CRIM-TRACK: sensor system for detection of criminal chemical substances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munk, Jens K.; Buus, Ole T.; Larsen, Jan; Dossi, Eleftheria; Tatlow, Sol; Lässig, Lina; Sandström, Lars; Jakobsen, Mogens H.

2015-10-01

Detection of illegal compounds requires a reliable, selective and sensitive detection device. The successful device features automated target acquisition, identification and signal processing. It is portable, fast, user friendly, sensitive, specific, and cost efficient. LEAs are in need of such technology. CRIM-TRACK is developing a sensing device based on these requirements. We engage highly skilled specialists from research institutions, industry, SMEs and LEAs and rely on a team of end users to benefit maximally from our prototypes. Currently we can detect minute quantities of drugs, explosives and precursors thereof in laboratory settings. Using colorimetric technology we have developed prototypes that employ disposable sensing chips. Ease of operation and intuitive sensor response are highly prioritized features that we implement as we gather data to feed into machine learning. With machine learning our ability to detect threat compounds amidst harmless substances improves. Different end users prefer their equipment optimized for their specific field. In an explosives-detecting scenario, the end user may prefer false positives over false negatives, while the opposite may be true in a drug-detecting scenario. Such decisions will be programmed to match user preference. Sensor output can be as detailed as the sensor allows. The user can be informed of the statistics behind the detection, identities of all detected substances, and quantities thereof. The response can also be simplified to "yes" vs. "no". The technology under development in CRIM-TRACK will provide custom officers, police and other authorities with an effective tool to control trafficking of illegal drugs and drug precursors.

30 CFR 57.22213 - Air flow (III mines).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... nearest the face, shall be at least 6,000 cubic feet per minute, or 9,000 cubic feet per minute in longwall and continuous miner sections. The quantity of air across each face at a work place shall be at...

30 CFR 57.22213 - Air flow (III mines).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... nearest the face, shall be at least 6,000 cubic feet per minute, or 9,000 cubic feet per minute in longwall and continuous miner sections. The quantity of air across each face at a work place shall be at...

Ultrasensitive detection and characterization of molecules with infrared plasmonic metamaterials

PubMed Central

Cheng, Fei; Yang, Xiaodong; Gao, Jie

2015-01-01

Infrared vibrational spectroscopy is an effective technique which enables the direct probe of molecular fingerprints, and such detection can be further enhanced by the emerging engineered plasmonic metamaterials. Here we experimentally demonstrate ultrasensitive detection and characterization of polymer molecules based on an asymmetric infrared plasmonic metamaterial, and quantitatively analyze the molecule detection sensitivity and molecule-structure interactions. A sharp, non-radiative Fano resonance supported by the plasmonic metamaterial exhibits strongly enhanced near-field, and the resonance frequency is tailored to match the vibrational fingerprint of the target molecule. By utilizing the near-field nature of the plasmonic excitation, significantly enhanced absorption signal of molecules in the infrared spectroscopy are obtained, enabling ultrasensitive detection of only minute quantities of organic molecules. The enhancement of molecular absorption up to 105 fold is obtained, and sensitive detection of molecules at zeptomole levels (corresponding to a few tens of molecules within a unit cell) is achieved with high signal-to-noise ratio in our experiment. The demonstrated infrared plasmonic metamaterial sensing platform offers great potential for improving the specificity and sensitivity of label-free, biochemical detection. PMID:26388404

A self-pumping lab-on-a-chip for rapid detection of botulinum toxin.

PubMed

Lillehoj, Peter B; Wei, Fang; Ho, Chih-Ming

2010-09-07

A robust poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) surface treatment was utilized for the development of a self-pumping lab-on-a-chip (LOC) to rapidly detect minute quantities of toxic substances. One such toxin, botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), is an extremely lethal substance, which has the potential to cause hundreds of thousands of fatalities if as little as a few grams are released into the environment. To prevent such an outcome, a quick (<45 min) and sensitive detection format is needed. We have developed a self-pumping LOC that can sense down to 1 pg of BoNT type A (in a 1 microL sample) within 15 min in an autonomous manner. The key technologies enabling for such a device are a sensitive electrochemical sensor, an optimized fluidic network and a robust hydrophilic PDMS coating, thereby facilitating autonomous delivery of liquid samples for rapid detection. The stability, simplicity and portability of this device make possible for a storable and distributable system for monitoring bioterrorist attacks.

Investigating the Existence of Bulk Nanobubbles with Ultrasound.

PubMed

Leroy, Valentin; Norisuye, Tomohisa

2016-09-19

Nanobubbles are expected to dissolve in milliseconds. Experimental evidence of nanobubbles that were stable for days had thus been first received with circumspection. If the large number of experimental confirmations has now made clear that surface nanobubbles could exist, bulk nanobubbles are still subject to debate. When observations are reported, the main problem is to make sure the observed particles are really made of gas. We show that ultrasound is an ideal tool for investigating the existence of bulk nanobubbles: 1) it is sensitive to minute quantities of gas, 2) it allows one to determine the bubble size distribution, 3) it discriminates unambiguously between gaseous and solid/liquid inclusions. To illustrate the efficiency of ultrasonic detection, we performed size measurements of bubbles produced by a commercial nano-/microbubble generator. No nanobubble was detected with this device. It would be insightful to use ultrasonic detection in experimental situations for which stable nanobubbles were reported. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Portable Electronic Nose For Hydrazine and Monomethyl Hydrazine Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Rebecca C.; Linnell, Bruce R.; Peterson, Barbara V.; Brooks, Kathy B.; Griffin, Tim P.

2004-01-01

The Space Program and military use large quantities Hydrazine (Hz) and monomethyl hydrazine (MMI-I) as rocket propellant. These substances are very toxic and are suspected human carcinogens. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist set the threshold limit value to be 10 parts per billion (ppb). Current off-the-shelf portable instruments require 10 to 20 minutes of exposure to detect 10 ppb concentration. This shortcofriing is not acceptable for many operations. A new prototype instrument using a gas sensor array and pattern recognition software technology (i.e., an electronic nose) has demonstrated the ability to identify either Hz or MM}{ and quantify their concentrations at 10 parts per billion in 90 seconds. This paper describes the design of the portable electronic nose (e-nose) instrument, test equipment setup, test protocol, pattern recognition algorithm, concentration estimation method, and laboratory test results.

Detection of minute virus of mice using real time quantitative PCR in assessment of virus clearance during the purification of Mammalian cell substrate derived biotherapeutics.

PubMed

Zhan, Dejin; Roy, Margaret R; Valera, Christine; Cardenas, Jesse; Vennari, Joann C; Chen, Janice W; Liu, Shengjiang

2002-12-01

A real time quantitative PCR assay has been developed for detecting minute virus of mice (MVM). This assay directly quantifies PCR product by monitoring the increase of fluorescence intensity emitted during enzymatic hydrolysis of an oligonucleotide probe labelled covalently with fluorescent reporting and quenching dyes via Taq polymerase 5'-->3' exonuclease activity. The quantity of MVM DNA molecules in the samples was determined using a known amount of MVM standard control DNA fragment cloned into a plasmid (pCR-MVM). We have demonstrated that MVM TaqMan PCR assay is approximately 1000-fold more sensitive than the microplate infectivity assay with the lowest detection limit of approximately one particle per reaction. The reliable detection range is within 100 to 10(9) molecules per reaction with high reproducibility. The intra assay variation is <2.5%, and the inter assays variation is <6.5% when samples contain >100 particles/assay. When we applied the TaqMan PCR to MVM clearance studies done by column chromatography or normal flow viral filtration, we found that the virus removal factors were similar to that of virus infectivity assay. It takes about a day to complete entire assay processes, thus, the TaqMan PCR assay is at least 10-fold faster than the infectivity assay. Therefore, we concluded that this fast, specific, sensitive, and robust assay could replace the infectivity assay for virus clearance evaluation. Copyright 2002 The International Association for Biologicals. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of protein deposition within latent fingerprints by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Wei; Mao, Zhu; Liu, Xiaojuan; Lu, Yong; Li, Zhishi; Zhao, Bing; Lu, Lehui

2012-03-01

The detection of metabolites is very important for the estimation of the health of human beings. Latent fingerprint contains many constituents and specific contaminants, which give much information of the individual, such as health status, drug abuse etc. For a long time, many efforts have been focused on visualizing latent fingerprints, but little attention has been paid to the detection of such substances at the same time. In this article, we have devised a versatile approach for the ultra-sensitive detection and identification of specific biomolecules deposited within fingerprints via a large-area SERS imaging technique. The antibody bound to the Raman probe modified silver nanoparticles enables the binding to specific proteins within the fingerprints to afford high-definition SERS images of the fingerprint pattern. The SERS spectra and images of Raman probes indirectly provide chemical information regarding the given proteins. By taking advantage of the high sensitivity and the capability of SERS technique to obtain abundant vibrational signatures of biomolecules, we have successfully detected minute quantities of protein present within a latent fingerprint. This technique provides a versatile and effective model to detect biomarkers within fingerprints for medical diagnostics, criminal investigation and other fields.

Photoprotection by sunscreen depends on time spent on application.

PubMed

Heerfordt, Ida M; Torsnes, Linnea R; Philipsen, Peter A; Wulf, Hans Christian

2018-03-01

To be effective, sunscreens must be applied in a sufficient quantity and reapplication is recommended. No previous study has investigated whether time spent on sunscreen application is important for the achieved photoprotection. To determine whether time spent on sunscreen application is related to the amount of sunscreen used during a first and second application. Thirty-one volunteers wearing swimwear applied sunscreen twice in a laboratory environment. Time spent and the amount of sunscreen used during each application was measured. Subjects' body surface area accessible for sunscreen application (BSA) was estimated from their height, weight and swimwear worn. The average applied quantity of sunscreen after each application was calculated. Subjects spent on average 4 minutes and 15 seconds on the first application and approximately 85% of that time on the second application. There was a linear relationship between time spent on application and amount of sunscreen used during both the first and the second application (P < .0001). Participants applied 2.21 grams of sunscreen per minute during both applications. After the first application, subjects had applied a mean quantity of sunscreen of 0.71 mg/cm 2 on the BSA, and after the second application, a mean total quantity of 1.27 mg/cm 2 had been applied. We found that participants applied a constant amount of sunscreen per minute during both a first and a second application. Measurement of time spent on application of sunscreen on different body sites may be useful in investigating the distribution of sunscreen in real-life settings. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Application of a Real-Time, Calculable Limiting Form of the Renyi Entropy for Molecular Imaging of Tumors

PubMed Central

Marsh, J. N.; Wallace, K. D.; McCarthy, J. E.; Wickerhauser, M. V.; Maurizi, B. N.; Lanza, G. M.; Wickline, S. A.; Hughes, M. S.

2011-01-01

Previously, we reported new methods for ultrasound signal characterization using entropy, Hf; a generalized entropy, the Renyi entropy, If(r); and a limiting form of Renyi entropy suitable for real-time calculation, If,∞. All of these quantities demonstrated significantly more sensitivity to subtle changes in scattering architecture than energy-based methods in certain settings. In this study, the real-time calculable limit of the Renyi entropy, If,∞, is applied for the imaging of angiogenic murine neovasculature in a breast cancer xenograft using a targeted contrast agent. It is shown that this approach may be used to detect reliably the accumulation of targeted nanoparticles at five minutes post-injection in this in vivo model. PMID:20679020

Natural products phytotoxicity A bioassay suitable for small quantities of slightly water-soluble compounds.

PubMed

Dornbos, D L; Spencer, G F

1990-02-01

A large variety of secondary metabolites that can inhibit germination and/or seedling growth are produced by plants in low quantities. The objective of this study was to develop a bioassay capable of reliably assessing reductions in germination percentage and seedling length of small-seeded plant species caused by exposure to minute quantities of these compounds. The germination and growth of alfalfa (Medicago saliva), annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), and velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) were evaluated against six known phytotoxins from five chemical classes; cinmethylin (a herbicidal cineole derivative) was selected as a comparison standard. Each phytotoxin, dissolved in a suitable organic solvent, was placed on water-agar in small tissue culture wells. After the solvent evaporated, imbibed seeds were placed on the agar; after three days, germination percentages and seedling lengths were measured. Compared to a commonly used filter paper procedure, this modified agar bioassay required smaller quantities of compound per seed for comparable bioassay results. This bioassay also readily permitted the measurement of seedling length, a more sensitive indicator of phytotoxicity than germination. Seedling length decreased sigmoidally as the toxin concentration increased logarithmically. Phytotoxicity was a function of both compound and plant species. Cinmethylin, a grass herbicide, reduced the length of annual ryegrass seedlings by 90-100%, whereas that of alfalfa and velvetleaf was inhibited slightly. The agar bioassay facilitated the rapid and reliable testing of slightly water-soluble compounds, requiring only minute quantities of each compound to give reproducible results.

Digital encoding of cellular mRNAs enabling precise and absolute gene expression measurement by single-molecule counting.

PubMed

Fu, Glenn K; Wilhelmy, Julie; Stern, David; Fan, H Christina; Fodor, Stephen P A

2014-03-18

We present a new approach for the sensitive detection and accurate quantitation of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) gene transcripts in single cells. First, the entire population of mRNAs is encoded with molecular barcodes during reverse transcription. After amplification of the gene targets of interest, molecular barcodes are counted by sequencing or scored on a simple hybridization detector to reveal the number of molecules in the starting sample. Since absolute quantities are measured, calibration to standards is unnecessary, and many of the relative quantitation challenges such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) bias are avoided. We apply the method to gene expression analysis of minute sample quantities and demonstrate precise measurements with sensitivity down to sub single-cell levels. The method is an easy, single-tube, end point assay utilizing standard thermal cyclers and PCR reagents. Accurate and precise measurements are obtained without any need for cycle-to-cycle intensity-based real-time monitoring or physical partitioning into multiple reactions (e.g., digital PCR). Further, since all mRNA molecules are encoded with molecular barcodes, amplification can be used to generate more material for multiple measurements and technical replicates can be carried out on limited samples. The method is particularly useful for small sample quantities, such as single-cell experiments. Digital encoding of cellular content preserves true abundance levels and overcomes distortions introduced by amplification.

Detection of protein deposition within latent fingerprints by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy imaging.

PubMed

Song, Wei; Mao, Zhu; Liu, Xiaojuan; Lu, Yong; Li, Zhishi; Zhao, Bing; Lu, Lehui

2012-04-07

The detection of metabolites is very important for the estimation of the health of human beings. Latent fingerprint contains many constituents and specific contaminants, which give much information of the individual, such as health status, drug abuse etc. For a long time, many efforts have been focused on visualizing latent fingerprints, but little attention has been paid to the detection of such substances at the same time. In this article, we have devised a versatile approach for the ultra-sensitive detection and identification of specific biomolecules deposited within fingerprints via a large-area SERS imaging technique. The antibody bound to the Raman probe modified silver nanoparticles enables the binding to specific proteins within the fingerprints to afford high-definition SERS images of the fingerprint pattern. The SERS spectra and images of Raman probes indirectly provide chemical information regarding the given proteins. By taking advantage of the high sensitivity and the capability of SERS technique to obtain abundant vibrational signatures of biomolecules, we have successfully detected minute quantities of protein present within a latent fingerprint. This technique provides a versatile and effective model to detect biomarkers within fingerprints for medical diagnostics, criminal investigation and other fields. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012

Application of a real-time, calculable limiting form of the Renyi entropy for molecular imaging of tumors.

PubMed

Marsh, Jon N; Wallace, Kirk D; McCarthy, John E; Wickerhauser, Mladen V; Maurizi, Brian N; Lanza, Gregory M; Wickline, Samuel A; Hughes, Michael S

2010-08-01

Previously, we reported new methods for ultrasound signal characterization using entropy, H(f); a generalized entropy, the Renyi entropy, I(f)(r); and a limiting form of Renyi entropy suitable for real-time calculation, I(f),(infinity). All of these quantities demonstrated significantly more sensitivity to subtle changes in scattering architecture than energy-based methods in certain settings. In this study, the real-time calculable limit of the Renyi entropy, I(f),(infinity), is applied for the imaging of angiogenic murine neovasculature in a breast cancer xenograft using a targeted contrast agent. It is shown that this approach may be used to reliably detect the accumulation of targeted nanoparticles at five minutes post-injection in this in vivo model.

On-chip transduction of nucleic acid hybridization using spatial profiles of immobilized quantum dots and fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

PubMed

Tavares, Anthony J; Noor, M Omair; Vannoy, Charles H; Algar, W Russ; Krull, Ulrich J

2012-01-03

The glass surface of a glass-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic channel was modified to develop a solid-phase assay for quantitative determination of nucleic acids. Electroosmotic flow (EOF) within channels was used to deliver and immobilize semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), and electrophoresis was used to decorate the QDs with oligonucleotide probe sequences. These processes took only minutes to complete. The QDs served as energy donors in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for transduction of nucleic acid hybridization. Electrokinetic injection of fluorescent dye (Cy3) labeled oligonucleotide target into a microfluidic channel and subsequent hybridization (within minutes) provided the proximity for FRET, with emission from Cy3 being the analytical signal. The quantification of target concentration was achieved by measurement of the spatial length of coverage by target along a channel. Detection of femtomole quantities of target was possible with a dynamic range spanning an order of magnitude. The assay provided excellent resistance to nonspecific interactions of DNA. Further selectivity of the assay was achieved using 20% formamide, which allowed discrimination between a fully complementary target and a 3 base pair mismatch target at a contrast ratio of 4:1. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Synthesis of polyformals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poshkus, A. C. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

Formals of CH2OH(CHOH) sub n CH2OH polyols (n = 2 to 4) are prepared in less than 15 minutes by heating to about 125 C, a mixture of e.g. sorbitol and paraformaldehyde in slight excess (5 to 10%), in the presence of e.g. sulfuric acid in catalytic quantities. Elution with methanol and filtration yield the pure solid cyclic triformal. The process can be carried in stages, using almost stoichiometric quantities of paraformaldehyde, but without any change in overall heating time.

Use of a smart phone based thermo camera for skin prick allergy testing: a feasibility study (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barla, Lindi; Verdaasdonk, Rudolf M.; Rustemeyer, Thomas; Klaessens, John; van der Veen, Albert

2016-02-01

Allergy testing is usually performed by exposing the skin to small quantities of potential allergens on the inner forearm and scratching the protective epidermis to increase exposure. After 15 minutes the dermatologist performs a visual check for swelling and erythema which is subjective and difficult for e.g. dark skin types. A small smart phone based thermo camera (FLIR One) was used to obtain quantitative images in a feasibility study of 17 patients Directly after allergen exposure on the forearm, thermal images were captured at 30 seconds interval and processed to a time lapse movie over 15 minutes. Considering the 'subjective' reading of the dermatologist as golden standard, in 11/17 pts (65%) the evaluation of dermatologist was confirmed by the thermo camera including 5 of 6 patients without allergic response. In 7 patients thermo showed additional spots. Of the 342 sites tested, the dermatologist detected 47 allergies of which 28 (60%) were confirmed by thermo imaging while thermo imaging showed 12 additional spots. The method can be improved with user dedicated acquisition software and better registration between normal and thermal images. The lymphatic reaction seems to shift from the original puncture site. The interpretation of the thermal images is still subjective since collecting quantitative data is difficult due to motion patient during 15 minutes. Although not yet conclusive, thermal imaging shows to be promising to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of allergy testing using a smart phone based camera.

Vapor detection of trafficking of contraband money: A discussion of technical feasibility

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

Dietz, R.N.

1996-02-01

For every two pounds of cocaine smuggled into the US, drug traffikers are being forced to clandestinely ship three pounds of money back out for subsequent laundering. Based on tracer technology developed for validation of long-range atmospheric transport models and other commercial applications, it is shown that US currency can be tagged with a minute amount (about 1 ppm by weight of a bill) of perfluorocharbon tracer (PFT) material that is sufficient to last for about 30 years and yet provide a vapor emission rate suitable for detectability of modest caches of contraband money in vehicles at border crossings, onmore » aircraft at international terminals, and in buildings. The cost of tagging is less than $5 per million bills; the taggant quantity should have no impact on the feel of a bill. The low emission rate would not allow detectability of usual amounts of money in typical scenarios, providing an essential degree of privacy, but extraordinary amounts would be detectable using specialized instrumentation and know-how not easily attainable but commercially in production; an example of sub-part-per-quadrillion detection of a proposed PFT taggant is demonstrated using a prototype commercial unit. An outline of a research and demonstration program to achieve this capability and details of the proposed tagging and detection procedures already indicate that the concept is technically feasible.« less

Comparison of birds detected from roadside and off-road point counts in the Shenandoah National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keller, C.M.E.; Fuller, M.R.; Ralph, C. John; Sauer, John R.; Droege, Sam

1995-01-01

Roadside point counts are generally used for large surveys to increase the number of samples. We examined differences in species detected from roadside versus off-road (200-m and 400-ha) point counts in the Shenandoah National Park. We also compared the list of species detected in the first 3 minutes to those detected in 10 minutes for potential species biases. Results from 81 paired roadside and off-road counts indicated that roadside counts had higher numbers of several edge species but did not have lower numbers of nonedge forest species. More individuals and species were detected from roadside points because of this increase in edge species. Sixty-five percent of the species detected in 10 minutes were recorded in the first 3 minutes.

Development of liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry strategies for the screening of complex organic matter: Application to astrophysical simulated materials.

PubMed

Eddhif, Balkis; Allavena, Audrey; Liu, Sylvie; Ribette, Thomas; Abou Mrad, Ninette; Chiavassa, Thierry; d'Hendecourt, Louis Le Sergeant; Sternberg, Robert; Danger, Gregoire; Geffroy-Rodier, Claude; Poinot, Pauline

2018-03-01

The present work aims at developing two LC-HRMS setups for the screening of organic matter in astrophysical samples. Their analytical development has been demonstrated on a 100-µg residue coming from the photo-thermo chemical processing of a cometary ice analog produced in laboratory. The first 1D-LC-HRMS setup combines a serially coupled columns configuration with HRMS detection. It has allowed to discriminate among different chemical families (amino acids, sugars, nucleobases and oligopeptides) in only one chromatographic run without neither a priori acid hydrolysis nor chemical derivatisation. The second setup is a dual-LC configuration which connects a series of trapping columns with analytical reverse-phase columns. By coupling on-line these two distinct LC units with a HRMS detection, high mass compounds (350

A Portable Electronic Nose for Toxic Vapor Detection, Identification, and Quantification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Linnell, B. R.; Young, R. C.; Griffin, T. P.; Meneghelli, B. J.; Peterson, B. V.; Brooks, K. B.

2005-01-01

The Space Program and military use large quantities of hydrazine and monomethyl hydrazine as rocket propellant, which are very toxic and suspected human carcinogens. Current off-the-shelf portable instruments require 10 to 20 minutes of exposure to detect these compounds at the minimum required concentrations and are prone to false positives, making them unacceptable for many operations. In addition, post-mission analyses of grab bag air samples from the Shuttle have confirmed the occasional presence of on-board volatile organic contaminants, which also need to be monitored to ensure crew safety. A new prototype instrument based on electronic nose (e-nose) technology has demonstrated the ability to qualify (identify) and quantify many of these vapors at their minimum required concentrations, and may easily be adapted to detect many other toxic vapors. To do this, it was necessary to develop algorithms to classify unknown vapors, recognize when a vapor is not any of the vapors of interest, and estimate the concentrations of the contaminants. This paper describes the design of the portable e-nose instrument, test equipment setup, test protocols, pattern recognition algorithms, concentration estimation methods, and laboratory test results.

The biochemical properties of antibodies and their fragments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Immunoglobulins (Ig) or antibodies are a powerful molecular recognition tools that can be used to identify minute quantities of a given target analyte. Their antigen binding properties define both the sensitivity and selectivity of an immunoassay. Understanding the biochemical properties of this c...

76 FR 37835 - Petitions for Modification of Application of Existing Mandatory Safety Standards

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-28

... small quantity of steel turnings, or other small magnetic particles, will be embedded in the top of the..., Cementation USA, to apply the 500 feet per minute requirement to the man-riding conveyance as well as the...

A Novel Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor for the Rapid Detection of Botulinum Neurotoxins

PubMed Central

Patel, Kruti; Halevi, Shmuel; Melman, Paul; Schwartz, John; Cai, Shuowei; Singh, Bal Ram

2017-01-01

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are Category A agents on the NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) priority pathogen list owing to their extreme toxicity and the relative ease of production. These deadly toxins, in minute quantities (estimated human i.v. lethal dose LD50 of 1–2 ng/kg body weight), cause fatal flaccid paralysis by blocking neurotransmitter release. The current gold standard detection method, the mouse-bioassay, often takes days to confirm botulism. Furthermore, there are no effective antidotes known to reverse the symptoms of botulism, and as a result, patients with severe botulism often require meticulous care during the prolonged paralytic illness. To combat potential bio-terrorism incidents of botulinum neurotoxins, their rapid detection is paramount. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a very sensitive technique to examine bio-molecular interactions. The label-free, real-time analysis, with high sensitivity and low sample consumption makes this technology particularly suitable for detection of the toxin. In this study, we demonstrated the feasibility in an assay with a newly designed SPR instrument for the rapid detection of botulinum neurotoxins. The LOD (limit of detection) of the Newton Photonics (NP) SPR based assay is 6.76 pg/mL for Botulinum Neurotoxin type A Light Chain (BoNT/A LC). We established that the detection sensitivity of the system is comparable to the traditional mouse LD50 bioassay in BoNT/A using this SPR technology. PMID:28783115

Effects of 2 adenosine antagonists, quercetin and caffeine, on vigilance and mood.

PubMed

Olson, Craig A; Thornton, Jennifer A; Adam, Gina E; Lieberman, Harris R

2010-10-01

Quercetin, a phenolic flavonoid found in small quantities in some fruits and vegetables, is an adenosine receptor antagonist in vitro marketed as a dietary supplement for purported caffeine-like effects. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subjects study was conducted to compare the behavioral effects of quercetin to a central adenosine receptor antagonist, caffeine. Fifty-seven volunteers received either 2000 mg of quercetin dihydrate (a dose estimated based on in vitro receptor binding to be equivalent in potency to 200 mg of caffeine), placebo, or 200 mg of caffeine. One hour later, a 45-minute visual vigilance task was administered. The Profile of Mood States questionnaire was completed before treatment and immediately after vigilance testing. On the vigilance task, caffeine increased the number of stimuli detected (P < 0.02) and decreased the reaction time (P = 0.001). Caffeine increased self-reported vigor and reduced fatigue and total mood disturbance Profile of Mood States scores compared with placebo. Quercetin did not significantly alter any parameter, but values were typically intermediate between caffeine and placebo on those tests affected by caffeine. Quercetin is unlikely to have any effects when consumed by humans in quantities present in the diet or in dietary supplements. Caffeine (200 mg) administration resulted in the expected effects on vigilance and mood.

Determination of picomole quantities of acetylcholine and choline in physiologic salt solutions.

PubMed

Gilberstadt, M L; Russell, J A

1984-04-01

An assay capable of detecting tens-of-picomole quantities of choline and acetylcholine in milliliter volumes of a physiological salt solution has been developed. Silica column chromatography was used to bind and separate 10-3000 pmol [14C]choline and [14C]acetylcholine standards made up in 3 ml of a bicarbonate-buffered Krebs-Ringer solution. The silica columns bound 95-98% of both choline and acetylcholine. Of the bound choline 84-87% was eluted in 1.5 ml of 0.075 N HCl, whereas 95-98% of the bound acetylcholine was eluted in a subsequent wash with 1.5 ml of 0.030 N HCl in 10% 2-butanone. Vacuum centrifugation of the eluants yielded small white pellets with losses of choline and acetylcholine of only 1%. Dried pellets of unlabeled choline and acetylcholine standards were assayed radioenzymatically using [gamma-32P]ATP, choline kinase, and acetylcholinesterase. The net disintegrations per minute of choline[32P]phosphate product was proportional to both the acetylcholine (10-3000 pmol) and choline (30-3000 pmol) standards. The "limit sensitivity" was 8.5 pmol for acetylcholine and 11.4 pmol for choline. Cross-contamination of the choline assay by acetylcholine averaged 1.3%, whereas contamination of the acetylcholine assay by choline averaged 3.1%.

Correlation Time of Ocean Ambient Noise Intensity in San Diego Bay and Target Recognition in Acoustic Daylight Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wadsworth, Adam J.

A method for passively detecting and imaging underwater targets using ambient noise as the sole source of illumination (named acoustic daylight) was successfully implemented in the form of the Acoustic Daylight Ocean Noise Imaging System (ADONIS). In a series of imaging experiments conducted in San Diego Bay, where the dominant source of high-frequency ambient noise is snapping shrimp, a large quantity of ambient noise intensity data was collected with the ADONIS (Epifanio, 1997). In a subset of the experimental data sets, fluctuations of time-averaged ambient noise intensity exhibited a diurnal pattern consistent with the increase in frequency of shrimp snapping near dawn and dusk. The same subset of experimental data is revisited here and the correlation time is estimated and analysed for sequences of ambient noise data several minutes in length, with the aim of detecting possible periodicities or other trends in the fluctuation of the shrimp-dominated ambient noise field. Using videos formed from sequences of acoustic daylight images along with other experimental information, candidate segments of static-configuration ADONIS raw ambient noise data were isolated. For each segment, the normalized intensity auto-correlation closely resembled the delta function, the auto-correlation of white noise. No intensity fluctuation patterns at timescales smaller than a few minutes were discernible, suggesting that the shrimp do not communicate, synchronise, or exhibit any periodicities in their snapping. Also presented here is a ADONIS-specific target recognition algorithm based on principal component analysis, along with basic experimental results using a database of acoustic daylight images.

Monitoring the Effects of Acupoint Antioxidant Intervention by Measuring Electrical Potential Difference along the Meridian.

PubMed

Xu, Ming-Ming; Guo, Jing-Ke; Xu, Jin-Sen; Zhang, Chao-Xin; Liu, Shu-Tao; Liao, Ri-Tao; Lin, Chun-Tong; Guo, Jian-Hui; Rao, Ping-Fan

2015-01-01

Previous studies suggest that superoxide anions are possibly traveling along acupuncture meridians. The electrical potential difference (EPD) between acupoints may be related to the movement. To test the above hypothesis, we conducted a study investigating the effects of acupoint antioxidant interventions on the meridian EPD. Firstly, ST39 (L) and ST44 (L) were screened out for the EPD detection along the stomach meridian, and ST36 (L) was selected for interventions including acumassage with the control cream, as well as the TAT-SOD cream for 30 minutes, or injection with reduced glutathione sodium. The EPD between ST39 and ST44 was recorded for 80 minutes and measured again 48 h later. While the EPD increased during the acumassage, the acumassage with TAT-SOD cream and the glutathione injection generated waves of EPD increased, indicating the migration or removal from the visceral organ of a greater quantity of superoxide. Remarkably lower EPD readings 48 h later with both antioxidant acupoint interventions than the mere acumassage imply a more complete superoxide flushing out due to the restored superoxide pathway at the acupoint after interventions. The results confirm superoxide transportation along the meridians and demonstrate a possibility of acupoint EPD measurement as a tool to monitor changes in the meridians and acupoints.

[Residues of chloramphenicol in the calf organism following parenteral administration of the Czechoslovak preparation Chronicin inj].

PubMed

Malíková, M; Habrda, J

1976-03-01

Using two biological methods the chloramphenicol content in various tissues of 11 calves aged 3--18 days was determined after a single-dose therapeutical administration of the Czechoslovak preparation of Chronicin inj. in the quantity of 12 mg kg-1 body mass. Of four test strains, solely Micrococcus flavus (ATCC 10240) strain proved suitable. Chloramphenicol was quantitatively determined by reading from transformed standard curves. An evalua tion of the two approximately equally sensitive methods yielded the following results: three days after the injection all calves were positive, at 5 and 10 days, one of three calves in each group was negativ similarly to both calves slaughtered 15 days post injection. The residues appeared most frequently in the liver, at the site of injection, and in the fore and hind musculature. Maximum detectable concentrations were recorded in the liver. Culinary and technological treatment of positive meat and liver samples revealed that 15 minutes' boiling and 30 minutes' roasting destroyed the microbiologically active chloramphenicol residues in the samples. Neither deep freezing nor salting was sufficient for residue inactivation, although in some samples a decrease in biological chloramphenicol activity by circa 20--30% was recorded. a preslaughter withdrawal time of 15 days is recommended.

Association of the Type of Toy Used During Play With the Quantity and Quality of Parent-Infant Communication.

PubMed

Sosa, Anna V

2016-02-01

The early language environment of a child influences language outcome, which in turn affects reading and academic success. It is unknown which types of everyday activities promote the best language environment for children. To investigate whether the type of toy used during play is associated with the parent-infant communicative interaction. Controlled experiment in a natural environment of parent-infant communication during play with 3 different toy sets. Participant recruitment and data collection were conducted between February 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. The volunteer sample included 26 parent-infant (aged 10-16 months) dyads. Fifteen-minute in-home parent-infant play sessions with electronic toys, traditional toys, and books. Numbers of adult words, child vocalizations, conversational turns, parent verbal responses to child utterances, and words produced by parents in 3 different semantic categories (content-specific words) per minute during play sessions. Among the 26 parent-infant dyads, toy type was associated with all outcome measures. During play with electronic toys, there were fewer adult words (mean, 39.62; 95% CI, 33.36-45.65), fewer conversational turns (mean, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.12-2.19), fewer parental responses (mean, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.87-1.77), and fewer productions of content-specific words (mean, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.49-2.35) than during play with traditional toys or books. Children vocalized less during play with electronic toys (mean per minute, 2.9; 95% CI, 2.16-3.69) than during play with books (mean per minute, 3.91; 95% CI, 3.09-4.68). Parents produced fewer words during play with traditional toys (mean per minute, 55.56; 95% CI, 46.49-64.17) than during play with books (mean per minute, 66.89; 95% CI, 59.93-74.19) and use of content-specific words was lower during play with traditional toys (mean per minute, 4.09; 95% CI, 3.26-4.99) than during play with books (mean per minute, 6.96; 95% CI, 6.07-7.97). Play with electronic toys is associated with decreased quantity and quality of language input compared with play with books or traditional toys. To promote early language development, play with electronic toys should be discouraged. Traditional toys may be a valuable alternative for parent-infant play time if book reading is not a preferred activity.

Comments on D/H ratios in chondritic organic matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, J. W.; Rigby, D.

1981-06-01

D/H ratios in chondritic organic matter are investigated. Demineralized organic residues obtained from previous experiments were dried in a quartz reaction vessel under vacuum for 60 minutes at 250-300 C and then combusted in oxygen for 20 minutes at 850 C. The apparatus is described and the results of the experiments such as D/H ratios in water and measurements on total carbon dioxide are given. Atomic H/C ratios calculated directly from the quantities of carbon dioxide and water recovered, are reported according to Standard Mean Ocean Water and Pee Dee Belemnite, using the customary notation.

Quantity and quality of information, education and communication during antenatal visit at private and public sector hospitals of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

PubMed

Mahar, Benazeer; Kumar, Ramesh; Rizvi, Narjis; Bahalkani, Habib Akhtar; Haq, Mahboobul; Soomro, Jamila

2012-01-01

Information, education and communication (IEC) by health care provider to pregnant woman during the antenatal visit are very crucial for healthier outcome of pregnancy. This study analysed the quality and quantity of antenatal visit at a private and a public hospital of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. An exit interview was conducted from 216 pregnant women by using validated, reliable and pre-tested adapted questionnaire. First sample was selected by simple random sampling, for rest of the sample selection systematic random sampling was adapted by selecting every 7th women for interview. Ethical considerations were taken. Average communication time among pregnant woman and her healthcare provider was 3 minute in public and 8 minutes in private hospital. IEC mainly focused on diet and nutrition in private (86%) and (53%) public, advice for family planning after delivery was discussed with 13% versus 7% in public and private setting. None of the respondents in both facilities got advice or counselling on breastfeeding and neonatal care. Birth preparedness components were discussed, woman in public and private hospital respectively. In both settings antenatal clients were not received information and education communication according to World Health Organization guidelines. Quality and quantity of IEC during antenatal care was found very poor in both public and private sector hospitals of urban Pakistan.

Testing of concrete by laser ablation

DOEpatents

Flesher, Dann J.; Becker, David L.; Beem, William L.; Berry, Tommy C.; Cannon, N. Scott

1997-01-01

A method of testing concrete in a structure in situ, by: directing a succession of pulses of laser radiation at a point on the structure so that each pulse effects removal of a quantity of concrete and transfers energy to the concrete; detecting a characteristic of energy which has been transferred to the concrete; determining, separately from the detecting step, the total quantity of concrete removed by the succession of pulses; and calculating a property of the concrete on the basis of the detected energy characteristic and the determined total quantity of concrete removed.

The effect of dentifrice quantity and toothbrushing behaviour on oral delivery and retention of fluoride in vivo.

PubMed

Creeth, Jonathan; Zero, Domenick; Mau, Melissa; Bosma, Mary Lynn; Butler, Andrew

2013-12-01

While toothpaste F(-) concentration and rinsing regimen have well-characterised impacts on fluoride's effectiveness, other aspects of brushing regimen have much less well-established effects, in particular, dentifrice quantity and brushing duration. An in vivo study (n = 42) of oral fluoride delivery (i.e. oral disposition post-brushing), and retention (i.e. concentration of F(-) in saliva post-brushing, a known efficacy predictor), was performed to compare effects observed with those of dentifrice F(-) concentration and rinsing regimen. Subjects brushed with a NaF-silica dentifrice (Aquafresh Advanced, 1,150 ppm F(-) ) or a control dentifrice (250 ppm F(-) , same base), for 45, 60, 120 or 180 seconds with 0.5 or 1.5 g dentifrice, and rinsed with 15 ml water once or three times in a cross-over design. The F(-) concentration was measured in post-brushing expectorate, rinse and toothbrush washing samples, and in saliva between 5-120 minutes after brushing. Using 1.5 g versus 0.5 g dentifrice increased F(-) in all samples: oral retention of F(-) was almost doubled by this increase. Increasing duration of brushing had more complex effects. The amount of F(-) in the expectorate increased but decreased in both rinse and toothbrush washing samples. Oral F(-) retention increased, but only in the period 30-120 minutes after brushing. Over the ranges investigated, the order of importance on oral F(-) retention was: dentifrice F(-) concentration > quantity > rinsing regimen > brushing duration. Hence, increasing dentifrice quantity and, to a lesser extent, the duration of brushing, can elevate oral fluoride post-brushing. Evidence is accumulating that the importance of these variables to fluoride efficacy may have been underestimated. © 2013 FDI World Dental Federation.

The Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System P-V-T Propellant Quantity Gaging Accuracy and Leak Detection Allowance for Four Instrumentation Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duhon, D. D.

1975-01-01

The shuttle orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pressure-volume-temperature (P-V-T) propellant gaging module computes the quantity of usable OMS propellant remaining based on the real gas P-V-T relationship for the propellant tank pressurant, helium. The OMS P-V-T propellant quantity gaging error was determined for four sets of instrumentation configurations and accuracies with the propellant tank operating in the normal constant pressure mode and in the blowdown mode. The instrumentation inaccuracy allowance for propellant leak detection was also computed for these same four sets of instrumentation. These gaging errors and leak detection allowances are presented in tables designed to permit a direct comparison of the effectiveness of the four instrumentation sets. The results show the magnitudes of the improvements in propellant quantity gaging accuracies and propellant leak detection allowances which can be achieved by employing more accurate pressure and temperature instrumentation.

Differences in the involvement of prostanoids from Kupffer cells in the mediation of anaphylatoxin C5a-, zymosan-, and lipopolysaccharide-dependent hepatic glucose output and flow reduction.

PubMed

Pestel, Sabine; Schlaf, Gerald; Götze, Otto; Jungermann, Kurt; Schieferdecker, Henrike L

2003-12-01

Various inflammatory stimuli such as anaphylatoxin C5a, zymosan, and lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) have been reported both to enhance glucose output in the perfused rat liver and to induce prostanoid (ie, prostaglandin and thromboxane) release from Kupffer cells, the resident liver macrophages. Because prostanoids can enhance glucose output from hepatocytes, it was the aim of this study to compare the possible roles of prostanoids released after C5a, zymosan, and LPS in the mediation of hepatic glucose output. In perfused livers both C5a and zymosan immediately enhanced glucose output, reduced flow, and induced prostanoid overflow into the hepatic vein, but with different quantities and kinetics. Only the C5a-induced but not the zymosan-induced effects were abrogated by inhibitors of prostanoid signaling as the prostanoid synthesis inhibitor indomethacin and the thromboxane receptor antagonist daltroban. In contrast to C5a and zymosan, LPS had no effect on glucose output, flow rate, or prostanoid overflow. In isolated Kupffer cells, C5a and zymosan induced maximal release of prostaglandins D(2) and E(2) and of thromboxane A(2) within a period of 0 to 2 minutes and 5 to 15 minutes, respectively. In pulse-chase experiments, maximal prostanoid release was already observed after 2 minutes of continuous stimulation with C5a, but only after 10 to 15 minutes of continuous stimulation with zymosan. LPS-dependent prostanoid release was not seen before 1 hour. Thus, even though C5a, zymosan, and LPS induced prostanoid release from Kupffer cells, only C5a quickly regulated hepatic glucose metabolism in a prostanoid-dependent manner (due to the kinetics and quantities of prostanoids released).

Improved thermal neutron activation sensor for detection of bulk explosives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFee, John E.; Faust, Anthony A.; Andrews, H. Robert; Clifford, Edward T. H.; Mosquera, Cristian M.

2012-06-01

Defence R&D Canada - Suffield and Bubble Technology Industries have been developing thermal neutron activation (TNA) sensors for detection of buried bulk explosives since 1994. First generation sensors, employing an isotopic source and NaI(Tl) gamma ray detectors, were deployed by Canadian Forces in 2002 as confirmation sensors on the ILDS teleoperated, vehicle-mounted, multi-sensor anti-tank landmine detection systems. The first generation TNA could detect anti-tank mines buried 10 cm or less in no more than a minute, but deeper mines and those significantly displaced horizontally required considerably longer times. Mines as deep as 30 cm could be detected with long counting times (1000 s). The second generation TNA detector is being developed with a number of improvements aimed at increasing sensitivity and facilitating ease of operation. Among these are an electronic neutron generator to increase sensitivity for deeper and horizontally displaced explosives; LaBr3(Ce) scintillators, to improve time response and energy resolution; improved thermal and electronic stability; improved sensor head geometry to minimize spatial response nonuniformity; and more robust data processing. This improved sensitivity can translate to either decreased counting times, decreased minimum detectable explosive quantities, increased maximum sensor-to-target displacement, or a trade off among all three. Experiments to characterize the performance of the latest generation TNA in detecting buried landmines and IEDs hidden in culverts were conducted during 2011. This paper describes the second generation system. The experimental setup and methodology are detailed and preliminary comparisons between the performance of first and second generation systems are presented.

Could Audio-Described Films Benefit from Audio Introductions? An Audience Response Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romero-Fresco, Pablo; Fryer, Louise

2013-01-01

Introduction: Time constraints limit the quantity and type of information conveyed in audio description (AD) for films, in particular the cinematic aspects. Inspired by introductory notes for theatre AD, this study developed audio introductions (AIs) for "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Man on Wire." Each AI comprised 10 minutes of…

9 CFR 113.108 - Clostridium Novyi Bacterin-Toxoid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... serial found unsatisfactory by any prescribed test shall not be released. (a) Purity test. Final... words and terms shall mean: (i) International antitoxin unit. (I.U.) That quantity of Alpha Antitoxin... chloride in each 100 ml of distilled water; adjusting the pH to 7.2; autoclaving at 121 °C for 25 minutes...

Ground water in the vicinity of Capulin, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hart, D.L.; Smith, Christian

1979-01-01

The alluvial deposits within a closed basin near Capulin, New Mexico, are estimated to have 189,000 acre-feet of water in storage. These deposits have an estimated average transmissivity of 400 feet squared per day and represent the major source of ground water. Well yields range from a few gallons per minute to as much as 900 gallons per minute, with average potential yields ranging from about 100 to 200 gallons per minute in areas of greatest saturated thickness. Additional large quantities of water are available for short-term supplies from the saturated basaltic cinders west and northwest of the town of Capulin. Wells completed in the cinders reportedly have produced as much as 2,000 gallons per minute. The chemical quality of water in the alluvium and cinder aquifers appears to be chemically satisfactory for municipal use. The ground water in storage is sufficient to supplement Raton, New Mexico 's water needs to the year 2030 at the water demand rate projected by the Bureau of Reclamation. (Woodard-USGS)

Longer mean colonoscopy withdrawal time is associated with increased adenoma detection: evidence from the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in England.

PubMed

Lee, T J W; Blanks, R G; Rees, C J; Wright, K C; Nickerson, C; Moss, S M; Chilton, A; Goddard, A F; Patnick, J; McNally, R J Q; Rutter, M D

2013-01-01

Increasing colonoscopy withdrawal time (CWT) is thought to be associated with increasing adenoma detection rate (ADR). Current English guidelines recommend a minimum CWT of 6 minutes. It is known that in the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) in England there is wide variation in CWT. The aim of this observational study was to examine the relationship between CWT and ADR. The study examined data from 31 088 colonoscopies by 147 screening program colonoscopists. Colonoscopists were grouped in four levels of mean CWT ( < 7, 7 - 8.9, 9 - 10.9, and ≥ 11 minutes). Univariable and multivariable analysis (binary logistic and negative binomial regression) were used to explore the relationship between CWT, ADR, mean number of adenomas and number of right-sided and advanced adenomas. In colonoscopists with a mean CWT < 7 minutes, the mean ADR was 42.5 % compared with 47.1 % in the ≥ 11-minute group (P < 0.001). The mean number of adenomas detected per procedure increased from 0.77 to 0.94, respectively (P < 0.001). The increase in adenoma detection was mainly of subcentimeter or proximal adenomas; there was no increase in the detection of advanced adenomas. Regression models showed an increase in ADR from 43 % to 46.5 % for mean CWT times ranging from 6 to 10 minutes. This study demonstrates that longer mean withdrawal times are associated with increasing adenoma detection, mainly of small or right-sided adenomas. However, beyond 10 minutes the increase in ADR is minimal. Mean withdrawal times longer than 6 minutes are not associated with increased detection of advanced adenomas. Withdrawal time remains an important quality metric of colonoscopy. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Confocal Raman Microscopy for in Situ Measurement of Octanol-Water Partitioning within the Pores of Individual C18-Functionalized Chromatographic Particles.

PubMed

Kitt, Jay P; Harris, Joel M

2015-05-19

Octanol-water partitioning is one of the most widely used predictors of hydrophobicity and lipophilicity. Traditional methods for measuring octanol-water partition coefficients (K(ow)), including shake-flasks and generator columns, require hours for equilibration and milliliter quantities of sample solution. These challenges have led to development of smaller-scale methods for measuring K(ow). Recent advances in microfluidics have produced faster and smaller-volume approaches to measuring K(ow). As flowing volumes are reduced, however, separation of water and octanol prior to measurement and detection in small volumes of octanol phase are especially challenging. In this work, we reduce the receiver volume of octanol-water partitioning measurements from current practice by six-orders-of-magnitude, to the femtoliter scale, by using a single octanol-filled reversed-phase, octadecylsilane-modified (C18-silica) chromatographic particle as a collector. The fluid-handling challenges of working in such small volumes are circumvented by eliminating postequilibration phase separation. Partitioning is measured in situ within the pore-confined octanol phase using confocal Raman microscopy, which is capable of detecting and quantifying a wide variety of molecular structures. Equilibration times are fast (less than a minute) because molecular diffusion is efficient over distance scales of micrometers. The demonstrated amount of analyte needed to carry out a measurement is very small, less than 50 fmol, which would be a useful attribute for drug screening applications or testing of small quantities of environmentally sensitive compounds. The method is tested for measurements of pH-dependent octanol-water partitioning of naphthoic acid, and the results are compared to both traditional shake-flask measurements and sorption onto C18-modified silica without octanol present within the pores.

Microorganism Identification Based On MALDI-TOF-MS Fingerprints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elssner, Thomas; Kostrzewa, Markus; Maier, Thomas; Kruppa, Gary

Advances in MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry have enabled the ­development of a rapid, accurate and specific method for the identification of bacteria directly from colonies picked from culture plates, which we have named the MALDI Biotyper. The picked colonies are placed on a target plate, a drop of matrix solution is added, and a pattern of protein molecular weights and intensities, "the protein fingerprint" of the bacteria, is produced by the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer. The obtained protein mass fingerprint representing a molecular signature of the microorganism is then matched against a database containing a library of previously measured protein mass fingerprints, and scores for the match to every library entry are produced. An ID is obtained if a score is returned over a pre-set threshold. The sensitivity of the techniques is such that only approximately 104 bacterial cells are needed, meaning that an overnight culture is sufficient, and the results are obtained in minutes after culture. The improvement in time to result over biochemical methods, and the capability to perform a non-targeted identification of bacteria and spores, potentially makes this method suitable for use in the detect-to-treat timeframe in a bioterrorism event. In the case of white-powder samples, the infectious spore is present in sufficient quantity in the powder so that the MALDI Biotyper result can be obtained directly from the white powder, without the need for culture. While spores produce very different patterns from the vegetative colonies of the corresponding bacteria, this problem is overcome by simply including protein fingerprints of the spores in the library. Results on spores can be returned within minutes, making the method suitable for use in the "detect-to-protect" timeframe.

Testing of concrete by laser ablation

DOEpatents

Flesher, D.J.; Becker, D.L.; Beem, W.L.; Berry, T.C.; Cannon, N.S.

1997-01-07

A method is disclosed for testing concrete in a structure in situ, by: directing a succession of pulses of laser radiation at a point on the structure so that each pulse effects removal of a quantity of concrete and transfers energy to the concrete; detecting a characteristic of energy which has been transferred to the concrete; determining, separately from the detecting step, the total quantity of concrete removed by the succession of pulses; and calculating a property of the concrete on the basis of the detected energy characteristic and the determined total quantity of concrete removed. 1 fig.

Synthesis of 2,4,8,10-tetroxaspiro5,5undecane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poshkus, A. C. (Inventor)

1985-01-01

Pentaerythritol is converted to its diformal, 2,4,8,10-tetroxaspirol5.5undecane, by heating it to a temperature within the range of about 110 to 150 C, for a period of up to 10 minutes, in the presence of a slight excess of paraformaldehyde and of a catalytic quantity of an acid catalyst such as sulfuric acid. The reaction may be carried out in two steps, by forming first the monoformal, then the diformal. In any case, total reaction time is about 10 minutes, and yield of diformal are greater than 90%. Previous processes require hours or days, and often, tedious operating procedures.

Quantitative variation and biosynthesis of hindgut volatiles associated with the red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte, at different attack phases.

PubMed

Shi, Z-H; Sun, J-H

2010-06-01

The red turpentine beetle (RTB), Dendroctonus valens LeConte, is a destructive invasive forest pest in China. For such tree-killing species, how to initiate a volatile-mediated mass attack is of great importance during the course of establishment. To understand the hindgut volatile production mechanism underlying mass attack initiated by RTB, coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and 13C-labelled precursors were applied to explore the quantitative variation and biosynthesis of volatiles associated with RTB at different attack phases. Five previously described volatiles, trans-verbenol, myrtenol, cis-verbenol, myrtenal and verbenone, were identified and quantified from extracts of female and male hindguts, with the first two compounds as the major components and the latter three as minor constituents. In newly emerged females and males, only minute amounts of these compounds were detected. The quantity of volatiles from female adults significantly increased after they fed on bolts. Male adults also yielded larger quantities of volatiles after they joined females in galleries, which suggested that RTB males could accelerate the mass colonization on host trees. We also confirmed that RTB produced the five volatiles through oxidizing the major host monoterpene, alpha-pinene, but not synthesized de novo since products were labeled without 13C. The implication of this study in understanding the successful invasion of RTB is discussed.

Identification and measurement of chlorinated organic pesticides in water by electron-capture gas chromatography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lamar, William L.; Goerlitz, Donald F.; Law, LeRoy M.

1965-01-01

Pesticides, in minute quantities, may affect the regimen of streams, and because they may concentrate in sediments, aquatic organisms, and edible aquatic foods, their detection and their measurement in the parts-per-trillion range are considered essential. In 1964 the U.S. Geological Survey at Menlo Park, Calif., began research on methods for monitoring pesticides in water. Two systems were selected--electron-capture gas chromatography and microcoulometric-titration gas chromatography. Studies on these systems are now in progress. This report provides current information on the development and application of an electron-capture gas chromatographic procedure. This method is a convenient and extremely sensitive procedure for the detection and measurement of organic pesticides having high electron affinities, notably the chlorinated organic pesticides. The electron-affinity detector is extremely sensitive to these substances but it is not as sensitive to many other compounds. By this method, the chlorinated organic pesticide may be determined on a sample of convenient size in concentrations as low as the parts-per-trillion range. To insure greater accuracy in the identifications, the pesticides reported were separated and identified by their retention times on two different types of gas chromatographic columns.

49 CFR 393.67 - Liquid fuel tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... section. The rules in this section apply to tanks containing or supplying fuel for the operation of... leak more than a total of one ounce by weight of fuel per minute in any position the tank assumes...) Drop test—(i) Procedure. Fill the tank with a quantity of water having a weight equal to the weight of...

10 CFR Appendix A to Part 625 - Standard Sales Provisions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... of the NS will be publicized on the Fossil Energy web page http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/reserves... authorized to do so, in the form of corporate minutes, the Authorized Signature List, or the General... information will be provided to DOE by the offeror on the SPR on-line offer form: (1) Maximum MLI Quantity...

10 CFR Appendix A to Part 625 - Standard Sales Provisions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... of the NS will be publicized on the Fossil Energy web page http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/reserves... authorized to do so, in the form of corporate minutes, the Authorized Signature List, or the General... information will be provided to DOE by the offeror on the SPR on-line offer form: (1) Maximum MLI Quantity...

10 CFR Appendix A to Part 625 - Standard Sales Provisions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... of the NS will be publicized on the Fossil Energy web page http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/reserves... authorized to do so, in the form of corporate minutes, the Authorized Signature List, or the General... information will be provided to DOE by the offeror on the SPR on-line offer form: (1) Maximum MLI Quantity...

10 CFR Appendix A to Part 625 - Standard Sales Provisions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... of the NS will be publicized on the Fossil Energy web page http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/reserves... authorized to do so, in the form of corporate minutes, the Authorized Signature List, or the General... information will be provided to DOE by the offeror on the SPR on-line offer form: (1) Maximum MLI Quantity...

10 CFR Appendix A to Part 625 - Standard Sales Provisions

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... of the NS will be publicized on the Fossil Energy web page http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/reserves... authorized to do so, in the form of corporate minutes, the Authorized Signature List, or the General... information will be provided to DOE by the offeror on the SPR on-line offer form: (1) Maximum MLI Quantity...

40 CFR 98.344 - Monitoring and QA/QC requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... minutes between samples and determine the methane composition of the landfill gas using one of the methods.... ER30OC09.136 Where: CCH4 = Methane concentration in the landfill gas (volume %) for use in Equation HH-4 of... procedures used to ensure the accuracy of the estimates of disposal quantities and, if applicable, gas flow...

40 CFR 98.344 - Monitoring and QA/QC requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... minutes between samples and determine the methane composition of the landfill gas using one of the methods.... ER30OC09.136 Where: CCH4 = Methane concentration in the landfill gas (volume %) for use in Equation HH-4 of... procedures used to ensure the accuracy of the estimates of disposal quantities and, if applicable, gas flow...

46 CFR 108.469 - Quantity of foam producing materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... at least 5 minutes at each outlet; and (2) In a space must have enough foam producing material to... or space, the system need have only enough foam producing material to cover the largest space that the system covers or, if the liquid surface of a tank covered by the system is larger, the tank with...

46 CFR 108.469 - Quantity of foam producing materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... at least 5 minutes at each outlet; and (2) In a space must have enough foam producing material to... or space, the system need have only enough foam producing material to cover the largest space that the system covers or, if the liquid surface of a tank covered by the system is larger, the tank with...

46 CFR 108.469 - Quantity of foam producing materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... at least 5 minutes at each outlet; and (2) In a space must have enough foam producing material to... or space, the system need have only enough foam producing material to cover the largest space that the system covers or, if the liquid surface of a tank covered by the system is larger, the tank with...

46 CFR 108.469 - Quantity of foam producing materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... at least 5 minutes at each outlet; and (2) In a space must have enough foam producing material to... or space, the system need have only enough foam producing material to cover the largest space that the system covers or, if the liquid surface of a tank covered by the system is larger, the tank with...

46 CFR 108.469 - Quantity of foam producing materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... at least 5 minutes at each outlet; and (2) In a space must have enough foam producing material to... or space, the system need have only enough foam producing material to cover the largest space that the system covers or, if the liquid surface of a tank covered by the system is larger, the tank with...

Postpartum Early and Extended Contact: Quality, Quantity or Both?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopkins, John B.; Vietze, Peter M.

This study examined the effects of early vs. extended mother-infant contact on infant, maternal and interactional outcomes in the lying-in period for 104 lower class mother-infant dyads. The early contact treatment consisted of placing the mother and neonate together for 10 to 45 minutes within the first 3 postpartum hours. The extended contact…

9 CFR 113.109 - Clostridium Sordellii Bacterin-Toxoid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... prescribed in this section. A serial found unsatisfactory by any prescribed test shall not be released. (a... following words and terms shall mean: (i) International antitoxin unit. (I.U.) That quantity of antitoxin... distilled water; adjusting the pH to 7.2; autoclaving at 121 °C for 25 minutes; and storing at 4 °C until...

9 CFR 113.454 - Clostridium Perfringens Type C Antitoxin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Clostridium perfringens Type C. Each serial shall be tested as provided in this section. Any serial found... following words and terms shall mean: (i) International antitoxin unit. (I.U.) That quantity of Beta... chloride in each 100 ml of distilled water; adjusting the pH to 7.2; autoclaving at 250 °F. for 25 minutes...

Comparison of Birds Detected from Roadside and Off-Road Point Counts in the Shenandoah National Park

Treesearch

Cherry M.E. Keller; Mark R. Fuller

1995-01-01

Roadside point counts are generally used for large surveys to increase the number of samples. We examined differences in species detected from roadside versus off-road (200-m and 400-m) point counts in the Shenandoah National Park. We also compared the list of species detected in the first 3 minutes to those detected in 10 minutes for potential species biases. Results...

Influence of Survey Length and Radius Size on Grassland Bird Surveys by Point Counts at Williams Lake, British Columbia

Treesearch

Jean-Pierre L. Savard; Tracey D. Hooper

1995-01-01

We examine the effect of survey length and radius on the results of point count surveys for grassland birds at Williams Lake, British Columbia. Four- and 8-minute counts detected on average 68 percent and 85 percent of the number of birds detected during 12-minute counts. The most efficient sampling duration was 4 minutes, as long as travel time between points was...

Microfluidic devices, systems, and methods for quantifying particles using centrifugal force

DOEpatents

Schaff, Ulrich Y.; Sommer, Gregory J.; Singh, Anup K.

2015-11-17

Embodiments of the present invention are directed toward microfluidic systems, apparatus, and methods for measuring a quantity of cells in a fluid. Examples include a differential white blood cell measurement using a centrifugal microfluidic system. A method may include introducing a fluid sample containing a quantity of cells into a microfluidic channel defined in part by a substrate. The quantity of cells may be transported toward a detection region defined in part by the substrate, wherein the detection region contains a density media, and wherein the density media has a density lower than a density of the cells and higher than a density of the fluid sample. The substrate may be spun such that at least a portion of the quantity of cells are transported through the density media. Signals may be detected from label moieties affixed to the cells.

Northeastern Florida Bay estuarine creek data, water years 1996-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hittle, Clinton D.; Zucker, Mark A.

2004-01-01

From October 1995 to September 2000 (water years 1996-2000), continuous 15-minute stage, water velocity, salinity, and water temperature data were collected at seven estuarine creeks that flow into northeastern Florida Bay. These creeks include West Highway Creek, Stillwater Creek, Trout Creek, Mud Creek, Taylor River, Upstream Taylor River, and McCormick Creek. Discharge was computed at 15-minute intervals using mean water velocity and the cross-sectional area of the channel. Fifteen-minute unit values are presented for comparison of the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of flows through the creeks. Revised discharge estimation formulas are presented for three noninstrumented sites (East Highway Creek, Oregon Creek and Stillwater Creek) that utilize an improved West Highway discharge rating. Stillwater Creek and Upstream Taylor River were originally noninstrumented sites; both were fully instrumented in 1999. Discharge rating equations are presented for these sites and were developed using a simple linear regression.

Familial risk moderates the association between sleep and zBMI in children.

PubMed

Bagley, Erika J; El-Sheikh, Mona

2013-08-01

A cumulative risk approach was used to examine the moderating effect of familial risk factors on relations between actigraphy-based sleep quantity (minutes) and quality (efficiency) and sex- and age-standardized body mass index (zBMI). The sample included 124 boys and 104 girls with a mean age of 10.41 years (SD = 0.67). Children wore actigraphs for 1 week, and their height and weight were assessed in the lab. After controlling for potential confounds, multiple regression analyses indicated that sleep minutes predicted children's zBMI and that both sleep minutes and efficiency interacted with family risk in the prediction of zBMI. The association between poor sleep and zBMI was especially evident for children exposed to higher levels of family risk. Findings suggest that not all children who exhibit poor sleep are at equal risk for higher zBMI and that familial and contextual conditions need to be considered in this link.

Effects of Point Count Duration, Time-of-Day, and Aural Stimuli on Detectability of Migratory and Resident Bird Species in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Treesearch

James F. Lynch

1995-01-01

Effects of count duration, time-of-day, and aural stimuli were studied in a series of unlimited-radius point counts conducted during winter in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The rate at which new species were detected was approximately three times higher during the first 5 minutes of each 15- minute count than in the final 5 minutes. The number of individuals and species...

Routine vs extended outpatient EEG for the detection of interictal epileptiform discharges

PubMed Central

Britton, Jeffrey W.; Rajasekaran, Vijayalakshmi; Fabris, Rachel R.; Cherian, Perumpillichira J.; Kelly-Williams, Kristen M.; So, Elson L.; Nickels, Katherine C.; Wong-Kisiel, Lily C.; Lagerlund, Terrence D.; Cascino, Gregory D.; Worrell, Gregory A.; Wirrell, Elaine C.

2016-01-01

Objective: To compare the yield of epileptiform abnormalities on 30-minute recordings with those greater than 45 minutes. Methods: We performed a prospective observational cross-sectional study of all outpatient routine EEGs comparing the rate of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) and clinical events during the initial 30 minutes (routine) with those occurring in the remaining 30–60 minutes (extended). A relative increase of 10% was considered clinically significant. Results: EEGs from 1,803 patients were included; overall EEG duration was 59.4 minutes (SD ±6.5). Of 426 patients with IEDs at any time during the EEG, 81 (19.1%, 95% confidence interval 15.6–23) occurred only after the initial 30 minutes. The rate of late IEDs was not associated with age, indication, IED type, or sleep deprivation. Longer recording times also increased event capture rate by approximately 30%. Conclusions: The yield of IED and event detection is increased in extended outpatient EEGs compared to 30-minute studies. PMID:26984946

Routine vs extended outpatient EEG for the detection of interictal epileptiform discharges.

PubMed

Burkholder, David B; Britton, Jeffrey W; Rajasekaran, Vijayalakshmi; Fabris, Rachel R; Cherian, Perumpillichira J; Kelly-Williams, Kristen M; So, Elson L; Nickels, Katherine C; Wong-Kisiel, Lily C; Lagerlund, Terrence D; Cascino, Gregory D; Worrell, Gregory A; Wirrell, Elaine C

2016-04-19

To compare the yield of epileptiform abnormalities on 30-minute recordings with those greater than 45 minutes. We performed a prospective observational cross-sectional study of all outpatient routine EEGs comparing the rate of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) and clinical events during the initial 30 minutes (routine) with those occurring in the remaining 30-60 minutes (extended). A relative increase of 10% was considered clinically significant. EEGs from 1,803 patients were included; overall EEG duration was 59.4 minutes (SD ±6.5). Of 426 patients with IEDs at any time during the EEG, 81 (19.1%, 95% confidence interval 15.6-23) occurred only after the initial 30 minutes. The rate of late IEDs was not associated with age, indication, IED type, or sleep deprivation. Longer recording times also increased event capture rate by approximately 30%. The yield of IED and event detection is increased in extended outpatient EEGs compared to 30-minute studies. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

42 CFR 84.205 - Facepiece test; minimum requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...; (ii) Two minutes, calisthenic arm movements; (iii) Two minutes, running in place; and (iv) Two minutes, pumping with a tire pump into a 28-liter (1 cubic-foot) container. (4) Each wearer shall not detect the...

Quantification of Endogenous Cholesterol in Human Serum on Paper Using Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Hsieh, Hua-Yi; Li, Li-Hua; Hsu, Ren-Yu; Kao, Wei-Fong; Huang, Ying-Chen; Hsu, Cheng-Chih

2017-06-06

Blood testing for endogenous small metabolites to determine physiological and biochemical states is routine for laboratory analysis. Here we demonstrate that by combining the commercial direct analysis in real time (DART) ion source with an ion trap mass spectrometer, native cholesterol in its free alcohol form is readily detected from a few hundred nanoliters of human serum loaded onto chromatography paper. Deuterium-labeled cholesterol was used as the internal standard to obtain the absolute quantity of the endogenous cholesterol. The amount of the cholesterol measured by this paper-loaded DART mass spectrometry (pDART-MS) is statistically comparable with that obtained by using commercially available fluorometric-enzymatic assay and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Furthermore, sera from 21 participants at three different time points in an ultramarathon were collected to obtain their cholesterol levels. The test requires only very minimal sample preparation, and the concentrations of cholesterol in each sample were acquired within a minute.

Gaussian Process modelling of blood glucose response to free-living physical activity data in people with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Valletta, John Joseph; Chipperfield, Andrew J; Byrne, Christopher D

2009-01-01

Good blood glucose control is important to people with type 1 diabetes to prevent diabetes-related complications. Too much blood glucose (hyperglycaemia) causes long-term micro-vascular complications, while a severe drop in blood glucose (hypoglycaemia) can cause life-threatening coma. Finding the right balance between quantity and type of food intake, physical activity levels and insulin dosage, is a daily challenge. Increased physical activity levels often cause changes in blood glucose due to increased glucose uptake into tissues such as muscle. To date we have limited knowledge about the minute by minute effects of exercise on blood glucose levels, in part due to the difficulty in measuring glucose and physical activity levels continuously, in a free-living environment. By using a light and user-friendly armband we can record physical activity energy expenditure on a minute-by-minute basis. Simultaneously, by using a continuous glucose monitoring system we can record glucose concentrations. In this paper, Gaussian Processes are used to model the glucose excursions in response to physical activity data, to study its effect on glycaemic control.

Mutagens and carcinogens in foods. Epidemiologic review.

PubMed Central

Hislop, T. G.

1993-01-01

Evidence that diet contributes to the development of cancer is strengthening. This paper examines mutagens and carcinogens, such as naturally occurring substances, products of cooking and food processing, intentional and unintentional additives, and contaminants, found in foods. Such substances are present in minute quantities in the diets of average Canadians. Indication of health risk is largely limited to experimental laboratory evidence. PMID:8499796

Zectran fed orally to mice...cholinesterase levels in blood determined

Treesearch

Jean Marie Lang; Raymond R. Miskus

1967-01-01

Zectran, a carbamate insecticide, is being field-tested against the spruce budworm. Taken in sufficient quantity, it can induce cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition in mammals. In laboratory experiments, Zectran was fed orally to mice. Results indicated that maximum ChE inhibition occurred 15 to 30 minutes after ingestion of Zectran, and that a ChE test is unreliable in the...

Self-reflection and self-transmission of pulsed radiation by laser-evaporated media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furzikov, Nickolay P.

1991-05-01

Analysis of the known laser-induced evaporation (thermodestruction) model predicts the quasiperiodic oscillation of the effective absorption depth between its normal value and some minute quantity consisting of a part of the incident wavelength. This prediction explains the experimental data on the polymer laser ablation depth as well as the reflection transient drop of the laserdestructed aluminum.

Locating trace plutonium in contaminated soil using micro-XRF imaging

DOE PAGES

Worley, Christopher G.; Spencer, Khalil J.; Boukhalfa, Hakim; ...

2014-06-01

Micro-X-ray fluorescence (MXRF) was used to locate minute quantities of plutonium in contaminated soil. Because the specimen had previously been prepared for analysis by scanning electron microscopy, it was coated with gold to eliminate electron beam charging. However, this significantly hindered efforts to detect plutonium by MXRF. The gold L peak series present in all spectra increased background counts. Plutonium signal attenuation by the gold coating and severe peak overlap from potassium in the soil prevented detection of trace plutonium using the Pu Mα peak. However, the 14.3 keV Pu Lα peak sensitivity was not optimal due to poor transmissionmore » efficiency through the source polycapillary optic, and the instrument silicon drift detector sensitivity quickly declines for peaks with energies above ~10 keV. Instrumental parameters were optimized (eg. using appropriate source filters) in order to detect plutonium. An X-ray beam aperture was initially used to image a majority of the specimen with low spatial resolution. A small region that appeared to contain plutonium was then imaged at high spatial resolution using a polycapillary optic. Small areas containing plutonium were observed on a soil particle, and iron was co-located with the plutonium. Zinc and titanium also appeared to be correlated with the plutonium, and these elemental correlations provided useful plutonium chemical state information that helped to better understand its environmental transport properties.« less

Influence of wind speed averaging on estimates of dimethylsulfide emission fluxes

DOE PAGES

Chapman, E. G.; Shaw, W. J.; Easter, R. C.; ...

2002-12-03

The effect of various wind-speed-averaging periods on calculated DMS emission fluxes is quantitatively assessed. Here, a global climate model and an emission flux module were run in stand-alone mode for a full year. Twenty-minute instantaneous surface wind speeds and related variables generated by the climate model were archived, and corresponding 1-hour-, 6-hour-, daily-, and monthly-averaged quantities calculated. These various time-averaged, model-derived quantities were used as inputs in the emission flux module, and DMS emissions were calculated using two expressions for the mass transfer velocity commonly used in atmospheric models. Results indicate that the time period selected for averaging wind speedsmore » can affect the magnitude of calculated DMS emission fluxes. A number of individual marine cells within the global grid show DMS emissions fluxes that are 10-60% higher when emissions are calculated using 20-minute instantaneous model time step winds rather than monthly-averaged wind speeds, and at some locations the differences exceed 200%. Many of these cells are located in the southern hemisphere where anthropogenic sulfur emissions are low and changes in oceanic DMS emissions may significantly affect calculated aerosol concentrations and aerosol radiative forcing.« less

Revelation of rutile phase by Raman scattering for enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of hydrothermally-grown anatase TiO2 film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Hsun-Wei; Liao, Kuo-Lun; Yang, Jih-Sheng; Wu, Jih-Jen

2018-05-01

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) performances of the anatase TiO2 films hydrothermally grown on the seeded fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates are examined in this work. Structural characterizations of the TiO2 films were conducted using Raman scattering spectroscopy. Although there is no obvious rutile peak appearing, an asymmetrical peak centered at ∼399 cm-1 was observed in the Raman spectra of the TiO2 films deposited either on the low-temperature-formed seed layers or with low concentrations of Ti precursor. The asymmetrical Raman shift can be deconvoluted into the B1g mode of anatase and Eg mode of rutile TiO2 peaks centered at ∼399 cm-1 and ∼447 cm-1, respectively. Therefore, a minute quantity of rutile phase was inspected in the anatase film using Raman scattering spectroscopy. With the same light harvesting ability, we found that the PEC performance of the anatase TiO2 film was significantly enhanced as the minute quantity of rutile phase existing in the film. It is ascribed to the formation of the anatase/rutile heterojunction which is beneficial to the charge separation in the photoanode.

Ability of a 5-minute electrocardiography (ECG) for predicting arrhythmias in Doberman Pinschers with cardiomyopathy in comparison with a 24-hour ambulatory ECG.

PubMed

Wess, G; Schulze, A; Geraghty, N; Hartmann, K

2010-01-01

Ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) are common in the occult stage of cardiomyopathy in Doberman Pinschers. Although the gold standard for detecting arrhythmia is the 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography (ECG) (Holter), this method is more expensive, time-consuming and often not as readily available as common ECG. Comparison of 5-minute ECGs with Holter examinations. Eight hundred and seventy-five 5-minute ECGs and Holter examinations of 431 Doberman Pinschers. Each examination included a 5-minute ECG and Holter examination. A cut-off value of > 100 VPCs/24 hours using Holter was considered diagnostic for the presence of cardiomyopathy. Statistical evaluation included calculation of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Holter examinations revealed > 100 VPCs/24 hours in 204/875 examinations. At least 1 VPC during a 5-minute ECG was detected in 131 (64.2%) of these 204 examinations. No VPCs were found in the 5-minute ECG in 73 (35.8%) examinations of affected Doberman Pinschers. A 5-minute ECG with at least 1 VPC as cut-off had a sensitivity of 64.2%, a specificity of 96.7%, a positive predictive value of 85.6% and a negative predictive value of 89.9% for the presence of > 100 VPCs/24 hours. A 5-minute ECG is a rather insensitive method for detecting arrhythmias in Doberman Pinschers. However, the occurrence of at least 1 VPC in 5 minutes strongly warrants further examination of the dog, because specificity (96.7%) and positive predictive value (85.6%) are high and could suggest occult cardiomyopathy.

Caffeine induced changes in cerebral circulation

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

Mathew, R.J.; Wilson, W.H.

1985-09-01

While the caffeine induced cerebral vasoconstriction is well documented, the effects of oral ingestion of the drug in a dose range comparable to the quantities in which it is usually consumed and the intensity and duration of the associated reduction in cerebral circulation are unknown. Cerebral blood flow was measured via the TTXenon inhalation technique before and thirty and ninety minutes after the oral administration of 250 mg of caffeine or a placebo, under double-blind conditions. Caffeine ingestion was found to be associated with significant reductions in cerebral perfusion thirty and ninety minutes later. The placebo group showed no differencesmore » between the three sets of cerebral blood flow values.« less

Influence of Continuous Flow Microwave Pre-Treatment on Anaerobic Digestion of Secondary Thickened Sludge for Sustainable Energy Recovery in Sewage Treatment Plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hephzibah, D.; Kumaran, P.; Saifuddin, N. M.

2016-03-01

This work elucidates the effects of pre-treatment of secondary thickened sludge (STS) for enhancement of biogas production that has great potential to generate energy for the utilization of the sewage treatment plant (STP) itself. Microwave pre-treatment has been adopted for this study. Experiment works have been designed and conducted to examine the effectiveness of continuous flow microwave pre-treatment on the solubility of STS, digestibility of STS and biogas production at a power level of 80 W for 5, 10 and 15 minutes. A few characteristics of the sewage sludge were monitored daily to identify the effect of pre-treatment on the sludge. The soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD)/total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) ratio increased by 0.1, 1.0 and 1.8%, while the volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration of the pre-treated sludge improved by 4.4, 5.1, 5.9% at the irradiation time of 5, 10 and 15 minutes, respectively at a microwave power level of 80 W. Besides that, the digestate also indicates that the pre-treated sludge undergoes efficient VS removal and TCOD removal after anaerobic digestion compared to the untreated sludge. Moreover, the biogas quantity increased by an average of 19.2, 24.1 and 32.2% in 5, 10 and 15 minutes irradiation time respectively compared to the untreated sludge. The additional quantity of biogas generated has shown a great potential for sustainable energy generation that can be utilized internally by the STP.

Withdrawal times and associated factors in colonoscopy: a quality assurance multicenter assessment.

PubMed

Overholt, Bergein F; Brooks-Belli, Linda; Grace, Michael; Rankin, Kristin; Harrell, Royce; Turyk, Mary; Rosenberg, Fred B; Barish, Robert W; Gilinsky, Norman H

2010-04-01

To evaluate the use and impact of the recommended withdrawal time of at least 6 minutes from the cecum in colonoscopy in multiple gastroenterology endoscopy ambulatory surgery centers serving a wide geographical area. An observational prospective multicenter quality assurance review was conducted in 49 ambulatory surgery centers in 17 states with 315 gastroenterologists. There was no intervention with this quality assessment program as care of patients and the routine of gastroenterologists continued as standard practice. Multivariable analysis was applied to the database to examine factors affecting withdrawal time and polyp detection. There were 15,955 consecutive qualified patients receiving colonoscopies in a designated 4-week period. Gastroenterologists with average withdrawal times of 6 minutes or more in patients with no polyps were 1.8 times more likely to detect 1 or more polyps and had a significantly higher rate (P<0.0001) of polyp detection in patients with findings of polyps compared to gastroenterologists with average withdrawal times of less than 6 minutes in patients with no polyps. For patients with no pathology, the mean time of withdrawal was 6.98 (SD=4.34) minutes and for patients with pathology mean time of withdrawal was 11.27 (SD=6.71) minutes. Strongest predictors of withdrawal time of 6 minutes or more were presence of carcinoma (3.7 times more likely than those with no pathology), adenoma (2.0 times more likely than those with no pathology), and number of polyps visualized (1.7 times more likely for each polyp). This quality assurance assessment from standard colonoscopy practices of 315 gastroenterologists in 49 endoscopic ambulatory surgery centers serving a wide geographical area provides support for the merits of a colonoscopy withdrawal time from the cecum of 6 minutes or more to improve the detection of polyps.

TH-AB-201-07: Filmless Treatment Localization QA for the CyberKnife System

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

Gersh, J; Spectrum Medical Physics, LLC, Greenville, SC; Noll, M

Purpose: Accuray recommends daily evaluation of the treatment localization and delivery systems (TLS/TDS) of the CyberKnife. The vendor-provided solution is a Winston-Lutz-type test that evaluates film shadows from an orthogonal beam pair (known as AQA). Since film-based techniques are inherently inefficient and potentially inconsistent and uncertain, this study explores a method which provides a comparable test with greater efficiency, consistency, and certainty. This test uses the QAStereoChecker (QASC, Standard Imaging, Inc., Middleton, WI), a high-resolution flat-panel detector with coupled fiducial markers for automated alignment. Fiducial tracking is used to achieve high translational and rotational position accuracy. Methods: A plan ismore » generated delivering five circular beams, with varying orientation and angular incidence. Several numeric quantities are calculated for each beam: eccentricity, centroid location, area, major-axis length, minor-axis length, and orientation angle. Baseline values were acquired and repeatability of baselines analyzed. Next, errors were induced in the path calibration of the CK, and the test repeated. A correlative study was performed between the induced errors and quantities measured using the QASC. Based on vendor recommendations, this test should be able to detect a TLS/TDS offset of 0.5mm. Results: Centroid shifts correlated well with induced plane-perpendicular offsets (p < 0.01). Induced vertical shifts correlated best with the absolute average deviation of eccentricities (p < 0.05). The values of these metrics which correlated with the threshold of 0.5mm induced deviation were used as individual pass/fail criteria. These were then used to evaluate induced offsets which shifted the CK in all axes (a clinically-realistic offset), with a total offset of 0.5mm. This test provided high and specificity and sensitivity. Conclusion: From setup to analysis, this filmless TLS/TDS test requires 4 minutes, as opposed to 15–20 minutes for film-based methods. The techniques introduced can potentially isolate errors in individual joints of the CK robot. Spectrum Medical Physics, LLC of Greenville, SC has a consulting contract with Standard Imaging of Middleton, WI.« less

Highly sensitive three-dimensional interdigitated microelectrode for microparticle detection using electrical impedance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Fu-Yu; Chen, Ming-Kun; Wang, Min-Haw; Jang, Ling-Sheng

2016-02-01

Cell impedance analysis is widely used for monitoring biological and medical reactions. In this study, a highly sensitive three-dimensional (3D) interdigitated microelectrode (IME) with a high aspect ratio on a polyimide (PI) flexible substrate was fabricated for microparticle detection (e.g. cell quantity detection) using electroforming and lithography technology. 3D finite element simulations were performed to compare the performance of the 3D IME (in terms of sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio) to that of a planar IME for particles in the sensing area. Various quantities of particles were captured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium and their impedances were measured. With the 3D IME, the particles were arranged in the gap, not on the electrode, avoiding the noise due to particle position. For the maximum particle quantities, the results show that the 3D IME has at least 5-fold higher sensitivity than that of the planar IME. The trends of impedance magnitude and phase due to particle quantity were verified using the equivalent circuit model. The impedance (1269 Ω) of 69 particles was used to estimate the particle quantity (68 particles) with 98.6% accuracy using a parabolic regression curve at 500 kHz.

Early Detection of Physical Activity for People With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

PubMed

Dasanayake, Isuru S; Bevier, Wendy C; Castorino, Kristin; Pinsker, Jordan E; Seborg, Dale E; Doyle, Francis J; Dassau, Eyal

2015-06-30

Early detection of exercise in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) may allow changes in therapy to prevent hypoglycemia. Currently there is limited experience with automated methods that detect the onset and end of exercise in this population. We sought to develop a novel method to quickly and reliably detect the onset and end of exercise in these individuals before significant changes in blood glucose (BG) occur. Sixteen adults with T1DM were studied as outpatients using a diary, accelerometer, heart rate monitor, and continuous glucose monitor for 2 days. These data were used to develop a principal component analysis based exercise detection method. Subjects also performed 60 and 30 minute exercise sessions at 30% and 50% predicted heart rate reserve (HRR), respectively. The detection method was applied to the exercise sessions to determine how quickly the detection of start and end of exercise occurred relative to change in BG. Mild 30% HRR and moderate 50% HRR exercise onset was identified in 6 ± 3 and 5 ± 2 (mean ± SD) minutes, while completion was detected in 3 ± 8 and 6 ± 5 minutes, respectively. BG change from start of exercise to detection time was 1 ± 6 and -1 ± 3 mg/dL, and, from the end of exercise to detection time was 6 ± 4 and -17 ± 13 mg/dL, respectively, for the 2 exercise sessions. False positive and negative ratios were 4 ± 2% and 21 ± 22%. The novel method for exercise detection identified the onset and end of exercise in approximately 5 minutes, with an average BG change of only -6 mg/dL. © 2015 Diabetes Technology Society.

Water ingress detection in honeycomb sandwich panels by passive infrared thermography using a high-resolution thermal imaging camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibarra-Castanedo, C.; Brault, L.; Marcotte, F.; Genest, M.; Farley, V.; Maldague, X.

2012-06-01

Water ingress in honeycomb structures is of great concern for the civil and military aerospace industries. Pressure and temperature variations during take-off and landing produce considerable stress on aircraft structures, promoting moisture ingress (by diffusion through fibers or by direct ingress through voids, cracks or unsealed joints) into the core. The presence of water (or other fluids such as kerosene, hydraulic fluid and de-icing agents) in any of its forms (gas vapor, liquid or ice) promotes corrosion, cell breakage, and induce composite layer delaminations and skin disbonds. In this study, testing specimens were produced from unserviceable parts from military aircraft. In order to simulate atmospheric conditions during landing, selected core areas were filled with measured quantities of water and then frozen in a cold chamber. The specimens were then removed from the chamber and monitored for over 20 minutes as they warm up using a cooled high-resolution infrared camera. Results have shown that detection and quantification of water ingress on honeycomb sandwich structures by passive infrared thermography is possible using a HD mid-wave infrared cameras for volumes of water as low as 0.2 ml and from a distance as far as 20 m from the target.

The detection of chronic cerebral hemorrhage in rabbits with magnetic induction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jian; Jin, Gui; Qin, Mingxin; Wan, Zibing; Wang, Jinbao; ChaoWang; Guo, Wanyou; Xu, Lin; Ning, Xu; Xu, Jia; Pu, Xianjie; Chen, Mingsheng; Zhao, Hongmei

2012-12-01

Chronic cerebral hemorrhage (CCH) in the brain is an important clinical problem that is often monitored and studied with expensive devices such as MRI and PET, which are not readily available in low economical resource parts of the world. We have developed a less expensive tool for non-contact monitoring of CCH in the brain. The system measures the phase shift between the electromagnetic signals on the two coils. CCH was induced in the brain of rabbits by stereotactic method. Intracranial pressure (ICP) and Electrocardiograph (ECG) of subjects were monitored for 1.5h. Signals were continuously monitored up to t=1.5h at exciting frequency 10.7MHz. From 0.8 to 2.4 ml of autologous blood was injected (each injection quantity of 0.8 ml, the interval time for 30 minutes). The results show significant phase shifts increase as a function of injection volume. ICP and phase shift were directly proportional to the related, while HRV were stable around 200beats*min-1. Our system has high sensitivity that even 0.8 ml can also be detected. In this study, the curves of inductive phase shift are significantly related to ICP. This observation suggests that the method could be valuable, in addition to continuous monitoring, also for early warning in emergency medicine and critical care units.

An optical technique for detecting minute-amplitude standing waves on a liquid jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, I.; Mori, Y. H.

1995-10-01

A liquid jet emerging from a nozzle or an orifice whose outlet is slightly elliptic has a series of minute-amplitude waves on its surface. A quite simple technique is proposed which enables detecting such waves even if they are no longer recognizable with the aid of ordinary backlighting of the jet.

Ultrastructural pathogenesis of lesions produced by exposure to oxygen difluoride with correlative light microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harrison, G.; Mackenzie, W.

1973-01-01

The lungs of rats exposed to OF2 were examined by light and electron microscopy. The exposures were for 30 to 60 minutes to an average of 4.5 ppm OF2, the minimal lethal dose. Animals were sacrificed after 30 (group 1) and 60 minutes (group 2) exposure and 1 (group 3) and 2 (group 4) hours following 60 minutes exposure. Mild gross changes were observed in groups 3 and 4, but no light microscopic lesions were found. Alterations were noted in all four groups using electron microscopy. These were mostly indicative of fluid change and consisted of blebbing of the endothelial and epithelial layers of the alveolocapillary wall and rarification of the cytoplasm of these cells. The lamellar bodies of the Type II cells showed an increasing and consistent loss of matrix structure and density. These fine structural changes increased in quantity and severity as time of exposure or post-exposure period increased. (Modified author abstract)

Familial Risk Moderates the Association Between Sleep and zBMI in Children

PubMed Central

El-Sheikh, Mona

2013-01-01

Objective A cumulative risk approach was used to examine the moderating effect of familial risk factors on relations between actigraphy-based sleep quantity (minutes) and quality (efficiency) and sex- and age-standardized body mass index (zBMI). Methods The sample included 124 boys and 104 girls with a mean age of 10.41 years (SD = 0.67). Children wore actigraphs for 1 week, and their height and weight were assessed in the lab. Results After controlling for potential confounds, multiple regression analyses indicated that sleep minutes predicted children’s zBMI and that both sleep minutes and efficiency interacted with family risk in the prediction of zBMI. The association between poor sleep and zBMI was especially evident for children exposed to higher levels of family risk. Conclusions Findings suggest that not all children who exhibit poor sleep are at equal risk for higher zBMI and that familial and contextual conditions need to be considered in this link. PMID:23699749

Double minute chromosomes in mouse methotrexate-resistant cells studied by atomic force microscopy

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

Deng Xinyu; Zhang Liangyu; Zhang Yu

2006-08-11

Double minute chromosomes (DMs) are acentric, autonomously replicating extra-chromosomes and frequently mediate gene amplification in tumor and drug resistant cells. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful tool in microbiology. We used AFM to explore the ultrastructure of DMs in mouse fibroblasts 3T3R500. DMs in various phases of cell cycle were also studied in order to elucidate the mechanisms of their duplication and separation. Metaphase spread and induced premature condensed chromosomes (PCCs) were observed under the AFM. DMs were detected to be composed of two compact spheres linked by fibers. The fibers of DMs directly connected with metaphase chromosomes weremore » observed. Many single-minutes and few DMs were detected in G1 PCCs, while more DMs were detected in S PCCs than in G1 PCCs. Besides, all of the DMs in G2 PCCs were coupled. Our present results suggested that DMs might divide into single-minutes during or before G1-phase, followed by duplication of the single-minutes in S-phase. Moreover, we introduced a new powerful tool to study DMs and got some ideal results.« less

Rapid and Highly Sensitive Detection of Variant Creutzfeldt - Jakob Disease Abnormal Prion Protein on Steel Surfaces by Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification: Application to Prion Decontamination Studies

PubMed Central

Belondrade, Maxime; Nicot, Simon; Béringue, Vincent; Coste, Joliette; Lehmann, Sylvain; Bougard, Daisy

2016-01-01

The prevalence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in the population remains uncertain, although it has been estimated that 1 in 2000 people in the United Kingdom are positive for abnormal prion protein (PrPTSE) by a recent survey of archived appendix tissues. The prominent lymphotropism of vCJD prions raises the possibility that some surgical procedures may be at risk of iatrogenic vCJD transmission in healthcare facilities. It is therefore vital that decontamination procedures applied to medical devices before their reprocessing are thoroughly validated. A current limitation is the lack of a rapid model permissive to human prions. Here, we developed a prion detection assay based on protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technology combined with stainless-steel wire surfaces as carriers of prions (Surf-PMCA). This assay allowed the specific detection of minute quantities (10−8 brain dilution) of either human vCJD or ovine scrapie PrPTSE adsorbed onto a single steel wire, within a two week timeframe. Using Surf-PMCA we evaluated the performance of several reference and commercially available prion-specific decontamination procedures. Surprisingly, we found the efficiency of several marketed reagents to remove human vCJD PrPTSE was lower than expected. Overall, our results demonstrate that Surf-PMCA can be used as a rapid and ultrasensitive assay for the detection of human vCJD PrPTSE adsorbed onto a metallic surface, therefore facilitating the development and validation of decontamination procedures against human prions. PMID:26800081

Atmospheric State, Cloud Microphysics and Radiative Flux

DOE Data Explorer

Mace, Gerald

2008-01-15

Atmospheric thermodynamics, cloud properties, radiative fluxes and radiative heating rates for the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. The data represent a characterization of the physical state of the atmospheric column compiled on a five-minute temporal and 90m vertical grid. Sources for this information include raw measurements, cloud property and radiative retrievals, retrievals and derived variables from other third-party sources, and radiative calculations using the derived quantities.

The Multiple Inert Gas Elimination Technique: A User’s Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-11

These quantities are measured for inspired and expired oxygen and carbon dioxide, as well as minute ventilation . Expired Gas Sampling...Schematic of Ventilator /MIGET Sampling Circuit” (pp 28-30). By this mode, the ventilator is effectively , completely excluded from the sampling apparatus...connects the subject to the mixing box and the exhaust from the mixing box to the ventilator , temperature control is of the highest priority. The tubing

40 CFR 1066.705 - Symbols, abbreviations, acronyms, and units of measure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... series n total number of pulses in a series R dynamometer roll revolutions revolutions per minute rpm 2·π... torque (moment of force) newton meter N·m m2·kg·s−2 t time second s s Δt time interval, period, 1... atmospheric b base c coastdown e effective error error exp expected quantity i an individual of a series final...

Using the Non-Intrusive Load Monitor for Shipboard Supervisory Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

consists of a NEMA certified enclosure with voltage transducers and a DC power supply inside, appropriately sized current transducers, and a...command to the UEC. UEC starts a 300-second (5 minutes). “GTM __ TRANSITIONING TO COOLDOWN” is displayed on the AMLCD. “ NORM STOP/COOLDOWN...MMA-010, 01 Jul 1992. 80 Appendix A NILM Parts List Nomenclature Manufacturer Part Number Quantity NEMA Enclosure Rittal Corporation

[Application of recombinase polymerase amplification in the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa].

PubMed

Jin, X J; Gong, Y L; Yang, L; Mo, B H; Peng, Y Z; He, P; Zhao, J N; Li, X L

2018-04-20

Objective: To establish an optimized method of recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) to rapidly detect Pseudomonas aeruginosa in clinic. Methods: (1) The DNA templates of one standard Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain was extracted and detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and RPA. Time of sample loading, time of amplification, and time of detection of the three methods were recorded. (2) One standard Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain was diluted in 7 concentrations of 1×10(7,) 1×10(6,) 1×10(5,) 1×10(4,) 1×10(3,) 1×10(2,) and 1×10(1) colony forming unit (CFU)/mL after recovery and cultivation. The DNA templates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and negative control strain Pseudomonas putida were extracted and detected by PCR, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and RPA separately. The sensitivity of the three methods in detecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa was analyzed. (3) The DNA templates of one standard Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain and four negative control strains ( Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumanii, Candida albicans, and Pseudomonas putida ) were extracted separately, and then they were detected by PCR, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and RPA. The specificity of the three methods in detecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa was analyzed. (4) The DNA templates of 28 clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa preserved in glycerin, 1 clinical strain of which was taken by cotton swab, and negative control strain Pseudomonas putida were extracted separately, and then they were detected by RPA. Positive amplification signals of the clinical strains were observed, and the detection rate was calculated. All experiments were repeated for 3 times. Sensitivity results were analyzed by GraphPad Prism 5.01 statistical software. Results: (1) The loading time of RPA, PCR, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR for detecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa were all 20 minutes. In PCR, time of amplification was 98 minutes, time of gel detection was 20 minutes, and the total time was 138 minutes. In real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, amplification and detection could be completed simultaneously, which took 90 minutes, and the total time was 110 minutes. In RPA, amplification and detection could also be completed simultaneously, which took 15 minutes, and the total time was 35 minutes. (2) Pseudomonas putida did not show positive amplification signals or gel positive results in any of the three detection methods. The detection limit of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and PCR was 1×10(1) CFU/mL, and that of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in RPA was 1×10(2) CFU/mL. In RPA and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, the higher the concentration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the shorter threshold time and smaller the number of cycles, namely shorter time for detecting the positive amplified signal. In real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, all positive amplification signal could be detected when the concentration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 1×10(1)-1×10(7) CFU/mL. In RPA, the detection rate of positive amplification signal was 0 when the concentration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 1×10(1) CFU/mL, while the detection rate of positive amplification signal was 67% when the concentration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 1×10(2) CFU/mL, and the detection rate of positive amplification signal was 100% when the concentration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 1×10(3)-1×10(7) CFU/mL. (3) In RPA, PCR, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed positive amplification signals and gel positive results, but there were no positive amplification signals or gel positive results in four negative control strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Pseudomonas putida . (4) In RPA, 28 clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa preserved in glycerin and 1 clinical strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa taken by cotton swab showed positive amplification signals, while Pseudomonas putida did not show positive amplification signal. The detection rate of positive amplification signal of 29 clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in RPA was 100%. Conclusions: The established optimized RPA technology for fast detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa requires shorter time, with high sensitivity and specificity. It was of great value in fast detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in clinic.

Massively Parallel Rogue Cell Detection Using Serial Time-Encoded Amplified Microscopy of Inertially Ordered Cells in High-Throughput Flow

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

screening of budding yeast and detection of rare breast cancer cells in blood, our method should also be amenable to other applications in which high...to UV light with a power of 8.0 mW/cm2 through the transparency mask for 90 seconds. The wafer was baked again at 95°C for 4 minutes then developed...separated from the replica and sonicated in isopropanol for 5 minutes, sonicated in deionized H2O for 5 minutes, and baked at 65°C for at least 30

Fast cadence planet-searches with the all-sky, gigapixel-scale Evryscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratzloff, Jeff; Law, Nicholas

2018-01-01

The Evryscope is a 24-camera robotic telescope that continuously images 8,000 square degrees in 2-minute exposures, that has been collecting data continuously since deployment to CTIO in mid-2015. The telescope provides the fast cadence observations necessary for detecting minute to tens-of-minute time-scale exoplanet transits, which would occur around small, compact host stars including White Dwarfs and Hot Subdwarfs. We are conducting target surveys for each of these types of stars searching for potential planet transit signals. Our surveys will be the largest performed to date with several thousand targets in each group and years of observations, and the only surveys with minute-scale cadence. We present the status of the surveys, our estimated detection ability, interesting candidates, and preliminary results.

Aspects of Tactical Biological Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-06-03

physical proof of Soviet emplcyment of mycotoxins in those countries had been obtained. 30 Biochemical casualties in Laos, Kampuchea and Afghanistan...detection capability. The current system planned for use is the XM-21 Remote Sensing Chemical Agent Alarm (RSCAAL). It uses infrared sensors to detect...Micrometer(s). min. Minute(s). MS. Mans spectroscopy /mass spectrometer. NBC, Nuclear, biological and chemical. pfu. Plaque forming units--the number of

Electrophoresis of phosphoglycerate kinase-2 to determine testicular damage induced by ethylene glycol monomethyl ether and sterility associated with chromosomal abnormality.

PubMed

Koizumi, A; Hamade, N; Arai, M; Takatoku, M; Yasuhiko, W; Tsukada, M; Kamiyama, S

1990-01-01

Phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK, EC 2.7.2.3), which is expressed specifically in sperm and spermatids, is an enzyme in the Embden-Meyerhof pathway that converts glucose to pyruvate. We developed an electrophoresis method to determine relative PGK-2 quantity and applied it to evaluate spermatogenesis activity. In the ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME)-induced testicular toxicity, relative PGK-2 quantity had not decreased until 4 weeks of exposure. Mean relative PGK-2 quantities, defined as PGK-2 quantity over PGK-1 quantity in a pooled spleen sample (+/- SD) were: 1.43 +/- 0.32 for control animals (N = 10); 1.67 +/- 0.24 for the group exposed at 500 mg/kg for 5 days (N = 6); 1.85 +/- 0.58 for the group exposed at 500 mg/kg for 2 weeks (N = 6); 0.09 +/- 0.06 for the group exposed at 500 mg/kg for 4 weeks (N = 6); not detectable in animals exposed at 500 mg/kg for 5 weeks (N = 7); 0.208 +/- 0.103 for the group exposed at 250 mg/kg for 5 weeks (N = 6); and 1.35 +/- 0.38 for the group exposed at 125 mg/kg for 5 weeks (N = 6). These relative quantities showed a good correlation with sperm/spermatid counts (r = 0.823, p less than 0.01) and histological findings. These findings suggest that EGME has toxicity on primary spermatocytes and spermatogonia. In the case of sterility associated with a chromosomal abnormality (chromosomal translocation between chromosome X and 16), relative PGK-2 quantity was not detected in any of the seven adult (12 weeks of age) mice, although many primary spermatocytes were detected by histological examination.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Developing a Digital Medicine System in Psychiatry: Ingestion Detection Rate and Latency Period.

PubMed

Profit, Deborah; Rohatagi, Shashank; Zhao, Cathy; Hatch, Ainslie; Docherty, John P; Peters-Strickland, Timothy S

2016-09-01

A digital medicine system (DMS) has been developed to measure and report adherence to an atypical antipsychotic, aripiprazole, in psychiatric patients. The DMS consists of 3 components: ingestible sensor embedded in a medication tablet, wearable sensor, and secure mobile and cloud-based applications. An umbrella study protocol was designed to rapidly assess the technical performance and safety of the DMS in multiple substudies to guide the technology development. Two sequential substudies enrolled 30 and 29 healthy volunteers between March-April 2014 and February-March 2015, respectively, to assess detection accuracy of the ingestible sensor by the DMS and the latency period between ingestion and detection of the ingestion by the wearable sensor or the cloud-based server. The first substudy identified areas for improvement using early versions of the wearable sensor and the mobile application. The second substudy tested updated versions of the components and showed an overall ingestion detection rate of 96.6%. Mean latency times for the signal transmission were 1.1-1.3 minutes (from ingestion to the wearable sensor detection) and 6.2-10.3 minutes (from the wearable sensor detection to the server detection). Half of transmissions were completed in < 2 minutes, and ~90% of ingestions were registered by the smartphone within 30 minutes of ingestion. No serious adverse events, discontinuations, or clinically significant laboratory/vital signs findings were reported. The DMS implementing modified versions of the smartphone application and the wearable sensor has the technical capability to detect and report tablet ingestion with high accuracy and acceptable latency time. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02091882. © Copyright 2016 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Cloud Type Classification (cldtype) Value-Added Product

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

Flynn, Donna; Shi, Yan; Lim, K-S

The Cloud Type (cldtype) value-added product (VAP) provides an automated cloud type classification based on macrophysical quantities derived from vertically pointing lidar and radar. Up to 10 layers of clouds are classified into seven cloud types based on predetermined and site-specific thresholds of cloud top, base and thickness. Examples of thresholds for selected U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility sites are provided in Tables 1 and 2. Inputs for the cldtype VAP include lidar and radar cloud boundaries obtained from the Active Remotely Sensed Cloud Location (ARSCL) and Surface Meteorological Systems (MET) data. Rainmore » rates from MET are used to determine when radar signal attenuation precludes accurate cloud detection. Temporal resolution and vertical resolution for cldtype are 1 minute and 30 m respectively and match the resolution of ARSCL. The cldtype classification is an initial step for further categorization of clouds. It was developed for use by the Shallow Cumulus VAP to identify potential periods of interest to the LASSO model and is intended to find clouds of interest for a variety of users.« less

Variable leak gas source

DOEpatents

Henderson, Timothy M.; Wuttke, Gilbert H.

1977-01-01

A variable leak gas source and a method for obtaining the same which includes filling a quantity of hollow glass micro-spheres with a gas, storing said quantity in a confined chamber having a controllable outlet, heating said chamber above room temperature, and controlling the temperature of said chamber to control the quantity of gas passing out of said controllable outlet. Individual gas filled spheres may be utilized for calibration purposes by breaking a sphere having a known quantity of a known gas to calibrate a gas detection apparatus.

Detecting gravesoil with headspace analysis with adsorption on short porous layer open tubular (PLOT) columns.

PubMed

Lovestead, Tara M; Bruno, Thomas J

2011-01-30

Victims of crimes are often buried in clandestine graves. There are several techniques for finding buried bodies or the scattered remains of a victim; however, none of these methods are very reliable or work in all scenarios. One way to detect gravesoil is to detect the biochemical changes of the surrounding soil due to cadaver decomposition, for example, the release of nitrogenous compounds. A simple and low-cost way to detect these compounds is based on the reaction of alpha amino groups with ninhydrin to form Ruhemann's purple. This test for ninhydrin-reactive nitrogen (NRN) has, to date, only been performed by direct solvent extraction of soil samples. Here, we present a method that detects trace quantities of NRN in the headspace air above gravesoil. Our method is based on an improved purge and trap method developed in our lab for sampling low volatility compounds, as well as volatile compounds at trace quantities, by applying low temperature collection on short alumina-coated porous layer open tubular (PLOT) columns. We modified this method to sample the headspace air above gravesoil with a motorized pipetter and a PLOT column at ambient temperatures. We generated gravesoil using rat cadavers and local soil. Trace quantities of NRN were successfully detected in the headspace air above gravesoil. We report the quantities of NRN recovered for buried rats, rats laid on top of soil, and blank graves (no rats) as a function of time (weeks to months). This work is the first (and thus far, only) example of a method for detecting NRN in the vapor phase, providing another tool for forensic investigators to aid in locating elusive clandestine graves. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

The relationship study between image features and detection probability based on psychology experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Wei; Chen, Yu-hua; Wang, Ji-yuan; Gao, Hong-sheng; Wang, Ji-jun; Su, Rong-hua; Mao, Wei

2011-04-01

Detection probability is an important index to represent and estimate target viability, which provides basis for target recognition and decision-making. But it will expend a mass of time and manpower to obtain detection probability in reality. At the same time, due to the different interpretation of personnel practice knowledge and experience, a great difference will often exist in the datum obtained. By means of studying the relationship between image features and perception quantity based on psychology experiments, the probability model has been established, in which the process is as following.Firstly, four image features have been extracted and quantified, which affect directly detection. Four feature similarity degrees between target and background were defined. Secondly, the relationship between single image feature similarity degree and perception quantity was set up based on psychological principle, and psychological experiments of target interpretation were designed which includes about five hundred people for interpretation and two hundred images. In order to reduce image features correlativity, a lot of artificial synthesis images have been made which include images with single brightness feature difference, images with single chromaticity feature difference, images with single texture feature difference and images with single shape feature difference. By analyzing and fitting a mass of experiments datum, the model quantitys have been determined. Finally, by applying statistical decision theory and experimental results, the relationship between perception quantity with target detection probability has been found. With the verification of a great deal of target interpretation in practice, the target detection probability can be obtained by the model quickly and objectively.

A method for the rapid detection of urinary tract infections.

PubMed

Olsson, Carl; Kapoor, Deepak; Howard, Glenn

2012-04-01

To determine the reliability of a rapid detection method compared with the reference standard streaked agar plate in diagnosing the presence of urinary tract infection (UTI). De-identified clean catch urine specimens from 980 office visit patients were processed during a 30-day period. Classic 1-μL and 10-μL streaked agar plates were used in parallel with the new CultureStat Rapid UTI Detection System (CSRUDS). Urine results were evaluated using the CSRUDS at 30 and 90 minutes after collection. A comparative analysis of the subsequent plate results versus the CSRUDS results was achieved for 973 of these samples. Positive UTI conditions were accurately identified by both CSRUDS and agar streak plate methods. CSRUDS accurately identified UTI negative conditions with 99.3% reliability at 90 minutes. The negative predictive value of CSRUDS was 99.2% at 30 minutes. Current agar plating for first-round UTI screening has substantial documented problems that can negatively affect an accurate and timely UTI diagnosis. A novel rapid detection system, the CSRUDS provides UTI negative/positive same-day results in ≤ 90 minutes from the start of test. Such rapidly available results will enable more accurate and timely clinical decisions to be made in the urology office, particularly regarding infection status before urologic instrumentation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Dynamics of Pheromone Gland Synthesis and Release: a Paradigm Shift for Understanding Sex Pheromone Quantity in Female Moths.

PubMed

Foster, Stephen P; Anderson, Karin G; Casas, Jérôme

2018-05-10

Moths are exemplars of chemical communication, especially with regard to specificity and the minute amounts they use. Yet, little is known about how females manage synthesis and storage of pheromone to maintain release rates attractive to conspecific males and why such small amounts are used. We developed, for the first time, a quantitative model, based on an extensive empirical data set, describing the dynamical relationship among synthesis, storage (titer) and release of pheromone over time in a moth (Heliothis virescens). The model is compartmental, with one major state variable (titer), one time-varying (synthesis), and two constant (catabolism and release) rates. The model was a good fit, suggesting it accounted for the major processes. Overall, we found the relatively small amounts of pheromone stored and released were largely a function of high catabolism rather than a low rate of synthesis. A paradigm shift may be necessary to understand the low amounts released by female moths, away from the small quantities synthesized to the (relatively) large amounts catabolized. Future research on pheromone quantity should focus on structural and physicochemical processes that limit storage and release rate quantities. To our knowledge, this is the first time that pheromone gland function has been modeled for any animal.

SHARPs - A Near-Real-Time Space Weather Data Product from HMI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bobra, M.; Turmon, M.; Baldner, C.; Sun, X.; Hoeksema, J. T.

2012-12-01

A data product from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), called Space-weather HMI Active Region Patches (SHARPs), is now available through the SDO Joint Science Operations Center (JSOC) and the Virtual Solar Observatory. SHARPs are magnetically active regions identified on the solar disk and tracked automatically in time. SHARP data are processed within a few hours of the observation time. The SHARP data series contains active region-sized disambiguated vector magnetic field data in both Lambert Cylindrical Equal-Area and CCD coordinates on a 12 minute cadence. The series also provides simultaneous HMI maps of the line-of-sight magnetic field, continuum intensity, and velocity on the same ~0.5 arc-second pixel grid. In addition, the SHARP data series provides space weather quantities computed on the inverted, disambiguated, and remapped data. The values for each tracked region are computed and updated in near real time. We present space weather results for several X-class flares; furthermore, we compare said space weather quantities with helioseismic quantities calculated using ring-diagram analysis.

Quantitation of dissolved gas content in emulsions and in blood using mass spectrometric detection

PubMed Central

Grimley, Everett; Turner, Nicole; Newell, Clayton; Simpkins, Cuthbert; Rodriguez, Juan

2011-01-01

Quantitation of dissolved gases in blood or in other biological media is essential for understanding the dynamics of metabolic processes. Current detection techniques, while enabling rapid and convenient assessment of dissolved gases, provide only direct information on the partial pressure of gases dissolved in the aqueous fraction of the fluid. The more relevant quantity known as gas content, which refers to the total amount of the gas in all fractions of the sample, can be inferred from those partial pressures, but only indirectly through mathematical modeling. Here we describe a simple mass spectrometric technique for rapid and direct quantitation of gas content for a wide range of gases. The technique is based on a mass spectrometer detector that continuously monitors gases that are rapidly extracted from samples injected into a purge vessel. The accuracy and sample processing speed of the system is demonstrated with experiments that reproduce within minutes literature values for the solubility of various gases in water. The capability of the technique is further demonstrated through accurate determination of O2 content in a lipid emulsion and in whole blood, using as little as 20 μL of sample. The approach to gas content quantitation described here should greatly expand the range of animals and conditions that may be used in studies of metabolic gas exchange, and facilitate the development of artificial oxygen carriers and resuscitation fluids. PMID:21497566

Framework for performance evaluation of face, text, and vehicle detection and tracking in video: data, metrics, and protocol.

PubMed

Kasturi, Rangachar; Goldgof, Dmitry; Soundararajan, Padmanabhan; Manohar, Vasant; Garofolo, John; Bowers, Rachel; Boonstra, Matthew; Korzhova, Valentina; Zhang, Jing

2009-02-01

Common benchmark data sets, standardized performance metrics, and baseline algorithms have demonstrated considerable impact on research and development in a variety of application domains. These resources provide both consumers and developers of technology with a common framework to objectively compare the performance of different algorithms and algorithmic improvements. In this paper, we present such a framework for evaluating object detection and tracking in video: specifically for face, text, and vehicle objects. This framework includes the source video data, ground-truth annotations (along with guidelines for annotation), performance metrics, evaluation protocols, and tools including scoring software and baseline algorithms. For each detection and tracking task and supported domain, we developed a 50-clip training set and a 50-clip test set. Each data clip is approximately 2.5 minutes long and has been completely spatially/temporally annotated at the I-frame level. Each task/domain, therefore, has an associated annotated corpus of approximately 450,000 frames. The scope of such annotation is unprecedented and was designed to begin to support the necessary quantities of data for robust machine learning approaches, as well as a statistically significant comparison of the performance of algorithms. The goal of this work was to systematically address the challenges of object detection and tracking through a common evaluation framework that permits a meaningful objective comparison of techniques, provides the research community with sufficient data for the exploration of automatic modeling techniques, encourages the incorporation of objective evaluation into the development process, and contributes useful lasting resources of a scale and magnitude that will prove to be extremely useful to the computer vision research community for years to come.

Simulation and fabrication of a new novel 3D injectable biosensor for high throughput genomics and proteomics in a lab-on-a-chip device.

PubMed

Esfandyarpour, Rahim; Esfandyarpour, Hesaam; Harris, James S; Davis, Ronald W

2013-11-22

Biosensors are used for the detection of biochemical molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. Traditional techniques, such as enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA), are sensitive but require several hours to yield a result and usually require the attachment of a fluorophore molecule to the target molecule. Micromachined biosensors that employ electrical detection are now being developed. Here we describe one such device, which is ultrasensitive, real-time, label free and localized. It is called the nanoneedle biosensor and shows promise to overcome some of the current limitations of biosensors. The key element of this device is a 10 nm wide annular gap at the end of the needle, which is the sensitive part of the sensor. The total diameter of the sensor is about 100 nm. Any change in the population of molecules in this gap results in a change of impedance across the gap. Single molecule detection should be possible because the sensory part of the sensor is in the range of bio-molecules of interest. To increase throughput we can flow the solution containing the target molecules over an array of such structures, each with its own integrated read-out circuitry to allow 'real-time' detection (i.e. several minutes) of label free molecules without sacrificing sensitivity. To fabricate the arrays we used electron beam lithography together with associated pattern transfer techniques. Preliminary measurements on individual needle structures in water are consistent with the design. Since the proposed sensor has a rigid nano-structure, this technology, once fully developed, could ultimately be used to directly monitor protein quantities within a single living cell, an application that would have significant utility for drug screening and studying various intracellular signaling pathways.

Simulation and fabrication of a new novel 3D injectable biosensor for high throughput genomics and proteomics in a lab-on-a-chip device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esfandyarpour, Rahim; Esfandyarpour, Hesaam; Harris, James S.; Davis, Ronald W.

2013-11-01

Biosensors are used for the detection of biochemical molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. Traditional techniques, such as enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA), are sensitive but require several hours to yield a result and usually require the attachment of a fluorophore molecule to the target molecule. Micromachined biosensors that employ electrical detection are now being developed. Here we describe one such device, which is ultrasensitive, real-time, label free and localized. It is called the nanoneedle biosensor and shows promise to overcome some of the current limitations of biosensors. The key element of this device is a 10 nm wide annular gap at the end of the needle, which is the sensitive part of the sensor. The total diameter of the sensor is about 100 nm. Any change in the population of molecules in this gap results in a change of impedance across the gap. Single molecule detection should be possible because the sensory part of the sensor is in the range of bio-molecules of interest. To increase throughput we can flow the solution containing the target molecules over an array of such structures, each with its own integrated read-out circuitry to allow ‘real-time’ detection (i.e. several minutes) of label free molecules without sacrificing sensitivity. To fabricate the arrays we used electron beam lithography together with associated pattern transfer techniques. Preliminary measurements on individual needle structures in water are consistent with the design. Since the proposed sensor has a rigid nano-structure, this technology, once fully developed, could ultimately be used to directly monitor protein quantities within a single living cell, an application that would have significant utility for drug screening and studying various intracellular signaling pathways.

A comparison of continuous video-EEG monitoring and 30-minute EEG in an ICU.

PubMed

Khan, Omar I; Azevedo, Christina J; Hartshorn, Alendia L; Montanye, Justin T; Gonzalez, Juan C; Natola, Mark A; Surgenor, Stephen D; Morse, Richard P; Nordgren, Richard E; Bujarski, Krzysztof A; Holmes, Gregory L; Jobst, Barbara C; Scott, Rod C; Thadani, Vijay M

2014-12-01

To determine whether there is added benefit in detecting electrographic abnormalities from 16-24 hours of continuous video-EEG in adult medical/surgical ICU patients, compared to a 30-minute EEG. This was a prospectively enroled non-randomized study of 130 consecutive ICU patients for whom EEG was requested. For 117 patients, a 30-minute EEG was requested for altered mental state and/or suspected seizures; 83 patients continued with continuous video-EEG for 16-24 hours and 34 patients had only the 30-minute EEG. For 13 patients with prior seizures, continuous video-EEG was requested and was carried out for 16-24 hours. We gathered EEG data prospectively, and reviewed the medical records retrospectively to assess the impact of continuous video-EEG. A total of 83 continuous video-EEG recordings were performed for 16-24 hours beyond 30 minutes of routine EEG. All were slow, and 34% showed epileptiform findings in the first 30 minutes, including 2% with seizures. Over 16-24 hours, 14% developed new or additional epileptiform abnormalities, including 6% with seizures. In 8%, treatment was changed based on continuous video-EEG. Among the 34 EEGs limited to 30 minutes, almost all were slow and 18% showed epileptiform activity, including 3% with seizures. Among the 13 patients with known seizures, continuous video-EEG was slow in all and 69% had epileptiform abnormalities in the first 30 minutes, including 31% with seizures. An additional 8% developed epileptiform abnormalities over 16-24 hours. In 46%, treatment was changed based on continuous video-EEG. This study indicates that if continuous video-EEG is not available, a 30-minute EEG in the ICU has a substantial diagnostic yield and will lead to the detection of the majority of epileptiform abnormalities. In a small percentage of patients, continuous video-EEG will lead to the detection of additional epileptiform abnormalities. In a sub-population, with a history of seizures prior to the initiation of EEG recording, the benefits of continuous video-EEG in monitoring seizure activity and influencing treatment may be greater.

Quantifying cannabis: A field study of marijuana quantity estimation.

PubMed

Prince, Mark A; Conner, Bradley T; Pearson, Matthew R

2018-06-01

The assessment of marijuana use quantity poses unique challenges. These challenges have limited research efforts on quantity assessments. However, quantity estimates are critical to detecting associations between marijuana use and outcomes. We examined accuracy of marijuana users' estimations of quantities of marijuana they prepared to ingest and predictors of both how much was prepared for a single dose and the degree of (in)accuracy of participants' estimates. We recruited a sample of 128 regular-to-heavy marijuana users for a field study wherein they prepared and estimated quantities of marijuana flower in a joint or a bowl as well as marijuana concentrate using a dab tool. The vast majority of participants overestimated the quantity of marijuana that they used in their preparations. We failed to find robust predictors of estimation accuracy. Self-reported quantity estimates are inaccurate, which has implications for studying the link between quantity and marijuana use outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Detecting the position of the moving-iron solenoid by non-displacement sensor based on parameter identification of flux linkage characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xuping; Quan, Long; Xiong, Guangyu

2013-11-01

Currently, most researches use signals, such as the coil current or voltage of solenoid, to identify parameters; typically, parameter identification method based on variation rate of coil current is applied for position estimation. The problem exists in these researches that the detected signals are prone to interference and difficult to obtain. This paper proposes a new method for detecting the core position by using flux characteristic quantity, which adds a new group of secondary winding to the coil of the ordinary switching electromagnet. On the basis of electromagnetic coupling theory analysis and simulation research of the magnetic field regarding the primary and secondary winding coils, and in accordance with the fact that under PWM control mode varying core position and operating current of windings produce different characteristic of flux increment of the secondary winding. The flux increment of the electromagnet winding can be obtained by conducting time domain integration for the induced voltage signal of the extracted secondary winding, and the core position from the two-dimensional fitting curve of the operating winding current and flux-linkage characteristic quantity of solenoid are calculated. The detecting and testing system of solenoid core position is developed based on the theoretical research. The testing results show that the flux characteristic quantity of switching electromagnet magnetic circuit is able to effectively show the core position and thus to accomplish the non-displacement transducer detection of the said core position of the switching electromagnet. This paper proposes a new method for detecting the core position by using flux characteristic quantity, which provides a new theory and method for switch solenoid to control the proportional valve.

Detection of 3-Minute Oscillations in Full-Disk Lyman-alpha Emission During A Solar Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milligan, R. O.; Ireland, J.; Fleck, B.; Hudson, H. S.; Fletcher, L.; Dennis, B. R.

2017-12-01

We report the detection of chromospheric 3-minute oscillations in disk-integrated EUV irradiance observations during a solar flare. A wavelet analysis of detrended Lyman-alpha (from GOES/EUVS) and Lyman continuum (from SDO/EVE) emission from the 2011 February 15 X-class flare revealed a 3-minute period present during the flare's main phase. The formation temperature of this emission locates this radiation to the flare's chromospheric footpoints, and similar behaviour is found in the SDO/AIA 1600A and 1700A channels, which are dominated by chromospheric continuum. The implication is that the chromosphere responds dynamically at its acoustic cutoff frequency to an impulsive injection of energy. Since the 3-minute period was not found at hard X-ray energies (50-100 keV) in RHESSI data we can state that this 3-minute oscillation does not depend on the rate of energization of, or energy deposition by, non-thermal electrons. However, a second period of 120 s found in both hard X-ray and chromospheric emission is consistent with episodic electron energization on 2-minute timescales. Our finding on the 3-minute oscillation suggests that chromospheric mechanical energy should be included in the flare energy budget, and the fluctuations in the Lyman-alpha line may influence the composition and dynamics of planetary atmospheres during periods of high activity.

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

Wu, C

Purpose: To implement a novel, automatic, institutional customizable DVH quantities evaluation and PDF report tool on Philips Pinnacle treatment planning system (TPS) Methods: An add-on program (P3DVHStats) is developed by us to enable automatic DVH quantities evaluation (including both volume and dose based quantities, such as V98, V100, D2), and automatic PDF format report generation, for EMR convenience. The implementation is based on a combination of Philips Pinnacle scripting tool and Java language pre-installed on each Pinnacle Sun Solaris workstation. A single Pinnacle script provide user a convenient access to the program when needed. The activated script will first exportmore » DVH data for user selected ROIs from current Pinnacle plan trial; a Java program then provides a simple GUI interface, utilizes the data to compute any user requested DVH quantities, compare with preset institutional DVH planning goals; if accepted by users, the program will also generate a PDF report of the results and export it from Pinnacle to EMR import folder via FTP. Results: The program was tested thoroughly and has been released for clinical use at our institution (Pinnacle Enterprise server with both thin clients and P3PC access), for all dosimetry and physics staff, with excellent feedback. It used to take a few minutes to use MS-Excel worksheet to calculate these DVH quantities for IMRT/VMAT plans, and manually save them as PDF report; with the new program, it literally takes a few mouse clicks in less than 30 seconds to complete the same tasks. Conclusion: A Pinnacle scripting and Java language based program is successfully implemented, customized to our institutional needs. It is shown to dramatically reduce time and effort needed for DVH quantities computing and EMR reporting.« less

Paper-based solid-phase nucleic acid hybridization assay using immobilized quantum dots as donors in fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

PubMed

Noor, M Omair; Shahmuradyan, Anna; Krull, Ulrich J

2013-02-05

A paper-based solid-phase assay is presented for transduction of nucleic acid hybridization using immobilized quantum dots (QDs) as donors in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The surface of paper was modified with imidazole groups to immobilize QD-probe oligonucleotide conjugates that were assembled in solution. Green-emitting QDs (gQDs) were FRET-paired with Cy3 acceptor. Hybridization of Cy3-labeled oligonucleotide targets provided the proximity required for FRET-sensitized emission from Cy3, which served as an analytical signal. The assay exhibited rapid transduction of nucleic acid hybridization within minutes. Without any amplification steps, the limit of detection of the assay was found to be 300 fmol with the upper limit of the dynamic range at 5 pmol. The implementation of glutathione-coated QDs for the development of nucleic acid hybridization assay integrated on a paper-based platform exhibited excellent resistance to nonspecific adsorption of oligonucleotides and showed no reduction in the performance of the assay in the presence of large quantities of noncomplementary DNA. The selectivity of nucleic acid hybridization was demonstrated by single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection at a contrast ratio of 19 to 1. The reuse of paper over multiple cycles of hybridization and dehybridization was possible, with less than 20% reduction in the performance of the assay in five cycles. This work provides an important framework for the development of paper-based solid-phase QD-FRET nucleic acid hybridization assays that make use of a ratiometric approach for detection and analysis.

Massively Parallel Rogue Cell Detection Using Serial Time-Encoded Amplified Microscopy of Inertially Ordered Cells in High Throughput Flow

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

further chemical analysis of the cells. While in our proof-of-concept demonstration, we showed high- throughput screening of budding yeast and...of 8.0 mW/cm2 through the transparency mask for 90 seconds. The wafer was baked again at 95°C for 4 minutes then developed in SU-8 developer...sonicated in isopropanol for 5 minutes, sonicated in deionized H2O for 5 minutes, and baked at 65°C for at least 30 minutes. Holes were punched

40 CFR 434.64 - Procedure and method detection limit for measurement of settleable solids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... thoroughly mixed sample. Allow to settle undisturbed for 45 minutes. Gently stir along the inside surface of the cone with a stirring rod. Allow to settle undisturbed for 15 minutes longer. Record the volume of...

40 CFR 434.64 - Procedure and method detection limit for measurement of settleable solids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... thoroughly mixed sample. Allow to settle undisturbed for 45 minutes. Gently stir along the inside surface of the cone with a stirring rod. Allow to settle undisturbed for 15 minutes longer. Record the volume of...

Calibrating ultrasonic test equipment for checking thin metal strip stock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, R. M.

1967-01-01

Calibration technique detects minute laminar-type discontinuities in thin metal strip stock. Patterns of plastic tape are preselected to include minutely calculated discontinuities and the tape is applied to the strip stock to intercept the incident sonic beam.

Disposable pen-shaped capillary gel electrophoresis cartridge for fluorescence detection of bio-molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amirkhanian, Varoujan; Tsai, Shou-Kuan

2014-03-01

We introduce a novel and cost-effective capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) system utilizing disposable pen-shaped gelcartridges for highly efficient, high speed, high throughput fluorescence detection of bio-molecules. The CGE system has been integrated with dual excitation and emission optical-fibers with micro-ball end design for fluorescence detection of bio-molecules separated and detected in a disposable pen-shaped capillary gel electrophoresis cartridge. The high-performance capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) analyzer has been optimized for glycoprotein analysis type applications. Using commercially available labeling agent such as ANTS (8-aminonapthalene-1,3,6- trisulfonate) as an indicator, the capillary gel electrophoresis-based glycan analyzer provides high detection sensitivity and high resolving power in 2-5 minutes of separations. The system can hold total of 96 samples, which can be automatically analyzed within 4-5 hours. This affordable fiber optic based fluorescence detection system provides fast run times (4 minutes vs. 20 minutes with other CE systems), provides improved peak resolution, good linear dynamic range and reproducible migration times, that can be used in laboratories for high speed glycan (N-glycan) profiling applications. The CGE-based glycan analyzer will significantly increase the pace at which glycoprotein research is performed in the labs, saving hours of preparation time and assuring accurate, consistent and economical results.

Detecting invisible bacillus spores on surfaces using a portable surface-enhanced Raman analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farquharson, Stuart; Inscore, Frank; Sperry, Jay F.

2006-10-01

Since the distribution of anthrax causing spores through the U.S. Postal System in the autumn of 2001, numerous methods have been developed to detect spores with the goal of minimizing casualties. During and following an attack it is also important to detect spores on surfaces, to assess extent of an attack, to quantify risk of infection by contact, as well as to evaluate post-attack clean-up. To perform useful measurements, analyzers and/or methods must be capable of detecting as few as 10 spores/cm2, in under 5-minutes, with little or no sample preparation or false-positive responses, using a portable device. In an effort to develop such a device, we have been investigating the ability of surfaceenhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to detect dipicolinic acid (DPA) as a chemical signature of bacilli spores. In 2003 we employed SERS to measure DPA extracted from a 10,000 spores per μL sample using hot dodecylamine. Although the entire measurement was performed in 2 minutes, the need to heat the dodecylamine limits field portability of the method. Here we describe the use of a room temperature digesting agent in combination with SERS to detect 220 spores collected from a surface in a 1 μL sample within 3 minutes.

Is Period3 Genotype Associated With Sleep and Recovery in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness?

PubMed

Bedini, Gloria; Bersano, Anna; Sebastiano, Davide Rossi; Sattin, Davide; Ciaraffa, Francesca; Tosetti, Valentina; Brenna, Greta; Franceschetti, Silvana; Ciusani, Emilio; Leonardi, Matilde; Vela-Gomez, Jesus; Boncoraglio, Giorgio B; Parati, Eugenio A

2016-06-01

Background Sleep evaluation is increasingly being used as prognostic tool in patients with disorders of consciousness, but, surprisingly, the role of Period3 (Per3) gene polymorphism has never been evaluated. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of Per3 genotype on sleep quantity and consciousness recovery level in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Methods In this observational study, we evaluated 71 patients with DOC classified as vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome or minimally conscious state. Demographic and clinical data were collected and a standardised diagnostic workup, including a polysomnographic record, was applied. After informed consent provided by proxy, genomic DNA was obtained and Per3 polymorphism was analysed by polymerase chain reaction to identify 5/5, 4/5, or 4/4 genotype. Results Per3(5/5) genotype was found in 12.7% of our DOC patients. The median total Coma Recovery Scale-revised score in Per3(5/5) carriers was significantly higher than 4/4 genotype (10, range 5-16 vs 7, range 4-11; post hoc P = .036). Moreover, total sleep time seemed to be higher in 5/5 genotype (5/5, 221 minutes, range 88-515 minutes; 4/4, 151.5 minutes, range 36-477 minutes; and 4/5, 188 minutes, range 44-422 minutes). Conclusion For the first time we have shown a possible association between Per3 polymorphism and consciousness recovery level in DOC patients. Even though the exact molecular mechanism has not been defined, we speculate that its effect is mediated by higher total sleep time and slow wave sleep, which would improve the preservation of main cerebral connections. © The Author(s) 2015.

THE SURVIVAL OF YELLOW FEVER VIRUS IN CULTURES

PubMed Central

Lewis, Paul A.

1930-01-01

1. The virus of yellow fever has been found to survive in artificial culture media for at least 12 days at a temperature of 35°C. No visible growth has been present and no reproduction of the virus has been demonstrated. 2. Infections have been obtained in rhesus monkeys with two strains of virus in quantities as small as 0.00001 cc. of infectious blood, and with one strain in an amount probably as minute as 0.000001 cc. PMID:19869744

Automatic bio-sample bacteria detection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chappelle, E. W.; Colburn, M.; Kelbaugh, B. N.; Picciolo, G. L.

1971-01-01

Electromechanical device analyzes urine specimens in 15 minutes and processes one sample per minute. Instrument utilizes bioluminescent reaction between luciferase-luciferin mixture and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to determine number of bacteria present in the sample. Device has potential application to analysis of other body fluids.

A Search for Early Optical Emission at Gamma-Ray Burst Locations by the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Band, David L.; Buffington, Andrew; Jackson, Bernard V.; Hick, P. Paul; Smith, Aaron C.

2005-01-01

The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) views nearly every point on the sky once every 102 minutes and can detect point sources as faint as R approx. 10th magnitude. Therefore, SMEI can detect or provide upper limits for the optical afterglow from gamma-ray bursts in the tens of minutes after the burst when different shocked regions may emit optically. Here we provide upper limits for 58 bursts between 2003 February and 2005 April.

Tissue distribution of enrofloxacin after intramammary or simulated systemic administration in isolated perfused sheep udders.

PubMed

López Cadenas, Cristina; Fernández Martínez, Nélida; Sierra Vega, Matilde; Diez Liébana, Maria J; Gonzalo Orden, Jose M; Sahagún Prieto, Ana M; García Vieitez, Juan J

2012-11-01

To determine the tissue distribution of enrofloxacin after intramammary or simulated systemic administration in isolated perfused sheep udders by measuring its concentration at various sample collection sites. 26 udders (obtained following euthanasia) from 26 healthy lactating sheep. For each isolated udder, 1 mammary gland was perfused with warmed, gassed Tyrode solution. Enrofloxacin (1 g of enrofloxacin/5 g of ointment) was administered into the perfused gland via the intramammary route or systemically via the perfusion fluid (equivalent to a dose of 5 mg/kg). Samples of the perfusate were obtained every 30 minutes for 180 minutes; glandular tissue samples were obtained at 2, 4, 6, and 8 cm from the teat base after 180 minutes. The enrofloxacin content of the perfusate and tissue samples was analyzed via high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. After intramammary administration, maximun perfusate enrofloxacin concentration was detected at 180 minutes and, at this time, mean tissue enrofloxacin concentration was detected and mean tissue enrofloxacin concentration was 123.80, 54.48, 36.72, and 26.42 μg/g of tissue at 2, 4, 6, and 8 cm from the teat base, respectively. Following systemic administration, perfusate enrofloxacin concentration decreased with time and, at 180 minutes, tissue enrofloxacin concentrations ranged from 40.38 to 35.58 μg/g of tissue. By 180 minutes after administration via the intramammary or systemic route in isolated perfused sheep mammary glands, mean tissue concentration of enrofloxacin was greater than the minimum inhibitory concentration required to inhibit growth of 90% of many common mastitis pathogens in sheep. Use of either route of administration (or in combination) appears suitable for the treatment of acute mastitis in sheep.

Method and apparatus for providing pulse pile-up correction in charge quantizing radiation detection systems

DOEpatents

Britton, Jr., Charles L.; Wintenberg, Alan L.

1993-01-01

A radiation detection method and system for continuously correcting the quantization of detected charge during pulse pile-up conditions. Charge pulses from a radiation detector responsive to the energy of detected radiation events are converted to voltage pulses of predetermined shape whose peak amplitudes are proportional to the quantity of charge of each corresponding detected event by means of a charge-sensitive preamplifier. These peak amplitudes are sampled and stored sequentially in accordance with their respective times of occurrence. Based on the stored peak amplitudes and times of occurrence, a correction factor is generated which represents the fraction of a previous pulses influence on a preceding pulse peak amplitude. This correction factor is subtracted from the following pulse amplitude in a summing amplifier whose output then represents the corrected charge quantity measurement.

Quantity judgments in the context of risk/reward decision making in striped field mice: first “count,” then hunt

PubMed Central

Panteleeva, Sofia; Reznikova, Zhanna; Vygonyailova, Olga

2013-01-01

We simulated the situation of risky hunting in the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius in order to examine whether these animals are able to make a choice between small and large quantities of live prey (ants). In the first (preliminary) experiment we investigated to what extent mice were interested in ants as a live prey and how their hunting activity depended on the quantity of these edible but rather aggressive insects. We placed mice one by one into arenas together with ant groups of different quantities, from 10 to 60. Surprisingly, animals, both wild-caught and laboratory-reared, displayed rather skilled predatory attacks: mice killed and ate from 0.37 ± 003 to 4 ± 0.5 ants per minute. However, there was a threshold number of ants in the arenas when rodents expressed signs of discomfort and started to panic, likely because ants bit them. This threshold corresponds to the dynamic density (about 400 individuals per m2 per min) in the vicinity of anthills and ants' routes in natural environment. In the second experiment mice had to choose between different quantities of ants placed in two transparent tunnels. Ants here served both as food items and as a source of danger. As far as we know, this is the first experimental paradigm based on evaluation of quantity judgments in the context of risk/reward decision making where the animals face a trade-off between the hedonistic value of the prey and the danger it presents. We found that when mice have to choose between 5 vs. 15, 5 vs. 30, and 10 vs. 30 ants, they always tend to prefer the smaller quantity, thus displaying the capacity for distinguishing more from less in order to ensure comfortable hunting. The results of this study are ecologically relevant as they reflect situations and challenges faced by free-living small rodents. PMID:23407476

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of minute virus of mice and mouse parvovirus infections in laboratory mice.

PubMed

Wang, K W; Chueh, L L; Wang, M H; Huang, Y T; Fang, B H; Chang, C Y; Fang, M C; Chou, J Y; Hsieh, S C; Wan, C H

2013-04-01

Mouse parvoviruses are among the most prevalent infectious pathogens in contemporary mouse colonies. To improve the efficiency of routine screening for mouse parvovirus infections, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting the VP gene was developed. The assay detected minute virus of mice (MVM), mouse parvovirus (MPV) and a mouse housekeeping gene (α-actin) and was able to specifically detect MVM and MPV at levels as low as 50 copies. Co-infection with the two viruses with up to 200-fold differences in viral concentrations can easily be detected. The multiplex PCR assay developed here could be a useful tool for monitoring mouse health and the viral contamination of biological materials.

Food consumption as affect modulation in borderline personality.

PubMed

Ambwani, Suman; Morey, Leslie C

2015-04-01

The present study examined relationships among negative affect, borderline personality features, and eating behavior through the experimental manipulation of mood. Undergraduate women (N = 307) completed a baseline mood assessment, viewed a 39-minute sad film either with or without concurrent food presentation, then completed a second mood assessment and questionnaires assessing personality and eating attitudes/behaviors. Women reporting more borderline personality features exhibited greater negative affect across time and were more reactive to the sad film. Food presentation appeared to have a small ameliorative effect on sadness and general negative affect. However, quantity of food consumption was associated with improvements in mood only for women reporting higher levels of borderline personality features. These data suggest that women with borderline personality characteristics may be at elevated risk for developing problems with binge eating, because consuming larger quantities of food appeared to have a tempering effect on their negative mood and feelings of sadness.

Massive Social Network Analysis: Mining Twitter for Social Good

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

Ediger, David; Jiang, Karl; Riedy, Edward J.

Social networks produce an enormous quantity of data. Facebook consists of over 400 million active users sharing over 5 billion pieces of information each month. Analyzing this vast quantity of unstructured data presents challenges for software and hardware. We present GraphCT, a Graph Characterization Tooklit for massive graphs representing social network data. On a 128-processor Cray XMT, GraphCT estimates the betweenness centrality of an artificially generated (R-MAT) 537 million vertex, 8.6 billion edge graph in 55 minutes. We use GraphCT to analyze public data from Twitter, a microblogging network. Twitter's message connections appear primarily tree-structured as a news dissemination system.more » Within the public data, however, are clusters of conversations. Using GraphCT, we can rank actors within these conversations and help analysts focus attention on a much smaller data subset.« less

The DNA isolation method has effect on allele drop-out and on the results of fluorescent PCR and DNA fragment analysis.

PubMed

Nagy, Bálint; Bán, Zoltán; Papp, Zoltán

2005-10-01

The quality and the quantity of isolated DNA have an effect on PCR amplifications. The authors studied three DNA isolation protocols (resin binding method using fresh and frozen amniotic fluid samples, and silica adsorption method using fresh samples) on the quantity and on the quality of the isolated DNA. Amniotic fluid samples were obtained from 20 pregnant women. The isolated DNA concentrations were determined by real-time fluorimeter using SYBRGreen I method. Each sample was studied for the presence of 8 STR markers. The authors compared the number of the detected alleles, electrophoretograms and peak areas. There was a significant difference between the concentration of the obtained DNA and in the peak areas between the three isolation protocols. The numbers of detected alleles were different, we observed the most allele drop outs in the resin type DNA isolation protocol from the fresh sample (detected allele numbers 182), followed by resin binding protocol from the frozen samples (detected allele number 243) and by the silica adsorption method (detected allele number 264). The authors demonstrated that the DNA isolation method has an effect on the quantity and quality of the isolated DNA, and on further PCR amplifications.

The cost of medical education in an ambulatory neurology clinic.

PubMed Central

Abramovitch, Anna; Newman, William; Padaliya, Bimal; Gill, Chandler; Charles, P. David

2005-01-01

Decreased revenue from clinical services has required academic hospitals and physicians to improve productivity. Medical student education may be a significant hindrance to increased productivity and income. This study quantifies the amount of time spent by faculty members teaching medical students in an ambulatory neurology clinic as well as the amount of time students occupied rooms when seeing patients on their own. Over a three-week period in an ambulatory neurology clinic, an observer noted these quantities of time, and the opportunity costs of both amounts of time were determined. Attending physicians spent an average of 19.6 minutes per medical student per half-day teaching, which translates to an average cost of $20.78 per half-day clinic. Students spent an average of 49.9 minutes per half-day seeing patients in the absence of an attending physician, an opportunity cost to the clinic of $142.50 per student per half-day. PMID:16296220

Microfabricated fuel heating value monitoring device

DOEpatents

Robinson, Alex L [Albuquerque, NM; Manginell, Ronald P [Albuquerque, NM; Moorman, Matthew W [Albuquerque, NM

2010-05-04

A microfabricated fuel heating value monitoring device comprises a microfabricated gas chromatography column in combination with a catalytic microcalorimeter. The microcalorimeter can comprise a reference thermal conductivity sensor to provide diagnostics and surety. Using microfabrication techniques, the device can be manufactured in production quantities at a low per-unit cost. The microfabricated fuel heating value monitoring device enables continuous calorimetric determination of the heating value of natural gas with a 1 minute analysis time and 1.5 minute cycle time using air as a carrier gas. This device has applications in remote natural gas mining stations, pipeline switching and metering stations, turbine generators, and other industrial user sites. For gas pipelines, the device can improve gas quality during transfer and blending, and provide accurate financial accounting. For industrial end users, the device can provide continuous feedback of physical gas properties to improve combustion efficiency during use.

Automated processing of the single-lead electrocardiogram for the detection of obstructive sleep apnoea.

PubMed

de Chazal, Philip; Heneghan, Conor; Sheridan, Elaine; Reilly, Richard; Nolan, Philip; O'Malley, Mark

2003-06-01

A method for the automatic processing of the electrocardiogram (ECG) for the detection of obstructive apnoea is presented. The method screens nighttime single-lead ECG recordings for the presence of major sleep apnoea and provides a minute-by-minute analysis of disordered breathing. A large independently validated database of 70 ECG recordings acquired from normal subjects and subjects with obstructive and mixed sleep apnoea, each of approximately eight hours in duration, was used throughout the study. Thirty-five of these recordings were used for training and 35 retained for independent testing. A wide variety of features based on heartbeat intervals and an ECG-derived respiratory signal were considered. Classifiers based on linear and quadratic discriminants were compared. Feature selection and regularization of classifier parameters were used to optimize classifier performance. Results show that the normal recordings could be separated from the apnoea recordings with a 100% success rate and a minute-by-minute classification accuracy of over 90% is achievable.

Detection of Three-minute Oscillations in Full-disk Lyα Emission during a Solar Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milligan, Ryan O.; Fleck, Bernhard; Ireland, Jack; Fletcher, Lyndsay; Dennis, Brian R.

2017-10-01

In this Letter we report the detection of chromospheric 3-minute oscillations in disk-integrated EUV irradiance observations during a solar flare. A wavelet analysis of detrended Lyα (from GOES/EUVS) and Lyman continuum (from Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/EVE) emission from the 2011 February 15 X-class flare (SOL2011-02-15T01:56) revealed a ˜3 minute period present during the flare’s main phase. The formation temperature of this emission locates this radiation at the flare’s chromospheric footpoints, and similar behavior is found in the SDO/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly 1600 and 1700 Å channels, which are dominated by chromospheric continuum. The implication is that the chromosphere responds dynamically at its acoustic cutoff frequency to an impulsive injection of energy. Since the 3-minute period was not found at hard X-ray (HXR) energies (50-100 keV) in Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager data we can state that this 3-minute oscillation does not depend on the rate of energization of non-thermal electrons. However, a second period of 120 s found in both HXR and chromospheric lightcurves is consistent with episodic electron energization on 2-minute timescales. Our finding on the 3-minute oscillation suggests that chromospheric mechanical energy should be included in the flare energy budget, and the fluctuations in the Lyα line may influence the composition and dynamics of planetary atmospheres during periods of high activity.

Proteomic analysis of cellular soluble proteins from human bronchial smooth muscle cells by combining nondenaturing micro 2DE and quantitative LC-MS/MS. 1. Preparation of more than 4000 native protein maps.

PubMed

Jin, Ya; Zhang, Jun; Yuan, Qi; Manabe, Takashi; Tan, Wen

2015-08-01

Soluble proteins of human bronchial smooth muscle cells (HBSMC) were separated by nondenaturing micro 2DE and a 30 mm × 40 mm area of the CBB-stained slab gel (1.0 mm thick) was cut into 1.1 mm × 1.1 mm squares, then the proteins in the 972 gel pieces (squares) were applied to quantitative LC-MS/MS. Grid-cutting of the gel was employed to; (i) ensure the total analysis of the proteins in the area, (ii) standardize the conditions of analysis by LC-MS/MS, (iii) reconstruct the protein distribution patterns from the quantity data [1]. Totally 4323 proteins were identified in successfully analyzed 967 squares and the quantity distribution of each was reconstructed as a color density pattern (a native protein map). The quantity of the proteins distributed from 3.6% to 1 × 10(-5) % of the total protein quantity in the grid area. Each protein map was characterized by several features, including the position of quantity peak square, number of detected squares, and degree of concentration (focused or dispersed). About 4% of the proteins were detected in 100 or more squares, suggesting that they might be ubiquitous and interacting with other proteins. In contrast, many proteins showed more concentrated quantity distribution and the quantity peak positions of 565 proteins with a defined degree of concentration were summarized into a quantity peak map. These results for the first time visualized the distribution patterns of cellular proteins on a nondenaturing 2D gel. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of Cohen's cross-section trichometer for measuring hair quantity.

PubMed

Hendriks, Maria A E; Geerts, Paulus A F; Dercksen, Marcus W; van den Hurk, Corina J G; Breed, Wim P M

2012-04-01

Until now, there has been no reliable, simple method available for measuring hair quantity that is suitable in clinical practice. Recently, the cross-section trichometer by Cohen has been introduced. This study was designed to test its clinical utility. The hair mass index (HMI) is ratio of the cross-sectional area of an isolated bundle of hair and the premeasured area of skin from which it was taken using the trichometer device. The intra- and interobserver reproducibility of measurements at the same location and after relocation were evaluated. For intraobserver reproducibility, the HMI ranged from 3 to 120 (mean difference .2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -4.7-5.1, correlation coefficient [r] = .99. For interobserver reproducibility, the HMI ranged from 18 to 119 (mean difference -.4, 95% CI = -8,0-7,2, r = .98). With relocation, the HMI ranged from 2 to 113 (mean difference -1.0, 95% CI = -10.1-8.1, r = .97). Measurements took 5-10 minutes per area. Measurements were simple to perform, and the data showed high reproducibility. The trichometer is a promising technology for hair quantity measurements and has multiple clinical and research applications. © 2012 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Usefulness of Ultrasonography and Cortical Transit Time to Differentiate Nonobstructive From Obstructive Dilatation in the Management of Prenatally Detected Pelvic Ureteric Junction Like Obstruction.

PubMed

Sharma, Gyanendra; Sharma, Anshu

2017-12-01

To differentiate a nonobstructive dilatation from an obstructive dilatation in prenatally detected presumed pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction so that intervention can be planned before irreversible damage can occur to the renal unit. From January 2012 to December 2016, all patients with prenatally detected or asymptomatic incidentally detected presumed pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction were evaluated by ultrasonography and renogram. The anteroposterior diameter of the renal pelvis was measured in supine and prone position. Presence of calyceal dilatation in prone position was noted. They were categorized into obstructed, nonobstructed, and equivocal groups based on sonography findings. The differential renal function and the cortical transit time (CTT) was calculated and compared with the sonography groups. Of the 98 patients, 72 were in the obstructed, 18 were in the nonobstructed, and 8 were in the equivocal category. All except 1 in the nonobstructed category had a function of >40% with CTT of <3 minutes. Seventy patients in the obstructed category had a CTT of >3 minutes, whereas 61 had function <40% on initial evaluation. Eleven patients in the obstructed category with an initial function of >40% had CTT of >3 minutes. All of them showed increasing hydronephrosis and deterioration of function during follow-up, necessitating pyeloplasty. All patients in the equivocal group had function >40% and CTT <3 minutes. Ultrasonography along with CTT can help to differentiate nonobstructive from obstructive dilatation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Novel method for the rapid isolation of RPE cells specifically for RNA extraction and analysis

PubMed Central

Wang, Cynthia Xin-Zhao; Zhang, Kaiyan; Aredo, Bogale; Lu, Hua; Ufret-Vincenty, Rafael L.

2012-01-01

RPE cells are involved in the pathogenesis of many retinal diseases. Accurate analysis of RPE gene expression profiles in different scenarios will increase our understanding of disease mechanisms. Our objective in this study was to develop an improved method for the isolation of RPE cells, specifically for RNA analysis. Mouse RPE cells were isolated using different techniques, including mechanical dissociation techniques and a new technique we refer to here as “Simultaneous RPE cell Isolation and RNA Stabilization” (SRIRS method). RNA was extracted from the RPE cells. An RNA bioanalyzer was used to determine the quantity and quality of RNA. qPCR was used to determine contamination with non-RPE-derived RNA. Several parameters with a potential impact on the isolation protocol were studied and optimized. A marked improvement in the quantity and quality of RPE-derived RNA was obtained with the SRIRS technique. We could get the RPE in direct contact with the RNA protecting agent within 1 minute of enucleation, and the RPE isolated within 11 minutes of enucleation. There was no significant contamination with vascular, choroidal or scleral-derived RNA. We have developed a fast, easy and reliable method for the isolation of RPE cells that leads to a high yield of RPE-derived RNA while preserving its quality. We believe this technique will be useful for future studies looking at gene expression profiles of RPE cells and their role in the pathophysiology of retinal diseases. PMID:22721721

Detection of Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Using a Fluorescent Near-Infrared Zinc(II)-Dipicolylamine Probe and 99mTc Glucarate

PubMed Central

wyffels, Leonie; Gray, Brian D.; Barber, Christy; Pak, Koon Y.; Forbes, Safiyyah; Mattis, Jeffrey A.; Woolfenden, James M.; Liu, Zhonglin

2012-01-01

A fluorescent zinc 2,2′-dipicolylamine coordination complex PSVue®794 (probe 1) is known to selectively bind to phosphatidylserine exposed on the surface of apoptotic and necrotic cells. In this study, we investigated the cell death targeting properties of probe 1 in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. A rat heart model of ischemia-reperfusion was used. Probe 1, control dye, or 99mTc glucarate was intravenously injected in rats subjected to 30-minute and 5-minute myocardial ischemia followed by 2-hour reperfusion. At 90 minutes or 20 hours postinjection, myocardial uptake was evaluated ex vivo by fluorescence imaging and autoradiography. Hematoxylin-eosin and cleaved caspase-3 staining was performed on myocardial sections to demonstrate the presence of ischemiareperfusion injury and apoptosis. Selective accumulation of probe 1 could be detected in the area at risk up to 20 hours postinjection. Similar topography and extent of uptake of probe 1 and 99mTc glucarate were observed at 90 minutes postinjection. Histologic analysis demonstrated the presence of necrosis, but only a few apoptotic cells could be detected. Probe 1 selectively accumulates in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and is a promising cell death imaging tool. PMID:22554483

Isotope effects in liquid water by infrared spectroscopy. IV. No free OH groups in liquid water.

PubMed

Max, Jean-Joseph; Chapados, Camille

2010-10-28

The presence of free OH (OH not H-bonded) in bulk water is a key element for the determination of its molecular structure. The OH covalent bond infrared (IR) absorption is highly sensitive to the molecular environment. For this reason, IR spectroscopy is used for the determination of free OH. A workable definition of this is obtained with methanol (MeOH) in hexane where minute quantities of free OH are present. These absorb at 3654 cm(-1) (a 27 cm(-1) redshift from the gas position) with a full width at half height of 35 cm(-1). The IR spectrum of water between room temperature and 95 °C does not display such a band near 3650 cm(-1). This indicates that we do not see, in the IR spectra, the "free" OH group. From this we conclude that it is not present in liquid water at least down to the 1000 ppm level which is the limit of detectivity of our spectrometer. Other spectroscopic considerations of methanol and water in acetonitrile solutions indicate that weak H-bonds are also not present in liquid water.

Identifying and Tracking Solar Photospheric Bright Points Based on Three-dimensional Segmentation Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, J. P.; Zhang, A. L.; Ji, K. F.; Feng, S.; Deng, H.; Yang, Y. F.

2016-01-01

Photospheric bright points (PBPs) are tiny and short-lived phenomena which can be seen within dark inter-granular lanes. In this paper, we develop a new method to identify and track the PBPs in the three-dimensional data cube. Different from the previous way such as Detection-Before-Tracking, this method is based on the Tracking-While-Detection. Using this method, the whole lifetime of a PBP can be accurately measured while this PBP is possibly separated into several with Laplacian and morphological dilation (LMD) method due to its weak intensity sometimes. With consideration of the G-band PBPs observed by Hinode/SOT (Solar Optical Telescope) for more than two hours, we find that the isolated PBPs have an average lifetime of 3 minutes, and the longest one is up to 27 minutes, which are greater than the values detected by the previous LMD method. Furthermore, we also find that the mean intensity of PBPs is 1.02 times of the mean photospheric intensity, which is less than the values detected by LMD method, and the intensity of PBPs presents a period of oscillation with 2-3 minutes during the whole lifetime.

Multi-instrument observations of sub-minute quasi-periodic pulsations in solar flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominique, Marie; Zhukov, Andrei; Dolla, Laurent

2017-08-01

Since a decade, quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) have been regularly reported to be observed in EUV and SXR during solar flares, while they were previously mostly observed in HXR and radio wavelengths. These new detections can be credited to a new generation of EUV space radiometers (SDO/EVE, PROBA2/LYRA, etc.) that significantly enhanced the instrument performances in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and time resolution. These new instruments allow us to perform statistical analysis of QPPs, which could ultimately help solving the long-debated question of their origin. However, recently, the methods (mainly the way to pre-process data and to account for the noise) used to detect QPPs in those wavelengths were questioned. In this presentation, we will discuss our current understanding of QPPs and the difficulties inherent to their detection. I will particularly address the sub-minute QPPs in the EUV and analyze them in the broader picture of multi-wavelength detection. How do they compare to the pulsations observed in other wavelength ranges? Are sub-minute QPPs and QPPs with longer periods produced by the same processes? What can we learn from the analysis of QPPs? Possible answers to these questions will be presented and discussed.

Quantitation of dissolved gas content in emulsions and in blood using mass spectrometric detection.

PubMed

Grimley, Everett; Turner, Nicole; Newell, Clayton; Simpkins, Cuthbert; Rodriguez, Juan

2011-06-01

Quantitation of dissolved gases in blood or in other biological media is essential for understanding the dynamics of metabolic processes. Current detection techniques, while enabling rapid and convenient assessment of dissolved gases, provide only direct information on the partial pressure of gases dissolved in the aqueous fraction of the fluid. The more relevant quantity known as gas content, which refers to the total amount of the gas in all fractions of the sample, can be inferred from those partial pressures, but only indirectly through mathematical modeling. Here we describe a simple mass spectrometric technique for rapid and direct quantitation of gas content for a wide range of gases. The technique is based on a mass spectrometer detector that continuously monitors gases that are rapidly extracted from samples injected into a purge vessel. The accuracy and sample processing speed of the system is demonstrated with experiments that reproduce within minutes literature values for the solubility of various gases in water. The capability of the technique is further demonstrated through accurate determination of O(2) content in a lipid emulsion and in whole blood, using as little as 20 μL of sample. The approach to gas content quantitation described here should greatly expand the range of animals and conditions that may be used in studies of metabolic gas exchange, and facilitate the development of artificial oxygen carriers and resuscitation fluids. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Responses of trace elements to aerobic maximal exercise in elite sportsmen.

PubMed

Otag, Aynur; Hazar, Muhsin; Otag, Ilhan; Gürkan, Alper Cenk; Okan, Ilyas

2014-02-21

Trace elements are chemical elements needed in minute quantities for the proper growth, development, and physiology of the organism. In biochemistry, a trace element is also referred to as a micronutrient. Trace elements, such as nickel, cadmium, aluminum, silver, chromium, molybdenum, germanium, tin, titanium, tungsten, scandium, are found naturally in the environment and human exposure derives from a variety of sources, including air, drinking water and food. The Purpose of this study was investigated the effect of aerobic maximal intensity endurance exercise on serum trace elements as well-trained individuals of 28 wrestlers (age (year) 19.64±1.13, weight (Kg) 70.07 ± 15.69, height (cm) 176.97 ± 6.69) during and after a 2000 meter Ergometer test protocol was used to perform aerobic (75 %) maximal endurance exercise. Trace element serum levels were analyzed from blood samples taken before, immediately after and one hour after the exercise. While an increase was detected in Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), Molybdenum (Mo) and Titanium (Ti) serum levels immediately after the exercise, a decrease was detected in Aluminum (Al), Scandium (Sc) and Tungsten (W) serum levels. Except for aluminum, the trace elements we worked on showed statistically meaningful responses (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001). According to the responses of trace elements to the exercise showed us the selection and application of the convenient sport is important not only in terms of sportsman performance but also in terms of future healthy life plans and clinically.

Ultrasensitive Raman sensor based on a highly scattering porous structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yakovlev, V. V.

2010-02-01

Analytical methods capable of in situ monitoring of water quality have been in high demand for environmental safety, the identification of minute impurities and fundamental understanding of potential risks of these molecular species. Raman spectroscopy, which provides 'fingerprint' information about molecular species in the excitation volume, is a powerful tool for in vivo diagnostics. However, due to a relatively weak Raman signal (~ 1 out of 1014 incident photons produces the useful signal) there is a need to significantly (by many orders of magnitude) enhance this signal, to raise the detection sensitivity of this technique. Traditionally, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy is employed to dramatically increase the local field intensity and substantially improve the efficiency of Raman scattering. However, the above enhancement occurs only in "hot spots", which represent only a small percent of the total surface are of the substrate. Plasmonic nanostructures are also found to be hard to manufacture in large quantities with the desired degree of reproducibility and to be unable to handle high laser power. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a new type of approach for ultrasensitive Raman sensing. It is based on manufacturing a random porous structure of high-index material, such as GaP, and use the effect of light localization to help improving the detection sensitivity of such sensor. The desired structure was manufactured using electrochemical etching of GaP wafers. The observed Raman signal amplitudes are favorably compared to the best known plasmonic substrates.

Comparative study of efficacy, rapidity of detection, and cost-effectiveness of potassium hydroxide, calcofluor white, and Chicago sky blue stains in the diagnosis of dermatophytoses.

PubMed

Prakash, R; Prashanth, Hosakere Veerappa; Ragunatha, Shivanna; Kapoor, Meenakshi; Anitha, T K; Krishnamurthy, Veena

2016-04-01

The diagnosis of superficial mycosis such as dermatophytosis is often done clinically. However, in difficult cases, a rapid test with high sensitivity and specificity helps in the immediate confirmation and administration of treatment. The efficacy, rapidity of detection, and cost-effectiveness of KOH preparation, calcofluor white (CW) stain, and Chicago sky blue (CSB) stain in the identification of fungal elements were assessed in patients with dermatophytoses attending the dermatology clinic of a tertiary care hospital. All three tests were performed on each sample collected from 73 patients according to standard procedure. The slides were examined after 5 and 30 minutes in × 10 and × 40 magnifications. The sensitivity and specificity of CW and CSB at 5 and 30 minutes were calculated using KOH preparation as the standard test. CSB stain showed highest positivity (94.5%) within 5 minutes when compared to KOH (75.3%) and CW (83.5%). After 30 minutes, positivity increased in KOH (84.9%) and CW stains (89%), but it remained the same in CSB stain. Both CW and CSB stains when compared to 10% KOH are equally sensitive (100%), but CW was more specific (72.7%), particularly at 30 minutes. When cost of performing tests on 100 specimens is considered, KOH, CW, and CSB stains cost Rs 5, 100, and 15, respectively. CSB stain is a better stain for rapid diagnosis of dermatophytoses because of ease of performance, rapidity of detection, better appreciation of morphology of fungal elements, and cost effectiveness. © 2016 The International Society of Dermatology.

A current review of avian influenza in pigeons and doves (Columbidae).

PubMed

Abolnik, Celia

2014-06-04

Recent reports of the detection of the zoonotic low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H7N9 viruses in healthy pigeons have again put the spotlight on the potential role of pigeons and doves in the transmission of avian influenza between infected poultry and humans. A surge in studies followed the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 epidemic, and this review collates the new data on AIV in pigeons and doves, both from a surveillance perspective, as well as the results of numerous clinical studies. Collectively, results of 32 field studies representing 24 countries across four continents indicate an antibody prevalence of 8.01% in pigeons and doves but only 0.37% of the total was associated with exposure to the same serotype as a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak occurring in poultry at the time. Only 1.1% of 6155 columbids sampled tested positive for the virus, and only 9/6155 (0.15%) viruses were detected in regions that were experiencing outbreaks of a notifiable serotype at the time. In 22 experimental infection studies with HPAI and LPAI viruses since 1944, only 26/715 (3.64%) mortalities were reported, and these could usually be associated with excessive doses of inoculum, which would induce fatal inflammatory responses. Since seroconversion and virus detection was demonstrated in many of these studies, albeit without clinical signs in most cases, it is clear that columbids are susceptible to infection, but ineffective propagators and disseminators of the virus, i.e. "dead end" hosts for AIVs, even HPAI. Viruses are shed in minute quantities from both the choana and in the feces for a short duration but titers are below the minimum threshold require to infect other species. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Methods of analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory; determination of selected carbamate pesticides in water by high-performance liquid chromatography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Werner, S.L.; Johnson, S.M.

1994-01-01

As part of its primary responsibility concerning water as a national resource, the U.S. Geological Survey collects and analyzes samples of ground water and surface water to determine water quality. This report describes the method used since June 1987 to determine selected total-recoverable carbamate pesticides present in water samples. High- performance liquid chromatography is used to separate N-methyl carbamates, N-methyl carbamoyloximes, and an N-phenyl carbamate which have been extracted from water and concentrated in dichloromethane. Analytes, surrogate compounds, and reference compounds are eluted from the analytical column within 25 minutes. Two modes of analyte detection are used: (1) a photodiode-array detector measures and records ultraviolet-absorbance profiles, and (2) a fluorescence detector measures and records fluorescence from an analyte derivative produced when analyte hydrolysis is combined with chemical derivatization. Analytes are identified and confirmed in a three-stage process by use of chromatographic retention time, ultraviolet (UV) spectral comparison, and derivatization/fluorescence detection. Quantitative results are based on the integration of single-wavelength UV-absorbance chromatograms and on comparison with calibration curves derived from external analyte standards that are run with samples as part of an instrumental analytical sequence. Estimated method detection limits vary for each analyte, depending on the sample matrix conditions, and range from 0.5 microgram per liter to as low as 0.01 microgram per liter. Reporting levels for all analytes have been set at 0.5 microgram per liter for this method. Corrections on the basis of percentage recoveries of analytes spiked into distilled water are not applied to values calculated for analyte concentration in samples. These values for analyte concentrations instead indicate the quantities recovered by the method from a particular sample matrix.

Magnetic scavengers as carriers of analytes for flowing atmospheric pressure afterglow mass spectrometry (FAPA-MS).

PubMed

Cegłowski, Michał; Kurczewska, Joanna; Smoluch, Marek; Reszke, Edward; Silberring, Jerzy; Schroeder, Grzegorz

2015-09-07

In this paper, a procedure for the preconcentration and transport of mixtures of acids, bases, and drug components to a mass spectrometer using magnetic scavengers is presented. Flowing atmospheric pressure afterglow mass spectrometry (FAPA-MS) was used as an analytical method for identification of the compounds by thermal desorption from the scavengers. The proposed procedure is fast and cheap, and does not involve time-consuming purification steps. The developed methodology can be applied for trapping harmful substances in minute quantities, to transport them to specialized, remotely located laboratories.

Determination of iron: In the presence of chromium and titanium with the jones reductor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grimaldi, F.S.; Stevens, R.E.; Carron, M.K.

1943-01-01

Sulfuric acid solutions of titanous and chromous sulfates, obtained by passage through the Jones reductor, are oxidized by aeration for from 5 to 10 minutes in the presence of a trace of copper sulfate as a catalyst. Ferrous sulfate is essentially unoxidized and is titrated with permanganate after aeration. Best results are obtained by using 0.0003 millimole of copper sulfate in about 300 ml. of solution. Larger quantities of copper sulfate lead to slightly low results when both chromium and titanium are present.

Variability and Maintenance of Turbulence in the Very Stable Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahrt, Larry

2010-04-01

The relationship of turbulence quantities to mean flow quantities, such as the Richardson number, degenerates substantially for strong stability, at least in those studies that do not place restrictions on minimum turbulence or non-stationarity. This study examines the large variability of the turbulence for very stable conditions by analyzing four months of turbulence data from a site with short grass. Brief comparisons are made with three additional sites, one over short grass on flat terrain and two with tall vegetation in complex terrain. For very stable conditions, any dependence of the turbulence quantities on the mean wind speed or bulk Richardson number becomes masked by large scatter, as found in some previous studies. The large variability of the turbulence quantities is due to random variations and other physical influences not represented by the bulk Richardson number. There is no critical Richardson number above which the turbulence vanishes. For very stable conditions, the record-averaged vertical velocity variance and the drag coefficient increase with the strength of the submeso motions (wave motions, solitary waves, horizontal modes and numerous more complex signatures). The submeso motions are on time scales of minutes and not normally considered part of the mean flow. The generation of turbulence by such unpredictable motions appears to preclude universal similarity theory for predicting the surface stress for very stable conditions. Large variation of the stress direction with respect to the wind direction for the very stable regime is also examined. Needed additional work is noted.

Diagnostic Sensitivity and Specificity of Dark Adaptometry for Detection of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PubMed Central

Jackson, Gregory R.; Scott, Ingrid U.; Kim, Ivana K.; Quillen, David A.; Iannaccone, Alessandro; Edwards, John G.

2014-01-01

Purpose. Difficulty with night vision is a common complaint of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Consistent with this complaint, dark adaptation (DA) is substantially impaired in these patients. Because of the severity of the deficit, measurement of DA has been suggested as a means for the diagnosis of AMD. Previous methods for measurement of DA were time intensive (>30 minutes), which made them unsuitable for clinical use. This study evaluated a rapid DA test (≤6.5 minutes) for the detection of AMD. Methods. Dark adaptation was measured by using the AdaptDx dark adaptometer in two groups: subjects with normal retinal health and subjects with AMD. Subjects were assigned to their group by clinical examination and grading of fundus photographs. Subjects were classified as having DA consistent with normal retinal health (rod intercept ≤ 6.5 minutes) or having dark adaptation consistent with AMD (rod intercept > 6.5 minutes). Results. The eligible sample for analysis included 21 normal adults and 127 AMD patients. The rapid test was found to have a diagnostic sensitivity of 90.6% (P < 0.001) and specificity of 90.5% (P < 0.027). Thus, abnormal DA was detected in 115 of 127 AMD patients, and normal DA was found in 19 of 21 normal adults. Conclusions. The high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity compared favorably to long-duration research methods for the measurement of DA, and slit lamp biomicroscopy performed by a retina specialist. These results suggest that a rapid DA test is useful for the detection of AMD. PMID:24550363

The effect of differences in time to detection of circulating microbubbles on the risk of decompression sickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, K. V.; Gilbert, J. H.; Powell, M. R.; Waligora, J. M.

1992-01-01

Circulating microbubbles (CMB) are frequently detected prior to the appearance of symptoms of Decompression Sickness (DCS). It is difficult to analyze the effect of CMB on symptoms due to differences in the time to detection of CMB. This paper uses survival analysis models to evaluate the risk of symptoms in the presence of CMB. Methods: Information on 81 exposures to an altitude of 6,400 m (6.5 psi) for a period of three hours, with simulated extravehicular activities, was examined. The presence or absence of CMB was included as a time dependent covariate of the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Using this technique, the subgroup of exposures with CMB was analyzed further. Mean (S.D.) time in minutes to onset of CMB and symptoms were 125 (63) and 165 (33) respectively, following the three hours exposure. The risk of symptoms (17/81) increased 14 times in the presence of CMB, after controlling for variations in time to detection of CMB. Further, the risk was lower when time to detection of CMB was greater than 60 minutes (risk ratio = 0.96; 95 percent confidence intervals = 0.94 - 0.99 0.99 P less than 0.01) compared to CMB before 60 minutes at altitude. Conclusions: Survival analysis showed that individual risk of DCS changes significantly due to variations in time to detection of CMB. This information is important in evaluating the risk of DCS in the presence of CMB.

Hydrologic and water-quality data, Honey Creek State Natural Area, Comal County, Texas, August 2001-September 2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slattery, Richard N.; Furlow, Allen L.; Ockerman, Darwin J.

2006-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey collected rainfall, streamflow, evapotranspiration, and rainfall and stormflow water-quality data from seven sites in two adjacent watersheds in the Honey Creek State Natural Area, Comal County, Texas, during August 2001–September 2003, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the San Antonio Water System. Data collected during this period represent baseline hydrologic and water-quality conditions before proposed removal of ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) from one of the two watersheds. Juniper removal is intended as a best-management practice to increase water quantity (aquifer recharge and streamflow) and to protect water quality. Continuous (5-minute interval) rainfall data are collected at four sites; continuous (5-minute interval) streamflow data are collected at three sites. Fifteen-minute averages of meteorological and solar-energy-related data recorded at two sites are used to compute moving 30-minute evapotranspiration values on the basis of the energy-balance Bowen ratio method. Periodic rainfall water-quality data are collected at one site and stormflow water-quality data at three sites. Daily rainfall, streamflow, and evapotranspiration totals are presented in tables; detailed data are listed in an appendix. Results of analyses of the periodic rainfall and stormflow water-quality samples collected during runoff events are summarized in the appendix; not all data types were collected at all sites nor were all data types collected during the entire 26-month period.

Nano-crystalline porous tin oxide film for carbon monoxide sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Chung-Chiun (Inventor); Savinell, Robert F. (Inventor); Jin, Zhihong (Inventor)

2000-01-01

A tin oxide sol is deposited on platinum electrodes (12) of a sensor (10). The sol is calcined at a temperature of 500 to 800.degree. C. to produce a thin film of tin oxide with a thickness of about 150 nm to 2 .mu. and having a nano-crystalline structure with good stability. The sensor rapidly detects reducing gases, such as carbon monoxide, or hydrocarbons and organic vapors. Sensors using films calcined at around 700.degree. C. have high carbon monoxide selectivity with a response time of around 4 minutes and a recovery time of 1 minute, and therefore provide good detection systems for detection of trace amounts of pollutants such as toxic and flammable gases in homes, industrial settings, and hospitals.

A new technique for detecting colored macro plastic debris on beaches using webcam images and CIELUV.

PubMed

Kataoka, Tomoya; Hinata, Hirofumi; Kako, Shin'ichiro

2012-09-01

We have developed a technique for detecting the pixels of colored macro plastic debris (plastic pixels) using photographs taken by a webcam installed on Sodenohama beach, Tobishima Island, Japan. The technique involves generating color references using a uniform color space (CIELUV) to detect plastic pixels and removing misdetected pixels by applying a composite image method. This technique demonstrated superior performance in terms of detecting plastic pixels of various colors compared to the previous method which used the lightness values in the CIELUV color space. We also obtained a 10-month time series of the quantity of plastic debris by combining a projective transformation with this technique. By sequential monitoring of plastic debris quantity using webcams, it is possible to clean up beaches systematically, to clarify the transportation processes of plastic debris in oceans and coastal seas and to estimate accumulation rates on beaches. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automatically Inspecting Thin Ceramics For Pinholes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Honaker, James R.

1988-01-01

Proposed apparatus for inspecting prefired ceramic materials detects minute flaws that might escape ordinary visual inspections. Method detects flaws and marks locations. Intended for such thin ceramic parts as insulation in capacitors and some radio-frequency filters.

Effect of aminocaproic acid on clot strength and clot lysis of canine blood determined by use of an in vitro model of hyperfibrinolysis.

PubMed

Brown, Jamie C; Brainard, Benjamin M; Fletcher, Daniel J; Nie, Ben; Arnold, Robert D; Schmiedt, Chad W

2016-11-01

OBJECTIVE To determine pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles of aminocaproic acid (ACA) by use of a thromboelastography (TEG)-based in vitro model of hyperfibrinolysis and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. ANIMALS 5 healthy adult dogs. PROCEDURES A single dose of injectable ACA (20, 50, or 100 mg/kg) or an ACA tablet (approximately 100 mg/kg) was administered orally. Blood samples were collected at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 minutes after ACA administration for pharmacokinetic analysis. Samples were obtained at 0, 60, and 240 minutes for pharmacodynamic analysis by use of a TEG model of hyperfibrinolysis. RESULTS No adverse effects were detected. In the hyperfibrinolysis model, after all doses, a significantly higher TEG maximum amplitude (clot strength), compared with baseline, was detected at 60 and 240 minutes. Additionally, the percentage of fibrinolysis was reduced from the baseline value at 60 and 240 minutes, with the greatest reduction at 60 minutes. At 240 minutes, there was significantly less fibrinolysis for the 100 mg/kg dose than the 20 mg/kg dose. Maximum plasma ACA concentration was dose dependent. There was no significant difference in pharmacokinetic parameters between 100 mg/kg formulations. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In an in vitro model of hyperfibrinolysis, ACA inhibited fibrinolysis at all doses tested. At 240 minutes after administration, the 100 mg/kg dose inhibited fibrinolysis more effectively than did the 20 mg/kg dose. Thus, ACA may be useful for in vivo prevention of fibrinolysis in dogs. IMPACT FOR HUMAN MEDICINE These data may improve research models of hyperfibrinolytic diseases.

Outcomes from a US military neurology and traumatic brain injury telemedicine program.

PubMed

Yurkiewicz, Ilana R; Lappan, Charles M; Neely, Edward T; Hesselbrock, Roger R; Girard, Philip D; Alphonso, Aimee L; Tsao, Jack W

2012-09-18

This study evaluated usage of the Army Knowledge Online (AKO) Telemedicine Consultation Program for neurology and traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases in remote overseas areas with limited access to subspecialists. We performed a descriptive analysis of quantity of consults, response times, sites where consults originated, military branches that benefitted, anatomic locations of problems, and diagnoses. This was a retrospective analysis that searched electronic databases for neurology consults from October 2006 to December 2010 and TBI consults from March 2008 to December 2010. A total of 508 consults were received for neurology, and 131 consults involved TBI. For the most part, quantity of consults increased over the years. Meanwhile, response times decreased, with a mean response time of 8 hours, 14 minutes for neurology consults and 2 hours, 44 minutes for TBI consults. Most neurology consults originated in Iraq (67.59%) followed by Afghanistan (16.84%), whereas TBI consults mainly originated from Afghanistan (40.87%) followed by Iraq (33.91%). The most common consultant diagnoses were headaches, including migraines (52.1%), for neurology cases and mild TBI/concussion (52.3%) for TBI cases. In the majority of cases, consultants recommended in-theater management. After receipt of consultant's recommendation, 84 known neurology evacuations were facilitated, and 3 known neurology evacuations were prevented. E-mail-based neurology and TBI subspecialty teleconsultation is a viable method for overseas providers in remote locations to receive expert recommendations for a range of neurologic conditions. These recommendations can facilitate medically necessary patient evacuations or prevent evacuations for which on-site care is preferable.

Fluorescein Diacetate Microplate Assay in Cell Viability Detection.

PubMed

Chen, Xi; Yang, Xiu-Ying; Fang, Lian-Hua; DU, Guan-Hua

2016-12-20

Objective To investigate the application of the fluorescein diacetate (FDA) microplate assay in cell viability detection. Methods Cells were seeded in a 96-well culture plate until detection. After incubated with FDA,the plate was detected by fluorescence microplate analyzer. The effects of FDA incubation duration,concentration,and other factors on the assay's accuracy and stability were assessed. We also compared the results of FDA with methyl thiazolyl(MTT) in terms of cell numbers and H 2 O 2 injury. Results Within 0-30 minutes,the fluorescence-cell number coefficient of FDA assay increased with duration and reached 0.99 in 27-30 minutes. The optimum concentration of final FDA in this study was 10-30 μg/ml. On cell viability detection,the result of FDA method was equivalent to MTT method. As to H 2 O 2 injury assay,the sensitivity of FDA method was superior to MTT on the higher concentration H 2 O 2 treatment due to a relative shorter duration for detection. Conclusion As a stable and reliable method,FDA is feasible for cell variability detection under varied conditions.

Training dogs to detect Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oxley, Jimmie C.; Smith, James L.; Moran, Jesse; Nelson, Ken; Utley, William E.

2004-09-01

Dogs have been used successfully to detect drugs and conventional high explosives. The world-wide rise in terrorist activities has placed emphasis on the detection of non-conventional explosive materials such as the multi-functional peroxides, triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD). This study demonstrates that dogs can detect both solid TATP and TATP adsorbed to cotton balls. An effective procedure to train dogs to detect TATP using cotton balls permeated with TATP vapor is provided. The various trials showed that dogs were capable of detecting as little as 200 μg of TATP adsorbed to a one gram cotton ball under a variety of circumstances. However, since TATP vaporizes rapidly at room temperature, significant depletion of TATP from cotton balls can occur in as little as 20 minutes, hampering the ability of the dogs to detect it. The TATP depleted cotton ball can be refreshed by returning it to a sealed container with TATP residue for about 20 minutes. A presumed decomposition product of TATP, acetone, cannot be used in place of TATP to train dogs.

Detection ratios of riparian songbirds

Treesearch

Susan L. Earnst; Jeannie Heltzel

2005-01-01

This paper presents preliminary results from the first year of a two-year study designed to evaluate bias in a typical songbird survey by examining differences in detection ratios among species, cover types, and time of the season. Detection ratios, calculated as number of individuals detected during a 15-25 minute fixed-width transect survey divided by the number of...

Fukushima derived radiocesium in subsistence-consumed northern fur seal and wild celery

DOE PAGES

Ruedig, Elizabeth; Duncan, Colleen; Dickerson, Bobette; ...

2015-11-28

In July 2014, our investigative team traveled to St. Paul Island, Alaska to measure concentrations of radiocesium in wild-caught food products, primarily northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus). The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident released radiocesium into the atmosphere and into the western Pacific Ocean; other investigators have detected Fukushima-derived radionuclides in a variety of marine products harvested off the western coast of North America. We tested two subsistence-consumed food products from St. Paul Island, Alaska for Fukushima-derived radionuclides: 54 northern fur seal, and nine putchki (wild celery, Angelica lucida) plants. Individual northern fur seal samples were below minimummore » detectable activity concentrations of 137Cs and 134Cs, but when composited, northern fur seal tissues tested positive for trace quantities of both isotopes. Radiocesium was detected at an activity concentration of 37.2 mBq 134Cs kg -1 f.w. (95% CI: 35.9–38.5) and 141.2 mBq 137Cs kg -1f.w. (95% CI: 135.5–146.8). The measured isotopic ratio, decay-corrected to the date of harvest, was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.25–0.28). The Fukushima nuclear accident released 134Cs and 137Cs in roughly equal quantities, but by the date of harvest in July 2014, this ratio was 0.2774, indicating that this population of seals has been exposed to small quantities of Fukushima-derived radiocesium. Activity concentrations of both 134Cs and 137Cs in putchki were below detection limits, even for composited samples. Northern fur seal is known to migrate between coastal Alaska and Japan and the trace 134Cs in northern fur seal tissue suggests that the population under study had been minimally exposed Fukushima-derived radionuclides. Despite this inference, the radionuclide quantities detected are small and no impact is expected as a result of the measured radiation exposure, either in northern fur seal or human populations consuming this species.« less

Fukushima derived radiocesium in subsistence-consumed northern fur seal and wild celery

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

Ruedig, Elizabeth; Duncan, Colleen; Dickerson, Bobette

In July 2014, our investigative team traveled to St. Paul Island, Alaska to measure concentrations of radiocesium in wild-caught food products, primarily northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus). The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident released radiocesium into the atmosphere and into the western Pacific Ocean; other investigators have detected Fukushima-derived radionuclides in a variety of marine products harvested off the western coast of North America. We tested two subsistence-consumed food products from St. Paul Island, Alaska for Fukushima-derived radionuclides: 54 northern fur seal, and nine putchki (wild celery, Angelica lucida) plants. Individual northern fur seal samples were below minimummore » detectable activity concentrations of 137Cs and 134Cs, but when composited, northern fur seal tissues tested positive for trace quantities of both isotopes. Radiocesium was detected at an activity concentration of 37.2 mBq 134Cs kg -1 f.w. (95% CI: 35.9–38.5) and 141.2 mBq 137Cs kg -1f.w. (95% CI: 135.5–146.8). The measured isotopic ratio, decay-corrected to the date of harvest, was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.25–0.28). The Fukushima nuclear accident released 134Cs and 137Cs in roughly equal quantities, but by the date of harvest in July 2014, this ratio was 0.2774, indicating that this population of seals has been exposed to small quantities of Fukushima-derived radiocesium. Activity concentrations of both 134Cs and 137Cs in putchki were below detection limits, even for composited samples. Northern fur seal is known to migrate between coastal Alaska and Japan and the trace 134Cs in northern fur seal tissue suggests that the population under study had been minimally exposed Fukushima-derived radionuclides. Despite this inference, the radionuclide quantities detected are small and no impact is expected as a result of the measured radiation exposure, either in northern fur seal or human populations consuming this species.« less

Fukushima derived radiocesium in subsistence-consumed northern fur seal and wild celery.

PubMed

Ruedig, Elizabeth; Duncan, Colleen; Dickerson, Bobette; Williams, Michael; Gelatt, Thomas; Bell, Justin; Johnson, Thomas E

2016-02-01

In July 2014, our investigative team traveled to St. Paul Island, Alaska to measure concentrations of radiocesium in wild-caught food products, primarily northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus). The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident released radiocesium into the atmosphere and into the western Pacific Ocean; other investigators have detected Fukushima-derived radionuclides in a variety of marine products harvested off the western coast of North America. We tested two subsistence-consumed food products from St. Paul Island, Alaska for Fukushima-derived radionuclides: 54 northern fur seal, and nine putchki (wild celery, Angelica lucida) plants. Individual northern fur seal samples were below minimum detectable activity concentrations of (137)Cs and (134)Cs, but when composited, northern fur seal tissues tested positive for trace quantities of both isotopes. Radiocesium was detected at an activity concentration of 37.2 mBq (134)Cs kg(-1) f.w. (95% CI: 35.9-38.5) and 141.2 mBq (137)Cs kg(-1) f.w. (95% CI: 135.5-146.8). The measured isotopic ratio, decay-corrected to the date of harvest, was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.25-0.28). The Fukushima nuclear accident released (134)Cs and (137)Cs in roughly equal quantities, but by the date of harvest in July 2014, this ratio was 0.2774, indicating that this population of seals has been exposed to small quantities of Fukushima-derived radiocesium. Activity concentrations of both (134)Cs and (137)Cs in putchki were below detection limits, even for composited samples. Northern fur seal is known to migrate between coastal Alaska and Japan and the trace (134)Cs in northern fur seal tissue suggests that the population under study had been minimally exposed Fukushima-derived radionuclides. Despite this inference, the radionuclide quantities detected are small and no impact is expected as a result of the measured radiation exposure, either in northern fur seal or human populations consuming this species. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

An Efficient Strategy for Broad-Range Detection of Low Abundance Bacteria without DNA Decontamination of PCR Reagents

PubMed Central

Chang, Shy-Shin; Hsu, Hsung-Ling; Cheng, Ju-Chien; Tseng, Ching-Ping

2011-01-01

Background Bacterial DNA contamination in PCR reagents has been a long standing problem that hampers the adoption of broad-range PCR in clinical and applied microbiology, particularly in detection of low abundance bacteria. Although several DNA decontamination protocols have been reported, they all suffer from compromised PCR efficiency or detection limits. To date, no satisfactory solution has been found. Methodology/Principal Findings We herein describe a method that solves this long standing problem by employing a broad-range primer extension-PCR (PE-PCR) strategy that obviates the need for DNA decontamination. In this method, we first devise a fusion probe having a 3′-end complementary to the template bacterial sequence and a 5′-end non-bacterial tag sequence. We then hybridize the probes to template DNA, carry out primer extension and remove the excess probes using an optimized enzyme mix of Klenow DNA polymerase and exonuclease I. This strategy allows the templates to be distinguished from the PCR reagent contaminants and selectively amplified by PCR. To prove the concept, we spiked the PCR reagents with Staphylococcus aureus genomic DNA and applied PE-PCR to amplify template bacterial DNA. The spiking DNA neither interfered with template DNA amplification nor caused false positive of the reaction. Broad-range PE-PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene was also validated and minute quantities of template DNA (10–100 fg) were detectable without false positives. When adapting to real-time and high-resolution melting (HRM) analytical platforms, the unique melting profiles for the PE-PCR product can be used as the molecular fingerprints to further identify individual bacterial species. Conclusions/Significance Broad-range PE-PCR is simple, efficient, and completely obviates the need to decontaminate PCR reagents. When coupling with real-time and HRM analyses, it offers a new avenue for bacterial species identification with a limited source of bacterial DNA, making it suitable for use in clinical and applied microbiology laboratories. PMID:21637859

[Comparing the activity of multiple sclerosis (MS) at the minute and at 20 minutes of gadolinium application in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain?

PubMed

Saldívar-Uribe, Christina; de la Portilla-Villanueva, Mario Alberto; Esau-Mendoza-García, Alberto

2017-01-01

The aim was to compare active disease in patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, brain by MRI after gadolinium application at one minute and 20 minutes. A longitudinal, prospective, observational, analytical and comparative study was conducted in 18 patients over 18 years of age diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). An analysis was made for each patient, watching for inflammatory activity in MS lesions, comparing the results to one minute and 20 minutes after the application of gadolinium. For the descriptive analysis, absolute frequencies and percentages were used, as well as means and standard deviations or medians with ranges for the inferential analysis comparing the presence or absence of enhancement in lesions at one minute and 20 minutes; the exact probability test used was Fisher. Finally, the results were analyzed, looking at the gender distribution: 14 (77.8%) were female. The average age was 36.2 ± 9.5 years, with a minimum age of 18 years and a maximum of 55 years; four patients (22.2%) presented further highlight active lesions at 20 minutes, and two patients (11.1%) presented enhancement at one minute. Concluding that MRI in the diagnosis of MS is very important for the detection of activity in lesions caused by the disease, it is evident that the optimum time for evaluation of postcontrast sequences is 20 minutes.

A mobile water analysis laboratory for the study of stream nutrient and DOC dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echevarria Roman, Y.; Pullin, M. J.; Schwingle, R.; Gabrielsen, P. J.

2013-12-01

The dynamics of nutrient and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) quantity and composition in streams vary with season and in response to hydrologic events. Periodic grab sampling can capture some of this variation, but has also been shown to miss high flow events. Sampling during winter, during thunderstorms, and at night is difficult and sometimes hazardous. For these reasons, we have developed a mobile laboratory that autonomously determines pH, Eh, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate, phosphate, DOC, DIC, as well as DOC fluorescence and absorbance continuously on a minutes timescale. The laboratory includes a Labview operated computer system that allows remote control and interaction with pumps, pressure, temperature, and flow sensors as well as the analytical instruments. Climate control allows for operation in winter. The design and operation of this laboratory will be presented. We will also discuss example data showing diurnal changes and responses to hydrologic events in DOC quantity and quality in the East Fork of the Jemez River, New Mexico.

^10B analysis using Charged Particle Activation Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, B. N.; Jin, J. Y.; Duggan, J. D.; McDaniel, F. D.

1997-10-01

Charged Particle Activation analysis (CPAA) is an analytic technique that is used to determine trace quantities of an element usually on the surface of a substrate. The beam from the accelerator is used to make the required nuclear reaction that leaves the residual activity with a measurable half life. Gamma rays from the residual activity are measured to determine the trace quantities of the elements being studied. We have used this technique to study re-entry cloth coatings for space and aircraft vehicles. The clothes made of 20μ m SiC fibers are coated with Boron Nitride. CPAA was used to determine the relative thicknesses of the boron coatings. In particular the ^10B(p,γ)^11C reaction was used. A fast coincidence set up was used to measure the 0.511 MeV annihilation radiation from the 20.38 minute ^11C activity. Rutherford Back Scattering (RBS) results will be presented as a comparison. Details of the process and the experiment will be discussed.

Estimation of post-Katrina debris volume: An example from coastal Mississippi: Chapter 3E in Science and the storms-the USGS response to the hurricanes of 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hansen, Mark; Howd, Peter; Sallenger, Asbury; Wright, C. Wayne; Lillycrop, Jeff

2007-01-01

Hurricane Katrina severely impacted coastal Mississippi, creating large quantities of building and vegetation debris. This paper summarizes techniques to estimate vegetation and nonvegetation debris quantities from light detection and ranging (lidar) data and presents debris volume results for Harrison County, Miss.

Comparative quantification of human intestinal bacteria based on cPCR and LDR/LCR

PubMed Central

Tang, Zhou-Rui; Li, Kai; Zhou, Yu-Xun; Xiao, Zhen-Xian; Xiao, Jun-Hua; Huang, Rui; Gu, Guo-Hao

2012-01-01

AIM: To establish a multiple detection method based on comparative polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) and ligase detection reaction (LDR)/ligase chain reaction (LCR) to quantify the intestinal bacterial components. METHODS: Comparative quantification of 16S rDNAs from different intestinal bacterial components was used to quantify multiple intestinal bacteria. The 16S rDNAs of different bacteria were amplified simultaneously by cPCR. The LDR/LCR was examined to actualize the genotyping and quantification. Two beneficial (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus) and three conditionally pathogenic bacteria (Enterococcus, Enterobacterium and Eubacterium) were used in this detection. With cloned standard bacterial 16S rDNAs, standard curves were prepared to validate the quantitative relations between the ratio of original concentrations of two templates and the ratio of the fluorescence signals of their final ligation products. The internal controls were added to monitor the whole detection flow. The quantity ratio between two bacteria was tested. RESULTS: cPCR and LDR revealed obvious linear correlations with standard DNAs, but cPCR and LCR did not. In the sample test, the distributions of the quantity ratio between each two bacterial species were obtained. There were significant differences among these distributions in the total samples. But these distributions of quantity ratio of each two bacteria remained stable among groups divided by age or sex. CONCLUSION: The detection method in this study can be used to conduct multiple intestinal bacteria genotyping and quantification, and to monitor the human intestinal health status as well. PMID:22294830

Comparative quantification of human intestinal bacteria based on cPCR and LDR/LCR.

PubMed

Tang, Zhou-Rui; Li, Kai; Zhou, Yu-Xun; Xiao, Zhen-Xian; Xiao, Jun-Hua; Huang, Rui; Gu, Guo-Hao

2012-01-21

To establish a multiple detection method based on comparative polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) and ligase detection reaction (LDR)/ligase chain reaction (LCR) to quantify the intestinal bacterial components. Comparative quantification of 16S rDNAs from different intestinal bacterial components was used to quantify multiple intestinal bacteria. The 16S rDNAs of different bacteria were amplified simultaneously by cPCR. The LDR/LCR was examined to actualize the genotyping and quantification. Two beneficial (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus) and three conditionally pathogenic bacteria (Enterococcus, Enterobacterium and Eubacterium) were used in this detection. With cloned standard bacterial 16S rDNAs, standard curves were prepared to validate the quantitative relations between the ratio of original concentrations of two templates and the ratio of the fluorescence signals of their final ligation products. The internal controls were added to monitor the whole detection flow. The quantity ratio between two bacteria was tested. cPCR and LDR revealed obvious linear correlations with standard DNAs, but cPCR and LCR did not. In the sample test, the distributions of the quantity ratio between each two bacterial species were obtained. There were significant differences among these distributions in the total samples. But these distributions of quantity ratio of each two bacteria remained stable among groups divided by age or sex. The detection method in this study can be used to conduct multiple intestinal bacteria genotyping and quantification, and to monitor the human intestinal health status as well.

Test-well drilling in the upper Satus Creek basin, Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearson, H.E.

1977-01-01

Two test wells were drilled in the upper Satus Creek basin of the Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington, using the air-rotary method. At site 1 the well penetrated a young basalt and 175 feet of the Yakima Basalt, and at site 2 the well penetrated the young basalt. The well at site 1 was drilled to a depth of 350 feet. Tests for drawdown and yield indicated a specific capacity of about 11 gallons per minute per foot of drawdown. The potential yield of this well may be about 1,000 gallons per minute. The well at site 2 was drilled to a depth of 500 feet. Only a small quantity of water was encountered and no test for yield was made. Data from these wells, including chemical analysis of the water from the well at site 1, will provide information useful in the development and management of the ground-water resources in this part of the Yakima Indian Reservation. (Woodard-USGS)

An Event-Based Verification Scheme for the Real-Time Flare Detection System at Kanzelhöhe Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pötzi, W.; Veronig, A. M.; Temmer, M.

2018-06-01

In the framework of the Space Situational Awareness program of the European Space Agency (ESA/SSA), an automatic flare detection system was developed at Kanzelhöhe Observatory (KSO). The system has been in operation since mid-2013. The event detection algorithm was upgraded in September 2017. All data back to 2014 was reprocessed using the new algorithm. In order to evaluate both algorithms, we apply verification measures that are commonly used for forecast validation. In order to overcome the problem of rare events, which biases the verification measures, we introduce a new event-based method. We divide the timeline of the Hα observations into positive events (flaring period) and negative events (quiet period), independent of the length of each event. In total, 329 positive and negative events were detected between 2014 and 2016. The hit rate for the new algorithm reached 96% (just five events were missed) and a false-alarm ratio of 17%. This is a significant improvement of the algorithm, as the original system had a hit rate of 85% and a false-alarm ratio of 33%. The true skill score and the Heidke skill score both reach values of 0.8 for the new algorithm; originally, they were at 0.5. The mean flare positions are accurate within {±} 1 heliographic degree for both algorithms, and the peak times improve from a mean difference of 1.7± 2.9 minutes to 1.3± 2.3 minutes. The flare start times that had been systematically late by about 3 minutes as determined by the original algorithm, now match the visual inspection within -0.47± 4.10 minutes.

Brief ultrasonication improves detection of biofilm-formative bacteria around a metal implant.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Naomi; Bauer, Thomas W; Tuohy, Marion J; Fujishiro, Takaaki; Procop, Gary W

2007-04-01

Biofilms are complex microenvironments produced by microorganisms on surfaces. Ultrasonication disrupts biofilms and may make the microorganism or its DNA available for detection. We determined whether ultrasonication could affect our ability to detect bacteria adherent to a metal substrate. A biofilm-formative Staphylococcus aureus strain was used for an in vitro implant infection model (biofilm-formative condition). We used quantitative culture and real time-polymerase chain reaction to determine the influence of different durations of ultrasound on bacterial adherence and viability. Sonication for 1 minute increased the yield of bacteria. Sonication longer than 5 minutes led to fewer bacterial colonies by conventional culture but not by polymerase chain reaction. This suggests short periods of sonication help release bacteria from the metal substrate by disrupting the biofilm, but longer periods of sonication lyse bacteria prohibiting their detection in microbiologic cultures. A relatively short duration of sonication may be desirable for maximizing detection of biofilm-formative bacteria around implants by culture or polymerase chain reaction.

Reproducibility and responsiveness of quality of life assessment and six minute walk test in elderly heart failure patients.

PubMed

O'Keeffe, S T; Lye, M; Donnellan, C; Carmichael, D N

1998-10-01

To examine the reproducibility and responsiveness to change of a six minute walk test and a quality of life measure in elderly patients with heart failure. Longitudinal within patient study. 60 patients with heart failure (mean age 82 years) attending a geriatric outpatient clinic, 45 of whom underwent a repeat assessment three to eight weeks later. Subjects underwent a standardised six minute walk test and completed the chronic heart failure questionnaire (CHQ), a heart failure specific quality of life questionnaire. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated using a random effects one way analysis of variance as a measure of reproducibility. Guyatt's responsiveness coefficient and effect sizes were calculated as measures of responsiveness to change. 24 patients reported no major change in cardiac status, while seven had deteriorated and 14 had improved between the two clinic visits. Reproducibility was satisfactory (ICC > 0.75) for the six minute walk test, for the total CHQ score, and for the dyspnoea, fatigue, and emotion domains of the CHQ. Effect sizes for all measures were large (> 0.8), and responsiveness coefficients were very satisfactory (> 0.7). Effect sizes for detecting deterioration were greater than those for detecting improvement. Quality of life assessment and a six minute walk test are reproducible and responsive measures of cardiac status in frail, very elderly patients with heart failure.

Bronchoscopic assessment of airway retention time of aerosolized xylitol

PubMed Central

Durairaj, Lakshmi; Neelakantan, Srividya; Launspach, Janice; Watt, Janet L; Allaman, Margaret M; Kearney, William R; Veng-Pedersen, Peter; Zabner, Joseph

2006-01-01

Background Human airway surface liquid (ASL) has abundant antimicrobial peptides whose potency increases as the salt concentration decreases. Xylitol is a 5-carbon sugar that has the ability to lower ASL salt concentration, potentially enhancing innate immunity. Xylitol was detected for 8 hours in the ASL after application in airway epithelium in vitro. We tested the airway retention time of aerosolized iso-osmotic xylitol in healthy volunteers. Methods After a screening spirometry, volunteers received 10 ml of nebulized 5% xylitol. Bronchoscopy was done at 20 minutes (n = 6), 90 minutes (n = 6), and 3 hours (n = 5) after nebulization and ASL was collected using microsampling probes, followed by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Xylitol concentration was measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and corrected for dilution using urea concentration. Results All subjects tolerated nebulization and bronchoscopy well. Mean ASL volume recovered from the probes was 49 ± 23 μl. The mean ASL xylitol concentration at 20, 90, and 180 minutes was 1.6 ± 1.9 μg/μl, 0.6 ± 0.6 μg/μl, and 0.1 ± 0.1 μg/μl, respectively. Corresponding BAL concentration corrected for dilution was consistently lower at all time points. The terminal half-life of aerosolized xylitol obtained by the probes was 45 minutes with a mean residence time of 65 minutes in ASL. Corresponding BAL values were 36 and 50 minutes, respectively. Conclusion After a single dose nebulization, xylitol was detected in ASL for 3 hours, which was shorter than our in vitro measurement. The microsampling probe performed superior to BAL when sampling bronchial ASL. PMID:16483382

Detection and clearance of prostate cells subsequent to ultrasound-guided needle biopsy as determined by multiplex nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay.

PubMed

Price, D K; Clontz, D R; Woodard, W L; Kaufman, J S; Daniels, J M; Stolzenberg, S J; Teigland, C M

1998-08-01

To determine if circulating prostate cells are detectable subsequent to transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsy, and if so, whether cells remain in circulation for up to 4 weeks. Blood samples were drawn from 90 patients with elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and/or abnormal digital rectal examination. Two samples were drawn from all patients immediately prior to TRUS and 30 minutes postbiopsy. Blood samples were also obtained 1 week postbiopsy from 83 patients, and 1 month postbiopsy from 61 patients. Multiplex nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay (RT-PCR) for PSA and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSM) was performed on total ribonucleic acid (RNA) from each sample. Results were reported as positive if at least one of the targets was detected. Of 45 patients with biopsy-proven adenocarcinoma, 22 were RT-PCR positive prebiopsy and all remained positive 30 minutes postbiopsy. Of 23 patients with adenocarcinoma who were RT-PCR negative prebiopsy, 5 (22%) converted to positive 30 minutes postbiopsy (P < 0.001). Four of these 5 patients returned to negative after 1 week or 1 month. Of 45 patients without cancer at biopsy, 32 were RT-PCR negative prebiopsy and 6 (19%) converted to positive 30 minutes postbiopsy (P < 0.001). Although four of six available samples were still positive at 1 week, all four samples available 1 month postbiopsy were negative. Detection of circulating prostate cells subsequent to biopsy occurred in 11 of 55 (20%) previously RT-PCR negative patients, a proportion twice that reported in the literature. We attribute this higher proportion to the simultaneous detection of PSA and PSM mRNA in our multiplex assay. Conversion rates were similar in patients regardless of biopsy result. Testing of serial postbiopsy blood demonstrates clearing of these cells by 4 weeks in most patients.

Evidence of increased toxic Alexandrium tamarense dinoflagellate blooms in the eastern Bering Sea in the summers of 2004 and 2005.

PubMed

Natsuike, Masafumi; Saito, Rui; Fujiwara, Amane; Matsuno, Kohei; Yamaguchi, Atsushi; Shiga, Naonobu; Hirawake, Toru; Kikuchi, Takashi; Nishino, Shigeto; Imai, Ichiro

2017-01-01

The eastern Bering Sea has a vast continental shelf, which contains various endangered marine mammals and large fishery resources. Recently, high numbers of toxic A. tamarense resting cysts were found in the bottom sediment surface of the eastern Bering Sea shelf, suggesting that the blooms have recently occurred. However, little is known about the presence of A. tamarense vegetative cells in the eastern Bering Sea. This study's goals were to detect the occurrence of A. tamarense vegetative cells on the eastern Bering Sea shelf and to find a relationship between environmental factors and their presence. Inter-annual field surveys were conducted to detect A. tamarense cells and environmental factors, such as nutrients, salinity, chlorophyll a, and water temperature, along a transect line on the eastern Bering Sea shelf during the summers of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2013. A. tamarense vegetative cells were detected during every sampling year, and their quantities varied greatly from year to year. The maximum cell densities of A. tamarense observed during the summers of 2004 and 2005 were much higher than the Paralytic shellfish poisoning warning levels, which are greater than 100-1,000 cells L-1, in other subarctic areas. Lower quantities of the species occurred during the summers of 2009, 2012, and 2013. A significant positive correlation between A. tamarense quantity and water temperature and significant negative correlations between A. tamarense quantity and nutrient concentrations (of phosphate, silicate, and nitrite and nitrate) were detected in every sampling period. The surface- and bottom-water temperatures varied significantly from year to year, suggesting that water temperatures, which have been known to affect the cell growth and cyst germination of A. tamarense, might have affected the cells' quantities in the eastern Bering Sea each summer. Thus, an increase in the Bering Sea shelf's water temperature during the summer will increase the frequency and scale of toxic blooms and the toxin contamination of plankton feeders. This poses serious threats to humans and the marine ecosystem.

An Abbreviated Protocol for High-Risk Screening Breast MRI Saves Time and Resources.

PubMed

Harvey, Susan C; Di Carlo, Phillip A; Lee, Bonmyong; Obadina, Eniola; Sippo, Dorothy; Mullen, Lisa

2016-04-01

To review the ability of an abbreviated, high-risk, screening, breast MRI protocol to detect cancer and save resources. High-risk screening breast MR images were reviewed, from both an abbreviated protocol and a full diagnostic protocol. Differences in cancer detection, scanner utilization, interpretation times, and need for additional imaging were recorded in an integrated data form, and reviewed and compared. A total of 568 MRI cases were reviewed, with the abbreviated and full protocols. No difference was found in the number of cancers detected. Scan times were decreased by 18.8 minutes per case, for a total of 10,678 minutes (178 hours). Interpretation time, on average, was 1.55 minutes for the abbreviated protocol, compared with 6.43 minutes for the full protocol. Review of the full protocol led to a significant change in the final BI-RADS(®) assessment in 12 of 568 (2.1%) cases. Abbreviated MRI is as effective as full-protocol MRI for demonstration of cancers in the high-risk screening setting, with only 12 (2.1%) cases recommended for additional MRI evaluation. The efficiency and resource savings of an abbreviated protocol would be significant, and would allow for opportunities to provide MRI for additional patients, as well as improved radiologist time management and workflow, with the potential to add real-time MRI interpretation or double reading. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Abbreviated Protocol for High-Risk Screening Breast MRI Saves Time and Resources.

PubMed

Harvey, Susan C; Di Carlo, Phillip A; Lee, Bonmyong; Obadina, Eniola; Sippo, Dorothy; Mullen, Lisa

2016-11-01

To review the ability of an abbreviated, high-risk, screening, breast MRI protocol to detect cancer and save resources. High-risk screening breast MR images were reviewed, from both an abbreviated protocol and a full diagnostic protocol. Differences in cancer detection, scanner utilization, interpretation times, and need for additional imaging were recorded in an integrated data form, and reviewed and compared. A total of 568 MRI cases were reviewed, with the abbreviated and full protocols. No difference was found in the number of cancers detected. Scan times were decreased by 18.8 minutes per case, for a total of 10,678 minutes (178 hours). Interpretation time, on average, was 1.55 minutes for the abbreviated protocol, compared with 6.43 minutes for the full protocol. Review of the full protocol led to a significant change in the final BI-RADS ® assessment in 12 of 568 (2.1%) cases. Abbreviated MRI is as effective as full-protocol MRI for demonstration of cancers in the high-risk screening setting, with only 12 (2.1 %) cases recommended for additional MRI evaluation. The efficiency and resource savings of an abbreviated protocol would be significant, and would allow for opportunities to provide MRI for additional patients, as well as improved radiologist time management and workflow, with the potential to add real-time MRI interpretation or double reading. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Point Count Sampling Regimes for Monitoring Forest Birds

Treesearch

William H. Buskirk; Jennifer L. McDonald

1995-01-01

A set of 255 counts was compiled for 13 points using 10-minute periods subtallied at 3 and 6 minutes. The data from each point were subsampled using combinations of count periods, numbers, and schedules to compare the effectiveness of these different regimes at per point coverage. Interspecifically, detection frequencies differed in level and pattern as a function of...

Invisible fat on CT: making it visible by MRI.

PubMed

Ünal, Emre; Karaosmanoğlu, Ali Devrim; Akata, Deniz; Özmen, Mustafa Nasuh; Karçaaltıncaba, Muşturay

2016-01-01

Presence of fat in a lesion significantly narrows the differential diagnosis. Small quantities of macroscopic fat and intracellular fat are invisible on computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can reveal any fatty change in a lesion and can also differentiate macroscopic fat from intracellular and intravoxel fat. Hypodensity on CT may be a sign of invisible fat and MRI can help to diagnose even minute amounts of fat in liver, pancreas, adrenal, musculoskeletal, and omental pseudolesions and lesions. This article will review the superiority of MRI over CT in demonstrating fat in abdominal lesions.

Invisible fat on CT: making it visible by MRI

PubMed Central

Ünal, Emre; Karaosmanoğlu, Ali Devrim; Akata, Deniz; Özmen, Mustafa Nasuh; Karçaaltıncaba, Muşturay

2016-01-01

Presence of fat in a lesion significantly narrows the differential diagnosis. Small quantities of macroscopic fat and intracellular fat are invisible on computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can reveal any fatty change in a lesion and can also differentiate macroscopic fat from intracellular and intravoxel fat. Hypodensity on CT may be a sign of invisible fat and MRI can help to diagnose even minute amounts of fat in liver, pancreas, adrenal, musculoskeletal, and omental pseudolesions and lesions. This article will review the superiority of MRI over CT in demonstrating fat in abdominal lesions. PMID:26782156

VOLATILE CHLORIDE PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF METAL VALUES

DOEpatents

Hanley, W.R.

1959-01-01

A process is presented for recovering uranium, iron, and aluminum from centain shale type ores which contain uranium in minute quantities. The ore is heated wiih a chlorinating agent. such as chlorine, to form a volatilized stream of metal chlorides. The chloride stream is then passed through granular alumina which preferentially absorbs the volatile uranium chloride and from which the uranium may later be recovered. The remaining volatilized chlorides, chiefly those of iron and aluminum, are further treated to recover chlorine gas for recycle, and to recover ferric oxide and aluminum oxide as valuable by-products.

Associations between physical activity and sedentary behavior with sleep quality and quantity in young adults.

PubMed

Kakinami, Lisa; O'Loughlin, Erin K; Brunet, Jennifer; Dugas, Erika N; Constantin, Evelyn; Sabiston, Catherine M; O'Loughlin, Jennifer

2017-02-01

Intensity and duration of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior are individually associated with sleep, but their independent associations are poorly characterized. The objectives of this study were to determine if PA and/or sedentary behavior are/is associated with sleep quality and/or quantity in a young adult sample. Cross-sectional. Montreal, Canada. Participants (n=658) from the Nicotine Dependence in Teens Study. PA measures included total minutes of light, moderate, and vigorous PA in the past week; sedentary measures included number of hours per day watching television (TV) and using the computer for leisure activities in the past week. Sleep measures included (1) the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, which assesses sleep quality in the past month, and (2) number of hours of sleep per night in the past month. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, and mother's education. In multivariable analyses, each additional hour of TV and computer use per day was associated with a 17% and 13% increase, respectively, in the odds of reporting poor sleep quality. After additionally adjusting for PA, the association between TV use and poor sleep quality remained significant (odds ratio: 1.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.28). Sedentary behavior was not associated with sleep quantity. PA intensity and duration were not associated with sleep quality or quantity. More time spent doing sedentary activities was associated with poorer sleep quality, but PA was not associated. Clinicians treating young adults with sleep problems should inquire about sedentary behavior. Copyright © 2016 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Neutron Based Interrogation System For SNM In Cargo

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

Kane, Steven Z.; Koltick, David S.

A complete system has been simulated using experimentally obtained input parameters for the detection of special nuclear materials (SNM). A variation of the associated particle imaging (API) technique, referred to as reverse associated particle imaging detection (RAPID), has been developed in the context of detecting 5-kg spherical samples of U-235 in cargo. The RAPID technique allows for the interrogation of containers at neutron production rates between {approx}1x10{sup 8} neutrons/s and {approx}3x10{sup 8} neutrons/s. The merit of performance for the system is the time to detect the threat material with 95% probability of detection and 10{sup -4} false positive rate permore » interrogated voxel of cargo. Detection times of 5 minutes were found for a maximally loaded cargo container uniformly filled with iron and as low as 1 second in containers loaded to 1/4 of full capacity with either iron or wood. The worse case system performance, 30 minutes interrogation time, occurs for a maximally loaded container containing wood at 0.4 g/cm{sup 3}.« less

Multiplex detection of pathogen biomarkers in human blood, serum, and saliva using silicon photonic microring resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estrada, I. A.; Burlingame, R. W.; Wang, A. P.; Chawla, K.; Grove, T.; Wang, J.; Southern, S. O.; Iqbal, M.; Gunn, L. C.; Gleeson, M. A.

2015-05-01

Genalyte has developed a multiplex silicon photonic chip diagnostics platform (MaverickTM) for rapid detection of up to 32 biological analytes from a drop of sample in just 10 to 20 minutes. The chips are manufactured with waveguides adjacent to ring resonators, and probed with a continuously variable wavelength laser. A shift in the resonant wavelength as mass binds above the ring resonators is measured and is directly proportional to the amount of bound macromolecules. We present here the ability to multiplex the detection of hemorrhagic fever antigens in whole blood, serum, and saliva in a 16 minute assay. Our proof of concept testing of a multiplex antigencapture chip has the ability to detect Zaire Ebola (ZEBOV) recombinant soluble glycoprotein (rsGP), Marburg virus (MARV) Angola recombinant glycoprotein (rGP) and dengue nonstructural protein I (NS1). In parallel, detection of 2 malaria antigens has proven successful, but has yet to be incorporated into multiplex with the others. Each assay performs with sensitivity ranging from 1.6 ng/ml to 39 ng/ml depending on the antigen detected, and with minimal cross-reactivity.

Analysis of trimethoprim, lincomycin, sulfadoxin and tylosin in swine manure using laser diode thermal desorption-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Solliec, Morgan; Massé, Daniel; Sauvé, Sébastien

2014-10-01

A new extraction method coupled to a high throughput sample analysis technique was developed for the determination of four veterinary antibiotics. The analytes belong to different groups of antibiotics such as chemotherapeutics, sulfonamides, lincosamides and macrolides. Trimethoprim (TMP), sulfadoxin (SFX), lincomycin (LCM) and tylosin (TYL) were extracted from lyophilized manure using a sonication extraction. McIlvaine buffer and methanol (MeOH) were used as extraction buffers, followed by cation-exchange solid phase extraction (SPE) for clean-up. Analysis was performed by laser diode thermal desorption-atmospheric pressure chemical-ionization (LDTD-APCI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) with selected reaction monitoring (SRM) detection. The LDTD is a high throughput sample introduction method that reduces total analysis time to less than 15s per sample, compared to minutes when using traditional liquid chromatography (LC). Various SPE parameters were optimized after sample extraction: the stationary phase, the extraction solvent composition, the quantity of sample extracted and sample pH. LDTD parameters were also optimized: solvent deposition, carrier gas, laser power and corona discharge. The method limit of detection (MLD) ranged from 2.5 to 8.3 µg kg(-1) while the method limit of quantification (MLQ) ranged from 8.3 to 28µgkg(-1). Calibration curves in the manure matrix showed good linearity (R(2)≥ 0.996) for all analytes and the interday and intraday coefficients of variation were below 14%. Recoveries of analytes from manure ranged from 53% to 69%. The method was successfully applied to real manure samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transcriptomics of mRNA and egg quality in farmed fish: Some recent developments and future directions.

PubMed

Sullivan, Craig V; Chapman, Robert W; Reading, Benjamin J; Anderson, Paul E

2015-09-15

Maternal mRNA transcripts deposited in growing oocytes regulate early development and are under intensive investigation as determinants of egg quality. The research has evolved from single gene studies to microarray and now RNA-Seq analyses in which mRNA expression by virtually every gene can be assessed and related to gamete quality. Such studies have mainly focused on genes changing two- to several-fold in expression between biological states, and have identified scores of candidate genes and a few gene networks whose functioning is related to successful development. However, ever-increasing yields of information from high throughput methods for detecting transcript abundance have far outpaced progress in methods for analyzing the massive quantities of gene expression data, and especially for meaningful relation of whole transcriptome profiles to gamete quality. We have developed a new approach to this problem employing artificial neural networks and supervised machine learning with other novel bioinformatics procedures to discover a previously unknown level of ovarian transcriptome function at which minute changes in expression of a few hundred genes is highly predictive of egg quality. In this paper, we briefly review the progress in transcriptomics of fish egg quality and discuss some future directions for this field of study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Autonomous acoustic recorders reveal complex patterns in avian detection probability

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, Sarah J.; Handel, Colleen M.; McNew, Lance B.

2017-01-01

Avian point‐count surveys are typically designed to occur during periods when birds are consistently active and singing, but seasonal and diurnal patterns of detection probability are often not well understood and may vary regionally or between years. We deployed autonomous acoustic recorders to assess how avian availability for detection (i.e., the probability that a bird signals its presence during a recording) varied during the breeding season with time of day, date, and weather‐related variables at multiple subarctic tundra sites in Alaska, USA, 2013–2014. A single observer processed 2,692 10‐minute recordings across 11 site‐years. We used time‐removal methods to assess availability and used generalized additive models to examine patterns of detectability (joint probability of presence, availability, and detection) for 16 common species. Despite lack of distinct dawn or dusk, most species displayed circadian vocalization patterns, with detection rates generally peaking between 0800 hours and 1200 hours but remaining high as late as 2000 hours for some species. Between 2200 hours and 0500 hours, most species’ detection rates dropped to near 0, signaling a distinctive rest period. Detectability dropped sharply for most species in early July. For all species considered, time‐removal analysis indicated nearly 100% likelihood of detection during a 10‐minute recording conducted in June, between 0500 hours and 2000 hours. This indicates that non‐detections during appropriate survey times and dates were attributable to the species’ absence or that silent birds were unlikely to initiate singing during a 10‐minute interval, whereas vocally active birds were singing very frequently. Systematic recordings revealed a gradient of species’ presence at each site, from ubiquitous to incidental. Although the total number of species detected at a site ranged from 16 to 27, we detected only 4 to 15 species on ≥5% of the site's recordings. Recordings provided an unusually detailed and consistent dataset that allowed us to identify, among other things, appropriate survey dates and times for species breeding at northern latitudes. Our results also indicated that more recordings of shorter duration (1–4 min) may be most efficient for detecting passerines.

Numerical evaluation of ECT impedance signal due to minute cracks

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

Fukutomi, Hiroyuki; Takagi, Toshiyuki; Tani, Junji

1997-03-01

This paper describes an experimental and analytical study on minute crack inspection with Eddy Current Testing (ECT). Measurement and simulation using a 3D FEM program are applied for the evaluation of the detecting signal with a minute crack in a test piece. Parameters such as mesh division, ICCG convergence criteria, etc. are evaluated to achieve high accuracy in numerical calculation. The simulation results agreed with experimental ones. ECT is used for in-service inspection of tubes in steam generators, heat exchangers and condensers in nuclear or conventional power plants as well as in chemical installations.

MASTER OT J072007.30+451611.6: Cataclysmic Variable with an Extreme Hot Spot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denisenko, D.

2018-05-01

MASTER team has reported an unusual object MASTER OT J072007.30+451611.6 in ATel #11620 (T. Pogrosheva et al.). The object was observed at 17.0-17.2m during 9 minutes from 22:15:26 to 22:24:30 UT on 2018-04-26, but was below the detection limit (18.8m) 45 minutes before the first positive observation and 43 minutes after the last one. As noted by S. Otero in AAVSO VSX entry, MASTER OT J072007.30+451611.6 has an X-ray counterpart XMMSL2 J072007.4+451615.

Identification and quantification of vinpocetine and picamilon in dietary supplements sold in the United States.

PubMed

Avula, Bharathi; Chittiboyina, Amar G; Sagi, Satyanarayanaraju; Wang, Yan-Hong; Wang, Mei; Khan, Ikhlas A; Cohen, Pieter A

2016-01-01

Vinpocetine and picamilon are drugs prescribed in many countries to treat a variety of cerebrovascular disorders. In the United States, vinpocetine and picamilon have never been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, but they are both available for sale directly to consumers as dietary supplements. We designed our study to determine the accuracy of supplement labels with regard to the presence and quantity of vinpocetine and picamilon. A validated ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode-array method was developed for the quantification of vinpocetine and picamilon. The separation was achieved using a reversed phase (C-18) column, photodiode array detection, and water/acetonitrile as the mobile phase. Vinpocetine and picamilon were detected at concentrations as low as 10 and 50 ng/mL, respectively. The presence of vinpocetine and picamilon was confirmed using reference standards. Twenty-three supplements labelled as containing vinpocetine were available for sale at two large supplement retail chains; 17 contained vinpocetine with quantities ranging from 0.3 to 32 mg per recommended daily serving. No vinpocetine was detected in six of the sampled supplements. The supplement label implied that vinpocetine was a constituent of lesser periwinkle in three of the supplements. Of the 31 picamilon supplements available for sale from a variety of retailers: 30 contained picamilon in quantities ranging from 2.7 to 721.5 mg per recommended daily serving. We found that consumers cannot obtain accurate information from supplement labels regarding the presence or quantity of vinpocetine and picamilon. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Biofluidic Transport and Molecular Recognition in Polymer Microdevices

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-04-29

flexible membrane separating the particles and reservoir. B. Using photopolymerizable wires, an electrolysis pump was fabricated on a microdevice. It...Antigen detection was accomplished by grafting the approximate antibody or sensing compound via acrylation and polymerization to the surface. Figure 14...were detected with assay times of approximately 10 minutes. Figure 15 shows detection data for a compound (glucagon) that is impossible to detect by

Long-term stormwater quantity and quality analysis using continuous measurements in a French urban catchment.

PubMed

Sun, Siao; Barraud, Sylvie; Castebrunet, Hélène; Aubin, Jean-Baptiste; Marmonier, Pierre

2015-11-15

The assessment of urban stormwater quantity and quality is important for evaluating and controlling the impact of the stormwater to natural water and environment. This study mainly addresses long-term evolution of stormwater quantity and quality in a French urban catchment using continuous measured data from 2004 to 2011. Storm event-based data series are obtained (716 rainfall events and 521 runoff events are available) from measured continuous time series. The Mann-Kendall test is applied to these event-based data series for trend detection. A lack of trend is found in rainfall and an increasing trend in runoff is detected. As a result, an increasing trend is present in the runoff coefficient, likely due to growing imperviousness of the catchment caused by urbanization. The event mean concentration of the total suspended solid (TSS) in stormwater does not present a trend, whereas the event load of TSS has an increasing tendency, which is attributed to the increasing event runoff volume. Uncertainty analysis suggests that the major uncertainty in trend detection results lies in uncertainty due to available data. A lack of events due to missing data leads to dramatically increased uncertainty in trend detection results. In contrast, measurement uncertainty in time series data plays a trivial role. The intra-event distribution of TSS is studied based on both M(V) curves and pollutant concentrations of absolute runoff volumes. The trend detection test reveals no significant change in intra-event distributions of TSS in the studied catchment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Search for Plutonium Salt Deposits in the Plutonium Extraction Batteries of the Marcoule Plant; RECHERCHE DE DEPOTS DE SELS DE PLUTONIUM DANS LES BATTERIES D'EXTRACTION DU PLUTONIUM DE L'USINE DE MARCOULE

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

Bouzigues, H.; Reneaud, J.-M.

1963-01-01

A method and a special apparatus are described which make it possible to detach the insoluble plutonium salt deposits in the extraction chain of an irradiated fuel treatment plant. The process chosen allows the detection, in the extraction batteries or in the highly active chemical engineering equipment, of plutonium quantities of a few grams. After four years operation it has been impossible to detect measurable quantities of plutonium in any part of the extraction chain. The results have been confirmed by visual examinations carried out with a specially constructed endoscope. (auth)

Airborne remote sensing to detect greenbug stress to wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Vegetation indices calculated from the quantity of reflected electromagnetic radiation have been used to quantify levels of stress to plants. Greenbugs cause stress to wheat plants and therefore multi-spectral remote sensing may be useful for detecting greenbug infested wheat fields. The objective...

Molecular Detection of Campylobacter spp. in California Gull (Larus californicus) Excreta

EPA Science Inventory

We examined the prevalence, quantity, and diversity of Campylobacter species in the excreta of 159 California gull samples using PCR and qPCR based detection assays. While Campylobacter prevalence and abundance was relatively high in the gull excreta examined, molecular data ind...

Detection of mental stress due to oral academic examination via ultra-short-term HRV analysis.

PubMed

Castaldo, R; Xu, W; Melillo, P; Pecchia, L; Santamaria, L; James, C

2016-08-01

Mental stress may cause cognitive dysfunctions, cardiovascular disorders and depression. Mental stress detection via short-term Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis has been widely explored in the last years, while ultra-short term (less than 5 minutes) HRV has been not. This study aims to detect mental stress using linear and non-linear HRV features extracted from 3 minutes ECG excerpts recorded from 42 university students, during oral examination (stress) and at rest after a vacation. HRV features were then extracted and analyzed according to the literature using validated software tools. Statistical and data mining analysis were then performed on the extracted HRV features. The best performing machine learning method was the C4.5 tree algorithm, which discriminated between stress and rest with sensitivity, specificity and accuracy rate of 78%, 80% and 79% respectively.

Capacitive system detects and locates fluid leaks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1966-01-01

Electronic monitoring system automatically detects and locates minute leaks in seams of large fluid storage tanks and pipelines covered with thermal insulation. The system uses a capacitive tape-sensing element that is adhesively bonded over seams where fluid leaks are likely to occur.

[Hypobaric chamber as a test of the aircrew of Russain Air Forces].

PubMed

Shishov, A A; Olenev, N I; Shishkin, A N; Filatov, V N

2014-04-01

Authors research clinical medical importance of hypobaric ascends to an attitude of 5000 meters for 20 minutes for detection of latent forms of diseases and assessment of professional health and ascends to an attitude of 5000 and 6000 meters for 5 minutes when performing psychophysiological training for high altitude flying. According to test of 1326 pilots of Russian Air Forces, including pilots with different diseases, hypobaric ascends showed high diagnostic effectiveness for the professional health assessment. By using of both methods it was revealed that frequency of detection of decreased tolerance to hypoxia is the same (in average in 2,7 and 3,1% of total number of patients). By ascends in 38 patients (2,9%) was revealed decreased tolerance to hypoxia of medium level. It indicated about low functional state and space capacity of pilots. It was proved that hypobaric ascends of 5000 and 6000 meters for 5 minutes could be considered as an effective method of checkup of aircrew for the aviation physical examination.

Photothermal method for in situ microanalysis of the chemical composition of coal samples

DOEpatents

Amer, Nabil M.

1986-01-01

Successive minute regions (13) along a scan path on a coal sample (11) are individually analyzed, at a series of different depths if desired, to determine chemical composition including the locations, sizes and distributions of different maceral inclusions (12). A sequence of infrared light pulses (17) of progressively changing wavelengths is directed into each minute region (13) and a probe light beam (22) is directed along the sample surface (21) adjacent the region (13). Infrared wavelengths at which strong absorption occurs in the region (13) are identified by detecting the resulting deflections (.phi.) of the probe beam (22) caused by thermally induced index of refraction changes in the air or other medium (19) adjacent the region (13). The detected peak absorption wavelengths are correlated with known characteristic peak absorption wavelengths of specific coal constituents to identify the composition of each such minute region (13) of the sample (11). The method enables rapid, convenient and non-destructive analyses of coal specimens to facilitate mining, processing and utilization of coals.

Photothermal method for in situ microanalysis of the chemical composition of coal samples

DOEpatents

Amer, N.M.

1983-10-25

Successive minute regions along a scan path on a coal sample are individually analyzed, at a series of different depths if desired, to determine chemical composition including the locations, sizes and distributions of different maceral inclusions. A sequence of infrared light pulses of progressively changing wavelengths is directed into each minute region and a probe light beam is directed along the sample surface adjacent the region. Infrared wavelengths at which strong absorption occurs in the region are identified by detecting the resulting deflections of the probe beam caused by thermally induced index of refraction changes in the air or other medium adjacent the region. The detected peak absorption wavelengths are correlated with known characteristic peak absorption wavelengths of specific coal constituents to identify the composition of each such minute region of the sample. The method enables rapid, convenient and non-destructive analyses of coal specimens to facilitate mining, processing and utilization of coals. 2 figures.

Five-minute P Modes Detected in Doppler Shift Measurement on Alpha Centauri

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fossat, E.; Grec, G.; Gelly, B.

1984-01-01

A spectrophotometer using the principle of optical resonance spectroscopy, designed for the goal of identifying radial and weakly non radial eigenmodes in the five minute range in the case of stars, is discussed. The conclusion of the first test of this new instrument was that if the observation can be photon noise limited (i.e., in total absence of any instrumental source of noise), the five-minute solar oscillation could still be detected by removing the Sun far enough for its magnitude to become zero or one. Such a situation is very closely represented by the observation of Alpha Centauri A, because it is a G2 V star, very similar to the Sun, with a mass of 1.1 in solar unit. Six nights were granted to this program on a 3.6m telescope, from 22 to 28 May 1983. Two and half nights provided over 20 hours of data of photometric quality good enough for analysis.

Optimal Exploitation of the Temporal and Spatial Resolution of SEVIRI for the Nowcasting of Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirch, Tobias; Bugliaro, Luca

2015-04-01

Optimal Exploitation of the Temporal and Spatial Resolution of SEVIRI for the Nowcasting of Clouds An algorithm was developed to forecast the development of water and ice clouds for the successive 5-120 minutes separately using satellite data from SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager) aboard Meteosat Second Generation (MSG). In order to derive cloud cover, optical thickness and cloud top height of high ice clouds "The Cirrus Optical properties derived from CALIOP and SEVIRI during day and night" (COCS, Kox et al. [2014]) algorithm is applied. For the determination of the liquid water clouds the APICS ("Algorithm for the Physical Investigation of Clouds with SEVIRI", Bugliaro e al. [2011]) cloud algorithm is used, which provides cloud cover, optical thickness and effective radius. The forecast rests upon an optical flow method determining a motion vector field from two satellite images [Zinner et al., 2008.] With the aim of determining the ideal time separation of the satellite images that are used for the determination of the cloud motion vector field for every forecast horizon time the potential of the better temporal resolution of the Meteosat Rapid Scan Service (5 instead of 15 minutes repetition rate) has been investigated. Therefore for the period from March to June 2013 forecasts up to 4 hours in time steps of 5 min based on images separated by a time interval of 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min have been created. The results show that Rapid Scan data produces a small reduction of errors for a forecast horizon up to 30 minutes. For the following time steps forecasts generated with a time interval of 15 min should be used and for forecasts up to several hours computations with a time interval of 30 min provide the best results. For a better spatial resolution the HRV channel (High Resolution Visible, 1km instead of 3km maximum spatial resolution at the subsatellite point) has been integrated into the forecast. To detect clouds the difference of the measured albedo from SEVIRI and the clear-sky albedo provided by MODIS has been used and additionally the temporal development of this quantity. A pre-requisite for this work was an adjustment of the geolocation accuracy for MSG and MODIS by shifting the MODIS data and quantifying the correlation between both data sets.

Ground-water resources and geology of northern and central Johnson County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whitcomb, Harold A.; Cummings, T. Ray; McCullough, Richard A.

1966-01-01

Northern and central Johnson County, Wyo., is an area of about 2,600 square miles that lies principally in the western part of the Powder River structural basin but also includes the east flank of the Bighorn Mountains. Sedimentary rocks exposed range in age from Cambrian to Recent and have an average total thickness of about 16,000 feet. Igneous and metamorphic rocks of Precambrian age crop out in the Bighorn Mountains. Rocks of pre-Tertiary age, exposed on the flanks and in the foothills of the Bighorns, dip steeply eastward and lie at great depth in the Powder River basin. The rest of the project area is underlain by a thick sequence of interbedded sandstone, siltstone, and shale of Paleocene and Eocene age. Owing to the regional structure, most aquifers in Johnson County contain water under artesian pressure. The Madison Limestone had not been tapped for water in Johnson County at the time of the present investigation (1963), but several wells in eastern Big Horn and Washakie Counties, on the west flank of the Bighorn Mountains, reportedly have flows ranging from 1,100 to 2,800 gallons per minute. Comparable yields can probably be obtained from the Madison in Johnson County in those areas where the limestone is fractured or cavernous. The Tensleep Sandstone reportedly yields 600 gallons per minute to a pumped irrigation well near its outcrop in the southwestern part of the project area. Several flowing wells tap the formation on the west flank of the Bighorn Mountains. The Madison Limestone and the Tensleep Sandstone have limited potential as sources of water because they can be developed economically only in a narrow band paralleling the Bighorn Mountain front in the southwestern part of the project area. Overlying the Tensleep Sandstone is about 6,000 feet of shale, siltstone, and fine-grained sandstone that, with a few exceptions, normally yields only small quantities of water to wells. The Cloverly Formation and the Newcastle Sandstone may yield moderate quantities of water to wells; but, in some areas, properly constructed wells tapping both formations might yield large quantities of water. The Shannon Sandstone Member of the Cody Shale will probably yield only small quantities of water to Wells, but it is the best potential source of ground water in the stratigraphic interval between the Newcastle and Parkman Sandstones. The Parkman Sandstone and the Lance Formation yield water to relatively shallow wells principally in the southwestern part of the project area. The Fort Union Formation yields adequate supplies of water for stock and domestic use from relatively shallow wells near its outcrop almost everywhere in the county. A few deep wells tap the Fort Union along the Powder River valley in the northeastern part of Johnson County. Some of these wells flow, but their flows rarely exceed 10 gallons per minute; larger yields could be undoubtedly be obtained by pumping. The Wasatch Formation is the principal source of ground water in Johnson County. It yields adequate supplies to many relatively shallow stock and domestic wells, some of which flow, but much larger yields probably would require pumping lifts that are prohibitive for most purposes. The Kingsbury Conglomerate and Moncrief Members of the Wasatch Formation, though, may yield moderate quantities of water in some places. Alluvial deposits underlying the valleys of the Powder River and Crazy Woman, Clear, and Piney Creeks are potential sources of moderate to large supplies of water in the Powder River drainage basin. The permeability of these deposits decreases with distance from the Bighorn Mountain front, so that largest yields can probably be obtained along the upper reaches of these streams. Most ground water utilized in the project area is for domestic and stock supplies and is obtained from drilled wells and from springs. Water for irrigation is obtained almost entirely by diverting flows of perennial streams. The discharge of wel

An Efficient Multistrategy DNA Decontamination Procedure of PCR Reagents for Hypersensitive PCR Applications

PubMed Central

Pruvost, Mélanie; Bennett, E. Andrew; Grange, Thierry; Geigl, Eva-Maria

2010-01-01

Background PCR amplification of minute quantities of degraded DNA for ancient DNA research, forensic analyses, wildlife studies and ultrasensitive diagnostics is often hampered by contamination problems. The extent of these problems is inversely related to DNA concentration and target fragment size and concern (i) sample contamination, (ii) laboratory surface contamination, (iii) carry-over contamination, and (iv) contamination of reagents. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we performed a quantitative evaluation of current decontamination methods for these last three sources of contamination, and developed a new procedure to eliminate contaminating DNA contained in PCR reagents. We observed that most current decontamination methods are either not efficient enough to degrade short contaminating DNA molecules, rendered inefficient by the reagents themselves, or interfere with the PCR when used at doses high enough to eliminate these molecules. We also show that efficient reagent decontamination can be achieved by using a combination of treatments adapted to different reagent categories. Our procedure involves γ- and UV-irradiation and treatment with a mutant recombinant heat-labile double-strand specific DNase from the Antarctic shrimp Pandalus borealis. Optimal performance of these treatments is achieved in narrow experimental conditions that have been precisely analyzed and defined herein. Conclusions/Significance There is not a single decontamination method valid for all possible contamination sources occurring in PCR reagents and in the molecular biology laboratory and most common decontamination methods are not efficient enough to decontaminate short DNA fragments of low concentration. We developed a versatile multistrategy decontamination procedure for PCR reagents. We demonstrate that this procedure allows efficient reagent decontamination while preserving the efficiency of PCR amplification of minute quantities of DNA. PMID:20927390

Coal resource occurrence and coal development potential maps of the southwest quarter of North Star School 15-minute quadrangle, Campbell County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1979-01-01

A study of the water resources of the Port Gamble Indian Reservation, Wash., has shown that there is probably a substantial quantity of good quality ground and surface water available to provide for further development of the reservation. Groundwater supplies are available from an artesian aquifer underlying the reservation near sea level. This aquifer is estimated to be capable of supplying at least 90 gallons per minute, continuously, without greatly increasing chances for seawater intrusion. This quantity of water is enough to supply about 800 to 900 additional residents on the reservation. Another artesian aquifer, relatively unexplored, was noted underlying the previously mentioned artesian aquifer. This lower aquifer may be capable of supplying additional groundwater for use on the reservation. Groundwater quality was found to be good for most uses, being moderately hard and having moderately high iron concentrations. No evidence of pollution of the groundwater was found during this study from either seawater intrusion or contamination from a nearby solid-waste disposal site. Surface-water resources studied on the reservation included two streams, Middle and Little Boston Creeks, whose 7-day low flows were estimated to be 0.4 and 0.2 cubic foot per second, respectively, for a 20-year estimated recurrence interval. The surface-water quality was also found to be good for most uses and was within the limits established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for untreated drinking water. Thus, the water from these two streams, Middle and Little Boston Creeks, could be used as domestic supplies to supplement the groundwater withdrawals. (USGS)

The Effects of the Removal of Electronic Devices for 48 Hours on Sleep in Elite Judo Athletes.

PubMed

Dunican, Ian C; Martin, David T; Halson, Shona L; Reale, Reid J; Dawson, Brian T; Caldwell, John A; Jones, Maddison J; Eastwood, Peter R

2017-10-01

This study examined the effects of evening use of electronic devices (i.e., smartphones, etc.) on sleep quality and next-day athletic and cognitive performance in elite judo athletes. Over 6 consecutive days and nights, 23 elite Australian judo athletes were monitored while attending a camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). In 14 athletes, all electronic devices were removed on days 3 and 4 (i.e., for 48 hours: the "device-restricted group"), whereas 9 were permitted to use their devices throughout the camp (the "control group"). All athletes wore an activity monitor (Readiband) continuously to provide measures of sleep quantity and quality. Other self-reported (diary) measures included time in bed, electronic device use, and rate of perceived exertion during training periods. Cognitive performance (Cogstate) and physical performance (single leg triple hop test) were also measured. When considering night 2 as a "baseline" for each group, removal of electronic devices on nights 3 and 4 (device-restricted group) resulted in no significant differences in any sleep-related measure between the groups. When comparing actigraphy-based measures of sleep to subjective measures, all athletes significantly overestimated sleep duration by 58 ± 85 minutes (p = 0.001) per night and underestimated time of sleep onset by 37 ± 72 minutes (p = 0.001) per night. No differences in physical or cognitive function were observed between the groups. This study has shown that the removal of electronic devices for a period of two nights (48 hours) during a judo camp does not affect sleep quality or quantity or influence athletic or cognitive performance.

Effect of eliminating the residual fluoride gel on titanium bracket corrosion.

PubMed

Khoury, Elie S; Abboud, Maher; Bassil-Nassif, Nayla; Bouserhal, Joseph

2011-09-01

Fluoride ions, in long-term applications on titanium brackets, cause their corrosion. Fluoride gel used for caries prevention during orthodontic treatment has a very high concentration in fluoride ions, and therefore has the potential for causing bracket corrosion. The main aim of this study was to determine the effect of eliminating the residual fluoride gel, by rinsing it, on the corrosion of titanium brackets. The secondary aim was to evaluate the corrosion of titanium brackets in the presence of fluoride gel. One hundred titanium brackets were divided into five groups of 20 brackets each. Group 1 being the control group, the rest of the groups were immersed in fluoride gel: Group 2 for 4 minutes and kept for 30 minutes with the residual fluoride gel on; Group 3 for 4 minutes followed by immediate water rinsing; Group 4 for 12 minutes and kept for 90 minutes with the residual fluoride gel on and Group 5 for 12 minutes followed by immediate water rinsing. All groups were rinsed then dried, for 20 hours, using Silica gel in a desiccator maintained at 37°C before testing. Gravimetrical results and SEM analysis showed no significant difference between Groups 2, 3 and 5 compared to each other and to the control group. Only Group 4 showed significant weight loss and pitting corrosion in four of the 20 brackets. In sliding resistance, no significant difference was detected between any of the groups. Short time applications of fluoride gel do not affect sliding resistance of titanium brackets. No titanium corrosion was detected for one application of concentrated fluoride gel and some brackets showed pitting corrosion for three applications. The rinsing of residual fluoride gel eliminates completely the risk of bracket corrosion. Copyright © 2011 CEO. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Comparison of the anti-apoptotic effects of 15- and 35-minute suspended moxibustion after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

PubMed

Xiao, Ai-Jiao; He, Lin; Ouyang, Xin; Liu, Jie-Min; Chen, Ming-Ren

2018-02-01

Heat-sensitive suspended moxibustion has a neuroprotective effect against focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The duration of heat-sensitive suspended moxibustion (usually from 30 minutes to 1 hour) is longer than traditional suspended moxibustion (usually 15 minutes). However, the effects of 15- and 35-minute suspended moxibustion in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury are poorly understood. In this study, we performed 15- or 35-minute suspended moxibustion at acupoint Dazhui (GV14) in an adult rat model of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Infarct volume was evaluated with the 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride assay. Histopathological changes and neuronal apoptosis at the injury site were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. Caspase-9 and caspase-3 expression at the injury site was detected using immunofluorescent staining. Bax and Bcl-2 expression at the injury site was assessed using western blot assay. In the 35-minute moxibustion group, infarct volume was decreased, neuronal apoptosis was reduced, caspase-9, caspase-3 and Bax expression was lower, and Bcl-2 expression was increased, compared with the 15-minute moxibustion group. Our findings show that 35-minute moxibustion has a greater anti-apoptotic effect than 15-minute moxibustion after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

An Analysis on the Detection of Biological Contaminants Aboard Aircraft

PubMed Central

Hwang, Grace M.; DiCarlo, Anthony A.; Lin, Gene C.

2011-01-01

The spread of infectious disease via commercial airliner travel is a significant and realistic threat. To shed some light on the feasibility of detecting airborne pathogens, a sensor integration study has been conducted and computational investigations of contaminant transport in an aircraft cabin have been performed. Our study took into consideration sensor sensitivity as well as the time-to-answer, size, weight and the power of best available commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices. We conducted computational fluid dynamics simulations to investigate three types of scenarios: (1) nominal breathing (up to 20 breaths per minute) and coughing (20 times per hour); (2) nominal breathing and sneezing (4 times per hour); and (3) nominal breathing only. Each scenario was implemented with one or seven infectious passengers expelling air and sneezes or coughs at the stated frequencies. Scenario 2 was implemented with two additional cases in which one infectious passenger expelled 20 and 50 sneezes per hour, respectively. All computations were based on 90 minutes of sampling using specifications from a COTS aerosol collector and biosensor. Only biosensors that could provide an answer in under 20 minutes without any manual preparation steps were included. The principal finding was that the steady-state bacteria concentrations in aircraft would be high enough to be detected in the case where seven infectious passengers are exhaling under scenarios 1 and 2 and where one infectious passenger is actively exhaling in scenario 2. Breathing alone failed to generate sufficient bacterial particles for detection, and none of the scenarios generated sufficient viral particles for detection to be feasible. These results suggest that more sensitive sensors than the COTS devices currently available and/or sampling of individual passengers would be needed for the detection of bacteria and viruses in aircraft. PMID:21264266

The accuracy of eyelid movement parameters for drowsiness detection.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Vanessa E; Jackson, Melinda L; Westlake, Justine; Stevens, Bronwyn; Barnes, Maree; Swann, Philip; Rajaratnam, Shantha M W; Howard, Mark E

2013-12-15

Drowsiness is a major risk factor for motor vehicle and occupational accidents. Real-time objective indicators of drowsiness could potentially identify drowsy individuals with the goal of intervening before an accident occurs. Several ocular measures are promising objective indicators of drowsiness; however, there is a lack of studies evaluating their accuracy for detecting behavioral impairment due to drowsiness in real time. In this study, eye movement parameters were measured during vigilance tasks following restricted sleep and in a rested state (n = 33 participants) at three testing points (n = 71 data points) to compare ocular measures to a gold standard measure of drowsiness (OSLER). The utility of these parameters for detecting drowsiness-related errors was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) (adjusted by clustering for participant) and identification of optimal cutoff levels for identifying frequent drowsiness-related errors (4 missed signals in a minute using OSLER). Their accuracy was tested for detecting increasing frequencies of behavioral lapses on a different task (psychomotor vigilance task [PVT]). Ocular variables which measured the average duration of eyelid closure (inter-event duration [IED]) and the ratio of the amplitude to velocity of eyelid closure were reliable indicators of frequent errors (area under the curve for ROC of 0.73 to 0.83, p < 0.05). IED produced a sensitivity and specificity of 71% and 88% for detecting ≥ 3 lapses (PVT) in a minute and 100% and 86% for ≥ 5 lapses. A composite measure of several eye movement characteristics (Johns Drowsiness Scale) provided sensitivities of 77% and 100% for detecting 3 and ≥ 5 lapses in a minute, with specificities of 85% and 83%, respectively. Ocular measures, particularly those measuring the average duration of episodes of eye closure are promising real-time indicators of drowsiness.

Air National Guard Installation Restoration Protram. Site Investigation Report: Georgia Air National Guard, Savannah, Georgia

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

except TPH, which was detected at 0.06 mg/l in Monitor Well 01-MW-02. Some metals (arsenic, cadmium , chromium, lead, silver, and zinc ) were detected at...extraction. Trace quantities of some priority pollutant metals were detected in the surface water samples. Arsenic, cadmium , and zinc were detected at...storage tank. TPH was detected in all five groundwater samples. Arsenic, beryllium, cadmium , chromium, copper, lead, nickel, silver, and zinc were also

Lowering the quantification limit of the QubitTM RNA HS assay using RNA spike-in.

PubMed

Li, Xin; Ben-Dov, Iddo Z; Mauro, Maurizio; Williams, Zev

2015-05-06

RNA quantification is often a prerequisite for most RNA analyses such as RNA sequencing. However, the relatively low sensitivity and large sample consumption of traditional RNA quantification methods such as UV spectrophotometry and even the much more sensitive fluorescence-based RNA quantification assays, such as the Qubit™ RNA HS Assay, are often inadequate for measuring minute levels of RNA isolated from limited cell and tissue samples and biofluids. Thus, there is a pressing need for a more sensitive method to reliably and robustly detect trace levels of RNA without interference from DNA. To improve the quantification limit of the Qubit™ RNA HS Assay, we spiked-in a known quantity of RNA to achieve the minimum reading required by the assay. Samples containing trace amounts of RNA were then added to the spike-in and measured as a reading increase over RNA spike-in baseline. We determined the accuracy and precision of reading increases between 1 and 20 pg/μL as well as RNA-specificity in this range, and compared to those of RiboGreen(®), another sensitive fluorescence-based RNA quantification assay. We then applied Qubit™ Assay with RNA spike-in to quantify plasma RNA samples. RNA spike-in improved the quantification limit of the Qubit™ RNA HS Assay 5-fold, from 25 pg/μL down to 5 pg/μL while maintaining high specificity to RNA. This enabled quantification of RNA with original concentration as low as 55.6 pg/μL compared to 250 pg/μL for the standard assay and decreased sample consumption from 5 to 1 ng. Plasma RNA samples that were not measurable by the Qubit™ RNA HS Assay were measurable by our modified method. The Qubit™ RNA HS Assay with RNA spike-in is able to quantify RNA with high specificity at 5-fold lower concentration and uses 5-fold less sample quantity than the standard Qubit™ Assay.

Development of Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assays for Detection of Orientia tsutsugamushi or Rickettsia typhi.

PubMed

Chao, Chien-Chung; Belinskaya, Tatyana; Zhang, Zhiwen; Ching, Wei-Mei

2015-01-01

Sensitive, specific and rapid diagnostic tests for the detection of Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi) and Rickettsia typhi (R. typhi), the causative agents of scrub typhus and murine typhus, respectively, are necessary to accurately and promptly diagnose patients and ensure that they receive proper treatment. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assays using a lateral flow test (RPA-nfo) and real-time fluorescent detection (RPA-exo) were developed targeting the 47-kDa gene of O. tsutsugamushi or 17 kDa gene of R. typhi. The RPA assay was capable of detecting O. tsutsugamushi or R. typhi at levels comparable to that of the quantitative PCR method. Both the RPA-nfo and RPA-exo methods performed similarly with regards to sensitivity when detecting the 17 kDa gene of R. typhi. On the contrary, RPA-exo performed better than RPA-nfo in detecting the 47 kDa gene of O. tsutsugamushi. The clinical performance of the O. tsutsugamushi RPA assay was evaluated using either human patient samples or infected mouse samples. Eight out of ten PCR confirmed positives were determined positive by RPA, and all PCR confirmed negative samples were negative by RPA. Similar results were obtained for R. typhi spiked patient sera. The assays were able to differentiate O. tsutsugamushi and R. typhi from other phylogenetically related bacteria as well as mouse and human DNA. Furthermore, the RPA-nfo reaction was completed in 20 minutes at 37°C followed by a 10 minute incubation at room temperature for development of an immunochromatographic strip. The RPA-exo reaction was completed in 20 minutes at 39°C. The implementation of a cross contamination proof cassette to detect the RPA-nfo fluorescent amplicons provided an alternative to regular lateral flow detection strips, which are more prone to cross contamination. The RPA assays provide a highly time-efficient, sensitive and specific alternative to other methods for diagnosing scrub typhus or murine typhus.

Development of Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assays for Detection of Orientia tsutsugamushi or Rickettsia typhi

PubMed Central

Chao, Chien-Chung; Belinskaya, Tatyana; Zhang, Zhiwen; Ching, Wei-Mei

2015-01-01

Sensitive, specific and rapid diagnostic tests for the detection of Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi) and Rickettsia typhi (R. typhi), the causative agents of scrub typhus and murine typhus, respectively, are necessary to accurately and promptly diagnose patients and ensure that they receive proper treatment. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assays using a lateral flow test (RPA-nfo) and real-time fluorescent detection (RPA-exo) were developed targeting the 47-kDa gene of O. tsutsugamushi or 17 kDa gene of R. typhi. The RPA assay was capable of detecting O. tsutsugamushi or R. typhi at levels comparable to that of the quantitative PCR method. Both the RPA-nfo and RPA-exo methods performed similarly with regards to sensitivity when detecting the 17 kDa gene of R. typhi. On the contrary, RPA-exo performed better than RPA-nfo in detecting the 47 kDa gene of O. tsutsugamushi. The clinical performance of the O. tsutsugamushi RPA assay was evaluated using either human patient samples or infected mouse samples. Eight out of ten PCR confirmed positives were determined positive by RPA, and all PCR confirmed negative samples were negative by RPA. Similar results were obtained for R. typhi spiked patient sera. The assays were able to differentiate O. tsutsugamushi and R. typhi from other phylogenetically related bacteria as well as mouse and human DNA. Furthermore, the RPA-nfo reaction was completed in 20 minutes at 37oC followed by a 10 minute incubation at room temperature for development of an immunochromatographic strip. The RPA-exo reaction was completed in 20 minutes at 39oC. The implementation of a cross contamination proof cassette to detect the RPA-nfo fluorescent amplicons provided an alternative to regular lateral flow detection strips, which are more prone to cross contamination. The RPA assays provide a highly time-efficient, sensitive and specific alternative to other methods for diagnosing scrub typhus or murine typhus. PMID:26161793

Advancements in the Development of an Operational Lightning Jump Algorithm for GOES-R GLM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shultz, Chris; Petersen, Walter; Carey, Lawrence

2011-01-01

Rapid increases in total lightning have been shown to precede the manifestation of severe weather at the surface. These rapid increases have been termed lightning jumps, and are the current focus of algorithm development for the GOES-R Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). Recent lightning jump algorithm work has focused on evaluation of algorithms in three additional regions of the country, as well as, markedly increasing the number of thunderstorms in order to evaluate the each algorithm s performance on a larger population of storms. Lightning characteristics of just over 600 thunderstorms have been studied over the past four years. The 2 lightning jump algorithm continues to show the most promise for an operational lightning jump algorithm, with a probability of detection of 82%, a false alarm rate of 35%, a critical success index of 57%, and a Heidke Skill Score of 0.73 on the entire population of thunderstorms. Average lead time for the 2 algorithm on all severe weather is 21.15 minutes, with a standard deviation of +/- 14.68 minutes. Looking at tornadoes alone, the average lead time is 18.71 minutes, with a standard deviation of +/-14.88 minutes. Moreover, removing the 2 lightning jumps that occur after a jump has been detected, and before severe weather is detected at the ground, the 2 lightning jump algorithm s false alarm rate drops from 35% to 21%. Cold season, low topped, and tropical environments cause problems for the 2 lightning jump algorithm, due to their relative dearth in lightning as compared to a supercellular or summertime airmass thunderstorm environment.

Device for sampling and enriching impurities in hydrogen comprising hydrogen-permeable membrane

DOEpatents

Ahmed, Shabbir; Papadias, Dionissios D.; Lee, Sheldon D. H.; Kumar, Romesh

2017-01-31

Provided herein are methods and devices to enrich trace quantities of impurities in gaseous mixtures, such as hydrogen fuel. The methods and devices rely on concentration of impurities so as to allow the detection of the impurities using commonly-available detection methods.

Development of real-time monitors for gaseous formaldehyde. Final report, 1 December 1988-30 September 1989

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

Kelly, T.J.; Barnes, R.H.

1990-11-01

Two new methods for real-time measurement of gaseous formaldehyde have been developed. One is a spectroscopic method based on direct fluorescence detection of gaseous formaldehyde following excitation with UV light. This method has been developed to the prototype stage by modifications of a commercial fluorescence SO2 detector to convert it to formaldehyde detection. The prototype spectroscopic formaldehyde monitor exhibits a detection limit of <30 ppbv, with a time response of about one minute. The second method is based on derivatization of formaldehyde in aqueous solution to form a fluorescent product. The detection of fluorescent product was made more sensitive bymore » using intense 254 nm light from a mercury lamp for excitation, thereby allowing use of a simple and efficient glass coil scrubber for collection of gaseous formaldehyde. The wet chemical formaldehyde monitor incorportating these improvements exhibits a detection limit for gaseous formaldehyde of 0.2 ppbv and for aqueous formaldehyde of 0.2 micromolar with time response of about one minute, following a lag time of 2 minutes. Both instruments were tested in the laboratory with gaseous formaldehyde standards, and the aqueous scrubbing/analysis method was field tested by continuous operation over a 10-day period in which outdoor and indoor air were sampled for alternate half-hour periods. A comparison of real-time (aqueous scrubbing/analysis) and integrated measurements, using dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) impingers, showed close agreement between the real-time and DNPH data, even at concentrations as low as 1 ppbv.« less

Rapid, Sensitive Detection of Botulinum Toxin on a Flexible Microfluidics Platform

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

Warner, Marvin G.; Dockendorff, Brian P.; Feldhaus, Michael J.

2004-10-30

In this paper we will describe how high affinity reagents and a sensor configuration enabling rapid mass transport can be combined for rapid, sensitive biodetection. The system that we have developed includes a renewable surface immunoassay, which involves on-column detection of a fluorescently labeled secondary antibody in a sandwich immunoassay. Yeast display and directed molecular evolution were used to create high affinity antibodies to the botulinum toxin heavy chain receptor binding domain, AR1 and 3D12. A rotating rod renewable surface microcolumn was used to form a microliter-sized column containing beads functionalized with the capture antibody (AR1). The column was perfusedmore » with sample, wash solutions, and a fluorescently labeled secondary antibody (3D12) while the on-column fluorescence was monitored. Detection was accomplished in less than 5 minutes, with a total processing time of about 10 minutes. On-column detection of botulinum toxin was more sensitive and much faster than flow cytometry analysis on microbeads using the same reagents.« less

A new microcomputer-based safety and life support system for solitary-living elderly people.

PubMed

Miyauchi, Kosuke; Yonezawa, Yoshiharu; Maki, Hiromichi; Ogawa, Hidekuni; Hahn, Allen W; Caldwell, W Morton

2003-01-01

A new safety and life support system has been developed to detect emergency situations of solitary-living elderly persons. The system employs a dual axis accelerometer, two low-power active filters, a low-power 8-bit single chip microcomputer and a personal handy phone. Body movements due to walking, running and posture changes are detected by the dual axis accelerometer and sent to the microcomputer. If the patient is in an inactive state for 5 minutes after falling, or for 64 minutes without previously falling, then the system automatically alarms the emergency situation, via the personal handy phone, to the patient's family, the fire station or the hospital.

Raman detection of improvised explosive device (IED) material fabricated using drop-on-demand inkjet technology on several real world surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrell, Mikella E.; Holthoff, Ellen L.; Pellegrino, Paul M.

2015-05-01

The requirement to detect hazardous materials (i.e., chemical, biological, and explosive) on a host of materials has led to the development of hazard detection systems. These new technologies and their capabilities could have immediate uses for the US military, national security agencies, and environmental response teams in efforts to keep people secure and safe. In particular, due to the increasing use by terrorists, the detection of common explosives and improvised explosive device (IED) materials have motivated research efforts toward detecting trace (i.e., particle level) quantities on multiple commonly encountered surfaces (e.g., textiles, metals, plastics, natural products, and even people). Non-destructive detection techniques can detect trace quantities of explosive materials; however, it can be challenging in the presence of a complex chemical background. One spectroscopic technique gaining increased attention for detection is Raman. One popular explosive precursor material is ammonium nitrate (AN). The material AN has many agricultural applications, however it can also be used in the fabrication of IEDs or homemade explosives (HMEs). In this paper, known amounts of AN will be deposited using an inkjet printer into several different common material surfaces (e.g., wood, human hair, textiles, metals, plastics). The materials are characterized with microscope images and by collecting Raman spectral data. In this report the detection and identification of AN will be demonstrated.

Arsenic activation neutron detector

DOEpatents

Jacobs, E.L.

1980-01-28

A detector of bursts of neutrons from a deuterium-deuteron reaction includes a quantity of arsenic adjacent a gamma detector such as a scintillator and photomultiplier tube. The arsenic is activated by the 2.5-MeV neutrons to release gamma radiation which is detected to give a quantitative representation of detected neutrons.

Arsenic activation neutron detector

DOEpatents

Jacobs, Eddy L.

1981-01-01

A detector of bursts of neutrons from a deuterium-deuteron reaction includes a quantity of arsenic adjacent a gamma detector such as a scintillator and photomultiplier tube. The arsenic is activated by the 2.5 Mev neutrons to release gamma radiation which is detected to give a quantitative representation of detected neutrons.

Drowsiness detection using heart rate variability.

PubMed

Vicente, José; Laguna, Pablo; Bartra, Ariadna; Bailón, Raquel

2016-06-01

It is estimated that 10-30 % of road fatalities are related to drowsy driving. Driver's drowsiness detection based on biological and vehicle signals is being studied in preventive car safety. Autonomous nervous system activity, which can be measured noninvasively from the heart rate variability (HRV) signal obtained from surface electrocardiogram, presents alterations during stress, extreme fatigue and drowsiness episodes. We hypothesized that these alterations manifest on HRV and thus could be used to detect driver's drowsiness. We analyzed three driving databases in which drivers presented different sleep-deprivation levels, and in which each driving minute was annotated as drowsy or awake. We developed two different drowsiness detectors based on HRV. While the drowsiness episodes detector assessed each minute of driving as "awake" or "drowsy" with seven HRV derived features (positive predictive value 0.96, sensitivity 0.59, specificity 0.98 on 3475 min of driving), the sleep-deprivation detector discerned if a driver was suitable for driving or not, at driving onset, as function of his sleep-deprivation state. Sleep-deprivation state was estimated from the first three minutes of driving using only one HRV feature (positive predictive value 0.80, sensitivity 0.62, specificity 0.88 on 30 drivers). Incorporating drowsiness assessment based on HRV signal may add significant improvements to existing car safety systems.

Response to gravity by Zea mays seedlings. I. Time course of the response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bandurski, R. S.; Schulze, A.; Dayanandan, P.; Kaufman, P. B.

1984-01-01

Gravistimulation induces an asymmetric distribution of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in the cortex-epidermis of the Zea mays L. cv 'Stowells Evergreen' mesocotyl within 15 minutes, the shortest time tested. IAA was measured by an isotope dilution method as the pentaflurobenzyl ester. The per cent IAA in the lower half of the mescotyl cortex was 56 to 57% at 15, 30, and 90 minutes after stimulus initiation. Curvature is detectable in the mescotyl within 3 minutes after beginning gravitropic stimulation. The rate of curvature of the mesocotyl increases during the first 60 minutes to maximum of about 30 degrees per hour. Thus, the growth asymmetry continues to increase for 45 minutes after hormone asymmetry is established. Free IAA occurs predominantly in the stele of the mesocotyl whereas esterified IAA is mainly in the mesocotyl cortex-epidermis. This compartmentation may permit determining in which tissue the hormone asymmetry arises. Current data suggest the asymmetry originated in the stele.

Observation of gamma ray bursts and flares by the EGRET telescope on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneid, E. J.; Bertsch, D. L.; Fichtel, C. E.; Hartman, R. C.; Hunter, S. D.; Kwok, P. W.; Mattox, J. R.; Sreekumar, P.; Thompson, D. J.; Kanbach, G.

1992-01-01

The Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory has observed energetic gamma ray bursts and flares. On May 3, 1991, EGRET detected a gamma ray burst both in the energy measuring NaI (Tl) scintillator and independently in the spark chamber imaging assembly. The NaI spectra were accumulated by a special BURST mode of EGRET. The spectra were measured over a range from 1 to 200 MeV, in three sequential spectra of 1,2, and 4 seconds. During the peak of the burst, six individual gamma rays were detected in the spark chamber, allowing a determination of the burst arrival direction. The intense flares of June were also detected. A solar flare on June 4 was observed to last for several minutes and for a brief time, less than a minute, had significant emission of gamma rays exceeding 150 MeV.

RESPONSE OF GRANULATION TO SMALL-SCALE BRIGHT FEATURES IN THE QUIET SUN

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

Andic, A.; Chae, J.; Goode, P. R.

2011-04-10

We detected 2.8 bright points (BPs) per Mm{sup 2} in the quiet Sun with the New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory, using the TiO 705.68 nm spectral line at an angular resolution {approx}0.''1 to obtain a 30 minute data sequence. Some BPs formed knots that were stable in time and influenced the properties of the granulation pattern around them. The observed granulation pattern within {approx}3'' of knots presents smaller granules than those observed in a normal granulation pattern, i.e., around the knots a suppressed convection is detected. Observed BPs covered {approx}5% of the solar surface and were notmore » homogeneously distributed. BPs had an average size of 0.''22, they were detectable for 4.28 minutes on average, and had an averaged contrast of 0.1% in the deep red TiO spectral line.« less

Method of Manufacturing a Micromechanical Oscillating Mass Balance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Altemir, David A. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A micromechanical oscillating mass balance and method adapted for measuring minute quantities of material deposited at a selected location, such as during a vapor deposition process. The invention comprises a vibratory composite beam which includes a dielectric layer sandwiched between two conductive layers.The beam is positioned in a magnetic field. An alternating current passes through one conductive layers, the beam oscillates, inducing an output current in the second conductive layer, which is analyzed to determine the resonant frequency of the beam. As material is deposited on the beam, the mass of the beam increases and the resonant frequency of the beam shifts, and the mass added is determined.

GAS METERING PUMP

DOEpatents

George, C.M.

1957-12-31

A liquid piston gas pump is described, capable of pumping minute amounts of gas in accurately measurable quantities. The pump consists of a flanged cylindrical regulating chamber and a mercury filled bellows. Sealed to the ABSTRACTS regulating chamber is a value and having a gas inlet and outlet, the inlet being connected by a helical channel to the bellows. A gravity check valve is in the gas outlet, so the gas passes through the inlet and the helical channel to the bellows where the pumping action as well as the metering is accomplished by the actuation of the mercury filled bellows. The gas then flows through the check valve and outlet to any associated apparatus.

Micromechanical Oscillating Mass Balance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Altemir, David A. (Inventor)

1997-01-01

A micromechanical oscillating mass balance and method adapted for measuring minute quantities of material deposited at a selected location, such as during a vapor deposition process. The invention comprises a vibratory composite beam which includes a dielectric layer sandwiched between two conductive layers. The beam is positioned in a magnetic field. An alternating current passes through one conductive layers, the beam oscillates, inducing an output current in the second conductive layer, which is analyzed to determine the resonant frequency of the beam. As material is deposited on the beam, the mass of the beam increases and the resonant frequency of the beam shifts, and the mass added is determined.

Enhanced sequencing coverage with digital droplet multiple displacement amplification

PubMed Central

Sidore, Angus M.; Lan, Freeman; Lim, Shaun W.; Abate, Adam R.

2016-01-01

Sequencing small quantities of DNA is important for applications ranging from the assembly of uncultivable microbial genomes to the identification of cancer-associated mutations. To obtain sufficient quantities of DNA for sequencing, the small amount of starting material must be amplified significantly. However, existing methods often yield errors or non-uniform coverage, reducing sequencing data quality. Here, we describe digital droplet multiple displacement amplification, a method that enables massive amplification of low-input material while maintaining sequence accuracy and uniformity. The low-input material is compartmentalized as single molecules in millions of picoliter droplets. Because the molecules are isolated in compartments, they amplify to saturation without competing for resources; this yields uniform representation of all sequences in the final product and, in turn, enhances the quality of the sequence data. We demonstrate the ability to uniformly amplify the genomes of single Escherichia coli cells, comprising just 4.7 fg of starting DNA, and obtain sequencing coverage distributions that rival that of unamplified material. Digital droplet multiple displacement amplification provides a simple and effective method for amplifying minute amounts of DNA for accurate and uniform sequencing. PMID:26704978

Site of Allergic Airway Narrowing and the Influence of Exogenous Surfactant in the Brown Norway Rat

PubMed Central

Risse, Paul-André; Bullimore, Sharon R.; Benedetti, Andrea; Martin, James G.

2012-01-01

Background The parameters RN (Newtonian resistance), G (tissue damping), and H (tissue elastance) of the constant phase model of respiratory mechanics provide information concerning the site of altered mechanical properties of the lung. The aims of this study were to compare the site of allergic airway narrowing implied from respiratory mechanics to a direct assessment by morphometry and to evaluate the effects of exogenous surfactant administration on the site and magnitude of airway narrowing. Methods We induced airway narrowing by ovalbumin sensitization and challenge and we tested the effects of a natural surfactant lacking surfactant proteins A and D (Infasurf®) on airway responses. Sensitized, mechanically ventilated Brown Norway rats underwent an aerosol challenge with 5% ovalbumin or vehicle. Other animals received nebulized surfactant prior to challenge. Three or 20 minutes after ovalbumin challenge, airway luminal areas were assessed on snap-frozen lungs by morphometry. Results At 3 minutes, RN and G detected large airway narrowing whereas at 20 minutes G and H detected small airway narrowing. Surfactant inhibited RN at the peak of the early allergic response and ovalbumin-induced increase in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cysteinyl leukotrienes and amphiregulin but not IgE-induced mast cell activation in vitro. Conclusion Allergen challenge triggers the rapid onset of large airway narrowing, detected by RN and G, and subsequent peripheral airway narrowing detected by G and H. Surfactant inhibits airway narrowing and reduces mast cell-derived mediators. PMID:22276110

Activity of Tedizolid in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis Experimental Foreign Body-Associated Osteomyelitis.

PubMed

Park, Kyung-Hwa; Greenwood-Quaintance, Kerryl E; Schuetz, Audrey N; Mandrekar, Jayawant N; Patel, Robin

2017-02-01

We developed a rat model of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) foreign body-associated osteomyelitis and used it to compare tedizolid alone and in combination with rifampin against rifampin alone, vancomycin plus rifampin, and vancomycin alone. A clinical strain of MRSE was inoculated into the proximal tibia, and a stainless steel wire with a precolonized MRSE biofilm was implanted. Following a 1-week infection period, 92 rats received either no treatment (n = 17) or 14 days of intraperitoneal tedizolid (n = 15), tedizolid plus rifampin (n = 15), rifampin (n = 15), vancomycin plus rifampin (n = 15), or vancomycin (n = 15). Quantitative bone and wire cultures were performed after treatment completion and also 1 week after infection in a separate group of five rats. The median quantity of staphylococci in bone after the 1-week infection period was 4.89 log 10 CFU/g bone (interquartile range, 3.83 to 5.33 log 10 CFU/g bone); staphylococci were recovered from all associated wires. A median quantity of staphylococci of 3.70 log 10 CFU/g bone was detected in bones of untreated control rats after 3 weeks. Quantities of staphylococci in bones of all treatment groups except the group receiving vancomycin alone (2.78 log 10 CFU/g) were significantly lower than those for untreated controls, with no staphylococci being detected in the groups receiving rifampin monotherapy, tedizolid-plus-rifampin combination therapy, and vancomycin-plus-rifampin combination therapy. Quantities of staphylococci on wires from all treatment groups that included rifampin were significantly lower than those for untreated controls. No resistance to rifampin, tedizolid, or vancomycin was detected. Tedizolid combined with rifampin was active in a rat model of MRSE foreign body-associated osteomyelitis. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

[Construction of rAAV2-GPIIb/IIIa vector and test of its expression and function in vitro].

PubMed

Wang, Kai; Peng, Jian-Qiang; Chen, Fang-Ping; Wu, Xiao-Bin

2006-04-01

This study was aimed to explore the possibility of rAAV2 vector-mediating gene therapy for Glanzmann' s thrombasthenia. The rAAV2-GPIIb/IIIa vector was constructed. The GPIIb/IIIa gene expression in mammal cell were examined by different methods, such as: detection of mRNA expression in BHK-21 cells after 24 hours of infection (MOI = 1 x 10(5) v.g/cell) was performed by RT-PCR; the relation between MOI and quantity of GPII6/IIIa gene expression was detected by FACS after 48 hours of infection; GPIIb/IIIa protein expression in BHK-21 cells after 48 hours of infection (MOI = 10(5) v x g/cell) was assayed by Western blot, GPIIb/IIIa protein expression on cell surface was detected by immunofluorescence, and the biological function of expressing product was determined by PAC-1 conjunct experiments. The results showed that GPIIb/IIIa gene expression in mRNA level could be detected in BHK-21 cells after 24 hours of infection at MOI = 1 x 10(5) v x g/cell and the GPIIb/IIIa gene expression in protein level could be detected in BHK-21 cells after 48 hours of infection at MOI = 1 x 10(5) v x g/cell. In certain range, quantity of GPIIb/IIIa gene expression increased with MOI, but overdose of MOI decreased quantity of GPIIb/IIIa gene expression. Activated product of GPIIb/IIIa gene expression could combined with PAC-I, and possesed normal biological function. In conclusion, rAAV2 vactor can effectively mediate GPIIb and GPIIIa gene expressing in mammal cells, and the products of these genes exhibit biological function. This result may provide a basis for application of rAAV2 vector in Glanzmann's thrombasthenia gene therapy in furture.

Pretreatment of patients requiring oral contrast abdominal computed tomography with antiemetics: a randomized controlled trial of efficacy.

PubMed

Garra, Gregory; Singer, Adam J; Bamber, Danny; Chohan, Jasmine; Troxell, Regina; Thode, Henry C

2009-04-01

Ingestion of diatrizoate meglumine before abdominal computed tomography (CT) is time consuming. We hypothesized that pretreatment with metoclopramide or ondansetron would result in faster ingestion of diatrizoate meglumine than placebo. The study was a double-blind, randomized controlled trial on adults requiring oral contrast abdominal CT. Patients were randomized to placebo, metoclopramide 10 mg, or ondansetron 4 mg intravenously 15 minutes before ingesting 2 L of diatrizoate meglumine. The primary outcome was time to complete diatrizoate meglumine ingestion. Secondary outcome measures included volume of diatrizoate meglumine ingested, 100-mm visual analog scale for nausea at 15-minute intervals, time to CT, vomiting, and use of rescue antiemetics. The study was powered to detect a 60-minute difference in diatrizoate meglumine ingestion time between saline and medication groups. One hundred six patients were randomized; placebo (36), metoclopramide (35), and ondansetron (35). Groups were similar in baseline characteristics. Median (interquartile range) times for diatrizoate meglumine ingestion were placebo 109 minutes (82 to 135 minutes); metoclopramide 105 minutes (75 to 135 minutes); and ondansetron 110 minutes (79 to 140 minutes) (P=.67). Vomiting was less frequent with metoclopramide (3%) than placebo (18%) or ondansetron (9%) (P=.11). The visual analog scale for nausea at each point was not significantly different between groups (P=.11). The need for rescue antiemetics was lowest for metoclopramide (3%) compared with placebo (27%) and ondansetron (12%) (P=.02). Pretreatment with ondansetron or metoclopramide does not reduce oral contrast solution ingestion time.

Effect of warm compress application on tissue temperature in healthy dogs.

PubMed

Millard, Ralph P; Towle-Millard, Heather A; Rankin, David C; Roush, James K

2013-03-01

To measure the effect of warm compress application on tissue temperature in healthy dogs. 10 healthy mixed-breed dogs. Dogs were sedated with hydromorphone (0.1 mg/kg, IV) and diazepam (0.25 mg/kg, IV). Three 24-gauge thermocouple needles were inserted to a depth of 0.5 cm (superficial), 1.0 cm (middle), and 1.5 cm (deep) into a shaved, lumbar, epaxial region to measure tissue temperature. Warm (47°C) compresses were applied with gravity dependence for periods of 5, 10, and 20 minutes. Tissue temperature was recorded before compress application and at intervals for up to 80 minutes after application. Control data were collected while dogs received identical sedation but with no warm compress. Mean temperature associated with 5 minutes of heat application at the superficial, middle, and deep depths was significantly increased, compared with the control temperature. Application for 10 minutes significantly increased the temperature at all depths, compared with 5 minutes of application. Mean temperature associated with 20 minutes of application was not different at the superficial or middle depths, compared with 10 minutes of application. Temperature at the deep depth associated with 10 minutes of application was significantly higher, compared with 20 minutes of application, but all temperature increases at this depth were minimal. Results suggested that application of a warm compress should be performed for 10 minutes. Changes in temperature at a tissue depth of 1.5 cm were minimal or not detected. The optimal compress temperature to achieve therapeutic benefits was not determined.

The Accuracy of Eyelid Movement Parameters for Drowsiness Detection

PubMed Central

Wilkinson, Vanessa E.; Jackson, Melinda L.; Westlake, Justine; Stevens, Bronwyn; Barnes, Maree; Swann, Philip; Rajaratnam, Shantha M. W.; Howard, Mark E.

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: Drowsiness is a major risk factor for motor vehicle and occupational accidents. Real-time objective indicators of drowsiness could potentially identify drowsy individuals with the goal of intervening before an accident occurs. Several ocular measures are promising objective indicators of drowsiness; however, there is a lack of studies evaluating their accuracy for detecting behavioral impairment due to drowsiness in real time. Methods: In this study, eye movement parameters were measured during vigilance tasks following restricted sleep and in a rested state (n = 33 participants) at three testing points (n = 71 data points) to compare ocular measures to a gold standard measure of drowsiness (OSLER). The utility of these parameters for detecting drowsiness-related errors was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) (adjusted by clustering for participant) and identification of optimal cutoff levels for identifying frequent drowsiness-related errors (4 missed signals in a minute using OSLER). Their accuracy was tested for detecting increasing frequencies of behavioral lapses on a different task (psychomotor vigilance task [PVT]). Results: Ocular variables which measured the average duration of eyelid closure (inter-event duration [IED]) and the ratio of the amplitude to velocity of eyelid closure were reliable indicators of frequent errors (area under the curve for ROC of 0.73 to 0.83, p < 0.05). IED produced a sensitivity and specificity of 71% and 88% for detecting ≥ 3 lapses (PVT) in a minute and 100% and 86% for ≥ 5 lapses. A composite measure of several eye movement characteristics (Johns Drowsiness Scale) provided sensitivities of 77% and 100% for detecting 3 and ≥ 5 lapses in a minute, with specificities of 85% and 83%, respectively. Conclusions: Ocular measures, particularly those measuring the average duration of episodes of eye closure are promising real-time indicators of drowsiness. Citation: Wilkinson VE; Jackson ML; Westlake J; Stevens B; Barnes M; Swann P; Rajaratnam SMW; Howard ME. The accuracy of eyelid movement parameters for drowsiness detection. J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(12):1315-1324. PMID:24340294

Research and Development Services: Methods Development. Appendices

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-07-23

0.010-inch stainless-steel tubing. The order of the detectors is as follows: 1. Perkin-Elmer LC-75 variable-wavelength spectrometer with autocontrol . 2...reset it prior to the next injection. At 60 minutes, the micro- processor signals the Perkin-Elmer LC-75 with autocontrol to switch detection...variable-wavelength spectrometer with autocontrol set at 230 am for first 60 minutes of chromatogram then switched to 280 m. b. Altex Model 153 fixed

Lateral flow immunoassay for the rapid detection of citrus tristeza virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A lateral flow methodology was developed using gold nanoparticles for rapid detection of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV). The test strip was based on a sandwich immunoassay and could be accomplished within 10 minutes. A sample was considered negative for CTV when only the control line appeared; whereas,...

Detection and semi-quantification of Strongylus vulgaris DNA in equine faeces by real-time quantitative PCR.

PubMed

Nielsen, Martin K; Peterson, David S; Monrad, Jesper; Thamsborg, Stig M; Olsen, Susanne N; Kaplan, Ray M

2008-03-01

Strongylus vulgaris is an important strongyle nematode with high pathogenic potential infecting horses world-wide. Several decades of intensive anthelmintic use has virtually eliminated clinical disease caused by S. vulgaris, but has also caused high levels of anthelmintic resistance in equine small strongyle (cyathostomin) nematodes. Recommendations aimed at limiting the development of anthelmintic resistance by reducing treatment intensity raises a simultaneous demand for reliable and accurate diagnostic tools for detecting important parasitic pathogens. Presently, the only means available to differentiate among strongyle species in a faecal sample is by identifying individual L3 larvae following a two week coproculture procedure. The aim of the present study is to overcome this diagnostic obstacle by developing a fluorescence-based quantitative PCR assay capable of identifying S. vulgaris eggs in faecal samples from horses. Species-specific primers and a TaqMan probe were designed by alignment of published ribosomal DNA sequences of the second internal transcribed spacer of cyathostomin and Strongylus spp. nematodes. The assay was tested for specificity and optimized using genomic DNA extracted from identified male worms of Strongylus and cyathostomin species. In addition, eggs were collected from adult female worms and used to evaluate the quantitative potential of the assay. Statistically significant linear relationships were found between egg numbers and cycle of threshold (Ct) values. PCR results were unaffected by the presence of cyathostomin DNA in the sample and there was no indication of PCR inhibition by faecal sources. A field evaluation on faecal samples obtained from four Danish horse farms revealed a good agreement with the traditional larval culture (kappa-value=0.78), but with a significantly higher performance of the PCR assay. An association between Ct values and S. vulgaris larval counts was statistically significant. The present assay can reliably and semi-quantitatively detect minute quantities of S. vulgaris eggs in faecal samples.

Molecules and elements for quantitative bioanalysis: The allure of using electrospray, MALDI, and ICP mass spectrometry side-by-side.

PubMed

Linscheid, Michael W

2018-03-30

To understand biological processes, not only reliable identification, but quantification of constituents in biological processes play a pivotal role. This is especially true for the proteome: protein quantification must follow protein identification, since sometimes minute changes in abundance tell the real tale. To obtain quantitative data, many sophisticated strategies using electrospray and MALDI mass spectrometry (MS) have been developed in recent years. All of them have advantages and limitations. Several years ago, we started to work on strategies, which are principally capable to overcome some of these limits. The fundamental idea is to use elemental signals as a measure for quantities. We began by replacing the radioactive 32 P with the "cold" natural 31 P to quantify modified nucleotides and phosphorylated peptides and proteins and later used tagging strategies for quantification of proteins more generally. To do this, we introduced Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) into the bioanalytical workflows, allowing not only reliable and sensitive detection but also quantification based on isotope dilution absolute measurements using poly-isotopic elements. The detection capability of ICP-MS becomes particularly attractive with heavy metals. The covalently bound proteins tags developed in our group are based on the well-known DOTA chelate complex (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N″,N‴-tetraacetic acid) carrying ions of lanthanoides as metal core. In this review, I will outline the development of this mutual assistance between molecular and elemental mass spectrometry and discuss the scope and limitations particularly of peptide and protein quantification. The lanthanoide tags provide low detection limits, but offer multiplexing capabilities due to the number of very similar lanthanoides and their isotopes. With isotope dilution comes previously unknown accuracy. Separation techniques such as electrophoresis and HPLC were used and just slightly adapted workflows, already in use for quantification in bioanalysis. Imaging mass spectrometry (MSI) with MALDI and laser ablation ICP-MS complemented the range of application in recent years. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Leak detection aid

DOEpatents

Steeper, Timothy J.

1989-01-01

A leak detection apparatus and method for detecting leaks across an O-ring sealing a flanged surface to a mating surface is an improvement in a flanged surface comprising a shallow groove following O-ring in communication with an entrance and exit port intersecting the shallow groove for injecting and withdrawing, respectively, a leak detection fluid, such as helium. A small quantity of helium injected into the entrance port will flow to the shallow groove, past the O-ring and to the exit port.

A rapid field detection system for citrus huanglongbing associated ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ from the psyllid vector, diaphorina citri kuwayama and its implications in disease management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We report the development of an affordable detection kit for the detection of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las) from the psyllid vector, Diaphorina citri, which can provide real time test results in the field or field laboratory within 30-40 minutes without the need for expensive laboratory ...

Spectroscopic Evolution of Disintegrating Planetesimals: Minute to Month Variability in the Circumstellar Gas Associated with WD 1145+017

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

Redfield, Seth; Cauley, P. Wilson; Duvvuri, Girish M.

With the recent discovery of transiting planetary material around WD 1145+017, a critical target has been identified that links the evolution of planetary systems with debris disks and their accretion onto the star. We present a series of observations, five epochs over a year, taken with Keck and the VLT, which for the first time show variability of circumstellar absorption in the gas disk surrounding WD 1145+017 on timescales of minutes to months. Circumstellar absorption is measured in more than 250 lines of 14 ions among 10 different elements associated with planetary composition, e.g., O, Mg, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn,more » Fe, and Ni. Broad circumstellar gas absorption with a velocity spread of 225 km s{sup −1} is detected, but over the course of a year blueshifted absorption disappears, while redshifted absorption systematically increases. A correlation of equivalent width and oscillator strength indicates that the gas is not highly optically thick (median τ ≈ 2). We discuss simple models of an eccentric disk coupled with magnetospheric accretion to explain the basic observed characteristics of these high-resolution and high signal-to-noise observations. Variability is detected on timescales of minutes in the two most recent observations, showing a loss of redshifted absorption for tens of minutes, coincident with major transit events and consistent with gas hidden behind opaque transiting material. This system currently presents a unique opportunity to learn how the gas causing the spectroscopic, circumstellar absorption is associated with the ongoing accretion evidenced by photospheric contamination, as well as the transiting planetary material detected in photometric observations.« less

Early Detection of Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction Using Signal Analysis and Machine Learning: A Dynamic Solution to a Dynamic Problem.

PubMed

Blum, Emily S; Porras, Antonio R; Biggs, Elijah; Tabrizi, Pooneh R; Sussman, Rachael D; Sprague, Bruce M; Shalaby-Rana, Eglal; Majd, Massoud; Pohl, Hans G; Linguraru, Marius George

2017-10-21

We sought to define features that describe the dynamic information in diuresis renograms for the early detection of clinically significant hydronephrosis caused by ureteropelvic junction obstruction. We studied the diuresis renogram of 55 patients with a mean ± SD age of 75 ± 66 days who had congenital hydronephrosis at initial presentation. Five patients had bilaterally affected kidneys for a total of 60 diuresis renograms. Surgery was performed on 35 kidneys. We extracted 45 features based on curve shape and wavelet analysis from the drainage curves recorded after furosemide administration. The optimal features were selected as the combination that maximized the ROC AUC obtained from a linear support vector machine classifier trained to classify patients as with or without obstruction. Using these optimal features we performed leave 1 out cross validation to estimate the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of our framework. Results were compared to those obtained using post-diuresis drainage half-time and the percent of clearance after 30 minutes. Our framework had 93% accuracy, including 91% sensitivity and 96% specificity, to predict surgical cases. This was a significant improvement over the same accuracy of 82%, including 71% sensitivity and 96% specificity obtained from half-time and 30-minute clearance using the optimal thresholds of 24.57 minutes and 55.77%, respectively. Our machine learning framework significantly improved the diagnostic accuracy of clinically significant hydronephrosis compared to half-time and 30-minute clearance. This aids in the clinical decision making process by offering a tool for earlier detection of severe cases and it has the potential to reduce the number of diuresis renograms required for diagnosis. Copyright © 2018 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On-chip multiplexed solid-phase nucleic acid hybridization assay using spatial profiles of immobilized quantum dots and fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

PubMed

Noor, M Omair; Tavares, Anthony J; Krull, Ulrich J

2013-07-25

A microfluidic based solid-phase assay for the multiplexed detection of nucleic acid hybridization using quantum dot (QD) mediated fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is described herein. The glass surface of hybrid glass-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic channels was chemically modified to assemble the biorecognition interface. Multiplexing was demonstrated using a detection system that was comprised of two colors of immobilized semi-conductor QDs and two different oligonucleotide probe sequences. Green-emitting and red-emitting QDs were paired with Cy3 and Alexa Fluor 647 (A647) labeled oligonucleotides, respectively. The QDs served as energy donors for the transduction of dye labeled oligonucleotide targets. The in-channel assembly of the biorecognition interface and the subsequent introduction of oligonucleotide targets was accomplished within minutes using a combination of electroosmotic flow and electrophoretic force. The concurrent quantification of femtomole quantities of two target sequences was possible by measuring the spatial coverage of FRET sensitized emission along the length of the channel. In previous reports, multiplexed QD-FRET hybridization assays that employed a ratiometric method for quantification had challenges associated with lower analytical sensitivity arising from both donor and acceptor dilution that resulted in reduced energy transfer pathways as compared to single-color hybridization assays. Herein, a spatial method for quantification that is based on in-channel QD-FRET profiles provided higher analytical sensitivity in the multiplexed assay format as compared to single-color hybridization assays. The selectivity of the multiplexed hybridization assays was demonstrated by discrimination between a fully-complementary sequence and a 3 base pair sequence at a contrast ratio of 8 to 1. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neighbourhood built environment characteristics associated with different types of physical activity in Canadian adults.

PubMed

McCormack, Gavin R

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the associations between neighbourhood built environment characteristics and transportation walking (TW), recreational walking (RW), and moderate-intensity (MPA) and vigorous-intensity physical activity (VPA) in adults independent of sociodemographic characteristics and residential self-selection (i.e. the reasons related to physical activity associated with a person's choice of neighbourhood). In 2007 and 2008, 4423 Calgary adults completed land-based telephone interviews capturing physical activity, sociodemographic characteristics and reasons for residential self-selection. Using spatial data, we estimated population density, proportion of green space, path/cycleway length, business density, bus stop density, city-managed tree density, sidewalk length, park type mix and recreational destination mix within a 1.6 km street network distance from the participants' geolocated residential postal code. Generalized linear models estimated the associations between neighbourhood built environment characteristics and weekly neighbourhood-based physical activity participation (≥ 10 minutes/week; odds ratios [ORs]) and, among those who reported participation, duration of activity (unstandardized beta coefficients [B]). The sample included more women (59.7%) than men (40.3%) and the mean (standard deviation) age was 47.1 (15.6) years. TW participation was associated with intersection (OR = 1.11; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.20) and business (OR = 1.52; 1.29 to 1.78) density, and sidewalk length (OR = 1.19; 1.09 to 1.29), while TW minutes was associated with business (B = 19.24 minutes/week; 11.28 to 27.20) and tree (B = 6.51; 2.29 to 10.72 minutes/week) density, and recreational destination mix (B = -8.88 minutes/ week; -12.49 to -5.28). RW participation was associated with path/cycleway length (OR = 1.17; 1.05 to 1.31). MPA participation was associated with recreational destination mix (OR = 1.09; 1.01 to 1.17) and sidewalk length (OR = 1.10; 1.02 to 1.19); however, MPA minutes was negatively associated with population density (B = -8.65 minutes/ week; -15.32 to -1.98). VPA participation was associated with sidewalk length (OR = 1.11; 1.02 to 1.20), path/cycleway length (OR = 1.12; 1.02 to 1.24) and proportion of neighbourhood green space (OR = 0.89; 0.82 to 0.98). VPA minutes was associated with tree density (B = 7.28 minutes/week; 0.39 to 14.17). Some neighbourhood built environment characteristics appear important for supporting physical activity participation while others may be more supportive of increasing physical activity duration. Modifications that increase the density of utilitarian destinations and the quantity of available sidewalks in established neighbourhoods could increase overall levels of neighbourhood-based physical activity.

In vitro detection and quantification of botulinum neurotoxin type E activity in avian blood

USGS Publications Warehouse

Piazza, T.M.; Blehert, D.S.; Dunning, F.M.; Berlowski-Zier, B. M.; Zeytin, F.N.; Samuel, M.D.; Tucker, W.C.

2011-01-01

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (BoNT/E) outbreaks in the Great Lakes region cause large annual avian mortality events, with an estimated 17,000 bird deaths reported in 2007 alone. During an outbreak investigation, blood collected from bird carcasses is tested for the presence of BoNT/E using the mouse lethality assay. While sensitive, this method is labor-intensive and low throughput and can take up to 7 days to complete. We developed a rapid and sensitive in vitro assay, the BoTest Matrix E assay, that combines immunoprecipitation with high-affinity endopeptidase activity detection by F??rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to rapidly quantify BoNT/E activity in avian blood with detection limits comparable to those of the mouse lethality assay. On the basis of the analysis of archived blood samples (n = 87) collected from bird carcasses during avian mortality investigations, BoTest Matrix E detected picomolar quantities of BoNT/E following a 2-h incubation and femtomolar quantities of BoNT/E following extended incubation (24 h) with 100% diagnostic specificity and 91% diagnostic sensitivity. ?? 2011, American Society for Microbiology.

In vitro detection and quantification of botulinum neurotoxin type E activity in avian blood

USGS Publications Warehouse

Piazza, Timothy M.; Blehert, David S.; Dunning, F. Mark; Berlowski-Zier, Brenda M.; Zeytin, Fusun N.; Samuel, Michael D.; Tucker, Ward C.

2011-01-01

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (BoNT/E) outbreaks in the Great Lakes region cause large annual avian mortality events, with an estimated 17,000 bird deaths reported in 2007 alone. During an outbreak investigation, blood collected from bird carcasses is tested for the presence of BoNT/E using the mouse lethality assay. While sensitive, this method is labor-intensive and low throughput and can take up to 7 days to complete. We developed a rapid and sensitive in vitro assay, the BoTest Matrix E assay, that combines immunoprecipitation with high-affinity endopeptidase activity detection by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to rapidly quantify BoNT/E activity in avian blood with detection limits comparable to those of the mouse lethality assay. On the basis of the analysis of archived blood samples (n = 87) collected from bird carcasses during avian mortality investigations, BoTest Matrix E detected picomolar quantities of BoNT/E following a 2-h incubation and femtomolar quantities of BoNT/E following extended incubation (24 h) with 100% diagnostic specificity and 91% diagnostic sensitivity.

In Vitro Detection and Quantification of Botulinum Neurotoxin Type E Activity in Avian Blood▿

PubMed Central

Piazza, Timothy M.; Blehert, David S.; Dunning, F. Mark; Berlowski-Zier, Brenda M.; Zeytin, Füsûn N.; Samuel, Michael D.; Tucker, Ward C.

2011-01-01

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (BoNT/E) outbreaks in the Great Lakes region cause large annual avian mortality events, with an estimated 17,000 bird deaths reported in 2007 alone. During an outbreak investigation, blood collected from bird carcasses is tested for the presence of BoNT/E using the mouse lethality assay. While sensitive, this method is labor-intensive and low throughput and can take up to 7 days to complete. We developed a rapid and sensitive in vitro assay, the BoTest Matrix E assay, that combines immunoprecipitation with high-affinity endopeptidase activity detection by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to rapidly quantify BoNT/E activity in avian blood with detection limits comparable to those of the mouse lethality assay. On the basis of the analysis of archived blood samples (n = 87) collected from bird carcasses during avian mortality investigations, BoTest Matrix E detected picomolar quantities of BoNT/E following a 2-h incubation and femtomolar quantities of BoNT/E following extended incubation (24 h) with 100% diagnostic specificity and 91% diagnostic sensitivity. PMID:21908624

Rapid identification of Yersinia pestis and Brucella melitensis by chip-based continuous flow PCR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietzsch, Michael; Hlawatsch, Nadine; Melzer, Falk; Tomaso, Herbert; Gärtner, Claudia; Neubauer, Heinrich

2012-06-01

To combat the threat of biological agents like Yersinia pestis and Brucella melitensis in bioterroristic scenarios requires fast, easy-to-use and safe identification systems. In this study we describe a system for rapid amplification of specific genetic markers for the identification of Yersinia pestis and Brucella melitensis. Using chip based PCR and continuous flow technology we were able to amplify the targets simultaneously with a 2-step reaction profile within 20 minutes. The subsequent analysis of amplified fragments by standard gel electrophoresis requires another 45 minutes. We were able to detect both pathogens within 75 minutes being much faster than most other nucleic acid amplification technologies.

Orbiting astronomical observatory-Copernicus. [scientific results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

York, D. G.

1973-01-01

Of the three observatories planned in NASA's OAO program, one, OAO-3, is still in orbit and producing scientifically useful data. The prime experiment is the Princeton telescope spectrometer. Following a brief history of the OAO program, a description is given of the Princeton telescope with its 80-cm primary mirror, and of the spectrometer, which yields a resolution of up to 0.05 A. The spacecraft guidance system is also described. This system initially points the observatory to within a few arc minutes of the target, places the 0.3-arc sec slit on the star in less than 3 minutes, and holds on the star for up to 50 minutes with errors less than 0.05 arc sec. The main scientific results are described under the following categories: (1) the widespread presence of molecular hydrogen; (2) the search for other molecules, including detection of CO; (3) the nature of the interstellar medium as inferred from the detection of various atomic lines; (4) the study of chromospheres in late type stars; and (5) the study of mass loss in binaries and single stars.

A method for release and multiple strand amplification of small quantities of DNA from endospores of the fastidious bacterium Pasteuria penetrans.

PubMed

Mauchline, T H; Mohan, S; Davies, K G; Schaff, J E; Opperman, C H; Kerry, B R; Hirsch, P R

2010-05-01

To establish a reliable protocol to extract DNA from Pasteuria penetrans endospores for use as template in multiple strand amplification, thus providing sufficient material for genetic analyses. To develop a highly sensitive PCR-based diagnostic tool for P. penetrans. An optimized method to decontaminate endospores, release and purify DNA enabled multiple strand amplification. DNA purity was assessed by cloning and sequencing gyrB and 16S rRNA gene fragments obtained from PCR using generic primers. Samples indicated to be 100%P. penetrans by the gyrB assay were estimated at 46% using the 16S rRNA gene. No bias was detected on cloning and sequencing 12 housekeeping and sporulation gene fragments from amplified DNA. The detection limit by PCR with Pasteuria-specific 16S rRNA gene primers following multiple strand amplification of DNA extracted using the method was a single endospore. Generation of large quantities DNA will facilitate genomic sequencing of P. penetrans. Apparent differences in sample purity are explained by variations in 16S rRNA gene copy number in Eubacteria leading to exaggerated estimations of sample contamination. Detection of single endospores will facilitate investigations of P. penetrans molecular ecology. These methods will advance studies on P. penetrans and facilitate research on other obligate and fastidious micro-organisms where it is currently impractical to obtain DNA in sufficient quantity and quality.

Analysis of the impact of safeguards criteria

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

Mullen, M.F.; Reardon, P.T.

As part of the US Program of Technical Assistance to IAEA Safeguards, the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) was asked to assist in developing and demonstrating a model for assessing the impact of setting criteria for the application of IAEA safeguards. This report presents the results of PNL's work on the task. The report is in three parts. The first explains the technical approach and methodology. The second contains an example application of the methodology. The third presents the conclusions of the study. PNL used the model and computer programs developed as part of Task C.5 (Estimation of Inspection Efforts) ofmore » the Program of Technical Assistance. The example application of the methodology involves low-enriched uranium conversion and fuel fabrication facilities. The effects of variations in seven parameters are considered: false alarm probability, goal probability of detection, detection goal quantity, the plant operator's measurement capability, the inspector's variables measurement capability, the inspector's attributes measurement capability, and annual plant throughput. Among the key results and conclusions of the analysis are the following: the variables with the greatest impact on the probability of detection are the inspector's measurement capability, the goal quantity, and the throughput; the variables with the greatest impact on inspection costs are the throughput, the goal quantity, and the goal probability of detection; there are important interactions between variables. That is, the effects of a given variable often depends on the level or value of some other variable. With the methodology used in this study, these interactions can be quantitatively analyzed; reasonably good approximate prediction equations can be developed using the methodology described here.« less

An Artesunate-Containing Antimalarial Treatment Regimen Did Not Suppress Cytomegalovirus Viremia

PubMed Central

Gantt, Soren; Huang, Meei-Li; Magaret, Amalia; Bunts, Lisa; Selke, Stacy; Wald, Anna; Rosenthal, Philip J.; Dorsey, Grant; Casper, Corey

2014-01-01

Background Additional drugs are needed for the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Artesunate is an antimalarial drug that has activity against CMV in vitro and in a rodent model. Only a small number of case reports are available describing the clinical effects of artesunate on CMV infection, and these yielded inconsistent results. Objective To evaluate the effect of artesunate on CMV infection, using blood samples collected from children who participated in malaria treatment trials. Study design Quantitative CMV DNA PCR was performed on dried blood spots collected from 494 Ugandan children, who were randomized either to artesunate plus amodiaquine or sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine for acute malaria infection. Poisson regression was used to compare treatment regimens with respect to the change in the frequency and quantity of CMV detected that occurred before and after treatment. Results CMV was detected in 11.4% of children immediately prior to treatment and 10.7% 3 days later (p=0.70). The average quantity of CMV was 0.30 log10 copies per million cells higher on day 3 than at treatment initiation (95% CI 0.01 to 0.58, p=0.041). There was no measurable difference in either the frequency or quantity of CMV detected in blood between children randomized to the two treatment arms. Conclusions A standard 3-day artesunate-containing antimalarial regimen had no detectable effect on CMV viremia in children with malaria. Longer treatment courses and/or higher doses of artesunate than those routinely used for malaria may be required for effective treatment of CMV infection. PMID:23827788

Determining the maximum charging currents of lithium-ion cells for small charge quantities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimsmann, F.; Gerbert, T.; Brauchle, F.; Gruhle, A.; Parisi, J.; Knipper, M.

2017-10-01

In order to optimize the operating parameters of battery management systems for electric and hybrid vehicles, great interest has been shown in achieving the maximum permissible charging currents during recuperation, without causing a cell damage due to lithium plating, in relation to the temperature, charge quantity and state of charge. One method for determining these recuperation currents is measuring the cell thickness, where excessively high charging currents can be detected by an irreversible increase in thickness. It is not possible to measure particularly small charge quantities by employing mechanic dial indicators, which have a limited resolution of 1 μm. This is why we developed a measuring setup that has a resolution limit of less than 10 nm using a high-resolution contactless inductance sensor. Our results show that the permissible charging current I can be approximated in relation to the charge quantity x by a correlating function I =a /√{(x) } which is compliant with the Arrhenius law. Small charge quantities therefore have an optimization potential for energy recovery during recuperation.

Development of a Calibration Strip for Immunochromatographic Assay Detection Systems.

PubMed

Gao, Yue-Ming; Wei, Jian-Chong; Mak, Peng-Un; Vai, Mang-I; Du, Min; Pun, Sio-Hang

2016-06-29

With many benefits and applications, immunochromatographic (ICG) assay detection systems have been reported on a great deal. However, the existing research mainly focuses on increasing the dynamic detection range or application fields. Calibration of the detection system, which has a great influence on the detection accuracy, has not been addressed properly. In this context, this work develops a calibration strip for ICG assay photoelectric detection systems. An image of the test strip is captured by an image acquisition device, followed by performing a fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering algorithm and maximin-distance algorithm for image segmentation. Additionally, experiments are conducted to find the best characteristic quantity. By analyzing the linear coefficient, an average value of hue (H) at 14 min is chosen as the characteristic quantity and the empirical formula between H and optical density (OD) value is established. Therefore, H, saturation (S), and value (V) are calculated by a number of selected OD values. Then, H, S, and V values are transferred to the RGB color space and a high-resolution printer is used to print the strip images on cellulose nitrate membranes. Finally, verification of the printed calibration strips is conducted by analyzing the linear correlation between OD and the spectral reflectance, which shows a good linear correlation (R² = 98.78%).

Geohydrology of the Oklahoma Panhandle, Beaver, Cimarron, and Texas Counties

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hart, D.L.; Hoffman, G.L.; Goemaat, Robert L.

1976-01-01

The Ogallala aquifer, which consists of semiconsolidated clay, sand, and gravel, is the principal source of ground water in the Oklahoma Panhandle. This aquifer commonly yields 500 to 1,000 gallons per minute (32 to 63 litres per second) and may yield as much as 2,500 gallons per minute (158 litres per second). Based on an estimated average storage coefficient of 0.1, the quantity of water stored in the Ogallala aquifer was computed at approximately 50 million acre-feet (6.17 x 101° cubic metres). Local overdevelopment of this water resource has resulted in water-level declines of more than 40 feet (12 metres) from 1966 to 1972 in some areas of concentrated well development. The amount of ground water in storage has been reduced about 2 percent during this period.Aquifer tests indicate that transmissivity ranges from 500 to 11,800 feet squared per day (46 to 1,100 metres squared per day), the storage coefficient ranges from 0.002 to 0.11, and hydraulic conductivity ranges from 2.1 to 55 feet per day (0.6 to 16.8 metres per day). In addition to these tests, 802 specific-capacity tests were used to extend transmissivity data.Recharge to the Ogallala aquifer is primarily from precipitation and may be as much as 1 inch (25 millimetres) per year in areas where catchment and percolation are most favorable. Discharge is primarily from pumping and a small amount of natural discharge.Aquifers of limited importance are the Dakota Sandstone and the Cheyenne Sandstone Member of the Purgatoire Formation which provide water to irrigation wells in the southwestern part of Cimarron County. Irrigation wells generally are completed jointly in these aquifers and yields of 300 to 500 gallons per minute (19 to 32 litres per second) are common. Water levels in these aquifers have not shown the pronounced declines that have occurred in the Ogallala aquifer. Permian red beds provide only small quantities of water to domestic and stock wells.Water in the Ogallala aquifer, Dakota Sandstone, and Cheyenne Sandstone Member generally has a dissolved-solids concentration of less than 500 milligrams per litre. The dissolved-solids concentration in water from the Permian red beds generally exceeds 500 milligrams per litre and locally exceeds 2,000 milligrams per litre.

A possible space-based tsunami early warning system using observations of the tsunami ionospheric hole.

PubMed

Kamogawa, Masashi; Orihara, Yoshiaki; Tsurudome, Chiaki; Tomida, Yuto; Kanaya, Tatsuya; Ikeda, Daiki; Gusman, Aditya Riadi; Kakinami, Yoshihiro; Liu, Jann-Yenq; Toyoda, Atsushi

2016-12-01

Ionospheric plasma disturbances after a large tsunami can be detected by measurement of the total electron content (TEC) between a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and its ground-based receivers. TEC depression lasting for a few minutes to tens of minutes termed as tsunami ionospheric hole (TIH) is formed above the tsunami source area. Here we describe the quantitative relationship between initial tsunami height and the TEC depression rate caused by a TIH from seven tsunamigenic earthquakes in Japan and Chile. We found that the percentage of TEC depression and initial tsunami height are correlated and the largest TEC depressions appear 10 to 20 minutes after the main shocks. Our findings imply that Ionospheric TEC measurement using the existing ground receiver networks could be used in an early warning system for near-field tsunamis that take more than 20 minutes to arrive in coastal areas.

A possible space-based tsunami early warning system using observations of the tsunami ionospheric hole

PubMed Central

Kamogawa, Masashi; Orihara, Yoshiaki; Tsurudome, Chiaki; Tomida, Yuto; Kanaya, Tatsuya; Ikeda, Daiki; Gusman, Aditya Riadi; Kakinami, Yoshihiro; Liu, Jann-Yenq; Toyoda, Atsushi

2016-01-01

Ionospheric plasma disturbances after a large tsunami can be detected by measurement of the total electron content (TEC) between a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and its ground-based receivers. TEC depression lasting for a few minutes to tens of minutes termed as tsunami ionospheric hole (TIH) is formed above the tsunami source area. Here we describe the quantitative relationship between initial tsunami height and the TEC depression rate caused by a TIH from seven tsunamigenic earthquakes in Japan and Chile. We found that the percentage of TEC depression and initial tsunami height are correlated and the largest TEC depressions appear 10 to 20 minutes after the main shocks. Our findings imply that Ionospheric TEC measurement using the existing ground receiver networks could be used in an early warning system for near-field tsunamis that take more than 20 minutes to arrive in coastal areas. PMID:27905487

Radiative signatures from impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy-9 on Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahrens, Thomas J.; Takata, Toshiko; O'Keefe, John D.; Orton, Glenn S.

1994-01-01

The visible optical power emitted from the expansion plumes from 0.4 and 2 km diameter fragments of Shoemaker-Levy are expected to be, approximately 25% and comparable to, the visible solar flux reflected from Jupiter, respectively, for several minutes, and could be easily observed by sensors on the Galileo spacecraft. Earth-based observers can detect these plumes as these expand over the SW limb of Jupiter and come into earth view some minutes after impact!

Enhanced Application of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Bladder Cancer by Adding Early Dynamic Acquisition to a Standard Delayed PET Protocol.

PubMed

Yoon, Hai-Jeon; Yoo, Jang; Kim, Yemi; Lee, Dong Hyeon; Kim, Bom Sahn

2017-10-01

We investigated the value of early dynamic (ED) PET for the detection and characterization of bladder cancer. Fifty-two bladder cancer patients were prospectively enrolled. The study protocol was composed of ED, whole-body (WB, 60 minutes after injection), and additional delayed (AD, 120 minutes after injection) PET acquisition. Early dynamic PET was acquired for 10 minutes and reconstructed as 5 frames at 2-minute intervals. A focal radiotracer accumulation confined to the bladder wall was considered as PET positive and referred for further quantitative measurement. SUVmax on ED (SUVmax, SUVmax, SUVmax, SUVmax, and SUVmax for 5 frames), WB (SUVmax), and AD PET (SUVmax) were measured. PET results were correlated with bladder cancer pathology variables. The sensitivities of ED, WB, and AD PET for bladder cancer were 84.6%, 57.7%, and 61.2%, respectively. The sensitivity of ED PET was significantly higher than that of WB (P = 0.002) and AD PET (P = 0.008). On ED PET, SUVmax was significantly correlated with muscle invasiveness, histological grade, and pathological tumor size (P = 0.018, P = 0.030, and P = 0.030). On WB and AD PET, only pathological tumor size showed significant positive correlation with SUVmax and SUVmax (P = 0.043 and P = 0.007). Early dynamic PET can help to detect and characterize bladder cancer.

Evaluation of plasma diazepam and nordiazepam concentrations following administration of diazepam intravenously or via suppository per rectum in dogs.

PubMed

Probst, Curtis W; Thomas, William B; Moyers, Tamberlyn D; Martin, Tomas; Cox, Sherry

2013-04-01

To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of diazepam administered per rectum via compounded (ie, not commercially available) suppositories and determine whether a dose of 2 mg/kg in this formulation would result in plasma concentrations shown to be effective for control of status epilepticus or cluster seizures (ie, 150 to 300 ng/mL) in dogs within a clinically useful interval (10 to 15 minutes). 6 healthy mixed-breed dogs. Dogs were randomly assigned to 2 groups of 3 dogs each in a crossover-design study. Diazepam (2 mg/kg) was administered IV or via suppository per rectum, and blood samples were collected at predetermined time points. Following a 6- or 7-day washout period, each group received the alternate treatment. Plasma concentrations of diazepam and nordiazepam were analyzed via reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Plasma concentrations of diazepam and nordiazepam exceeded the targeted range ≤ 3 minutes after IV administration in all dogs. After suppository administration, targeted concentrations of diazepam were not detected in any dogs, and targeted concentrations of nordiazepam were detected after 90 minutes (n = 2 dogs) or 120 minutes (3) or were not achieved (1). On the basis of these results, administration of 2 mg of diazepam/kg via the compounded suppositories used in the present study cannot be recommended for emergency treatment of seizures in dogs.

BOKS 45906: a CV with an Orbital Period of 56.6 Min in the Kepler Field?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsay, Gavin; Howell, Steve B.; Wood, Matt A.; Smale, Alan; Barclay, Thomas; Seebode, Sally A.; Gelino, Dawn; Still, Martin; Cannizzo, John K.

2013-01-01

BOKS 45906 was found to be a blue source in the Burrell-Optical-Kepler Survey which showed a 3 magnitude outburst lasting approximately 5 days. We present the Kepler light curve of this source which covers nearly 3 years. We find that it is in a faint optical state for approximately half the time and shows a series of outbursts separated by distinct dips in flux. Using data with 1 minute sampling, we find clear evidence that in its low state BOKS 45906 shows a flux variability on a period of 56.5574 plus or minus 0.0014 minutes and a semi-amplitude of approximately 3 percent. Since we can phase all the 1 minute cadence data on a common ephemeris using this period, it is probable that 56.56 minutes is the binary orbital period. Optical spectra of BOKS 45906 show the presence of Balmer lines in emission indicating it is not an AM CVn (pure Helium) binary. Swift data show that it is a weak X-ray source and is weakly detected in the bluest of the UVOT filters. We conclude that BOKS 45906 is a cataclysmic variable with a period shorter than the 'period-bounce' systems and therefore BOKS 45906 could be the first helium-rich cataclysmic variable detected in the Kepler field.

Immunoblotting assays for keratan sulfate.

PubMed

Yoon, Jung Hae; Brooks, Randolph; Halper, Jaroslava

2002-07-15

The detection of microquantities of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in biological samples has been hampered by the lack of sensitive methods. In this paper we describe the modification and development of three sensitive assays capable of detecting nanogram quantities of GAGs in biological samples. The first assay detects total GAGs. It is a modified Alcian blue dye precipitation assay in which the dye binds to the negatively charged GAGs in CsCl-fractionated extracts from chicken tendons. This assay compares favorably with the widely used uronic acid assay in terms of its sensitivity and ability to detect all classes of GAGs, including keratan sulfate (KS). Two other assays, dot-blotting and immunoblotting, detect KS in complex mixtures and can be easily adapted for the detection of other GAGs. Both take advantage of binding of carboxyl and sulfate groups of GAGs to trivalent neodymium. In dot-blotting, samples were directly blotted onto nitrocellulose membrane soaked in Nd(2)(SO(4))(3) buffer, and KS was detected with the monoclonal anti-KS 5-D-4 antibody and an avidin-biotin complex detection system. In immunoblotting, the samples were first separated in 28% polyacrylamide gels, transferred onto a Nd(2)(SO(4))(3)-soaked nitrocellulose membrane using a phosphate buffer system, and stained and developed using the same protocol as in dot-blotting. Whereas dot-blotting allows the use of very low quantities of samples because of its high sensitivity (lower detection limit was 5 ng), immunoblotting provides more specificity.

Leak detection aid

DOEpatents

Steeper, T.J.

1989-12-26

A leak detection apparatus and method for detecting leaks across an O-ring sealing a flanged surface to a mating surface is an improvement in a flanged surface comprising a shallow groove following O-ring in communication with an entrance and exit port intersecting the shallow groove for injecting and withdrawing, respectively, a leak detection fluid, such as helium. A small quantity of helium injected into the entrance port will flow to the shallow groove, past the O-ring and to the exit port. 2 figs.

Therapeutic effect of forearm low level light treatment on blood flow, oxygenation, and oxygen consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Pengbo; Sun, Jiajing; Meng, Lingkang; Li, Zebin; Li, Ting

2018-02-01

Low level light/laser therapy (LLLT) is considered as a novel, non-invasive, and potential therapy in a variety of psychological and physical conditions, due to its effective intricate photobiomodulation. The mechanism of LLLT is that when cells are stimulated by photons, mitochondria produce a large quantity of ATP, which accelerates biochemical responses in the cell. It is of great significance to gain a clear insight into the change or interplay of various physiological parameters. In this study, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and venous-occlusion plethysmography to measure the LLLT-induced changes in blood flow, oxygenation, and oxygen consumption in human forearms in vivo. Six healthy human participants (4 males and 2 females) were administered with 810-nm light emitted by LED array in ten minutes and blood flow, oxygenation and oxygen consumption were detected in the entire experiment. We found that LLLT induced an increase of blood flow and oxygen consumption on the treated site. Meanwhile, LLLT took a good role in promoting oxygenation of regional tissue, which was indicated by a significant increase of oxygenated hemoglobin concentration (Δ[HbO2]), a nearly invariable deoxygenated hemoglobin concentration (Δ[Hb]) and a increase of differential hemoglobin concentration (Δ[HbD] = Δ[HbO2] - Δ[Hb]). These results not only demonstrate enormous potential of LLLT, but help to figure out mechanisms of photobiomodulation.

The Role of Dafachronic Acid Signaling in Development and Longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans: Digging Deeper Using Cutting-Edge Analytical Chemistry.

PubMed

Aguilaniu, Hugo; Fabrizio, Paola; Witting, Michael

2016-01-01

Steroid hormones regulate physiological processes in species ranging from plants to humans. A wide range of steroid hormones exist, and their contributions to processes, such as growth, reproduction, development, and aging, is almost always complex. Understanding the biosynthetic pathways that generate steroid hormones and the signaling pathways that mediate their effects is thus of fundamental importance. In this work, we review recent advances in (i) the biological role of steroid hormones in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans and (ii) the development of novel methods to facilitate the detection and identification of these molecules. Our current understanding of steroid signaling in this simple organism serves to illustrate the challenges we face moving forward. First, it seems clear that we have not yet identified all of the enzymes responsible for steroid biosynthesis and/or degradation. Second, perturbation of steroid signaling affects a wide range of phenotypes, and subtly different steroid molecules can have distinct effects. Finally, steroid hormone levels are critically important, and minute variations in quantity can profoundly impact a phenotype. Thus, it is imperative that we develop innovative analytical tools and combine them with cutting-edge approaches including comprehensive and highly selective liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry based on new methods such as supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) if we are to obtain a better understanding of the biological functions of steroid signaling.

Spectrometer calibration for spectroscopic Fourier domain optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Szkulmowski, Maciej; Tamborski, Szymon; Wojtkowski, Maciej

2016-01-01

We propose a simple and robust procedure for Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FdOCT) that allows to linearize the detected FdOCT spectra to wavenumber domain and, at the same time, to determine the wavelength of light for each point of detected spectrum. We show that in this approach it is possible to use any measurable physical quantity that has linear dependency on wavenumber and can be extracted from spectral fringes. The actual values of the measured quantity have no importance for the algorithm and do not need to be known at any stage of the procedure. As example we calibrate a spectral OCT spectrometer using Doppler frequency. The technique of spectral calibration can be in principle adapted to of all kind of Fourier domain OCT devices. PMID:28018723

9 CFR 113.28 - Detection of mycoplasma contamination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... REQUIREMENTS Standard Procedures § 113.28 Detection of mycoplasma contamination. The heart infusion test, using heart infusion broth and heart infusion agar, provided in this section shall be conducted when a test... inactivated at 56 °C for 30 minutes. (b) Heart infusion broth shall be prepared as provided in this paragraph...

Short duration flares in GALEX data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brasseur, Clara; Osten, Rachel A.

2018-06-01

Flares on cool stars indicate short time-scale magnetic reconnection processes that provide temporary increases in the stellar radiative output. While recent work has focused on long-duration flares from solar-like stars and those of lower mass, the existence of short-duration flares in the ultraviolet has not been systematically probed before. We will present an interesting population of short duration flares we discovered in a sample of ~37,000 light curves observed from 2009-2012 by the GALEX and Kepler missions. These flares range in duration from under a minute to a few minutes and are almost entirely distinct from a previous flare survey of Kepler data. We were able to detect this unique population of flares because the time resolution of the GALEX data allowed us to construct light curves with a 10 second cadence and thus detect shorter duration flares than could be detected within Kepler data. We applied algorithmic flare detection to a sample of ~37,000 stars, and identified a final count of 2,065 flares on 1,121 stars. We discuss the implication of these events for the flare frequency distributions of solar-like stars.

Sensory Prioritization in Rats: Behavioral Performance and Neuronal Correlates.

PubMed

Lee, Conrad C Y; Diamond, Mathew E; Arabzadeh, Ehsan

2016-03-16

Operating with some finite quantity of processing resources, an animal would benefit from prioritizing the sensory modality expected to provide key information in a particular context. The present study investigated whether rats dedicate attentional resources to the sensory modality in which a near-threshold event is more likely to occur. We manipulated attention by controlling the likelihood with which a stimulus was presented from one of two modalities. In a whisker session, 80% of trials contained a brief vibration stimulus applied to whiskers and the remaining 20% of trials contained a brief change of luminance. These likelihoods were reversed in a visual session. When a stimulus was presented in the high-likelihood context, detection performance increased and was faster compared with the same stimulus presented in the low-likelihood context. Sensory prioritization was also reflected in neuronal activity in the vibrissal area of primary somatosensory cortex: single units responded differentially to the whisker vibration stimulus when presented with higher probability compared with lower probability. Neuronal activity in the vibrissal cortex displayed signatures of multiplicative gain control and enhanced response to vibration stimuli during the whisker session. In conclusion, rats allocate priority to the more likely stimulus modality and the primary sensory cortex may participate in the redistribution of resources. Detection of low-amplitude events is critical to survival; for example, to warn prey of predators. To formulate a response, decision-making systems must extract minute neuronal signals from the sensory modality that provides key information. Here, we identify the behavioral and neuronal correlates of sensory prioritization in rats. Rats were trained to detect whisker vibrations or visual flickers. Stimuli were embedded in two contexts in which either visual or whisker modality was more likely to occur. When a stimulus was presented in the high-likelihood context, detection was faster and more reliable. Neuronal recording from the vibrissal cortex revealed enhanced representation of vibrations in the prioritized context. These results establish the rat as an alternative model organism to primates for studying attention. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/363243-11$15.00/0.

Does quantity generate quality? Testing the fundamental principle of brainstorming.

PubMed

Muñoz Adánez, Alfredo

2005-11-01

The purpose of this work is to test the chief principle of brainstorming, formulated as "quantity generates quality." The study is included within a broad program whose goal is to detect the strong and weak points of creative techniques. In a sample of 69 groups, containing between 3 and 8 members, the concurrence of two commonly accepted criteria was established as a quality rule: originality and utility or value. The results fully support the quantity-quality relation (r = .893): the more ideas produced to solve a problem, the better quality of the ideas. The importance of this finding, which supports Osborn's theory, is discussed, and the use of brainstorming is recommended to solve the many open problems faced by our society.

A Crash Course in using Pulsars to Detect Gravitational Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lommen, Andrea N.; NANOGrav

2014-01-01

A collection of well-timed millisecond pulsars makes a “pulsar timing array”, an “observatory” capable of detecting and characterizing small perturbations in spacetime called gravitational waves. In this 12-minute crash course you will learn how pulsars are timed, how you can use them to detect gravitational waves, who and what telescopes are engaged in this international enterprise, and how you can get involved.

Predicting Epileptic Seizures in Advance

PubMed Central

Moghim, Negin; Corne, David W.

2014-01-01

Epilepsy is the second most common neurological disorder, affecting 0.6–0.8% of the world's population. In this neurological disorder, abnormal activity of the brain causes seizures, the nature of which tend to be sudden. Antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs) are used as long-term therapeutic solutions that control the condition. Of those treated with AEDs, 35% become resistant to medication. The unpredictable nature of seizures poses risks for the individual with epilepsy. It is clearly desirable to find more effective ways of preventing seizures for such patients. The automatic detection of oncoming seizures, before their actual onset, can facilitate timely intervention and hence minimize these risks. In addition, advance prediction of seizures can enrich our understanding of the epileptic brain. In this study, drawing on the body of work behind automatic seizure detection and prediction from digitised Invasive Electroencephalography (EEG) data, a prediction algorithm, ASPPR (Advance Seizure Prediction via Pre-ictal Relabeling), is described. ASPPR facilitates the learning of predictive models targeted at recognizing patterns in EEG activity that are in a specific time window in advance of a seizure. It then exploits advanced machine learning coupled with the design and selection of appropriate features from EEG signals. Results, from evaluating ASPPR independently on 21 different patients, suggest that seizures for many patients can be predicted up to 20 minutes in advance of their onset. Compared to benchmark performance represented by a mean S1-Score (harmonic mean of Sensitivity and Specificity) of 90.6% for predicting seizure onset between 0 and 5 minutes in advance, ASPPR achieves mean S1-Scores of: 96.30% for prediction between 1 and 6 minutes in advance, 96.13% for prediction between 8 and 13 minutes in advance, 94.5% for prediction between 14 and 19 minutes in advance, and 94.2% for prediction between 20 and 25 minutes in advance. PMID:24911316

Diffuse optical monitoring of peripheral tissues during uncontrolled internal hemorrhage in a porcine model

PubMed Central

Vishwanath, Karthik; Gurjar, Rajan; Wolf, David; Riccardi, Suzannah; Duggan, Michael; King, David

2018-01-01

Reliable, continuous and noninvasive blood flow and hemoglobin monitoring in trauma patients remains a critical, but generally unachieved goal. Two optical sensing methods - diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) – are used to monitor and detect internal hemorrhage. Specifically, we investigate if cutaneous perfusion measurements acquired using DCS and DRS in peripheral (thighs and ear-lobe) tissues could detect severe hemorrhagic shock in a porcine model. Four animals underwent high-grade hepato-portal injury in a closed abdomen, to induce uncontrolled hemorrhage and were subsequently allowed to bleed for 10 minutes before fluid resuscitation. DRS and DCS measurements of cutaneous blood flow were acquired using fiber optical probes placed on the thigh and earlobe of the animals and were obtained repeatedly starting from 1 to 5 minutes pre-injury, up to several minutes post shock. Clear changes were observed in measured optical spectra across all animals at both sites. DCS-derived cutaneous blood flow decreased sharply during hemorrhage, while DRS-derived vascular saturation and hemoglobin paralleled cardiac output. All derived optical parameters had the steepest changes during the rapid initial hemorrhage unambiguously. This suggests that a combined DCS and DRS based device might provide an easy-to-use, non-invasive, internal-hemorrhage detection system that can be used across a wide array of clinical settings. PMID:29552394

Alarm characterization for a continuous glucose monitor that replaces traditional blood glucose monitoring.

PubMed

McGarraugh, Geoffrey

2010-01-01

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices available in the United States are approved for use as adjuncts to self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG); all CGM alarms require SMBG confirmation before treatment. In this report, an analysis method is proposed to determine the CGM threshold alarm accuracy required to eliminate SMBG confirmation. The proposed method builds on the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guideline for evaluating CGM threshold alarms using data from an in-clinic study of subjects with type 1 diabetes. The CLSI method proposes a maximum time limit of +/-30 minutes for the detection of hypo- and hyperglycemic events but does not include limits for glucose measurement accuracy. The International Standards Organization (ISO) standard for SMBG glucose measurement accuracy (ISO 15197) is +/-15 mg/dl for glucose <75 mg/dl and +/-20% for glucose > or = 75 mg/dl. This standard was combined with the CLSI method to more completely characterize the accuracy of CGM alarms. Incorporating the ISO 15197 accuracy margins, FreeStyle Navigator CGM system alarms detected 70 mg/dl hypoglycemia within 30 minutes at a rate of 70.3%, with a false alarm rate of 11.4%. The device detected high glucose in the range of 140-300 mg/dl within 30 minutes at an average rate of 99.2%, with a false alarm rate of 2.1%. Self-monitoring of blood glucose confirmation is necessary for detecting and treating hypoglycemia with the FreeStyle Navigator CGM system, but at high glucose levels, SMBG confirmation adds little incremental value to CGM alarms. 2010 Diabetes Technology Society.

Analyses of the vertical and temporal distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria in Lake Aha (China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, M. Y.; Liang, X. B.; Yuan, X. Y.; Zhang, W.; Zeng, J.

2008-03-01

In April and September of 2005, two sediment cores were collected from Lake Aha, which is polluted by the acid mine drainage of the mining industries. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) groups and their quantity were analyzed by using PCR and FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization), respectively. The results showed that four SRB groups ( Desulfotomaculum, Desulfobulbus, Desulfococcus Desulfonema Desulfosarcina and Desulfovibrio Desulfomicrobium) were detected in September, while only three SRB groups ( Desulfotomaculum, Desulfobulbus and Desulfococcus Desulfonema Desulfosarcina) were detected in April. Desulfovibrio Desulfomicrobium was not detected and was expected to exist inactively, in April. Meanwhile, the distribution of every SRB group was wider in September than in April. The results indicated that different SRB groups had different vertical and temporal distribution. The vertical and temporal distribution of SRB was mainly in the upper sediments, and the number of SRB groups and quantity were larger in September than in April. It suggested that the environmental conditions of sediments in September were more suitable for SRB.

In field application of differential Die-Away time technique for detecting gram quantities of fissile materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remetti, Romolo; Gandolfo, Giada; Lepore, Luigi; Cherubini, Nadia

2017-10-01

In the frame of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear defense European activities, the ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, is proposing the Neutron Active Interrogation system (NAI), a device designed to find transuranic-based Radioactive Dispersal Devices hidden inside suspected packages. It is based on Differential Die-Away time Analysis, an active neutron technique targeted in revealing the presence of fissile material through detection of induced fission neutrons. Several Monte Carlo simulations, carried out by MCNPX code, and the development of ad-hoc design methods, have led to the realization of a first prototype based on a 14 MeV d-t neutron generator coupled with a tailored moderating structure, and an array of helium-3 neutron detectors. The complete system is characterized by easy transportability, light weight, and real-time response. First results have shown device's capability to detect gram quantities of fissile materials.

Drilling, construction, and testing of water-supply wells 21 and 22, White Sands Missle Range, Dona Ana County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, Clyde A.; White, R.R.; Roybal, R.G.; Gonzales, J.L.

1978-01-01

During the spring and summer of 1976, two municipal-supply wells (designated as well 21 and well 22 - 2,000 feet apart) were drilled at the Post Headquarters area of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The design specifications for both wells called for 24-inch diameter surface casing cemented in place to a depth of about 430 feet, with 16-inch liner and slotted casing from the surface to a depth of about 700 feet. Each well was pumped continuously for 32 hours in a step-drawdown test. This test consisted of four steps, with discharge rates varying from about 500 to 1,150 gallons per minute. The drawdown test for well 21 gave an estimated transmissivity of 17,300 gallons per day per foot, and a final specific capacity of slightly less than 11 gallons per minute per foot of drawdown. The step-drawdown test and later drawdown and recovery test on well 22 gave an average transmissivity of 32,600 gallons per day per foot, and a final specific capacity of about 15 gallons per minute per foot of drawdown. The data collected indicated that the aquifer in the vicinity of well 22 is more permeable than the aquifer around well 21. Both wells furnish a satisfactory quantity of excellent-quality water. The dissolved-solids content of water from wells 21 and 22 is 232 and 301 mg/liter respectively. (Woodard-USGS)

Low-dose caffeine administered in chewing gum does not enhance cycling to exhaustion.

PubMed

Ryan, Edward J; Kim, Chul-Ho; Muller, Matthew D; Bellar, David M; Barkley, Jacob E; Bliss, Matthew V; Jankowski-Wilkinson, Andrea; Russell, Morgan; Otterstetter, Ronald; Macander, Daniela; Glickman, Ellen L; Kamimori, Gary H

2012-03-01

Low-dose caffeine administered in chewing gum does not enhance cycling to exhaustion. The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the effect of low-dose caffeine (CAF) administered in chewing gum at 3 different time points during submaximal cycling exercise to exhaustion. Eight college-aged (26 ± 4 years), physically active (45.5 ± 5.7 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1)) volunteers participated in 4 experimental trials. Two pieces of caffeinated chewing gum (100 mg per piece, total quantity of 200 mg) were administered in a double-blind manner at 1 of 3 time points (-35, -5, and +15 minutes) with placebo at the other 2 points and at all 3 points in the control trial. The participants cycled at 85% of maximal oxygen consumption until volitional fatigue and time to exhaustion (TTE) were recorded in minutes. Venous blood samples were obtained at -40, -10, and immediately postexercise and analyzed for serum-free fatty acid and plasma catecholamine concentrations. Oxygen consumption, respiratory exchange ratio, heart rate, glucose, lactate, ratings of perceived exertion, and perceived leg pain measures were obtained at baseline and every 10 minutes during cycling. The results showed that there were no significant differences between the trials for any of the parameters measured including TTE. These findings suggest that low-dose CAF administered in chewing gum has no effect on TTE during cycling in recreational athletes and is, therefore, not recommended.

Effect of natural Bayah zeolite particle size reduction to physico-chemical properties and absortion against potassium permanganate (KMnO4)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widayanti, Siti Mariana; Syamsu, Khaswar; Warsiki, Endang; Yuliani, Sri

2016-02-01

Recently, researches on nanotechnology have been developed very rapid, as well as the utilization of nano-zeolites. Nano-sized material has several advantages which are expanding absorptive surfaces so it will enhance the material absorption and shorten the absorption time. Zeolite as a KMnO4 binder, has been widely recognized for its ability to extend the shelf life of vegetables and fruits. This study was conducted to determine zeolites physico-chemical characters from different particle size and the effect on KMnO4 absorption. Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) is a strong oxidizer for reducing the quantity of ethylene in storage process of fresh horticultural products. The treatment consisted of (1) different length of milling time (10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 minutes) and (2) the duration of chemical activation with 1 N KOH solution. Physical and chemical characters of zeolite were analyzed using BET, PSA, XRD and SEM. The research design was randomized design. The result implied that milling time was significantly affecting the zeolite particle size, material surface area, and the size of pore diameter and volume. Milling treatment for 40 minutes produced higher zeolite surface area and pore volume than other treatments. While the duration of chemical activation using 1 N KOH solution gives different effect on zeolite absorption to KMnO4 solution. Milling time for 60 minutes and activated for 48 hours has higher initial adsorption than other treatments.

The effect of dilute baby shampoo on nasal mucociliary clearance in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Isaacs, Seth; Fakhri, Samer; Luong, Amber; Whited, Chad; Citardi, Martin J

2011-01-01

Biofilm formation has been implicated as an etiologic factor in the development of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Nasal irrigation with surfactants including dilute baby shampoo have been proposed as an antibiofilm treatment for CRS patients. The effect of dilute baby shampoo on normal sinonasal mucosal function is unknown. Mucociliary clearance time (MCT), as measured by the time in minutes for a subject to detect a sweet taste after the application of a saccharin granules at the anterior part of the inferior turbinate, was performed before and shortly after nasal irrigation with 50 ml of 1% baby shampoo (Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ) in 27 healthy volunteers. Mean MCTs before and after irrigation were 12.09 (±4.83 minutes) and 15.45 (±7.71 minutes) minutes, respectively. The mean difference, 3.37 minutes, was statistically significant (p = 0.031). Pre- and post-MCTs for each subject were not correlated (r = 0.324; p = 0.100). Nasal irrigations with dilute baby shampoo increase MCTs in healthy subjects. The impact of such interventions in CRS patients warrants additional investigation.

Differential transimpedance amplifier circuit for correlated differential amplification

DOEpatents

Gresham, Christopher A [Albuquerque, NM; Denton, M Bonner [Tucson, AZ; Sperline, Roger P [Tucson, AZ

2008-07-22

A differential transimpedance amplifier circuit for correlated differential amplification. The amplifier circuit increase electronic signal-to-noise ratios in charge detection circuits designed for the detection of very small quantities of electrical charge and/or very weak electromagnetic waves. A differential, integrating capacitive transimpedance amplifier integrated circuit comprising capacitor feedback loops performs time-correlated subtraction of noise.

Standoff detection of trace amounts of solids by nonlinear Raman spectroscopy using shaped femtosecond pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, O.; Natan, A.; Silberberg, Y.; Rosenwaks, S.

2008-04-01

We demonstrate a single-beam, standoff (>10m) detection and identification of various materials including minute amounts of explosives under ambient light conditions. This is obtained by multiplex coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy (CARS) using a single femtosecond phase-shaped laser pulse. We exploit the strong nonresonant background for amplification of the backscattered resonant CARS signals by employing a homodyne detection scheme. The simple and highly sensitive spectroscopic technique has a potential for hazardous materials standoff detection applications.

Ultra-Sensitive Detection of Prion Protein in Blood Using Isothermal Amplification Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

cattle products are admitted into the food chain, the Western Blot or ELISA in an antigen detection format are used to test the bovine brain stems...the most sensitive fluorescent dye (SYBR Green I, SYBR Green II, or SYBR Gold) detection of transcription products using real-time technology...RNA products from ug quantities of DNA template. Figure 3 shows that SYBR Green II exhibited higher relative fluorescence units (RFU) than SYBR

An amorphous silicon photodiode microfluidic chip to detect nanomolar quantities of HIV-1 virion infectivity factor.

PubMed

Vistas, Cláudia R; Soares, Sandra S; Rodrigues, Rogério M M; Chu, Virginia; Conde, João P; Ferreira, Guilherme N M

2014-08-07

A hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photosensor was explored for the quantitative detection of a HIV-1 virion infectivity factor (Vif) at a detection limit in the single nanomolar range. The a-Si:H photosensor was coupled with a microfluidic channel that was functionalized with a recombinant single chain variable fragment antibody. The biosensor selectively recognizes HIV-1 Vif from human cell extracts.

Measurements of the Acoustic Speaking Voice After Vocal Warm-up and Cooldown in Choir Singers.

PubMed

Onofre, Fernanda; Prado, Yuka de Almeida; Rojas, Gleidy Vannesa E; Garcia, Denny Marco; Aguiar-Ricz, Lílian

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the acoustic measurements of the vowel /a/ in modal recording before and after a singing voice resistance test and after 30 minutes of absolute rest in female choir singers. This is a prospective cohort study. A total of 13 soprano choir singers with experience in choir singing were evaluated through analysis of acoustic voice parameters at three points in time: before continuous use of the voice, after vocal warm-up and a singing test 60 minutes in duration respecting the pauses for breathing, and after vocal cooldown and an absolute voice rest for 30 minutes. The fundamental frequency increased after the voice resistance test (P = 0.012) and remained elevated after the 30 minutes of voice rest (P = 0.01). The jitter decreased after the voice resistance test (P = 0.02) and after the 30 minutes of voice rest. A significant difference was detected for the acoustic voice parameters relative average perturbation (RAP), (P = 0.05), and pitch perturbation quotient (PPQ), (P = 0.04), compared with the initial time point. The fundamental frequency increased after 60 minutes of singing and remained elevated after vocal cooldown and absolute rest for 30 minutes, proving an efficient parameter for identifying the changes inherent to voice demand during singing. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Quantitation of left ventricular ejection fraction reserve from early gated regadenoson stress Tc-99m high-efficiency SPECT.

PubMed

Brodov, Yafim; Fish, Mathews; Rubeaux, Mathieu; Otaki, Yuka; Gransar, Heidi; Lemley, Mark; Gerlach, Jim; Berman, Daniel; Germano, Guido; Slomka, Piotr

2016-12-01

Ejection fraction (EF) reserve has been found to be a useful adjunct for identifying high risk coronary artery disease in cardiac positron emission tomography (PET). We aimed to evaluate EF reserve obtained from technetium-99m sestamibi (Tc-99m) high-efficiency (HE) SPECT. Fifty patients (mean age 69 years) undergoing regadenoson same-day rest (8-11 mCi)/stress (32-42 mCi) Tc-99m gated HE SPECT were enrolled. Stress imaging was started 1 minute after sequential intravenous regadenoson .4 mg and Tc-99m injections, and was composed of five 2 minutes supine gated acquisitions followed by two 4 minutes supine and upright images. Ischemic total perfusion deficit (ITPD) ≥5 % was considered as significant ischemia. Significantly lower mean EF reserve was obtained in the 5th and 9th minute after regadenoson bolus in patients with significant ischemia vs patients without (5th minute: -4.2 ± 4.6% vs 1.3 ± 6.6%, P = .006; 9th minute: -2.7 ± 4.8% vs 2.0 ± 6.6%, P = .03). Negative EF reserve obtained between 5th and 9th minutes of regadenoson stress demonstrated best concordance with significant ischemia and may be a promising tool for detection of transient ischemic functional changes with Tc-99m HE-SPECT.

Clinical evaluation of the vector algorithm for neonatal hearing screening using automated auditory brainstem response.

PubMed

Keohane, Bernie M; Mason, Steve M; Baguley, David M

2004-02-01

A novel auditory brainstem response (ABR) detection and scoring algorithm, entitled the Vector algorithm is described. An independent clinical evaluation of the algorithm using 464 tests (120 non-stimulated and 344 stimulated tests) on 60 infants, with a mean age of approximately 6.5 weeks, estimated test sensitivity greater than 0.99 and test specificity at 0.87 for one test. Specificity was estimated to be greater than 0.95 for a two stage screen. Test times were of the order of 1.5 minutes per ear for detection of an ABR and 4.5 minutes per ear in the absence of a clear response. The Vector algorithm is commercially available for both automated screening and threshold estimation in hearing screening devices.

Moisture content and gas sampling device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krieg, H. C., Jr. (Inventor)

1985-01-01

An apparatus is described for measuring minute quantities of moisture and other contaminants within sealed enclosures such as electronic assemblies which may be subject to large external atmospheric pressure variations. An array of vacuum quality valves is arranged to permit cleansing of the test apparatus of residual atmospheric components from a vacuum source. This purging operation evacuates a gas sample bottle, which is then connected by valve settings to provide the drive for withdrawing a gas sample from the sealed enclosure under test into the sample bottle through a colometric detector tube (Drager tube) which indicates moisture content. The sample bottle may be disconnected and its contents (drawn from the test enclosure) separately subjected to mass spectrograph analysis.

Vial OrganicTM-Organic Chemistry Labs for High School and Junior College

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russo, Thomas J.; Meszaros, Mark

1999-01-01

Vial Organic is the most economical, safe, and time-effective method of performing organic chemistry experiments. Activities are carried out in low-cost, sealed vials. Vial Organic is extremely safe because only micro quantities of reactants are used, reactants are contained in tightly sealed vials, and only water baths are used for temperature control. Vial Organic laboratory activities are easily performed within one 50-minute class period. When heat is required, a simple hot-water bath is prepared from a beaker of water and an inexpensive immersion heater. The low cost, ease of use, and relatively short time requirement will allow organic chemistry to be experienced by more students with less confusion and intimidation.

[Study of nucleic acid structure by immunochemical methods. I. Antibodies specific for 6-sulfo-5,6-dihydro-4-methoxyaminopyrimidinone-2].

PubMed

Poverennyĭ, A M; Podgorodnichenko, V K; Monastyrskaia, G S; Bryskina, L E; Sverdlov, E D

1978-01-01

Immunization of animals with DNA modified by a mixture of bisulphite and O-methylhydroxylamine and methylated bovine serum albumin results in production of antibodies mainly reacting with modified DNA. Antibodies that react with denatured DNA were produced in minute quantity. It was shown that elicited antibodies possess a high specificity and have the ability to recognize only nucleotides with a double modification. The immune sera were fractionated by Sephadex G-200 column chromatography and the antibody activity was demonstrable in the 19S and 7S fractions. The attempts to induce synthesis of antibodies by injection of DNA modified by O-methylhydroxylamine failed.

Method and apparatus for monitoring the flow of mercury in a system

DOEpatents

Grossman, Mark W.

1987-01-01

An apparatus and method for monitoring the flow of mercury in a system. The equipment enables the entrainment of the mercury in a carrier gas e.g., an inert gas, which passes as mercury vapor between a pair of optically transparent windows. The attenuation of the emission is indicative of the quantity of mercury (and its isotopes) in the system. A 253.7 nm light is shone through one of the windows and the unabsorbed light is detected through the other window. The absorption of the 253.7 nm light is thereby measured whereby the quantity of mercury passing between the windows can be determined. The apparatus includes an in-line sensor for measuring the quantity of mercury. It includes a conduit together with a pair of apertures disposed in a face to face relationship and arranged on opposite sides of the conduit. A pair of optically transparent windows are disposed upon a pair of viewing tubes. A portion of each of the tubes is disposed inside of the conduit and within each of the apertures. The two windows are disposed in a face to face relationship on the ends of the viewing tubes and the entire assembly is hermetically sealed from the atmosphere whereby when 253.7 nm ultraviolet light is shone through one of the windows and detected through the other, the quantity of mercury which is passing by can be continuously monitored due to absorption which is indicated by attenuation of the amplitude of the observed emission.

Fuel supply control method for internal combustion engines, with adaptability to various engines and controls therefor having different operating characteristics

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

Otobe, Y.; Chikamatsu, M.

1988-03-08

A method of controlling the fuel supply to an internal combustion engine is described, wherein a quantity of fuel for supply to the engine is determined by correcting a basic value of the quantity of fuel determined as a function of at least one operating parameter of the engine by correction values dependent upon operating conditions of the engine and the determined quantity of fuel is supplied to the engine. The method comprises the steps of: (1) detecting a value of at least one predetermined operating parameter of the engine; (2) manually adjusting a single voltage creating means to setmore » an output voltage therefrom to such a desired value as to compensate for deviation of the air/fuel ratio of a mixture supplied to the engine due to variations in operating characteristics of engines between different production lots or aging changes; (3) determining a value of the predetermined one correction value corresponding to the set desired value of output voltage of the single voltage creating means, and then modifying the thus determined value in response to the detected value of the predetermined at least one operating parameter of the engine during engine operation; and (4) correcting the basic value of the quantity of fuel by the value of the predetermined one correction value having the thus modified value, and the other correction values.« less

Robust feature detection and local classification for surfaces based on moment analysis.

PubMed

Clarenz, Ulrich; Rumpf, Martin; Telea, Alexandru

2004-01-01

The stable local classification of discrete surfaces with respect to features such as edges and corners or concave and convex regions, respectively, is as quite difficult as well as indispensable for many surface processing applications. Usually, the feature detection is done via a local curvature analysis. If concerned with large triangular and irregular grids, e.g., generated via a marching cube algorithm, the detectors are tedious to treat and a robust classification is hard to achieve. Here, a local classification method on surfaces is presented which avoids the evaluation of discretized curvature quantities. Moreover, it provides an indicator for smoothness of a given discrete surface and comes together with a built-in multiscale. The proposed classification tool is based on local zero and first moments on the discrete surface. The corresponding integral quantities are stable to compute and they give less noisy results compared to discrete curvature quantities. The stencil width for the integration of the moments turns out to be the scale parameter. Prospective surface processing applications are the segmentation on surfaces, surface comparison, and matching and surface modeling. Here, a method for feature preserving fairing of surfaces is discussed to underline the applicability of the presented approach.

Detection of low-concentration host mRNA transcripts in Malawian children at risk for environmental enteropathy

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Transcriptomic analysis of fecal samples is an emerging method for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal pathology because it is noninvasive and requires minute volumes of analyte; however, detection of mRNA in low copy numbers in human stool is challenging. Our objective was to develop a method for det...

Quantity and quality of stormwater collected from selected stormwater outfalls at industrial sites, Fort Gordon, Georgia, 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nagle, Doug D.; Guimaraes, Wladmir B.

2012-01-01

An assessment of the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff associated with industrial activities at Fort Gordon was conducted from January through December 2011. The assessment was provided to satisfy the requirements from a general permit that authorizes the discharge of stormwater under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System from a site associated with industrial activities. The stormwater quantity refers to the runoff discharge at the point and time of the runoff sampling. The study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Army Environmental and Natural Resources Management Office of the U.S. Army Signal Center and Fort Gordon. The initial scope of this study was to sample stormwater runoff from five stations at four industrial sites (two landfills and two heating and cooling sites). As a consequence of inadequate hydrologic conditions during 2011, no samples were collected at the two landfills; however, three samples were collected from the heating and cooling sites. The assessment included the collection of physical properties, such as water temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and pH; the detection of suspended materials (total suspended solids, total fixed solids, total volatile solids), nutrients and organic compounds, and major and trace inorganic compounds (metals); and the detection of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds. Nutrients and organic compounds, major and trace inorganic compounds, and volatile and semivolatile organic compounds were detected above the laboratory reporting levels in all samples collected from the three stations. The detection of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds included anthracene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[ghi]perylene, cis,1, 2-dichloroethene, dimethyl phthalate, fluoranthene, naphthalene, pyrene, acenaphthylene (station SWR11-3), and di-n-butyl phthalate (station SWR11-4).

Evaluation of blue light exposure to beta brainwaves on simulated night driving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purawijaya, Dandri Aly; Fitri, Lulu Lusianti; Suprijanto

2015-09-01

Numbers of night driving accident in Indonesia since 2010 are exponentially rising each year with total of loss more than 50 billion rupiah. One of the causes that contribute to night driving accident is drowsiness. Drowsiness is affected by circadian rhythm resulted from the difference of blue light quality and quantity between night and day. Blue light may effect on human physiology through non-visual pathway by suppressing melatonin hormone suppression that influence drowsiness. Meanwhile, the production of hormones and other activities in brain generate bioelectrical activity such as brainwaves and can be recorded using Electroencephalograph (EEG). Therefore, this research objective is to evaluate the effect of blue light exposure to beta brainwave emergence during night driving simulation to a driver. This research was conducted to 4 male subjects who are able to drive and have a legitimate car driving license. The driving simulator was done using SCANIA Truck Driving Simulator on freeform driving mode in dark environment. Subjects drove for total 32 minutes. The data collections were taken in 2 days with 16 minutes for each day. The 16 minutes were divided again into 8 minutes adaptation in dark and 8 minutes for driving either in blue light exposure or in total darkness. While driving the simulation, subjects' brainwaves were recorded using EEG EMOTIV 14 Channels, exposed by LED monochromatic blue light with 160 Lux from source and angle 45o and sat 1 m in front of the screen. Channels used on this research were for visual (O1; O2), cognition (F3; F4; P7; P8), and motor (FC5; FC6). EEG brainwave result was filtered with EEGLab to obtain beta waves at 13 - 30 Hz frequencies. Results showed that beta waves response to blue light varied for each subject. Blue light exposure either increased or decreased beta waves in 2 minutes pattern and maintaining beta waves on cognition and motor area in 3 out of 4 subjects. Meanwhile, blue light exposure did not maintain and induce beta waves fluctuation on visual area of another 2 subjects. The conclusion of this research is that blue light exposure affected the pattern of beta waves on frontal, parietal, premotor cortex and visual lobes.

A 15.7-Minute AM CVn Binary Discovered in K2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, M. J.; Hermes, J. J.; Marsh, T. R.; Steeghs, D. T. H.; Bell, Keaton J.; Littlefair, S. P.; Parsons, S. G.; Dennihy, E.; Fuchs, J. T.; Reding, J. S.; Kaiser, B. C.; Ashley, R. P.; Breedt, E.; Dhillon, V. S.; Gentile Fusillo, N. P.; Kerry, P.; Sahman, D. I.

2018-04-01

We present the discovery of SDSS J135154.46-064309.0, a short-period variable observed using 30-minute cadence photometry in K2 Campaign 6. Follow-up spectroscopy and high-speed photometry support a classification as a new member of the rare class of ultracompact accreting binaries known as AM CVn stars. The spectroscopic orbital period of 15.65 ± 0.12 minutes makes this system the fourth-shortest period AM CVn known, and the second system of this type to be discovered by the Kepler spacecraft. The K2 data show photometric periods at 15.7306 ± 0.0003 minutes, 16.1121 ± 0.0004 minutes and 664.82 ± 0.06 minutes, which we identify as the orbital period, superhump period, and disc precession period, respectively. From the superhump and orbital periods we estimate the binary mass ratio q = M2/M1 = 0.111 ± 0.005, though this method of mass ratio determination may not be well calibrated for helium-dominated binaries. This system is likely to be a bright foreground source of gravitational waves in the frequency range detectable by LISA, and may be of use as a calibration source if future studies are able to constrain the masses of its stellar components.

Detecting trihalomethanes using nanoporous-carbon coated surface-acoustic-wave sensors

DOE PAGES

Siegal, Michael P.; Mowry, Curtis D.; Pfeifer, Kent B.; ...

2015-03-07

We study nanoporous-carbon (NPC) grown via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) as a sorbent coating on 96.5-MHz surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) devices to detect trihalomethanes (THMs), regulated byproducts from the chemical treatment of drinking water. Using both insertion-loss and isothermal-response measurements from known quantities of chloroform, the highest vapor pressure THM, we optimize the NPC mass-density at 1.05 ± 0.08 g/cm3 by controlling the background argon pressure during PLD. Precise THM quantities in a chlorobenzene solvent are directly injected into a separation column and detected as the phase-angle shift of the SAW device output compared to the drive signal. Using optimized NPC-coated SAWs,more » we study the chloroform response as a function of operating temperatures ranging from 10–50°C. Finally, we demonstrate individual responses from complex mixtures of all four THMs, with masses ranging from 10–2000 ng, after gas chromatography separation. As a result, estimates for each THM detection limit using a simple peak-height response evaluation are 4.4 ng for chloroform and 1 ng for bromoform; using an integrated-peak area response analysis improves the detection limits to 0.73 ng for chloroform and 0.003 ng bromoform.« less

Impact of cap-assisted colonoscopy on the learning curve and quality in colonoscopy: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Tang, Zhouwen; Zhang, Daniel S; Thrift, Aaron P; Patel, Kalpesh K

2018-03-01

Colonoscopy competency assessment in trainees traditionally has been informal. Comprehensive metrics such as the Assessment of Competency in Endoscopy (ACE) tool suggest that competency thresholds are higher than assumed. Cap-assisted colonoscopy (CAC) may improve competency, but data regarding novice trainees are lacking. We compared CAC versus standard colonoscopy (SC) performed by novice trainees in a randomized controlled trial. All colonoscopies performed by 3 gastroenterology fellows without prior experience were eligible for the study. Exclusion criteria included patient age <18 or >90 years, pregnancy, prior colon resection, diverticulitis, colon obstruction, severe hematochezia, referral for EMR, or a procedure done without patient sedation. Patients were randomized to either CAC or SC in a 1:1 fashion. The primary outcome was the independent cecal intubation rate (ICIR). Secondary outcomes were cecal intubation time, polyp detection rate, polyp miss rate, adenoma detection rate, ACE tool scores, and cumulative summation learning curves. A total of 203 colonoscopies were analyzed, 101 in CAC and 102 in SC. CAC resulted in a significantly higher cecal intubation rate, at 79.2% in CAC compared with 66.7% in SC (P = .04). Overall cecal intubation time was significantly shorter at 13.7 minutes for CAC versus 16.5 minutes for SC (P =.02). Cecal intubation time in the case of successful independent fellow intubation was not significantly different between CAC and SC (11.6 minutes vs 12.7 minutes; P = .29). Overall ACE tool motor and cognitive scores were higher with CAC. Learning curves for ICIR approached the competency threshold earlier with cap use but reached competency for only 1 fellow. The polyp detection rate, polyp miss rate, and adenoma detection rate were not significantly different between groups. CAC resulted in significant improvement in ICIR, overall ACE tool scores, and trend toward competency on learning curves when compared with SC in colonoscopy trainees without prior colonoscopy experience. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT02472730.). Copyright © 2018 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High efficiency direct detection of ions from resonance ionization of sputtered atoms

DOEpatents

Gruen, Dieter M.; Pellin, Michael J.; Young, Charles E.

1986-01-01

A method and apparatus are provided for trace and other quantitative analysis with high efficiency of a component in a sample, with the analysis involving the removal by ion or other bombardment of a small quantity of ion and neutral atom groups from the sample, the conversion of selected neutral atom groups to photoions by laser initiated resonance ionization spectroscopy, the selective deflection of the photoions for separation from original ion group emanating from the sample, and the detection of the photoions as a measure of the quantity of the component. In some embodiments, the original ion group is accelerated prior to the RIS step for separation purposes. Noise and other interference are reduced by shielding the detector from primary and secondary ions and deflecting the photoions sufficiently to avoid the primary and secondary ions.

High efficiency direct detection of ions from resonance ionization of sputtered atoms

DOEpatents

Gruen, D.M.; Pellin, M.J.; Young, C.E.

1985-01-16

A method and apparatus are provided for trace and other quantitative analysis with high efficiency of a component in a sample, with the analysis involving the removal by ion or other bombardment of a small quantity of ion and neutral atom groups from the sample, the conversion of selected neutral atom groups to photoions by laser initiated resonance ionization spectroscopy, the selective deflection of the photoions for separation from original ion group emanating from the sample, and the detection of the photoions as a measure of the quantity of the component. In some embodiments, the original ion group is accelerated prior to the RIS step for separation purposes. Noise and other interference are reduced by shielding the detector from primary and secondary ions and deflecting the photoions sufficiently to avoid the primary and secondary ions.

Development of marijuana and tobacco detectors using potassium-40 gamma-ray emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirby, John A.; Lindquist, Roy P.

1994-10-01

Measurements were made at the Otay Mesa, CA, border crossing between November 30 and December 4, 1992, to demonstrate proof of concept and the practicality of using potassium 40 (K40) gamma emissions to detect the presence of marijuana in vehicles. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory personnel, with the assistance of the EPA, set up three large volume gamma ray detectors with lead brick shielding and collimation under a stationary trailer and pickup truck. Measurements were performed for various positions and quantities of marijuana. Also, small quantities of marijuana, cigarettes, and other materials were subjected to gamma counting measurements under controlled geometry conditions to determine their K40 concentration. Larger quantities of heroin and cocaine were subjected to undefined geometry gamma counts for significant K40 gamma emissions.

Achievable Strength-Based Signal Detection in Quantity-Constrained PAM OOK Concentration-Encoded Molecular Communication.

PubMed

Mahfuz, Mohammad Upal

2016-10-01

In this paper, the expressions of achievable strength-based detection probabilities of concentration-encoded molecular communication (CEMC) system have been derived based on finite pulsewidth (FP) pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) on-off keying (OOK) modulation scheme and strength threshold. An FP-PAM system is characterized by its duty cycle α that indicates the fraction of the entire symbol duration the transmitter remains on and transmits the signal. Results show that the detection performance of an FP-PAM OOK CEMC system significantly depends on the statistical distribution parameters of diffusion-based propagation noise and intersymbol interference (ISI). Analytical detection performance of an FP-PAM OOK CEMC system under ISI scenario has been explained and compared based on receiver operating characteristics (ROC) for impulse (i.e., spike)-modulated (IM) and FP-PAM CEMC schemes. It is shown that the effects of diffusion noise and ISI on ROC can be explained separately based on their communication range-dependent statistics. With full duty cycle, an FP-PAM scheme provides significantly worse performance than an IM scheme. The paper also analyzes the performance of the system when duty cycle, transmission data rate, and quantity of molecules vary.

Antibody-based detection of protein phosphorylation status to track the efficacy of novel therapies using nanogram protein quantities from stem cells and cell lines.

PubMed

Aspinall-O'Dea, Mark; Pierce, Andrew; Pellicano, Francesca; Williamson, Andrew J; Scott, Mary T; Walker, Michael J; Holyoake, Tessa L; Whetton, Anthony D

2015-01-01

This protocol describes a highly reproducible antibody-based method that provides protein level and phosphorylation status information from nanogram quantities of protein cell lysate. Nanocapillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) combines with UV-activated linking chemistry to detect changes in phosphorylation status. As an example application, we describe how to detect changes in response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the phosphorylation status of the adaptor protein CrkL, a major substrate of the oncogenic tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), using highly enriched CML stem cells and mature cell populations in vitro. This protocol provides a 2.5 pg/nl limit of protein detection (<0.2% of a stem cell sample containing <10(4) cells). Additional assays are described for phosphorylated tyrosine 207 (pTyr207)-CrkL and the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPRC/CD45; these assays were developed using this protocol and applied to CML patient samples. This method is of high throughput, and it can act as a screen for in vitro cancer stem cell response to drugs and novel agents.

Multicenter prospective evaluation of the express view reading mode for small-bowel capsule endoscopy studies.

PubMed

Saurin, Jean-Christophe; Jacob, Philippe; Heyries, Laurent; Pesanti, Christian; Cholet, Franck; Fassler, Isaac; Boulant, James; Bramli, Slim; De Leusse, Antoin; Rahmi, Gabriel

2018-05-01

 Reducing the reading time of capsule endoscopy films is of high priority for gastroenterologists. We report a prospective multicenter evaluation of an "express view" reading mode (Intromedic capsule system).  Eighty-three patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding were prospectively included in 10 centers. All patients underwent small-bowel capsule endoscopy (Intromedic, Seoul, Republic of Korea). Films were read in standard mode, then a second reading was performed in express view mode at a second center. For each lesion, the precise location, nature, and relevance were collected. A consensus reading and review were done by three experts, and considered to be the gold standard.  The mean reading time of capsule films was 39.7 minutes (11 - 180 minutes) and 19.7 minutes (4 - 40 minutes) by standard and express view mode, respectively ( P  < 1 × 10  - 4 ). The consensus review identified a significant lesion in 44/83 patients (53.0 %). Standard reading and express view reading had a 93.3 % and 82.2 % sensitivity, respectively (NS). Consensus review identified 70 significant images from which standard reading and express view reading detected 58 (82.9 %) and 55 (78.6 %), respectively. The informatics algorithm detected 66/70 images (94.3 %) thus missing four small-bowel angiodysplasia.  The express view algorithm allows an important shortening of Intromedic capsule film reading time with a high sensitivity.

Aerosol-based detectors for liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Magnusson, Lars-Erik; Risley, Donald S; Koropchak, John A

2015-11-20

Aerosol-based detectors developed within the last few decades have increasingly addressed the need for sensitive, universal liquid chromatography detection in a wide variety of applications. Herein, we review the operating principles, instrumentation, analytical characteristics, and recent applications of the three general types of such detectors: evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD), condensation nucleation light scattering detection (CNLSD); commercially known as the nano-quantity analyte detector (NQAD), and charged aerosol detection (CAD). Included is a comparative evaluation of the operational and analytical characteristics of these detectors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrolyte and plasma changes after ingestion of pickle juice, water, and a common carbohydrate-electrolyte solution.

PubMed

Miller, Kevin C; Mack, Gary; Knight, Kenneth L

2009-01-01

Health care professionals advocate that athletes who are susceptible to exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMCs) should moderately increase their fluid and electrolyte intake by drinking sport drinks. Some clinicians have also claimed drinking small volumes of pickle juice effectively relieves acute EAMCs, often alleviating them within 35 seconds. Others fear ingesting pickle juice will enhance dehydration-induced hypertonicity, thereby prolonging dehydration. To determine if ingesting small quantities of pickle juice, a carbohydrate-electrolyte (CHO-e) drink, or water increases plasma electrolytes or other selected plasma variables. Crossover study. Exercise physiology laboratory. Nine euhydrated, healthy men (age = 25 +/- 2 years, height = 179.4 +/- 7.2 cm, mass = 86.3 +/- 15.9 kg) completed the study. Resting blood samples were collected preingestion (-0.5 minutes); immediately postingestion (0 minutes); and at 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, and 60 minutes postingestion of 1 mL/kg body mass of pickle juice, CHO-e drink, or tap water. Plasma sodium concentration, plasma magnesium concentration, plasma calcium concentration, plasma potassium concentration, plasma osmolality, and changes in plasma volume were analyzed. Urine specific gravity, osmolality, and volume were also measured to characterize hydration status. Mean fluid intake was 86.3 +/- 16.7 mL. Plasma sodium concentration, plasma magnesium concentration, plasma calcium concentration, plasma osmolality, and plasma volume did not change during the 60 minutes after ingestion of each fluid (P >or= .05). Water ingestion slightly decreased plasma potassium concentration at 60 minutes (0.21 +/- 0.14 mg/dL [0.21 +/- 0.14 mmol/L]; P

Sensitive method to monitor trace quantities of benzanthrone in workers of dyestuff industries

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

Joshi, A.; Khanna, S.K.; Singh, G.B.

1986-03-01

Dyestuff workers coming in contact with benzanthrone (an intermediate used for the synthesis of a variety of dyes) develop skin lesions, gastritis, liver malfunctions, and sexual disturbances. A highly sensitive fluorometric method to monitor trace quantities of benzanthrone in urine, serum, and biological tissues for experimental studies, has been developed. Coupled with simple extraction and resolution, optimum fluorescence is obtained in an equal mixture of chloroform:methanol, detecting as low as 2 ng benzanthrone. This method is approximately 250 times more sensitive than currently available colorimetric assay.

Trace-fiber color discrimination by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: a tool for the analysis of dyes extracted from submillimeter nylon fibers.

PubMed

Tuinman, Albert A; Lewis, Linda A; Lewis, Samuel A

2003-06-01

The application of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) to trace-fiber color analysis is explored using acidic dyes commonly employed to color nylon-based fibers, as well as extracts from dyed nylon fibers. Qualitative information about constituent dyes and quantitative information about the relative amounts of those dyes present on a single fiber become readily available using this technique. Sample requirements for establishing the color identity of different samples (i.e., comparative trace-fiber analysis) are shown to be submillimeter. Absolute verification of dye mixture identity (beyond the comparison of molecular weights derived from ESI-MS) can be obtained by expanding the technique to include tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). For dyes of unknown origin, the ESI-MS/MS analyses may offer insights into the chemical structure of the compound-information not available from chromatographic techniques alone. This research demonstrates that ESI-MS is viable as a sensitive technique for distinguishing dye constituents extracted from a minute amount of trace-fiber evidence. A protocol is suggested to establish/refute the proposition that two fibers--one of which is available in minute quantity only--are of the same origin.

Occurance of apoptosis during ischemia in porcine pancreas islet cells.

PubMed

Stadlbauer, V; Schaffellner, S; Iberer, F; Lackner, C; Liegl, B; Zink, B; Kniepeiss, D; Tscheliessnigg, K H

2003-03-01

Pancreas islet transplantation is a potential treatment of diabetes mellitus and porcine organs provide an easily available source of cells. Unfortunately quality and quantity of isolated islets are still not satisfactory. Apoptosis occurs in freshly isolated islets and plays a significant role in early graft loss. We evaluated the influence of four storage solutions on porcine pancreas islets. After warm ischemia of 15-20 minutes 12 organs were stored in 4 cold preservation solutions: Histidine-Tryptophan-Ketoglutarate solution (HTK), Hank's buffered saline solution (HBSS), University of Wisconsin (UW) solution and Ringer-Lactate (R). After cold ischemia for 100 minutes, organs were fixed in 3% formalin. Apoptotic cells were counted on hematocylin-eosin stainings. Most apoptotic cells were found in organs stored in R. Low numbers were found in the other groups. The difference between organs stored in R and organs stored in UW, HTK, or HBSS was highly significant. No significant difference could be found between UW, HTK and HBSS. Cold and warm ischemia of the pancreas seems to induce apoptosis in islet cells. Preservation solutions cause less apoptosis than electrolyte solution. No significant differences could be found among the preservation solutions.

Comparative metagenomics approaches to characterize the soil fungal communities of western coastal region, Saudi Arabia

PubMed Central

Fuller, Michael P.

2017-01-01

A total of 145007 reads were obtained from pyrosequencing for all the 4 samples. The total count ranged from 11,301,014 (Mecca old road) to 23,503,512 bp (Thuwal). A total of 460 fungal species belonging to 133 genera, 58 families, 33 orders, 13 classes and 4 phyla was identified across the four sites. The most abundant phylum at all four sites was Ascomycota followed by Basidiomycota. Four phyla (Ascomycota—99.31%, Basidiomycota—0.59%, Chytridiomycota—0.04%, Glomeromycota—0.03%) were detected in Khulais. Except for Glomeromycota, all phyla were detected at Mecca old road (Ascomycota—74.26%, Basidiomycota—25.71%, Chytridiomycota—0.01%) and Thuwal (Ascomycota—99.59%, Basidiomycota—0.40%, Chytridiomycota—0.002%); while only Ascomycota—90.98% and Basidiomycota—9.01% were detected in Asfan road. At the class level, Sordariomycetes was predominantly observed at Asfan road—59.88%, Khulais—68.26% and Thuwal—94.84%; while Pezizomycetes was dominant at Mecca old road—56.01%, was absent at Asfan road. Agaricomycetes was present only at Mecca old road—25.73%; while Tremellomycetes—5.77%, Malasseizomycetes—2.13% and Microbotryomycetes—1.10% were found only at Asfan road. The phylogenetic trees revealed that clear genus level differences are visible across all the four sites, with an overall predominance of Thielavia followed by Madurella, Aspergillus, and Gelasinospora. Chaetomium sp., Aspergillus caespitosus and Aspergillus sp. were found in moderate (Mecca old road and Thuwal) to abundant (Asfan road and Khulais) quantities. Thielavia sp., Thielavia hyalocarpa and Madurella sp. are found in moderate quantities at Khulais and Mecca old road, while in abundant levels at Asfan road and Thuwal. Fusarium equisati and F. oxysporum were detected at Thuwal and Khulais. Sordaria araneosa was present at Khulais, while Malasseiza globosa species was detected in moderate quantities across all sites except Khulais. PMID:28934322

Comparative metagenomics approaches to characterize the soil fungal communities of western coastal region, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Moussa, Tarek A A; Al-Zahrani, Hassan S; Almaghrabi, Omar A; Abdelmoneim, Tamer S; Fuller, Michael P

2017-01-01

A total of 145007 reads were obtained from pyrosequencing for all the 4 samples. The total count ranged from 11,301,014 (Mecca old road) to 23,503,512 bp (Thuwal). A total of 460 fungal species belonging to 133 genera, 58 families, 33 orders, 13 classes and 4 phyla was identified across the four sites. The most abundant phylum at all four sites was Ascomycota followed by Basidiomycota. Four phyla (Ascomycota-99.31%, Basidiomycota-0.59%, Chytridiomycota-0.04%, Glomeromycota-0.03%) were detected in Khulais. Except for Glomeromycota, all phyla were detected at Mecca old road (Ascomycota-74.26%, Basidiomycota-25.71%, Chytridiomycota-0.01%) and Thuwal (Ascomycota-99.59%, Basidiomycota-0.40%, Chytridiomycota-0.002%); while only Ascomycota-90.98% and Basidiomycota-9.01% were detected in Asfan road. At the class level, Sordariomycetes was predominantly observed at Asfan road-59.88%, Khulais-68.26% and Thuwal-94.84%; while Pezizomycetes was dominant at Mecca old road-56.01%, was absent at Asfan road. Agaricomycetes was present only at Mecca old road-25.73%; while Tremellomycetes-5.77%, Malasseizomycetes-2.13% and Microbotryomycetes-1.10% were found only at Asfan road. The phylogenetic trees revealed that clear genus level differences are visible across all the four sites, with an overall predominance of Thielavia followed by Madurella, Aspergillus, and Gelasinospora. Chaetomium sp., Aspergillus caespitosus and Aspergillus sp. were found in moderate (Mecca old road and Thuwal) to abundant (Asfan road and Khulais) quantities. Thielavia sp., Thielavia hyalocarpa and Madurella sp. are found in moderate quantities at Khulais and Mecca old road, while in abundant levels at Asfan road and Thuwal. Fusarium equisati and F. oxysporum were detected at Thuwal and Khulais. Sordaria araneosa was present at Khulais, while Malasseiza globosa species was detected in moderate quantities across all sites except Khulais.

Digital assist: A comparison of two note-taking methods (traditional vs. digital pen) for students with emotional behavioral disorders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rody, Carlotta A.

High school biology classes traditionally follow a lecture format to disseminate content and new terminology. With the inclusive practices of No Child Left Behind, the Common Core State Standards, and end-of-course exam requirement for high school diplomas, classes include a large range of achievement levels and abilities. Teachers assume, often incorrectly, that students come to class prepared to listen and take notes. In a standard diploma, high school biology class in a separate school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, five students participated in a single-subject, alternating treatment design study that compared the use of regular pens and digital pens to take notes during 21 lecture sessions. Behavior measures were threefold between the two interventions: (a) quantity of notes taken per minute during lectures, (b) quantity of notes or notations taken during review pauses, and (c) percent of correct responses on the daily comprehension quizzes. The study's data indicated that two students were inclined to take more lecture notes when using the digital pen. Two students took more notes with the regular pen. One student demonstrated no difference in her performance with either pen type. Both female students took more notes per minute, on average, than the three males regardless of pen type. During the review pause, three of the five students only added notes or notations to their notes when using the regular pen. The remaining two students did not add to their notes. Quiz scores differed in favor of the regular pen. All five participants earned higher scores on quizzes given during regular pen sessions. However, the differences were minor, and recommendations are made for specific training in note-taking, the pause strategy, and digital pen fluency which may produce different results for both note-taking and quiz scores.

Feasibility study of mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy using electrospray ionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Tahsin; Foster, Erick; Bohn, Paul; Howard, Scott

2016-09-01

Precise detection of trace amount of molecules, such as the disease biomarkers present in biofluids or explosive residues, requires high sensitivity detection. electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is a common and effective technique for sensitive trace molecular detection in small-volume liquid samples. In ESI-MS, nano-liter volume samples are ionized and aerosolized by ESI, and fed into MS for mass analysis. ESI-MS has proven to be a reliable ionization technique for coupling liquid phase separations like liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CE) with the highly specific resolving power of MS. While CE and ESI can be performed on a microfluidic chip having a footprint of a few cm2, MS is typically at least 100 times bigger in size than a micro-chip. A reduced size, weight, and power profile would enable semi-portable applications in forensics, environmental monitoring, defense, and biological/pharmaceutical applications. To achieve this goal, we present an initial study evaluating the use of mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy (MIRAS) in place of MS to create a ESI-MIRAS system. To establish feasibility, we perform ESI-MIRAS on phospholipid samples, which have been previously demonstrated to be separable by CE. Phospholipids are biomarkers of degenerative neurological, kidney, and bone diseases and can be found in biofluids such as blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid. To establish sensitivity limits, calibration samples of 100 μM concentration are electrospray deposited on to a grounded Si wafer for different times (1 minutes to 4 minutes with a 1 minute step). The minimum detectable concentration-time product, where a FTIR globar is used as the MIR source, is found 200 μM·s.

OH detection by Ford Motor Company

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Charles C.

1986-01-01

Two different methods for detection of OH are presented: a low pressure flow cell system and a frequency modulation absorption measurement. Using conventional absorption spectroscopy, detection limits were quoted of 1,000,000 OH molecules per cu cm using a 30-minute averaging time on the ground, and a 3-hour averaging time in the air for present apparatus in use. With the addition of FM spectroscopy at 1 GHz, a double-beam machine should permit detectable absorption of and an OH limit of 100,000 per cu cm in a 30-minute averaging time. In the low pressure system on which experiments are ongoing nonexponential time behavior was observed after the decay had progressed to about 0.3 of its original level; this was attributed to ion emission in the photomultiplier. A flame source with OH present at high concentration levels was used as a calibration. It was estimated that within the sampling chamber, 400,000 OH could be measured. With a factor-of-2 loss at the sampling orifice, this means detectability of 5 to 8 x 100,000 cu cm at the present time. This could be reduced by a factor of 2 in one hour averaging time; improvements in laser bandwidth and energy should provide another factor of 2 in sensitivity.

OH detection by Ford Motor Company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Charles C.

1986-12-01

Two different methods for detection of OH are presented: a low pressure flow cell system and a frequency modulation absorption measurement. Using conventional absorption spectroscopy, detection limits were quoted of 1,000,000 OH molecules per cu cm using a 30-minute averaging time on the ground, and a 3-hour averaging time in the air for present apparatus in use. With the addition of FM spectroscopy at 1 GHz, a double-beam machine should permit detectable absorption of and an OH limit of 100,000 per cu cm in a 30-minute averaging time. In the low pressure system on which experiments are ongoing nonexponential time behavior was observed after the decay had progressed to about 0.3 of its original level; this was attributed to ion emission in the photomultiplier. A flame source with OH present at high concentration levels was used as a calibration. It was estimated that within the sampling chamber, 400,000 OH could be measured. With a factor-of-2 loss at the sampling orifice, this means detectability of 5 to 8 x 100,000 cu cm at the present time. This could be reduced by a factor of 2 in one hour averaging time; improvements in laser bandwidth and energy should provide another factor of 2 in sensitivity.

Antifungal activity of Morinda citrifolia fruit extract against Candida albicans.

PubMed

Jainkittivong, Aree; Butsarakamruha, Tassanee; Langlais, Robert P

2009-09-01

The objective of the study was to investigate the antifungal activity of Morinda citrifolia fruit extract on Candida albicans. Juice extract from M. citrifolia fruit was lyophilized and used in antifungal testing. Antifungal activity of M. citrifolia fruit extract against C. albicans was tested in vitro at various concentrations and for different contact times. The inhibitory effect of M. citrifolia extract on C. albicans was determined by cultures and an applied broth dilution test. Using cultures, growth of C. albicans was not detected with 50 mg/mL of extract at 30-minute contact time or with 60 mg/mL of extract at 15-minute contact time. By the broth dilution test, the minimum fungicidal concentration of extract against C. albicans was 40 mg/mL at 90-minute contact time or with 50 mg/mL at 15-minute contact time. M. citrifolia fruit extract had an antifungal effect on C. albicans and the inhibitory effect varied with concentration and contact time.

The Amateur Scientist.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Jearl

1981-01-01

Describes a method to detect the presence of microgram quantities of nearly any metal in samples of alloys, minerals, water, and air. This chemical-spot testing technique requires no elaborate equipment and can be done by an amateur. (SK)

Dialysis Extraction for Chromatography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jahnsen, V. J.

1985-01-01

Chromatographic-sample pretreatment by dialysis detects traces of organic contaminants in water samples analyzed in field with minimal analysis equipment and minimal quantities of solvent. Technique also of value wherever aqueous sample and solvent must not make direct contact.

Differentiation of minute virus of mice and mouse parvovirus by high resolution melting curve analysis.

PubMed

Rao, Dan; Wu, Miaoli; Wang, Jing; Yuan, Wen; Zhu, Yujun; Cong, Feng; Xu, Fengjiao; Lian, Yuexiao; Huang, Bihong; Wu, Qiwen; Chen, Meili; Zhang, Yu; Huang, Ren; Guo, Pengju

2017-12-01

Murine parvovirus is one of the most prevalent infectious pathogens in mouse colonies. A specific primer pair targeting the VP2 gene of minute virus of mice (MVM) and mouse parvovirus (MPV) was utilized for high resolution melting (HRM) analysis. The resulting melting curves could distinguish these two virus strains and there was no detectable amplification of the other mouse pathogens which included rat parvovirus (KRV), ectromelia virus (ECT), mouse adenovirus (MAD), mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV), polyoma virus (Poly), Helicobactor hepaticus (H. hepaticus) and Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium). The detection limit of the standard was 10 copies/μL. This study showed that the PCR-HRM assay could be an alternative useful method with high specificity and sensitivity for differentiating murine parvovirus strains MVM and MPV. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A model for the UHE gamma-rays from Hercules X-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eichler, D.; Vestrand, W. T.

1985-01-01

An outburst of gamma rays with energies E gamma 10 to the 12th power eV was recently detected from the X-ray pulsar Hercules X-1. The outburst had a 3 minute duration and occurred at a time during the 35 day X-ray modulation that is associated with X-ray turnon. The gamma rays also have the same 1.24 second modulation that is observed at X-ray energies. Subsequently a 40 minute outburst was detected at E gamma 10 to the 14th power eV. The interaction of ultrahigh energy particles with a precessing accretion disk explain the observed gamma ray light curve. The constraints one can place on acceleration mechanisms and the possibility that the UHE particles are accelerated by shocks in an accretion flow are explained.

A comparison of septal stapler to suture closure in septoplasty: a prospective, randomized trial evaluating the effect on operative time.

PubMed

Sowerby, Leigh J; Wright, Erin D

2013-11-01

Septoplasty requires coaptation of the mucosal flaps at the conclusion of the procedure; classically this is done with nasal packing. Quilting sutures provide a welcome alternative to packing, but can be time-consuming to place. A septal stapler has recently been developed that provides a rapid alternative to quilting sutures but the timesaving has not been quantified. This study was a prospective, randomized trial comparing a septal stapler to quilting suture for coaptation of mucosal flaps in septoplasty. After meeting inclusion criteria, patients underwent septoplasty and inferior turbinoplasty. The total operative time, surgical segment times, including time for closure was recorded. Preoperative and postoperative Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scores were recorded. A sample size of 16 was determined to detect a difference of 5 minutes in closure time. A total of 16 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean time for closure with septal stapler was 35 ± 22 seconds vs 7 minutes ± 1 minute 10 seconds for suture closure (p < 0.0001). The mean total operative time using the septal stapler was 28 minutes ± 6 minutes whereas 43 minutes ± 13 minutes was required for suture (p = 0.014). No difference in postoperative complications or mucosal healing was seen; preoperative and postoperative improvement in NOSE scores was comparable. Coaptation of the mucosal flaps in septoplasty with a septal stapler affords a timesaving in the operating room with no difference in operative outcome. © 2013 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

Habitat relationships of landbirds in the Northern Region, USDA Forest Service

Treesearch

Richard L. Hutto; Jock S. Young

1999-01-01

A series of first-generation habitat-relationships models for 83 bird species were detected in a 3-year study on point counts conducted in association with the USDA Forest Service's Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program. The models depict probabilities of detection for each of the bird species on 100-m-radius, 10-minute point counts conducted across a series...

Breast Cancer Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The BioScan System was developed by OmniCorder Technologies, Inc. at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The system is able to locate cancerous lesions by detecting the cancer's ability to recruit a new blood supply. A digital sensor detects infrared energy emitted from the body and identifies the minute differences accompanying the blood flow changes associated with cancerous cells. It also has potential use as a monitoring device during cancer treatment. This technology will reduce the time taken to detect cancerous cells and allow for earlier intervention, therefore increasing the overall survival rates of breast cancer patients.

The effect of laminar air flow and door openings on operating room contamination.

PubMed

Smith, Eric B; Raphael, Ibrahim J; Maltenfort, Mitchell G; Honsawek, Sittisak; Dolan, Kyle; Younkins, Elizabeth A

2013-10-01

We evaluate the association of laminar airflow (LAF) and OR traffic with intraoperative contamination rates. Two sterile basins were placed in each room during 81 cases, one inside and one outside the LAF. One Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) plate from each basin was sent for culture at successive 30-minute intervals from incision time until wound closure. At successive 30-minute intervals more plates were contaminated outside than inside the LAF. A negative binomial model showed that the bacteria colony forming units (CFU) depended on whether there were any door openings (P=0.02) and the presence of LAF (P=0.003). LAF decreases CFU by 36.6%. LAF independently reduces the risk of contamination and microbial counts for surgeries lasting 90 minutes or less. © 2013.

Chemical matricectomy with sodium hydroxide: long-term follow-up results.

PubMed

Bostanci, Seher; Kocyigit, Pelin; Parlak, Nehir; Gungor, Hilayda Karakok

2014-11-01

Chemical matricectomy with sodium hydroxide is a method being used successfully in the treatment of ingrown toenail. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate long-term recurrence rates after chemical matricectomy using sodium hydroxide application of different durations. Two hundred two patients with ingrown nail edges were treated with either 1-minute (Group 1) or 2-minute (Group 2) applications of sodium hydroxide matricectomy. All patients were followed for at least 2 years. Chemical matricectomy with sodium hydroxide was applied to a total of 585 nail edges of 202 cases. The overall recurrence rates in Group 1 and Group 2 were 6.4% and 7.1%, respectively, during the average 7.5-year follow-up period. No statistically significant differences were detected in terms of recurrence between the 2 groups (p = .73). Chemical matricectomy with sodium hydroxide is an easy method in the treatment of ingrown nails, with low morbidity and high success rates. There was no difference between 1-minute and 2-minute applications in terms of recurrence during the long-term follow-up. Chemical matricectomy with 1-minute application of sodium hydroxide showed high success in terms of long-term follow-up results.

Effect of sub-Tenon's and peribulbar anesthesia on intraocular pressure and ocular pulse amplitude.

PubMed

Pianka, P; Weintraub-Padova, H; Lazar, M; Geyer, O

2001-08-01

To compare the effect of peribulbar and sub-Tenon's anesthesia on intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) in the injected eye and the fellow noninjected (control) eye. Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. This prospective study measured IOP and OPA at baseline and 1 and 10 minutes after administration of lidocaine anesthesia in 40 consecutive adult patients having elective cataract surgery. The IOP remained stable throughout the study with both modes of anesthesia. One minute after injection of the anesthetic agent, the OPA was significantly decreased in the injected eyes in both the sub-Tenon's (24%; P < .05) and peribulbar (25%; P < .05) groups. The decrease in the OPA in the sub-Tenon's group (14%; P < .05) was detectable after 10 minutes in the control eyes. In the peribulbar anesthesia group, the OPA in the control eyes increased significantly (9%; P < .05) 1 minute after injection of the anesthetic agent, returning to preinjection levels 10 minutes after the injection. The OPA in the eyes in which lidocaine was injected decreased significantly in both the sub-Tenon's and peribulbar groups. These findings have implications for the management of patients whose ocular circulation may be compromised.

Computer-aided detection of colorectal polyps: can it improve sensitivity of less-experienced readers? Preliminary findings.

PubMed

Baker, Mark E; Bogoni, Luca; Obuchowski, Nancy A; Dass, Chandra; Kendzierski, Renee M; Remer, Erick M; Einstein, David M; Cathier, Pascal; Jerebko, Anna; Lakare, Sarang; Blum, Andrew; Caroline, Dina F; Macari, Michael

2007-10-01

To determine whether computer-aided detection (CAD) applied to computed tomographic (CT) colonography can help improve sensitivity of polyp detection by less-experienced radiologist readers, with colonoscopy or consensus used as the reference standard. The release of the CT colonographic studies was approved by the individual institutional review boards of each institution. Institutions from the United States were HIPAA compliant. Written informed consent was waived at all institutions. The CT colonographic studies in 30 patients from six institutions were collected; 24 images depicted at least one confirmed polyp 6 mm or larger (39 total polyps) and six depicted no polyps. By using an investigational software package, seven less-experienced readers from two institutions evaluated the CT colonographic images and marked or scored polyps by using a five-point scale before and after CAD. The time needed to interpret the CT colonographic findings without CAD and then to re-evaluate them with CAD was recorded. For each reader, the McNemar test, adjusted for clustered data, was used to compare sensitivities for readers without and with CAD; a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze the number of false-positive results per patient. The average sensitivity of the seven readers for polyp detection was significantly improved with CAD-from 0.810 to 0.908 (P=.0152). The number of false-positive results per patient without and with CAD increased from 0.70 to 0.96 (95% confidence interval for the increase: -0.39, 0.91). The mean total time for the readings was 17 minutes 54 seconds; for interpretation of CT colonographic findings alone, the mean time was 14 minutes 16 seconds; and for review of CAD findings, the mean time was 3 minutes 38 seconds. Results of this feasibility study suggest that CAD for CT colonography significantly improves per-polyp detection for less-experienced readers. Copyright (c) RSNA, 2007.

METHOD OF TESTING FOR LEAKS

DOEpatents

Creutz, E.C.; McAdams, Wm.A.; Foss, M.H.

1958-07-22

A method is described for detecting minute holes In fuel element jackets. The method comprises submerging the jacketed body in an atmosphere of a radioactive gas under pressure, the radioactive emanations from said gas being sufficientiy penetratIng to penetrate the jacket of the jacketed body. After the jacketed body is removed from the radtoactive gas atmosphere, it is exannined for the presence of emanations from radioactive gas which entered the jacketed body through the minute holes. In this manner, the detectton of radioactive emanations is a positive indication that the fuel element is not perfectly sealed.

Capillary electrophoresis-MALDI interface based on inkjet technology

PubMed Central

Vannatta, Michael W.; Whitmore, Colin D.; Dovichi, Norman J.

2010-01-01

An ink jet printer valve and nozzle were used to deliver matrix and sample from an electrophoresis capillary onto a MALDI plate. The system was evaluated by separation of a set of standard peptides. That separation generated up to 40,000 theoretical plates in less than three minutes. Detection limits were 500 amol using an ABI TOF-TOF instrument and 2 fmol for an ABI Q-TOF instrument. Over 70% coverage was obtained for the tryptic digest of α-lactalbumin in less than 2.5 minutes. PMID:19960472

Stand-off detection of explosive particles by imaging Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordberg, Markus; Åkeson, Madeleine; Östmark, Henric; Carlsson, Torgny E.

2011-06-01

A multispectral imaging technique has been developed to detect and identify explosive particles, e.g. from a fingerprint, at stand-off distances using Raman spectroscopy. When handling IED's as well as other explosive devices, residues can easily be transferred via fingerprints onto other surfaces e.g. car handles, gear sticks and suite cases. By imaging the surface using multispectral imaging Raman technique the explosive particles can be identified and displayed using color-coding. The technique has been demonstrated by detecting fingerprints containing significant amounts of 2,4-dinitrotoulene (DNT), 2,4,6-trinitrotoulene (TNT) and ammonium nitrate at a distance of 12 m in less than 90 seconds (22 images × 4 seconds)1. For each measurement, a sequence of images, one image for each wave number, is recorded. The spectral data from each pixel is compared with reference spectra of the substances to be detected. The pixels are marked with different colors corresponding to the detected substances in the fingerprint. The system has now been further developed to become less complex and thereby less sensitive to the environment such as temperature fluctuations. The optical resolution has been improved to less than 70 μm measured at 546 nm wavelength. The total detection time is ranging from less then one minute to around five minutes depending on the size of the particles and how confident the identification should be. The results indicate a great potential for multi-spectral imaging Raman spectroscopy as a stand-off technique for detection of single explosive particles.

Bar-code medication administration system for anesthetics: effects on documentation and billing.

PubMed

Nolen, Agatha L; Rodes, W Dyer

2008-04-01

The effects of using a new bar-code medication administration (BCMA) system for anesthetics to automate documentation of drug administration by anesthesiologists were studied. From October 1, 2004, to September 15, 2005, all medications administered to patients undergoing cardiac surgery were documented with a BCMA system at a large acute care facility. Drug claims data for 12 targeted anesthetics in diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) 104-111 were analyzed to determine the quantity of drugs charged and the revenue generated. Those data were compared with claims data for a historical case-control group (October 1, 2003, to September 15, 2004, for the same DRGs) for which medication use was documented manually. From October 1, 2005, to October 1, 2006, anesthesiologists for cardiac surgeries either voluntarily used the automated system or completed anesthesia records manually. A total of 870 cardiac surgery cases for which the BCMA system was used were evaluated. There were 961 cardiac surgery cases in the historical control group. The BCMA system increased the quantity of drugs documented per case by 21.7% and drug revenue captured per case by 18.8%. The time needed by operating-room pharmacy staff to process an anesthesia record for billing decreased by eight minutes per case. After two years, anesthesiologists voluntarily used the new technology on 100% of cardiac surgery patients. Implementation of a BCMA system for anesthetic use in cardiac surgery increased the quantity of drugs charged by 21.7% per case and drug revenue per case by 18.8%. Anesthesiologists continued to use the automated system on a voluntary basis after conclusion of the initial study.

Monitoring/Verification using DMS: TATP Example

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

Stephan Weeks; Kevin Kyle

Field-rugged and field-programmable differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) networks provide highly selective, universal monitoring of vapors and aerosols at detectable levels from persons or areas involved with illicit chemical/biological/explosives (CBE) production. CBE sensor motes used in conjunction with automated fast gas chromatography with DMS detection (GC/DMS) verification instrumentation integrated into situational operations management systems can be readily deployed and optimized for changing application scenarios. The feasibility of developing selective DMS motes for a 'smart dust' sampling approach with guided, highly selective, fast GC/DMS verification analysis is a compelling approach to minimize or prevent the use of explosives or chemical and biologicalmore » weapons in terrorist activities. Two peroxide-based liquid explosives, triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), are synthesized from common chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, acetone, sulfuric acid, ammonia, and citric acid (Figure 1). Recipes can be readily found on the Internet by anyone seeking to generate sufficient quantities of these highly explosive chemicals to cause considerable collateral damage. Detection of TATP and HMTD by advanced sensing systems can provide the early warning necessary to prevent terror plots from coming to fruition. DMS is currently one of the foremost emerging technologies for the separation and detection of gas-phase chemical species. This is due to trace-level detection limits, high selectivity, and small size. DMS separates and identifies ions at ambient pressures by utilizing the non-linear dependence of an ion's mobility on the radio frequency (rf) electric field strength. GC is widely considered to be one of the leading analytical methods for the separation of chemical species in complex mixtures. Advances in the technique have led to the development of low-thermal-mass fast GC columns. These columns are capable of completing runs in less than 3 minutes. Fast GC columns are also more compact than their traditional counterparts. An earlier collaborative effort involving these authors optimized a handheld, fast GC/DMS, equipped with a non-rad ionization source, for the detection of TATP (Figure 2). The unit combines the separation capabilities of GC with the selectivity of DMS. Analytes are identified both by their elution time from the column and by the characteristic response in the DMS spectrum. Analysis times required to obtain results for these analytes are approximately 80 seconds for TATP and 160 seconds for HMTD (Figure 3). The limit of detection for both TATP and HMTD is approximately 1 ng/{micro}L. Substances that could interfere with the detection of peroxide-based explosives have been studied. Both the GC elution time and the DMS spectral peak locations were unique and do not hinder the detection of either TATP or HMTD.« less

Observational difference between gamma and X-ray properties of optically dark and bright GRBs

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

Balazs, L. G.; Horvath, I.; Bagoly, Zs.

2008-05-22

Using the discriminant analysis of the multivariate statistical analysis we compared the distribution of the physical quantities of the optically dark and bright GRBs, detected by the BAT and XRT on board of the Swift Satellite. We found that the GRBs having detected optical transients (OT) have systematically higher peak fluxes and lower HI column densities than those without OT.

Enzyme Amplified Detection of Microbial Cell Wall Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wainwright, Norman R.

2004-01-01

This proposal is MBL's portion of NASA's Johnson Space Center's Astrobiology Center led by Principal Investigator, Dr. David McKay, entitled: 'Institute for the Study of Biomarkers in Astromaterials.' Dr. Norman Wainwright is the principal investigator at MBL and is responsible for developing methods to detect trace quantities of microbial cell wall chemicals using the enzyme amplification system of Limulus polyphemus and other related methods.

Nondestructive rule-based defect detection and identification system in CT images of hardwood logs

Treesearch

Erol Sarigul; A. Lynn Abbott; Daniel L. Schmoldt

2001-01-01

This paper is concerned with the detection of internal defects in hardwood logs. Because the commercial value of hardwood lumber is directly related to the quantity, type, and location of defects in the wood, sawing strategies are typically chosen in an attempt to minimize the defects in the resulting boards. Traditionally, the sawyer makes sawing decisions by visually...

Nanowire Electron Scattering Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunt, Brian; Bronikowsky, Michael; Wong, Eric; VonAllmen, Paul; Oyafuso, Fablano

2009-01-01

Nanowire electron scattering spectroscopy (NESS) has been proposed as the basis of a class of ultra-small, ultralow-power sensors that could be used to detect and identify chemical compounds present in extremely small quantities. State-of-the-art nanowire chemical sensors have already been demonstrated to be capable of detecting a variety of compounds in femtomolar quantities. However, to date, chemically specific sensing of molecules using these sensors has required the use of chemically functionalized nanowires with receptors tailored to individual molecules of interest. While potentially effective, this functionalization requires labor-intensive treatment of many nanowires to sense a broad spectrum of molecules. In contrast, NESS would eliminate the need for chemical functionalization of nanowires and would enable the use of the same sensor to detect and identify multiple compounds. NESS is analogous to Raman spectroscopy, the main difference being that in NESS, one would utilize inelastic scattering of electrons instead of photons to determine molecular vibrational energy levels. More specifically, in NESS, one would exploit inelastic scattering of electrons by low-lying vibrational quantum states of molecules attached to a nanowire or nanotube.

Method and apparatus for monitoring the flow of mercury in a system

DOEpatents

Grossman, M.W.

1987-12-15

An apparatus and method for monitoring the flow of mercury in a system are disclosed. The equipment enables the entrainment of the mercury in a carrier gas e.g., an inert gas, which passes as mercury vapor between a pair of optically transparent windows. The attenuation of the emission is indicative of the quantity of mercury (and its isotopes) in the system. A 253.7 nm light is shone through one of the windows and the unabsorbed light is detected through the other window. The absorption of the 253.7 nm light is thereby measured whereby the quantity of mercury passing between the windows can be determined. The apparatus includes an in-line sensor for measuring the quantity of mercury. It includes a conduit together with a pair of apertures disposed in a face to face relationship and arranged on opposite sides of the conduit. A pair of optically transparent windows are disposed upon a pair of viewing tubes. A portion of each of the tubes is disposed inside of the conduit and within each of the apertures. The two windows are disposed in a face to face relationship on the ends of the viewing tubes and the entire assembly is hermetically sealed from the atmosphere whereby when 253.7 nm ultraviolet light is shone through one of the windows and detected through the other, the quantity of mercury which is passing by can be continuously monitored due to absorption which is indicated by attenuation of the amplitude of the observed emission. 4 figs.

Metal-Assisted Laser-Induced Gas Plasma for the Direct Analysis of Powder Using Pulse CO2 Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khumaeni, A.; Lie, Z. S.; Kurniawan, K. H.; Kagawa, K.

2017-01-01

Analysis of powder samples available in small quantities has been carried out using metal-assisted gas plasma by utilizing a transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO2 laser. The powder was homogeneously mixed with Si grease, and the mixed powder was painted on a metal subtarget. When a TEA CO2 laser was directly focused on the metal subtarget at atmospheric pressure of He gas, a high-temperature He gas plasma was induced. It is assumed that the powder particles were vaporized to be effectively atomized and excited in the gas plasma region. This method has been employed in the rapid analyses of elements in organic and inorganic powder samples present in small quantities. Detection of trace elements of Cr and Pb has been successfully made by using the supplement powder and loam soil, respectively. The detection limits of Pb in loam soil were approximately 20 mg/kg.

Topological Quantum Phase Transition in Synthetic Non-Abelian Gauge Potential: Gauge Invariance and Experimental Detections

PubMed Central

Sun, Fadi; Yu, Xiao-Lu; Ye, Jinwu; Fan, Heng; Liu, Wu-Ming

2013-01-01

The method of synthetic gauge potentials opens up a new avenue for our understanding and discovering novel quantum states of matter. We investigate the topological quantum phase transition of Fermi gases trapped in a honeycomb lattice in the presence of a synthetic non-Abelian gauge potential. We develop a systematic fermionic effective field theory to describe a topological quantum phase transition tuned by the non-Abelian gauge potential and explore its various important experimental consequences. Numerical calculations on lattice scales are performed to compare with the results achieved by the fermionic effective field theory. Several possible experimental detection methods of topological quantum phase transition are proposed. In contrast to condensed matter experiments where only gauge invariant quantities can be measured, both gauge invariant and non-gauge invariant quantities can be measured by experimentally generating various non-Abelian gauges corresponding to the same set of Wilson loops. PMID:23846153

Rapid communication: effects of tobacco processing on the quantity of benzo[a]pyrene in mainstream smoke.

PubMed

Martin, Lin Alicia; Byrd, Sherell K; Milofsky, Robert E

2003-07-25

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon produced during incomplete combustion of organic compounds and is one of the more carcinogenic PAHs detected in tobacco smoke. Addition of organic compounds during tobacco processing increases the likelihood of finding elevated concentrations of BaP in mainstream smoke when compared to smoke from unprocessed tobacco. To test this hypothesis, the tobacco from Marlboro "Red" (processed) cigarettes and nonprocessed Burley tobacco leaf cigarettes was combusted and the resulting combustion products were collected onto glass fiber filter pads. The quantity of BaP in the tobacco tar extracted from the pads was measured using reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The concentration of BaP in the processed tobacco smoke was significantly higher than in unprocessed tobacco smoke. These results suggest that compounds added during tobacco processing increase the concentrations of BaP and therefore the carcinogenic potential of cigarettes.

FRBCAT: The Fast Radio Burst Catalogue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petroff, E.; Barr, E. D.; Jameson, A.; Keane, E. F.; Bailes, M.; Kramer, M.; Morello, V.; Tabbara, D.; van Straten, W.

2016-09-01

Here, we present a catalogue of known Fast Radio Burst sources in the form of an online catalogue, FRBCAT. The catalogue includes information about the instrumentation used for the observations for each detected burst, the measured quantities from each observation, and model-dependent quantities derived from observed quantities. To aid in consistent comparisons of burst properties such as width and signal-to-noise ratios, we have re-processed all the bursts for which we have access to the raw data, with software which we make available. The originally derived properties are also listed for comparison. The catalogue is hosted online as a Mysql database which can also be downloaded in tabular or plain text format for off-line use. This database will be maintained for use by the community for studies of the Fast Radio Burst population as it grows.

Development of marijuana and tobacco detectors using potassium-40 gamma ray emissions

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

Kirby, J.; Lindquist, R.P.

Measurements were made at the Otay Mesa, Ca. border crossing between November 30 and December 4, 1992 to demonstrate proof of concept and the practicality of using potassium 40 (K40) gamma emissions to detect the presence of marijuana in vehicles. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) personnel, with the assistance of the EPA, set up three large volume gamma ray detectors with lead brick shielding and collimation under a stationary trailer and pickup truck. Measurements were performed for various positions and quantities of marijuana. Also, small quantities of marijuana, cigarettes, and other materials were subjected to gamma counting measurements under controlledmore » geometry conditions to determine their K40 concentration. Larger quantities of heroin and cocaine were subjected to undefined geometry gamma counts for significant K40 gamma emissions.« less

Incorporating Geodectic Processing Modules into a Real-Time Earthworm Environment to Enhance NOAA's Tsunami Warning Capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macpherson, K. A.

2017-12-01

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's National and Pacific Tsunami Warning Centers currently rely on traditional seismic data in order to detect and evaluate potential tsunamigenic earthquakes anywhere on the globe. The first information products disseminated by the centers following a significant seismic event are based solely on seismically-derived earthquake locations and magnitudes, and are issued within minutes of the earthquake origin time. Thus, the rapid and reliable determination of the earthquake magnitude is a critical piece of information needed by the centers to generate the appropriate alert levels. However, seismically-derived magnitudes of large events are plagued by well-known problems, particularly during the first few minutes following the origin time; near-source broad-band instruments may go off scale, and magnitudes tend to saturate until sufficient teleseismic data arrive to represent the long-period signal that characterizes large events. However, geodetic data such as high-rate Global Positioning System (hGPS) displacements and seismogeodetic data that is a combination of collocated hGPS and accelerometer data do not suffer from these limitations. These sensors stay on scale, even for large events, and they record both dynamic and static displacements that may be used to estimate magnitude without saturation. Therefore, there is an ongoing effort to incorporate these data streams into the operations of the tsunami warning centers to enhance current magnitude determination capabilities, and eventually, to invert the geodetic displacements for mechanism and finite-fault information. These later quantities will be useful for tsunami modeling and forecasting. The tsunami warning centers rely on the Earthworm system for real-time data acquisition, so we have developed Earthworm modules for the Magnitude from Peak Ground Displacement (MPGD) algorithm, developed at the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley, and a module for a Static Offset Estimator algorithm that was developed by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In this presentation we will discuss module architecture and show output computed by replaying both synthetic and historical scenarios in a simulated real-time Earthworm environment.

Tectonic Tremor analysis with the Taiwan Chelungpu-Fault Drilling Program (TCDP) downhole seismometer array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y.; Hillers, G.; Ma, K.; Campillo, M.

2011-12-01

We study tectonic tremor activity in the Taichung area, Taiwan, analyzing continuous seismic records from 6 short-period sensors of the TCDP borehole array situated around 1 km depth. The low background noise level facilitates the detection of low-amplitude tectonic tremor and low-frequency earthquake (LFE) waveforms. We apply a hierarchical analysis to first detect transient amplitude increases, and to subsequently verify its tectonic origin, i.e. to associate it with tremor signals. The frequency content of tremor usually exceeds the background noise around 2-8 Hz; hence, in the first step, we use BHS1, BHS4 and BHS7 (top, center, bottom sensor) records to detect amplitude anomalies in this frequency range. We calculate the smoothed spectra of 30 second non-overlapping windows taken daily from 5 night time hours to avoid increased day time amplitudes associated with cultural activities. Amplitude detection is then performed on frequency dependent median values of 5 minute advancing, 10 minute long time windows, yielding a series of threshold dependent increased-energy spectra-envelopes, indicating teleseismic waveforms, potential tremor records, or other transients related to anthropogenic or natural sources. To verify the transients' tectonic origin, potential tremor waveforms detected by the amplitude method are manually picked in the time domain. We apply the Brown et al. (2008) LFE matched filter technique to three-component data from the 6 available sensors. Initial few-second templates are taken from the analyst-picked, minute-long segments, and correlated component-wise with 24-h data. Significantly increased similarity between templates and matched waveform segments is detected using the array-average 7-fold MAD measure. Harvested waveforms associated with this initial `weak' detection are stacked, and the thus created master templates are used in an iterative correlation procedure to arrive at robust LFE detections. The increased similarity of waveforms, showing essentially no moveout across the array, suggests a common source and path effect, therefore increasing the likelihood of a tectonic origin. Preliminary results from a pilot analysis confirm the existence of tremor-like signals in the tremor-typical frequency range. We present results from a comprehensive analysis of at least 2 years of continuous data. A limited resolution location procedure is applied, testament to the receiver geometry, and the inferred locations are discussed in relation to the tectonic situation.

KSC-2014-4226

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew of the NASA helicopter carefully lifts a Bambi Bucket from a canal near the Shuttle Landing Facility. Minutes later, the water was dropped on the target cones in the foreground, using techniques that would be employed to fight a brush fire at the Kennedy Space Center. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4225

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew of the NASA helicopter carefully lifts a Bambi Bucket from a canal near the Shuttle Landing Facility. Minutes later, the water was dropped on the target cones in the foreground, using techniques that would be employed to fight a brush fire at the Kennedy Space Center. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2014-4224

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew of the NASA helicopter carefully lowers a Bambi Bucket into a canal near the Shuttle Landing Facility. Minutes later, the water was dropped on the target cones in the foreground, using techniques that would be employed to fight a brush fire at the Kennedy Space Center. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Evacuated, displacement compression mold. [of tubular bodies from thermosetting plastics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heier, W. C. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A process of molding long thin-wall tubular bodies from thermosetting plastic molding compounds is described wherein the tubular body lengths may be several times the diameters. The process is accomplished by loading a predetermined quantity of molding compound into a female mold cavity closed at one end by a force mandrel. After closing the other end of the female mold with a balance mandrel, the loaded cavity is evacuated by applying a vacuum of from one-to-five mm pressure for a period of fifteen-to-thirty minutes. The mold temperature is raised to the minimum temperature at which the resin constituent of the compound will soften or plasticize and a pressure of 2500 psi is applied.

Market inefficiency identified by both single and multiple currency trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokár, T.; Horváth, D.

2012-11-01

Many studies have shown that there are good reasons to claim very low predictability of currency returns; nevertheless, the deviations from true randomness exist which have potential predictive and prognostic power [J. James, Simple trend-following strategies in currency trading, Quantitative finance 3 (2003) C75-C77]. We analyze the local trends which are of the main focus of the technical analysis. In this article we introduced various statistical quantities examining role of single temporal discretized trend or multitude of grouped trends corresponding to different time delays. Our specific analysis based predominantly on Euro-dollar currency pair data at the one minute frequency suggests the importance of cumulative nonrandom effect of trends on the potential forecasting performance.

Bacteria Counter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Science Applications, Inc.'s ATP Photometer makes a rapid and accurate count of the bacteria in a body fluid sample. Instrument provides information on the presence and quantity of bacteria by measuring the amount of light emitted by the reaction between two substances. Substances are ATP adenosine triphosphate and luciferase. The reactants are applied to a human body sample and the ATP Photometer observes the intensity of the light emitted displaying its findings in a numerical output. Total time lapse is usually less than 10 minutes, which represents a significant time savings in comparison of other techniques. Other applications are measuring organisms in fresh and ocean waters, determining bacterial contamination of foodstuffs, biological process control in the beverage industry, and in assay of activated sewage sludge.

Uranium determination in natural water by the fissiontrack technique

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reimer, G.M.

1975-01-01

The fission track technique, utilizing the neutron-induced fission of uranium-235, provides a versatile analytical method for the routine analysis of uranium in liquid samples of natural water. A detector is immersed in the sample and both are irradiated. The fission track density observed in the detector is directly proportional to the uranium concentration. The specific advantages of this technique are: (1) only a small quantity of sample, typically 0.1-1 ml, is needed; (2) no sample concentration is necessary; (3) it is capable of providing analyses with a lower reporting limit of 1 ??g per liter; and (4) the actual time spent on an analysis can be only a few minutes. This paper discusses and describes the method. ?? 1975.

Mechanisms and time course of menthol-induced cutaneous vasodilation

PubMed Central

Craighead, Daniel H.; McCartney, Nathaniel B.; Tumlinson, James H.; Alexander, Lacy M.

2017-01-01

Menthol is a vasoactive compound that is widely used in topical analgesic agents. Menthol induces cutaneous vasodilation, however the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Determining the rates of appearance and clearance of menthol in the skin is important for optimizing topical treatment formulation and dosing. The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanisms contributing to menthol-mediated cutaneous vasodilation and to establish a time course for menthol appearance/clearance in the skin. Ten young (23±1 years, 5 males 5 females) subjects participated in two protocols. In study 1, four intradermal microdialysis fibers were perfused with increasing doses of menthol (0.1-500mM) and inhibitors for nitric oxide (NO), endothelium derived hyperpolarizing factors (EDHFs), and sensory nerves. Skin blood flow was measured with laser Doppler flowmetry and normalized to %CVCmax. In study 2, two intradermal microdialysis fibers were perfused with lactated Ringer's solution. 0.017mL•cm-2 of a 4% menthol gel was placed over each fiber. 5μL samples of dialysate from the microdialysis fibers were collected every 30 minutes and analyzed for the presence of menthol with high performance gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Skin blood flow (laser speckle contrast imaging) and subjective ratings of menthol sensation were simultaneously obtained with dialysate samples. In study 1, menthol induced cutaneous vasodilation at all doses ≥100mM (all p<0.05). However, inhibition of either NO, EDHFs, or sensory nerves fully inhibited menthol-mediated vasodilation (all p>0.05). In study 2, significant menthol was detected in dialysate 30 minutes post menthol application (0.89ng, p=0.0002). Relative to baseline, cutaneous vasodilation was elevated from minutes 15-45 and ratings of menthol sensation were elevated from minute 5-60 post menthol application (all p<0.05). Menthol induces cutaneous vasodilation in the skin through multiple vasodilator pathways, including NO, EDHF, and sensory nerves. Topical menthol is detectable in the skin within 30 minutes and is cleared by 60 minutes. Skin blood flow and perceptual measures follow a similar time course as menthol appearance/clearance. PMID:27899298

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

Milligan, Ryan O.; Fletcher, Lyndsay; Fleck, Bernhard

In this Letter we report the detection of chromospheric 3-minute oscillations in disk-integrated EUV irradiance observations during a solar flare. A wavelet analysis of detrended Ly α (from GOES /EUVS) and Lyman continuum (from Solar Dynamics Observatory ( SDO )/EVE) emission from the 2011 February 15 X-class flare (SOL2011-02-15T01:56) revealed a ∼3 minute period present during the flare’s main phase. The formation temperature of this emission locates this radiation at the flare’s chromospheric footpoints, and similar behavior is found in the SDO /Atmospheric Imaging Assembly 1600 and 1700 Å channels, which are dominated by chromospheric continuum. The implication is thatmore » the chromosphere responds dynamically at its acoustic cutoff frequency to an impulsive injection of energy. Since the 3-minute period was not found at hard X-ray (HXR) energies (50–100 keV) in Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager data we can state that this 3-minute oscillation does not depend on the rate of energization of non-thermal electrons. However, a second period of 120 s found in both HXR and chromospheric lightcurves is consistent with episodic electron energization on 2-minute timescales. Our finding on the 3-minute oscillation suggests that chromospheric mechanical energy should be included in the flare energy budget, and the fluctuations in the Ly α line may influence the composition and dynamics of planetary atmospheres during periods of high activity.« less

Portable Biomarker Detection with Magnetic Nanotags

PubMed Central

Hall, Drew A.; Wang, Shan X.; Murmann, Boris; Gaster, Richard S.

2012-01-01

This paper presents a hand-held, portable biosensor platform for quantitative biomarker measurement. By combining magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) tags with giant magnetoresistive (GMR) spin-valve sensors, the hand-held platform achieves highly sensitive (picomolar) and specific biomarker detection in less than 20 minutes. The rapid analysis and potential low cost make this technology ideal for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. Furthermore, this platform is able to detect multiple biomarkers simultaneously in a single assay, creating a promising diagnostic tool for a vast number of applications. PMID:22495252

Oscillations in a Sunspot with Light Bridges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Ding; Nakariakov, Valery M.; Huang, Zhenghua; Li, Bo; Su, Jiangtao; Yan, Yihua; Tan, Baolin

2014-09-01

The Solar Optical Telescope on board Hinode observed a sunspot (AR 11836) with two light bridges (LBs) on 2013 August 31. We analyzed a two-hour Ca II H emission intensity data set and detected strong five-minute oscillation power on both LBs and in the inner penumbra. The time-distance plot reveals that the five-minute oscillation phase does not vary significantly along the thin bridge, indicating that the oscillations are likely to originate from underneath it. The slit taken along the central axis of the wide LB exhibits a standing wave feature. However, at the center of the wide bridge, the five-minute oscillation power is found to be stronger than at its sides. Moreover, the time-distance plot across the wide bridge exhibits a herringbone pattern that indicates a counter-stream of two running waves, which originated at the bridge's sides. Thus, the five-minute oscillations on the wide bridge also resemble the properties of running penumbral waves. The five-minute oscillations are suppressed in the umbra, while the three-minute oscillations occupy all three cores of the sunspot's umbra, separated by the LBs. The three-minute oscillations were found to be in phase at both sides of the LBs. This may indicate that either LBs do not affect umbral oscillations, or that umbral oscillations at different umbral cores share the same source. It also indicates that LBs are rather shallow objects situated in the upper part of the umbra. We found that umbral flashes (UFs) follow the life cycles of umbral oscillations with much larger amplitudes. They cannot propagate across LBs. UFs dominate the three-minute oscillation power within each core; however, they do not disrupt the phase of umbral oscillation.

The importance of key floral bioactive compounds to honey bees for the detection and attraction of hybrid vegetable crops and increased seed yield.

PubMed

Mas, Flore; Harper, Aimee; Horner, Rachael; Welsh, Taylor; Jaksons, Peter; Suckling, David M

2018-02-15

Crop breeding programmes generally select for traits for improved yield and human consumption preferences. Yet, they often overlook one fundamental trait essential for insect-pollinated crops: pollinator attraction. This is even more critical for hybrid plants that rely on cross-pollination between the male-fertile line and the male-sterile line to set seeds. This study investigated the role of floral odours for honey bee pollination that could explain the poor seed yield in hybrid crops. The key floral bioactive compounds that honey bees detect were identified for three vegetable hybrid crops. It was found that 30% of the variation in bioactive compound quantities was explained by variety. Differences in quantities of the bioactive compounds triggered different degrees of olfactory response and were also associated with varied appetitive response. Correlating the abundance of each bioactive compound with seed yield, it was found that aldehydes such as nonanal and decanal can have a strong negative influence on seed yield with increasing quantity. Using these methodologies to identify relevant bioactive compounds associated with honey bee pollination, plant breeding programmes should also consider selecting for floral traits attractive to honey bees to improve crop pollination for enhanced seed yield. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Geohydrology of the Souris River Valley in the vicinity of Minot, North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pettyjohn, Wayne A.

1967-01-01

The Minot area is in the north-central part of North Dakota and includes part of the Souris River valley. The region is covered by glacial drift of late Wisconsin age except in small areas where the Fort Union Formation of Tertiary age crops out. Thickness of the drift is controlled by the topography of the bedrock. In places the drift is more than 450 feet thick, but it averages about 100 feet thick.Water from the Fort Union Formation is soft and is of sodium bicarbonate type that is undesirable for many uses. Wells in the formation produce only a few gallons per minute.Six glacial aquifers were studied in the report area, but detailed work was limited to the Minot aquifer. The Sundre buried-channel and the lower Souris aquifers contain large quantities of bard water of good chemical quality, but little is known of their hydraulic characteristics owing to lack of development. The North Hill and South Hill aquifers generally provide small quantities of hard water that may be high in iron and sodium. The northwest buried-channel aquifer has a high content of iron and chloride. Locally as much as 1,000 gallons per minute may be pumped from it.The Minot aquifer is a thick deposit of sand and gravel confined to the Souris River valley. The water level has declined more than 70 feet since the first municipal well began pumping in 1916. In .some places the water level in the aquifer declined more than 20 feet during 1961-1963. The rapid decline in water level indicates that a serious water shortage may arise in the near future unless counter measures are taken to prevent it.The Minot aquifer is under both artesian and water-table conditions. In places the transmissibility exceeds 250,000 gallons per day per foot. In 1963, 13 municipal wells pump'ed an average of nearly 4 million gallons per day from the aquifer. Some wells produce as much as 1,000 gallons per minute. The Minot aquifer receives most of its recharge from the buried glaciofiuvial deposits and from the Souris River. Natural recharge probably average about 3 million gallons per day. About 56,000 acre-feet of water available to wells was in storage in 1963.Artificial recharge could be used to counteract the rapid decline in water levels. Several feasible artificial recharge sites are in the western part of Minot, where highly permeable sand and gravel crop out.

Highway runoff quality in Ireland.

PubMed

Berhanu Desta, Mesfin; Bruen, Michael; Higgins, Neil; Johnston, Paul

2007-04-01

Highway runoff has been identified as a significant source of contaminants that impact on the receiving aquatic environment. Several studies have been completed documenting the characteristics of highway runoff and its implication to the receiving water in the UK and elsewhere. However, very little information is available for Ireland. The objective of this study was to determine the quality of highway runoff from major Irish roads under the current road drainage design and maintenance practice. Four sites were selected from the M4 and the M7 motorways outside Dublin. Automatic samplers and continuous monitoring devices were deployed to sample and monitor the runoff quality and quantity. More than 42 storm events were sampled and analysed for the heavy metals Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn, 16 US EPA specified PAHs, volatile organic compounds including MTBE, and a number of conventional pollutants. All samples were analysed based on the Standard Methods. Significant quantities of solids and heavy metals were detected at all sites. PAHs were not detected very often, but when detected the values were different from quantities observed in UK highways. The heavy metal concentrations were strongly related to the total suspended solids concentrations, which has a useful implication for runoff management strategies. No strong relationship was discovered between pollutant concentrations and event characteristics such as rainfall intensity, antecedent dry days (ADD), or rainfall depth (volume). This study has demonstrated that runoff from Irish motorways was not any cleaner than in the UK although the traffic volume at the monitored sites was relatively smaller. This calls for a site specific investigation of highway runoff quality before adopting a given management strategy.

Cell-free DNA detected by "liquid biopsy" as a potential prognostic biomarker in early breast cancer.

PubMed

Maltoni, Roberta; Casadio, Valentina; Ravaioli, Sara; Foca, Flavia; Tumedei, Maria Maddalena; Salvi, Samanta; Martignano, Filippo; Calistri, Daniele; Rocca, Andrea; Schirone, Alessio; Amadori, Dino; Bravaccini, Sara

2017-03-07

As conventional biomarkers for defining breast cancer (BC) subtypes are not always capable of predicting prognosis, search for new biomarkers which can be easily detected by liquid biopsy is ongoing. It has long been known that cell-free DNA (CF-DNA) could be a promising diagnostic and prognostic marker in different tumor types, although its prognostic value in BC is yet to be confirmed. This retrospective study evaluated the prognostic role of CF-DNA quantity and integrity of HER2, MYC, BCAS1 and PI3KCA, which are frequently altered in BC. We collected 79 serum samples before surgery from women at first diagnosis of BC at Forlì Hospital (Italy) from 2002 to 2010. Twenty-one relapsed and 58 non-relapsed patients were matched by subtype and age. Blood samples were also collected from 10 healthy donors. All samples were analyzed by Real Time PCR for CF-DNA quantity and integrity of all oncogenes. Except for MYC, BC patients showed significantly higher median values of CF-DNA quantity (ng) than healthy controls, who had higher integrity and lower apoptotic index. A difference nearing statistical significance was observed for HER2 short CF-DNA (p = 0.078, AUC value: 0.6305). HER2 short CF-DNA showed an odds ratio of 1.39 for disease recurrence with p = 0.056 (95% CI 0.991-1.973). Our study suggests that CF-DNA detected as liquid biopsy could have great potential in clinical practice once demonstration of its clinical validity and utility has been provided by prospective studies with robust assays.

A novel approach for quantitation of nonderivatized sialic acid in protein therapeutics using hydrophilic interaction chromatographic separation and nano quantity analyte detection.

PubMed

Chemmalil, Letha; Suravajjala, Sreekanth; See, Kate; Jordan, Eric; Furtado, Marsha; Sun, Chong; Hosselet, Stephen

2015-01-01

This paper describes a novel approach for the quantitation of nonderivatized sialic acid in glycoproteins, separated by hydrophilic interaction chromatography, and detection by Nano Quantity Analyte Detector (NQAD). The detection technique of NQAD is based on measuring change in the size of dry aerosol and converting the particle count rate into chromatographic output signal. NQAD detector is suitable for the detection of sialic acid, which lacks sufficiently active chromophore or fluorophore. The water condensation particle counting technology allows the analyte to be enlarged using water vapor to provide highest sensitivity. Derivatization-free analysis of glycoproteins using HPLC/NQAD method with PolyGLYCOPLEX™ amide column is well correlated with HPLC method with precolumn derivatization using 1, 2-diamino-4, 5-methylenedioxybenzene (DMB) as well as the Dionex-based high-pH anion-exchange chromatography (or ion chromatography) with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). With the elimination of derivatization step, HPLC/NQAD method is more efficient than HPLC/DMB method. HPLC/NQAD method is more reproducible than HPAEC-PAD method as HPAEC-PAD method suffers high variability because of electrode fouling during analysis. Overall, HPLC/NQAD method offers broad linear dynamic range as well as excellent precision, accuracy, repeatability, reliability, and ease of use, with acceptable comparability to the commonly used HPAEC-PAD and HPLC/DMB methods. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

[Application of Vojta's method for early detection of developmental disturbances in very low birthweight infants with regard to Apgar score and asymmetric body positions].

PubMed

Gajewska, Ewa; Samborski, Włodzimierz

2006-01-01

This work focuses on the usefulness of assessment based on seven body positions according to Vojta for early detection of developmental abnormalities of the central nervous system. As additional factors, Apgar score at 1st and 5th minute of life, as well as asymmetry of head or of whole body at the time of investigation (usually third month of life) were analyzed in correlation with subsequent diagnosis of cerebral palsy usually established after the first year of life. The study group consisted of 57 children with birthweight lower than 1500 grams. Seven children were diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of one year. The following conclusions were drawn: Vojta's diagnostic method is very sensitive in detecting injury of the central nervous system early in life; high correlation was found between cerebral palsy and asymmetry of the body, but not of the head; low Apgar score at 5th but not at 1st minute is highly predictive for progression to cerebral palsy in infants with very low birthweight.

Rapid Microcystin Determination Using a Paper Spray Ionization Method with a Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry System.

PubMed

Zhu, Xiaoqiang; Huang, Zhengxu; Gao, Wei; Li, Xue; Li, Lei; Zhu, Hui; Mo, Ting; Huang, Bao; Zhou, Zhen

2016-07-13

The eutrophication of surface water sources and climate changes have resulted in an annual explosion of cyanobacterial blooms in many irrigating and drinking water resources. To decrease health risks to the public, a rapid real time method for the synchronous determination of two usually harmful microcystins (MC-RR and MC-LR) in environmental water samples was built by employing a paper spray ionization method coupled with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer system. With this approach, direct analysis of microcystin mixtures without sample preparation has been achieved. Rapid detection was performed, simulating the release process of microcystins in reservoir water samples, and the routine detection frequency was every three minutes. The identification time of microcystins was reduced from several hours to a few minutes. The limit of detection is 1 μg/L, and the limit of quantitation is 3 μg/L. This method displays the ability for carrying out rapid, direct, and high-throughput experiments for determination of microcystins, and it would be of significant interest for environmental and food safety applications.

Paper SERS chromatography for detection of trace analytes in complex samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Wei W.; White, Ian M.

2013-05-01

We report the application of paper SERS substrates for the detection of trace quantities of multiple analytes in a complex sample in the form of paper chromatography. Paper chromatography facilitates the separation of different analytes from a complex sample into distinct sections in the chromatogram, which can then be uniquely identified using SERS. As an example, the separation and quantitative detection of heroin in a highly fluorescent mixture is demonstrated. Paper SERS chromatography has obvious applications, including law enforcement, food safety, and border protection, and facilitates the rapid detection of chemical and biological threats at the point of sample.

Analysis of volatile organic compounds from illicit cocaine samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robins, W. H.; Wright, Bob W.

1994-10-01

Detection of illicit cocaine hydrochloride shipments can be improved if there is a greater understanding of the identity and quantity of volatile compounds present. This study provides preliminary data concerning the volatile organic compounds detected in a limited set of cocaine hydrochloride samples. In all cases, cocaine was one of the major volatile compounds detected. Other tropeines were detected in almost all samples. Low concentrations of compounds which may be residues of processing solvents were observed in some samples. The equilibrium emissivity of cocaine from cocaine hydrochloride was investigated and a value of 83 parts-per-trillion was determined.

The detection methods of dynamic objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knyazev, N. L.; Denisova, L. A.

2018-01-01

The article deals with the application of cluster analysis methods for solving the task of aircraft detection on the basis of distribution of navigation parameters selection into groups (clusters). The modified method of cluster analysis for search and detection of objects and then iterative combining in clusters with the subsequent count of their quantity for increase in accuracy of the aircraft detection have been suggested. The course of the method operation and the features of implementation have been considered. In the conclusion the noted efficiency of the offered method for exact cluster analysis for finding targets has been shown.

Quorum Sensing: An Under-Explored Phenomenon in the Phylum Actinobacteria

PubMed Central

Polkade, Ashish V.; Mantri, Shailesh S.; Patwekar, Umera J.; Jangid, Kamlesh

2016-01-01

Quorum sensing is known to play a major role in the regulation of secondary metabolite production, especially, antibiotics, and morphogenesis in the phylum Actinobacteria. Although it is one of the largest bacterial phylum, only 25 of the 342 genera have been reported to use quorum sensing. Of these, only nine have accompanying experimental evidence; the rest are only known through bioinformatic analysis of gene/genome sequences. It is evident that this important communication mechanism is not extensively explored in Actinobacteria. In this review, we summarize the different quorum sensing systems while identifying the limitations of the existing screening strategies and addressing the improvements that have taken place in this field in recent years. The γ-butyrolactone system turned out to be almost exclusively limited to this phylum. In addition, methylenomycin furans, AI-2 and other putative AHL-like signaling molecules are also reported in Actinobacteria. The lack of existing screening systems in detecting minute quantities and of a wider range of signaling molecules was a major reason behind the limited information available on quorum sensing in this phylum. However, recent improvements in screening strategies hold a promising future and are likely to increase the discovery of new signaling molecules. Further, the quorum quenching ability in many Actinobacteria has a great potential in controlling the spread of plant and animal pathogens. A systematic and coordinated effort is required to screen and exploit the enormous potential that quorum sensing in the phylum Actinobacteria has to offer for human benefit. PMID:26904007

Metabolic perturbations in Welsh Ponies with insulin dysregulation, obesity, and laminitis

PubMed Central

Murray, Kevin J.; Rendahl, Aaron K.; Geor, Raymond J.; Schultz, Nichol E.; McCue, Molly E.

2018-01-01

Background Metabolomics, the study of small‐molecule metabolites, has increased understanding of human metabolic diseases, but has not been used to study equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Objectives (1) To examine the serum metabolome of Welsh Ponies with and without insulin dysregulation before and during an oral sugar test (OST). (2) To identify differences in metabolites in ponies with insulin dysregulation, obesity, or history of laminitis. Animals Twenty Welsh Ponies (mean ± SD; 13.8 ± 9.0 years) classified as non‐insulin dysregulated [CON] (n = 10, insulin < 30 mU/L) or insulin dysregulated [ID] (n = 10, insulin > 60 mU/L) at 75 minutes after administration of Karo syrup, obese (n = 6) or nonobese (n = 14), and history of laminitis (n = 9) or no history of laminitis (n = 11). Methods Case‐control study. Metabolomic analysis was performed on serum obtained at 0 minutes (baseline) and 75 minutes during the OST. Data were analyzed with multivariable mixed linear models with significance set at P ≤ .05. Results Metabolomic analysis of 646 metabolites (506 known) detected significant metabolite differences. At baseline, 55 metabolites (insulin response), 91 metabolites (obesity status), and 136 metabolites (laminitis history) were different. At 75 minutes, 51 metabolites (insulin response), 102 metabolites (obesity status), and 124 metabolites (laminitis history) were different. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Use of metabolomics could have diagnostic utility for early detection of EMS and provide new knowledge regarding the pathophysiology of metabolic perturbations associated with this condition that might lead to improved clinical management. PMID:29572947

[Effect of moxibustion on quantity of pinealocytes and pineal HSP 70 expression in subacute aging rats].

PubMed

Liang, Xin; Zhong, Yu

2011-08-01

To study the mechanism of moxibustion in postponing the process of aging. Thirty Wistar rats were equally randomized into control, model and moxibustion groups. The subacute aging model was established by hypodermic injection of 25% D-galactose (125 mg/kg). Moxibustion was applied to bilateral "Shenshu" (GV 23) and "Pishu" (GV 20) once everyday for 6 weeks. After slicing, the pineal gland tissue was stained with HE and insitu hybridization methods respectively for detecting the quantity of pinealocytes and the expression of heat shock protein (HSP 70). Compared with the control group, both the quantity of pinealocytes and the expression of HSP 70 in the pineal gland in the model group were downregulated significantly (P < 0.001, P < 0.01). Compared with model group, the quantity of pinealocytes and of HSP 70 mRNA in the pineal gland of moxibustion group were upregulated significantly (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Moxibustion can suppress aging induced decrease of pinealocyte number and HSP 70 expression in subacute aging rats, which may contribute to its effect in postponing aging.

Detection of semi-volatile organic compounds in permeable pavement infiltrate

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract The Edison Environmental Center (EEC) has a research and demonstration permeable parking lot comprised of three different permeable systems: permeable asphalt, porous concrete and interlocking concrete permeable pavers. Water quality and quantity analysis has been ongoin...

Mass culture of photobacteria to obtain luciferase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chappelle, E. W.; Picciolo, G. L.; Rich, E., Jr.

1969-01-01

Inoculating preheated trays containing nutrient agar with photobacteria provides a means for mass culture of aerobic microorganisms in order to obtain large quantities of luciferase. To determine optimum harvest time, growth can be monitored by automated light-detection instrumentation.

Possible Detection of Perchlorates by Evolved Gas Analysis of Rocknest Soils: Global Implication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Archer, P. D., Jr.; Sutter, B.; Ming, D. W.; McKay, C. P.; Navarro-Gonzalez, R.; Franz, H. B.; McAdam, A.; Mahaffy, P. R.

2013-01-01

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite on board the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) recently ran four samples from an aeolian bedform named Rocknest. Rocknest was selected as the source of the first samples analyzed because it is representative of both windblown material in Gale crater as well as the globally-distributed dust. The four samples analyzed by SAM were portioned from the fifth scoop at this location. The material delivered to SAM passed through a 150 m sieve and should have been well mixed during the sample acquisition/ preparation/handoff process. Rocknest samples were heated to 835 C at a 35 C/minute ramp rate with a He carrier gas flow rate of 1.5 standard cubic centimeters per minute and at an oven pressure of 30 mbar. Evolved gases were detected by a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS).

A Periodogram of Every Kepler Target and a Common Artifact at ∼80 minutes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kipping, David

2018-05-01

Studying photometric time series in the frequency domain can serve as a means of detecting rotational modulations, measuring asteroseismic modes and even detecting short-period transiting planets. To our knowledge, there is no prior archive of the NASA Kepler Mission's power spectra and so we present one here to aid the community in searching for such effects. Using DR25 PDC long-cadence Kepler photometry, 2,594,616 individual periodograms are computed using Welch's method with a Nuttall window, where we provide a unique periododogram for each quarter (up to 16) of each star (196,791 in total). Additionally, we normalize the periodograms in the high-frequency end and combine them into channel- and quarter-averaged power spectra to track common instrumental modes occurring onboard the telescope, with a particularly notable feature at ~80 minutes (~200 $\\mu$Hz) observed.

Industrial-hygiene characterization of ethylene oxide exposures of hospital and nursing-home workers

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

Ringenburg, V.L.; Elliott, L.J.; Morelli-Schroth, P.

Industrial-hygiene surveys were conducted at 12 hospitals and one nursing home to determine possible employee exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO). Different types of exposure situations existed at each of the facilities as a result of various engineering controls, administrative controls and work practices. Sampling indicated that the time-weighted averages (TWAs) of exposure over periods of 36 to 724 minutes ranged from below the limit of detection to 6.7 parts per million (ppm). Personal short-term exposure levels covering 2 to 30 minutes ranged from less than the limit of detection to 103.2ppm. Factors found to be responsible for these higher-than-permissible levelsmore » of EtO exposure included improper installation or lack of engineering controls (such as improper placement of the sterilizing operations), unbalanced ventilation systems, and lack of administrative controls resulting in inappropriate work practices.« less

Solar burst precursors and energy build-up at microwave wavelengths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, Kenneth R.; Wilson, Robert F.

1986-01-01

We summarize high-resolution microwave observations (VLA) of heating and magnetic triggering in coronal loops. Magnetic changes that precede solar eruptions on time scales of tens of minutes involve primarily emerging coronal loops and the interaction of two or more loops. Thermal cyclotron lines have been detected in coronal loops, suggesting the presence of hot current sheets that enhance emission from relatively thin layers of enhanced temperature and constant magnetic field. These current sheets may play a role in the excitation of solar bursts. A filament-associated source with a high brightness temperature and steep radiation spectrum occurs above a region of apparently weak photospheric field. This source might be attributed to currents that enhance coronal magnetic fields. Compact (phi=5 sec) transient sources with lifetimes of 30 to 60 minutes have also been detected in regions of apparently weak photospheric field. We conclude by comparing VLA observations of coronal loops with simultaneous SMM-XRP observations.

Solar burst precursors and energy build-up at microwave wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Kenneth R.; Wilson, Robert F.

We summarize high-resolution microwave observations (VLA) of heating and magnetic triggering in coronal loops. Magnetic changes that precede solar eruptions on time scales of tens of minutes involve primarily emerging coronal loops and the interaction of two or more loops. Thermal cyclotron lines have been detected in coronal loops, suggesting the presence of hot current sheets that enhance emission from relatively thin layers of enhanced temperature and constant magnetic field. These current sheets may play a role in the excitation of solar bursts. A filament-associated source with a high brightness temperature and steep radiation spectrum occurs above a region of apparently weak photospheric field. This source might be attributed to currents that enhance coronal magnetic fields. Compact (phi=5 sec) transient sources with lifetimes of 30 to 60 minutes have also been detected in regions of apparently weak photospheric field. We conclude by comparing VLA observations of coronal loops with simultaneous SMM-XRP observations.

Comparison of DNA extraction methods used to detect bacterial and yeast DNA from spiked whole blood by real-time PCR.

PubMed

Dalla-Costa, Libera M; Morello, Luis G; Conte, Danieli; Pereira, Luciane A; Palmeiro, Jussara K; Ambrosio, Altair; Cardozo, Dayane; Krieger, Marco A; Raboni, Sonia M

2017-09-01

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in intensive care units (ICUs) worldwide and its diagnosis remains a challenge. Blood culturing is the gold standard technique for blood stream infection (BSI) identification. Molecular tests to detect pathogens in whole blood enable early use of antimicrobials and affect clinical outcomes. Here, using real-time PCR, we evaluated DNA extraction using seven manual and three automated commercially available systems with whole blood samples artificially contaminated with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans, microorganisms commonly associated with BSI. Overall, the commercial kits evaluated presented several technical limitations including long turnaround time and low DNA yield and purity. The performance of the kits was comparable for detection of high microorganism loads (10 6 CFU/mL). However, the detection of lower concentrations was variable, despite the addition of pre-processing treatment to kits without such steps. Of the evaluated kits, the UMD-Universal CE IVD kit generated a higher quantity of DNA with greater nucleic acid purity and afforded the detection of the lowest microbial load in the samples. The inclusion of pre-processing steps with the kit seems to be critical for the detection of microorganism DNA directly from whole blood. In conclusion, future application of molecular techniques will require overcoming major challenges such as the detection of low levels of microorganism nucleic acids amidst the large quantity of human DNA present in samples or differences in the cellular structures of etiological agents that can also prevent high-quality DNA yields. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GMR-based eddy current probe for weld seam inspection and its non-scanning detection study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Peng; Wang, Chao; Li, Yang; Wang, Libin; Cong, Zheng; Zhi, Ya

2017-04-01

Eddy current testing is one of the most important non-destructive testing methods for welding defects detection. This paper presents the use of a probe consisting of 4 giant magneto-resistive (GMR) sensors to detect weld defects. Information from four measuring points above and on both sides of the weld seam is collected at the same time. By setting the GMR sensors' sensing axes perpendicular to the direction of the excitation magnetic field, the information collected mainly reflects the change in the eddy current which is caused by defects. Digital demodulation technology is applied to extract the real part and imaginary part of the GMR sensors' output signals. The variables containing directional information of the magnetic field are introduced. Based on the data from the four GMR (4-GMR) sensors' output signals, four values, Ran, Mean, Var and k are selected as the feature quantities for defect recognition. Experiments are carried out on weld seams with and without defects, and the detection outputs are given in this paper. The 4-GMR probe is also employed to investigate non-scanning weld defect detection and the four feature quantities (Ran, Mean, Var and k) are studied to evaluate weld quality. The non-scanning weld defect detection is presented. A support vector machine is used to classify and discriminate welds with and without defects. Experiments carried out show that through the method in this paper, the recognition rate is 92% for welds without defects and 90% for welds with defects, with an overall recognition rate of 90.9%, indicating that this method could effectively detect weld defects.

Low minute ventilation episodes during anesthesia recovery following intraperitoneal surgery as detected by a non-invasive respiratory volume monitor.

PubMed

Cavalcante, Alexandre N; Martin, Yvette N; Sprung, Juraj; Imsirovic, Jasmin; Weingarten, Toby N

2017-12-20

An electrical impedance-based noninvasive respiratory volume monitor (RVM) accurately reports minute volume, tidal volume and respiratory rate. Here we used the RVM to quantify the occurrence of and evaluate the ability of clinical factors to predict respiratory depression in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). RVM generated respiratory data were collected from spontaneously breathing patients following intraperitoneal surgeries under general anesthesia admitted to the PACU. Respiratory depression was defined as low minute ventilation episode (LMVe, < 40% predicted minute ventilation for at least 2 min). We evaluated for associations between clinical variables including minute ventilation prior to opioid administration and LMVe following the first PACU administration of opioid. Also assessed was a low respiratory rate (< 8 breaths per minute) as a proxy for LMVe. Of 107 patients, 38 (36%) had LMVe. Affected patients had greater intraoperative opioid dose, P = 0.05. PACU opioids were administered to 45 (42.1%) subjects, of which 27 (25.2%) had LMVe (P = 0.42) within 30 min following opioid. Pre-opioid minute ventilation < 70% of predicted normal value was associated with LMVe, P < 0.01, (sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 81%).Low respiratory rate was a poor predictor of LMVe (sensitivity = 11.8%). Other clinical variables (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea) were not found to be predictors of LMVe. Using RVM we identified that mild, clinically nondetectable, respiratory depression prior to opioid administration in the PACU was associated with the development of substantial subsequent respiratory depression during the PACU stay.

High-density array-CGH with targeted NGS unmask multiple noncontiguous minute deletions on chromosome 3p21 in mesothelioma.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, Yoshie; Emi, Mitsuru; Hashimoto-Tamaoki, Tomoko; Ohmuraya, Masaki; Sato, Ayuko; Tsujimura, Tohru; Hasegawa, Seiki; Nakano, Takashi; Nasu, Masaki; Pastorino, Sandra; Szymiczek, Agata; Bononi, Angela; Tanji, Mika; Pagano, Ian; Gaudino, Giovanni; Napolitano, Andrea; Goparaju, Chandra; Pass, Harvey I; Yang, Haining; Carbone, Michele

2016-11-22

We used a custom-made comparative genomic hybridization array (aCGH; average probe interval 254 bp) to screen 33 malignant mesothelioma (MM) biopsies for somatic copy number loss throughout the 3p21 region (10.7 Mb) that harbors 251 genes, including BRCA1 (breast cancer 1)-associated protein 1 (BAP1), the most commonly mutated gene in MM. We identified frequent minute biallelic deletions (<3 kb) in 46 of 251 genes: four were cancer-associated genes: SETD2 (SET domain-containing protein 2) (7 of 33), BAP1 (8 of 33), PBRM1 (polybromo 1) (3 of 33), and SMARCC1 (switch/sucrose nonfermentable- SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulator of chromatin, subfamily c, member 1) (2 of 33). These four genes were further investigated by targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS), which revealed sequence-level mutations causing biallelic inactivation. Combined high-density aCGH and tNGS revealed biallelic gene inactivation in SETD2 (9 of 33, 27%), BAP1 (16 of 33, 48%), PBRM1 (5 of 33, 15%), and SMARCC1 (2 of 33, 6%). The incidence of genetic alterations detected is much higher than reported in the literature because minute deletions are not detected by NGS or commercial aCGH. Many of these minute deletions were not contiguous, but rather alternated with segments showing oscillating copy number changes along the 3p21 region. In summary, we found that in MM: (i) multiple minute simultaneous biallelic deletions are frequent in chromosome 3p21, where they occur as distinct events involving multiple genes; (ii) in addition to BAP1, mutations of SETD2, PBRM1, and SMARCC1 are frequent in MM; and (iii) our results suggest that high-density aCGH combined with tNGS provides a more precise estimate of the frequency and types of genes inactivated in human cancer than approaches based exclusively on NGS strategy.

Factors affecting calculation of L

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciotola, Mark P.

2001-08-01

A detectable extraterrestrial civilization can be modeled as a series of successive regimes over time each of which is detectable for a certain proportion of its lifecycle. This methodology can be utilized to produce an estimate for L. Potential components of L include quantity of fossil fuel reserves, solar energy potential, quantity of regimes over time, lifecycle patterns of regimes, proportion of lifecycle regime is actually detectable, and downtime between regimes. Relationships between these components provide a means of calculating the lifetime of communicative species in a detectable state, L. An example of how these factors interact is provided, utilizing values that are reasonable given known astronomical data for components such as solar energy potential while existing knowledge about the terrestrial case is used as a baseline for other components including fossil fuel reserves, quantity of regimes over time, and lifecycle patterns of regimes, proportion of lifecycle regime is actually detectable, and gaps of time between regimes due to recovery from catastrophic war or resource exhaustion. A range of values is calculated for L when parameters are established for each component so as to determine the lowest and highest values of L. roadmap for SETI research at the SETI Institute for the next few decades. Three different approaches were identified. 1) Continue the radio search: build an affordable array incorporating consumer market technologies, expand the search frequency, and increase the target list to 100,000 stars. This array will also serve as a technology demonstration and enable the international radio astronomy community to realize an array that is a hundred times larger and capable (among other things) of searching a million stars. 2) Begin searches for very fast optical pulses from a million stars. 3) As Moore's Law delivers increased computational capacity, build an omni-directional sky survey array capable of detecting strong, transient, radio signals from billions of stars. SETI could succeed tomorrow, or it may be an endeavor for multiple generations. We are a very young technology in a very old galaxy. While our own leakage radiation continues to outshine the Sun at many frequencies, we remain detectable to others. When our use of the spectrum becomes more efficient, it will be time to consider deliberate transmissions and the really tough questions: Who will speak for Earth? What will they say?

Co-detection: ultra-reliable nanoparticle-based electrical detection of biomolecules in the presence of large background interference.

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Gu, Ming; Alocilja, Evangelyn C; Chakrabartty, Shantanu

2010-11-15

An ultra-reliable technique for detecting trace quantities of biomolecules is reported. The technique called "co-detection" exploits the non-linear redundancy amongst synthetically patterned biomolecular logic circuits for deciphering the presence or absence of target biomolecules in a sample. In this paper, we verify the "co-detection" principle on gold-nanoparticle-based conductimetric soft-logic circuits which use a silver-enhancement technique for signal amplification. Using co-detection, we have been able to demonstrate a great improvement in the reliability of detecting mouse IgG at concentration levels that are 10(5) lower than the concentration of rabbit IgG which serves as background interference. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biodistribution and Clearance of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Quantitative Three-Dimensional Cryo-Imaging After Intravenous Infusion in a Rat Lung Injury Model.

PubMed

Schmuck, Eric G; Koch, Jill M; Centanni, John M; Hacker, Timothy A; Braun, Rudolf K; Eldridge, Marlowe; Hei, Derek J; Hematti, Peiman; Raval, Amish N

2016-12-01

: Cell tracking is a critical component of the safety and efficacy evaluation of therapeutic cell products. To date, cell-tracking modalities have been hampered by poor resolution, low sensitivity, and inability to track cells beyond the shortterm. Three-dimensional (3D) cryo-imaging coregisters fluorescent and bright-field microcopy images and allows for single-cell quantification within a 3D organ volume. We hypothesized that 3D cryo-imaging could be used to measure cell biodistribution and clearance after intravenous infusion in a rat lung injury model compared with normal rats. A bleomycin lung injury model was established in Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 12). Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) labeled with QTracker655 were infused via jugular vein. After 2, 4, or 8 days, a second dose of hMSCs labeled with QTracker605 was infused, and animals were euthanized after 60, 120, or 240 minutes. Lungs, liver, spleen, heart, kidney, testis, and intestine were cryopreserved, followed by 3D cryo-imaging of each organ. At 60 minutes, 82% ± 9.7% of cells were detected; detection decreased to 60% ± 17% and 66% ± 22% at 120 and 240 minutes, respectively. At day 2, 0.06% of cells were detected, and this level remained constant at days 4 and 8 postinfusion. At 60, 120, and 240 minutes, 99.7% of detected cells were found in the liver, lungs, and spleen, with cells primarily retained in the liver. This is the first study using 3D cryo-imaging to track hMSCs in a rat lung injury model. hMSCs were retained primarily in the liver, with fewer detected in lungs and spleen. Effective bench-to-bedside clinical translation of cellular therapies requires careful understanding of cell fate through tracking. Tracking cells is important to measure cell retention so that delivery methods and cell dose can be optimized and so that biodistribution and clearance can be defined to better understand potential off-target toxicity and redosing strategies. This article demonstrates, for the first time, the use of three-dimensional cryo-imaging for single-cell quantitative tracking of intravenous infused clinical-grade mesenchymal stem cells in a clinically relevant model of lung injury. The important information learned in this study will help guide future clinical and translational stem cell therapies for lung injuries. ©AlphaMed Press.

Life-saving automated external defibrillation in a teenager: a case report

PubMed Central

Rey, Corsino; Rodríguez-Nuñez, Antonio; Medina, Alberto; Mayordomo, Juan

2007-01-01

Background Adolescent sudden death during sport participation is commonly due to cardiac causes. Survival is more likely when an automated external defibrillator (AED) is used soon after collapse. Case presentation We describe a case of sudden death in a 14 year old boy with two remarkable points, successful resuscitation at school using an AED and diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was immediately started by a witness and 5 minutes after the event the child was placed on an AED monitor that determined he was in a non shockable rhythm, therefore CPR was continued. Two minutes later, the AED monitor detected a shockable rhythm and recommended a shock, which was then administered. One minute after the shock, a palpable pulse was detected and the child began to breathe by himself. Four days after cardiac arrest, the boy was conversing and self-caring. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of ARVC. Conclusion Ventricular fibrillation secondary to ARVC may be a devastating event and places young patients and athletes at high risk of sudden death. Immediate CPR and AED have been demonstrated to be lifesaving in such events. Therefore, we suggest that schools should have teachers skilled in CPR and accessible AEDs. PMID:17767706

Fast Gradient Elution Reversed-Phase HPLC with Diode-Array Detection as a High Throughput Screening Method for Drugs of Abuse

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

Peter W. Carr; K.M. Fuller; D.R. Stoll

A new approach has been developed by modifying a conventional gradient elution liquid chromatograph for the high throughput screening of biological samples to detect the presence of regulated intoxicants. The goal of this work was to improve the speed of a gradient elution screening method over current approaches by optimizing the operational parameters of both the column and the instrument without compromising the reproducibility of the retention times, which are the basis for the identification. Most importantly, the novel instrument configuration substantially reduces the time needed to re-equilibrate the column between gradient runs, thereby reducing the total time for eachmore » analysis. The total analysis time for each gradient elution run is only 2.8 minutes, including 0.3 minutes for column reequilibration between analyses. Retention times standard calibration solutes are reproducible to better than 0.002 minutes in consecutive runs. A corrected retention index was adopted to account for day-to-day and column-to-column variations in retention time. The discriminating power and mean list length were calculated for a library of 47 intoxicants and compared with previous work from other laboratories to evaluate fast gradient elution HPLC as a screening tool.« less

Fiber-Optic Based Compact Gas Leak Detection System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

deGroot, Wim A.

1995-01-01

A propellant leak detection system based on Raman scattering principles is introduced. The proposed system is flexible and versatile as the result of the use of optical fibers. It is shown that multiple species can be monitored simultaneously. In this paper oxygen, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen are detected and monitored. The current detection sensitivity for both hydrogen and carbon monoxide is 1% partial pressure at ambient conditions. The sensitivity for oxygen and nitrogen is 0.5% partial pressure. The response time to changes in species concentration is three minutes. This system can be used to monitor multiple species at several locations.

Using trend templates in a neonatal seizure algorithm improves detection of short seizures in a foetal ovine model.

PubMed

Zwanenburg, Alex; Andriessen, Peter; Jellema, Reint K; Niemarkt, Hendrik J; Wolfs, Tim G A M; Kramer, Boris W; Delhaas, Tammo

2015-03-01

Seizures below one minute in duration are difficult to assess correctly using seizure detection algorithms. We aimed to improve neonatal detection algorithm performance for short seizures through the use of trend templates for seizure onset and end. Bipolar EEG were recorded within a transiently asphyxiated ovine model at 0.7 gestational age, a common experimental model for studying brain development in humans of 30-34 weeks of gestation. Transient asphyxia led to electrographic seizures within 6-8 h. A total of 3159 seizures, 2386 shorter than one minute, were annotated in 1976 h-long EEG recordings from 17 foetal lambs. To capture EEG characteristics, five features, sensitive to seizures, were calculated and used to derive trend information. Feature values and trend information were used as input for support vector machine classification and subsequently post-processed. Performance metrics, calculated after post-processing, were compared between analyses with and without employing trend information. Detector performance was assessed after five-fold cross-validation conducted ten times with random splits. The use of trend templates for seizure onset and end in a neonatal seizure detection algorithm significantly improves the correct detection of short seizures using two-channel EEG recordings from 54.3% (52.6-56.1) to 59.5% (58.5-59.9) at FDR 2.0 (median (range); p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed rank test). Using trend templates might therefore aid in detection of short seizures by EEG monitoring at the NICU.

Ultrafast, sensitive and large-volume on-chip real-time PCR for the molecular diagnosis of bacterial and viral infections.

PubMed

Houssin, Timothée; Cramer, Jérémy; Grojsman, Rébecca; Bellahsene, Lyes; Colas, Guillaume; Moulet, Hélène; Minnella, Walter; Pannetier, Christophe; Leberre, Maël; Plecis, Adrien; Chen, Yong

2016-04-21

To control future infectious disease outbreaks, like the 2014 Ebola epidemic, it is necessary to develop ultrafast molecular assays enabling rapid and sensitive diagnoses. To that end, several ultrafast real-time PCR systems have been previously developed, but they present issues that hinder their wide adoption, notably regarding their sensitivity and detection volume. An ultrafast, sensitive and large-volume real-time PCR system based on microfluidic thermalization is presented herein. The method is based on the circulation of pre-heated liquids in a microfluidic chip that thermalize the PCR chamber by diffusion and ultrafast flow switches. The system can achieve up to 30 real-time PCR cycles in around 2 minutes, which makes it the fastest PCR thermalization system for regular sample volume to the best of our knowledge. After biochemical optimization, anthrax and Ebola simulating agents could be respectively detected by a real-time PCR in 7 minutes and a reverse transcription real-time PCR in 7.5 minutes. These detections are respectively 6.4 and 7.2 times faster than with an off-the-shelf apparatus, while conserving real-time PCR sample volume, efficiency, selectivity and sensitivity. The high-speed thermalization also enabled us to perform sharp melting curve analyses in only 20 s and to discriminate amplicons of different lengths by rapid real-time PCR. This real-time PCR microfluidic thermalization system is cost-effective, versatile and can be then further developed for point-of-care, multiplexed, ultrafast and highly sensitive molecular diagnoses of bacterial and viral diseases.

Comparison of two- and six-minute walk tests in detecting oxygen desaturation in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — A randomized crossover trial

PubMed Central

Teschler, Sebastian; Jarosch, Inga; Christle, Jeffrey W; Hitzl, Wolfgang; Kenn, Klaus

2016-01-01

The two-minute walk test (2MWT) is less well validated than the well-known six-minute walk test (6MWT) as a field walking test in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The primary objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of the 2MWT to the 6MWT in detecting exercise-induced oxygen desaturation in patients with severe COPD. Twenty-six patients with COPD (age: 61 ± 10 years, forced expired volume in one second: 37 ± 10%) that were normoxemic at rest performed a 2MWT and a 6MWT under normal ambient conditions on two consecutive days in random order. Oxygen saturation, total walking distance, heart rate, breathing frequency, dyspnea, and leg fatigue were evaluated. Average walking distances were 150 m (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 134–165 m) and 397 m (95% CI: 347–447 m) for the 2MWT and 6MWT, respectively (r = 0.80, p < 0.0001). The difference in minimum oxygen saturation during the 2MWT (83%, 95% CI: 81–86%) and 6MWT (mean 82%, 95% CI: 80–84%) was not statistically different and the data strongly correlated between the groups (r = 0.81, p < 0.0001). Other measurements from the 6MWT, including heart rate, breathing rate, and levels of perceived exertion were also comparable in 2MWT. The 2MWT showed comparable validity in detecting exercise-induced oxygen desaturation in patients with severe COPD compared to the 6MWT. PMID:26961775

Comparison of two- and six-minute walk tests in detecting oxygen desaturation in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - A randomized crossover trial.

PubMed

Gloeckl, Rainer; Teschler, Sebastian; Jarosch, Inga; Christle, Jeffrey W; Hitzl, Wolfgang; Kenn, Klaus

2016-03-08

The two-minute walk test (2MWT) is less well validated than the well-known six-minute walk test (6MWT) as a field walking test in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The primary objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of the 2MWT to the 6MWT in detecting exercise-induced oxygen desaturation in patients with severe COPD. Twenty-six patients with COPD (age: 61 ± 10 years, forced expired volume in one second: 37 ± 10%) that were normoxemic at rest performed a 2MWT and a 6MWT under normal ambient conditions on two consecutive days in random order. Oxygen saturation, total walking distance, heart rate, breathing frequency, dyspnea, and leg fatigue were evaluated. Average walking distances were 150 m (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 134-165 m) and 397 m (95% CI: 347-447 m) for the 2MWT and 6MWT, respectively (r = 0.80, p < 0.0001). The difference in minimum oxygen saturation during the 2MWT (83%, 95% CI: 81-86%) and 6MWT (mean 82%, 95% CI: 80-84%) was not statistically different and the data strongly correlated between the groups (r = 0.81, p < 0.0001). Other measurements from the 6MWT, including heart rate, breathing rate, and levels of perceived exertion were also comparable in 2MWT. The 2MWT showed comparable validity in detecting exercise-induced oxygen desaturation in patients with severe COPD compared to the 6MWT. © The Author(s) 2016.

Social Media in Crisis Management and Forensic Disaster Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dittrich, André; Lucas, Christian

2014-05-01

Today, modern sensors or sensor networks provide good quality measurements for the observation of large-scale emergencies as a result of natural disasters. Mostly however, only at certain points in their respective locations and for a very limited number of measurement parameters (e.g. seismograph) and not over the entire course of a disaster event. The proliferation of different social media application (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.), yields the possibility to use the resulting data as a free and fast supplement or complement to traditional monitoring techniques. In particular, these new channels can serve for rapid detection, for information gathering for emergency protection and for information dissemination. Thus, each user of these networks represents a so-called virtual sensor ('social sensor'), whose eyewitness account can be important for understanding the situation on the ground. The advantages of these social sensors are the high mobility, the versatility of the parameters that can be captured (text, images, videos, etc.) as well as the rapid spread of information. Due to the subjective characteristics however, the data often show different quality and quantity. Against this background, it is essential for an application in crisis management to reasonably (pre-)process the data from social media. Hence, fully-automated processes are used which adequately filter and structure the enormous amount of information and associate it with an event, respectively, a geographic location. This is done through statistical monitoring of the volume of messages (Twitter) in different geographic regions of the world. In combination with a frequency analysis with respect to disaster-relevant terms (in 43 languages), thematic as well as spatio-temporal clustering, an initial assessment regarding the severity and extent of the detected event, its classification and (spatio-temporal) localization can be achieved. This detection in real time (2-5 minutes) thus allows gathering first responder reports or eyewitness reports, which can provide important information for a first situation analysis for the various officials and volunteers, especially in case of large-scale emergencies. Eventually, this can be used in combination with conventional sensors and information sources to conduct a detailed forensic disaster analysis of an event.

Characterizing ocean gyres formation within a bay using vorticity and HF radar measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ragnoli, E.; Donncha, F. O.; Hartnett, M.

2012-04-01

In situations in which wind forcing plays a dominant role in surface currents it becomes important to understand its correlation with parameters that can be used to characterise circulation patterns within a bay. These datasets can then be used in the detection and characterisation of ocean gyres. A network of high frequency radars (NUIG CODAR) is deployed within Galway Bay, on the West Coast of Ireland as a backbone system within an integrated coastal ocean observation system. This system provides real-time synoptic measurements of both ocean surface currents and surface waves across the entire bay. In this work, vorticity is identified as a defining quantity for the characterisation of circulating flow patterns (in particular for the detection of ocean gyres) and it is directly calculated from the measured velocity vectors of NUIG CODAR. A correlation study with wind and tide measurements is then undertaken in order to investigate the dependencies between vorticity and those parameters. A comprehensive NUIG CODAR, weather station and tide gauge monitoring program was conducted over a 30 days period and the data collected analysed for the correlation with the computed vorticity. Tidal information from the FES2004 Global tidal atlas defined surface elevations at the open sea boundaries in the west and in the south. Data from a tide gauge deployed within the bay, which provided real-time tidal data at 6 minute intervals, was used to fine-tune model elevations. A weather station located at National University of Ireland, Galway provided measured wind data for the model. The NUIG CODAR coastal observation system detects strong, non-persistent, gyre formation within Galway Bay. During periods of relatively large tidal ranges (order 4m) and light wind conditions well defined, cyclonic circulation is developed within the bay. The correlation analysis shows that the gyres tend to form soon after high tide and last until the next low water; the gyre structure is transported about the bay with the bulk advection of tidal motion. This is the first time this feature has been observed and the significance of its consequences on water circulation will be the subject of future research.

Detection of CO2 leakage by the surface-soil CO2-concentration monitoring (SCM) system in a small scale CO2 release test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chae, Gitak; Yu, Soonyoung; Sung, Ki-Sung; Choi, Byoung-Young; Park, Jinyoung; Han, Raehee; Kim, Jeong-Chan; Park, Kwon Gyu

2015-04-01

Monitoring of CO2 release through the ground surface is essential to testify the safety of CO2 storage projects. We conducted a feasibility study of the multi-channel surface-soil CO2-concentration monitoring (SCM) system as a soil CO2 monitoring tool with a small scale injection. In the system, chambers are attached onto the ground surface, and NDIR sensors installed in each chamber detect CO2 in soil gas released through the soil surface. Before injection, the background CO2 concentrations were measured. They showed the distinct diurnal variation, and were positively related with relative humidity, but negatively with temperature. The negative relation of CO2 measurements with temperature and the low CO2 concentrations during the day imply that CO2 depends on respiration. The daily variation of CO2 concentrations was damped with precipitation, which can be explained by dissolution of CO2 and gas release out of pores through the ground surface with recharge. For the injection test, 4.2 kg of CO2 was injected 1 m below the ground for about 30 minutes. In result, CO2 concentrations increased in all five chambers, which were located less than 2.5 m of distance from an injection point. The Chamber 1, which is closest to the injection point, showed the largest increase of CO2 concentrations; while Chamber 2, 3, and 4 showed the peak which is 2 times higher than the average of background CO2. The CO2 concentrations increased back after decreasing from the peak around 4 hours after the injection ended in Chamber 2, 4, and 5, which indicated that CO2 concentrations seem to be recovered to the background around 4 hours after the injection ended. To determine the leakage, the data in Chamber 2 and 5, which had low increase rates in the CO2 injection test, were used for statistical analysis. The result shows that the coefficient of variation (CV) of CO2 measurements for 30 minutes is efficient to determine a leakage signal, with reflecting the abnormal change in CO2 concentrations. The CV of CO2 measurements for 30 minutes exceeded 5% about 5 minutes before the maximum CO2 concentration was detected. The contributions of this work are as follows: (1) SCM is an efficient monitoring tool to detect the CO2 release through the ground surface. (2) The statistical analysis method to determine the leakage and a monitoring frequency are provided, with analyzing background concentrations and CO2 increases in a small-scale injection test. (3) The 5% CV of CO2 measurements for 30 minutes can be used for the early warning in CO2 storage sites.

Large-scale purification of 90Sr from nuclear waste materials for production of 90Y, a therapeutic medical radioisotope.

PubMed

Wester, Dennis W; Steele, Richard T; Rinehart, Donald E; DesChane, Jaquetta R; Carson, Katharine J; Rapko, Brian M; Tenforde, Thomas S

2003-07-01

A major limitation on the supply of the short-lived medical isotope 90Y (t1/2 = 64 h) is the available quantity of highly purified 90Sr generator material. A radiochemical production campaign was therefore undertaken to purify 1,500 Ci of 90Sr that had been isolated from fission waste materials. A series of alkaline precipitation steps removed all detectable traces of 137Cs, alpha emitters, and uranium and transuranic elements. Technical obstacles such as the buildup of gas pressure generated upon mixing large quantities of acid with solid 90Sr carbonate were overcome through safety features incorporated into the custom-built equipment used for 90Sr purification. Methods are described for analyzing the chemical and radiochemical purity of the final product and for accurately determining by gravimetry the quantities of 90Sr immobilized on stainless steel filters for future use.

Neuroprotective effects of ischemic preconditioning on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons through maintaining calbindin D28k immunoreactivity following subsequent transient cerebral ischemia

PubMed Central

Kim, In Hye; Jeon, Yong Hwan; Lee, Tae-Kyeong; Cho, Jeong Hwi; Lee, Jae-Chul; Park, Joon Ha; Ahn, Ji Hyeon; Shin, Bich-Na; Kim, Yang Hee; Hong, Seongkweon; Yan, Bing Chun; Won, Moo-Ho; Lee, Yun Lyul

2017-01-01

Ischemic preconditioning elicited by a non-fatal brief occlusion of blood flow has been applied for an experimental therapeutic strategy against a subsequent fatal ischemic insult. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of ischemic preconditioning (2-minute transient cerebral ischemia) on calbindin D28k immunoreactivity in the gerbil hippocampal CA1 area following a subsequent fatal transient ischemic insult (5-minute transient cerebral ischemia). A large number of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area died 4 days after 5-minute transient cerebral ischemia. Ischemic preconditioning reduced the death of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area. Calbindin D28k immunoreactivity was greatly attenuated at 2 days after 5-minute transient cerebral ischemia and it was hardly detected at 5 days post-ischemia. Ischemic preconditioning maintained calbindin D28k immunoreactivity after transient cerebral ischemia. These findings suggest that ischemic preconditioning can attenuate transient cerebral ischemia-caused damage to the pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area through maintaining calbindin D28k immunoreactivity. PMID:28761424

The effects of Fu Zi on changes in the body heat of dogs.

PubMed

Chen, Tian-Tian; Qi, Chunhua; Guo, Huijun; Cheng, Ziqiang; Zhou, Dong; Liu, Haitao; Liu, Jianzhu

2009-03-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Fu Zi on changes in the body heat of dogs. Twelve clinically healthy dogs were divided into two groups: the control group (six dogs) and the experimental group (six dogs). The control group was made to ingest normal saline mixed with canned meat, while the experimental group was made to ingest the Fu Zi solution mixed with canned meat. The infrared thermographic system was used to determine the level of body heat generated by these dogs. These areas include the dorsocranial (DCr), dorsocaudal (DCd), ventrocranial (VCr), and ventrocaudal (VCd) regions at pretreatment and were determined at 10, 20, 30, 50, 90, 120, 240, and 360 minutes after treatment for each of these areas. The results showed a tendency toward increased body heat until 30 minutes after ingestion of the Fu Zi powder mixed with canned meat. The significant differences in the changes of body heat were detected at 360 minutes in the DCd regions, 20 minutes in the VCr regions, and 30 minutes in the VCd regions between the experimental and control groups (p < 0.05). Based from our results, we find that Fu Zi can increase and maintain the dogs' body heat for at least 6 hours.

Ethanol induces taurine release in the amygdala: an in vivo microdialysis study.

PubMed

Quertemont, E; Dahchour, A; Ward, R J; Witte, P

1999-01-01

The effect of acute IP ethanol injections on the extracellular aspartate, glutamate, taurine and GABA content of the basolateral amygdala microdialysate was investigated in relationship with total brain ethanol. Each acute intraperitoneal injection of ethanol, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 g/kg body weight, induced an immediate increase in microdialysate taurine; both 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg ethanol evoked an increase during the first 20 minutes following injection which returned to baseline value by 40 minutes, despite the fact that ethanol was detectable in the brain until 60 or 120 minutes, respectively. After either 2.0 or 3.0 g/kg ethanol there was an increase in taurine of gradual intensity which gradually declined to reach baseline values by 100 minutes. In contrast, the ethanol concentration for 2.0 g/kg remained elevated at the end of the 120 minutes; approximately 25 mg ethanol/mg protein. The stimulated release of taurine within the amygdala could participate in the regulation of ethanoli-nduced changes in osmolarity, since taurine is postulated to act as an osmoregulator in the brain. Taurine could also mediate or interact with ethanol-induced central nervous system effects, as it exerts a modulatory action on cell excitability and neurotransmitter processes.

Nitrogen dioxide vapor penetration of chlorobutyl rubber SCAPE under operational conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schehl, T. A.; Beall, T. W.

1980-01-01

Operational self contained atmospheric protective ensembles (SCAPE suits) and fabric from the suits were subjected to a series of tests designed to determine the amount of exposure a wearer of the suit would receive if a spill of the hypergolic oxidizer nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) should occur nearby. The results of these tests show that a wearer of a "stock" SCAPE suit equipped with a standard liquid air pack, if exposed to a spill resulting in a 26 percent increase of oxidizer in the surrounding atmosphere, will experiment no detectable concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) inside the suit for 15 minutes. Thereafter, the NO2 concentration within the suit will increase for 35 minutes at a rate of 0.07 ppm per minute and then at a gradually decreasing rate until an equilibrium concentration of 3.4 ppm is attained after 100 minutes. Momentary increases of as much as 1.6 ppm can be expected if the wearer were to rise quickly from a squatting position, but the additional NO2 would be dissipated within three minutes. The effect of liquid and vapor N2O4 and of liquid monomethylhydrazine on permeation rates and tensile strength of the SCAPE suit fabric was also investigated.

Intra-day response of foreign exchange markets after the Tohoku-Oki earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakano, Shuhei; Hirata, Yoshito; Iwayama, Koji; Aihara, Kazuyuki

2015-02-01

Although an economy is influenced by a natural disaster, the market response to the disaster during the first 24 hours is not clearly understood. Here we show that an earthquake quickly causes temporal changes in a foreign exchange market by examining the case of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake. Recurrence plots and statistical change point detection independently show that the United States dollar-Japanese yen market responded to the earthquake activity without delay and with the delay of about 2 minutes, respectively. These findings support that the efficient market hypothesis nearly holds now in the time scale of minutes.

Observations of Total Lightning Associated with Severe Convection During the Wet Season in Central Florida

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharp, D.; Williams, E.; Weber, M.; Goodman, Steven J.; Raghavan, R.; Matlin, A.; Boldi, B.

1998-01-01

This paper will discuss findings of a collaborative lightning research project between National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Weather Service office In Melbourne Florida. In August 1996, NWS/MLB received a workstation which incorporates data from the KMLB WSR-88D, Cloud to Ground (CG) stroke data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), and 3D volumetric lightning data collected from the Kennedy Space Centers' Lightning Detection And Ranging (LDAR) lightning system. The two primary objectives of this lightning workstation, called Lightning Imaging Sensor Data Applications Display (USDAD), are to: observe how total lightning relates to severe convective storm morphology over central Florida, and compare ground based total lightning data (LDAR) to a satellite based lightning detection system. This presentation will focus on objective #1. The LISDAD system continuously displays CG and total lighting activity overlaid on top of the KMLB composite reflectivity product. This allows forecasters to monitor total lightning activity associated with convective cells occurring over the central Florida peninsula and adjacent coastal waters. The LISDAD system also keeps track of the amount of total lightning data, and associated KMLB radar products with individual convective cells occurring over the region. By clicking on an individual cell, a history table displays flash rate information (CG and total lightning) in one minute increments, along with radar parameter trends (echo tops, maximum dBz and height of maximum dBz) every 5 minutes. This history table Is updated continuously, without user intervention, as long as the cell is identified. Reviewing data collected during the 1997 wet season (21 cases) revealed that storms which produced severe weather (hall greater or = 0.75 in. or wind damage) typically showed a rapid rise In total lightning prior to the onset of severe weather. On average, flash rate increases of 25 FPM per minute over a time scale of approximately 5 minutes were common. These pulse severe storms typically reached values of 150 to 200 FPM with some cells exceeding 400 FPM. One finding which could have a direct application to the warning process is that the rapid increase in lightning typically occurred in advance of the warning issuance time. Comparisons between the ending time of the rapid rate increase and the time of when the warning was issued by NWS/MLB meteorologist exhibited a lead time of 8 minutes. It is conceivable that if close monitoring of the LISDAD system by operational meteorologist is routinely performed, warnings for pulse severe storms could be issued up to 4 to 6 minutes earlier than what is issued currently.

Autophagy Signaling in Prostate Cancer: Identification of a Novel Phosphatase

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

the transmembrane and cytosolic residues). We measured PTPRS activity using a phospho-tyrosine (pTyr) peptide with malachite green free phosphate...vitro using a 100 uM phosphotyrosine peptide substrate and malachite green detection of released free phosphates. Activity is expressed as picomoles...Upstate) at 37°C for 15 minutes. Released phosphates were detected with malachite green (Upstate) and absorbance measured at 650 nm. Background levels

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

Larson, Richard; Branch, Darren; Edwards, Thayne

The acoustic wave biosensor is innovative device that is a handheld, battery-powered, portable detection system capable of multiplex identification of a wide range of medically relevant pathogens and their biomolecular signatures — viruses, bacteria, proteins, and DNA — at clinically relevant levels. This detection occurs within minutes — not hours — at the point of care, whether that care is in a physician's office, a hospital bed, or at the scene of a biodefense or biomedical emergency.

Detection of Bacillus spores within 15 minutes by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shende, Chetan; Inscore, Frank; Huang, Hermes; Farquharson, Stuart; Sengupta, Atanu

2012-06-01

Since the distribution of Bacillus anthracis causing spores through the US Postal System, there has been a persistent fear that biological warfare agents (BWAs) will be used by terrorists against our military abroad and our civilians at home. Despite the substantial effort to develop BWA analyzers, they remain either too slow, produce high falsealarm rates, lack sensitivity, or cannot be fielded. Consequently there remains a need for a portable analyzer that can overcome these limitations as expressed at the 2011 Biological Weapons Convention. To meet this need we have been developing a sample system that selectively binds BWAs and produce surface-enhanced Raman (SER) spectra using portable Raman spectrometers. Here we describe the use of a short peptide ligand functionalized on silver nanoparticles to selectively capture Bacillus cereus spores (a surrogate of B. anthracis) and their subsequent detection by SER spectroscopy. This technique was used to specifically detect B. cereus spores over closely related species like B. subtilis belonging to the same genus within 15 minutes. Sensitivity of the method was demonstrated by detecting 104 B. cereus spores/mL of water. The technology, once developed should prove invaluable for rapid monitoring of BWAs, which will immensely help first responders and emergency personnel in implementing appropriate counter measures.

Quantitation of clonazepam and its major metabolite 7-aminoclonazepam in hair.

PubMed

Negrusz, A; Moore, C M; Kern, J L; Janicak, P G; Strong, M J; Levy, N A

2000-10-01

Clonazepam (CLO) is an anticonvulsant benzodiazepine approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of seizures. It produces pharmacological effects (depression, amnesia) similar to other compounds from the same therapeutic class, and in combination with alcohol, its CNS-depressant action can be significantly potentiated. As with some other benzodiazepines, CLO is a drug possibly used in "date-rape" situations. A method using solid-phase extraction followed by a highly sensitive negative chemical ionization gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the simultaneous quantitation of CLO and its major metabolite 7-aminoclonazepam (7-ACLO) in hair was developed and validated. The method has potential application to alleged drug-facilitated rape cases. To determine the feasibility of detecting 7-ACLO and CLO in hair, specimens were collected from 10 psychiatric patients treated with CLO, divided into 2-cm segments, and analyzed. Standard curves for 7-ACLO (1-1000 pg/mg) and CLO (10-400 pg/mg) had correlation coefficients of 0.998. All precision and accuracy values were within acceptable limits. 7-ACLO was present in measurable quantities (1.37-1267 pg/mg) in 9 out of 10 patient samples. CLO concentrations in hair were much lower (10.7-180 pg/mg). In 4 out of 10 cases, CLO was not detected in hair. Two patients who had never been treated with CLO before received a single 2-mg dose of the drug. Approximately three weeks later, hair samples were collected, and measurable quantities of 7-ACLO (4.8 pg/mg) were detected in the first segment (proximal) of one of those samples, and traces of the drug were present in the other sample. We concluded that the 7-ACLO is being deposited in hair in much higher quantities than the parent drug and remains there for extended periods of time. Our study also indicates that it is possible to detect 7-ACLO after a single dose of CLO as in the typical date-rape scenarios.

Reward type and behavioural patterns predict dogs’ success in a delay of gratification paradigm

PubMed Central

Brucks, Désirée; Soliani, Matteo; Range, Friederike; Marshall-Pescini, Sarah

2017-01-01

Inhibiting an immediate behaviour in favour of an alternative but more advantageous behaviour has been linked to individual success in life, especially in humans. Dogs, which have been living in the human environment for thousands of years, are exposed to daily situations that require inhibition different in context from other non-domesticated species. One task regularly used to study inhibitory control is the delay of gratification task, which requires individuals to choose between an immediate option of lower value and a delayed option of higher value. We tested sixteen dogs in a non-social delay of gratification task, conducting two different conditions: a quality and a quantity condition. While the majority of dogs failed to wait for more than 10 s, some dogs tolerated delays of up to 140 s, while one dog waited for 15 minutes. Moreover, dogs had more difficulties to wait if the reward increased in terms of quantity than quality. Interestingly, dogs were able to anticipate the delay duration and some dogs developed behavioural patterns that predicted waiting, which seems similar in some respects to ‘coping-strategies’ found in children, chimpanzees and parrots. Our results indicate that strategies to cope with impulsivity seem to be consistent and present across animal taxa. PMID:28272409

Water availability and trachoma.

PubMed

West, S; Lynch, M; Turner, V; Munoz, B; Rapoza, P; Mmbaga, B B; Taylor, H R

1989-01-01

As part of an epidemiological survey of risk factors for trachoma in 20 villages in the United Republic of Tanzania, we investigated the relationship of village water pumps, distance to water source, and quantity of household water to the risk of inflammatory trachoma. We also evaluated whether there was an association between the cleanliness of children's faces and these water variables. No association was found between the presence of a village water supply and the prevalence of trachoma. However, the risk of trachoma in the household increased with the distance to a water source--although there was no association with the estimated daily amount of water brought into the house. Likewise, children were more likely to have unclean faces if they lived more than 30 minutes from a water source, but whether they had clean faces was not associated with the daily quantity of water brought into the household. The effect of the distance to water supply on trachoma may well reflect the value placed on water within the family, and this determines the priority for its use for hygiene purposes. The results of the study suggest that changing the access to water per se may be insufficient to alter the prevalence of trachoma without also a concomitant effort to change the perception of how water should be utilized in the home.

The proximate, mineral, and toxicant compositions of four possible food security crops from southeastern Nigeria.

PubMed

Ojiako, Okey A; Ogbuji, Chiza A; Agha, Ngozi C; Onwuliri, Viola A

2010-10-01

The proximate, nutritional, and antinutritional compositions of the raw, cooked, and roasted samples of four Nigerian indigenous seeds-Sphenostylis stenocarpa, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Mucuna flagellipes, and Citrullus colocynthis-were evaluated. Also estimated were zinc and divalent cation bioavailability of the seeds using millimolar ratios/kg dry weight of [calcium]/[phytate], [phytate]/[zinc], [calcium][phytate]/[Zn], and [phytate]/[total phosphorus]. The results obtained revealed that the seeds of P. macrophylla and C. colocynthis had high protein and lipid levels. All the seeds were also found to have high energy value and low moisture content. Mineral analysis showed the presence of Na, K, Ca, and Mg in appreciable quantities and Zn, I, Fe, and Se in minute quantities. Antinutritional analyses indicated the presence of traces of tannin, oxalate, phytate, saponin, and cyanide in the samples. The various processing techniques had significant (P ≤ .05) effects on the measured parameters. The calculated [Ca][phytate]/[Zn] molar ratios revealed that these seeds had values above the critical level of 0.5 mL/kg, thus indicating reduced bioavailability of zinc. In view of the high nutrient contents, low antinutritional contents after processing, and their superabundance, these seeds could be cheap nutrient sources. The implications of these findings with regards to food security are enormous.

Development and pilot line production of lithium doped silicon solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Payne, P. A.

1972-01-01

The work performed over the period of September 1971 to August 1972 to develop production processes for fabrication of lithium doped P/N cells is described. The BCl3 diffusion without 02 was selected as the optimum diffusion process for fabrication of lithium doped cells. An 8-2-7 (warm up - deposition - drive-in time in minutes) diffusion schedule at 1055 C was used for the first two lots (300 cells each) delivered to JPL. Cell efficiencies ranged from 11.0 to 13.7% based on an AMO of 135.3 mW/sq cm. These high efficiencies were obtained using from 10 to 40 cells per boron diffusion; increasing the quantity beyond 40 resulted in lower outputs. At this point, the emphasis was placed on investigation of a BCl3 with 02 diffusion. Through evaluation of the effects of diffusion time and temperature, gas flow rates, and desposition plus drive-in vs. continuous deposition and no drive-in cycles, diffusion parameters were determined which produced short circuit currents of 136 + or - 4 mA for ten cells spaced along 12 in. of the diffusion boat. The quantity was increased to 60, 100, and 150 cell diffusions with no more variation in cell short circuit current than observed with 10 cells.

Copper Oxide Nanomaterials Prepared by Solution Methods, Some Properties, and Potential Applications: A Brief Review

PubMed Central

Tran, Thi Ha; Nguyen, Viet Tuyen

2014-01-01

Cupric oxide (CuO), having a narrow bandgap of 1.2 eV and a variety of chemophysical properties, is recently attractive in many fields such as energy conversion, optoelectronic devices, and catalyst. Compared with bulk material, the advanced properties of CuO nanostructures have been demonstrated; however, the fact that these materials cannot yet be produced in large scale is an obstacle to realize the potential applications of this material. In this respect, chemical methods seem to be efficient synthesis processes which yield not only large quantities but also high quality and advanced material properties. In this paper, the effect of some general factors on the morphology and properties of CuO nanomaterials prepared by solution methods will be overviewed. In terms of advanced nanostructure synthesis, microwave method in which copper hydroxide nanostructures are produced in the precursor solution and sequentially transformed by microwave into CuO may be considered as a promising method to explore in the near future. This method produces not only large quantities of nanoproducts in a short reaction time of several minutes, but also high quality materials with advanced properties. A brief review on some unique properties and applications of CuO nanostructures will be also presented. PMID:27437488

Research report: the effects of hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning on myocardial biomarkers of cardioprotection in patients having coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

PubMed

Jeysen, Zivan Yogaratnam; Gerard, Laden; Levant, Guvendik; Cowen, Mike; Cale, Alex; Griffin, Steve

2011-01-01

We have previously conducted and reported on the primary endpoint of a clinical study which demonstrated that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) preconditioning consisting of two 30-minute intervals of 100% oxygen at 2.4 atmospheres absolute (ATA) prior to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery leads to an improvement in left ventricular stroke work (LVSW) 24 hours following CABG. In that study, 81 patients were randomized to treatment with HBO2 (HBO2; n = 41) or routine treatment (Control Group; n = 40) prior to surgery. The objective of this manuscript is to further report on the result of the exploratory secondary endpoints from that study, specifically the effects of HBO2 preconditioning on biomarkers of myocardial protection. Intraoperative right atrial biopsies were assessed, via an Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA), for the expression of eNOS and HSP72. In this study, no significant differences were observed between the groups with respect to the quantity of myocardial eNOS and HSP72. However, in the HBO2 Group, following ischemia and reperfusion, the quantities of myocardial eNOS and HSP72 were increased. This suggests that HBO2 preconditioning in this group of patients may be capable of inducing endogenous cardioprotection following ischemic reperfusion injury (IRI).

Do Unexpected Panic Attacks Occur Spontaneously?

PubMed Central

Meuret, Alicia E.; Rosenfield, David; Wilhelm, Frank H.; Zhou, Enlu; Conrad, Ansgar; Ritz, Thomas; Roth, Walton T.

2012-01-01

Background Spontaneous or unexpected panic attacks, per definition, occur out-of-the blue, in absence of cues or triggers. Accordingly, physiological arousal or instability should occur at the onset of or during the attack, but not preceding it. To test this hypothesisweexaminedif points of significant autonomic changes preceded the onset of spontaneous panic attacks. Methods Forty-three panic disorder patients underwent repeated 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. Thirteen naturally panic attacks were recorded during 1,960 hours of monitoring. Minute-by-minute epochs beginning 60 minutes before, and continuing to 10 minutes after, the onset of individual attacks were examined for respiration, heart rate, and skin conductance level. Measures were controlled for physical activity and vocalization, and compared to time matched control periods within the same person. Results Significant patterns of instability across a numberof autonomic and respiratory variables were detected as early as 47 minutes before panic onset. The final minutes prior to onset were dominated by respiratory changes, with significant decreases in tidal volume followed by abrupt PCO2 increases. Panic attack onset was characterized by heart rate and tidal volume increases and a drop in PCO2. Symptom report was consistent with these changes. Skin conductance levels were generally elevated in the hour before and duringthe attacks. Changes in the matched control periods were largely absent. Conclusions Significant autonomic irregularities preceded the onset of attacks that were reported as abrupt and unexpected. The findings invite reconsideration of the current diagnostic distinction betweenuncuedand cued panic attacks. PMID:21783179

Impact of motor fluctuations on real-life gait in Parkinson's patients.

PubMed

Silva de Lima, Ana Lígia; Evers, Luc J W; Hahn, Tim; de Vries, Nienke M; Daeschler, Margaret; Boroojerdi, Babak; Terricabras, Dolors; Little, Max A; Bloem, Bastiaan R; Faber, Marjan J

2018-05-01

People with PD (PWP) have an increased risk of becoming inactive. Wearable sensors can provide insights into daily physical activity and walking patterns. (1) Is the severity of motor fluctuations associated with sensor-derived average daily walking quantity? (2) Is the severity of motor fluctuations associated with the amount of change in sensor-derived walking quantity after levodopa intake? 304 Dutch PWP from the Parkinson@Home study were included. At baseline, all participants received a clinical examination. During the follow-up period (median: 97 days; 25-Interquartile range-IQR: 91 days, 75-IQR: 188 days), participants used the Fox Wearable Companion app and streamed smartwatch accelerometer data to a cloud platform. The first research question was assessed by linear regression on the sensor-derived mean time spent walking/day with the severity of fluctuations (MDS-UPDRS item 4.4) as independent variable, controlled for age and MDS-UPDRS part-III score. The second research question was assessed by linear regression on the sensor-derived mean post-levodopa walking quantity, with the sensor-derived mean pre-levodopa walking quantity and severity of fluctuations as independent variables, controlled for mean time spent walking per day, age and MDS-UPDRS part-III score. PWP spent most time walking between 8am and 1pm, summing up to 72 ± 39 (mean ± standard deviation) minutes of walking/day. The severity of motor fluctuations did not influence the mean time spent walking (B = 2.4 ± 1.9, p = 0.20), but higher age (B = -1.3 ± 0.3, p = < 0.001) and greater severity of motor symptoms (B = -0.6 ± 0.2, p < 0.001) was associated with less time spent walking (F(3216) = 14.6, p < .001, R 2  = .17). The severity of fluctuations was not associated with the amount of change in time spent walking in relation to levodopa intake in any part of the day. Analysis of sensor-derived gait quantity suggests that the severity of motor fluctuations is not associated with changes in real-life walking patterns in mildly to moderate affected PWP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An improved method for determining the distribution of swift fox in Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roy, Christiane C.; Sovada, Marsha A.; Sargeant, Glen A.; Roy, Christiane C.

1999-01-01

During 1997 and 1998 we tested a new method for determining the distribution of swift foxes (Vulpes velox) in Kansas. From a sampling frame of 30 counties in western Kansas, we selected a systematic sample of alternate townships in a checkerboard pattern. During September and October 1997 and August 1998, experienced observers delineated suitable swift fox habitat within each sample township and searched it for evidence of occupancy (tracks, dens, and the animals themselves) by swift fox and other furbearers. Each township was searched for a minimum of 30 minutes, with searches continuing until swift foxes were either detected or for 120 minutes. Of the 288 townships selected in 1997, 271 (94.1%) were searched effectively with swift fox detected in 40.5% of the townships. Adverse weather conditions prevented surveys in two northwestern counties of our sample frame. In 1998, 245 township were searched effectively. Swift fox were detected in 27 counties searched to date. We did not detect swift fox in Seward, Meade and Ford counties, where the species is thought to be uncommon or absent. Tracks were difficult to discern in areas with hard or sandy soils and were sometimes obliterated by adverse weather, vehicle traffic, and agricultural activities. To determine how frequently we failed to detect swift foxes that were present, we plan to repeat searches in 1999 in townships where swift foxes were not detected previously. Nevertheless, preliminary results suggest our method to be a practical means for conducting landscape-scale presence/absence surveys of swift fox. Restricting searches to habitat judged best for swift foxes and most favorable for track detection helped control costs and achieve high detection rates.

Chitinolytic and pectinolytic community in the vertical structure of chernozem's zone ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukacheva, E.; Manucharova, N.

2012-04-01

Chitin is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine and is found in many places throughout the natural world. Pectin is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants. Roots of the plants and root crops contain pectin. Chitin and pectin are widely distributed throughout the natural world. For this reason it is important to investigate the structural and functional properties of complex organisms, offering degradation of these biopolymers in the terrestrial and soil ecosystems. It is known that ecosystems have their own structure. It is possible to allocate some vertical tiers: phylloplane, litter (soil covering), soil. We investigated chitinolytic and pektinolytic microbial communities dedicated to different layers of the ecosystem of the chernozem zone. Quantity of eukaryote and procaryote organisms increased in the test samples with chitin and pectin. Increasing of eukaryote in samples with pectin was more then in samples with chitin. Also should be noted the significant increasing of actinomycet`s quantity in the samples with chitin in comparison with samples with pectin. The variety and abundance of bacteria in the litter samples increased an order of magnitude as compared to other options investigated. Further prokaryote community was investigated by method FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization). FISH is a cytogenetic technique developed that is used to detect and localize the presence or absence of specific DNA sequences on chromosomes. Quantity of Actinomycets and Firmicutes was the largest among identified cells with metabolic activity in soil samples. Should be noted significant increasing of the quantity of Acidobateria and Bacteroidetes in pectinolytic community and Alphaproteobacteria in chitinolytic community. In considering of the phylogenetic structure investigated communities in samples of the litter should be noted increase in the segment of Proteobacteria. Increasing of this group of microorganisms was also detected in samples of the phylloplane. Also should be noted increasing of Baceroidetes in these samples. Further inoculation from investigated samples was provided. The dominant species of microorganisms were isolated on dense nutrient media. These microorganisms were detected by sequence analysis. Thus the differences of decomposing biopolymers were educed in the microbial communities in the terrestrial and soil ecosystems.

Indirect antiglobulin test-crossmatch using low-ionic-strength saline-albumin enhancement medium and reduced incubation time: effectiveness in the detection of most clinically significant antibodies and impact on blood utilization.

PubMed

Dinardo, C L; Bonifácio, S L; Mendrone, A

2014-01-01

Indirect antiglobulin test-crossmatch (IAT-XM) using enhancement media such as low-ionic-strength saline (LISS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) usually requires 15 minutes of incubation. These methods are necessary when testing samples from blood recipients who have a higher risk of alloimmunization. In emergency situations, IAT-XM can be time-consuming and can influence presurgery routine, resulting in more red blood cell (RBC) units being tested and stored to avoid the transfusion of uncrossmatched ones. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a LISS-albumin enhancer to intensify antigen-antibody reaction after 5 minutes of 37oC incubation and compare this performance with that of other enhancers, gel, and conventional tube testing. Second, the study evaluated the impact of this method's implementation in the C:T ratio (crossmatched to transfused RBC units) of a transfusion laboratory. Ninety serum samples containing alloantibodies of potential clinical significance were tested against phenotyped RBCs using four different methods: (1) tube with LISS-albumin enhancer (5 minutes of incubation), (2) tube with LISS-albumin and PEG (15 minutes of incubation), (3) gel, and (4) conventional tube method (60 minutes of incubation). In parallel, the study compared the C:T ratio of a tertiary-hospital transfusion laboratory in two different periods: 3 months before and 3 months after the implementation of the 5-minute IAT-XM protocol. The use of LISS-albumin with 5 minutes of incubation exhibited the same performance as LISS-albumin, PEG, and gel with 15 minutes of incubation. Conventional tube method results were equally comparable, but reactions were significantly less intense, except for anti-c (p = 0.406). Accuracy was 100 percent for all selected methods. After the implementation of the 5-minute IAT-XM protocol, the C:T ratio fell from 2.74 to 1.29 (p < 0.001). IAT-XM can have its incubation time reduced to 5 minutes with the use of LISS-albumin enhancement. We suggest this strategy should be used to quickly prepare RBC units for surgical patients, keeping transfusion safety without compromising blood supplies.

Public disclosure to improve physical education in an urban school district: results from a 2-year quasi-experimental study

PubMed Central

Vittinghoff, Eric; Linchey, Jennifer K.; Madsen, Kristine A.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Many elementary schools have policies requiring a minimum amount of physical education (PE). However, few schools comply with local/state PE policy and little is known about how to improve adherence. We evaluated changes in PE among 5th-grade classes, following participatory action research efforts to improve PE quantity and policy compliance that focused on publically disclosing PE data. METHODS Data were collected at 20 San Francisco public elementary schools in the spring of 2011 and 2013. PE schedules were collected and PE classes were directly observed (2011, N = 30 teachers; 2013, N = 33 teachers). Data on the proportion of schools meeting state PE mandates in 2011 were shared within the school district and disclosed to the general public in 2012. RESULTS From 2011 to 2013, PE increased by 11 minutes/week based on teachers’ schedules (95% CI: 3.0, 19.6) and by 14 minutes/week (95% CI: 1.9, 26.0) based on observations. The proportion of schools meeting the state PE mandate increased from 20% to 30% (p = .27). CONCLUSIONS Positive changes in PE were seen over a 2-year period following the public disclosure of data that highlighted poor PE policy compliance. Public disclosure could be a method for ensuring greater PE policy adherence. PMID:26201757

Fast online inverse scattering with Reduced Basis Method (RBM) for a 3D phase grating with specific line roughness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleemann, Bernd H.; Kurz, Julian; Hetzler, Jochen; Pomplun, Jan; Burger, Sven; Zschiedrich, Lin; Schmidt, Frank

2011-05-01

Finite element methods (FEM) for the rigorous electromagnetic solution of Maxwell's equations are known to be very accurate. They possess a high convergence rate for the determination of near field and far field quantities of scattering and diffraction processes of light with structures having feature sizes in the range of the light wavelength. We are using FEM software for 3D scatterometric diffraction calculations allowing the application of a brilliant and extremely fast solution method: the reduced basis method (RBM). The RBM constructs a reduced model of the scattering problem from precalculated snapshot solutions, guided self-adaptively by an error estimator. Using RBM, we achieve an efficiency accuracy of about 10-4 compared to the direct problem with only 35 precalculated snapshots being the reduced basis dimension. This speeds up the calculation of diffraction amplitudes by a factor of about 1000 compared to the conventional solution of Maxwell's equations by FEM. This allows us to reconstruct the three geometrical parameters of our phase grating from "measured" scattering data in a 3D parameter manifold online in a minute having the full FEM accuracy available. Additionally, also a sensitivity analysis or the choice of robust measuring strategies, for example, can be done online in a few minutes.

Public Disclosure to Improve Physical Education in an Urban School District: Results From a 2-Year Quasi-Experimental Study.

PubMed

Thompson, Hannah R; Vittinghoff, Eric; Linchey, Jennifer K; Madsen, Kristine A

2015-09-01

Many elementary schools have policies requiring a minimum amount of physical education (PE). However, few schools comply with local/state PE policy and little is known about how to improve adherence. We evaluated changes in PE among fifth-grade classes, following participatory action research efforts to improve PE quantity and policy compliance that focused on publically disclosing PE data. Data were collected in 20 San Francisco public elementary schools in spring 2011 and 2013. PE schedules were collected and PE classes were directly observed (2011, N = 30 teachers; 2013, N = 33 teachers). Data on the proportion of schools meeting state PE mandates in 2011 were shared within the school district and disclosed to the general public in 2012. From 2011 to 2013, PE increased by 11 minutes/week based on teachers' schedules (95% CI: 3.0, 19.6) and by 14 minutes/week (95% CI: 1.9, 26.0) based on observations. The proportion of schools meeting the state PE mandate increased from 20% to 30% (p = .27). Positive changes in PE were seen over a 2-year period following the public disclosure of data that highlighted poor PE policy compliance. Public disclosure could be a method for ensuring greater PE policy adherence. © 2015, American School Health Association.

Sleep duration and quality in elite athletes measured using wristwatch actigraphy.

PubMed

Leeder, Jonathan; Glaister, Mark; Pizzoferro, Kathleen; Dawson, Jean; Pedlar, Charles

2012-01-01

Sleep is known to be an important component of recovery from training, yet little is known about the quality and quantity of sleep achieved by elite athletes. The aim of the present study was to quantify sleep in elite athletes using wristwatch actigraphy. Individual nights of sleep from a cohort of Olympic athletes (n = 47) from various sports were analysed and compared to non-athletic controls (n = 20). There were significant differences between athletes and controls in all measures apart from 'time asleep' (p = 0.27), suggesting poorer characteristics of sleep in the athlete group. There was a significant effect of gender on 'time awake' (mean difference: 12 minutes higher in males; 95% likely range: 3 to 21 minutes) and 'sleep efficiency' (mean difference: 2.4 lower in males; 95% likely range: 0.1 to 4.8). Athletes showed poorer markers of sleep quality than an age and sex matched non-athletic control group (Sleep efficiency: 80.6 ± 6.4% and 88.7 ± 3.6%, respectively. Fragmentation Index: 36.0 ± 12.4 and 29.8 ± 9.0, respectively) but remained within the range for healthy sleep. This descriptive study provides novel data for the purpose of characterising sleep in elite athletes.

Artificial recharge for subsidence abatement at the NASA-Johnson Space Center, Phase I

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garza, Sergio

1977-01-01

Regional decline of aquifer head due to ground-water withdrawal in the Houston area has caused extensive land-surface subsidence. The NASA-Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC) in southeastern Harris County, Texas, was about 13 to 19 feet above mean sea level in 1974 and sinking at a rate of more than 0.2 foot per year. NASA-JSC officials, concerned about the hurricane flooding hazard, requested the U.S. Geological Survey to study the feasibility of artificially recharging the aquifers for subsidence abatement. Hydrologic digital models were developed for theoretical determinations of quantities of water needed, under various well-array plans, for artificial recharge of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in order to halt the local subsidence at NASA-JSC. The programs for the models were developed for analysis of three-dimensional ground-water flow. Total injection rates of between 2,000 and 14,000 gallons per minute under three general well-array plans were determined for a range of residual clay pore pressures of 10 to 70 feet of hydraulic head. The space distributions of the resultant hydraulic heads, illustrated for injection rates of 3,600 and 8 ,400 gallons per minute, indicated that, for the same rate, increasing the number and spread of the injection locations reduces the head gradients within NASA-JSC. (Woodard-USGS)

Affinity purification of antibodies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Antibodies are provided in a variety of formats that includes antiserum, hybridoma culture supernatant or ascites. They can all be used successfully in crude form for the detection of target antigens by immunoassay. However, it is advantageous to use purified antibody in defined quantity to facil...

A new fluorescent probe for colorimetric and ratiometric detection of sulfur dioxide derivatives in liver cancer cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dong-Peng; Wang, Zhao-Yang; Cui, Jie; Wang, Xin; Miao, Jun-Ying; Zhao, Bao-Xiang

2017-03-01

A new ratiometric fluorescent probe was constructed with hemicyanine and 7-nitrobenzofurazan for detection of sulfur dioxide derivatives (HSO3-/SO32-). The ratiometric response mode could be attributed to the efficient FRET (Förster resonance energy transfer) platform. The probe exbihited some desirable properties including fast response (within 2 minutes), good selectivity and high sensitivity. Moreover, the probe could detect endogenous HSO3- in liver cancer cells rather than normal liver cells, implying the diagnosal potential of the probe.

Apollo-Soyuz pamphlet no. 4: Gravitational field. [experimental design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Page, L. W.; From, T. P.

1977-01-01

Two Apollo Soyuz experiments designed to detect gravity anomalies from spacecraft motion are described. The geodynamics experiment (MA-128) measured large-scale gravity anomalies by detecting small accelerations of Apollo in the 222 km orbit, using Doppler tracking from the ATS-6 satellite. Experiment MA-089 measured 300 km anomalies on the earth's surface by detecting minute changes in the separation between Apollo and the docking module. Topics discussed in relation to these experiments include the Doppler effect, gravimeters, and the discovery of mascons on the moon.

Nonlinear times series analysis of epileptic human electroencephalogram (EEG)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dingzhou

The problem of seizure anticipation in patients with epilepsy has attracted significant attention in the past few years. In this paper we discuss two approaches, using methods of nonlinear time series analysis applied to scalp electrode recordings, which is able to distinguish between epochs temporally distant from and just prior to, the onset of a seizure in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. First we describe a method involving a comparison of recordings taken from electrodes adjacent to and remote from the site of the seizure focus. In particular, we define a nonlinear quantity which we call marginal predictability. This quantity is computed using data from remote and from adjacent electrodes. We find that the difference between the marginal predictabilities computed for the remote and adjacent electrodes decreases several tens of minutes prior to seizure onset, compared to its value interictally. We also show that these difl'crcnc es of marginal predictability intervals are independent of the behavior state of the patient. Next we examine the please coherence between different electrodes both in the long-range and the short-range. When time is distant from seizure onsets ("interictally"), epileptic patients have lower long-range phase coherence in the delta (1-4Hz) and beta (18-30Hz) frequency band compared to nonepileptic subjects. When seizures approach (''preictally"), we observe an increase in phase coherence in the beta band. However, interictally there is no difference in short-range phase coherence between this cohort of patients and non-epileptic subjects. Preictally short-range phase coherence also increases in the alpha (10-13Hz) and the beta band. Next we apply the quantity marginal predictability on the phase difference time series. Such marginal predictabilities are lower in the patients than in the non-epileptic subjects. However, when seizure approaches, the former moves asymptotically towards the latter.

The DECam Minute Cadence Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belardi, C.; Kilic, M.; Munn, J. A.; Gianninas, A.; Barber, S. D.; Dey, A.; Stetson, P. B.

2017-03-01

We present the first results from a minute cadence survey of a 3 deg2 field obtained with the Dark Energy Camera. We imaged part of the Canada- France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey area over eight half-nights. We use the stacked images to identify 111 high proper motion white dwarf candidates with g≤ 24.5 mag and search for eclipse-like events and other sources of variability. We find a new g=20.64 mag pulsating ZZ Ceti star with pulsation periods of 11-13 min. However, we do not find any transiting planetary companions in the habitable zone of our target white dwarfs. Given the probability of eclipses of 1% and our observing window from the ground, the non-detection of such companions in this first field is not surprising. Minute cadence DECam observations of additional fields will provide stringent constraints on the frequency of planets in the white dwarf habitable zone.

Measurement of the^ 235U(n,n')^235mU Integral Cross Section in a Pulsed Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vieira, D. J.; Bond, E. M.; Belier, G.; Meot, V.; Becker, J. A.; Macri, R. A.; Authier, N.; Hyneck, D.; Jacquet, X.; Jansen, Y.; Legrendre, J.

2009-10-01

We will present the integral measurement of the neutron inelastic cross section of ^235U leading to the 26-minute, E*=76.5 eV isomer state. Small samples (5-20 microgm) of isotope-enriched ^235U were activated in the central cavity of the CALIBAN pulsed reactor at Valduc where a nearly pure fission neutron spectrum is produced with a typical fluence of 3x10^14 n/cm^2. After 30 minutes the samples were removed from the reactor and counted in an electrostatic-deflecting electron spectrometer that was optimized for the detection of ^235mU conversion electrons. From the decay curve analysis of the data, the 26-minute ^235mU component was extracted. Preliminary results will be given and compared to gamma-cascade calculations assuming complete K-mixing or with no K-mixing.

Fitness for duty: a 3-minute version of the Psychomotor Vigilance Test predicts fatigue-related declines in luggage-screening performance.

PubMed

Basner, Mathias; Rubinstein, Joshua

2011-10-01

To evaluate the ability of a 3-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) to predict fatigue-related performance decrements on a simulated luggage-screening task (SLST). Thirty-six healthy nonprofessional subjects (mean age = 30.8 years, 20 women) participated in a 4-day laboratory protocol including a 34-hour period of total sleep deprivation with PVT and SLST testing every 2 hours. Eleven and 20 lapses (355-ms threshold) on the PVT optimally divided SLST performance into high-, medium-, and low-performance bouts with significantly decreasing threat detection performance A'. Assignment to the different SLST performance groups replicated homeostatic and circadian patterns during total sleep deprivation. The 3-minute PVT was able to predict performance on a simulated luggage-screening task. Fitness-for-duty feasibility should now be tested in professional screeners and operational environments.

Detection and quantification of intraperitoneal fluid using electrical impedance tomography.

PubMed

Sadleir, R J; Fox, R A

2001-04-01

A prototype electrical impedance tomography system was evaluated prior to its use for the detection of intraperitoneal bleeding, with the assistance of patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The system was sensitive enough to detect small amounts of dialysis fluid appearing in subtractive images over short time periods. Uniform sensitivity to blood appearing anywhere within the abdominal cavity was produced using a post-reconstructive filter that corrected for changes in apparent resistivity of anomalies with their radial position. The image parameter used as an indication of fluid quantity, the resistivity index, varied approximately linearly with the quantity of fluid added. A test of the system's response to the introduction of conductive fluid out of the electrode plane (when a blood-equivalent fluid was added to the stomach) found that the sensitivity of the system was about half that observed in the electrode plane. Breathing artifacts were found to upset quantitative monitoring of intraperitoneal bleeding, but only on time scales short compared with the fluid administration rate. Longer term breathing changes, such as those due to variations in the functional residual capacity of the lungs, should ultimately limit the sensitivity over long time periods.

Method and apparatus for detecting neutrons

DOEpatents

Perkins, R.W.; Reeder, P.L.; Wogman, N.A.; Warner, R.A.; Brite, D.W.; Richey, W.C.; Goldman, D.S.

1997-10-21

The instant invention is a method for making and using an apparatus for detecting neutrons. Scintillating optical fibers are fabricated by melting SiO{sub 2} with a thermal neutron capturing substance and a scintillating material in a reducing atmosphere. The melt is then drawn into fibers in an anoxic atmosphere. The fibers may then be coated and used directly in a neutron detection apparatus, or assembled into a geometrical array in a second, hydrogen-rich, scintillating material such as a polymer. Photons generated by interaction with thermal neutrons are trapped within the coated fibers and are directed to photoelectric converters. A measurable electronic signal is generated for each thermal neutron interaction within the fiber. These electronic signals are then manipulated, stored, and interpreted by normal methods to infer the quality and quantity of incident radiation. When the fibers are arranged in an array within a second scintillating material, photons generated by kinetic neutrons interacting with the second scintillating material and photons generated by thermal neutron capture within the fiber can both be directed to photoelectric converters. These electronic signals are then manipulated, stored, and interpreted by normal methods to infer the quality and quantity of incident radiation. 5 figs.

Method and apparatus for detecting neutrons

DOEpatents

Perkins, Richard W.; Reeder, Paul L.; Wogman, Ned A.; Warner, Ray A.; Brite, Daniel W.; Richey, Wayne C.; Goldman, Don S.

1997-01-01

The instant invention is a method for making and using an apparatus for detecting neutrons. Scintillating optical fibers are fabricated by melting SiO.sub.2 with a thermal neutron capturing substance and a scintillating material in a reducing atmosphere. The melt is then drawn into fibers in an anoxic atmosphere. The fibers may then be coated and used directly in a neutron detection apparatus, or assembled into a geometrical array in a second, hydrogen-rich, scintillating material such as a polymer. Photons generated by interaction with thermal neutrons are trapped within the coated fibers and are directed to photoelectric converters. A measurable electronic signal is generated for each thermal neutron interaction within the fiber. These electronic signals are then manipulated, stored, and interpreted by normal methods to infer the quality and quantity of incident radiation. When the fibers are arranged in an array within a second scintillating material, photons generated by kinetic neutrons interacting with the second scintillating material and photons generated by thermal neutron capture within the fiber can both be directed to photoelectric converters. These electronic signals are then manipulated, stored, and interpreted by normal methods to infer the quality and quantity of incident radiation.

Any Place for Immunohistochemistry within the Predictive Biomarkers of Treatment in Lung Cancer Patients?

PubMed Central

Hofman, Véronique; Lassalle, Sandra; Bence, Coraline; Long-Mira, Elodie; Nahon-Estève, Sacha; Heeke, Simon; Lespinet-Fabre, Virginie; Butori, Catherine; Hofman, Paul

2018-01-01

The identification of certain genomic alterations (EGFR, ALK, ROS1, BRAF) or immunological markers (PD-L1) in tissues or cells has led to targeted treatment for patients presenting with late stage or metastatic lung cancer. These biomarkers can be detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or by molecular biology (MB) techniques. These approaches are often complementary but depending on, the quantity and quality of the biological material, the urgency to get the results, the access to technological platforms, the financial resources and the expertise of the team, the choice of the approach can be questioned. The possibility of detecting simultaneously several molecular targets, and of analyzing the degree of tumor mutation burden and of the micro-satellite instability, as well as the recent requirement to quantify the expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells, has led to case by case development of algorithms and international recommendations, which depend on the quality and quantity of biological samples. This review will highlight the different predictive biomarkers detected by IHC for treatment of lung cancer as well as the present advantages and limitations of this approach. A number of perspectives will be considered. PMID:29534030

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

Ballermann, B.J.

To enable serial measurements of plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) concentrations in the rat, a microradioreceptor assay (RRA) for this hormone was developed. Glomerular microsomes bearing ANP receptors were used to bind ANP. The smallest quantity of ANP detectable by this method was 0.2 fmol/sample. By contrast, a radioimmunoassay for ANP was sensitive to 2.4 fmol/sample. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation for the RRA were 4.1 and 11.6%, respectively. Recovery of 10, 20, 50, and 100 pM synthetic ANP added to unextracted rat plasma was essentially 100%. Biologically inactive, synthetic amino- and carboxy-terminal ANP fragments added to ratmore » plasma were not detected. Plasma ANP was stable when measured four consecutive times at 90-min intervals in 10 fasting rats. In a separate group of rats, fasting plasma ANP levels averaged 34 {plus minus} 3 and rose to 57 {plus minus} 5 pM in the postprandial state, whereas levels in fasting time controls remained constant. It is concluded that the RRA for ANP described here detects ANP in microliter quantities of unextracted rat plasma. Thus serial measurements of ANP concentrations can be undertaken in rats without inducing major changes in the volume status.« less

Electrolyte and Plasma Changes After Ingestion of Pickle Juice, Water, and a Common Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Solution

PubMed Central

Miller, Kevin C.; Mack, Gary; Knight, Kenneth L.

2009-01-01

Abstract Context: Health care professionals advocate that athletes who are susceptible to exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMCs) should moderately increase their fluid and electrolyte intake by drinking sport drinks. Some clinicians have also claimed drinking small volumes of pickle juice effectively relieves acute EAMCs, often alleviating them within 35 seconds. Others fear ingesting pickle juice will enhance dehydration-induced hypertonicity, thereby prolonging dehydration. Objective: To determine if ingesting small quantities of pickle juice, a carbohydrate-electrolyte (CHO-e) drink, or water increases plasma electrolytes or other selected plasma variables. Design: Crossover study. Setting: Exercise physiology laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Nine euhydrated, healthy men (age  =  25 ± 2 years, height  =  179.4 ± 7.2 cm, mass  =  86.3 ± 15.9 kg) completed the study. Intervention(s): Resting blood samples were collected preingestion (−0.5 minutes); immediately postingestion (0 minutes); and at 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, and 60 minutes postingestion of 1 mL/kg body mass of pickle juice, CHO-e drink, or tap water. Main Outcome Measure(s): Plasma sodium concentration, plasma magnesium concentration, plasma calcium concentration, plasma potassium concentration, plasma osmolality, and changes in plasma volume were analyzed. Urine specific gravity, osmolality, and volume were also measured to characterize hydration status. Results: Mean fluid intake was 86.3 ± 16.7 mL. Plasma sodium concentration, plasma magnesium concentration, plasma calcium concentration, plasma osmolality, and plasma volume did not change during the 60 minutes after ingestion of each fluid (P ≥ .05). Water ingestion slightly decreased plasma potassium concentration at 60 minutes (0.21 ± 0.14 mg/dL [0.21 ± 0.14 mmol/L]; P ≤ .05). Conclusions: At these volumes, ingestion of pickle juice and CHO-e drink did not cause substantial changes in plasma electrolyte concentrations, plasma osmolality, or plasma volume in rested, euhydrated men. Concern that ingesting these volumes of pickle juice might exacerbate an athlete's risk of dehydration-induced hypertonicity may be unwarranted. If EAMCs are caused by large electrolyte loss due to sweating, these volumes of pickle juice or CHO-e drink are unlikely to restore any deficit incurred by exercise. PMID:19771282

Fire flame detection based on GICA and target tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rong, Jianzhong; Zhou, Dechuang; Yao, Wei; Gao, Wei; Chen, Juan; Wang, Jian

2013-04-01

To improve the video fire detection rate, a robust fire detection algorithm based on the color, motion and pattern characteristics of fire targets was proposed, which proved a satisfactory fire detection rate for different fire scenes. In this fire detection algorithm: (a) a rule-based generic color model was developed based on analysis on a large quantity of flame pixels; (b) from the traditional GICA (Geometrical Independent Component Analysis) model, a Cumulative Geometrical Independent Component Analysis (C-GICA) model was developed for motion detection without static background and (c) a BP neural network fire recognition model based on multi-features of the fire pattern was developed. Fire detection tests on benchmark fire video clips of different scenes have shown the robustness, accuracy and fast-response of the algorithm.

A method for detecting small targets based on cumulative weighted value of target properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Xing; Sun, Gang; Wang, Wei-hua; Liu, Fang; Chen, Zeng-ping

2015-03-01

Laser detection based on the "cat's eye effect" has become the hot research project for its initiative compared to the passivity of sound detection and infrared detection. And the target detection is one of the core technologies in this system. The paper puts forward a method for detecting small targets based on cumulative weighted value of target properties using given data. Firstly, we make a frame difference to the images, then make image processing based on Morphology Principles. Secondly, we segment images, and screen the targets; then find some interesting locations. Finally, comparing to a quantity of frames, we locate the target. We did an exam to 394 true frames, the experimental result shows that the mathod can detect small targets efficiently.

Design, development, and initial operation of BabyScan: An in-vivo counter for children around Fukushima

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronson, Frazier; Hayano, Ryugo; Oginni, Babatunde; Jaderstrom, Henrik; Ilie, Gabriela; Yamanaka, Shunji; Muramatsu, Isamu

2015-06-01

The Fukushima Dai-ichi accident has released large quantities of radionuclides, including 131I, 134Cs, and 137Cs. These radionuclides, when inhaled or ingested, cause internal dose to the individual. Whole Body Counting [WBC], also known as in-vivo counting is a common method to assess internal radioactivity as a tool to evaluate internal dose. The FastScan WBC system was widely used following the Chernobyl and the Fukushima accidents for in-vivo measurements of the population. Although the FastScan was designed for adults, it was successfully used for children by having them stand on a small stool. However small children and infants cannot stand, and have a much lower quantity of radioactive cesium. That required the development of a much more sensitive WBC system, called the BabyScan. A very important element of the project was to make the unit look esthetically pleasing, while not compromising performance. The steel shield was enclosed in a molded fiberglass exterior skin, whereas a carbon-fiber liner was used on the interior, to keep the background low. The system was calibrated using MCNP; on-site testing with phantoms confirmed the adequacy of the mathematical efficiency calibrations. The system has a Minimum Detectable Activity with a 4-min measurement of approximately 20 Bq for infants approximately 10 kg in weight, and 40 Bq for children approximately 30 kg in weight. The 40K that is naturally present is also reliably detected at the appropriate quantity for infants as small as 6 kg. Data from the first 365 subjects counted showed that 40K was detected in all of them, and that there was no 134Cs or 137Cs above the MDA levels.

Fibrosis progression under maintenance interferon in hepatitis C is better detected by blood test than liver morphometry.

PubMed

Calès, P; Zarski, J P; Chapplain, J Marc; Bertrais, S; Sturm, N; Michelet, C; Babany, G; Chaigneau, J; Eddine Charaf, M

2012-02-01

We evaluated whether quantitative measurements of liver fibrosis with recently developed diagnostics outperform histological staging in detecting natural or interferon-induced changes. We compared Metavir staging, morphometry (area and fractal dimension) and six blood tests in 157 patients with chronic hepatitis C from two trials testing maintenance interferon for 96 weeks. Paired liver biopsies and blood tests were available for 101 patients, and there was a significant improvement in Metavir activity and a significant increase in blood tests reflecting fibrosis quantity in patients treated with interferon when compared with controls - all per cent changes in histological fibrosis measures were significantly increased in F1 vs F2-4 stages only in the interferon group. For the whole population studied between weeks 0 and 96, there was significant progression only in the area of fibrosis (AOF) (P = 0.026), FibroMeter (P = 0.020) and CirrhoMeter (P = 0.003). With regards to dynamic reproducibility, agreement was good (r(ic) ≥ 0.72) only for Metavir fibrosis score, FibroMeter and CirrhoMeter. The per cent change in AOF was significantly higher than that of fractal dimension (P = 0.003) or Metavir fibrosis score (P = 0.015). CirrhoMeter was the only blood test with a change significantly higher than that of AOF (P = 0.039). AOF and two blood tests, reflecting fibrosis quantity, have high sensitivity and/or reproducibility permitting the detection of a small progression in liver fibrosis over two years. A blood test reflecting fibrosis quantity is more sensitive and reproducible than morphometry. The study also shows that maintenance interferon does not improve fibrosis, whatever its stage. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The Event Horizon Telescope: Future Polarimetric Capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fish, Vincent L.; Doeleman, S. S.; EHT Collaboration

2010-01-01

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a (sub)mm wavelength VLBI network that will achieve angular resolutions sufficient to resolve and image the Event Horizons of the nearest supermassive black holes. Recent millimeter observations with the initial three stations of the EHT (located in Hawaii, Arizona, and California) have constrained the size of the emitting region of Sgr A*, the Galactic Center radio/infrared/X-ray source associated with a supermassive black hole, to be no more than a few Schwarzschild radii. While EHT observations have heretofore focused on detecting Sgr A* in total intensity, theoretical models predict large polarization signatures well in excess of the few percent linear polarization detected by low resolution arrays (e.g., SMA). Here, we generalize our previous total intensity simulations of future EHT observations to include full polarimetric quantities. Ratios of polarimetric visibilities provide baseline-based observables that are robust against most calibration errors. We find that the shortest VLBI baselines track the integrated polarization fraction and position angle, as presently observed by connected-element arrays, while longer VLBI baselines are sensitive to highly-polarized substructures that are beam-diluted at lower angular resolution. Ratios of polarized visibilities may be even more sensitive to detecting periodic structural changes, as might be expected from a hot spot near the innermost stable circular orbit of the black hole, than closure quantities obtained from total intensity quantities. These results suggest that high priority should be given to upgrading telescopes in the EHT collaboration in order to allow full polarimetric observations of Sgr A* and other supermassive black hole sources. This research is made possible thanks to funding provided by the National Science Foundation.

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticle-decorated Carbon Nanotubes under Ambient Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Yi; Watson, Kent A.; Ghose, Sayata; Smith, Joseph G.; Connell, John W.

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the production of Metal Nanoparticle-decorated carbon Nanotubes. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were efficiently decorated with metal nanoparticles (e.g. Ag, Pt, etc.) using the corresponding metal acetate in a simple mixing process without the need of chemical reagents or further processing. The conversion of acetate compounds to the corresponding metal reached over 90%, forming nanoparticles with average diameters less than 10 nm under certain conditions. The process was readily scalable allowing for the convenient preparation of multi-gram quantities of metal nanoparticle-decorated MWCNTs in a matter of a few minutes. These materials are under evaluation for a variety of electrical and catalytic applications. The preparation and characterization of these materials will be presented. The microscopic views of the processed MWCNTs are shown

Design and implementation of a simple acousto optic dual control circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Biqing; Li, Zhao

2017-04-01

This page proposed a simple light control circuit which designed by using power supply circuit, sonic circuits, electric circuit and delay circuit four parts. The main chip for CD4011, have inside of the four and to complete the sonic or circuit, electric, delay logic circuit. During the day, no matter how much a pedestrian voice, is ever shine light bulb. Dark night, circuit in a body to make the microphone as long as testing noise, and will automatically be bright for pedestrians lighting, several minutes after the automatic and put out, effective energy saving. Applicable scope and the working principle of the circuit principle diagram and given device parameters selection, power saving effect is obvious, at the same time greatly reduce the maintenance quantity, saving money, use effect is good.

Large silver-cadmium technology program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Charlip, S.; Lerner, S.

1971-01-01

The effects of varying cell design on operation factors on the electrochemical performance of sealed, silver-cadmium cells were determined. A factorial experiment was conducted for all test cells constructed with organic separators. Three operating factors were evaluated: temperature, depth of discharge, and charge rate. The six construction factors considered were separator, absorber, electrolyte quantity, cadmium electrode type, cadmium-to-silver ratio, and auxiliary electrode. Test cells of 4 ampere-hour capacity were fabricated and cycled. The best performing cells, on a 94 minute orbit, at 40% depth of discharge, were those containing silver-treated fibrous sausage casings as the separator, and Teflon-ated, pressed cadmium electrodes. Cycling data of cells with inorganic separators (Astroset) are given. Best performance was shown by cells with nonwoven nylon absorbers. Rigid inorganic separators provided the best barrier to silver migration.

Containment testing of isolation rooms.

PubMed

Rydock, J P; Eian, P K

2004-07-01

Results from the tracer containment testing of four 'state-of-the-art' airborne infection isolation rooms, in a new hospital, are presented. A testing technician exited an isolation room several minutes after a small quantity of tracer gas was injected over the patient bed in that room. Easily measurable tracer gas concentrations were then found in the anterooms outside the patient rooms and corridor outside the isolation room suites. Containment factors for the isolation rooms and dilution factors in the anterooms and corridor were calculated, based on the measured tracer concentrations. These results indicate the desirability of evidence-based design standards and guidelines for assessing performance of airborne infection isolation rooms. The study also demonstrates that the tracer testing procedure yields comparable results for equivalent isolation room suites, suggesting good reproducibility of the testing method.

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-07-29

An entranced youngster watches a demonstration of the enhanced resilience of undercooled metal alloys as compared to conventional alloys. Steel bearings are dropped onto plates made of steel, titanium alloy, and zirconium liquid metal alloy, so-called because its molecular structure is amorphous and not crystalline. The bearing on the liquid metal plate bounces for a minute or more longer than on the other plates. Experiments aboard the Space Shuttle helped scientists refine their understanding of the physical properties of certain metal alloys when undercooled (i.e., kept liquid below their normal solidification temperature). This new knowledge then allowed scientists to modify a terrestrial production method so they can now make limited quantities marketed under the Liquid Metal trademark. The exhibit was a part of the NASA outreach activity at AirVenture 2000 sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, WI.

Carbon dioxide narcosis due to inappropriate oxygen delivery: a case report.

PubMed

Herren, Thomas; Achermann, Eva; Hegi, Thomas; Reber, Adrian; Stäubli, Max

2017-07-28

Oxygen delivery to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may be challenging because of their potential hypoxic ventilatory drive. However, some oxygen delivery systems such as non-rebreathing face masks with an oxygen reservoir bag require high oxygen flow for adequate oxygenation and to avoid carbon dioxide rebreathing. A 72-year-old Caucasian man with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was admitted to the emergency department because of worsening dyspnea and an oxygen saturation of 81% measured by pulse oximetry. Oxygen was administered using a non-rebreathing mask with an oxygen reservoir bag attached. For fear of removing the hypoxic stimulus to respiration the oxygen flow was inappropriately limited to 4L/minute. The patient developed carbon dioxide narcosis and had to be intubated and mechanically ventilated. Non-rebreathing masks with oxygen reservoir bags must be fed with an oxygen flow exceeding the patient's minute ventilation (>6-10 L/minute.). If not, the amount of oxygen delivered will be too small to effectively increase the arterial oxygen saturation. Moreover, the risk of carbon dioxide rebreathing dramatically increases if the flow of oxygen to a non-rebreathing mask is lower than the minute ventilation, especially in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and low tidal volumes. Non-rebreathing masks (with oxygen reservoir bags) must be used cautiously by experienced medical staff and with an appropriately high oxygen flow of 10-15 L/minute. Nevertheless, arterial blood gases must be analyzed regularly for early detection of a rise in partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a hypoxic ventilatory drive. These patients are more safely managed using a nasal cannula with an oxygen flow of 1-2L/minute or a simple face mask with an oxygen flow of 5L/minute.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is superior to National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke-Canadian Stroke Network 5-minute protocol in predicting vascular cognitive impairment at 1 year.

PubMed

Dong, YanHong; Xu, Jing; Chan, Bernard Poon-Lap; Seet, Raymond Chee Seong; Venketasubramanian, Narayanaswamy; Teoh, Hock Luen; Sharma, Vijay Kumar; Chen, Christopher Li-Hsian

2016-04-12

The predictive ability of National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke-Canadian Stroke Network (NINDS-CSN) 5-minute protocol and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) administered sub-acutely and at the convalescent phase after stroke for significant vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) at 1 year is unknown. We compared prognostic values of these tests. Patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) received MoCA sub-acutely (within 2 weeks) and 3-6 months after stroke followed by a formal neuropsychological evaluation at 1 year. The total score of NINDS-CSN 5-minutes protocol was derived from MoCA. Moderate-severe VCI was defined as neuropsychological impairment in ≥ 3 domains. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analyses were conducted to establish the optimal cutoff points and discriminatory properties of the MoCA and NINDS-CSN 5-minute protocol in detecting moderate-severe VCI. Four hundre patients were recruited at baseline. Of these, 291 received a formal neuropsychological assessment 1 year after stroke. 19% patients had moderate-severe VCI. The MoCA was superior to the NINDS-CSN 5-minute protocol [sub-acute AUCs: 0.89 vs 0.80, p < 0.01; 3-6 months AUCs: 0.90 vs 0.83, p < 0.01] in predicting for moderate-severe VCI at 1 year. At respective cutoff points, MoCA had significantly higher sensitivity than the NINDS-CSN 5-minute protocol at baseline (p = 0.01) and 3-6 months (p = 0.04). MoCA administered sub-acutely and 3-6 months after stroke is superior to the NINDS-CSN 5-minute protocol in predicting moderate-severe VCI at 1 year.

Oscillations in a sunspot with light bridges

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

Yuan, Ding; Su, Jiangtao; Yan, Yihua

2014-09-01

The Solar Optical Telescope on board Hinode observed a sunspot (AR 11836) with two light bridges (LBs) on 2013 August 31. We analyzed a two-hour Ca II H emission intensity data set and detected strong five-minute oscillation power on both LBs and in the inner penumbra. The time-distance plot reveals that the five-minute oscillation phase does not vary significantly along the thin bridge, indicating that the oscillations are likely to originate from underneath it. The slit taken along the central axis of the wide LB exhibits a standing wave feature. However, at the center of the wide bridge, the five-minutemore » oscillation power is found to be stronger than at its sides. Moreover, the time-distance plot across the wide bridge exhibits a herringbone pattern that indicates a counter-stream of two running waves, which originated at the bridge's sides. Thus, the five-minute oscillations on the wide bridge also resemble the properties of running penumbral waves. The five-minute oscillations are suppressed in the umbra, while the three-minute oscillations occupy all three cores of the sunspot's umbra, separated by the LBs. The three-minute oscillations were found to be in phase at both sides of the LBs. This may indicate that either LBs do not affect umbral oscillations, or that umbral oscillations at different umbral cores share the same source. It also indicates that LBs are rather shallow objects situated in the upper part of the umbra. We found that umbral flashes (UFs) follow the life cycles of umbral oscillations with much larger amplitudes. They cannot propagate across LBs. UFs dominate the three-minute oscillation power within each core; however, they do not disrupt the phase of umbral oscillation.« less

Aspiration tests in aqueous foam using a breathing simulator

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

Archuleta, M.M.

1995-12-01

Non-toxic aqueous foams are being developed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) for use in crowd control, cell extractions, and group disturbances in the criminal justice prison systems. The potential for aspiration of aqueous foam during its use and the resulting adverse effects associated with complete immersion in aqueous foam is of major concern to the NIJ when examining the effectiveness and safety of using this technology as a Less-Than-Lethal weapon. This preliminary study was designed to evaluate the maximum quantity of foam that might be aspirated by an individual following total immersion inmore » an SNL-developed aqueous foam. A.T.W. Reed Breathing simulator equipped with a 622 Silverman cam was used to simulate the aspiration of an ammonium laureth sulfate aqueous foam developed by SNL and generated at expansion ratios in the range of 500:1 to 1000:1. Although the natural instinct of an individual immersed in foam is to cover their nose and mouth with a hand or cloth, thus breaking the bubbles and decreasing the potential for aspiration, this study was performed to examine a worst case scenario where mouth breathing only was examined, and no attempt was made to block foam entry into the breathing port. Two breathing rates were examined: one that simulated a sedentary individual with a mean breathing rate of 6.27 breaths/minute, and one that simulated an agitated or heavily breathing individual with a mean breathing rate of 23.7 breaths/minute. The results of this study indicate that, if breathing in aqueous foam without movement, an air pocket forms around the nose and mouth within one minute of immersion.« less

TOLERANCE TO AMINO ACID MIXTURES AND CASEIN DIGESTS GIVEN INTRAVENOUSLY

PubMed Central

Madden, S. C.; Woods, R. R.; Shull, F. W.; Remington, J. H.; Whipple, G. H.

1945-01-01

Several synthetic mixtures of natural and racemic crystalline amino acids suitable for the daily nitrogen requirement are tested in dogs for their tolerance upon intravenous injection. Certain mixtures of the ten essential amino acids plus non-essential amino acids exclusive of glutamic acid are accepted without any obvious sign of disturbance even at rates above 10 mg. nitrogen per kilo per minute for quantities greater than 300 mg. per kilo. One such mixture consists in parts per 100 of dl-threonine 7, dl-valine 15, l(-)-leucine 10.9, dl-isoleucine 9.9, l(+)-lysine· HCl·H2O 10.9, dl-tryptophane 3, dl-phenylalanine 9.9, dl-methionine 6, l(+)-histidine·HCl·H2O 5, l(+)-arginine-HCl 5, glycine 9.9, dl-α-alanine 4, dl-serine 2, l(-)-cystine 0.5, and l(-)-tyrosine 1. In addition other well tolerated mixtures included the prolines. When glutamic acid, natural or racemic, is included in similar mixtures vomiting reactions frequently occur at nitrogen rates above 4 mg. per kilo per minute. Vomiting almost always occurs on the first daily injection containing glutamic acid and usually on any subsequent injection containing more than 100 mg. glutamic acid per kilo unless given very slowly. Upon the addition of glycine certain mixtures of the ten essential amino acids show an improved tolerance. Two casein digests tested usually produced vomiting at injection rates above 2 mg. nitrogen per kilo per minute, probably because of their glutamic acid content. No serious reaction has ever occurrred to any mixture of amino acids or casein digest tested. Elimination of minor reactions such as vomiting appears possible and desirable for greater usefulness of these solutions in parenteral feeding. PMID:19871468

Shot noise limited detection of OH using the technique of laser induced fluorescence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bakalyar, D. M.; Davis, L. I., Jr.; Guo, C.; James, J. V.; Kakos, S.; Morris, P. T.; Wang, C. C.

1984-01-01

Nearly shot-noise limited detection of OH using the technique of laser-induced fluorescence is reported. A LIDAR configuration is used to excite fluorescence in a large volume and a narrow-bandwidth interference filter provides spectral discrimination. This arrangement alleviates the effect of ozone interference and facilitates image processing at relatively close distances. The detection limit is determined mainly by the shot-noise of the solar background. Ground-based measurements in Dearborn indicate a detection limit of better than 1 x 10 to the 6th power OH/cubic cm over a forty-minute acquisition period. Under favorable conditions, a comparable detection limit was also observed for airborne measurements.

Shot noise limited detection of OH using the technique of laser-induced fluorescence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bakalyar, D. M.; Davis, L. I., Jr.; Guo, C.; James, J. V.; Wang, C. C.; Kakos, S.; Morris, P. T.

1984-01-01

Nearly shot-noise limited detection of OH using the technique of laser-induced fluorescence is reported. A LIDAR configuration is used to excite fluoresence in a large volume and a narrow-bandwidth interference filter provides spectral discrimination. This arrangement alleviates the effect of ozone interference and facilitates image processing at relatively close distances. The detection limit is determined mainly by the short-noise of the solar background. Ground-based measurements in Dearborn indicate a detection limit of better than 1 x 10 to the 6th power OH/cubic cm over a forty-minute acquisition period. Under favorable conditions, a comparable detection limit was also observed for airborne measurements.

Primary studies of trace quantities of green vegetation in Mono Lake area using 1990 AVIRIS data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Zhi-Kang; Elvidge, Chris D.; Groeneveld, David P.

1992-01-01

Our primary results in Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve indicate that high spectral resolution Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data may provide a substantial advantage in vegetation, based on the chlorophyll red edge feature from 700-780 nm. The chlorophyll red edge was detected for green vegetation cover as low as 4.8 percent. The objective of our studies in Mono Lake area is to continue the experiments performed in Jasper Ridge and to examine the persistence of red edge feature of trace quantities of green vegetation for different plant communities with non-uniform soil backgrounds.

Perfluorocarbon Tracer Experiments on a 2 km Scale in Manchester Showing Ingress of Pollutants into a Building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, James; Wright, Matthew; Bacak, Asan; Silva, Hugo; Priestley, Michael; Martin, Damien; Percival, Carl; Shallcross, Dudley

2016-04-01

Cyclic perfluorocarbons (PFCs) have been used to measure the passage of air in urban and rural settings as they are chemically inert, non-toxic and have low background concentrations. The use of pre-concentrators and chemical ionisation gas chromatography enables concentrations of a few parts per quadrillion (ppq) to be measured in bag samples. Three PFC tracers were used in Manchester, UK in the summer of 2015 to map airflow in the city and ingress into buildings: perfluomethylcyclohexane (PMCH), perfluoro-2-4-dimethylcyclohexane (mPDMCH) and perfluoro-2-methyl-3-ethylpentene (PMEP). A known quantity of each PFC was released for 15 minutes from steel canisters using pre-prepared PFC mixtures. Release points were chosen to be upwind of the central sampling location (Simon Building, University of Manchester) and varied in distance up to 2.2 km. Six releases using one or three tracers in different configurations and under different conditions were undertaken in the summer. Three further experiments were conducted in the Autumn, to more closely investigate the rate of ingress and decay of tracer indoors. In each experiment, 10 litre samples were made over 30 minutes into Tedlar bags, starting at the same time the as PFC release. Samples were taken in 11 locations chosen from 15 identified areas including three in public parks, three outside within the University of Manchester area, seven inside and five outside of the Simon building and two outside a building nearby. For building measurements, receptors were placed inside the buildings on different floors; outside measurements were achieved through a sample line out of the window. Three of the sample positions inside the Simon building were paired with samplers outside to allow indoor-outdoor comparisons. PFC concentrations varied depending on location and height. The highest measured concentrations occurred when the tracer was released at sunrise; up to 330 ppq above background (11 ppq) of PMCH was measured at the 6th floor of the Simon Building from a release 1.9 km away. One experiment sampled for an additional two 30 minute periods in four locations inside and one location outside the Simon Building in order to investigate how long it took for air to enter and leave the building. For this measurement, 1.3 g of PMCH was released 1.9 km away and average roof level wind speed was 7.8 m/s. The highest measurement of PMCH outside was 54 ppq above background, and 46 ppq inside. After the first 30 minutes, the PFC concentration returned to background levels outside, but other internal rooms still had elevated PFC concentrations between 10 and 16 ppq above background an hour after release demonstrating that pollutants may persist within buildings having passed outside. In the final experiment, the wind direction changed so the sampling locations were not directly downwind of the release point, but nevertheless a small amount of PFC tracer above background was detected at the highest sampling point on the 6th floor of the Simon Building (14 ppq above background), and a smaller amount at street level.

Detection of nerve gases using surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates with high droplet adhesion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakonen, Aron; Rindzevicius, Tomas; Schmidt, Michael Stenbæk; Andersson, Per Ola; Juhlin, Lars; Svedendahl, Mikael; Boisen, Anja; Käll, Mikael

2016-01-01

Threats from chemical warfare agents, commonly known as nerve gases, constitute a serious security issue of increasing global concern because of surging terrorist activity worldwide. However, nerve gases are difficult to detect using current analytical tools and outside dedicated laboratories. Here we demonstrate that surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can be used for sensitive detection of femtomol quantities of two nerve gases, VX and Tabun, using a handheld Raman device and SERS substrates consisting of flexible gold-covered Si nanopillars. The substrate surface exhibits high droplet adhesion and nanopillar clustering due to elasto-capillary forces, resulting in enrichment of target molecules in plasmonic hot-spots with high Raman enhancement. The results may pave the way for strategic life-saving SERS detection of chemical warfare agents in the field.Threats from chemical warfare agents, commonly known as nerve gases, constitute a serious security issue of increasing global concern because of surging terrorist activity worldwide. However, nerve gases are difficult to detect using current analytical tools and outside dedicated laboratories. Here we demonstrate that surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can be used for sensitive detection of femtomol quantities of two nerve gases, VX and Tabun, using a handheld Raman device and SERS substrates consisting of flexible gold-covered Si nanopillars. The substrate surface exhibits high droplet adhesion and nanopillar clustering due to elasto-capillary forces, resulting in enrichment of target molecules in plasmonic hot-spots with high Raman enhancement. The results may pave the way for strategic life-saving SERS detection of chemical warfare agents in the field. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr06524k

Improving Visual Threat Detection: Research to Validate the Threat Detection Skills Trainer

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

potential threats present in this scene and explain the meaning and implications of these threats. You have two minutes to write a response...could be due to the nature of the tasks or to fatigue. Requiring Soldiers to write answers on multiple trials, and across similar tasks, might have...tasks will likely be significantly different from those experienced in the trainer. This would remove the writing requirement over multiple trials

Is 2-dimethylaminoethanol (deanol) indeed a precursor of brain acetylcholine? A gas chromatographic evaluation.

PubMed

Zahniser, N R; Chou, D; Hanin, I

1977-03-01

Acute administration of deanol-p-acetamidobenzoate (Deaner; deanol) has been reported to elevate brain choline (CH) and acetylcholine (ACh) levels. We have developed a specific and sensitive gas chromatographic assay to measure deanol levels in tissue and have applied this assay to our studies of the effect of acute deanol administration on deanol, ACh and Ch levels in rodent brains. Details of the method are described in this text. This procedure is quantitative and yields reproducible results over a wide range of deanol concentrations (0.30-200 nmol). Seven endogenous and pharmacological parameters have been studied using this procedure. In control rodent brain, liver, heart, lung and plasma, we detected no free endogenous deanol (less than 1 nmol/g). After deanol administration, we were able to detect deanol in tissue and have attempted to determine a relationship between these levels and values of ACh in the same tissue. Regardless of deanol pretreatment time (1-30 minutes) or doses (33.3-3000 mg/kg i.p.) used, we detected no increase in mouse whole brain ACh levels. Likewise, there was no detectable elevation in ACh levels in rat whole brain, cortex, striatum or hippocampus after a 15-minute pretreatment with 550 mg/kg of deanol (i.p.). The only elevation in ACh levels which we detected occurred selectively in the striatum of mice pretreated with a massive dose (900 mg/kg i.p.) of deanol for 30 minutes. This selective increase in striatal ACh levels oculd not, however, be related to levels of deanol in the striatum because there was no greater accumulation of deanol in the striatum than in other brain areas tested or in whole brain. These data do not confirm the results of other investigators who reported elevations in whole brain or striatal ACh levels after acute administration of lower doses of deanol. The data emphasize the need for further investigation into the mode of action of deanol and question its suggested role as an immediate precursor of ACh synthesis in the central nervous system.

Detectability of early brain meningitis with magnetic resonance imaging

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

Runge, V.M.; Wells, J.W.; Williams, N.M.

1995-08-01

The ability of high-field (1.5 T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect early brain meningitis was evaluated in a canine model. Contrast dose, timing postinjection, and imaging technique (specifically the use of magnetization transfer) were assessed. Imaging of five canines was performed at 1.5 T 24 hours after injection of Cowans staphylococcus into the cisterna magna. Two control animals also were imaged using the same protocol. Contrast doses of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.8 mmol/kg gadoteridol were compared. Scans were performed at 2, 13, and 22 minutes after an initial injection of 0.1 mmol/kg. Thirty minutes after the initial injection ofmore » contrast, a supplemental dose of 0.2 mmol/kg was given. Scans were then repeated at 2, 12, and 22 minutes after this dose was administered. A second supplemental contrast injection of 0.5 mmol/kg was given at 70 minutes, and immediate postinjection scans with and without MT were acquired. Results. In the animals receiving a cisternal injection of bacteria, the degree of meningeal enhancement was greatest at 0.8 mmol/kg, intermediate at 0.3 mmol/kg, and least at 0.1 mmol/kg. Scans in control studies did not demonstrate abnormal meningeal enhancement. High-contrast dose, MT, and acquisition of immediate postcontrast scans all resulted in statistically significant improvement. On masked film review, abnormal meningeal enhancement was noted in only 2 of 5 experimental dogs at a dose of 0.1 mmol/kg (regardless of the use of MT) compared with all animals at a dose of 0.3 mmol/kg. In 18 of 37 dogs (paired scans with and without MT), when abnormal enhancement was noted, the use of MT improved the visualization of abnormal meningeal enhancement. In early brain meningitis, high-contrast dose (0.3 mmol/kg), MT, and scanning immediately after injection improve detection of abnormal meningeal enhancement, thus facilitating the diagnosis of meningitis. Of these factors, contrast dose is the most important. 14 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Sniffer used as portable hydrogen leak detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dayan, V. H.; Rommel, M. A.

1966-01-01

Sniffer type portable monitor detects hydrogen in air, oxygen, nitrogen, or helium. It indicates the presence of hydrogen in contact with activated palladium black by a change in color of a thermochromic paint, and indicates the quantity of hydrogen by a sensor probe and continuous readout.

Pre-Discovery Detection of ASASSN-18fv by Evryscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbett, H.; Law, N.; Goeke, E.; Ratzloff, J.; Howard, W.; Fors, O.; del Ser, D.; Quimby, R. M.

2018-03-01

We have identified pre-discovery imaging of the probable classical nova ASASSN-18fv by Evryscope-South (http://evryscope.astro.unc.edu/), an array of 6-cm telescopes continuously monitoring 8000 square degrees of sky at 2-minute cadence from CTIO, Chile.

46 CFR 76.05-1 - Fire detecting systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... fitted with an automatic sprinkling system, except in relatively incombustible spaces. 2 Sprinkler heads....1 Offices, lockers, and isolated storerooms Electric, pneumatic, or automatic sprinkling1 Do.1 Public spaces None required with 20-minute patrol. Electric, pneumatic, or automatic sprinkling with 1...

46 CFR 76.05-1 - Fire detecting systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... fitted with an automatic sprinkling system, except in relatively incombustible spaces. 2 Sprinkler heads....1 Offices, lockers, and isolated storerooms Electric, pneumatic, or automatic sprinkling1 Do.1 Public spaces None required with 20-minute patrol. Electric, pneumatic, or automatic sprinkling with 1...

Effect of dexamethasone on expression of glucocorticoid receptor in human monocyte cell line THP-1.

PubMed

Li, Bo; Bai, Xiangjun; Wanh, Haiping

2006-01-01

The effect of dexamethasone with different concentrations and different stimulating periods on the expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GRalpha, GRbeta) protein was investigated in human monocyte cell line THP-1. The cultured human monocyte line THP-1 cells were stimulated by dexamethasone with different concentrations and different periods. The expression of GRalpha and GRbeta protein was detected by Western blotting. The results showed that the expression of GRalpha and GRbeta was detected in the THP-1 cells. The quantity of GRalpha expression was reduced by dexamethasone under the same concentration with the prolongation of the stimulating periods. The quantity of GRbeta expression was increased by dexamethasone treatment in a time- and dose-dependent manner. It was concluded that dexamethasone stimulation time-dependently reduced the GRalpha expression in THP-1 cells. Dexamethasone stimulation time- and dose-dependently increased the GRbeta expression in THP-1 cells. The expression of GRalpha and GRbeta was regulated by glucocorticoid.

1H NMR quantification in very dilute toxin solutions: application to anatoxin-a analysis.

PubMed

Dagnino, Denise; Schripsema, Jan

2005-08-01

A complete procedure is described for the extraction, detection and quantification of anatoxin-a in biological samples. Anatoxin-a is extracted from biomass by a routine acid base extraction. The extract is analysed by GC-MS, without the need of derivatization, with a detection limit of 0.5 ng. A method was developed for the accurate quantification of anatoxin-a in the standard solution to be used for the calibration of the GC analysis. 1H NMR allowed the accurate quantification of microgram quantities of anatoxin-a. The accurate quantification of compounds in standard solutions is rarely discussed, but for compounds like anatoxin-a (toxins with prices in the range of a million dollar a gram), of which generally only milligram quantities or less are available, this factor in the quantitative analysis is certainly not trivial. The method that was developed can easily be adapted for the accurate quantification of other toxins in very dilute solutions.

Discovering Link Communities in Complex Networks by an Integer Programming Model and a Genetic Algorithm

PubMed Central

Li, Zhenping; Zhang, Xiang-Sun; Wang, Rui-Sheng; Liu, Hongwei; Zhang, Shihua

2013-01-01

Identification of communities in complex networks is an important topic and issue in many fields such as sociology, biology, and computer science. Communities are often defined as groups of related nodes or links that correspond to functional subunits in the corresponding complex systems. While most conventional approaches have focused on discovering communities of nodes, some recent studies start partitioning links to find overlapping communities straightforwardly. In this paper, we propose a new quantity function for link community identification in complex networks. Based on this quantity function we formulate the link community partition problem into an integer programming model which allows us to partition a complex network into overlapping communities. We further propose a genetic algorithm for link community detection which can partition a network into overlapping communities without knowing the number of communities. We test our model and algorithm on both artificial networks and real-world networks. The results demonstrate that the model and algorithm are efficient in detecting overlapping community structure in complex networks. PMID:24386268

Transiting Planet Search in the Kepler Pipeline

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, Jon M.; Chandrasekaran, Hema; McCauliff, Sean D.; Caldwell, Douglas A.; Tenebaum, Peter; Li, Jie; Klaus, Todd C.; Cote, Mile T.; Middour, Christopher

2010-01-01

The Kepler Mission simultaneously measures the brightness of more than 160,000 stars every 29.4 minutes over a 3.5-year mission to search for transiting planets. Detecting transits is a signal-detection problem where the signal of interest is a periodic pulse train and the predominant noise source is non-white, non-stationary (1/f) type process of stellar variability. Many stars also exhibit coherent or quasi-coherent oscillations. The detection algorithm first identifies and removes strong oscillations followed by an adaptive, wavelet-based matched filter. We discuss how we obtain super-resolution detection statistics and the effectiveness of the algorithm for Kepler flight data.

Behavioral and physiological changes around estrus events identified using multiple automated monitoring technologies.

PubMed

Dolecheck, K A; Silvia, W J; Heersche, G; Chang, Y M; Ray, D L; Stone, A E; Wadsworth, B A; Bewley, J M

2015-12-01

This study included 2 objectives. The first objective was to describe estrus-related changes in parameters automatically recorded by the CowManager SensOor (Agis Automatisering, Harmelen, the Netherlands), DVM bolus (DVM Systems LLC, Greeley, CO), HR Tag (SCR Engineers Ltd., Netanya, Israel), IceQube (IceRobotics Ltd., Edinburgh, UK), and Track a Cow (Animart Inc., Beaver Dam, WI). This objective was accomplished using 35 cows in 3 groups between January and June 2013 at the University of Kentucky Coldstream Dairy. We used a modified Ovsynch with G7G protocol to partially synchronize ovulation, ending after the last PGF2α injection (d 0) to allow estrus expression. Visual observation for standing estrus was conducted for four 30-min periods at 0330, 1000, 1430, and 2200h on d 2, 3, 4, and 5. Eighteen of the 35 cows stood to be mounted at least once during the observation period. These cows were used to compare differences between the 6h before and after the first standing event (estrus) and the 2wk preceding that period (nonestrus) for all technology parameters. Differences between estrus and nonestrus were observed for CowManager SensOor minutes feeding per hour, minutes of high ear activity per hour, and minutes ruminating per hour; twice daily DVM bolus reticulorumen temperature; HR Tag neck activity per 2h and minutes ruminating per 2h; IceQube lying bouts per hour, minutes lying per hour, and number of steps per hour; and Track a Cow leg activity per hour and minutes lying per hour. No difference between estrus and nonestrus was observed for CowManager SensOor ear surface temperature per hour. The second objective of this study was to explore the estrus detection potential of machine-learning techniques using automatically collected data. Three machine-learning techniques (random forest, linear discriminant analysis, and neural network) were applied to automatically collected parameter data from the 18 cows observed in standing estrus. Machine learning accuracy for all technologies ranged from 91.0 to 100.0%. When we compared visual observation with progesterone profiles of all 32 cows, we found 65.6% accuracy. Based on these results, machine-learning techniques have potential to be applied to automatically collected technology data for estrus detection. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.