Sample records for derivative methods applications

  1. Applications of Computational Methods for Dynamic Stability and Control Derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Green, Lawrence L.; Spence, Angela M.

    2004-01-01

    Initial steps in the application o f a low-order panel method computational fluid dynamic (CFD) code to the calculation of aircraft dynamic stability and control (S&C) derivatives are documented. Several capabilities, unique to CFD but not unique to this particular demonstration, are identified and demonstrated in this paper. These unique capabilities complement conventional S&C techniques and they include the ability to: 1) perform maneuvers without the flow-kinematic restrictions and support interference commonly associated with experimental S&C facilities, 2) easily simulate advanced S&C testing techniques, 3) compute exact S&C derivatives with uncertainty propagation bounds, and 4) alter the flow physics associated with a particular testing technique from those observed in a wind or water tunnel test in order to isolate effects. Also presented are discussions about some computational issues associated with the simulation of S&C tests and selected results from numerous surface grid resolution studies performed during the course of the study.

  2. A novel baseline-correction method for standard addition based derivative spectra and its application to quantitative analysis of benzo(a)pyrene in vegetable oil samples.

    PubMed

    Li, Na; Li, Xiu-Ying; Zou, Zhe-Xiang; Lin, Li-Rong; Li, Yao-Qun

    2011-07-07

    In the present work, a baseline-correction method based on peak-to-derivative baseline measurement was proposed for the elimination of complex matrix interference that was mainly caused by unknown components and/or background in the analysis of derivative spectra. This novel method was applicable particularly when the matrix interfering components showed a broad spectral band, which was common in practical analysis. The derivative baseline was established by connecting two crossing points of the spectral curves obtained with a standard addition method (SAM). The applicability and reliability of the proposed method was demonstrated through both theoretical simulation and practical application. Firstly, Gaussian bands were used to simulate 'interfering' and 'analyte' bands to investigate the effect of different parameters of interfering band on the derivative baseline. This simulation analysis verified that the accuracy of the proposed method was remarkably better than other conventional methods such as peak-to-zero, tangent, and peak-to-peak measurements. Then the above proposed baseline-correction method was applied to the determination of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) in vegetable oil samples by second-derivative synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. The satisfactory results were obtained by using this new method to analyze a certified reference material (coconut oil, BCR(®)-458) with a relative error of -3.2% from the certified BaP concentration. Potentially, the proposed method can be applied to various types of derivative spectra in different fields such as UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy.

  3. Application of the Bootstrap Statistical Method in Deriving Vibroacoustic Specifications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, William O.; Paez, Thomas L.

    2006-01-01

    This paper discusses the Bootstrap Method for specification of vibroacoustic test specifications. Vibroacoustic test specifications are necessary to properly accept or qualify a spacecraft and its components for the expected acoustic, random vibration and shock environments seen on an expendable launch vehicle. Traditionally, NASA and the U.S. Air Force have employed methods of Normal Tolerance Limits to derive these test levels based upon the amount of data available, and the probability and confidence levels desired. The Normal Tolerance Limit method contains inherent assumptions about the distribution of the data. The Bootstrap is a distribution-free statistical subsampling method which uses the measured data themselves to establish estimates of statistical measures of random sources. This is achieved through the computation of large numbers of Bootstrap replicates of a data measure of interest and the use of these replicates to derive test levels consistent with the probability and confidence desired. The comparison of the results of these two methods is illustrated via an example utilizing actual spacecraft vibroacoustic data.

  4. Computational Methods for Dynamic Stability and Control Derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Green, Lawrence L.; Spence, Angela M.; Murphy, Patrick C.

    2003-01-01

    Force and moment measurements from an F-16XL during forced pitch oscillation tests result in dynamic stability derivatives, which are measured in combinations. Initial computational simulations of the motions and combined derivatives are attempted via a low-order, time-dependent panel method computational fluid dynamics code. The code dynamics are shown to be highly questionable for this application and the chosen configuration. However, three methods to computationally separate such combined dynamic stability derivatives are proposed. One of the separation techniques is demonstrated on the measured forced pitch oscillation data. Extensions of the separation techniques to yawing and rolling motions are discussed. In addition, the possibility of considering the angles of attack and sideslip state vector elements as distributed quantities, rather than point quantities, is introduced.

  5. Computational Methods for Dynamic Stability and Control Derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Green, Lawrence L.; Spence, Angela M.; Murphy, Patrick C.

    2004-01-01

    Force and moment measurements from an F-16XL during forced pitch oscillation tests result in dynamic stability derivatives, which are measured in combinations. Initial computational simulations of the motions and combined derivatives are attempted via a low-order, time-dependent panel method computational fluid dynamics code. The code dynamics are shown to be highly questionable for this application and the chosen configuration. However, three methods to computationally separate such combined dynamic stability derivatives are proposed. One of the separation techniques is demonstrated on the measured forced pitch oscillation data. Extensions of the separation techniques to yawing and rolling motions are discussed. In addition, the possibility of considering the angles of attack and sideslip state vector elements as distributed quantities, rather than point quantities, is introduced.

  6. Establishing a method of short-term rainfall forecasting based on GNSS-derived PWV and its application.

    PubMed

    Yao, Yibin; Shan, Lulu; Zhao, Qingzhi

    2017-09-29

    Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can effectively retrieve precipitable water vapor (PWV) with high precision and high-temporal resolution. GNSS-derived PWV can be used to reflect water vapor variation in the process of strong convection weather. By studying the relationship between time-varying PWV and rainfall, it can be found that PWV contents increase sharply before raining. Therefore, a short-term rainfall forecasting method is proposed based on GNSS-derived PWV. Then the method is validated using hourly GNSS-PWV data from Zhejiang Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) network of the period 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015 and its corresponding hourly rainfall information. The results show that the forecasted correct rate can reach about 80%, while the false alarm rate is about 66%. Compared with results of the previous studies, the correct rate is improved by about 7%, and the false alarm rate is comparable. The method is also applied to other three actual rainfall events of different regions, different durations, and different types. The results show that the method has good applicability and high accuracy, which can be used for rainfall forecasting, and in the future study, it can be assimilated with traditional weather forecasting techniques to improve the forecasted accuracy.

  7. Application of a phosphazene derivative as a flame retardant for cotton fabric using conventional method and supercritical CO2

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Conventional pad-dry-cure (non-scCO2) and supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) application methods were investigated to study the effectiveness of a phosphazene derivative as a flame retardant on cotton fabric. 1,1',4,5-tetrahydrotrispiro[1,3,2-diazaphosphole-2,2'-[1,3,5,2,4,6]triazatriphosphinine-4...

  8. On the Exploitation of Sensitivity Derivatives for Improving Sampling Methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cao, Yanzhao; Hussaini, M. Yousuff; Zang, Thomas A.

    2003-01-01

    Many application codes, such as finite-element structural analyses and computational fluid dynamics codes, are capable of producing many sensitivity derivatives at a small fraction of the cost of the underlying analysis. This paper describes a simple variance reduction method that exploits such inexpensive sensitivity derivatives to increase the accuracy of sampling methods. Three examples, including a finite-element structural analysis of an aircraft wing, are provided that illustrate an order of magnitude improvement in accuracy for both Monte Carlo and stratified sampling schemes.

  9. Inter-laboratory verification of European pharmacopoeia monograph on derivative spectrophotometry method and its application for chitosan hydrochloride.

    PubMed

    Marković, Bojan; Ignjatović, Janko; Vujadinović, Mirjana; Savić, Vedrana; Vladimirov, Sote; Karljiković-Rajić, Katarina

    2015-01-01

    Inter-laboratory verification of European pharmacopoeia (EP) monograph on derivative spectrophotometry (DS) method and its application for chitosan hydrochloride was carried out on two generation of instruments (earlier GBC Cintra 20 and current technology TS Evolution 300). Instruments operate with different versions of Savitzky-Golay algorithm and modes of generating digital derivative spectra. For resolution power parameter, defined as the amplitude ratio A/B in DS method EP monograph, comparable results were obtained only with algorithm's parameters smoothing points (SP) 7 and the 2nd degree polynomial and those provided corresponding data with other two modes on TS Evolution 300 Medium digital indirect and Medium digital direct. Using quoted algorithm's parameters, the differences in percentages between the amplitude ratio A/B averages, were within accepted criteria (±3%) for assay of drug product for method transfer. The deviation of 1.76% for the degree of deacetylation assessment of chitosan hydrochloride, determined on two instruments, (amplitude (1)D202; the 2nd degree polynomial and SP 9 in Savitzky-Golay algorithm), was acceptable, since it was within allowed criteria (±2%) for assay deviation of drug substance, for method transfer in pharmaceutical analyses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Development and application of a selective detection method for genetically modified soy and soy-derived products.

    PubMed

    Hoef, A M; Kok, E J; Bouw, E; Kuiper, H A; Keijer, J

    1998-10-01

    A method has been developed to distinguish between traditional soy beans and transgenic Roundup Ready soy beans, i.e. the glyphosate ('Roundup') resistant soy bean variety developed by Monsanto Company. Glyphosate resistance results from the incorporation of an Agrobacterium-derived 5-enol-pyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphatesynthase (EPSPS) gene. The detection method developed is based on a nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) procedure. Ten femtograms of soy bean DNA can be detected, while, starting from whole soy beans, Roundup Ready DNA can be detected at a level of 1 Roundup Ready soy bean in 5000 non-GM soy beans (0.02% Roundup Ready soy bean). The method has been applied to samples of soy bean, soy-meal pellets and soy bean flour, as well as a number of processed complex products such as infant formula based on soy, tofu, tempeh, soy-based desserts, bakery products and complex meat and meat-replacing products. The results obtained are discussed with respect to practical application of the detection method developed.

  11. Nanoarchitectures for Metal-Organic Framework-Derived Nanoporous Carbons toward Supercapacitor Applications.

    PubMed

    Salunkhe, Rahul R; Kaneti, Yusuf Valentino; Kim, Jeonghun; Kim, Jung Ho; Yamauchi, Yusuke

    2016-12-20

    The future advances of supercapacitors depend on the development of novel carbon materials with optimized porous structures, high surface area, high conductivity, and high electrochemical stability. Traditionally, nanoporous carbons (NPCs) have been prepared by a variety of methods, such as templated synthesis, carbonization of polymer precursors, physical and chemical activation, etc. Inorganic solid materials such as mesoporous silica and zeolites have been successfully utilized as templates to prepare NPCs. However, the hard-templating methods typically involve several synthetic steps, such as preparation of the original templates, formation of carbon frameworks, and removal of the original templates. Therefore, these methods are not favorable for large-scale production. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with high surface areas and large pore volumes have been studied over the years, and recently, enormous efforts have been made to utilize MOFs for electrochemical applications. However, their low conductivity and poor stability still present major challenges toward their practical applications in supercapacitors. MOFs can be used as precursors for the preparation of NPCs with high porosity. Their parent MOFs can be prepared with endless combinations of organic and inorganic constituents by simple coordination chemistry, and it is possible to control their porous architectures, pore volumes, surface areas, etc. These unique properties of MOF-derived NPCs make them highly attractive for many technological applications. Compared with carbonaceous materials prepared using conventional precursors, MOF-derived carbons have significant advantages in terms of a simple synthesis with inherent diversity affording precise control over porous architectures, pore volumes, and surface areas. In this Account, we will summarize our recent research developments on the preparation of three-dimensional (3-D) MOF-derived carbons for supercapacitor applications. This Account will be

  12. Advancing MODFLOW Applying the Derived Vector Space Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herrera, G. S.; Herrera, I.; Lemus-García, M.; Hernandez-Garcia, G. D.

    2015-12-01

    The most effective domain decomposition methods (DDM) are non-overlapping DDMs. Recently a new approach, the DVS-framework, based on an innovative discretization method that uses a non-overlapping system of nodes (the derived-nodes), was introduced and developed by I. Herrera et al. [1, 2]. Using the DVS-approach a group of four algorithms, referred to as the 'DVS-algorithms', which fulfill the DDM-paradigm (i.e. the solution of global problems is obtained by resolution of local problems exclusively) has been derived. Such procedures are applicable to any boundary-value problem, or system of such equations, for which a standard discretization method is available and then software with a high degree of parallelization can be constructed. In a parallel talk, in this AGU Fall Meeting, Ismael Herrera will introduce the general DVS methodology. The application of the DVS-algorithms has been demonstrated in the solution of several boundary values problems of interest in Geophysics. Numerical examples for a single-equation, for the cases of symmetric, non-symmetric and indefinite problems were demonstrated before [1,2]. For these problems DVS-algorithms exhibited significantly improved numerical performance with respect to standard versions of DDM algorithms. In view of these results our research group is in the process of applying the DVS method to a widely used simulator for the first time, here we present the advances of the application of this method for the parallelization of MODFLOW. Efficiency results for a group of tests will be presented. References [1] I. Herrera, L.M. de la Cruz and A. Rosas-Medina. Non overlapping discretization methods for partial differential equations, Numer Meth Part D E, (2013). [2] Herrera, I., & Contreras Iván "An Innovative Tool for Effectively Applying Highly Parallelized Software To Problems of Elasticity". Geofísica Internacional, 2015 (In press)

  13. System and method for deriving a process-based specification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hinchey, Michael Gerard (Inventor); Rouff, Christopher A. (Inventor); Rash, James Larry (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    A system and method for deriving a process-based specification for a system is disclosed. The process-based specification is mathematically inferred from a trace-based specification. The trace-based specification is derived from a non-empty set of traces or natural language scenarios. The process-based specification is mathematically equivalent to the trace-based specification. Code is generated, if applicable, from the process-based specification. A process, or phases of a process, using the features disclosed can be reversed and repeated to allow for an interactive development and modification of legacy systems. The process is applicable to any class of system, including, but not limited to, biological and physical systems, electrical and electro-mechanical systems in addition to software, hardware and hybrid hardware-software systems.

  14. 45 CFR 1630.12 - Applicability to derivative income.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Applicability to derivative income. 1630.12... CORPORATION COST STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES § 1630.12 Applicability to derivative income. (a) Derivative income... activity. (b) Derivative income which is allocated to the LSC fund in accordance with paragraph (a) of this...

  15. Application of energy derivative method to determine the structural components' contribution to deceleration in crashes.

    PubMed

    Nagasaka, Kei; Mizuno, Koji; Thomson, Robert

    2018-03-26

    For occupant protection, it is important to understand how a car's deceleration time history in crashes can be designed using efficient of energy absorption by a car body's structure. In a previous paper, the authors proposed an energy derivative method to determine each structural component's contribution to the longitudinal deceleration of a car passenger compartment in crashes. In this study, this method was extended to 2 dimensions in order to analyze various crash test conditions. The contribution of each structure estimated from the energy derivative method was compared to that from a conventional finite element (FE) analysis method using cross-sectional forces. A 2-dimensional energy derivative method was established. A simple FE model with a structural column connected to a rigid body was used to confirm the validity of this method and to compare with the result of cross-sectional forces determined using conventional analysis. Applying this method to a full-width frontal impact simulation of a car FE model, the contribution and the cross-sectional forces of the front rails were compared. In addition, this method was applied to a pedestrian headform FE simulation in order to determine the influence of the structural and inertia forces of the hood structures on the deceleration of the headform undergoing planar motion. In an oblique impact of the simple column and rigid body model, the sum of the contributions of each part agrees with the rigid body deceleration, which indicates the validity of the 2-dimensional energy derivative method. Using the energy derivative method, it was observed that each part of the column contributes to the deceleration of the rigid body by collapsing in the sequence from front to rear, whereas the cross-sectional force at the rear of the column cannot detect the continuous collapse. In the full-width impact of a car, the contributions of the front rails estimated in the energy derivative method was smaller than that using the

  16. 45 CFR 1630.12 - Applicability to derivative income.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ..., regulations, guidelines, and instructions, the Accounting Guide for LSC recipients, the terms and conditions... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Applicability to derivative income. 1630.12... CORPORATION COST STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES § 1630.12 Applicability to derivative income. (a) Derivative income...

  17. A time-dependent neutron transport method of characteristics formulation with time derivative propagation

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

    Hoffman, Adam J., E-mail: adamhoff@umich.edu; Lee, John C., E-mail: jcl@umich.edu

    2016-02-15

    A new time-dependent Method of Characteristics (MOC) formulation for nuclear reactor kinetics was developed utilizing angular flux time-derivative propagation. This method avoids the requirement of storing the angular flux at previous points in time to represent a discretized time derivative; instead, an equation for the angular flux time derivative along 1D spatial characteristics is derived and solved concurrently with the 1D transport characteristic equation. This approach allows the angular flux time derivative to be recast principally in terms of the neutron source time derivatives, which are approximated to high-order accuracy using the backward differentiation formula (BDF). This approach, called Sourcemore » Derivative Propagation (SDP), drastically reduces the memory requirements of time-dependent MOC relative to methods that require storing the angular flux. An SDP method was developed for 2D and 3D applications and implemented in the computer code DeCART in 2D. DeCART was used to model two reactor transient benchmarks: a modified TWIGL problem and a C5G7 transient. The SDP method accurately and efficiently replicated the solution of the conventional time-dependent MOC method using two orders of magnitude less memory.« less

  18. Complex-valued derivative propagation method with approximate Bohmian trajectories: Application to electronic nonadiabatic dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yu; Chou, Chia-Chun

    2018-05-01

    The coupled complex quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equations for electronic nonadiabatic transitions are approximately solved by propagating individual quantum trajectories in real space. Equations of motion are derived through use of the derivative propagation method for the complex actions and their spatial derivatives for wave packets moving on each of the coupled electronic potential surfaces. These equations for two surfaces are converted into the moving frame with the same grid point velocities. Excellent wave functions can be obtained by making use of the superposition principle even when nodes develop in wave packet scattering.

  19. Empirical Distributional Semantics: Methods and Biomedical Applications

    PubMed Central

    Cohen, Trevor; Widdows, Dominic

    2009-01-01

    Over the past fifteen years, a range of methods have been developed that are able to learn human-like estimates of the semantic relatedness between terms from the way in which these terms are distributed in a corpus of unannotated natural language text. These methods have also been evaluated in a number of applications in the cognitive science, computational linguistics and the information retrieval literatures. In this paper, we review the available methodologies for derivation of semantic relatedness from free text, as well as their evaluation in a variety of biomedical and other applications. Recent methodological developments, and their applicability to several existing applications are also discussed. PMID:19232399

  20. A Requirements-Driven Optimization Method for Acoustic Liners Using Analytic Derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berton, Jeffrey J.; Lopes, Leonard V.

    2017-01-01

    More than ever, there is flexibility and freedom in acoustic liner design. Subject to practical considerations, liner design variables may be manipulated to achieve a target attenuation spectrum. But characteristics of the ideal attenuation spectrum can be difficult to know. Many multidisciplinary system effects govern how engine noise sources contribute to community noise. Given a hardwall fan noise source to be suppressed, and using an analytical certification noise model to compute a community noise measure of merit, the optimal attenuation spectrum can be derived using multidisciplinary systems analysis methods. In a previous paper on this subject, a method deriving the ideal target attenuation spectrum that minimizes noise perceived by observers on the ground was described. A simple code-wrapping approach was used to evaluate a community noise objective function for an external optimizer. Gradients were evaluated using a finite difference formula. The subject of this paper is an application of analytic derivatives that supply precise gradients to an optimization process. Analytic derivatives improve the efficiency and accuracy of gradient-based optimization methods and allow consideration of more design variables. In addition, the benefit of variable impedance liners is explored using a multi-objective optimization.

  1. Bacteriophages and Phage-Derived Proteins – Application Approaches

    PubMed Central

    Drulis-Kawa, Zuzanna; Majkowska-Skrobek, Grazyna; Maciejewska, Barbara

    2015-01-01

    Currently, the bacterial resistance, especially to most commonly used antibiotics has proved to be a severe therapeutic problem. Nosocomial and community-acquired infections are usually caused by multidrug resistant strains. Therefore, we are forced to develop an alternative or supportive treatment for successful cure of life-threatening infections. The idea of using natural bacterial pathogens such as bacteriophages is already well known. Many papers have been published proving the high antibacterial efficacy of lytic phages tested in animal models as well as in the clinic. Researchers have also investigated the application of non-lytic phages and temperate phages, with promising results. Moreover, the development of molecular biology and novel generation methods of sequencing has opened up new possibilities in the design of engineered phages and recombinant phage-derived proteins. Encouraging performances were noted especially for phage enzymes involved in the first step of viral infection responsible for bacterial envelope degradation, named depolymerases. There are at least five major groups of such enzymes – peptidoglycan hydrolases, endosialidases, endorhamnosidases, alginate lyases and hyaluronate lyases – that have application potential. There is also much interest in proteins encoded by lysis cassette genes (holins, endolysins, spanins) responsible for progeny release during the phage lytic cycle. In this review, we discuss several issues of phage and phage-derived protein application approaches in therapy, diagnostics and biotechnology in general. PMID:25666799

  2. Illustrated structural application of universal first-order reliability method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Verderaime, V.

    1994-01-01

    The general application of the proposed first-order reliability method was achieved through the universal normalization of engineering probability distribution data. The method superimposes prevailing deterministic techniques and practices on the first-order reliability method to surmount deficiencies of the deterministic method and provide benefits of reliability techniques and predictions. A reliability design factor is derived from the reliability criterion to satisfy a specified reliability and is analogous to the deterministic safety factor. Its application is numerically illustrated on several practical structural design and verification cases with interesting results and insights. Two concepts of reliability selection criteria are suggested. Though the method was developed to support affordable structures for access to space, the method should also be applicable for most high-performance air and surface transportation systems.

  3. Methods for deoxygenating biomass-derived pyrolysis oil

    DOEpatents

    Brandvold, Timothy A.

    2015-07-14

    Methods for deoxygenating a biomass-derived pyrolysis oil are provided. A method comprising the steps of diluting the biomass-derived pyrolysis oil with a phenolic-containing diluent to form a diluted pyoil-phenolic feed is provided. The diluted pyoil-phenolic feed is contacted with a deoxygenating catalyst in the presence of hydrogen at hydroprocessing conditions effective to form a low-oxygen biomass-derived pyrolysis oil effluent.

  4. Methods for deoxygenating biomass-derived pyrolysis oil

    DOEpatents

    Baird, Lance Awender; Brandvold, Timothy A.

    2015-06-30

    Methods for deoxygenating a biomass-derived pyrolysis oil are provided. A method for deoxygenating a biomass-derived pyrolysis oil comprising the steps of combining a biomass-derived pyrolysis oil stream with a heated low-oxygen-pyoil diluent recycle stream to form a heated diluted pyoil feed stream is provided. The heated diluted pyoil feed stream has a feed temperature of about 150.degree. C. or greater. The heated diluted pyoil feed stream is contacted with a first deoxygenating catalyst in the presence of hydrogen at first hydroprocessing conditions effective to form a low-oxygen biomass-derived pyrolysis oil effluent.

  5. Method for Implementing Subsurface Solid Derived Concentration Guideline Levels (DCGL) - 12331

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

    Lively, J.W.

    2012-07-01

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and other federal agencies currently approve the Multi-Agency Radiation Site Survey and Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) as guidance for licensees who are conducting final radiological status surveys in support of decommissioning. MARSSIM provides a method to demonstrate compliance with the applicable regulation by comparing residual radioactivity in surface soils with derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs), but specifically discounts its applicability to subsurface soils. Many sites and facilities undergoing decommissioning contain subsurface soils that are potentially impacted by radiological constituents. In the absence of specific guidance designed to address the derivation of subsurface soil DCGLs andmore » compliance demonstration, decommissioning facilities have attempted to apply DCGLs and final status survey techniques designed specifically for surface soils to subsurface soils. The decision to apply surface soil limits and surface soil compliance metrics to subsurface soils typically results in significant over-excavation with associated cost escalation. MACTEC, Inc. has developed the overarching concepts and principles found in recent NRC decommissioning guidance in NUREG 1757 to establish a functional method to derive dose-based subsurface soil DCGLs. The subsurface soil method developed by MACTEC also establishes a rigorous set of criterion-based data evaluation metrics (with analogs to the MARSSIM methodology) that can be used to demonstrate compliance with the developed subsurface soil DCGLs. The method establishes a continuum of volume factors that relate the size and depth of a volume of subsurface soil having elevated concentrations of residual radioactivity with its ability to produce dose. The method integrates the subsurface soil sampling regime with the derivation of the subsurface soil DCGL such that a self-regulating optimization is naturally sought by both the responsible party and

  6. A comparison of different methods to implement higher order derivatives of density functionals

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

    van Dam, Hubertus J.J.

    Density functional theory is the dominant approach in electronic structure methods today. To calculate properties higher order derivatives of the density functionals are required. These derivatives might be implemented manually,by automatic differentiation, or by symbolic algebra programs. Different authors have cited different reasons for using the particular method of their choice. This paper presents work where all three approaches were used and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach are considered. It is found that all three methods produce code that is suffficiently performanted for practical applications, despite the fact that our symbolic algebra generated code and our automatic differentiationmore » code still have scope for significant optimization. The automatic differentiation approach is the best option for producing readable and maintainable code.« less

  7. A second-order shock-expansion method applicable to bodies of revolution near zero lift

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1957-01-01

    A second-order shock-expansion method applicable to bodies of revolution is developed by the use of the predictions of the generalized shock-expansion method in combination with characteristics theory. Equations defining the zero-lift pressure distributions and the normal-force and pitching-moment derivatives are derived. Comparisons with experimental results show that the method is applicable at values of the similarity parameter, the ratio of free-stream Mach number to nose fineness ratio, from about 0.4 to 2.

  8. Receptor binding kinetics equations: Derivation using the Laplace transform method.

    PubMed

    Hoare, Sam R J

    Measuring unlabeled ligand receptor binding kinetics is valuable in optimizing and understanding drug action. Unfortunately, deriving equations for estimating kinetic parameters is challenging because it involves calculus; integration can be a frustrating barrier to the pharmacologist seeking to measure simple rate parameters. Here, a well-known tool for simplifying the derivation, the Laplace transform, is applied to models of receptor-ligand interaction. The method transforms differential equations to a form in which simple algebra can be applied to solve for the variable of interest, for example the concentration of ligand-bound receptor. The goal is to provide instruction using familiar examples, to enable investigators familiar with handling equilibrium binding equations to derive kinetic equations for receptor-ligand interaction. First, the Laplace transform is used to derive the equations for association and dissociation of labeled ligand binding. Next, its use for unlabeled ligand kinetic equations is exemplified by a full derivation of the kinetics of competitive binding equation. Finally, new unlabeled ligand equations are derived using the Laplace transform. These equations incorporate a pre-incubation step with unlabeled or labeled ligand. Four equations for measuring unlabeled ligand kinetics were compared and the two new equations verified by comparison with numerical solution. Importantly, the equations have not been verified with experimental data because no such experiments are evident in the literature. Equations were formatted for use in the curve-fitting program GraphPad Prism 6.0 and fitted to simulated data. This description of the Laplace transform method will enable pharmacologists to derive kinetic equations for their model or experimental paradigm under study. Application of the transform will expand the set of equations available for the pharmacologist to measure unlabeled ligand binding kinetics, and for other time

  9. Plant-derived nanostructures: types and applications

    EPA Science Inventory

    Plant-derived nanostructures and nanoparticles (NPs) have functional applications in numerous disciplines such as health care, food and feed, cosmetics, biomedical science, energy science, drug-gene delivery, environmental health, and so on. Consequently, it is imperative for res...

  10. Human umbilical cord derived matrix: A scaffold suitable for tissue engineering application.

    PubMed

    Dan, Pan; Velot, Émilie; Mesure, Benjamin; Groshenry, Guillaume; Bacharouche, Jalal; Decot, Véronique; Menu, Patrick

    2017-01-01

    Human tissue derived natural extracellular matrix (ECM) has great potential in tissue engineering. We sought to isolate extracellular matrix derived from human umbilical cord and test its potential in tissue engineering. An enzymatic method was applied to isolate and solubilized complete human umbilical cord derived matrix (hUCM). The obtained solution was analyzed for growth factors, collagen and residual DNA contents, then used to coat 2D and 3D surfaces for cell culture application. The hUCM was successfully isolated with trypsin digestion to acquire a solution containing various growth factors and collagen but no residual DNA. This hUCM solution can form a coating on 2D and 3D substrates suitable cell culture. We developed a new matrix derived from human source that can be further used in tissue engineering.

  11. Adipose-Derived Stem Cells for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Applications

    PubMed Central

    Dai, Ru; Wang, Zongjie; Samanipour, Roya; Koo, Kyo-in; Kim, Keekyoung

    2016-01-01

    Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are a mesenchymal stem cell source with properties of self-renewal and multipotential differentiation. Compared to bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs), ASCs can be derived from more sources and are harvested more easily. Three-dimensional (3D) tissue engineering scaffolds are better able to mimic the in vivo cellular microenvironment, which benefits the localization, attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of ASCs. Therefore, tissue-engineered ASCs are recognized as an attractive substitute for tissue and organ transplantation. In this paper, we review the characteristics of ASCs, as well as the biomaterials and tissue engineering methods used to proliferate and differentiate ASCs in a 3D environment. Clinical applications of tissue-engineered ASCs are also discussed to reveal the potential and feasibility of using tissue-engineered ASCs in regenerative medicine. PMID:27057174

  12. Derivative spectrophotometric method for simultaneous determination of clindamycin phosphate and tretinoin in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

    PubMed

    Barazandeh Tehrani, Maliheh; Namadchian, Melika; Fadaye Vatan, Sedigheh; Souri, Effat

    2013-04-10

    A derivative spectrophotometric method was proposed for the simultaneous determination of clindamycin and tretinoin in pharmaceutical dosage forms. The measurement was achieved using the first and second derivative signals of clindamycin at (1D) 251 nm and (2D) 239 nm and tretinoin at (1D) 364 nm and (2D) 387 nm.The proposed method showed excellent linearity at both first and second derivative order in the range of 60-1200 and 1.25-25 μg/ml for clindamycin phosphate and tretinoin respectively. The within-day and between-day precision and accuracy was in acceptable range (CV<3.81%, error<3.20%). Good agreement between the found andadded concentrations indicates successful application of the proposed method for simultaneous determination of clindamycin and tretinoin in synthetic mixtures and pharmaceutical dosage form.

  13. Lignocellulosic Biomass Derived Functional Materials: Synthesis and Applications in Biomedical Engineering.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Lei; Peng, Xinwen; Zhong, Linxin; Chua, Weitian; Xiang, Zhihua; Sun, Runcang

    2017-09-18

    The pertinent issue of resources shortage arising from global climate change in the recent years has accentuated the importance of materials that are environmental friendly. Despite the merits of current material like cellulose as the most abundant natural polysaccharide on earth, the incorporation of lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to value-add the recent development of cellulose-derivatives in drug delivery systems. Lignocellulosic biomass, with a hierarchical structure, comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. As an excellent substrate that is renewable, biodegradable, biocompatible and chemically accessible for modified materials, lignocellulosic biomass sets forth a myriad of applications. To date, materials derived from lignocellulosic biomass have been extensively explored for new technological development and applications, such as biomedical, green electronics and energy products. In this review, chemical constituents of lignocellulosic biomass are first discussed before we critically examine the potential alternatives in the field of biomedical application. In addition, the pretreatment methods for extracting cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin from lignocellulosic biomass as well as their biological applications including drug delivery, biosensor, tissue engineering etc will be reviewed. It is anticipated there will be an increasing interest and research findings in cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin from natural resources, which help provide important directions for the development in biomedical applications. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  14. Signal processing using sparse derivatives with applications to chromatograms and ECG

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ning, Xiaoran

    In this thesis, we investigate the sparsity exist in the derivative domain. Particularly, we focus on the type of signals which posses up to Mth (M > 0) order sparse derivatives. Efforts are put on formulating proper penalty functions and optimization problems to capture properties related to sparse derivatives, searching for fast, computationally efficient solvers. Also the effectiveness of these algorithms are applied to two real world applications. In the first application, we provide an algorithm which jointly addresses the problems of chromatogram baseline correction and noise reduction. The series of chromatogram peaks are modeled as sparse with sparse derivatives, and the baseline is modeled as a low-pass signal. A convex optimization problem is formulated so as to encapsulate these non-parametric models. To account for the positivity of chromatogram peaks, an asymmetric penalty function is also utilized with symmetric penalty functions. A robust, computationally efficient, iterative algorithm is developed that is guaranteed to converge to the unique optimal solution. The approach, termed Baseline Estimation And Denoising with Sparsity (BEADS), is evaluated and compared with two state-of-the-art methods using both simulated and real chromatogram data. Promising result is obtained. In the second application, a novel Electrocardiography (ECG) enhancement algorithm is designed also based on sparse derivatives. In the real medical environment, ECG signals are often contaminated by various kinds of noise or artifacts, for example, morphological changes due to motion artifact, non-stationary noise due to muscular contraction (EMG), etc. Some of these contaminations severely affect the usefulness of ECG signals, especially when computer aided algorithms are utilized. By solving the proposed convex l1 optimization problem, artifacts are reduced by modeling the clean ECG signal as a sum of two signals whose second and third-order derivatives (differences) are sparse

  15. Derivative spectrophotometric method for simultaneous determination of clindamycin phosphate and tretinoin in pharmaceutical dosage forms

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    A derivative spectrophotometric method was proposed for the simultaneous determination of clindamycin and tretinoin in pharmaceutical dosage forms. The measurement was achieved using the first and second derivative signals of clindamycin at (1D) 251 nm and (2D) 239 nm and tretinoin at (1D) 364 nm and (2D) 387 nm. The proposed method showed excellent linearity at both first and second derivative order in the range of 60–1200 and 1.25–25 μg/ml for clindamycin phosphate and tretinoin respectively. The within-day and between-day precision and accuracy was in acceptable range (CV<3.81%, error<3.20%). Good agreement between the found and added concentrations indicates successful application of the proposed method for simultaneous determination of clindamycin and tretinoin in synthetic mixtures and pharmaceutical dosage form. PMID:23575006

  16. The differential path phase comparison method for determining pressure derivatives of elastic constants of solids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peselnick, L.

    1982-08-01

    An ultrasonic method is presented which combines features of the differential path and the phase comparison methods. The proposed differential path phase comparison method, referred to as the `hybrid' method for brevity, eliminates errors resulting from phase changes in the bond between the sample and buffer rod. Define r(P) [and R(P)] as the square of the normalized frequency for cancellation of sample waves for shear [and for compressional] waves. Define N as the number of wavelengths in twice the sample length. The pressure derivatives r'(P) and R' (P) for samples of Alcoa 2024-T4 aluminum were obtained by using the phase comparison and the hybrid methods. The values of the pressure derivatives obtained by using the phase comparison method show variations by as much as 40% for small values of N (N < 50). The pressure derivatives as determined from the hybrid method are reproducible to within ±2% independent of N. The values of the pressure derivatives determined by the phase comparison method for large N are the same as those determined by the hybrid method. Advantages of the hybrid method are (1) no pressure dependent phase shift at the buffer-sample interface, (2) elimination of deviatoric stress in the sample portion of the sample assembly with application of hydrostatic pressure, and (3) operation at lower ultrasonic frequencies (for comparable sample lengths), which eliminates detrimental high frequency ultrasonic problems. A reduction of the uncertainties of the pressure derivatives of single crystals and of low porosity polycrystals permits extrapolation of such experimental data to deeper mantle depths.

  17. Infiltration of methylammonium metal halide in highly porous membranes using sol-gel-derived coating method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kwon, Seung Lee; Jin, Young Un; Kim, Byeong Jo; Han, Man Hyung; Han, Gill Sang; Shin, Seunghak; Lee, Sangwook; Jung, Hyun Suk

    2017-09-01

    Organic-inorganic halide perovskites (OIHPs) has emerged as promising optoelectronic materials for solar cells and light-emitting diodes. OIHPs are usually coated on a flat surface or mesoporous scaffold for the applications. Herein, we report a facile sol-gel-derived solution route for coating methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite layers onto various nanoporous structures. We found that lead-acetate solution has superior infiltration property onto surface of oxide membranes, and it can easily be converted to MAPbI3 by sequential transform to PbO, PbI2, and finally MAPbI3. Excellent pore-filling and full coverage of the nanostructures with the final MAPbI3 perovskite material are demonstrated via this sol-gel-derived solution route, using mesoporous TiO2, TiO2 nanorods, and high-aspect ratio nanopores in anodic aluminum oxide membranes. Given that this sol-gel-based method fills nanopores better than other conventional coating methods for OIHPs, this method may find wide applications in nanostructured OIHPs-based optoelectronic systems.

  18. Wood-Derived Materials for Green Electronics, Biological Devices, and Energy Applications.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Hongli; Luo, Wei; Ciesielski, Peter N; Fang, Zhiqiang; Zhu, J Y; Henriksson, Gunnar; Himmel, Michael E; Hu, Liangbing

    2016-08-24

    With the arising of global climate change and resource shortage, in recent years, increased attention has been paid to environmentally friendly materials. Trees are sustainable and renewable materials, which give us shelter and oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Trees are a primary resource that human society depends upon every day, for example, homes, heating, furniture, and aircraft. Wood from trees gives us paper, cardboard, and medical supplies, thus impacting our homes, school, work, and play. All of the above-mentioned applications have been well developed over the past thousands of years. However, trees and wood have much more to offer us as advanced materials, impacting emerging high-tech fields, such as bioengineering, flexible electronics, and clean energy. Wood naturally has a hierarchical structure, composed of well-oriented microfibers and tracheids for water, ion, and oxygen transportation during metabolism. At higher magnification, the walls of fiber cells have an interesting morphology-a distinctly mesoporous structure. Moreover, the walls of fiber cells are composed of thousands of fibers (or macrofibrils) oriented in a similar angle. Nanofibrils and nanocrystals can be further liberated from macrofibrils by mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic methods. The obtained nanocellulose has unique optical, mechanical, and barrier properties and is an excellent candidate for chemical modification and reconfiguration. Wood is naturally a composite material, comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Wood is sustainable, earth abundant, strong, biodegradable, biocompatible, and chemically accessible for modification; more importantly, multiscale natural fibers from wood have unique optical properties applicable to different kinds of optoelectronics and photonic devices. Today, the materials derived from wood are ready to be explored for applications in new technology areas, such as electronics, biomedical devices, and energy. The

  19. Wood-Derived Materials for Green Electronics, Biological Devices, and Energy Applications

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

    Zhu, Hongli; Luo, Wei; Ciesielski, Peter N.

    With the arising of global climate change and resource shortage, in recent years, increased attention has been paid to environmentally friendly materials. Trees are sustainable and renewable materials, which give us shelter and oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Trees are a primary resource that human society depends upon every day, for example, homes, heating, furniture, and aircraft. Wood from trees gives us paper, cardboard, and medical supplies, thus impacting our homes, school, work, and play. All of the above-mentioned applications have been well developed over the past thousands of years. However, trees and wood have much moremore » to offer us as advanced materials, impacting emerging high-tech fields, such as bioengineering, flexible electronics, and clean energy. Wood naturally has a hierarchical structure, composed of well-oriented microfibers and tracheids for water, ion, and oxygen transportation during metabolism. At higher magnification, the walls of fiber cells have an interesting morphology--a distinctly mesoporous structure. Moreover, the walls of fiber cells are composed of thousands of fibers (or macrofibrils) oriented in a similar angle. Nanofibrils and nanocrystals can be further liberated from macrofibrils by mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic methods. The obtained nanocellulose has unique optical, mechanical, and barrier properties and is an excellent candidate for chemical modification and reconfiguration. Wood is naturally a composite material, comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Wood is sustainable, earth abundant, strong, biodegradable, biocompatible, and chemically accessible for modification; more importantly, multiscale natural fibers from wood have unique optical properties applicable to different kinds of optoelectronics and photonic devices. Today, the materials derived from wood are ready to be explored for applications in new technology areas, such as electronics, biomedical devices, and

  20. New well testing applications of the pressure derivative

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

    Onur, M.

    1989-01-01

    This work presents new derivative type curves based on a new derivative group which is equal to the dimensionless pressure group divided by its logarithmic derivative with respect to dimensionless time group. One major advantage of these type curves is that the type-curve match of field pressure/pressure-derivative data with the new derivative type curves is accomplished by moving the field data plot in only the horizontal direction. This type-curve match fixes time match-point values. The pressure change versus time data is then matched with the dimensionless pressure solution to determine match-point values. Well/reservoir parameters can then be estimated in themore » standard way. This two step type-curve matching procedure increases the likelihood of obtaining a unique match. Moreover, the unique correspondence between the ordinate of the field data plot and the new derivative type curves should prove useful in determining whether given field data actually represents the well/reservoir model assumed by a selected type curve solution. It is also shown that the basic idea used in construction the type curves can be used to ensure that proper semilog straight lines are chosen when analyzing pressure data by semilog methods. Analysis of both drawdown and buildup data is considered and actual field cases are analyzed using the new derivative type curves and the semilog identification method. This work also presents new methods based on the pressure derivative to analyze buildup data obtained at a well (fracture or unfractured) produced to pseudosteady-state prior to shut-in. By using a method of analysis based on the pressure derivative, it is shown that a well's drainage area at the instant of shut-in and the flow capacity can be computed directly from buildup data even in cases where conventional semilog straight lines are not well-defined.« less

  1. Second derivatives for approximate spin projection methods

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

    Thompson, Lee M.; Hratchian, Hrant P., E-mail: hhratchian@ucmerced.edu

    2015-02-07

    The use of broken-symmetry electronic structure methods is required in order to obtain correct behavior of electronically strained open-shell systems, such as transition states, biradicals, and transition metals. This approach often has issues with spin contamination, which can lead to significant errors in predicted energies, geometries, and properties. Approximate projection schemes are able to correct for spin contamination and can often yield improved results. To fully make use of these methods and to carry out exploration of the potential energy surface, it is desirable to develop an efficient second energy derivative theory. In this paper, we formulate the analytical secondmore » derivatives for the Yamaguchi approximate projection scheme, building on recent work that has yielded an efficient implementation of the analytical first derivatives.« less

  2. 40 CFR 454.60 - Applicability; description of manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory. 454.60 Section 454.60 Protection of Environment... MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Rosin-Based Derivatives Subcategory § 454.60 Applicability; description of manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are applicable to...

  3. Synthesis and solar-cell applications of novel furanyl-substituted anthracene derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kivrak, Arif; Er, Ömer Faruk; Kivrak, Hilal; Topal, Yasemin; Kuş, Mahmut; Çamlısoy, Yesim

    2017-11-01

    At present, novel furanyl-substituted anthracene derivatives; namely 9,10-di(furan-2-yl)anthracene (DFA), 5,5‧-(anthracene-9,10-diyl)bis(furan-2-carbaldehyde) (DAFA) and 2,2‧-((5,5‧-(anthracene-9,10-diyl)bis(furan-5,2-diyl))bis(methanylylidene))dimalononitrile (DCNFA) were designed and synthesized successfully by employing Stille Cross-Coupling, Vilsmeier-Haack and Knoevenagel condensation reactions, respectively. This methodology provides a practical new route for the synthesis of furanyl-substituted anthracene derivatives bearing strong electron-withdrawing groups. The electrochemical and electro-optical properties of these novel furanyl-substituted anthracene derivatives were also examined with strong acceptor-π-donor-π-acceptor interactions. Furthermore, Highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), Lowest Unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), and band gap (Eg) values were investigated by using spectroscopic methods. Electrochemical and electro-optical properties were calculated and compared to DFA, DAFA and DCNFA. Eg was found as 2.85, 2.71, and 2.33 eV, respectively. Consequently, Organic Solar Cells (OSC) were fabricated to investigate their solar cell performances. The strong electron withdrawing groups did not increase the solar cell performance of furanyl-anthracenes. Surprisingly, DFA was found to exhibit the best OSCs performance (Efficiency = 3.36). As a result, one could note that these novel furanyl-substituted anthracene derivatives are good candidate for the applications of the OSCs. Our results might help in the development of new materials with important electrochemical functions by giving the advantage of designing and further derivatization of new generation small organic molecules for photovoltaic device applications.

  4. The Typicality Ranking Task: A New Method to Derive Typicality Judgments from Children

    PubMed Central

    Ameel, Eef; Storms, Gert

    2016-01-01

    An alternative method for deriving typicality judgments, applicable in young children that are not familiar with numerical values yet, is introduced, allowing researchers to study gradedness at younger ages in concept development. Contrary to the long tradition of using rating-based procedures to derive typicality judgments, we propose a method that is based on typicality ranking rather than rating, in which items are gradually sorted according to their typicality, and that requires a minimum of linguistic knowledge. The validity of the method is investigated and the method is compared to the traditional typicality rating measurement in a large empirical study with eight different semantic concepts. The results show that the typicality ranking task can be used to assess children’s category knowledge and to evaluate how this knowledge evolves over time. Contrary to earlier held assumptions in studies on typicality in young children, our results also show that preference is not so much a confounding variable to be avoided, but that both variables are often significantly correlated in older children and even in adults. PMID:27322371

  5. The Typicality Ranking Task: A New Method to Derive Typicality Judgments from Children.

    PubMed

    Djalal, Farah Mutiasari; Ameel, Eef; Storms, Gert

    2016-01-01

    An alternative method for deriving typicality judgments, applicable in young children that are not familiar with numerical values yet, is introduced, allowing researchers to study gradedness at younger ages in concept development. Contrary to the long tradition of using rating-based procedures to derive typicality judgments, we propose a method that is based on typicality ranking rather than rating, in which items are gradually sorted according to their typicality, and that requires a minimum of linguistic knowledge. The validity of the method is investigated and the method is compared to the traditional typicality rating measurement in a large empirical study with eight different semantic concepts. The results show that the typicality ranking task can be used to assess children's category knowledge and to evaluate how this knowledge evolves over time. Contrary to earlier held assumptions in studies on typicality in young children, our results also show that preference is not so much a confounding variable to be avoided, but that both variables are often significantly correlated in older children and even in adults.

  6. A new method for computation of eigenvector derivatives with distinct and repeated eigenvalues in structural dynamic analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Zhengguang; Lai, Siu-Kai; Wu, Baisheng

    2018-07-01

    Determining eigenvector derivatives is a challenging task due to the singularity of the coefficient matrices of the governing equations, especially for those structural dynamic systems with repeated eigenvalues. An effective strategy is proposed to construct a non-singular coefficient matrix, which can be directly used to obtain the eigenvector derivatives with distinct and repeated eigenvalues. This approach also has an advantage that only requires eigenvalues and eigenvectors of interest, without solving the particular solutions of eigenvector derivatives. The Symmetric Quasi-Minimal Residual (SQMR) method is then adopted to solve the governing equations, only the existing factored (shifted) stiffness matrix from an iterative eigensolution such as the subspace iteration method or the Lanczos algorithm is utilized. The present method can deal with both cases of simple and repeated eigenvalues in a unified manner. Three numerical examples are given to illustrate the accuracy and validity of the proposed algorithm. Highly accurate approximations to the eigenvector derivatives are obtained within a few iteration steps, making a significant reduction of the computational effort. This method can be incorporated into a coupled eigensolver/derivative software module. In particular, it is applicable for finite element models with large sparse matrices.

  7. Damage Based Analysis (DBA) - Theory, Derivation and Practical Application Using Both an Acceleration and Pseudo Velocity Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grillo, Vince

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this presentation is to give a brief overview of the theory behind the (DBA) method, an overview of the derivation and a practical application of the theory using the Python computer language. The Theory and Derivation will use both Acceleration and Pseudo Velocity methods to derive a series of equations for processing by Python. We will take the results and compare both Acceleration and Pseudo Velocity methods and discuss implementation of the Python functions. Also, we will discuss the efficiency of the methods and the amount of computer time required for the solution. In conclusion, (DBA) offers a powerful method to evaluate the amount of energy imparted into a system in the form of both Amplitude and Duration during qualification testing and flight environments. Many forms of steady state and transient vibratory motion can be characterized using this technique. (DBA) provides a more robust alternative to traditional methods such Power Spectral Density (PSD) using a maximax approach.

  8. Damage Based Analysis (DBA): Theory, Derivation and Practical Application - Using Both an Acceleration and Pseudo-Velocity Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grillo, Vince

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this presentation is to give a brief overview of the theory behind the (DBA) method, an overview of the derivation and a practical application of the theory using the Python computer language. The Theory and Derivation will use both Acceleration and Pseudo Velocity methods to derive a series of equations for processing by Python. We will take the results and compare both Acceleration and Pseudo Velocity methods and discuss implementation of the Python functions. Also, we will discuss the efficiency of the methods and the amount of computer time required for the solution. In conclusion, (DBA) offers a powerful method to evaluate the amount of energy imparted into a system in the form of both Amplitude and Duration during qualification testing and flight environments. Many forms of steady state and transient vibratory motion can be characterized using this technique. (DBA) provides a more robust alternative to traditional methods such Power Spectral Density (PSD) using a Maximax approach.

  9. Correlation of Predicted and Flight Derived Stability and Control Derivatives with Particular Application to Tailless Delta Wing Configurations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weil, J.

    1981-01-01

    Flight derived longitudinal and lateral-directional stability and control derivatives were compared to wind-tunnel derived values. As a result of these comparisons, boundaries representing the uncertainties that could be expected from wind-tunnel predictions were established. These boundaries provide a useful guide for control system sensitivity studies prior to flight. The primary application for this data was the space shuttle, and as a result the configurations included in the study were those most applicable to the space shuttle. The configurations included conventional delta wing aircraft as well as the X-15 and lifting body vehicles.

  10. Analytical derivatives of the individual state energies in ensemble density functional theory method. I. General formalism

    DOE PAGES

    Filatov, Michael; Liu, Fang; Martínez, Todd J.

    2017-07-21

    The state-averaged (SA) spin restricted ensemble referenced Kohn-Sham (REKS) method and its state interaction (SI) extension, SI-SA-REKS, enable one to describe correctly the shape of the ground and excited potential energy surfaces of molecules undergoing bond breaking/bond formation reactions including features such as conical intersections crucial for theoretical modeling of non-adiabatic reactions. Until recently, application of the SA-REKS and SI-SA-REKS methods to modeling the dynamics of such reactions was obstructed due to the lack of the analytical energy derivatives. Here, the analytical derivatives of the individual SA-REKS and SI-SA-REKS energies are derived. The final analytic gradient expressions are formulated entirelymore » in terms of traces of matrix products and are presented in the form convenient for implementation in the traditional quantum chemical codes employing basis set expansions of the molecular orbitals. Finally, we will describe the implementation and benchmarking of the derived formalism in a subsequent article of this series.« less

  11. The functions and clinical applications of tumor-derived exosomes

    PubMed Central

    Shao, Yingkuan; Shen, Yanwei; Chen, Ting; Xu, Fei; Chen, Xuewen; Zheng, Shu

    2016-01-01

    Exosomes are extracellular vesicles with diameters ranging from 30 to 150 nm. They can be secreted by all cell types and transfer information in the form of their contents, which include proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, to other cells throughout the body. They have roles in normal physiological processes as well as in disease development. Here, we review recent findings regarding tumor-derived exosomes, including methods for their extraction and preservation. We also describe the actions of exosomes in tumorigenesis. The exosomal antigen-presenting effect during antitumor immune responses and its suppressive function in immune tolerance are discussed. Finally, we describe the potential application of exosomes to cancer therapy and liquid biopsy. PMID:27517627

  12. Application of a Simplified Method for Estimating Perfusion Derived from Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging in Glioma Grading.

    PubMed

    Cao, Mengqiu; Suo, Shiteng; Han, Xu; Jin, Ke; Sun, Yawen; Wang, Yao; Ding, Weina; Qu, Jianxun; Zhang, Xiaohua; Zhou, Yan

    2017-01-01

    Purpose : To evaluate the feasibility of a simplified method based on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) acquired with three b -values to measure tissue perfusion linked to microcirculation, to validate it against from perfusion-related parameters derived from intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and to investigate its utility to differentiate low- from high-grade gliomas. Materials and Methods : The prospective study was approved by the local institutional review board and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. From May 2016 and May 2017, 50 patients confirmed with glioma were assessed with multi- b -value DWI and DCE MR imaging at 3.0 T. Besides conventional apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC 0,1000 ) map, perfusion-related parametric maps for IVIM-derived perfusion fraction ( f ) and pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), DCE MR imaging-derived pharmacokinetic metrics, including K trans , v e and v p , as well as a metric named simplified perfusion fraction (SPF), were generated. Correlation between perfusion-related parameters was analyzed by using the Spearman rank correlation. All imaging parameters were compared between the low-grade ( n = 19) and high-grade ( n = 31) groups by using the Mann-Whitney U test. The diagnostic performance for tumor grading was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results : SPF showed strong correlation with IVIM-derived f and D* ( ρ = 0.732 and 0.716, respectively; both P < 0.001). Compared with f , SPF was more correlated with DCE MR imaging-derived K trans ( ρ = 0.607; P < 0.001) and v p ( ρ = 0.397; P = 0.004). Among all parameters, SPF achieved the highest accuracy for differentiating low- from high-grade gliomas, with an area under the ROC curve value of 0.942, which was significantly higher than that of ADC 0,1000 ( P = 0.004). By using SPF as a discriminative index, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were

  13. Feynman path integral application on deriving black-scholes diffusion equation for european option pricing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Utama, Briandhika; Purqon, Acep

    2016-08-01

    Path Integral is a method to transform a function from its initial condition to final condition through multiplying its initial condition with the transition probability function, known as propagator. At the early development, several studies focused to apply this method for solving problems only in Quantum Mechanics. Nevertheless, Path Integral could also apply to other subjects with some modifications in the propagator function. In this study, we investigate the application of Path Integral method in financial derivatives, stock options. Black-Scholes Model (Nobel 1997) was a beginning anchor in Option Pricing study. Though this model did not successfully predict option price perfectly, especially because its sensitivity for the major changing on market, Black-Scholes Model still is a legitimate equation in pricing an option. The derivation of Black-Scholes has a high difficulty level because it is a stochastic partial differential equation. Black-Scholes equation has a similar principle with Path Integral, where in Black-Scholes the share's initial price is transformed to its final price. The Black-Scholes propagator function then derived by introducing a modified Lagrange based on Black-Scholes equation. Furthermore, we study the correlation between path integral analytical solution and Monte-Carlo numeric solution to find the similarity between this two methods.

  14. Advances in Microalgae-Derived Phytosterols for Functional Food and Pharmaceutical Applications.

    PubMed

    Luo, Xuan; Su, Peng; Zhang, Wei

    2015-07-09

    Microalgae contain a variety of bioactive lipids with potential applications in aquaculture feed, biofuel, food and pharmaceutical industries. While microalgae-derived polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and their roles in promoting human health have been extensively studied, other lipid types from this resource, such as phytosterols, have been poorly explored. Phytosterols have been used as additives in many food products such as spread, dairy products and salad dressing. This review focuses on the recent advances in microalgae-derived phytosterols with functional bioactivities and their potential applications in functional food and pharmaceutical industries. It highlights the importance of microalgae-derived lipids other than PUFA for the development of an advanced microalgae industry.

  15. Using Selective Drainage Methods to Extract Continuous Surface Flow from 1-Meter Lidar-Derived Digital Elevation Data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Poppenga, Sandra K.; Worstell, Bruce B.; Stoker, Jason M.; Greenlee, Susan K.

    2010-01-01

    Digital elevation data commonly are used to extract surface flow features. One source for high-resolution elevation data is light detection and ranging (lidar). Lidar can capture a vast amount of topographic detail because of its fine-scale ability to digitally capture the surface of the earth. Because elevation is a key factor in extracting surface flow features, high-resolution lidar-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) provide the detail needed to consistently integrate hydrography with elevation, land cover, structures, and other geospatial features. The U.S. Geological Survey has developed selective drainage methods to extract continuous surface flow from high-resolution lidar-derived digital elevation data. The lidar-derived continuous surface flow network contains valuable information for water resource management involving flood hazard mapping, flood inundation, and coastal erosion. DEMs used in hydrologic applications typically are processed to remove depressions by filling them. High-resolution DEMs derived from lidar can capture much more detail of the land surface than courser elevation data. Therefore, high-resolution DEMs contain more depressions because of obstructions such as roads, railroads, and other elevated structures. The filling of these depressions can significantly affect the DEM-derived surface flow routing and terrain characteristics in an adverse way. In this report, selective draining methods that modify the elevation surface to drain a depression through an obstruction are presented. If such obstructions are not removed from the elevation data, the filling of depressions to create continuous surface flow can cause the flow to spill over an obstruction in the wrong location. Using this modified elevation surface improves the quality of derived surface flow and retains more of the true surface characteristics by correcting large filled depressions. A reliable flow surface is necessary for deriving a consistently connected drainage

  16. Local Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for Partial Differential Equations with Higher Order Derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yan, Jue; Shu, Chi-Wang; Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    In this paper we review the existing and develop new continuous Galerkin methods for solving time dependent partial differential equations with higher order derivatives in one and multiple space dimensions. We review local discontinuous Galerkin methods for convection diffusion equations involving second derivatives and for KdV type equations involving third derivatives. We then develop new local discontinuous Galerkin methods for the time dependent bi-harmonic type equations involving fourth derivatives, and partial differential equations involving fifth derivatives. For these new methods we present correct interface numerical fluxes and prove L(exp 2) stability for general nonlinear problems. Preliminary numerical examples are shown to illustrate these methods. Finally, we present new results on a post-processing technique, originally designed for methods with good negative-order error estimates, on the local discontinuous Galerkin methods applied to equations with higher derivatives. Numerical experiments show that this technique works as well for the new higher derivative cases, in effectively doubling the rate of convergence with negligible additional computational cost, for linear as well as some nonlinear problems, with a local uniform mesh.

  17. Advanced composite applications for sub-micron biologically derived microstructures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schnur, J. M.; Price, R. R.; Schoen, P. E.; Bonanventura, Joseph; Kirkpatrick, Douglas

    1991-01-01

    A major thrust of advanced material development is in the area of self-assembled ultra-fine particulate based composites (micro-composites). The application of biologically derived, self-assembled microstructures to form advanced composite materials is discussed. Hollow 0.5 micron diameter cylindrical shaped microcylinders self-assemble from diacetylenic lipids. These microstructures have a multiplicity of potential applications in the material sciences. Exploratory development is proceeding in application areas such as controlled release for drug delivery, wound repair, and biofouling as well as composites for electronic and magnetic applications, and high power microwave cathodes.

  18. A unified convergence theory of a numerical method, and applications to the replenishment policies.

    PubMed

    Mi, Xiang-jiang; Wang, Xing-hua

    2004-01-01

    In determining the replenishment policy for an inventory system, some researchers advocated that the iterative method of Newton could be applied to the derivative of the total cost function in order to get the optimal solution. But this approach requires calculation of the second derivative of the function. Avoiding this complex computation we use another iterative method presented by the second author. One of the goals of this paper is to present a unified convergence theory of this method. Then we give a numerical example to show the application of our theory.

  19. Nanobody-derived nanobiotechnology tool kits for diverse biomedical and biotechnology applications.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yongzhong; Fan, Zhen; Shao, Lei; Kong, Xiaowei; Hou, Xianjuan; Tian, Dongrui; Sun, Ying; Xiao, Yazhong; Yu, Li

    2016-01-01

    Owing to peculiar properties of nanobody, including nanoscale size, robust structure, stable and soluble behaviors in aqueous solution, reversible refolding, high affinity and specificity for only one cognate target, superior cryptic cleft accessibility, and deep tissue penetration, as well as a sustainable source, it has been an ideal research tool for the development of sophisticated nanobiotechnologies. Currently, the nanobody has been evolved into versatile research and application tool kits for diverse biomedical and biotechnology applications. Various nanobody-derived formats, including the nanobody itself, the radionuclide or fluorescent-labeled nanobodies, nanobody homo- or heteromultimers, nanobody-coated nanoparticles, and nanobody-displayed bacteriophages, have been successfully demonstrated as powerful nanobiotechnological tool kits for basic biomedical research, targeting drug delivery and therapy, disease diagnosis, bioimaging, and agricultural and plant protection. These applications indicate a special advantage of these nanobody-derived technologies, already surpassing the "me-too" products of other equivalent binders, such as the full-length antibodies, single-chain variable fragments, antigen-binding fragments, targeting peptides, and DNA-based aptamers. In this review, we summarize the current state of the art in nanobody research, focusing on the nanobody structural features, nanobody production approach, nanobody-derived nanobiotechnology tool kits, and the potentially diverse applications in biomedicine and biotechnology. The future trends, challenges, and limitations of the nanobody-derived nanobiotechnology tool kits are also discussed.

  20. Advances in Microalgae-Derived Phytosterols for Functional Food and Pharmaceutical Applications

    PubMed Central

    Luo, Xuan; Su, Peng; Zhang, Wei

    2015-01-01

    Microalgae contain a variety of bioactive lipids with potential applications in aquaculture feed, biofuel, food and pharmaceutical industries. While microalgae-derived polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and their roles in promoting human health have been extensively studied, other lipid types from this resource, such as phytosterols, have been poorly explored. Phytosterols have been used as additives in many food products such as spread, dairy products and salad dressing. This review focuses on the recent advances in microalgae-derived phytosterols with functional bioactivities and their potential applications in functional food and pharmaceutical industries. It highlights the importance of microalgae-derived lipids other than PUFA for the development of an advanced microalgae industry. PMID:26184233

  1. Scoring Methods for Building Genotypic Scores: An Application to Didanosine Resistance in a Large Derivation Set

    PubMed Central

    Houssaini, Allal; Assoumou, Lambert; Miller, Veronica; Calvez, Vincent; Marcelin, Anne-Geneviève; Flandre, Philippe

    2013-01-01

    Background Several attempts have been made to determine HIV-1 resistance from genotype resistance testing. We compare scoring methods for building weighted genotyping scores and commonly used systems to determine whether the virus of a HIV-infected patient is resistant. Methods and Principal Findings Three statistical methods (linear discriminant analysis, support vector machine and logistic regression) are used to determine the weight of mutations involved in HIV resistance. We compared these weighted scores with known interpretation systems (ANRS, REGA and Stanford HIV-db) to classify patients as resistant or not. Our methodology is illustrated on the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research didanosine database (N = 1453). The database was divided into four samples according to the country of enrolment (France, USA/Canada, Italy and Spain/UK/Switzerland). The total sample and the four country-based samples allow external validation (one sample is used to estimate a score and the other samples are used to validate it). We used the observed precision to compare the performance of newly derived scores with other interpretation systems. Our results show that newly derived scores performed better than or similar to existing interpretation systems, even with external validation sets. No difference was found between the three methods investigated. Our analysis identified four new mutations associated with didanosine resistance: D123S, Q207K, H208Y and K223Q. Conclusions We explored the potential of three statistical methods to construct weighted scores for didanosine resistance. Our proposed scores performed at least as well as already existing interpretation systems and previously unrecognized didanosine-resistance associated mutations were identified. This approach could be used for building scores of genotypic resistance to other antiretroviral drugs. PMID:23555613

  2. Metal-Organic Framework-Derived Nanoporous Metal Oxides toward Supercapacitor Applications: Progress and Prospects.

    PubMed

    Salunkhe, Rahul R; Kaneti, Yusuf V; Yamauchi, Yusuke

    2017-06-27

    Transition metal oxides (TMOs) have attracted significant attention for energy storage applications such as supercapacitors due to their good electrical conductivity, high electrochemical response (by providing Faradaic reactions), low manufacturing costs, and easy processability. Despite exhibiting these attractive characteristics, the practical applications of TMOs for supercapacitors are still relatively limited. This is largely due to their continuous Faradaic reactions, which can lead to major changes or destruction of their structure as well phase changes (in some cases) during cycling, leading to the degradation in their capacitive performance over time. Hence, there is an immediate need to develop new synthesis methods, which will readily provide stable porous architectures, controlled phase, as well as useful control over dimensions (1-D, 2-D, and 3-D) of the metal oxides for improving their performance in supercapacitor applications. Since its discovery in late 1990s, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have influenced many fields of material science. In recent years, they have gained significant attention as precursors or templates for the derivation of porous metal oxide nanostructures and nanocomposites for next-generation supercapacitor applications. Even though these materials have widespread applications and have been widely studied in terms of their structural features and synthesis, it is still not clear how these materials will play an important role in the development of the supercapacitor field. In this review, we will summarize the recent developments in the field of MOF-derived porous metal oxide nanostructures and nanocomposites for supercapacitor applications. Furthermore, the current challenges along with the future trends and prospects in the application of these materials for supercapacitors will also be discussed.

  3. Generation and characterisation of human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells by explant method.

    PubMed

    Yusoff, Z; Maqbool, M; George, E; Hassan, R; Ramasamy, R

    2016-06-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from human umbilical cord (UC) have been considered as an important tool for treating various malignancies, tissue repair and organ regeneration. Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) are better alternative to MSCs that derived from bone marrow (BM-MSCs) as they are regarded as medical waste with little ethical concern for research and easily culture-expanded. In this present study, the foetal distal end of human UC was utilised to generate MSC by explant method. Upon in vitro culture, adherent cells with fibroblastic morphology were generated with rapid growth kinetics. Under the respective inductive conditions, these cells were capable of differentiating into adipocytes and osteocytes; express an array of standard MSC's surface markers CD29, CD73, CD90, CD106 and MHC-class I. Further assessment of immunosuppression activity revealed that MSCs generated from UC had profoundly inhibited the proliferation of mitogen-activated T lymphocytes in a dosedependent manner. The current laboratory findings have reinforced the application of explant method to generate UCMSCs thus, exploring an ideal platform to fulfil the increasing demand of MSCs for research and potential clinical use.

  4. Bayesian methods for uncertainty factor application for derivation of reference values.

    PubMed

    Simon, Ted W; Zhu, Yiliang; Dourson, Michael L; Beck, Nancy B

    2016-10-01

    In 2014, the National Research Council (NRC) published Review of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Process that considers methods EPA uses for developing toxicity criteria for non-carcinogens. These criteria are the Reference Dose (RfD) for oral exposure and Reference Concentration (RfC) for inhalation exposure. The NRC Review suggested using Bayesian methods for application of uncertainty factors (UFs) to adjust the point of departure dose or concentration to a level considered to be without adverse effects for the human population. The NRC foresaw Bayesian methods would be potentially useful for combining toxicity data from disparate sources-high throughput assays, animal testing, and observational epidemiology. UFs represent five distinct areas for which both adjustment and consideration of uncertainty may be needed. NRC suggested UFs could be represented as Bayesian prior distributions, illustrated the use of a log-normal distribution to represent the composite UF, and combined this distribution with a log-normal distribution representing uncertainty in the point of departure (POD) to reflect the overall uncertainty. Here, we explore these suggestions and present a refinement of the methodology suggested by NRC that considers each individual UF as a distribution. From an examination of 24 evaluations from EPA's IRIS program, when individual UFs were represented using this approach, the geometric mean fold change in the value of the RfD or RfC increased from 3 to over 30, depending on the number of individual UFs used and the sophistication of the assessment. We present example calculations and recommendations for implementing the refined NRC methodology. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Variational Methods in Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization for Aerodynamic Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ibrahim, A. H.; Hou, G. J.-W.; Tiwari, S. N. (Principal Investigator)

    1996-01-01

    Variational methods (VM) sensitivity analysis, which is the continuous alternative to the discrete sensitivity analysis, is employed to derive the costate (adjoint) equations, the transversality conditions, and the functional sensitivity derivatives. In the derivation of the sensitivity equations, the variational methods use the generalized calculus of variations, in which the variable boundary is considered as the design function. The converged solution of the state equations together with the converged solution of the costate equations are integrated along the domain boundary to uniquely determine the functional sensitivity derivatives with respect to the design function. The determination of the sensitivity derivatives of the performance index or functional entails the coupled solutions of the state and costate equations. As the stable and converged numerical solution of the costate equations with their boundary conditions are a priori unknown, numerical stability analysis is performed on both the state and costate equations. Thereafter, based on the amplification factors obtained by solving the generalized eigenvalue equations, the stability behavior of the costate equations is discussed and compared with the state (Euler) equations. The stability analysis of the costate equations suggests that the converged and stable solution of the costate equation is possible only if the computational domain of the costate equations is transformed to take into account the reverse flow nature of the costate equations. The application of the variational methods to aerodynamic shape optimization problems is demonstrated for internal flow problems at supersonic Mach number range. The study shows, that while maintaining the accuracy of the functional sensitivity derivatives within the reasonable range for engineering prediction purposes, the variational methods show a substantial gain in computational efficiency, i.e., computer time and memory, when compared with the finite

  6. Methods and apparatuses for deoxygenating biomass-derived pyrolysis oil

    DOEpatents

    Baird, Lance Awender; Brandvold, Timothy A.

    2015-10-20

    Embodiments of methods and apparatuses for deoxygenating a biomass-derived pyrolysis oil are provided. In one example, a method comprises the steps of separating a low-oxygen biomass-derived pyrolysis oil effluent into a low-oxygen-pyoil organic phase stream and an aqueous phase stream. Phenolic compounds are removed from the aqueous phase stream to form a phenolic-rich diluent recycle stream. A biomass-derived pyrolysis oil stream is diluted and heated with the phenolic-rich diluent recycle stream to form a heated diluted pyoil feed stream. The heated diluted pyoil feed stream is contacted with a deoxygenating catalyst in the presence of hydrogen to deoxygenate the heated diluted pyoil feed stream.

  7. Analytical study to define a helicopter stability derivative extraction method, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Molusis, J. A.

    1973-01-01

    A method is developed for extracting six degree-of-freedom stability and control derivatives from helicopter flight data. Different combinations of filtering and derivative estimate are investigated and used with a Bayesian approach for derivative identification. The combination of filtering and estimate found to yield the most accurate time response match to flight test data is determined and applied to CH-53A and CH-54B flight data. The method found to be most accurate consists of (1) filtering flight test data with a digital filter, followed by an extended Kalman filter (2) identifying a derivative estimate with a least square estimator, and (3) obtaining derivatives with the Bayesian derivative extraction method.

  8. 40 CFR 454.60 - Applicability; description of manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory. 454.60 Section 454.60 Protection of Environment... manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are applicable to discharges resulting from the manufacture of rosin-based derivatives. ...

  9. Validated derivative and ratio derivative spectrophotometric methods for the simultaneous determination of levocetirizine dihydrochloride and ambroxol hydrochloride in pharmaceutical dosage form

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, Omnia I. M.; Ismail, Nahla S.; Elgohary, Rasha M.

    2016-01-01

    Three simple, precise, accurate and validated derivative spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of levocetirizine dihydrochloride (LCD) and ambroxol hydrochloride (ABH) in bulk powder and in pharmaceutical formulations. The first method is a first derivative spectrophotometric method (1D) using a zero-crossing technique of measurement at 210.4 nm for LCD and at 220.0 nm for ABH. The second method employs a second derivative spectrophotometry (2D) where the measurements were carried out at 242.0 and 224.4 nm for LCD and ABH, respectively. In the third method, the first derivative of the ratio spectra was calculated and the first derivative of the ratio amplitudes at 222.8 and 247.2 nm was selected for the determination of LCD and ABH, respectively. Calibration graphs were established in the ranges of 1.0-20.0 μg mL- 1 for LCD and 4.0-20.0 μg mL- 1 for ABH using derivative and ratio first derivative spectrophotometric methods with good correlation coefficients. The developed methods have been successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of both drugs in commercial tablet dosage form.

  10. Validated derivative and ratio derivative spectrophotometric methods for the simultaneous determination of levocetirizine dihydrochloride and ambroxol hydrochloride in pharmaceutical dosage form.

    PubMed

    Ali, Omnia I M; Ismail, Nahla S; Elgohary, Rasha M

    2016-01-15

    Three simple, precise, accurate and validated derivative spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of levocetirizine dihydrochloride (LCD) and ambroxol hydrochloride (ABH) in bulk powder and in pharmaceutical formulations. The first method is a first derivative spectrophotometric method ((1)D) using a zero-crossing technique of measurement at 210.4 nm for LCD and at 220.0 nm for ABH. The second method employs a second derivative spectrophotometry ((2)D) where the measurements were carried out at 242.0 and 224.4 nm for LCD and ABH, respectively. In the third method, the first derivative of the ratio spectra was calculated and the first derivative of the ratio amplitudes at 222.8 and 247.2 nm was selected for the determination of LCD and ABH, respectively. Calibration graphs were established in the ranges of 1.0-20.0 μg mL(-1) for LCD and 4.0-20.0 μg mL(-1) for ABH using derivative and ratio first derivative spectrophotometric methods with good correlation coefficients. The developed methods have been successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of both drugs in commercial tablet dosage form. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. New Formulae for the High-Order Derivatives of Some Jacobi Polynomials: An Application to Some High-Order Boundary Value Problems

    PubMed Central

    Abd-Elhameed, W. M.

    2014-01-01

    This paper is concerned with deriving some new formulae expressing explicitly the high-order derivatives of Jacobi polynomials whose parameters difference is one or two of any degree and of any order in terms of their corresponding Jacobi polynomials. The derivatives formulae for Chebyshev polynomials of third and fourth kinds of any degree and of any order in terms of their corresponding Chebyshev polynomials are deduced as special cases. Some new reduction formulae for summing some terminating hypergeometric functions of unit argument are also deduced. As an application, and with the aid of the new introduced derivatives formulae, an algorithm for solving special sixth-order boundary value problems are implemented with the aid of applying Galerkin method. A numerical example is presented hoping to ascertain the validity and the applicability of the proposed algorithms. PMID:25386599

  12. Application of Spectroscopic Methods for Structural Analysis of Chitin and Chitosan

    PubMed Central

    Kumirska, Jolanta; Czerwicka, Małgorzata; Kaczyński, Zbigniew; Bychowska, Anna; Brzozowski, Krzysztof; Thöming, Jorg; Stepnowski, Piotr

    2010-01-01

    Chitin, the second most important natural polymer in the world, and its N-deacetylated derivative chitosan, have been identified as versatile biopolymers for a broad range of applications in medicine, agriculture and the food industry. Two of the main reasons for this are firstly the unique chemical, physicochemical and biological properties of chitin and chitosan, and secondly the unlimited supply of raw materials for their production. These polymers exhibit widely differing physicochemical properties depending on the chitin source and the conditions of chitosan production. The presence of reactive functional groups as well as the polysaccharide nature of these biopolymers enables them to undergo diverse chemical modifications. A complete chemical and physicochemical characterization of chitin, chitosan and their derivatives is not possible without using spectroscopic techniques. This review focuses on the application of spectroscopic methods for the structural analysis of these compounds. PMID:20559489

  13. Comparison of several methods for estimating low speed stability derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fletcher, H. S.

    1971-01-01

    Methods presented in five different publications have been used to estimate the low-speed stability derivatives of two unpowered airplane configurations. One configuration had unswept lifting surfaces, the other configuration was the D-558-II swept-wing research airplane. The results of the computations were compared with each other, with existing wind-tunnel data, and with flight-test data for the D-558-II configuration to assess the relative merits of the methods for estimating derivatives. The results of the study indicated that, in general, for low subsonic speeds, no one text appeared consistently better for estimating all derivatives.

  14. Definition and application of longitudinal stability derivatives for elastic airplanes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kemp, W. B., Jr.

    1972-01-01

    A set of longitudinal stability derivatives for elastic airplanes is defined from fundamental principles allowing perturbations in forward speed. Application of these derivatives to longitudinal stability analysis by use of approximate expressions for static stability and control parameters as well as the dynamic equations of motion is illustrated. One commonly used alternative formulation for elastic airplanes is shown to yield significant inaccuracies because of inappropriate interpretation of inertial effects.

  15. A review of fish-derived antioxidant and antimicrobial peptides: their production, assessment, and applications.

    PubMed

    Najafian, L; Babji, A S

    2012-01-01

    Fishes are rich sources of structurally diverse bioactive compounds. In recent years, much attention has been paid to the existence of peptides with biological activities and proteins derived from foods that might have beneficial effects for humans. Antioxidant and antimicrobial peptides isolated from fish sources may be used as functional ingredients in food formulations to promote consumer health and improve the shelf life of food products. This paper presents an overview of the antioxidant and antimicrobial peptides derived from various fishes. In addition, we discuss the extraction of fish proteins, enzymatic production, and the techniques used to isolate and characterize these compounds. Furthermore, we review the methods used to assay the bioactivities and their applications in food and nutraceuticals. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Amnion-derived stem cells: in quest of clinical applications

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    In the promising field of regenerative medicine, human perinatal stem cells are of great interest as potential stem cells with clinical applications. Perinatal stem cells could be isolated from normally discarded human placentae, which are an ideal cell source in terms of availability, the fewer number of ethical concerns, less DNA damage, and so on. Numerous studies have demonstrated that some of the placenta-derived cells possess stem cell characteristics like pluripotent differentiation ability, particularly in amniotic epithelial (AE) cells. Term human amniotic epithelium contains a relatively large number of stem cell marker-positive cells as an adult stem cell source. In this review, we introduce a model theory of why so many AE cells possess stem cell characteristics. We also describe previous work concerning the therapeutic applications and discuss the pluripotency of the AE cells and potential pitfalls for amnion-derived stem cell research. PMID:21596003

  17. Method development and validation of potent pyrimidine derivative by UV-VIS spectrophotometer.

    PubMed

    Chaudhary, Anshu; Singh, Anoop; Verma, Prabhakar Kumar

    2014-12-01

    A rapid and sensitive ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopic method was developed for the estimation of pyrimidine derivative 6-Bromo-3-(6-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-2-(morpolinomethylamino) pyrimidine4-yl) -2H-chromen-2-one (BT10M) in bulk form. Pyrimidine derivative was monitored at 275 nm with UV detection, and there is no interference of diluents at 275 nm. The method was found to be linear in the range of 50 to 150 μg/ml. The accuracy and precision were determined and validated statistically. The method was validated as a guideline. The results showed that the proposed method is suitable for the accurate, precise, and rapid determination of pyrimidine derivative. Graphical Abstract Method development and validation of potent pyrimidine derivative by UV spectroscopy.

  18. Body burden of pesticides and wastewater-derived pollutants on freshwater invertebrates: Method development and application in the Danube River.

    PubMed

    Inostroza, Pedro A; Wicht, Anna-Jorina; Huber, Thomas; Nagy, Claudia; Brack, Werner; Krauss, Martin

    2016-07-01

    While environmental risk assessment is typically based on toxicant concentrations in water and/or sediment, awareness is increasing that internal concentrations or body burdens are the key to understand adverse effects in organisms. In order to link environmental micropollutants as causes of observed effects, there is an increasing demand for methods to analyse these chemicals in organisms. Here, a multi-target screening method based on pulverised liquid extraction (PuLE) and a modified QuEChERS approach with an additional hexane phase was developed. It is capable to extract and quantify organic micropollutants of diverse chemical classes in freshwater invertebrates. The method was tested on gammarids from the Danube River (within the Joint Danube Survey 3) and target compounds were analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Furthermore, a non-target screening using high resolution-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) was conducted. A total of 17 pollutants were detected and/or quantified in gammarids at low concentrations. Pesticide concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 6.52 ng g(-1) (wet weight), those of wastewater-derived pollutants from 0.1 to 2.83 ng g(-1) (wet weight). The presence of wastewater-derived pollutants was prominent at all spots sampled. Using non-target screening, we could successfully identify several chlorinated compounds. These results demonstrate for the first time the presence of pesticides and wastewater-derived pollutants in invertebrates of the Danube River. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Investigating the mincing method for isolation of adipose-derived stem cells from pregnant women fat.

    PubMed

    Li, Yuan-Sheng; Chen, Pao-Jen; Wu, Li-Wei; Chou, Pei-Wen; Sun, Li-Yi; Chiou, Tzyy-Wen

    2018-02-01

    The success of stem cell application in regenerative medicine, usually require a stable source of stem or progenitor cells. Fat tissue represents a good source of stem cells because it is rich in stem cells and there are fewer ethical issues related to the use of such stem cells, unlike embryonic stem cells. Therefore, there has been increased interest in adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) for tissue engineering applications. Here, we aim to provide an easy processing method for isolating adult stem cells from human adipose tissue harvested from the subcutaneous fat of the abdominal wall during gynecologic surgery. We used a homogenizer to mince fat and compared the results with those obtained from the traditional cut method involving a sterile scalpel and forceps. Our results showed that our method provides another stable and quality source of stem cells that could be used in cases with a large quantity of fat. Furthermore, we found that pregnancy adipose-derived stem cells (P-ADSCs) could be maintained in vitro for extended periods with a stable population doubling and low senescence levels. P-ADSCs could also differentiate in vitro into adipogenic, osteogenic, chondrogenic, and insulin-producing cells in the presence of lineage-specific induction factors. In conclusion, like human lipoaspirates, adipose tissues obtained from pregnant women contain multipotent cells with better proliferation and showed great promise for use in both stem cell banking studies as well as in stem cell therapy.

  20. An improved 3D MoF method based on analytical partial derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xiang; Zhang, Xiong

    2016-12-01

    MoF (Moment of Fluid) method is one of the most accurate approaches among various surface reconstruction algorithms. As other second order methods, MoF method needs to solve an implicit optimization problem to obtain the optimal approximate surface. Therefore, the partial derivatives of the objective function have to be involved during the iteration for efficiency and accuracy. However, to the best of our knowledge, the derivatives are currently estimated numerically by finite difference approximation because it is very difficult to obtain the analytical derivatives of the object function for an implicit optimization problem. Employing numerical derivatives in an iteration not only increase the computational cost, but also deteriorate the convergence rate and robustness of the iteration due to their numerical error. In this paper, the analytical first order partial derivatives of the objective function are deduced for 3D problems. The analytical derivatives can be calculated accurately, so they are incorporated into the MoF method to improve its accuracy, efficiency and robustness. Numerical studies show that by using the analytical derivatives the iterations are converged in all mixed cells with the efficiency improvement of 3 to 4 times.

  1. Cocaine Dependence Treatment Data: Methods for Measurement Error Problems With Predictors Derived From Stationary Stochastic Processes

    PubMed Central

    Guan, Yongtao; Li, Yehua; Sinha, Rajita

    2011-01-01

    In a cocaine dependence treatment study, we use linear and nonlinear regression models to model posttreatment cocaine craving scores and first cocaine relapse time. A subset of the covariates are summary statistics derived from baseline daily cocaine use trajectories, such as baseline cocaine use frequency and average daily use amount. These summary statistics are subject to estimation error and can therefore cause biased estimators for the regression coefficients. Unlike classical measurement error problems, the error we encounter here is heteroscedastic with an unknown distribution, and there are no replicates for the error-prone variables or instrumental variables. We propose two robust methods to correct for the bias: a computationally efficient method-of-moments-based method for linear regression models and a subsampling extrapolation method that is generally applicable to both linear and nonlinear regression models. Simulations and an application to the cocaine dependence treatment data are used to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed methods. Asymptotic theory and variance estimation for the proposed subsampling extrapolation method and some additional simulation results are described in the online supplementary material. PMID:21984854

  2. Sol-gel derived antireflective structures for applications in silicon solar cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karasiński, Paweł; Skolik, Marcin

    2016-12-01

    This work presents theoretical and experimental results of antireflective coatings (ARCs) obtained for applications in silicon solar cells. ARCs were derived from sol-gel process and dip-coated using silica (SiO2) and titania (TiO2). Theoretical results were obtained using 2×2 transfer matrix calculation method. Technological process of SiO2 and TiO2 thin film fabrication as well as measurement techniques are described in this paper. Strong correlation between theoretical and experimental data is demonstrated. It is shown, that weighted average reflection from a substrate can be reduced ten times with the use of SiO2/TiO2/Si double layer ARCs, when compared to a bare silica substrate.

  3. An investigation of using an RQP based method to calculate parameter sensitivity derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beltracchi, Todd J.; Gabriele, Gary A.

    1989-01-01

    Estimation of the sensitivity of problem functions with respect to problem variables forms the basis for many of our modern day algorithms for engineering optimization. The most common application of problem sensitivities has been in the calculation of objective function and constraint partial derivatives for determining search directions and optimality conditions. A second form of sensitivity analysis, parameter sensitivity, has also become an important topic in recent years. By parameter sensitivity, researchers refer to the estimation of changes in the modeling functions and current design point due to small changes in the fixed parameters of the formulation. Methods for calculating these derivatives have been proposed by several authors (Armacost and Fiacco 1974, Sobieski et al 1981, Schmit and Chang 1984, and Vanderplaats and Yoshida 1985). Two drawbacks to estimating parameter sensitivities by current methods have been: (1) the need for second order information about the Lagrangian at the current point, and (2) the estimates assume no change in the active set of constraints. The first of these two problems is addressed here and a new algorithm is proposed that does not require explicit calculation of second order information.

  4. Chromatographic methods for determination of S-substituted cysteine derivatives--a comparative study.

    PubMed

    Kubec, Roman; Dadáková, Eva

    2009-10-09

    A novel HPLC method for determination of a wide variety of S-substituted cysteine derivatives in Allium species has been developed and validated. This method allows simultaneous separation and quantification of S-alk(en)ylcysteine S-oxides, gamma-glutamyl-S-alk(en)ylcysteines and gamma-glutamyl-S-alk(en)ylcysteine S-oxides in a single run. The procedure is based on extraction of these amino acids and dipeptides by methanol, their derivatization by dansyl chloride and subsequent separation by reversed phase HPLC. The main advantages of the new method are simplicity, excellent stability of derivatives, high sensitivity, specificity and the ability to simultaneously analyze the whole range of S-substituted cysteine derivatives. This method was critically compared with other chromatographic procedures used for quantification of S-substituted cysteine derivatives, namely with two other HPLC methods (derivatization by o-phthaldialdehyde/tert-butylthiol and fluorenylmethyl chloroformate), and with determination by gas chromatography or capillary electrophoresis. Major advantages and drawbacks of these analytical procedures are discussed. Employing these various chromatographic methods, the content and relative proportions of individual S-substituted cysteine derivatives were determined in four most frequently consumed alliaceous vegetables (garlic, onion, shallot, and leek).

  5. Estimation of phase derivatives using discrete chirp-Fourier-transform-based method.

    PubMed

    Gorthi, Sai Siva; Rastogi, Pramod

    2009-08-15

    Estimation of phase derivatives is an important task in many interferometric measurements in optical metrology. This Letter introduces a method based on discrete chirp-Fourier transform for accurate and direct estimation of phase derivatives, even in the presence of noise. The method is introduced in the context of the analysis of reconstructed interference fields in digital holographic interferometry. We present simulation and experimental results demonstrating the utility of the proposed method.

  6. Estimation of confidence limits for descriptive indexes derived from autoregressive analysis of time series: Methods and application to heart rate variability.

    PubMed

    Beda, Alessandro; Simpson, David M; Faes, Luca

    2017-01-01

    The growing interest in personalized medicine requires making inferences from descriptive indexes estimated from individual recordings of physiological signals, with statistical analyses focused on individual differences between/within subjects, rather than comparing supposedly homogeneous cohorts. To this end, methods to compute confidence limits of individual estimates of descriptive indexes are needed. This study introduces numerical methods to compute such confidence limits and perform statistical comparisons between indexes derived from autoregressive (AR) modeling of individual time series. Analytical approaches are generally not viable, because the indexes are usually nonlinear functions of the AR parameters. We exploit Monte Carlo (MC) and Bootstrap (BS) methods to reproduce the sampling distribution of the AR parameters and indexes computed from them. Here, these methods are implemented for spectral and information-theoretic indexes of heart-rate variability (HRV) estimated from AR models of heart-period time series. First, the MS and BC methods are tested in a wide range of synthetic HRV time series, showing good agreement with a gold-standard approach (i.e. multiple realizations of the "true" process driving the simulation). Then, real HRV time series measured from volunteers performing cognitive tasks are considered, documenting (i) the strong variability of confidence limits' width across recordings, (ii) the diversity of individual responses to the same task, and (iii) frequent disagreement between the cohort-average response and that of many individuals. We conclude that MC and BS methods are robust in estimating confidence limits of these AR-based indexes and thus recommended for short-term HRV analysis. Moreover, the strong inter-individual differences in the response to tasks shown by AR-based indexes evidence the need of individual-by-individual assessments of HRV features. Given their generality, MC and BS methods are promising for applications

  7. Analytic computation of energy derivatives - Relationships among partial derivatives of a variationally determined function

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    King, H. F.; Komornicki, A.

    1986-01-01

    Formulas are presented relating Taylor series expansion coefficients of three functions of several variables, the energy of the trial wave function (W), the energy computed using the optimized variational wave function (E), and the response function (lambda), under certain conditions. Partial derivatives of lambda are obtained through solution of a recursive system of linear equations, and solution through order n yields derivatives of E through order 2n + 1, extending Puley's application of Wigner's 2n + 1 rule to partial derivatives in couple perturbation theory. An examination of numerical accuracy shows that the usual two-term second derivative formula is less stable than an alternative four-term formula, and that previous claims that energy derivatives are stationary properties of the wave function are fallacious. The results have application to quantum theoretical methods for the computation of derivative properties such as infrared frequencies and intensities.

  8. Alternating direction implicit methods for parabolic equations with a mixed derivative

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beam, R. M.; Warming, R. F.

    1980-01-01

    Alternating direction implicit (ADI) schemes for two-dimensional parabolic equations with a mixed derivative are constructed by using the class of all A(0)-stable linear two-step methods in conjunction with the method of approximate factorization. The mixed derivative is treated with an explicit two-step method which is compatible with an implicit A(0)-stable method. The parameter space for which the resulting ADI schemes are second-order accurate and unconditionally stable is determined. Some numerical examples are given.

  9. Alternating direction implicit methods for parabolic equations with a mixed derivative

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beam, R. M.; Warming, R. F.

    1979-01-01

    Alternating direction implicit (ADI) schemes for two-dimensional parabolic equations with a mixed derivative are constructed by using the class of all A sub 0-stable linear two-step methods in conjunction with the method of approximation factorization. The mixed derivative is treated with an explicit two-step method which is compatible with an implicit A sub 0-stable method. The parameter space for which the resulting ADI schemes are second order accurate and unconditionally stable is determined. Some numerical examples are given.

  10. Application of EOF/PCA-based methods in the post-processing of GRACE derived water variations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Forootan, Ehsan; Kusche, Jürgen

    2010-05-01

    Two problems that users of monthly GRACE gravity field solutions face are 1) the presence of correlated noise in the Stokes coefficients that increases with harmonic degree and causes ‘striping', and 2) the fact that different physical signals are overlaid and difficult to separate from each other in the data. These problems are termed the signal-noise separation problem and the signal-signal separation problem. Methods that are based on principal component analysis and empirical orthogonal functions (PCA/EOF) have been frequently proposed to deal with these problems for GRACE. However, different strategies have been applied to different (spatial: global/regional, spectral: global/order-wise, geoid/equivalent water height) representations of the GRACE level 2 data products, leading to differing results and a general feeling that PCA/EOF-based methods are to be applied ‘with care'. In addition, it is known that conventional EOF/PCA methods force separated modes to be orthogonal, and that, on the other hand, to either EOFs or PCs an arbitrary orthogonal rotation can be applied. The aim of this paper is to provide a common theoretical framework and to study the application of PCA/EOF-based methods as a signal separation tool due to post-process GRACE data products. In order to investigate and illustrate the applicability of PCA/EOF-based methods, we have employed them on GRACE level 2 monthly solutions based on the Center for Space Research, University of Texas (CSR/UT) RL04 products and on the ITG-GRACE03 solutions from the University of Bonn, and on various representations of them. Our results show that EOF modes do reveal the dominating annual, semiannual and also long-periodic signals in the global water storage variations, but they also show how choosing different strategies changes the outcome and may lead to unexpected results.

  11. Settlement Dynamics and Hierarchy from Agent Decision-Making: a Method Derived from Entropy Maximization.

    PubMed

    Altaweel, Mark

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an agent-based complex system simulation of settlement structure change using methods derived from entropy maximization modeling. The approach is applied to model the movement of people and goods in urban settings to study how settlement size hierarchy develops. While entropy maximization is well known for assessing settlement structure change over different spatiotemporal settings, approaches have rarely attempted to develop and apply this methodology to understand how individual and household decisions may affect settlement size distributions. A new method developed in this paper allows individual decision-makers to chose where to settle based on social-environmental factors, evaluate settlements based on geography and relative benefits, while retaining concepts derived from entropy maximization with settlement size affected by movement ability and site attractiveness feedbacks. To demonstrate the applicability of the theoretical and methodological approach, case study settlement patterns from the Middle Bronze (MBA) and Iron Ages (IA) in the Iraqi North Jazirah Survey (NJS) are used. Results indicate clear differences in settlement factors and household choices in simulations that lead to settlement size hierarchies comparable to the two evaluated periods. Conflict and socio-political cohesion, both their presence and absence, are suggested to have major roles in affecting the observed settlement hierarchy. More broadly, the model is made applicable for different empirically based settings, while being generalized to incorporate data uncertainty, making the model useful for understanding urbanism from top-down and bottom-up perspectives.

  12. Carcinogen derived biomarkers: applications in studies of human exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke

    PubMed Central

    Hecht, S

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To review the literature on carcinogen derived biomarkers of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS). These biomarkers are specifically related to known carcinogens in tobacco smoke and include urinary metabolites, DNA adducts, and blood protein adducts. Method: Published reviews and the current literature were searched for relevant articles. Results: The most consistently elevated biomarker in people exposed to SHS was 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) and its glucuronides (NNAL-Gluc), urinary metabolites of the tobacco specific lung carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). The tobacco specificity of this biomarker as well as its clear relation to an established lung carcinogen are particularly appropriate for its application in studies of SHS exposure. Conclusion: The results of the available carcinogen derived biomarker studies provide biochemical data which support the conclusion, based on epidemiologic investigations, that SHS causes lung cancer in non-smokers. PMID:14985617

  13. Second derivative synchronous fluorimetric method for simultaneous determination of harman and norharman in coffee samples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wabaidur, Saikh Mohammad; Lee, Sang Hak; Alothman, Zeid Abdullah; Siddiqui, Masoom Raza; Alam, Seikh Mafiz

    2013-06-01

    The simultaneous determination of harman and norharman using second derivative synchronous fluorescence method has been developed based on their natural fluorescence. Due to their similar molecular structures, it is difficult to determine them simultaneously in the mixture using conventional fluorimetry. Overlapping of fluorescence spectra was resolved by using a constant second derivative synchronous fluorimetry. The derivative synchronous spectrum, maintaining a constant difference of Δλ = 150 nm between emission and excitation for both the compounds, has been selected for the analysis. The range of application is between 0.182 and 18.2 μg/mL (correlation coefficient, R = 0.9982) for harman and between 0.504 and 16.8 μg/mL (correlation coefficient, R = 0.9962) for norharman. The recovery ranges of 98.5-101.1% for harman and 97.5-99.1% for norharman from their synthetic mixture was reported. The detection limits are 0.016 μg/mL and 0.038 μg/mL for harman and norharman, respectively. Similarly, the quantitation limit of the two compounds was found to be 0.049 and 0.109 μg/mL, respectively. The method was applied to the simultaneous determination of both compounds in coffee samples with satisfactory results.

  14. Second derivative synchronous fluorimetric method for simultaneous determination of harman and norharman in coffee samples.

    PubMed

    Wabaidur, Saikh Mohammad; Lee, Sang Hak; Alothman, Zeid Abdullah; Siddiqui, Masoom Raza; Alam, Seikh Mafiz

    2013-06-01

    The simultaneous determination of harman and norharman using second derivative synchronous fluorescence method has been developed based on their natural fluorescence. Due to their similar molecular structures, it is difficult to determine them simultaneously in the mixture using conventional fluorimetry. Overlapping of fluorescence spectra was resolved by using a constant second derivative synchronous fluorimetry. The derivative synchronous spectrum, maintaining a constant difference of Δλ=150 nm between emission and excitation for both the compounds, has been selected for the analysis. The range of application is between 0.182 and 18.2 μg/mL (correlation coefficient, R=0.9982) for harman and between 0.504 and 16.8 μg/mL (correlation coefficient, R=0.9962) for norharman. The recovery ranges of 98.5-101.1% for harman and 97.5-99.1% for norharman from their synthetic mixture was reported. The detection limits are 0.016 μg/mL and 0.038 μg/mL for harman and norharman, respectively. Similarly, the quantitation limit of the two compounds was found to be 0.049 and 0.109 μg/mL, respectively. The method was applied to the simultaneous determination of both compounds in coffee samples with satisfactory results. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. The Curvature-Augmented Closest Point method with vesicle inextensibility application

    DOE PAGES

    Vogl, Christopher J.

    2017-06-06

    Here, the Closest Point method, initially developed by Ruuth and Merriman, allows for the numerical solution of surface partial differential equations without the need for a parameterization of the surface itself. Surface quantities are embedded into the surrounding domain by assigning each value at a given spatial location to the corresponding value at the closest point on the surface. This embedding allows for surface derivatives to be replaced by their Cartesian counterparts (e.g. ∇ s=∇). This equivalence is only valid on the surface, and thus, interpolation is used to enforce what is known as the side condition away from themore » surface. To improve upon the method, this work derives an operator embedding that incorporates curvature information, making it valid in a neighborhood of the surface. With this, direct enforcement of the side condition is no longer needed. Comparisons in R 2 and R 3 show that the resulting Curvature-Augmented Closest Point method has better accuracy and requires less memory, through increased matrix sparsity, than the Closest Point method, while maintaining similar matrix condition numbers. To demonstrate the utility of the method in a physical application, simulations of inextensible, bi-lipid vesicles evolving toward equilibrium shapes are also included.« less

  16. Exponentially fitted symplectic Runge-Kutta-Nyström methods derived by partitioned Runge-Kutta methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Monovasilis, Th.; Kalogiratou, Z.; Simos, T. E.

    2013-10-01

    In this work we derive symplectic EF/TF RKN methods by symplectic EF/TF PRK methods. Also EF/TF symplectic RKN methods are constructed directly from classical symplectic RKN methods. Several numerical examples will be given in order to decide which is the most favourable implementation.

  17. How to eliminate the formation of chlorogenic acids artefacts during plants analysis? Sea sand disruption method (SSDM) in the HPLC analysis of chlorogenic acids and their native derivatives in plants.

    PubMed

    Wianowska, Dorota; Typek, Rafał; Dawidowicz, Andrzej L

    2015-09-01

    The analytical procedures for determining plant constituents involve the application of sample preparation methods to fully isolate and/or pre-concentrate the analyzed substances. High-temperature liquid extraction is still applied most frequently for this purpose. The present paper shows that high-temperature extraction cannot be applied for the analysis of chlorogenic acids (CQAs) and their derivatives in plants as it causes the CQAs transformation leading to erroneous quantitative estimations of these compounds. Experiments performed on different plants (black elder, hawthorn, nettle, yerba maté, St John's wort and green coffee) demonstrate that the most appropriate method for the estimation of CQAs/CQAs derivatives is sea sand disruption method (SSDM) because it does not induce any transformation and/or degradation processes in the analyzed substances. Owing to the SSDM method application we found that the investigated plants, besides four main CQAs, contain sixteen CQAs derivatives, among them three quinic acids. The application of SSDM in plant analysis not only allows to establish a true concentration of individual CQAs in the examined plants but also to determine which chlorogenic acids derivatives are native plant components and what is their concentration level. What is even more important, the application of SSDM in plant analysis allows to eliminate errors that may arise or might have arisen in the study of chlorogenic acids and their derivatives in plant metabolism. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. A novel method for deriving the aerosol hygroscopicity parameter based only on measurements from a humidified nephelometer system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuang, Ye; Zhao, Chunsheng; Tao, Jiangchuan; Bian, Yuxuan; Ma, Nan; Zhao, Gang

    2017-06-01

    Aerosol hygroscopicity is crucial for understanding roles of aerosol particles in atmospheric chemistry and aerosol climate effects. Light-scattering enhancement factor f(RH, λ) is one of the parameters describing aerosol hygroscopicity, which is defined as f(RH, λ) = σsp(RH, λ)/σsp(dry, λ), where σsp(RH, λ) or σsp(dry, λ) represents σsp at wavelength λ under certain relative humidity (RH) or dry conditions. Traditionally, an overall hygroscopicity parameter κ can be retrieved from measured f(RH, λ), hereinafter referred to as κf(RH), by combining concurrently measured particle number size distribution (PNSD) and mass concentration of black carbon. In this paper, a new method is proposed to directly derive κf(RH) based only on measurements from a three-wavelength humidified nephelometer system. The advantage of this newly proposed approach is that κf(RH) can be estimated without any additional information about PNSD and black carbon. This method is verified with measurements from two different field campaigns. Values of κf(RH) estimated from this new method agree very well with those retrieved by using the traditional method: all points lie near the 1 : 1 line and the square of correlation coefficient between them is 0.99. The verification results demonstrate that this newly proposed method of deriving κf(RH) is applicable at different sites and in seasons of the North China Plain and might also be applicable in other regions around the world.

  19. Elastography methods applicable to the eye

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, Altaf A.; Cortina, Soledad M.; Chamon, Wallace; Royston, Thomas J.

    2014-02-01

    Elastography is the mapping of tissues and cells by their respective mechanical properties, such as elasticity and viscosity. Our interest primarily lies in the human eye. Combining Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometry (SLDV) with geometrically focused mechanical vibratory excitations of the cornea, it is possible to reconstruct these mechanical properties of the cornea. Experiments were conducted on phantom corneas as well as excised donor human corneas to test feasibility and derive a method of modeling. Finite element analysis was used to recreate the phantom studies and corroborate with the experimental data. Results are in close agreement. To further expand the study, lamb eyes were used in MR Elastography studies. 3D wave reconstruction was created and elastography maps were obtained. With MR Elastography, it would be possible to noninvasively measure mechanical properties of anatomical features not visible to SLDV, such as the lens and retina. Future plans include creating a more robust finite element model, improving the SLDV method for in-vivo application, and continuing experiments with MR Elastography.

  20. Fourth-order derivative spectrophotometric method for simultaneous determination of pseudoephedrine and naproxen in pharmaceutical dosage forms

    PubMed Central

    Souri, Effat; Mosafer, Amir; Tehrani, Maliheh Barazandeh

    2016-01-01

    Combination dosage forms of naproxen sodium and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride are used for symptomatic treatment of cold and sinus disorders. In this study, fourth-order derivative spectrophotometric method was used for simultaneous determination of naproxen sodium and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. The method was linear over the range of 2-28 μg/ml for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and 4-200 μg/ml for naproxen sodium. The within-day and between-day coefficient of variation values were less than 5.8% and 2.5% for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and naproxen sodium, respectively. The application of the proposed method for simultaneous determination of naproxen and pseudoephedrine in dosage forms was demonstrated without any special pretreatment. PMID:27168748

  1. Selection of appropriate isolation method based on morphology of blastocyst for efficient derivation of buffalo embryonic stem cells.

    PubMed

    Kumar, R; Ahlawat, S P S; Sharma, M; Verma, O P; Sai Kumar, G; Taru Sharma, G

    2014-03-01

    The efficiency of embryonic stem cell (ESC) derivation from all species except for rodents and primates is very low. There are however, multiple interests in obtaining pluripotent cells from these animals with main expectations in the fields of transgenesis, cloning, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Researches are being carried out in laboratories throughout the world to increase the efficiency of ESC isolation for their downstream applications. Thus, the present study was undertaken to study the effect of different isolation methods based on the morphology of blastocyst for efficient derivation of buffalo ESCs. Embryos were produced in vitro through the procedures of maturation, fertilization and culture. Hatched blastocysts or isolated inner cell masses (ICMs) were seeded on mitomycin-C inactivated buffalo fetal fibroblast monolayer for the development of ESC colonies. The ESCs were analyzed for alkaline phosphatase activity, expression of pluripotency markers and karyotypic stability. Primary ESC colonies were obtained after 2-5 days of seeding hatched blastocysts or isolated ICMs on mitomycin-C inactivated feeder layer. Mechanically isolated ICMs attached and formed primary cell colonies more efficiently than ICMs isolated enzymatically. For derivation of ESCs from poorly defined ICMs intact hatched blastocyst culture was the most successful method. Results of this study implied that although ESCs can be obtained using all three methods used in this study, efficiency varies depending upon the morphology of blastocyst and isolation method used. So, appropriate isolation method must be selected depending on the quality of blastocyst for efficient derivation of ESCs.

  2. Nanomaterials derived from metal-organic frameworks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dang, Song; Zhu, Qi-Long; Xu, Qiang

    2018-01-01

    The thermal transformation of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) generates a variety of nanostructured materials, including carbon-based materials, metal oxides, metal chalcogenides, metal phosphides and metal carbides. These derivatives of MOFs have characteristics such as high surface areas, permanent porosities and controllable functionalities that enable their good performance in sensing, gas storage, catalysis and energy-related applications. Although progress has been made to tune the morphologies of MOF-derived structures at the nanometre scale, it remains crucial to further our knowledge of the relationship between morphology and performance. In this Review, we summarize the synthetic strategies and optimized methods that enable control over the size, morphology, composition and structure of the derived nanomaterials. In addition, we compare the performance of materials prepared by the MOF-templated strategy and other synthetic methods. Our aim is to reveal the relationship between the morphology and the physico-chemical properties of MOF-derived nanostructures to optimize their performance for applications such as sensing, catalysis, and energy storage and conversion.

  3. The ONIOM molecular dynamics method for biochemical applications: cytidine deaminase

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

    Matsubara, Toshiaki; Dupuis, Michel; Aida, Misako

    2007-03-22

    Abstract We derived and implemented the ONIOM-molecular dynamics (MD) method for biochemical applications. The implementation allows the characterization of the functions of the real enzymes taking account of their thermal motion. In this method, the direct MD is performed by calculating the ONIOM energy and gradients of the system on the fly. We describe the first application of this ONOM-MD method to cytidine deaminase. The environmental effects on the substrate in the active site are examined. The ONIOM-MD simulations show that the product uridine is strongly perturbed by the thermal motion of the environment and dissociates easily from the activemore » site. TM and MA were supported in part by grants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. MD was supported by the Division of Chemical Sciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, and by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research of the U.S. Department of Energy DOE. Battelle operates Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for DOE.« less

  4. An improved 2D MoF method by using high order derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xiang; Zhang, Xiong

    2017-11-01

    The MoF (Moment of Fluid) method is one of the most accurate approaches among various interface reconstruction algorithms. Alike other second order methods, the MoF method needs to solve an implicit optimization problem to obtain the optimal approximate interface, so an iteration process is inevitable under most circumstances. In order to solve the optimization efficiently, the properties of the objective function are worthy of studying. In 2D problems, the first order derivative has been deduced and applied in the previous researches. In this paper, the high order derivatives of the objective function are deduced on the convex polygon. We show that the nth (n ≥ 2) order derivatives are discontinuous, and the number of the discontinuous points is two times the number of the polygon edge. A rotation algorithm is proposed to successively calculate these discontinuous points, thus the target interval where the optimal solution is located can be determined. Since the high order derivatives of the objective function are continuous in the target interval, the iteration schemes based on high order derivatives can be used to improve the convergence rate. Moreover, when iterating in the target interval, the value of objective function and its derivatives can be directly updated without explicitly solving the volume conservation equation. The direct update makes a further improvement of the efficiency especially when the number of edges of the polygon is increasing. The Halley's method, which is based on the first three order derivatives, is applied as the iteration scheme in this paper and the numerical results indicate that the CPU time is about half of the previous method on the quadrilateral cell and is about one sixth on the decagon cell.

  5. Estimation of confidence limits for descriptive indexes derived from autoregressive analysis of time series: Methods and application to heart rate variability

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    The growing interest in personalized medicine requires making inferences from descriptive indexes estimated from individual recordings of physiological signals, with statistical analyses focused on individual differences between/within subjects, rather than comparing supposedly homogeneous cohorts. To this end, methods to compute confidence limits of individual estimates of descriptive indexes are needed. This study introduces numerical methods to compute such confidence limits and perform statistical comparisons between indexes derived from autoregressive (AR) modeling of individual time series. Analytical approaches are generally not viable, because the indexes are usually nonlinear functions of the AR parameters. We exploit Monte Carlo (MC) and Bootstrap (BS) methods to reproduce the sampling distribution of the AR parameters and indexes computed from them. Here, these methods are implemented for spectral and information-theoretic indexes of heart-rate variability (HRV) estimated from AR models of heart-period time series. First, the MS and BC methods are tested in a wide range of synthetic HRV time series, showing good agreement with a gold-standard approach (i.e. multiple realizations of the "true" process driving the simulation). Then, real HRV time series measured from volunteers performing cognitive tasks are considered, documenting (i) the strong variability of confidence limits' width across recordings, (ii) the diversity of individual responses to the same task, and (iii) frequent disagreement between the cohort-average response and that of many individuals. We conclude that MC and BS methods are robust in estimating confidence limits of these AR-based indexes and thus recommended for short-term HRV analysis. Moreover, the strong inter-individual differences in the response to tasks shown by AR-based indexes evidence the need of individual-by-individual assessments of HRV features. Given their generality, MC and BS methods are promising for applications

  6. Preparation Methods and Antioxidant Activities of Polysaccharides and Their Derivatives.

    PubMed

    Mei, Xinya; Yi, Chengkun; Huang, Gangliang

    2017-01-01

    In recent years, the antioxidant effects of polysaccharides have become a hot spot in the field of polysaccharide research. Herein, the action mechanisms of polysaccharide antioxidation and scavenging free radicals were analyzed. The research progresses on the preparation methods and antioxidant properties of polysaccharides and their derivatives were summarized. Investigating the antioxidant activities of polysaccharides and their derivatives can find useful polysaccharides and their derivatives, which have great potential as natural antioxidants used in functional foods or medicines. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  7. NGS of Virus-Derived Small RNAs as a Diagnostic Method Used to Determine Viromes of Hungarian Vineyards

    PubMed Central

    Czotter, Nikoletta; Molnar, Janos; Szabó, Emese; Demian, Emese; Kontra, Levente; Baksa, Ivett; Szittya, Gyorgy; Kocsis, Laszlo; Deak, Tamas; Bisztray, Gyorgy; Tusnady, Gabor E.; Burgyan, Jozsef; Varallyay, Eva

    2018-01-01

    As virus diseases cannot be controlled by traditional plant protection methods, the risk of their spread have to be minimized on vegetatively propagated plants, such as grapevine. Metagenomic approaches used for virus diagnostics offer a unique opportunity to reveal the presence of all viral pathogens in the investigated plant, which is why their application can reduce the risk of using infected material for a new plantation. Here we used a special branch, deep sequencing of virus-derived small RNAs, of this high-throughput method for virus diagnostics, and determined viromes of vineyards in Hungary. With NGS of virus-derived small RNAs we could detect not only the viruses tested routinely, but also new ones, which had never been described in Hungary before. Virus presence did not correlate with the age of the plantation, moreover phylogenetic analysis of the identified virus isolates suggests that infections are mostly caused by the use of infected propagating material. Our results, validated by other molecular methods, raised further questions to be answered before this method can be introduced as a routine, reliable test for grapevine virus diagnostics. PMID:25741336

  8. Physiochemical, Optical and Biological Activity of Chitosan-Chromone Derivative for Biomedical Applications

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Santosh; Koh, Joonseok

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes the physiochemical, optical and biological activity of chitosan-chromone derivative. The chitosan-chromone derivative gels were prepared by reacting chitosan with chromone-3-carbaldehyde, followed by solvent exchange, filtration and drying by evaporation. The identity of Schiff base was confirmed by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The chitosan-chromone derivative was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) and circular dichroism (CD). The CD spectrum showed the chitosan-chromone derivative had a secondary helical structure. Microbiological screening results demonstrated the chitosan-chromone derivative had antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli bacteria. The chitosan-chromone derivative did not have any adverse effect on the cellular proliferation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) and did not lead to cellular toxicity in MEFs. These results suggest that the chitosan-chromone derivative gels may open a new perspective in biomedical applications. PMID:22754352

  9. Fe-based Fischer Tropsch Synthesis of biomass-derived syngas: Effect of synthesis method

    Treesearch

    Khiet Mai; Thomas Elder; Les Groom; James J. Spivey

    2015-01-01

    Two 100Fe/4Cu/4K/6Zn catalysts were prepared using two different methods: coprecipitation or impregnation methods. The effect of the preparation methods on the catalyst structure, catalytic properties, and the conversion of biomass-derived syngas via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis was investigated. Syngas was derived from gasifying Southern pine woodchips and had the...

  10. Semiempirical Quantum Mechanical Methods for Noncovalent Interactions for Chemical and Biochemical Applications

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Semiempirical (SE) methods can be derived from either Hartree–Fock or density functional theory by applying systematic approximations, leading to efficient computational schemes that are several orders of magnitude faster than ab initio calculations. Such numerical efficiency, in combination with modern computational facilities and linear scaling algorithms, allows application of SE methods to very large molecular systems with extensive conformational sampling. To reliably model the structure, dynamics, and reactivity of biological and other soft matter systems, however, good accuracy for the description of noncovalent interactions is required. In this review, we analyze popular SE approaches in terms of their ability to model noncovalent interactions, especially in the context of describing biomolecules, water solution, and organic materials. We discuss the most significant errors and proposed correction schemes, and we review their performance using standard test sets of molecular systems for quantum chemical methods and several recent applications. The general goal is to highlight both the value and limitations of SE methods and stimulate further developments that allow them to effectively complement ab initio methods in the analysis of complex molecular systems. PMID:27074247

  11. A Novel Locally Linear KNN Method With Applications to Visual Recognition.

    PubMed

    Liu, Qingfeng; Liu, Chengjun

    2017-09-01

    A locally linear K Nearest Neighbor (LLK) method is presented in this paper with applications to robust visual recognition. Specifically, the concept of an ideal representation is first presented, which improves upon the traditional sparse representation in many ways. The objective function based on a host of criteria for sparsity, locality, and reconstruction is then optimized to derive a novel representation, which is an approximation to the ideal representation. The novel representation is further processed by two classifiers, namely, an LLK-based classifier and a locally linear nearest mean-based classifier, for visual recognition. The proposed classifiers are shown to connect to the Bayes decision rule for minimum error. Additional new theoretical analysis is presented, such as the nonnegative constraint, the group regularization, and the computational efficiency of the proposed LLK method. New methods such as a shifted power transformation for improving reliability, a coefficients' truncating method for enhancing generalization, and an improved marginal Fisher analysis method for feature extraction are proposed to further improve visual recognition performance. Extensive experiments are implemented to evaluate the proposed LLK method for robust visual recognition. In particular, eight representative data sets are applied for assessing the performance of the LLK method for various visual recognition applications, such as action recognition, scene recognition, object recognition, and face recognition.

  12. Economical and green synthesis of bagasse-derived fluorescent carbon dots for biomedical applications.

    PubMed

    Du, Fengyi; Zhang, Miaomiao; Li, Xiaofeng; Li, Jianan; Jiang, Xinyi; Li, Zhang; Hua, Ye; Shao, Genbao; Jin, Jie; Shao, Qixiang; Zhou, Ming; Gong, Aihua

    2014-08-08

    Carbon quantum dots (CDs) are promising nanomaterials in biomedical, photocatalytical and photoelectronic applications. However, determining how to explore an ideal precursor for a renewable carbon resource is still an interesting challenge. Here, for the first time, we report that renewable wastes of bagasse as a new precursor were prepared for fluorescent CDs by a hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process. The characterization results show that such bagasse-derived CDs are monodispersed, contain quasi spherical particles with a diameter of about 1.8 nm and exhibit favorable photoluminescence properties, super-high photostability and good dispersibility in water. Most importantly, bagasse-derived CDs have good biocompatibility and can be easily and quickly internalized by living cancer cells; they can also be used for multicolour biolabeling and bioimaging in cancer cells. It is suggested that bagasse-derived CDs might have potential applications in biomedical and photoelectronic fields.

  13. A Method of Signal Scrambling to Secure Data Storage for Healthcare Applications.

    PubMed

    Bao, Shu-Di; Chen, Meng; Yang, Guang-Zhong

    2017-11-01

    A body sensor network that consists of wearable and/or implantable biosensors has been an important front-end for collecting personal health records. It is expected that the full integration of outside-hospital personal health information and hospital electronic health records will further promote preventative health services as well as global health. However, the integration and sharing of health information is bound to bring with it security and privacy issues. With extensive development of healthcare applications, security and privacy issues are becoming increasingly important. This paper addresses the potential security risks of healthcare data in Internet-based applications and proposes a method of signal scrambling as an add-on security mechanism in the application layer for a variety of healthcare information, where a piece of tiny data is used to scramble healthcare records. The former is kept locally and the latter, along with security protection, is sent for cloud storage. The tiny data can be derived from a random number generator or even a piece of healthcare data, which makes the method more flexible. The computational complexity and security performance in terms of theoretical and experimental analysis has been investigated to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method. The proposed method is applicable to all kinds of data that require extra security protection within complex networks.

  14. The higher mode of surface wave derived from ambient noise and preliminary application to estimating subsurface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhentao, Y.; Xiaofei, C.; Jiannan, W.

    2016-12-01

    The fundamental mode is the primary component of surface wave derived from ambient noise. It is the basis of the method of structure imaging from ambient noise (e.g. SPAC, Aki 1957; F-K, Lascoss 1968; MUSIC, Schmidt 1986). It is well known, however, that if the higher modes of surface wave can be identified from data and are incorporated in the inversion of dispersion curves, the uncertainty in inversion results will be greatly reduced (e.g., Tokimastu,1997). Actually, the ambient noise indeed contains the higher modes as well in its raw data of ambient noise. If we could extract the higher modes from ambient noise, the structure inversion method of ambient noise would be greatly improved. In the past decade, there are many studies to improve SPAC and analyses the relationship of fundamental mode and higher mode (Ohri et al 2002; Asten et al. 2006; Tashiaki Ykoi 2010 ;Tatsunori Ikeda 2012). In this study, we will present a new method of identifying higher modes from ambient noise data by reprocessing the "surface waves' phases" derived from the ambient noise through cross-correlation analysis, and show preliminary application in structure inversion.

  15. Field calibration of blowfly-derived DNA against traditional methods for assessing mammal diversity in tropical forests.

    PubMed

    Lee, Ping-Shin; Gan, Han Ming; Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben; Wilson, John-James

    2016-11-01

    Mammal diversity assessments based on DNA derived from invertebrates have been suggested as alternatives to assessments based on traditional methods; however, no study has field-tested both approaches simultaneously. In Peninsular Malaysia, we calibrated the performance of mammal DNA derived from blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) against traditional methods used to detect species. We first compared five methods (cage trapping, mist netting, hair trapping, scat collection, and blowfly-derived DNA) in a forest reserve with no recent reports of megafauna. Blowfly-derived DNA and mist netting detected the joint highest number of species (n = 6). Only one species was detected by multiple methods. Compared to the other methods, blowfly-derived DNA detected both volant and non-volant species. In another forest reserve, rich in megafauna, we calibrated blowfly-derived DNA against camera traps. Blowfly-derived DNA detected more species (n = 11) than camera traps (n = 9), with only one species detected by both methods. The rarefaction curve indicated that blowfly-derived DNA would continue to detect more species with greater sampling effort. With further calibration, blowfly-derived DNA may join the list of traditional field methods. Areas for further investigation include blowfly feeding and dispersal biology, primer biases, and the assembly of a comprehensive and taxonomically-consistent DNA barcode reference library.

  16. A pseudo energy-invariant method for relativistic wave equations with Riesz space-fractional derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Macías-Díaz, J. E.; Hendy, A. S.; De Staelen, R. H.

    2018-03-01

    In this work, we investigate a general nonlinear wave equation with Riesz space-fractional derivatives that generalizes various classical hyperbolic models, including the sine-Gordon and the Klein-Gordon equations from relativistic quantum mechanics. A finite-difference discretization of the model is provided using fractional centered differences. The method is a technique that is capable of preserving an energy-like quantity at each iteration. Some computational comparisons against solutions available in the literature are performed in order to assess the capability of the method to preserve the invariant. Our experiments confirm that the technique yields good approximations to the solutions considered. As an application of our scheme, we provide simulations that confirm, for the first time in the literature, the presence of the phenomenon of nonlinear supratransmission in Riesz space-fractional Klein-Gordon equations driven by a harmonic perturbation at the boundary.

  17. Application of stem cell-derived retinal pigmented epithelium in retinal degenerative diseases: present and future.

    PubMed

    Luo, Mingyue; Chen, Youxin

    2018-01-01

    As a constituent of blood-retinal barrier and retinal outer segment (ROS) scavenger, retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) is fundamental to normal function of retina. Malfunctioning of RPE contributes to the onset and advance of retinal degenerative diseases. Up to date, RPE replacement therapy is the only possible method to completely reverse retinal degeneration. Transplantation of human RPE stem cell-derived RPE (hRPESC-RPE) has shown some good results in animal models. With promising results in terms of safety and visual improvement, human embryonic stem cell-derived RPE (hESC-RPE) can be expected in clinical settings in the near future. Despite twists and turns, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived RPE (iPSC-RPE) is now being intensely investigated to overcome genetic and epigenetic instability. By far, only one patient has received iPSC-RPE transplant, which is a hallmark of iPSC technology development. During follow-up, no major complications such as immunogenicity or tumorigenesis have been observed. Future trials should keep focusing on the safety of stem cell-derived RPE (SC-RPE) especially in long period, and better understanding of the nature of stem cell and the molecular events in the process to generate SC-RPE is necessary to the prosperity of SC-RPE clinical application.

  18. A Fast Method of Deriving the Kirchhoff Formula for Moving Surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farassat, F.; Posey, Joe W.

    2007-01-01

    The Kirchhoff formula for a moving surface is very useful in many wave propagation problems, particularly in the prediction of noise from rotating machinery. Several publications in the last two decades have presented derivations of the Kirchhoff formula for moving surfaces in both time and frequency domains. Here we present a method originally developed by Farassat and Myers in time domain that is both simple and direct. It is based on generalized function theory and the useful concept of imbedding the problem in the unbounded three-dimensional space. We derive an inhomogeneous wave equation with the source terms that involve Dirac delta functions with their supports on the moving data surface. This wave equation is then solved using the simple free space Green's function of the wave equation resulting in the Kirchhoff formula. The algebraic manipulations are minimal and simple. We do not need the Green's theorem in four dimensions and there is no ambiguity in the interpretation of any terms in the final formulas. Furthermore, this method also gives the simplest derivation of the classical Kirchhoff formula which has a fairly lengthy derivation in physics and applied mathematics books. The Farassat-Myers method can be used easily in frequency domain.

  19. A NEW METHOD FOR DERIVING THE STELLAR BIRTH FUNCTION OF RESOLVED STELLAR POPULATIONS

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

    Gennaro, M.; Brown, T. M.; Gordon, K. D.

    We present a new method for deriving the stellar birth function (SBF) of resolved stellar populations. The SBF (stars born per unit mass, time, and metallicity) is the combination of the initial mass function (IMF), the star formation history (SFH), and the metallicity distribution function (MDF). The framework of our analysis is that of Poisson Point Processes (PPPs), a class of statistical models suitable when dealing with points (stars) in a multidimensional space (the measurement space of multiple photometric bands). The theory of PPPs easily accommodates the modeling of measurement errors as well as that of incompleteness. Our method avoidsmore » binning stars in the color–magnitude diagram and uses the whole likelihood function for each data point; combining the individual likelihoods allows the computation of the posterior probability for the population's SBF. Within the proposed framework it is possible to include nuisance parameters, such as distance and extinction, by specifying their prior distributions and marginalizing over them. The aim of this paper is to assess the validity of this new approach under a range of assumptions, using only simulated data. Forthcoming work will show applications to real data. Although it has a broad scope of possible applications, we have developed this method to study multi-band Hubble Space Telescope observations of the Milky Way Bulge. Therefore we will focus on simulations with characteristics similar to those of the Galactic Bulge.« less

  20. Phosphorus Determination by Derivative Activation Analysis: A Multifaceted Radiochemical Application.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleppinger, E. W.; And Others

    1984-01-01

    Although determination of phosphorus is important in biology, physiology, and environmental science, traditional gravimetric and colorimetric methods are cumbersome and lack the requisite sensitivity. Therefore, a derivative activation analysis method is suggested. Background information, procedures, and results are provided. (JN)

  1. Optimization of complex slater-type functions with analytic derivative methods for describing photoionization differential cross sections.

    PubMed

    Matsuzaki, Rei; Yabushita, Satoshi

    2017-05-05

    The complex basis function (CBF) method applied to various atomic and molecular photoionization problems can be interpreted as an L2 method to solve the driven-type (inhomogeneous) Schrödinger equation, whose driven term being dipole operator times the initial state wave function. However, efficient basis functions for representing the solution have not fully been studied. Moreover, the relation between their solution and that of the ordinary Schrödinger equation has been unclear. For these reasons, most previous applications have been limited to total cross sections. To examine the applicability of the CBF method to differential cross sections and asymmetry parameters, we show that the complex valued solution to the driven-type Schrödinger equation can be variationally obtained by optimizing the complex trial functions for the frequency dependent polarizability. In the test calculations made for the hydrogen photoionization problem with five or six complex Slater-type orbitals (cSTOs), their complex valued expansion coefficients and the orbital exponents have been optimized with the analytic derivative method. Both the real and imaginary parts of the solution have been obtained accurately in a wide region covering typical molecular regions. Their phase shifts and asymmetry parameters are successfully obtained by extrapolating the CBF solution from the inner matching region to the asymptotic region using WKB method. The distribution of the optimized orbital exponents in the complex plane is explained based on the close connection between the CBF method and the driven-type equation method. The obtained information is essential to constructing the appropriate basis sets in future molecular applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. A Comparison of the Bounded Derivative and the Normal Mode Initialization Methods Using Real Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Semazzi, F. H. M.; Navon, I. M.

    1985-01-01

    Browning et al. (1980) proposed an initialization method called the bounded derivative method (BDI). They used analytical data to test the new method. Kasahara (1982) theoretically demonstrated the equivalence between BDI and the well known nonlinear normal mode initialization method (NMI). The purposes of this study are the extension of the application of BDI to real data and comparison with NMI. The unbalanced initial state (UBD) is data of January, 1979 OOZ which were interpolated from the adjacent sigma levels of the GLAS GCM to the 300 mb surface. The global barotropic model described by Takacs and Balgovind (1983) is used. Orographic forcing is explicitly included in the model. Many comparisons are performed between various quantities. However, we only present a comparison of the time evolution at two grid points A(50 S, 90 E) and B(10 S, 20 E) which represent low and middle latitude locations. To facilitate a more complete comparison an initialization experiment based on the classical balance equation (CBE) was also included.

  3. Aerogels Derived from Polymer Nanofibers and Their Applications.

    PubMed

    Qian, Zhenchao; Wang, Zhen; Zhao, Ning; Xu, Jian

    2018-03-08

    Aerogels are gels in which the solvent is supplanted by air while the pores and networks are largely maintained. Owing to their low bulk density, high porosity, and large specific surface area (SSA), aerogels are promising for many applications. Various inorganic aerogels, e.g., silica aerogels, are intensively studied. However, the mechanical brittleness of common inorganic aerogels has seriously restricted their applications. In the past decade, nanofibers have been developed as building blocks for the construction of aerogels to improve their mechanical property. Unlike traditional frameworks constructed by interconnected particles, nanofibers can form chemically cross-linked and/or physically entangled 3D skeletons, thus showing flexibility instead of brittleness. Therefore, excellent elasticity and toughness, ultralow density, high SSA, and tunable chemical composition can be expected for the polymer nanofiber-derived aerogels (PNAs). In this review, recent research progress in the fabrication, properties, and applications of PNAs is summarized. Various nanofibers, including nanocelluloses, nanochitins, and electrospun nanofibers are included, as well as carbon nanofibers from the corresponding organic precursors. Typical applications in supercapacitors, electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction, flexible electrodes, oil absorbents, adsorbents, tissue engineering, stimuli-responsive materials, and catalyst carriers, are presented. Finally, the challenges and future development of PNAs are discussed. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Application of Satellite-Derived Atmospheric Motion Vectors for Estimating Mesoscale Flows.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bedka, Kristopher M.; Mecikalski, John R.

    2005-11-01

    This study demonstrates methods to obtain high-density, satellite-derived atmospheric motion vectors (AMV) that contain both synoptic-scale and mesoscale flow components associated with and induced by cumuliform clouds through adjustments made to the University of Wisconsin—Madison Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (UW-CIMSS) AMV processing algorithm. Operational AMV processing is geared toward the identification of synoptic-scale motions in geostrophic balance, which are useful in data assimilation applications. AMVs identified in the vicinity of deep convection are often rejected by quality-control checks used in the production of operational AMV datasets. Few users of these data have considered the use of AMVs with ageostrophic flow components, which often fail checks that assure both spatial coherence between neighboring AMVs and a strong correlation to an NWP-model first-guess wind field. The UW-CIMSS algorithm identifies coherent cloud and water vapor features (i.e., targets) that can be tracked within a sequence of geostationary visible (VIS) and infrared (IR) imagery. AMVs are derived through the combined use of satellite feature tracking and an NWP-model first guess. Reducing the impact of the NWP-model first guess on the final AMV field, in addition to adjusting the target selection and vector-editing schemes, is found to result in greater than a 20-fold increase in the number of AMVs obtained from the UW-CIMSS algorithm for one convective storm case examined here. Over a three-image sequence of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-12 VIS and IR data, 3516 AMVs are obtained, most of which contain flow components that deviate considerably from geostrophy. In comparison, 152 AMVs are derived when a tighter NWP-model constraint and no targeting adjustments were imposed, similar to settings used with operational AMV production algorithms. A detailed analysis reveals that many of these 3516 vectors contain low

  5. Application of cow milk-derived carbon dots/Ag NPs composite as the antibacterial agent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Shuai; Zhang, He; Xie, Yujie; Liu, Liangliang; Shan, Changfu; Li, Xiangkai; Liu, Weisheng; Tang, Yu

    2015-02-01

    Cow milk-derived carbon dots (CMCDs) were prepared by hydrothermal treatment of cow milk, and the as-prepared CMCDs were further extracted by ethyl acetate to obtain amphiphilic CMCDs (ACMCDs). Using the ACMCDs both as a reducing agent and a template, the ACMCDs-supported silver nanoparticles (ACMCD-Ag nanocomposites) were prepared, which showed good biocidal effect on both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacterias. After that, a novel ACMCD-Ag/polymethylmethacrylate nanocomposite antibacterial film was fabricated by solvent casting method. Due to the excellent antibacterial, light admitting, and flexible properties, the nanocomposite antibacterial film is considered to be of great potential in applications.

  6. Applicability of optical scanner method for fine root dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kume, Tomonori; Ohashi, Mizue; Makita, Naoki; Khoon Kho, Lip; Katayama, Ayumi; Matsumoto, Kazuho; Ikeno, Hidetoshi

    2016-04-01

    Fine root dynamics is one of the important components in forest carbon cycling, as ~60 % of tree photosynthetic production can be allocated to root growth and metabolic activities. Various techniques have been developed for monitoring fine root biomass, production, mortality in order to understand carbon pools and fluxes resulting from fine roots dynamics. The minirhizotron method is now a widely used technique, in which a transparent tube is inserted into the soil and researchers count an increase and decrease of roots along the tube using images taken by a minirhizotron camera or minirhizotron video camera inside the tube. This method allows us to observe root behavior directly without destruction, but has several weaknesses; e.g., the difficulty of scaling up the results to stand level because of the small observation windows. Also, most of the image analysis are performed manually, which may yield insufficient quantitative and objective data. Recently, scanner method has been proposed, which can produce much bigger-size images (A4-size) with lower cost than those of the minirhizotron methods. However, laborious and time-consuming image analysis still limits the applicability of this method. In this study, therefore, we aimed to develop a new protocol for scanner image analysis to extract root behavior in soil. We evaluated applicability of this method in two ways; 1) the impact of different observers including root-study professionals, semi- and non-professionals on the detected results of root dynamics such as abundance, growth, and decomposition, and 2) the impact of window size on the results using a random sampling basis exercise. We applied our new protocol to analyze temporal changes of root behavior from sequential scanner images derived from a Bornean tropical forests. The results detected by the six observers showed considerable concordance in temporal changes in the abundance and the growth of fine roots but less in the decomposition. We also examined

  7. Phase derivative method for reconstruction of slightly off-axis digital holograms.

    PubMed

    Guo, Cheng-Shan; Wang, Ben-Yi; Sha, Bei; Lu, Yu-Jie; Xu, Ming-Yuan

    2014-12-15

    A phase derivative (PD) method is proposed for reconstruction of off-axis holograms. In this method, a phase distribution of the tested object wave constrained within 0 to pi radian is firstly worked out by a simple analytical formula; then it is corrected to its right range from -pi to pi according to the sign characteristics of its first-order derivative. A theoretical analysis indicates that this PD method is particularly suitable for reconstruction of slightly off-axis holograms because it only requires the spatial frequency of the reference beam larger than spatial frequency of the tested object wave in principle. In addition, because the PD method belongs to a pure local method with no need of any integral operation or phase shifting algorithm in process of the phase retrieval, it could have some advantages in reducing computer load and memory requirements to the image processing system. Some experimental results are given to demonstrate the feasibility of the method.

  8. Apparatuses and methods for deoxygenating biomass-derived pyrolysis oil

    DOEpatents

    Kalnes, Tom N.

    2015-12-29

    Apparatuses and methods for deoxygenating a biomass-derived pyrolysis oil are provided herein. In one example, the method comprises of dividing a feedstock stream into first and second feedstock portions. The feedstock stream comprises the biomass-derived pyrolysis oil and has a temperature of about 60.degree. C. or less. The first feedstock portion is combined with a heated organic liquid stream to form a first heated diluted pyoil feed stream. The first heated diluted pyoil feed stream is contacted with a first deoxygenating catalyst in the presence of hydrogen to form an intermediate low-oxygen pyoil effluent. The second feedstock portion is combined with the intermediate low-oxygen pyoil effluent to form a second heated diluted pyoil feed stream. The second heated diluted pyoil feed stream is contacted with a second deoxygenating catalyst in the presence of hydrogen to form additional low-oxygen pyoil effluent.

  9. The versatile biopolymer chitosan: potential sources, evaluation of extraction methods and applications.

    PubMed

    Kaur, Surinder; Dhillon, Gurpreet Singh

    2014-05-01

    Among the biopolymers, chitin and its derivative chitosan (CTS) have been receiving increasing attention. Both are composed of randomly distributed β-(1-4)-linked d-glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine units. On commercial scale, CTS is mainly obtained from the crustacean shells. The chemical methods employed for extraction of CTS from crustacean shells are laden with many disadvantages. Waste fungal biomass represents a potential biological source of CTS, in fact with superior physico-chemical properties, such as high degree of deacetylation, low molecular weight, devoid of protein contamination and high bioactivity. Researchers around the globe are attempting to commercialize CTS production and extraction from fungal sources. Fungi are promising and environmentally benign source of CTS and they have the potential to completely replace crustacean-derived CTS. Waste fungal biomass resulting from various pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries is grown on inexpensive agro-industrial wastes and its by-products are a rich and inexpensive source of CTS. CTS is emerging as an important natural polymer having broad range of applications in different fields. In this context, the present review discusses the potential sources of CTS and their advantages and disadvantages. This review also deals with potential applications of CTS in different fields. Finally, the various attributes of CTS sought in different applications are discussed.

  10. Quantitative determination of ambroxol in tablets by derivative UV spectrophotometric method and HPLC.

    PubMed

    Dinçer, Zafer; Basan, Hasan; Göger, Nilgün Günden

    2003-04-01

    A derivative UV spectrophotometric method for the determination of ambroxol in tablets was developed. Determination of ambroxol in tablets was conducted by using first-order derivative UV spectrophotometric method at 255 nm (n = 5). Standards for the calibration graph ranging from 5.0 to 35.0 microg/ml were prepared from stock solution. The proposed method was accurate with 98.6+/-0.4% recovery value and precise with coefficient of variation (CV) of 1.22. These results were compared with those obtained by reference methods, zero-order UV spectrophotometric method and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. A reversed-phase C(18) column with aqueous phosphate (0.01 M)-acetonitrile-glacial acetic acid (59:40:1, v/v/v) (pH 3.12) mobile phase was used and UV detector was set to 252 nm. Calibration solutions used in HPLC were ranging from 5.0 to 20.0 microg/ml. Results obtained by derivative UV spectrophotometric method was comparable to those obtained by reference methods, zero-order UV spectrophotometric method and HPLC, as far as ANOVA test, F(calculated) = 0.762 and F(theoretical) = 3.89, was concerned. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Science B.V.

  11. A generalized simplest equation method and its application to the Boussinesq-Burgers equation.

    PubMed

    Sudao, Bilige; Wang, Xiaomin

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a generalized simplest equation method is proposed to seek exact solutions of nonlinear evolution equations (NLEEs). In the method, we chose a solution expression with a variable coefficient and a variable coefficient ordinary differential auxiliary equation. This method can yield a Bäcklund transformation between NLEEs and a related constraint equation. By dealing with the constraint equation, we can derive infinite number of exact solutions for NLEEs. These solutions include the traveling wave solutions, non-traveling wave solutions, multi-soliton solutions, rational solutions, and other types of solutions. As applications, we obtained wide classes of exact solutions for the Boussinesq-Burgers equation by using the generalized simplest equation method.

  12. A Generalized Simplest Equation Method and Its Application to the Boussinesq-Burgers Equation

    PubMed Central

    Sudao, Bilige; Wang, Xiaomin

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a generalized simplest equation method is proposed to seek exact solutions of nonlinear evolution equations (NLEEs). In the method, we chose a solution expression with a variable coefficient and a variable coefficient ordinary differential auxiliary equation. This method can yield a Bäcklund transformation between NLEEs and a related constraint equation. By dealing with the constraint equation, we can derive infinite number of exact solutions for NLEEs. These solutions include the traveling wave solutions, non-traveling wave solutions, multi-soliton solutions, rational solutions, and other types of solutions. As applications, we obtained wide classes of exact solutions for the Boussinesq-Burgers equation by using the generalized simplest equation method. PMID:25973605

  13. Synthesis of biomass derived carbon materials for environmental engineering and energy storage applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huggins, Mitchell Tyler

    Biomass derived carbon (BC) can serve as an environmentally and cost effective material for both remediation and energy production/storage applications. The use of locally derived biomass, such as unrefined wood waste, provides a renewable feedstock for carbon material production compared to conventional unrenewable resources like coal. Additionally, energy and capital cost can be reduced through the reduction in transport and processing steps and the use of spent material as a soil amendment. However, little work has been done to evaluate and compare biochar to conventional materials such as granular activated carbon or graphite in advanced applications of Environmental Engineering. In this work I evaluated the synthesis and compared the performance of biochar for different applications in wastewater treatment, nutrient recovery, and energy production and storage. This includes the use of biochar as an electrode and filter media in several bioelectrochemical systems (BES) treating synthetic and industrial wastewater. I also compared the treatment efficiency of granular biochar as a packed bed adsorbent for the primary treatment of high strength brewery wastewater. My studies conclude with the cultivation of fungal biomass to serve as a template for biochar synthesis, controlling the chemical and physical features of the feedstock and avoiding some of the limitations of waste derived materials.

  14. Sigmoid function based integral-derivative observer and application to autopilot design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shao, Xingling; Wang, Honglun; Liu, Jun; Tang, Jun; Li, Jie; Zhang, Xiaoming; Shen, Chong

    2017-02-01

    To handle problems of accurate signal reconstruction and controller implementation with integral and derivative components in the presence of noisy measurement, motivated by the design principle of sigmoid function based tracking differentiator and nonlinear continuous integral-derivative observer, a novel integral-derivative observer (SIDO) using sigmoid function is developed. The key merit of the proposed SIDO is that it can simultaneously provide continuous integral and differential estimates with almost no drift phenomena and chattering effect, as well as acceptable noise-tolerance performance from output measurement, and the stability is established based on exponential stability and singular perturbation theory. In addition, the effectiveness of SIDO in suppressing drift phenomena and high frequency noises is firstly revealed using describing function and confirmed through simulation comparisons. Finally, the theoretical results on SIDO are demonstrated with application to autopilot design: 1) the integral and tracking estimates are extracted from the sensed pitch angular rate contaminated by nonwhite noises in feedback loop, 2) the PID(proportional-integral-derivative) based attitude controller is realized by adopting the error estimates offered by SIDO instead of using the ideal integral and derivative operator to achieve satisfactory tracking performance under control constraint.

  15. On computing Laplace's coefficients and their derivatives.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gerasimov, I. A.; Vinnikov, E. L.

    The algorithm of computing Laplace's coefficients and their derivatives is proposed with application of recurrent relations. The A.G.M.-method is used for the calculation of values L0(0), L0(1). The FORTRAN-program corresponding to the algorithm is given. The precision control was provided with numerical integrating by Simpsons method. The behavior of Laplace's coefficients and their third derivatives whith varying indices K, n for fixed values of the α-parameter is presented graphically.

  16. Adipose-derived stem cells for cartilage regeneration - moving towards clinical applicability

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Despite multiple methods of treatment and a wealth of research in the field of regenerative medicine focusing on cartilage defects, the management of cartilage injuries remains a challenge. A recent study by Van Pham and colleagues proposes a method for preconditioning autologous adipose-derived stem cells. Their study offers evidence about the increased proliferative and chondrogenetic capabilities of platelet-rich plasma-treated adipose-derived stem cells and the increased efficiency of these in treating articular cartilage defects in mice. Even though the method needs further elaboration and the composition of the repair tissue requires investigation, the results are promising for the design of clinically acceptable cell therapies aimed at cartilage regeneration. PMID:24079605

  17. Amniotic Fluid-Derived Stem Cells for Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering Applications

    PubMed Central

    Petsche Connell, Jennifer; Camci-Unal, Gulden; Khademhosseini, Ali

    2013-01-01

    Recent research has demonstrated that a population of stem cells can be isolated from amniotic fluid removed by amniocentesis that are broadly multipotent and nontumorogenic. These amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (AFSC) could potentially provide an autologous cell source for treatment of congenital defects identified during gestation, particularly cardiovascular defects. In this review, the various methods of isolating, sorting, and culturing AFSC are compared, along with techniques for inducing differentiation into cardiac myocytes and endothelial cells. Although research has not demonstrated complete and high-yield cardiac differentiation, AFSC have been shown to effectively differentiate into endothelial cells and can effectively support cardiac tissue. Additionally, several tissue engineering and regenerative therapeutic approaches for the use of these cells in heart patches, injection after myocardial infarction, heart valves, vascularized scaffolds, and blood vessels are summarized. These applications show great promise in the treatment of congenital cardiovascular defects, and further studies of isolation, culture, and differentiation of AFSC will help to develop their use for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and cardiovascular therapies. PMID:23350771

  18. Methods for conversion of lignocellulosic-derived products to transportation fuel precursors

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

    Lilga, Michael A.; Padmaperuma, Asanga B.

    2017-10-03

    Methods are disclosed for converting a biomass-derived product containing levulinic acid and/or gamma-valerolactone to a transportation fuel precursor product containing diesel like hydrocarbons. These methods are expected to produce fuel products at a reduced cost relative to conventional approaches.

  19. DFT application for chlorin derivatives photosensitizer drugs modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Machado, Neila; Carvalho, B. G.; Téllez Soto, C. A.; Martin, A. A.; Favero, P. P.

    2018-04-01

    Photodynamic therapy is an alternative form of cancer treatment that meets the desire for a less aggressive approach to the body. It is based on the interaction between a photosensitizer, activating light, and molecular oxygen. This interaction results in a cascade of reactions that leads to localized cell death. Many studies have been conducted to discover an ideal photosensitizer, which aggregates all the desirable characteristics of a potent cell killer and generates minimal side effects. Using Density Functional Theory (DFT) implemented in the program Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Package, new chlorin derivatives with different functional groups were simulated to evaluate the different absorption wavelengths to permit resonant absorption with the incident laser. Gaussian 09 program was used to determine vibrational wave numbers and Natural Bond Orbitals. The chosen drug with the best characteristics for the photosensitizer was a modified model of the original chlorin, which was called as Thiol chlorin. According to our calculations it is stable and is 19.6% more efficient at optical absorption in 708 nm in comparison to the conventional chlorin e6. Vibrational modes, optical and electronic properties were predicted. In conclusion, this study is an attempt to improve the development of new photosensitizer drugs through computational methods that save time and contribute to decrease the numbers of animals for model application.

  20. Establishment of mouse embryonic stem cells from isolated blastomeres and whole embryos using three derivation methods

    PubMed Central

    González, Sheyla; Ibáñez, Elena

    2010-01-01

    Purpose The aim of the present study is to compare three previously described mouse embryonic stem cell derivation methods to evaluate the influence of culture conditions, number of isolated blastomeres and embryonic stage in the derivation process. Methods Three embryonic stem cell derivation methods: standard, pre-adhesion and defined culture medium method, were compared in the derivation from isolated blastomeres and whole embryos at 4- and 8-cell stages. Results A total of 200 embryonic stem cell lines were obtained with an efficiency ranging from 1.9% to 72%. Conclusions Using either isolated blastomeres or whole embryos, the highest rates of mouse embryonic stem cell establishment were achieved with the defined culture medium method and efficiencies increased as development progressed. Using isolated blastomeres, efficiencies increased in parallel to the proportion of the embryo volume used to start the derivation process. PMID:20862536

  1. A Rapid Analytical Method for Determination of Aflatoxins in Plant-Derived Dietary Supplement and Cosmetic Oils

    PubMed Central

    Mahoney, Noreen; Molyneux, Russell J.

    2010-01-01

    Consumption of edible oils derived from conventional crop plants is increasing because they are generally regarded as more healthy alternatives to animal based fats and oils. More recently there has been increased interest in the use of alternative specialty plant-derived oils, including those from tree nuts (almonds, pistachios and walnuts) and botanicals (borage, evening primrose and perilla) both for direct human consumption (e.g. as salad dressings) but also for preparation of cosmetics, soaps, and fragrance oils. This has raised the issue as to whether or not exposure to aflatoxins can result from such oils. Although most crops are subject to analysis and control, it has generally been assumed that plant oils do not retain aflatoxins due to their high polarity and lipophobicity of these compounds. There is virtually no scientific evidence to support this supposition and available information is conflicting. To improve the safety and consistency of botanicals and dietary supplements, research is needed to establish whether or not oils used directly, or in the formulation of products, contain aflatoxins. A validated analytical method for the analysis of aflatoxins in plant-derived oils is essential, in order to establish the safety of dietary supplements for consumption or cosmetic use that contain such oils. The aim of this research was therefore to develop an HPLC method applicable to a wide variety of oils from different plant sources spiked with aflatoxins, thereby providing a basis for a comprehensive project to establish an intra- and inter-laboratory validated analytical method for analysis of aflatoxins in dietary supplements and cosmetics formulated with plant oils. PMID:20235534

  2. Fractional spectral and pseudo-spectral methods in unbounded domains: Theory and applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khosravian-Arab, Hassan; Dehghan, Mehdi; Eslahchi, M. R.

    2017-06-01

    This paper is intended to provide exponentially accurate Galerkin, Petrov-Galerkin and pseudo-spectral methods for fractional differential equations on a semi-infinite interval. We start our discussion by introducing two new non-classical Lagrange basis functions: NLBFs-1 and NLBFs-2 which are based on the two new families of the associated Laguerre polynomials: GALFs-1 and GALFs-2 obtained recently by the authors in [28]. With respect to the NLBFs-1 and NLBFs-2, two new non-classical interpolants based on the associated- Laguerre-Gauss and Laguerre-Gauss-Radau points are introduced and then fractional (pseudo-spectral) differentiation (and integration) matrices are derived. Convergence and stability of the new interpolants are proved in detail. Several numerical examples are considered to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the basis functions to approximate fractional derivatives (and integrals) of some functions. Moreover, the pseudo-spectral, Galerkin and Petrov-Galerkin methods are successfully applied to solve some physical ordinary differential equations of either fractional orders or integer ones. Some useful comments from the numerical point of view on Galerkin and Petrov-Galerkin methods are listed at the end.

  3. The application of the mesh-free method in the numerical simulations of the higher-order continuum structures

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

    Sun, Yuzhou, E-mail: yuzhousun@126.com; Chen, Gensheng; Li, Dongxia

    2016-06-08

    This paper attempts to study the application of mesh-free method in the numerical simulations of the higher-order continuum structures. A high-order bending beam considers the effect of the third-order derivative of deflections, and can be viewed as a one-dimensional higher-order continuum structure. The moving least-squares method is used to construct the shape function with the high-order continuum property, the curvature and the third-order derivative of deflections are directly interpolated with nodal variables and the second- and third-order derivative of the shape function, and the mesh-free computational scheme is establish for beams. The coupled stress theory is introduced to describe themore » special constitutive response of the layered rock mass in which the bending effect of thin layer is considered. The strain and the curvature are directly interpolated with the nodal variables, and the mesh-free method is established for the layered rock mass. The good computational efficiency is achieved based on the developed mesh-free method, and some key issues are discussed.« less

  4. Synthesis and Characterization of a Chitosan Derivative for Electro-Optical Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prastofer, Thomas

    1996-01-01

    Chitin is a naturally occurring polymer of alpha(1-4) poly N-acetylglucosamine found primarily in the shells of crustaceans and insects. This polymer is chemically and thermally stable and physically durable as a consequence of hydrogen bonding which causes the alignment and ordering of the polymer chains into microcrystals which aggregate into sheets with chiral nematic order. Industry has attempted to take advantage of chitin's properties and low cost (chitin is a waste product of the shellfish industry) to produce durable fibers and other products. This has been largely unsuccessful because of chitin's non reactivity and insolubility. Chitosan is the deacetylation product of chitin and retains many of the structural properties of chitin. Unlike chitin, chitosan is soluble in aqueous solution at reduced pH making it easier to be processed into fibers and films than chitin. Chitosan and its derivatives are now used in such commercial applications as wound dressings, waste water treatment, and in pharmaceuticals. In this study, we have synthesized a chitosan derivative, N-para-nitrophenyl chitosan (NPNPC), as a model material with potential applications in electro optics.

  5. Aligning Solution-Derived Carbon Nanotube Film with Full Surface Coverage for High-Performance Electronics Applications.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Ma-Guang; Si, Jia; Zhang, Zhiyong; Peng, Lian-Mao

    2018-06-01

    The main challenge for application of solution-derived carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in high performance field-effect transistor (FET) is how to align CNTs into an array with high density and full surface coverage. A directional shrinking transfer method is developed to realize high density aligned array based on randomly orientated CNT network film. Through transferring a solution-derived CNT network film onto a stretched retractable film followed by a shrinking process, alignment degree and density of CNT film increase with the shrinking multiple. The quadruply shrunk CNT films present well alignment, which is identified by the polarized Raman spectroscopy and electrical transport measurements. Based on the high quality and high density aligned CNT array, the fabricated FETs with channel length of 300 nm present ultrahigh performance including on-state current I on of 290 µA µm -1 (V ds = -1.5 V and V gs = -2 V) and peak transconductance g m of 150 µS µm -1 , which are, respectively, among the highest corresponding values in the reported CNT array FETs. High quality and high semiconducting purity CNT arrays with high density and full coverage obtained through this method promote the development of high performance CNT-based electronics. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. A method of decision analysis quantifying the effects of age and comorbidities on the probability of deriving significant benefit from medical treatments

    PubMed Central

    Bean, Nigel G.; Ruberu, Ravi P.

    2017-01-01

    Background The external validity, or generalizability, of trials and guidelines has been considered poor in the context of multiple morbidity. How multiple morbidity might affect the magnitude of benefit of a given treatment, and thereby external validity, has had little study. Objective To provide a method of decision analysis to quantify the effects of age and comorbidity on the probability of deriving a given magnitude of treatment benefit. Design We developed a method to calculate probabilistically the effect of all of a patient’s comorbidities on their underlying utility, or well-being, at a future time point. From this, we derived a distribution of possible magnitudes of treatment benefit at that future time point. We then expressed this distribution as the probability of deriving at least a given magnitude of treatment benefit. To demonstrate the applicability of this method of decision analysis, we applied it to the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia in a geriatric population of 50 individuals. We highlighted the results of four of these individuals. Results This method of analysis provided individualized quantifications of the effect of age and comorbidity on the probability of treatment benefit. The average probability of deriving a benefit, of at least 50% of the magnitude of benefit available to an individual without comorbidity, was only 0.8%. Conclusion The effects of age and comorbidity on the probability of deriving significant treatment benefits can be quantified for any individual. Even without consideration of other factors affecting external validity, these effects may be sufficient to guide decision-making. PMID:29090189

  7. Acyl Meldrum's acid derivatives: application in organic synthesis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Janikowska, K.; Rachoń, J.; Makowiec, S.

    2014-07-01

    This review is focused on an important class of Meldrum's acid derivatives commonly known as acyl Meldrum's acids. The preparation methods of these compounds are considered including the recently proposed and rather rarely used ones. The chemical properties of acyl Meldrum's acids are described in detail, including thermal stability and reactions with various nucleophiles. The possible mechanisms of these transformations are analyzed. The bibliography includes 134 references.

  8. Human Amniotic Membrane-Derived Products in Sports Medicine: Basic Science, Early Results, and Potential Clinical Applications.

    PubMed

    Riboh, Jonathan C; Saltzman, Bryan M; Yanke, Adam B; Cole, Brian J

    2016-09-01

    Amniotic membrane (AM)-derived products have been successfully used in ophthalmology, plastic surgery, and wound care, but little is known about their potential applications in orthopaedic sports medicine. To provide an updated review of the basic science and preclinical and clinical data supporting the use of AM-derived products and to review their current applications in sports medicine. Systematic review. A systematic search of the literature was conducted using the Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. The search term amniotic membrane was used alone and in conjunction with stem cell, orthopaedic, tissue engineering, scaffold, and sports medicine. The search identified 6870 articles, 80 of which, after screening of the titles and abstracts, were considered relevant to this study. Fifty-five articles described the anatomy, basic science, and nonorthopaedic applications of AM-derived products. Twenty-five articles described preclinical and clinical trials of AM-derived products for orthopaedic sports medicine. Because the level of evidence obtained from this search was not adequate for systematic review or meta-analysis, a current concepts review on the anatomy, physiology, and clinical uses of AM-derived products is presented. Amniotic membranes have many promising applications in sports medicine. They are a source of pluripotent cells, highly organized collagen, antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory cytokines, immunomodulators, and matrix proteins. These properties may make it beneficial when applied as tissue engineering scaffolds, improving tissue organization in healing, and treatment of the arthritic joint. The current body of evidence in sports medicine is heavily biased toward in vitro and animal studies, with little to no human clinical data. Nonetheless, 14 companies or distributors offer commercial AM products. The preparation and formulation of these products alter their biological and mechanical properties, and a thorough understanding of these

  9. Potential applicability of stress wave velocity method on pavement base materials as a non-destructive testing technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahedi, Masrur

    Aggregates derived from natural sources have been used traditionally as the pavement base materials. But in recent times, the extraction of these natural aggregates has become more labor intensive and costly due to resource depletion and environmental concerns. Thus, the uses of recycled aggregates as the supplementary of natural aggregates are increasing considerably in pavement construction. Use of recycled aggregates such as recycled crushed concrete (RCA) and recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) reduces the rate of natural resource depletion, construction debris and cost. Although recycled aggregates could be used as a viable alternative of conventional base materials, strength characteristics and product variability limit their utility to a great extent. Hence, their applicability is needed to be evaluated extensively based on strength, stiffness and cost factors. But for extensive evaluation, traditionally practiced test methods are proven to be unreasonable in terms of time, cost, reliability and applicability. On the other hand, rapid non-destructive methods have the potential to be less time consuming and inexpensive along with the low variability of test results; therefore improving the reliability of estimated performance of the pavement. In this research work, the experimental program was designed to assess the potential application of stress wave velocity method as a non-destructive test in evaluating recycled base materials. Different combinations of cement treated recycled concrete aggregate (RAP) and recycled crushed concrete (RCA) were used to evaluate the applicability of stress wave velocity method. It was found that, stress wave velocity method is excellent in characterizing the strength and stiffness properties of cement treated base materials. Statistical models, based on P-wave velocity were derived for predicting the modulus of elasticity and compressive strength of different combinations of cement treated RAP, Grade-1 and Grade-2 materials. Two

  10. Application of advanced techniques for the assessment of bio-stability of biowaste-derived residues: A minireview.

    PubMed

    Lü, Fan; Shao, Li-Ming; Zhang, Hua; Fu, Wen-Ding; Feng, Shi-Jin; Zhan, Liang-Tong; Chen, Yun-Min; He, Pin-Jing

    2018-01-01

    Bio-stability is a key feature for the utilization and final disposal of biowaste-derived residues, such as aerobic compost or vermicompost of food waste, bio-dried waste, anaerobic digestate or landfilled waste. The present paper reviews conventional methods and advanced techniques used for the assessment of bio-stability. The conventional methods are reclassified into two categories. Advanced techniques, including spectroscopic (fluorescent, ultraviolet-visible, infrared, Raman, nuclear magnetic resonance), thermogravimetric and thermochemolysis analysis, are emphasized for their application in bio-stability assessment in recent years. Their principles, pros and cons are critically discussed. These advanced techniques are found to be convenient in sample preparation and to supply diversified information. However, the viability of these techniques as potential indicators for bio-stability assessment ultimately lies in the establishment of the relationship of advanced ones with the conventional methods, especially with the methods based on biotic response. Furthermore, some misuses in data explanation should be noted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Continent-Wide Estimates of Antarctic Strain Rates from Landsat 8-Derived Velocity Grids and Their Application to Ice Shelf Studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alley, K. E.; Scambos, T.; Anderson, R. S.; Rajaram, H.; Pope, A.; Haran, T.

    2017-12-01

    Strain rates are fundamental measures of ice flow used in a wide variety of glaciological applications including investigations of bed properties, calculations of basal mass balance on ice shelves, application to Glen's flow law, and many other studies. However, despite their extensive application, strain rates are calculated using widely varying methods and length scales, and the calculation details are often not specified. In this study, we compare the results of nominal and logarithmic strain-rate calculations based on a satellite-derived velocity field of the Antarctic ice sheet generated from Landsat 8 satellite data. Our comparison highlights the differences between the two commonly used approaches in the glaciological literature. We evaluate the errors introduced by each code and their impacts on the results. We also demonstrate the importance of choosing and specifying a length scale over which strain-rate calculations are made, which can have large local impacts on other derived quantities such as basal mass balance on ice shelves. We present strain-rate data products calculated using an approximate viscous length-scale with satellite observations of ice velocity for the Antarctic continent. Finally, we explore the applications of comprehensive strain-rate maps to future ice shelf studies, including investigations of ice fracture, calving patterns, and stability analyses.

  12. [Related issues in clinical translational application of adipose-derived stem cells].

    PubMed

    Liu, Hongwei; Cheng, Biao; Fu, Xiaobing

    2012-10-01

    To introduce the related issues in the clinical translational application of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). The latest papers were extensively reviewed, concerning the issues of ASCs production, management, transportation, use, and safety during clinical application. ASCs, as a new member of adult stem cells family, bring to wide application prospect in the field of regenerative medicine. Over 40 clinical trials using ASCs conducted in 15 countries have been registered on the website (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), suggesting that ASCs represents a promising approach to future cell-based therapies. In the clinical translational application, the related issues included the quality control standard that management and production should follow, the prevention measures of pathogenic microorganism pollution, the requirements of enzymes and related reagent in separation process, possible effect of donor site, age, and sex in sampling, low temperature storage, product transportation, and safety. ASCs have the advantage of clinical translational application, much attention should be paid to these issues in clinical application to accelerate the clinical translation process.

  13. Therapeutic and cosmetic applications of Evodiamine and its derivatives--A patent review.

    PubMed

    Gavaraskar, Kirti; Dhulap, Sivakami; Hirwani, R R

    2015-10-01

    Evodiamine, ((+)-(S)-8,13,13b,14-tetrahydro-14-methylindolo[2',3':3,4]pyrido[2,1-b]quinazolin-5(7H)-one) indoloquinazoline alkaloid, is the major component isolated from the fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa, family Rutaceae. Broad spectrum of pharmacological activities of Evodiamine suggests its imperative role in treating a variety of diseases influencing the function of diverse targets. A comprehensive search was carried out to collect patent information regarding Evodiamine and its derivatives using different patent databases covering priority years to till date. The patents claiming therapeutic as well as cosmetic applications of Evodiamine and its derivatives were analyzed in detail and were classified technically based on the its application such as treatment of metabolic disorders, cancer, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular disorders, etc. The analysis revealed that the use and the mode of actions of Evodiamine and its derivatives in weight management treatments are currently well established. For example the fat reducing property of this alkaloid is primarily due to its mode of actions such as prevention of muscle protein catabolism, enhancement of thermogenesis and lipid oxidation. Apart from its use for treating obesity, Evodiamine and its derivatives are also experimentally explored for their anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties. The possible mechanisms related to its anti-cancer activity as illustrated by different experimental studies include its potential action as modulator of specific receptors such as topoisomerase I, NF-kappa B and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2). The analysis hence highlights that, clinical studies pertaining to the anti-cancer, anti-diabetes as well as anti-inflammatory activities of the Evodiamine and its derivatives would possess important market potential for the development of Evodiamine based therapeutics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. The application of the Routh approximation method to turbofan engine models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Merrill, W. C.

    1977-01-01

    The Routh approximation technique is applied in the frequency domain to a 16th order state variable turbofan engine model. The results obtained motivate the extension of the frequency domain formulation of the Routh method to the time domain to handle the state variable formulation directly. The time domain formulation is derived, and a characterization, which specifies all possible Routh similarity transformations, is given. The characterization is computed by the solution of two eigenvalue eigenvector problems. The application of the time domain Routh technique to the state variable engine model is described, and some results are given.

  15. Application of machine learning methods in bioinformatics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Haoyu; An, Zheng; Zhou, Haotian; Hou, Yawen

    2018-05-01

    Faced with the development of bioinformatics, high-throughput genomic technology have enabled biology to enter the era of big data. [1] Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary, including the acquisition, management, analysis, interpretation and application of biological information, etc. It derives from the Human Genome Project. The field of machine learning, which aims to develop computer algorithms that improve with experience, holds promise to enable computers to assist humans in the analysis of large, complex data sets.[2]. This paper analyzes and compares various algorithms of machine learning and their applications in bioinformatics.

  16. The AB Initio Mia Method: Theoretical Development and Practical Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peeters, Anik

    The bottleneck in conventional ab initio Hartree -Fock calculations is the storage of the electron repulsion integrals because their number increases with the fourth power of the number of basis functions. This problem can be solved by a combination of the multiplicative integral approximation (MIA) and the direct SCF method. The MIA approach was successfully applied in the geometry optimisation of some biologically interesting compounds like the neurolepticum Haloperidol and two TIBO derivatives, inactivators of HIV1. In this thesis the potency of the MIA-method is shown by the application of this method in the calculation of the forces on the nuclei. In addition, the MIA method enabled the development of a new model for performing crystal field studies: the supermolecule model. The results for this model are in better agreement with experimental data than the results for the point charge model. This is illustrated by the study of some small molecules in the solid state: 2,3-diketopiperazine, formamide oxime and two polymorphic forms of glycine, alpha-glycine and beta-glycine.

  17. Application of a Subspace-Based Fault Detection Method to Industrial Structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mevel, L.; Hermans, L.; van der Auweraer, H.

    1999-11-01

    Early detection and localization of damage allow increased expectations of reliability, safety and reduction of the maintenance cost. This paper deals with the industrial validation of a technique to monitor the health of a structure in operating conditions (e.g. rotating machinery, civil constructions subject to ambient excitations, etc.) and to detect slight deviations in a modal model derived from in-operation measured data. In this paper, a statistical local approach based on covariance-driven stochastic subspace identification is proposed. The capabilities and limitations of the method with respect to health monitoring and damage detection are discussed and it is explained how the method can be practically used in industrial environments. After the successful validation of the proposed method on a few laboratory structures, its application to a sports car is discussed. The example illustrates that the method allows the early detection of a vibration-induced fatigue problem of a sports car.

  18. Enabling consistency in pluripotent stem cell-derived products for research and development and clinical applications through material standards.

    PubMed

    French, Anna; Bravery, Christopher; Smith, James; Chandra, Amit; Archibald, Peter; Gold, Joseph D; Artzi, Natalie; Kim, Hae-Won; Barker, Richard W; Meissner, Alexander; Wu, Joseph C; Knowles, Jonathan C; Williams, David; García-Cardeña, Guillermo; Sipp, Doug; Oh, Steve; Loring, Jeanne F; Rao, Mahendra S; Reeve, Brock; Wall, Ivan; Carr, Andrew J; Bure, Kim; Stacey, Glyn; Karp, Jeffrey M; Snyder, Evan Y; Brindley, David A

    2015-03-01

    There is a need for physical standards (reference materials) to ensure both reproducibility and consistency in the production of somatic cell types from human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) sources. We have outlined the need for reference materials (RMs) in relation to the unique properties and concerns surrounding hPSC-derived products and suggest in-house approaches to RM generation relevant to basic research, drug screening, and therapeutic applications. hPSCs have an unparalleled potential as a source of somatic cells for drug screening, disease modeling, and therapeutic application. Undefined variation and product variability after differentiation to the lineage or cell type of interest impede efficient translation and can obscure the evaluation of clinical safety and efficacy. Moreover, in the absence of a consistent population, data generated from in vitro studies could be unreliable and irreproducible. Efforts to devise approaches and tools that facilitate improved consistency of hPSC-derived products, both as development tools and therapeutic products, will aid translation. Standards exist in both written and physical form; however, because many unknown factors persist in the field, premature written standards could inhibit rather than promote innovation and translation. We focused on the derivation of physical standard RMs. We outline the need for RMs and assess the approaches to in-house RM generation for hPSC-derived products, a critical tool for the analysis and control of product variation that can be applied by researchers and developers. We then explore potential routes for the generation of RMs, including both cellular and noncellular materials and novel methods that might provide valuable tools to measure and account for variation. Multiparametric techniques to identify "signatures" for therapeutically relevant cell types, such as neurons and cardiomyocytes that can be derived from hPSCs, would be of significant utility, although physical RMs will

  19. Enabling Consistency in Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Products for Research and Development and Clinical Applications Through Material Standards

    PubMed Central

    Bravery, Christopher; Smith, James; Chandra, Amit; Archibald, Peter; Gold, Joseph D.; Artzi, Natalie; Kim, Hae-Won; Barker, Richard W.; Meissner, Alexander; Wu, Joseph C.; Knowles, Jonathan C.; Williams, David; García-Cardeña, Guillermo; Sipp, Doug; Oh, Steve; Loring, Jeanne F.; Rao, Mahendra S.; Reeve, Brock; Wall, Ivan; Carr, Andrew J.; Bure, Kim; Stacey, Glyn; Karp, Jeffrey M.

    2015-01-01

    Summary There is a need for physical standards (reference materials) to ensure both reproducibility and consistency in the production of somatic cell types from human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) sources. We have outlined the need for reference materials (RMs) in relation to the unique properties and concerns surrounding hPSC-derived products and suggest in-house approaches to RM generation relevant to basic research, drug screening, and therapeutic applications. hPSCs have an unparalleled potential as a source of somatic cells for drug screening, disease modeling, and therapeutic application. Undefined variation and product variability after differentiation to the lineage or cell type of interest impede efficient translation and can obscure the evaluation of clinical safety and efficacy. Moreover, in the absence of a consistent population, data generated from in vitro studies could be unreliable and irreproducible. Efforts to devise approaches and tools that facilitate improved consistency of hPSC-derived products, both as development tools and therapeutic products, will aid translation. Standards exist in both written and physical form; however, because many unknown factors persist in the field, premature written standards could inhibit rather than promote innovation and translation. We focused on the derivation of physical standard RMs. We outline the need for RMs and assess the approaches to in-house RM generation for hPSC-derived products, a critical tool for the analysis and control of product variation that can be applied by researchers and developers. We then explore potential routes for the generation of RMs, including both cellular and noncellular materials and novel methods that might provide valuable tools to measure and account for variation. Multiparametric techniques to identify “signatures” for therapeutically relevant cell types, such as neurons and cardiomyocytes that can be derived from hPSCs, would be of significant utility, although

  20. Stem cell-derived kidney cells and organoids: Recent breakthroughs and emerging applications.

    PubMed

    Chuah, Jacqueline Kai Chin; Zink, Daniele

    The global rise in the numbers of kidney patients and the shortage in transplantable organs have led to an increasing interest in kidney-specific regenerative therapies, renal disease modelling and bioartificial kidneys. Sources for large quantities of high-quality renal cells and tissues would be required, also for applications in in vitro platforms for compound safety and efficacy screening. Stem cell-based approaches for the generation of renal-like cells and tissues would be most attractive, but such methods were not available until recently. This situation has drastically changed since 2013, and various protocols for the generation of renal-like cells and precursors from pluripotent stem cells (PSC) have been established. The most recent breakthroughs were related to the establishment of various protocols for the generation of PSC-derived kidney organoids. In combination with recent advances in genome editing, bioprinting and the establishment of predictive renal screening platforms this results in exciting new possibilities. This review will give a comprehensive overview over current PSC-based protocols for the generation of renal-like cells, precursors and organoids, and their current and potential applications in regenerative medicine, compound screening, disease modelling and bioartificial organs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Electromagnetic Inverse Methods and Applications for Inhomogeneous Media Probing and Synthesis.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xia, Jake Jiqing

    The electromagnetic inverse scattering problems concerned in this thesis are to find unknown inhomogeneous permittivity and conductivity profiles in a medium from the scattering data. Both analytical and numerical methods are studied in the thesis. The inverse methods can be applied to geophysical medium probing, non-destructive testing, medical imaging, optical waveguide synthesis and material characterization. An introduction is given in Chapter 1. The first part of the thesis presents inhomogeneous media probing. The Riccati equation approach is discussed in Chapter 2 for a one-dimensional planar profile inversion problem. Two types of the Riccati equations are derived and distinguished. New renormalized formulae based inverting one specific type of the Riccati equation are derived. Relations between the inverse methods of Green's function, the Riccati equation and the Gel'fand-Levitan-Marchenko (GLM) theory are studied. In Chapter 3, the renormalized source-type integral equation (STIE) approach is formulated for inversion of cylindrically inhomogeneous permittivity and conductivity profiles. The advantages of the renormalized STIE approach are demonstrated in numerical examples. The cylindrical profile inversion problem has an application for borehole inversion. In Chapter 4 the renormalized STIE approach is extended to a planar case where the two background media are different. Numerical results have shown fast convergence. This formulation is applied to inversion of the underground soil moisture profiles in remote sensing. The second part of the thesis presents the synthesis problem of inhomogeneous dielectric waveguides using the electromagnetic inverse methods. As a particular example, the rational function representation of reflection coefficients in the GLM theory is used. The GLM method is reviewed in Chapter 5. Relations between modal structures and transverse reflection coefficients of an inhomogeneous medium are established in Chapter 6. A stratified

  2. Conformable derivative approach to anomalous diffusion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, H. W.; Yang, S.; Zhang, S. Q.

    2018-02-01

    By using a new derivative with fractional order, referred to conformable derivative, an alternative representation of the diffusion equation is proposed to improve the modeling of anomalous diffusion. The analytical solutions of the conformable derivative model in terms of Gauss kernel and Error function are presented. The power law of the mean square displacement for the conformable diffusion model is studied invoking the time-dependent Gauss kernel. The parameters related to the conformable derivative model are determined by Levenberg-Marquardt method on the basis of the experimental data of chloride ions transportation in reinforced concrete. The data fitting results showed that the conformable derivative model agrees better with the experimental data than the normal diffusion equation. Furthermore, the potential application of the proposed conformable derivative model of water flow in low-permeability media is discussed.

  3. Application of 1 D Finite Element Method in Combination with Laminar Solution Method for Pipe Network Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dudar, O. I.; Dudar, E. S.

    2017-11-01

    The features of application of the 1D dimensional finite element method (FEM) in combination with the laminar solutions method (LSM) for the calculation of underground ventilating networks are considered. In this case the processes of heat and mass transfer change the properties of a fluid (binary vapour-air mix). Under the action of gravitational forces it leads to such phenomena as natural draft, local circulation, etc. The FEM relations considering the action of gravity, the mass conservation law, the dependence of vapour-air mix properties on the thermodynamic parameters are derived so that it allows one to model the mentioned phenomena. The analogy of the elastic and plastic rod deformation processes to the processes of laminar and turbulent flow in a pipe is described. Owing to this analogy, the guaranteed convergence of the elastic solutions method for the materials of plastic type means the guaranteed convergence of the LSM for any regime of a turbulent flow in a rough pipe. By means of numerical experiments the convergence rate of the FEM - LSM is investigated. This convergence rate appeared much higher than the convergence rate of the Cross - Andriyashev method. Data of other authors on the convergence rate comparison for the finite element method, the Newton method and the method of gradient are provided. These data allow one to conclude that the FEM in combination with the LSM is one of the most effective methods of calculation of hydraulic and ventilating networks. The FEM - LSM has been used for creation of the research application programme package “MineClimate” allowing to calculate the microclimate parameters in the underground ventilating networks.

  4. Comparison of two methods in deriving a short version of oral health-related quality of life measure.

    PubMed

    Saub, R; Locker, D; Allison, P

    2008-09-01

    To compare two methods of developing short forms of the Malaysian Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-M) measure. Cross sectional data obtained using the long form of the OHIP-M was used to produce two types of OHIP-M short forms, derived using two different methods; namely regression and item frequency methods. The short version derived using a regression method is known as Reg-SOHIP(M) and that derived using a frequency method is known as Freq-SOHIP(M). Both short forms contained 14 items. These two forms were then compared in terms of their content, scores, reliability, validity and the ability to distinguish between groups. Out of 14 items, only four were in common. The form derived from the frequency method contained more high prevalence items and higher scores than the form derived from the regression method. Both methods produced a reliable and valid measure. However, the frequency method produced a measure, which was slightly better in terms of distinguishing between groups. Regardless of the method used to produce the measures, both forms performed equally well when tested for their cross-sectional psychometric properties.

  5. Application of bioethanol derived lignin for improving physico-mechanical properties of thermoset biocomposites.

    PubMed

    Bajwa, Dilpreet S; Wang, Xinnan; Sitz, Evan; Loll, Tyler; Bhattacharjee, Sujal

    2016-08-01

    Lignin is the most abundant of renewable polymers next to cellulose with a global annual production of 70million tons, largely produced from pulping and second generation biofuel industries. Low value of industrial lignin makes it an attractive biomaterial for wide range of applications. The study investigated the application of wheat straw and corn stover based lignin derived from ethanol production for use in thermoset biocomposites. The biocomposite matrix constituted a two component low viscosity Araldite(®)LY 8601/Aradur(®) 8602 epoxy resin system and the lignin content varied from 0 to 25% by weight fraction. The analysis of the physical and mechanical properties of the biocomposites show bioethanol derived lignin can improve selective properties such as impact strength, and thermal stability without compromising the modulus and strength attributes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. [Application of precursor ion scanning method in rapid screening of illegally added phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors and their unknown derivatives in Chinese traditional patent medicines and health foods].

    PubMed

    Sun, Jing; Cao, Ling; Feng, Youlong; Tan, Li

    2014-11-01

    The compounds with similar structure often have similar pharmacological activities. So it is a trend for illegal addition that new derivatives of effective drugs are synthesized to avoid the statutory test. This bring challenges to crack down on illegal addition behavior, however, modified derivatives usually have similar product ions, which allow for precursor ion scanning. In this work, precursor ion scanning mode of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was first applied to screen illegally added drugs in complex matrix such as Chinese traditional patent medicines and healthy foods. Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors were used as experimental examples. Through the analysis of the structure and mass spectrum characteristics of the compounds, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors were classified, and their common product ions were screened by full scan of product ions of typical compounds. Then high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method with precursor ion scanning mode was established based on the optimization of MS parameters. The effect of mass parameters and the choice of fragment ions were also studied. The method was applied to determine actual samples and further refined. The results demonstrated that this method can meet the need of rapid screening of unknown derivatives of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in complex matrix, and prevent unknown derivatives undetected. This method shows advantages in sensitivity, specificity and efficiency, and is worth to be further investigated.

  7. Short-term application of dexamethasone on stem cells derived from human gingiva reduces the expression of RUNX2 and β-catenin.

    PubMed

    Kim, Bo-Bae; Kim, Minji; Park, Yun-Hee; Ko, Youngkyung; Park, Jun-Beom

    2017-06-01

    Objective Next-generation sequencing was performed to evaluate the effects of short-term application of dexamethasone on human gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Methods Human gingiva-derived stem cells were treated with a final concentration of 10 -7  M dexamethasone and the same concentration of vehicle control. This was followed by mRNA sequencing and data analysis, gene ontology and pathway analysis, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of mRNA, and western blot analysis of RUNX2 and β-catenin. Results In total, 26,364 mRNAs were differentially expressed. Comparison of the results of dexamethasone versus control at 2 hours revealed that 7 mRNAs were upregulated and 25 mRNAs were downregulated. The application of dexamethasone reduced the expression of RUNX2 and β-catenin in human gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Conclusion The effects of dexamethasone on stem cells were evaluated with mRNA sequencing, and validation of the expression was performed with qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. The results of this study can provide new insights into the role of mRNA sequencing in maxillofacial areas.

  8. Cardioprotective cryptides derived from fish and other food sources: generation, application, and future markets.

    PubMed

    Mora, Leticia; Hayes, Maria

    2015-02-11

    The primary function of dietary protein is to provide amino acids for protein synthesis. However, protein is also a source of latent bioactive peptides or cryptides with potential health benefits including the control and regulation of blood pressure. Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the major, controllable risk factors in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and it is also implicated in the development of myocardial infarction, heart failure, and end-stage diabetes. Cryptides can act on various systems of the body including the circulatory, gastrointestinal (GI), nervous, skeletal, and respiratory systems. A number of studies carried out to date have examined the health benefits of food protein isolates and hydrolysates. This review provides an overview of existing blood pressure regulating peptides and products derived from fish and other protein sources and hydrolysates. It discusses the methods used currently to generate and identify cryptides from these sources and their application in food and pharmaceutical products. It also looks at the current market for protein-derived peptides and peptide-containing products, legislation governing their use, and the future development of research in this area.

  9. 40 CFR 18.6 - Method of Application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS AND SPECIAL RESEARCH CONSULTANTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION § 18.6 Method of Application. Application for an Environmental Protection Research fellowship shall be made in accordance with... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Method of Application. 18.6 Section 18...

  10. Sensitivity test of derivative matrix isopotential synchronous fluorimetry and least squares fitting methods.

    PubMed

    Makkai, Géza; Buzády, Andrea; Erostyák, János

    2010-01-01

    Determination of concentrations of spectrally overlapping compounds has special difficulties. Several methods are available to calculate the constituents' concentrations in moderately complex mixtures. A method which can provide information about spectrally hidden components in mixtures is very useful. Two methods powerful in resolving spectral components are compared in this paper. The first method tested is the Derivative Matrix Isopotential Synchronous Fluorimetry (DMISF). It is based on derivative analysis of MISF spectra, which are constructed using isopotential trajectories in the Excitation-Emission Matrix (EEM) of background solution. For DMISF method, a mathematical routine fitting the 3D data of EEMs was developed. The other method tested uses classical Least Squares Fitting (LSF) algorithm, wherein Rayleigh- and Raman-scattering bands may lead to complications. Both methods give excellent sensitivity and have advantages against each other. Detection limits of DMISF and LSF have been determined at very different concentration and noise levels.

  11. 42 CFR 61.6 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Method of application. 61.6 Section 61.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Regular Fellowships § 61.6 Method of application. Application for a regular fellowship shall be...

  12. 42 CFR 61.35 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Method of application. 61.35 Section 61.35 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Service Fellowships § 61.35 Method of application. Application for a service fellowship shall be...

  13. 42 CFR 61.35 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Method of application. 61.35 Section 61.35 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Service Fellowships § 61.35 Method of application. Application for a service fellowship shall be...

  14. 42 CFR 61.6 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Method of application. 61.6 Section 61.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Regular Fellowships § 61.6 Method of application. Application for a regular fellowship shall be...

  15. 42 CFR 61.6 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Method of application. 61.6 Section 61.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Regular Fellowships § 61.6 Method of application. Application for a regular fellowship shall be...

  16. 42 CFR 61.35 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Method of application. 61.35 Section 61.35 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Service Fellowships § 61.35 Method of application. Application for a service fellowship shall be...

  17. 42 CFR 61.35 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Method of application. 61.35 Section 61.35 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Service Fellowships § 61.35 Method of application. Application for a service fellowship shall be...

  18. 42 CFR 61.35 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Method of application. 61.35 Section 61.35 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Service Fellowships § 61.35 Method of application. Application for a service fellowship shall be...

  19. 42 CFR 61.6 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Method of application. 61.6 Section 61.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Regular Fellowships § 61.6 Method of application. Application for a regular fellowship shall be...

  20. 42 CFR 61.6 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Method of application. 61.6 Section 61.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS Regular Fellowships § 61.6 Method of application. Application for a regular fellowship shall be...

  1. Incompressible spectral-element method: Derivation of equations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Deanna, Russell G.

    1993-01-01

    A fractional-step splitting scheme breaks the full Navier-Stokes equations into explicit and implicit portions amenable to the calculus of variations. Beginning with the functional forms of the Poisson and Helmholtz equations, we substitute finite expansion series for the dependent variables and derive the matrix equations for the unknown expansion coefficients. This method employs a new splitting scheme which differs from conventional three-step (nonlinear, pressure, viscous) schemes. The nonlinear step appears in the conventional, explicit manner, the difference occurs in the pressure step. Instead of solving for the pressure gradient using the nonlinear velocity, we add the viscous portion of the Navier-Stokes equation from the previous time step to the velocity before solving for the pressure gradient. By combining this 'predicted' pressure gradient with the nonlinear velocity in an explicit term, and the Crank-Nicholson method for the viscous terms, we develop a Helmholtz equation for the final velocity.

  2. Rice Husk Silica-Derived Nanomaterials for Battery Applications: A Literature Review.

    PubMed

    Shen, Yafei

    2017-02-08

    Silica-rich rice husk (RH) is an abundant and sustainable agricultural waste. The recovery of value-added products from RH or its ash to explore an economic way for the valorization of agricultural wastes has attracted wide attention. For instance, RH can be converted to biofuels and biochars simultaneously via thermochemical processes. In general, the applications of RH biochars include soil remediation, pollutant removal, silicon battery materials, and so forth. This review concludes recent progress in the synthesis of RH-derived silicon materials for lithium-ion battery (LIB) applications. Silica nanomaterials produced from RH are initially discussed. RH amorphous silica can also be fabricated to crystal silicon used for battery materials via widely used magnesiothermic reduction. However, the RH-derived Si nanoparticles suffer from a low Coulombic efficiency in the initial charge/discharge and limited cycle life as anode materials due to high surface reactions and low thermodynamic stability. The synthesis of Si materials with nano/microhierarchical structure would be an ideal way to improve their electrochemical performances. Embedding nano-Si into 3D conductive matrix is an effective way to improve the structural stability. Among the Si/carbon composite materials, carbon nanotubdes (CNTs) are a promising matrix due to the wired morphology, high electronic conductivity, and robust structure. Additionally, CNTs can easily form 3D cross-linked conducting networks, ensuring effective electron transportation among active particles. Si nanomaterials with microhierarchical structures in which CNTs are tightly intertwined between the RH-derived Si nanoparticles have been proven to be ideal LIB anode materials.

  3. 78 FR 32191 - Derivatives

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-29

    ...This proposed rule permits credit unions to engage in limited derivatives activities for the purpose of mitigating interest rate risk. This proposed rule applies to federal credit unions and any federally insured, state-chartered credit unions that are permitted under applicable state law to engage in derivatives transactions. It requires any credit union seeking derivatives authority to submit an application for one of two levels of authority. Level I and Level II authority differ on the permissible levels of transactions as well as the application, expertise, and systems requirements associated with operating a derivatives program.

  4. Pectin-modifying enzymes and pectin-derived materials: applications and impacts.

    PubMed

    Bonnin, Estelle; Garnier, Catherine; Ralet, Marie-Christine

    2014-01-01

    Pectins are complex branched polysaccharides present in primary cell walls. As a distinctive feature, they contain high amount of partly methyl-esterified galacturonic acid and low amount of rhamnose and carry arabinose and galactose as major neutral sugars. Due to their structural complexity, they are modifiable by many different enzymes, including hydrolases, lyases, and esterases. Their peculiar structure is the origin of their physicochemical properties. Among others, their remarkable gelling properties make them a key additive for food industries. Pectin-degrading enzymes and -modifying enzymes may be used in a wide variety of applications to modulate pectin properties or produce pectin derivatives and oligosaccharides with functional as well as nutritional interests. This paper reviews the scientific information available on pectin structure, pectin-modifying enzymes, and the use of enzymes to produce pectin with controlled structure or pectin-derived oligosaccharides, with functional or nutritional interesting properties.

  5. 40 CFR 454.60 - Applicability; description of manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Applicability; description of manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory. 454.60 Section 454.60 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) GUM AND WOOD CHEMICALS...

  6. 40 CFR 454.60 - Applicability; description of manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Applicability; description of manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory. 454.60 Section 454.60 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) GUM AND WOOD CHEMICALS...

  7. 40 CFR 454.60 - Applicability; description of manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Applicability; description of manufacture of rosin-based derivatives subcategory. 454.60 Section 454.60 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) GUM AND WOOD CHEMICALS...

  8. 8 CFR 1212.9 - Applicability of section 212(a)(32) to certain derivative third and sixth preference and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... certain derivative third and sixth preference and nonpreference immigrants. 1212.9 Section 1212.9 Aliens... Applicability of section 212(a)(32) to certain derivative third and sixth preference and nonpreference immigrants. A derivative beneficiary who is the spouse or child of a qualified third or sixth preference or...

  9. Estimating Dynamical Systems: Derivative Estimation Hints From Sir Ronald A. Fisher.

    PubMed

    Deboeck, Pascal R

    2010-08-06

    The fitting of dynamical systems to psychological data offers the promise of addressing new and innovative questions about how people change over time. One method of fitting dynamical systems is to estimate the derivatives of a time series and then examine the relationships between derivatives using a differential equation model. One common approach for estimating derivatives, Local Linear Approximation (LLA), produces estimates with correlated errors. Depending on the specific differential equation model used, such correlated errors can lead to severely biased estimates of differential equation model parameters. This article shows that the fitting of dynamical systems can be improved by estimating derivatives in a manner similar to that used to fit orthogonal polynomials. Two applications using simulated data compare the proposed method and a generalized form of LLA when used to estimate derivatives and when used to estimate differential equation model parameters. A third application estimates the frequency of oscillation in observations of the monthly deaths from bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma in the United Kingdom. These data are publicly available in the statistical program R, and functions in R for the method presented are provided.

  10. Dual number algebra method for Green's function derivatives in 3D magneto-electro-elasticity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dziatkiewicz, Grzegorz

    2018-01-01

    The Green functions are the basic elements of the boundary element method. To obtain the boundary integral formulation the Green function and its derivative should be known for the considered differential operator. Today the interesting group of materials are electronic composites. The special case of the electronic composite is the magnetoelectroelastic continuum. The mentioned continuum is a model of the piezoelectric-piezomagnetic composites. The anisotropy of their physical properties makes the problem of Green's function determination very difficult. For that reason Green's functions for the magnetoelectroelastic continuum are not known in the closed form and numerical methods should be applied to determine such Green's functions. These means that the problem of the accurate and simply determination of Green's function derivatives is even harder. Therefore in the present work the dual number algebra method is applied to calculate numerically the derivatives of 3D Green's functions for the magnetoelectroelastic materials. The introduced method is independent on the step size and it can be treated as a special case of the automatic differentiation method. Therefore, the dual number algebra method can be applied as a tool for checking the accuracy of the well-known finite difference schemes.

  11. Optimal remediation of unconfined aquifers: Numerical applications and derivative calculations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mansfield, Christopher M.; Shoemaker, Christine A.

    1999-05-01

    This paper extends earlier work on derivative-based optimization for cost-effective remediation to unconfined aquifers, which have more complex, nonlinear flow dynamics than confined aquifers. Most previous derivative-based optimization of contaminant removal has been limited to consideration of confined aquifers; however, contamination is more common in unconfined aquifers. Exact derivative equations are presented, and two computationally efficient approximations, the quasi-confined (QC) and head independent from previous (HIP) unconfined-aquifer finite element equation derivative approximations, are presented and demonstrated to be highly accurate. The derivative approximations can be used with any nonlinear optimization method requiring derivatives for computation of either time-invariant or time-varying pumping rates. The QC and HIP approximations are combined with the nonlinear optimal control algorithm SALQR into the unconfined-aquifer algorithm, which is shown to compute solutions for unconfined aquifers in CPU times that were not significantly longer than those required by the confined-aquifer optimization model. Two of the three example unconfined-aquifer cases considered obtained pumping policies with substantially lower objective function values with the unconfined model than were obtained with the confined-aquifer optimization, even though the mean differences in hydraulic heads predicted by the unconfined- and confined-aquifer models were small (less than 0.1%). We suggest a possible geophysical index based on differences in drawdown predictions between unconfined- and confined-aquifer models to estimate which aquifers require unconfined-aquifer optimization and which can be adequately approximated by the simpler confined-aquifer analysis.

  12. A regularization approach to continuous learning with an application to financial derivatives pricing.

    PubMed

    Ormoneit, D

    1999-12-01

    We consider the training of neural networks in cases where the nonlinear relationship of interest gradually changes over time. One possibility to deal with this problem is by regularization where a variation penalty is added to the usual mean squared error criterion. To learn the regularized network weights we suggest the Iterative Extended Kalman Filter (IEKF) as a learning rule, which may be derived from a Bayesian perspective on the regularization problem. A primary application of our algorithm is in financial derivatives pricing, where neural networks may be used to model the dependency of the derivatives' price on one or several underlying assets. After giving a brief introduction to the problem of derivatives pricing we present experiments with German stock index options data showing that a regularized neural network trained with the IEKF outperforms several benchmark models and alternative learning procedures. In particular, the performance may be greatly improved using a newly designed neural network architecture that accounts for no-arbitrage pricing restrictions.

  13. Development of Mass Spectrometric Ionization Methods for Fullerenes and Fullerene Derivatives

    EPA Science Inventory

    Currently investigations into the environmental behavior of fullerenes and fullerene derivatives is hampered by the lack of well characterized standards and by the lack of readily available quantitative analytical methods. Reported herein are investigations into the utility of ma...

  14. On deriving the Maxwell stress tensor method for calculating the optical force and torque on an object in harmonic electromagnetic fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ye, Qian; Lin, Haoze

    2017-07-01

    Though extensively used in calculating optical force and torque acting on a material object illuminated by laser, the Maxwell stress tensor (MST) method follows the electromagnetic linear and angular momentum balance that is usually derived in most textbooks for a continuous volume charge distribution in free space, if not resorting to the application of Noether’s theorem in electrodynamics. To cast the conservation laws into a physically appealing form involving the current densities of linear and angular momentum, on which the MST method is based, the divergence theorem is employed to transform a volume integral into a surface integral. When a material object of finite volume is put into the field, it brings about a discontinuity of field across its surface, due to the presence of induced surface charge and surface current. Ambiguity arises among students in whether the divergence theorem can still be directly used without any justification. By taking into account the effect of the induced surface charge and current, we present a simple pedagogical derivation for the MST method for calculating the optical force and torque on an object immersed in monochromatic optical field, without resorting to Noether’s theorem. Although the results turn out to be identical to those given in the standard textbooks, our derivation avoids the direct use of the divergence theorem on a discontinuous function.

  15. Quantitative Analysis of Clopidogrel Bisulphate and Aspirin by First Derivative Spectrophotometric Method in Tablets

    PubMed Central

    Game, Madhuri D.; Gabhane, K. B.; Sakarkar, D. M.

    2010-01-01

    A simple, accurate and precise spectrophotometric method has been developed for simultaneous estimation of clopidogrel bisulphate and aspirin by employing first order derivative zero crossing method. The first order derivative absorption at 232.5 nm (zero cross point of aspirin) was used for clopidogrel bisulphate and 211.3 nm (zero cross point of clopidogrel bisulphate) for aspirin.Both the drugs obeyed linearity in the concentration range of 5.0 μg/ml to 25.0 μg/ml (correlation coefficient r2<1). No interference was found between both determined constituents and those of matrix. The method was validated statistically and recovery studies were carried out to confirm the accuracy of the method. PMID:21969765

  16. Environmental applications of chitosan and its derivatives.

    PubMed

    Yong, Soon Kong; Shrivastava, Manoj; Srivastava, Prashant; Kunhikrishnan, Anitha; Bolan, Nanthi

    2015-01-01

    gels by using coagulating (e.g., alginate, phosphate) or crosslinking agents (e.g., GA, ECH). Such immobilization maintains the stability of sensing elements in the chitosan gel phase, and prevents inactivation and loss of the sensing agent. In this review, we have shown that chitosan, an efficient by-product of a waste biomaterial, has great potential for many environmental applications. With certain limitations, chitosan and its derivatives can be used for remediating contaminated soil and wastewater. Notwithstanding, further research is needed to enhance the physicochemical properties of chitosan and mitigate its deficiencies.

  17. γH2AX assay in ex vivo irradiated tumour specimens: A novel method to determine tumour radiation sensitivity in patient-derived material.

    PubMed

    Menegakis, Apostolos; von Neubeck, Cläre; Yaromina, Ala; Thames, Howard; Hering, Sandra; Hennenlotter, Joerg; Scharpf, Marcus; Noell, Susan; Krause, Mechthild; Zips, Daniel; Baumann, Michael

    2015-09-01

    To establish a clinically applicable protocol for quantification of residual γH2AX foci in ex vivo irradiated tumour samples and to apply this method in a proof-of-concept feasibility study to patient-derived tumour specimens. Evaluation of γH2AX foci formation and disappearance in excised FaDu tumour specimens after (a) different incubation times in culture medium, 4Gy irradiation and fixation after 24h (cell recovery), (b) 10h medium incubation, 4Gy irradiation and fixation after various time points (double strand break repair kinetics), and (c) 10h medium incubation, irradiation with graded single radiation doses and fixation after 24h (dose-response). The optimised protocol was applied to patient-derived samples of seminoma, prostate cancer and glioblastoma multiforme. Post excision or biopsy, tumour tissues showed stable radiation-induced γH2AX foci values in oxic cells after >6h of recovery in medium. Kinetics of foci disappearance indicated a plateau of residual foci after >12h following ex vivo irradiation. Fitting the dose-response of residual γH2AX foci yielded slopes comparable with in situ irradiation of FaDu tumours. Significant differences in the slopes of ex vivo irradiated patient-derived tumour samples were found. A novel clinically applicable method to quantify residual γH2AX foci in ex vivo irradiated tumour samples was established. The first clinical results suggest that this method allows to distinguish between radiosensitive and radioresistant tumour types. These findings support further translational evaluation of this assay to individualise radiation therapy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Ferroelectricity in corundum derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ye, Meng; Vanderbilt, David

    2016-04-01

    The search for new ferroelectric (FE) materials holds promise for broadening our understanding of FE mechanisms and extending the range of application of FE materials. Here we investigate a class of A B O3 and A2B B'O6 materials that can be derived from the X2O3 corundum structure by mixing two or three ordered cations on the X site. Most such corundum derivatives have a polar structure, but it is unclear whether the polarization is reversible, which is a requirement for a FE material. In this paper, we propose a method to study the FE reversal path of materials in the corundum derivative family. We first categorize the corundum derivatives into four classes and show that only two of these allow for the possibility of FE reversal. We then calculate the energy profile and energy barrier of the FE reversal path using first-principles density functional methods with a structural constraint. Furthermore, we identify several empirical measures that can provide a rule of thumb for estimating the energy barriers. Finally, the conditions under which the magnetic ordering is compatible with ferroelectricity are determined. These results lead us to predict several potentially new FE materials.

  19. Turbulent heat transfer prediction method for application to scramjet engines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pinckney, S. Z.

    1974-01-01

    An integral method for predicting boundary layer development in turbulent flow regions on two-dimensional or axisymmetric bodies was developed. The method has the capability of approximating nonequilibrium velocity profiles as well as the local surface friction in the presence of a pressure gradient. An approach was developed for the problem of predicting the heat transfer in a turbulent boundary layer in the presence of a high pressure gradient. The solution was derived with particular emphasis on its applicability to supersonic combustion; thus, the effects of real gas flows were included. The resulting integrodifferential boundary layer method permits the estimation of cooling reguirements for scramjet engines. Theoretical heat transfer results are compared with experimental combustor and noncombustor heat transfer data. The heat transfer method was used in the development of engine design concepts which will produce an engine with reduced cooling requirements. The Langley scramjet engine module was designed by utilizing these design concepts and this engine design is discussed along with its corresponding cooling requirements. The heat transfer method was also used to develop a combustor cooling correlation for a combustor whose local properties are computed one dimensionally by assuming a linear area variation and a given heat release schedule.

  20. A Simple Method for Deriving the Confidence Regions for the Penalized Cox's Model via the Minimand Perturbation.

    PubMed

    Lin, Chen-Yen; Halabi, Susan

    2017-01-01

    We propose a minimand perturbation method to derive the confidence regions for the regularized estimators for the Cox's proportional hazards model. Although the regularized estimation procedure produces a more stable point estimate, it remains challenging to provide an interval estimator or an analytic variance estimator for the associated point estimate. Based on the sandwich formula, the current variance estimator provides a simple approximation, but its finite sample performance is not entirely satisfactory. Besides, the sandwich formula can only provide variance estimates for the non-zero coefficients. In this article, we present a generic description for the perturbation method and then introduce a computation algorithm using the adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalty. Through simulation studies, we demonstrate that our method can better approximate the limiting distribution of the adaptive LASSO estimator and produces more accurate inference compared with the sandwich formula. The simulation results also indicate the possibility of extending the applications to the adaptive elastic-net penalty. We further demonstrate our method using data from a phase III clinical trial in prostate cancer.

  1. Hybrid micro-/nano-structures derived from metal-organic frameworks: preparation and applications in energy storage and conversion.

    PubMed

    Cao, Xiehong; Tan, Chaoliang; Sindoro, Melinda; Zhang, Hua

    2017-05-22

    Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), an important class of inorganic-organic hybrid crystals with intrinsic porous structures, can be used as versatile precursors or sacrificial templates for preparation of numerous functional nanomaterials for various applications. Recent developments of MOF-derived hybrid micro-/nano-structures, constructed by more than two components with varied functionalities, have revealed their extensive capabilities to overcome the weaknesses of the individual counterparts and thus give enhanced performance for energy storage and conversion. In this tutorial review, we summarize the recent advances in MOF-derived hybrid micro-/nano-structures. The synthetic strategies for preparing MOF-derived hybrid micro-/nano-structures are first introduced. Focusing on energy storage and conversion, we then discuss their potential applications in lithium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, supercapacitors, lithium-oxygen batteries and fuel cells. Finally, we give our personal insights into the challenges and opportunities for the future research of MOF-derived hybrid micro-/nano-structures.

  2. A rhenium tris-carbonyl derivative as a model molecule for incorporation into phospholipid assemblies for skin applications.

    PubMed

    Fernández, Estibalitz; Rodríguez, Gelen; Hostachy, Sarah; Clède, Sylvain; Cócera, Mercedes; Sandt, Christophe; Lambert, François; de la Maza, Alfonso; Policar, Clotilde; López, Olga

    2015-07-01

    A rhenium tris-carbonyl derivative (fac-[Re(CO)3Cl(2-(1-dodecyl-1H-1,2,3,triazol-4-yl)-pyridine)]) was incorporated into phospholipid assemblies, called bicosomes, and the penetration of this molecule into skin was monitored using Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIR). To evaluate the capacity of bicosomes to promote the penetration of this derivative, the skin penetration of the Re(CO)3 derivative dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a typical enhancer, was also studied. Dynamic light scattering results (DLS) showed an increase in the size of the bicosomes with the incorporation of the Re(CO)3 derivative, and the FTIR microspectroscopy showed that the Re(CO)3 derivative incorporated in bicosomes penetrated deeper into the skin than when dissolved in DMSO. When this molecule was applied on the skin using the bicosomes, 60% of the Re(CO)3 derivative was retained in the stratum corneum (SC) and 40% reached the epidermis (Epi). Otherwise, the application of this molecule via DMSO resulted in 95% of the Re(CO)3 derivative being in the SC and only 5% reaching the Epi. Using a Re(CO)3 derivative with a dodecyl-chain as a model molecule, it was possible to determine the distribution of molecules with similar physicochemical characteristics in the skin using bicosomes. This fact makes these nanostructures promising vehicles for the application of lipophilic molecules inside the skin. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. A novel cell weighing method based on the minimum immobilization pressure for biological applications

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

    Zhao, Qili; Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information System, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071; Shirinzadeh, Bijan

    2015-07-28

    A novel weighing method for cells with spherical and other regular shapes is proposed in this paper. In this method, the relationship between the cell mass and the minimum aspiration pressure to immobilize the cell (referred to as minimum immobilization pressure) is derived for the first time according to static theory. Based on this relationship, a robotic cell weighing process is established using a traditional micro-injection system. Experimental results on porcine oocytes demonstrate that the proposed method is able to weigh cells at an average speed of 16.3 s/cell and with a success rate of more than 90%. The derived cellmore » mass and density are in accordance with those reported in other published results. The experimental results also demonstrated that this method is able to detect less than 1% variation of the porcine oocyte mass quantitatively. It can be conducted by a pair of traditional micropipettes and a commercial pneumatic micro-injection system, and is expected to perform robotic operation on batch cells. At present, the minimum resolution of the proposed method for measuring the cell mass can be 1.25 × 10{sup −15 }kg. Above advantages make it very appropriate for quantifying the amount of the materials injected into or moved out of the cells in the biological applications, such as nuclear enucleations and embryo microinjections.« less

  4. Visible and UV-curable chitosan derivatives for immobilization of biomolecules.

    PubMed

    Kim, Eun-Hye; Han, Ga-Dug; Kim, Jae-Won; Noh, Seung-Hyun; Lee, Jae-Gwan; Ito, Yoshihiro; Son, Tae-Il

    2017-11-01

    Chitosan, which has many biocompatible properties, is used widely in medical field like wound healing, drug delivery and so on. Chitosan could be used as a biomaterial to immobilize protein-drug. There are many methods to immobilize protein-drug, but they have some drawbacks such as low efficiency and denaturation of protein. Therefore, photo-immobilization method is suggested to immobilize protein-drug. Photo-immobilization method is simple-reaction and also needs no additional crosslinking reagent. There has been some effort to modify chitosan to have an ability of photo-immobilization. Generally, visible and UV light reactive chitosan derivatives were prepared. Various types of photo-curable chitosan derivatives showed possibility for application to medical field. For example, they showed ability for protein-immobilization and some of them showed wound-healing effect, anti-adhesive effect, or property to interact directly with titanium surface. In this study, we introduce many types of photo-curable chitosan derivative and their possibility of medical application. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Method of making an aero-derivative gas turbine engine

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

    Wiebe, David J.

    A method of making an aero-derivative gas turbine engine (100) is provided. A combustor outer casing (68) is removed from an existing aero gas turbine engine (60). An annular combustor (84) is removed from the existing aero gas turbine engine. A first row of turbine vanes (38) is removed from the existing aero gas turbine engine. A can annular combustor assembly (122) is installed within the existing aero gas turbine engine. The can annular combustor assembly is configured to accelerate and orient combustion gasses directly onto a first row of turbine blades of the existing aero gas turbine engine. Amore » can annular combustor assembly outer casing (108) is installed to produce the aero-derivative gas turbine engine (100). The can annular combustor assembly is installed within an axial span (85) of the existing aero gas turbine engine vacated by the annular combustor and the first row of turbine vanes.« less

  6. A Multi-Modal Face Recognition Method Using Complete Local Derivative Patterns and Depth Maps

    PubMed Central

    Yin, Shouyi; Dai, Xu; Ouyang, Peng; Liu, Leibo; Wei, Shaojun

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a multi-modal 2D + 3D face recognition method for a smart city application based on a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) and various kinds of sensors. Depth maps are exploited for the 3D face representation. As for feature extraction, we propose a new feature called Complete Local Derivative Pattern (CLDP). It adopts the idea of layering and has four layers. In the whole system, we apply CLDP separately on Gabor features extracted from a 2D image and depth map. Then, we obtain two features: CLDP-Gabor and CLDP-Depth. The two features weighted by the corresponding coefficients are combined together in the decision level to compute the total classification distance. At last, the probe face is assigned the identity with the smallest classification distance. Extensive experiments are conducted on three different databases. The results demonstrate the robustness and superiority of the new approach. The experimental results also prove that the proposed multi-modal 2D + 3D method is superior to other multi-modal ones and CLDP performs better than other Local Binary Pattern (LBP) based features. PMID:25333290

  7. Biotechnological Applications Derived from Microorganisms of the Atacama Desert

    PubMed Central

    González-Silva, Carlos

    2014-01-01

    The Atacama Desert in Chile is well known for being the driest and oldest desert on Earth. For these same reasons, it is also considered a good analog model of the planet Mars. Only a few decades ago, it was thought that this was a sterile place, but in the past years fascinating adaptations have been reported in the members of the three domains of life: low water availability, high UV radiation, high salinity, and other environmental stresses. However, the biotechnological applications derived from the basic understanding and characterization of these species, with the notable exception of copper bioleaching, are still in its infancy, thus offering an immense potential for future development. PMID:25147824

  8. Planetary surface roughness derived from ice penetrating radar data: Method and concept validation in Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grima, C.; Schroeder, D. M.; Blankenship, D. D.; Young, D. A.

    2013-12-01

    Geological and climatic processes shaping the landscape of planetary bodies imprint the surface with particular textures, i.e. continuous topographic entities at meters to decameters scales where the surface elevation is dominated by a stochastic behavior. The so-called roughness is a proxy to get insights into the type of surface terrain and its ongoing evolution. It is also an important descriptor involved in landing site selection processes to ensure the safe delivery of a lander/rover over a stable work zone. Planetary surface roughnesses are usually derived from point-to-point elevation models acquired by laser altimetry or stereo-imagery. However, in the last decade, nadir-looking penetrating radars have become another remote-sensing technology commonly used for planetary surface and sub-surface characterization (e.g. MARSIS/SHARAD on Mars, LRS on the Moon, and Ice Penetrating Radars for future missions to Europa). Here, we present a statistical method to extract the reflected and scattered components embedded in the surface echoes of HF (3-30 MHz) and VHF (30-300 MHz) penetrating radars in order to derive significant roughness information. We demonstrate the reliability of the method with an application to a radar dataset acquired during the 2004-05 austral summer campaign of the Airborne Geophysical Survey of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica, (AGASEA) project with the High-Capability Radar Sounder (HiCARS, 60 MHz) system operated by the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG). Results are thoroughly compared with simultaneously acquired laser altimetry and nadir imagery of the surface. We emphasize the possibilities and advantages of the method in light of the future exploration of the Europa and Ganymede icy moons by multi-frequency ice penetrating radars.

  9. 40 CFR 125.32 - Method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Method of application. 125.32 Section 125.32 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS CRITERIA... § 125.32 Method of application. (a) A written request for a variance under this subpart D shall be...

  10. [Assessment Method of Remnant α-1, 3-galactosyle Epitopes in Animal Tissue-derived Biomaterials].

    PubMed

    Shan, Yongqiang; Xu, Liming; Ke, Linnan; Lu, Yan; Shao, Anliang; Zhang, Na; Zeng, Bixin

    2015-06-01

    The aim of this study was to establish an assessment method for determining α-Gal (α-1, 3-galactosyle) epitopes contained in animal tissue or animal tissue-derived biological materials with ELISA inhibition assay. Firstly, a 96 well plate was coated with Gal α-1, 3-Gal/bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a solid phase antigen and meanwhile, the anti-α-Gal M86 was used to react with α-Gal antigens which contained in the test materials. Then, the residual antibodies (M86) in the supernatant of M86-Gal reaction mixture were measured using ELISA inhibition assay by the α-Gal coating plate. The inhibition curve of the ELISA inhibition assay, the R2 = 0.999, was well established. Checking using both α-Gal positive materials (rat liver tissues) and α-Gal negative materials (human placenta tissues) showed a good sensitivity and specificity. Based on the presently established method, the α-Gal expression profile of rat tissues, decellular animal tissue-derived biological materials and porcine dermal before and after decellular treatment were determined. The M86 ELISA inhibition assay method, which can quantitatively determine the α-Gal antigens contained in animal tissues or animal tissue-derived biomaterials, was refined. This M86 specific antibody based-ELISA inhibition assay established in the present study has good sensitivity and specificity, and could be a useful method for determining remnant α-1, 3Gal antigens in animal tissue-derived biomaterials.

  11. Sol Gel-Derived SBA-16 Mesoporous Material

    PubMed Central

    Rivera-Muñoz, Eric M.; Huirache-Acuña, Rafael

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this article is to review current knowledge related to the synthesis and characterization of sol gel-derived SBA-16 mesoporous silicas, as well as a review of the state of the art in this issue, to take stock of knowledge about current and future applications. The ease of the method of preparation, the orderly structure, size and shape of their pores and control, all these achievable through simple changes in the method of synthesis, makes SBA-16 a very versatile material, potentially applicable in many areas of science and molecular engineering of materials. PMID:20957080

  12. A method for deriving leading causes of death.

    PubMed Central

    Becker, Roberto; Silvi, John; Ma Fat, Doris; L'Hours, André; Laurenti, Ruy

    2006-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: A standard list for ranking leading causes of death worldwide does not exist. WHO headquarters, regional offices and Member States all use different lists that have varying levels of detail. We sought to derive a standard list to enable countries to identify their leading causes of death and to permit comparison between countries. Our aim is to share the criteria and methodology we used to bring some order to the construction of such a list, to provide a consistent procedure that can be used by others, and to give researchers and data owners an opportunity to utilize the list at national and subnational levels. METHODS: Results were primarily data-driven. Data from individual countries representing different regions of the world were extracted from the WHO Mortality Database. Supplementary information from WHO estimates on mortality was used for regions where data were scarce. In addition, a set of criteria was used to group the candidate causes and to determine other causes that should be included on the list. FINDINGS: A ranking list of the leading causes of death that contains broad cause groupings (such as "all cancers", "all heart diseases" or "all accidents") is not effective and does not identify the leading individual causes within these broad groupings; thus it does not allow policy-makers to generate appropriate health advocacy and cost-effective interventions. Similarly, defining candidate causal groups too narrowly or including diseases that have a low frequency does not meet these objectives. CONCLUSION: For international comparisons, we recommend that countries use this list; it is based on extensive evidence and the application of public health disease-prevention criteria. It is not driven by political or financial motives. This list may be adapted for national statistical purposes. PMID:16628303

  13. Production of distillate fuels from biomass-derived polyoxygenates

    DOEpatents

    Kania, John; Blommel, Paul; Woods, Elizabeth; Dally, Brice; Lyman, Warren; Cortright, Randy

    2017-03-14

    The present invention provides methods, reactor systems and catalysts for converting biomass and biomass-derived feedstocks to C.sub.8+ hydrocarbons using heterogenous catalysts. The product stream may be separated and further processed for use in chemical applications, or as a neat fuel or a blending component in jet fuel and diesel fuel, or as heavy oils for lubricant and/or fuel oil applications.

  14. Computational methods in the pricing and risk management of modern financial derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deutsch, Hans-Peter

    1999-09-01

    In the last 20 years modern finance has developed into a complex mathematically challenging field. Very complicated risks exist in financial markets which need very advanced methods to measure and/or model them. The financial instruments invented by the market participants to trade these risk, the so called derivatives are usually even more complicated than the risks themselves and also sometimes generate new riks. Topics like random walks, stochastic differential equations, martingale measures, time series analysis, implied correlations, etc. are of common use in the field. This is why more and more people with a science background, such as physicists, mathematicians, or computer scientists, are entering the field of finance. The measurement and management of all theses risks is the key to the continuing success of banks. This talk gives insight into today's common methods of modern market risk management such as variance-covariance, historical simulation, Monte Carlo, “Greek” ratios, etc., including the statistical concepts on which they are based. Derivatives are at the same time the main reason for and the most effective means of conducting risk management. As such, they stand at the beginning and end of risk management. The valuation of derivatives and structured financial instruments is therefore the prerequisite, the condition sine qua non, for all risk management. This talk introduces some of the important valuation methods used in modern derivatives pricing such as present value, Black-Scholes, binomial trees, Monte Carlo, etc. In summary this talk highlights an area outside physics where there is a lot of interesting work to do, especially for physicists. Or as one of our consultants said: The fascinating thing about this job is that Arthur Andersen hired me not ALTHOUGH I am a physicist but BECAUSE I am a physicist.

  15. Silver nanoparticles: Synthesis methods, bio-applications and properties.

    PubMed

    Abbasi, Elham; Milani, Morteza; Fekri Aval, Sedigheh; Kouhi, Mohammad; Akbarzadeh, Abolfazl; Tayefi Nasrabadi, Hamid; Nikasa, Parisa; Joo, San Woo; Hanifehpour, Younes; Nejati-Koshki, Kazem; Samiei, Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    Silver nanoparticles size makes wide range of new applications in various fields of industry. Synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles for applications such as catalysis, electronics, optics, environmental and biotechnology is an area of constant interest. Two main methods for Silver nanoparticles are the physical and chemical methods. The problem with these methods is absorption of toxic substances onto them. Green synthesis approaches overcome this limitation. Silver nanoparticles size makes wide range of new applications in various fields of industry. This article summarizes exclusively scalable techniques and focuses on strengths, respectively, limitations with respect to the biomedical applicability and regulatory requirements concerning silver nanoparticles.

  16. Economics of herbicide application methods in hardwoods

    Treesearch

    Gary W. Miller

    1988-01-01

    Forest managers can use the data presented here to determine the least-cost herbicide application method for precommercial thinning treatments in hardwood sapling stands. Herbicides used in managing immature hardwood stands must be applied ustng individual-tree methods: broadcast applications in hardwoods are not selective and may result in signtficant damage to...

  17. Kernel-Correlated Levy Field Driven Forward Rate and Application to Derivative Pricing

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

    Bo Lijun; Wang Yongjin; Yang Xuewei, E-mail: xwyangnk@yahoo.com.cn

    2013-08-01

    We propose a term structure of forward rates driven by a kernel-correlated Levy random field under the HJM framework. The kernel-correlated Levy random field is composed of a kernel-correlated Gaussian random field and a centered Poisson random measure. We shall give a criterion to preclude arbitrage under the risk-neutral pricing measure. As applications, an interest rate derivative with general payoff functional is priced under this pricing measure.

  18. Cocrystal screening of hydroxybenzamides with benzoic acid derivatives: a comparative study of thermal and solution-based methods.

    PubMed

    Manin, Alex N; Voronin, Alexander P; Drozd, Ksenia V; Manin, Nikolay G; Bauer-Brandl, Annette; Perlovich, German L

    2014-12-18

    The main problem occurring at the early stages of cocrystal search is the choice of an effective screening technique. Among the most popular techniques of obtaining cocrystals are crystallization from solution, crystallization from melt and solvent-drop grinding. This paper represents a comparative analysis of the following screening techniques: DSC cocrystal screening method, thermal microscopy and saturation temperature method. The efficiency of different techniques of cocrystal screening was checked in 18 systems. Benzamide and benzoic acid derivatives were chosen as model systems due to their ability to form acid-amide supramolecular heterosynthon. The screening has confirmed the formation of 6 new cocrystals. The screening by the saturation temperature method has the highest screen-out rate but the smallest range of application. DSC screening has a satisfactory accuracy and allows screening over a short time. Thermal microscopy is most efficient as an additional technique used to interpret ambiguous DSC screening results. The study also included an analysis of the influence of solvent type and component solubility on cocrystal formation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. A Simple Method for Deriving the Confidence Regions for the Penalized Cox’s Model via the Minimand Perturbation†

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Chen-Yen; Halabi, Susan

    2017-01-01

    We propose a minimand perturbation method to derive the confidence regions for the regularized estimators for the Cox’s proportional hazards model. Although the regularized estimation procedure produces a more stable point estimate, it remains challenging to provide an interval estimator or an analytic variance estimator for the associated point estimate. Based on the sandwich formula, the current variance estimator provides a simple approximation, but its finite sample performance is not entirely satisfactory. Besides, the sandwich formula can only provide variance estimates for the non-zero coefficients. In this article, we present a generic description for the perturbation method and then introduce a computation algorithm using the adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalty. Through simulation studies, we demonstrate that our method can better approximate the limiting distribution of the adaptive LASSO estimator and produces more accurate inference compared with the sandwich formula. The simulation results also indicate the possibility of extending the applications to the adaptive elastic-net penalty. We further demonstrate our method using data from a phase III clinical trial in prostate cancer. PMID:29326496

  20. Deriving preference order of post-mining land-uses through MLSA framework: application of an outranking technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soltanmohammadi, Hossein; Osanloo, Morteza; Aghajani Bazzazi, Abbas

    2009-08-01

    This study intends to take advantage of a previously developed framework for mined land suitability analysis (MLSA) consisted of economical, social, technical and mine site factors to achieve a partial and also a complete pre-order of feasible post-mining land-uses. Analysis by an outranking multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) technique, called PROMETHEE (preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation), was taken into consideration because of its clear advantages on the field of MLSA as compared with MADM ranking techniques. Application of the proposed approach on a mined land can be completed through some successive steps. First, performance of the MLSA attributes is scored locally by each individual decision maker (DM). Then the assigned performance scores are normalized and the deviation amplitudes of non-dominated alternatives are calculated. Weights of the attributes are calculated by another MADM technique namely, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in a separate procedure. Using the Gaussian preference function beside the weights, the preference indexes of the land-use alternatives are obtained. Calculation of the outgoing and entering flows of the alternatives and one by one comparison of these values will lead to partial pre-order of them and calculation of the net flows, will lead to a ranked preference for each land-use. At the final step, utilizing the PROMETHEE group decision support system which incorporates judgments of all the DMs, a consensual ranking can be derived. In this paper, preference order of post-mining land-uses for a hypothetical mined land has been derived according to judgments of one DM to reveal applicability of the proposed approach.

  1. Chemical vs. biotechnological synthesis of C13-apocarotenoids: current methods, applications and perspectives.

    PubMed

    Cataldo, Vicente F; López, Javiera; Cárcamo, Martín; Agosin, Eduardo

    2016-07-01

    Apocarotenoids are natural compounds derived from the oxidative cleavage of carotenoids. Particularly, C13-apocarotenoids are volatile compounds that contribute to the aromas of different flowers and fruits and are highly valued by the Flavor and Fragrance industry. So far, the chemical synthesis of these terpenoids has dominated the industry. Nonetheless, the increasing consumer demand for more natural and sustainable processes raises an interesting opportunity for bio-production alternatives. In this regard, enzymatic biocatalysis and metabolically engineered microorganisms emerge as attractive biotechnological options. The present review summarizes promising bioengineering approaches with regard to chemical production methods for the synthesis of two families of C13-apocarotenoids: ionones/dihydroionones and damascones/damascenone. We discuss each method and its applicability, with a thorough comparative analysis for ionones, focusing on the production process, regulatory aspects, and sustainability.

  2. Novel thiazole derivatives: a patent review (2008 - 2012. Part 2).

    PubMed

    Leoni, Alberto; Locatelli, Alessandra; Morigi, Rita; Rambaldi, Mirella

    2014-07-01

    Thiazole is a well-known five-membered heterocyclic compound. Various methods have been worked out for its synthesis. In the last few decades, a lot of work has been done on the thiazole ring to find new drugs with antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, diuretic, anticonvulsant, neuroprotective and antitumor or cytotoxic properties and fewer side effects. This review presents the up-to-date development of different thiazole derivatives. The present review gives an account of the recent therapeutic patent literature (2008 - 2012) describing the applications of thiazole and its derivatives on selected activities. In this review, many relevant biological properties and therapeutic applications of thiazole derivatives reported in international patents from all companies have been discussed; an overview of the chemical matter has also been given. Because of the huge amount of patents registered in this period relative to thiazole derivatives, attention has been focused on thiazole derivatives having pharmacological activity toward receptors. Based on the large variety of possible therapeutic applications proposed in patents for thiazole derivatives having pharmacological activity toward receptors, it is possible to point out the unpredictability of pharmacological activity consequent to structural modification, more or less simple, of a prototype drug molecule. In any case, the thiazole scaffold continues to have great potential in chemical pharmaceutical research.

  3. Application of derivative and derivative ratio spectrophotometry to simultaneous trace determination of rhodamine B and rhodamine 6G after dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiao, Ni; Deng, Jian; Huang, Kaihui; Ju, Saiqin; Hu, Canhui; Liang, Jun

    2014-07-01

    Two novel methods, first derivative spectrophotometric method (1D) and first derivative ratio spectrophotometric method (1DR), have been developed for the simultaneous trace determination of rhodamine B (RhB) and rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) in food samples after dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). The combination of derivative spectrophotometric techniques and DLLME procedure endows the presented methods with enhanced sensitivity and selectivity. Under optimum conditions, the linear calibration curves ranged from 5 to 450 ng mL-1, with the correlation coefficients (r) of 0.9997 for RhB and 0.9977 for Rh6G by 1D method, and 0.9987 for RhB and 0.9958 for Rh6G by 1DR method, respectively. The calculated limits of detection (LODs) based on the variability of the blank solutions (S/N = 3 criterion) for 11 measurements were in the range of 0.48-1.93 ng mL-1. The recoveries ranged from 88.1% to 111.6% (with RSD less than 4.4%) and 91.5-110.5% (with RSD less than 4.7%) for 1D and 1DR method, respectively. The influence of interfering substances such as foreign ions and food colorants which might be present in the food samples on the signals of RhB and Rh6G was examined. The developed methods have been successfully applied to the determination of RhB and Rh6G in black tea, red wine and chilli powder samples with the characteristics of simplicity, cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and could be valuable for routine analysis.

  4. Setting health research priorities using the CHNRI method: VII. A review of the first 50 applications of the CHNRI method

    PubMed Central

    Rudan, Igor; Yoshida, Sachiyo; Chan, Kit Yee; Sridhar, Devi; Wazny, Kerri; Nair, Harish; Sheikh, Aziz; Tomlinson, Mark; Lawn, Joy E; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A; Bahl, Rajiv; Chopra, Mickey; Campbell, Harry; El Arifeen, Shams; Black, Robert E; Cousens, Simon

    2017-01-01

    Background Several recent reviews of the methods used to set research priorities have identified the CHNRI method (acronym derived from the “Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative”) as an approach that clearly became popular and widely used over the past decade. In this paper we review the first 50 examples of application of the CHNRI method, published between 2007 and 2016, and summarize the most important messages that emerged from those experiences. Methods We conducted a literature review to identify the first 50 examples of application of the CHNRI method in chronological order. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed and so–called grey literature. Results Initially, between 2007 and 2011, the CHNRI method was mainly used for setting research priorities to address global child health issues, although the first cases of application outside this field (eg, mental health, disabilities and zoonoses) were also recorded. Since 2012 the CHNRI method was used more widely, expanding into the topics such as adolescent health, dementia, national health policy and education. The majority of the exercises were focused on issues that were only relevant to low– and middle–income countries, and national–level applications are on the rise. The first CHNRI–based articles adhered to the five recommended priority–setting criteria, but by 2016 more than two–thirds of all conducted exercises departed from recommendations, modifying the CHNRI method to suit each particular exercise. This was done not only by changing the number of criteria used, but also by introducing some entirely new criteria (eg, “low cost”, “sustainability”, “acceptability”, “feasibility”, “relevance” and others). Conclusions The popularity of the CHNRI method in setting health research priorities can be attributed to several key conceptual advances that have addressed common concerns. The method is systematic in nature, offering an acceptable framework for handling many

  5. Fabrication, Characterization and Cytotoxicity of Spherical-Shaped Conjugated Gold-Cockle Shell Derived Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiranda, Hanan Karimah; Mahmud, Rozi; Abubakar, Danmaigoro; Zakaria, Zuki Abubakar

    2018-01-01

    The evolution of nanomaterial in science has brought about a growing increase in nanotechnology, biomedicine, and engineering fields. This study was aimed at fabrication and characterization of conjugated gold-cockle shell-derived calcium carbonate nanoparticles (Au-CSCaCO3NPs) for biomedical application. The synthetic technique employed used gold nanoparticle citrate reduction method and a simple precipitation method coupled with mechanical use of a Programmable roller-ball mill. The synthesized conjugated nanomaterial was characterized for its physicochemical properties using transmission electron microscope (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). However, the intricacy of cellular mechanisms can prove challenging for nanomaterial like Au-CSCaCO3NPs and thus, the need for cytotoxicity assessment. The obtained spherical-shaped nanoparticles (light-green purplish) have an average diameter size of 35 ± 16 nm, high carbon and oxygen composition. The conjugated nanomaterial, also possesses a unique spectra for aragonite polymorph and carboxylic bond significantly supporting interactions between conjugated nanoparticles. The negative surface charge and spectra absorbance highlighted their stability. The resultant spherical shaped conjugated Au-CSCaCO3NPs could be a great nanomaterial for biomedical applications.

  6. A privacy challenge to longitudinal study methods: patient-derived codes.

    PubMed

    Clay, Fiona J; Ozanne-Smith, Joan; Watson, Wendy; Congiu, Melinda; Fox, Barbara

    2006-08-01

    Recent changes to privacy legislation in Australia have resulted in more stringent requirements with respect to maintaining the confidentiality of patient health information. We describe a method employed to de-identify health information collected in a longitudinal study using codes. Using a patient-derived code that did not change during the life of the study follow-up resulted in errors in a quarter of the follow-up surveys. This may introduce bias that could compromise the validity of the study. Alternative methods of coding may alleviate some of these issues. However, removal of some of the constraints imposed by interpretations of privacy legislation may be the best way forward.

  7. A theoretical analysis of the free vibrations of ring- and/or stringer-stiffened elliptical cylinders with arbitrary end conditions. Volume 1: Analytical derivation and applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boyd, D. E.; Rao, C. K. P.

    1973-01-01

    The derivation and application of a Rayleigh-Ritz modal vibration analysis are presented for ring and/or stringer stiffened noncircular cylindrical shells with arbitrary end conditions. Comparisons with previous results from experimental and analytical studies showed this method of analysis to be accurate for a variety of end conditions. Results indicate a greater effect of rings on natural frequencies than of stringers.

  8. Non-singular acoustic cloak derived by the ray tracing method with rotationally symmetric transformations

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Linzhi

    2016-01-01

    Recently, the ray tracing method has been used to derive the non-singular cylindrical invisibility cloaks for out-of-plane shear waves, which is impossible via the transformation method directly owing to the singular push-forward mapping. In this paper, the method is adopted to design a kind of non-singular acoustic cloak. Based on Hamilton's equations of motion, eikonal equation and pre-designed ray equations, we derive several constraint equations for bulk modulus and density tensor. On the premise that the perfect matching conditions are satisfied, a series of non-singular physical profiles can be obtained by arranging the singular terms reasonably. The physical profiles derived by the ray tracing method will degenerate to the transformation-based solutions when taking the transport equation into consideration. This illuminates the essence of the newly designed cloaks that they are actually the so-called eikonal cloaks that can accurately control the paths of energy flux but with small disturbance in energy distribution along the paths. The near-perfect invisible performance has been demonstrated by the numerical ray tracing results and the pressure distribution snapshots. Finally, a kind of reduced cloak is conceived, and the good invisible performance has been measured quantitatively by the normalized scattering width. PMID:27118884

  9. Advanced Applications of Adifor 3.0 for Efficient Calculation of First-and Second-Order CFD Sensitivity Derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Taylor, Arthur C., III

    2004-01-01

    This final report will document the accomplishments of the work of this project. 1) The incremental-iterative (II) form of the reverse-mode (adjoint) method for computing first-order (FO) aerodynamic sensitivity derivatives (SDs) has been successfully implemented and tested in a 2D CFD code (called ANSERS) using the reverse-mode capability of ADIFOR 3.0. These preceding results compared very well with similar SDS computed via a black-box (BB) application of the reverse-mode capability of ADIFOR 3.0, and also with similar SDs calculated via the method of finite differences. 2) Second-order (SO) SDs have been implemented in the 2D ASNWERS code using the very efficient strategy that was originally proposed (but not previously tested) of Reference 3, Appendix A. Furthermore, these SO SOs have been validated for accuracy and computational efficiency. 3) Studies were conducted in Quasi-1D and 2D concerning the smoothness (or lack of smoothness) of the FO and SO SD's for flows with shock waves. The phenomenon is documented in the publications of this study (listed subsequently), however, the specific numerical mechanism which is responsible for this unsmoothness phenomenon was not discovered. 4) The FO and SO derivatives for Quasi-1D and 2D flows were applied to predict aerodynamic design uncertainties, and were also applied in robust design optimization studies.

  10. Method and apparatus for collaborative use of application program

    DOEpatents

    Dean, Craig D.

    1994-01-01

    Method and apparatus permitting the collaborative use of a computer application program simultaneously by multiple users at different stations. The method is useful with communication protocols having client/server control structures. The method of the invention requires only a sole executing copy of the application program and a sole executing copy of software comprising the invention. Users may collaboratively use a set of application programs by invoking for each desired application program one copy of software comprising the invention.

  11. Novel thiazole derivatives: a patent review (2008 - 2012; Part 1).

    PubMed

    Leoni, Alberto; Locatelli, Alessandra; Morigi, Rita; Rambaldi, Mirella

    2014-02-01

    Thiazole is a well-known five-membered heterocyclic compound. Various methods have been worked out for its synthesis. In the last few decades, a lot of work has been done on thiazole ring in order to find new compounds related to this scaffold acting as an antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, diuretic, anticonvulsant, neuroprotective and antitumor or cytotoxic drugs with lesser side effects. This review presents the up to date development of different thiazole derivatives. This review gives an account of the recent therapeutic patent literature (2008 - 2012) describing the applications of thiazole and its derivatives on selected activities. In this review, many of the therapeutic applications of thiazole derivatives reported in international patents have been discussed. In addition to selected biological data, some of pharmaceutical applications are also summarized. Because of the large number of patents registered in this period relative to thiazole derivatives the attention was focused, in this first part of the review, on inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, inhibitors of protein kinase and derivatives modulating enzymes related to metabolism. This review of patented products presents the thiazole ring as the nucleus of the derivatives considered from a medicinal chemistry perspective. The applications are based firstly on the specific enzyme target with very low development in the disease treatment. Most of the described compounds are shown to have beneficial therapeutic effects but at the same time these compounds, selective for 'multi-signaling pathway' targets, may also increase the side-effect potential.

  12. A Derivative Method with Free Radical Oxidation to Predict Resveratrol Metabolites by Tandem Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Wangta; Shiue, Yow-Ling; Lin, Yi-Reng; Lin, Hugo You-Hsien; Liang, Shih-Shin

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we demonstrated an oxidative method with free radical to generate 3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene (trans-resveratrol) metabolites and detect sequentially by an autosampler coupling with liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometer (LC-ESI–MS/MS). In this oxidative method, the free radical initiator, ammonium persulfate (APS), was placed in a sample bottle containing resveratrol to produce oxidative derivatives, and the reaction progress was tracked by autosampler sequencing. Resveratrol, a natural product with purported cancer preventative qualities, produces metabolites including dihydroresveratrol, 3,4′-dihydroxy-trans-stilbene, lunularin, resveratrol monosulfate, and dihydroresveratrol monosulfate by free radical oxidation. Using APS free radical, the concentrations of resveratrol derivatives differ as a function of time. Besides simple, convenient and time- and labor saving, the advantages of free radical oxidative method of its in situ generation of oxidative derivatives followed by LC-ESI–MS/MS can be utilized to evaluate different metabolites in various conditions. PMID:27594817

  13. A Derivative Method with Free Radical Oxidation to Predict Resveratrol Metabolites by Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Liu, Wangta; Shiue, Yow-Ling; Lin, Yi-Reng; Lin, Hugo You-Hsien; Liang, Shih-Shin

    2015-10-01

    In this study, we demonstrated an oxidative method with free radical to generate 3,5,4'-trihydroxy- trans -stilbene ( trans -resveratrol) metabolites and detect sequentially by an autosampler coupling with liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometer (LC-ESI-MS/MS). In this oxidative method, the free radical initiator, ammonium persulfate (APS), was placed in a sample bottle containing resveratrol to produce oxidative derivatives, and the reaction progress was tracked by autosampler sequencing. Resveratrol, a natural product with purported cancer preventative qualities, produces metabolites including dihydroresveratrol, 3,4'-dihydroxy- trans -stilbene, lunularin, resveratrol monosulfate, and dihydroresveratrol monosulfate by free radical oxidation. Using APS free radical, the concentrations of resveratrol derivatives differ as a function of time. Besides simple, convenient and time- and labor saving, the advantages of free radical oxidative method of its in situ generation of oxidative derivatives followed by LC-ESI-MS/MS can be utilized to evaluate different metabolites in various conditions.

  14. Entrepreneur environment management behavior evaluation method derived from environmental economy.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Lili; Hou, Xilin; Xi, Fengru

    2013-12-01

    Evaluation system can encourage and guide entrepreneurs, and impel them to perform well in environment management. An evaluation method based on advantage structure is established. It is used to analyze entrepreneur environment management behavior in China. Entrepreneur environment management behavior evaluation index system is constructed based on empirical research. Evaluation method of entrepreneurs is put forward, from the point of objective programming-theory to alert entrepreneurs concerned to think much of it, which means to take minimized objective function as comprehensive evaluation result and identify disadvantage structure pattern. Application research shows that overall behavior of Chinese entrepreneurs environmental management are good, specially, environment strategic behavior are best, environmental management behavior are second, cultural behavior ranks last. Application results show the efficiency and feasibility of this method. Copyright © 2013 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Optical and Transport Properties of Organic Molecules: Methods and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strubbe, David Alan

    Organic molecules are versatile and tunable building blocks for technology, in nanoscale and bulk devices. In this dissertation, I will consider some important applications for organic molecules involving optical and transport properties, and develop methods and software appropriate for theoretical calculations of these properties. Specifically, we will consider second-harmonic generation, a nonlinear optical process; photoisomerization, in which absorption of light leads to mechanical motion; charge transport in junctions formed of single molecules; and optical excitations in pentacene, an organic semiconductor with applications in photovoltaics, optoelectronics, and flexible electronics. In the Introduction (Chapter 1), I will give an overview of some phenomenology about organic molecules and these application areas, and discuss the basics of the theoretical methodology I will use: density-functional theory (DFT), time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT), and many-body perturbation theory based on the GW approximation. In the subsequent chapters, I will further discuss, develop, and apply this methodology. 2. I will give a pedagogical derivation of the methods for calculating response properties in TDDFT, with particular focus on the Sternheimer equation, as will be used in subsequent chapters. I will review the many different response properties that can be calculated (dynamic and static) and the appropriate perturbations used to calculate them. 3. Standard techniques for calculating response use either integer occupations (as appropriate for a system with an energy gap) or fractional occupations due to a smearing function, used to improve convergence for metallic systems. I will present a generalization which can be used to compute response for a system with arbitrary fractional occupations. 4. Chloroform (CHCl3) is a small molecule commonly used as a solvent in measurements of nonlinear optics. I computed its hyperpolarizability for second

  16. Setting health research priorities using the CHNRI method: VII. A review of the first 50 applications of the CHNRI method.

    PubMed

    Rudan, Igor; Yoshida, Sachiyo; Chan, Kit Yee; Sridhar, Devi; Wazny, Kerri; Nair, Harish; Sheikh, Aziz; Tomlinson, Mark; Lawn, Joy E; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A; Bahl, Rajiv; Chopra, Mickey; Campbell, Harry; El Arifeen, Shams; Black, Robert E; Cousens, Simon

    2017-06-01

    Several recent reviews of the methods used to set research priorities have identified the CHNRI method (acronym derived from the "Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative") as an approach that clearly became popular and widely used over the past decade. In this paper we review the first 50 examples of application of the CHNRI method, published between 2007 and 2016, and summarize the most important messages that emerged from those experiences. We conducted a literature review to identify the first 50 examples of application of the CHNRI method in chronological order. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed and so-called grey literature. Initially, between 2007 and 2011, the CHNRI method was mainly used for setting research priorities to address global child health issues, although the first cases of application outside this field (eg, mental health, disabilities and zoonoses) were also recorded. Since 2012 the CHNRI method was used more widely, expanding into the topics such as adolescent health, dementia, national health policy and education. The majority of the exercises were focused on issues that were only relevant to low- and middle-income countries, and national-level applications are on the rise. The first CHNRI-based articles adhered to the five recommended priority-setting criteria, but by 2016 more than two-thirds of all conducted exercises departed from recommendations, modifying the CHNRI method to suit each particular exercise. This was done not only by changing the number of criteria used, but also by introducing some entirely new criteria (eg, "low cost", "sustainability", "acceptability", "feasibility", "relevance" and others). The popularity of the CHNRI method in setting health research priorities can be attributed to several key conceptual advances that have addressed common concerns. The method is systematic in nature, offering an acceptable framework for handling many research questions. It is also transparent and replicable, because it

  17. Low oxygen biomass-derived pyrolysis oils and methods for producing the same

    DOEpatents

    Marinangeli, Richard; Brandvold, Timothy A; Kocal, Joseph A

    2013-08-27

    Low oxygen biomass-derived pyrolysis oils and methods for producing them from carbonaceous biomass feedstock are provided. The carbonaceous biomass feedstock is pyrolyzed in the presence of a catalyst comprising base metal-based catalysts, noble metal-based catalysts, treated zeolitic catalysts, or combinations thereof to produce pyrolysis gases. During pyrolysis, the catalyst catalyzes a deoxygenation reaction whereby at least a portion of the oxygenated hydrocarbons in the pyrolysis gases are converted into hydrocarbons. The oxygen is removed as carbon oxides and water. A condensable portion (the vapors) of the pyrolysis gases is condensed to low oxygen biomass-derived pyrolysis oil.

  18. Electrochemical Study of Hydrocarbon-Derived Electrolytes for Supercapacitors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noorden, Zulkarnain A.; Matsumoto, Satoshi

    2013-10-01

    In this paper, we evaluate the essential electrochemical properties - capacitive and resistive behaviors - of hydrocarbon-derived electrolytes for supercapacitor application using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrolytes were systematically prepared from three hydrocarbon-derived compounds, which have different molecular structures and functional groups, by treatment with high-concentration sulfuric acid (H2SO4) at room temperature. Two-electrode cells were assembled by sandwiching an electrolyte-containing glass wool separator with two active electrodes of activated carbon sheets. The dc electrical properties of the tested cells in terms of their capacitive behavior were investigated by CV, and in order to observe the frequency characteristics of the constructed cells, EIS was carried out. Compared with the tested cell with only high-concentration H2SO4 as the electrolyte, the cell with the derived electrolytes exhibit a capacitance as high as 135 F/g with an improved overall internal resistance of 2.5 Ω. Through the use of a simple preparation method and low-cost precursors, hydrocarbon-derived electrolytes could potentially find large-scale and higher-rating supercapacitor applications.

  19. Novel electrochemical redox-active species: one-step synthesis of polyaniline derivative-Au/Pd and its application for multiplexed immunoassay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Liyuan; Feng, Feng; Ma, Zhanfang

    2015-11-01

    Electrochemical redox-active species play crucial role in electrochemically multiplexed immunoassays. A one-pot method for synthesizing four kinds of new electrochemical redox-active species was reported using HAuCl4 and Na2PdCl4 as dual oxidating agents and aniline derivatives as monomers. The synthesized polyaniline derivative-Au/Pd composites, namely poly(N-methyl-o-benzenediamine)-Au/Pd, poly(N-phenyl-o-phenylenediamine)-Au/Pd, poly(N-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine)-Au/Pd and poly(3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine)-Au/Pd, exhibited electrochemical redox activity at -0.65 V, -0.3 V, 0.12 V, and 0.5 V, respectively. Meanwhile, these composites showed high H2O2 electrocatalytic activity because of the presence of Au/Pd. The as-prepared composites were used as electrochemical immunoprobes in simultaneous detection of four tumor biomarkers (carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA199), carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA724), and alpha fetoprotein (AFP)). This immunoassay shed light on potential applications in simultaneous gastric cancer (related biomarkers: CEA, CA199, CA724) and liver cancer diagnosis (related biomarkers: CEA, CA199, AFP). The present strategy to the synthesize redox species could be easily extended to other polymers such as polypyrrole derivatives and polythiophene derivatives. This would be of great significance in the electrochemical detection of more analytes.

  20. Application of PDF methods to compressible turbulent flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Delarue, B. J.; Pope, S. B.

    1997-09-01

    A particle method applying the probability density function (PDF) approach to turbulent compressible flows is presented. The method is applied to several turbulent flows, including the compressible mixing layer, and good agreement is obtained with experimental data. The PDF equation is solved using a Lagrangian/Monte Carlo method. To accurately account for the effects of compressibility on the flow, the velocity PDF formulation is extended to include thermodynamic variables such as the pressure and the internal energy. The mean pressure, the determination of which has been the object of active research over the last few years, is obtained directly from the particle properties. It is therefore not necessary to link the PDF solver with a finite-volume type solver. The stochastic differential equations (SDE) which model the evolution of particle properties are based on existing second-order closures for compressible turbulence, limited in application to low turbulent Mach number flows. Tests are conducted in decaying isotropic turbulence to compare the performances of the PDF method with the Reynolds-stress closures from which it is derived, and in homogeneous shear flows, at which stage comparison with direct numerical simulation (DNS) data is conducted. The model is then applied to the plane compressible mixing layer, reproducing the well-known decrease in the spreading rate with increasing compressibility. It must be emphasized that the goal of this paper is not as much to assess the performance of models of compressibility effects, as it is to present an innovative and consistent PDF formulation designed for turbulent inhomogeneous compressible flows, with the aim of extending it further to deal with supersonic reacting flows.

  1. Development of a rapid HRM genotyping method for detection of dog-derived Giardia lamblia.

    PubMed

    Tan, Liping; Yu, Xingang; Abdullahi, Auwalu Yusuf; Wu, Sheng; Zheng, Guochao; Hu, Wei; Song, Meiran; Wang, Zhen; Jiang, Biao; Li, Guoqing

    2015-11-01

    Giardia lamblia is a zoonotic flagellate protozoan in the intestine of human and many mammals including dogs. To assess a threat of dog-derived G. lamblia to humans, the common dog-derived G. lamblia assemblages A, C, and D were genotyped by high-resolution melting (HRM) technology. According to β-giardin gene sequence, the qPCR-HRM primers BG5 and BG7 were designed. A series of experiments on the stability, sensitivity, and accuracy of the HRM method were also tested. Results showed that the primers BG5 and BG7 could distinguish among three assemblages A, C, and D, which Tm value differences were about 1 °C to each other. The melting curves of intra-assay reproducibility were almost coincided, and those of inter-assay reproducibility were much the same shape. The lowest detection concentration was about 5 × 10(-6)-ng/μL sample. The genotyping results from 21 G. lamblia samples by the HRM method were in complete accordance with sequencing results. It is concluded that the HRM genotyping method is rapid, stable, specific, highly sensitive, and suitable for clinical detection and molecular epidemiological survey of dog-derived G. lamblia.

  2. An Application of Trimethylsilyl Derivatives with Temperature Programmed Gas Chromatography to the Senior Analytical Laboratory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelter, Paul B.; Carr, James D.

    1983-01-01

    Describes an experiment designed to teach temperature programed gas chromatography (TPGC) techniques and importance of derivatizing many classes of substrated to be separated. Includes equipment needed, procedures for making trimethylsilyl derivatives, applications, sample calculations, and typical results. Procedure required one, three-hour…

  3. A Methodology in the Teaching Process of the Derivative and Its Motivation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vasquez-Martinez, Claudio-Rafael

    The development of the derivative because of being part of calculus in permanent dialectic, demands on one part an analytical, deductive study and on another an application of rochrematic methods, sources of resources, within calculus of derivative which allows to dialectically confront knowledge in its different phases and to test the results.…

  4. Application of derivative and derivative ratio spectrophotometry to simultaneous trace determination of rhodamine B and rhodamine 6G after dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Ni; Deng, Jian; Huang, Kaihui; Ju, Saiqin; Hu, Canhui; Liang, Jun

    2014-07-15

    Two novel methods, first derivative spectrophotometric method ((1)D) and first derivative ratio spectrophotometric method ((1)DR), have been developed for the simultaneous trace determination of rhodamine B (RhB) and rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) in food samples after dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). The combination of derivative spectrophotometric techniques and DLLME procedure endows the presented methods with enhanced sensitivity and selectivity. Under optimum conditions, the linear calibration curves ranged from 5 to 450 ng mL(-1), with the correlation coefficients (r) of 0.9997 for RhB and 0.9977 for Rh6G by (1)D method, and 0.9987 for RhB and 0.9958 for Rh6G by (1)DR method, respectively. The calculated limits of detection (LODs) based on the variability of the blank solutions (S/N = 3 criterion) for 11 measurements were in the range of 0.48-1.93 ng mL(-1). The recoveries ranged from 88.1% to 111.6% (with RSD less than 4.4%) and 91.5-110.5% (with RSD less than 4.7%) for (1)D and (1)DR method, respectively. The influence of interfering substances such as foreign ions and food colorants which might be present in the food samples on the signals of RhB and Rh6G was examined. The developed methods have been successfully applied to the determination of RhB and Rh6G in black tea, red wine and chilli powder samples with the characteristics of simplicity, cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and could be valuable for routine analysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Recent applications of spectral methods in fluid dynamics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zang, T. A.; Hussaini, M. Y.

    1985-01-01

    Origins of spectral methods, especially their relation to the method of weighted residuals, are surveyed. Basic Fourier and Chebyshev spectral concepts are reviewed and demonstrated through application to simple model problems. Both collocation and tau methods are considered. These techniques are then applied to a number of difficult, nonlinear problems of hyperbolic, parabolic, elliptic and mixzed type. Fluid dynamical applications are emphasized.

  6. A fast and simple method for detecting and quantifying donor-derived cell-free DNA in sera of solid organ transplant recipients as a biomarker for graft function.

    PubMed

    Adamek, Martina; Opelz, Gerhard; Klein, Katrin; Morath, Christian; Tran, Thuong Hien

    2016-07-01

    Timely detection of graft rejection is an important issue in the follow-up care after solid organ transplantation. Until now, biopsy has been considered the "gold standard" in the diagnosis of graft rejection. However, non-invasive tests such as monitoring the levels of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a sensitive biomarker for graft integrity have attracted increasing interest. The rationale of this approach is that a rejected organ will lead to a significant release of donor-derived cfDNA, which can be detected in the serum of the transplant recipient. We have developed a novel quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) approach for detecting an increase of donor-derived cfDNA in the recipient's serum. Common insertion/deletion (InDel) genetic polymorphisms, which differ between donor and recipient, are targeted in our qPCR assay. In contrast to some other strategies, no specific donor/recipient constellations such as certain gender combinations or human leukocyte antigen (HLA) discrepancies are required for the application of our test. The method was first validated with serial dilutions of serum mixtures obtained from healthy blood donors and then used to determine donor-derived cfDNA levels in patients' sera within the first 3 days after their kidney transplantation had been performed. Our method represents a universally applicable, simple and cost-effective tool which can potentially be used to detect graft dysfunction in transplant recipients.

  7. 47 CFR 61.153 - Method of filing applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... (CONTINUED) TARIFFS Applications for Special Permission § 61.153 Method of filing applications. (a) An application for special permission must be addressed to “Secretary, Federal Communication Commission... for issuing carriers filing tariffing fees electronically, for all special permission applications...

  8. Applicability of Cameriere's and Drusini's age estimation methods to a sample of Turkish adults.

    PubMed

    Hatice, Boyacioglu Dogru; Nihal, Avcu; Nursel, Akkaya; Humeyra Ozge, Yilanci; Goksuluk, Dincer

    2017-10-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of Drusini's and Cameriere's methods to a sample of Turkish people. Panoramic images of 200 individuals were allocated into two groups as study and test groups and examined by two observers. Tooth coronal indexes (TCI), which is the ratio between coronal pulp cavity height and crown height, were calculated in the mandibular first and second premolars and molars. Pulp/tooth area ratios (ARs) were calculated in the maxillary and mandibular canine teeth. Study group measurements were used to derive a regression model. Test group measurements were used to evaluate the accuracy of the regression model. Pearson's correlation coefficients and regression analysis were used. The correlations between TCIs and age were -0.230, -0.301, -0.344 and -0.257 for mandibular first premolar, second premolar, first molar and second molar, respectively. Those for the maxillary canine (MX) and mandibular canine (MN) ARs were -0.716 and -0.514, respectively. The MX ARs were used to build the linear regression model that explained 51.2% of the total variation, with a standard error of 9.23 years. The mean error of the estimates in test group was 8 years and age of 64% of the individuals were estimated with an error of <±10 years which is acceptable in forensic age prediction. The low correlation coefficients between age and TCI indicate that Drusini's method was not applicable to the estimation of age in a Turkish population. Using Cameriere's method, we derived a regression model.

  9. Engineering-derived approaches for iPSC preparation, expansion, differentiation and applications.

    PubMed

    Li, Yang; Li, Ling; Chen, Zhi-Nan; Gao, Ge; Yao, Rui; Sun, Wei

    2017-07-31

    Remarkable achievements have been made since induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were first introduced in 2006. Compared with non-pluripotent stem cells, iPSC research faces several additional complexities, such as the choice of extracellular matrix proteins, growth and differentiation factors, as well as technical challenges related to self-renewal and directed differentiation. Overcoming these challenges requires the integration of knowledge and technologies from multiple fields including cell biology, biomaterial science, engineering, physics and medicine. Here, engineering-derived iPSC approaches are reviewed according to three aspects of iPSC studies: preparation, expansion, differentiation and applications. Engineering strategies, such as 3D systems establishment, cell-matrix mechanics and the regulation of biophysical and biochemical cues, together with engineering techniques, such as 3D scaffolds, cell microspheres and bioreactors, have been applied to iPSC studies and have generated insightful results and even mini-organs such as retinas, livers and intestines. Specific results are given to demonstrate how these approaches impact iPSC behavior, and related mechanisms are discussed. In addition, cell printing technologies are presented as an advanced engineering-derived approach since they have been applied in both iPSC studies and the construction of diverse tissues and organs. Further development and possible innovations of cell printing technologies are presented in terms of creating complex and functional iPSC-derived living tissues and organs.

  10. Human fibroblast-derived extracellular matrix constructs for bone tissue engineering applications.

    PubMed

    Tour, Gregory; Wendel, Mikael; Tcacencu, Ion

    2013-10-01

    We exploited the biomimetic approach to generate constructs composed of synthetic biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic and extracellular matrix (SBC-ECM) derived from adult human dermal fibroblasts in complete xeno-free culture conditions. The construct morphology and composition were assessed by scanning electron microscopy, histology, immunohistochemistry, Western blot, glycosaminoglycan, and hydroxyproline assays. Residual DNA quantification, endotoxin testing, and local inflammatory response after implantation in a rat critical-sized calvarial defect were used to access the construct biocompatibility. Moreover, in vitro interaction of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) with the constructs was studied. The bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells were characterized by flow cytometry and tested for osteogenic differentiation capacity prior seeding onto SBC-ECM, followed by alkaline phosphatase, 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to assess the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs after seeding onto the constructs at different time intervals. The SBC-ECM constructs enhanced osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs in vitro and exhibited excellent handling properties and high biocompatibility in vivo. Our results highlight the ability to generate in vitro fibroblast-derived ECM constructs in complete xeno-free conditions as a step toward clinical translation, and the potential use of SBC-ECM in craniofacial bone tissue engineering applications. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley Company.

  11. Application of FDA-Approved Memantine and Newer NitroMemantine Derivatives to Treat Neurological Manifestations in Rodent Models of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-06-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-13-1-0053 TITLE: Application of FDA-Approved Memantine and Newer NitroMemantine Derivatives to Treat Neurological...2015 Final 1 May 2013 - 30 Apr 2015 Application of FDA-Approved Memantine and Newer NitroMemantine Derivatives to Treat Neurological Manifestations in...FDA-approved drug, Memantine , an uncompetitive/fast off-rate antagonist of the Nmethyl-D-aspartate-type glutamate receptor, and its improved

  12. Derivative Spectrophotometric Method for Estimation of Antiretroviral Drugs in Fixed Dose Combinations

    PubMed Central

    P.B., Mohite; R.B., Pandhare; S.G., Khanage

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Lamivudine is cytosine and zidovudine is cytidine and is used as an antiretroviral agents. Both drugs are available in tablet dosage forms with a dose of 150 mg for LAM and 300 mg ZID respectively. Method: The method employed is based on first order derivative spectroscopy. Wavelengths 279 nm and 300 nm were selected for the estimation of the Lamovudine and Zidovudine respectively by taking the first order derivative spectra. The conc. of both drugs was determined by proposed method. The results of analysis have been validated statistically and by recovery studies as per ICH guidelines. Result: Both the drugs obey Beer’s law in the concentration range 10-50 μg mL-1,for LAM and ZID; with regression 0.9998 and 0.9999, intercept – 0.0677 and – 0.0043 and slope 0.0457 and 0.0391 for LAM and ZID, respectively.The accuracy and reproducibility results are close to 100% with 2% RSD. Conclusion: A simple, accurate, precise, sensitive and economical procedures for simultaneous estimation of Lamovudine and Zidovudine in tablet dosage form have been developed. PMID:24312779

  13. LOCAL ORTHOGONAL CUTTING METHOD FOR COMPUTING MEDIAL CURVES AND ITS BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

    PubMed Central

    Einstein, Daniel R.; Dyedov, Vladimir

    2010-01-01

    Medial curves have a wide range of applications in geometric modeling and analysis (such as shape matching) and biomedical engineering (such as morphometry and computer assisted surgery). The computation of medial curves poses significant challenges, both in terms of theoretical analysis and practical efficiency and reliability. In this paper, we propose a definition and analysis of medial curves and also describe an efficient and robust method called local orthogonal cutting (LOC) for computing medial curves. Our approach is based on three key concepts: a local orthogonal decomposition of objects into substructures, a differential geometry concept called the interior center of curvature (ICC), and integrated stability and consistency tests. These concepts lend themselves to robust numerical techniques and result in an algorithm that is efficient and noise resistant. We illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of our approach with some highly complex, large-scale, noisy biomedical geometries derived from medical images, including lung airways and blood vessels. We also present comparisons of our method with some existing methods. PMID:20628546

  14. Local Orthogonal Cutting Method for Computing Medial Curves and Its Biomedical Applications

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

    Jiao, Xiangmin; Einstein, Daniel R.; Dyedov, Volodymyr

    2010-03-24

    Medial curves have a wide range of applications in geometric modeling and analysis (such as shape matching) and biomedical engineering (such as morphometry and computer assisted surgery). The computation of medial curves poses significant challenges, both in terms of theoretical analysis and practical efficiency and reliability. In this paper, we propose a definition and analysis of medial curves and also describe an efficient and robust method for computing medial curves. Our approach is based on three key concepts: a local orthogonal decomposition of objects into substructures, a differential geometry concept called the interior center of curvature (ICC), and integrated stabilitymore » and consistency tests. These concepts lend themselves to robust numerical techniques including eigenvalue analysis, weighted least squares approximations, and numerical minimization, resulting in an algorithm that is efficient and noise resistant. We illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of our approach with some highly complex, large-scale, noisy biomedical geometries derived from medical images, including lung airways and blood vessels. We also present comparisons of our method with some existing methods.« less

  15. Accuracy of the domain method for the material derivative approach to shape design sensitivities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yang, R. J.; Botkin, M. E.

    1987-01-01

    Numerical accuracy for the boundary and domain methods of the material derivative approach to shape design sensitivities is investigated through the use of mesh refinement. The results show that the domain method is generally more accurate than the boundary method, using the finite element technique. It is also shown that the domain method is equivalent, under certain assumptions, to the implicit differentiation approach not only theoretically but also numerically.

  16. Investigation of polymer derived ceramics cantilevers for application of high speed atomic force microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Chia-Yun

    High speed Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has a wide variety of applications ranging from nanomanufacturing to biophysics. In order to have higher scanning speed of certain AFM modes, high resonant frequency cantilevers are needed; therefore, the goal of this research is to investigate using polymer derived ceramics for possible applications in making high resonant frequency AFM cantilevers using complex cross sections. The polymer derived ceramic that will be studied, is silicon carbide. Polymer derived ceramics offer a potentially more economic fabrication approach for MEMS due to their relatively low processing temperatures and ease of complex shape design. Photolithography was used to make the desired cantilever shapes with micron scale size followed by a wet etching process to release the cantilevers from the substrates. The whole manufacturing process we use borrow well-developed techniques from the semiconducting industry, and as such this project also could offer the opportunity to reduce the fabrication cost of AFM cantilevers and MEMS in general. The characteristics of silicon carbide made from the precursor polymer, SMP-10 (Starfire Systems), were studied. In order to produce high qualities of silicon carbide cantilevers, where the major concern is defects, proper process parameters needed to be determined. Films of polymer derived ceramics often have defects due to shrinkage during the conversion process. Thus control of defects was a central issue in this study. A second, related concern was preventing oxidation; the polymer derived ceramics we chose is easily oxidized during processing. Establishing an environment without oxygen in the whole process was a significant challenge in the project. The optimization of the parameters for using photolithography and wet etching process was the final and central goal of the project; well established techniques used in microfabrication were modified for use in making the cantilever in the project. The techniques

  17. Aggregative Learning Method and Its Application for Communication Quality Evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akhmetov, Dauren F.; Kotaki, Minoru

    2007-12-01

    In this paper, so-called Aggregative Learning Method (ALM) is proposed to improve and simplify the learning and classification abilities of different data processing systems. It provides a universal basis for design and analysis of mathematical models of wide class. A procedure was elaborated for time series model reconstruction and analysis for linear and nonlinear cases. Data approximation accuracy (during learning phase) and data classification quality (during recall phase) are estimated from introduced statistic parameters. The validity and efficiency of the proposed approach have been demonstrated through its application for monitoring of wireless communication quality, namely, for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) system. Low memory and computation resources were shown to be needed for the procedure realization, especially for data classification (recall) stage. Characterized with high computational efficiency and simple decision making procedure, the derived approaches can be useful for simple and reliable real-time surveillance and control system design.

  18. Chapter 17 Sterile Plate-Based Vitrification of Adherent Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Derivatives Using the TWIST Method.

    PubMed

    Neubauer, Julia C; Stracke, Frank; Zimmermann, Heiko

    2017-01-01

    Due to their high biological complexity, e.g., their close cell-to-cell contacts, cryopreservation of human pluripotent stem cells with standard slow-rate protocols often is inefficient and can hardly be standardized. Vitrification that means ultrafast freezing already showed very good viability and recovery rates for this sensitive cell system, but is only applicable for low cell numbers, bears a high risk of contamination, and can hardly be implemented under GxP regulations. In this chapter, a sterile plate-based vitrification method for adherent pluripotent stem cells and their derivatives is presented based on a procedure and device for human embryonic stem cells developed by Beier et al. (Cryobiology 66:8-16, 2013). This protocol overcomes the limitations of conventional vitrification procedures resulting in the highly efficient preservation of ready-to-use adherent pluripotent stem cells with the possibility of vitrifying cells in multi-well formats for direct application in high-throughput screenings.

  19. Application of matched asymptotic expansions to lunar and interplanetary trajectories. Volume 2: Derivations of second-order asymptotic boundary value solutions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lancaster, J. E.

    1973-01-01

    Previously published asymptotic solutions for lunar and interplanetery trajectories have been modified and combined to formulate a general analytical solution to the problem of N-bodies. The earlier first-order solutions, derived by the method of matched asymptotic expansions, have been extended to second order for the purpose of obtaining increased accuracy. The complete derivation of the second-order solution, including the application of a regorous matching principle, is given. It is shown that the outer and inner expansions can be matched in a region of order mu to the alpha power, where 2/5 alpha 1/2, and mu (the moon/earth or planet/sun mass ratio) is much less than one. The second-order asymptotic solution has been used as a basis for formulating a number of analytical two-point boundary value solutions. These include earth-to-moon, one- and two-impulse moon-to-Earth, and interplanetary solutions. Each is presented as an explicit analytical solution which does not require iterative steps to satisfy the boundary conditions. The complete derivation of each solution is shown, as well as instructions for numerical evaluation. For Vol. 1, see N73-27738.

  20. METHOD FOR PRODUCING ISOTOPIC METHANES AND PARTIALLY HALOGENATED DERIVATIVES THEROF

    DOEpatents

    Frazer, J.W.

    1959-08-18

    A method is given for producing isotopic methanes and/ or partially halogenated derivatives. Lithium hydride, deuteride, or tritide is reacted with a halogenated methane or with a halogenated methane in combination with free halogen. The process is conveniently carried out by passing a halogenated methane preferably at low pressures or in an admixture with an inert gas through a fixed bed of finely divided lithium hydride heated initially to temperatures of 100 to 200 deg C depending upon the halogenated methane used.

  1. A pedagogical derivation of the matrix element method in particle physics data analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sumowidagdo, Suharyo

    2018-03-01

    The matrix element method provides a direct connection between the underlying theory of particle physics processes and detector-level physical observables. I am presenting a pedagogically-oriented derivation of the matrix element method, drawing from elementary concepts in probability theory, statistics, and the process of experimental measurements. The level of treatment should be suitable for beginning research student in phenomenology and experimental high energy physics.

  2. A cGMP-applicable expansion method for aggregates of human neural stem and progenitor cells derived from pluripotent stem cells or fetal brain tissue.

    PubMed

    Shelley, Brandon C; Gowing, Geneviève; Svendsen, Clive N

    2014-06-15

    A cell expansion technique to amass large numbers of cells from a single specimen for research experiments and clinical trials would greatly benefit the stem cell community. Many current expansion methods are laborious and costly, and those involving complete dissociation may cause several stem and progenitor cell types to undergo differentiation or early senescence. To overcome these problems, we have developed an automated mechanical passaging method referred to as "chopping" that is simple and inexpensive. This technique avoids chemical or enzymatic dissociation into single cells and instead allows for the large-scale expansion of suspended, spheroid cultures that maintain constant cell/cell contact. The chopping method has primarily been used for fetal brain-derived neural progenitor cells or neurospheres, and has recently been published for use with neural stem cells derived from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. The procedure involves seeding neurospheres onto a tissue culture Petri dish and subsequently passing a sharp, sterile blade through the cells effectively automating the tedious process of manually mechanically dissociating each sphere. Suspending cells in culture provides a favorable surface area-to-volume ratio; as over 500,000 cells can be grown within a single neurosphere of less than 0.5 mm in diameter. In one T175 flask, over 50 million cells can grow in suspension cultures compared to only 15 million in adherent cultures. Importantly, the chopping procedure has been used under current good manufacturing practice (cGMP), permitting mass quantity production of clinical-grade cell products.

  3. A Computer-Aided Analysis Method of SPECT Brain Images for Quantitative Treatment Monitoring: Performance Evaluations and Clinical Applications.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Xiujuan; Wei, Wentao; Huang, Qiu; Song, Shaoli; Wan, Jieqing; Huang, Gang

    2017-01-01

    The objective and quantitative analysis of longitudinal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images are significant for the treatment monitoring of brain disorders. Therefore, a computer aided analysis (CAA) method is introduced to extract a change-rate map (CRM) as a parametric image for quantifying the changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in longitudinal SPECT brain images. The performances of the CAA-CRM approach in treatment monitoring are evaluated by the computer simulations and clinical applications. The results of computer simulations show that the derived CRMs have high similarities with their ground truths when the lesion size is larger than system spatial resolution and the change rate is higher than 20%. In clinical applications, the CAA-CRM approach is used to assess the treatment of 50 patients with brain ischemia. The results demonstrate that CAA-CRM approach has a 93.4% accuracy of recovered region's localization. Moreover, the quantitative indexes of recovered regions derived from CRM are all significantly different among the groups and highly correlated with the experienced clinical diagnosis. In conclusion, the proposed CAA-CRM approach provides a convenient solution to generate a parametric image and derive the quantitative indexes from the longitudinal SPECT brain images for treatment monitoring.

  4. From Geometry Optimization to Time Dependent Molecular Structure Modeling: Method Developments, ab initio Theories and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Wenkel

    This dissertation consists of two general parts: (I) developments of optimization algorithms (both nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom) for time-independent molecules and (II) novel methods, first-principle theories and applications in time dependent molecular structure modeling. In the first part, we discuss in specific two new algorithms for static geometry optimization, the eigenspace update (ESU) method in nonredundant internal coordinate that exhibits an enhanced performace with up to a factor of 3 savings in computational cost for large-sized molecular systems; the Car-Parrinello density matrix search (CP-DMS) method that enables direct minimization of the SCF energy as an effective alternative to conventional diagonalization approach. For the second part, we consider the time dependence and first presents two nonadiabatic dynamic studies that model laser controlled molecular photo-dissociation for qualitative understandings of intense laser-molecule interaction, using ab initio direct Ehrenfest dynamics scheme implemented with real-time time-dependent density functional theory (RT-TDDFT) approach developed in our group. Furthermore, we place our special interest on the nonadiabatic electronic dynamics in the ultrafast time scale, and presents (1) a novel technique that can not only obtain energies but also the electron densities of doubly excited states within a single determinant framework, by combining methods of CP-DMS with RT-TDDFT; (2) a solvated first-principles electronic dynamics method by incorporating the polarizable continuum solvation model (PCM) to RT-TDDFT, which is found to be very effective in describing the dynamical solvation effect in the charge transfer process and yields a consistent absorption spectrum in comparison to the conventional linear response results in solution. (3) applications of the PCM-RT-TDDFT method to study the intramolecular charge-transfer (CT) dynamics in a C60 derivative. Such work provides insights into the

  5. Deriving fair incentives for management of hardwood timber stands

    Treesearch

    David A. Gansner; W. Herrick Owen; David N. Larsen; David N. Larsen

    1973-01-01

    The authors present a practical method for deriving timber-management incentive payments and demonstrate its application in forest stands of upland hardwoods. The suggested incentive payment is based on the differences between discounted costs and returns of deliberate forest management and the "harvest and let grow" option.

  6. Deriving dynamical models from paleoclimatic records: application to glacial millennial-scale climate variability.

    PubMed

    Kwasniok, Frank; Lohmann, Gerrit

    2009-12-01

    A method for systematically deriving simple nonlinear dynamical models from ice-core data is proposed. It offers a tool to integrate models and theories with paleoclimatic data. The method is based on the unscented Kalman filter, a nonlinear extension of the conventional Kalman filter. Here, we adopt the abstract conceptual model of stochastically driven motion in a potential that allows for two distinctly different states. The parameters of the model-the shape of the potential and the noise level-are estimated from a North Greenland ice-core record. For the glacial period from 70 to 20 ky before present, a potential is derived that is asymmetric and almost degenerate. There is a deep well corresponding to a cold stadial state and a very shallow well corresponding to a warm interstadial state.

  7. Using default methodologies to derive an acceptable daily exposure (ADE).

    PubMed

    Faria, Ellen C; Bercu, Joel P; Dolan, David G; Morinello, Eric J; Pecquet, Alison M; Seaman, Christopher; Sehner, Claudia; Weideman, Patricia A

    2016-08-01

    This manuscript discusses the different historical and more recent default approaches that have been used to derive an acceptable daily exposure (ADE). While it is preferable to derive a health-based ADE based on a complete nonclinical and clinical data package, this is not always possible. For instance, for drug candidates in early development there may be no or limited nonclinical or clinical trial data. Alternative approaches that can support decision making with less complete data packages represent a variety of methods that rely on default assumptions or data inputs where chemical-specific data on health effects are lacking. A variety of default approaches are used including those based on certain toxicity estimates, a fraction of the therapeutic dose, cleaning-based limits, the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC), and application of hazard banding tools such as occupational exposure banding (OEB). Each of these default approaches is discussed in this manuscript, including their derivation, application, strengths, and limitations. In order to ensure patient safety when faced with toxicological and clinical data-gaps, default ADE methods should be purposefully as or more protective than ADEs derived from full data packages. Reliance on the subset of default approaches (e.g., TTC or OEB) that are based on toxicological data is preferred over other methods for establishing ADEs in early development while toxicology and clinical data are still being collected. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. Evaluation of orthomosics and digital surface models derived from aerial imagery for crop mapping

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Orthomosics derived from aerial imagery acquired by consumer-grade cameras have been used for crop mapping. However, digital surface models (DSM) derived from aerial imagery have not been evaluated for this application. In this study, a novel method was proposed to extract crop height from DSM and t...

  9. Uncertainties and applications of satellite-derived coastal water quality products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Guangming; DiGiacomo, Paul M.

    2017-12-01

    Recent and forthcoming launches of a plethora of ocean color radiometry sensors, coupled with increasingly adopted free and open data policies are expected to boost usage of satellite ocean color data and drive the demand to use these data in a quantitative and routine manner. Here we review factors that introduce uncertainties to various satellite-derived water quality products and recommend approaches to minimize the uncertainty of a specific product. We show that the regression relationships between remote-sensing reflectance and water turbidity (in terms of nephelometric units) established for different regions tend to converge and therefore it is plausible to develop a global satellite water turbidity product derived using a single algorithm. In contrast, solutions to derive suspended particulate matter concentration are much less generalizable; in one case it might be more accurate to estimate this parameter based on satellite-derived particulate backscattering coefficient, whereas in another the nonagal particulate absorption coefficient might be a better proxy. Regarding satellite-derived chlorophyll concentration, known to be subject to large uncertainties in coastal waters, studies summarized here clearly indicate that the accuracy of classical reflectance band-ratio algorithms depends largely on the contribution of phytoplankton to total light absorption coefficient as well as the degree of correlation between phytoplankton and the dominant nonalgal contributions. Our review also indicates that currently available satellite-derived water quality products are restricted to optically significant materials, whereas many users are interested in toxins, nutrients, pollutants, and pathogens. Presently, proxies or indicators for these constituents are inconsistently (and often incorrectly) developed and applied. Progress in this general direction will remain slow unless, (i) optical oceanographers and environmental scientists start collaborating more closely

  10. Summary of methods for calculating dynamic lateral stability and response and for estimating aerodynamic stability derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, John P; Mckinney, Marion O

    1952-01-01

    A summary of methods for making dynamic lateral stability and response calculations and for estimating the aerodynamic stability derivatives required for use in these calculations is presented. The processes of performing calculations of the time histories of lateral motions, of the period and damping of these motions, and of the lateral stability boundaries are presented as a series of simple straightforward steps. Existing methods for estimating the stability derivatives are summarized and, in some cases, simple new empirical formulas are presented. Detailed estimation methods are presented for low-subsonic-speed conditions but only a brief discussion and a list of references are given for transonic and supersonic speed conditions.

  11. Derivation of a New Smoke Emissions Inventory using Remote Sensing, and Its Implications for Near Real-Time Air Quality Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ellison, Luke; Ichoku, Charles

    2012-01-01

    A new emissions inventory of particulate matter (PM) is being derived mainly from remote sensing data using fire radiative power (FRP) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, as well as wind data from the Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis dataset, which spans the satellite era. This product is generated using a coefficient of emission, C(sub e), that has been produced on a 1x1 degree global grid such that, when it is multiplied with satellite measurements of FRP or its time-integrated equivalent fire radiative energy (FRE) retrieved over a given area and time period, the corresponding PM emissions are estimated. This methodology of using C(sub e) to derive PM emissions is relatively new and advantageous for near real-time air quality applications compared to current methods based on post-fire burned area that may not provide emissions in a timely manner. Furthermore, by using FRP to characterize a fire s output, it will represent better accuracy than the use of raw fire pixel counts, since fires in individual pixels can differ in size and strength by orders of magnitude, resulting in similar differences in emission rates. Here we will show examples of this effect and how this new emission inventory can properly account for the differing emission rates from fires of varying strengths. We also describe the characteristics of the new emissions inventory, and propose the process chain of incorporating it into models for air quality applications.

  12. Evaluation of Existing Image Matching Methods for Deriving Glacier Surface Displacements Globally from Optical Satellite Imagery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heid, T.; Kääb, A.

    2011-12-01

    Automatic matching of images from two different times is a method that is often used to derive glacier surface velocity. Nearly global repeat coverage of the Earth's surface by optical satellite sensors now opens the possibility for global-scale mapping and monitoring of glacier flow with a number of applications in, for example, glacier physics, glacier-related climate change and impact assessment, and glacier hazard management. The purpose of this study is to compare and evaluate different existing image matching methods for glacier flow determination over large scales. The study compares six different matching methods: normalized cross-correlation (NCC), the phase correlation algorithm used in the COSI-Corr software, and four other Fourier methods with different normalizations. We compare the methods over five regions of the world with different representative glacier characteristics: Karakoram, the European Alps, Alaska, Pine Island (Antarctica) and southwest Greenland. Landsat images are chosen for matching because they expand back to 1972, they cover large areas, and at the same time their spatial resolution is as good as 15 m for images after 1999 (ETM+ pan). Cross-correlation on orientation images (CCF-O) outperforms the three similar Fourier methods, both in areas with high and low visual contrast. NCC experiences problems in areas with low visual contrast, areas with thin clouds or changing snow conditions between the images. CCF-O has problems on narrow outlet glaciers where small window sizes (about 16 pixels by 16 pixels or smaller) are needed, and it also obtains fewer correct matches than COSI-Corr in areas with low visual contrast. COSI-Corr has problems on narrow outlet glaciers and it obtains fewer correct matches compared to CCF-O when thin clouds cover the surface, or if one of the images contains snow dunes. In total, we consider CCF-O and COSI-Corr to be the two most robust matching methods for global-scale mapping and monitoring of glacier

  13. [Application of Delphi method in traditional Chinese medicine clinical research].

    PubMed

    Bi, Ying-fei; Mao, Jing-yuan

    2012-03-01

    In recent years, Delphi method has been widely applied in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical research. This article analyzed the present application situation of Delphi method in TCM clinical research, and discussed some problems presented in the choice of evaluation method, classification of observation indexes and selection of survey items. On the basis of present application of Delphi method, the author analyzed the method on questionnaire making, selection of experts, evaluation of observation indexes and selection of survey items. Furthermore, the author summarized the steps of application of Delphi method in TCM clinical research.

  14. Biomedical applications of polymers derived by reversible addition - fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT).

    PubMed

    Fairbanks, Benjamin D; Gunatillake, Pathiraja A; Meagher, Laurence

    2015-08-30

    RAFT- mediated polymerization, providing control over polymer length and architecture as well as facilitating post polymerization modification of end groups, has been applied to virtually every facet of biomedical materials research. RAFT polymers have seen particularly extensive use in drug delivery research. Facile generation of functional and telechelic polymers permits straightforward conjugation to many therapeutic compounds while synthesis of amphiphilic block copolymers via RAFT allows for the generation of self-assembled structures capable of carrying therapeutic payloads. With the large and growing body of literature employing RAFT polymers as drug delivery aids and vehicles, concern over the potential toxicity of RAFT derived polymers has been raised. While literature exploring this complication is relatively limited, the emerging consensus may be summed up in three parts: toxicity of polymers generated with dithiobenzoate RAFT agents is observed at high concentrations but not with polymers generated with trithiocarbonate RAFT agents; even for polymers generated with dithiobenzoate RAFT agents, most reported applications call for concentrations well below the toxicity threshold; and RAFT end-groups may be easily removed via any of a variety of techniques that leave the polymer with no intrinsic toxicity attributable to the mechanism of polymerization. The low toxicity of RAFT-derived polymers and the ability to remove end groups via straightforward and scalable processes make RAFT technology a valuable tool for practically any application in which a polymer of defined molecular weight and architecture is desired. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. Application of the method of steepest descent to laminated shield weight optimization with several constraints: Theory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lahti, G. P.

    1971-01-01

    The method of steepest descent used in optimizing one-dimensional layered radiation shields is extended to multidimensional, multiconstraint situations. The multidimensional optimization algorithm and equations are developed for the case of a dose constraint in any one direction being dependent only on the shield thicknesses in that direction and independent of shield thicknesses in other directions. Expressions are derived for one-, two-, and three-dimensional cases (one, two, and three constraints). The precedure is applicable to the optimization of shields where there are different dose constraints and layering arrangements in the principal directions.

  16. Hydroxylapatite nanoparticles: fabrication methods and medical applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Okada, Masahiro; Furuzono, Tsutomu

    2012-12-01

    Hydroxylapatite (or hydroxyapatite, HAp) exhibits excellent biocompatibility with various kinds of cells and tissues, making it an ideal candidate for tissue engineering, orthopedic and dental applications. Nanosized materials offer improved performances compared with conventional materials due to their large surface-to-volume ratios. This review summarizes existing knowledge and recent progress in fabrication methods of nanosized (or nanostructured) HAp particles, as well as their recent applications in medical and dental fields. In section 1, we provide a brief overview of HAp and nanoparticles. In section 2, fabrication methods of HAp nanoparticles are described based on the particle formation mechanisms. Recent applications of HAp nanoparticles are summarized in section 3. The future perspectives in this active research area are given in section 4.

  17. First evaluation of alkylpyrazine application as a novel method to decrease microbial contaminations in processed meat products.

    PubMed

    Schöck, Matthias; Liebminger, Stefan; Berg, Gabriele; Cernava, Tomislav

    2018-04-03

    Every year about 20% of the globally produced meat gets lost due to microbial spoilage. Nevertheless, the demand for processed meat is constantly rising and producers are searching for novel strategies to reduce microbial contaminations in their products. In the present study, we evaluated the applicability of alkylpyrazines as antimicrobial agents. These fragrant molecules naturally occur in different vegetables, fruits, roasted nut and meat. Several pyrazine derivatives are readily added to processed products for flavoring purposes in the food industry. To evaluate their potential for application, two derivatives were tested for their antimicrobial activity against meat-associated bacterial contaminants and chicken meat as a whole. Isolates assigned to Carnobacteriaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Listeriaceae, and Moraxellaceae were substantially inhibited in the pilot tests. Moreover, treatments of pyrazine-susceptible isolates resulted in 4-log reductions in bacterial cell counts. The effect was more pronounced when the model contaminants were exposed to higher concentrations of 5-isobutyl-2,3-dimethylpyrazine. In a first small-scale application with processed chicken meat, it was demonstrated that the antimicrobial effects of 2-isobutyl-3-methylpyrazine can be improved by additionally lowering the water activity on the meat surface when maltodextrin is used as a carrier substance. At low pyrazine dosages, the number of viable bacteria was decreased up to 95% in comparison to the corresponding controls. A complementary imaging method that was developed to assess the efficacy on the product, reinforced the applicability of this two-component system.

  18. Numerical Method for Darcy Flow Derived Using Discrete Exterior Calculus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hirani, A. N.; Nakshatrala, K. B.; Chaudhry, J. H.

    2015-05-01

    We derive a numerical method for Darcy flow, and also for Poisson's equation in mixed (first order) form, based on discrete exterior calculus (DEC). Exterior calculus is a generalization of vector calculus to smooth manifolds and DEC is one of its discretizations on simplicial complexes such as triangle and tetrahedral meshes. DEC is a coordinate invariant discretization, in that it does not depend on the embedding of the simplices or the whole mesh. We start by rewriting the governing equations of Darcy flow using the language of exterior calculus. This yields a formulation in terms of flux differential form and pressure. The numerical method is then derived by using the framework provided by DEC for discretizing differential forms and operators that act on forms. We also develop a discretization for a spatially dependent Hodge star that varies with the permeability of the medium. This also allows us to address discontinuous permeability. The matrix representation for our discrete non-homogeneous Hodge star is diagonal, with positive diagonal entries. The resulting linear system of equations for flux and pressure are saddle type, with a diagonal matrix as the top left block. The performance of the proposed numerical method is illustrated on many standard test problems. These include patch tests in two and three dimensions, comparison with analytically known solutions in two dimensions, layered medium with alternating permeability values, and a test with a change in permeability along the flow direction. We also show numerical evidence of convergence of the flux and the pressure. A convergence experiment is included for Darcy flow on a surface. A short introduction to the relevant parts of smooth and discrete exterior calculus is included in this article. We also include a discussion of the boundary condition in terms of exterior calculus.

  19. Separation of 20 coumarin derivatives using the capillary electrophoresis method optimized by a series of Doehlert experimental designs.

    PubMed

    Woźniakiewicz, Michał; Gładysz, Marta; Nowak, Paweł M; Kędzior, Justyna; Kościelniak, Paweł

    2017-05-15

    The aim of this study was to develop the first CE-based method enabling separation of 20 structurally similar coumarin derivatives. To facilitate method optimization a series of three consequent Doehlert experimental designs with the response surface methodology was employed, using number of peaks and the adjusted time of analysis as the selected responses. Initially, three variables were examined: buffer pH, ionic strength and temperature (No. 1 Doehlert design). The optimal conditions provided only partial separation, on that account, several buffer additives were examined at the next step: organic cosolvents and cyclodextrin (No. 2 Doehlert design). The optimal cyclodextrin type was also selected experimentally. The most promising results were obtained for the buffers fortified with methanol, acetonitrile and heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin. Since these additives may potentially affect acid-base equilibrium and ionization state of analytes, the third Doehlert design (No. 3) was used to reconcile concentration of these additives with optimal pH. Ultimately, the total separation of all 20 compounds was achieved using the borate buffer at basic pH 9.5 in the presence of 10mM cyclodextrin, 9% (v/v) acetonitrile and 36% (v/v) methanol. Identity of all compounds was confirmed using the in-lab build UV-VIS spectra library. The developed method succeeded in identification of coumarin derivatives in three real samples. It demonstrates a huge resolving power of CE assisted by addition of cyclodextrins and organic cosolvents. Our unique optimization approach, based on the three Doehlert designs, seems to be prospective for future applications of this technique. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. An Expansion Formula with Higher-Order Derivatives for Fractional Operators of Variable Order

    PubMed Central

    Almeida, Ricardo

    2013-01-01

    We obtain approximation formulas for fractional integrals and derivatives of Riemann-Liouville and Marchaud types with a variable fractional order. The approximations involve integer-order derivatives only. An estimation for the error is given. The efficiency of the approximation method is illustrated with examples. As applications, we show how the obtained results are useful to solve differential equations, and problems of the calculus of variations that depend on fractional derivatives of Marchaud type. PMID:24319382

  1. Alternative Derivations of the Statistical Mechanical Distribution Laws

    PubMed Central

    Wall, Frederick T.

    1971-01-01

    A new approach is presented for the derivation of statistical mechanical distribution laws. The derivations are accomplished by minimizing the Helmholtz free energy under constant temperature and volume, instead of maximizing the entropy under constant energy and volume. An alternative method involves stipulating equality of chemical potential, or equality of activity, for particles in different energy levels. This approach leads to a general statement of distribution laws applicable to all systems for which thermodynamic probabilities can be written. The methods also avoid use of the calculus of variations, Lagrangian multipliers, and Stirling's approximation for the factorial. The results are applied specifically to Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein statistics. The special significance of chemical potential and activity is discussed for microscopic systems. PMID:16578712

  2. Alternative derivations of the statistical mechanical distribution laws.

    PubMed

    Wall, F T

    1971-08-01

    A new approach is presented for the derivation of statistical mechanical distribution laws. The derivations are accomplished by minimizing the Helmholtz free energy under constant temperature and volume, instead of maximizing the entropy under constant energy and volume. An alternative method involves stipulating equality of chemical potential, or equality of activity, for particles in different energy levels. This approach leads to a general statement of distribution laws applicable to all systems for which thermodynamic probabilities can be written. The methods also avoid use of the calculus of variations, Lagrangian multipliers, and Stirling's approximation for the factorial. The results are applied specifically to Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein statistics. The special significance of chemical potential and activity is discussed for microscopic systems.

  3. Lignin-Derived Advanced Carbon Materials

    DOE PAGES

    Chatterjee, Sabornie; Saito, Tomonori

    2015-11-16

    Lignin is a highly abundant source of renewable carbon that can be considered as a valuable sustainable source of biobased materials. By applying specific pretreatments and manufacturing methods, it has been found that lignin can be converted into a variety of value-added carbon materials. However, the physical and chemical heterogeneities of lignin complicate its use as a feedstock. Herein, we discuss the lignin manufacturing process, the effects of pretreatments and manufacturing methods on the properties of product lignin, and structure–property relationships in various applications of lignin-derived carbon materials, such as carbon fibers, carbon mats, activated carbons, carbon films, and templatedmore » carbon.« less

  4. Lignin-Derived Advanced Carbon Materials

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

    Chatterjee, Sabornie; Saito, Tomonori

    Lignin is a highly abundant source of renewable carbon that can be considered as a valuable sustainable source of biobased materials. By applying specific pretreatments and manufacturing methods, it has been found that lignin can be converted into a variety of value-added carbon materials. However, the physical and chemical heterogeneities of lignin complicate its use as a feedstock. Herein, we discuss the lignin manufacturing process, the effects of pretreatments and manufacturing methods on the properties of product lignin, and structure–property relationships in various applications of lignin-derived carbon materials, such as carbon fibers, carbon mats, activated carbons, carbon films, and templatedmore » carbon.« less

  5. Spatial derivatives of flow quantities behind curved shocks of all strengths

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Darden, C. M.

    1984-01-01

    Explicit formulas in terms of shock curvature are developed for spatial derivatives of flow quantities behind a curved shock for two-dimensional inviscid steady flow. Factors which yield the equations indeterminate as the shock strength approaches 0 have been cancelled analytically so that formulas are valid for shocks of any strength. An application for the method is shown in the solution of shock coalescence when nonaxisymmetric effects are felt through derivatives in the circumferential direction. The solution of this problem requires flow derivatives behind the shock in both the axial and radial direction.

  6. Interlaminar Stresses by Refined Beam Theories and the Sinc Method Based on Interpolation of Highest Derivative

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Slemp, Wesley C. H.; Kapania, Rakesh K.; Tessler, Alexander

    2010-01-01

    Computation of interlaminar stresses from the higher-order shear and normal deformable beam theory and the refined zigzag theory was performed using the Sinc method based on Interpolation of Highest Derivative. The Sinc method based on Interpolation of Highest Derivative was proposed as an efficient method for determining through-the-thickness variations of interlaminar stresses from one- and two-dimensional analysis by integration of the equilibrium equations of three-dimensional elasticity. However, the use of traditional equivalent single layer theories often results in inaccuracies near the boundaries and when the lamina have extremely large differences in material properties. Interlaminar stresses in symmetric cross-ply laminated beams were obtained by solving the higher-order shear and normal deformable beam theory and the refined zigzag theory with the Sinc method based on Interpolation of Highest Derivative. Interlaminar stresses and bending stresses from the present approach were compared with a detailed finite element solution obtained by ABAQUS/Standard. The results illustrate the ease with which the Sinc method based on Interpolation of Highest Derivative can be used to obtain the through-the-thickness distributions of interlaminar stresses from the beam theories. Moreover, the results indicate that the refined zigzag theory is a substantial improvement over the Timoshenko beam theory due to the piecewise continuous displacement field which more accurately represents interlaminar discontinuities in the strain field. The higher-order shear and normal deformable beam theory more accurately captures the interlaminar stresses at the ends of the beam because it allows transverse normal strain. However, the continuous nature of the displacement field requires a large number of monomial terms before the interlaminar stresses are computed as accurately as the refined zigzag theory.

  7. [Theory, method and application of method R on estimation of (co)variance components].

    PubMed

    Liu, Wen-Zhong

    2004-07-01

    Theory, method and application of Method R on estimation of (co)variance components were reviewed in order to make the method be reasonably used. Estimation requires R values,which are regressions of predicted random effects that are calculated using complete dataset on predicted random effects that are calculated using random subsets of the same data. By using multivariate iteration algorithm based on a transformation matrix,and combining with the preconditioned conjugate gradient to solve the mixed model equations, the computation efficiency of Method R is much improved. Method R is computationally inexpensive,and the sampling errors and approximate credible intervals of estimates can be obtained. Disadvantages of Method R include a larger sampling variance than other methods for the same data,and biased estimates in small datasets. As an alternative method, Method R can be used in larger datasets. It is necessary to study its theoretical properties and broaden its application range further.

  8. Analysis of type II diabetes mellitus adipose-derived stem cells for tissue engineering applications

    PubMed Central

    Minteer, Danielle Marie; Young, Matthew T; Lin, Yen-Chih; Over, Patrick J; Rubin, J Peter; Gerlach, Jorg C

    2015-01-01

    To address the functionality of diabetic adipose-derived stem cells in tissue engineering applications, adipose-derived stem cells isolated from patients with and without type II diabetes mellitus were cultured in bioreactor culture systems. The adipose-derived stem cells were differentiated into adipocytes and maintained as functional adipocytes. The bioreactor system utilizes a hollow fiber–based technology for three-dimensional perfusion of tissues in vitro, creating a model in which long-term culture of adipocytes is feasible, and providing a potential tool useful for drug discovery. Daily metabolic activity of the adipose-derived stem cells was analyzed within the medium recirculating throughout the bioreactor system. At experiment termination, tissues were extracted from bioreactors for immunohistological analyses in addition to gene and protein expression. Type II diabetic adipose-derived stem cells did not exhibit significantly different glucose consumption compared to adipose-derived stem cells from patients without type II diabetes (p > 0.05, N = 3). Expression of mature adipocyte genes was not significantly different between diabetic/non-diabetic groups (p > 0.05, N = 3). Protein expression of adipose tissue grown within all bioreactors was verified by Western blotting.The results from this small-scale study reveal adipose-derived stem cells from patients with type II diabetes when removed from diabetic environments behave metabolically similar to the same cells of non-diabetic patients when cultured in a three-dimensional perfusion bioreactor, suggesting that glucose transport across the adipocyte cell membrane, the hindrance of which being characteristic of type II diabetes, is dependent on environment. The presented observation describes a tissue-engineered tool for long-term cell culture and, following future adjustments to the culture environment and increased sample sizes, potentially for anti-diabetic drug testing. PMID:26090087

  9. Novel applications of the temporal kernel method: Historical and future radiative forcing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Portmann, R. W.; Larson, E.; Solomon, S.; Murphy, D. M.

    2017-12-01

    We present a new estimate of the historical radiative forcing derived from the observed global mean surface temperature and a model derived kernel function. Current estimates of historical radiative forcing are usually derived from climate models. Despite large variability in these models, the multi-model mean tends to do a reasonable job of representing the Earth system and climate. One method of diagnosing the transient radiative forcing in these models requires model output of top of the atmosphere radiative imbalance and global mean temperature anomaly. It is difficult to apply this method to historical observations due to the lack of TOA radiative measurements before CERES. We apply the temporal kernel method (TKM) of calculating radiative forcing to the historical global mean temperature anomaly. This novel approach is compared against the current regression based methods using model outputs and shown to produce consistent forcing estimates giving confidence in the forcing derived from the historical temperature record. The derived TKM radiative forcing provides an estimate of the forcing time series that the average climate model needs to produce the observed temperature record. This forcing time series is found to be in good overall agreement with previous estimates but includes significant differences that will be discussed. The historical anthropogenic aerosol forcing is estimated as a residual from the TKM and found to be consistent with earlier moderate forcing estimates. In addition, this method is applied to future temperature projections to estimate the radiative forcing required to achieve those temperature goals, such as those set in the Paris agreement.

  10. Derivatives of xanthic acid are novel antioxidants: application to synaptosomes.

    PubMed

    Lauderback, Christopher M; Drake, Jennifer; Zhou, Daohong; Hackett, Janna M; Castegna, Alessandra; Kanski, Jaroslaw; Tsoras, Maria; Varadarajan, Sridhar; Butterfield, D Allan

    2003-04-01

    Xanthic acids have long been known to act as reducing agents. Recently, D609, a tricyclodecanol derivative of xanthic acid, has been reported to have anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties that are attributed to specific inhibition of phosphatidyl choline phospholipase C (PC-PLC). However, because oxidative stress is involved in both of these cellular responses, the possibility that xanthates may act as antioxidants was investigated in the current study. Finding that xanthates efficiently scavenge hydroxyl radicals, the mechanism by which D609 and other xanthate derivatives may protect against oxidative damage was further examined. The xanthates studied, especially D609, mimic glutathione (GSH). Xanthates scavenge hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide, form disulfide bonds (dixanthogens), and react with electrophilic products of lipid oxidation (acrolein) in a manner similar to GSH. Further, upon disulfide formation, dixanthogens are reduced by glutathione reductase to a redox active xanthate. Supporting its role as an antioxidant, D609 significantly (p < 0.01) reduces free radical-induced changes in synaptosomal lipid peroxidation (TBARs), protein oxidation (protein carbonyls), and protein conformation. Thus, in addition to inhibitory effects on PC-PLC, D609 may prevent cellular apoptotic and inflammatory cascades by acting as antioxidants and novel GSH mimics. These results are discussed with reference to potential therapeutic application of D609 in oxidative stress conditions.

  11. Application of Electrical Resistivity Method (ERM) in Groundwater Exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Izzaty Riwayat, Akhtar; Nazri, Mohd Ariff Ahmad; Hazreek Zainal Abidin, Mohd

    2018-04-01

    The geophysical method which dominant by geophysicists become one of most popular method applied by engineers in civil engineering fields. Electrical Resistivity Method (ERM) is one of geophysical tool that offer very attractive technique for subsurface profile characterization in larger area. Applicable alternative technique in groundwater exploration such as ERM which complement with existing conventional method may produce comprehensive and convincing output thus effective in terms of cost, time, data coverage and sustainable. ERM has been applied by various application in groundwater exploration. Over the years, conventional method such as excavation and test boring are the tools used to obtain information of earth layer especially during site investigation. There are several problems regarding the application of conventional technique as it only provides information at actual drilling point only. This review paper was carried out to expose the application of ERM in groundwater exploration. Results from ERM could be additional information to respective expert for their problem solving such as the information on groundwater pollution, leachate, underground and source of water supply.

  12. Receptor-based 3D-QSAR in Drug Design: Methods and Applications in Kinase Studies.

    PubMed

    Fang, Cheng; Xiao, Zhiyan

    2016-01-01

    Receptor-based 3D-QSAR strategy represents a superior integration of structure-based drug design (SBDD) and three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) analysis. It combines the accurate prediction of ligand poses by the SBDD approach with the good predictability and interpretability of statistical models derived from the 3D-QSAR approach. Extensive efforts have been devoted to the development of receptor-based 3D-QSAR methods and two alternative approaches have been exploited. One associates with computing the binding interactions between a receptor and a ligand to generate structure-based descriptors for QSAR analyses. The other concerns the application of various docking protocols to generate optimal ligand poses so as to provide reliable molecular alignments for the conventional 3D-QSAR operations. This review highlights new concepts and methodologies recently developed in the field of receptorbased 3D-QSAR, and in particular, covers its application in kinase studies.

  13. A family of four stages embedded explicit six-step methods with eliminated phase-lag and its derivatives for the numerical solution of the second order problems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simos, T. E.

    2017-11-01

    A family of four stages high algebraic order embedded explicit six-step methods, for the numerical solution of second order initial or boundary-value problems with periodical and/or oscillating solutions, are studied in this paper. The free parameters of the new proposed methods are calculated solving the linear system of equations which is produced by requesting the vanishing of the phase-lag of the methods and the vanishing of the phase-lag's derivatives of the schemes. For the new obtained methods we investigate: • Its local truncation error (LTE) of the methods.• The asymptotic form of the LTE obtained using as model problem the radial Schrödinger equation.• The comparison of the asymptotic forms of LTEs for several methods of the same family. This comparison leads to conclusions on the efficiency of each method of the family.• The stability and the interval of periodicity of the obtained methods of the new family of embedded finite difference pairs.• The applications of the new obtained family of embedded finite difference pairs to the numerical solution of several second order problems like the radial Schrödinger equation, astronomical problems etc. The above applications lead to conclusion on the efficiency of the methods of the new family of embedded finite difference pairs.

  14. Identification of Baribis fault - West Java using second vertical derivative method of gravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sari, Endah Puspita; Subakti, Hendri

    2015-04-01

    Baribis fault is one of West Java fault zones which is an active fault. In modern era, the existence of fault zone can be observed by gravity anomaly. Baribis fault zone has not yet been measured by gravity directly. Based on this reason, satellite data supported this research. Data used on this research are GPS satellite data downloaded from TOPEX. The purpose of this research is to determine the type and strike of Baribis fault. The scope of this research is Baribis fault zone which lies on 6.50o - 7.50o S and 107.50o - 108.80o E. It consists of 5146 points which one point to another is separated by 1 minute meridian. The method used in this research is the Second Vertical Derivative (SVD) of gravity anomaly. The Second Vertical Derivative of gravity anomaly show as the amplitude of gravity anomaly caused by fault structure which appears as residual anomaly. The zero value of residual gravity anomaly indicates that the contact boundary of fault plane. Second Vertical Derivative method of gravity was applied for identifying Baribis fault. The result of this research shows that Baribis fault has a thrust mechanism. It has a lineament strike varies from 107o to 127o. This result agrees with focal mechanism data of earthquakes occurring on this region based on Global CMT catalogue.

  15. 40 CFR 18.6 - Method of Application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Method of Application. 18.6 Section 18.6 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS AND SPECIAL RESEARCH CONSULTANTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION § 18.6 Method of...

  16. Modern industrial and pharmacological applications of indigo dye and its derivatives--a review.

    PubMed

    Stasiak, Natalia; Kukuła-Koch, Wirginia; Głowniak, Kazimierz

    2014-01-01

    Plant sources, chemical properties, bioactivities, as well as the synthesis of indigo dye and its derivatives, are reviewed in this paper. These compounds were chosen because of their significant benefits and scope of application as both coloring agents in the textile industry and as pharmacologically active natural products. Their use in traditional chinese medicine (TCM) has directed the attention of European researchers and medical doctors alike. The preparation of indigoferous plants--Indigo naturalis is currently about to be introduced into the European Pharmacopoeia.

  17. Spectrophotometric methods for the determination of urea in real samples using silver nanoparticles by standard addition and 2nd order derivative methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, Nauman; Ismail, Muhammad; Khan, Adnan; Khan, Hamayun; Haider, Sajjad; Kamal, Tahseen

    2018-01-01

    In this work, we have developed simple, sensitive and inexpensive methods for the spectrophotometric determination of urea in urine samples using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The standard addition and 2nd order derivative methods were adopted for this purpose. AgNPs were prepared by chemical reduction of AgNO3 with hydrazine using 1,3-di-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-2-propanol (DIPO) as a stabilizing agent in aqueous medium. The proposed methods were based on the complexation of AgNPs with urea. Using this concept, urea in the urine samples was successfully determined spectrophotometric methods. The results showed high percent recovery with ± RSD. The recoveries of urea in the three urine samples by spectrophotometric standard addition were 99.2% ± 5.37, 96.3% ± 4.49, 104.88% ± 4.99 and that of spectrophotometric 2nd order derivative method were 115.3% ± 5.2, 103.4% ± 2.6, 105.93% ± 0.76. The results show that these methods can open doors for a potential role of AgNPs in the clinical determination of urea in urine, blood, biological, non-biological fluids.

  18. Recent Applications of Neutron Imaging Methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lehmann, E.; Mannes, D.; Kaestner, A.; Grünzweig, C.

    The methodical progress in the field of neutron imaging is visible in general but on different levels in the particular labs. Consequently, the access to most suitable beam ports, the usage of advanced imaging detector systems and the professional image processing made the technique competitive to other non-destructive tools like X-ray imaging. Based on this performance gain and by new methodical approaches several new application fields came up - in addition to the already established ones. Accordingly, new image data are now mostly in the third dimension available in the format of tomography volumes. The radiography mode is still the basis of neutron imaging, but the extracted information from superimposed image data (like for a grating interferometer) enables completely new insights. In the consequence, many new applications were created.

  19. Application of the digital image correlation method in the study of cohesive coarse soil deformations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kogut, Janusz P.; Tekieli, Marcin

    2018-04-01

    Non-contact video measurement methods are used to extend the capabilities of standard measurement systems, based on strain gauges or accelerometers. In most cases, they are able to provide more accurate information about the material or construction being tested than traditional sensors, while maintaining a high resolution and measurement stability. With the use of optical methods, it is possible to generate a full field of displacement on the surface of the test sample. The displacement value is the basic (primary) value determined using optical methods, and it is possible to determine the size of the derivative in the form of a sample deformation. This paper presents the application of a non-contact optical method to investigate the deformation of coarse soil material. For this type of soil, it is particularly difficult to obtain basic strength parameters. The use of a non-contact optical method, followed by a digital image correlation (DIC) study of the sample obtained during the tests, effectively completes the description of the behaviour of this type of material.

  20. Examining the Performance of Statistical Downscaling Methods: Toward Matching Applications to Data Products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dixon, K. W.; Lanzante, J. R.; Adams-Smith, D.

    2017-12-01

    Several challenges exist when seeking to use future climate model projections in a climate impacts study. A not uncommon approach is to utilize climate projection data sets derived from more than one future emissions scenario and from multiple global climate models (GCMs). The range of future climate responses represented in the set is sometimes taken to be indicative of levels of uncertainty in the projections. Yet, GCM outputs are deemed to be unsuitable for direct use in many climate impacts applications. GCM grids typically are viewed as being too coarse. Additionally, regional or local-scale biases in a GCM's simulation of the contemporary climate that may not be problematic from a global climate modeling perspective may be unacceptably large for a climate impacts application. Statistical downscaling (SD) of climate projections - a type of post-processing that uses observations to inform the refinement of GCM projections - is often used in an attempt to account for GCM biases and to provide additional spatial detail. "What downscaled climate projection is the best one to use" is a frequently asked question, but one that is not always easy to answer, as it can be dependent on stakeholder needs and expectations. Here we present results from a perfect model experimental design illustrating how SD method performance can vary not only by SD method, but how performance can also vary by location, season, climate variable of interest, amount of projected climate change, SD configuration choices, and whether one is interested in central tendencies or the tails of the distribution. Awareness of these factors can be helpful when seeking to determine the suitability of downscaled climate projections for specific climate impacts applications. It also points to the potential value of considering more than one SD data product in a study, so as to acknowledge uncertainties associated with the strengths and weaknesses of different downscaling methods.

  1. Preparation, characterization, and potential application of chitosan, chitosan derivatives, and chitosan metal nanoparticles in pharmaceutical drug delivery

    PubMed Central

    Ahmed, Tarek A; Aljaeid, Bader M

    2016-01-01

    Naturally occurring polymers, particularly of the polysaccharide type, have been used pharmaceutically for the delivery of a wide variety of therapeutic agents. Chitosan, the second abundant naturally occurring polysaccharide next to cellulose, is a biocompatible and biodegradable mucoadhesive polymer that has been extensively used in the preparation of micro-as well as nanoparticles. The prepared particles have been exploited as a potential carrier for different therapeutic agents such as peptides, proteins, vaccines, DNA, and drugs for parenteral and nonparenteral administration. Therapeutic agent-loaded chitosan micro- or nanoparticles were found to be more stable, permeable, and bioactive. In this review, we are highlighting the different methods of preparation and characterization of chitosan micro- and nanoparticles, while reviewing the pharmaceutical applications of these particles in drug delivery. Moreover, the roles of chitosan derivatives and chitosan metal nanoparticles in drug delivery have been illustrated. PMID:26869768

  2. Low-derivative operators of the Standard Model effective field theory via Hilbert series methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lehman, Landon; Martin, Adam

    2016-02-01

    In this work, we explore an extension of Hilbert series techniques to count operators that include derivatives. For sufficiently low-derivative operators, we conjecture an algorithm that gives the number of invariant operators, properly accounting for redundancies due to the equations of motion and integration by parts. Specifically, the conjectured technique can be applied whenever there is only one Lorentz invariant for a given partitioning of derivatives among the fields. At higher numbers of derivatives, equation of motion redundancies can be removed, but the increased number of Lorentz contractions spoils the subtraction of integration by parts redundancies. While restricted, this technique is sufficient to automatically recreate the complete set of invariant operators of the Standard Model effective field theory for dimensions 6 and 7 (for arbitrary numbers of flavors). At dimension 8, the algorithm does not automatically generate the complete operator set; however, it suffices for all but five classes of operators. For these remaining classes, there is a well defined procedure to manually determine the number of invariants. Assuming our method is correct, we derive a set of 535 dimension-8 N f = 1 operators.

  3. Carbide derived carbon from MAX-phases and their separation applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoffman, Elizabeth N.

    Improved sorbents with increased selectivity and permeability are needed to meet growing energy and environmental needs. New forms of carbon based sorbents have been discovered recently, including carbons produced by etching metals from metal carbides, known as carbide derived carbons (CDCs). A common method for the synthesis of CDC is by chlorination at elevated temperatures. The goal of this work is to synthesize CDC from ternary carbides and to explore the links between the initial carbide chemistry and structure with the resulting CDCs properties, including porosity. CDC was produced from MAX-phase carbides, in particular Ti3SiC 2, Ti3AlC2, Ti2AlC, and Ta2AlC. Additionally, CDC was produced from Ta-based binary carbides, TaC and Ta 2C, and one carbo-nitride Ti2AlC0.5N0.5. The CDC structure was characterized using XRD, Raman microspectroscopy, and HRTEM. Porosity characterization was performed using sorption analysis with both Ar and N2 as adsorbates. It was determined the microporosity of CDC is related to the density of the initial carbide. The layered structure of the MAX-phase carbides lent toward the formation of larger mesopores within the resulting CDCs, while the amount of mesopores was dependent on the chemistry of the carbide. Furthermore, CDC produced from carbides with extremely high theoretical porosity resulted in small specific surface areas due to a collapse of the carbon structure. To expand the potential applications for CDC beyond powder and bulk forms, CDC membranes were produced from a thin film of TiC deposited by magnetron sputtering onto porous ceramic substrates. The TiC thin film was subsequently chlorinated to produce a bilayer membrane with CDC as the active layer. Both gases and liquids are capable of passing the membrane. The membrane separates based on selective adsorption, rather than a size separation molecular sieving effect. Two applications for CDC produced from MAX-phases were investigated: protein adsorption and gas

  4. Effect of chondrocyte-derived early extracellular matrix on chondrogenesis of placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

    PubMed

    Park, Yong-Beom; Seo, Sinji; Kim, Jin-A; Heo, Jin-Chul; Lim, Young-Cheol; Ha, Chul-Won

    2015-06-24

    The extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding cells contains a variety of proteins that provide structural support and regulate cellular functions. Previous studies have shown that decellularized ECM isolated from tissues or cultured cells can be used to improve cell differentiation in tissue engineering applications. In this study we evaluated the effect of decellularized chondrocyte-derived ECM (CDECM) on the chondrogenesis of human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hPDMSCs) in a pellet culture system. After incubation with or without chondrocyte-derived ECM in chondrogenic medium for 1 or 3 weeks, the sizes and wet masses of the cell pellets were compared with untreated controls (hPDMSCs incubated in chondrogenic medium without chondrocyte-derived ECM). In addition, histologic analysis of the cell pellets (Safranin O and collagen type II staining) and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis of chondrogenic markers (aggrecan, collagen type II, and SOX9) were carried out. Our results showed that the sizes and masses of hPDMSC pellets incubated with chondrocyte-derived ECM were significantly higher than those of untreated controls. Differentiation of hPDMSCs (both with and without chondrocyte-derived ECM) was confirmed by Safranin O and collagen type II staining. Chondrogenic marker expression and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) levels were significantly higher in hPDMSC pellets incubated with chondrocyte-derived ECM compared with untreated controls, especially in cells precultured with chondrocyte-derived ECM for 7 d. Taken together, these results demonstrate that chondrocyte-derived ECM enhances the chondrogenesis of hPDMSCs, and this effect is further increased by preculture with chondrocyte-derived ECM. This preculture method for hPDMSC chondrogenesis represents a promising approach for cartilage tissue engineering.

  5. New derivation of soliton solutions to the AKNS2 system via dressing transformation methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Assunção, A. de O.; Blas, H.; da Silva, M. J. B. F.

    2012-03-01

    We consider certain boundary conditions supporting soliton solutions in the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation (AKNSr) (r = 1, 2). Using the dressing transformation (DT) method and the related tau functions, we study the AKNSr system for the vanishing, (constant) non-vanishing and the mixed boundary conditions, and their associated bright, dark and bright-dark N-soliton solutions, respectively. Moreover, we introduce a modified DT related to the dressing group in order to consider the free-field boundary condition and derive generalized N dark-dark solitons. As a reduced submodel of the AKNSr system, we study the properties of the focusing, defocusing and mixed focusing-defocusing versions of the so-called coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation (r-CNLS), which has recently been considered in many physical applications. We have shown that two-dark-dark-soliton bound states exist in the AKNS2 system, and three- and higher-dark-dark-soliton bound states cannot exist. The AKNSr (r ⩾ 3) extension is briefly discussed in this approach. The properties and calculations of some matrix elements using level-one vertex operators are outlined. Dedicated to the memory of S S Costa

  6. Wet refractivity tomography with an improved Kalman-Filter method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Yunchang; Chen, Yongqi; Li, Pingwha

    2006-10-01

    An improved retrieval method, which uses the solution with a Gaussian constraint as the initial state variables for the Kalman Filtering (KF) method, was developed to retrieve the wet refractivity profiles from slant wet delays (SWD) extracted by the double-differenced (DD) GPS method. The accuracy of the GPS-derived SWDs is also tested in this study against the measurements of a water vapor radiometer (WVR) and a weather model. It is concluded that the GPS-derived SWDs have similar accuracy to those measured with WVR and are much higher in quality than those derived from the weather model used. The developed method is used to retrieve the 3D wet refractivity distribution in the Hong Kong region. The retrieved profiles agree well with the radiosonde observations, with a difference of about 4 mm km-1 in the low levels. The accurate profiles obtained with this method are applicable in a number of meteorological applications.

  7. Recent Developments and Applications of the MMPBSA Method

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Changhao; Greene, D'Artagnan; Xiao, Li; Qi, Ruxi; Luo, Ray

    2018-01-01

    The Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA) approach has been widely applied as an efficient and reliable free energy simulation method to model molecular recognition, such as for protein-ligand binding interactions. In this review, we focus on recent developments and applications of the MMPBSA method. The methodology review covers solvation terms, the entropy term, extensions to membrane proteins and high-speed screening, and new automation toolkits. Recent applications in various important biomedical and chemical fields are also reviewed. We conclude with a few future directions aimed at making MMPBSA a more robust and efficient method. PMID:29367919

  8. Fuzzy Set Methods for Object Recognition in Space Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Keller, James M. (Editor)

    1992-01-01

    Progress on the following four tasks is described: (1) fuzzy set based decision methodologies; (2) membership calculation; (3) clustering methods (including derivation of pose estimation parameters), and (4) acquisition of images and testing of algorithms.

  9. Method for the production of cementitious compositions and aggregate derivatives from said compositions

    DOEpatents

    Minnick, L. John

    1981-01-01

    Method for the production of cementitious compositions and aggregate derivatives of said compositions, and cementitious compositions and aggregates produced by said method, wherein fluidized bed combustion residue and pozzolanic material, such as pulverized coal combustion system fly ash, are incorporated in a cementitious mix. The mix is cast into desired shape and cured. If desired, the shape may then be crushed so as to result in a fluidized bed combustion residue-fly ash aggregate material or the shape may be used by itself.

  10. Design and application of cationic amphiphilic β-cyclodextrin derivatives as gene delivery vectors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wan, Ning; Huan, Meng-Lei; Ma, Xi-Xi; Jing, Zi-Wei; Zhang, Ya-Xuan; Li, Chen; Zhou, Si-Yuan; Zhang, Bang-Le

    2017-11-01

    The nano self-assembly profiles of amphiphilic gene delivery vectors could improve the density of local cationic head groups to promote their DNA condensation capability and enhance the interaction between cell membrane and hydrophobic tails, thus increasing cellular uptake and gene transfection. In this paper, two series of cationic amphiphilic β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) derivatives were designed and synthesized by using 6-mono-OTs-β-CD (1) as the precursor to construct amphiphilic gene vectors with different building blocks in a selective and controlled manner. The effect of different type and degree of cationic head groups on transfection and the endocytic mechanism of β-CD derivatives/DNA nanocomplexes were also investigated. The results demonstrated that the designed β-cyclodextrin derivatives were able to compact DNA to form stable nanocomplexes and exhibited low cytotoxicity. Among them, PEI-1 with PEI head group showed enhanced transfection activity, significantly higher than commercially available agent PEI25000 especially in the presence of serum, showing potential application prospects in clinical trials. Moreover, the endocytic uptake mechanism involved in the gene transfection of PEI-1 was mainly through caveolae-mediated endocytosis, which could avoid the lysosomal degradation of loaded gene, and had great importance for improving gene transfection activity.

  11. Design and application of cationic amphiphilic β-cyclodextrin derivatives as gene delivery vectors.

    PubMed

    Wan, Ning; Huan, Meng-Lei; Ma, Xi-Xi; Jing, Zi-Wei; Zhang, Ya-Xuan; Li, Chen; Zhou, Si-Yuan; Zhang, Bang-Le

    2017-11-17

    The nano self-assembly profiles of amphiphilic gene delivery vectors could improve the density of local cationic head groups to promote their DNA condensation capability and enhance the interaction between cell membrane and hydrophobic tails, thus increasing cellular uptake and gene transfection. In this paper, two series of cationic amphiphilic β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) derivatives were designed and synthesized by using 6-mono-OTs-β-CD (1) as the precursor to construct amphiphilic gene vectors with different building blocks in a selective and controlled manner. The effect of different type and degree of cationic head groups on transfection and the endocytic mechanism of β-CD derivatives/DNA nanocomplexes were also investigated. The results demonstrated that the designed β-cyclodextrin derivatives were able to compact DNA to form stable nanocomplexes and exhibited low cytotoxicity. Among them, PEI-1 with PEI head group showed enhanced transfection activity, significantly higher than commercially available agent PEI25000 especially in the presence of serum, showing potential application prospects in clinical trials. Moreover, the endocytic uptake mechanism involved in the gene transfection of PEI-1 was mainly through caveolae-mediated endocytosis, which could avoid the lysosomal degradation of loaded gene, and had great importance for improving gene transfection activity.

  12. Trabecular bone score (TBS): Method and applications.

    PubMed

    Martineau, P; Leslie, W D

    2017-11-01

    Trabecular bone score (TBS) is a texture index derived from standard lumbar spine dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) images and provides information about the underlying bone independent of the bone mineral density (BMD). Several salient observations have emerged. Numerous studies have examined the relationship between TBS and fracture risk and have shown that lower TBS values are associated with increased risk for major osteoporotic fracture in postmenopausal women and older men, with this result being independent of BMD values and other clinical risk factors. Therefore, despite being derived from standard DXA images, the information contained in TBS is independent and complementary to the information provided by BMD and the FRAX® tool. A procedure to generate TBS-adjusted FRAX probabilities has become available with the resultant predicted fracture risks shown to be more accurate than the standard FRAX tool. With these developments, TBS has emerged as a clinical tool for improved fracture risk prediction and guiding decisions regarding treatment initiation, particularly for patients with FRAX probabilities around an intervention threshold. In this article, we review the development, validation, clinical application, and limitations of TBS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Vector image method for the derivation of elastostatic solutions for point sources in a plane layered medium. Part 1: Derivation and simple examples

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fares, Nabil; Li, Victor C.

    1986-01-01

    An image method algorithm is presented for the derivation of elastostatic solutions for point sources in bonded halfspaces assuming the infinite space point source is known. Specific cases were worked out and shown to coincide with well known solutions in the literature.

  14. Potential Applications of Phyto-Derived Ceramides in Improving Epidermal Barrier Function.

    PubMed

    Tessema, Efrem N; Gebre-Mariam, Tsige; Neubert, Reinhard H H; Wohlrab, Johannes

    2017-01-01

    The outer most layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, consists of corneocytes which are coated by a cornified envelope and embedded in a lipid matrix of ordered lamellar structure. It is responsible for the skin barrier function. Ceramides (CERs) are the backbone of the intercellular lipid membranes. Skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis and aged skin are characterized by dysfunctional skin barrier and dryness which are associated with reduced levels of CERs. Previously, the effectiveness of supplementation of synthetic and animal-based CERs in replenishing the depleted natural skin CERs and restoring the skin barrier function have been investigated. Recently, however, the barrier function improving effect of plant-derived CERs has attracted much attention. Phyto-derived CERs (phytoCERs) are preferable due to their assumed higher safety as they are mostly isolated from dietary sources. The beneficial effects of phytoCER-based oral dietary supplements for skin hydration and skin barrier reinforcement have been indicated in several studies involving animal models as well as human subjects. Ingestible dietary supplements containing phytoCERs are also widely available on the market. Nonetheless, little effort has been made to investigate the potential cosmetic applications of topically administered phytoCERs. Therefore, summarizing the foregoing investigations and identifying the gap in the scientific data on plant-derived CERs intended for skin-health benefits are of paramount importance. In this review, an attempt is made to synthesize the information available in the literature regarding the effects of phytoCER-based oral dietary supplements on skin hydration and barrier function with the underlying mechanisms. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  15. Systems and Methods for Derivative-Free Adaptive Control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Calise, Anthony J. (Inventor); Yucelen, Tansel (Inventor); Kim, Kilsoo (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    An adaptive control system is disclosed. The control system can control uncertain dynamic systems. The control system can employ one or more derivative-free adaptive control architectures. The control system can further employ one or more derivative-free weight update laws. The derivative-free weight update laws can comprise a time-varying estimate of an ideal vector of weights. The control system of the present invention can therefore quickly stabilize systems that undergo sudden changes in dynamics, caused by, for example, sudden changes in weight. Embodiments of the present invention can also provide a less complex control system than existing adaptive control systems. The control system can control aircraft and other dynamic systems, such as, for example, those with non-minimum phase dynamics.

  16. Acoustical Applications of the HHT Method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huang, Norden E.

    2003-01-01

    A document discusses applications of a method based on the Huang-Hilbert transform (HHT). The method was described, without the HHT name, in Analyzing Time Series Using EMD and Hilbert Spectra (GSC-13817), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 24, No. 10 (October 2000), page 63. To recapitulate: The method is especially suitable for analyzing time-series data that represent nonstationary and nonlinear physical phenomena. The method involves the empirical mode decomposition (EMD), in which a complicated signal is decomposed into a finite number of functions, called intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), that admit well-behaved Hilbert transforms. The HHT consists of the combination of EMD and Hilbert spectral analysis.

  17. A simple method to derive bounds on the size and to train multilayer neural networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sartori, Michael A.; Antsaklis, Panos J.

    1991-01-01

    A new derivation is presented for the bounds on the size of a multilayer neural network to exactly implement an arbitrary training set; namely, the training set can be implemented with zero error with two layers and with the number of the hidden-layer neurons equal to no.1 is greater than p - 1. The derivation does not require the separation of the input space by particular hyperplanes, as in previous derivations. The weights for the hidden layer can be chosen almost arbitrarily, and the weights for the output layer can be found by solving no.1 + 1 linear equations. The method presented exactly solves (M), the multilayer neural network training problem, for any arbitrary training set.

  18. Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Coffee at the Vegetative Stage as Influenced by Fertilizer Application Method

    PubMed Central

    Salamanca-Jimenez, Alveiro; Doane, Timothy A.; Horwath, William R.

    2017-01-01

    Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient for coffee production in Colombia. An adequate supply is especially important during the vegetative period of growth, since any deficiency during this short period is known to have lasting effects on subsequent coffee bean production. Urea fertilizer is commonly applied on the soil surface since steep slopes hamper incorporation into soil, a practice which increases the risk of N volatilization. Little information is available on N recovery during early growth stages under different fertilizer application practices. The aim of this study was therefore to provide a comparison of 15N uptake during the early vegetative growth stage under surface-applied and incorporation practices at two contrasting locations. The highest proportion of plant N derived from fertilizer (Ndff) occurred 60 days following application at the site with greater precipitation and soil organic matter, where surface application also increased the Ndff in roots and stems after 120 days. Although fertilizer N supplied approximately 20–29% of total plant N after 4 months, this fertilizer-derived N corresponded on average to only 5% of the total application, indicating that very little fertilizer (relative to how much is applied) reaches plants during this time. Apart from the difference in Ndff observed at the wetter site, there was no effect of application method on dry weight and macronutrient content in different plant components, root to shoot ratio, and leaf 13C content. However, site effects were registered for most of these measurements, with the exception of total nutrient uptake. Similarly to Ndff trends, lower root/shoot ratio and higher concentrations of N, K, and Mg in aboveground biomass were found in the site with higher rainfall and soil organic matter, likely resulting from higher soil water and N availability. These findings provide new information useful as a direction for further research looking toward increasing NUE during the

  19. Curved-flow, rolling-flow, and oscillatory pure-yawing wind-tunnel test methods for determination of dynamic stability derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chambers, J. R.; Grafton, S. B.; Lutze, F. H.

    1981-01-01

    The test capabilities of the Stability Wind Tunnel of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University are described, and calibrations for curved and rolling flow techniques are given. Oscillatory snaking tests to determine pure yawing derivatives are considered. Representative aerodynamic data obtained for a current fighter configuration using the curved and rolling flow techniques are presented. The application of dynamic derivatives obtained in such tests to the analysis of airplane motions in general, and to high angle of attack flight conditions in particular, is discussed.

  20. High Order Discontinuous Gelerkin Methods for Convection Dominated Problems with Application to Aeroacoustics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shu, Chi-Wang

    2000-01-01

    This project is about the investigation of the development of the discontinuous Galerkin finite element methods, for general geometry and triangulations, for solving convection dominated problems, with applications to aeroacoustics. On the analysis side, we have studied the efficient and stable discontinuous Galerkin framework for small second derivative terms, for example in Navier-Stokes equations, and also for related equations such as the Hamilton-Jacobi equations. This is a truly local discontinuous formulation where derivatives are considered as new variables. On the applied side, we have implemented and tested the efficiency of different approaches numerically. Related issues in high order ENO and WENO finite difference methods and spectral methods have also been investigated. Jointly with Hu, we have presented a discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for solving the nonlinear Hamilton-Jacobi equations. This method is based on the RungeKutta discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for solving conservation laws. The method has the flexibility of treating complicated geometry by using arbitrary triangulation, can achieve high order accuracy with a local, compact stencil, and are suited for efficient parallel implementation. One and two dimensional numerical examples are given to illustrate the capability of the method. Jointly with Hu, we have constructed third and fourth order WENO schemes on two dimensional unstructured meshes (triangles) in the finite volume formulation. The third order schemes are based on a combination of linear polynomials with nonlinear weights, and the fourth order schemes are based on combination of quadratic polynomials with nonlinear weights. We have addressed several difficult issues associated with high order WENO schemes on unstructured mesh, including the choice of linear and nonlinear weights, what to do with negative weights, etc. Numerical examples are shown to demonstrate the accuracies and robustness of the

  1. Wood-Derived Ultrathin Carbon Nanofiber Aerogels.

    PubMed

    Li, Si-Cheng; Hu, Bi-Cheng; Ding, Yan-Wei; Liang, Hai-Wei; Li, Chao; Yu, Zi-You; Wu, Zhen-Yu; Chen, Wen-Shuai; Yu, Shu-Hong

    2018-06-11

    Carbon aerogels with 3D networks of interconnected nanometer-sized particles exhibit fascinating physical properties and show great application potential. Efficient and sustainable methods are required to produce high-performance carbon aerogels on a large scale to boost their practical applications. An economical and sustainable method is now developed for the synthesis of ultrathin carbon nanofiber (CNF) aerogels from the wood-based nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) aerogels via a catalytic pyrolysis process, which guarantees high carbon residual and well maintenance of the nanofibrous morphology during thermal decomposition of the NFC aerogels. The wood-derived CNF aerogels exhibit excellent electrical conductivity, a large surface area, and potential as a binder-free electrode material for supercapacitors. The results suggest great promise in developing new families of carbon aerogels based on the controlled pyrolysis of economical and sustainable nanostructured precursors. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. High-frequency surface waves method for agricultural applications

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A high-frequency surface wave method has been recently developed to explore shallow soil in the vadose zone for agricultural applications. This method is a modification from the conventional multichannel analysis of surface wave (MASW) method that explores near surface soil properties from a couple ...

  3. Application of phyto-indication and radiocesium indicative methods for microrelief mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Panidi, E.; Trofimetz, L.; Sokolova, J.

    2016-04-01

    Remote sensing technologies are widely used for production of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), and geomorphometry techniques are valuable tools for DEM analysis. One of the broadly used applications of these technologies and techniques is relief mapping. In the simplest case, we can identify relief structures using DEM analysis, and produce a map or map series to show the relief condition. However, traditional techniques might fail when used for mapping microrelief structures (structures below ten meters in size). In this case high microrelief dynamics lead to technological and conceptual difficulties. Moreover, erosion of microrelief structures cannot be detected at the initial evolution stage using DEM modelling and analysis only. In our study, we investigate the possibilities and specific techniques for allocation of erosion microrelief structures, and mapping techniques for the microrelief derivatives (e.g. quantitative parameters of microrelief). Our toolset includes the analysis of spatial redistribution of the soil pollutants and phyto-indication analysis, which complement the common DEM modelling and geomorphometric analysis. We use field surveys produced at the test area, which is arable territory with high erosion risks. Our main conclusion at the current stage is that the indicative methods (i.e. radiocesium and phyto-indication methods) are effective for allocation of the erosion microrelief structures. Also, these methods need to be formalized for convenient use.

  4. Application of fractional derivative with exponential law to bi-fractional-order wave equation with frictional memory kernel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cuahutenango-Barro, B.; Taneco-Hernández, M. A.; Gómez-Aguilar, J. F.

    2017-12-01

    Analytical solutions of the wave equation with bi-fractional-order and frictional memory kernel of Mittag-Leffler type are obtained via Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative in the Liouville-Caputo sense. Through the method of separation of variables and Laplace transform method we derive closed-form solutions and establish fundamental solutions. Special cases with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions and nonhomogeneous initial conditions, as well as for the external force are considered. Numerical simulations of the special solutions were done and novel behaviors are obtained.

  5. Synthesis of MOF-525 Derived Nanoporous Carbons with Different Particle Sizes for Supercapacitor Application.

    PubMed

    Chang, Ting-Hsiang; Young, Christine; Lee, Min-Han; Salunkhe, Rahul R; Alshehri, Saad M; Ahamad, Tansir; Islam, Md Tofazzal; Wu, Kevin C-W; Hossain, Md Shahriar A; Yamauchi, Yusuke; Ho, Kuo-Chuan

    2017-11-02

    Nanoporous carbon (NC) materials have attracted great research interest for supercapacitor applications, because of their excellent electrochemical and mechanical stability, good electrical conductivity, and high surface area. Although there are many reports on metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived carbon materials, previous synthetic studies have been hindered by imperfect control of particle sizes and shapes. Here, we show precise control of the particle sizes of MOF-525 from 100 nm to 750 nm. After conversion of MOF-525 to NC, the effects of variation of the particle size on the electrochemical performance have been carefully investigated. The results demonstrate that our NC is a potential candidate for practical supercapacitor applications. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Curved-flow, rolling-flow, and oscillatory pure-yawing wind-tunnel test methods for determination of dynamic stability derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chambers, J. R.; Grafton, S. B.; Lutze, F. H.

    1981-01-01

    Dynamic stability derivatives are evaluated on the basis of rolling-flow, curved-flow and snaking tests. Attention is given to the hardware associated with curved-flow, rolling-flow and oscillatory pure-yawing wind-tunnel tests. It is found that the snaking technique, when combined with linear- and forced-oscillation methods, yields an important method for evaluating beta derivatives for current configurations at high angles of attack. Since the rolling flow model is fixed during testing, forced oscillations may be imparted to the model, permitting the measurement of damping and cross-derivatives. These results, when coupled with basic rolling-flow or rotary-balance data, yield a highly accurate mathematical model for studies of incipient spin and spin entry.

  7. Development of T m -shift genotyping method for detection of cat-derived Giardia lamblia.

    PubMed

    Pan, Weida; Fu, Yeqi; Abdullahi, Auwalu Yusuf; Wang, Mingwei; Shi, Xianli; Yang, Fang; Yu, Xingang; Yan, Xinxin; Zhang, Pan; Hang, Jianxiong; Li, Guoqing

    2017-04-01

    To develop T m -shift genotyping method for detection of cat-derived Giardia lamblia, two sets of primers with two GC-rich tails of unequal length attached to their 5'-end were designed according to two SNPs (BG434 and BG170) of β-giardin (bg) gene, and specific PCR products were identified by inspection of a melting curve on real-time PCR thermocycler. A series of experiments on the stability, sensitivity, and accuracy of T m -shift method was tested, and clinical samples were also detected. The results showed that two sets of primers based on SNP could distinguish accurately between assemblages A and F. Coefficient of variation of T m values of assemblage A and F was 0.14 and 0.07% in BG434 and 0.10 and 0.11% in BG170, respectively. The lowest detection concentration was 4.52 × 10 -5 and 4.88 × 10 -5  ng/μL samples of assemblage A and F standard plasmids. The T m -shift genotyping results of ten DNA samples from the cat-derived G. lamblia were consistent with their known genotypes. The detection rate of clinical samples by T m -shift was higher than that by microscopy, and their genotyping results were in complete accordance with sequencing results. It is concluded that the T m -shift genotyping method is rapid, specific, and sensitive and may provide a new technological mean for molecular detection and epidemiological investigation of the cat-derived G. lamblia.

  8. An efficient and scalable extraction and quantification method for algal derived biofuel.

    PubMed

    Lohman, Egan J; Gardner, Robert D; Halverson, Luke; Macur, Richard E; Peyton, Brent M; Gerlach, Robin

    2013-09-01

    Microalgae are capable of synthesizing a multitude of compounds including biofuel precursors and other high value products such as omega-3-fatty acids. However, accurate analysis of the specific compounds produced by microalgae is important since slight variations in saturation and carbon chain length can affect the quality, and thus the value, of the end product. We present a method that allows for fast and reliable extraction of lipids and similar compounds from a range of algae, followed by their characterization using gas chromatographic analysis with a focus on biodiesel-relevant compounds. This method determines which range of biologically synthesized compounds is likely responsible for each fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) produced; information that is fundamental for identifying preferred microalgae candidates as a biodiesel source. Traditional methods of analyzing these precursor molecules are time intensive and prone to high degrees of variation between species and experimental conditions. Here we detail a new method which uses microwave energy as a reliable, single-step cell disruption technique to extract lipids from live cultures of microalgae. After extractable lipid characterization (including lipid type (free fatty acids, mono-, di- or tri-acylglycerides) and carbon chain length determination) by GC-FID, the same lipid extracts are transesterified into FAMEs and directly compared to total biodiesel potential by GC-MS. This approach provides insight into the fraction of total FAMEs derived from extractable lipids compared to FAMEs derived from the residual fraction (i.e. membrane bound phospholipids, sterols, etc.). This approach can also indicate which extractable lipid compound, based on chain length and relative abundance, is responsible for each FAME. This method was tested on three species of microalgae; the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, the model Chlorophyte Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and the freshwater green alga Chlorella vulgaris

  9. Rectification of depth measurement using pulsed thermography with logarithmic peak second derivative method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiaoli; Zeng, Zhi; Shen, Jingling; Zhang, Cunlin; Zhao, Yuejin

    2018-03-01

    Logarithmic peak second derivative (LPSD) method is the most popular method for depth prediction in pulsed thermography. It is widely accepted that this method is independent of defect size. The theoretical model for LPSD method is based on the one-dimensional solution of heat conduction without considering the effect of defect size. When a decay term considering defect aspect ratio is introduced into the solution to correct the three-dimensional thermal diffusion effect, we found that LPSD method is affected by defect size by analytical model. Furthermore, we constructed the relation between the characteristic time of LPSD method and defect aspect ratio, which was verified with the experimental results of stainless steel and glass fiber reinforced plate (GFRP) samples. We also proposed an improved LPSD method for depth prediction when the effect of defect size was considered, and the rectification results of stainless steel and GFRP samples were presented and discussed.

  10. Preparative purification of polyethylene glycol derivatives with polystyrene-divinylbenzene beads as chromatographic packing.

    PubMed

    Yu, Pengzhan; Li, Xingqi; Li, Xiunan; Lu, Xiuling; Ma, Guanghui; Su, Zhiguo

    2007-10-15

    A clear and powerful chromatographic approach to purify polyethylene glycol derivatives at a preparative scale was reported, which was based on the polystyrene-divinylbenzene beads with ethanol/water as eluants. The validity of this method was verified with the reaction mixture of mPEG-Glu and mPEG propionaldehyde diethylacetal (ALD-PEG) as the model. The target products were one-step achieved with the purity of >99% on the polymer resins column at gram scale. The method developed was free from such disadvantages as utility of toxic solvent and narrow application scope, which was combined with conventional approaches. The method developed provided an appealing and attractive alternative methods for purification of PEG derivatives at a preparative scale.

  11. Derivative spectrophotometry for the determination of faropenem in the presence of degradation products: an application for kinetic studies.

    PubMed

    Cielecka-Piontek, Judyta

    2013-07-01

    A simple and selective derivative spectrophotometric method was developed for the quantitative determination of faropenem in pure form and in pharmaceutical dosage. The method is based on the zero-crossing effect of first-derivative spectrophotometry (λ = 324 nm), which eliminates the overlapping effect caused by the excipients present in the pharmaceutical preparation, as well as degradation products, formed during hydrolysis, oxidation, photolysis, and thermolysis. The method was linear in the concentration range 2.5-300 μg/mL (r = 0.9989) at λ = 341 nm; the limits of detection and quantitation were 0.16 and 0.46 μg/mL, respectively. The method had good precision (relative standard deviation from 0.68 to 2.13%). Recovery of faropenem ranged from 97.9 to 101.3%. The first-order rate constants of the degradation of faropenem in pure form and in pharmaceutical dosage were determined by using first-derivative spectrophotometry. A statistical comparison of the validation results and the observed rate constants for faropenem degradation with these obtained with the high-performance liquid chromatography method demonstrated that both were compatible.

  12. Steady-State Computation of Constant Rotational Rate Dynamic Stability Derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Park, Michael A.; Green, Lawrence L.

    2000-01-01

    Dynamic stability derivatives are essential to predicting the open and closed loop performance, stability, and controllability of aircraft. Computational determination of constant-rate dynamic stability derivatives (derivatives of aircraft forces and moments with respect to constant rotational rates) is currently performed indirectly with finite differencing of multiple time-accurate computational fluid dynamics solutions. Typical time-accurate solutions require excessive amounts of computational time to complete. Formulating Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations in a rotating noninertial reference frame and applying an automatic differentiation tool to the modified code has the potential for directly computing these derivatives with a single, much faster steady-state calculation. The ability to rapidly determine static and dynamic stability derivatives by computational methods can benefit multidisciplinary design methodologies and reduce dependency on wind tunnel measurements. The CFL3D thin-layer N-S computational fluid dynamics code was modified for this study to allow calculations on complex three-dimensional configurations with constant rotation rate components in all three axes. These CFL3D modifications also have direct application to rotorcraft and turbomachinery analyses. The modified CFL3D steady-state calculation is a new capability that showed excellent agreement with results calculated by a similar formulation. The application of automatic differentiation to CFL3D allows the static stability and body-axis rate derivatives to be calculated quickly and exactly.

  13. Application of experimental design and derivative spectrophotometry methods in optimization and analysis of biosorption of binary mixtures of basic dyes from aqueous solutions.

    PubMed

    Asfaram, Arash; Ghaedi, Mehrorang; Ghezelbash, Gholam Reza; Pepe, Francesco

    2017-05-01

    Simultaneous biosorption of malachite green (MG) and crystal violet (CV) on biosorbent Yarrowia lipolytica ISF7 was studied. An appropriate derivative spectrophotometry technique was used to evaluate the concentration of each dye in binary solutions, despite significant interferences in visible light absorbances. The effects of pH, temperature, growth time, initial MG and CV concentration in batch experiments were assessed using Design of Experiment (DOE) according to central composite second order response surface methodology (RSM). The analysis showed that the greatest biosorption efficiency (>99% for both dyes) can be obtained at pH 7.0, T=28°C, 24h mixing and 20mgL -1 initial concentrations for both MG and CV dyes. The quadratic constructed equation ability for fitting experimental data is judged based on criterions like R 2 values, significant p and lack-of-fit value strongly confirm its high adequacy and applicability for prediction of revel behavior of the system under study. The proposed model showed very high correlation coefficients (R 2 =0.9997 for CV and R 2 =0.9989 for MG), while supported by closeness of predicted and experimental value. A kinetic analysis was carried out, showing that for both dyes a pseudo-second order kinetic model adequately describes the available data. The Langmuir isotherm model in single and binary components has better performance for description of dyes biosorption with maximum monolayer biosorption capacity of 59.4 and 62.7mgg -1 in single component and 46.4 and 50.0mgg -1 for CV and MB in binary components, respectively. The surface structure of biosorbents and the possible biosorbents-dyes interactions between were also evaluated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The values of thermodynamic parameters including ΔG° and ΔH° strongly confirm which method is spontaneous and endothermic. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  14. Forest Area Derivation from SENTINEL-1 Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dostálová, Alena; Hollaus, Markus; Milenković, Milutin; Wagner, Wolfgang

    2016-06-01

    The recently launched Sentinel-1A provides the high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data with very high temporal coverage over large parts of European continent. Short revisit time and dual polarization availability supports its usability for forestry applications. The following study presents an analysis of the potential of the multi-temporal dual-polarization Sentinel-1A data for the forest area derivation using the standard methods based on Otsu thresholding and K-means clustering. Sentinel-1 data collected in winter season 2014-2015 over a test area in eastern Austria were used to derive forest area mask with spatial resolution of 10m and minimum mapping unit of 500 m2. The validation with reference forest mask derived from airborne full-waveform laser scanning data revealed overall accuracy of 92 % and kappa statistics of 0.81. Even better results can be achieved when using external mask for urban areas, which might be misclassified as forests when using the introduced approach based on SAR data only. The Sentinel-1 data and the described methods are well suited for forest change detection between consecutive years.

  15. Prospective Mathematics Teachers' Opinions about Mathematical Modeling Method and Applicability of This Method

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akgün, Levent

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is to identify prospective secondary mathematics teachers' opinions about the mathematical modeling method and the applicability of this method in high schools. The case study design, which is among the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The study was conducted with six prospective secondary mathematics…

  16. 76 FR 9777 - Recent Postings of Broadly Applicable Alternative Test Methods

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-22

    ... Applicable Alternative Test Methods AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability. SUMMARY: This notice announces the broadly applicable alternative test method approval decisions... technical questions about individual alternative test method decisions, refer to the contact person...

  17. A Two-Stage Estimation Method for Random Coefficient Differential Equation Models with Application to Longitudinal HIV Dynamic Data.

    PubMed

    Fang, Yun; Wu, Hulin; Zhu, Li-Xing

    2011-07-01

    We propose a two-stage estimation method for random coefficient ordinary differential equation (ODE) models. A maximum pseudo-likelihood estimator (MPLE) is derived based on a mixed-effects modeling approach and its asymptotic properties for population parameters are established. The proposed method does not require repeatedly solving ODEs, and is computationally efficient although it does pay a price with the loss of some estimation efficiency. However, the method does offer an alternative approach when the exact likelihood approach fails due to model complexity and high-dimensional parameter space, and it can also serve as a method to obtain the starting estimates for more accurate estimation methods. In addition, the proposed method does not need to specify the initial values of state variables and preserves all the advantages of the mixed-effects modeling approach. The finite sample properties of the proposed estimator are studied via Monte Carlo simulations and the methodology is also illustrated with application to an AIDS clinical data set.

  18. A Method for Evaluation of Microcomputers for Tactical Applications.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-06-01

    application. The computational requirements of a tactical application are specified in terms of performance parameters. The presently marketed microcomputer...computational requirements of a tactical application are specified in terms of performance parameters. The presently marketed microcomputer and multi...also to provide a method to evaluate microcomputer systems for tactical applications, i.e., Command Control Communications (C 3), weapon systems, etc

  19. A review of level-set methods and some recent applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gibou, Frederic; Fedkiw, Ronald; Osher, Stanley

    2018-01-01

    We review some of the recent advances in level-set methods and their applications. In particular, we discuss how to impose boundary conditions at irregular domains and free boundaries, as well as the extension of level-set methods to adaptive Cartesian grids and parallel architectures. Illustrative applications are taken from the physical and life sciences. Fast sweeping methods are briefly discussed.

  20. Cellulosome-based, Clostridium-derived multi-functional enzyme complexes for advanced biotechnology tool development: advances and applications.

    PubMed

    Hyeon, Jeong Eun; Jeon, Sang Duck; Han, Sung Ok

    2013-11-01

    The cellulosome is one of nature's most elegant and elaborate nanomachines and a key biological and biotechnological macromolecule that can be used as a multi-functional protein complex tool. Each protein module in the cellulosome system is potentially useful in an advanced biotechnology application. The high-affinity interactions between the cohesin and dockerin domains can be used in protein-based biosensors to improve both sensitivity and selectivity. The scaffolding protein includes a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) that attaches strongly to cellulose substrates and facilitates the purification of proteins fused with the dockerin module through a one-step CBM purification method. Although the surface layer homology (SLH) domain of CbpA is not present in other strains, replacement of the cell surface anchoring domain allows a foreign protein to be displayed on the surface of other strains. The development of a hydrolysis enzyme complex is a useful strategy for consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), enabling microorganisms with biomass hydrolysis activity. Thus, the development of various configurations of multi-functional protein complexes for use as tools in whole-cell biocatalyst systems has drawn considerable attention as an attractive strategy for bioprocess applications. This review provides a detailed summary of the current achievements in Clostridium-derived multi-functional complex development and the impact of these complexes in various areas of biotechnology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Synthesis of l-cysteine derivatives containing stable sulfur isotopes and application of this synthesis to reactive sulfur metabolome.

    PubMed

    Ono, Katsuhiko; Jung, Minkyung; Zhang, Tianli; Tsutsuki, Hiroyasu; Sezaki, Hiroshi; Ihara, Hideshi; Wei, Fan-Yan; Tomizawa, Kazuhito; Akaike, Takaaki; Sawa, Tomohiro

    2017-05-01

    Cysteine persulfide is an L-cysteine derivative having one additional sulfur atom bound to a cysteinyl thiol group, and it serves as a reactive sulfur species that regulates redox homeostasis in cells. Here, we describe a rapid and efficient method of synthesis of L-cysteine derivatives containing isotopic sulfur atoms and application of this method to a reactive sulfur metabolome. We used bacterial cysteine syntheses to incorporate isotopic sulfur atoms into the sulfhydryl moiety of L-cysteine. We cloned three cysteine synthases-CysE, CysK, and CysM-from the Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2, and we generated their recombinant enzymes. We synthesized 34 S-labeled L-cysteine from O-acetyl-L-serine and 34 S-labeled sodium sulfide as substrates for the CysK or CysM reactions. Isotopic labeling of L-cysteine at both sulfur ( 34 S) and nitrogen ( 15 N) atoms was also achieved by performing enzyme reactions with 15 N-labeled L-serine, acetyl-CoA, and 34 S-labeled sodium sulfide in the presence of CysE and CysK. The present enzyme systems can be applied to syntheses of a series of L-cysteine derivatives including L-cystine, L-cystine persulfide, S-sulfo-L-cysteine, L-cysteine sulfonate, and L-selenocystine. We also prepared 34 S-labeled N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) by incubating 34 S-labeled L-cysteine with acetyl coenzyme A in test tubes. Tandem mass spectrometric identification of low-molecular-weight thiols after monobromobimane derivatization revealed the endogenous occurrence of NAC in the cultured mammalian cells such as HeLa cells and J774.1 cells. Furthermore, we successfully demonstrated, by using 34 S-labeled NAC, metabolic conversion of NAC to glutathione and its persulfide, via intermediate formation of L-cysteine, in the cells. The approach using isotopic sulfur labeling combined with mass spectrometry may thus contribute to greater understanding of reactive sulfur metabolome and redox biology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc

  2. 77 FR 8865 - Recent Postings of Broadly Applicable Alternative Test Methods

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-15

    ... Applicable Alternative Test Methods AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability. SUMMARY: This notice announces the broadly applicable alternative test method approval decisions... INFORMATION CONTACT: An electronic copy of each alternative test method approval document is available on the...

  3. 78 FR 11174 - Recent Postings of Broadly Applicable Alternative Test Methods

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-15

    ... Applicable Alternative Test Methods AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability. SUMMARY: This notice announces the broadly applicable alternative test method approval decisions... INFORMATION CONTACT: An electronic copy of each alternative test method approval document is available on the...

  4. Kriging and local polynomial methods for blending satellite-derived and gauge precipitation estimates to support hydrologic early warning systems

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Verdin, Andrew; Funk, Christopher C.; Rajagopalan, Balaji; Kleiber, William

    2016-01-01

    Robust estimates of precipitation in space and time are important for efficient natural resource management and for mitigating natural hazards. This is particularly true in regions with developing infrastructure and regions that are frequently exposed to extreme events. Gauge observations of rainfall are sparse but capture the precipitation process with high fidelity. Due to its high resolution and complete spatial coverage, satellite-derived rainfall data are an attractive alternative in data-sparse regions and are often used to support hydrometeorological early warning systems. Satellite-derived precipitation data, however, tend to underrepresent extreme precipitation events. Thus, it is often desirable to blend spatially extensive satellite-derived rainfall estimates with high-fidelity rain gauge observations to obtain more accurate precipitation estimates. In this research, we use two different methods, namely, ordinary kriging and κ-nearest neighbor local polynomials, to blend rain gauge observations with the Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation satellite-derived precipitation estimates in data-sparse Central America and Colombia. The utility of these methods in producing blended precipitation estimates at pentadal (five-day) and monthly time scales is demonstrated. We find that these blending methods significantly improve the satellite-derived estimates and are competitive in their ability to capture extreme precipitation.

  5. Two-Relaxation-Time Lattice Boltzmann Method and its Application to Advective-Diffusive-Reactive Transport

    DOE PAGES

    Yan, Zhifeng; Yang, Xiaofan; Li, Siliang; ...

    2017-09-05

    The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based on single-relaxation-time (SRT) or multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) collision operators is widely used in simulating flow and transport phenomena. The LBM based on two-relaxation-time (TRT) collision operators possesses strengths from the SRT and MRT LBMs, such as its simple implementation and good numerical stability, although tedious mathematical derivations and presentations of the TRT LBM hinder its application to a broad range of flow and transport phenomena. This paper describes the TRT LBM clearly and provides a pseudocode for easy implementation. Various transport phenomena were simulated using the TRT LBM to illustrate its applications in subsurface environments.more » These phenomena include advection-diffusion in uniform flow, Taylor dispersion in a pipe, solute transport in a packed column, reactive transport in uniform flow, and bacterial chemotaxis in porous media. Finally, the TRT LBM demonstrated good numerical performance in terms of accuracy and stability in predicting these transport phenomena. Therefore, the TRT LBM is a powerful tool to simulate various geophysical and biogeochemical processes in subsurface environments.« less

  6. Two-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method and its application to advective-diffusive-reactive transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Zhifeng; Yang, Xiaofan; Li, Siliang; Hilpert, Markus

    2017-11-01

    The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based on single-relaxation-time (SRT) or multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) collision operators is widely used in simulating flow and transport phenomena. The LBM based on two-relaxation-time (TRT) collision operators possesses strengths from the SRT and MRT LBMs, such as its simple implementation and good numerical stability, although tedious mathematical derivations and presentations of the TRT LBM hinder its application to a broad range of flow and transport phenomena. This paper describes the TRT LBM clearly and provides a pseudocode for easy implementation. Various transport phenomena were simulated using the TRT LBM to illustrate its applications in subsurface environments. These phenomena include advection-diffusion in uniform flow, Taylor dispersion in a pipe, solute transport in a packed column, reactive transport in uniform flow, and bacterial chemotaxis in porous media. The TRT LBM demonstrated good numerical performance in terms of accuracy and stability in predicting these transport phenomena. Therefore, the TRT LBM is a powerful tool to simulate various geophysical and biogeochemical processes in subsurface environments.

  7. Two-Relaxation-Time Lattice Boltzmann Method and its Application to Advective-Diffusive-Reactive Transport

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

    Yan, Zhifeng; Yang, Xiaofan; Li, Siliang

    The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based on single-relaxation-time (SRT) or multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) collision operators is widely used in simulating flow and transport phenomena. The LBM based on two-relaxation-time (TRT) collision operators possesses strengths from the SRT and MRT LBMs, such as its simple implementation and good numerical stability, although tedious mathematical derivations and presentations of the TRT LBM hinder its application to a broad range of flow and transport phenomena. This paper describes the TRT LBM clearly and provides a pseudocode for easy implementation. Various transport phenomena were simulated using the TRT LBM to illustrate its applications in subsurface environments.more » These phenomena include advection-diffusion in uniform flow, Taylor dispersion in a pipe, solute transport in a packed column, reactive transport in uniform flow, and bacterial chemotaxis in porous media. Finally, the TRT LBM demonstrated good numerical performance in terms of accuracy and stability in predicting these transport phenomena. Therefore, the TRT LBM is a powerful tool to simulate various geophysical and biogeochemical processes in subsurface environments.« less

  8. A method to generate enhanced GFP+ chimeric mice to study the role of bone marrow-derived cells in the eye.

    PubMed

    Singh, Vivek; Jaini, Ritika; Torricelli, André A M; Tuohy, Vincent K; Wilson, Steven E

    2013-11-01

    GFP-chimeric mice are important tools to study the role of bone marrow-derived cells in eye physiology. A method is described to generate GFP-chimeric mice using whole-body, sub-lethal radiation (600 rad) of wild-type C57BL/6 recipients followed by tail vein injection of bone marrow cells derived from GFP+ (GFP-transgenic C57/BL/6-Tg(UBC-GFP)30 Scha/J) mice. This method yields stable GFP+ chimeras with greater than 95% chimerism (range 95-99%), achieved within one month of bone marrow transfer confirmed by microscopy and fluorescence-assisted cell sorting (FACS) analysis, with lower mortality after irradiation than prior methods. To demonstrate the efficacy of GFP+ bone marrow chimeric mice, the role of circulating GFP+ bone marrow-derived cells in myofibroblast generation after irregular photo-therapeutic keratectomy (PTK) was analyzed. Many SMA+ myofibroblasts that were generated at one month after PTK were derived from GFP+ bone marrow-derived cells. The GFP+ bone marrow chimeric mouse provides an excellent model for studying the role of bone marrow-derived cells in corneal wound healing, glaucoma surgery, optic nerve head pathology and retinal pathophysiology and wound healing. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. 75 FR 7593 - Recent Postings of Broadly Applicable Alternative Test Methods

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-22

    ... Applicable Alternative Test Methods AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability. SUMMARY: This notice announces the broadly applicable alternative test method approval decisions... electronic copy of each alternative test method approval document is available on EPA's Web site at http...

  10. Wood-Based Nanocomposite Derived by in Situ Formation of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Polymer within Wood via a Sol-Gel Method.

    PubMed

    Dong, Xiaoying; Zhuo, Xiao; Wei, Jie; Zhang, Gang; Li, Yongfeng

    2017-03-15

    Solid wood materials and wood-plastic composites as two kinds of lightweight materials are attracting great interest from academia and industry due to their green and recycling nature. However, the relatively lower specific strength limits their wider applications. In particular, solid wood is vulnerable to moisture and decay fungi in nature, resulting in its poor durability for effectively long-term utilization. Inspired from the porous structure of wood, we propose a new design to build a wood-based nanocomposite with higher specific strength and satisfactory durability by in situ generation of organic-inorganic hybrid polymer within wood via a sol-gel method. The derived composite has 50-1200% improvement of impact toughness, 56-192% improvement of tensile strength, and 110-291% improvement of flexural strength over those of typical wood-plastic composites, respectively; and even 34% improvement of specific tensile strength than that of 36A steel; 208% enhancement of hardness; and 156% enhancement of compression strength than those of compared solid wood, respectively; as well as significantly improved dimensional stability and decay resistance over those of untreated natural wood. Such materials could be potentially utilized as lightweight and high-strength materials for applications in construction and automotive industries. This method could be extended to constitute other inorganic nanomaterials for novel organic-inorganic hybrid polymer within wood.

  11. Structure-based predictions of 13C-NMR chemical shifts for a series of 2-functionalized 5-(methylsulfonyl)-1-phenyl-1H-indoles derivatives using GA-based MLR method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghavami, Raouf; Sadeghi, Faridoon; Rasouli, Zolikha; Djannati, Farhad

    2012-12-01

    Experimental values for the 13C NMR chemical shifts (ppm, TMS = 0) at 300 K ranging from 96.28 ppm (C4' of indole derivative 17) to 159.93 ppm (C4' of indole derivative 23) relative to deuteride chloroform (CDCl3, 77.0 ppm) or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, 39.50 ppm) as internal reference in CDCl3 or DMSO-d6 solutions have been collected from literature for thirty 2-functionalized 5-(methylsulfonyl)-1-phenyl-1H-indole derivatives containing different substituted groups. An effective quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models were built using hybrid method combining genetic algorithm (GA) based on stepwise selection multiple linear regression (SWS-MLR) as feature-selection tools and correlation models between each carbon atom of indole derivative and calculated descriptors. Each compound was depicted by molecular structural descriptors that encode constitutional, topological, geometrical, electrostatic, and quantum chemical features. The accuracy of all developed models were confirmed using different types of internal and external procedures and various statistical tests. Furthermore, the domain of applicability for each model which indicates the area of reliable predictions was defined.

  12. A simple modification of the separation method reduces heterogeneity of adipose-derived stem cells.

    PubMed

    Griesche, Nadine; Luttmann, Werner; Luttmann, Arlette; Stammermann, Thekla; Geiger, Helmut; Baer, Patrick C

    2010-01-01

    High hopes are put into the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in various approaches for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. MSCs are derived from different tissues with only small differences in their phenotype or their differentiation potential, but higher differences in the cell yield. Since fat is easily accessible and contains a high amount of MSCs to be isolated, adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are very promising for clinical approaches. ASCs are not a completely homogeneous cell population. Our study was initiated to explore an easy and convenient method to reduce heterogeneity. We tested different isolation methods: (1) the standard isolation method for ASCs based on plastic attachment, (2) the standard method with an initial washing step after 60 min of adherence and (3) immunomagnetic isolation by 4 typical markers (CD49a, CD90, CD105 and CD271). Cells isolated by these methods were evaluated using quantitative PCR and flow cytometry as well as by their differentiation potential. Washing led to a significantly lower expression of desmin, smA and six2, and a higher expression of the stem cell markers nestin, oct-4 and sall-1, compared to standard isolated cells, while the immunomagnetically isolated cells showed no significant changes. All cells independent of the isolation method could be induced to differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts. Our study demonstrates that a simple washing step reduces heterogeneity of cultured ASCs according to PCR analysis, whereas the immunomagnetic isolation only showed minor advantages compared to the standard method, but the disadvantage of significantly lower cell yields in the primary isolates. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  13. Methods for compressible multiphase flows and their applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, H.; Choe, Y.; Kim, H.; Min, D.; Kim, C.

    2018-06-01

    This paper presents an efficient and robust numerical framework to deal with multiphase real-fluid flows and their broad spectrum of engineering applications. A homogeneous mixture model incorporated with a real-fluid equation of state and a phase change model is considered to calculate complex multiphase problems. As robust and accurate numerical methods to handle multiphase shocks and phase interfaces over a wide range of flow speeds, the AUSMPW+_N and RoeM_N schemes with a system preconditioning method are presented. These methods are assessed by extensive validation problems with various types of equation of state and phase change models. Representative realistic multiphase phenomena, including the flow inside a thermal vapor compressor, pressurization in a cryogenic tank, and unsteady cavitating flow around a wedge, are then investigated as application problems. With appropriate physical modeling followed by robust and accurate numerical treatments, compressible multiphase flow physics such as phase changes, shock discontinuities, and their interactions are well captured, confirming the suitability of the proposed numerical framework to wide engineering applications.

  14. A new method of derived equatorial plasma bubbles motion by tracing OI 630 nm emission all-sky images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, M.; Yu, T.; Chunliang, X.; Zuo, X.; Liu, Z.

    2017-12-01

    A new method for estimating the equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) motions from airglow emission all-sky images is presented in this paper. This method, which is called 'cloud-derived wind technology' and widely used in satellite observation of wind, could reasonable derive zonal and meridional velocity vectors of EPBs drifts by tracking a series of successive airglow 630.0 nm emission images. Airglow emission images data are available from an all sky airglow camera in Hainan Fuke (19.5°N, 109.2°E) supported by China Meridional Project, which can receive the 630.0nm emission from the ionosphere F region at low-latitudes to observe plasma bubbles. A series of pretreatment technology, e.g. image enhancement, orientation correction, image projection are utilized to preprocess the raw observation. Then the regions of plasma bubble extracted from the images are divided into several small tracing windows and each tracing window can find a target window in the searching area in following image, which is considered as the position tracing window moved to. According to this, velocities in each window are calculated by using the technology of cloud-derived wind. When applying the cloud-derived wind technology, the maximum correlation coefficient (MCC) and the histogram of gradient (HOG) methods to find the target window, which mean to find the maximum correlation and the minimum euclidean distance between two gradient histograms in respectively, are investigated and compared in detail. The maximum correlation method is fianlly adopted in this study to analyze the velocity of plasma bubbles because of its better performance than HOG. All-sky images from Hainan Fuke, between August 2014 and October 2014, are analyzed to investigate the plasma bubble drift velocities using MCC method. The data at different local time at 9 nights are studied and find that zonal drift velocity in different latitude at different local time ranges from 50 m/s to 180 m/s and there is a peak value at

  15. Antioxidant Capacity Determination in Plants and Plant-Derived Products: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Pop, Aneta; Cimpeanu, Carmen; Predoi, Gabriel

    2016-01-01

    The present paper aims at reviewing and commenting on the analytical methods applied to antioxidant and antioxidant capacity assessment in plant-derived products. Aspects related to oxidative stress, reactive oxidative species' influence on key biomolecules, and antioxidant benefits and modalities of action are discussed. Also, the oxidant-antioxidant balance is critically discussed. The conventional and nonconventional extraction procedures applied prior to analysis are also presented, as the extraction step is of pivotal importance for isolation and concentration of the compound(s) of interest before analysis. Then, the chromatographic, spectrometric, and electrochemical methods for antioxidant and antioxidant capacity determination in plant-derived products are detailed with respect to their principles, characteristics, and specific applications. Peculiarities related to the matrix characteristics and other factors influencing the method's performances are discussed. Health benefits of plants and derived products are described, as indicated in the original source. Finally, critical and conclusive aspects are given when it comes to the choice of a particular extraction procedure and detection method, which should consider the nature of the sample, prevalent antioxidant/antioxidant class, and the mechanism underlying each technique. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed for each method. PMID:28044094

  16. A Kernel Machine Method for Detecting Effects of Interaction Between Multidimensional Variable Sets: An Imaging Genetics Application

    PubMed Central

    Ge, Tian; Nichols, Thomas E.; Ghosh, Debashis; Mormino, Elizabeth C.

    2015-01-01

    Measurements derived from neuroimaging data can serve as markers of disease and/or healthy development, are largely heritable, and have been increasingly utilized as (intermediate) phenotypes in genetic association studies. To date, imaging genetic studies have mostly focused on discovering isolated genetic effects, typically ignoring potential interactions with non-genetic variables such as disease risk factors, environmental exposures, and epigenetic markers. However, identifying significant interaction effects is critical for revealing the true relationship between genetic and phenotypic variables, and shedding light on disease mechanisms. In this paper, we present a general kernel machine based method for detecting effects of interaction between multidimensional variable sets. This method can model the joint and epistatic effect of a collection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), accommodate multiple factors that potentially moderate genetic influences, and test for nonlinear interactions between sets of variables in a flexible framework. As a demonstration of application, we applied the method to data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to detect the effects of the interactions between candidate Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk genes and a collection of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, on hippocampal volume measurements derived from structural brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Our method identified that two genes, CR1 and EPHA1, demonstrate significant interactions with CVD risk factors on hippocampal volume, suggesting that CR1 and EPHA1 may play a role in influencing AD-related neurodegeneration in the presence of CVD risks. PMID:25600633

  17. Thiourea derivatives, methods of their preparation and their use in neutron capture therapy of malignant melanoma

    DOEpatents

    Gabel, D.

    1991-06-04

    The present invention pertains to boron containing thiouracil derivatives, their method of preparations, and their use in the therapy of malignant melanoma using boron neutron capture therapy. No Drawings

  18. Predictive distributions for between-study heterogeneity and simple methods for their application in Bayesian meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Turner, Rebecca M; Jackson, Dan; Wei, Yinghui; Thompson, Simon G; Higgins, Julian P T

    2015-01-01

    Numerous meta-analyses in healthcare research combine results from only a small number of studies, for which the variance representing between-study heterogeneity is estimated imprecisely. A Bayesian approach to estimation allows external evidence on the expected magnitude of heterogeneity to be incorporated. The aim of this paper is to provide tools that improve the accessibility of Bayesian meta-analysis. We present two methods for implementing Bayesian meta-analysis, using numerical integration and importance sampling techniques. Based on 14 886 binary outcome meta-analyses in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, we derive a novel set of predictive distributions for the degree of heterogeneity expected in 80 settings depending on the outcomes assessed and comparisons made. These can be used as prior distributions for heterogeneity in future meta-analyses. The two methods are implemented in R, for which code is provided. Both methods produce equivalent results to standard but more complex Markov chain Monte Carlo approaches. The priors are derived as log-normal distributions for the between-study variance, applicable to meta-analyses of binary outcomes on the log odds-ratio scale. The methods are applied to two example meta-analyses, incorporating the relevant predictive distributions as prior distributions for between-study heterogeneity. We have provided resources to facilitate Bayesian meta-analysis, in a form accessible to applied researchers, which allow relevant prior information on the degree of heterogeneity to be incorporated. © 2014 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. PMID:25475839

  19. Proposal of a calculation method to determine the structural components' contribution on the deceleration of a passenger compartment based on the energy-derivative method.

    PubMed

    Nagasaka, Kei; Mizuno, Koji; Ito, Daisuke; Saida, Naoya

    2017-05-29

    In car crashes, the passenger compartment deceleration significantly influences the occupant loading. Hence, it is important to consider how each structural component deforms in order to control the passenger compartment deceleration. In frontal impact tests, the passenger compartment deceleration depends on the energy absorption property of the front structures. However, at this point in time there are few papers describing the components' quantitative contributions on the passenger compartment deceleration. Generally, the cross-sectional force is used to examine each component's contribution to passenger compartment deceleration. However, it is difficult to determine each component's contribution based on the cross-sectional forces, especially within segments of the individual members itself such as the front rails, because the force is transmitted continuously and the cross-sectional forces remain the same through the component. The deceleration of a particle can be determined from the derivative of the kinetic energy. Using this energy-derivative method, the contribution of each component on the passenger compartment deceleration can be determined. Using finite element (FE) car models, this method was applied for full-width and offset impact tests. This method was also applied to evaluate the deceleration of the powertrain. The finite impulse response (FIR) coefficient of the vehicle deceleration (input) and the driver chest deceleration (output) was calculated from Japan New Car Assessment Program (JNCAP) tests. These were applied to the component's contribution on the vehicle deceleration in FE analysis, and the component's contribution to the deceleration of the driver's chest was determined. The sum of the contribution of each component coincides with the passenger compartment deceleration in all types of impacts; therefore, the validity of this method was confirmed. In the full-width impact, the contribution of the crush box was large in the initial phases

  20. Antibacterial Derivatives of Marine Algae: An Overview of Pharmacological Mechanisms and Applications

    PubMed Central

    Shannon, Emer; Abu-Ghannam, Nissreen

    2016-01-01

    The marine environment is home to a taxonomically diverse ecosystem. Organisms such as algae, molluscs, sponges, corals, and tunicates have evolved to survive the high concentrations of infectious and surface-fouling bacteria that are indigenous to ocean waters. Both macroalgae (seaweeds) and microalgae (diatoms) contain pharmacologically active compounds such as phlorotannins, fatty acids, polysaccharides, peptides, and terpenes which combat bacterial invasion. The resistance of pathogenic bacteria to existing antibiotics has become a global epidemic. Marine algae derivatives have shown promise as candidates in novel, antibacterial drug discovery. The efficacy of these compounds, their mechanism of action, applications as antibiotics, disinfectants, and inhibitors of foodborne pathogenic and spoilage bacteria are reviewed in this article. PMID:27110798

  1. Analytic second derivatives of the energy in the fragment molecular orbital method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakata, Hiroya; Nagata, Takeshi; Fedorov, Dmitri G.; Yokojima, Satoshi; Kitaura, Kazuo; Nakamura, Shinichiro

    2013-04-01

    We developed the analytic second derivatives of the energy for the fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method. First we derived the analytic expressions and then introduced some approximations related to the first and second order coupled perturbed Hartree-Fock equations. We developed a parallel program for the FMO Hessian with approximations in GAMESS and used it to calculate infrared (IR) spectra and Gibbs free energies and to locate the transition states in SN2 reactions. The accuracy of the Hessian is demonstrated in comparison to ab initio results for polypeptides and a water cluster. By using the two residues per fragment division, we achieved the accuracy of 3 cm-1 in the reduced mean square deviation of vibrational frequencies from ab initio for all three polyalanine isomers, while the zero point energy had the error not exceeding 0.3 kcal/mol. The role of the secondary structure on IR spectra, zero point energies, and Gibbs free energies is discussed.

  2. A method for deriving lower bounds for the complexity of monotone arithmetic circuits computing real polynomials

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

    Gashkov, Sergey B; Sergeev, Igor' S

    2012-10-31

    This work suggests a method for deriving lower bounds for the complexity of polynomials with positive real coefficients implemented by circuits of functional elements over the monotone arithmetic basis {l_brace}x+y, x {center_dot} y{r_brace} Union {l_brace}a {center_dot} x | a Element-Of R{sub +}{r_brace}. Using this method, several new results are obtained. In particular, we construct examples of polynomials of degree m-1 in each of the n variables with coefficients 0 and 1 having additive monotone complexity m{sup (1-o(1))n} and multiplicative monotone complexity m{sup (1/2-o(1))n} as m{sup n}{yields}{infinity}. In this form, the lower bounds derived here are sharp. Bibliography: 72 titles.

  3. A review on mathematical methods of conventional and Islamic derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hisham, Azie Farhani Badrol; Jaffar, Maheran Mohd

    2014-12-01

    Despite the impressive growth of risk management tools in financial institutions, Islamic finance remains miles away behind the conventional institutions. Islamic finance products need to comply with the syariah law and prohibitions, therefore they can use fewer of the available risk management tools compared to conventional. Derivatives have proven to be the effective hedging technique and instrument that broadly being used in the conventional institutions to manage their risks. However, derivatives are not generally accepted as the legitimate products in Islamic finance and they remain controversial issues among the Islamic scholars. This paper reviews the evolution of derivatives such as forwards, futures and options and then explores the mathematical models that being used to solve derivatives such as random walk model, asset pricing model that follows Brownian motion and Black-Scholes model. Other than that, this paper also critically discuss the perspective of derivatives from Islamic point of view. In conclusion, this paper delivers the traditional Islamic products such as salam, urbun and istijrar that can be used to create building blocks of Islamic derivatives.

  4. Evaluation of antituberculosis activity and DFT study on dipyrromethane-derived hydrazone derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rawat, Poonam; Singh, R. N.; Niranjan, Priydarshni; Ranjan, Alok; Holguín, Norma Rosario Flores

    2017-12-01

    This paper evaluates the anti-tubercular activity of dipyrromethane-derived hydrazones derivatives (3a-d) against strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. The newly synthesized compounds have been obtained in good yield based on the condensation of aromatic aldehyde derivatives with pyrrole hydrazone in presence of catalyst and well characterized with spectroscopic methods (1H, 13C NMR, Mass spectrometry) and elemental analysis. The singlet observed in the experimental 1H and 13C NMR spectra in the range of 5.3-5.7 ppm and 30-33.86 ppm, respectively, indicating that two pyrrole units are joined at meso position. The electronic transitions observed in the experimental spectra are n→π* and π →π* in nature. Experimental and theoretical findings corroborate well with each other. The substitution of acceptor group (-NO2) at ortho- and meta-positions of benzene ring, present at meso-position of dipyrromethane is responsible for variation in β0 values. The calculated NLO of (3a-d) are much greater than those of p-nitroaniline (PNA). The solvent induced effects on the non-linear optical properties were studied and found to enhance NLO properties of the molecules as dielectric constants of the solvents increases. On the basis of results it is anticipated that these dipyrromethanes will be useful for both antimicrobial and non-linear optical (NLO) applications. With the help of Microplate Alamar Blue assay (MABA) method all (3a-d) compounds were screened for their anti-tubercular activity and found that 3b and 3d have higher inhibitory activity against strain of M. tuberculosis H37Rv.

  5. ATLID beam steering mechanism and derived new piezoelectric-based devices for optical applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bourgain, F.; Barillot, F.; Belly, C.; Claeyssen, F.

    2015-09-01

    In Space & Defence (as well as in many others fields), there is a trend for miniaturisation in active optics requiring new actuators. Applications also often require the ability to withstand high vibrations and shocks levels, as well as vacuum compatibility for space applications. A new generation of small and smart actuators such as piezoelectric (piezo) actuators, are resolving this trend, thanks to their capacity to offer high energy density and to support both extreme and various requirements. This paper first presents the BSM mechanism and its requirements, the technologies involved in the design and the validation campaign results. Secondly, a derived XY piezoelectric positioning stage based on the same APA® and associated Strain Gage sensing technology is presented with its associated performances. Finally, a new piezoelectric motor based on the APA® technology, which allows the combination of long stroke while maintaining high resolution positioning of optical elements, is presented with experimental performances.

  6. Satellite-derived methane hotspot emission estimates using a fast data-driven method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buchwitz, Michael; Schneising, Oliver; Reuter, Maximilian; Heymann, Jens; Krautwurst, Sven; Bovensmann, Heinrich; Burrows, John P.; Boesch, Hartmut; Parker, Robert J.; Somkuti, Peter; Detmers, Rob G.; Hasekamp, Otto P.; Aben, Ilse; Butz, André; Frankenberg, Christian; Turner, Alexander J.

    2017-05-01

    Methane is an important atmospheric greenhouse gas and an adequate understanding of its emission sources is needed for climate change assessments, predictions, and the development and verification of emission mitigation strategies. Satellite retrievals of near-surface-sensitive column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of atmospheric methane, i.e. XCH4, can be used to quantify methane emissions. Maps of time-averaged satellite-derived XCH4 show regionally elevated methane over several methane source regions. In order to obtain methane emissions of these source regions we use a simple and fast data-driven method to estimate annual methane emissions and corresponding 1σ uncertainties directly from maps of annually averaged satellite XCH4. From theoretical considerations we expect that our method tends to underestimate emissions. When applying our method to high-resolution atmospheric methane simulations, we typically find agreement within the uncertainty range of our method (often 100 %) but also find that our method tends to underestimate emissions by typically about 40 %. To what extent these findings are model dependent needs to be assessed. We apply our method to an ensemble of satellite XCH4 data products consisting of two products from SCIAMACHY/ENVISAT and two products from TANSO-FTS/GOSAT covering the time period 2003-2014. We obtain annual emissions of four source areas: Four Corners in the south-western USA, the southern part of Central Valley, California, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. We find that our estimated emissions are in good agreement with independently derived estimates for Four Corners and Azerbaijan. For the Central Valley and Turkmenistan our estimated annual emissions are higher compared to the EDGAR v4.2 anthropogenic emission inventory. For Turkmenistan we find on average about 50 % higher emissions with our annual emission uncertainty estimates overlapping with the EDGAR emissions. For the region around Bakersfield in the Central Valley we

  7. A new method to synthesize creatine derivatives.

    PubMed

    Garbati, Patrizia; Salis, Annalisa; Adriano, Enrico; Galatini, Andrea; Damonte, Gianluca; Balestrino, Maurizio; Millo, Enrico

    2013-10-01

    Creatine is an amino acid that has a pivotal role in energy metabolism of cells. Creatine acts as an "ATP shuttle", carrying ATP to the sites where it is utilized, through its reversible phosphorylation by creatine kinase. Moreover, the creatine-phosphocreatine system delays ATP depletion during anoxia or ischemia, thus exerting a neuroprotective role during those pathological conditions. Thus, its administration has been advocated as a treatment or prevention of several conditions involving the central nervous system. However, creatine crosses poorly the blood-brain barrier and the cell plasma membrane, thus its administration has but a limited effect. The use of more lipophilic creatine derivatives has thus been suggested. However, such a synthesis is complicated by the intrinsic characteristics of the creatine molecule that hardly reacts with other molecules and easily cyclizes to creatinine. We obtained amide derivatives from creatine starting from a new protected creatine molecule synthesized by us, the so-called (Boc)2-creatine. We used a temporary protection only on the creatine guanidine group while allowing a good reactivity on the carboxylic group. This temporary protection ensured efficient creatine dissolution in organic solvents and offered simultaneous protection of creatine toward intramolecular cyclization to creatinine. In this manner, it was possible to selectively conjugate molecules on the carboxylic group. The creatine guanidine group was easily released from the protection at the end of the reaction, thus obtaining the desired creatine derivative.

  8. Harmony search method: theory and applications.

    PubMed

    Gao, X Z; Govindasamy, V; Xu, H; Wang, X; Zenger, K

    2015-01-01

    The Harmony Search (HS) method is an emerging metaheuristic optimization algorithm, which has been employed to cope with numerous challenging tasks during the past decade. In this paper, the essential theory and applications of the HS algorithm are first described and reviewed. Several typical variants of the original HS are next briefly explained. As an example of case study, a modified HS method inspired by the idea of Pareto-dominance-based ranking is also presented. It is further applied to handle a practical wind generator optimal design problem.

  9. Harmony Search Method: Theory and Applications

    PubMed Central

    Gao, X. Z.; Govindasamy, V.; Xu, H.; Wang, X.; Zenger, K.

    2015-01-01

    The Harmony Search (HS) method is an emerging metaheuristic optimization algorithm, which has been employed to cope with numerous challenging tasks during the past decade. In this paper, the essential theory and applications of the HS algorithm are first described and reviewed. Several typical variants of the original HS are next briefly explained. As an example of case study, a modified HS method inspired by the idea of Pareto-dominance-based ranking is also presented. It is further applied to handle a practical wind generator optimal design problem. PMID:25945083

  10. Tracing remobilization of nutrients and toxic elements after application of rice straw or derived ash / biochar in paddy soils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaller, Jörg; Wang, Jiajia; Planer-Friedrich, Britta

    2017-04-01

    More than 600 million tons of rice straw are produced each year as byproduct of rice grain production. As an increasing application, besides e.g. composting or fodder for animals, the straw remains on the field for decomposition and nutrient supply. A central concern during rice cultivation is accumulation of arsenic, but it is currently unclear how the application of rice straw or derived ash or biochar to paddy soils will influence arsenic uptake by the next generation of rice plants. Consequently, we assessed the element mobilization via soil microcosm incubations with straw or derived ash or biochar or without those amendments under flooding (40 days) and subsequent drainage (14 days). We focused on elements potentially influencing the uptake of arsenic by the next generation of rice plants (e.g. silicon, phosphorus, iron), or which are nutrients but toxic themselves at higher levels (sulfur, sulfide, iron, iron(II), manganese, copper, and zinc). We found significant differences in the release of arsenic, iron(II), sulfide, total sulfur, DOC, manganese, copper, and zinc . For example highest pore water Mn and As concentrations were found for soil amended with straw, whereas the straw amendment reduced S mobilization, possibly due to sulfate reduction by straw decomposing microbes. For P, we found highest pore water concentrations for straw, followed by biochar, ash and control. In summary, application of rice straw or derived ash or biochar strongly affect the element availability in paddy soil.

  11. Method to produce biomass-derived compounds using a co-solvent system containing gamma-valerolactone

    DOEpatents

    Dumesic, James A.; Motagamwala, Ali Hussain

    2017-06-27

    A method to produce an aqueous solution of carbohydrates containing C5- and/or C6-sugar-containing oligomers and/or C5- and/or C6-sugar monomers in which biomass or a biomass-derived reactant is reacted with a solvent system having an organic solvent, and organic co-solvent, and water, in the presence of an acid. The method produces the desired product, while a substantial portion of any lignin present in the reactant appears as a precipitate in the product mixture.

  12. Potential relative increment (PRI): a new method to empirically derive optimal tree diameter growth

    Treesearch

    Don C Bragg

    2001-01-01

    Potential relative increment (PRI) is a new method to derive optimal diameter growth equations using inventory information from a large public database. Optimal growth equations for 24 species were developed using plot and tree records from several states (Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) of the North Central US. Most species were represented by thousands of...

  13. Electromagnetic Imaging Methods for Nondestructive Evaluation Applications

    PubMed Central

    Deng, Yiming; Liu, Xin

    2011-01-01

    Electromagnetic nondestructive tests are important and widely used within the field of nondestructive evaluation (NDE). The recent advances in sensing technology, hardware and software development dedicated to imaging and image processing, and material sciences have greatly expanded the application fields, sophisticated the systems design and made the potential of electromagnetic NDE imaging seemingly unlimited. This review provides a comprehensive summary of research works on electromagnetic imaging methods for NDE applications, followed by the summary and discussions on future directions. PMID:22247693

  14. Acoustic methods for cavitation mapping in biomedical applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wan, M.; Xu, S.; Ding, T.; Hu, H.; Liu, R.; Bai, C.; Lu, S.

    2015-12-01

    In recent years, cavitation is increasingly utilized in a wide range of applications in biomedical field. Monitoring the spatial-temporal evolution of cavitation bubbles is of great significance for efficiency and safety in biomedical applications. In this paper, several acoustic methods for cavitation mapping proposed or modified on the basis of existing work will be presented. The proposed novel ultrasound line-by-line/plane-by-plane method can depict cavitation bubbles distribution with high spatial and temporal resolution and may be developed as a potential standard 2D/3D cavitation field mapping method. The modified ultrafast active cavitation mapping based upon plane wave transmission and reception as well as bubble wavelet and pulse inversion technique can apparently enhance the cavitation to tissue ratio in tissue and further assist in monitoring the cavitation mediated therapy with good spatial and temporal resolution. The methods presented in this paper will be a foundation to promote the research and development of cavitation imaging in non-transparent medium.

  15. A stochastic post-processing method for solar irradiance forecasts derived from NWPs models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lara-Fanego, V.; Pozo-Vazquez, D.; Ruiz-Arias, J. A.; Santos-Alamillos, F. J.; Tovar-Pescador, J.

    2010-09-01

    Solar irradiance forecast is an important area of research for the future of the solar-based renewable energy systems. Numerical Weather Prediction models (NWPs) have proved to be a valuable tool for solar irradiance forecasting with lead time up to a few days. Nevertheless, these models show low skill in forecasting the solar irradiance under cloudy conditions. Additionally, climatic (averaged over seasons) aerosol loading are usually considered in these models, leading to considerable errors for the Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) forecasts during high aerosols load conditions. In this work we propose a post-processing method for the Global Irradiance (GHI) and DNI forecasts derived from NWPs. Particularly, the methods is based on the use of Autoregressive Moving Average with External Explanatory Variables (ARMAX) stochastic models. These models are applied to the residuals of the NWPs forecasts and uses as external variables the measured cloud fraction and aerosol loading of the day previous to the forecast. The method is evaluated for a set one-moth length three-days-ahead forecast of the GHI and DNI, obtained based on the WRF mesoscale atmospheric model, for several locations in Andalusia (Southern Spain). The Cloud fraction is derived from MSG satellite estimates and the aerosol loading from the MODIS platform estimates. Both sources of information are readily available at the time of the forecast. Results showed a considerable improvement of the forecasting skill of the WRF model using the proposed post-processing method. Particularly, relative improvement (in terms of the RMSE) for the DNI during summer is about 20%. A similar value is obtained for the GHI during the winter.

  16. Welcome to Methods and Applications in Fluorescence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Birch, David; Mély, Yves; Wolfbeis, Otto S.

    2013-03-01

    On behalf of the Editorial Board of Methods and Applications in Fluorescence and IOP Publishing we are delighted to invite you to read the first articles in our new journal. Methods and Applications in Fluorescence is forged out of the renowned MAF conference series of the same name and we fully expect the natural synergy between the two to provide the ideal platform for moving the field of fluorescence forward. Our aim is for this new journal to reflect the truly global and diverse impact fluorescence is having across many disciplines and help fluorescence achieve its full potential. Just as MAF is the leading conference in fluorescence we are confident of the high impact of this new journal. Methods and Applications in Fluorescence has a distinguished Editorial Board that is drawn from the MAF conference Permanent Steering Committee. Together with the Editorial Board and the rest of the community, the journal will closely track the very latest developments in fluorescence while delivering a fair and constructive review process. We are very pleased that this journal is backed by the Institute of Physics, one of the world's premier learned societies. IOP Publishing has a wealth of experience in science publishing that dates back to 1874. It is a not-for-profit organization that publishes over 60 journals, many on multidisciplinary topics and many including seminal contributions from Nobel Laureates. Any funding surplus generated by IOP Publishing goes directly back into science through the Institute of Physics, thus helping to nurture science for future generations. We invite submissions as regular articles, review articles and technical notes within the scope of the journal, which includes all the major aspects of fluorescence. This covers both theory and experiment across spectroscopy, imaging, materials, labels, probes and sensors. The applications of fluorescence to emerging areas in bionanotechnology, nanotechnology and medicine are very much part of the

  17. Welcome to Methods and Applications in Fluorescence.

    PubMed

    Birch, David; Mély, Yves; Wolfbeis, Otto S

    2013-01-28

    On behalf of the Editorial Board of Methods and Applications in Fluorescence and IOP Publishing we are delighted to invite you to read the first articles in our new journal. Methods and Applications in Fluorescence is forged out of the renowned MAF conference series of the same name and we fully expect the natural synergy between the two to provide the ideal platform for moving the field of fluorescence forward. Our aim is for this new journal to reflect the truly global and diverse impact fluorescence is having across many disciplines and help fluorescence achieve its full potential. Just as MAF is the leading conference in fluorescence we are confident of the high impact of this new journal. Methods and Applications in Fluorescence has a distinguished Editorial Board that is drawn from the MAF conference Permanent Steering Committee. Together with the Editorial Board and the rest of the community, the journal will closely track the very latest developments in fluorescence while delivering a fair and constructive review process. We are very pleased that this journal is backed by the Institute of Physics, one of the world's premier learned societies. IOP Publishing has a wealth of experience in science publishing that dates back to 1874. It is a not-for-profit organization that publishes over 60 journals, many on multidisciplinary topics and many including seminal contributions from Nobel Laureates. Any funding surplus generated by IOP Publishing goes directly back into science through the Institute of Physics, thus helping to nurture science for future generations. We invite submissions as regular articles, review articles and technical notes within the scope of the journal, which includes all the major aspects of fluorescence. This covers both theory and experiment across spectroscopy, imaging, materials, labels, probes and sensors. The applications of fluorescence to emerging areas in bionanotechnology, nanotechnology and medicine are very much part of the

  18. "Geo-statistics methods and neural networks in geophysical applications: A case study"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodriguez Sandoval, R.; Urrutia Fucugauchi, J.; Ramirez Cruz, L. C.

    2008-12-01

    The study is focus in the Ebano-Panuco basin of northeastern Mexico, which is being explored for hydrocarbon reservoirs. These reservoirs are in limestones and there is interest in determining porosity and permeability in the carbonate sequences. The porosity maps presented in this study are estimated from application of multiattribute and neural networks techniques, which combine geophysics logs and 3-D seismic data by means of statistical relationships. The multiattribute analysis is a process to predict a volume of any underground petrophysical measurement from well-log and seismic data. The data consist of a series of target logs from wells which tie a 3-D seismic volume. The target logs are neutron porosity logs. From the 3-D seismic volume a series of sample attributes is calculated. The objective of this study is to derive a set of attributes and the target log values. The selected set is determined by a process of forward stepwise regression. The analysis can be linear or nonlinear. In the linear mode the method consists of a series of weights derived by least-square minimization. In the nonlinear mode, a neural network is trained using the select attributes as inputs. In this case we used a probabilistic neural network PNN. The method is applied to a real data set from PEMEX. For better reservoir characterization the porosity distribution was estimated using both techniques. The case shown a continues improvement in the prediction of the porosity from the multiattribute to the neural network analysis. The improvement is in the training and the validation, which are important indicators of the reliability of the results. The neural network showed an improvement in resolution over the multiattribute analysis. The final maps provide more realistic results of the porosity distribution.

  19. q-Derivatives, quantization methods and q-algebras

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

    Twarock, Reidun

    1998-12-15

    Using the example of Borel quantization on S{sup 1}, we discuss the relation between quantization methods and q-algebras. In particular, it is shown that a q-deformation of the Witt algebra with generators labeled by Z is realized by q-difference operators. This leads to a discrete quantum mechanics. Because of Z, the discretization is equidistant. As an approach to a non-equidistant discretization of quantum mechanics one can change the Witt algebra using not the number field Z as labels but a quadratic extension of Z characterized by an irrational number {tau}. This extension is denoted as quasi-crystal Lie algebra, because thismore » is a relation to one-dimensional quasicrystals. The q-deformation of this quasicrystal Lie algebra is discussed. It is pointed out that quasicrystal Lie algebras can be considered also as a 'deformed' Witt algebra with a 'deformation' of the labeling number field. Their application to the theory is discussed.« less

  20. Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Phenothiazine and Quinoline Derivatives

    PubMed Central

    Găină, Luiza; Cristea, Castelia; Moldovan, Claudia; Porumb, Dan; Surducan, Emanoil; Deleanu, Călin; Mahamoud, Abdalah; Barbe, Jacques; Silberg, Ioan A.

    2007-01-01

    Application of a dynamic microwave power system in the chemical synthesis of some phenothiazine and quinoline derivatives is described. Heterocyclic ring formation, aromatic nucleophilic substitution and heterocyclic aldehydes/ketones condensation reactions were performed on solid support, or under solvent free reaction conditions. The microwave-assisted Duff formylation of phenothiazine was achieved. Comparison of microwave-assisted synthesis with the conventional synthetic methods demonstrates advantages related to shorter reaction times and in some cases better reaction yields.

  1. Application Profile Matching Method for Employees Online Recruitment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sunarti; Rangga, Rahmadian Y.; Marlim, Yulvia Nora

    2017-12-01

    Employees is one of the determinant factors of company’s success. Thus, reliable human resources are needed to support the survival of the company. This research takes case study at PT. Asuransi Bina Dana Arta, Tbk Pekanbaru Branch. Employee recruitment system at PT. Asuransi Bina Dana Arta, Tbk Pekanbaru Branch still uses manual system as seen in application letter files file so it needs long time to determine accepted and rejected the application. For that it needs to built a system or application that allows companies in determining employees who accepted or rejected easily. Pofile Matching Method is a process of competency assessment that is done by comparing the value of written, psychological and interview test between one applicationt with other. PT. Asuransi Bina Dana Arta, Tbk Pekanbaru branch set the percentage to calculate NCF (Core Factor Value) by 60% and NSF (Secondary Factor Value) by 40%, and set the percentage to calculate the total value of written test by 40%, the total value of psycho test by 30%, and the total value of interview 30%. The final result of this study is to determine the rank or ranking of each applicant based on the greater value which, the greater that score of final result of an application get, the greater the chance of the applicant occupy a position or vacancy. Online Recruitment application uses profile matching method can help employee selection process and employee acceptance decisions quickly. This system can be viewed by directors or owners anywhere because it is online and used for other company branch

  2. Four Derivative Spectrophotometric Methods for the Simultaneous Determination of Carmoisine and Ponceau 4R in Drinks and Comparison with High Performance Liquid Chromatography

    PubMed Central

    Turak, Fatma; Dinç, Mithat; Dülger, Öznur; Özgür, Mahmure Ustun

    2014-01-01

    Four simple, rapid, and accurate spectrophotometric methods were developed for the simultaneous determination of two food colorants, Carmoisine (E122) and Ponceau 4R (E124), in their binary mixtures and soft drinks. The first method is based on recording the first derivative curves and determining each component using the zero-crossing technique. The second method uses the first derivative of ratio spectra. The ratio spectra are obtained by dividing the absorption spectra of the binary mixture by that of one of the components. The third method, derivative differential procedure, is based on the measurement of difference absorptivities derivatized in first order of solution of drink samples in 0,1 N NaOH relative to that of an equimolar solution in 0,1 N HCl at wavelengths of 366 and 451 nm for Carmoisine and Ponceau 4R, respectively. The last method, based on the compensation method is presented for derivative spectrophotometric determination of E122 and E124 mixtures with overlapping spectra. By using ratios of the derivative maxima, the exact compensation of either component in the mixture can be achieved, followed by its determination. These proposed methods have been successfully applied to the binary mixtures and soft drinks and the results were statistically compared with the reference HPLC method (NMKL 130). PMID:24672549

  3. Future Directions of Electromagnetic Methods for Hydrocarbon Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strack, K. M.

    2014-01-01

    For hydrocarbon applications, seismic exploration is the workhorse of the industry. Only in the borehole, electromagnetic (EM) methods play a dominant role, as they are mostly used to determine oil reserves and to distinguish water from oil-bearing zones. Throughout the past 60 years, we had several periods with an increased interest in EM. This increased with the success of the marine EM industry and now electromagnetics in general is considered for many new applications. The classic electromagnetic methods are borehole, onshore and offshore, and airborne EM methods. Airborne is covered elsewhere (see Smith, this issue). Marine EM material is readily available from the service company Web sites, and here I will only mention some future technical directions that are visible. The marine EM success is being carried back to the onshore market, fueled by geothermal and unconventional hydrocarbon applications. Oil companies are listening to pro-EM arguments, but still are hesitant to go through the learning exercises as early adopters. In particular, the huge business drivers of shale hydrocarbons and reservoir monitoring will bring markets many times bigger than the entire marine EM market. Additional applications include support for seismic operations, sub-salt, and sub-basalt, all areas where seismic exploration is costly and inefficient. Integration with EM will allow novel seismic methods to be applied. In the borehole, anisotropy measurements, now possible, form the missing link between surface measurements and ground truth. Three-dimensional (3D) induction measurements are readily available from several logging contractors. The trend to logging-while-drilling measurements will continue with many more EM technologies, and the effort of controlling the drill bit while drilling including look-ahead-and-around the drill bit is going on. Overall, the market for electromagnetics is increasing, and a demand for EM capable professionals will continue. The emphasis will

  4. A comparative study of novel spectrophotometric methods based on isosbestic points; application on a pharmaceutical ternary mixture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lotfy, Hayam M.; Saleh, Sarah S.; Hassan, Nagiba Y.; Salem, Hesham

    This work represents the application of the isosbestic points present in different absorption spectra. Three novel spectrophotometric methods were developed, the first method is the absorption subtraction method (AS) utilizing the isosbestic point in zero-order absorption spectra; the second method is the amplitude modulation method (AM) utilizing the isosbestic point in ratio spectra; and third method is the amplitude summation method (A-Sum) utilizing the isosbestic point in derivative spectra. The three methods were applied for the analysis of the ternary mixture of chloramphenicol (CHL), dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DXM) and tetryzoline hydrochloride (TZH) in eye drops in the presence of benzalkonium chloride as a preservative. The components at the isosbestic point were determined using the corresponding unified regression equation at this point with no need for a complementary method. The obtained results were statistically compared to each other and to that of the developed PLS model. The specificity of the developed methods was investigated by analyzing laboratory prepared mixtures and the combined dosage form. The methods were validated as per ICH guidelines where accuracy, repeatability, inter-day precision and robustness were found to be within the acceptable limits. The results obtained from the proposed methods were statistically compared with official ones where no significant difference was observed.

  5. Higher-derivative operators and effective field theory for general scalar-tensor theories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Solomon, Adam R.; Trodden, Mark

    2018-02-01

    We discuss the extent to which it is necessary to include higher-derivative operators in the effective field theory of general scalar-tensor theories. We explore the circumstances under which it is correct to restrict to second-order operators only, and demonstrate this using several different techniques, such as reduction of order and explicit field redefinitions. These methods are applied, in particular, to the much-studied Horndeski theories. The goal is to clarify the application of effective field theory techniques in the context of popular cosmological models, and to explicitly demonstrate how and when higher-derivative operators can be cast into lower-derivative forms suitable for numerical solution techniques.

  6. Application of geo-information science methods in ecotourism exploitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Suocheng; Hou, Xiaoli

    2004-11-01

    Application of geo-information science methods in ecotourism development was discussed in the article. Since 1990s, geo-information science methods, which take the 3S (Geographic Information System, Global Positioning System, and Remote Sensing) as core techniques, has played an important role in resources reconnaissance, data management, environment monitoring, and regional planning. Geo-information science methods can easily analyze and convert geographic spatial data. The application of 3S methods is helpful to sustainable development in tourism. Various assignments are involved in the development of ecotourism, such as reconnaissance of ecotourism resources, drawing of tourism maps, dealing with mass data, and also tourism information inquire, employee management, quality management of products. The utilization of geo-information methods in ecotourism can make the development more efficient by promoting the sustainable development of tourism and the protection of eco-environment.

  7. Determination of lateral-stability derivatives and transfer-function coefficients from frequency-response data for lateral motions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Donegan, James J; Robinson, Samuel W , Jr; Gates, Ordway, B , jr

    1955-01-01

    A method is presented for determining the lateral-stability derivatives, transfer-function coefficients, and the modes for lateral motion from frequency-response data for a rigid aircraft. The method is based on the application of the vector technique to the equations of lateral motion, so that the three equations of lateral motion can be separated into six equations. The method of least squares is then applied to the data for each of these equations to yield the coefficients of the equations of lateral motion from which the lateral-stability derivatives and lateral transfer-function coefficients are computed. Two numerical examples are given to demonstrate the use of the method.

  8. Design and Synthesis of a Novel Class of Flavonoid Derivatives via Sequential Phosphorylation and its Application for Greener Nanoparticle Synthesis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Osonga, Francis Juma

    Flavonoids exhibit arrays of biological effects that are beneficial to humans, including anti-viral, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects. However, these applications have been hindered by their poor stability and solubility in common solvents. Consequently, there is significant interest in the modification of flavonoids to improve their solubility. This poor solubility is also believed to be responsible for its permeability and bioavailability. Hence the central goal of this work is to design synthetic strategies for the sequential protection of the -OH groups in order to produce phosphorylated quercetin and apigenin derivatives. This work is divided into two parts: the first part presents the design, synthesis, and characterization of novel flavonoid derivatives via global and sequential phosphorylation. The second part focuses on the application of the synthesized derivatives for greener nanoparticle synthesis. This work shows for the first time that sequential phosphorylation of Quercetin is feasible through the design of 4 new derivatives namely: 5,4'-O-Quercetin Diphosphate (QDPI), 4'-O-phosphate Quercetin (4'-QPI), 5,4'-Quercetin Diphosphate (5,4'-QDP) and monophosphate 4-QP. The synthesis of 4'-QP and 5, 4'-QDP was successful with 85% and 60.5% yields respectively. In addition, the progress towards the total synthesis of apigenin phosphate derivatives (7, 4'-ADP and 7-AP) is presented. The synthesized derivatives were characterized using 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR. The phosphorylated derivatives were subsequently explored as reducing agents for sustainable synthesis of gold, silver and copper nanoparticles. We have successfully demonstrated the photochemical synthesis of gold nanoplates of sizes ranging from 10 - 200 nm using water soluble QDP in the presence of sunlight. This work contributes immensely in promoting the ideals of green nanosynthesis by (i) eliminating the use of organic solvents in the nanosynthesis, (ii) exploiting the

  9. [The development and validation of the methods for the quantitative determination of sibutramine derivatives in dietary supplements].

    PubMed

    Stern, K I; Malkova, T L

    The objective of the present study was the development and validation of sibutramine demethylated derivatives, desmethyl sibutramine and didesmethyl sibutramine. Gas-liquid chromatography with the flame ionization detector was used for the quantitative determination of the above substances in dietary supplements. The conditions for the chromatographic determination of the analytes in the presence of the reference standard, methyl stearate, were proposed allowing to achieve the efficient separation. The method has the necessary sensitivity, specificity, linearity, accuracy, and precision (on the intra-day and inter-day basis) which suggests its good validation characteristics. The proposed method can be employed in the analytical laboratories for the quantitative determination of sibutramine derivatives in biologically active dietary supplements.

  10. Electron density and electron temperature measurement in a bi-Maxwellian electron distribution using a derivative method of Langmuir probes

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

    Choi, Ikjin; Chung, ChinWook; Youn Moon, Se

    2013-08-15

    In plasma diagnostics with a single Langmuir probe, the electron temperature T{sub e} is usually obtained from the slope of the logarithm of the electron current or from the electron energy probability functions of current (I)-voltage (V) curve. Recently, Chen [F. F. Chen, Phys. Plasmas 8, 3029 (2001)] suggested a derivative analysis method to obtain T{sub e} by the ratio between the probe current and the derivative of the probe current at a plasma potential where the ion current becomes zero. Based on this method, electron temperatures and electron densities were measured and compared with those from the electron energymore » distribution function (EEDF) measurement in Maxwellian and bi-Maxwellian electron distribution conditions. In a bi-Maxwellian electron distribution, we found the electron temperature T{sub e} obtained from the method is always lower than the effective temperatures T{sub eff} derived from EEDFs. The theoretical analysis for this is presented.« less

  11. Synthesis and characterization of eggshell-derived hydroxyapatite via mechanochemical method: A comparative study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamidi, A. A.; Salimi, M. N.; Yusoff, A. H. M.

    2017-04-01

    The focus of bone graft properties has developed through generations, from the ability to withstand mechanical stress to the ability to integrate with the biological structure. In recent years, the use of hydroxyapatite (HA) as bone graft material in orthopedic and dental applications has been increasing. HA is a natural occuring mineral with excellent bioactivity but relatively poor mechanical properties. It constitutes 96% portion of enamel in teeth and 67% portion of bone. HA can be extracted from animal bones or fabricated from synthetic or biologic sources. In this study, eggshells were used as raw material to synthesize eggshell-derived HA (EHA) via mechanochemical method. The synthesis of EHA involved CaO, which was obtained from the calcination of eggshells, and reaction with dicalcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrous (DCPD) or phosphoric acid (H3PO4). The effects of rotational speed and heat treatment temperature on EHA's characteristics were investigated. The characterization studies were carried out by using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). HA powder was successfully synthesized with crystallite and particle sizes in the range of 8-47 nm and 250-550 nm respectively. It was observed from this study that the increase of milling rotational speed had increased the phase purity of EHA samples. Furthermore, the higher heating temperature of HA samples resulted in higher degree of crystallinity of HA and the appearance of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) as secondary phase.

  12. Handling of subpixel structures in the application of satellite derived irradiance data for solar energy system analysis - a review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beyer, Hans Georg

    2016-04-01

    With the increasing availability of satellite derived irradiance information, this type of data set is more and more in use for the design and operation of solar energy systems, most notably PV- and CSP-systems. By this, the need for data measured on-site is reduced. However, due to basic limitations of the satellite-derived data, several requirements put by the intended application cannot be coped with this data type directly. Traw satellite information has to be enhanced in both space and time resolution by additional information to be fully applicable for all aspects of the modelling od solar energy systems. To cope with this problem, several individual and collaborative projects had been performed in the recent years or are ongoing. Approaches are on one hand based on pasting synthesized high-resolution data into the low-resolution original sets. Pre-requite is an appropriate model, validated against real world data. For the case of irradiance data, these models can be extracted either directly from ground measured data sets or from data referring to the cloud situation as gained from the images of sky cameras or from monte -carlo initialized physical models. The current models refer to the spatial structure of the cloud fields. Dynamics are imposed by moving the cloud structures according to a large scale cloud motion vector, either extracted from the dynamics interfered from consecutive satellite images or taken from a meso-scale meteorological model. Dynamic irradiance information is then derived from the cloud field structure and the cloud motion vector. This contribution, which is linked to subtask A - Solar Resource Applications for High Penetration of Solar Technologies - of IEA SHC task 46, will present the different approaches and discuss examples in view of validation, need for auxiliary information and respective general applicability.

  13. Minimal Residual Disease Assessment in Lymphoma: Methods and Applications.

    PubMed

    Herrera, Alex F; Armand, Philippe

    2017-12-01

    Standard methods for disease response assessment in patients with lymphoma, including positron emission tomography and computed tomography scans, are imperfect. In other hematologic malignancies, particularly leukemias, the ability to detect minimal residual disease (MRD) is increasingly influencing treatment paradigms. However, in many subtypes of lymphoma, the application of MRD assessment techniques, like flow cytometry or polymerase chain reaction-based methods, has been challenging because of the absence of readily detected circulating disease or canonic chromosomal translocations. Newer MRD detection methods that use next-generation sequencing have yielded promising results in a number of lymphoma subtypes, fueling the hope that MRD detection may soon be applicable in clinical practice for most patients with lymphoma. MRD assessment can provide real-time information about tumor burden and response to therapy, noninvasive genomic profiling, and monitoring of clonal dynamics, allowing for many possible applications that could significantly affect the care of patients with lymphoma. Further validation of MRD assessment methods, including the incorporation of MRD assessment into clinical trials in patients with lymphoma, will be critical to determine how best to deploy MRD testing in routine practice and whether MRD assessment can ultimately bring us closer to the goal of personalized lymphoma care. In this review article, we describe the methods available for detecting MRD in patients with lymphoma and their relative advantages and disadvantages. We discuss preliminary results supporting the potential applications for MRD testing in the care of patients with lymphoma and strategies for including MRD assessment in lymphoma clinical trials.

  14. Technical Note: A simple method for air-sea gas exchange measurements in mesocosms and its application in carbon budgeting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Czerny, J.; Schulz, K. G.; Ludwig, A.; Riebesell, U.

    2013-03-01

    Mesocosms as large experimental units provide the opportunity to perform elemental mass balance calculations, e.g. to derive net biological turnover rates. However, the system is in most cases not closed at the water surface and gases exchange with the atmosphere. Previous attempts to budget carbon pools in mesocosms relied on educated guesses concerning the exchange of CO2 with the atmosphere. Here, we present a simple method for precise determination of air-sea gas exchange in mesocosms using N2O as a deliberate tracer. Beside the application for carbon budgeting, transfer velocities can be used to calculate exchange rates of any gas of known concentration, e.g. to calculate aquatic production rates of climate relevant trace gases. Using an arctic KOSMOS (Kiel Off Shore Mesocosms for future Ocean Simulation) experiment as an exemplary dataset, it is shown that the presented method improves accuracy of carbon budget estimates substantially. Methodology of manipulation, measurement, data processing and conversion to CO2 fluxes are explained. A theoretical discussion of prerequisites for precise gas exchange measurements provides a guideline for the applicability of the method under various experimental conditions.

  15. Geometrically derived difference formulae for the numerical integration of trajectory problems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcleod, R. J. Y.; Sanz-Serna, J. M.

    1981-01-01

    The term 'trajectory problem' is taken to include problems that can arise, for instance, in connection with contour plotting, or in the application of continuation methods, or during phase-plane analysis. Geometrical techniques are used to construct difference methods for these problems to produce in turn explicit and implicit circularly exact formulae. Based on these formulae, a predictor-corrector method is derived which, when compared with a closely related standard method, shows improved performance. It is found that this latter method produces spurious limit cycles, and this behavior is partly analyzed. Finally, a simple variable-step algorithm is constructed and tested.

  16. Synthesis and characterization of [BMIM]bromide using microwave-assisted organic synthesis method and its application for dissolution of palm empty fruit bunch

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

    Arianie, Lucy, E-mail: lucy205@yahoo.com; Wahyuningrum, Deana, E-mail: deana@chem.itb.ac.id; Nurrachman, Zeily, E-mail: deana@chem.itb.ac.id

    The decrease of cellulose crystallinity index of palm empty fruit bunch is crucial for the next application of cellulose as raw material for various biofuel and its derivatives. The aim of this research is to decrease the cellulose crystallinity index of palm empty fruit bunch using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazoliumbromide or [BMIM] bromide which has been synthesized using Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS) method. Conventional reaction method has also been carried out to synthesize [BMIM]bromide for comparison as well. The characterization of synthesized product using FTIR, {sup 1}H-NMR, {sup 13}C-NMR and LC-MS showed that these reactions have been carried out successfully. The results showedmore » that MAOS method is up to 90% faster in producing [BMIM]bromide compare to the conventional method. The application of [BMIM]bromide for dissolution of palm empty fruit bunch showed that cellulose and lignin could be extracted using stirring process for 20 hours. The decrease of cellulose crystallinity index and its morphology changes were identified using FTIR and Scanning Electron Microscope.« less

  17. Synthesis and characterization of [BMIM]bromide using microwave-assisted organic synthesis method and its application for dissolution of palm empty fruit bunch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arianie, Lucy; Wahyuningrum, Deana; Nurrachman, Zeily; Natalia, Dessy

    2014-03-01

    The decrease of cellulose crystallinity index of palm empty fruit bunch is crucial for the next application of cellulose as raw material for various biofuel and its derivatives. The aim of this research is to decrease the cellulose crystallinity index of palm empty fruit bunch using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazoliumbromide or [BMIM] bromide which has been synthesized using Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS) method. Conventional reaction method has also been carried out to synthesize [BMIM]bromide for comparison as well. The characterization of synthesized product using FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and LC-MS showed that these reactions have been carried out successfully. The results showed that MAOS method is up to 90% faster in producing [BMIM]bromide compare to the conventional method. The application of [BMIM]bromide for dissolution of palm empty fruit bunch showed that cellulose and lignin could be extracted using stirring process for 20 hours. The decrease of cellulose crystallinity index and its morphology changes were identified using FTIR and Scanning Electron Microscope.

  18. Comparison of formant detection methods used in speech processing applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belean, Bogdan

    2013-11-01

    The paper describes time frequency representations of speech signal together with the formant significance in speech processing applications. Speech formants can be used in emotion recognition, sex discrimination or diagnosing different neurological diseases. Taking into account the various applications of formant detection in speech signal, two methods for detecting formants are presented. First, the poles resulted after a complex analysis of LPC coefficients are used for formants detection. The second approach uses the Kalman filter for formant prediction along the speech signal. Results are presented for both approaches on real life speech spectrograms. A comparison regarding the features of the proposed methods is also performed, in order to establish which method is more suitable in case of different speech processing applications.

  19. A kernel machine method for detecting effects of interaction between multidimensional variable sets: an imaging genetics application.

    PubMed

    Ge, Tian; Nichols, Thomas E; Ghosh, Debashis; Mormino, Elizabeth C; Smoller, Jordan W; Sabuncu, Mert R

    2015-04-01

    Measurements derived from neuroimaging data can serve as markers of disease and/or healthy development, are largely heritable, and have been increasingly utilized as (intermediate) phenotypes in genetic association studies. To date, imaging genetic studies have mostly focused on discovering isolated genetic effects, typically ignoring potential interactions with non-genetic variables such as disease risk factors, environmental exposures, and epigenetic markers. However, identifying significant interaction effects is critical for revealing the true relationship between genetic and phenotypic variables, and shedding light on disease mechanisms. In this paper, we present a general kernel machine based method for detecting effects of the interaction between multidimensional variable sets. This method can model the joint and epistatic effect of a collection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), accommodate multiple factors that potentially moderate genetic influences, and test for nonlinear interactions between sets of variables in a flexible framework. As a demonstration of application, we applied the method to the data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to detect the effects of the interactions between candidate Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk genes and a collection of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, on hippocampal volume measurements derived from structural brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Our method identified that two genes, CR1 and EPHA1, demonstrate significant interactions with CVD risk factors on hippocampal volume, suggesting that CR1 and EPHA1 may play a role in influencing AD-related neurodegeneration in the presence of CVD risks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Synthesis, screening, and nanocrystals preparation of rhein amide derivatives.

    PubMed

    Chen, Lijiang; Zhang, Jinfeng; Rong, Jinghong; Liu, Yu; Zhao, Jinhua; Cui, Qingguo; Wang, Xin; Liang, Xiao; Pan, Hao; Liu, Hongsheng

    2018-04-23

    Rhein (RH) have many bioactivities, but the application was limited of its poor solubility. The present study aimed to establish an efficient method for the synthesis of rhein amide derivatives (RAD) to increase the solubility and anti-tumor activity. RAD exhibited stronger anti-tumor activity than RH in MTT assay. The solubility and oil/water partition coefficient results indicated that rhein-phenylalanine and rhein-isoleucine have better absorption effect, which was consolidated in pharmacokinetic study. Then, rhein-phenylalanine and rhein-isoleucine were prepared into nanocrystals via the precipitation-high pressure homogenization method. Additionally, the nanocrystals both displayed much higher dissolution profiles than the bulk drugs. Pharmacokinetics study indicated that the AUC 0-∞ and C max of nanocrystals increased markedly (p < 0.01). However, the concentration of RH-Phe-NC was far less than RH-Ile-NC in plasma. Consequently, RH-Ile-NC was validated to be an applicable way to improve the bioavailability of RH, which owns a promising future in clinical application.

  1. Physicochemical characterization of porcine bone-derived grafting material and comparison with bovine xenografts for dental applications.

    PubMed

    Lee, Jung Heon; Yi, Gyu Sung; Lee, Jin Woong; Kim, Deug Joong

    2017-12-01

    The physicochemical properties of a xenograft are very important because they strongly influence the bone regeneration capabilities of the graft material. Even though porcine xenografts have many advantages, only a few porcine xenografts are commercially available, and most of their physicochemical characteristics have yet to be reported. Thus, in this work we aimed to investigate the physicochemical characteristics of a porcine bone grafting material and compare them with those of 2 commercially available bovine xenografts to assess the potential of xenogenic porcine bone graft materials for dental applications. We used various characterization techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller adsorption method, atomic force microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and others, to compare the physicochemical properties of xenografts of different origins. The porcine bone grafting material had relatively high porosity (78.4%) and a large average specific surface area (SSA; 69.9 m 2 /g), with high surface roughness (10-point average roughness, 4.47 µm) and sub-100-nm hydroxyapatite crystals on the surface. Moreover, this material presented a significant fraction of sub-100-nm pores, with negligible amounts of residual organic substances. Apart from some minor differences, the overall characteristics of the porcine bone grafting material were very similar to those of one of the bovine bone grafting material. However, many of these morphostructural properties were significantly different from the other bovine bone grafting material, which exhibited relatively smooth surface morphology with a porosity of 62.0% and an average SSA of 0.5 m 2 /g. Considering that both bovine bone grafting materials have been successfully used in oral surgery applications in the last few decades, this work shows that the porcine-derived grafting material possesses most of the key physiochemical characteristics required for its

  2. Development and Validation of Stability-Indicating Derivative Spectrophotometric Methods for Determination of Dronedarone Hydrochloride

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chadha, R.; Bali, A.

    2016-05-01

    Rapid, sensitive, cost effective and reproducible stability-indicating derivative spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the estimation of dronedarone HCl employing peak-zero (P-0) and peak-peak (P-P) techniques, and their stability-indicating potential assessed in forced degraded solutions of the drug. The methods were validated with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision and robustness. Excellent linearity was observed in concentrations 2-40 μg/ml ( r 2 = 0.9986). LOD and LOQ values for the proposed methods ranged from 0.42-0.46 μg/ml and 1.21-1.27 μg/ml, respectively, and excellent recovery of the drug was obtained in the tablet samples (99.70 ± 0.84%).

  3. Higuchi equation: derivation, applications, use and misuse.

    PubMed

    Siepmann, Juergen; Peppas, Nicholas A

    2011-10-10

    Fifty years ago, the legendary Professor Takeru Higuchi published the derivation of an equation that allowed for the quantification of drug release from thin ointment films, containing finely dispersed drug into a perfect sink. This became the famous Higuchi equation whose fiftieth anniversary we celebrate this year. Despite the complexity of the involved mass transport processes, Higuchi derived a very simple equation, which is easy to use. Based on a pseudo-steady-state approach, a direct proportionality between the cumulative amount of drug released and the square root of time can be demonstrated. In contrast to various other "square root of time" release kinetics, the constant of proportionality in the classical Higuchi equation has a specific, physically realistic meaning. The major benefits of this equation include the possibility to: (i) facilitate device optimization, and (ii) to better understand the underlying drug release mechanisms. The equation can also be applied to other types of drug delivery systems than thin ointment films, e.g., controlled release transdermal patches or films for oral controlled drug delivery. Later, the equation was extended to other geometries and related theories have been proposed. The aim of this review is to highlight the assumptions the derivation of the classical Higuchi equation is based on and to give an overview on the use and potential misuse of this equation as well as of related theories. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Methods for isolation of marine-derived endophytic fungi and their bioactive secondary products.

    PubMed

    Kjer, Julia; Debbab, Abdessamad; Aly, Amal H; Proksch, Peter

    2010-03-01

    Marine-derived fungi have been shown in recent years to produce a plethora of new bioactive secondary metabolites, some of them featuring new carbon frameworks hitherto unprecedented in nature. These compounds are of interest as new lead structures for medicine as well as for plant protection. The aim of this protocol is to give a detailed description of methods useful for the isolation and cultivation of fungi associated with various marine organisms (sponges, algae and mangrove plants) for the extraction, characterization and structure elucidation of biologically active secondary metabolites produced by these marine-derived endophytic fungi, and for the preliminary evaluation of their pharmacological properties based on rapid 'in house' screening systems. Some results exemplifying the positive outcomes of the protocol are given at the end. From sampling in marine environment to completion of the structure elucidation and bioactivity screening, a period of at least 3 months has to be scheduled.

  5. Exponential-fitted methods for integrating stiff systems of ordinary differential equations: Applications to homogeneous gas-phase chemical kinetics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pratt, D. T.

    1984-01-01

    Conventional algorithms for the numerical integration of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are based on the use of polynomial functions as interpolants. However, the exact solutions of stiff ODEs behave like decaying exponential functions, which are poorly approximated by polynomials. An obvious choice of interpolant are the exponential functions themselves, or their low-order diagonal Pade (rational function) approximants. A number of explicit, A-stable, integration algorithms were derived from the use of a three-parameter exponential function as interpolant, and their relationship to low-order, polynomial-based and rational-function-based implicit and explicit methods were shown by examining their low-order diagonal Pade approximants. A robust implicit formula was derived by exponential fitting the trapezoidal rule. Application of these algorithms to integration of the ODEs governing homogenous, gas-phase chemical kinetics was demonstrated in a developmental code CREK1D, which compares favorably with the Gear-Hindmarsh code LSODE in spite of the use of a primitive stepsize control strategy.

  6. A Novel Human Adipocyte-derived Basement Membrane for Tissue Engineering Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Damm, Aaron

    Tissue engineering strategies have traditionally focused on the use of synthetic polymers as support scaffolds for cell growth. Recently, strategies have shifted towards a natural biologically derived scaffold, with the main focus on decellularized organs. Here, we report the development and engineering of a scaffold naturally secreted by human preadipocytes during differentiation. During this differentiation process, the preadipocytes remodel the extracellular matrix by releasing new extracellular proteins. Finally, we investigated the viability of the new basement membrane as a scaffold for tissue engineering using human pancreatic islets, and as a scaffold for soft tissue repair. After identifying the original scaffold material, we sought to improve the yield of material, treating the cell as a bioreactor, through various nutritional and cytokine stimuli. The results suggest that adipocytes can be used as bioreactors to produce a designer-specified engineered human extracellular matrix scaffold for specific tissue engineering applications.

  7. Enantioselective gamma- and delta-Borylation of Unsaturated Carbonyl Derivatives: Synthesis, Mechanistic Insights, and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoang, Gia L.

    Chiral boronic esters are valuable synthetic intermediates widely used in a variety of stereospecific transformations. Transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric hydroboration (CAHB) of alkenes is among the most popular methods for their preparation. Enantioselective hydroboration of activated alkenes (i.e., vinyl arene derivatives or conjugated carbonyl compounds) have been extensively studied by many research groups. We, on the other hand, are interested in enantioselective hydroboration of unactivated alkenes utilizing coordinating functional groups (e.g., carbonyl derivatives) to give functionalized, chiral boronic esters. While conjugate addition and C-H activation methodologies provide efficient alternatives to CAHB for enantioselective beta-borylation of carbonyl compounds, direct gamma- and delta-borylations were essentially unknown prior to our wok on CAHB. The gamma-borylated products were used for understanding stereochemical aspects of Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions resulting in stereoretention and in contrast to similar beta-borylated carbonyl derivatives reported in literature. Some other selected transformations were carried out to construct a number of biologically relevant structural motifs, such as lignan precursors, 1,4-amino alcohols, gamma-amino acid derivatives, 5-substitued-gamma-lactone and lactam ring systems. In addition, collaborative experimental and computational studies of the enantioselective desymmetrization via CAHB gain a better understanding of the mechanistic pathways.

  8. Applications of alignment-free methods in epigenomics.

    PubMed

    Pinello, Luca; Lo Bosco, Giosuè; Yuan, Guo-Cheng

    2014-05-01

    Epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in the regulation of cell type-specific gene activities, yet how epigenetic patterns are established and maintained remains poorly understood. Recent studies have supported a role of DNA sequences in recruitment of epigenetic regulators. Alignment-free methods have been applied to identify distinct sequence features that are associated with epigenetic patterns and to predict epigenomic profiles. Here, we review recent advances in such applications, including the methods to map DNA sequence to feature space, sequence comparison and prediction models. Computational studies using these methods have provided important insights into the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms.

  9. Study of Adaptive Mathematical Models for Deriving Automated Pilot Performance Measurement Techniques. Volume I. Model Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connelly, Edward A.; And Others

    A new approach to deriving human performance measures and criteria for use in automatically evaluating trainee performance is documented in this report. The ultimate application of the research is to provide methods for automatically measuring pilot performance in a flight simulator or from recorded in-flight data. An efficient method of…

  10. An Investigation of Applications for Thermodynamic Work Potential Methods: Working Tables and Charts for Estimation of Thermodynamic Work Potential in Equilibrium Mixtures of Jet-A and Air

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mavris, Dimitri; Roth, Bryce; McDonald, Rob

    2002-01-01

    The objective of this report is to provide a tool to facilitate the application of thermodynamic work potential methods to aircraft and engine analysis. This starts with a discussion of the theoretical background underlying these methods, which is then used to derive various equations useful for thermodynamic analysis of aircraft engines. The work potential analysis method is implemented in the form of a set of working charts and tables that can be used to graphically evaluate work potential stored in high-enthalpy gas. The range of validity for these tables is 300 to 36,000 R, pressures between between 0.01 atm and 100 atm, and fuel-air ratios from zero to stoichiometric. The derivations and charts assume mixtures of Jet-A and air as the working fluid. The thermodynamic properties presented in these charts were calculated based upon standard thermodynamic curve fits.

  11. Synthesis, optical properties and application of a set of novel pyrazole nopinone derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Jinlai; Xu, Xu; Rui, Jian; Wang, Zhonglong; Zhang, Yan; Wang, Shifa; Wu, Liangru

    2017-08-01

    Pyrazole derivatives (4-6) were directly synthesized from β-pinene derivative nopinone, and they were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectoscope, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and mass spectrometry. Their optical properties were investigated by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. The three compounds emitted strong blue fluorescence in ethanol. Using a fluorescence quenching method, compound 4 could be used to detect the content (100.57%) of copper sulfate pentahydrate (≥ 99%) with a RSD of 1.98%, y = - 0.1127 × + 2.7148, R2 = 0.9703 (Cu2 +: 0.5-8.0 × 10- 5 mol/L), and compounds 4-6 also had utility of calculating the content of anhydrous ferric chloride at a wide range of concentration. Thus, compounds 4-6 are new functional fluorescents for detecting the content of some purchased products.

  12. Comparing Methods for Cardiac Output: Intraoperatively Doppler-Derived Cardiac Output Measured With 3-Dimensional Echocardiography Is Not Interchangeable With Cardiac Output by Pulmonary Catheter Thermodilution.

    PubMed

    Graeser, Karin; Zemtsovski, Mikhail; Kofoed, Klaus F; Winther-Jensen, Matilde; Nilsson, Jens C; Kjaergaard, Jesper; Møller-Sørensen, Hasse

    2018-01-09

    Estimation of cardiac output (CO) is essential in the treatment of circulatory unstable patients. CO measured by pulmonary artery catheter thermodilution is considered the gold standard but carries a small risk of severe complications. Stroke volume and CO can be measured by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), which is widely used during cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that Doppler-derived CO by 3-dimensional (3D) TEE would agree well with CO measured with pulmonary artery catheter thermodilution as a reference method based on accurate measurements of the cross-sectional area of the left ventricular outflow tract. The primary aim was a systematic comparison of CO with Doppler-derived 3D TEE and CO by thermodilution in a broad population of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. A subanalysis was performed comparing cross-sectional area by TEE with cardiac computed tomography (CT) angiography. Sixty-two patients, scheduled for elective heart surgery, were included; 1 was subsequently excluded for logistic reasons. Inclusion criteria were coronary artery bypass surgery (N = 42) and aortic valve replacement (N = 19). Exclusion criteria were chronic atrial fibrillation, left ventricular ejection fraction below 0.40 and intracardiac shunts. Nineteen randomly selected patients had a cardiac CT the day before surgery. All images were stored for blinded post hoc analyses, and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess agreement between measurement methods, defined as the bias (mean difference between methods), limits of agreement (equal to bias ± 2 standard deviations of the bias), and percentage error (limits of agreement divided by the mean of the 2 methods). Precision was determined for the individual methods (equal to 2 standard deviations of the bias between replicate measurements) to determine the acceptable limits of agreement. We found a good precision for Doppler-derived CO measured by 3D TEE, but although the bias for Doppler-derived CO by 3D compared to

  13. Applications of numerical optimization methods to helicopter design problems: A survey

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miura, H.

    1984-01-01

    A survey of applications of mathematical programming methods is used to improve the design of helicopters and their components. Applications of multivariable search techniques in the finite dimensional space are considered. Five categories of helicopter design problems are considered: (1) conceptual and preliminary design, (2) rotor-system design, (3) airframe structures design, (4) control system design, and (5) flight trajectory planning. Key technical progress in numerical optimization methods relevant to rotorcraft applications are summarized.

  14. Applications of numerical optimization methods to helicopter design problems - A survey

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miura, H.

    1985-01-01

    A survey of applications of mathematical programming methods is used to improve the design of helicopters and their components. Applications of multivariable search techniques in the finite dimensional space are considered. Five categories of helicopter design problems are considered: (1) conceptual and preliminary design, (2) rotor-system design, (3) airframe structures design, (4) control system design, and (5) flight trajectory planning. Key technical progress in numerical optimization methods relevant to rotorcraft applications are summarized.

  15. Applications of numerical optimization methods to helicopter design problems - A survey

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miura, H.

    1984-01-01

    A survey of applications of mathematical programming methods is used to improve the design of helicopters and their components. Applications of multivariable search techniques in the finite dimensional space are considered. Five categories of helicopter design problems are considered: (1) conceptual and preliminary design, (2) rotor-system design, (3) airframe structures design, (4) control system design, and (5) flight trajectory planning. Key technical progress in numerical optimization methods relevant to rotorcraft applications are summarized.

  16. Microwave-induced facile synthesis of water-soluble fluorogenic alginic acid derivatives.

    PubMed

    Chhatbar, Mahesh U; Meena, Ramavatar; Prasad, Kamalesh; Chejara, Dharmesh R; Siddhanta, A K

    2011-04-01

    A facile microwave-induced method was developed for synthesizing water-soluble fluorescent derivatives of alginic acid (ALG) with four different diamines, hydrazine (HY), ethylenediamine (EDA), 1,6-hexanediamine (HDA), and 1,4-cyclohexanediamine (CHDA), followed by a cross-linking reaction with a natural cross linker genipin. The ethylenediamine derivative of alginic acid (ALG-EDA) exhibited good fluorescent activity, which upon cross linking was enhanced threefold. The other amide derivatives, for example, ALG-HY, ALG-HDA, and ALG-CHDA, were not fluorescent, but their respective crosslinked products exhibited excellent fluorescent activity. The fluorescence intensity had an inverse correlation with the number of carbon atoms present in the amine, which in turn was a function of degree of substitution (DS). These fluorescent polysaccharide derivatives are of potential utility in the domain of sensor applications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Application of derivative ratio spectrophotometry for determination of β-carotene and astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma extract*

    PubMed Central

    Ni, Hui; He, Guo-qing; Ruan, Hui; Chen, Qi-he; Chen, Feng

    2005-01-01

    A derivative ratio spectrophotometric method was used for the simultaneous determination of β-carotene and astaxanthin produced from Phaffia rhodozyma. Absorbencies of a series of the standard carotenoids in the range of 441 nm to 490 nm demonstrated that their absorptive spectra accorded with Beer’s law and that the additivity when the concentrations of β-carotene and astaxanthin and their mixture were within the range of 0 to 5 µg/ml, 0 to 6 µg/ml, and 0 to 6 µg/ml, respectively. When the wavelength interval (Δλ) at 2 nm was selected to calculate the first derivative ratio spectra values, the first derivative amplitudes at 461 nm and 466 nm were suitable for quantitatively determining β-carotene and astaxanthin, respectively. Effect of divisor on derivative ratio spectra could be neglected; any concentration used as divisor in range of 1.0 to 4.0 µg/ml is ideal for calculating the derivative ratio spectra values of the two carotenoids. Calibration graphs were established for β-carotene within 0–6.0 µg/ml and for astaxanthin within 0–5.0 µg/ml with their corresponding regressive equations in: y=−0.0082x−0.0002 and y=0.0146x−0.0006, respectively. R-square values in excess of 0.999 indicated the good linearity of the calibration graphs. Sample recovery rates were found satisfactory (>99%) with relative standard deviations (RSD) of less than 5%. This method was successfully applied to simultaneous determination of β-carotene and astaxanthin in the laboratory-prepared mixtures and the extract from the Phaffia rhodozyma culture. PMID:15909336

  18. A New Coarsening Operator for the Optimal Preconditioning of the Dual and Primal Domain Decomposition Methods: Application to Problems with Severe Coefficient Jumps

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farhat, Charbel; Rixen, Daniel

    1996-01-01

    We present an optimal preconditioning algorithm that is equally applicable to the dual (FETI) and primal (Balancing) Schur complement domain decomposition methods, and which successfully addresses the problems of subdomain heterogeneities including the effects of large jumps of coefficients. The proposed preconditioner is derived from energy principles and embeds a new coarsening operator that propagates the error globally and accelerates convergence. The resulting iterative solver is illustrated with the solution of highly heterogeneous elasticity problems.

  19. Manufacturing methods and applications of membranes in microfluidics.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xueye; Shen, Jienan; Hu, Zengliang; Huo, Xuyao

    2016-12-01

    Applications of membranes in microfluidics solved many thorny problems for analytical chemistry and bioscience, so that the use of membranes in microfluidics has been a topic of growing interest. Many different examples have been reported, demonstrating the versatile use of membranes. This work reviews a lot of applications of membranes in microfluidics. Membranes in microfluidics for applications including chemical reagents detection, gas detection, drug screening, cell, protein, microreactor, electrokinetical fluid, pump and valve and fluid transport control and so on, have been analyzed and discussed. In addition, the definition and basic concepts of membranes are summed up. And the methods of manufacturing membranes in microfluidics are discussed. This paper will provide a helpful reference to researchers who want to study applications of membranes in microfluidics.

  20. Comparison of Response Surface Construction Methods for Derivative Estimation Using Moving Least Squares, Kriging and Radial Basis Functions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krishnamurthy, Thiagarajan

    2005-01-01

    Response construction methods using Moving Least Squares (MLS), Kriging and Radial Basis Functions (RBF) are compared with the Global Least Squares (GLS) method in three numerical examples for derivative generation capability. Also, a new Interpolating Moving Least Squares (IMLS) method adopted from the meshless method is presented. It is found that the response surface construction methods using the Kriging and RBF interpolation yields more accurate results compared with MLS and GLS methods. Several computational aspects of the response surface construction methods also discussed.

  1. getimages: Background derivation and image flattening method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Men'shchikov, Alexander

    2017-05-01

    getimages performs background derivation and image flattening for high-resolution images obtained with space observatories. It is based on median filtering with sliding windows corresponding to a range of spatial scales from the observational beam size up to a maximum structure width X. The latter is a single free parameter of getimages that can be evaluated manually from the observed image. The median filtering algorithm provides a background image for structures of all widths below X. The same median filtering procedure applied to an image of standard deviations derived from a background-subtracted image results in a flattening image. Finally, a flattened image is computed by dividing the background-subtracted by the flattening image. Standard deviations in the flattened image are now uniform outside sources and filaments. Detecting structures in such radically simplified images results in much cleaner extractions that are more complete and reliable. getimages also reduces various observational and map-making artifacts and equalizes noise levels between independent tiles of mosaicked images. The code (a Bash script) uses FORTRAN utilities from getsources (ascl:1507.014), which must be installed.

  2. Experimental design methods for bioengineering applications.

    PubMed

    Keskin Gündoğdu, Tuğba; Deniz, İrem; Çalışkan, Gülizar; Şahin, Erdem Sefa; Azbar, Nuri

    2016-01-01

    Experimental design is a form of process analysis in which certain factors are selected to obtain the desired responses of interest. It may also be used for the determination of the effects of various independent factors on a dependent factor. The bioengineering discipline includes many different areas of scientific interest, and each study area is affected and governed by many different factors. Briefly analyzing the important factors and selecting an experimental design for optimization are very effective tools for the design of any bioprocess under question. This review summarizes experimental design methods that can be used to investigate various factors relating to bioengineering processes. The experimental methods generally used in bioengineering are as follows: full factorial design, fractional factorial design, Plackett-Burman design, Taguchi design, Box-Behnken design and central composite design. These design methods are briefly introduced, and then the application of these design methods to study different bioengineering processes is analyzed.

  3. An efficient spectrofluorimetric method adopts doxazosin, terazosin and alfuzosin coupling with orthophthalaldehyde: Application in human plasma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Omar, Mahmoud A.; Mohamed, Abdel-Maaboud I.; Derayea, Sayed M.; Hammad, Mohamed A.; Mohamed, Abobakr A.

    2018-04-01

    A new, selective and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method was designed for the quantitation of doxazosin (DOX), terazosin (TER) and alfuzosin (ALF) in their dosage forms and human plasma. The method adopts efficient derivatization of the studied drugs with ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA), in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol in borate buffer (pH 9.7) to generate a highly fluorescent isoindole derivatives, which can strongly enhance the fluorescence intensities of the studied drugs, allowing their sensitive determination at 430 nm after excitation at 337 nm. The fluorescence-concentration plots were rectilinear over the ranges (10.0-400.0) ng/mL. Detection and quantification limits were found to be (0.52-3.88) and (1.59-11.76) ng/mL, respectively. The proposed method was validated according to ICH guidelines, and successfully applied for the determination of pharmaceutical preparations of the studied drugs. Moreover, the high sensitivity of the proposed method permits its successful application to the analysis of the studied drugs in spiked human plasma with % recovery (96.12 ± 1.34-100.66 ± 0.57, n = 3). A proposal for the reaction mechanism was presented.

  4. Enzymes that cleave non-glycosidic ether bonds between lignins or derivatives thereof and saccharides

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

    Kravit, Nancy G.; Schmidt, Katherine A.

    The patent application relates to isolated polypeptides that specifically cleave non-glycosidic ether bonds between lignins or derivatives thereof and saccharides, and to cDNAs encoding the polypeptides. The patent application also relates to nucleic acid constructs, expression vectors and host cells comprising the cDNAs, as well as methods of producing and using the isolated polypeptides for treating pulp and biomass to increase soluble saccharide yield and enrich lignin fractions.

  5. Ab initio method for calculating total cross sections

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bhatia, A. K.; Schneider, B. I.; Temkin, A.

    1993-01-01

    A method for calculating total cross sections without formally including nonelastic channels is presented. The idea is to use a one channel T-matrix variational principle with a complex correlation function. The derived T matrix is therefore not unitary. Elastic scattering is calculated from T-parallel-squared, but total scattering is derived from the imaginary part of T using the optical theorem. The method is applied to the spherically symmetric model of electron-hydrogen scattering. No spurious structure arises; results for sigma(el) and sigma(total) are in excellent agreement with calculations of Callaway and Oza (1984). The method has wide potential applicability.

  6. An Empirical Method for deriving RBE values associated with Electrons, Photons and Radionuclides

    DOE PAGES

    Bellamy, Michael B; Puskin, J.; Eckerman, Keith F.; ...

    2015-01-01

    There is substantial evidence to justify using relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values greater than one for low-energy electrons and photons. But, in the field of radiation protection, radiation associated with low linear energy transfer (LET) has been assigned a radiation weighting factor w R of one. This value may be suitable for radiation protection but, for risk considerations, it is important to evaluate the potential elevated biological effectiveness of radiation to improve the quality of risk estimates. RBE values between 2 and 3 for tritium are implied by several experimental measurements. Additionally, elevated RBE values have been found for othermore » similar low-energy radiation sources. In this work, RBE values are derived for electrons based upon the fractional deposition of absorbed dose of energies less than a few keV. Using this empirical method, RBE values were also derived for monoenergetic photons and 1070 radionuclides from ICRP Publication 107 for which photons and electrons are the primary emissions.« less

  7. Comparative spectral analysis of veterinary powder product by continuous wavelet and derivative transforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dinç, Erdal; Kanbur, Murat; Baleanu, Dumitru

    2007-10-01

    Comparative simultaneous determination of chlortetracycline and benzocaine in the commercial veterinary powder product was carried out by continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and classical derivative transform (or classical derivative spectrophotometry). In this quantitative spectral analysis, two proposed analytical methods do not require any chemical separation process. In the first step, several wavelet families were tested to find an optimal CWT for the overlapping signal processing of the analyzed compounds. Subsequently, we observed that the coiflets (COIF-CWT) method with dilation parameter, a = 400, gives suitable results for this analytical application. For a comparison, the classical derivative spectrophotometry (CDS) approach was also applied to the simultaneous quantitative resolution of the same analytical problem. Calibration functions were obtained by measuring the transform amplitudes corresponding to zero-crossing points for both CWT and CDS methods. The utility of these two analytical approaches were verified by analyzing various synthetic mixtures consisting of chlortetracycline and benzocaine and they were applied to the real samples consisting of veterinary powder formulation. The experimental results obtained from the COIF-CWT approach were statistically compared with those obtained by classical derivative spectrophotometry and successful results were reported.

  8. Recent Progress in Metal-Organic Frameworks and Their Derived Nanostructures for Energy and Environmental Applications.

    PubMed

    Xie, Zhiqiang; Xu, Wangwang; Cui, Xiaodan; Wang, Ying

    2017-04-22

    Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as a very promising category of porous materials, have attracted increasing interest from research communities due to their extremely high surface areas, diverse nanostructures, and unique properties. In recent years, there is a growing body of evidence to indicate that MOFs can function as ideal templates to prepare various nanostructured materials for energy and environmental cleaning applications. Recent progress in the design and synthesis of MOFs and MOF-derived nanomaterials for particular applications in lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, dye-sensitized solar cells, and heavy-metal-ion detection and removal is reviewed herein. In addition, the remaining major challenges in the above fields are discussed and some perspectives for future research efforts in the development of MOFs are also provided. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Mobile/android application for QRS detection using zero cross method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rizqyawan, M. I.; Simbolon, A. I.; Suhendra, M. A.; Amri, M. F.; Kusumandari, D. E.

    2018-03-01

    In automatic ECG signal processing, one of the main topics of research is QRS complex detection. Detecting correct QRS complex or R peak is important since it is used to measure several other ECG metrics. One of the robust methods for QRS detection is Zero Cross method. This method uses an addition of high-frequency signal and zero crossing count to detect QRS complex which has a low-frequency oscillation. This paper presents an application of QRS detection using Zero Cross algorithm in the Android-based system. The performance of the algorithm in the mobile environment is measured. The result shows that this method is suitable for real-time QRS detection in a mobile application.

  10. Rapid prediction of chemical metabolism by human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase isoforms using quantum chemical descriptors derived with the electronegativity equalization method.

    PubMed

    Sorich, Michael J; McKinnon, Ross A; Miners, John O; Winkler, David A; Smith, Paul A

    2004-10-07

    This study aimed to evaluate in silico models based on quantum chemical (QC) descriptors derived using the electronegativity equalization method (EEM) and to assess the use of QC properties to predict chemical metabolism by human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms. Various EEM-derived QC molecular descriptors were calculated for known UGT substrates and nonsubstrates. Classification models were developed using support vector machine and partial least squares discriminant analysis. In general, the most predictive models were generated with the support vector machine. Combining QC and 2D descriptors (from previous work) using a consensus approach resulted in a statistically significant improvement in predictivity (to 84%) over both the QC and 2D models and the other methods of combining the descriptors. EEM-derived QC descriptors were shown to be both highly predictive and computationally efficient. It is likely that EEM-derived QC properties will be generally useful for predicting ADMET and physicochemical properties during drug discovery.

  11. Parallel Aircraft Trajectory Optimization with Analytic Derivatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Falck, Robert D.; Gray, Justin S.; Naylor, Bret

    2016-01-01

    Trajectory optimization is an integral component for the design of aerospace vehicles, but emerging aircraft technologies have introduced new demands on trajectory analysis that current tools are not well suited to address. Designing aircraft with technologies such as hybrid electric propulsion and morphing wings requires consideration of the operational behavior as well as the physical design characteristics of the aircraft. The addition of operational variables can dramatically increase the number of design variables which motivates the use of gradient based optimization with analytic derivatives to solve the larger optimization problems. In this work we develop an aircraft trajectory analysis tool using a Legendre-Gauss-Lobatto based collocation scheme, providing analytic derivatives via the OpenMDAO multidisciplinary optimization framework. This collocation method uses an implicit time integration scheme that provides a high degree of sparsity and thus several potential options for parallelization. The performance of the new implementation was investigated via a series of single and multi-trajectory optimizations using a combination of parallel computing and constraint aggregation. The computational performance results show that in order to take full advantage of the sparsity in the problem it is vital to parallelize both the non-linear analysis evaluations and the derivative computations themselves. The constraint aggregation results showed a significant numerical challenge due to difficulty in achieving tight convergence tolerances. Overall, the results demonstrate the value of applying analytic derivatives to trajectory optimization problems and lay the foundation for future application of this collocation based method to the design of aircraft with where operational scheduling of technologies is key to achieving good performance.

  12. Application of normal fluorescence and stability-indicating derivative synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy for the determination of gliquidone in presence of its fluorescent alkaline degradation product

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    El-ghobashy, Mohamed R.; Yehia, Ali M.; Helmy, Aya H.; Youssef, Nadia F.

    2018-01-01

    Simple, smart and sensitive normal fluorescence and stability-indicating derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetric methods have been developed and validated for the determination of gliquidone in the drug substance and drug product. Normal spectrofluorimetric method of gliquidone was established in methanol at λ excitation 225 nm and λ emission 400 nm in concentration range 0.2-3 μg/ml with LOD equal 0.028. The fluorescence quantum yield of gliquidone was calculated using quinine sulfate as a reference and found to be 0.542. Stability-indicating first and third derivative synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy were successfully utilized to overcome the overlapped spectra in normal fluorescence of gliquidone and its alkaline degradation product. Derivative synchronous methods are based on using the synchronous fluorescence of gliquidone and its degradation product in methanol at Δ λ50 nm. Peak amplitude in the first derivative of synchronous fluorescence spectra was measured at 309 nm where degradation product showed zero-crossing without interference. The peak amplitudes in the third derivative of synchronous fluorescence spectra, peak to trough were measured at 316,329 nm where degradation product showed zero-crossing. The different experimental parameters affecting the normal and synchronous fluorescence intensity of gliquidone were studied and optimized. Moreover, the cited methods have been validated as per ICH guidelines. The peak amplitude-concentration plots of the derivative synchronous fluorescence were linear over the concentration range 0.05-2 μg/ml for gliquidone. Limits of detection were 0.020 and 0.022 in first and third derivative synchronous spectra, respectively. The adopted methods were successfully applied to commercial tablets and the results demonstrated that the derivative synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy is a powerful stability-indicating method, suitable for routine use with a short analysis time. Statistical comparison between

  13. Optimal economic order quantity for buyer-distributor-vendor supply chain with backlogging derived without derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teng, Jinn-Tsair; Cárdenas-Barrón, Leopoldo Eduardo; Lou, Kuo-Ren; Wee, Hui Ming

    2013-05-01

    In this article, we first complement an inappropriate mathematical error on the total cost in the previously published paper by Chung and Wee [2007, 'Optimal the Economic Lot Size of a Three-stage Supply Chain With Backlogging Derived Without Derivatives', European Journal of Operational Research, 183, 933-943] related to buyer-distributor-vendor three-stage supply chain with backlogging derived without derivatives. Then, an arithmetic-geometric inequality method is proposed not only to simplify the algebraic method of completing prefect squares, but also to complement their shortcomings. In addition, we provide a closed-form solution to integral number of deliveries for the distributor and the vendor without using complex derivatives. Furthermore, our method can solve many cases in which their method cannot, because they did not consider that a squared root of a negative number does not exist. Finally, we use some numerical examples to show that our proposed optimal solution is cheaper to operate than theirs.

  14. Massive graviton on arbitrary background: derivation, syzygies, applications

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

    Bernard, Laura; Deffayet, Cédric; IHES, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques,Le Bois-Marie, 35 route de Chartres, F-91440 Bures-sur-Yvette

    2015-06-23

    We give the detailed derivation of the fully covariant form of the quadratic action and the derived linear equations of motion for a massive graviton in an arbitrary background metric (which were presented in arXiv:1410.8302 [hep-th]). Our starting point is the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley (dRGT) family of ghost free massive gravities and using a simple model of this family, we are able to express this action and these equations of motion in terms of a single metric in which the graviton propagates, hence removing in particular the need for a “reference metric' which is present in the non perturbative formulation. Wemore » show further how 5 covariant constraints can be obtained including one which leads to the tracelessness of the graviton on flat space-time and removes the Boulware-Deser ghost. This last constraint involves powers and combinations of the curvature of the background metric. The 5 constraints are obtained for a background metric which is unconstrained, i.e. which does not have to obey the background field equations. We then apply these results to the case of Einstein space-times, where we show that the 5 constraints become trivial, and Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker space-times, for which we correct in particular some results that appeared elsewhere. To reach our results, we derive several non trivial identities, syzygies, involving the graviton fields, its derivatives and the background metric curvature. These identities have their own interest. We also discover that there exist backgrounds for which the dRGT equations cannot be unambiguously linearized.« less

  15. Massive graviton on arbitrary background: derivation, syzygies, applications

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

    Bernard, Laura; Deffayet, Cédric; Strauss, Mikael von, E-mail: bernard@iap.fr, E-mail: deffayet@iap.fr, E-mail: strauss@iap.fr

    2015-06-01

    We give the detailed derivation of the fully covariant form of the quadratic action and the derived linear equations of motion for a massive graviton in an arbitrary background metric (which were presented in arXiv:1410.8302 [hep-th]). Our starting point is the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley (dRGT) family of ghost free massive gravities and using a simple model of this family, we are able to express this action and these equations of motion in terms of a single metric in which the graviton propagates, hence removing in particular the need for a ''reference metric' which is present in the non perturbative formulation. Wemore » show further how 5 covariant constraints can be obtained including one which leads to the tracelessness of the graviton on flat space-time and removes the Boulware-Deser ghost. This last constraint involves powers and combinations of the curvature of the background metric. The 5 constraints are obtained for a background metric which is unconstrained, i.e. which does not have to obey the background field equations. We then apply these results to the case of Einstein space-times, where we show that the 5 constraints become trivial, and Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker space-times, for which we correct in particular some results that appeared elsewhere. To reach our results, we derive several non trivial identities, syzygies, involving the graviton fields, its derivatives and the background metric curvature. These identities have their own interest. We also discover that there exist backgrounds for which the dRGT equations cannot be unambiguously linearized.« less

  16. Synthesis, optical properties and application of a set of novel pyrazole nopinone derivatives.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jinlai; Xu, Xu; Rui, Jian; Wang, Zhonglong; Zhang, Yan; Wang, Shifa; Wu, Liangru

    2017-08-05

    Pyrazole derivatives (4-6) were directly synthesized from β-pinene derivative nopinone, and they were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectoscope, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and mass spectrometry. Their optical properties were investigated by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. The three compounds emitted strong blue fluorescence in ethanol. Using a fluorescence quenching method, compound 4 could be used to detect the content (100.57%) of copper sulfate pentahydrate (≥99%) with a RSD of 1.98%, y=-0.1127×+2.7148, R 2 =0.9703 (Cu 2+ : 0.5-8.0×10 -5 mol/L), and compounds 4-6 also had utility of calculating the content of anhydrous ferric chloride at a wide range of concentration. Thus, compounds 4-6 are new functional fluorescents for detecting the content of some purchased products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Application of a weighted-averaging method for determining paleosalinity: a tool for restoration of south Florida's estuaries

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wingard, G.L.; Hudley, J.W.

    2012-01-01

    A molluscan analogue dataset is presented in conjunction with a weighted-averaging technique as a tool for estimating past salinity patterns in south Florida’s estuaries and developing targets for restoration based on these reconstructions. The method, here referred to as cumulative weighted percent (CWP), was tested using modern surficial samples collected in Florida Bay from sites located near fixed water monitoring stations that record salinity. The results were calibrated using species weighting factors derived from examining species occurrence patterns. A comparison of the resulting calibrated species-weighted CWP (SW-CWP) to the observed salinity at the water monitoring stations averaged over a 3-year time period indicates, on average, the SW-CWP comes within less than two salinity units of estimating the observed salinity. The SW-CWP reconstructions were conducted on a core from near the mouth of Taylor Slough to illustrate the application of the method.

  18. A direct method of solution for the Fokas-Lenells derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation: I. Bright soliton solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsuno, Yoshimasa

    2012-06-01

    We develop a direct method of solution for finding the bright N-soliton solution of the Fokas-Lenells derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The construction of the solution is performed by means of a purely algebraic procedure using an elementary theory of determinants and does not rely on the inverse scattering transform method. We present two different expressions of the solution both of which are expressed as a ratio of determinants. We then investigate the properties of the solutions and find several new features. Specifically, we derive the formula for the phase shift caused by the collisions of bright solitons.

  19. A global multicenter study on reference values: 1. Assessment of methods for derivation and comparison of reference intervals.

    PubMed

    Ichihara, Kiyoshi; Ozarda, Yesim; Barth, Julian H; Klee, George; Qiu, Ling; Erasmus, Rajiv; Borai, Anwar; Evgina, Svetlana; Ashavaid, Tester; Khan, Dilshad; Schreier, Laura; Rolle, Reynan; Shimizu, Yoshihisa; Kimura, Shogo; Kawano, Reo; Armbruster, David; Mori, Kazuo; Yadav, Binod K

    2017-04-01

    The IFCC Committee on Reference Intervals and Decision Limits coordinated a global multicenter study on reference values (RVs) to explore rational and harmonizable procedures for derivation of reference intervals (RIs) and investigate the feasibility of sharing RIs through evaluation of sources of variation of RVs on a global scale. For the common protocol, rather lenient criteria for reference individuals were adopted to facilitate harmonized recruitment with planned use of the latent abnormal values exclusion (LAVE) method. As of July 2015, 12 countries had completed their study with total recruitment of 13,386 healthy adults. 25 analytes were measured chemically and 25 immunologically. A serum panel with assigned values was measured by all laboratories. RIs were derived by parametric and nonparametric methods. The effect of LAVE methods is prominent in analytes which reflect nutritional status, inflammation and muscular exertion, indicating that inappropriate results are frequent in any country. The validity of the parametric method was confirmed by the presence of analyte-specific distribution patterns and successful Gaussian transformation using the modified Box-Cox formula in all countries. After successful alignment of RVs based on the panel test results, nearly half the analytes showed variable degrees of between-country differences. This finding, however, requires confirmation after adjusting for BMI and other sources of variation. The results are reported in the second part of this paper. The collaborative study enabled us to evaluate rational methods for deriving RIs and comparing the RVs based on real-world datasets obtained in a harmonized manner. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Application of ICME Methods for the Development of Rapid Manufacturing Technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maiwald-Immer, T.; Göhler, T.; Fischersworring-Bunk, A.; Körner, C.; Osmanlic, F.; Bauereiß, A.

    Rapid manufacturing technologies are lately gaining interest as alternative manufacturing method. Due to the large parameter sets applicable in these manufacturing methods and their impact on achievable material properties and quality, support of the manufacturing process development by the use of simulation is highly attractive. This is especially true for aerospace applications with their high quality demands and controlled scatter in the resulting material properties. The applicable simulation techniques to these manufacturing methods are manifold. The paper will focus on the melt pool simulation for a SLM (selective laser melting) process which was originally developed for EBM (electron beam melting). It will be discussed in the overall context of a multi-scale simulation within a virtual process chain.

  1. Application of the variational-asymptotical method to composite plates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hodges, Dewey H.; Lee, Bok W.; Atilgan, Ali R.

    1992-01-01

    A method is developed for the 3D analysis of laminated plate deformation which is an extension of a variational-asymptotical method by Atilgan and Hodges (1991). Both methods are based on the treatment of plate deformation by splitting the 3D analysis into linear through-the-thickness analysis and 2D plate analysis. Whereas the first technique tackles transverse shear deformation in the second asymptotical approximation, the present method simplifies its treatment and restricts it to the first approximation. Both analytical techniques are applied to the linear cylindrical bending problem, and the strain and stress distributions are derived and compared with those of the exact solution. The present theory provides more accurate results than those of the classical laminated-plate theory for the transverse displacement of 2-, 3-, and 4-layer cross-ply laminated plates. The method can give reliable estimates of the in-plane strain and displacement distributions.

  2. Quantification of acidic compounds in complex biomass-derived streams

    DOE PAGES

    Karp, Eric M.; Nimlos, Claire T.; Deutch, Steve; ...

    2016-05-10

    Biomass-derived streams that contain acidic compounds from the degradation of lignin and polysaccharides (e.g. black liquor, pyrolysis oil, pyrolytic lignin, etc.) are chemically complex solutions prone to instability and degradation during analysis, making quantification of compounds within them challenging. Here we present a robust analytical method to quantify acidic compounds in complex biomass-derived mixtures using ion exchange, sample reconstitution in pyridine and derivatization with BSTFA. The procedure is based on an earlier method originally reported for kraft black liquors and, in this work, is applied to identify and quantify a large slate of acidic compounds in corn stover derived alkalinemore » pretreatment liquor (APL) as a function of pretreatment severity. Analysis of the samples is conducted with GCxGC-TOFMS to achieve good resolution of the components within the complex mixture. The results reveal the dominant low molecular weight components and their concentrations as a function of pretreatment severity. Application of this method is also demonstrated in the context of lignin conversion technologies by applying it to track the microbial conversion of an APL substrate. Here as well excellent results are achieved, and the appearance and disappearance of compounds is observed in agreement with the known metabolic pathways of two bacteria, indicating the sample integrity was maintained throughout analysis. Finally, it is shown that this method applies more generally to lignin-rich materials by demonstrating its usefulness in analysis of pyrolysis oil and pyrolytic lignin.« less

  3. Stability-Derivative Determination from Flight Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holowicz, Chester H.; Holleman, Euclid C.

    1958-01-01

    A comprehensive discussion of the various factors affecting the determination of stability and control derivatives from flight data is presented based on the experience of the NASA High-Speed Flight Station. Factors relating to test techniques, determination of mass characteristics, instrumentation, and methods of analysis are discussed. For most longitudinal-stability-derivative analyses simple equations utilizing period and damping have been found to be as satisfactory as more comprehensive methods. The graphical time-vector method has been the basis of lateral-derivative analysis, although simple approximate methods can be useful If applied with caution. Control effectiveness has been generally obtained by relating the peak acceleration to the rapid control input, and consideration must be given to aerodynamic contributions if reasonable accuracy is to be realized.. Because of the many factors involved In the determination of stability derivatives, It is believed that the primary stability and control derivatives are probably accurate to within 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the specific derivative. Static-stability derivatives at low angle of attack show the greatest accuracy.

  4. Comparison of three methods for the derivation of a biologic scaffold composed of adipose tissue extracellular matrix.

    PubMed

    Brown, Bryan N; Freund, John M; Han, Li; Rubin, J Peter; Reing, Janet E; Jeffries, Eric M; Wolf, Mathew T; Tottey, Stephen; Barnes, Christopher A; Ratner, Buddy D; Badylak, Stephen F

    2011-04-01

    Extracellular matrix (ECM)-based scaffold materials have been used successfully in both preclinical and clinical tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches to tissue reconstruction. Results of numerous studies have shown that ECM scaffolds are capable of supporting the growth and differentiation of multiple cell types in vitro and of acting as inductive templates for constructive tissue remodeling after implantation in vivo. Adipose tissue represents a potentially abundant source of ECM and may represent an ideal substrate for the growth and adipogenic differentiation of stem cells harvested from this tissue. Numerous studies have shown that the methods by which ECM scaffold materials are prepared have a dramatic effect upon both the biochemical and structural properties of the resultant ECM scaffold material as well as the ability of the material to support a positive tissue remodeling outcome after implantation. The objective of the present study was to characterize the adipose ECM material resulting from three methods of decellularization to determine the most effective method for the derivation of an adipose tissue ECM scaffold that was largely free of potentially immunogenic cellular content while retaining tissue-specific structural and functional components as well as the ability to support the growth and adipogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells. The results show that each of the decellularization methods produced an adipose ECM scaffold that was distinct from both a structural and biochemical perspective, emphasizing the importance of the decellularization protocol used to produce adipose ECM scaffolds. Further, the results suggest that the adipose ECM scaffolds produced using the methods described herein are capable of supporting the maintenance and adipogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells and may represent effective substrates for use in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches to soft tissue

  5. Application of random seismic inversion method based on tectonic model in thin sand body research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dianju, W.; Jianghai, L.; Qingkai, F.

    2017-12-01

    The oil and gas exploitation at Songliao Basin, Northeast China have already progressed to the period with high water production. The previous detailed reservoir description that based on seismic image, sediment core, borehole logging has great limitations in small scale structural interpretation and thin sand body characterization. Thus, precise guidance for petroleum exploration is badly in need of a more advanced method. To do so, we derived the method of random seismic inversion constrained by tectonic model.It can effectively improve the depicting ability of thin sand bodies, combining numerical simulation techniques, which can credibly reducing the blindness of reservoir analysis from the whole to the local and from the macroscopic to the microscopic. At the same time, this can reduce the limitations of the study under the constraints of different geological conditions of the reservoir, accomplish probably the exact estimation for the effective reservoir. Based on the research, this paper has optimized the regional effective reservoir evaluation and the productive location adjustment of applicability, combined with the practical exploration and development in Aonan oil field.

  6. A derivation and scalable implementation of the synchronous parallel kinetic Monte Carlo method for simulating long-time dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Byun, Hye Suk; El-Naggar, Mohamed Y.; Kalia, Rajiv K.; Nakano, Aiichiro; Vashishta, Priya

    2017-10-01

    Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations are used to study long-time dynamics of a wide variety of systems. Unfortunately, the conventional KMC algorithm is not scalable to larger systems, since its time scale is inversely proportional to the simulated system size. A promising approach to resolving this issue is the synchronous parallel KMC (SPKMC) algorithm, which makes the time scale size-independent. This paper introduces a formal derivation of the SPKMC algorithm based on local transition-state and time-dependent Hartree approximations, as well as its scalable parallel implementation based on a dual linked-list cell method. The resulting algorithm has achieved a weak-scaling parallel efficiency of 0.935 on 1024 Intel Xeon processors for simulating biological electron transfer dynamics in a 4.2 billion-heme system, as well as decent strong-scaling parallel efficiency. The parallel code has been used to simulate a lattice of cytochrome complexes on a bacterial-membrane nanowire, and it is broadly applicable to other problems such as computational synthesis of new materials.

  7. GMP-compliant human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells for cellular therapy.

    PubMed

    Aghayan, Hamid-Reza; Goodarzi, Parisa; Arjmand, Babak

    2015-01-01

    Stem cells, which can be derived from different sources, demonstrate promising therapeutic evidences for cellular therapies. Among various types of stem cell, mesenchymal stem cells are one of the most common stem cells that are used in cellular therapy. Human subcutaneous adipose tissue provides an easy accessible source of mesenchymal stem cells with some considerable advantages. Accordingly, various preclinical and clinical investigations have shown enormous potential of adipose-derived stromal cells in regenerative medicine. Consequently, increasing clinical applications of these cells has elucidated the importance of safety concerns regarding clinical transplantation. Therefore, clinical-grade preparation of adipose-derived stromal cells in accordance with current good manufacturing practice guidelines is an essential part of their clinical applications to ensure the safety, quality, characteristics, and identity of cell products. Additionally, GMP-compliant cell manufacturing involves several issues to provide a quality assurance system during translation from the basic stem cell sciences into clinical investigations and applications. On the other hand, advanced cellular therapy requires extensive validation, process control, and documentation. It also evidently elucidates the critical importance of production methods and probable risks. Therefore, implementation of a quality management and assurance system in accordance with GMP guidelines can greatly reduce these risks particularly in the higher-risk category or "more than minimally manipulated" products.

  8. Synthesis of octahedral like Cu-BTC derivatives derived from MOF calcined under different atmosphere for application in CO oxidation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Yiqiong; Dong, Han; Wang, Yin; He, Chi; Wang, Yuxin; Zhang, Xiaodong

    2018-02-01

    A series of octahedral structure Cu-BTC derivatives were successfully achieved through direct calcination of copper based metal organic framework Cu-BTC under different atmosphere (CO reaction gas, oxidizing gas O2, reducing gas H2, inert gas Ar). The Cu-BTC derivatives were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, element analysis, H2-temperature program reduction (H2-TPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS). It is found that Cu-BTC derivative derived from MOF calcined under reaction gas/O2 (Cu-BTC-CO/Cu-BTC-O) only retain Cu2O and CuO species. In addition, a weak Cu-BTC structure and Cu particles were observed on Cu-BTC derivative derived from MOF calcined under H2 (Cu-BTC-H). Obviously differently, Cu-BTC derivative derived from MOF calcined under Ar (Cu-BTC-Ar) still retains good MOF structure. The catalytic performance for CO oxidation over Cu-BTC derivatives was studied. It was found that Cu-BTC-CO showed a smaller specific surface area (8.0 m2/g), but presented an excellent catalytic performance, long-term stability and cycling stability with a complete CO conversion temperature (T100) of 140 °C, which was ascribed to the higher Cu2O/CuO ratio, good low temperature reduction behavior and a high quantity of surface active oxygen species.

  9. The Application of Graphene and Its Derivatives to Energy Conversion, Storage, and Environmental and Biosensing Devices.

    PubMed

    Ali Tahir, Asif; Ullah, Habib; Sudhagar, Pitchaimuthu; Asri Mat Teridi, Mohd; Devadoss, Anitha; Sundaram, Senthilarasu

    2016-06-01

    Graphene (GR) and its derivatives are promising materials on the horizon of nanotechnology and material science and have attracted a tremendous amount of research interest in recent years. The unique atom-thick 2D structure with sp(2) hybridization and large specific surface area, high thermal conductivity, superior electron mobility, and chemical stability have made GR and its derivatives extremely attractive components for composite materials for solar energy conversion, energy storage, environmental purification, and biosensor applications. This review gives a brief introduction of GR's unique structure, band structure engineering, physical and chemical properties, and recent energy-related progress of GR-based materials in the fields of energy conversion (e.g., photocatalysis, photoelectrochemical water splitting, CO2 reduction, dye-sensitized and organic solar cells, and photosensitizers in photovoltaic devices) and energy storage (batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors). The vast coverage of advancements in environmental applications of GR-based materials for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, gas sensing, and removal of heavy-metal ions is presented. Additionally, the use of graphene composites in the biosensing field is discussed. We conclude the review with remarks on the challenges, prospects, and further development of GR-based materials in the exciting fields of energy, environment, and bioscience. © 2016 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Milk derived bioactive peptides and their impact on human health - A review.

    PubMed

    Mohanty, D P; Mohapatra, S; Misra, S; Sahu, P S

    2016-09-01

    Milk-derived bioactive peptides have been identified as potential ingredients of health-promoting functional foods. These bioactive peptides are targeted at diet-related chronic diseases especially the non-communicable diseases viz., obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Peptides derived from the milk of cow, goat, sheep, buffalo and camel exert multifunctional properties, including anti-microbial, immune modulatory, anti-oxidant, inhibitory effect on enzymes, anti-thrombotic, and antagonistic activities against various toxic agents. Majority of those regulate immunological, gastrointestinal, hormonal and neurological responses, thereby playing a vital role in the prevention of cancer, osteoporosis, hypertension and other disorders as discussed in this review. For the commercial production of such novel bioactive peptides large scale technologies based on membrane separation and ion exchange chromatography methods have been developed. Separation and identification of those peptides and their pharmacodynamic parameters are necessary to transfer their potent functional properties into food applications. The present review summarizes the preliminary classes of bioactive milk-derived peptides along with their physiological functions, general characteristics and potential applications in health-care.

  11. Engineering applications of heuristic multilevel optimization methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barthelemy, Jean-Francois M.

    1988-01-01

    Some engineering applications of heuristic multilevel optimization methods are presented and the discussion focuses on the dependency matrix that indicates the relationship between problem functions and variables. Coordination of the subproblem optimizations is shown to be typically achieved through the use of exact or approximate sensitivity analysis. Areas for further development are identified.

  12. Engineering applications of heuristic multilevel optimization methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barthelemy, Jean-Francois M.

    1989-01-01

    Some engineering applications of heuristic multilevel optimization methods are presented and the discussion focuses on the dependency matrix that indicates the relationship between problem functions and variables. Coordination of the subproblem optimizations is shown to be typically achieved through the use of exact or approximate sensitivity analysis. Areas for further development are identified.

  13. Analyses of chlorogenic acids and related cinnamic acid derivatives from Nicotiana tabacum tissues with the aid of UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS based on the in-source collision-induced dissociation method.

    PubMed

    Ncube, Efficient N; Mhlongo, Msizi I; Piater, Lizelle A; Steenkamp, Paul A; Dubery, Ian A; Madala, Ntakadzeni E

    2014-01-01

    Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) are a class of phytochemicals that are formed as esters between different derivatives of cinnamic acid and quinic acid molecules. In plants, accumulation of these compounds has been linked to several physiological responses against various stress factors; however, biochemical synthesis differs from one plant to another. Although structurally simple, the analysis of CGA molecules with modern analytical platforms poses an analytical challenge. The objective of the study was to perform a comparison of the CGA profiles and related derivatives from differentiated tobacco leaf tissues and undifferentiated cell suspension cultures. Using an UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS fingerprinting method based on the in-source collision induced dissociation (ISCID) approach, a total of 19 different metabolites with a cinnamic acid core moiety were identified. These metabolites were either present in both leaf tissue and cell suspension samples or in only one of the two plant systems. Profile differences point to underlying biochemical similarities or differences thereof. Using this method, the regio- and geometric-isomer profiles of chlorogenic acids of the two tissue types of Nicotiana tabacum were achieved. The method was also shown to be applicable for the detection of other related molecules containing a cinnamic acid core.

  14. Chemical Conversions of Biomass-Derived Platform Chemicals over Copper-Silica Nanocomposite Catalysts.

    PubMed

    Upare, Pravin P; Hwang, Young Kyu; Lee, Jong-Min; Hwang, Dong Won; Chang, Jong-San

    2015-07-20

    Biomass and biomass-derived carbohydrates have a high extent of functionality, unlike petroleum, which has limited functionality. In biorefinery applications, the development of methods to control the extent of functionality in final products intended for use as fuels and chemicals is a challenge. In the chemical industry, heterogeneous catalysis is an important tool for the defunctionalization of functionalized feedstocks and biomass-derived platform chemicals to produce value-added chemicals. Herein, we review the recent progress in this field, mainly of vapor phase chemical conversion of biomass-derived C4 -C6 carboxylic acids and esters using copper-silica nanocomposite catalysts. We also demonstrate that these nanocomposite catalysts very efficiently convert biomass-derived platform chemicals into cyclic compounds, such as lactones and hydrofurans, with high selectivities and yields. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Spectral/ hp element methods: Recent developments, applications, and perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Hui; Cantwell, Chris D.; Monteserin, Carlos; Eskilsson, Claes; Engsig-Karup, Allan P.; Sherwin, Spencer J.

    2018-02-01

    The spectral/ hp element method combines the geometric flexibility of the classical h-type finite element technique with the desirable numerical properties of spectral methods, employing high-degree piecewise polynomial basis functions on coarse finite element-type meshes. The spatial approximation is based upon orthogonal polynomials, such as Legendre or Chebychev polynomials, modified to accommodate a C 0 - continuous expansion. Computationally and theoretically, by increasing the polynomial order p, high-precision solutions and fast convergence can be obtained and, in particular, under certain regularity assumptions an exponential reduction in approximation error between numerical and exact solutions can be achieved. This method has now been applied in many simulation studies of both fundamental and practical engineering flows. This paper briefly describes the formulation of the spectral/ hp element method and provides an overview of its application to computational fluid dynamics. In particular, it focuses on the use of the spectral/ hp element method in transitional flows and ocean engineering. Finally, some of the major challenges to be overcome in order to use the spectral/ hp element method in more complex science and engineering applications are discussed.

  16. Method for deriving information regarding stress from a stressed ferromagnetic material

    DOEpatents

    Jiles, David C.

    1991-04-30

    A non-destructive evaluation technique for deriving stress in ferromagnetic materials including deriving anhysteretic and hysteresis magnetization curves for the material in both unstressed and stressed states. The anhysteretic curve is expressed as a Langevin function. The stress is expressed as an equivalent magnetic field dependent on stress and change of magnetostriction with magnetization. By measurement of these bulk magnetic properties, stress can be derived.

  17. Method for deriving information regarding stress from a stressed ferromagnetic material

    DOEpatents

    Jiles, D.C.

    1991-04-30

    A nondestructive evaluation technique is disclosed for deriving stress in ferromagnetic materials including deriving anhysteretic and hysteresis magnetization curves for the material in both unstressed and stressed states. The anhysteretic curve is expressed as a Langevin function. The stress is expressed as an equivalent magnetic field dependent on stress and change of magnetostriction with magnetization. By measurement of these bulk magnetic properties, stress can be derived.

  18. The Evaluation and Utilization of Marine-derived Bioactive Compounds with Anti-obesity Effect.

    PubMed

    Jin, Qiu; Yu, Huahua; Li, Pengcheng

    2018-01-01

    Obesity is a global epidemic throughout the world. There is thus increasing interest in searching for natural bioactive compounds with anti-obesity effect. A number of marine compounds have been regarded as potential sources of bioactive compounds and are associated with an anti-obesity effect. Marine-derived compounds with anti-obesity effect and their current applications, methods and indicators for the evaluation of anti-obesity activity are summarized in this review. in order to make contributions to the development of marine-derived functional food against obesity. In this review, an overview of marine-derived compounds with anti-obesity effect, including marine polysaccharides, marine lipid, marine peptides, marine carotenoids is intensively made with an emphasis on their efficacy and mechanism of action. Meanwhile, methods and indicators for the evaluation of anti-obesity activity are discussed. We summarize these methods into three categories: in vitro assay (including adsorption experiments and enzyme inhibitory assay), cell line study, animal experiments and clinical experiments. In addition, a brief introduction of the current applications of marine bioactive compounds with anti-obesity activity is discussed. Marine environment is a rich source of both biological and chemical diversity. In the past decades, numerous novel compounds with anti-obesity activity have been obtained from marine organisms, and many of them have been applied to industrial production such as functional foods and pharmaceuticals. Further studies are needed to explore the above-mentioned facts. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  19. Application and validation of isotope dilution method (IDM) for predicting bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soil.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jie; Taylor, Allison; Schlenk, Daniel; Gan, Jay

    2018-05-01

    Risk assessment of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) using the total chemical concentration following exhaustive extraction may overestimate the actual availability of HOCs to non-target organisms. Existing methods for estimating HOC bioavailability in soil have various operational limitations. In this study, we explored the application of isotope dilution method (IDM) to quantify the accessible fraction (E) of DDTs and PCBs in both historically-contaminated and freshly-spiked soils. After addition of 13 C or deuterated analogues to a soil sample, the phase distribution of isotope-labeled and native chemicals reached an apparent equilibrium within 48 h of mixing. The derived E values in the three soils ranged from 0.19 to 0.82, depending on the soil properties and also the contact time of HOCs (i.e., aging). The isotope dilution method consistently predicted greater accumulation into earthworm (Eisenia fetida) than that by polyethylene (PE) or solid phase microextraction (SPME) sampler, likely because desorption in the gut enhanced bioavailability of soil-borne HOCs. A highly significant linear regression (R 2  = 0.91) was found between IDM and 24-h Tenax desorption, with a slope statistically identical to 1. The IDM-derived accessible concentration (C e ) was further shown to accurately predict tissue residues in earthworm exposed in the same soils. Given the relatively short duration and simple steps, IDM has the potential to be readily adopted for measuring HOC bioaccessibility in soil and for improving risk assessment and evaluation of remediation efficiency. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Graphene and its derivatives as biomedical materials: future prospects and challenges.

    PubMed

    Banerjee, Arghya Narayan

    2018-06-06

    Graphene and its derivatives possess some intriguing properties, which generates tremendous interests in various fields, including biomedicine. The biomedical applications of graphene-based nanomaterials have attracted great interests over the last decade, and several groups have started working on this field around the globe. Because of the excellent biocompatibility, solubility and selectivity, graphene and its derivatives have shown great potential as biosensing and bio-imaging materials. Also, due to some unique physico-chemical properties of graphene and its derivatives, such as large surface area, high purity, good bio-functionalizability, easy solubility, high drug loading capacity, capability of easy cell membrane penetration, etc., graphene-based nanomaterials become promising candidates for bio-delivery carriers. Besides, graphene and its derivatives have also shown interesting applications in the fields of cell-culture, cell-growth and tissue engineering. In this article, a comprehensive review on the applications of graphene and its derivatives as biomedical materials has been presented. The unique properties of graphene and its derivatives (such as graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphane, graphone, graphyne, graphdiyne, fluorographene and their doped versions) have been discussed, followed by discussions on the recent efforts on the applications of graphene and its derivatives in biosensing, bio-imaging, drug delivery and therapy, cell culture, tissue engineering and cell growth. Also, the challenges involved in the use of graphene and its derivatives as biomedical materials are discussed briefly, followed by the future perspectives of the use of graphene-based nanomaterials in bio-applications. The review will provide an outlook to the applications of graphene and its derivatives, and may open up new horizons to inspire broader interests across various disciplines.

  1. Physics-based and human-derived information fusion for analysts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blasch, Erik; Nagy, James; Scott, Steve; Okoth, Joshua; Hinman, Michael

    2017-05-01

    Recent trends in physics-based and human-derived information fusion (PHIF) have amplified the capabilities of analysts; however with the big data opportunities there is a need for open architecture designs, methods of distributed team collaboration, and visualizations. In this paper, we explore recent trends in the information fusion to support user interaction and machine analytics. Challenging scenarios requiring PHIF include combing physics-based video data with human-derived text data for enhanced simultaneous tracking and identification. A driving effort would be to provide analysts with applications, tools, and interfaces that afford effective and affordable solutions for timely decision making. Fusion at scale should be developed to allow analysts to access data, call analytics routines, enter solutions, update models, and store results for distributed decision making.

  2. Characterization of chlorophyll derivatives in micelles of polymeric surfactants aiming photodynamic applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gerola, Adriana Passarella; de Morais, Flavia Amanda Pedroso; Costa, Paulo Fernando A.; Kimura, Elza; Caetano, Wilker; Hioka, Noboru

    2017-02-01

    The spectrophotometric properties of chlorophylls' derivatives (Chls) formulated in the Pluronics® F-127 and P-123 were evaluated and the results have shown that the Chls were efficiently solubilized in these drug delivery systems as monomers. The relative location of the Chls in the Pluronics® was estimated from the Stokes shift and micropolarity of the micellar environment. Chls with phytyl chain were located in the micellar core, where the micropolarity is similar to ethanol, while phorbides' derivatives (without phytyl chain) were located in the outer shell of the micelle, i.e., more polar environment. In addition, the thermal stability of the micellar formulations was evaluated through electronic absorption, fluorescence emission and resonance light scattering with lowering the temperature. The Chls promote the stability of the micelles at temperatures below the Critical Micellar Temperature (CMT) of these surfactants. For F-127 formulations, the water molecules drive through inside the nano-structure at temperatures below the CMT, which increased the polarity of this microenvironment and directly affected the spectrophotometric properties of the Chls with phytyl chain. The properties of the micellar microenvironment of P-123, with more hydrophobic core due to the small PEO/PPO fraction, were less affected by lowering the temperature than for F-127. These results enable us to better understand the Chls behavior in micellar copolymers and allowed us to design new drug delivery system that maintains the photosensitizer's properties for photodynamic applications.

  3. The role of pancreatic cancer-derived exosomes in cancer progress and their potential application as biomarkers.

    PubMed

    Jin, H; Wu, Y; Tan, X

    2017-08-01

    Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers, with dismal prognosis due to its poor early detection rate and high metastatic rate. Thus, elucidation of the molecular mechanisms accounting for its metastasis and discovery of competent biomarkers is required. Exosomes are multivesicular body-derived small extracellular vesicles released by various cell types that serve as important message carriers during intercellular communication. They are also known to play critical roles during cancer-genesis, cancer-related immune reactions, and metastasis. They also possess promising potential as novel biomarkers for cancer early detection. Therefore, extensive studies on pancreatic cancer-derived exosomes are currently being performed because they hold the promising potential of elevating the overall survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer. In the present review, we focus on the role of exosomes in pancreatic cancer-related immune reactions, metastasis, and complications, and on their potential application as pancreatic cancer biomarkers.

  4. From waste to high-value product: Jackfruit peel derived pectin/apatite bionanocomposites for bone healing applications.

    PubMed

    Govindaraj, Dharman; Rajan, Mariappan; Hatamleh, Ashraf A; Munusamy, Murugan A

    2018-01-01

    Public requirements encouraged by the current asset framework drive industry to expand its general effectiveness by enhancing existing procedures or finding new uses for waste. Thus, the aim of this study was the isolation, fabrication, and characterization of pectin derived from jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peels and the generation of hybrid of pectin (P)/apatite (HA) (P/HA) bionanocomposites. In this process, the natural pectin polymer derived from the peel of jackfruits was used in different concentrations for the fabrication of HA bionanocomposites. Characterization of the isolated pectin and bionanocomposites samples was performed with 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR, FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDX, and HR-TEM. Cytocompatibility, ALP, fibroblast stem cells, anti-inflammatory and cell adhesion testing of the fabricated bionanocomposites was showed good biocompatibility. Our results signify that the fabricated bionanocomposites might be applicable as bone graft materials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Magnetic resonance imaging with hyperpolarized agents: methods and applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adamson, Erin B.; Ludwig, Kai D.; Mummy, David G.; Fain, Sean B.

    2017-07-01

    In the past decade, hyperpolarized (HP) contrast agents have been under active development for MRI applications to address the twin challenges of functional and quantitative imaging. Both HP helium (3He) and xenon (129Xe) gases have reached the stage where they are under study in clinical research. HP 129Xe, in particular, is poised for larger scale clinical research to investigate asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and fibrotic lung diseases. With advances in polarizer technology and unique capabilities for imaging of 129Xe gas exchange into lung tissue and blood, HP 129Xe MRI is attracting new attention. In parallel, HP 13C and 15N MRI methods have steadily advanced in a wide range of pre-clinical research applications for imaging metabolism in various cancers and cardiac disease. The HP [1-13C] pyruvate MRI technique, in particular, has undergone phase I trials in prostate cancer and is poised for investigational new drug trials at multiple institutions in cancer and cardiac applications. This review treats the methodology behind both HP gases and HP 13C and 15N liquid state agents. Gas and liquid phase HP agents share similar technologies for achieving non-equilibrium polarization outside the field of the MRI scanner, strategies for image data acquisition, and translational challenges in moving from pre-clinical to clinical research. To cover the wide array of methods and applications, this review is organized by numerical section into (1) a brief introduction, (2) the physical and biological properties of the most common polarized agents with a brief summary of applications and methods of polarization, (3) methods for image acquisition and reconstruction specific to improving data acquisition efficiency for HP MRI, (4) the main physical properties that enable unique measures of physiology or metabolic pathways, followed by a more detailed review of the literature describing the use of HP agents to study: (5) metabolic pathways in cancer and cardiac

  6. Evaluation of methods to derive green-up dates based on daily NDVI satellite observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Doktor, Daniel

    2010-05-01

    Bridging the gap between satellite derived green-up dates and in situ phenological observations has been the purpose of many studies over the last decades. Despite substantial advancements in satellite technology and data quality checks there is as yet no universally accepted method for extracting phenological metrics based on satellite derived vegetation indices. Dependent on the respective method derived green-up dates can vary up to serveral weeks using identical data sets. Consequently, it is difficult to compare various studies and to accurately determine an increased vegetation length due to changing temperature patterns as observed by ground phenological networks. Here, I compared how the characteristic NDVI increase over temperate deciduous forests in Germany in spring relates to respective budburst events observed on the ground. MODIS Terra daily surface reflectances with a 250 m resolution (2000-2008) were gathered to compute daily NDVI values. As ground truth, observations of the extensive phenological network of the German Weather Service were used. About 1500 observations per year and species (Beech, Oak and Birch) were available evenly distributed all over Germany. Two filtering methods were tested to reduce the noisy raw data. The first method only keeps NDVI values which are classified as ‚ideal global quality' and applies on those a temporal moving window where values are removed which differ more than 20% of the mean. The second method uses an adaptation of the BISE (Best Index Slope Extraction) algorithm. Subsequently, three functions were fitted to the selected observations: a simple linear interpolation, a sigmoidal function and a double logistic sigmoidal function allowing to approximate two temporally separated green-up signals. The green-up date was then determined at halfway between minimum and maximum (linear interpolation) or at the inflexion point of the sigmoidal curve. A number of global threshold values (NDVI 0.4,0.5,0.6) and

  7. Manipulation-free cultures of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes offer a novel screening method for cardiotoxicity.

    PubMed

    Rajasingh, Sheeja; Isai, Dona Greta; Samanta, Saheli; Zhou, Zhi-Gang; Dawn, Buddhadeb; Kinsey, William H; Czirok, Andras; Rajasingh, Johnson

    2018-04-05

    Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based cardiac regenerative medicine requires the efficient generation, structural soundness and proper functioning of mature cardiomyocytes, derived from the patient's somatic cells. The most important functional property of cardiomyocytes is the ability to contract. Currently available methods routinely used to test and quantify cardiomyocyte function involve techniques that are labor-intensive, invasive, require sophisticated instruments or can adversely affect cell vitality. We recently developed optical flow imaging method analyses and quantified cardiomyocyte contractile kinetics from video microscopic recordings without compromising cell quality. Specifically, our automated particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis of phase-contrast video images captured at a high frame rate yields statistical measures characterizing the beating frequency, amplitude, average waveform and beat-to-beat variations. Thus, it can be a powerful assessment tool to monitor cardiomyocyte quality and maturity. Here we demonstrate the ability of our analysis to characterize the chronotropic responses of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes to a panel of ion channel modulators and also to doxorubicin, a chemotherapy agent with known cardiotoxic side effects. We conclude that the PIV-derived beat patterns can identify the elongation or shortening of specific phases in the contractility cycle, and the obtained chronotropic responses are in accord with known clinical outcomes. Hence, this system can serve as a powerful tool to screen the new and currently available pharmacological compounds for cardiotoxic effects.

  8. Inferring time derivatives including cell growth rates using Gaussian processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Swain, Peter S.; Stevenson, Keiran; Leary, Allen; Montano-Gutierrez, Luis F.; Clark, Ivan B. N.; Vogel, Jackie; Pilizota, Teuta

    2016-12-01

    Often the time derivative of a measured variable is of as much interest as the variable itself. For a growing population of biological cells, for example, the population's growth rate is typically more important than its size. Here we introduce a non-parametric method to infer first and second time derivatives as a function of time from time-series data. Our approach is based on Gaussian processes and applies to a wide range of data. In tests, the method is at least as accurate as others, but has several advantages: it estimates errors both in the inference and in any summary statistics, such as lag times, and allows interpolation with the corresponding error estimation. As illustrations, we infer growth rates of microbial cells, the rate of assembly of an amyloid fibril and both the speed and acceleration of two separating spindle pole bodies. Our algorithm should thus be broadly applicable.

  9. A Novel Deployment Method for Communication-Intensive Applications in Service Clouds

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Chuanchang; Yang, Jingqi

    2014-01-01

    The service platforms are migrating to clouds for reasonably solving long construction periods, low resource utilizations, and isolated constructions of service platforms. However, when the migration is conducted in service clouds, there is a little focus of deploying communication-intensive applications in previous deployment methods. To address this problem, this paper proposed the combination of the online deployment and the offline deployment for deploying communication-intensive applications in service clouds. Firstly, the system architecture was designed for implementing the communication-aware deployment method for communication-intensive applications in service clouds. Secondly, in the online-deployment algorithm and the offline-deployment algorithm, service instances were deployed in an optimal cloud node based on the communication overhead which is determined by the communication traffic between services, as well as the communication performance between cloud nodes. Finally, the experimental results demonstrated that the proposed methods deployed communication-intensive applications effectively with lower latency and lower load compared with existing algorithms. PMID:25140331

  10. A novel deployment method for communication-intensive applications in service clouds.

    PubMed

    Liu, Chuanchang; Yang, Jingqi

    2014-01-01

    The service platforms are migrating to clouds for reasonably solving long construction periods, low resource utilizations, and isolated constructions of service platforms. However, when the migration is conducted in service clouds, there is a little focus of deploying communication-intensive applications in previous deployment methods. To address this problem, this paper proposed the combination of the online deployment and the offline deployment for deploying communication-intensive applications in service clouds. Firstly, the system architecture was designed for implementing the communication-aware deployment method for communication-intensive applications in service clouds. Secondly, in the online-deployment algorithm and the offline-deployment algorithm, service instances were deployed in an optimal cloud node based on the communication overhead which is determined by the communication traffic between services, as well as the communication performance between cloud nodes. Finally, the experimental results demonstrated that the proposed methods deployed communication-intensive applications effectively with lower latency and lower load compared with existing algorithms.

  11. Pan-derived isotopic composition of atmospheric vapour in a Mediterranean wetland (Rhône River Delta, France).

    PubMed

    Vallet-Coulomb, Christine; Cartapanis, Olivier; Radakovitch, Olivier; Sonzogni, Corinne; Pichaud, Marc

    2010-03-01

    A continuous record of atmospheric vapour isotopic composition (delta(A)) can be derived from the isotope mass balance of a water body submitted to natural evaporation. In this paper, we present preliminary results of the application of this method to a drying evaporation pan, located in a Mediterranean wetland, during a two-month summer period. Results seem consistent with few atmospheric vapour data based on the assumption of isotopic equilibrium with precipitation, but we observed a shift between pan-derived delta(A) and the composition of vapour samples collected by cold trapping. These results suggest that further investigations are necessary to evaluate the effect of diurnal variations of atmospheric conditions on the applicability of the pan-evaporation method, and on the representative of grab atmospheric samples. We also propose a sensitivity analysis for evaluating the impact of the different measured components on delta(A) calculation, and show an improvement in the method efficiency as the pan is drying.

  12. Adipose-derived adult stem cells: available technologies for potential clinical regenerative applications in dentistry.

    PubMed

    Catalano, Enrico; Cochis, Andrea; Varoni, Elena; Rimondini, Lia; Carrassi, Antonio; Azzimonti, Barbara

    2013-01-01

    Tissue homeostasis depends closely on the activity and welfare of adult stem cells. These cells represent a promising tool for biomedical research since they can aid in treatment and promote the regeneration of damaged organs in many human disorders. Adult stem cells indefinitely preserve their ability to self-renew and differentiate into various phenotypes; this capacity could be promoted in vitro by particular culture conditions (differentiation media) or spontaneously induced in vivo by exploiting the biochemical and mechanical properties of the tissue in which the stem cells are implanted. Among the different sources of adult stem cells, adipose tissue is an attractive possibility thanks to its ready availability and the standard extraction techniques at our disposal today. This review discusses the isolation, characterization, and differentiation of human adipose-derived adult stem cells, as well as regeneration strategies, therapeutic uses, and adverse effects of their delivery. In particular, since oral disorders (e.g., trauma, erosion, and chronic periodontitis) often cause the loss of dental tissue along with functional, phonetic, and aesthetic impairment, this review focuses on the application of human adipose-derived adult stem cells, alone or in combination with biomaterials, in treating oral diseases.

  13. Application of integrated fluid-thermal-structural analysis methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wieting, Allan R.; Dechaumphai, Pramote; Bey, Kim S.; Thornton, Earl A.; Morgan, Ken

    1988-01-01

    Hypersonic vehicles operate in a hostile aerothermal environment which has a significant impact on their aerothermostructural performance. Significant coupling occurs between the aerodynamic flow field, structural heat transfer, and structural response creating a multidisciplinary interaction. Interfacing state-of-the-art disciplinary analysis methods is not efficient, hence interdisciplinary analysis methods integrated into a single aerothermostructural analyzer are needed. The NASA Langley Research Center is developing such methods in an analyzer called LIFTS (Langley Integrated Fluid-Thermal-Structural) analyzer. The evolution and status of LIFTS is reviewed and illustrated through applications.

  14. Traceability of biotech-derived animals: application of DNA technology.

    PubMed

    Loftus, R

    2005-04-01

    Traceability is increasingly becoming standard across the agri-food industry, largely driven by recent food crises and the consequent demands for transparency within the food chain. This is leading to the development of a range of traceability concepts and technologies adapted to different industry needs. Experience with genetically modified plants has shown that traceability can play a role in increasing public confidence in biotechnology, and might similarly help allay concerns relating to the development of animal biotechnology. Traceability also forms an essential component of any risk management strategy and is a key requirement for post-marketing surveillance. Given the diversity of traceability concepts and technologies available, consideration needs to be given to the scope and precision of traceability systems for animal biotechnology. Experience to date has shown that conventional tagging and labelling systems can incorporate levels of error and may not have sufficient precision for biotech-derived animals. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology can overcome these difficulties by tracing animals and animal by-products through their DNA code rather than an associated label. This offers the possibility of tracing some by-products of animal biotechnology through the supply chain back to source animals, offering unprecedented levels of traceability. Developments in both DNA sampling and analysis technology are making large-scale applications of DNA traceability increasingly cost effective and feasible, and are likely to lead to a broader uptake of DNA traceability concepts.

  15. Nutrient conservation during spent mushroom compost application using spent mushroom substrate derived biochar.

    PubMed

    Lou, Zimo; Sun, Yue; Bian, Shuping; Ali Baig, Shams; Hu, Baolan; Xu, Xinhua

    2017-02-01

    Spent mushroom compost (SMC), a spent mushroom substrate (SMS) derived compost, is always applied to agriculture land to enhance soil organic matter and nutrient contents. However, nitrogen, phosphate and organic matter contained in SMC can leach out and contaminate ground water during its application. In this study, biochars prepared under different pyrolytic temperatures (550 °C, 650 °C or 750 °C) from SMS were applied to soil as a nutrient conservation strategy. The resultant biochars were characterized for physical and mineralogical properties. Surface area and pore volume of biochars increased as temperature increased, while pore size decreased with increasing temperature. Calcite and quartz were evidenced by X-ray diffraction analysis in all biochars produced. Results of column leaching test suggested that mixed treatment of SMC and SMS-750-800 (prepared with the temperature for pyrolysis and activation was chosen as 750 °C and 800 °C, respectively) could reduce 43% of TN and 66% of COD Cr in leachate as compared to chemical fertilizers and SMC, respectively. Furthermore, increasing dosage of SMS-750-800 from 1% to 5% would lead to 54% COD Cr reduction in leachate, which confirmed its nutrient retention capability. Findings from this study suggested that combined application of SMC and SMS-based biochar was an applicable strategy for reducing TN and COD Cr leaching. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Probabilistic structural analysis methods and applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cruse, T. A.; Wu, Y.-T.; Dias, B.; Rajagopal, K. R.

    1988-01-01

    An advanced algorithm for simulating the probabilistic distribution of structural responses due to statistical uncertainties in loads, geometry, material properties, and boundary conditions is reported. The method effectively combines an advanced algorithm for calculating probability levels for multivariate problems (fast probability integration) together with a general-purpose finite-element code for stress, vibration, and buckling analysis. Application is made to a space propulsion system turbine blade for which the geometry and material properties are treated as random variables.

  17. 7 CFR 784.4 - Time and method of application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Time and method of application. 784.4 Section 784.4 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS 2004 EWE LAMB REPLACEMENT AND RETENTION PAYMENT PROGRAM § 784.4 Time and method...

  18. 47 CFR 61.17 - Method of filing applications for special permission.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... special permission. (a) An application for special permission filed electronically must be addressed to... permission applications requiring fees as set forth in part 1, subpart G of this chapter, issuing carriers... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Method of filing applications for special...

  19. Utilization of flax fibers for biomedical applications.

    PubMed

    Michel, Sophie A A X; Vogels, Ruben R M; Bouvy, Nicole D; Knetsch, Menno L W; van den Akker, Nynke M S; Gijbels, Marion J J; van der Marel, Cees; Vermeersch, Jan; Molin, Daniel G M; Koole, Leo H

    2014-04-01

    Over the past decades, a large number of animal-derived materials have been introduced for several biomedical applications. Surprisingly, the use of plant-based materials has lagged behind. To study the feasibility of plant-derived biomedical materials, we chose flax (Linum usitatissimum). Flax fibers possess excellent physical-mechanical properties, are nonbiodegradable, and there is extensive know-how on weaving/knitting of them. One area where they could be useful is as implantable mesh structures in surgery, in particular for the repair of incisional hernias of the abdominal wall. Starting with a bleached flax thread, a prototype mesh was specifically knitted for this study, and its cytocompatibility was studied in vitro and in vivo. The experimental data revealed that application of flax in surgery first requires a robust method to remove endotoxins and purify the flax fiber. Such a method was developed, and purified meshes did not cause loss of cell viability in vitro. In addition, endotoxins determined using limulus amebocyte lysate test were at acceptable levels. In vivo, the flax meshes showed only mild inflammation, comparable to commercial polypropylene meshes. This study revealed that plant-derived biomaterials can provide a new class of implantable materials that could be used as surgical meshes or for other biomedical applications. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Approximate solution of the mode-mode coupling integral: Application to cytosine and its deuterated derivative.

    PubMed

    Rasheed, Tabish; Ahmad, Shabbir

    2010-10-01

    Ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF), density functional theory (DFT) and second-order Møller-Plesset (MP2) methods were used to perform harmonic and anharmonic calculations for the biomolecule cytosine and its deuterated derivative. The anharmonic vibrational spectra were computed using the vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) and correlation-corrected vibrational self-consistent field (CC-VSCF) methods. Calculated anharmonic frequencies have been compared with the argon matrix spectra reported in literature. The results were analyzed with focus on the properties of anharmonic couplings between pair of modes. A simple and easy to use formula for calculation of mode-mode coupling magnitudes has been derived. The key element in present approach is the approximation that only interactions between pairs of normal modes have been taken into account, while interactions of triples or more are neglected. FTIR and Raman spectra of solid state cytosine have been recorded in the regions 400-4000 cm(-1) and 60-4000 cm(-1), respectively. Vibrational analysis and assignments are based on calculated potential energy distribution (PED) values. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Application of second derivative spectroscopy for increasing molecular specificity of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic imaging of articular cartilage.

    PubMed

    Rieppo, L; Saarakkala, S; Närhi, T; Helminen, H J; Jurvelin, J S; Rieppo, J

    2012-05-01

    Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic imaging is a promising method that enables the analysis of spatial distribution of biochemical components within histological sections. However, analysis of FT-IR spectroscopic data is complicated since absorption peaks often overlap with each other. Second derivative spectroscopy is a technique which enhances the separation of overlapping peaks. The objective of this study was to evaluate the specificity of the second derivative peaks for the main tissue components of articular cartilage (AC), i.e., collagen and proteoglycans (PGs). Histological bovine AC sections were measured before and after enzymatic removal of PGs. Both formalin-fixed sections (n = 10) and cryosections (n = 6) were investigated. Relative changes in the second derivative peak heights caused by the removal of PGs were calculated for both sample groups. The results showed that numerous peaks, e.g., peaks located at 1202 cm(-1) and 1336 cm(-1), altered less than 5% in the experiment. These peaks were assumed to be specific for collagen. In contrast, two peaks located at 1064 cm(-1) and 1376 cm(-1) were seen to alter notably, approximately 50% or more. These peaks were regarded to be specific for PGs. The changes were greater in cryosections than formalin-fixed sections. The results of this study suggest that the second derivative spectroscopy offers a practical and more specific method than routinely used absorption spectrum analysis methods to obtain compositional information on AC with FT-IR spectroscopic imaging. Copyright © 2012 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Model reduction of dynamical systems by proper orthogonal decomposition: Error bounds and comparison of methods using snapshots from the solution and the time derivatives [Proper orthogonal decomposition model reduction of dynamical systems: error bounds and comparison of methods using snapshots from the solution and the time derivatives

    DOE PAGES

    Kostova-Vassilevska, Tanya; Oxberry, Geoffrey M.

    2017-09-17

    In this study, we consider two proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) methods for dimension reduction of dynamical systems. The first method (M1) uses only time snapshots of the solution, while the second method (M2) augments the snapshot set with time-derivative snapshots. The goal of the paper is to analyze and compare the approximation errors resulting from the two methods by using error bounds. We derive several new bounds of the error from POD model reduction by each of the two methods. The new error bounds involve a multiplicative factor depending on the time steps between the snapshots. For method M1 themore » factor depends on the second power of the time step, while for method 2 the dependence is on the fourth power of the time step, suggesting that method M2 can be more accurate for small between-snapshot intervals. However, three other factors also affect the size of the error bounds. These include (i) the norm of the second (for M1) and fourth derivatives (M2); (ii) the first neglected singular value and (iii) the spectral properties of the projection of the system’s Jacobian in the reduced space. Because of the interplay of these factors neither method is more accurate than the other in all cases. Finally, we present numerical examples demonstrating that when the number of collected snapshots is small and the first neglected singular value has a value of zero, method M2 results in a better approximation.« less

  3. Model reduction of dynamical systems by proper orthogonal decomposition: Error bounds and comparison of methods using snapshots from the solution and the time derivatives [Proper orthogonal decomposition model reduction of dynamical systems: error bounds and comparison of methods using snapshots from the solution and the time derivatives

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

    Kostova-Vassilevska, Tanya; Oxberry, Geoffrey M.

    In this study, we consider two proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) methods for dimension reduction of dynamical systems. The first method (M1) uses only time snapshots of the solution, while the second method (M2) augments the snapshot set with time-derivative snapshots. The goal of the paper is to analyze and compare the approximation errors resulting from the two methods by using error bounds. We derive several new bounds of the error from POD model reduction by each of the two methods. The new error bounds involve a multiplicative factor depending on the time steps between the snapshots. For method M1 themore » factor depends on the second power of the time step, while for method 2 the dependence is on the fourth power of the time step, suggesting that method M2 can be more accurate for small between-snapshot intervals. However, three other factors also affect the size of the error bounds. These include (i) the norm of the second (for M1) and fourth derivatives (M2); (ii) the first neglected singular value and (iii) the spectral properties of the projection of the system’s Jacobian in the reduced space. Because of the interplay of these factors neither method is more accurate than the other in all cases. Finally, we present numerical examples demonstrating that when the number of collected snapshots is small and the first neglected singular value has a value of zero, method M2 results in a better approximation.« less

  4. Marine-derived fungi: diversity of enzymes and biotechnological applications

    PubMed Central

    Bonugli-Santos, Rafaella C.; dos Santos Vasconcelos, Maria R.; Passarini, Michel R. Z.; Vieira, Gabriela A. L.; Lopes, Viviane C. P.; Mainardi, Pedro H.; dos Santos, Juliana A.; de Azevedo Duarte, Lidia; Otero, Igor V. R.; da Silva Yoshida, Aline M.; Feitosa, Valker A.; Pessoa, Adalberto; Sette, Lara D.

    2015-01-01

    The ocean is considered to be a great reservoir of biodiversity. Microbial communities in marine environments are ecologically relevant as intermediaries of energy, and play an important role in nutrient regeneration cycles as decomposers of dead and decaying organic matter. In this sense, marine-derived fungi can be considered as a source of enzymes of industrial and/or environmental interest. Fungal strains isolated from different substrates, such as invertebrates, decaying wood, seawater, sediments, and mangrove detritus, have been reported to be producers of hydrolytic and/or oxidative enzymes, with alginate lyase, amylase, cellulase, chitinase, glucosidase, inulinase, keratinase, ligninase, lipase, nuclease, phytase, protease, and xylanase being among the enzymes produced by fungi of marine origin. These enzymes present temperature and pH optima ranging from 35 to 70∘C, and 3.0 to 11.0, respectively. High-level production in bioreactors is mainly performed using submerged-state fermentation. Certain marine-derived fungal strains present enzymes with alkaline and cold-activity characteristics, and salinity is considered an important condition in screening and production processes. The adaptability of marine-derived fungi to oceanic conditions can be considered an attractive point in the field of fungal marine biotechnology. In this review, we focus on the advances in discovering enzymes from marine-derived fungi and their biotechnological relevance. PMID:25914680

  5. Hyaluronic Acid and Its Derivatives in Coating and Delivery Systems: Applications in Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Immunomodulation.

    PubMed

    Knopf-Marques, Helena; Pravda, Martin; Wolfova, Lucie; Velebny, Vladimir; Schaaf, Pierre; Vrana, Nihal Engin; Lavalle, Philippe

    2016-11-01

    As an Extracellular Matrix (ECM) component, Hyaluronic acid (HA) plays a multi-faceted role in cell migration, proliferation and differentiation at micro level and system level events such as tissue water homeostasis. Among its biological functions, it is known to interact with cytokines and contribute to their retention in ECM microenvironment. In addition to its biological functions, it has advantageous physical properties which result in the industrial endeavors in the synthesis and extraction of HA for variety of applications ranging from medical to cosmetic. Recently, HA and its derivatives have been the focus of active research for applications in biomedical device coatings, drug delivery systems and in the form of scaffolds or cell-laden hydrogels for tissue engineering. A specific reason for the increase in use of HA based structures is their immunomodulatory and regeneration inducing capacities. In this context, this article reviews recent literature on modulation of the implantable biomaterial microenvironment by systems based on HA and its derivatives, particularly hydrogels and microscale coatings that are able to deliver cytokines in order to reduce the adverse immune reactions and promote tissue healing. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. A new method to derive electronegativity from resonant inelastic x-ray scattering.

    PubMed

    Carniato, S; Journel, L; Guillemin, R; Piancastelli, M N; Stolte, W C; Lindle, D W; Simon, M

    2012-10-14

    Electronegativity is a well-known property of atoms and substituent groups. Because there is no direct way to measure it, establishing a useful scale for electronegativity often entails correlating it to another chemical parameter; a wide variety of methods have been proposed over the past 80 years to do just that. This work reports a new approach that connects electronegativity to a spectroscopic parameter derived from resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. The new method is demonstrated using a series of chlorine-containing compounds, focusing on the Cl 2p(-1)LUMO(1) electronic states reached after Cl 1s → LUMO core excitation and subsequent KL radiative decay. Based on an electron-density analysis of the LUMOs, the relative weights of the Cl 2p(z) atomic orbital contributing to the Cl 2p(3/2) molecular spin-orbit components are shown to yield a linear electronegativity scale consistent with previous approaches.

  7. A new method to derive electronegativity from resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

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

    Carniato, S.; Journel, L.; Guillemin, R.

    2012-10-14

    Electronegativity is a well-known property of atoms and substituent groups. Because there is no direct way to measure it, establishing a useful scale for electronegativity often entails correlating it to another chemical parameter; a wide variety of methods have been proposed over the past 80 years to do just that. This work reports a new approach that connects electronegativity to a spectroscopic parameter derived from resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. The new method is demonstrated using a series of chlorine-containing compounds, focusing on the Cl 2p{sup -1}LUMO{sup 1} electronic states reached after Cl 1s{yields} LUMO core excitation and subsequent KL radiativemore » decay. Based on an electron-density analysis of the LUMOs, the relative weights of the Cl 2p{sub z} atomic orbital contributing to the Cl 2p{sub 3/2} molecular spin-orbit components are shown to yield a linear electronegativity scale consistent with previous approaches.« less

  8. An empirical method for deriving RBE values associated with electrons, photons and radionuclides.

    PubMed

    Bellamy, M; Puskin, J; Hertel, N; Eckerman, K

    2015-12-01

    There is substantial evidence to justify using relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values of >1 for low-energy electrons and photons. But, in the field of radiation protection, radiation associated with low linear energy transfer has been assigned a radiation weighting factor wR of 1. This value may be suitable for radiation protection but, for risk considerations, it is important to evaluate the potential elevated biological effectiveness of radiation to improve the quality of risk estimates. RBE values between 2 and 3 for tritium are implied by several experimental measurements. Additionally, elevated RBE values have been found for other similar low-energy radiation sources. In this work, RBE values are derived for electrons based upon the fractional deposition of absorbed dose of energies less than a few kiloelectron volts. Using this empirical method, RBE values were also derived for monoenergetic photons and 1070 radionuclides from ICRP Publication 107 for which photons and electrons are the primary emissions. Published by Oxford University Press 2015. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

  9. Improved quantitative analysis of spectra using a new method of obtaining derivative spectra based on a singular perturbation technique.

    PubMed

    Li, Zhigang; Wang, Qiaoyun; Lv, Jiangtao; Ma, Zhenhe; Yang, Linjuan

    2015-06-01

    Spectroscopy is often applied when a rapid quantitative analysis is required, but one challenge is the translation of raw spectra into a final analysis. Derivative spectra are often used as a preliminary preprocessing step to resolve overlapping signals, enhance signal properties, and suppress unwanted spectral features that arise due to non-ideal instrument and sample properties. In this study, to improve quantitative analysis of near-infrared spectra, derivatives of noisy raw spectral data need to be estimated with high accuracy. A new spectral estimator based on singular perturbation technique, called the singular perturbation spectra estimator (SPSE), is presented, and the stability analysis of the estimator is given. Theoretical analysis and simulation experimental results confirm that the derivatives can be estimated with high accuracy using this estimator. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the estimator for processing noisy infrared spectra is evaluated using the analysis of beer spectra. The derivative spectra of the beer and the marzipan are used to build the calibration model using partial least squares (PLS) modeling. The results show that the PLS based on the new estimator can achieve better performance compared with the Savitzky-Golay algorithm and can serve as an alternative choice for quantitative analytical applications.

  10. Application of derivative spectrophotometry under orthogonal polynomial at unequal intervals: determination of metronidazole and nystatin in their pharmaceutical mixture.

    PubMed

    Korany, Mohamed A; Abdine, Heba H; Ragab, Marwa A A; Aboras, Sara I

    2015-05-15

    This paper discusses a general method for the use of orthogonal polynomials for unequal intervals (OPUI) to eliminate interferences in two-component spectrophotometric analysis. In this paper, a new approach was developed by using first derivative D1 curve instead of absorbance curve to be convoluted using OPUI method for the determination of metronidazole (MTR) and nystatin (NYS) in their mixture. After applying derivative treatment of the absorption data many maxima and minima points appeared giving characteristic shape for each drug allowing the selection of different number of points for the OPUI method for each drug. This allows the specific and selective determination of each drug in presence of the other and in presence of any matrix interference. The method is particularly useful when the two absorption spectra have considerable overlap. The results obtained are encouraging and suggest that the method can be widely applied to similar problems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. A method to derive vegetation distribution maps for pollen dispersion models using birch as an example

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pauling, A.; Rotach, M. W.; Gehrig, R.; Clot, B.

    2012-09-01

    Detailed knowledge of the spatial distribution of sources is a crucial prerequisite for the application of pollen dispersion models such as, for example, COSMO-ART (COnsortium for Small-scale MOdeling - Aerosols and Reactive Trace gases). However, this input is not available for the allergy-relevant species such as hazel, alder, birch, grass or ragweed. Hence, plant distribution datasets need to be derived from suitable sources. We present an approach to produce such a dataset from existing sources using birch as an example. The basic idea is to construct a birch dataset using a region with good data coverage for calibration and then to extrapolate this relationship to a larger area by using land use classes. We use the Swiss forest inventory (1 km resolution) in combination with a 74-category land use dataset that covers the non-forested areas of Switzerland as well (resolution 100 m). Then we assign birch density categories of 0%, 0.1%, 0.5% and 2.5% to each of the 74 land use categories. The combination of this derived dataset with the birch distribution from the forest inventory yields a fairly accurate birch distribution encompassing entire Switzerland. The land use categories of the Global Land Cover 2000 (GLC2000; Global Land Cover 2000 database, 2003, European Commission, Joint Research Centre; resolution 1 km) are then calibrated with the Swiss dataset in order to derive a Europe-wide birch distribution dataset and aggregated onto the 7 km COSMO-ART grid. This procedure thus assumes that a certain GLC2000 land use category has the same birch density wherever it may occur in Europe. In order to reduce the strict application of this crucial assumption, the birch density distribution as obtained from the previous steps is weighted using the mean Seasonal Pollen Index (SPI; yearly sums of daily pollen concentrations). For future improvement, region-specific birch densities for the GLC2000 categories could be integrated into the mapping procedure.

  12. Second- and Higher-Order Virial Coefficients Derived from Equations of State for Real Gases

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parkinson, William A.

    2009-01-01

    Derivation of the second- and higher-order virial coefficients for models of the gaseous state is demonstrated by employing a direct differential method and subsequent term-by-term comparison to power series expansions. This communication demonstrates the application of this technique to van der Waals representations of virial coefficients.…

  13. Enhancement of oxidation resistance of graphite foams by polymer derived-silicon carbide coating for concentrated solar power applications

    DOE PAGES

    Kim, T.; Singh, D.; Singh, M.

    2015-05-01

    Graphite foam with extremely high thermal conductivity has been investigated to enhance heat transfer of latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems. However, the use of graphite foam for elevated temperature applications (>600 °C) is limited due to poor oxidation resistance of graphite. In the present study, oxidation resistance of graphite foam coated with silicon carbide (SiC) was investigated. A pre-ceramic polymer derived coating (PDC) method was used to form a SiC coating on the graphite foams. Post coating deposition, the samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The oxidation resistance of PDC-SiC coating was quantifiedmore » by measuring the weight of the samples at several measuring points. The experiments were conducted under static argon atmosphere in a furnace. After the experiments, oxidation rates (%/hour) were calculated to predict the lifetime of the graphite foams. The experimental results showed that the PDC-SiC coating could prevent the oxidation of graphite foam under static argon atmosphere up to 900 °C.« less

  14. Transonic Flow Computations Using Nonlinear Potential Methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holst, Terry L.; Kwak, Dochan (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    This presentation describes the state of transonic flow simulation using nonlinear potential methods for external aerodynamic applications. The presentation begins with a review of the various potential equation forms (with emphasis on the full potential equation) and includes a discussion of pertinent mathematical characteristics and all derivation assumptions. Impact of the derivation assumptions on simulation accuracy, especially with respect to shock wave capture, is discussed. Key characteristics of all numerical algorithm types used for solving nonlinear potential equations, including steady, unsteady, space marching, and design methods, are described. Both spatial discretization and iteration scheme characteristics are examined. Numerical results for various aerodynamic applications are included throughout the presentation to highlight key discussion points. The presentation ends with concluding remarks and recommendations for future work. Overall. nonlinear potential solvers are efficient, highly developed and routinely used in the aerodynamic design environment for cruise conditions. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A microscopic derivation of nuclear collective rotation-vibration model and its application to nuclei

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

    Gulshani, P., E-mail: matlap@bell.net

    We derive a microscopic version of the successful phenomenological hydrodynamic model of Bohr-Davydov-Faessler-Greiner for collective rotation-vibration motion of an axially symmetric deformed nucleus. The derivation is not limited to small oscillation amplitude. The nuclear Schrodinger equation is canonically transformed to collective co-ordinates, which is then linearized using a constrained variational method. The associated constraints are imposed on the wavefunction rather than on the particle co-ordinates. The approach yields three self-consistent, time-reversal invariant, cranking-type Schrodinger equations for the rotation-vibration and intrinsic motions, and a self-consistency equation. For harmonic oscillator mean-field potentials, these equations are solved in closed forms for excitation energy,more » cut-off angular momentum, and other nuclear properties for the ground-state rotational band in some deformed nuclei. The results are compared with measured data.« less

  16. Structure and performance of polymer-derived bulk ceramics determined by method of filler incorporation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konegger, T.; Schneider, P.; Bauer, V.; Amsüss, A.; Liersch, A.

    2013-12-01

    The effect of four distinct methods of incorporating fillers into a preceramic polymer matrix was investigated with respect to the structural and mechanical properties of the resulting materials. Investigations were conducted with a polysiloxane/Al2O3/ZrO2 model system used as a precursor for mullite/ZrO2 composites. A quantitative evaluation of the uniformity of filler distribution was obtained by employing a novel image analysis. While solvent-free mixing led to a heterogeneous distribution of constituents resulting in limited mechanical property values, a strong improvement of material homogeneity and properties was obtained by using solvent-assisted methods. The results demonstrate the importance of the processing route on final characteristics of polymer-derived ceramics.

  17. [Research Progress and Prospect of Applications of Finite Element Method in Lumbar Spine Biomechanics].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Zhenjun; Li, Yang; Liao, Zhenhua; Liu, Weiqiang

    2016-12-01

    Based on the application of finite element analysis in spine biomechanics,the research progress of finite element method applied in lumbar spine mechanics is reviewed and the prospect is forecasted.The related works,including lumbar ontology modeling,clinical application research,and occupational injury and protection,are summarized.The main research areas of finite element method are as follows:new accurate modeling process,the optimized simulation method,diversified clinical effect evaluation,and the clinical application of artificial lumbar disc.According to the recent research progress,the application prospects of finite element method,such as automation and individuation of modeling process,evaluation and analysis of new operation methods and simulation of mechanical damage and dynamic response,are discussed.The purpose of this paper is to provide the theoretical reference and practical guidance for the clinical lumbar problems by reviewing the application of finite element method in the field of the lumbar spine biomechanics.

  18. Parallel multiphase microflows: fundamental physics, stabilization methods and applications.

    PubMed

    Aota, Arata; Mawatari, Kazuma; Kitamori, Takehiko

    2009-09-07

    Parallel multiphase microflows, which can integrate unit operations in a microchip under continuous flow conditions, are discussed. Fundamental physics, stabilization methods and some applications are shown.

  19. THE EFFECTS OF A SIMPLE METHOD FOR CRYOPRESERVATION AND THAWING PROCEDURES ON CORD BLOOD DERIVED DC-BASED ESOPHAGEAL CARCINOMA VACCINE.

    PubMed

    Yu, J; Xie, L; Chen, S; Zhang, J; Guo, G; Chen, B

    Producing sufficient numbers of DCs at one time point and subsequently cryopreserving the generated DCs in ready-for-use aliquots for clinical application is useful in cancer treatment. To study the effects of a simplified cryopreservation method and thawing procedures acting on the biological characteristics and specific cytotoxic activity of cord blood derived DC-based esophageal carcinoma vaccine. CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells were isolated from cord blood using CD34+ Progenitor Cell Isolation Kit by magnetic cell sorting system (MACS). The CD34+ cells were expanded with cytokines as DCs, and fused with EC109 cells by PEG-3600. The fused cells were transferred to a freezing tube without rate-controlled freezing and stored at -80 degree C for three weeks. During cryopreservation, 2.5% DMSO, 2.5% glucose and 10% FCS at final concentration was used as stock solution. After thawing, cells were assayed for Typan blue viability, morphology, immunophenotypes and T-cell stimulatory capacity, and specific CTL activity. Cryopreservation does not cause significant changes in the phenotypes expression or morphology of the fused cells, and the viability were well preserved (Typan blue viability was 77.2±1.8%). After being stimulated by DC-based esophageal carcinoma vaccine either before or after cryopreservation, the numbers of CD3+T/CD4+T and CD3+T/CD8+T lymphocytes increased obviously, especially for CD3+T/CD4+T, and the ratio of CD4/CD8 changed from 0.85 to 1.29 and 1.25 respectively. Specific CTL activity were well preserved (compare to the fresh fused vaccine, P>0.05). A simple -80 degree C freezing and storage method is practical for cord blood derived DC-based esophageal carcinoma vaccine. It will greatly facilitate the clinical use of DC-based vaccine for immunotherapy.

  20. Antioxidant kinetics of plant-derived substances and extracts.

    PubMed

    Silva, A R; Menezes, P F C; Martinello, T; Novakovich, G F L; Praes, C E O; Feferman, I H S

    2010-02-01

    The antioxidant activity (AA) of substances present in several plant species has been widely studied which reflects their fundamental role in the protection of skin tissue against the harmful action of reactive oxygen species. Given the importance of effective and long-lasting protection against ultraviolet radiation, we studied the AA of several plant derivatives and extracts over time. Several chemical in vitro methods may be used to evaluate antioxidant capability, among which the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method stands out, despite its unspecificity, as the most cited and described method in the literature. In this work the AA was evaluated by measuring their capacity to reduce DPPH in 30 min, which is suggested in the literature, and additionally at different times up to 8 h from the baseline reading. The methodology used to evaluate the AA over time was validated. It is important to emphasize that this study proposes to modify the conventional DPPH method, although considered to be non-specific, to be used to test new antioxidant agents. This represents a considerable advantage because some substances show no significant activity during the first 30 min of reaction. Among other plant products, we tested a proantocyanidin-rich grapeseed extract, a hesperidin derivative, a rutin-containing ginkgo extract, a polyphenol-containing yerba maté extract and tocopheryl acetate, all of which were properly standardized. As they have different antioxidant profiles, each ingredient showed a specific behaviour over time, which may promote the selection of anti-radical compounds capable of offering protection against external agents. Combining extracts and plant derivatives that present fast, medium and slow antioxidant kinetic it is possible to create complexes capable of offering an effective protection from the moment of application up to several hours later. It is a perfectly feasible method, and such combinations prove to be more effective and have more