs in used in Macha, or pyrethroid resistance in the vector. F1 offspring of field-collected adult An. arabiensis were tested for insecticide resistance, using CDC bottle bioassays and deltamethrin ITN susceptibility assays. The mosquitoes were characterized for the knock-down resistance (kdr) allele by PCR. LLINs that had been in use for two years in nearby villages were collected and tested for residual deltamethrin concentration and net quality, and were used in bioassays against susceptible colonized Anopheles gambiae s.s. Keele. Additionally, a survey on ITN use and care was conducted among LLIN owners. In the F1 An. arabiensis field population, low levels of resistance to DDT and deltamethrin-treated net material were detected by bioassay, although the knock-down resistance (kdr) allele not present in the population. ITN evaluations revealed high variability in residual deltamethrin concentration, quality of the nets, and mosquito mortality in bioassays. Mortality against An. gambiae s.s. in bioassays was correlated with residual deltamethrin concentration, which was dependent upon the number of washes each net had received. Proper LLIN care was a strong determinant of LLIN efficacy, indicating that education on the importance of LLIN use and care is key when distributing nets. As there is little insecticide resistance in the local vector population, degradation of LLINs most likely allowed for continued human feeding by An. arabiensis. Continued monitoring and assessment of both the vector population and the efficacy of LLINs in use is necessary in order to appropriately modify vector control operations and prevent the development of pyrethroid resistance.

  1. 26 CFR 1.528-7 - Inurement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Homeowners Associations § 1.528-7 Inurement. An organization is not a homeowners association if any part of its net earnings inures (other than as a direct result of its engaging in one or...

  2. Influence of increasing active-layer depth and continued permafrost degradation on carbon, water and energy fluxes over two forested permafrost landscapes in the Taiga Plains, NWT, Canada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sonnentag, O.; Baltzer, J.; Chasmer, L. E.; Detto, M.; Marsh, P.; Quinton, W. L.

    2012-12-01

    Recent research suggests an increase in active-layer depth (ALD) in the continuous permafrost zone and degradation of the discontinuous permafrost zone into seasonally frozen. Increasing ALD and continued permafrost degradation will have far-reaching consequences for northern ecosystems including altered regional hydrology and the exposure of additional soil organic carbon (C) to microbial decomposition. These changes might cause positive or negative net feedbacks to the climate system by altering important land surface properties and/or by releasing stored soil organic C to the atmosphere as CO2 and/or CH4. Knowledge gaps exist regarding the links between increasing ALD and/or permafrost degradation, regional hydrology, vegetation composition and structure, land surface properties, and CO2 and CH4 sink-source strengths. The goal of our interdisciplinary project is to shed light on these links by providing a mechanistic understanding of permafrost-thawing consequences for hydrological, ecophysiological and biogeochemical processes at two forested permafrost landscapes in the Taiga Plains, NWT, Canada: Scotty Creek and Havikpak Creek in the discontinuous and in the continuous permafrost zones, respectively (Fig.). The sites will be equipped with identical sets of instrumentation (start: 2013), to measure landscape-scale net exchanges of CO2, CH4, water and energy with the eddy covariance technique. These measurements will be complemented by repeated surveys of surface and frost table topography and vegetation, by land cover-type specific fluxes of CO2 and CH4 measured with a static chamber technique, and by remote sensing-based footprint analysis. With this research we will address the following questions: What is the net effect of permafrost thawing-induced biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks to the climate system? How do these two different types of feedback differ between the discontinuous and continuous permafrost zones? Is the decrease (increase) in net CO2 (CH4) exchange measured over mostly tundra sites in the continuous permafrost zone generalizable to forested landscapes in both the discontinuous and continuous permafrost zones? With this contribution, we report on the project status, present its objectives and hypotheses, and outline its timeline and sampling design.

  3. a Comparison of Morphological Taxonomy and Next Generation DNA Sequencing for the Assessment of Zooplankton Diversity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harvey, J.; Fisher, J. L.; Johnson, S.; Morgan, S.; Peterson, W. T.; Satterthwaite, E. V.; Vrijenhoek, R. C.

    2016-02-01

    Our ability to accurately characterize the diversity of planktonic organisms is affected by both the methods we use to collect water samples and our approaches to assessing sample contents. Plankton nets collect organisms from high volumes of water, but integrate sample contents along the net's path. In contrast, plankton pumps collect water from discrete depths. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can collect water samples with pinpoint accuracy from physical features such as upwelling fronts or biological features such as phytoplankton blooms, but sample volumes are necessarily much smaller than those possible with nets. Characterization of plankton diversity and abundances in water samples may also vary with the assessment method we apply. Morphological taxonomy provides visual identification and enumeration of organisms via microscopy, but is labor intensive. Next generation DNA sequencing (NGS) shows great promise for assessing plankton diversity in water samples but accurate assessment of relative abundances may not be possible in all cases. Comparison of morphological taxonomy to molecular approaches is necessary to identify areas of overlap and also areas of disagreement between these methods. We have compared morphological taxonomic assessments to mitochondrial COI and nuclear 28S ribosomal RNA NGS results for plankton net samples collected in Monterey bay, California. We have made a similar comparison for plankton pump samples, and have also applied our NGS methods to targeted, small volume water samples collected by an AUV. Our goal is to communicate current results and lessons learned regarding application of traditional taxonomy and novel molecular approaches to the study of plankton diversity in spatially and temporally variable, coastal marine environments.

  4. Portable hyperspectral imager with continuous wave green laser for identification and detection of untreated latent fingerprints on walls.

    PubMed

    Nakamura, Atsushi; Okuda, Hidekazu; Nagaoka, Takashi; Akiba, Norimitsu; Kurosawa, Kenji; Kuroki, Kenro; Ichikawa, Fumihiko; Torao, Akira; Sota, Takayuki

    2015-09-01

    Untreated latent fingerprints are known to exhibit fluorescence under UV laser excitation. Previously, the hyperspectral imager (HSI) has been primarily evaluated in terms of its potential to enhance the sensitivity of latent fingerprint detection following treatment by conventional chemical methods in the forensic science field. In this study however, the potential usability of the HSI for the visualization and detection of untreated latent fingerprints by measuring their inherent fluorescence under continuous wave (CW) visible laser excitation was examined. Its potential to undertake spectral separation of overlapped fingerprints was also evaluated. The excitation wavelength dependence of fluorescent images was examined using an untreated palm print on a steel based wall, and it was found that green laser excitation is superior to blue and yellow lasers' excitation for the production of high contrast fluorescence images. In addition, a spectral separation method for overlapped fingerprints/palm prints on a plaster wall was proposed using new images converted by the division and subtraction of two single wavelength images constructed based on measured hyperspectral data (HSD). In practical tests, the relative isolation of two overlapped fingerprints/palm prints was successful in twelve out of seventeen cases. Only one fingerprint/palm print was extracted for an additional three cases. These results revealed that the feasibility of overlapped fingerprint/palm print spectral separation depends on the difference in the temporal degeneration of each fluorescence spectrum. The present results demonstrate that a combination of a portable HSI and CW green laser has considerable potential for the identification and detection of untreated latent fingerprints/palm prints on the walls under study, while the use of HSD makes it practically possible for doubly overlapped fingerprints/palm prints to be separated spectrally. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Continuous inventories and the components of change

    Treesearch

    Frnacis A. Roesch

    2004-01-01

    The consequences of conducting a continuous inventory that utilizes measurements on overlapping temporal intervals of varying length on compatible estimation systems for the components of growth are explored. The time interpenetrating sample design of the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program is used as an example. I show why estimation of the...

  6. (Mis)Perceptions of Continuing Education: Insights from Knowledge Translation, Quality Improvement, and Patient Safety Leaders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kitto, Simon C.; Bell, Mary; Goldman, Joanne; Peller, Jennifer; Silver, Ivan; Sargeant, Joan; Reeves, Scott

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: Minimal attention has been given to the intersection and potential collaboration among the domains of continuing education (CE), knowledge translation (KT), quality improvement (QI), and patient safety (PS), despite their overlapping objectives. A study was undertaken to examine leaders' perspectives of these 4 domains and their…

  7. 26 CFR 1.860C-2 - Determination of REMIC taxable income or net loss.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.860C-2... investment (as defined in section 860G(a)(5) and § 1.860G-2(g)), is treated as gain or loss from the sale or...

  8. 26 CFR 1.860C-2 - Determination of REMIC taxable income or net loss.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.860C-2... investment (as defined in section 860G(a)(5) and § 1.860G-2(g)), is treated as gain or loss from the sale or...

  9. 26 CFR 1.860C-2 - Determination of REMIC taxable income or net loss.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.860C-2... investment (as defined in section 860G(a)(5) and § 1.860G-2(g)), is treated as gain or loss from the sale or...

  10. 26 CFR 1.860C-2 - Determination of REMIC taxable income or net loss.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.860C-2... investment (as defined in section 860G(a)(5) and § 1.860G-2(g)), is treated as gain or loss from the sale or...

  11. A systematic petri net approach for multiple-scale modeling and simulation of biochemical processes.

    PubMed

    Chen, Ming; Hu, Minjie; Hofestädt, Ralf

    2011-06-01

    A method to exploit hybrid Petri nets for modeling and simulating biochemical processes in a systematic way was introduced. Both molecular biology and biochemical engineering aspects are manipulated. With discrete and continuous elements, the hybrid Petri nets can easily handle biochemical factors such as metabolites concentration and kinetic behaviors. It is possible to translate both molecular biological behavior and biochemical processes workflow into hybrid Petri nets in a natural manner. As an example, penicillin production bioprocess is modeled to illustrate the concepts of the methodology. Results of the dynamic of production parameters in the bioprocess were simulated and observed diagrammatically. Current problems and post-genomic perspectives were also discussed.

  12. An Expanded Study of Net Generation Perceptions on Privacy and Security on Social Networking Sites (SNS)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawler, James P.; Molluzzo, John C.; Doshi, Vijal

    2012-01-01

    Social networking on the Internet continues to be a frequent avenue of communication, especially among Net Generation consumers, giving benefits both personal and professional. The benefits may be eventually hindered by issues in information gathering and sharing on social networking sites. This study evaluates the perceptions of students taking a…

  13. 17 CFR 240.15c3-1 - Net capital requirements for brokers or dealers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... shall continue to operate under this paragraph unless a change is approved upon application to the... application by an OTC derivatives dealer when calculating net capital to use the market risk standards of... application of the dealer and the carrying broker or dealer. (C) For purposes of this paragraph (a)(6)(iii...

  14. 26 CFR 1.652(b)-2 - Allocation of income items.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Trusts Which Distribute Current Income Only § 1.652(b)-2 Allocation of income items... distributable net income of the trust (as defined in section 643(a)) as the total of each class bears to such distributable net income, unless the terms of the trust specifically allocate different classes of income to...

  15. Transtracheal oxygen and positive airway pressure: A salvage technique in overlap syndrome.

    PubMed

    Biscardi, Frank Hugo; Rubio, Edmundo Raul

    2014-01-01

    The coexistence of sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) occurs commonly. This so called overlap syndrome leads to more profound hypoxemia, hypercapnic respiratory failure, and pulmonary hypertension than each of these conditions independently. Not infrequently, these patients show profound hypoxemia, despite optimal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for their SAHS. We report a case where CPAP therapy with additional in-line oxygen supplementation failed to accomplish adequate oxygenation. Adding transtracheal oxygen therapy (TTOT) to CPAP therapy provided better results. We review the literature on transtracheal oxygen therapy and how this technique may play a significant role in these complicated patients with overlap syndrome, obviating the need for more invasive procedures, such as tracheostomy.

  16. Climate change alters stability and species potential interactions in a large marine ecosystem.

    PubMed

    Griffith, Gary P; Strutton, Peter G; Semmens, Jayson M

    2018-01-01

    We have little empirical evidence of how large-scale overlaps between large numbers of marine species may have altered in response to human impacts. Here, we synthesized all available distribution data (>1 million records) since 1992 for 61 species of the East Australian marine ecosystem, a global hot spot of ocean warming and continuing fisheries exploitation. Using a novel approach, we constructed networks of the annual changes in geographical overlaps between species. Using indices of changes in species overlap, we quantified changes in the ecosystem stability, species robustness, species sensitivity and structural keystone species. We then compared the species overlap indices with environmental and fisheries data to identify potential factors leading to the changes in distributional overlaps between species. We found that the structure of the ecosystem has changed with a decrease in asymmetrical geographical overlaps between species. This suggests that the ecosystem has become less stable and potentially more susceptible to environmental perturbations. Most species have shown a decrease in overlaps with other species. The greatest decrease in species overlap robustness and sensitivity to the loss of other species has occurred in the pelagic community. Some demersal species have become more robust and less sensitive. Pelagic structural keystone species, predominately the tunas and billfish, have been replaced by demersal fish species. The changes in species overlap were strongly correlated with regional oceanographic changes, in particular increasing ocean warming and the southward transport of warmer and saltier water with the East Australian Current, but less correlated with fisheries catch. Our study illustrates how large-scale multispecies distribution changes can help identify structural changes in marine ecosystems associated with climate change. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Continuous robust sound event classification using time-frequency features and deep learning

    PubMed Central

    Song, Yan; Xiao, Wei; Phan, Huy

    2017-01-01

    The automatic detection and recognition of sound events by computers is a requirement for a number of emerging sensing and human computer interaction technologies. Recent advances in this field have been achieved by machine learning classifiers working in conjunction with time-frequency feature representations. This combination has achieved excellent accuracy for classification of discrete sounds. The ability to recognise sounds under real-world noisy conditions, called robust sound event classification, is an especially challenging task that has attracted recent research attention. Another aspect of real-word conditions is the classification of continuous, occluded or overlapping sounds, rather than classification of short isolated sound recordings. This paper addresses the classification of noise-corrupted, occluded, overlapped, continuous sound recordings. It first proposes a standard evaluation task for such sounds based upon a common existing method for evaluating isolated sound classification. It then benchmarks several high performing isolated sound classifiers to operate with continuous sound data by incorporating an energy-based event detection front end. Results are reported for each tested system using the new task, to provide the first analysis of their performance for continuous sound event detection. In addition it proposes and evaluates a novel Bayesian-inspired front end for the segmentation and detection of continuous sound recordings prior to classification. PMID:28892478

  18. Continuous robust sound event classification using time-frequency features and deep learning.

    PubMed

    McLoughlin, Ian; Zhang, Haomin; Xie, Zhipeng; Song, Yan; Xiao, Wei; Phan, Huy

    2017-01-01

    The automatic detection and recognition of sound events by computers is a requirement for a number of emerging sensing and human computer interaction technologies. Recent advances in this field have been achieved by machine learning classifiers working in conjunction with time-frequency feature representations. This combination has achieved excellent accuracy for classification of discrete sounds. The ability to recognise sounds under real-world noisy conditions, called robust sound event classification, is an especially challenging task that has attracted recent research attention. Another aspect of real-word conditions is the classification of continuous, occluded or overlapping sounds, rather than classification of short isolated sound recordings. This paper addresses the classification of noise-corrupted, occluded, overlapped, continuous sound recordings. It first proposes a standard evaluation task for such sounds based upon a common existing method for evaluating isolated sound classification. It then benchmarks several high performing isolated sound classifiers to operate with continuous sound data by incorporating an energy-based event detection front end. Results are reported for each tested system using the new task, to provide the first analysis of their performance for continuous sound event detection. In addition it proposes and evaluates a novel Bayesian-inspired front end for the segmentation and detection of continuous sound recordings prior to classification.

  19. Climatic Forecasting of Net Infiltration at Yucca Mountain, Using Analogue Meteorological Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Faybishenko, B.

    2005-12-01

    Net infiltration is a key hydrologic parameter that, throughout the unsaturated zone, controls the rate of deep percolation, the groundwater recharge, radionuclide transport, and seepage into underground tunnels. Because net infiltration is largely affected by climatic conditions, future changes in climatic conditions will potentially alter net infiltration. The objectives of this presentation are to: (1) Present a conceptual model and a semi-empirical approach for regional climatic forecasting of net infiltration, based on precipitation and temperature data from analogue meteorological stations; and (2) Demonstrate the results of forecasting net infiltration for future climates - interglacial, monsoon and glacial - over the Yucca Mountain region for a period of 500,000 years. Calculations of net infiltration were performed using a modified Budyko's water-balance model, and potential evapotranspiration was evaluated from the temperature-based Thornthwaite formula. (Both Budyko's and Thornthwaite's formulae have been used broadly in hydrological studies.) The results of these calculations were used for ranking net infiltration, along with aridity and precipitation-effectiveness (P-E) indices, for future climatic scenarios. Using this approach, we determined a general trend of increasing net infiltration from the present-day (interglacial) climate to the monsoon, intermediate (glacial transition) climate, a trend that continued into the glacial climate time frame. The ranking of aridity and P-E indices is practically the same as that for net infiltration. Validation of the computed net infiltration rates yielded a good match with other field and modeling study results related to groundwater recharge and net infiltration evaluation.

  20. DialysisNet: Application for Integrating and Management Data Sources of Hemodialysis Information by Continuity of Care Record.

    PubMed

    Ku, Ho Suk; Kim, Sungho; Kim, HyeHyeon; Chung, Hee-Joon; Park, Yu Rang; Kim, Ju Han

    2014-04-01

    Health Avatar Beans was for the management of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This article is about the DialysisNet system in Health Avatar Beans for the seamless management of ESRD based on the personal health record. For hemodialysis data modeling, we identified common data elements for hemodialysis information (CDEHI). We used ASTM continuity of care record (CCR) and ISO/IEC 11179 for the compliance method with a standard model for the CDEHI. According to the contents of the ASTM CCR, we mapped the CDHEI to the contents and created the metadata from that. It was transformed and parsed into the database and verified according to the ASTM CCR/XML schema definition (XSD). DialysisNet was created as an iPad application. The contents of the CDEHI were categorized for effective management. For the evaluation of information transfer, we used CarePlatform, which was developed for data access. The metadata of CDEHI in DialysisNet was exchanged by the CarePlatform with semantic interoperability. The CDEHI was separated into a content list for individual patient data, a contents list for hemodialysis center data, consultation and transfer form, and clinical decision support data. After matching to the CCR, the CDEHI was transformed to metadata, and it was transformed to XML and proven according to the ASTM CCR/XSD. DialysisNet has specific consideration of visualization, graphics, images, statistics, and database. We created the DialysisNet application, which can integrate and manage data sources for hemodialysis information based on CCR standards.

  1. Sampling techniques for burbot in a western non-wadeable river

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Klein, Z. B.; Quist, Michael C.; Rhea, D.T.; Senecal, A. C.

    2015-01-01

    Burbot, Lota lota (L.), populations are declining throughout much of their native distribution. Although numerous aspects of burbot ecology are well understood, less is known about effective sampling techniques for burbot in lotic systems. Occupancy models were used to estimate the probability of detection () for three gears (6.4- and 19-mm bar mesh hoop nets, night electric fishing), within the context of various habitat characteristics. During the summer, night electric fishing had the highest estimated detection probability for both juvenile (, 95% C.I.; 0.35, 0.26–0.46) and adult (0.30, 0.20–0.41) burbot. However, small-mesh hoop nets (6.4-mm bar mesh) had similar detection probabilities to night electric fishing for both juvenile (0.26, 0.17–0.36) and adult (0.27, 0.18–0.39) burbot during the summer. In autumn, a similar overlap between detection probabilities was observed for juvenile and adult burbot. Small-mesh hoop nets had the highest estimated probability of detection for both juvenile and adult burbot (0.46, 0.33–0.59), whereas night electric fishing had a detection probability of 0.39 (0.28–0.52) for juvenile and adult burbot. By using detection probabilities to compare gears, the most effective sampling technique can be identified, leading to increased species detections and more effective management of burbot.

  2. A novel transferable individual tree crown delineation model based on Fishing Net Dragging and boundary classification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Tao; Im, Jungho; Quackenbush, Lindi J.

    2015-12-01

    This study provides a novel approach to individual tree crown delineation (ITCD) using airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data in dense natural forests using two main steps: crown boundary refinement based on a proposed Fishing Net Dragging (FiND) method, and segment merging based on boundary classification. FiND starts with approximate tree crown boundaries derived using a traditional watershed method with Gaussian filtering and refines these boundaries using an algorithm that mimics how a fisherman drags a fishing net. Random forest machine learning is then used to classify boundary segments into two classes: boundaries between trees and boundaries between branches that belong to a single tree. Three groups of LiDAR-derived features-two from the pseudo waveform generated along with crown boundaries and one from a canopy height model (CHM)-were used in the classification. The proposed ITCD approach was tested using LiDAR data collected over a mountainous region in the Adirondack Park, NY, USA. Overall accuracy of boundary classification was 82.4%. Features derived from the CHM were generally more important in the classification than the features extracted from the pseudo waveform. A comprehensive accuracy assessment scheme for ITCD was also introduced by considering both area of crown overlap and crown centroids. Accuracy assessment using this new scheme shows the proposed ITCD achieved 74% and 78% as overall accuracy, respectively, for deciduous and mixed forest.

  3. Interannual, seasonal, and retrospective analysis of the methane and carbon dioxide budgets of a temperate peatland

    Treesearch

    D.M. Olson; T.J. Griffis; A. Noormets; R. Kolka; J. Chen

    2013-01-01

    Three years (2009-2011) of near-continuous methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes were measured with the eddy covariance (EC) technique at a temperate peatland located within the Marcell Experimental Forest, in northern Minnesota, USA. The peatland was a net source of CH4 and a net sink of CO...

  4. 77 FR 35961 - Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Approved by the Office of Management and Budget

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-15

    ...) to fulfill its continuing obligations under the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008, Public Law 110-283, 122 Stat. 2620 (2008) (NET 911 Act) to submit an annual ``Fee Accountability... or Charges for Enhanced 911 (E911) Services Under the NET 911 Improvement Act of 2008. Form No.: Not...

  5. Investigation of Overlap Correction Techniques for Application in the Micro-Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berkoff, Timothy A.; Welton, Ellsworth J.; Campbell, James R.; Scott, Vibart S.; Spinhirne, James D.

    2003-01-01

    The Micro-Pulse Lidar NETwork (MPLNET) is comprised of micro-pulse lidars (MPL) stationed around the globe to provide measurements of aerosol and cloud vertical distribution on a continuous basis. MPLNET sites are co-located with sunphotometers in the AErosol Robotic NETwork (AERONET) to provide joint measurements of aerosol optical depth, size, and other inherent optical properties. The IPCC 2001 report discusses . the importance of obtaining routine measurements of aerosol vertical structure, especially for absorbing aerosols. MPLNET provides exactly this sort of measurement, including calculation of aerosol extinction profiles, in a near real-time basis for all sites in the network. In order to obtain aerosol profiles, near range signal returns (0-6 km) must be accurately measured by the MPL. This measurement is complicated by the instrument s overlap range: Le., the minimum distance at which returning signals are completely in the instrument s field-of-view (FOV). Typical MPL overlap distances are large, between 5 - 6 km, due to the narrow FOV of the MPL receiver. A function describing the MPL overlap must be determined and used to correct signals in this range. Currently, overlap functions for MPLNET are determined using horizontal MPL measurements along a path with 10-1 5 km clear line-of-sight and a homogenous atmosphere. These conditions limit the location and ease in which successful overlaps can be obtained. Furthermore, the current MPLNET process of correcting for overlap increases the uncertainty and bias error for the near range signals and the resulting aerosol extinction profiles. To address these issues, an alternative overlap correction method using a small-diameter, wide FOV receiver is being considered for potential use in MPLNET. The wide FOV receiver has a much shorter overlap distance and will be used to calculate the overlap function of the MPL receiver. This approach has a significant benefit in that overlap corrections could be obtained without the need for horizontal measurements. A review of both overlap methods is presented, including a discussion of the impact on reducing the uncertainty and bias error in MPLNET aerosol profiles.

  6. Inclusion of mobile telephone numbers into an ongoing population health survey in New South Wales, Australia, using an overlapping dual-frame design: impact on the time series.

    PubMed

    Barr, Margo L; Ferguson, Raymond A; Steel, David G

    2014-08-12

    Since 1997, the NSW Population Health Survey (NSWPHS) had selected the sample using random digit dialing of landline telephone numbers. When the survey began coverage of the population by landline phone frames was high (96%). As landline coverage in Australia has declined and continues to do so, in 2012, a sample of mobile telephone numbers was added to the survey using an overlapping dual-frame design. Details of the methodology are published elsewhere. This paper discusses the impacts of the sampling frame change on the time series, and provides possible approaches to handling these impacts. Prevalence estimates were calculated for type of phone-use, and a range of health indicators. Prevalence ratios (PR) for each of the health indicators were also calculated using Poisson regression analysis with robust variance estimation by type of phone-use. Health estimates for 2012 were compared to 2011. The full time series was examined for selected health indicators. It was estimated from the 2012 NSWPHS that 20.0% of the NSW population were mobile-only phone users. Looking at the full time series for overweight or obese and current smoking if the NSWPHS had continued to be undertaken only using a landline frame, overweight or obese would have been shown to continue to increase and current smoking would have been shown to continue to decrease. However, with the introduction of the overlapping dual-frame design in 2012, overweight or obese increased until 2011 and then decreased in 2012, and current smoking decreased until 2011, and then increased in 2012. Our examination of these time series showed that the changes were a consequence of the sampling frame change and were not real changes. Both the backcasting method and the minimal coverage method could adequately adjust for the design change and allow for the continuation of the time series. The inclusion of the mobile telephone numbers, through an overlapping dual-frame design, did impact on the time series for some of the health indicators collected through the NSWPHS, but only in that it corrected the estimates that were being calculated from a sample frame that was progressively covering less of the population.

  7. Application of Petri net theory for modelling and validation of the sucrose breakdown pathway in the potato tuber.

    PubMed

    Koch, Ina; Junker, Björn H; Heiner, Monika

    2005-04-01

    Because of the complexity of metabolic networks and their regulation, formal modelling is a useful method to improve the understanding of these systems. An essential step in network modelling is to validate the network model. Petri net theory provides algorithms and methods, which can be applied directly to metabolic network modelling and analysis in order to validate the model. The metabolism between sucrose and starch in the potato tuber is of great research interest. Even if the metabolism is one of the best studied in sink organs, it is not yet fully understood. We provide an approach for model validation of metabolic networks using Petri net theory, which we demonstrate for the sucrose breakdown pathway in the potato tuber. We start with hierarchical modelling of the metabolic network as a Petri net and continue with the analysis of qualitative properties of the network. The results characterize the net structure and give insights into the complex net behaviour.

  8. LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE MONITORING FOR A PERMEABLE REACTIVE BARRIER AT THE U.S. COAST GUARD SUPPORT CENTER, ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA

    EPA Science Inventory

    A continuous hanging iron wall was installed in June, 1996, at the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Support Center near Elizabeth City, NC, United States, to treat overlapping plumes of chromate and chlorinated solvent compounds. The wall was emplaced using a continuous trenching machine...

  9. Dependability and performability analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trivedi, Kishor S.; Ciardo, Gianfranco; Malhotra, Manish; Sahner, Robin A.

    1993-01-01

    Several practical issues regarding specifications and solution of dependability and performability models are discussed. Model types with and without rewards are compared. Continuous-time Markov chains (CTMC's) are compared with (continuous-time) Markov reward models (MRM's) and generalized stochastic Petri nets (GSPN's) are compared with stochastic reward nets (SRN's). It is shown that reward-based models could lead to more concise model specifications and solution of a variety of new measures. With respect to the solution of dependability and performability models, three practical issues were identified: largeness, stiffness, and non-exponentiality, and a variety of approaches are discussed to deal with them, including some of the latest research efforts.

  10. Neuromorphic learning of continuous-valued mappings in the presence of noise: Application to real-time adaptive control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Troudet, Terry; Merrill, Walter C.

    1989-01-01

    The ability of feed-forward neural net architectures to learn continuous-valued mappings in the presence of noise is demonstrated in relation to parameter identification and real-time adaptive control applications. Factors and parameters influencing the learning performance of such nets in the presence of noise are identified. Their effects are discussed through a computer simulation of the Back-Error-Propagation algorithm by taking the example of the cart-pole system controlled by a nonlinear control law. Adequate sampling of the state space is found to be essential for canceling the effect of the statistical fluctuations and allowing learning to take place.

  11. Method for Fabricating Composite Structures Using Pultrusion Processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farley, Gary L. (Inventor)

    2000-01-01

    A method for fabricating composite structures at a low-cost, moderate-to-high production rate. A first embodiment of the method includes employing a continuous press forming fabrication process. A second embodiment of the method includes employing a pultrusion process for obtaining composite structures. The methods include coating yarns with matrix material, weaving the yarn into fabric to produce a continuous fabric supply and feeding multiple layers of net-shaped fabrics having optimally oriented fibers into a debulking tool to form an undebulked preform. The continuous press forming fabrication process includes partially debulking the preform, cutting the partially debulked preform and debulking the partially debulked preform to form a net-shape. An electron-beam or similar technique then cures the structure. The pultrusion fabric process includes feeding the undebulked preform into a heated die and gradually debulking the undebulked preform. The undebulked preform in the heated die changes dimension until a desired cross-sectional dimension is achieved. This process further includes obtaining a net-shaped infiltrated uncured preform, cutting the uncured preform to a desired length and electron-beam curing (or similar technique) the uncured preform. These fabrication methods produce superior structures formed at higher production rates, resulting in lower cost and high structural performance.

  12. Comparing the financial condition of Texas hospitals using a novel definition for the safety net.

    PubMed

    Stauffer, Brett D; Amarasingham, Ruben; Pickens, Sue; Anderson, Ron J

    2008-08-01

    Lack of health insurance is more prevalent in the state of Texas than in the rest of the country. To get necessary medical care, uninsured Texans must rely on safety net hospitals. Economic turmoil and fluctuating public support routinely threaten the financial stability of these hospitals. Safety net hospitals must be identified to craft public policy solutions that ensure their viability. In this paper, we propose a new method to identify these hospitals by incorporating criteria established previously by economists with additional measures of community value. Our data indicate that safety net hospitals continue to face financial challenges. Texas will need to move forward along several policy fronts to preserve this vital system of care.

  13. 47 CFR 65.450 - Net income.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) INTERSTATE RATE... the interstate portion of plant specific operations (Accounts 6110-6441), plant nonspecific operations... disposition of plant in service items, shall be handled as follows: (1) Gains related to property sold to...

  14. 47 CFR 65.450 - Net income.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) INTERSTATE RATE... the interstate portion of plant specific operations (Accounts 6110-6441), plant nonspecific operations... disposition of plant in service items, shall be handled as follows: (1) Gains related to property sold to...

  15. 47 CFR 69.301 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES... access elements net investment as defined in § 69.2 (z) shall be apportioned among the interexchange category, the billing and collection category and access elements as provided in this subpart. For purposes...

  16. Charge Relaxation Dynamics of an Electrolytic Nanocapacitor

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Understanding ion relaxation dynamics in overlapping electric double layers (EDLs) is critical for the development of efficient nanotechnology-based electrochemical energy storage, electrochemomechanical energy conversion, and bioelectrochemical sensing devices as well as the controlled synthesis of nanostructured materials. Here, a lattice Boltzmann (LB) method is employed to simulate an electrolytic nanocapacitor subjected to a step potential at t = 0 for various degrees of EDL overlap, solvent viscosities, ratios of cation-to-anion diffusivity, and electrode separations. The use of a novel continuously varying and Galilean-invariant molecular-speed-dependent relaxation time (MSDRT) with the LB equation recovers a correct microscopic description of the molecular-collision phenomena and enhances the stability of the LB algorithm. Results for large EDL overlaps indicated oscillatory behavior for the ionic current density, in contrast to monotonic relaxation to equilibrium for low EDL overlaps. Further, at low solvent viscosities and large EDL overlaps, anomalous plasmalike spatial oscillations of the electric field were observed that appeared to be purely an effect of nanoscale confinement. Employing MSDRT in our simulations enabled modeling of the fundamental physics of the transient charge relaxation dynamics in electrochemical systems operating away from equilibrium wherein Nernst–Einstein relation is known to be violated. PMID:25678941

  17. Direct and Indirect Effects of Precipitation on Particulate Matter Concentration in the Aburrá Valley

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roldán Henao, N.; Hoyos Ortiz, C. D.; Herrera, L.

    2017-12-01

    Wet deposition, including in-cloud scavenging (ICS) and below-cloud scavenging (BCS), is one of the most important processes of particulate matter (PM) removal from the atmosphere. ICS mainly refers to the growth of particulates into cloud droplets, whereas BCS consists of collisions and coalescence between raindrops and pollutants. The overall influence of precipitation in the concentration of fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5) in the Medellín metropolitan area located in the narrow Aburrá Valley within the Colombian Andes is assessed using weather radar derived precipitation with 5 minutes resolution and hourly data from air quality monitoring stations from the Medellín Early Warning System ( Sistema de Alerta Temprana de Medellin y el Valle de Aburra -SIATA-) monitoring network. A non-parametric probabilistic analysis is proposed in order to understand the net influence of precipitation within the diurnal cycle. Probability density functions (PDF) of PM2.5 concentration during precipitations events as well as under dry conditions are analyzed for every hour of the day. The overlapping coefficient for these distributions was used, along with the Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney test, in order to summarized the net effect of precipitation in aerosol concentration. Evidence suggests that, while there is a clear and significant role of precipitation in aerosol concentration, the net effect is contrasting and strongly depends on the diurnal cycle of atmospheric stability. During stable conditions in the lower troposphere, typically occurring during the night and before midmorning, evidence suggest that precipitation reduces the near-surface PM2.5 concentration due to an effective BCS resulting in net negative forcing. On the other hand, when a precipitation event takes place during the day, when the lower troposphere is typically unstable, the PM2.5 concentration increases, suggesting an net positive forcing given that the BCS is offset by the atmospheric stabilization effect of precipitation, which in turns results in near-surface PM accumulation.

  18. Intensive insulin therapy combined with metformin is associated with reduction in both glucose variability and nocturnal hypoglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yifei; Zhao, Zhiyun; Wang, Shujie; Zhu, Wei; Jiang, Yiran; Sun, Shouyue; Chen, Chen; Wang, Kai; Mu, Liangshan; Cao, Jinyi; Zhou, Yingxia; Gu, Weiqiong; Hong, Jie; Wang, Weiqing; Ning, Guang

    2017-10-01

    The effect on glucose variability in patients with intensive insulin therapy has not been fully understood. This observational study investigated the different glucose variability and hypoglycaemia patterns in type 2 diabetes patients treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or multiple daily injections (MDI) with or without metformin administration. During hospitalization, a total of 501 patients with poor glycaemic control and in initial treatment with either CSII alone (n = 187), CSII + Metformin (n = 81), MDI alone (n = 146), or MDI + Metformin (n = 87) were involved in the final analysis. Data obtained from continuous glucose monitoring were used to assess blood glucose fluctuation and nocturnal hypoglycaemia. Among the 4 groups, no difference was found in mean blood glucose levels. Results in parameters reflecting glucose fluctuation: continuous overlapping net glycaemic action in CSII + Metformin and mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions in MDI + Metformin were significantly lower than those in either CSII alone or MDI alone, respectively, even after adjustment (P = .031 and .006). Frequency of nocturnal hypoglycaemia was significantly decreased in CSII + Metformin as compared with CSII alone (0.6% vs 1.8%) and in MDI + Metformin as compared with MDI alone (1.6% vs 2.3%), with the highest frequency observed in MDI alone and the lowest in CSII + Metformin (all between group P < .001). Consistent results were obtained in between-group comparisons for hypoglycaemia duration. Subgroup analysis matched with baseline body mass index, and glycated haemoglobin and fasting blood glucose further confirmed these findings. Metformin added to initial CSII or MDI therapy is associated with a reduction in both glucose fluctuation and nocturnal hypoglycaemic risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Divided dosing reduces prednisolone-induced hyperglycaemia and glycaemic variability: a randomized trial after kidney transplantation.

    PubMed

    Yates, Christopher J; Fourlanos, Spiros; Colman, Peter G; Cohney, Solomon J

    2014-03-01

    Prednisolone is a major risk factor for hyperglycaemia and new-onset diabetes after transplantation. Uncontrolled observational data suggest that divided dosing may reduce requirements for hypoglycaemic agents. This study aims to compare the glycaemic effects of divided twice daily (BD) and once daily (QD) prednisolone. Twenty-two kidney transplant recipients without diabetes were randomized to BD or QD prednisolone. Three weeks post-transplant, a continuous glucose monitor (iPro2(®) Medtronic) was applied for 5 days with subjects continuing their initial prednisolone regimen (Days 1-2) before crossover to the alternative regimen. Mean glucose, peak glucose, nadir glucose, exposure to hyperglycaemia (glucose ≥7.8 mmol/L) and glycaemic variability were assessed. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of subjects was 50 ± 10 years and 77% were male. Median (interquartile range) daily prednisolone dose was 25 (20, 25) mg. BD prednisolone was associated with decreased mean glucose (mean 7.9 ± 1.7 versus 8.1 ± 2.3 mmol/L, P < 0.001), peak glucose [median 10.4 (9.5, 11.4) versus 11.4 (10.3, 13.4) mmol/L, P< 0.001] and exposure to hyperglycaemia [median 25.5 (14.6, 30.3) versus 40.4 (33.2, 51.2) mmol/L/h, P = 0.003]. Median glucose peaked between 14:55-15.05 h with BD and 15:25-15:30 h with QD. Median glycaemic variability scores were decreased with BD: SD (1.1 versus 1.9, P < 0.001), mean amplitude of glycaemic excursion (1.5 versus 2.2, P = 0.001), continuous overlapping net glycaemic action-1 (CONGA-1; 1.0 versus 1.2, P = 0.039), CONGA-2 (1.2 versus 1.4, P = 0.008) and J-index (25 versus 31, P = 0.003). Split prednisolone dosing reduces glycaemic variability and hyperglycaemia early post-kidney transplant.

  20. A hybrid-system model of the coagulation cascade: simulation, sensitivity, and validation.

    PubMed

    Makin, Joseph G; Narayanan, Srini

    2013-10-01

    The process of human blood clotting involves a complex interaction of continuous-time/continuous-state processes and discrete-event/discrete-state phenomena, where the former comprise the various chemical rate equations and the latter comprise both threshold-limited behaviors and binary states (presence/absence of a chemical). Whereas previous blood-clotting models used only continuous dynamics and perforce addressed only portions of the coagulation cascade, we capture both continuous and discrete aspects by modeling it as a hybrid dynamical system. The model was implemented as a hybrid Petri net, a graphical modeling language that extends ordinary Petri nets to cover continuous quantities and continuous-time flows. The primary focus is simulation: (1) fidelity to the clinical data in terms of clotting-factor concentrations and elapsed time; (2) reproduction of known clotting pathologies; and (3) fine-grained predictions which may be used to refine clinical understanding of blood clotting. Next we examine sensitivity to rate-constant perturbation. Finally, we propose a method for titrating between reliance on the model and on prior clinical knowledge. For simplicity, we confine these last two analyses to a critical purely-continuous subsystem of the model.

  1. 44 CFR 1.8 - Regulations review.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... continued need for the rule; (2) The nature, type and number of complaints or comments received concerning... clarity; (4) The extent to which the rule overlaps, duplicates or conflicts with other Federal rules, and...

  2. User-determined end of net life in Senegal: a qualitative assessment of decision-making related to the retirement of expired nets

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Procurement and distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in the African region has decreased from 145 million in 2010 to 66 million nets in 2012. As resources for LLIN distribution appear to stagnate, it is important to understand the users’ perception of the life span of a net and at what point and why they stop using it. In order to get the most value out of distributed nets and to ensure that they are used for as long as possible, programmes must communicate to users about how to assess useful net life and how to extend it. Methods Data were collected from 114 respondents who participated in 56 in-depth interviews (IDIs) and eight focus group discussions (FGDs) in August 2012 in eight regions in Senegal. Households were eligible for the study if they owned at least one net and had an available household member over the age of 18. Data were coded by a team of four coders in ATLAS.ti using a primarily deductive approach. Results Respondents reported assessing useful net life using the following criteria: the age of net, the number and size of holes and the presence of mosquitoes in the net at night. If they had the means to do so, many respondents preferred the acquisition of a new net rather than the continued use of a very torn net. However, respondents would preferentially use newer nets, saving older, but useable nets for the future or sharing them with family or friends. Participants reported observing alternative uses of nets, primarily for nets that were considered expired. Conclusions The results indicate that decisions regarding the end of net life vary among community members in Senegal, but are primarily related to net integrity. Additional research is needed into user-determined end of net life as well as care and repair behaviours, which could extend useful net life. The results from this study and from future research on this topic should be used to understand current behaviours and develop communication programmes to prolong the useful life of nets. PMID:24053789

  3. a Non-Overlapping Discretization Method for Partial Differential Equations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosas-Medina, A.; Herrera, I.

    2013-05-01

    Mathematical models of many systems of interest, including very important continuous systems of Engineering and Science, lead to a great variety of partial differential equations whose solution methods are based on the computational processing of large-scale algebraic systems. Furthermore, the incredible expansion experienced by the existing computational hardware and software has made amenable to effective treatment problems of an ever increasing diversity and complexity, posed by engineering and scientific applications. The emergence of parallel computing prompted on the part of the computational-modeling community a continued and systematic effort with the purpose of harnessing it for the endeavor of solving boundary-value problems (BVPs) of partial differential equations. Very early after such an effort began, it was recognized that domain decomposition methods (DDM) were the most effective technique for applying parallel computing to the solution of partial differential equations, since such an approach drastically simplifies the coordination of the many processors that carry out the different tasks and also reduces very much the requirements of information-transmission between them. Ideally, DDMs intend producing algorithms that fulfill the DDM-paradigm; i.e., such that "the global solution is obtained by solving local problems defined separately in each subdomain of the coarse-mesh -or domain-decomposition-". Stated in a simplistic manner, the basic idea is that, when the DDM-paradigm is satisfied, full parallelization can be achieved by assigning each subdomain to a different processor. When intensive DDM research began much attention was given to overlapping DDMs, but soon after attention shifted to non-overlapping DDMs. This evolution seems natural when the DDM-paradigm is taken into account: it is easier to uncouple the local problems when the subdomains are separated. However, an important limitation of non-overlapping domain decompositions, as that concept is usually understood today, is that interface nodes are shared by two or more subdomains of the coarse-mesh and, therefore, even non-overlapping DDMs are actually overlapping when seen from the perspective of the nodes used in the discretization. In this talk we present and discuss a discretization method in which the nodes used are non-overlapping, in the sense that each one of them belongs to one and only one subdomain of the coarse-mesh.

  4. Iterative and function-continuation Fourier deconvolution methods for enhancing mass spectrometer resolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ioup, J. W.; Ioup, G. E.; Rayborn, G. H., Jr.; Wood, G. M., Jr.; Upchurch, B. T.

    1984-01-01

    Mass spectrometer data in the form of ion current versus mass-to-charge ratio often include overlapping mass peaks, especially in low- and medium-resolution instruments. Numerical deconvolution of such data effectively enhances the resolution by decreasing the overlap of mass peaks. In this paper two approaches to deconvolution are presented: a function-domain iterative technique and a Fourier transform method which uses transform-domain function-continuation. Both techniques include data smoothing to reduce the sensitivity of the deconvolution to noise. The efficacy of these methods is demonstrated through application to representative mass spectrometer data and the deconvolved results are discussed and compared to data obtained from a spectrometer with sufficient resolution to achieve separation of the mass peaks studied. A case for which the deconvolution is seriously affected by Gibbs oscillations is analyzed.

  5. Study of Glycemic Variability Through Time Series Analyses (Detrended Fluctuation Analysis and Poincaré Plot) in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes.

    PubMed

    García Maset, Leonor; González, Lidia Blasco; Furquet, Gonzalo Llop; Suay, Francisco Montes; Marco, Roberto Hernández

    2016-11-01

    Time series analysis provides information on blood glucose dynamics that is unattainable with conventional glycemic variability (GV) indices. To date, no studies have been published on these parameters in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes. Our aim is to evaluate the relationship between time series analysis and conventional GV indices, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. This is a transversal study of 41 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Glucose monitoring was carried out continuously for 72 h to study the following GV indices: standard deviation (SD) of glucose levels (mg/dL), coefficient of variation (%), interquartile range (IQR; mg/dL), mean amplitude of the largest glycemic excursions (MAGE), and continuous overlapping net glycemic action (CONGA). The time series analysis was conducted by means of detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and Poincaré plot. Time series parameters (DFA alpha coefficient and elements of the ellipse of the Poincaré plot) correlated well with the more conventional GV indices. Patients were grouped according to the terciles of these indices, to the terciles of eccentricity (1: 12.56-16.98, 2: 16.99-21.91, 3: 21.92-41.03), and to the value of the DFA alpha coefficient (> or ≤1.5). No differences were observed in the HbA1c of patients grouped by GV index criteria; however, significant differences were found in patients grouped by alpha coefficient and eccentricity, not only in terms of HbA1c, but also in SD glucose, IQR, and CONGA index. The loss of complexity in glycemic homeostasis is accompanied by an increase in variability.

  6. A comparison of survey methods for documenting presence of Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-Footed Bats) at roosting areas in Western Virginia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Huth, John K.; Silvis, Alexander; Moosman, Paul R.; Ford, W. Mark; Sweeten, Sara E.

    2015-01-01

    Many aspects of foraging and roosting habitat of Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-Footed Bat), an emergent rock roosting-obligate, are poorly described. Previous comparisons of effectiveness of acoustic sampling and mist-net captures have not included Eastern Small-Footed Bat. Habitat requirements of this species differ from congeners in the region, and it is unclear whether survey protocols developed for other species are applicable. Using data from three overlapping studies at two sampling sites in western Virginia’s central Appalachian Mountains, detection probabilities were examined for three survey methods (acoustic surveys with automated identification of calls, visual searches of rock crevices, and mist-netting) for use in the development of “best practices” for future surveys and monitoring. Observer effects were investigated using an expanded version of visual search data. Results suggested that acoustic surveys with automated call identification are not effective for documenting presence of Eastern Small-Footed Bats on talus slopes (basal detection rate of 0%) even when the species is known to be present. The broadband, high frequency echolocation calls emitted by Eastern Small-Footed Bat may be prone to attenuation by virtue of their high frequencies, and these factors, along with signal reflection, lower echolocation rates or possible misidentification to other bat species over talus slopes may all have contributed to poor acoustic survey success. Visual searches and mist-netting of emergent rock had basal detection probabilities of 91% and 75%, respectively. Success of visual searches varied among observers, but detection probability improved with practice. Additionally, visual searches were considerably more economical than mist-netting.

  7. Re-Examination of the Observed Decadal Variability of Earth Radiation Budget Using Altitude-Corrected ERBE/ERBS Nonscanner WFOV Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wong, Takmeng; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Lee, Robert B.; Smith, G. Louis; Bush, Kathryn A.

    2005-01-01

    This paper gives an update on the observed decadal variability of Earth Radiation Budget using the latest altitude-corrected Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE)/Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) Nonscanner Wide Field of View (WFOV) instrument Edition3 dataset. The effects of the altitude correction are to modify the original reported decadal changes in tropical mean (20N to 20S) longwave (LW), shortwave (SW), and net radiation between the 1980s and the 1990s from 3.1/-2.4/-0.7 to 1.6/-3.0/1.4 Wm(sup -2) respectively. In addition, a small SW instrument drift over the 15-year period was discovered during the validation of the WFOV Edition3 dataset. A correction was developed and applied to the Edition3 dataset at the data user level to produce the WFOV Edition3_Rev1 dataset. With this final correction, the ERBS Nonscanner observed decadal changes in tropical mean LW, SW, and net radiation between the 1980s and the 1990s now stand at 0.7/-2.1/1.4 Wm(sup -2), respectively, which are similar to the observed decadal changes in the HIRS Pathfinder OLR and the ISCCP FD record; but disagree with the AVHRR Pathfinder ERB record. Furthermore, the observed interannual variability of near-global ERBS WFOV Edition3_Rev1 net radiation is found to be remarkably consistent with the latest ocean heat storage record for the overlapping time period of 1993 to 1999. Both data sets show variations of roughly 1.5 Wm(sup -2) in planetary net heat balance during the 1990s.

  8. 26 CFR 1.860C-2 - Determination of REMIC taxable income or net loss.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Real Estate Investment Trusts § 1.860C-2 Determination of..., including a qualified mortgage (as defined in section 860G(a)(3)) or a permitted investment (as defined in...

  9. Reduced net atmospheric CH4 consumption is a sustained response to elevated CO2 in a temperate forest

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    We compared nearly continuously from 1998 until 2006 rates of soil atmosphere CH4 exchange at permanently established sampling sites in a temperate loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forest exposed to ambient (control plots; approx. 380 uL L-1) or elevated (ambient + 200 uL L-1) CO2. Net atmospheric CH4 co...

  10. 78 FR 72863 - Circular Welded Carbon Quality Steel Pipe From the People's Republic of China: Continuation of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-04

    ... Quality Steel Pipe From the People's Republic of China: Continuation of Countervailing Duty Order AGENCY...) from the People's Republic of China (PRC) would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of net... reasonably foreseeable time.\\3\\ \\1\\ See Initiation of Five-Year (``Sunset'') Review, 78 FR 33063 (June 3...

  11. 26 CFR 1.507-2 - Special rules; transfer to, or operation as, public charity.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ...(b)(1)(A). Example 2. The N Private Foundation transferred all of its net assets to W University, a... TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Private Foundations § 1.507-2 Special.... Under section 507(b)(1)(A) a private foundation, with respect to which there have not been either...

  12. 26 CFR 1.507-2 - Special rules; transfer to, or operation as, public charity.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ...(b)(1)(A). Example 2. The N Private Foundation transferred all of its net assets to W University, a... TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Private Foundations § 1.507-2 Special.... Under section 507(b)(1)(A) a private foundation, with respect to which there have not been either...

  13. Estimates and predictors of health care costs of esophageal adenocarcinoma: a population-based cohort study.

    PubMed

    Thein, Hla-Hla; Jembere, Nathaniel; Thavorn, Kednapa; Chan, Kelvin K W; Coyte, Peter C; de Oliveira, Claire; Hur, Chin; Earle, Craig C

    2018-06-27

    Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) incidence is increasing rapidly. Esophageal cancer has the second lowest 5-year survival rate of people diagnosed with cancer in Canada. Given the poor survival and the potential for further increases in incidence, phase-specific cost estimates constitute an important input for economic evaluation of prevention, screening, and treatment interventions. The study aims to estimate phase-specific net direct medical costs of care attributable to EAC, costs stratified by cancer stage and treatment, and predictors of total net costs of care for EAC. A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using Ontario Cancer Registry-linked administrative health data from 2003 to 2011. The mean net costs of EAC care per 30 patient-days (2016 CAD) were estimated from the payer perspective using phase of care approach and generalized estimating equations. Predictors of net cost by phase of care were based on a generalized estimating equations model with a logarithmic link and gamma distribution adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors. The mean net costs of EAC care per 30 patient-days were $1016 (95% CI, $955-$1078) in the initial phase, $669 (95% CI, $594-$743) in the continuing care phase, and $8678 (95% CI, $8217-$9139) in the terminal phase. Overall, stage IV at diagnosis and surgery plus radiotherapy for EAC incurred the highest cost, particularly in the terminal phase. Strong predictors of higher net costs were receipt of chemotherapy plus radiotherapy, surgery plus chemotherapy, radiotherapy alone, surgery alone, and chemotherapy alone in the initial and continuing care phases, stage III-IV disease and patients diagnosed with EAC later in a calendar year (2007-2011) in the initial and terminal phases, comorbidity in the continuing care phase, and older age at diagnosis (70-74 years), and geographic region in the terminal phase. Costs of care vary by phase of care, stage at diagnosis, and type of treatment for EAC. These cost estimates provide information to guide future resource allocation decisions, and clinical and policy interventions to reduce the burden of EAC.

  14. "It is about how the net looks": a qualitative study of perceptions and practices related to mosquito net care and repair in two districts in eastern Uganda.

    PubMed

    Scandurra, Leah; Acosta, Angela; Koenker, Hannah; Kibuuka, Daniel Musoke; Harvey, Steven

    2014-12-17

    Prolonging net durability has important implications for reducing both malaria transmission and the frequency of net replacement. Protective behaviour, such as net care and repair, offers promise for improving net integrity and durability. Given the potential cost-savings and public health benefit associated with extending the useful life of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), prevention and mitigation of damage will become ever more critical to ensuring adequate net coverage at the population level. A qualitative assessment was conducted in two districts in central eastern Uganda in September 2013. Data on household net care and repair behaviour, attitudes and practices were collected from 30 respondents through in-depth interviews (IDIs), observations, photos, and video to gather an in-depth understanding of these behaviours. Net damage was common and the most cited causes were children and rodents. Responses revealed strong social norms about net cleanliness and aesthetics, and strong expectations that others should care for and repair their own nets. Respondents were receptive and able to repair nets, though longer-term repair methods, such as sewing and patching, were not as commonly reported or observed. Self-reported behaviour was not always consistent with observed or demonstrated behaviour, revealing potential misconceptions and the need for clear and consistent net care and repair messaging. Respondents considered both aesthetics and malaria protection important when deciding whether, when, and how to care for and repair nets. BCC should continue to emphasize the importance of maintaining net integrity for malaria prevention purposes as well as for maintaining aesthetic appeal. Additional research is needed, particularly surrounding washing, drying, daily storage routines, and gender roles in care and repair, in order to understand the complexity of these behaviours, and refine existing or develop new behaviour change communication (BCC) messages for net care and repair.

  15. 75 FR 14623 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area Management Plan and Draft...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-26

    ... Concern (ACEC), Plank Road and East Mesa. The preferred alternative would continue the 298-acre Plank Road... preferred alternative would reduce the East Mesa ACEC from 6,454 acres to 5,799 acres, which overlaps the Planning Area. The East Mesa ACEC would continue to protect biological resources and other resource values...

  16. High performance hybrid functional Petri net simulations of biological pathway models on CUDA.

    PubMed

    Chalkidis, Georgios; Nagasaki, Masao; Miyano, Satoru

    2011-01-01

    Hybrid functional Petri nets are a wide-spread tool for representing and simulating biological models. Due to their potential of providing virtual drug testing environments, biological simulations have a growing impact on pharmaceutical research. Continuous research advancements in biology and medicine lead to exponentially increasing simulation times, thus raising the demand for performance accelerations by efficient and inexpensive parallel computation solutions. Recent developments in the field of general-purpose computation on graphics processing units (GPGPU) enabled the scientific community to port a variety of compute intensive algorithms onto the graphics processing unit (GPU). This work presents the first scheme for mapping biological hybrid functional Petri net models, which can handle both discrete and continuous entities, onto compute unified device architecture (CUDA) enabled GPUs. GPU accelerated simulations are observed to run up to 18 times faster than sequential implementations. Simulating the cell boundary formation by Delta-Notch signaling on a CUDA enabled GPU results in a speedup of approximately 7x for a model containing 1,600 cells.

  17. Free Flyer Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS) and Climate Services Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cahalan, R.; Pilewskie, P.; Woods, T.

    2012-01-01

    NOAA's planned Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS) mission will fly along with the NOAA user service payloads Advanced Data Collection System (ADCS) and Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT). In ' order to guarantee continuity in the 33-year solar irradiance climate data record, TSIS must be launched in time to overlap with current on-orbit solar irradiance instruments. Currently TSIS is moving towards a launch rcadinss date of January 2015. TSIS provides for continuation of the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) and the Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) ,currently onboard NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) platform, launched in January 2003. The difficulty of ensuring continuity has increased due to the launch failure of NASA's Glory mission with its improved TIM. Achieving the needed overlap must now rely on extending SORCE. and maintaining the TSIS schedule. TSIS is one component of a NASA-NOAA joint program (JPSS) planned to transition certain climate observations to operational mode. We summarize issues of continuity, improvements being made to the TIM and 81M sensors, and plans to provide for traceability of total and spectral irradiance measurements to ground-based cryogenic standards.

  18. Ocean feature recognition using genetic algorithms with fuzzy fitness functions (GA/F3)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ankenbrandt, C. A.; Buckles, B. P.; Petry, F. E.; Lybanon, M.

    1990-01-01

    A model for genetic algorithms with semantic nets is derived for which the relationships between concepts is depicted as a semantic net. An organism represents the manner in which objects in a scene are attached to concepts in the net. Predicates between object pairs are continuous valued truth functions in the form of an inverse exponential function (e sub beta lxl). 1:n relationships are combined via the fuzzy OR (Max (...)). Finally, predicates between pairs of concepts are resolved by taking the average of the combined predicate values of the objects attached to the concept at the tail of the arc representing the predicate in the semantic net. The method is illustrated by applying it to the identification of oceanic features in the North Atlantic.

  19. A Speech Controlled Information-Retrieval System,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-01-01

    instance, monitoring the speed of articulation continuously could lead to a faster time warping algorithm by restricting the amount of overlapping of...M E (1975) "LEX - a lexical analyser generator" CSTR 39, Bell Laboratories. ’.

  20. Educational Technology Network: a computer conferencing system dedicated to applications of computers in radiology practice, research, and education.

    PubMed

    D'Alessandro, M P; Ackerman, M J; Sparks, S M

    1993-11-01

    Educational Technology Network (ET Net) is a free, easy to use, on-line computer conferencing system organized and funded by the National Library of Medicine that is accessible via the SprintNet (SprintNet, Reston, VA) and Internet (Merit, Ann Arbor, MI) computer networks. It is dedicated to helping bring together, in a single continuously running electronic forum, developers and users of computer applications in the health sciences, including radiology. ET Net uses the Caucus computer conferencing software (Camber-Roth, Troy, NY) running on a microcomputer. This microcomputer is located in the National Library of Medicine's Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications and is directly connected to the SprintNet and the Internet networks. The advanced computer conferencing software of ET Net allows individuals who are separated in space and time to unite electronically to participate, at any time, in interactive discussions on applications of computers in radiology. A computer conferencing system such as ET Net allows radiologists to maintain contact with colleagues on a regular basis when they are not physically together. Topics of discussion on ET Net encompass all applications of computers in radiological practice, research, and education. ET Net has been in successful operation for 3 years and has a promising future aiding radiologists in the exchange of information pertaining to applications of computers in radiology.

  1. The association between household bed net ownership and all-cause child mortality in Madagascar.

    PubMed

    Meekers, Dominique; Yukich, Joshua O

    2016-09-17

    Malaria continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Madagascar. It has been estimated that the malaria burden costs Madagascar over $52 million annually in terms of treatment costs, lost productivity and prevention expenses. One of the key malaria prevention strategies of the Government of Madagascar consists of large-scale mass distribution campaigns of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLIN). Although there is ample evidence that child mortality has decreased in Madagascar, it is unclear whether increases in LLIN ownership have contributed to this decline. This study analyses multiple recent cross-sectional survey data sets to examine the association between household bed net ownership and all-cause child mortality. Data on household-level bed net ownership confirm that the percentage of households that own one or more bed nets increased substantially following the 2009 and 2010 mass LLIN distribution campaigns. Additionally, all-cause child mortality in Madagascar has declined during the period 2008-2013. Bed net ownership was associated with a 22 % reduction in the all-cause child mortality hazard in Madagascar. Mass bed net distributions contributed strongly to the overall decline in child mortality in Madagascar during the period 2008-2013. However, the decline was not solely attributable to increases in bed net coverage, and nets alone were not able to eliminate most of the child mortality hazard across the island.

  2. Net production of oxygen in the subtropical ocean.

    PubMed

    Riser, Stephen C; Johnson, Kenneth S

    2008-01-17

    The question of whether the plankton communities in low-nutrient regions of the ocean, comprising 80% of the global ocean surface area, are net producers or consumers of oxygen and fixed carbon is a key uncertainty in the global carbon cycle. Direct measurements in bottle experiments indicate net oxygen consumption in the sunlit zone, whereas geochemical evidence suggests that the upper ocean is a net source of oxygen. One possible resolution to this conflict is that primary production in the gyres is episodic and thus difficult to observe: in this model, oligotrophic regions would be net consumers of oxygen during most of the year, but strong, brief events with high primary production rates might produce enough fixed carbon and dissolved oxygen to yield net production as an average over the annual cycle. Here we examine the balance of oxygen production over three years at sites in the North and South Pacific subtropical gyres using the new technique of oxygen sensors deployed on profiling floats. We find that mixing events during early winter homogenize the upper water column and cause low oxygen concentrations. Oxygen then increases below the mixed layer at a nearly constant rate that is similar to independent measures of net community production. This continuous oxygen increase is consistent with an ecosystem that is a net producer of fixed carbon (net autotrophic) throughout the year, with episodic events not required to sustain positive oxygen production.

  3. Cloud Overlapping Detection Algorithm Using Solar and IR Wavelengths With GOSE Data Over ARM/SGP Site

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kawamoto, Kazuaki; Minnis, Patrick; Smith, William L., Jr.

    2001-01-01

    One of the most perplexing problems in satellite cloud remote sensing is the overlapping of cloud layers. Although most techniques assume a 1-layer cloud system in a given retrieval of cloud properties, many observations are affected by radiation from more than one cloud layer. As such, cloud overlap can cause errors in the retrieval of many properties including cloud height, optical depth, phase, and particle size. A variety of methods have been developed to identify overlapped clouds in a given satellite imager pixel. Baum el al. (1995) used CO2 slicing and a spatial coherence method to demonstrate a possible analysis method for nighttime detection of multilayered clouds. Jin and Rossow (1997) also used a multispectral CO2 slicing technique for a global analysis of overlapped cloud amount. Lin et al. (1999) used a combination infrared, visible, and microwave data to detect overlapped clouds over water. Recently, Baum and Spinhirne (2000) proposed 1.6 and 11 microns. bispectral threshold method. While all of these methods have made progress in solving this stubborn problem, none have yet proven satisfactory for continuous and consistent monitoring of multilayer cloud systems. It is clear that detection of overlapping clouds from passive instruments such as satellite radiometers is in an immature stage of development and requires additional research. Overlapped cloud systems also affect the retrievals of cloud properties over the ARM domains (e.g., Minnis et al 1998) and hence should identified as accurately as possible. To reach this goal, it is necessary to determine which information can be exploited for detecting multilayered clouds from operational meteorological satellite data used by ARM. This paper examines the potential information available in spectral data available on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imager and the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) used over the ARM SGP and NSA sites to study the capability of detecting overlapping clouds

  4. Cloud Overlapping Detection Algorithm Using Solar and IR Wavelengths with GOES Data Over ARM/SGP Site

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kawamoto, K.; Minnis, P.; Smith, W. L., Jr.

    2001-01-01

    One of the most perplexing problems in satellite cloud remote sensing is the overlapping of cloud layers. Although most techniques assume a one layer cloud system in a given retrieval of cloud properties, many observations are affected by radiation from more than one cloud layer. As such, cloud overlap can cause errors in the retrieval of many properties including cloud height, optical depth, phase, and particle size. A variety of methods have been developed to identify overlapped clouds in a given satellite imager pixel. Baum et al used CO2 slicing and a spatial coherence method to demonstrate a possible analysis method for nighttime detection of multilayered clouds. Jin and Rossow also used a multispectral CO2 slicing technique for a global analysis of overlapped cloud amount. Lin et al. used a combination infrared (IR), visible (VIS), and microwave data to detect overlapped clouds over water. Recently, Baum and Spinhirne proposed a 1.6 and 11 micron bispectral threshold method. While all of these methods have made progress in solving this stubborn problem none have yet proven satisfactory for continuous and consistent monitoring of multilayer cloud systems. It is clear that detection of overlapping clouds from passive instruments such as satellite radiometers is in an immature stage of development and requires additional research. Overlapped cloud systems also affect the retrievals of cloud properties over the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) domains and hence should be identified as accurately as possible. To reach this goal, it is necessary to determine which information can be exploited for detecting multilayered clouds from operational meteorological satellite data used by ARM. This paper examines the potential information available in spectral data available on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imager and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) used over the ARM Program's Southern Great Plains (SGP), and North Slope of Alaska (NSA) sites to study the capability of detecting overlapping clouds.

  5. An atomic model of the tropomyosin cable on F-actin.

    PubMed

    Orzechowski, Marek; Li, Xiaochuan Edward; Fischer, Stefan; Lehman, William

    2014-08-05

    Tropomyosin regulates a wide variety of actin filament functions and is best known for the role that it plays together with troponin in controlling muscle activity. For effective performance on actin filaments, adjacent 42-nm-long tropomyosin molecules are joined together by a 9- to 10-residue head-to-tail overlapping domain to form a continuous cable that wraps around the F-actin helix. Yet, despite the apparent simplicity of tropomyosin's coiled-coil structure and its well-known periodic association with successive actin subunits along F-actin, the structure of the tropomyosin cable on actin is uncertain. This is because the conformation of the overlap region that joins neighboring molecules is poorly understood, thus leaving a significant gap in our understanding of thin-filament structure and regulation. However, recent molecular-dynamics simulations of overlap segments defined their overall shape and provided unique and sufficient cues to model the whole actin-tropomyosin filament assembly in atomic detail. In this study, we show that these MD structures merge seamlessly onto the ends of tropomyosin coiled-coils. Adjacent tropomyosin molecules can then be joined together to provide a comprehensive model of the tropomyosin cable running continuously on F-actin. The resulting complete model presented here describes for the first time (to our knowledge) an atomic-level structure of αα-striated muscle tropomyosin bound to an actin filament that includes the critical overlap domain. Thus, the model provides a structural correlate to evaluate thin-filament mechanics, self-assembly mechanisms, and the effect of disease-causing mutations. Copyright © 2014 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Parallel Newton-Krylov-Schwarz algorithms for the transonic full potential equation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cai, Xiao-Chuan; Gropp, William D.; Keyes, David E.; Melvin, Robin G.; Young, David P.

    1996-01-01

    We study parallel two-level overlapping Schwarz algorithms for solving nonlinear finite element problems, in particular, for the full potential equation of aerodynamics discretized in two dimensions with bilinear elements. The overall algorithm, Newton-Krylov-Schwarz (NKS), employs an inexact finite-difference Newton method and a Krylov space iterative method, with a two-level overlapping Schwarz method as a preconditioner. We demonstrate that NKS, combined with a density upwinding continuation strategy for problems with weak shocks, is robust and, economical for this class of mixed elliptic-hyperbolic nonlinear partial differential equations, with proper specification of several parameters. We study upwinding parameters, inner convergence tolerance, coarse grid density, subdomain overlap, and the level of fill-in in the incomplete factorization, and report their effect on numerical convergence rate, overall execution time, and parallel efficiency on a distributed-memory parallel computer.

  7. Development of Weld Metal Microstructures in Pulsed Laser Welding of Duplex Stainless Steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mirakhorli, F.; Malek Ghaini, F.; Torkamany, M. J.

    2012-10-01

    The microstructure of the weld metal of a duplex stainless steel made with Nd:YAG pulsed laser is investigated at different travel speeds and pulse frequencies. In terms of the solidification pattern, the weld microstructure is shown to be composed of two distinct zones. The presence of two competing heat transfer channels to the relatively cooler base metal and the relatively hotter previous weld spot is proposed to develop two zones. At high overlapping factors, an array of continuous axial grains at the weld centerline is formed. At low overlapping factors, in the zone of higher cooling rate, a higher percentage of ferrite is transformed to austenite. This is shown to be because with extreme cooling rates involved in pulsed laser welding with low overlapping, the ferrite-to-austenite transformation can be limited only to the grain boundaries.

  8. Migration and pension.

    PubMed

    Razin, A; Sadka, E

    1998-11-01

    "Migration has important implications for the financial soundness of the pension system.... While it is common sense to expect that young migrants, even if low-skilled, can help society pay the benefits to the currently elderly, it may nevertheless be reasonable to argue that these migrants would adversely affect current young since, after all, the migrants are net beneficiaries of the welfare state. In contrast to the adverse effects of low skilled migration in a static model, [the authors] show that in a Samuelsonian overlapping generations model...migration is a Pareto-improving measure. All the existing income (low and high) and age (young and old) groups living at the time of the migrant's arrival would be better off." excerpt

  9. Evaluation of the effects of repeated hand washing, sunlight, smoke and dirt on the persistence of deltamethrin on insecticide-treated nets.

    PubMed

    Kayedi, M H; Lines, J D; Haghdoost, A A; Vatandoost, M H; Rassi, Y; Khamisabady, K

    2008-08-01

    Field studies were carried out in Iran to evaluate the effect of various factors (washing, sun, smoke, dust and dirt) on the residual insecticidal activity of PermaNet (a brand of long-lasting insecticidal net), and on nets conventionally treated with deltamethrin (K-O Tab), using bioassay tests. Thirty-two nets were washed five or 15 times, and eight nets were not washed at all. Nets were washed vigorously in cold tap water (17 degrees C, pH 8.9) with a detergent. Hand rubbing continued for 3min. After washing, some nets were exposed to dense smoke from a dung-hay fire for 3min and were also left exposed to the dusty wind between washes. One group of nets was exposed to the sunlight for the full 3-d interval between washes; another was exposed to sunlight for just 3h after each wash; two other groups were kept in the shade. There was a significantly greater loss of activity in nets exposed to the sun throughout the 3-d interval between washes: that is, for a total of 15 to 45 d. However, short sunlight exposure (maximum 3h between washes) during drying did not have any effect. We did not find any significant effect of exposure to dirt, dust and smoke after washing. It is concluded that the effect of sun is much smaller than that of washing, and that drying nets for a few hours in the sun is not harmful.

  10. 47 CFR 69.304 - Subscriber line cable and wire facilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Subscriber line cable and wire facilities. 69.304 Section 69.304 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Apportionment of Net Investment § 69.304 Subscriber line cable and wire...

  11. 47 CFR 69.305 - Carrier cable and wire facilities (C&WF).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Carrier cable and wire facilities (C&WF). 69.305 Section 69.305 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Apportionment of Net Investment § 69.305 Carrier cable and wire...

  12. 47 CFR 69.304 - Subscriber line cable and wire facilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Subscriber line cable and wire facilities. 69.304 Section 69.304 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Apportionment of Net Investment § 69.304 Subscriber line cable and wire...

  13. 47 CFR 69.305 - Carrier cable and wire facilities (C&WF).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Carrier cable and wire facilities (C&WF). 69.305 Section 69.305 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Apportionment of Net Investment § 69.305 Carrier cable and wire...

  14. Conversion of Continuous-Valued Deep Networks to Efficient Event-Driven Networks for Image Classification.

    PubMed

    Rueckauer, Bodo; Lungu, Iulia-Alexandra; Hu, Yuhuang; Pfeiffer, Michael; Liu, Shih-Chii

    2017-01-01

    Spiking neural networks (SNNs) can potentially offer an efficient way of doing inference because the neurons in the networks are sparsely activated and computations are event-driven. Previous work showed that simple continuous-valued deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) can be converted into accurate spiking equivalents. These networks did not include certain common operations such as max-pooling, softmax, batch-normalization and Inception-modules. This paper presents spiking equivalents of these operations therefore allowing conversion of nearly arbitrary CNN architectures. We show conversion of popular CNN architectures, including VGG-16 and Inception-v3, into SNNs that produce the best results reported to date on MNIST, CIFAR-10 and the challenging ImageNet dataset. SNNs can trade off classification error rate against the number of available operations whereas deep continuous-valued neural networks require a fixed number of operations to achieve their classification error rate. From the examples of LeNet for MNIST and BinaryNet for CIFAR-10, we show that with an increase in error rate of a few percentage points, the SNNs can achieve more than 2x reductions in operations compared to the original CNNs. This highlights the potential of SNNs in particular when deployed on power-efficient neuromorphic spiking neuron chips, for use in embedded applications.

  15. Conversion of Continuous-Valued Deep Networks to Efficient Event-Driven Networks for Image Classification

    PubMed Central

    Rueckauer, Bodo; Lungu, Iulia-Alexandra; Hu, Yuhuang; Pfeiffer, Michael; Liu, Shih-Chii

    2017-01-01

    Spiking neural networks (SNNs) can potentially offer an efficient way of doing inference because the neurons in the networks are sparsely activated and computations are event-driven. Previous work showed that simple continuous-valued deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) can be converted into accurate spiking equivalents. These networks did not include certain common operations such as max-pooling, softmax, batch-normalization and Inception-modules. This paper presents spiking equivalents of these operations therefore allowing conversion of nearly arbitrary CNN architectures. We show conversion of popular CNN architectures, including VGG-16 and Inception-v3, into SNNs that produce the best results reported to date on MNIST, CIFAR-10 and the challenging ImageNet dataset. SNNs can trade off classification error rate against the number of available operations whereas deep continuous-valued neural networks require a fixed number of operations to achieve their classification error rate. From the examples of LeNet for MNIST and BinaryNet for CIFAR-10, we show that with an increase in error rate of a few percentage points, the SNNs can achieve more than 2x reductions in operations compared to the original CNNs. This highlights the potential of SNNs in particular when deployed on power-efficient neuromorphic spiking neuron chips, for use in embedded applications. PMID:29375284

  16. Net use, care and repair practices following a universal distribution campaign in Mali.

    PubMed

    Leonard, Lori; Diop, Samba; Doumbia, Seydou; Sadou, Aboubacar; Mihigo, Jules; Koenker, Hannah; Berthe, Sara; Monroe, April; Bertram, Kathryn; Weber, Rachel

    2014-11-18

    The Government of Mali and the President's Malaria Initiative conducted a long-lasting, insecticidal net (LLIN) distribution campaign in April 2011 in the Sikasso region of Mali, with the aim of universal coverage, defined as one insecticide-treated net for every two persons. This study examines how households in post- and pre-campaign regions value and care for nets. The study was conducted in October 2012 in Sikasso and Kayes in the southeast and western regions of Mali, respectively. The regions were purposively selected to allow for comparison between areas that had already had a mass distribution campaign (Sikasso) and areas that had not yet had a mass distribution campaign (Kayes). Study sites and households were randomly selected. Sleeping space questionnaires and structured interviews with household heads were conducted to obtain information on net use, perceived value of free nets in relation to other malaria prevention activities, and net care and repair practices. The study included 40 households, split evenly across the two regions. Forty interviews were conducted with household heads and 151 sleeping spaces were inventoried using the sleeping space questionnaire. Nets obtained through the free distribution were reported to be highly valued in comparison to other malaria prevention strategies. Overall, net ownership and use were higher among households in areas that had already experienced a mass distribution. While participants reported using and valuing these nets, care and repair practices varied. National net use is high in Mali, and comparatively higher in the region covered by the universal distribution campaign than in the region not yet covered. While the Government of Mali and implementing partners have made strides to ensure high net coverage, some gaps remain related to communication messaging of correct and consistent net use throughout the year, and on improving net care and repair behaviour. By focusing on these areas as well as improved access to nets, coverage and use rates should continue to increase, contributing to improvements in malaria control.

  17. [An automatic peak detection method for LIBS spectrum based on continuous wavelet transform].

    PubMed

    Chen, Peng-Fei; Tian, Di; Qiao, Shu-Jun; Yang, Guang

    2014-07-01

    Spectrum peak detection in the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an essential step, but the presence of background and noise seriously disturb the accuracy of peak position. The present paper proposed a method applied to automatic peak detection for LIBS spectrum in order to enhance the ability of overlapping peaks searching and adaptivity. We introduced the ridge peak detection method based on continuous wavelet transform to LIBS, and discussed the choice of the mother wavelet and optimized the scale factor and the shift factor. This method also improved the ridge peak detection method with a correcting ridge method. The experimental results show that compared with other peak detection methods (the direct comparison method, derivative method and ridge peak search method), our method had a significant advantage on the ability to distinguish overlapping peaks and the precision of peak detection, and could be be applied to data processing in LIBS.

  18. Demonstration of pharmaceutical tablet coating process by injection molding technology.

    PubMed

    Puri, Vibha; Brancazio, David; Harinath, Eranda; Martinez, Alexander R; Desai, Parind M; Jensen, Keith D; Chun, Jung-Hoon; Braatz, Richard D; Myerson, Allan S; Trout, Bernhardt L

    2018-01-15

    We demonstrate the coating of tablets using an injection molding (IM) process that has advantage of being solvent free and can provide precision coat features. The selected core tablets comprising 10% w/w griseofulvin were prepared by an integrated hot melt extrusion-injection molding (HME-IM) process. Coating trials were conducted on a vertical injection mold machine. Polyethylene glycol and polyethylene oxide based hot melt extruded coat compositions were used. Tablet coating process feasibility was successfully demonstrated using different coating mold designs (with both overlapping and non-overlapping coatings at the weld) and coat thicknesses of 150 and 300 μm. The resultant coated tablets had acceptable appearance, seal at the weld, and immediate drug release profile (with an acceptable lag time). Since IM is a continuous process, this study opens opportunities to develop HME-IM continuous processes for transforming powder to coated tablets. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Possible Overlaps Between Blobs, Grism Apertures, and Dithers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ryan, R. E.; McCullough, P. R.

    2017-06-01

    We present a investigation into possible overlaps between the known IR blobs with the grism aperture reference positions and the IR dither patterns. Each aperture was designed to place the science target (e.g. a specific star) on a cosmetically clean area of the IR detector. Similarly, the dither patterns were designed to mitigate cosmetic defects by rarely (or ideally never) placing such targets on known defects. Because blobs accumulate with time, the originally defined apertures and dither patterns may no longer accomplish their goals, it is important to reverify these combinations. We find two potential overlaps between the blob, aperture, and dither combinations, but do not recommend any changes to the current suite of aperture references positions and/or dither patterns for two reasons. First, one of the overlaps occurs with a dither/aperture combination that is seldom used for high-value science operations, but rather more common for wide-field surveys/mosaics. Second, the other overlap is 8.7 pix from a blob that has a fiducial radius of 10 pix, which already represents a very conservative distance. We conclude that a similar analysis should be repeated as new blobs occur, to continue to ensure ideal operations for high-value science targets. The purpose of this report is to document the analysis in order to facilitate its repetition in the future.

  20. The LPM effect in sequential bremsstrahlung 2: factorization

    DOE PAGES

    Arnold, Peter; Chang, Han-Chih; Iqbal, Shahin

    2016-09-13

    The splitting processes of bremsstrahlung and pair production in a medium are coherent over large distances in the very high energy limit, which leads to a suppression known as the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal (LPM) effect. In this paper, we continue analysis of the case when the coherence lengths of two consecutive splitting processes overlap (which is important for understanding corrections to standard treatments of the LPM effect in QCD), avoiding soft-gluon approximations. In particular, this paper analyzes the subtle problem of how to precisely separate overlapping double splitting (e.g. overlapping double bremsstrahlung) from the case of consecutive, independent bremsstrahlung (which is themore » case that would be implemented in a Monte Carlo simulation based solely on single splitting rates). As an example of the method, we consider the rate of real double gluon bremsstrahlung from an initial gluon with various simplifying assumptions (thick media; q approximation; large N c; and neglect for the moment of processes involving 4-gluon ver-tices) and explicitly compute the correction Δ dΓ/dx dy due to overlapping formation times.« less

  1. Kinetic theory of passing energetic ion transport in presence of the resonant interactions with a rotating magnetic island

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

    Cao, Jinjia; Gong, Xueyu; Xiang, Dong

    The enhanced transport of passing energetic ions (PEIs) in presence of the resonant interactions with a rotating magnetic island is investigated within the drift kinetic framework. When the island rotation plays a role in the resonant interaction, we find that the velocities of PEIs satisfy a constraint relation of resonant flux surface in phase space. The resonant flux surfaces overlap with the magnetic flux surfaces in real space. A new transport channel responsible for the PEIs moving across the magnetic flux surfaces, i.e., continuously overlapping, is found. Two kinds of radial motions can be induced by the surface overlapping: onemore » arises from the coupling between the resonance and the collision with the background plasma and the other from not completely overlapping of the two surfaces. The two radial motions and the symmetry-breaking induced radial motion constitute the total radial motion. When the pitch-angle scattering rate is very weak, the surface-shear induced transport is dominant. Only a small increase in the collision rate can significantly influence the total transport.« less

  2. Continuous Norethisterone Acetate versus Cyclical Drospirenone 3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 20 μg for the Management of Primary Dysmenorrhea in Young Adult Women.

    PubMed

    Al-Jefout, Moamar; Nawaiseh, Nedal

    2016-04-01

    To evaluate the efficacy of continuous norethisterone acetate (NET-A), 5 mg (group N) vs cyclical combined oral contraceptive pill (COC) consisting of drospirenone 3 mg/ethinyl estradiol 20 μg pills (group P) in treating dysmenorrhea in young adult women. This prospective, open-label, nonrandomized study included 38 Jordanian patients: 20 patients in group N and 18 patients in group P. Continuous NET-A 5 mg daily or cyclical COC. Pain scores, adverse effects, analgesic use, school absence, and cost. Thirty-eight patients used NET-A or COC for 6 months. All participants had almost the same starting levels of visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. Both drugs were similar in suppressing dysmenorrhea at the 3-month follow-up visit; VAS score mean (±SD) in group N and P were 1.30 ± 1.22 and 1.28 ± 0.83 (P = .22), respectively, and after 6 months, with mean VAS scores (±SD) of 1.30 ± 1.22 and 1.28 ± 0.83, respectively (P = .95). The cost of the treatment in the N group was much less than in the P group. Participants in the N group were less likely to use pain killers: 20% and 44% in the N and P groups, respectively (P = .006) in the first month and only 5% and 17% (P = .019) in the N and P groups, respectively, at the 3-month follow-up, and none of them used any analgesics at the 6-month follow-up. A continuous NET-A regimen is a well tolerated, effective, and inexpensive option for dysmenorrhea treatment and was as good as COC. Copyright © 2016 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Hypoxia Impacts on Food Web Linkages in a Pelagic Ecosystem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sato, M.; Horne, J. K.; Parker-Stetter, S. L.; Essington, T.; Keister, J. E.; Moriarty, P.; Li, L.

    2016-02-01

    Low dissolved oxygen (DO), or hypoxia, causes significant disturbances on aquatic organisms, but the consequences for key food web linkages is not well understood. Here, we tested how the intensity of low DO events governs the degree of spatial overlap between pelagic zooplanktivorous fish and their zooplankton prey, fish feeding rates, and community compositions of zooplankton. We hypothesized that the greater sensitivity of fish to DO compared to zooplankton would lead to diminished spatial overlap at moderate DO and reduced feeding rates of fish, while severe hypoxia would amplify spatial overlap by preventing zooplankton from using deep refuge habitats leading to increased fish feeding rates. We also hypothesized shifts in zooplankton community composition towards less energetically profitable taxa such as small copepods and gelatinous species. We used a combination of multifrequency acoustic and net sampling for detecting distributions and abundance of zooplankton and pelagic fish in Hood Canal, WA, a seasonally hypoxic fjord. We employed a sampling design which paired hypoxic regions of Hood Canal with normoxic regions sampled prior to, during, and after the onset of hypoxia in two years. Contrary to our hypotheses, we found that fish and zooplankton did not change their horizontal and vertical distributions during periods and in locations with low DO levels. Consequently, the vertical overlap between fish and zooplankton did not change with DO. Fish feeding rates and the dominant zooplankton prey did not change with hypoxia events. The apparent resilience of fish to low DO in our system may be explained by decreased metabolic oxygen demand due to cool temperatures, increased availability and accessibility to their prey in low DO waters, or potential increase in predation risk at shallower depth. This study highlights the importance of both temperature and DO, instead of hypoxia threshold alone, in evaluating the impacts of hypoxia on pelagic communities.

  4. The species-area relationship, self-similarity, and the true meaning of the z-value.

    PubMed

    Tjørve, Even; Tjørve, Kathleen M Calf

    2008-12-01

    The power model, S= cA(z) (where S is number of species, A is area, and c and z are fitted constants), is the model most commonly fitted to species-area data assessing species diversity. We use the self-similarity properties of this model to reveal patterns implicated by the z parameter. We present the basic arithmetic leading both to the fraction of new species added when two areas are combined and to species overlap between two areas of the same size, given a continuous sampling scheme. The fraction of new species resulting from expansion of an area can be expressed as alpha(z)-1, where alpha is the expansion factor. Consequently, z-values can be converted to a scale-invariant species overlap between two equally sized areas, since the proportion of species in common between the two areas is 2-2(z). Calculating overlap when adding areas of the same size reveals the intrinsic effect of distance assumed by the bisectional scheme. We use overlap area relationships from empirical data sets to illustrate how answers to the single large or several small reserves (SLOSS) question vary between data sets and with scale. We conclude that species overlap and the effect of distance between sample areas or isolates should be addressed when discussing species area relationships, and lack of fit to the power model can be caused by its assumption of a scale-invariant overlap relationship.

  5. Foraging behavior of lactating South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) and spatial-temporal resource overlap with the Uruguayan fisheries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riet-Sapriza, Federico G.; Costa, Daniel P.; Franco-Trecu, Valentina; Marín, Yamandú; Chocca, Julio; González, Bernardo; Beathyate, Gastón; Louise Chilvers, B.; Hückstadt, Luis A.

    2013-04-01

    Resource competition between fisheries and marine mammal continue to raise concern worldwide. Understanding this complex conflict requires data on spatial and dietary overlap of marine mammal and fisheries. In Uruguay the South American sea lions population has been dramatically declining over the past decade. The reasons for this population decline are unknown but may include the following: (1) direct harvesting; (2) reduced prey availability and distribution as a consequence of environmental change; or (3) biological interaction with fisheries. This study aims to determine resource overlap and competition between South American sea lions (SASL, Otaria flavescens, n=10) and the artisanal fisheries (AF), and the coastal bottom trawl fisheries (CBTF). We integrated data on sea lions diet (scat analysis), spatial and annual consumption estimates; and foraging behavior-satellite-tracking data from lactating SASL with data on fishing effort areas and fisheries landings. We found that lactating SASL are benthic divers and forage in shallow water within the continental shelf. SASL's foraging areas overlapped with CBTF and AF fisheries operational areas. Dietary analysis indicated a high degree of overlap between the diet of SASL and the AF and CBTF fisheries catch. The results of our work show differing degrees of spatial resource overlap with AF and CBTF, highlighting that there are differences in potential impact from each fishery; and that different management/conservation approaches may need to be taken to solve the fisheries-SASL conflict.

  6. Leaving Welfare: Independence or Continued Vulnerability?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Litt, Jacquelyn; Gaddis, Barbara J.; Fletcher, Cynthia Needles; Winter, Mary

    2000-01-01

    Interviews with seven women before and 6 months after leaving welfare revealed barriers to self-sufficiency (low wages, lack of advancement opportunities in jobs, confusion about program regulations) and survival strategies (continued reliance on income and family support, banking of care benefits under the 5-year limit as a safety net). (SK)

  7. 75 FR 23582 - Federal Housing Administration: Continuation of FHA Reform-Strengthening Risk Management Through...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-04

    ...-AI81 Federal Housing Administration: Continuation of FHA Reform-- Strengthening Risk Management Through... Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that are designed to strengthen FHA by improving its management of risk. Although the preamble to the final rule correctly provides that the revised net worth...

  8. Recent developments with the asian dust and aerosol lidar observation network (AD-NET)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sugimoto, Nobuo; Shimizu, Atsushi; Nishizawa, Tomoaki; Jin, Yoshitaka

    2018-04-01

    Recent developments of lidars and data analysis methods for AD-Net, and the studies using ADNet are presented. Continuous observation was started in 2001 at three stations using polarizationsensitive Mie-scattering lidars. Currently, lidars, including three multi-wavelength Raman lidars and one high-spectral-resolution lidar, are operated at 20 stations. Recent studies on validation/assimilation of chemical transport models, climatology, and epidemiology of Asian dust are also described.

  9. Final design of a space debris removal system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carlson, Erika; Casali, Steve; Chambers, Don; Geissler, Garner; Lalich, Andrew; Leipold, Manfred; Mach, Richard; Parry, John; Weems, Foley

    1990-01-01

    The objective is the removal of medium sized orbital debris in low Earth orbits. The design incorporates a transfer vehicle and a netting vehicle to capture the medium size debris. The system is based near an operational space station located at 28.5 degrees inclination and 400 km altitude. The system uses ground based tracking to determine the location of a satellite breakup or debris cloud. This data is unloaded to the transfer vehicle, and the transfer vehicle proceeds to rendezvous with the debris at a lower altitude parking orbit. Next, the netting vehicle is deployed, tracks the targeted debris, and captures it. After expending the available nets, the netting vehicle returns to the transfer vehicle for a new netting module and continues to capture more debris in the target area. Once all the netting modules are expended, the transfer vehicle returns to the space station's orbit, where it is resupplied with new netting modules from a space shuttle load. The new modules are launched by the shuttle from the ground, and the expended modules are taken back to Earth for removal of the captured debris, refueling, and repacking of the nets. Once the netting modules are refurbished, they are taken back into orbit for reuse. In a typical mission, the system has the ability to capture 50 pieces of orbital debris. One mission will take about six months. The system is designed to allow for a 30 degree inclination change on the outgoing and incoming trips of the transfer vehicle.

  10. Final design of a space debris removal system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carlson, Erika; Casali, Steve; Chambers, Don; Geissler, Garner; Lalich, Andrew; Leipold, Manfred; Mach, Richard; Parry, John; Weems, Foley

    1990-12-01

    The objective is the removal of medium sized orbital debris in low Earth orbits. The design incorporates a transfer vehicle and a netting vehicle to capture the medium size debris. The system is based near an operational space station located at 28.5 degrees inclination and 400 km altitude. The system uses ground based tracking to determine the location of a satellite breakup or debris cloud. This data is unloaded to the transfer vehicle, and the transfer vehicle proceeds to rendezvous with the debris at a lower altitude parking orbit. Next, the netting vehicle is deployed, tracks the targeted debris, and captures it. After expending the available nets, the netting vehicle returns to the transfer vehicle for a new netting module and continues to capture more debris in the target area. Once all the netting modules are expended, the transfer vehicle returns to the space station's orbit, where it is resupplied with new netting modules from a space shuttle load. The new modules are launched by the shuttle from the ground, and the expended modules are taken back to Earth for removal of the captured debris, refueling, and repacking of the nets. Once the netting modules are refurbished, they are taken back into orbit for reuse. In a typical mission, the system has the ability to capture 50 pieces of orbital debris. One mission will take about six months. The system is designed to allow for a 30 degree inclination change on the outgoing and incoming trips of the transfer vehicle.

  11. Numerical simulation of electroosmotic flow in rough microchannels using the lattice Poisson-Nernst-Planck methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamali, Reza; Soloklou, Mohsen Nasiri; Hadidi, Hooman

    2018-05-01

    In this study, coupled Lattice Boltzmann method is applied to solve the dynamic model for an electroosmotic flow and investigate the effects of roughness in a 2-D flat microchannel. In the present model, the Poisson equation is solved for the electrical potential, the Nernst- Planck equation is solved for the ion concentration. In the analysis of electroosmotic flows, when the electric double layers fully overlap or the convective effects are not negligible, the Nernst-Planck equation must be used to find the ionic distribution throughout the microchannel. The effects of surface roughness height, roughness interval spacing and roughness surface potential on flow conditions are investigated for two different configurations of the roughness, when the EDL layers fully overlap through the microchannel. The results show that in both arrangements of roughness in homogeneously charged rough channels, the flow rate decreases by increasing the roughness height. A discrepancy in the mass flow rate is observed when the roughness height is about 0.15 of the channel width, which its average is higher for the asymmetric configuration and this difference grows by increasing the roughness height. In the symmetric roughness arrangement, the mass flow rate increases until the roughness interval space is almost 1.5 times the roughness width and it decreases for higher values of the roughness interval space. For the heterogeneously charged rough channel, when the roughness surface potential ψr is less than channel surface potential ψs , the net charge density increases by getting far from the roughness surface, while in the opposite situation, when ψs is more than ψr , the net charge density decreases from roughness surface to the microchannel middle center. Increasing the roughness surface potential induces stronger electric driving force on the fluid which results in larger velocities in the flow.

  12. Relationship Between Landcover Pattern and Surface Net Radiation in AN Coastal City

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, X.; Liu, L.; Liu, X.; Zhao, Y.

    2016-06-01

    Taking Xiamen city as the study area this research first retrieved surface net radiation using meteorological data and Landsat 5 TM images of the four seasons in the year 2009. Meanwhile the 65 different landscape metrics of each analysis unit were acquired using landscape analysis method. Then the most effective landscape metrics affecting surface net radiation were determined by correlation analysis, partial correlation analysis, stepwise regression method, etc. At both class and landscape levels, this paper comprehensively analyzed the temporal and spatial variations of the surface net radiation as well as the effects of land cover pattern on it in Xiamen from a multi-seasonal perspective. The results showed that the spatial composition of land cover pattern shows significant influence on surface net radiation while the spatial allocation of land cover pattern does not. The proportions of bare land and forest land are effective and important factors which affect the changes of surface net radiation all the year round. Moreover, the proportion of forest land is more capable for explaining surface net radiation than the proportion of bare land. So the proportion of forest land is the most important and continuously effective factor which affects and explains the cross-seasonal differences of surface net radiation. This study is helpful in exploring the formation and evolution mechanism of urban heat island. It also gave theoretical hints and realistic guidance for urban planning and sustainable development.

  13. Filtering NetCDF Files by Using the EverVIEW Slice and Dice Tool

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Conzelmann, Craig; Romañach, Stephanie S.

    2010-01-01

    Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) is a self-describing, machine-independent file format for storing array-oriented scientific data. It was created to provide a common interface between applications and real-time meteorological and other scientific data. Over the past few years, there has been a growing movement within the community of natural resource managers in The Everglades, Fla., to use NetCDF as the standard data container for datasets based on multidimensional arrays. As a consequence, a need surfaced for additional tools to view and manipulate NetCDF datasets, specifically to filter the files by creating subsets of large NetCDF files. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) group are working to address these needs with applications like the EverVIEW Slice and Dice Tool, which allows users to filter grid-based NetCDF files, thus targeting those data most important to them. The major functions of this tool are as follows: (1) to create subsets of NetCDF files temporally, spatially, and by data value; (2) to view the NetCDF data in table form; and (3) to export the filtered data to a comma-separated value (CSV) file format. The USGS and JEM will continue to work with scientists and natural resource managers across The Everglades to solve complex restoration problems through technological advances.

  14. The Impacts of Changes to Nevada's Net Metering Policy on the Financial Performance and Adoption of Distributed Photovoltaics

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

    Gagnon, Pieter; Sigrin, Ben; Gleason, Mike

    As the adoption of distributed photovoltaics (DPV) has continued to rapidly increase, a national conversation has begun about the efficacy of full-retail net metering as a means of achieving the diverse objectives of electricity pricing. This conversation has prompted studies that have primarily focused on the total costs and benefits of DPV. To compliment those studies, we here characterize the potential impacts of tariff design on the customer-economics and adoption of DPV, where recent changes in Nevada are taken as a case study. We show that an increase in fixed charges more strongly impacts the payback period of small systems,more » and a decrease in credit for exported electricity more strongly impacts the payback period of large systems. We project that these combined changes will reduce DPV adoption in Nevada; total capacity in 2030 was projected to reach up to 363 MW, with 226 MW having already been installed at the end of the second quarter of 2016. In contrast, if full retail net metering had continued, DPV capacity was projected to reach up to 1,280 MW at the end of 2030, which would account for an estimated 6.5% of the total sales of electricity by NV Energy at that time. We project that the DPV systems will decrease the gross revenue from bill collection by $48 million per year under the new tariffs, whereas the decrease in gross revenue could have reached $255 million per year if full retail net metering had been continued. Although these results are given in the context of Nevada, the trends shown are intended to help information similar upcoming decisions in other states.« less

  15. Electroclinical overlap of two types of epileptic encephalopathy occurring in the same children in a certain age period?

    PubMed

    Caraballo, Roberto Horacio; Soraru, Alejandra; Cersósimo, Ricardo Oscar

    2012-08-01

    In this study, we describe three patients who each had an electroclinical overlap of two different epileptic encephalopathies (EE), with onset in a certain age period. Patient 1 had electroclinical features compatible with continuous spikes and waves during slow sleep (CSWSS) syndrome that changed into Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) (symptomatic, cause porencephalic cyst) at the age of 8.5 years. Patient 2 had LGS which evolved into CSWSS at the age of 6 years (symptomatic, cause polymicrogyria). The third patient had cryptogenic CSWSS syndrome at age the age of 7 years which evolved into LGS at the age of 7.5 years. All three patients could be considered to have two EE: CSWSS syndrome and LGS or to have had overlapping features of these epileptic syndromes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Identifying and characterizing key nodes among communities based on electrical-circuit networks.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Fenghui; Wang, Wenxu; Di, Zengru; Fan, Ying

    2014-01-01

    Complex networks with community structures are ubiquitous in the real world. Despite many approaches developed for detecting communities, we continue to lack tools for identifying overlapping and bridging nodes that play crucial roles in the interactions and communications among communities in complex networks. Here we develop an algorithm based on the local flow conservation to effectively and efficiently identify and distinguish the two types of nodes. Our method is applicable in both undirected and directed networks without a priori knowledge of the community structure. Our method bypasses the extremely challenging problem of partitioning communities in the presence of overlapping nodes that may belong to multiple communities. Due to the fact that overlapping and bridging nodes are of paramount importance in maintaining the function of many social and biological networks, our tools open new avenues towards understanding and controlling real complex networks with communities accompanied with the key nodes.

  17. Analysing and recommending options for maintaining universal coverage with long-lasting insecticidal nets: the case of Tanzania in 2011

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Tanzania achieved universal coverage with long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in October 2011, after three years of free mass net distribution campaigns and is now faced with the challenge of maintaining high coverage as nets wear out and the population grows. A process of exploring options for a continuous or “Keep-Up” distribution system was initiated in early 2011. This paper presents for the first time a comprehensive national process to review the major considerations, findings and recommendations for the implementation of a new strategy. Methods Stakeholder meetings and site visits were conducted in five locations in Tanzania to garner stakeholder input on the proposed distribution systems. Coverage levels for LLINs and their decline over time were modelled using NetCALC software, taking realistic net decay rates, current demographic profiles and other relevant parameters into consideration. Costs of the different distribution systems were estimated using local data. Results LLIN delivery was considered via mass campaigns, Antenatal Care-Expanded Programme on Immunization (ANC/EPI), community-based distribution, schools, the commercial sector and different combinations of the above. Most approaches appeared unlikely to maintain universal coverage when used alone. Mass campaigns, even when combined with a continuation of the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme (TNVS), would produce large temporal fluctuations in coverage levels; over 10 years this strategy would require 63.3 million LLINs and a total cost of $444 million USD. Community mechanisms, while able to deliver the required numbers of LLINs, would require a massive scale-up in monitoring, evaluation and supervision systems to ensure accurate application of identification criteria at the community level. School-based approaches combined with the existing TNVS would reach most Tanzanian households and deliver 65.4 million LLINs over 10 years at a total cost of $449 million USD and ensure continuous coverage. The cost of each strategy was largely driven by the number of LLINs delivered. Conclusions The most cost-efficient strategy to maintain universal coverage is one that best optimizes the numbers of LLINs needed over time. A school-based approach using vouchers targeting all students in Standards 1, 3, 5, 7 and Forms 1 and 2 in combination with the TNVS appears to meet best the criteria of effectiveness, equity and efficiency. PMID:23641705

  18. Evaluating renewable natural resources flow and net primary productivity with a GIS-Emergy approach: A case study of Hokkaido, Japan.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chengdong; Zhang, Shenyan; Yan, Wanglin; Wang, Renqing; Liu, Jian; Wang, Yutao

    2016-11-18

    Renewable natural resources, such as solar radiation, rainfall, wind, and geothermal heat, together with ecosystem services, provide the elementary supports for the sustainable development of human society. To improve regional sustainability, we studied the spatial distributions and quantities of renewable natural resources and net primary productivity (NPP) in Hokkaido, which is the second largest island of Japan. With the help of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, distribution maps for each type of renewable natural resource were generated by kriging interpolation based on statistical records. A composite map of the flow of all types of renewable natural resources was also generated by map layer overlapping. Additionally, we utilized emergy analysis to convert each renewable flow with different attributes into a unified unit (i.e., solar equivalent joules [sej]). As a result, the spatial distributions of the flow of renewable natural resources of the Hokkaido region are presented in the form of thematic emergy maps. Thus, the areas with higher renewable emergy can be easily visualized and identified. The dominant renewable flow in certain areas can also be directly distinguished. The results can provide useful information for regional sustainable development, environmental conservation and ecological management.

  19. Evaluating renewable natural resources flow and net primary productivity with a GIS-Emergy approach: A case study of Hokkaido, Japan

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Chengdong; Zhang, Shenyan; Yan, Wanglin; Wang, Renqing; Liu, Jian; Wang, Yutao

    2016-01-01

    Renewable natural resources, such as solar radiation, rainfall, wind, and geothermal heat, together with ecosystem services, provide the elementary supports for the sustainable development of human society. To improve regional sustainability, we studied the spatial distributions and quantities of renewable natural resources and net primary productivity (NPP) in Hokkaido, which is the second largest island of Japan. With the help of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, distribution maps for each type of renewable natural resource were generated by kriging interpolation based on statistical records. A composite map of the flow of all types of renewable natural resources was also generated by map layer overlapping. Additionally, we utilized emergy analysis to convert each renewable flow with different attributes into a unified unit (i.e., solar equivalent joules [sej]). As a result, the spatial distributions of the flow of renewable natural resources of the Hokkaido region are presented in the form of thematic emergy maps. Thus, the areas with higher renewable emergy can be easily visualized and identified. The dominant renewable flow in certain areas can also be directly distinguished. The results can provide useful information for regional sustainable development, environmental conservation and ecological management. PMID:27857230

  20. Identifying Risk: Concurrent Overlap of the Antarctic Krill Fishery with Krill-Dependent Predators in the Scotia Sea.

    PubMed

    Hinke, Jefferson T; Cossio, Anthony M; Goebel, Michael E; Reiss, Christian S; Trivelpiece, Wayne Z; Watters, George M

    2017-01-01

    Mitigating direct and indirect interactions between marine predators and fisheries is a motivating factor for ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), especially where predators and fisheries compete for a shared resource. One difficulty in advancing EBFM is parameterizing clear functional responses of predators to indices of prey availability. Alternative characterizations of fishery-predator interactions may therefore benefit the implementation of EBFM. Telemetry data identify foraging areas used by predators and, therefore, represent critical information to mitigate potential competition between predators and fisheries. We analyzed six years (2009-2014) of telemetry data collected at Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island and Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica, on three species of Pygoscelid penguins and female Antarctic fur seals. In this region, all four species are primarily dependent on Antarctic krill. The tracking data demonstrate local movements near breeding colonies during the austral summer and dispersal from breeding colonies during the winter. We then assessed overlap between predators and the Antarctic krill fishery on a suite of spatiotemporal scales to examine how different data aggregations affect the extent and location of overlap. Concurrent overlap was observed on all spatiotemporal scales considered throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and South Orkney Islands region, including near tagging locations and in distant areas where recent fishing activity has concentrated. Overlap occurred at depths where mean krill densities were relatively high. Our results demonstrate that direct overlap of krill-dependent predators with the krill fishery on small spatiotemporal scales is relatively common throughout the Antarctic Peninsula region. As the krill fishery continues to develop and efforts to implement ecosystem-based management mature, indices of overlap may provide a useful metric for indicating where the risks of fishing are highest. A precautionary approach to allocating krill catches in space would be to avoid large increases in catch where overlap on small spatiotemporal scales is common.

  1. Identifying Risk: Concurrent Overlap of the Antarctic Krill Fishery with Krill-Dependent Predators in the Scotia Sea

    PubMed Central

    Hinke, Jefferson T.

    2017-01-01

    Mitigating direct and indirect interactions between marine predators and fisheries is a motivating factor for ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), especially where predators and fisheries compete for a shared resource. One difficulty in advancing EBFM is parameterizing clear functional responses of predators to indices of prey availability. Alternative characterizations of fishery-predator interactions may therefore benefit the implementation of EBFM. Telemetry data identify foraging areas used by predators and, therefore, represent critical information to mitigate potential competition between predators and fisheries. We analyzed six years (2009–2014) of telemetry data collected at Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island and Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica, on three species of Pygoscelid penguins and female Antarctic fur seals. In this region, all four species are primarily dependent on Antarctic krill. The tracking data demonstrate local movements near breeding colonies during the austral summer and dispersal from breeding colonies during the winter. We then assessed overlap between predators and the Antarctic krill fishery on a suite of spatiotemporal scales to examine how different data aggregations affect the extent and location of overlap. Concurrent overlap was observed on all spatiotemporal scales considered throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and South Orkney Islands region, including near tagging locations and in distant areas where recent fishing activity has concentrated. Overlap occurred at depths where mean krill densities were relatively high. Our results demonstrate that direct overlap of krill-dependent predators with the krill fishery on small spatiotemporal scales is relatively common throughout the Antarctic Peninsula region. As the krill fishery continues to develop and efforts to implement ecosystem-based management mature, indices of overlap may provide a useful metric for indicating where the risks of fishing are highest. A precautionary approach to allocating krill catches in space would be to avoid large increases in catch where overlap on small spatiotemporal scales is common. PMID:28085943

  2. Stability control of a flexible maneuverable tethered space net robot

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Fan; Huang, Panfeng

    2018-04-01

    As a promising solution for active space debris capture and removal, a maneuverable Tethered Space Net Robot (TSNR) is proposed as an improved Space Tethered Net (TSN). In addition to the advantages inherit to the TSN, the TSNR's maneuverability expands the capture's potential. However, oscillations caused by the TSNR's flexibility and elasticity of make higher requests of the control scheme. Based on the dynamics model, a modified adaptive super-twisting sliding mode control scheme is proposed in this paper for TSNR stability control. The proposed continuous control force can effectively suppress oscillations. Theoretical verification and numerical simulations demonstrate that the desired trajectory can be tracked steadily and efficiently by employing the proposed control scheme.

  3. Preventive medicine for von Hippel-Lindau disease-associated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

    PubMed

    Krauss, Tobias; Ferrara, Alfonso Massimiliano; Links, Thera P; Wellner, Ulrich; Bancos, Irina; Kvachenyuk, Andrey; Villar Gómez de Las Heras, Karina; Yukina, Marina; Petrov, Roman; Bullivant, Garrett; von Duecker, Laura; Jadhav, Swati S; Ploeckinger, Ursula; Welin, Staffan; Schalin-Jantti, Camilla; Gimm, Oliver; Pfeifer, Marija; Ngeow, Joanne; Hasse-Lazar, Kornelia; Sanso, Gabriela; Qi, Xiao-Ping; Ugurlu, Umit; Diaz, Rene Eduardo; Wohllk, Nelson; Peczkowska, Mariola; Aberle, Jens; Lourenço, Delmar Muniz; Pereira, Maria Adelaide; Fragoso, Maria Candida Barisson Villares; Hoff, Ana O; Almeida, Madson Queiroz; Violante, Alice H D; Quidute, Ana R P; Zhang, Zheiwei; Recasens, Monica; Robles Diaz, Luis; Kunavisarut, Tada; Wannachalee, Taweesak; Sirinvaravong, Sirinart; Jonasch, Eric; Grozinsky-Glasberg, Simona; Fraenkel, Merav; Beltsevich, Dmitry; Egorov, Viacheslav I; Bausch, Dirk; Schott, Matthias; Tiling, Nikolaus; Pennelli, Gianmaria; Zschiedrich, Stefan; Därr, Roland; Ruf, Juri; Denecke, Timm; Link, Karl-Heinrich; Zovato, Stefania; von Dobschuetz, Ernst; Yaremchuk, Svetlana; Amthauer, Holger; Makay, Ozer; Patocs, Attila; Walz, Martin K; Huber, Tobias B; Seufert, Jochen; Hellman, Per; Kim, Raymond H; Kuchinskaya, Ekaterina; Schiavi, Francesca; Malinoc, Angelica; Reisch, Nicole; Jarzab, Barbara; Barontini, Marta; Januszewicz, Andrzej; Shah, Nalini; Young, William; Opocher, Giuseppe; Eng, Charis; Neumann, Hartmut P H; Bausch, Birke

    2018-05-10

    Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) are rare in von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) but cause serious morbidity and mortality. Management guidelines for VHL-PanNETs continue to be based on limited evidence, and survival data to guide surgical management are lacking. We established the European-American-Asian-VHL-PanNET-Registry to assess data for risks for metastases, survival and long-term outcomes to provide best management recommendations. Of 2,330 VHL patients, 273 had a total of 484 PanNETs. Median age at diagnosis of PanNET was 35 years (range 10-75). Fifty-five (20%) patients had metastatic PanNETs. Metastatic PanNETs were significantly larger (median size 5 vs 2 cm; P<0.001) and tumor volume doubling time (TVDT) was faster (22 vs 126 months; P=0.001). All metastatic tumors were ≥2.8 cm. Codons 161 and 167 were hotspots for VHL germline mutations with enhanced risk for metastatic PanNETs. Multivariate prediction modeling disclosed maximum tumor diameter and TVDT as significant predictors for metastatic disease (positive and negative predictive values of 51% and 100% for diameter cutoff ≥2.8 cm, 44% and 91% for TVDT cutoff of ≤24 months). In 117/273 patients, PanNETs >1.5 cm in diameter were operated. Ten-year survival was significantly longer in operated vs non-operated patients, in particular for PanNETs <2.8cm vs ≥2.8 cm (94% vs 85% by 10 years; P=0.020; 80% vs 50% at 10 years; P=0.030). This study demonstrates that patients with PanNET approaching the cut-off diameter of 2.8 cm should be operated. Mutations in exon 3, especially of codons 161/167 are at enhanced risk for metastatic PanNETs. Survival is significantly longer in operated non-metastatic VHL-PanNETs.

  4. Whole-body cortisol response of zebrafish to acute net handling stress

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ramsay, J.M.; Feist, G.W.; Varga, Z.M.; Westerfield, M.; Kent, M.L.; Schreck, C.B.

    2009-01-01

    Zebrafish, Danio rerio, are frequently handled during husbandry and experimental procedures in the laboratory, yet little is known about the physiological responses to such stressors. We measured the whole-body cortisol levels of adult zebrafish subjected to net stress and air exposure at intervals over a 24 h period; cortisol recovered to near control levels by about 1 h post-net-stress (PNS). We then measured cortisol at frequent intervals over a 1 h period. Cortisol levels were more than 2-fold higher in net stressed fish at 3 min PNS and continued to increase peaking at 15 min PNS, when cortisol levels were 6-fold greater than the control cortisol. Mean cortisol declined from 15 to 60 min PNS, and at 60 min, net-stressed cortisol was similar to control cortisol. Because the age of fish differed between studies, we examined resting cortisol levels of fish of different ages (3, 7, 13, and 19 months). The resting cortisol values among tanks with the same age fish differed significantly but there was no clear effect of age. Our study is the first to report the response and recovery of cortisol after net handling for laboratory-reared zebrafish. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.

  5. Review of FEWS NET Biophysical Monitoring Requirements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ross, K. W.; Brown, Molly E.; Verdin, J.; Underwood, L. W.

    2009-01-01

    The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) provides monitoring and early warning support to decision makers responsible for responding to famine and food insecurity. FEWS NET transforms satellite remote sensing data into rainfall and vegetation information that can be used by these decision makers. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has recently funded activities to enhance remote sensing inputs to FEWS NET. To elicit Earth observation requirements, a professional review questionnaire was disseminated to FEWS NET expert end-users: it focused upon operational requirements to determine additional useful remote sensing data and; subsequently, beneficial FEWS NET biophysical supplementary inputs. The review was completed by over 40 experts from around the world, enabling a robust set of professional perspectives to be gathered and analyzed rapidly. Reviewers were asked to evaluate the relative importance of environmental variables and spatio-temporal requirements for Earth science data products, in particular for rainfall and vegetation products. The results showed that spatio-temporal resolution requirements are complex and need to vary according to place, time, and hazard: that high resolution remote sensing products continue to be in demand, and that rainfall and vegetation products were valued as data that provide actionable food security information.

  6. Broken promise? Taxes and tariffs on insecticide treated mosquito nets.

    PubMed

    Alilio, Martin; Mwenesi, Halima; Barat, Lawrence M; Payes, Roshelle M; Prysor-Jones, Suzanne; Diara, Malick; McGuire, David; Shaw, Willard

    2007-12-01

    Seven years ago, the removal of taxes and tariffs on insecticide treated nets (ITNs) was considered one of the easiest resolutions for most countries to implement among the targets agreed upon at the African Summit on Roll Back Malaria in Abuja, Nigeria, on April 25, 2000. However, seven years later, 24 of the 39 Abuja signatories continue to impose taxes and tariffs on this life-saving tool. Taxes and tariffs significantly increase the price of an insecticide treated net, reduce affordability, and discourage the commercial sector from importing insecticide treated net products. Consequently, Roll Back Malaria partners are engaged in advocacy efforts to remove taxes and tariffs on insecticide treated nets in malaria-endemic countries of Africa. This viewpoint summarizes key obstacles to the removal of taxes and tariffs that have been identified through a review of country situations. To achieve the goal of producing and supplying more than 160 million insecticide treated nets needed to reach the revised Roll Back Malaria Partnership targets by 2010, tax and tariff reforms are urgently needed. Such reforms must be accompanied by country-specific systems to protect the poor (e.g., through voucher systems for vulnerable groups and other forms of targeted subsidies).

  7. 26 CFR 1.1247-2 - Computation and distribution of taxable income.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Special Rules for Determining Capital Gains and Losses § 1... net operating losses) shall not be allowed. (3) Except for the deduction provided in section 248... amount of the deduction allowed under section 164 there shall be included taxes paid or accrued during...

  8. Leading in Reading: Nebraska District Nets Success with Evidence-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mueller, Melanie; Hanson, Ron

    2014-01-01

    Mueller and Hanson report on a continuous improvement process taking place in the Papillion-La Vista School District in Papillion, Nebraska, where a proactive stance to improved learning for all students focuses directly on the human element as the change agent. The district has implemented a systemic and systematic continuous improvement process…

  9. Protracted People’s War in the Philippines: A Persistent Communist Insurgency

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-03-01

    Arroyo war ‘end-game’ vs NPA OPLAN Bantay Laya to deliver final blow,” INQ7.net, June 18, 2006, http://news.inquirer.net/nation/index.php?index...the Philippines do so amid “continued restrictions on land ownership and lingering concerns about the business environment, including an inefficient...ra1960/ra_3019_1960 .html (accessed March 3, 2007). 44 connections. It also requires new public officials to divest ownership in any private

  10. How five leading safety-net hospitals are preparing for the challenges and opportunities of health care reform.

    PubMed

    Coughlin, Teresa A; Long, Sharon K; Sheen, Edward; Tolbert, Jennifer

    2012-08-01

    Safety-net hospitals will continue to play a critical role in the US health care system, as they will need to care for the more than twenty-three million people who are estimated to remain uninsured after the Affordable Care Act is implemented. Yet such hospitals will probably have less federal and state support for uncompensated care. At the same time, safety-net hospitals will need to reposition themselves in the marketplace to compete effectively for newly insured people who will have a choice of providers. We examine how five leading safety-net hospitals have begun preparing for reform. Building upon strong organizational attributes such as health information technology and system integration, the study hospitals' preparations include improving the efficiency and quality of care delivery, retaining current and attracting new patients, and expanding the medical home model.

  11. Neutrophil extracellular traps in fungal infection.

    PubMed

    Urban, Constantin F; Nett, Jeniel E

    2018-04-03

    Fungal infections are a continuously increasing problem in modern health care. Understanding the complex biology of the emerging pathogens and unraveling the mechanisms of host defense may form the basis for the development of more efficient diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Neutrophils play a pivotal role in the defense against fungal pathogens. These phagocytic hunters migrate towards invading fungal microorganisms and eradicate them by phagocytosis, oxidative burst and release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). In the last decade, the process of NET formation has received unparalleled attention, with numerous studies revealing the relevance of this neutrophil function for control of various mycoses. Here, we describe NET formation and summarize its role as part of the innate immune defense against fungal pathogens. We highlight factors influencing the formation of these structures and molecular mechanisms employed by fungi to impair the formation of NETs or subvert their antifungal effects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Can the collection of expired long-lasting insecticidal nets reduce their coverage and use? Sociocultural aspects related to LLIN life cycle management and use in four districts in Madagascar.

    PubMed

    Ramanantsoa, Ambinina; Wilson-Barthes, Marta; Rahenintsoa, Rindra; Hoibak, Sarah; Ranaivoharimina, Harilala; Rahelimalala, Martha Delphine; Rakotomanga, Avotiana; Finlay, Alyssa; Muela Ribera, Joan; Peeters Grietens, Koen

    2017-10-10

    There is growing awareness of the likely impact increased numbers of LLINs will have on the environment, if not disposed of or recycled appropriately. As part of a World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) pilot study to assess environmentally-sound and cost-effective LLIN recycling strategies, the USAID-Deliver Project collected 22,559 used bed nets in Madagascar. A social science study was conducted to provide data on socio-cultural factors related to collection and replacement of LLINs, including impact on primary and other net uses. Ethnographic exploratory research was carried out following the pilot USAID-Deliver net collection and recycling campaign in Betioky, Tsihombe, Fenerive Est and Ambanja districts of Madagascar, triangulating participant observation, interviewing and group discussions. Sampling was theoretical and data analysis was a continuous and iterative process concurrent to data collection. Final analysis was conducted using NVivo10. The following themes emerged as contributing to the success of collecting expired LLINs in the community for recycling purposes: (i) net adequacy and preference: characteristic differences between collected and newly distributed nets lead to communities' reticence to relinquish old nets before confirming new nets were appropriate for intended use. Where newly distributed nets failed to meet local requirements, this was expected to increase alternative uses and decrease household turn over. (ii) Net collection strategies: the net collection campaign brought net use out of the private sphere and into the public arena. Net owners reported feeling ashamed when presenting damaged nets in public for collection, leading to reduced net relinquishment. (iii) Net lifecycle: communities perceived nets as being individually owned and economic value was attributed both to good-condition nets for sleeping and to worn nets for alternative/secondary purposes. Collecting nets at the stage of waste rather than at their prescribed end of life was locally acceptable. The collection of LLINs for recycling/disposal can lead to lower coverage under certain conditions. Collecting used LLINs may be appropriate under the following conditions: (i) nets are collected at the stage of waste; (ii) new nets are in line with community preferences; and (iii) collection strategies have been agreed upon within the community prior to replacement activities. Any collection/recycling of old LLINs should be based on in-depth understanding of the local context and include participatory processes to prevent reduced coverage.

  13. Petri net-based prediction of therapeutic targets that recover abnormally phosphorylated proteins in muscle atrophy.

    PubMed

    Jung, Jinmyung; Kwon, Mijin; Bae, Sunghwa; Yim, Soorin; Lee, Doheon

    2018-03-05

    Muscle atrophy, an involuntary loss of muscle mass, is involved in various diseases and sometimes leads to mortality. However, therapeutics for muscle atrophy thus far have had limited effects. Here, we present a new approach for therapeutic target prediction using Petri net simulation of the status of phosphorylation, with a reasonable assumption that the recovery of abnormally phosphorylated proteins can be a treatment for muscle atrophy. The Petri net model was employed to simulate phosphorylation status in three states, i.e. reference, atrophic and each gene-inhibited state based on the myocyte-specific phosphorylation network. Here, we newly devised a phosphorylation specific Petri net that involves two types of transitions (phosphorylation or de-phosphorylation) and two types of places (activation with or without phosphorylation). Before predicting therapeutic targets, the simulation results in reference and atrophic states were validated by Western blotting experiments detecting five marker proteins, i.e. RELA, SMAD2, SMAD3, FOXO1 and FOXO3. Finally, we determined 37 potential therapeutic targets whose inhibition recovers the phosphorylation status from an atrophic state as indicated by the five validated marker proteins. In the evaluation, we confirmed that the 37 potential targets were enriched for muscle atrophy-related terms such as actin and muscle contraction processes, and they were also significantly overlapping with the genes associated with muscle atrophy reported in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (p-value < 0.05). Furthermore, we noticed that they included several proteins that could not be characterized by the shortest path analysis. The three potential targets, i.e. BMPR1B, ROCK, and LEPR, were manually validated with the literature. In this study, we suggest a new approach to predict potential therapeutic targets of muscle atrophy with an analysis of phosphorylation status simulated by Petri net. We generated a list of the potential therapeutic targets whose inhibition recovers abnormally phosphorylated proteins in an atrophic state. They were evaluated by various approaches, such as Western blotting, GO terms, literature, known muscle atrophy-related genes and shortest path analysis. We expect the new proposed strategy to provide an understanding of phosphorylation status in muscle atrophy and to provide assistance towards identifying new therapies.

  14. Non-accidental properties, metric invariance, and encoding by neurons in a model of ventral stream visual object recognition, VisNet.

    PubMed

    Rolls, Edmund T; Mills, W Patrick C

    2018-05-01

    When objects transform into different views, some properties are maintained, such as whether the edges are convex or concave, and these non-accidental properties are likely to be important in view-invariant object recognition. The metric properties, such as the degree of curvature, may change with different views, and are less likely to be useful in object recognition. It is shown that in a model of invariant visual object recognition in the ventral visual stream, VisNet, non-accidental properties are encoded much more than metric properties by neurons. Moreover, it is shown how with the temporal trace rule training in VisNet, non-accidental properties of objects become encoded by neurons, and how metric properties are treated invariantly. We also show how VisNet can generalize between different objects if they have the same non-accidental property, because the metric properties are likely to overlap. VisNet is a 4-layer unsupervised model of visual object recognition trained by competitive learning that utilizes a temporal trace learning rule to implement the learning of invariance using views that occur close together in time. A second crucial property of this model of object recognition is, when neurons in the level corresponding to the inferior temporal visual cortex respond selectively to objects, whether neurons in the intermediate layers can respond to combinations of features that may be parts of two or more objects. In an investigation using the four sides of a square presented in every possible combination, it was shown that even though different layer 4 neurons are tuned to encode each feature or feature combination orthogonally, neurons in the intermediate layers can respond to features or feature combinations present is several objects. This property is an important part of the way in which high capacity can be achieved in the four-layer ventral visual cortical pathway. These findings concerning non-accidental properties and the use of neurons in intermediate layers of the hierarchy help to emphasise fundamental underlying principles of the computations that may be implemented in the ventral cortical visual stream used in object recognition. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. 50 CFR 17.81 - Listing.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... during certain periods of the year, no critical habitat shall be designated for the area of overlap..., TRANSPORTATION, SALE, PURCHASE, BARTER, EXPORTATION, AND IMPORTATION OF WILDLIFE AND PLANTS (CONTINUED) ENDANGERED AND THREATENED WILDLIFE AND PLANTS Experimental Populations § 17.81 Listing. (a) The Secretary may...

  16. Use of Focus Groups for Identifying Specialty Needs of Primary Care Physicians.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gelula, Mark H.; Sandlow, Leslie J.

    1998-01-01

    Focus groups with 42 primary care physicians revealed their interests and needs for continuing education. Similar interests were displayed among four specialties: family physicians, internists, pediatricians, and obstetricians/gynecologists, as well as significant overlap of opinions and ideas. (SK)

  17. Discovery of non-volcanic tremor and contribution to earth science by NIED Hi-net

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Obara, K.

    2015-12-01

    Progress of seismic observation network brings breakthroughs in the earth science at each era. High sensitivity seismograph network (Hi-net) was constructed by National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) as a national project in order to improve the detection capability of microearthquake after disastrous 1995 Kobe earthquake. Hi-net has been contributing to not only monitoring of seismicity but also producing many research results like as discoveries of non-volcanic tremor and other slow earthquakes. More important thing is that we have continued to make efforts to monitor all of data visually and effectively. The discovery of tremor in southwest Japan stimulated PGC researchers to search similar seismic signature in Cascadia because of a couple of common features in the tremor in Japan and slow slip event (SSE) they already discovered in Cascadia. At last, episodic tremor and slip (ETS) was discovered, then the SSE associated with tremor was also detected in Japan by using the tilting data measured by high-sensitivity accelerometer attached with the Hi-net. This coupling phenomena strengthened the connection between seismology and geodesy. Widely separated spectrum of tremor and SSE motivated us to search intervened phenomena, then we found very low frequency earthquake during ETS episode. These slow earthquakes obey a scaling law different from ordinary earthquake. This difference is very important to resolve the earthquake physics. Hi-net is quite useful for not only three-dimensional imaging of underground structure beneath the Japan Islands, but also resolving deep Earth interior by using teleseismic events or ambient noises and source rupture process of large earthquakes by using back-projection analysis as a remote array. Hi-net will continue to supply unexpected new discoveries. I expect that multiple installation of similar dense seismic array in the world will give us great opportunity to discover more important and explore a new regime in the earth science.

  18. Very low density lipoprotein triglyceride transport in type IV hyperlipoproteinemia and the effects of carbohydrate-rich diets.

    PubMed

    Quarfordt, S H; Frank, A; Shames, D M; Berman, M; Steinberg, D

    1970-12-01

    Transport of plasma-free fatty acids (FFA) and of fatty acids in triglycerides of plasma very low density lipoproteins (VLDL-TGFA) was studied in two normal subjects, five patients with type IV hyperlipoproteinemia, and two patients with type I hyperlipoproteinemia. After intravenous pulse-labeling with albumin-bound 1-palmitate-(14)C, specific radioactivity of plasma FFA and VLDL-TGFA were determined at intervals up to 24 hr. The results were analyzed using several different multicompartmental models each compatible with the experimental data. Fractional transport of VLDL-TGFA was distinctly lower (no overlap) in the type IV patients than in the control subjects, both on a usual balanced diet (40% of calories from carbohydrate) and on a high-carbohydrate diet (80% of calories). However, net or total transport of VLDL-TGFA in the type IV patients was not clearly distinguishable from that in the control subjects, there being considerable overlap on either diet. The results suggest that in this group of type IV patients the underlying defect leading to the increased pool size of VLDL-TGFA is not overproduction but a relative defect in mechanisms for removal of VLDL-TGFA. Since some of these type IV patients had only a moderate degree of hypertriglyceridemia at the time they were studied, and since it is not established that patients with the type IV phenotype constitute a biochemically homogeneous population, the present results should not be generalized. Four studies were done (in two control subjects and two type IV patients) in which the kinetic parameters in the same individual were determined on the balanced diet and on the high-carbohydrate diet. All subjects showed an increase in VLDL-TGFA pool size. Using two of the models for analysis, all showed an increase in net transport of VLDL-TGFA; using the third model, three of the four studies showed an increase in VLDL-TGFA transport. The results are compatible with the interpretation that the carbohydrate-induced increase in VLDL-TGFA, both in controls and type IV patients, is at least in part due to an increased rate of production of VLDL-TGFA. The magnitude of the increase was approximately the same in controls and patients. Thus, metabolic adjustment to a high-carbohydrate regimen in these type IV patients may not be basically different from that in normal controls; the higher levels of VLDL-TGFA reached may simply be another reflection of a defective removal mechanism. An alternative interpretation, compatible with the data, would involve both a carbohydrate-induced increase in fractional rate of release of VLDL-TGFA from liver to plasma and a decrease in fractional removal of VLDL-TGFA from plasma without increase in net production rate. The simpler hypothesis of a single primary effect on net VLDL-TGFA production from FFA seems more likely.

  19. SOV_refine: A further refined definition of segment overlap score and its significance for protein structure similarity.

    PubMed

    Liu, Tong; Wang, Zheng

    2018-01-01

    The segment overlap score (SOV) has been used to evaluate the predicted protein secondary structures, a sequence composed of helix (H), strand (E), and coil (C), by comparing it with the native or reference secondary structures, another sequence of H, E, and C. SOV's advantage is that it can consider the size of continuous overlapping segments and assign extra allowance to longer continuous overlapping segments instead of only judging from the percentage of overlapping individual positions as Q3 score does. However, we have found a drawback from its previous definition, that is, it cannot ensure increasing allowance assignment when more residues in a segment are further predicted accurately. A new way of assigning allowance has been designed, which keeps all the advantages of the previous SOV score definitions and ensures that the amount of allowance assigned is incremental when more elements in a segment are predicted accurately. Furthermore, our improved SOV has achieved a higher correlation with the quality of protein models measured by GDT-TS score and TM-score, indicating its better abilities to evaluate tertiary structure quality at the secondary structure level. We analyzed the statistical significance of SOV scores and found the threshold values for distinguishing two protein structures (SOV_refine  > 0.19) and indicating whether two proteins are under the same CATH fold (SOV_refine > 0.94 and > 0.90 for three- and eight-state secondary structures respectively). We provided another two example applications, which are when used as a machine learning feature for protein model quality assessment and comparing different definitions of topologically associating domains. We proved that our newly defined SOV score resulted in better performance. The SOV score can be widely used in bioinformatics research and other fields that need to compare two sequences of letters in which continuous segments have important meanings. We also generalized the previous SOV definitions so that it can work for sequences composed of more than three states (e.g., it can work for the eight-state definition of protein secondary structures). A standalone software package has been implemented in Perl with source code released. The software can be downloaded from http://dna.cs.miami.edu/SOV/.

  20. Netting bias in tropical bird studies

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Coates-Estrada, R.; Dowell, B.A.; Fallon, J.E.; Robbins, C.S.; Wilson, Marcia H.; Sader, Steven A.

    1995-01-01

    Mist netting is the method most commonly used for gathering quantitative information on birds in the American tropics. Point count surveys or other methods often are used in conjunction with netting to reduce some of the many biases associated with netting, specially the failure of stationary nets within 2 m of the ground to sample birds of the tall canopy. We compare totals by both methods. Even close to the ground there are biases related to time of day and mesh size that have not been addressed in tropical studies. Some researchers operate nets all day, others only in the morning or in the morning and evening. Since 1986 we have netted birds and conducted point count surveys at more than 130 sites representing a broad spectrum of habitats in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Using data only from those days when we could operate nets continuously from about dawn to dusk, we compare capture rates throughout the day to show the bias per part-day operations for certain families and species of birds and for the ratio of neotropical migrants to resident birds. More than half of 5000+ birds captured were caught after noon. Trochilidae and parulinae were captured primarily in the morning, Dendrocolaptidae in the middle of the day. Tyrannidae were more active than most birds in early afternoon, and Turdinae had morning and evening peaks. At each site we use a combination of 30-mm and 36-mm nets. The 30-mm mesh consistently captured more seedeaters, gnatcatchers, and small warblers, whereas the 36-mm mesh was more effective for birds of thrush size and larger.

  1. A fully automated non-external marker 4D-CT sorting algorithm using a serial cine scanning protocol.

    PubMed

    Carnes, Greg; Gaede, Stewart; Yu, Edward; Van Dyk, Jake; Battista, Jerry; Lee, Ting-Yim

    2009-04-07

    Current 4D-CT methods require external marker data to retrospectively sort image data and generate CT volumes. In this work we develop an automated 4D-CT sorting algorithm that performs without the aid of data collected from an external respiratory surrogate. The sorting algorithm requires an overlapping cine scan protocol. The overlapping protocol provides a spatial link between couch positions. Beginning with a starting scan position, images from the adjacent scan position (which spatial match the starting scan position) are selected by maximizing the normalized cross correlation (NCC) of the images at the overlapping slice position. The process was continued by 'daisy chaining' all couch positions using the selected images until an entire 3D volume was produced. The algorithm produced 16 phase volumes to complete a 4D-CT dataset. Additional 4D-CT datasets were also produced using external marker amplitude and phase angle sorting methods. The image quality of the volumes produced by the different methods was quantified by calculating the mean difference of the sorted overlapping slices from adjacent couch positions. The NCC sorted images showed a significant decrease in the mean difference (p < 0.01) for the five patients.

  2. Origins of Genes: "Big Bang" or Continuous Creation?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kesse, Paul K.; Gibbs, Adrian

    1992-10-01

    Many protein families are common to all cellular organisms, indicating that many genes have ancient origins. Genetic variation is mostly attributed to processes such as mutation, duplication, and rearrangement of ancient modules. Thus it is widely assumed that much of present-day genetic diversity can be traced by common ancestry to a molecular "big bang." A rarely considered alternative is that proteins may arise continuously de novo. One mechanism of generating different coding sequences is by "overprinting," in which an existing nucleotide sequence is translated de novo in a different reading frame or from noncoding open reading frames. The clearest evidence for overprinting is provided when the original gene function is retained, as in overlapping genes. Analysis of their phylogenies indicates which are the original genes and which are their informationally novel partners. We report here the phylogenetic relationships of overlapping coding sequences from steroid-related receptor genes and from tymovirus, luteovirus, and lentivirus genomes. For each pair of overlapping coding sequences, one is confined to a single lineage, whereas the other is more widespread. This suggests that the phylogenetically restricted coding sequence arose only in the progenitor of that lineage by translating an out-of-frame sequence to yield the new polypeptide. The production of novel exons by alternative splicing in thyroid receptor and lentivirus genes suggests that introns can be a valuable evolutionary source for overprinting. New genes and their products may drive major evolutionary changes.

  3. Ambulatory patient classifications and the regressive nature of Medicare reform: is the reduction in outpatient health care reimbursement worth the price?

    PubMed

    Borgelt, B B; Stone, C

    1999-10-01

    To evaluate the impact of the proposed Ambulatory Patient Classification (APC) system on reimbursement for hospital outpatient Medicare procedures at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Radiation Oncology. Treatment and cost data for the MGH Department of Radiation Oncology for the fiscal year 1997 were analyzed. This represented 66,981 technical procedures and 41 CPT-4 codes. The cost of each procedure was calculated by allocating departmental costs to the relative value units (RVUs) for each procedure according to accepted accounting principles. Net reimbursement for each CPT-4 procedure was then calculated by subtracting its cost from the allowed 1998 Boston area Medicare reimbursement or from the proposed Boston area APC reimbursement. The impact of the proposed APC reimbursement system on changes in reimbursement per procedure and on volume-adjusted changes in overall net reimbursements per procedure was determined. Although the overall effect of APCs on volume-adjusted net reimbursements for Medicare patients was projected to be budget-neutral, treatment planning revenues would have decreased by 514% and treatment delivery revenues would have increased by 151%. Net reimbursements for less complicated courses of treatment would have increased while those for treatment courses requiring more complicated or more frequent treatment planning would have decreased. Net reimbursements for a typical prostate interstitial implant and a three-treatment high-dose-rate intracavitary application would have decreased by 481% and 632%, respectively. The financial incentives designed into the proposed APC reimbursement structure could lead to compromises in currently accepted standards of care, and may make it increasingly difficult for academic institutions to continue to fulfill their missions of research and service to their communities. The ability of many smaller, low patient volume, high Medicare mix hospital-based radiation oncology departments to continue to deliver their current level of care could be compromised. APC reform may carry monetary and opportunity costs which far outweigh its apparent savings. As payment systems continue to place pressure on operating margins, it becomes even more critical that both academic and community radiation oncology practices know the cost of providing services.

  4. A good night's sleep and the habit of net use: perceptions of risk and reasons for bed net use in Bukoba and Zanzibar.

    PubMed

    Koenker, Hannah M; Loll, Dana; Rweyemamu, Datius; Ali, Abdullah S

    2013-06-13

    Intensive malaria control interventions in the United Republic of Tanzania have contributed to reductions in malaria prevalence. Given that malaria control remains reliant upon continued use of long-lasting insecticidal bed nets (LLINs) even when the threat of malaria has been reduced, this qualitative study sought to understand how changes in perceived risk influence LLIN usage, and to explore in more detail the benefits of net use that are unrelated to malaria. Eleven focus group discussions were conducted in Bukoba Rural district and in Zanzibar Urban West district in late 2011. Participants were males aged 18 and over, females between the ages of 18 and 49, and females at least 50 years old. The perceived risk of malaria had decreased among the respondents, and malaria control interventions were credited for the decline. Participants cited reductions in both the severity of malaria and in their perceived susceptibility to malaria. However, malaria was still considered a significant threat. Participants' conceptualization of risk appeared to be an important consideration for net use. At the same time, comfort and aspects of comfort (getting a good night's sleep, avoiding biting pests) appeared to play a large role in personal decisions to use nets consistently or not. Barriers to comfort (feeling uncomfortable or trapped; perceived difficulty breathing, or itching/rashes) were frequently cited as reasons not to use a net consistently. While it was apparent that participants acknowledged the malaria-prevention benefits of net use, the exploration of the risk and comfort determinants of net use provides a richer understanding of net use behaviours, particularly in a setting where transmission has fallen and yet consistent net use is still crucial to maintaining those gains. Future behaviour change communication campaigns should capitalize on the non-malaria benefits of net use that provide a long-term rationale for consistent use even when the immediate threat of malaria transmission has been reduced.

  5. Expanding the Reach of Continuing Educational Offerings Through a Web-Based Virtual Network: The Experience of InspireNet.

    PubMed

    Frisch, Noreen C; Atherton, Pat; Borycki, Elizabeth M; Mickelson, Grace; Black, Agnes; Novak Lauscher, Helen; Cordeiro, Jennifer

    2017-01-01

    Virtual platforms using webinars, e-posters, e-newsletters, wikis and blogs connect people who have common interests in new ways. When those individuals are healthcare providers, a professional network that operates on a virtual platform can support their needs for learning, professional development and information currency. The practice of e-learning for continuing professional development is emerging , particularly in nursing where shift work shift inhibits their ability to attend conferences and classes. This article reports the experience of the InspireNet network that provided e-learning models to: 1) provide opportunities for healthcare providers to organize themselves into learning communities through development of electronic communities of practice; 2) support learning on demand; and 3) dramatically increase the reach of educational offerings.

  6. Net carbon balance of three full crop rotations at an agricultural site near Gebesee, Germany

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hurkuck, M.; Brümmer, C.; Kolle, O.; Kutsch, W. L.; Moffat, A. M.; Mukwashi, K.; Truckenbrodt, S. C.; Herbst, M.

    2015-12-01

    Continuous eddy-covariance (EC) measurements of biosphere-atmosphere CO2 and H2O exchange have been conducted since 2001 at an agricultural site near Gebesee, Germany, thus providing one of the longest EC time series of European croplands. During the experimental period, winter wheat and winter barley were alternately planted with potatoes, sugar beet, rape, and peppermint covering three full crop rotations (2001-2004, 2005-2009, and 2010-2014). In this study, data of 14 years of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) and evapotranspiration (E) were re-calculated. Based on these data, we present the net carbon (C) balance (net biome production, NBP) accounting for any additional C input by fertilization and C output by harvest. Further emphasis was placed on the sensitivity of water use efficiency (WUE) and E to climate and crop type. The main aim was to investigate the interannual variability in both NBP and WUE, thus disentangling the impacts of climatic conditions and land management on the net C balance as well as on WUE and E.

  7. Bioreactors configured with distributors and carriers enhance the performance of continuous dark hydrogen fermentation.

    PubMed

    Lo, Yung-Chung; Lee, Kuo-Shing; Lin, Ping-Jei; Chang, Jo-Shu

    2009-10-01

    Anaerobic granular sludge bed (AnGSB) bioreactors were supplemented with activated carbon carriers and combined with distributors (e.g., acrylic resin board, stainless steel net and plastic net) installed at different locations to investigate the effect of distributor/carrier on biohydrogen production efficiency. The results show that plastic net stimulated the substrate/microorganisms contact and sludge granulation, thereby leading to a much better H(2) production performance when compared with those obtained from traditional CSTR. The highest H(2) production rate (7.89 L/h/L) and yield (3.42 mol H(2)/mol sucrose) were obtained when two pieces of plastic nets were installed at both 4 cm and 16 cm from the bottom of AnGSB without carrier addition and the bioreactor was operated at a HRT of 0.5h. For the AnGSB installed with two pieces of plastic net distributors, addition of carriers led to significant improvement on the H(2) production efficiency at a longer HRT (1-4h) when compared with the carrier-absent system.

  8. Predicted net efflux of radiocarbon from the ocean and increase in atmospheric radiocarbon content

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caldeira, Ken; Rau, Greg H.; Duffy, Philip B.

    Prior to changes introduced by man, production of radiocarbon (14C) in the stratosphere nearly balanced the flux of 14C from the atmosphere to the ocean and land biosphere, which in turn nearly balanced radioactive decay in these 14C reservoirs. This balance has been altered by land-use changes, fossil-fuel burning, and atmospheric nuclear detonations. Here, we use a model of the global carbon cycle to quantify these radiocarbon fluxes and make predictions about their magnitude in the future. Atmospheric nuclear detonations increased atmospheric 14C content by about 80% by the mid-1960's. Since that time, the 14C content of the atmosphere has been diminishing as this bomb radiocarbon has been entering the oceans and terrestrial biosphere. However, we predict that atmospheric 14C content will reach a minimum and start to increase within the next few years if fossil-fuel burning continues according to a “business-as-usual” scenario, even though fossil fuels are devoid of 14C. This will happen because fossil-fuel carbon diminishes the net flux of 14C from the atmosphere to the oceans and land biosphere, forcing 14C to accumulate in the atmosphere. Furthermore, the net flux of both bomb and natural 14C into the ocean are predicted to continue to slow and then, in the middle of the next century, to reverse, so that there will be a net flux of 14C from the ocean to the atmosphere. The predicted reversal of net 14C fluxes into the ocean is a further example of human impacts on the global carbon cycle.

  9. Planning long lasting insecticide treated net campaigns: should households’ existing nets be taken into account?

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Mass distribution of long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINs) has led to large increases in LLIN coverage in many African countries. As LLIN ownership levels increase, planners of future mass distributions face the challenge of deciding whether to ignore the nets already owned by households or to take these into account and attempt to target individuals or households without nets. Taking existing nets into account would reduce commodity costs but require more sophisticated, and potentially more costly, distribution procedures. The decision may also have implications for the average age of nets in use and therefore on the maintenance of universal LLIN coverage over time. Methods A stochastic simulation model based on the NetCALC algorithm was used to determine the scenarios under which it would be cost saving to take existing nets into account, and the potential effects of doing so on the age profile of LLINs owned. The model accounted for variability in timing of distributions, concomitant use of continuous distribution systems, population growth, sampling error in pre-campaign coverage surveys, variable net ‘decay’ parameters and other factors including the feasibility and accuracy of identifying existing nets in the field. Results Results indicate that (i) where pre-campaign coverage is around 40% (of households owning at least 1 LLIN), accounting for existing nets in the campaign will have little effect on the mean age of the net population and (ii) even at pre-campaign coverage levels above 40%, an approach that reduces LLIN distribution requirements by taking existing nets into account may have only a small chance of being cost-saving overall, depending largely on the feasibility of identifying nets in the field. Based on existing literature the epidemiological implications of such a strategy is likely to vary by transmission setting, and the risks of leaving older nets in the field when accounting for existing nets must be considered. Conclusions Where pre-campaign coverage levels established by a household survey are below 40% we recommend that planners do not take such LLINs into account and instead plan a blanket mass distribution. At pre-campaign coverage levels above 40%, campaign planners should make explicit consideration of the cost and feasibility of accounting for existing LLINs before planning blanket mass distributions. Planners should also consider restricting the coverage estimates used for this decision to only include nets under two years of age in order to ensure that old and damaged nets do not compose too large a fraction of existing net coverage. PMID:23763773

  10. Planning long lasting insecticide treated net campaigns: should households' existing nets be taken into account?

    PubMed

    Yukich, Joshua; Bennett, Adam; Keating, Joseph; Yukich, Rudy K; Lynch, Matt; Eisele, Thomas P; Kolaczinski, Kate

    2013-06-14

    Mass distribution of long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINs) has led to large increases in LLIN coverage in many African countries. As LLIN ownership levels increase, planners of future mass distributions face the challenge of deciding whether to ignore the nets already owned by households or to take these into account and attempt to target individuals or households without nets. Taking existing nets into account would reduce commodity costs but require more sophisticated, and potentially more costly, distribution procedures. The decision may also have implications for the average age of nets in use and therefore on the maintenance of universal LLIN coverage over time. A stochastic simulation model based on the NetCALC algorithm was used to determine the scenarios under which it would be cost saving to take existing nets into account, and the potential effects of doing so on the age profile of LLINs owned. The model accounted for variability in timing of distributions, concomitant use of continuous distribution systems, population growth, sampling error in pre-campaign coverage surveys, variable net 'decay' parameters and other factors including the feasibility and accuracy of identifying existing nets in the field. Results indicate that (i) where pre-campaign coverage is around 40% (of households owning at least 1 LLIN), accounting for existing nets in the campaign will have little effect on the mean age of the net population and (ii) even at pre-campaign coverage levels above 40%, an approach that reduces LLIN distribution requirements by taking existing nets into account may have only a small chance of being cost-saving overall, depending largely on the feasibility of identifying nets in the field. Based on existing literature the epidemiological implications of such a strategy is likely to vary by transmission setting, and the risks of leaving older nets in the field when accounting for existing nets must be considered. Where pre-campaign coverage levels established by a household survey are below 40% we recommend that planners do not take such LLINs into account and instead plan a blanket mass distribution. At pre-campaign coverage levels above 40%, campaign planners should make explicit consideration of the cost and feasibility of accounting for existing LLINs before planning blanket mass distributions. Planners should also consider restricting the coverage estimates used for this decision to only include nets under two years of age in order to ensure that old and damaged nets do not compose too large a fraction of existing net coverage.

  11. Cultured branchial epithelia from freshwater fish gills

    PubMed

    Wood; PÄRt

    1997-01-01

    We have developed a method for the primary culture of gill epithelial cells from freshwater rainbow trout on permeable supports, polyethylene terephthalate membranes ('filter inserts'). Primary cultures of gill cells (6-9 days in Leibowitz L-15 culture medium plus foetal bovine serum and glutamine) are trypsinized and the cells seeded onto the inserts. After 6 days of growth with L-15 medium on both surfaces (approximately isotonic to trout plasma), the cells form a tight epithelium as judged from a progressive rise in transepithelial resistance which reaches a stable plateau for a further 6 days, as long as L-15 exposure is continued on both surfaces. The cultured epithelium (approximately 8 µm thick) typically consists of 2-4 overlapping cell layers organized as in the lamellae in vivo, with large intercellular spaces, multiple desmosomes and putative tight junctions. The cells appear to be exclusively pavement-type cells with an apical surface glycocalyx, an abundance of rough endoplasmic reticulum, no selective DASPEI staining and relatively few mitochondria. Transepithelial resistance (approximately 3.5 k cm2), permeability to a paracellular marker (polyethylene glycol-4000; 0.17x10(-6) cm s-1) and unidirectional flux of Na+ and Cl- (approximately 300 nmol cm-2 h-1) all appear realistic because they compare well with in vivo values; net fluxes of Na+ and Cl- are zero. The preparation acidifies the apical medium, which accumulates a greater concentration of ammonia. Upon exposure to apical freshwater, resistance increases six- to elevenfold and a basolateral-negative transepithelial potential (TEP) develops as in vivo. These responses occur even when mannitol is used to prevent changes in apical osmotic pressure. Net Na+ and Cl- loss rates are low over the first 12 h (-125 nmol cm-2 h-1) but increase substantially by 48 h. The elevated resistance and negative TEP gradually attenuate but remain significantly higher than pre-exposure values after 48 h of apical freshwater exposure. The preparation may provide a valuable new tool for characterizing some of the mechanisms of active and passive ion transport in the pavement cells of the freshwater gill.

  12. 26 CFR 1.172-9 - Election with respect to portion of net operating loss attributable to foreign expropriation loss.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... except that for 1961, M Corporation has operating profits of $300,000 (not including losses from the... operating loss attributable to foreign expropriation loss. 1.172-9 Section 1.172-9 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Itemized...

  13. 26 CFR 1.823-1 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  14. 26 CFR 1.823-4 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  15. 26 CFR 1.822-11 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  16. 26 CFR 1.823-1 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  17. 26 CFR 1.822-11 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  18. 26 CFR 1.822-11 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  19. 26 CFR 1.823-4 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  20. 26 CFR 1.823-1 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  1. 26 CFR 1.823-4 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  2. 26 CFR 1.823-4 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  3. 26 CFR 1.823-1 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  4. 26 CFR 1.822-11 - Net premiums.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... TAXES (CONTINUED) Mutual Insurance Companies (other Than Life and Certain Marine Insurance Companies and Other Than Fire Or Flood Insurance Companies Which Operate on Basis of Perpetual Policies Or Premium...

  5. Multishell inertial confinement fusion target

    DOEpatents

    Holland, James R.; Del Vecchio, Robert M.

    1984-01-01

    A method of fabricating multishell fuel targets for inertial confinement fusion usage. Sacrificial hemispherical molds encapsulate a concentric fuel pellet which is positioned by fiber nets stretched tautly across each hemispherical mold section. The fiber ends of the net protrude outwardly beyond the mold surfaces. The joint between the sacrificial hemispheres is smoothed. A ceramic or glass cover is then deposited about the finished mold surfaces to produce an inner spherical surface having continuously smooth surface configuration. The sacrificial mold is removed by gaseous reaction accomplished through the porous ceramic cover prior to enclosing of the outer sphere by addition of an outer coating. The multishell target comprises the inner fuel pellet concentrically arranged within a surrounding coated cover or shell by fiber nets imbedded within the cover material.

  6. Multishell inertial confinement fusion target

    DOEpatents

    Holland, James R.; Del Vecchio, Robert M.

    1987-01-01

    A method of fabricating multishell fuel targets for inertial confinement fusion usage. Sacrificial hemispherical molds encapsulate a concentric fuel pellet which is positioned by fiber nets stretched tautly across each hemispherical mold section. The fiber ends of the net protrude outwardly beyond the mold surfaces. The joint between the sacrificial hemispheres is smoothed. A ceramic or glass cover is then deposited about the finished mold surfaces to produce an inner spherical surface having continuously smooth surface configuration. The sacrificial mold is removed by gaseous reactions accomplished through the porous ceramic cover prior to enclosing of the outer sphere by addition of an outer coating. The multishell target comprises the inner fuel pellet concentrically arranged within a surrounding coated cover or shell by fiber nets imbedded within the cover material.

  7. Aerosol observation using multi-wavelength Mie-Raman lidars of the Ad-Net and aerosol component analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nishizawa, Tomoaki; Sugimoto, Nobuo; Shimizu, Atsushi; Uno, Itsushi; Hara, Yukari; Kudo, Rei

    2018-04-01

    We deployed multi-wavelength Mie-Raman lidars (MMRL) at three sites of the AD-Net and have conducted continuous measurements using them since 2013. To analyze the MMRL data and better understand the externally mixing state of main aerosol components (e.g., dust, sea-salt, and black carbon) in the atmosphere, we developed an integrated package of aerosol component retrieval algorithms, which have already been developed or are being developed, to estimate vertical profiles of the aerosol components. This package applies to the other ground-based lidar network data (e.g., EARLINET) and satellite-borne lidar data (e.g., CALIOP/CALIPSO and ATLID/EarthCARE) as well as the other lidar data of the AD-Net.

  8. The Calibration Units of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baret, B.; Keller, P.; Clark, M. Lindsey

    2016-04-01

    KM3NeT is a network of deep-sea neutrino telescopes to be deployed in the Mediterranean Sea that will perform neutrino astronomy and oscillation studies. It consists of three-dimensional arrays of thousands of optical modules that detect the Cherenkov light induced by charged particles resulting from the interaction of a neutrino with the surrounding medium. The performance of the neutrino telescope relies on the precise timing and positioning calibration of the detector elements. Other environmental conditions which may affect light and sound transmission, such as water temperature and salinity, must also be continuously monitored. This contribution describes the technical design of the first Calibration Unit, to be deployed on the French site as part of KM3NeT Phase 1.

  9. Revisiting a Hydrological Analysis Framework with International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project Initiative 2 Rainfall, Net Radiation, and Runoff Fields

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koster, Randal D.; Fekete, Balazs M.; Huffman, George J.; Stackhouse, Paul W.

    2006-01-01

    The International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project Initiative 2 (ISLSCP-2) data set provides the data needed to characterize the surface water budget across much of the globe in terms of energy availability (net radiation) and water availability (precipitation) controls. The data, on average, are shown to be consistent with Budyko s decades-old framework, thereby demonstrating the continuing relevance of Budyko s semiempirical relationships. This consistency, however, appears only when a small subset of the data with hydrologically suspicious behavior is removed from the analysis. In general, the precipitation, net radiation, and runoff data also appear consistent in their interannual variability and in the phasing of their seasonal cycles.

  10. Dramatic robustness of a multiple delay dispersed interferometer to spectrograph errors: how mixing delays reduces or cancels wavelength drift

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Erskine, David J.; Linder, E.; Wishnow, E.; Edelstein, J.; Sirk, M.; Muirhead, P.; Lloyd, J.; Kim, A.

    2016-08-01

    We describe demonstrations of remarkable robustness to instrumental noises by using a multiple delay externally dispersed interferometer (EDI) on stellar observations at the Hale telescope. Previous observatory EDI demonstrations used a single delay. The EDI (also called "TEDI") boosted the 2,700 resolution of the native TripleSpec NIR spectrograph (950-2450 nm) by as much as 10x to 27,000, using 7 overlapping delays up to 3 cm. We observed superb rejection of fixed pattern noises due to bad pixels, since the fringing signal responds only to changes in multiple exposures synchronous to the applied delay dithering. Remarkably, we observed a 20x reduction of reaction in the output spectrum to PSF shifts of the native spectrograph along the dispersion direction, using our standard processing. This allowed high resolution observations under conditions of severe and irregular PSF drift otherwise not possible without the interferometer. Furthermore, we recently discovered an improved method of weighting and mixing data between pairs of delays that can theoretically further reduce the net reaction to PSF drift to zero. We demonstrate a 350x reduction in reaction to a native PSF shift using a simple simulation. This technique could similarly reduce radial velocity noise for future EDI's that use two delays overlapped in delay space (or a single delay overlapping the native peak). Finally, we show an extremely high dynamic range EDI measurement of our ThAr lamp compared to a literature ThAr spectrum, observing weak features ( 0.001x height of nearest strong line) that occur between the major lines. Because of individuality of each reference lamp, accurate knowledge of its spectrum between the (unfortunately) sparse major lines is important for precision radial velocimetry.

  11. Native rainbow smelt and nonnative alewife distribution related to temperature and light gradients in Lake Champlain

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Parrish, Donna; Simonin, Paul W.; Rudstam, Lars G.; Sullivan, Patrick J.; Pientka, Bernard

    2012-01-01

    Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) recently became established in Lake Champlain and may compete with native rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) for food or consume larval rainbow smelt. The strength of this effect depends partly on the spatial and temporal overlap of different age groups of the two species; therefore, we need a better understanding of factors affecting alewife and rainbow smelt distributions in Lake Champlain. We used hydroacoustics, trawls, and gill nets to document vertical fish distribution, and recorded environmental data during 16 day–night surveys over two years. Temperature, temperature change, and light were all predictors of adult and age-0 rainbow smelt distribution, and temperature and light were predictors of age-0 alewives' distribution (based on GAMM models evaluated with AIC). Adult alewives were 5–30 m shallower and age-0 alewives were 2–15 m shallower than their rainbow smelt counterparts. Adult rainbow smelt distribution overlapped with age-0 rainbow smelt and age-0 alewives near the thermocline (10–25 m), whereas adult alewives were shallower (0–6 m) and overlapped with age-0 alewives and rainbow smelt in the epilimnion. Adult rainbow smelt were in water < 10–12 °C, whereas age-0 rainbow smelt were in 10–20 °C, and adult and age-0 alewives were in 15–22 °C water. Predicting these species distributions is necessary for quantifying the strength of predatory and competitive interactions between alewife and rainbow smelt, as well as between alewife and other fish species in Lake Champlain.

  12. Facilitative Effect of a Generalist Herbivore on the Recovery of a Perennial Alga: Consequences for Persistence at the Edge of Their Geographic Range.

    PubMed

    Aguilera, Moisés A; Valdivia, Nelson; Broitman, Bernardo R

    2015-01-01

    Understanding the impacts of consumers on the abundance, growth rate, recovery and persistence of their resources across their distributional range can shed light on the role of trophic interactions in determining species range shifts. Here, we examined if consumptive effects of the intertidal grazer Scurria viridula positively influences the abundance and recovery from disturbances of the alga Mazzaella laminarioides at the edge of its geographic distributions in northern-central Chilean rocky shores. Through field experiments conducted at a site in the region where M. laminarioides overlaps with the polar range edge of S. viridula, we estimated the effects of grazing on different life stages of M. laminarioides. We also used long-term abundance surveys conducted across ~700 km of the shore to evaluate co-occurrence patterns of the study species across their range overlap. We found that S. viridula had positive net effects on M. laminarioides by increasing its cover and re-growth from perennial basal crusts. Probability of occurrence of M. laminarioides increased significantly with increasing density of S. viridula across the range overlap. The negative effect of S. viridula on the percentage cover of opportunistic green algae-shown to compete for space with corticated algae-suggests that competitive release may be part of the mechanism driving the positive effect of the limpet on the abundance and recovery from disturbance of M. laminarioides. We suggest that grazer populations contribute to enhance the abundance of M. laminarioides, facilitating its recolonization and persistence at its distributional range edge. Our study highlights that indirect facilitation can determine the recovery and persistence of a resource at the limit of its distribution, and may well contribute to the ecological mechanisms governing species distributions and range shifts.

  13. Facilitative Effect of a Generalist Herbivore on the Recovery of a Perennial Alga: Consequences for Persistence at the Edge of Their Geographic Range

    PubMed Central

    Aguilera, Moisés A.; Valdivia, Nelson; Broitman, Bernardo R.

    2015-01-01

    Understanding the impacts of consumers on the abundance, growth rate, recovery and persistence of their resources across their distributional range can shed light on the role of trophic interactions in determining species range shifts. Here, we examined if consumptive effects of the intertidal grazer Scurria viridula positively influences the abundance and recovery from disturbances of the alga Mazzaella laminarioides at the edge of its geographic distributions in northern-central Chilean rocky shores. Through field experiments conducted at a site in the region where M. laminarioides overlaps with the polar range edge of S. viridula, we estimated the effects of grazing on different life stages of M. laminarioides. We also used long-term abundance surveys conducted across ~700 km of the shore to evaluate co-occurrence patterns of the study species across their range overlap. We found that S. viridula had positive net effects on M. laminarioides by increasing its cover and re-growth from perennial basal crusts. Probability of occurrence of M. laminarioides increased significantly with increasing density of S. viridula across the range overlap. The negative effect of S. viridula on the percentage cover of opportunistic green algae—shown to compete for space with corticated algae—suggests that competitive release may be part of the mechanism driving the positive effect of the limpet on the abundance and recovery from disturbance of M. laminarioides. We suggest that grazer populations contribute to enhance the abundance of M. laminarioides, facilitating its recolonization and persistence at its distributional range edge. Our study highlights that indirect facilitation can determine the recovery and persistence of a resource at the limit of its distribution, and may well contribute to the ecological mechanisms governing species distributions and range shifts. PMID:26716986

  14. Allowing for Horizontally Heterogeneous Clouds and Generalized Overlap in an Atmospheric GCM

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, D.; Oreopoulos, L.; Suarez, M.

    2011-01-01

    While fully accounting for 3D effects in Global Climate Models (GCMs) appears not realistic at the present time for a variety of reasons such as computational cost and unavailability of 3D cloud structure in the models, incorporation in radiation schemes of subgrid cloud variability described by one-point statistics is now considered feasible and is being actively pursued. This development has gained momentum once it was demonstrated that CPU-intensive spectrally explicit Independent Column Approximation (lCA) can be substituted by stochastic Monte Carlo ICA (McICA) calculations where spectral integration is accomplished in a manner that produces relatively benign random noise. The McICA approach has been implemented in Goddard's GEOS-5 atmospheric GCM as part of the implementation of the RRTMG radiation package. GEOS-5 with McICA and RRTMG can handle horizontally variable clouds which can be set via a cloud generator to arbitrarily overlap within the full spectrum of maximum and random both in terms of cloud fraction and layer condensate distributions. In our presentation we will show radiative and other impacts of the combined horizontal and vertical cloud variability on multi-year simulations of an otherwise untuned GEOS-5 with fixed SSTs. Introducing cloud horizontal heterogeneity without changing the mean amounts of condensate reduces reflected solar and increases thermal radiation to space, but disproportionate changes may increase the radiative imbalance at TOA. The net radiation at TOA can be modulated by allowing the parameters of the generalized overlap and heterogeneity scheme to vary, a dependence whose behavior we will discuss. The sensitivity of the cloud radiative forcing to the parameters of cloud horizontal heterogeneity and comparisons of CERES-derived forcing will be shown.

  15. Properties of CIRRUS Overlapping Clouds as Deduced from the GOES-12 Imagery Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chang, Fu-Lung; Minnis, Patrick; Lin, Bing; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Khaiyer, Mandana

    2006-01-01

    Understanding the impact of cirrus clouds on modifying both the solar reflected and terrestrial emitted radiations is crucial for climate studies. Unlike most boundary layer stratus and stratocumulus clouds that have a net cooling effect on the climate, high-level thin cirrus clouds can have a warming effect on our climate. Many research efforts have been devoted to retrieving cirrus cloud properties due to their ubiquitous presence. However, using satellite observations to detect and/or retrieve cirrus cloud properties faces two major challenges. First, they are often semitransparent at visible to infrared wavelengths; and secondly, they often occur over a lower cloud system. The overlapping of high-level cirrus and low-level stratus cloud poses a difficulty in determining the individual cloud top altitudes and optical properties, especially when the signals from cirrus clouds are overwhelmed by the signals of stratus clouds. Moreover, the operational satellite retrieval algorithms, which often assume only single layer cloud in the development of cloud retrieval techniques, cannot resolve the cloud overlapping situation properly. The new geostationary satellites, starting with the Twelfth Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12), are providing a new suite of imager bands that have replaced the conventional 12-micron channel with a 13.3-micron CO2 absorption channel. The replacement of the 13.3-micron channel allows for the application of a CO2-slicing retrieval technique (Chahine et al. 1974; Smith and Platt 1978), which is one of the important passive satellite methods for remote sensing the altitudes of mid to high-level clouds. Using the CO2- slicing technique is more effective in detecting semitransparent cirrus clouds than using the conventional infrared-window method.

  16. The Choice of Screening Instrument Matters: The Case of Problematic Cannabis Use Screening in Spanish Population of Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Domingo-Salvany, Antónia; Barrio Anta, Gregorio; Sánchez Mañez, Amparo; Llorens Aleixandre, Noelia; Brime Beteta, Begoña; Vicente, Julián

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of problem cannabis use screening instruments administration within wide school surveys, their psychometric properties, overlaps, and relationships with other variables. Students from 7 Spanish regions, aged 14–18, who attended secondary schools were sampled by two-stage cluster sampling (net sample 14,589). Standardized, anonymous questionnaire including DSM-IV cannabis abuse criteria, Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST), and Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) was self-completed with paper and pencil in the selected classrooms. Data was analysed using classical psychometric theory, bivariate tests, and multinomial logistic regression analysis. Not responding to instruments' items (10.5–12.3%) was associated with reporting less frequent cannabis use. The instruments overlapped partially, with 16.1% of positives being positive on all three. SDS was more likely to identify younger users with lower frequency of use who thought habitual cannabis use posed a considerable problem. CAST positivity was associated with frequent cannabis use and related problems. It is feasible to use short psychometric scales in wide school surveys, but one must carefully choose the screening instrument, as different instruments identify different groups of users. These may correspond to different types of problematic cannabis use; however, measurement bias seems to play a role too. PMID:25969832

  17. ParseCNV integrative copy number variation association software with quality tracking

    PubMed Central

    Glessner, Joseph T.; Li, Jin; Hakonarson, Hakon

    2013-01-01

    A number of copy number variation (CNV) calling algorithms exist; however, comprehensive software tools for CNV association studies are lacking. We describe ParseCNV, unique software that takes CNV calls and creates probe-based statistics for CNV occurrence in both case–control design and in family based studies addressing both de novo and inheritance events, which are then summarized based on CNV regions (CNVRs). CNVRs are defined in a dynamic manner to allow for a complex CNV overlap while maintaining precise association region. Using this approach, we avoid failure to converge and non-monotonic curve fitting weaknesses of programs, such as CNVtools and CNVassoc, and although Plink is easy to use, it only provides combined CNV state probe-based statistics, not state-specific CNVRs. Existing CNV association methods do not provide any quality tracking information to filter confident associations, a key issue which is fully addressed by ParseCNV. In addition, uncertainty in CNV calls underlying CNV associations is evaluated to verify significant results, including CNV overlap profiles, genomic context, number of probes supporting the CNV and single-probe intensities. When optimal quality control parameters are followed using ParseCNV, 90% of CNVs validate by polymerase chain reaction, an often problematic stage because of inadequate significant association review. ParseCNV is freely available at http://parsecnv.sourceforge.net. PMID:23293001

  18. ParseCNV integrative copy number variation association software with quality tracking.

    PubMed

    Glessner, Joseph T; Li, Jin; Hakonarson, Hakon

    2013-03-01

    A number of copy number variation (CNV) calling algorithms exist; however, comprehensive software tools for CNV association studies are lacking. We describe ParseCNV, unique software that takes CNV calls and creates probe-based statistics for CNV occurrence in both case-control design and in family based studies addressing both de novo and inheritance events, which are then summarized based on CNV regions (CNVRs). CNVRs are defined in a dynamic manner to allow for a complex CNV overlap while maintaining precise association region. Using this approach, we avoid failure to converge and non-monotonic curve fitting weaknesses of programs, such as CNVtools and CNVassoc, and although Plink is easy to use, it only provides combined CNV state probe-based statistics, not state-specific CNVRs. Existing CNV association methods do not provide any quality tracking information to filter confident associations, a key issue which is fully addressed by ParseCNV. In addition, uncertainty in CNV calls underlying CNV associations is evaluated to verify significant results, including CNV overlap profiles, genomic context, number of probes supporting the CNV and single-probe intensities. When optimal quality control parameters are followed using ParseCNV, 90% of CNVs validate by polymerase chain reaction, an often problematic stage because of inadequate significant association review. ParseCNV is freely available at http://parsecnv.sourceforge.net.

  19. Modeling and control of operator functional state in a unified framework of fuzzy inference petri nets.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jian-Hua; Xia, Jia-Jun; Garibaldi, Jonathan M; Groumpos, Petros P; Wang, Ru-Bin

    2017-06-01

    In human-machine (HM) hybrid control systems, human operator and machine cooperate to achieve the control objectives. To enhance the overall HM system performance, the discrete manual control task-load by the operator must be dynamically allocated in accordance with continuous-time fluctuation of psychophysiological functional status of the operator, so-called operator functional state (OFS). The behavior of the HM system is hybrid in nature due to the co-existence of discrete task-load (control) variable and continuous operator performance (system output) variable. Petri net is an effective tool for modeling discrete event systems, but for hybrid system involving discrete dynamics, generally Petri net model has to be extended. Instead of using different tools to represent continuous and discrete components of a hybrid system, this paper proposed a method of fuzzy inference Petri nets (FIPN) to represent the HM hybrid system comprising a Mamdani-type fuzzy model of OFS and a logical switching controller in a unified framework, in which the task-load level is dynamically reallocated between the operator and machine based on the model-predicted OFS. Furthermore, this paper used a multi-model approach to predict the operator performance based on three electroencephalographic (EEG) input variables (features) via the Wang-Mendel (WM) fuzzy modeling method. The membership function parameters of fuzzy OFS model for each experimental participant were optimized using artificial bee colony (ABC) evolutionary algorithm. Three performance indices, RMSE, MRE, and EPR, were computed to evaluate the overall modeling accuracy. Experiment data from six participants are analyzed. The results show that the proposed method (FIPN with adaptive task allocation) yields lower breakdown rate (from 14.8% to 3.27%) and higher human performance (from 90.30% to 91.99%). The simulation results of the FIPN-based adaptive HM (AHM) system on six experimental participants demonstrate that the FIPN framework provides an effective way to model and regulate/optimize the OFS in HM hybrid systems composed of continuous-time OFS model and discrete-event switching controller. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Greenhouse gas emissions of different land uses in the delta region of Red River, Vietnam

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Minghua; Ha, Thu; An, Ngo The; Brüggemann, Nicolas

    2017-04-01

    Agricultural activities are responsible for up to a third of total anthropogenic GHG emissions. The subtropical/tropical delta areas of the large rivers in Southeast Asia are long-term history agricultural regions in the world. However, due to lack of field measurements, the estimation of the contribution of agro-ecosystems in the subtropical/tropical delta areas to global greenhouse gas emissions remains largely uncertain. Here, we conducted field experiments since January 2016 to quantify greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O) emissions from four agricultural land uses of annual rice-rice, rice-vegetable, continuous vegetable system and fish pond in Red River delta region of Vietnam by using the transparent static chamber-gas chromatography technique. Higher N2O emissions were observed in the rice-vegetable and continuous vegetable systems, while lower N2O emissions were observed in the rice-rice and find pond systems. Compared to rice-rice system the cumulative N2O fluxes were on average twenty-fold higher in the rice-vegetable and continuous vegetable systems but significantly lower (75%) in the fish pond. Overall the net CO2 sinks were observed in the rice-rice system while other three land uses of rice-vegetable, continuous vegetable and fish pond acted as the net CO2 sources. The rice-rice and fish pond showed net CH4 emissions while variations of CH4 emissions (i.e. shifting between sources and sinks) along variations of soil moisture and temperature were observed in rice-vegetable and continuous vegetable systems. Compared to rice-rice system, the cumulative CH4 fluxes were significantly decreased by 100% for continuous vegetable system, 94% for rice-vegetable system and 89% for fish pond. Overall, the data suggest that conversion of traditional rice-rice paddy system to rice-vegetable, continuous vegetable system and find pond, which are currently undergoing driven by the economical requests and environmental changes (e.g., salinity intrusion) in this delta region, could alter CH4, CO2 and N2O emissions.

  1. Measuring an artificial intelligence system's performance on a Verbal IQ test for young children

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ohlsson, Stellan; Sloan, Robert H.; Turán, György; Urasky, Aaron

    2017-07-01

    We administered the Verbal IQ (VIQ) part of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III) to the ConceptNet 4 artificial intelligence (AI) system. The test questions (e.g. "Why do we shake hands?") were translated into ConceptNet 4 inputs using a combination of the simple natural language processing tools that come with ConceptNet together with short Python programs that we wrote. The question answering used a version of ConceptNet based on spectral methods. The ConceptNet system scored a WPPSI-III VIQ that is average for a four-year-old child, but below average for 5-7 year olds. Large variations among subtests indicate potential areas of improvement. In particular, results were strongest for the Vocabulary and Similarities subtests, intermediate for the Information subtest and lowest for the Comprehension and Word Reasoning subtests. Comprehension is the subtest most strongly associated with common sense. The large variations among subtests and ordinary common sense strongly suggest that the WPPSI-III VIQ results do not show that "ConceptNet has the verbal abilities of a four-year-old". Rather, children's IQ tests offer one objective metric for the evaluation and comparison of AI systems. Also, this work continues previous research on psychometric AI.

  2. Computer Assisted Chronic Disease Management: Does It Work? A Pilot Study Using Mixed Methods

    PubMed Central

    Jones, Kay M.; Biezen, Ruby; Piterman, Leon

    2013-01-01

    Background. Key factors for the effective chronic disease management (CDM) include the availability of practical and effective computer tools and continuing professional development/education. This study tested the effectiveness of a computer assisted chronic disease management tool, a broadband-based service known as cdmNet in increasing the development of care plans for patients with chronic disease in general practice. Methodology. Mixed methods are the breakthrough series methodology (workshops and plan-do-study-act cycles) and semistructured interviews. Results. Throughout the intervention period a pattern emerged suggesting GPs use of cdmNet initially increased, then plateaued practice nurses' and practice managers' roles expanded as they became more involved in using cdmNet. Seven main messages emerged from the GP interviews. Discussion. The overall use of cdmNet by participating GPs varied from “no change” to “significant change and developing many the GPMPs (general practice management plans) using cdmNet.” The variation may be due to several factors, not the least, allowing GPs adequate time to familiarise themselves with the software and recognising the benefit of the team approach. Conclusion. The breakthrough series methodology facilitated upskilling GPs' management of patients diagnosed with a chronic disease and learning how to use the broadband-based service cdmNet. PMID:24959576

  3. Neutrophil Extracellular Trap (NET)-Mediated Killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Evidence of Acquired Resistance within the CF Airway, Independent of CFTR

    PubMed Central

    Young, Robert L.; Malcolm, Kenneth C.; Kret, Jennifer E.; Caceres, Silvia M.; Poch, Katie R.; Nichols, David P.; Taylor-Cousar, Jennifer L.; Saavedra, Milene T.; Randell, Scott H.; Vasil, Michael L.; Burns, Jane L.; Moskowitz, Samuel M.; Nick, Jerry A.

    2011-01-01

    The inability of neutrophils to eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa within the cystic fibrosis (CF) airway eventually results in chronic infection by the bacteria in nearly 80 percent of patients. Phagocytic killing of P. aeruginosa by CF neutrophils is impaired due to decreased cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) function and virulence factors acquired by the bacteria. Recently, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), extracellular structures composed of neutrophil chromatin complexed with granule contents, were identified as an alternative mechanism of pathogen killing. The hypothesis that NET-mediated killing of P. aeruginosa is impaired in the context of the CF airway was tested. P. aeruginosa induced NET formation by neutrophils from healthy donors in a bacterial density dependent fashion. When maintained in suspension through continuous rotation, P. aeruginosa became physically associated with NETs. Under these conditions, NETs were the predominant mechanism of killing, across a wide range of bacterial densities. Peripheral blood neutrophils isolated from CF patients demonstrated no impairment in NET formation or function against P. aeruginosa. However, isogenic clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa obtained from CF patients early and later in the course of infection demonstrated an acquired capacity to withstand NET-mediated killing in 8 of 9 isolates tested. This resistance correlated with development of the mucoid phenotype, but was not a direct result of the excess alginate production that is characteristic of mucoidy. Together, these results demonstrate that neutrophils can kill P. aeruginosa via NETs, and in vitro this response is most effective under non-stationary conditions with a low ratio of bacteria to neutrophils. NET-mediated killing is independent of CFTR function or bacterial opsonization. Failure of this response in the context of the CF airway may occur, in part, due to an acquired resistance against NET-mediated killing by CF strains of P. aeruginosa. PMID:21909403

  4. 50 CFR 80.34 - How does an agency calculate net revenue from a license?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE-WILDLIFE AND SPORT FISH RESTORATION PROGRAM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILDLIFE RESTORATION AND DINGELL-JOHNSON SPORT FISH RESTORATION...

  5. Development of effective prophylaxis against intraoperative carcinoid crisis.

    PubMed

    Woltering, Eugene A; Wright, Anne E; Stevens, Melissa A; Wang, Yi-Zarn; Boudreaux, John P; Mamikunian, Gregg; Riopelle, James M; Kaye, Alan D

    2016-08-01

    The prophylactic use of a preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative high-dose continuous octreotide acetate infusion was evaluated for its ability to minimize the incidence of carcinoid crises during neuroendocrine tumor (NET) cytoreductive surgeries. A retrospective study was approved by the institutional review boards at Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner operating room and multispecialty NET clinic. One hundred fifty consecutive patients who underwent a total of 179 cytoreductive surgeries for stage IV, small bowel NETs. All patients received a 500-μg/h infusion of octreotide acetate preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively. Anesthesia and surgical records were reviewed. Carcinoid crisis was defined as a systolic blood pressure of less than 80mm Hg for greater than 10minutes. Patients who experienced intraoperative hypertension or hypotension, profound tachycardia, or a "crisis" according to the operative note were also reviewed. One hundred sixty-nine (169/179; 94%) patients had normal anesthesia courses. The medical records of 10 patients were further investigated for a potential intraoperative crisis using the aforementioned criteria. Upon review, 6 patients were determined to have had a crisis. The final incidence of intraoperative crisis was 3.4% (6/179). A continuous high-dose infusion of octreotide acetate intraoperatively minimizes the incidence of carcinoid crisis. We believe that the low cost and excellent safety profile of octreotide warrant the use of this therapy during extensive surgical procedures for midgut and foregut NETs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Physiological responses in potato plants under continuous irradiation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cao, W.; Tibbitts, T. W.

    1991-01-01

    The physiological responses of four potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars to continuous irradiation were determined in a controlled environment. Under a constant 18C and a constant photoperiod of 470 micromoles s-1 m-2 of photosynthetic photon flux, 'Denali' and 'Haig' grew well and produced large plant and tuber dry weights when harvested 56 days after transplanting. 'Kennebec' and 'Superior' were severely stunted, producing only 10% of the plant dry matter produced by 'Denali' and 'Haig'. The differences in leaf chlorophyll concentration and stomatal conductance were not consistent between these two groups of cultivars. The leaf net CO2 assimilation rates in 'Kennebec' and 'Superior' were lower, and intercellular CO2 partial pressures were higher than in 'Denali' and 'Haig'. These results indicate that inhibition of net CO2 assimilation in 'Kennebec' and 'Superior' was not due to a limiting amount of chlorophyll or to CO2 in the leaf tissues. Concentrations of starch in leaflets of 'Kennebec' and 'Superior' plants were only 10% of those in 'Denali' and 'Haig' plants, although soluble sugar concentrations were similar in the four cultivars. Therefore, the lower net CO2 assimilation rates in stunted 'Kennebec' and 'Superior' plants were not associated with an excess carbohydrate accumulation in the leaves.

  7. Does the microclimate under hail nets influence micromorphological characteristics of apple leaves and cuticles?

    PubMed

    Hunsche, Mauricio; Blanke, Michael M; Noga, Georg

    2010-08-15

    A higher frequency of hail storms, possibly due to climate change, has led to increased installation of hail nets worldwide. The objective of the present work was to investigate potential effects of the microclimate under these hail nets on micromorphological characteristics of the leaves and adaxial leaf cuticles. Leaves of apple cultivars 'Pinova' and 'Fuji' grown on trees under white (highly translucent) or red-black (low transmittance) hail nets or on uncovered (control) trees were evaluated in June, August, September and October. The microclimate under the colored hail nets had no impact on leaf micromorphology, amount of cuticular wax, or leaf thickness. Similarly, no differences in thickness and permeability for calcium could be established between cuticles of leaves grown on trees under the two types of hail nets or uncovered trees. For all evaluated parameters, significant differences were detected between the two cultivars examined. In both cultivars, leaf wax synthesis followed a characteristic curve, increasing from the first to the second evaluation, and then decreasing continuously without affecting cuticular penetration of calcium. Overall, our results show that a reduction of the hail nets by 6-10% in both light and humidity was insufficient to influence the surface properties of apple leaves and permeability of cuticles. This may suggest that pest management strategies, i.e. formulation of agrochemicals, their application and dose, do not need to be adapted when used under hail nets. Overall, the present results indicate that the microclimatic changes brought about by colored hail nets are sufficient to enhance the vegetative growth and induce the 'shade avoidance syndrome', but do not appear to affect the leaf cuticular properties. Copyright 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  8. Does standard deviation matter? Using "standard deviation" to quantify security of multistage testing.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chun; Zheng, Yi; Chang, Hua-Hua

    2014-01-01

    With the advent of web-based technology, online testing is becoming a mainstream mode in large-scale educational assessments. Most online tests are administered continuously in a testing window, which may post test security problems because examinees who take the test earlier may share information with those who take the test later. Researchers have proposed various statistical indices to assess the test security, and one most often used index is the average test-overlap rate, which was further generalized to the item pooling index (Chang & Zhang, 2002, 2003). These indices, however, are all defined as the means (that is, the expected proportion of common items among examinees) and they were originally proposed for computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Recently, multistage testing (MST) has become a popular alternative to CAT. The unique features of MST make it important to report not only the mean, but also the standard deviation (SD) of test overlap rate, as we advocate in this paper. The standard deviation of test overlap rate adds important information to the test security profile, because for the same mean, a large SD reflects that certain groups of examinees share more common items than other groups. In this study, we analytically derived the lower bounds of the SD under MST, with the results under CAT as a benchmark. It is shown that when the mean overlap rate is the same between MST and CAT, the SD of test overlap tends to be larger in MST. A simulation study was conducted to provide empirical evidence. We also compared the security of MST under the single-pool versus the multiple-pool designs; both analytical and simulation studies show that the non-overlapping multiple-pool design will slightly increase the security risk.

  9. Comparing ownership and use of bed nets at two sites with differential malaria transmission in western Kenya.

    PubMed

    Ernst, Kacey C; Hayden, Mary H; Olsen, Heather; Cavanaugh, Jamie L; Ruberto, Irene; Agawo, Maurice; Munga, Stephen

    2016-04-14

    Challenges persist in ensuring access to and optimal use of long-lasting, insecticidal bed nets (LLINs). Factors associated with ownership and use may differ depending on the history of malaria and prevention control efforts in a specific region. Understanding how the cultural and social-environmental context of bed net use may differ between high- and low-risk regions is important when identifying solutions to improve uptake and appropriate use. Community forums and a household, cross-sectional survey were used to collect information on factors related to bed net ownership and use in western Kenya. Sites with disparate levels of transmission were selected, including an endemic lowland area, Miwani, and a highland epidemic-prone area, Kapkangani. Analysis of ownership was stratified by site. A combined site analysis was conducted to examine factors associated with use of all available bed nets. Logistic regression modelling was used to determine factors associated with ownership and use of owned bed nets. Access to bed nets as the leading barrier to their use was identified in community forums and cross-sectional surveys. While disuse of available bed nets was discussed in the forums, it was a relatively rare occurrence in both sites. Factors associated with ownership varied by site. Education, perceived risk of malaria and knowledge of individuals who had died of malaria were associated with higher bed net ownership in the highlands, while in the lowlands individuals reporting it was easy to get a bed net were more likely to own one. A combined site analysis indicated that not using an available bed net was associated with the attitudes that taking malaria drugs is easier than using a bed net and that use of a bed net will not prevent malaria. In addition, individuals with an unused bed net in the household were more likely to indicate that bed nets are difficult to use, that purchased bed nets are better than freely distributed ones, and that bed nets should only be used during the rainy season. Variations in factors associated with ownership should be acknowledged when constructing messaging and distribution campaigns. Despite reports of bed nets being used for other purposes, those in the home were rarely unused in these communities. Disuse seemed to be related to beliefs that can be addressed through education programmes. As mass distributions continue to take place, additional research is needed to determine if factors associated with LLIN ownership and use change with increasing availability of LLIN.

  10. A Case of Fisher-Bickerstaff Syndrome Overlapped by Guillain-Barré Syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Fujii, Daiki; Manabe, Yasuhiro; Takahasi, Yosiaki; Narai, Hisashi; Omori, Nobuhiko; Kusunoki, Susumu; Abe, Koji

    2012-01-01

    We report a 72-year-old woman with overlapping Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis (BBE). She developed diplopia and unsteady gait a week after an upper respiratory infection on day 1. She had weakness of both upper limbs on day 3 and became drowsy, and her respiratory status worsened on day 5. Neurologic examination revealed ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, symmetrical weakness, areflexia, and consciousness disturbance. We diagnosed her with MFS on day 1, GBS on day 3 and overlapping BBE on day 5. She underwent immunoadsorption therapy and two courses of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Ten months after onset, her symptoms had fully recovered. Anti-GM1 IgG, GD1a IgG, GQ1b IgG, and GT1a IgG antibodies were positive. Our case supports the notion that MFS, GBS, and BBE are all part of a continuous clinical spectrum, which is an antibody-mediated process. PMID:23275783

  11. Stimulation of Mojave Desert net ecosystem CO2 uptake after winter precipitation with the opposite effect after summer rains based on 7 years of flux data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jasoni, Richard; Arnone, John; Fenstermaker, Lynn; Wohlfahrt, Georg

    2014-05-01

    Eddy covariance measurements of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) in the Mojave Desert (Jasoni et al. 2005-Global Change Biology 11:749-756; Wohlfahrt et al. 2008-Global Change Biology 14:1475-1487), and in other deserts of the world (e.g., Hastings et al. 2005- Global Change Biology 14:927-939, indicate greater rates of net CO2 uptake (more negative NEE values) and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) than would have been expected for deserts (as high as -120 g C m-2 year-1). We continue to observe high rates of NEE and NEP and seek explanations for these findings at interannual, seasonal, and sub-seasonal time scales. Because moisture availability most strongly constrains biological activity in deserts, responses to rains probably play a significant role in defining components of NEE-namely net primary productivity (NPP, or roughly net photosynthesis by vascular and non-vascular plants) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh, mainly by soil microorganisms). Most precipitation in the Mojave Desert falls from October through April and periodically in the summer as convective storms. The main objective of this study was to quantify the extent to which NEE and the net flux of CO2 from/to biological soil crust (BSC) covered soil surfaces respond to rain pulses occurring during cool/cold and warm/hot times of the year. Flux data from 7 years (2005-2011) of measurements at our shub land desert site (average 150 mm rain per year) located 120 km northwest of Las Vegas showed a range in NEP from -111±34 to -47±28 g C m-2 year-1. Cool season rains usually stimulated NEE (more negative NEE values or net CO2 uptake) while warm season rains reversed this effect and led to positive NEE values (net ecosystem CO2 efflux. Cool season stimulation of NEE often occurred in the absence of green leaves on vascular plants, suggesting that photosynthesis of BSCs (up to 70% of soil surface covered by cyanobacteria, mosses, and lichens) were responsible for this net uptake. At other times during the cool season, herbaceous vascular plants also contributed to increases in NEE. Parallel experiments in which we simulated rain pulses (10 mm) in the cool (February) and warm (May) seasons and measured net CO2 fluxes from BSC covered soil surfaces showed responses similar to those observed at the level of the ecosystem. Earlier continuous measurements of soil air relative humidity (RH; 2001-2006) showed that soil moisture increases occurring after rains in the cool season persist up to 3 weeks after events (a total of 48-108 day equivalent per year at >98% RH) indicating conditions favorable for photosynthetic activity. Thus, net CO2 uptake by BSCs during cool months may largely determine large NEEs measured under moist conditions during this time of year and, together with NPP of herbaceous vascular plants, help explain overall consistently high annual NEP in these ecosystems.

  12. 26 CFR 1.1402(c)-1 - Trade or business.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Trade or business. 1.1402(c)-1 Section 1.1402(c... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Tax on Self-Employment Income § 1.1402(c)-1 Trade or business. In order for an individual to have net earnings from self-employment, he must carry on a trade or business...

  13. 26 CFR 1.1402(c)-1 - Trade or business.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Trade or business. 1.1402(c)-1 Section 1.1402(c... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Tax on Self-Employment Income § 1.1402(c)-1 Trade or business. In order for an individual to have net earnings from self-employment, he must carry on a trade or business...

  14. 26 CFR 1.6664-4T - Reasonable cause and good faith exception to section 6662 penalties.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Additions to the Tax, Additional... section 6664(c) to net section 482 adjustments, the rules of § 1.6662-6(d) apply. A taxpayer that does not... and good faith exception under section 6664(c). The rules of this section apply to underpayments...

  15. 26 CFR 1.1402(c)-1 - Trade or business.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Trade or business. 1.1402(c)-1 Section 1.1402(c... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Tax on Self-Employment Income § 1.1402(c)-1 Trade or business. In order for an individual to have net earnings from self-employment, he must carry on a trade or business...

  16. 26 CFR 1.1402(c)-1 - Trade or business.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Trade or business. 1.1402(c)-1 Section 1.1402(c... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Tax on Self-Employment Income § 1.1402(c)-1 Trade or business. In order for an individual to have net earnings from self-employment, he must carry on a trade or business...

  17. 26 CFR 1.337(d)-6 - New transitional rules imposing tax on property owned by a C corporation that becomes property of...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... has an unrestricted net operating loss carryforward of $12,000 and accumulated earnings and profits of... 26 Internal Revenue 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false New transitional rules imposing tax on property... Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME...

  18. Estimating the Size and Cost of the STD Prevention Services Safety Net.

    PubMed

    Gift, Thomas L; Haderxhanaj, Laura T; Torrone, Elizabeth A; Behl, Ajay S; Romaguera, Raul A; Leichliter, Jami S

    2015-01-01

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is expected to reduce the number of uninsured people in the United States during the next eight years, but more than 10% are expected to remain uninsured. Uninsured people are one of the main populations using publicly funded safety net sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention services. Estimating the proportion of the uninsured population expected to need STD services could help identify the potential demand for safety net STD services and improve program planning. In 2013, an estimated 8.27 million people met the criteria for being in need of STD services. In 2023, 4.70 million uninsured people are expected to meet the criteria for being in need of STD services. As an example, the cost in 2014 U.S. dollars of providing chlamydia screening to these people was an estimated $271.1 million in 2013 and is estimated to be $153.8 million in 2023. A substantial need will continue to exist for safety net STD prevention services in coming years.

  19. SchNet - A deep learning architecture for molecules and materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schütt, K. T.; Sauceda, H. E.; Kindermans, P.-J.; Tkatchenko, A.; Müller, K.-R.

    2018-06-01

    Deep learning has led to a paradigm shift in artificial intelligence, including web, text, and image search, speech recognition, as well as bioinformatics, with growing impact in chemical physics. Machine learning, in general, and deep learning, in particular, are ideally suitable for representing quantum-mechanical interactions, enabling us to model nonlinear potential-energy surfaces or enhancing the exploration of chemical compound space. Here we present the deep learning architecture SchNet that is specifically designed to model atomistic systems by making use of continuous-filter convolutional layers. We demonstrate the capabilities of SchNet by accurately predicting a range of properties across chemical space for molecules and materials, where our model learns chemically plausible embeddings of atom types across the periodic table. Finally, we employ SchNet to predict potential-energy surfaces and energy-conserving force fields for molecular dynamics simulations of small molecules and perform an exemplary study on the quantum-mechanical properties of C20-fullerene that would have been infeasible with regular ab initio molecular dynamics.

  20. Estimating the Size and Cost of the STD Prevention Services Safety Net

    PubMed Central

    Haderxhanaj, Laura T.; Torrone, Elizabeth A.; Behl, Ajay S.; Romaguera, Raul A.; Leichliter, Jami S.

    2015-01-01

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is expected to reduce the number of uninsured people in the United States during the next eight years, but more than 10% are expected to remain uninsured. Uninsured people are one of the main populations using publicly funded safety net sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention services. Estimating the proportion of the uninsured population expected to need STD services could help identify the potential demand for safety net STD services and improve program planning. In 2013, an estimated 8.27 million people met the criteria for being in need of STD services. In 2023, 4.70 million uninsured people are expected to meet the criteria for being in need of STD services. As an example, the cost in 2014 U.S. dollars of providing chlamydia screening to these people was an estimated $271.1 million in 2013 and is estimated to be $153.8 million in 2023. A substantial need will continue to exist for safety net STD prevention services in coming years. PMID:26556931

  1. The Conversation Continues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reimer, Joseph

    2007-01-01

    In this article, the author shares a few points of clarification to amplify the argument he puts forth in his article titled, "Beyond More Jews Doing Jewish: Clarifying the Goals of Informal Jewish Education." The author argues that socialization and education are two social processes that often overlap and reinforce one another. The purpose of…

  2. 47 CFR 27.1186 - Payment issues.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... set forth in § 27.1170. If an AWS licensee is initiating operations for a newly constructed site or modified existing site in licensed bands overlapping the 2150-2160/62 MHz band, the AWS licensee must file... level height of the transmitting antenna centerline. AWS entities have a continuing duty to maintain the...

  3. 47 CFR 27.1186 - Payment issues.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... set forth in § 27.1170. If an AWS licensee is initiating operations for a newly constructed site or modified existing site in licensed bands overlapping the 2150-2160/62 MHz band, the AWS licensee must file... level height of the transmitting antenna centerline. AWS entities have a continuing duty to maintain the...

  4. Influence of compounding fires on coast redwood regeneration and stand structure

    Treesearch

    Matthew R. Brousil; Sarah Bisbing

    2017-01-01

    Disturbance is fundamental to forest ecosystem function, but climate change will continue to increase both disturbance frequency and intensity in the future. Forests subject to increasingly frequent and intense disturbances are more likely to experience overlapping (compounding) disturbance effects. Compounding disturbances may exert unpredicted, non-additive stresses...

  5. Cooling the Martian atmosphere: The spectral overlap of the C02 15 micrometers band and dust

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lindner, Bernhard Lee

    1994-01-01

    Careful consideration must be given to the simultaneous treatment of the radiative transfer of the CO2 15 micron band and dust calculations for the Martian winter polar region show that a simple sum of separately calculated CO2 cooling rates and dust cooling rates can easily result a 30 percent error in the net cooling particularly near the surface. CO2 and dust hinder each others ability to cool the atmosphere. Even during periods of low dust opacity, dust still reduces the efficacy of CO2 at cooling the atmosphere. At the other extreme, when dust storms occur, CO2 still significantly impedes the ability of dust to cool the atmosphere. Hence, both CO2 and dust must be considered in radiative transfer models.

  6. Implementing neural nets with programmable logic

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vidal, Jacques J.

    1988-01-01

    Networks of Boolean programmable logic modules are presented as one purely digital class of artificial neural nets. The approach contrasts with the continuous analog framework usually suggested. Programmable logic networks are capable of handling many neural-net applications. They avoid some of the limitations of threshold logic networks and present distinct opportunities. The network nodes are called dynamically programmable logic modules. They can be implemented with digitally controlled demultiplexers. Each node performs a Boolean function of its inputs which can be dynamically assigned. The overall network is therefore a combinational circuit and its outputs are Boolean global functions of the network's input variables. The approach offers definite advantages for VLSI implementation, namely, a regular architecture with limited connectivity, simplicity of the control machinery, natural modularity, and the support of a mature technology.

  7. Multimedia Information eXchange for I-NET, Inc. at the Kennedy Space Center: A continuing study of the application of worldwideweb technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Metcalf, David

    1995-01-01

    Multimedia Information eXchange (MIX) is a multimedia information system that accommodates multiple data types and provides consistency across platforms. Information from all over the world can be accessed quickly and efficiently with the Internet-based system. I-NET's MIX uses the World Wide Web and Mosaic graphical user interface. Mosaic is available on all platforms used at I-NET's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) facilities. Key information system design concepts and benefits are reviewed. The MIX system also defines specific configuration and helper application parameters to ensure consistent operations across the entire organization. Guidelines and procedures for other areas of importance in information systems design are also addressed. Areas include: code of ethics, content, copyright, security, system administration, and support.

  8. The influence of health policy and market factors on the hospital safety net.

    PubMed

    Bazzoli, Gloria J; Lindrooth, Richard C; Kang, Ray; Hasnain-Wynia, Romana

    2006-08-01

    To examine how the financial pressures resulting from the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 interacted with private sector pressures to affect indigent care provision. American Hospital Association Annual Survey, Area Resource File, InterStudy Health Maintenance Organization files, Current Population Survey, and Bureau of Primary Health Care data. We distinguished core and voluntary safety net hospitals in our analysis. Core safety net hospitals provide a large share of uncompensated care in their markets and have large indigent care patient mix. Voluntary safety net hospitals provide substantial indigent care but less so than core hospitals. We examined the effect of financial pressure in the initial year of the 1997 BBA on uncompensated care for three hospital groups. Data for 1996-2000 were analyzed using approaches that control for hospital and market heterogeneity. All urban U.S. general acute care hospitals with complete data for at least 2 years between 1996 and 2000, which totaled 1,693 institutions. Core safety net hospitals reduced their uncompensated care in response to Medicaid financial pressure. Voluntary safety net hospitals also responded in this way but only when faced with the combined forces of Medicaid and private sector payment pressures. Nonsafety net hospitals did not exhibit similar responses. Our results are consistent with theories of hospital behavior when institutions face reductions in payment. They raise concern given continuing state budget crises plus the focus of recent federal deficit reduction legislation intended to cut Medicaid expenditures.

  9. Fourier Deconvolution Methods for Resolution Enhancement in Continuous-Wave EPR Spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Reed, George H; Poyner, Russell R

    2015-01-01

    An overview of resolution enhancement of conventional, field-swept, continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance spectra using Fourier transform-based deconvolution methods is presented. Basic steps that are involved in resolution enhancement of calculated spectra using an implementation based on complex discrete Fourier transform algorithms are illustrated. Advantages and limitations of the method are discussed. An application to an experimentally obtained spectrum is provided to illustrate the power of the method for resolving overlapped transitions. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Estimating net rainfall, evaporation and water storage of a bare soil from sequential L-band emissivities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stroosnijder, L.; Lascano, R. J.; Newton, R. W.; Vanbavel, C. H. M.

    1984-01-01

    A general method to use a time series of L-band emissivities as an input to a hydrological model for continuously monitoring the net rainfall and evaporation as well as the water content over the entire soil profile is proposed. The model requires a sufficiently accurate and general relation between soil emissivity and surface moisture content. A model which requires the soil hydraulic properties as an additional input, but does not need any weather data was developed. The method is shown to be numerically consistent.

  11. Temporal control of bidirectional lipid-droplet motion in Drosophila depends on the ratio of kinesin-1 and its co-factor Halo

    PubMed Central

    Arora, Gurpreet K.; Tran, Susan L.; Rizzo, Nicholas; Jain, Ankit; Welte, Michael A.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT During bidirectional transport, individual cargoes move continuously back and forth along microtubule tracks, yet the cargo population overall displays directed net transport. How such transport is controlled temporally is not well understood. We analyzed this issue for bidirectionally moving lipid droplets in Drosophila embryos, a system in which net transport direction is developmentally controlled. By quantifying how the droplet distribution changes as embryos develop, we characterize temporal transitions in net droplet transport and identify the crucial contribution of the previously identified, but poorly characterized, transacting regulator Halo. In particular, we find that Halo is transiently expressed; rising and falling Halo levels control the switches in global distribution. Rising Halo levels have to pass a threshold before net plus-end transport is initiated. This threshold level depends on the amount of the motor kinesin-1: the more kinesin-1 is present, the more Halo is needed before net plus-end transport commences. Because Halo and kinesin-1 are present in common protein complexes, we propose that Halo acts as a rate-limiting co-factor of kinesin-1. PMID:26906417

  12. Bathythermal distribution, maturity, and growth of lake trout strains stocked in U.S. waters of Lake Ontario, 1978-1993

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Elrod, Joseph H.; O'Gorman, Robert; Schneider, Clifford P.

    1996-01-01

    Bathythermal distributions, sexual maturity, and growth of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) strains stocked in Lake Ontario were determined for fish collected with trawls and gill nets in 1978-93. The purpose was to augment the basis for deciding which strains to continue stocking in an effort to reestablish a self-sustaining population. The Clearwater Lake (CWL) strain was found in shallower, warmer water than all other strains; the Seneca Lake (SEN) strain was usually shallower than the Jenny Lake (JEN) and Lake Superior (SUP) strains at ages 1 and 2 but was usually deeper at age 3 and older. Depth distribution of the 'Ontario strain'--from gametes of several strains that survived to maturity in Lake Ontario-- was similar to that of the SEN and SUP strains. About half the males matured at age 4 and half the females at age 5; males < 500 mm and females < 600 mm long were rarely mature. Least-sqaures mean lengths and weights of the CWL strain were greater than those of all other strains through age 4. At age 7 and older, CWL and JEN fish were generally smaller than all other strains. Means lengths and weights of males and females of the same age and strain frequently differed at age 4 and older. Growth in weight at age 4 and older was not associated with biomass indices of prey fishes. Differences in growth rates among strains were associated with bathythermal distribution which is a heritable trait. Weight-length regressions differed by year, sex, and stage of maturity but were rarely different among strains. Competition for space appeared to affect condition of large lake trout. Growth rates and maturity schedules provide little basis for recommending stocking one strain in preference to another. Depth ranges of strains overlapped widely, but lake trout occupied only about one-fourth of available bottom habitat. Stocking several strains should be continued to maximize use of sustainable habitat.

  13. Origins of genes: "big bang" or continuous creation?

    PubMed Central

    Keese, P K; Gibbs, A

    1992-01-01

    Many protein families are common to all cellular organisms, indicating that many genes have ancient origins. Genetic variation is mostly attributed to processes such as mutation, duplication, and rearrangement of ancient modules. Thus it is widely assumed that much of present-day genetic diversity can be traced by common ancestry to a molecular "big bang." A rarely considered alternative is that proteins may arise continuously de novo. One mechanism of generating different coding sequences is by "overprinting," in which an existing nucleotide sequence is translated de novo in a different reading frame or from noncoding open reading frames. The clearest evidence for overprinting is provided when the original gene function is retained, as in overlapping genes. Analysis of their phylogenies indicates which are the original genes and which are their informationally novel partners. We report here the phylogenetic relationships of overlapping coding sequences from steroid-related receptor genes and from tymovirus, luteovirus, and lentivirus genomes. For each pair of overlapping coding sequences, one is confined to a single lineage, whereas the other is more widespread. This suggests that the phylogenetically restricted coding sequence arose only in the progenitor of that lineage by translating an out-of-frame sequence to yield the new polypeptide. The production of novel exons by alternative splicing in thyroid receptor and lentivirus genes suggests that introns can be a valuable evolutionary source for overprinting. New genes and their products may drive major evolutionary changes. PMID:1329098

  14. Effective biosonar echo-to-clutter rejection ratio in a complex dynamic scene.

    PubMed

    Knowles, Jeffrey M; Barchi, Jonathan R; Gaudette, Jason E; Simmons, James A

    2015-08-01

    Biosonar guidance in a rapidly changing complex scene was examined by flying big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) through a Y-shaped maze composed of rows of strongly reflective vertical plastic chains that presented the bat with left and right corridors for passage. Corridors were 80-100 cm wide and 2-4 m long. Using the two-choice Y-shaped paradigm to compensate for left-right bias and spatial memory, a moveable, weakly reflective thin-net barrier randomly blocked the left or right corridor, interspersed with no-barrier trials. Flight path and beam aim were tracked using an array of 24 microphones surrounding the flight room. Each bat flew on a path centered in the entry corridor (base of Y) and then turned into the left or right passage, to land on the far wall or to turn abruptly, reacting to avoid a collision. Broadcasts were broadly beamed in the direction of flight, smoothly leading into an upcoming turn. Duration of broadcasts decreased slowly from 3 to 2 ms during flights to track the chains' progressively closer ranges. Broadcast features and flight velocity changed abruptly about 1 m from the barrier, indicating that echoes from the net were perceived even though they were 18-35 dB weaker than overlapping echoes from surrounding chains.

  15. U.S. Naval War College Strategic Plan 2014-2018

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-06-01

    Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ( SWOT ) ............ 23   Strengths...27   SWOT Net Assessment...enterprise underpins excellence in other mission endeavors. Sophisticated war gaming, research, and analysis will continue to support the Navy’s

  16. Nematode.net update 2011: addition of data sets and tools featuring next-generation sequencing data

    PubMed Central

    Martin, John; Abubucker, Sahar; Heizer, Esley; Taylor, Christina M.; Mitreva, Makedonka

    2012-01-01

    Nematode.net (http://nematode.net) has been a publicly available resource for studying nematodes for over a decade. In the past 3 years, we reorganized Nematode.net to provide more user-friendly navigation through the site, a necessity due to the explosion of data from next-generation sequencing platforms. Organism-centric portals containing dynamically generated data are available for over 56 different nematode species. Next-generation data has been added to the various data-mining portals hosted, including NemaBLAST and NemaBrowse. The NemaPath metabolic pathway viewer builds associations using KOs, rather than ECs to provide more accurate and fine-grained descriptions of proteins. Two new features for data analysis and comparative genomics have been added to the site. NemaSNP enables the user to perform population genetics studies in various nematode populations using next-generation sequencing data. HelmCoP (Helminth Control and Prevention) as an independent component of Nematode.net provides an integrated resource for storage, annotation and comparative genomics of helminth genomes to aid in learning more about nematode genomes, as well as drug, pesticide, vaccine and drug target discovery. With this update, Nematode.net will continue to realize its original goal to disseminate diverse bioinformatic data sets and provide analysis tools to the broad scientific community in a useful and user-friendly manner. PMID:22139919

  17. Space webs based on rotating tethered formations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Palmerini, Giovanni B.; Sgubini, Silvano; Sabatini, Marco

    2009-07-01

    Several on-going studies indicate the interest for large, light orbiting structures, shaped as fish nets or webs: along the ropes of the web small spacecraft can move like spiders to position and re-locate, at will, pieces of hardware devoted to specific missions. The concept could be considered as an intermediate solution between the large monolithic structure, heavy and expensive to realize, but easy to control, and the formations of satellites, where all system members are completely free and should manoeuvre in order to acquire a desired configuration. Instead, the advantage of having a "hard-but-light" link among the different grids lays in the partition of the tasks among system components and in a possible overall reduction of the control system complexity and cost. Unfortunately, there is no stable configuration for an orbiting, two-dimensional web made by light, flexible tethers which cannot support compression forces. A possible solution is to make use of centrifugal forces to pull the net, with a reduced number of simple thrusters located at the tips of the tethers to initially acquire the required spin. In this paper a dynamic analysis of a simplified rotating web is performed, in order to evaluate the spinning velocity able to satisfy the requirement for the stability of the system. The model adopted overlaps simpler elements, each of them given by a tether (made up of a number of linear finite elements) connecting two extreme bodies accommodating the spinning thrusters. The combination of these "diameter-like" elements provides the web, shaped according to the specific requirements. The net is primarily considered as subjected to Keplerian attraction and J2 and drag perturbations only, but its behaviour under thermal inputs is also investigated.

  18. Optimizing the clinical utility of PCA3 to diagnose prostate cancer in initial prostate biopsy.

    PubMed

    Rubio-Briones, Jose; Borque, Angel; Esteban, Luis M; Casanova, Juan; Fernandez-Serra, Antonio; Rubio, Luis; Casanova-Salas, Irene; Sanz, Gerardo; Domínguez-Escrig, Jose; Collado, Argimiro; Gómez-Ferrer, Alvaro; Iborra, Inmaculada; Ramírez-Backhaus, Miguel; Martínez, Francisco; Calatrava, Ana; Lopez-Guerrero, Jose A

    2015-09-11

    PCA3 has been included in a nomogram outperforming previous clinical models for the prediction of any prostate cancer (PCa) and high grade PCa (HGPCa) at the initial prostate biopsy (IBx). Our objective is to validate such IBx-specific PCA3-based nomogram. We also aim to optimize the use of this nomogram in clinical practice through the definition of risk groups. Independent external validation. Clinical and biopsy data from a contemporary cohort of 401 men with the same inclusion criteria to those used to build up the reference's nomogram in IBx. The predictive value of the nomogram was assessed by means of calibration curves and discrimination ability through the area under the curve (AUC). Clinical utility of the nomogram was analyzed by choosing thresholds points that minimize the overlapping between probability density functions (PDF) in PCa and no PCa and HGPCa and no HGPCa groups, and net benefit was assessed by decision curves. We detect 28% of PCa and 11 % of HGPCa in IBx, contrasting to the 46 and 20% at the reference series. Due to this, there is an overestimation of the nomogram probabilities shown in the calibration curve for PCa. The AUC values are 0.736 for PCa (C.I.95%:0.68-0.79) and 0.786 for HGPCa (C.I.95%:0.71-0.87) showing an adequate discrimination ability. PDF show differences in the distributions of nomogram probabilities in PCa and not PCa patient groups. A minimization of the overlapping between these curves confirms the threshold probability of harboring PCa >30 % proposed by Hansen is useful to indicate a IBx, but a cut-off > 40% could be better in series of opportunistic screening like ours. Similar results appear in HGPCa analysis. The decision curve also shows a net benefit of 6.31% for the threshold probability of 40%. PCA3 is an useful tool to select patients for IBx. Patients with a calculated probability of having PCa over 40% should be counseled to undergo an IBx if opportunistic screening is required.

  19. The Importance of Role Definition in Combining School and Public Libraries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Amey, L. J.

    Public and school libraries having begun as an outgrowth of each other and then separated, have some overlap in philosophy, function, and public served. Although studies have opposed the combined school and public library, communities continue to attempt mergers largely for promise of dollar savings. There is also a philosophical trend in…

  20. College Students' Perceptions of the Theory of Evolution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hokayem, Hayat; BouJaoude, Saouma

    2008-01-01

    Although a well-corroborated scientific theory, the theory of evolution has continued to cause dilemmas for some individuals who have not easily been able to accommodate the concepts of this theory within their cognitive culture. The reason lies in the overlap of some ideas that the theory advocates with other social, epistemological, and…

  1. CPD and KT: Models Used and Opportunities for Synergy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sargeant, Joan; Borduas, Francine; Sales, Anne; Klein, Doug; Lynn, Brenna; Stenerson, Heather

    2011-01-01

    The two fields of continuing professional development (CPD) and knowledge translation (KT) within the health care sector, and their related research have developed as somewhat parallel paths with limited points of overlap or intersection. This is slowly beginning to change. The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare the dominant…

  2. Status, distribution, and movements of martens in northeastern Minnesota.

    Treesearch

    L. David Mech; Lynn L. Rogers

    1977-01-01

    The decline of martens in Minnesota is reviewed and a recent increase documented. Adjacent and partially overlapping home ranges of 4.3 to 19.9 km2 were determined by telemetry for a female and three males. Habitat use is described. If current trapping and timber management practices persist, martens should continue to increase.

  3. Searching for a WISC-R Profile for Learning Disabled Children: An Inappropriate Task?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryckman, David B.

    1981-01-01

    Although indexes of scatter on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised computed for 100 learning disabled (LD) elementary children were significantly greater than values previously reported for the normal standardized sample, the substantial overlap suggests the inadvisability of continuing the search for a characteristic LD profile.…

  4. Some Connections between Bilingual Education and ESL Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duran, Luisa

    It is proposed that as both bilingual education (BE) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs continue to define their specific philosophies more clearly, the definitions are beginning to overlap in significant ways. In differing degrees, they are beginning to understand and appreciate the complexity of dual language learning and teaching.…

  5. Reassessing Education's Role within the Global Village: Where in the World Are We?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stohrer, Freda F.

    The rapid technological advancement that U.S. society is experiencing has increased the likelihood that workers will have to be trained and retrained throughout their working lives to meet continually changing job requirements. This situation has challenged instructors of technical communication who are faced with the overlap of traditional…

  6. Lead isotopes reveal bilateral asymmetry and vertical continuity in the Hawaiian mantle plume.

    PubMed

    Abouchami, W; Hofmann, A W; Galer, S J G; Frey, F A; Eisele, J; Feigenson, M

    2005-04-14

    The two parallel chains of Hawaiian volcanoes ('Loa' and 'Kea') are known to have statistically different but overlapping radiogenic isotope characteristics. This has been explained by a model of a concentrically zoned mantle plume, where the Kea chain preferentially samples a more peripheral portion of the plume. Using high-precision lead isotope data for both centrally and peripherally located volcanoes, we show here that the two trends have very little compositional overlap and instead reveal bilateral, non-concentric plume zones, probably derived from the plume source in the mantle. On a smaller scale, along the Kea chain, there are isotopic differences between the youngest lavas from the Mauna Kea and Kilauea volcanoes, but the 550-thousand-year-old Mauna Kea lavas are isotopically identical to Kilauea lavas, consistent with Mauna Kea's position relative to the plume, which was then similar to that of present-day Kilauea. We therefore conclude that narrow (less than 50 kilometres wide) compositional streaks, as well as the larger-scale bilateral zonation, are vertically continuous over tens to hundreds of kilometres within the plume.

  7. Fast neural net simulation with a DSP processor array.

    PubMed

    Muller, U A; Gunzinger, A; Guggenbuhl, W

    1995-01-01

    This paper describes the implementation of a fast neural net simulator on a novel parallel distributed-memory computer. A 60-processor system, named MUSIC (multiprocessor system with intelligent communication), is operational and runs the backpropagation algorithm at a speed of 330 million connection updates per second (continuous weight update) using 32-b floating-point precision. This is equal to 1.4 Gflops sustained performance. The complete system with 3.8 Gflops peak performance consumes less than 800 W of electrical power and fits into a 19-in rack. While reaching the speed of modern supercomputers, MUSIC still can be used as a personal desktop computer at a researcher's own disposal. In neural net simulation, this gives a computing performance to a single user which was unthinkable before. The system's real-time interfaces make it especially useful for embedded applications.

  8. Modeling and Simulation of Metallurgical Process Based on Hybrid Petri Net

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, Yujuan; Bao, Hong

    2016-11-01

    In order to achieve the goals of energy saving and emission reduction of iron and steel enterprises, an increasing number of modeling and simulation technologies are used to research and analyse metallurgical production process. In this paper, the basic principle of Hybrid Petri net is used to model and analyse the Metallurgical Process. Firstly, the definition of Hybrid Petri Net System of Metallurgical Process (MPHPNS) and its modeling theory are proposed. Secondly, the model of MPHPNS based on material flow is constructed. The dynamic flow of materials and the real-time change of each technological state in metallurgical process are simulated vividly by using this model. The simulation process can implement interaction between the continuous event dynamic system and the discrete event dynamic system at the same level, and play a positive role in the production decision.

  9. Study of a Flexible Low Profile Tunable Dipole Antenna Using Barium Strontium Titanate Varactors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cure, David; Weller, Thomas; Miranda, Felix A.

    2014-01-01

    In this paper a flexible low profile dipole antenna using a frequency selective surface (FSS) with interdigital barium strontium titanate (BST) varactor-tuned unit cells is presented. The varactor chips were placed only along one dimension of the FSS to avoid the use of vias and simplify the DC bias network. The antenna uses overlapping metallic plates that resemble fish scales as a ground plane to improve the flexibility of the multi-material stack structure. The measured data of the antenna demonstrate tunability from 2.42 GHz to 2.66 GHz and 1.3 dB gain drop when using overlapping metallic plates instead of continuous ground plane. The total antenna thickness is approximately lambda/24.

  10. Deep Space Navigation with Noncoherent Tracking Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ellis, J.

    1983-01-01

    Navigation capabilities of noncoherent tracking data are evaluated for interplanetary cruise phase and planetary (Venus) flyby orbit determination. Results of a formal covariance analysis are presented which show that a combination of one-way Doppler and delta DOR yields orbit accuracies comparable to conventional two-way Doppler tracking. For the interplanetary cruise phase, a tracking cycle consisting of a 3-hour Doppler pass and delta DOR (differential one-way range) from two baselines (one observation per overlap) acquired 3 times a month results in 100-km orbit determination accuracy. For reconstruction of a Venus flyby orbit, 10 days tracking at encounter consisting of continuous one-way Doppler and delta DOR sampled at one observation per overlap is sufficient to satisfy the accuracy requirements.

  11. Neuromorphic learning of continuous-valued mappings from noise-corrupted data. Application to real-time adaptive control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Troudet, Terry; Merrill, Walter C.

    1990-01-01

    The ability of feed-forward neural network architectures to learn continuous valued mappings in the presence of noise was demonstrated in relation to parameter identification and real-time adaptive control applications. An error function was introduced to help optimize parameter values such as number of training iterations, observation time, sampling rate, and scaling of the control signal. The learning performance depended essentially on the degree of embodiment of the control law in the training data set and on the degree of uniformity of the probability distribution function of the data that are presented to the net during sequence. When a control law was corrupted by noise, the fluctuations of the training data biased the probability distribution function of the training data sequence. Only if the noise contamination is minimized and the degree of embodiment of the control law is maximized, can a neural net develop a good representation of the mapping and be used as a neurocontroller. A multilayer net was trained with back-error-propagation to control a cart-pole system for linear and nonlinear control laws in the presence of data processing noise and measurement noise. The neurocontroller exhibited noise-filtering properties and was found to operate more smoothly than the teacher in the presence of measurement noise.

  12. Interpreting incremental value of markers added to risk prediction models.

    PubMed

    Pencina, Michael J; D'Agostino, Ralph B; Pencina, Karol M; Janssens, A Cecile J W; Greenland, Philip

    2012-09-15

    The discrimination of a risk prediction model measures that model's ability to distinguish between subjects with and without events. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) is a popular measure of discrimination. However, the AUC has recently been criticized for its insensitivity in model comparisons in which the baseline model has performed well. Thus, 2 other measures have been proposed to capture improvement in discrimination for nested models: the integrated discrimination improvement and the continuous net reclassification improvement. In the present study, the authors use mathematical relations and numerical simulations to quantify the improvement in discrimination offered by candidate markers of different strengths as measured by their effect sizes. They demonstrate that the increase in the AUC depends on the strength of the baseline model, which is true to a lesser degree for the integrated discrimination improvement. On the other hand, the continuous net reclassification improvement depends only on the effect size of the candidate variable and its correlation with other predictors. These measures are illustrated using the Framingham model for incident atrial fibrillation. The authors conclude that the increase in the AUC, integrated discrimination improvement, and net reclassification improvement offer complementary information and thus recommend reporting all 3 alongside measures characterizing the performance of the final model.

  13. Contribution of acetate to butyrate formation by human faecal bacteria.

    PubMed

    Duncan, Sylvia H; Holtrop, Grietje; Lobley, Gerald E; Calder, A Graham; Stewart, Colin S; Flint, Harry J

    2004-06-01

    Acetate is normally regarded as an endproduct of anaerobic fermentation, but butyrate-producing bacteria found in the human colon can be net utilisers of acetate. The butyrate formed provides a fuel for epithelial cells of the large intestine and influences colonic health. [1-(13)C]Acetate was used to investigate the contribution of exogenous acetate to butyrate formation. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia spp. grown in the presence of 60 mm-acetate and 10 mm-glucose derived 85-90 % butyrate-C from external acetate. This was due to rapid interchange between extracellular acetate and intracellular acetyl-CoA, plus net acetate uptake. In contrast, a Coprococcus-related strain that is a net acetate producer derived only 28 % butyrate-C from external acetate. Different carbohydrate-derived energy sources affected butyrate formation by mixed human faecal bacteria growing in continuous or batch cultures. The ranking order of butyrate production rates was amylopectin > oat xylan > shredded wheat > inulin > pectin (continuous cultures), and inulin > amylopectin > oat xylan > shredded wheat > pectin (batch cultures). The contribution of external acetate to butyrate formation in these experiments ranged from 56 (pectin) to 90 % (xylan) in continuous cultures, and from 72 to 91 % in the batch cultures. This is consistent with a major role for bacteria related to F. prausnitzii and Roseburia spp. in butyrate formation from a range of substrates that are fermented in the large intestine. Variations in the dominant metabolic type of butyrate producer between individuals or with variations in diet are not ruled out, however, and could influence butyrate supply in the large intestine.

  14. The effect of delivery mechanisms on the uptake of bed net re-impregnation in Kilifi District, Kenya.

    PubMed

    Snow, R W; McCabe, E; Mbogo, C N; Molyneux, C S; Some, E S; Mung'ala, V O; Nevill, C G

    1999-03-01

    The results of recently completed trials in Africa of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITBN) offer new possibilities for malaria control. These experimental trials aimed for high ITBN coverage combined with high re-treatment rates. Whilst necessary to understand protective efficacy, the approaches used to deliver the intervention provide few indications of what coverage of net re-treatment would be under operational conditions. Varied delivery and financing strategies have been proposed for the sustainable delivery of ITBNs and re-treatment programmes. Following the completion of a randomized, controlled trial on the Kenyan coast, a series of suitable delivery strategies were used to continue net re-treatment in the area. The trial adopted a bi-annual, house-to-house re-treatment schedule free of charge using research project staff and resulted in over 95% coverage of nets issued to children. During the year following the trial, sentinel dipping stations were situated throughout the community and household members informed of their position and opening times. This free re-treatment service achieved between 61-67% coverage of nets used by children for three years. In 1997 a social marketing approach, that introduced cost-retrieval, was used to deliver the net re-treatment services. The immediate result of this transition was that significantly fewer of the mothers who had used the previous re-treatment services adopted this revised approach and coverage declined to 7%. The future of new delivery services and their financing are discussed in the context of their likely impact upon previously defined protective efficacy and cost-effectiveness estimates.

  15. Estimating the Net Career Income of a Geriatrician and a Nurse Practitioner: Still Want to Be a Doctor?

    PubMed

    Golden, Adam G; Xu, Peixin; Wan, Thomas T H; Issenberg, Saul Barry

    2016-07-01

    With a continual shortage of geriatricians, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioners have assumed a greater role in the delivery of outpatient care for older adults. Given the long duration of physician training, the high cost of medical school, and the lower salaries compared with subspecialists, the financial advantage of a career as a geriatrician as opposed to a nurse practitioner is uncertain. This study compares the estimated career earnings of a geriatrician and an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner. We used a synthetic model of estimated net earnings during a 43-year career span for a 22-year old person embarking on a career as a geriatrician versus a career as an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner. We estimated annual net income and net retirement savings using different annual compound rates and calculated the financial impact of forgiving medical student loans, shortening the duration of physician training, and reinstituting the practice pathway for geriatric medicine certification. Career net incomes for the geriatrician did not match the nurse practitioner until almost age 40. At 65 years of age, the difference between the geriatrician and nurse practitioner was 30.6%. A higher annual compound rate was associated with an even smaller percentage difference. Combining all three health policy interventions lowered the break-even age to 28 and more than doubled the difference in career earnings. Small estimated differences in net career earnings exist between geriatricians and adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioners. Health policy interventions had a dramatic positive effect on geriatricians' lifetime net earnings in calculated estimates.

  16. The Influence of Health Policy and Market Factors on the Hospital Safety Net

    PubMed Central

    Bazzoli, Gloria J; Lindrooth, Richard C; Kang, R ay; Hasnain-Wynia, R omana

    2006-01-01

    Objective To examine how the financial pressures resulting from the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 interacted with private sector pressures to affect indigent care provision. Data Sources/Study Setting American Hospital Association Annual Survey, Area Resource File, InterStudy Health Maintenance Organization files, Current Population Survey, and Bureau of Primary Health Care data. Study Design We distinguished core and voluntary safety net hospitals in our analysis. Core safety net hospitals provide a large share of uncompensated care in their markets and have large indigent care patient mix. Voluntary safety net hospitals provide substantial indigent care but less so than core hospitals. We examined the effect of financial pressure in the initial year of the 1997 BBA on uncompensated care for three hospital groups. Data for 1996–2000 were analyzed using approaches that control for hospital and market heterogeneity. Data Collection/Extraction Methods All urban U.S. general acute care hospitals with complete data for at least 2 years between 1996 and 2000, which totaled 1,693 institutions. Principal Findings Core safety net hospitals reduced their uncompensated care in response to Medicaid financial pressure. Voluntary safety net hospitals also responded in this way but only when faced with the combined forces of Medicaid and private sector payment pressures. Nonsafety net hospitals did not exhibit similar responses. Conclusions Our results are consistent with theories of hospital behavior when institutions face reductions in payment. They raise concern given continuing state budget crises plus the focus of recent federal deficit reduction legislation intended to cut Medicaid expenditures. PMID:16899001

  17. Minnesota's Aspen Resource

    Treesearch

    Pamela J. Jakes

    1981-01-01

    The fourth Minnesota Forest Inventory shows that aspen continues to dominate the State's forests. Thirty-nine percent of Minnesota's commercial forest area is in the aspen forest type. Aspen species accounted for the largest portion of growing-stock inventory, net annual growth, and removals.

  18. Discovery – Targeted Treatments and mTOR Inhibitors

    Cancer.gov

    Thanks to discovering the anticancer effects of mTOR inhibitors, cancer treatment for pNet, a rare type of pancreatic cancer, were revolutionized. Through clinical trials, NCI continues to investigate the life-saving potential of mTOR inhibitors.

  19. 7 CFR 1423.7 - Net worth alternatives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION APPROVED... U.S. Department of the Treasury or has an acceptable blanket rider and endorsement executed by such...

  20. A Galerkin formulation of the MIB method for three dimensional elliptic interface problems

    PubMed Central

    Xia, Kelin; Wei, Guo-Wei

    2014-01-01

    We develop a three dimensional (3D) Galerkin formulation of the matched interface and boundary (MIB) method for solving elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs) with discontinuous coefficients, i.e., the elliptic interface problem. The present approach builds up two sets of elements respectively on two extended subdomains which both include the interface. As a result, two sets of elements overlap each other near the interface. Fictitious solutions are defined on the overlapping part of the elements, so that the differentiation operations of the original PDEs can be discretized as if there was no interface. The extra coefficients of polynomial basis functions, which furnish the overlapping elements and solve the fictitious solutions, are determined by interface jump conditions. Consequently, the interface jump conditions are rigorously enforced on the interface. The present method utilizes Cartesian meshes to avoid the mesh generation in conventional finite element methods (FEMs). We implement the proposed MIB Galerkin method with three different elements, namely, rectangular prism element, five-tetrahedron element and six-tetrahedron element, which tile the Cartesian mesh without introducing any new node. The accuracy, stability and robustness of the proposed 3D MIB Galerkin are extensively validated over three types of elliptic interface problems. In the first type, interfaces are analytically defined by level set functions. These interfaces are relatively simple but admit geometric singularities. In the second type, interfaces are defined by protein surfaces, which are truly arbitrarily complex. The last type of interfaces originates from multiprotein complexes, such as molecular motors. Near second order accuracy has been confirmed for all of these problems. To our knowledge, it is the first time for an FEM to show a near second order convergence in solving the Poisson equation with realistic protein surfaces. Additionally, the present work offers the first known near second order accurate method for C1 continuous or H2 continuous solutions associated with a Lipschitz continuous interface in a 3D setting. PMID:25309038

  1. 26 CFR 1.337(d)-7 - Tax on property owned by a C corporation that becomes property of a RIC or REIT.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... with its $12,000 net operating loss carryforward and will pay tax of $16,800 (35% of $48,000). (iii... 26 Internal Revenue 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Tax on property owned by a C corporation that..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Effects on Corporation § 1.337(d...

  2. Method for Fabricating Composite Structures Including Continuous Press Forming and Pultrusion Processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farley, Gary L. (Inventor)

    1995-01-01

    A method for fabricating composite structures at a low-cost, moderate-to-high production rate is disclosed. A first embodiment of the method includes employing a continuous press forming fabrication process. A second embodiment of the method includes employing a pultrusion process for obtaining composite structures. The methods include coating yarns with matrix material, weaving the yarn into fabric to produce a continuous fabric supply, and feeding multiple layers of net-shaped fabrics having optimally oriented fibers into a debulking tool to form an undebulked preform. The continuous press forming fabrication process includes partially debulking the preform, cutting the partially debulked preform, and debulking the partially debulked preform to form a netshape. An electron-beam or similar technique then cures the structure. The pultrusion fabric process includes feeding the undebulked preform into a heated die and gradually debulking the undebulked preform. The undebulked preform in the heated die changes dimension until a desired cross-sectional dimension is achieved. This process further includes obtaining a net-shaped infiltrated uncured preform, cutting the uncured preform to a desired length, and electron-beam curing (or similar technique) the uncured preform. These fabrication methods produce superior structures formed at higher production rates, resulting in lower cost and high structural performance.

  3. Possible Mechanisms for Generation of Anomalously High PGA During the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pavlenko, O. V.

    2017-08-01

    Mechanisms are suggested that could explain anomalously high PGAs (peak ground accelerations) exceeding 1 g recorded during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake ( M w = 9.0). In my previous research, I studied soil behavior during the Tohoku earthquake based on KiK-net vertical array records and revealed its `atypical' pattern: instead of being reduced in the near-source zones as usually observed during strong earthquakes, shear moduli in soil layers increased, indicating soil hardening, and reached their maxima at the moments of the highest intensity of strong motion, then reduced. We could explain this assuming that the soils experienced some additional compression. The observed changes in the shapes of acceleration time histories with distance from the source, such as a decrease of the duration and an increase of the intensity of strong motion, indicate phenomena similar to overlapping of seismic waves and a shock wave generation, which led to the compression of soils. The phenomena reach their maximum in the vicinity of stations FKSH10, TCGH16, and IBRH11, where the highest PGAs were recorded; at larger epicentral distances, PGAs sharply fall. Thus, the occurrence of anomalously high PGAs on the surface can result from the combination of the overlapping of seismic waves at the bottoms of soil layers and their increased amplification by the pre-compressed soils.

  4. Exploring the impact of targeted distribution of free bed nets on households bed net ownership, socio-economic disparities and childhood malaria infection rates: analysis of national malaria survey data from three sub-Saharan Africa countries

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background The last decade has witnessed increased funding for malaria control. Malaria experts have used the opportunity to advocate for rollout of such interventions as free bed nets. A free bed net distribution strategy is seen as the quickest way to improve coverage of effective malaria control tools especially among poorest communities. Evidence to support this claim is however, sparse. This study explored the effectiveness of targeted free bed net distribution strategy in achieving equity in terms of ownership and use of bed nets and also reduction of malaria prevalence among children under-five years of age. Methods National malaria indicator survey (MIS) data from Angola, Tanzania and Uganda was used in the analysis. Hierarchical multilevel logistic regression models were used to analyse the relationship between variables of interest. Outcome variables were defined as: childhood test-confirmed malaria infections, household ownership of any mosquito net and children’s use of any mosquito nets. Marginal effects of having free bed net distribution on households with different wealth status were calculated. Results Angolan children from wealthier households were 6.4 percentage points less likely to be parasitaemic than those in poorest households, whereas those from Tanzania and Uganda were less likely to test malaria positive by 7 and 11.6 percentage points respectively (p < 0.001). The study estimates and present results on the marginal effects based on the impact of free bed net distribution on children's malaria status given their socio-economic background. Poorest households were less likely to own a net by 21.4% in Tanzania, and 2.8% in Uganda, whereas both poorer and wealthier Angolan households almost achieved parity in bed net ownership (p < 0.001). Wealthier households had a higher margin of using nets than poorest people in both Tanzania and Uganda by 11.4% and 3.9% respectively. However, the poorest household in Angola had a 6.1% net use advantage over children in wealthier households (p < 0.001). Conclusion This is the first study to use nationally representative data to explore inequalities in bed net ownership and related consequences on childhood malaria infection rates across different countries. While targeted distribution of free bed nets improved overall bed net ownership, it did not overcome ownership inequalities as measured by household socioeconomic status. Use of bed nets was disproportionately lower among poorest children, except for Angola where bed net use was higher among poorest households when compared to children in wealthier households. The study highlights the need for malaria control world governing bodies and policy makers to continue working on finding appropriate strategies to improve access to effective malaria control tools especially by the poorest who often times bears the brunt of malaria burden than their wealthier counterparts. PMID:23855893

  5. TernaryNet: faster deep model inference without GPUs for medical 3D segmentation using sparse and binary convolutions.

    PubMed

    Heinrich, Mattias P; Blendowski, Max; Oktay, Ozan

    2018-05-30

    Deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) are currently ubiquitous in medical imaging. While their versatility and high-quality results for common image analysis tasks including segmentation, localisation and prediction is astonishing, the large representational power comes at the cost of highly demanding computational effort. This limits their practical applications for image-guided interventions and diagnostic (point-of-care) support using mobile devices without graphics processing units (GPU). We propose a new scheme that approximates both trainable weights and neural activations in deep networks by ternary values and tackles the open question of backpropagation when dealing with non-differentiable functions. Our solution enables the removal of the expensive floating-point matrix multiplications throughout any convolutional neural network and replaces them by energy- and time-preserving binary operators and population counts. We evaluate our approach for the segmentation of the pancreas in CT. Here, our ternary approximation within a fully convolutional network leads to more than 90% memory reductions and high accuracy (without any post-processing) with a Dice overlap of 71.0% that comes close to the one obtained when using networks with high-precision weights and activations. We further provide a concept for sub-second inference without GPUs and demonstrate significant improvements in comparison with binary quantisation and without our proposed ternary hyperbolic tangent continuation. We present a key enabling technique for highly efficient DCNN inference without GPUs that will help to bring the advances of deep learning to practical clinical applications. It has also great promise for improving accuracies in large-scale medical data retrieval.

  6. On the benefits of living in clumps: a case study on Polytrichastrum formosum.

    PubMed

    Zajączkowska, U; Grabowska, K; Kokot, G; Kruk, M

    2017-03-01

    The study concerns the mechanics and water relationships of clumps of a species of endohydric moss, Polytrichastrum formosum. Anatomical and morphological studies were done using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Experiments on waterdrop capture and their distribution to adjacent shoots within a moss clump were performed with the experimental set-up for the droplet collision phenomena and ultra-high speed camera. The mechanical strength of the moss clump was tested on an electromechanical testing machine. During the process of moss clump wetting, the falling water drops were captured by the apical stem part or leaves, then flowed down while adhering to the gametophore and never lost their surface continuity. In places of contact with another leaf, the water drop stops there and joins the leaves, enabling their hydration. Mathematical analysis of anatomical images showed that moss stems have different zones with varying cell lumen and cell wall/cell radius ratios, suggesting the occurrence of a periodic component structure. Our study provides evidence that the reaction of mosses to mechanical forces depends on the size of the clump, and that small groups are clearly stronger than larger groups. The clump structure of mosses acts as a net for falling rain droplets. Clumps of Polytrichastrum having overlapping leaves, at the time of loading formed a structure similar to a lattice. The observed reaction of mosses to mechanical forces indicates that this phenomenon appears to be analogous to the 'size effect on structural strength' that is of great importance for various fields of engineering. © 2016 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  7. Estimation of seismic velocity changes at different depths associated with the 2014 Northern Nagano Prefecture earthquake, Japan ( M W 6.2) by joint interferometric analysis of NIED Hi-net and KiK-net records

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sawazaki, Kaoru; Saito, Tatsuhiko; Ueno, Tomotake; Shiomi, Katsuhiko

    2016-12-01

    To estimate the seismic velocity changes at different depths associated with a large earthquake, we apply passive image interferometry to two types of seismograms: KiK-net vertical pairs of earthquake records and Hi-net continuous borehole data. We compute the surface/borehole deconvolution waveform (DCW) of seismograms recorded by a KiK-net station and the autocorrelation function (ACF) of ambient noise recorded by a collocated Hi-net station, 26 km from the epicenter of the 2014 Northern Nagano Prefecture earthquake, Japan ( M W 6.2). Because the deeper KiK-net sensor and the Hi-net sensor are collocated at 150 m depth, and another KiK-net sensor is located at the surface directly above the borehole sensors, we can measure shallow (<150 m depth) and deep (>150 m depth) velocity changes separately. The sensitivity of the ACF to the velocity changes in the deeper zone is evaluated by a numerical wave propagation simulation. We detect relative velocity changes of -3.1 and -1.4% in the shallow and deep zones, respectively, within 1 week of the mainshock. The relative velocity changes recover to -1.9 and -1.1%, respectively, during the period between 1 week and 4 months after the mainshock. The observed relative velocity reductions can be attributed to dynamic strain changes due to the strong ground motion, rather than static strain changes due to coseismic deformation by the mainshock. The speed of velocity recovery may be faster in the shallow zone than in the deep zone because the recovery speed is controlled by initial damage in the medium. This recovery feature is analogous to the behavior of slow dynamics observed in rock experiments.

  8. A study of surface temperatures, clouds and net radiation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dhuria, Harbans

    1994-01-01

    The study is continuing and it is focused on examining seasonal relationships between climate parameters such as the surface temperatures, the net radiation and cloud types and amount on a global basis for the period February 1985 to January 1987. The study consists of an analysis of the combined Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program (ISCCP) products. The main emphasis is on obtaining the information about the interactions and relationships of Earth Radiation Budget parameters, cloud and temperature information. The purpose is to gain additional qualitative and quantitative insight into the cloud climate relationship.

  9. Net shape fabrication of Alpha Silicon Carbide turbine components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Storm, R. S.

    1982-01-01

    Development of Alpha Silicon Carbide components by net shape fabrication techniques has continued in conjunction with several turbine engine programs. Progress in injection molding of simple parts has been extended to much larger components. Turbine rotors fabricated by a one piece molding have been successfully spin tested above design speeds. Static components weighing up to 4.5 kg and 33 cc in diameter have also been produced using this technique. Use of sintering fixtures significantly improves dimensional control. A new Si-SiC composite material has also been developed with average strengths up to 1000 MPa (150 ksi) at 1200 C.

  10. Life-cycle economics

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

    Lunde, P.J.

    1982-09-01

    In a continuation of previous economic analyses, life-cycle economics of solar projects are discussed using the concept of net present value (NPV) or net worth. The discount rate is defined and illustrated and a life-cycle analysis is worked out based on no down payment and a 25-year loan. The advantages of rising NPV are discussed and illustrated using an energy conserving $100 storm window as an example. Real payback period is discussed and it is concluded that NPV is the only valid method for the evaluation of an investment. Return on investment is cited as a satisfactory alternative method. (MJJ)

  11. Sample-based engine noise synthesis using an enhanced pitch-synchronous overlap-and-add method.

    PubMed

    Jagla, Jan; Maillard, Julien; Martin, Nadine

    2012-11-01

    An algorithm for the real time synthesis of internal combustion engine noise is presented. Through the analysis of a recorded engine noise signal of continuously varying engine speed, a dataset of sound samples is extracted allowing the real time synthesis of the noise induced by arbitrary evolutions of engine speed. The sound samples are extracted from a recording spanning the entire engine speed range. Each sample is delimitated such as to contain the sound emitted during one cycle of the engine plus the necessary overlap to ensure smooth transitions during the synthesis. The proposed approach, an extension of the PSOLA method introduced for speech processing, takes advantage of the specific periodicity of engine noise signals to locate the extraction instants of the sound samples. During the synthesis stage, the sound samples corresponding to the target engine speed evolution are concatenated with an overlap and add algorithm. It is shown that this method produces high quality audio restitution with a low computational load. It is therefore well suited for real time applications.

  12. The fibrous flexor sheaths of the fingers.

    PubMed Central

    Jones, M M; Amis, A A

    1988-01-01

    The structure of the digital fibrous flexor sheath was examined by dissection and histology. The presence of a specific system of named fibrous tissue bands, forming annular and cruciate pulleys, was noted confirming details which are well established in the surgical literature although not detailed by the anatomical texts. These pulleys were linked by thin parts of the sheath. When the inner aspect of the sheath was examined, it was found that it was not a continuous smooth surface, as depicted in both anatomical and surgical texts. The thin parts of the sheath often overlapped the free edges of the pulleys before attaching to their superficial aspects, so that the pulleys possessed free edges within the sheath. Forty eight cadaveric fingers were examined in order to determine the frequency of occurrence and sizes of these overlaps. The largest and most frequent overlap was found at the distal end of the A2 pulley (which attaches to the proximal phalanx). Images Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 7 (cont.) Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 PMID:3417546

  13. Environment or Development? Lifetime Net CO2 Exchange and Control of the Expression of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum1

    PubMed Central

    Winter, Klaus; Holtum, Joseph A.M.

    2007-01-01

    The relative influence of plant age and environmental stress signals in triggering a shift from C3 photosynthesis to Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in the annual halophytic C3-CAM species Mesembryanthemum crystallinum was explored by continuously monitoring net CO2 exchange of whole shoots from the seedling stage until seed set. Plants exposed to high salinity (400 mm NaCl) in hydroponic culture solution or grown in saline-droughted soil acquired between 11% and 24% of their carbon via net dark CO2 uptake involving CAM. In contrast, plants grown under nonsaline, well-watered conditions were capable of completing their life cycle by operating in the C3 mode without ever exhibiting net CO2 uptake at night. These observations are not consistent with the widely expressed view that the induction of CAM by high salinity in M. crystallinum represents an acceleration of preprogrammed developmental processes. Rather, our study demonstrates that the induction of the CAM pathway for carbon acquisition in M. crystallinum is under environmental control. PMID:17056756

  14. Environment or development? Lifetime net CO2 exchange and control of the expression of Crassulacean acid metabolism in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum.

    PubMed

    Winter, Klaus; Holtum, Joseph A M

    2007-01-01

    The relative influence of plant age and environmental stress signals in triggering a shift from C(3) photosynthesis to Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in the annual halophytic C(3)-CAM species Mesembryanthemum crystallinum was explored by continuously monitoring net CO(2) exchange of whole shoots from the seedling stage until seed set. Plants exposed to high salinity (400 mm NaCl) in hydroponic culture solution or grown in saline-droughted soil acquired between 11% and 24% of their carbon via net dark CO(2) uptake involving CAM. In contrast, plants grown under nonsaline, well-watered conditions were capable of completing their life cycle by operating in the C(3) mode without ever exhibiting net CO(2) uptake at night. These observations are not consistent with the widely expressed view that the induction of CAM by high salinity in M. crystallinum represents an acceleration of preprogrammed developmental processes. Rather, our study demonstrates that the induction of the CAM pathway for carbon acquisition in M. crystallinum is under environmental control.

  15. Neural-net Processed Electronic Holography for Rotating Machines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Decker, Arthur J.

    2003-01-01

    This report presents the results of an R&D effort to apply neural-net processed electronic holography to NDE of rotors. Electronic holography was used to generate characteristic patterns or mode shapes of vibrating rotors and rotor components. Artificial neural networks were trained to identify damage-induced changes in the characteristic patterns. The development and optimization of a neural-net training method were the most significant contributions of this work, and the training method and its optimization are discussed in detail. A second positive result was the assembly and testing of a fiber-optic holocamera. A major disappointment was the inadequacy of the high-speed-holography hardware selected for this effort, but the use of scaled holograms to match the low effective resolution of an image intensifier was one interesting attempt to compensate. This report also discusses in some detail the physics and environmental requirements for rotor electronic holography. The major conclusions were that neural-net and electronic-holography inspections of stationary components in the laboratory and the field are quite practical and worthy of continuing development, but that electronic holography of moving rotors is still an expensive high-risk endeavor.

  16. Discriminatively learning for representing local image features with quadruplet model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Da-long; Zhao, Lei; Xu, Duan-qing; Lu, Dong-ming

    2017-11-01

    Traditional hand-crafted features for representing local image patches are evolving into current data-driven and learning-based image feature, but learning a robust and discriminative descriptor which is capable of controlling various patch-level computer vision tasks is still an open problem. In this work, we propose a novel deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to learn local feature descriptors. We utilize the quadruplets with positive and negative training samples, together with a constraint to restrict the intra-class variance, to learn good discriminative CNN representations. Compared with previous works, our model reduces the overlap in feature space between corresponding and non-corresponding patch pairs, and mitigates margin varying problem caused by commonly used triplet loss. We demonstrate that our method achieves better embedding result than some latest works, like PN-Net and TN-TG, on benchmark dataset.

  17. Increasing the Air Charge and Scavenging the Clearance Volume of a Compression-Ignition Engine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spanogle, J A; Hicks, C W; Foster, H H

    1934-01-01

    The object of the investigation presented in this report was to determine the effects of increasing the air charge and scavenging the clearance volume of a 4-stroke-cycle compression-ignition engine having a vertical-disk form combustion chamber. Boosting the inlet-air pressure with normal valve timing increased the indicated engine power in proportion to the additional air inducted and resulted in smoother engine operation with less combustion shock. Scavenging the clearance volume by using a valve overlap of 145 degrees and an inlet-air boost pressure of approximately 2 1/2 inches of mercury produced a net increase in performance for clear exhaust operation of 33 percent over that obtained with normal valve timing and the same boost pressure. The improved combustion characteristics result in lower specific fuel consumption, and a clearer exhaust.

  18. Net loss of CaCO3 from coral reef communities due to human induced seawater acidification

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Andersson, A.J.; Kuffner, I.B.; MacKenzie, F.T.; Jokiel, P.L.; Rodgers, K.S.; Tan, A.

    2009-01-01

    Acidification of seawater owing to oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2 originating from human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and land-use changes has raised serious concerns regarding its adverse effects on corals and calcifying communities. Here we demonstrate a net loss of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) material as a result of decreased calcification and increased carbonate dissolution from replicated subtropical coral reef communities (n=3) incubated in continuous-flow mesocosms subject to future seawater conditions. The calcifying community was dominated by the coral Montipora capitata. Daily average community calcification or Net Ecosystem Calcification (NEC=CaCO3 production – dissolution) was positive at 3.3 mmol CaCO3 m−2 h−1 under ambient seawater pCO2 conditions as opposed to negative at −0.04 mmol CaCO3 m−2h−1 under seawater conditions of double the ambient pCO2. These experimental results provide support for the conclusion that some net calcifying communities could become subject to net dissolution in response to anthropogenic ocean acidification within this century. Nevertheless, individual corals remained healthy, actively calcified (albeit slower than at present rates), and deposited significant amounts of CaCO3 under the prevailing experimental seawater conditions of elevated pCO2.

  19. Net Loss of CaCO3 from a subtropical calcifying community due to seawater acidification: Mesocosm-scale experimental evidence

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Andersson, A.J.; Kuffner, I.B.; MacKenzie, F.T.; Jokiel, P.L.; Rodgers, K.S.; Tan, A.

    2009-01-01

    Acidification of seawater owing to oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO 2 originating from human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and land-use changes has raised serious concerns regarding its adverse effects on corals and calcifying communities. Here we demonstrate a net loss of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) material as a result of decreased calcification and increased carbonate dissolution from replicated subtropical coral reef communities (N=3) incubated in continuous-flow mesocosms subject to future seawater conditions. The calcifying community was dominated by the coral Montipora capitata. Daily average community calcification or Net Ecosystem Calcification (NECC=CaCO3 production - dissolution) was positive at 3.3 mmol CaCO3 m-2 h-1 under ambient seawater pCO2 conditions as opposed to negative at -0.04 mmol CaCO3 m-2 h-1 under seawater conditions of double the ambient pCO2. These experimental results provide support for the conclusion that some net calcifying communities could become subject to net dissolution in response to anthropogenic ocean acidification within this century. Nevertheless, individual corals remained healthy, actively calcified (albeit slower than at present rates), and deposited significant amounts of CaCO3 under the prevailing experimental seawater conditions of elevated pCO2.

  20. VirHostNet 2.0: surfing on the web of virus/host molecular interactions data.

    PubMed

    Guirimand, Thibaut; Delmotte, Stéphane; Navratil, Vincent

    2015-01-01

    VirHostNet release 2.0 (http://virhostnet.prabi.fr) is a knowledgebase dedicated to the network-based exploration of virus-host protein-protein interactions. Since the previous VirhostNet release (2009), a second run of manual curation was performed to annotate the new torrent of high-throughput protein-protein interactions data from the literature. This resource is shared publicly, in PSI-MI TAB 2.5 format, using a PSICQUIC web service. The new interface of VirHostNet 2.0 is based on Cytoscape web library and provides a user-friendly access to the most complete and accurate resource of virus-virus and virus-host protein-protein interactions as well as their projection onto their corresponding host cell protein interaction networks. We hope that the VirHostNet 2.0 system will facilitate systems biology and gene-centered analysis of infectious diseases and will help to identify new molecular targets for antiviral drugs design. This resource will also continue to help worldwide scientists to improve our knowledge on molecular mechanisms involved in the antiviral response mediated by the cell and in the viral strategies selected by viruses to hijack the host immune system. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  1. Water spray ventilator system for continuous mining machines

    DOEpatents

    Page, Steven J.; Mal, Thomas

    1995-01-01

    The invention relates to a water spray ventilator system mounted on a continuous mining machine to streamline airflow and provide effective face ventilation of both respirable dust and methane in underground coal mines. This system has two side spray nozzles mounted one on each side of the mining machine and six spray nozzles disposed on a manifold mounted to the underside of the machine boom. The six spray nozzles are angularly and laterally oriented on the manifold so as to provide non-overlapping spray patterns along the length of the cutter drum.

  2. Strong Genetic Overlap Between Executive Functions and Intelligence

    PubMed Central

    Engelhardt, Laura E.; Mann, Frank D.; Briley, Daniel A.; Church, Jessica A.; Harden, K. Paige; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.

    2016-01-01

    Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive processes that control, monitor, and coordinate more basic cognitive processes. EFs play instrumental roles in models of complex reasoning, learning, and decision-making, and individual differences in EFs have been consistently linked with individual differences in intelligence. By middle childhood, genetic factors account for a moderate proportion of the variance in intelligence, and these effects increase in magnitude through adolescence. Genetic influences on EFs are very high, even in middle childhood, but the extent to which these genetic influences overlap with those on intelligence is unclear. We examined genetic and environmental overlap between EFs and intelligence in a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 811 twins ages 7-15 years (M = 10.91, SD = 1.74) from the Texas Twin Project. A general EF factor representing variance common to inhibition, switching, working memory, and updating domains accounted for substantial proportions of variance in intelligence, primarily via a genetic pathway. General EF continued to have a strong, genetically-mediated association with intelligence even after controlling for processing speed. Residual variation in general intelligence was influenced only by shared and nonshared environmental factors, and there remained no genetic variance in general intelligence that was unique of EF. Genetic variance independent of EF did remain, however, in a more specific perceptual reasoning ability. These results provide evidence that genetic influences on general intelligence are highly overlapping with those on EF. PMID:27359131

  3. A Comparison of Assertive Community Treatment Fidelity Measures and Patient-Centered Medical Home Standards

    PubMed Central

    Vanderlip, Erik R.; Cerimele, Joseph M.; Monroe-DeVita, Maria

    2014-01-01

    Objective This study compared program measures of assertive community treatment (ACT) with standards of accreditation for the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) to determine whether there were similarities in the infrastructure of the two methods of service delivery and whether high-fidelity ACT teams would qualify for medical home accreditation. Methods The authors compared National Committee for Quality Assurance PCMH standards with two ACT fidelity measures (the Dartmouth Assertive Community Treatment Scale and the Tool for Measurement of Assertive Community Treatment [TMACT]) and with national ACT program standards. Results PCMH standards pertaining to enhanced access and continuity, management of care, and self-care support demonstrated strong overlap across ACT measures. Standards for identification and management of populations, care coordination and follow-up, and quality improvement demonstrated less overlap. The TMACT and the program standards had sufficient overlap to score in the range of a level 1 PCMH, but no ACT measure sufficiently detailed methods of population-based screening and tracking of referrals to satisfy “must-pass” elements of the standards. Conclusions ACT measures and medical home standards had significant overlap in innate infrastructure. ACT teams following the program standards or undergoing TMACT fidelity review could have the necessary infrastructure to serve as medical homes if they were properly equipped to supervise general medical care and administer activities to improve management of chronic diseases. PMID:23820753

  4. Interface Between Cosmetic and Migraine Surgery.

    PubMed

    Gfrerer, Lisa; Guyuron, Bahman

    2017-10-01

    This article describes connections between migraine surgery and cosmetic surgery including technical overlap, benefits for patients, and why every plastic surgeon may consider screening cosmetic surgery patients for migraine headache (MH). Contemporary migraine surgery began by an observation made following forehead rejuvenation, and the connection has continued. The prevalence of MH among females in the USA is 26%, and females account for 91% of cosmetic surgery procedures and 81-91% of migraine surgery procedures, which suggests substantial overlap between both patient populations. At the same time, recent reports show an overall increase in cosmetic facial procedures. Surgical techniques between some of the most commonly performed facial surgeries and migraine surgery overlap, creating opportunity for consolidation. In particular, forehead lift, blepharoplasty, septo-rhinoplasty, and rhytidectomy can easily be part of the migraine surgery, depending on the migraine trigger sites. Patients could benefit from simultaneous improvement in MH symptoms and rejuvenation of the face. Simple tools such as the Migraine Headache Index could be used to screen cosmetic surgery patients for MH. Similarity between patient populations, demand for both facial and MH procedures, and technical overlap suggest great incentive for plastic surgeons to combine both. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

  5. Renewal of K-NET (National Strong-motion Observation Network of Japan)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kunugi, T.; Fujiwara, H.; Aoi, S.; Adachi, S.

    2004-12-01

    The National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) operates K-NET (Kyoshin Network), the national strong-motion observation network, which evenly covers the whole of Japan at intervals of 25 km on average. K-NET was constructed after the Hyogoken-Nambu (Kobe) earthquake in January 1995, and began operation in June 1996. Thus, eight years have passed since K-NET started, and large amounts of strong-motion records have been obtained. As technology has progressed and new technologies have become available, NIED has developed a new K-NET with improved functionality. New seismographs have been installed at 443 observatories mainly in southwestern Japan where there is a risk of strong-motion due to the Nankai and Tonankai earthquakes. The new system went into operation in June 2004, although seismographs have still to be replaced in other areas. The new seismograph (K-NET02) consists of a sensor module, a measurement module and a communication module. A UPS, a GPS antenna and a dial-up router are also installed together with a K-NET02. A triaxial accelerometer, FBA-ES-DECK (Kinemetrics Inc.) is built into the sensor module. The measurement module functions as a conventional strong-motion seismograph for high-precision observation. The communication module can perform sophisticated processes, such as calculation of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) seismic intensity, continuous recording of data and near real-time data transmission. It connects to the Data Management Center (DMC) using an ISDN line. In case of a power failure, the measurement module can control the power supply to the router and the communication module to conserve battery power. One of the main features of K-NET02 is a function for processing JMA seismic intensity. K-NET02 functions as a proper seismic intensity meter that complies with the official requirements of JMA, although the old strong-motion seismograph (K-NET95) does not calculate seismic intensity. Another feature is near real-time data transmission. When a K-NET02 detects a strong-motion, it can automatically connect to the DMC in 2 to 5 seconds and then transmits seismic data. Furthermore, the full-scale is improved from 2000 gals to 4000 gals and the dynamic range of AD conversion is more than 132 dB. Strong-motion records of the new K-NET are available at: http://www.kyoshin.bosai.go.jp/

  6. Evaluating the Impact of CETA on Participant Earnings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bryant, Edward C.; Rupp, Kalman

    1987-01-01

    Estimates of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act's net impact on participant earnings, using Continuous Longitudinal Manpower Survey data, were compared to a similar sample from the Current Population Survey. The use of multivariate matching and weighting yielded acceptable results. (GDC)

  7. 7 CFR 735.100 - Application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE... documents must include a current review or an audit-level financial statement prepared according to... applicable licensing agreements. The amount of the bond or financial assurance, net worth, and inspection and...

  8. Effects of gill-net trauma, barotrauma, and deep release on postrelease mortality of Lake Trout

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ng, Elizabeth L.; Fredericks, Jim P.; Quist, Michael C.

    2015-01-01

    Unaccounted postrelease mortality violates assumptions of many fisheries studies, thereby biasing parameter estimates and reducing efficiency. We evaluated effects of gill-net trauma, barotrauma, and deep-release treatment on postrelease mortality of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush. Lake trout were captured at depths up to 65 m with gill nets in Priest Lake, Idaho, and held in a large enclosure for 10–12 d. Postrelease mortality was the same for surface-release–and deep-release–treated fish (41%). Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to evaluate effects of intrinsic and environmental factors on the probability of mortality. Presence of gill-net trauma and degree of barotrauma were associated with increased probability of postrelease mortality. Smaller fish were also more likely to suffer postrelease mortality. On average, deep-release treatment did not reduce postrelease mortality, but effectiveness of treatment increased with fish length. Of the environmental factors evaluated, only elapsed time between lifting the first and last anchors of a gill-net gang (i.e., lift time) was significantly related to postrelease mortality. Longer lift times, which may allow ascending lake trout to acclimate to depressurization, were associated with lower postrelease mortality rates. Our study suggests that postrelease mortality may be higher than previously assumed for lake trout because mortality continues after 48 h. In future studies, postrelease mortality could be reduced by increasing gill-net lift times and increasing mesh size used to increase length of fish captured.

  9. Net ecosystem production: A comprehensive measure of net carbon accumulation by ecosystems

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Randerson, J.T.; Chapin, F. S.; Harden, J.W.; Neff, J.C.; Harmon, M.E.

    2002-01-01

    The conceptual framework used by ecologists and biogeochemists must allow for accurate and clearly defined comparisons of carbon fluxes made with disparate techniques across a spectrum of temporal and spatial scales. Consistent with usage over the past four decades, we define "net ecosystem production" (NEP) as the net carbon accumulation by ecosystems. Past use of this term has been ambiguous, because it has been used conceptually as a measure of carbon accumulation by ecosystems, but it has often been calculated considering only the balance between gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration. This calculation ignores other carbon fluxes from ecosystems (e.g., leaching of dissolved carbon and losses associated with disturbance). To avoid conceptual ambiguities, we argue that NEP be defined, as in the past, as the net carbon accumulation by ecosystems and that it explicitly incorporate all the carbon fluxes from an ecosystem, including autotrophic respiration, heterotrophic respiration, losses associated with disturbance, dissolved and particulate carbon losses, volatile organic compound emissions, and lateral transfers among ecosystems. Net biome productivity (NBP), which has been proposed to account for carbon loss during episodic disturbance, is equivalent to NEP at regional or global scales. The multi-scale conceptual framework we describe provides continuity between flux measurements made at the scale of soil profiles and chambers, forest inventories, eddy covariance towers, aircraft, and inversions of remote atmospheric flask samples, allowing a direct comparison of NEP estimates made at all temporal and spatial scales.

  10. The ClaudicatioNet concept: design of a national integrated care network providing active and healthy aging for patients with intermittent claudication.

    PubMed

    Lauret, Gert-Jan; Gijsbers, Harm J H; Hendriks, Erik J M; Bartelink, Marie-Louise; de Bie, Rob A; Teijink, Joep A W

    2012-01-01

    Intermittent claudication (IC) is a manifestation of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). Besides cardiovascular risk management, supervised exercise therapy (SET) should be offered to all patients with IC. Outdated guidelines, an insufficient number of specialized physiotherapists (PTs), lack of awareness of the importance of SET by referring physicians, and misguided financial incentives all seriously impede the availability of a structured SET program in The Netherlands. By initiating regional care networks, ClaudicatioNet aims to improve the quality of care for patients with IC. Based on the chronic care model as a conceptual framework, these networks should enhance the access, continuity, and (cost) efficiency of the health care system. With the aid of a national database, health care professionals will be able to benchmark patient results while ClaudicatioNet will be able to monitor quality of care by way of functional and patient reported outcome measures. The success of ClaudicatioNet is dependent on several factors. Vascular surgeons, general practitioners and coordinating central caregivers will need to team up and work in close collaboration with specialized PTs. A substantial task in the upcoming years will be to monitor the quality, volume, and distribution of ClaudicatioNet PTs. Finally, misguided financial incentives within the Dutch health care system need to be tackled. With ClaudicatioNet, integrated care pathways are likely to improve in the upcoming years. This should result in the achievement of optimal quality of care for all patients with IC.

  11. Visualizing land-use and management complexity within biogeochemical cycles of an agricultural landscape

    Treesearch

    Kai Nils Nitzsche; Gernot Verch; Katrin Premke; Arthur Gessler; Zachary Kayler

    2016-01-01

    Crop fields are cultivated across continuities of soil, topography, and local climate that drive biological processes and nutrient cycling at the landscape scale; yet land management and agricultural research are often performed at the field scale, potentially neglecting the context of the surrounding landscape. Adding to this complexity is the overlap of ecosystems...

  12. Parafoveal-Foveal Overlap Can Facilitate Ongoing Word Identification during Reading: Evidence from Eye Movements

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Angele, Bernhard; Tran, Randy; Rayner, Keith

    2013-01-01

    Readers continuously receive parafoveal information about the upcoming word in addition to the foveal information about the currently fixated word. Previous research (Inhoff, Radach, Starr, & Greenberg, 2000) showed that the presence of a parafoveal word that was similar to the foveal word facilitated processing of the foveal word. We used the…

  13. Exploring Parental Philosophies regarding Childcare: Overlap Orientations and the Influence of Childcare Programmes on Families

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baumgartner, Jennifer J.; McBride, Brent

    2009-01-01

    This exploratory study examined the beliefs held by families regarding childcare. In-depth interviews were conducted with parents of children ages 3-5 in full-day childcare. Parents described their experiences with childcare, thoughts about the continuity between childcare and home environments and other life philosophies. From the analysis of the…

  14. A Family History Study of Asperger Syndrome

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ghaziuddin, Mohammad

    2005-01-01

    Asperger syndrome (AS) is a childhood-onset disorder often described as a mild variant of autism. Although classified as a distinct disorder in the DSM-IV, its overlap with autism continues to be a matter of ongoing debate. While the family genetic origins of autism are well established, few studies have investigated this topic in AS using current…

  15. The Content of Educational Psychology: An Analysis of Top Ranked Journals from 2003 through 2007

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nolen, Amanda L.

    2009-01-01

    Educational psychology as a field of study has encountered a lack of distinction by overlapping with other fields of study or disciplines. Consequently, educational psychology continues to have difficulty claiming jurisdiction over bodies of research knowledge and has been encroached upon by other more crystallized disciplines. The purpose of this…

  16. Effective Strategies for Affordable Care Act Enrollment in Immigrant-Serving Safety Net Clinics in New Mexico.

    PubMed

    Getrich, Christina M; García, Jacqueline M; Solares, Angélica; Kano, Miria

    2017-01-01

    In the new Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care environment, safety-net institutions continue to serve as important sources of culturally appropriate care for different groups of immigrant patients. This article reports on a qualitative study examining the early ACA enrollment experiences of a range of health care providers (n = 29) in six immigrant-serving safety-net clinics in New Mexico. The six clinics configured their ACA enrollment strategies differently with regard to operations, staffing, and outreach. Providers reported a generally chaotic rollout overall and expressed frustration with strategies that did not accommodate patients, provided little training for providers, and engaged in minimal outreach. Conversely, providers lauded strategies that flexibly met patient needs, leveraged trust through strategic use of staff, and prioritized outreach. Findings underscore the importance of using and funding concerted strategies for future enrollment of immigrant patients, such as featuring community health workers and leveraging trust for outreach.

  17. Trading strategies in the overnight money market: Correlations and clustering on the e-MID trading platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fricke, Daniel

    2012-12-01

    We analyze the correlations in patterns of trading for members of the Italian interbank trading platform e-MID. The trading strategy of a particular member institution is defined as the sequence of (intra-) daily net trading volumes within a certain semester. Based on this definition, we show that there are significant and persistent bilateral correlations between institutions’ trading strategies. In most semesters we find two clusters, with positively (negatively) correlated trading strategies within (between) clusters. We show that the two clusters mostly contain continuous net buyers and net sellers of money, respectively, and that cluster memberships of individual banks are highly persistent. Additionally, we highlight some problems related to our definition of trading strategies. Our findings add further evidence on the fact that preferential lending relationships on the micro-level lead to community structure on the macro-level.

  18. Topological Nodal-Net Semimetal in a Graphene Network Structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jian-Tao; Nie, Simin; Weng, Hongming; Kawazoe, Yoshiyuki; Chen, Changfeng

    2018-01-01

    Topological semimetals are characterized by the nodal points in their electronic structure near the Fermi level, either discrete or forming a continuous line or ring, which are responsible for exotic properties related to the topology of bulk bands. Here we identify by ab initio calculations a distinct topological semimetal that exhibits nodal nets comprising multiple interconnected nodal lines in bulk and have two coupled drumheadlike flat bands around the Fermi level on its surface. This nodal net semimetal state is proposed to be realized in a graphene network structure that can be constructed by inserting a benzene ring into each C- C bond in the bct-C4 lattice or by a crystalline modification of the (5,5) carbon nanotube. These results expand the realm of nodal manifolds in topological semimetals, offering a new platform for exploring novel physics in these fascinating materials.

  19. Colorectal Cancer Safety Net: Is It Catching Patients Appropriately?

    PubMed

    Althans, Alison R; Brady, Justin T; Times, Melissa L; Keller, Deborah S; Harvey, Alexis R; Kelly, Molly E; Patel, Nilam D; Steele, Scott R

    2018-01-01

    Disparities in access to colorectal cancer care are multifactorial and are affected by socioeconomic elements. Uninsured and Medicaid patients present with advanced stage disease and have worse outcomes compared with similar privately insured patients. Safety net hospitals are a major care provider to this vulnerable population. Few studies have evaluated outcomes for safety net hospitals compared with private institutions in colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare demographics, screening rates, presentation stage, and survival rates between a safety net hospital and a tertiary care center. Comparative review of patients at 2 institutions in the same metropolitan area were conducted. The study included colorectal cancer care delivered either at 1 safety net hospital or 1 private tertiary care center in the same city from 2010 to 2016. A total of 350 patients with colorectal cancer from each hospital were evaluated. Overall survival across hospital systems was measured. The safety net hospital had significantly more uninsured and Medicaid patients (46% vs 13%; p < 0.001) and a significantly lower median household income than the tertiary care center ($39,299 vs $49,741; p < 0.0001). At initial presentation, a similar percentage of patients at each hospital presented with stage IV disease (26% vs 20%; p = 0.06). For those undergoing resection, final pathologic stage distribution was similar across groups (p = 0.10). After a comparable median follow-up period (26.6 mo for safety net hospital vs 29.2 mo for tertiary care center), log-rank test for overall survival favored the safety net hospital (p = 0.05); disease-free survival was similar between hospitals (p = 0.40). This was a retrospective review, reporting from medical charts. Our results support the value of safety net hospitals for providing quality colorectal cancer care, with survival and recurrence outcomes equivalent or improved compared with a local tertiary care center. Because safety net hospitals can provide equivalent outcomes despite socioeconomic inequalities and financial constraints, emphasis should be focused on ensuring that adequate funding for these institutions continues. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A454.

  20. Evaluation of community-based continuous distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets in Toamasina II District, Madagascar.

    PubMed

    de Beyl, Celine Zegers; Kilian, Albert; Brown, Andrea; Sy-Ar, Mohamad; Selby, Richmond Ato; Randriamanantenasoa, Felicien; Ranaivosoa, Jocelyn; Zigirumugabe, Sixte; Gerberg, Lilia; Fotheringham, Megan; Lynch, Matthew; Koenker, Hannah

    2017-08-10

    Continuous distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) is thought to be an effective mechanism to maintain ITN ownership and access between or in the absence of mass campaigns, but evidence is limited. A community-based ITN distribution pilot was implemented and evaluated in Toamasina II District, Madagascar, to assess this new channel for continuous ITN distribution. Beginning 9 months after the December 2012 mass campaign, a community-based distribution pilot ran for an additional 9 months, from September 2013 to June 2014. Households requested ITN coupons from community agents in their village. After verification by the agents, households exchanged the coupon for an ITN at a distribution point. The evaluation was a two-stage cluster survey with a sample size of 1125 households. Counterfactual ITN ownership and access were calculated by excluding ITNs received through the community pilot. At the end of the pilot, household ownership of any ITN was 96.5%, population access to ITN was 81.5 and 61.5% of households owned at least 1 ITN for every 2 people. Without the ITNs provided through the community channel, household ownership of any ITN was estimated at 74.6%, population access to an ITN at 55.5%, and households that owned at least 1 ITN for 2 people at only 34.7%, 18 months after the 2012 campaign. Ownership of community-distributed ITNs was higher among the poorest wealth quintiles. Over 80% of respondents felt the community scheme was fair and simple to use. Household ITN ownership and population ITN access exceeded RBM targets after the 9-month community distribution pilot. The pilot successfully provided coupons and ITNs to households requesting them, particularly for the least poor wealth quintiles, and the scheme was well-perceived by communities. Further research is needed to determine whether community-based distribution can sustain ITN ownership and access over the long term, how continuous availability of ITNs affects household net replacement behaviour, and whether community-based distribution is cost-effective when combined with mass campaigns, or if used with other continuous channels instead of mass campaigns.

  1. Least-squares (LS) deconvolution of a series of overlapping cortical auditory evoked potentials: a simulation and experimental study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bardy, Fabrice; Van Dun, Bram; Dillon, Harvey; Cowan, Robert

    2014-08-01

    Objective. To evaluate the viability of disentangling a series of overlapping ‘cortical auditory evoked potentials’ (CAEPs) elicited by different stimuli using least-squares (LS) deconvolution, and to assess the adaptation of CAEPs for different stimulus onset-asynchronies (SOAs). Approach. Optimal aperiodic stimulus sequences were designed by controlling the condition number of matrices associated with the LS deconvolution technique. First, theoretical considerations of LS deconvolution were assessed in simulations in which multiple artificial overlapping responses were recovered. Second, biological CAEPs were recorded in response to continuously repeated stimulus trains containing six different tone-bursts with frequencies 8, 4, 2, 1, 0.5, 0.25 kHz separated by SOAs jittered around 150 (120-185), 250 (220-285) and 650 (620-685) ms. The control condition had a fixed SOA of 1175 ms. In a second condition, using the same SOAs, trains of six stimuli were separated by a silence gap of 1600 ms. Twenty-four adults with normal hearing (<20 dB HL) were assessed. Main results. Results showed disentangling of a series of overlapping responses using LS deconvolution on simulated waveforms as well as on real EEG data. The use of rapid presentation and LS deconvolution did not however, allow the recovered CAEPs to have a higher signal-to-noise ratio than for slowly presented stimuli. The LS deconvolution technique enables the analysis of a series of overlapping responses in EEG. Significance. LS deconvolution is a useful technique for the study of adaptation mechanisms of CAEPs for closely spaced stimuli whose characteristics change from stimulus to stimulus. High-rate presentation is necessary to develop an understanding of how the auditory system encodes natural speech or other intrinsically high-rate stimuli.

  2. 17 CFR 49.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... data repository. (10) Position. The term “position” means the gross and net notional amounts of open... Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SWAP DATA REPOSITORIES... directly, or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the swap data...

  3. RAF and SOF Integration

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-02-01

    must continue efforts to change the Service’s cultural perspective on the AC-RC dynamic. Far too much parochialism exists with the net effect of...based on their ability to operate independently. These leaders must think creatively and solve problems, all within the legal, moral and ethical

  4. Spokane Tribal Hatchery, 2004 Annual Report.

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

    Peone, Tim L.

    2005-03-01

    Due to the construction and operation of Grand Coulee Dam (1939), anadromous salmon have been eradicated and resident fish populations permanently altered in the upper Columbia River region. Federal and private hydropower dam operations throughout the Columbia River system severely limits indigenous fish populations in the upper Columbia. Artificial production has been determined appropriate for supporting a harvestable fishery for kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake (Grand Coulee Dam impoundments). A collaborative multi-agency artificial production program for the Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake fisheries exists consisting of the Spokane Tribal Hatchery,more » Sherman Creek Hatchery, Ford Trout Hatchery and the Lake Roosevelt Kokanee and Rainbow Trout Net Pen Rearing Projects. These projects operate complementary of one another to target an annual release of 1 million yearling kokanee and 500,000 yearling rainbow trout for Lake Roosevelt and 1.4 million kokanee fry/fingerlings for Banks Lake. Fish produced by this project in 2004 to meet collective fish production and release goals included: 1,655,722 kokanee fingerlings, 537,783 rainbow trout fingerlings and 507,660 kokanee yearlings. Kokanee yearlings were adipose fin clipped before release. Stock composition consisted of Lake Whatcom kokanee, 50:50 diploid-triploid Spokane Trout Hatchery (McCloud River) rainbow trout and Phalon Lake red-band rainbow trout. All kokanee were marked with either thermal, oxytetracyline or fin clips prior to release. Preliminary 2004 Lake Roosevelt fisheries investigations indicate hatchery/net pen stocking significantly contributed to harvestable rainbow trout and kokanee salmon fisheries. An increase in kokanee harvest was primarily owing to new release strategies. Walleye predation, early maturity and entrainment through Grand Coulee Dam continues to have a negative impact on adult kokanee returns and limits the success of hatchery/net pen stocking on the number of harvestable fish. Recommendations for future hatchery/net pen operations include use of stocks compatible or native to the upper Columbia River, continue hatchery-rearing practices to reduce precocity rates of kokanee and continue new kokanee stocking strategies associated with increased kokanee harvest rates.« less

  5. Estimating the Net Career Income of a Geriatrician and a Nurse Practitioner: Still Want to Be a Doctor?

    PubMed Central

    Golden, Adam G.; Xu, Peixin; Wan, Thomas T.H.; Issenberg, S. Barry

    2016-01-01

    Objectives With a continual shortage of geriatricians, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioners have assumed a greater role in the delivery of outpatient care for older adults. Given the long duration of physician training, the high cost of medical school, and the lower salaries compared with subspecialists, the financial advantage of a career as a geriatrician as opposed to a nurse practitioner is uncertain. This study compares the estimated career earnings of a geriatrician and an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner. Methods We used a synthetic model of estimated net earnings during a 43-year career span for a 22-year old person embarking on a career as a geriatrician versus a career as an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner. We estimated annual net income and net retirement savings using different annual compound rates and calculated the financial impact of forgiving medical student loans, shortening the duration of physician training, and reinstituting the practice pathway for geriatric medicine certification. Results Career net incomes for the geriatrician did not match the nurse practitioner until almost age 40. At 65 years of age, the difference between the geriatrician and nurse practitioner was 30.6%. A higher annual compound rate was associated with an even smaller percentage difference. Combining all three health policy interventions lowered the break-even age to 28 and more than doubled the difference in career earnings. Conclusions Small estimated differences in net career earnings exist between geriatricians and adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioners. Health policy interventions had a dramatic positive effect on geriatricians’ lifetime net earnings in calculated estimates. PMID:27364024

  6. Sleep recordings in individuals with borderline personality disorder before and after trauma therapy.

    PubMed

    Weinhold, Sara Lena; Göder, Robert; Pabst, Astrid; Scharff, Anna-Lena; Schauer, Maggie; Baier, Paul Christian; Aldenhoff, Josef; Elbert, Thomas; Seeck-Hirschner, Mareen

    2017-02-01

    Most individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have been exposed to severe and traumatic stressors and thus frequently present with symptoms of a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Severe sleep disturbances often accompany these complex cases, but changes of sleep parameters during therapy and the impact of sleep on treatment response have barely been studied. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is an evidence-based approach for the treatment of trauma-related psychological disorders. To investigate the effect of NET on sleep in patients with BPD and comorbid PTSD, we screened 45 inpatients and outpatients who met the inclusion criteria of both diagnoses according to DSM-IV and who had a minimum of 2 weeks' stable medication. Patients were allocated to NET (N = 13) or treatment as usual (TAU; N = 8) in blocks. Polysomnographies and psychological questionares were performed before, directly and 6 months after the last therapy session. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effectiveness of trauma therapy by NET on sleep quantity (total sleep time) and sleep continuity (sleep efficiency and awakenings) in patients with comorbid BPD and PTSD. Participants of the NET group compared with those who received TAU showed an increased reduction in sleep latency from baseline to the end of therapy and a reduction in arousals over time. Patients with longer pre-treatment total sleep time and pre-treatment REM sleep duration showed a better outcome of NET with respect to PTSD symptoms. NET seems not lead to a change in sleep for the worse during therapy and seems to improve sleep as good as treatment as usual. Furthermore, our results provide evidence of an influence of sleep structure at baseline on treatment success later on.

  7. Implementation and Evaluation of the Safety Net Specialty Care Program in the Denver Metropolitan Area

    PubMed Central

    Fort, Meredith P; Namba, Lynnette M; Dutcher, Sarah; Copeland, Tracy; Bermingham, Neysa; Fellenz, Chris; Lantz, Deborah; Reusch, John J; Bayliss, Elizabeth A

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: In response to limited access to specialty care in safety-net settings, an integrated delivery system and three safety-net organizations in the Denver, CO, metropolitan area launched a unique program in 2013. The program offers safety-net providers the option to electronically consult with specialists. Uninsured patients may be seen by specialists in office visits for a defined set of services. This article describes the program, identifies aspects that have worked well and areas that need improvement, and offers lessons learned. Methods: We quantified electronic consultations (e-consults) between safety-net clinicians and specialists, and face-to-face specialist visits between May 2013 and December 2014. We reviewed and categorized all e-consults from November and December 2014. In 2015, we interviewed 21 safety-net clinicians and staff, 12 specialists, and 10 patients, and conducted a thematic analysis to determine factors facilitating and limiting optimal program use. Results: In the first 20 months of the program, safety-net clinicians at 23 clinics made 602 e-consults to specialists, and 81 patients received face-to-face specialist visits. Of 204 primary care clinicians, 103 made e-consults; 65 specialists participated in the program. Aspects facilitating program use were referral case managers’ involvement and the use of clear, concise questions in e-consults. Key recommendations for process improvement were to promote an understanding of the different health care contexts, support provider-to-provider communication, facilitate hand-offs between settings, and clarify program scope. Conclusion: Participants perceived the program as responsive to their needs, yet opportunities exist for continued uptake and expansion. Communitywide efforts to assess and address needs remain important. PMID:28241908

  8. Wetland habitats for wildlife of the Chesapeake Bay

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Perry, M.C.; Majumdar, S.K.; Miller, E.W.; Brenner, Fred J.

    1998-01-01

    The wetlands of Chesapeake Bay have provided the vital habitats that have sustained the impressive wildlife populations that have brought international fame to the Bay. As these wetland habitats decrease in quantity and quality we will continue to see the decline in the wildlife populations that started when European settlers first came to this continent. These declines have accelerated significantly in this century. As the human population continues to increase in the Bay watershed, one can expect that wetland habitats will continue to decline, resulting in declines in species diversity and population numbers. Although federal, state, and local governments are striving for 'no net loss' of wetlands, the results to date are not encouraging. It is unrealistic to believe that human populations and associated development can continue to increase and not adversely affect the wetland resources of the Bay. Restrictions on human population growth in the Chesapeake area is clearly the best way to protect wetland habitats and the wildlife that are dependent on these habitats. In addition, there should be more aggressive approaches to protect wetland habitats from continued perturbations from humans. More sanctuary areas should be created and there should be greater use of enhancement and management techniques that will benefit the full complement of species that potentially exist in these wetlands. The present trend in wetland loss can be expected to continue as human populations increase with resultant increases in roads, shopping malls, and housing developments. Creation of habitat for mitigation of these losses will not result in 'no net loss'. More innovative approaches should be employed to reverse the long-term trend in wetland loss by humans.

  9. Method for Fabricating Composite Structures Using Pultrusion Processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farley, Gary L. (Inventor)

    2000-01-01

    A method for fabricating composite structures at a low-cost, moderate-to-high production rate. A first embodiment of the method includes employing a continuous press forming fabrication process. A second embodiment of the method includes employing a pultrusion process for obtaining composite structures. The methods include coating yarns with matrix material, weaving the yarn into fabric to produce a continuous fabric supply and feeding multiple layers of net-shaped fabrics having optimally oriented fibers into a debulking tool to form an undebulked preform. The continuous press forming fabrication process includes partially debulking the preform, cutting the partially debulked preform and debulking the partially debulked preform to form a netshape. An electron-beam or similar technique then cures the structure. The pultrusion fabric process includes feeding the undebulked preform into a heated die and gradually debulking the undebulked preform. The undebulked preform in the heated die changes dimension until a desired cross-sectional dimension is achieved. This process further includes obtaining a net-shaped infiltrated uncured preform, cutting the uncured preform to a desired length and electronbeam curing (or similar technique) the uncured preform. These fabrication methods produce superior structures formed at higher production rates, resulting in lower cost and high structural performance.

  10. Effective biosonar echo-to-clutter rejection ratio in a complex dynamic scene

    PubMed Central

    Knowles, Jeffrey M.; Barchi, Jonathan R.; Gaudette, Jason E.; Simmons, James A.

    2015-01-01

    Biosonar guidance in a rapidly changing complex scene was examined by flying big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) through a Y-shaped maze composed of rows of strongly reflective vertical plastic chains that presented the bat with left and right corridors for passage. Corridors were 80–100 cm wide and 2–4 m long. Using the two-choice Y-shaped paradigm to compensate for left–right bias and spatial memory, a moveable, weakly reflective thin-net barrier randomly blocked the left or right corridor, interspersed with no-barrier trials. Flight path and beam aim were tracked using an array of 24 microphones surrounding the flight room. Each bat flew on a path centered in the entry corridor (base of Y) and then turned into the left or right passage, to land on the far wall or to turn abruptly, reacting to avoid a collision. Broadcasts were broadly beamed in the direction of flight, smoothly leading into an upcoming turn. Duration of broadcasts decreased slowly from 3 to 2 ms during flights to track the chains' progressively closer ranges. Broadcast features and flight velocity changed abruptly about 1 m from the barrier, indicating that echoes from the net were perceived even though they were 18–35 dB weaker than overlapping echoes from surrounding chains. PMID:26328724

  11. Temporal changes and sexual differences in spatial distribution of Burbot in Lake Erie

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stapanian, Martin A.; Witzel, Larry D.; Cook, Andy

    2013-01-01

    We used GIS mapping techniques to examine capture data for Burbot Lota lota from annual gill-net surveys in Canadian waters of Lake Erie during late August and September 1994–2011. Adult males were captured over a larger area (3–17% for ≥20% maximum yearly catch [MYC]) than adult females. More males than females were caught in the gill nets in 14 of the 15 study years. Collectively, these results support a hypothesis of greater activity by adult males during summer, when Burbot are actively feeding. The area of capture contracted by more than 60% (for ≥20% MYC) for both sexes during the time period, which is consistent with the documented decrease of the Burbot population in the lake. The sex ratio (females: males) varied over the time series but declined steadily from 0.97 in 2001 to 0.59 in 2011. The overlap in the capture areas of adult males and females was scale dependent. The depth distribution at which adult Burbot were caught did not change over the time series, and there was no difference in the median depths (about 30 m) at which adult male and female Burbot were caught. The last results are consistent with the Burbot's reliance on coldwater habitats. Additional research is recommended, including telemetry to describe daily and seasonal movements and assessment of gender bias in active and passive capture gear.

  12. Integrating vector control across diseases.

    PubMed

    Golding, Nick; Wilson, Anne L; Moyes, Catherine L; Cano, Jorge; Pigott, David M; Velayudhan, Raman; Brooker, Simon J; Smith, David L; Hay, Simon I; Lindsay, Steve W

    2015-10-01

    Vector-borne diseases cause a significant proportion of the overall burden of disease across the globe, accounting for over 10 % of the burden of infectious diseases. Despite the availability of effective interventions for many of these diseases, a lack of resources prevents their effective control. Many existing vector control interventions are known to be effective against multiple diseases, so combining vector control programmes to simultaneously tackle several diseases could offer more cost-effective and therefore sustainable disease reductions. The highly successful cross-disease integration of vaccine and mass drug administration programmes in low-resource settings acts a precedent for cross-disease vector control. Whilst deliberate implementation of vector control programmes across multiple diseases has yet to be trialled on a large scale, a number of examples of 'accidental' cross-disease vector control suggest the potential of such an approach. Combining contemporary high-resolution global maps of the major vector-borne pathogens enables us to quantify overlap in their distributions and to estimate the populations jointly at risk of multiple diseases. Such an analysis shows that over 80 % of the global population live in regions of the world at risk from one vector-borne disease, and more than half the world's population live in areas where at least two different vector-borne diseases pose a threat to health. Combining information on co-endemicity with an assessment of the overlap of vector control methods effective against these diseases allows us to highlight opportunities for such integration. Malaria, leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, and dengue are prime candidates for combined vector control. All four of these diseases overlap considerably in their distributions and there is a growing body of evidence for the effectiveness of insecticide-treated nets, screens, and curtains for controlling all of their vectors. The real-world effectiveness of cross-disease vector control programmes can only be evaluated by large-scale trials, but there is clear evidence of the potential of such an approach to enable greater overall health benefit using the limited funds available.

  13. The impact of a medication record sharing program among diabetes patients under a single-payer system: The role of inquiry rate.

    PubMed

    Lin, Jin-Hung; Cheng, Shou-Hsia

    2018-08-01

    Taiwan's single health insurer introduced a medication record exchange platform, the PharmaCloud program, in 2013. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the medication record inquiry rate on medication duplication among patients with diabetes. A retrospective pre-post design with a comparison group was conducted using nationwide health insurance claim data of diabetic patients from 2013 to 2014. Patients whose medication record inquiry rate fell within the upper 25th percentile were classified as the high-inquiry group, and the others as the low-inquiry group. The dependent variables were the likelihood of receiving duplicated medication and the overlapped medication days of the study subjects. Generalized estimation equations with difference-in-difference analysis were calculated to examine the net effect of the PharmaCloud inquiry rate for a matched sub-sample. In total, 106,508 patients with diabetes were randomly selected. From 2013 to 2014, the medication duplication rate was reduced 7.76 percentile (54.12%-46.36%) for the high-inquiry group and 9.58 percentile (63.72%-54.14%) for the low-inquiry group; the average medication overlap periods were shortened 4.36 days (8.49-4.13) and 6.29 days (11.28-4.99), respectively. The regression models showed patients in the high-inquiry group were more likely to receive duplicated medication (OR = 1.11, 95% C.I. = 1.07-1.16) and with longer overlapped days (7.53%, P = 0.0081) after the program. The medication record sharing program has reduced medication duplication among diabetes patients. However, higher inquiry rate did not lead to greater reduction in medication duplication; the overall effect might be due to enhanced internal control via prescription alert system in hospitals rather physician's review of the records. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Application of acoustical methods for estimating water flow and constituent loads in Perdido Bay, Florida

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grubbs, J.W.; Pittman, J.R.

    1997-01-01

    Water flow and quality data were collected from December 1994 to September 1995 to evaluate variations in discharge, water quality, and chemical fluxes (loads) through Perdido Bay, Florida. Data were collected at a cross section parallel to the U.S. Highway 98 bridge. Discharges measured with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and computed from stage-area and velocity ratings varied roughly between + or - 10,000 cubic feet per second during a typical tidal cycle. Large reversals in flow direction occurred rapidly (less than 1 hour), and complete reversals (resulting in near peak net-upstream or downstream discharges) occurred within a few hours of slack water. Observations of simultaneous upstream and downstream flow (bidirectional flow) were quite common in the ADCP measurements, with opposing directions of flow occurring predominantly in vertical layers. Continuous (every 15 minutes) discharge data were computed for the period from August 18, 1995, to September 28, 1995, and filtered daily mean discharge values were computed for the period from August 19 to September 26, 1995. Data were not computed prior to August 18, 1995, either because of missing data or because the velocity rating was poorly defined (because of insufficient data) for the period prior to landfall of hurricane Erin (August 3, 1995). The results of the study indicate that acoustical techniques can yield useful estimates of continuous (instantaneous) discharge in Perdido Bay. Useful estimates of average daily net flow rates can also be obtained, but the accuracy of these estimates will be limited by small rating shifts that introduce bias into the instantaneous values that are used to compute the net flows. Instantaneous loads of total nitrogen ranged from -180 to 220 grams per second for the samples collected during the study, and instantaneous loads of total phosphorous ranged from -10 to 11 grams per second (negative loads indicate net upstream transport). The chloride concentrations from the water samples collected from Perdido Bay indicated a significant amount of mixing of saltwater and freshwater. Mixing effects could greatly reduce the accuracy of estimates of net loads of nutrients or other substances. The study results indicate that acoustical techniques can yield acceptable estimates of instantaneous loads in Perdido Bay. However, estimates of net loads should be interpreted with great caution and may have unacceptably large errors, especially when saltwater and freshwater concentrations differ greatly.

  15. United Kingdom Country Analysis Brief

    EIA Publications

    2016-01-01

    The United Kingdom (UK) is the fifth-largest economy in the world in terms of gross domestic product. Following years as a net exporter of crude oil and natural gas, the UK became a net importer of both fuels in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Production from UK oil and natural gas fields peaked in the late 1990s and has generally declined over the past several years as the discovery of new reserves and new production has not kept pace with the maturation of existing fields. Production of petroleum and other liquids increased in 2015, as investments made when oil prices were high came to fruition, but the UK remains a net importer. Renewable energy use, particularly in the electric power sector, has more than doubled over the past decade (2005-14). However, petroleum and natural gas continue to account for most of UK's energy consumption. In 2014, petroleum and natural gas accounted for 36% and 33%, respectively, of total energy consumption (Figure 2).1 Coal also continues to be a significant part of total energy consumption (16% in 2014). Energy use per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) in the UK is one of the lowest among western economies. The UK has seen total primary energy consumption decline by almost 20% over the past decade (2005-14). This decline resulted from smaller contribution of energy-intensive industry to the economy, economic contraction, and improvements in energy efficiency.

  16. U.S. EPA response to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

    PubMed

    Tupin, Edward A; Boyd, Michael A; Mosser, Jennifer E; Wieder, Jessica S

    2012-05-01

    During the spring of 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used its national radiation monitoring and sampling system, RadNet, to detect, identify, and inform the public about radioactive material in the United States resulting from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant release. The RadNet system monitors ambient air, drinking water, precipitation, and pasteurized milk for radionuclides. To supplement its existing stationary (fixed) continuous air monitoring system, EPA deployed additional air monitors to Saipan, Guam, and locations in the western United States. The Agency also accelerated the regular quarterly sampling of milk and drinking water and collected an additional round of samples. For two months, staff located at EPA's Headquarters Emergency Operations Center, west coast regional offices, and National Air and Radiation Environmental Lab worked seven days a week to handle the increased radiochemical sample analysis from air filters, precipitation, drinking water, and milk; provide interagency scientific input; and answer press and public inquiries. EPA's data was consistent with what was expected from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant release. The levels of radioactivity were so low that the readings from the near-real-time RadNet air monitors stayed within normal background ranges. Detailed sample analyses were needed to identify the radionuclides associated with the release. Starting at the end of April and continuing through May 2011, levels of radioactive material decreased as expected.

  17. Evaluating the electronic tuberculosis register surveillance system in Eden District, Western Cape, South Africa, 2015.

    PubMed

    Mlotshwa, Mandla; Smit, Sandra; Williams, Seymour; Reddy, Carl; Medina-Marino, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    Tuberculosis (TB) surveillance data are crucial to the effectiveness of National TB Control Programs. In South Africa, few surveillance system evaluations have been undertaken to provide a rigorous assessment of the platform from which the national and district health systems draws data to inform programs and policies. Evaluate the attributes of Eden District's TB surveillance system, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Data quality, sensitivity and positive predictive value were assessed using secondary data from 40,033 TB cases entered in Eden District's ETR.Net from 2007 to 2013, and 79 purposively selected TB Blue Cards (TBCs), a medical patient file and source document for data entered into ETR.Net. Simplicity, flexibility, acceptability, stability and usefulness of the ETR.Net were assessed qualitatively through interviews with TB nurses, information health officers, sub-district and district coordinators involved in the TB surveillance. TB surveillance system stakeholders report that Eden District's ETR.Net system was simple, acceptable, flexible and stable, and achieves its objective of informing TB control program, policies and activities. Data were less complete in the ETR.Net (66-100%) than in the TBCs (76-100%), and concordant for most variables except pre-treatment smear results, antiretroviral therapy (ART) and treatment outcome. The sensitivity of recorded variables in ETR.Net was 98% for gender, 97% for patient category, 93% for ART, 92% for treatment outcome and 90% for pre-treatment smear grading. Our results reveal that the system provides useful information to guide TB control program activities in Eden District. However, urgent attention is needed to address gaps in clinical recording on the TBC and data capturing into the ETR.Net system. We recommend continuous training and support of TB personnel involved with TB care, management and surveillance on TB data recording into the TBCs and ETR.Net as well as the implementation of a well-structured quality control and assurance system.

  18. Quantifying the impact of decay in bed-net efficacy on malaria transmission

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

    Ngonghala, Calistus N.; Del Valle, Sara Y.; Zhao, Ruijun

    Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are at the forefront of malaria control programs and even though the percentage of households in sub-Saharan Africa that owned nets increased from 3% in 2000 to 53% in 2012, many children continue to die from malaria. The potential impact of ITNs on reducing malaria transmission is limited due to inconsistent or improper use, as well as physical decay in effectiveness. Most mathematical models for malaria transmission have assumed a fixed effectiveness rate for bed-nets, which can overestimate the impact of nets on malaria control. We develop a model for malaria spread that captures the decrease inmore » ITN effectiveness due to physical and chemical decay, as well as human behavior as a function of time. We perform uncertainty and sensitivity analyses to identify and rank parameters that play a critical role in malaria transmission. These analyses show that the basic reproduction number R 0, and the infectious human population are most sensitive to bed-net coverage and the biting rate of mosquitoes. Our results show the existence of a backward bifurcation for the case in which ITN efficacy is constant over time, which occurs for some range of parameters and is characterized by high malaria mortality in humans. This result implies that bringing R 0 to less than one is not enough for malaria elimination but rather additional efforts will be necessary to control the disease. For the case in which ITN efficacy decays over time, we determine coverage levels required to control malaria for different ITN efficacies and demonstrate that ITNs with longer useful lifespans perform better in malaria control. We conclude that malaria control programs should focus on increasing bed-net coverage, which can be achieved by enhancing malaria education and increasing bed-net distribution in malaria endemic regions.« less

  19. Quantifying the impact of decay in bed-net efficacy on malaria transmission

    DOE PAGES

    Ngonghala, Calistus N.; Del Valle, Sara Y.; Zhao, Ruijun; ...

    2014-08-23

    Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are at the forefront of malaria control programs and even though the percentage of households in sub-Saharan Africa that owned nets increased from 3% in 2000 to 53% in 2012, many children continue to die from malaria. The potential impact of ITNs on reducing malaria transmission is limited due to inconsistent or improper use, as well as physical decay in effectiveness. Most mathematical models for malaria transmission have assumed a fixed effectiveness rate for bed-nets, which can overestimate the impact of nets on malaria control. We develop a model for malaria spread that captures the decrease inmore » ITN effectiveness due to physical and chemical decay, as well as human behavior as a function of time. We perform uncertainty and sensitivity analyses to identify and rank parameters that play a critical role in malaria transmission. These analyses show that the basic reproduction number R 0, and the infectious human population are most sensitive to bed-net coverage and the biting rate of mosquitoes. Our results show the existence of a backward bifurcation for the case in which ITN efficacy is constant over time, which occurs for some range of parameters and is characterized by high malaria mortality in humans. This result implies that bringing R 0 to less than one is not enough for malaria elimination but rather additional efforts will be necessary to control the disease. For the case in which ITN efficacy decays over time, we determine coverage levels required to control malaria for different ITN efficacies and demonstrate that ITNs with longer useful lifespans perform better in malaria control. We conclude that malaria control programs should focus on increasing bed-net coverage, which can be achieved by enhancing malaria education and increasing bed-net distribution in malaria endemic regions.« less

  20. Evaluation of a national universal coverage campaign of long-lasting insecticidal nets in a rural district in north-west Tanzania.

    PubMed

    West, Philippa A; Protopopoff, Natacha; Rowland, Mark W; Kirby, Matthew J; Oxborough, Richard M; Mosha, Franklin W; Malima, Robert; Kleinschmidt, Immo

    2012-08-10

    Insecticide-treated nets (ITN) are one of the most effective measures for preventing malaria. Mass distribution campaigns are being used to rapidly increase net coverage in at-risk populations. This study had two purposes: to evaluate the impact of a universal coverage campaign (UCC) of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) on LLIN ownership and usage, and to identify factors that may be associated with inadequate coverage. In 2011 two cross-sectional household surveys were conducted in 50 clusters in Muleba district, north-west Tanzania. Prior to the UCC 3,246 households were surveyed and 2,499 afterwards. Data on bed net ownership and usage, demographics of household members and household characteristics including factors related to socio-economic status were gathered, using an adapted version of the standard Malaria Indicator Survey. Specific questions relating to the UCC process were asked. The proportion of households with at least one ITN increased from 62.6% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 60.9-64.2) before the UCC to 90.8% (95% CI = 89.0-92.3) afterwards. ITN usage in all residents rose from 40.8% to 55.7%. After the UCC 58.4% (95% CI = 54.7-62.1) of households had sufficient ITNs to cover all their sleeping places. Households with children under five years (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.9-2.9) and small households (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.5-2.4) were most likely to reach universal coverage. Poverty was not associated with net coverage. Eighty percent of households surveyed received LLINs from the campaign. The UCC in Muleba district of Tanzania was equitable, greatly improving LLIN ownership and, more moderately, usage. However, the goal of universal coverage in terms of the adequate provision of nets was not achieved. Multiple, continuous delivery systems and education activities are required to maintain and improve bed net ownership and usage.

  1. Net Resource Assessment (NetRA): A Collaborative Effort Between USGS Science and Decisions Center, the Science Impact Laboratory for Policy and Economics (University of New Mexico) and Sandia National Laboratory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brookshire, D.; Bernknopf, R.; Adhikari, D. R.; Babis, C.; Broadbent, C. D.; Tidwell, V. C.

    2015-12-01

    Department of Interior Secretarial Order No. 3330, "… establishes a Department-wide mitigation strategy that will ensure consistency and efficiency in the review and permitting of infrastructure development projects and in conserving our Nation's valuable natural and cultural resources." The USGS Organic Act authorizes resource assessments to estimate the in-place potential capacity of energy, mineral, hydrologic, and biologic resources (20 Stat. 394; 43 U.S.C. 31) and later amendments. These two statements form the basis for the development of the Net Resources Assessment (NetRA) framework. NetRA is a policy-relevant, interdisciplinary approach to assessing natural resources availability in examining the regional-scale interrelationships between energy or mineral extraction and impact on ecosystem services. The systems dynamics approach (SD) emphasizes the interdependence of natural resource development and its effect on collocated ecosystem services over space and time. The example of the NetRA that will be presented focuses on tradeoffs associated with land management decisions in the West. The Piceance Basin, CO example that will be discussed involves development of a continuous gas deposit and its impact on Mule Deer and water quality. The SD is the hub for generating a range of simulated landscape outcomes. The probabilistic model provides an economic indicator as to the expected net societal benefit of economic development and biophysical indicators for ecosystem services affected in the region. Both natural and economic indicators are associated with each outcome via a tradeoff analysis the can be used for risk analysis. The NetRA also retains map attributes for before and after map comparisons to specific alternatives for an existing baseline. The model has three stages: map-based scenario development with slider bars (choice variables), side-by-side extraction and ecosystem services sub-models, and integrated multiple resource trade-off outcomes.

  2. Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets Are Synergistic with Mass Drug Administration for Interruption of Lymphatic Filariasis Transmission in Nigeria

    PubMed Central

    Eigege, Abel; Miri, Emmanuel; Sallau, Adamu; Umaru, John; Mafuyai, Hayward; Chuwang, Yohanna S.; Danjuma, Goshit; Danboyi, Jacob; Adelamo, Solomon E.; Mancha, Bulus S.; Okoeguale, Bridget; Patterson, Amy E.; Rakers, Lindsay; Richards, Frank O.

    2013-01-01

    In central Nigeria Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria and lymphatic filariasis (LF). The strategy used for interrupting LF transmission in this area is annual mass drug administration (MDA) with albendazole and ivermectin, but after 8 years of MDA, entomological evaluations in sentinel villages showed continued low-grade mosquito infection rates of 0.32%. After long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) distribution by the national malaria program in late 2010, however, we were no longer able to detect infected vectors over a 24-month period. This is evidence that LLINs are synergistic with MDA in interrupting LF transmission. PMID:24205421

  3. 29 CFR 1917.115 - Platforms and skids.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... safe condition. Safe working loads, which shall be posted or marked on or adjacent to platforms and... Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR... nets, to protect employees against falls. (b) Any employee working below a second-story platform or...

  4. 29 CFR 2204.202 - Net worth exhibit.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT IN PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW... the specific exemptions from mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552(b...

  5. 13 CFR 124.104 - Who is economically disadvantaged?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... disadvantage must describe it in a narrative statement, and must submit personal financial information. (2) When married, an individual claiming economic disadvantage also must submit separate financial... eligibility, the net worth of an individual claiming disadvantage must be less than $250,000. For continued 8...

  6. The regulation of progesterone receptor by 17 beta estradiol and tamoxifen in the Zr-75-1 human breast cancer cell line in defined medium.

    PubMed

    Allegra, J C; Korat, O; Do, H M; Lippman, M

    1981-01-01

    The regulation of progesterone receptor by 17 beta estradiol and tamoxifen in the ZR-75-1 human breast cancer cell line in defined medium is described. ZR-75-1 cells maintained in serum free hormone supplemented medium minus estradiol lack progesterone receptor activity. Readdition of estradiol to these cells leads to a marked stimulation of progesterone receptor activity (0 to greater than 100 fmols of specifically bound progesterone per million cells). Tamoxifen (10(-6)M-10(-8)M) does not stimulate progesterone receptor activity in this cell line. The presence of progesterone receptor activity is not directly related to growth. Withdrawal of insulin in the continued presence of estradiol has no effect on progesterone receptor concentration although net cell growth ceases. Conversely, withdrawal of estradiol in the continued presence of insulin induces a cessation of net cell growth accompanied by a loss of all progesterone receptor activity within 3-5 days.

  7. Automated Routines for Calculating Whole-Stream Metabolism: Theoretical Background and User's Guide

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bales, Jerad D.; Nardi, Mark R.

    2007-01-01

    In order to standardize methods and facilitate rapid calculation and archival of stream-metabolism variables, the Stream Metabolism Program was developed to calculate gross primary production, net ecosystem production, respiration, and selected other variables from continuous measurements of dissolved-oxygen concentration, water temperature, and other user-supplied information. Methods for calculating metabolism from continuous measurements of dissolved-oxygen concentration and water temperature are fairly well known, but a standard set of procedures and computation software for all aspects of the calculations were not available previously. The Stream Metabolism Program addresses this deficiency with a stand-alone executable computer program written in Visual Basic.NET?, which runs in the Microsoft Windows? environment. All equations and assumptions used in the development of the software are documented in this report. Detailed guidance on application of the software is presented, along with a summary of the data required to use the software. Data from either a single station or paired (upstream, downstream) stations can be used with the software to calculate metabolism variables.

  8. On Your Own without a Net: The Transition to Adulthood for Vulnerable Populations. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Mental Health and Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osgood, D. Wayne, Ed.; Foster, E. Michael, Ed.; Flanagan, Constance, Ed.; Ruth, Gretchen R., Ed.

    2005-01-01

    In the decade after high school, young people continue to rely on their families in many ways-sometimes for financial support, sometimes for help with childcare, and sometimes for continued shelter. But what about those young people who confront special difficulties during this period, many of whom can count on little help from their families? "On…

  9. Segmentation of bone structures in 3D CT images based on continuous max-flow optimization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pérez-Carrasco, J. A.; Acha-Piñero, B.; Serrano, C.

    2015-03-01

    In this paper an algorithm to carry out the automatic segmentation of bone structures in 3D CT images has been implemented. Automatic segmentation of bone structures is of special interest for radiologists and surgeons to analyze bone diseases or to plan some surgical interventions. This task is very complicated as bones usually present intensities overlapping with those of surrounding tissues. This overlapping is mainly due to the composition of bones and to the presence of some diseases such as Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, etc. Moreover, segmentation of bone structures is a very time-consuming task due to the 3D essence of the bones. Usually, this segmentation is implemented manually or with algorithms using simple techniques such as thresholding and thus providing bad results. In this paper gray information and 3D statistical information have been combined to be used as input to a continuous max-flow algorithm. Twenty CT images have been tested and different coefficients have been computed to assess the performance of our implementation. Dice and Sensitivity values above 0.91 and 0.97 respectively were obtained. A comparison with Level Sets and thresholding techniques has been carried out and our results outperformed them in terms of accuracy.

  10. Kernelized Elastic Net Regularization: Generalization Bounds, and Sparse Recovery.

    PubMed

    Feng, Yunlong; Lv, Shao-Gao; Hang, Hanyuan; Suykens, Johan A K

    2016-03-01

    Kernelized elastic net regularization (KENReg) is a kernelization of the well-known elastic net regularization (Zou & Hastie, 2005). The kernel in KENReg is not required to be a Mercer kernel since it learns from a kernelized dictionary in the coefficient space. Feng, Yang, Zhao, Lv, and Suykens (2014) showed that KENReg has some nice properties including stability, sparseness, and generalization. In this letter, we continue our study on KENReg by conducting a refined learning theory analysis. This letter makes the following three main contributions. First, we present refined error analysis on the generalization performance of KENReg. The main difficulty of analyzing the generalization error of KENReg lies in characterizing the population version of its empirical target function. We overcome this by introducing a weighted Banach space associated with the elastic net regularization. We are then able to conduct elaborated learning theory analysis and obtain fast convergence rates under proper complexity and regularity assumptions. Second, we study the sparse recovery problem in KENReg with fixed design and show that the kernelization may improve the sparse recovery ability compared to the classical elastic net regularization. Finally, we discuss the interplay among different properties of KENReg that include sparseness, stability, and generalization. We show that the stability of KENReg leads to generalization, and its sparseness confidence can be derived from generalization. Moreover, KENReg is stable and can be simultaneously sparse, which makes it attractive theoretically and practically.

  11. Discrete Deterministic and Stochastic Petri Nets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zijal, Robert; Ciardo, Gianfranco

    1996-01-01

    Petri nets augmented with timing specifications gained a wide acceptance in the area of performance and reliability evaluation of complex systems exhibiting concurrency, synchronization, and conflicts. The state space of time-extended Petri nets is mapped onto its basic underlying stochastic process, which can be shown to be Markovian under the assumption of exponentially distributed firing times. The integration of exponentially and non-exponentially distributed timing is still one of the major problems for the analysis and was first attacked for continuous time Petri nets at the cost of structural or analytical restrictions. We propose a discrete deterministic and stochastic Petri net (DDSPN) formalism with no imposed structural or analytical restrictions where transitions can fire either in zero time or according to arbitrary firing times that can be represented as the time to absorption in a finite absorbing discrete time Markov chain (DTMC). Exponentially distributed firing times are then approximated arbitrarily well by geometric distributions. Deterministic firing times are a special case of the geometric distribution. The underlying stochastic process of a DDSPN is then also a DTMC, from which the transient and stationary solution can be obtained by standard techniques. A comprehensive algorithm and some state space reduction techniques for the analysis of DDSPNs are presented comprising the automatic detection of conflicts and confusions, which removes a major obstacle for the analysis of discrete time models.

  12. Widespread mosquito net fishing in the Barotse floodplain: Evidence from qualitative interviews.

    PubMed

    Larsen, David A; Welsh, Rick; Mulenga, Angela; Reid, Robert

    2018-01-01

    The insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN) is a crucial component of malaria control programs, and has prevented many malaria cases and deaths due to scale up. ITNs also serve effectively as fishing nets and various sources have reported use of ITNs for fishing. This article examines how widespread the practice of mosquito net fishing with ITNs is. We conducted in-depth interviews with fishery personnel and traditional leadership from the Barotse Royal Establishment in Western Province, Zambia, to better understand the presence or absence of the use of ITNs as fishing nets. We then coded the interviews for themes through content analysis. Additionally we conducted a desk review of survey data to show trends in malaria indicators, nutritional status of the population and fish consumption. All those interviewed reported that ITNs are regularly used for fishing in Western Zambia and the misuse is widespread. Concurrently those interviewed reported declines in fish catches both in terms of quantity and quality leading to threatened food security in the area. In addition to unsustainable fishing practices those interviewed referenced drought and population pressure as reasons for fishery decline. Malaria indicators do not show a trend in declining malaria transmission, fish consumption has dropped dramatically and nutritional status has not improved over time. Despite the misuse of the ITNs for fishing all those interviewed maintained that ITN distribution should continue. Donors, control programs and scientists should realize that misuse of ITNs as fishing nets is a current problem for malaria control and potentially for food security that needs to be addressed.

  13. The ClaudicatioNet concept: design of a national integrated care network providing active and healthy aging for patients with intermittent claudication

    PubMed Central

    Lauret, Gert-Jan; Gijsbers, Harm JH; Hendriks, Erik JM; Bartelink, Marie-Louise; de Bie, Rob A; Teijink, Joep AW

    2012-01-01

    Introduction: Intermittent claudication (IC) is a manifestation of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). Besides cardiovascular risk management, supervised exercise therapy (SET) should be offered to all patients with IC. Outdated guidelines, an insufficient number of specialized physiotherapists (PTs), lack of awareness of the importance of SET by referring physicians, and misguided financial incentives all seriously impede the availability of a structured SET program in The Netherlands. Description of care practice: By initiating regional care networks, ClaudicatioNet aims to improve the quality of care for patients with IC. Based on the chronic care model as a conceptual framework, these networks should enhance the access, continuity, and (cost) efficiency of the health care system. With the aid of a national database, health care professionals will be able to benchmark patient results while ClaudicatioNet will be able to monitor quality of care by way of functional and patient reported outcome measures. Discussion: The success of ClaudicatioNet is dependent on several factors. Vascular surgeons, general practitioners and coordinating central caregivers will need to team up and work in close collaboration with specialized PTs. A substantial task in the upcoming years will be to monitor the quality, volume, and distribution of ClaudicatioNet PTs. Finally, misguided financial incentives within the Dutch health care system need to be tackled. Conclusion: With ClaudicatioNet, integrated care pathways are likely to improve in the upcoming years. This should result in the achievement of optimal quality of care for all patients with IC. PMID:22942648

  14. Widespread mosquito net fishing in the Barotse floodplain: Evidence from qualitative interviews

    PubMed Central

    Mulenga, Angela; Reid, Robert

    2018-01-01

    Background The insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN) is a crucial component of malaria control programs, and has prevented many malaria cases and deaths due to scale up. ITNs also serve effectively as fishing nets and various sources have reported use of ITNs for fishing. This article examines how widespread the practice of mosquito net fishing with ITNs is. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with fishery personnel and traditional leadership from the Barotse Royal Establishment in Western Province, Zambia, to better understand the presence or absence of the use of ITNs as fishing nets. We then coded the interviews for themes through content analysis. Additionally we conducted a desk review of survey data to show trends in malaria indicators, nutritional status of the population and fish consumption. Results All those interviewed reported that ITNs are regularly used for fishing in Western Zambia and the misuse is widespread. Concurrently those interviewed reported declines in fish catches both in terms of quantity and quality leading to threatened food security in the area. In addition to unsustainable fishing practices those interviewed referenced drought and population pressure as reasons for fishery decline. Malaria indicators do not show a trend in declining malaria transmission, fish consumption has dropped dramatically and nutritional status has not improved over time. Conclusions Despite the misuse of the ITNs for fishing all those interviewed maintained that ITN distribution should continue. Donors, control programs and scientists should realize that misuse of ITNs as fishing nets is a current problem for malaria control and potentially for food security that needs to be addressed. PMID:29719003

  15. Airborne Laser/GPS Mapping of Assateague National Seashore Beach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kradill, W. B.; Wright, C. W.; Brock, John C.; Swift, R. N.; Frederick, E. B.; Manizade, S. S.; Yungel, J. K.; Martin, C. F.; Sonntag, J. G.; Duffy, Mark; hide

    1997-01-01

    Results are presented from topographic surveys of the Assateague Island National Seashore using recently developed Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) and kinematic Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. In November, 1995, and again in May, 1996, the NASA Arctic Ice Mapping (AIM) group from the Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility conducted the topographic surveys as a part of technology enhancement activities prior to conducting missions to measure the elevation of extensive sections of the Greenland Ice Sheet as part of NASA's Global Climate Change program. Differences between overlapping portions of both surveys are compared for quality control. An independent assessment of the accuracy of the ATM survey is provided by comparison to surface surveys which were conducted using standard techniques. The goal of these projects is to mdke these measurements to an accuracy of +/- 10 cm. Differences between the fall 1995 and 1996 surveys provides an assessment of net changes in the beach morphology over an annual cycle.

  16. QSAR for cholinesterase inhibition by organophosphorus esters and CNDO/2 calculations for organophosphorus ester hydrolysis. [quantitative structure-activity relationship, complete neglect of differential overlap

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, H.; Kenley, R. A.; Rynard, C.; Golub, M. A.

    1985-01-01

    Quantitative structure-activity relationships were derived for acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition by various organophosphorus esters. Bimolecular inhibition rate constants correlate well with hydrophobic substituent constants, and with the presence or absence of cationic groups on the inhibitor, but not with steric substituent constants. CNDO/2 calculations were performed on a separate set of organophosphorus esters, RR-primeP(O)X, where R and R-prime are alkyl and/or alkoxy groups and X is fluorine, chlorine or a phenoxy group. For each subset with the same X, the CNDO-derived net atomic charge at the central phosphorus atom in the ester correlates well with the alkaline hydrolysis rate constant. For the whole set of esters with different X, two equations were derived that relate either charge and leaving group steric bulk, or orbital energy and bond order to the hydrolysis rate constant.

  17. The stratification of military service and combat exposure, 1934–1994*

    PubMed Central

    MacLean, Alair

    2010-01-01

    Previous research has suggested that men who were exposed to combat during wartime differed from those who were not. Yet little is known about how selection into combat has changed over time. This paper estimates sequential logistic models using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to examine the stratification of military service and combat exposure in the US during the last six decades of the twentieth century. It tests potentially overlapping hypotheses drawn from two competing theories, class bias and dual selection. It also tests a hypothesis, drawn from the life course perspective, that the processes by which people came to see combat have changed historically. The findings show that human capital, institutional screening, and class bias all determined who saw combat. They also show that, net of historical change in the odds of service and combat, the impact of only one background characteristic, race, changed over time. PMID:21113325

  18. The Privileges of Rank

    PubMed Central

    MacLean, Alair

    2010-01-01

    This article examines the effects of peacetime cold war military service on the life course according to four potentially overlapping theories that state that military service (1) was a disruption, (2) was a positive turning point, (3) allowed veterans to accumulate advantage, and (4) was an agent of social reproduction. The article argues that the extent to which the effect of military service on veterans' lives corresponds with one or another of the preceding theories depends on historical shifts in three dimensions: conscription, conflict, and benefits. Military service during the peacetime draft era of the late 1950s had a neutral effect on the socioeconomic attainment of enlisted veterans. However, it had a positive effect on veterans who served as officers, which partly stemmed from status reproduction and selection. Yet net of pre-service and educational differences by rank, officers in this peacetime draft era were still able to accumulate advantage. PMID:20842210

  19. Aerodynamic influence coefficient method using singularity splines.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mercer, J. E.; Weber, J. A.; Lesferd, E. P.

    1973-01-01

    A new numerical formulation with computed results, is presented. This formulation combines the adaptability to complex shapes offered by paneling schemes with the smoothness and accuracy of the loading function methods. The formulation employs a continuous distribution of singularity strength over a set of panels on a paneled wing. The basic distributions are independent, and each satisfies all of the continuity conditions required of the final solution. These distributions are overlapped both spanwise and chordwise (termed 'spline'). Boundary conditions are satisfied in a least square error sense over the surface using a finite summing technique to approximate the integral.

  20. Design optimization of continuous partially prestressed concrete beams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-Gahtani, A. S.; Al-Saadoun, S. S.; Abul-Feilat, E. A.

    1995-04-01

    An effective formulation for optimum design of two-span continuous partially prestressed concrete beams is described in this paper. Variable prestressing forces along the tendon profile, which may be jacked from one end or both ends with flexibility in the overlapping range and location, and the induced secondary effects are considered. The imposed constraints are on flexural stresses, ultimate flexural strength, cracking moment, ultimate shear strength, reinforcement limits cross-section dimensions, and cable profile geometries. These constraints are formulated in accordance with ACI (American Concrete Institute) code provisions. The capabilities of the program to solve several engineering problems are presented.

  1. Attenuation correction for brain PET imaging using deep neural network based on dixon and ZTE MR images.

    PubMed

    Gong, Kuang; Yang, Jaewon; Kim, Kyungsang; El Fakhri, Georges; Seo, Youngho; Li, Quanzheng

    2018-05-23

    Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a functional imaging modality widely used in neuroscience studies. To obtain meaningful quantitative results from PET images, attenuation correction is necessary during image reconstruction. For PET/MR hybrid systems, PET attenuation is challenging as Magnetic Resonance (MR) images do not reflect attenuation coefficients directly. To address this issue, we present deep neural network methods to derive the continuous attenuation coefficients for brain PET imaging from MR images. With only Dixon MR images as the network input, the existing U-net structure was adopted and analysis using forty patient data sets shows it is superior than other Dixon based methods. When both Dixon and zero echo time (ZTE) images are available, we have proposed a modified U-net structure, named GroupU-net, to efficiently make use of both Dixon and ZTE information through group convolution modules when the network goes deeper. Quantitative analysis based on fourteen real patient data sets demonstrates that both network approaches can perform better than the standard methods, and the proposed network structure can further reduce the PET quantification error compared to the U-net structure. © 2018 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.

  2. Advancing medical device innovation through collaboration and coordination of structured data capture pilots: Report from the Medical Device Epidemiology Network (MDEpiNet) Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-Oriented, Time Bound (SMART) Think Tank.

    PubMed

    Reed, Terrie L; Drozda, Joseph P; Baskin, Kevin M; Tcheng, James; Conway, Karen; Wilson, Natalia; Marinac-Dabic, Danica; Heise, Theodore; Krucoff, Mitchell W

    2017-12-01

    The Medical Device Epidemiology Network (MDEpiNet) is a public private partnership (PPP) that provides a platform for collaboration on medical device evaluation and depth of expertise for supporting pilots to capture, exchange and use device information for improving device safety and protecting public health. The MDEpiNet SMART Think Tank, held in February, 2013, sought to engage expert stakeholders who were committed to improving the capture of device data, including Unique Device Identification (UDI), in key electronic health information. Prior to the Think Tank there was limited collaboration among stakeholders beyond a few single health care organizations engaged in electronic capture and exchange of device data. The Think Tank resulted in what has become two sustainable multi-stakeholder device data capture initiatives, BUILD and VANGUARD. These initiatives continue to mature within the MDEpiNet PPP structure and are well aligned with the goals outlined in recent FDA-initiated National Medical Device Planning Board and Medical Device Registry Task Force white papers as well as the vision for the National Evaluation System for health Technology.%. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Postpartum Consequences of an Overlap of Breastfeeding and Pregnancy: Reduced Breast Milk Intake and Growth During Early Infancy

    PubMed Central

    Marquis, Grace S.; Penny, Mary E.; Diaz, Judith M.; Marín, R. Margot

    2006-01-01

    Objective Despite cultural pressure to wean when a new pregnancy occurs, some women choose to continue breastfeeding. We determined the effect of an overlap of lactation and late pregnancy on breastfeeding and growth in early infancy. Methods We studied 133 Peruvian pregnant women who were ≥18 years of age, had a child <4 years old, and who then had a vaginal birth with a healthy, normal weight infant. Of the 133 women, 68 breastfed during the last trimester of pregnancy (BFP), and 65 had not breastfed during pregnancy (NBFP). On day 2 and at 1-month postpartum, 24-hour intake of breast milk and other liquids was measured. Twice weekly home surveillance documented infant morbidity and dietary intakes. Anthropometry was taken at birth and at 1 month. Maternal anthropometric, health, and socioeconomic status data were collected pre- and postpartum. Results Pregnant BFP mothers breastfed 5.3 ± 4.3 times/day. BFP and NBFP infants did not differ in breastfeeding behavior or in colostrum intake on day 2. BFP infants breastfed longer per feed and per 24 hours (35.2 minutes/24 hours) than did NBFP infants; however, 1-month intakes per feed tended to be lower among the BFP infants. After controlling for confounders, BFP infants gained 125 g less than did NBFP infants (about 15% of mean weight gain). A sustained decline would result in a −0.7 z score change in weight-for-age by 6 months. Conclusions A lactation-pregnancy overlap had a negative effect on early infant outcomes. Additional studies are needed to determine whether the effect continues past 1 month of age. PMID:11927729

  4. Geoscientists and the Radical Middle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tinker, S. W.

    2015-12-01

    Addressing the great challenges facing society requires industry, government, and academia to work together. I call this overlap space, where compromises are made and real solutions determined, the Radical Middle. Radical because it can appear at times as if the loudest and most publicly influential voices lie outside of the actual solution space, content to provoke but not problem-solve. One key area where geoscientists can play a lead role in the Radical Middle is in the overlap between energy, the environment, and the economy. Globally, fossil fuels still represent 85% of the aggregate energy mix. As existing conventional oil and natural-gas reservoir production continues to slowly decline, unconventional reservoirs, led today by shale and other more expensive resources, will represent a growing part of the oil and gas production mix. Many of these unconventional reservoirs require hydraulic fracturing. The positive economic impact of hydraulic fracturing and associated natural gas and oil production on the United States economy is well documented and undeniable. Yet there are environmental concerns about fracking, and some states and nations have imposed moratoria. This energy-environment-economy space is ideal for leadership from the geosciences. Another such overlap space is the potential for geoscience leadership in relations with China, whose economy and global presence continue to expand. Although China is building major hydropower and natural-gas power plants, as well as nuclear reactors, coal is still king—with the associated environmental impacts. Carbon sequestration—onshore in brine and to enhance oil recovery, as well as offshore—could prove viable. It is vital that educated and objective geoscientists from industry, government, and academia leave their corners and work together in the Radical Middle to educate the public and develop and deliver balanced, economically sensible energy and environmental strategies.

  5. Strong genetic overlap between executive functions and intelligence.

    PubMed

    Engelhardt, Laura E; Mann, Frank D; Briley, Daniel A; Church, Jessica A; Harden, K Paige; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M

    2016-09-01

    Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive processes that control, monitor, and coordinate more basic cognitive processes. EFs play instrumental roles in models of complex reasoning, learning, and decision making, and individual differences in EFs have been consistently linked with individual differences in intelligence. By middle childhood, genetic factors account for a moderate proportion of the variance in intelligence, and these effects increase in magnitude through adolescence. Genetic influences on EFs are very high, even in middle childhood, but the extent to which these genetic influences overlap with those on intelligence is unclear. We examined genetic and environmental overlap between EFs and intelligence in a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 811 twins ages 7 to 15 years (M = 10.91, SD = 1.74) from the Texas Twin Project. A general EF factor representing variance common to inhibition, switching, working memory, and updating domains accounted for substantial proportions of variance in intelligence, primarily via a genetic pathway. General EF continued to have a strong, genetically mediated association with intelligence even after controlling for processing speed. Residual variation in general intelligence was influenced only by shared and nonshared environmental factors, and there remained no genetic variance in general intelligence that was unique of EF. Genetic variance independent of EF did remain, however, in a more specific perceptual reasoning ability. These results provide evidence that genetic influences on general intelligence are highly overlapping with those on EF. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  6. A 5' UTR-Overlapping LncRNA Activates the Male-Determining Gene doublesex1 in the Crustacean Daphnia magna.

    PubMed

    Kato, Yasuhiko; Perez, Christelle Alexa G; Mohamad Ishak, Nur Syafiqah; Nong, Quang D; Sudo, Yuumi; Matsuura, Tomoaki; Wada, Tadashi; Watanabe, Hajime

    2018-06-04

    Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are pervasively transcribed in the eukaryotic genome [1] and are important for the control of master regulatory genes that are involved in cell differentiation and development [2, 3]. Here, we show that a 5' UTR-overlapping lncRNA regulates the male-specific expression of the DM-domain gene doublesex1 (dsx1) in the crustacean Daphnia magna, which produces males in response to environmental stimuli. This lncRNA, named doublesex1 alpha promoter-associated long RNA (DAPALR), is transcribed upstream the transcription start site (TSS) in a sense orientation and subjected to 5' end capping and 3' end processing at a stem-loop structure before the dsx1 coding exon. Similar to dsx1, its expression is only activated in males by the juvenile hormone (JH) and basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor Vrille (Vri) and is maintained during embryogenesis. Knockdown of DAPALR in males silenced dsx1 and led to feminization, including egg production, whereas ectopic expression of DAPALR in dsx1-silenced females resulted in the de-repression of dsx1. We further demonstrate that the DAPALR transcript overlaps the dsx1 5'-UTR, and this overlapping region is required for dsx1 activation. Our results suggest that DAPALR can transactivate and possibly maintain dsx1 expression. This might be important for converting transient environmental signals into stable male development, controlled by the continuous expression of dsx1. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Spokane Tribal Hatchery, 2003 Annual Report.

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

    Peone, Tim L.

    2004-05-01

    Due to the construction and operation of Grand Coulee Dam (1939), anadromous salmon have been eradicated and resident fish populations permanently altered in the upper Columbia River region. Federal and private hydropower dam operations throughout the Columbia River system severely limits indigenous fish populations in the upper Columbia. Artificial production has been determined appropriate for supporting a harvestable fishery for kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake (Grand Coulee Dam impoundments). A collaborative multi-agency artificial production program for the Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake fisheries exists consisting of the Spokane Tribal Hatchery,more » Sherman Creek Hatchery, Ford Trout Hatchery and the Lake Roosevelt Kokanee and Rainbow Trout Net Pen Rearing Projects. These projects operate complementary of one another to target an annual release of 1 million yearling kokanee and 500,000 yearling rainbow trout for Lake Roosevelt and 1.4 million kokanee fry/fingerlings for Banks Lake. Combined fish stocking by the hatcheries and net pen rearing projects in 2003 included: 899,168 kokanee yearlings released into Lake Roosevelt; 1,087,331 kokanee fry/fingerlings released into Banks Lake, 44,000 rainbow trout fingerlings and; 580,880 rainbow trout yearlings released into Lake Roosevelt. Stock composition of 2003 releases consisted of Lake Whatcom kokanee, 50:50 diploid-triploid Spokane Trout Hatchery (McCloud River) rainbow trout and Phalon Lake red-band rainbow trout. All kokanee were marked with either thermal, oxytetracyline or fin clips prior to release. Preliminary 2003 Lake Roosevelt fisheries investigations indicate hatchery/net pen stocking significantly contributed to harvestable rainbow trout and kokanee salmon fisheries. An increase in kokanee harvest was primarily owing to new release strategies. Walleye predation, early maturity and entrainment through Grand Coulee Dam continues to have a negative impact on adult kokanee returns and limits the success of hatchery/net pen stocking on the number of harvestable fish. Preliminary results of gonad necropsies indicate a reduced incidence of precocious kokanee produced at the Spokane Tribal Hatchery in 2003. This was a probable attribute of change in hatchery rearing practices employed on 2002 brood year kokanee produced in 2003, primarily thermal manipulation and feed protein source. Kokanee and rainbow trout fingerlings transferred to Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake net pen rearing operations in the fall of 2003 for subsequent release as yearlings in 2004 consisted of 645,234 rainbow trout and 627,037 kokanee salmon. A total of 590,000 Lake Whatcom kokanee fingerlings were carried over at the Spokane Tribal Hatchery for stocking as yearlings in 2004. Recommendations for future hatchery/net pen operations include use of stocks compatible or native to the upper Columbia River, continue hatchery-rearing practices to reduce precocity rates of kokanee and continue new kokanee stocking strategies associated with increased kokanee harvest rates.« less

  8. SPECS: Orbital debris removal

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    The debris problem has reached a stage at which the risk to satellites and spacecraft has become substantial in low Earth orbit (LEO). This research discovered that small particles posed little threat to spacecraft because shielding can effectively prevent these particles from damaging the spacecraft. The research also showed that, even though collision with a large piece of debris could destroy the spacecraft, the large pieces of debris pose little danger because they can be tracked and the spacecraft can be maneuvered away from these pieces. Additionally, there are many current designs to capture and remove large debris particles from the space environment. From this analysis, it was decided to concentrate on the removal of medium-sized orbital debris, that is, those pieces ranging from 1 cm to 50 cm in size. The current design incorporates a transfer vehicle and a netting vehicle to capture the medium-sized debris. The system is based near an operational space station located at 28.5 deg inclination and 400 km altitude. The system uses ground-based tracking to determine the location of a satellite breakup or debris cloud. These data are uploaded to the transfer vehicle, which proceeds to rendezvous with the debris at a lower altitude parking orbit. Next, the netting vehicle is deployed, tracks the targeted debris, and captures it. After expending the available nets, the netting vehicle returns to the transfer vehicle for a new netting module and continues to capture more debris in the target area. Once all the netting modules are expended, the transfer vehicle returns to the space station's orbit where it is resupplied with new netting modules from a space shuttle load. The new modules are launched by the shuttle from the ground and the expended modules are taken back to Earth for removal of the captured debris, refueling, and repacking of the nets. Once the netting modules are refurbished, they are taken back into orbit for reuse. In a typical mission, the system has the ability to capture 50 pieces of orbital debris. One mission will take approximately six months and the system is designed to allow for a 30 deg inclination change on the outgoing and incoming trips of the transfer vehicle.

  9. Achieving Zero Net Migration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mann, Donald

    1984-01-01

    Unemployment in the United States can only be made worse by continued high levels of legal immigration. Especially serious is the threat from Latin America. We must help developing countries halt their population growth and impose a ceiling of 100,000 a year for total immigration to the United States. (RM)

  10. 12 CFR 252.146 - Methodologies and practices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... SYSTEM (CONTINUED) ENHANCED PRUDENTIAL STANDARDS (REGULATION YY) Company-Run Stress Test Requirements for... stress test under sections 252.144 and 252.145, for each quarter of the planning horizon, a covered company must estimate the following for each scenario required to be used: (1) Losses, pre-provision net...

  11. Intermittent spring flooding of agricultural fields will increase net global-warming potential of greenhouse gas fluxes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paul, R. F.; Smyth, E. M.; Smith, C. M.; Kantola, I. B.; Krichels, A.; Yang, W. H.; DeLucia, E. H.

    2014-12-01

    The U.S. Corn Belt is currently a net source of carbon dioxide and nitrous dioxide to the atmosphere but is also a weak sink for methane. Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and duration of spring precipitation in the North American Midwest, resulting in intermittent flooding and ponding in agricultural fields. Inundation changes the greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes of the soil, especially by promoting methanogenesis under anoxic conditions. DNA and 16S cDNA sequencing results of earlier, similar experiments confirmed the presence of methanogens in soil samples, albeit in low abundance (representing <0.01% of reads per sample). We installed collars into bare ground of a central Illinois research field to experiment with flooding conditions and observe changes in gas fluxes, microbial community, and soil chemistry. We established three treatments of five replicates—control, continuously flooded, and intermittently flooded—each with separate collars for gas flux measurements, soil sample collection, and soil probe measurements. A drip irrigation system flooded the headspaces of the collars to produce flooding events. The continuously flooded collars were maintained in a flooded condition for the duration of the experiment, and the intermittently flooded collars were flooded for 72 hours per flooding event and then kept dry for at least 5 days before the next flooding event. We measured net concentrations of N2O, CH4, and CO2 in situ using a static chamber connected to a cavity ringdown spectrometer. We found that the periodicity of wetting and drying events induces hysteresis effects that push GHG shifts to occur rapidly (< 1 hr). Integrating fluxes across the period of the experiment, the intermittently flooded collars showed 88.7% higher global-warming potential of GHG fluxes at the 100-year horizon versus control, with most of change driven by increased net CO2 flux (87.1% higher) and net methane flux (29 times higher). These data indicate that more frequent flooding and ponding events will have a significant impact of increasing the soil GHG emissions from the U.S. Corn Belt region.

  12. Comparing insecticide-treated bed net use to Plasmodium falciparum infection among schoolchildren living near Lake Victoria, Kenya.

    PubMed

    Okoyo, Collins; Mwandawiro, Charles; Kihara, Jimmy; Simiyu, Elses; Gitonga, Caroline W; Noor, Abdisalan M; Njenga, Sammy M; Snow, Robert W

    2015-12-22

    Under trial conditions insecticide-treated nets have been shown to provide significant clinical and mortality protection under a range of malaria transmission intensity conditions. There are, however, few operational impact data, notably in very intense transmission conditions. This study, reports on malaria infection among Kenyan schoolchildren living in areas of intense malaria transmission and their reported use of insecticide-treated bed nets. 5188 children in 54 schools were randomly sampled from seven counties surrounding Lake Victoria between May and June 2014. A questionnaire was administered to schoolchildren in classes 2-6 on the use of a long-lasting, insecticide-treated net (LLIN) the night before the survey and provided a single blood sample for a rapid diagnostic test for malaria infection. Analysis of the impact of insecticide-treated net use on malaria prevalence was undertaken using a multivariable, mixed effects, logistic regression at 95% confidence interval (CI), taking into account hierarchical nature of the data and results adjusted for school clusters. The overall prevalence of malaria infection was 48.7%, two-thirds (67.9%) of the children reported using LLIN, 91.3% of the children reported that their households own at least one LLIN and the household LLIN coverage was 2.5 persons per one LLIN. The prevalence of infection showed variation across the counties, with prevalence being highest in Busia (66.9%) and Homabay (51.8%) counties, and lowest in Migori County (29.6%). Generally, malaria parasite prevalence differed between age groups and gender with the highest prevalence occurring in children below 7 years (50.6%) and males (52.2%). Adjusting for county and school, there was a significant reduction in odds of malaria infection among the schoolchildren who reported LLIN use the previous night by 14 % (aOR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74-0.98, P < 0.027). Malaria transmission continues to be high around Lake Victoria. Despite evidence of increasing pyrethroid resistance and the likely overall efficacy of LLIN distributed several years prior to the survey, LLIN continue to provide protection against infection among school-aged children.

  13. Controls of Carbon Exchange in a Boreal Minerogenic Mire

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nilsson, M.; Sagerfors, J.; Buffam, I.; Eriksson, T.; Grelle, A.; Klemedtsson, L.; Weslien, P.; Laudon, H.; Lindroth, A.

    2008-12-01

    Based on theories on both mire development and their response to environmental change, the current role of mires as a net carbon sink has been questioned. A rigorous evaluation of the contemporary net C-exchange in mires requires direct measurements of all relevant fluxes. We use data on carbon exchange from a boreal minerogenic oligotrophic mire (Degerö Stormyr, 64°11' N, 19°33E) to derive a contemporary carbon budget and to analyze the main controls on the C exchange. Data on the following fluxes were collected: land-atmosphere CO2 (continuous Eddy Covariance measurements, 7 years) and CH4 (static chambers during the snow free period, 4 years) exchange; DOC in precipitation; loss of TOC, CO2 and CH4 through water runoff, 4 years (continuous discharge measurement and regular C-content measurements). The annual land atmosphere exchange of CO2 (NEE) was fairly constant between years and varied between -48 - -61 gCm-2yr-1 during six out of the seven years, despite a large variation in weather combinations, the average being -53 ± 5 gCm-2yr-1. Of the net fixation of atmospheric CO2-C during the net uptake period, i.e. the growing season, approximately a third was lost during the net source period, i.e. the winter period. During the four years with measurements of methane and runoff C-export another third of the growing season uptake was lost from the mire ecosystem as methane and runoff C. While the balance between the length of the NEE uptake and the NEE loss period are most important for the annual net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) it is central to understand the controls of the spring-summer, and the summer-autumn transitions. The onset of the net C uptake period was controlled by the interaction between the water content and the temperature of the peat moss surface. We interpret this as mainly being a control of the CO2 photosynthesis uptake by the Sphagnum mosses. The transition from being a net C sink to being a net C source is in contrast only controlled by the soil temperature. The higher the soil temperature during the months preceding the transition the earlier the mire will shift from being a C sink to become a C source. Our interpretation is that this transition is mainly controlled by the activity of the heterotrophic microorganisms. During a year with exceptional dry late summer the NEE dropped to -17 gCm-2yr-1, compared to -53±5 gCm- 2yr-1 during "normal" years. During this period the water table level was approximately 15 cm below the long-term lowest level. Data indicate that most of the reduction in NEE comes from decreased GPP while the ecosystem respiration was relatively stable between years. Including all component fluxes the mire still is a sink of atmospheric C during average weather conditions. During the years 2004 and 2005 the Net Ecosystem Balance (NECB) was -20±3.3 gCm-2yr-1. Both emission of methane and runoff export of carbon contributed significantly to the loss of carbon. During the dry year with a NEE of -17 gCm-2yr-1 the methane emission and runoff C export resulted in a NECB not different from 0.

  14. Approximate numerical abilities and mathematics: Insight from correlational and experimental training studies.

    PubMed

    Hyde, D C; Berteletti, I; Mou, Y

    2016-01-01

    Humans have the ability to nonverbally represent the approximate numerosity of sets of objects. The cognitive system that supports this ability, often referred to as the approximate number system (ANS), is present in early infancy and continues to develop in precision over the life span. It has been proposed that the ANS forms a foundation for uniquely human symbolic number and mathematics learning. Recent work has brought two types of evidence to bear on the relationship between the ANS and human mathematics: correlational studies showing individual differences in approximate numerical abilities correlate with individual differences in mathematics achievement and experimental studies showing enhancing effects of nonsymbolic approximate numerical training on exact, symbolic mathematical abilities. From this work, at least two accounts can be derived from these empirical data. It may be the case that the ANS and mathematics are related because the cognitive and brain processes responsible for representing numerical quantity in each format overlap, the Representational Overlap Hypothesis, or because of commonalities in the cognitive operations involved in mentally manipulating the representations of each format, the Operational Overlap hypothesis. The two hypotheses make distinct predictions for future work to test. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Recovery from severe dysphagia in systemic sclerosis - myositis overlap: a case report.

    PubMed

    Chinniah, Keith J; Mody, Girish M

    2017-06-01

    Dysphagia is common in inflammatory myopathies and usually responds to corticosteroids. Severe dysphagia requiring feeding by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is associated with significant morbidity and high mortality. A 56-year old African Black woman initially presented with systemic sclerosis (SSC) - myositis overlap and interstitial lung disease. She responded to high dose corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide followed by azathioprine, with improvement in her lung function and regression of the skin changes. Six years later she had a myositis flare with severe dysphagia. Her myositis improved after high doses of corticosteroids, azathioprine and two doses of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). As her dysphagia persisted, she was fed via a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube and given a course of rituximab. Her dysphagia gradually resolved and the PEG tube was removed within two months. She received another dose of rituximab six months later and continued low dose prednisone and azathioprine. Her muscle power improved, weight returned to normal and she remained well 20 months after hospital discharge. Our patient with SSC-myositis overlap and severe dysphagia requiring PEG feeding, improved with high dose corticosteroids, azathioprine, two courses of IVIG and rituximab, and remained in remission 20 months after hospital discharge.

  16. An analysis of printing conditions for wavefront overlapping printing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ichihashi, Y.; Yamamoto, K.; Wakunami, K.; Oi, R.; Okui, M.; Senoh, T.

    2017-03-01

    Wavefront printing for a digitally-designed hologram has got attentions recently. In this printing, a spatial light modulator (SLM) is used for displaying a hologram data and the wavefront is reproduced by irradiating the hologram with a reference light the same way as electronic holography. However, a pixel count of current SLM devices is not enough to display an entire hologram data. To generate a practical digitally-designed hologram, the entire hologram data is divided into a set of sub-hologram data and wavefront reproduced by each sub-hologram is sequentially recorded in tiling manner by using X-Y motorized stage. Due to a lack of positioning an accuracy of X-Y motorized stage and the temporal incoherent recording, phase continuity of recorded/reproduced wavefront is lost between neighboring subholograms. In this paper, we generate the holograms that have different size of sub-holograms with an overlap or nonoverlap, and verify the size of sub-holograms effect on the reconstructed images. In the result, the reconstructed images degrade with decreasing the size of sub-holograms and there is little or no degradation of quality by the wavefront printing with the overlap.

  17. Lattice gauge action suppressing near-zero modes of H{sub W}

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

    Fukaya, Hidenori; Hashimoto, Shoji; Kaneko, Takashi

    2006-11-01

    We propose a lattice action including unphysical Wilson fermions with a negative mass m{sub 0} of the order of the inverse lattice spacing. With this action, the exact zero mode of the Hermitian Wilson-Dirac operator H{sub W}(m{sub 0}) cannot appear and near-zero modes are strongly suppressed. By measuring the spectral density {rho}({lambda}{sub W}), we find a gap near {lambda}{sub W}=0 on the configurations generated with the standard and improved gauge actions. This gap provides a necessary condition for the proof of the exponential locality of the overlap-Dirac operator by Hernandez, Jansen, and Luescher. Since the number of near-zero modes ismore » small, the numerical cost to calculate the matrix sign function of H{sub W}(m{sub 0}) is significantly reduced, and the simulation including dynamical overlap fermions becomes feasible. We also introduce a pair of twisted mass pseudofermions to cancel the unwanted higher mode effects of the Wilson fermions. The gauge coupling renormalization due to the additional fields is then minimized. The topological charge measured through the index of the overlap-Dirac operator is conserved during continuous evolutions of gauge field variables.« less

  18. Feeding ecology and niche overlap of Lake Ontario offshore forage fish assessed with stable isotopes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mumby, James; Johson, Timothy; Stewart, Thomas; Halfyard, Edward; Walsh, Maureen; Weidel, Brian C.; Lantry, Jana; Fisk, Aarron

    2017-01-01

    The forage fish communities of the Laurentian Great Lakes continue to experience changes that have altered ecosystem structure, yet little is known about how they partition resources. Seasonal, spatial and body size variation in δ13C and δ15N was used to assess isotopic niche overlap and resource and habitat partitioning among the five common offshore Lake Ontario forage fish species (n = 2037) [Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax), Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus), and Deepwater (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) and Slimy (Cottus cognatus) Sculpin]. Round Goby had the largest isotopic niche (6.1‰2, standard ellipse area (SEAC)), followed by Alewife (3.4‰2) while Rainbow Smelt, Slimy Sculpin and Deepwater Sculpin had the smallest and similar niche size (1.7-1.8‰2), with only the Sculpin species showing significant isotopic niche overlap (>63%). Stable isotopes in Alewife, Round Goby and Rainbow Smelt varied with location, season and size, but did not in the Sculpin spp. Lake Ontario forage fish species have partitioned food and habitat resources, and non-native Alewife and Round Goby have the largest isotopic niche, suggestive of a boarder ecological niche, and may contribute to their current high abundance.

  19. Ecosystem vs. community recovery 25 years after grass invasions and fire in a subtropical woodland

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    D'Antonio, Carla M.; Yelenik, Stephanie G.; Mack, Michelle C.

    2017-01-01

    Despite a large body of research documenting invasive plant impacts, few studies have followed individual invaded sites over decades to observe how they change, and none have contrasted how compositional impacts from invasion compare to ecosystem-process impacts over a multi-decadal time-scale. Using direct measurements of plant density and composition and of ecosystems processes, we evaluate how ecosystem structure, above-ground net primary production (ANPP), and above-ground and soil nutrient pools compare over 25 years since fire and C4 grass invasions disrupted seasonally dry Hawaiian woodlands. We compare structure and function between primary woodland that has never burned and is largely native species-dominated, with sites that had been the same woodland type but burned in alien-grass-fuelled fires in the 1970s and 1980s. The sites have not experienced fires since 1987. We report here that woody plant composition and structure continue to be dramatically changed by the initial invasions and fires that occurred 25 years ago and invaders continue to dominate in burned sites. This is reflected in continued low plant carbon pools in burned compared to unburned sites. Yet ANPP and N storage, which were dramatically lower in the initial decade after invasive-grass fuelled fires, have increased and are now indistinguishable from values measured in intact woodlands. Soil carbon pools were resilient to both invasion and fire initially and over time. Above-ground net primary production has recovered because of invasion of burned sites by a non-native N-fixing tree rather than because of recovery of native species. This invasive N-fixing tree is unlikely to return C storage of the invaded sites to those of unburned woodland because of its tissue and growth characteristics and its interactions with invasive grasses. It does not facilitate native species but rather promotes a persistent invasive grass/N-fixer savanna. Synthesis. We conclude that fire, an unusual disturbance in this system, has perpetuated the dominance of these sites by invasive species and that despite the dramatic recovery of above-ground net primary production and N pools, the ecosystem continues to be in a distinctly different state than the pre-fire, pre-Melinis community. Thus, despite the absence of further disturbance (fire), there is no evidence that succession towards the original ecosystem is occurring. The fact that N pools and above-ground net primary production recover because of a new invader (Morella faya), highlights the unpredictability of ecosystem trajectories in the face of altered regional species pools.

  20. The urinary excretion of metformin, ceftizoxime and ofloxacin in high serum creatinine rats: Can creatinine predict renal tubular elimination?

    PubMed

    Ma, Yan-Rong; Zhou, Yan; Huang, Jing; Qin, Hong-Yan; Wang, Pei; Wu, Xin-An

    2018-03-01

    The renal excretion of creatinine and most drugs are the net result of glomerular filtration and tubular secretion, and their tubular secretions are mediated by individual transporters. Thus, we hypothesized that the increase of serum creatinine (SCr) levels attributing to inhibiting tubular transporters but not glomerular filtration rate (GFR) could be used to evaluate the tubular excretion of drugs mediated by identical or partial overlap transporter with creatinine. In this work, we firstly developed the creatinine excretion inhibition model with normal GFR by competitively inhibiting tubular transporters, and investigated the renal excretion of metformin, ceftizoxime and ofloxacin in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that the 24-hour urinary excretion of metformin and ceftizoxime in model rats were decreased by 25% and 17% compared to that in control rats, respectively. The uptake amount and urinary excretion of metformin and ceftizoxime could be inhibited by creatinine in renal cortical slices and isolated kidney perfusion. However, the urinary excretion of ofloxacin was not affected by high SCr. These results showed that the inhibition of tubular creatinine transporters by high SCr resulted to the decrease of urinary excretion of metformin and ceftizoxime, but not ofloxacin, which implied that the increase of SCr could also be used to evaluate the tubular excretion of drugs mediated by identical or partial overlap transporter with creatinine in normal GFR rats. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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